HIGHWAYS & BYWAYS ⊳ arthur morgan x reader

━ xix

"And no peakin', are we clear?"

Arthur's voice sounds slightly distant, but he's just a few meters away, behind you. Your smile grazes your palms, your fingers linger over your closed eyes.

"And what if I do anyway?" You ask, and hear him sigh. Not in exasperation, of course, but a combination between amusement and frustration. "What are you going to do about that, Mister Morgan?"

"I'll figure somethin' out. Now, don't ruin the surprise, y'hear?"

Temptation is not an easy foe to defeat, and you're still struggling with it when you give him an answer.

"Alright, fine."

Objects behind you shuffle, it sounds like he's moving crates, boxes, bags, and anything in-between.

"Are you emptying your entire truck or what?" You're still loyal to your promise, eyes covered and turned away from where Arthur currently is. He still stops to make sure of it.

"You'll see." He says again. The rustling of fabric follows, though you don't have the smallest clue about what exactly to make of it.

It goes on for at least a minute, maybe two. By the time Arthur huffs in a way that insinuates satisfaction, you're dying of curiosity.

"You done?"

"Yeah, I—" He barely gets past the vowel before you spin on your heels and glance at him.

Your joke had a grain of truth in it. Arthur did in fact empty the back of his truck: all his belongings have been piled up neatly just a meter or two away, and replaced with what seems to be a flurry of...bedsheets?

Your chest tightens in a pleasant way: Arthur Morgan truly is a romantic at heart. An explanation is unneeded, but he provides it regardless, which makes your smile widen a fraction.

"The stars are real pretty 'round here, n...well, I figured—" He gestures at the admittedly quite invitingly looking mess of pillows and blankets. "I...lookin' at it now, guess I shoulda asked first instead of all the secrecy. 'F you don't like it I can just—"

Your hand finds his wrist, your lips his collarbone. "It's lovely," You say so demurely that it makes his heart flutter. Arthur looks downwards, at the tips of his shoes, failing at concealing what is a slight blush. You give his wrist a lingering tug towards the bed of his truck. "Now, you didn't set it up for us to stare at it, did you, Arthur? C'mon."

Before he knows it, you've kicked off your shoes and flopped onto the flurry of sheets. Arthur follows, crawls up next to you. It occurs to you that you've never seen so much joy and excitement etched into his face. If you thought he'd seemed angelic at dawn in John's front yard, he looks nothing short of divine bathed in the golden hour rays, nestled between the satiny sheets, wreathed in smiles.

You're not any different yourself. Arthur teaches out, trails his fingertips over the side of your face so gently that you can't even dream of feeling the roughness of his skin. You're surprised in the best and most familiar of ways. Judging by his expression, he wasn't aware he could muster such gentleness either.

"I been—" He cuts himself off before he can get anything else out, you figure he's still looking for the right words. A soft, encouraging hum from you eases his mind. "'S stupid, but...I been thinkin' about doin' this for...a really long time."

"For how long?" You ask. Arthur swallows thickly, gives you a weak smile when you shift closer to accommodate the minute stroking of his thumb on your cheekbone.

He shakes his head. "Too long." Arthur's blush spreads to his collarbone, which has got to be one of the most precious sights in the world: a man so big he could crush you with his bare hands, blushing, at your mercy. You lean forward to kiss his stubbled cheek.

"I've been thinking about something like this too." Arthur must've expected something else as answer, maybe even mockery, you realize when he exhales softly and relaxes at your words. He sits up. "And not to toot my own horn here, but I can identify some constellations."

"Think you can teach me?" Arthur asks. There's so much genuine curiosity in his voice that it makes your heart melt. It's impossible to deny such a request. You sit up as well, legs crossed, and lean against his side. He's warm, so much so you'd considered it uncomfortable if it weren't for the setting sun and progressively chilly air.

"Of course." Arthur smiles at your response and tilts his head back, already on the lookout for bright dots on the still orange sky. It might be a little too soon for that, you think, and he's obviously aware of it as well once he looks up. Arthur shifts to stare off into the horizon, looking borderline embarrassed of his eagerness. You seek to fix that: you venture to his lap, finding the hand he's set there and giving it a loving squeeze. "Just gotta wait until it gets a little darker."

He nods his head.

Waiting out the dawn doesn't seem like a bad idea at all, especially with him so close beside you. Silence ensues, though you can't bring yourself to dislike it. It's light and comfortable, just like the summer night air.

"You ever think about—" Arthur pauses thoughtfully. You lift your head from his shoulder to let him know he has your attention. "How every star is a sunset somewhere? Gets me feelin'...a little less lonely, sometimes when I'm alone out here. And much smaller, too."

Your heart warms at his words. His mind, you think, in spite of how it can be dismissed as simple if one doesn't bother to dig just a little deeper, is truly brilliant in the most unexpected of ways.

"Never did." You admit. "But now that you mention it...well, I'm glad I got to watch this exact sunset, on earth, with you."

The wide grin on his face surpasses any form of sunlight.