RDR2 ONESHOTS ;; REQ ➥

𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦! 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘺! ;; 𝘈𝘔

SUMMARY : After one too many close-calls, you decided to finally come out to Arthur. V BRIEF, going to be re-written sometim

WARNINGS : none

RATING : transmasc

God, This was bad. This was getting really bad. How long could you smoke til' your lungs burned so that your voice was a little bit deeper? How long could you go with bandages tightly binding your chest for hours at a time? How much longer could you avoid Arthur because he saw a little bit of your back exposed?

You sat in your tent, flap closed with a spool of bandages on your lap as you worked on wrapping your chest, wincing at the tight compressing feeling. Your skin wasn't the healthiest right now, Blisters forming due to friction.

"Jesus." You muttered, panting quite the storm.

Your head shot up at the sound of your tent being opened, eyes widening as you instinctively covered your chest with your arm.

It was Arthur. He looked subtly annoyed, yet, irritated.

"The hell is takin' you so long, Boy? We have a job in an hour. Get dressed." He huffed, gesturing towards you.

If only he knew how terrified you were. You sheepishly nodded, setting the spool aside as you tugged a collared shirt on, Hissing at having to lift your arms.

He paused, lips pressing into a thin line as his expression shifted to something unfamiliar to you.

"..You 'aight? You don't sound too fine." He inquired. You could practically feel his unease, like he was trying to dodge getting too touchy-feely. It took everything in you to not break down and spill the beans.

It was a gamble. On one hand, If you did tell him, He could totally murder you in the privacy of your tent - Yet on the other? Theres a slim chance he wouldn't care. You couldn't tell if it was worth it.

You must've made a face, because he stepped closer to your cot; Albeit, hesitantly.

"Are you hurt, Friend?" He asked. He wasn't exactly the best with comforting other men, due to being trained not to show vulnerability all his life. Because 'Men don't cry.' Or, alternatively, 'Men don't care.'

"Sorry, No. Well.. Yes." You blurted, your expression pensive as you glanced over at him. He looked just as, if not more uncomfortable.

"Arthur, Would you.. Do.." You trailed off, unable to get a grip on your words. He patiently took a seat, gesturing for you to take a moment.

"D'you think womenfolk could, I don't know.. become.. men?" You quietly asked, god this was a stupid way to go about it. You immediately regretted asking like that, too.

He must've thought it sounded strange too, Because a puzzled look took a hold of his features.

"I suppose. As long as folk are happy, good people."

His answer surprised you, more than you'd like to admit. You gaped at him for a few seconds, before gesturing towards yourself.

"I'm.." You choked up, the rest of your admission remaining unsaid.

It took him a few seconds before he caught onto what you meant, an 'oh' noise escaping him. He was fairly shocked, to say the least.

"You're? You're.. One of those?" He made air-quotes around 'those,' Not knowing if there was a name for changing your identity like that. You pressed your lips into a line, nodding.

"Yeah. 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘩."

A lengthy pause took control of the conversation, a sigh escaping you. You knew this was going to happen. It'd happened time and time again, so why would he be any different. You stared at your lap, ready to tell him to leave. Just as you opened your mouth, you felt warm arms around you, Though, they were relatively loose so he didn't squeeze you too bad.

"I don't. I don't know if this helps, frankly." He admitted, eliciting a soft chuckle from you. Your voice cracked a little bit as you laughed, hugging him back.

"I still see you as a man, all the same." He added, releasing you as he stood there like an awkward father, clearing his throat.

"Thanks." You replied, quiet and brief. 

"I'm.. Gonna go. Now." He muttered, pointing toward the flap in an almost cartoony fashion as he stepped out and left you to your devices.