Arthur Morgan x Reader

Thirteen

"Alright.", Arthur slid off the back of the horse and politely raised his arms to help you down as well. "Like I said, Dutch ain't that bad."

He placed you gently on the ground.

But somehow, your hands didn't want to let go of him. They remained resting on his arms while you gifted him a smile as thanks.

"He's quite a personality.", you noted, amused.

His arm shifted in your grip. It felt like he was more tense than a moment ago.

But he didn't make a move to shake you off either.

You loosened your grip on him. And yet, your hands refused to let fully go.

"I warned ya, sweetheart.", he huffed. "He's one handful of a man."

"Well, I guess you two could be called twins then."

He frowned, the hint of a confused smile on his lips.

"Pardon?", he leaned forward. "You ain't all that sunshine either."

A chuckle made your chest shake.

"I never said that.", in a playful manner, you pinched the brim of his hat and pulled it into his face to hide those pale blue eyes of his.

He was handsome enough as he was. Looking him into the eyes only made it worse.

You weren't someone who could be easily impressed by beauty.

But he really did have something about him that just gave you the shivers. The good kind.

Smirking, he fixed it. While doing so, he took a step back.

Your hands slid off his body. The loss made the palms of your hands feel all cold and empty.

Unsure what to do with them now, you put them on your belt and raised your chin.

"I assume we won't see each other again.", you offered him a hand as a goodbye. "Was nice meetin' ya, Arthur."

With his lips pressed into a thin line, he let out a deep breath and shook it.

"Arthur Morgan.", he said, tapping his hat. "Pleasure meetin' ya, sweetheart. Keep that head of yours high. Suits you."

Amused, you shook your head.

"It's (Y/N), not sweetheart."

"Yeah, well, what does it matter now? Will be the last time anyways."

Somehow, that made your chest feel heavy.

But you didn't dare to show your disappointment.

He was a fine fella. He'd surely try to make it up to you.

You didn't want to rob any more of his time nor patience and shrugged it off.

"I'll let you have it one last time.", you turned to leave and raised a hand to wave. "Good luck finding that simple life you want."

You missed to see the soft smile that appeared on his bearded face.

"Ah...", he hummed to himself. "It ain't that simple."

Lost in thoughts, you walked down the road that led back home.

If everything went according to plan and Dutch kept his promise, you'd be able to finally start to take action.

The bar was running well and most people payed what they owed.

As someone who had to pay for water and food, you couldn't complain.

But there was still more you wanted in life than just a bunch of drunks who hated you like the devil himself.

And Ginny.

Ginny deserved so much more in life than fingers being pointed at him just because you two shared the same blood.

He needed friends and a better place to grow up.

But what about Karl?

Ginny seemed like he took a liking to that fella.

He was a poor soul, with a father who beat him. And that medical condition of his seemed like it didn't make life better either.

Maybe he needed a better place for himself as well.

But how would you've been able to do that?

Steal him from his father?

You wouldn't just be hated by everyone, but also a confirmed criminal.

Taking kids away wasn't an easy offence.

At best, they'd take both of your hands if they managed to catch you.

At worst, you'd be dead before you were able to blink.

No matter how, Karl needed to get out of his fathers chokehold.

A deep sigh made your chest shiver.

"Fuck...", you mumbled and looked over your shoulder.

The silhouette of Arthur already started to shrink in the distance. It merged with the darkness, only leaving the sound of hooves.

Maybe there was a way to get everything so that your mind could be put at ease.

It would require another favour from Dutch though. Or at least his approval.

And he didn't seem like the kind of guy who'd hand them out easily.

You needed to go to him with something else that he wanted, otherwise he'd surely decline.

Thing was, you didn't have any more cards up your sleeve. Not that Dutch or anybody else needed to know that, you still could play it down and pretend.

But ultimately, if things would get hot, you didn't have anything that could be of interest to the outlaws.

It would be best to never let it come this far.

That meant you needed to work quick.

Hopefully, they start collecting your dept as soon as they checked your tips out themselves.

The quicker you'd have your money in hand, the earlier you'd be able to finally do what you had started to plan so many years ago.

After all this time, blood sweat and tears, you couldn't believe how close it was. It felt like you could reach out and just grab it.

"Watch your steps!", a drunken voice suddenly tore your thoughts apart.

Struck by surprise, your head snapped up and your eyes widened.

"Father!", you gasped and caught the priest who was stumbling through the night.

He reeked of alcohol and cigar smoke.

Groaning, he wrapped his arms around your neck and pulled you closer.

You pulled your head back, disgusted by the thought that he might go for a kiss.

"You're a nasty rat, ain't ya?", the priest asked and gifted you a dirty grin. "I've seen your kind. Sinners. How about I show you redemption?"

His long, sharp nails dug into the back of your neck, so deep, that a sharp, burning pain danced over the surface of the skin.

Pulling a face, you pushed him off.

He lost his balance, but reached out and managed to strike a hit to your face.

Pain chased through your cheek.

"You deserve to be thrown into a pit and be disrespected.", he growled and stumbled off.

"And you deserve to be shot...", you whispered, staring after him.