Thick As Thieves ~ {Arthur Morgan x reader}

~16 {Clemens Point}

Me and John ride next to each other, talking about the new camp location and how it would be different or better. Suddenly a man on his horse came out from behind a tree in the way of the path, the horse stomped his feet loudly making our horses agitated. I calmed my horse down, "I thought I'd find you two here soon." Dutch smirked on top of his horse.

"Haha very funny, why'd you wait for us?" John sarcastically laughed, "Oh, you know. Stuff." Dutch shrugged, me and John shred a look of confusion. "What're you trying to say Dutch?" John asked, Dutch laughed, "You'll soon understand John." He said riding ahead. "C'mon." I say to John riding next to Dutch.

"Why did you move without finding us first or at least telling us?" I asked him, "I mean we basically did, with that note. One of the reasons I came back was to make sure you got it." Dutch said.

"I thought you lot were about going west? This is just going east it looks like." I said confused, "Agent Milton and his boys are tracking us down somehow, I don't know how they do it so fast but we are faster than them and stronger." Dutch said confidently,

"I have a plan, to get us out of here. Tahiti, Australia!" Dutch said proudly, "Really Dutch? Tahiti? What're we gonna do? Rob and grow mangos for a living?" John shot back, "You always have a plan Dutch!"

"John are you, are you doubting me?" Dutch said, his voice Turing to a low deep threatening tone making my back chill. "John you need to believe in me, I do what's right for this gang, we are family. We will get past this." Dutch stopped his horse next to Johns and patted him on the shoulder making John tense up.

"Enough of this conversation now, let's get back to camp." Dutch said riding off again.

"Ah I see you found John and (Y/N) then Dutch?" Hosea came walking up to the three of us on our horses. The camp had a massive old tree in the middle, it's branches spread across the flat land where the tents were set up circled around the tree. It looked like a decent little place, "This is Clemens Point, Charles and Arthur went out and found it while you two were gone." Hosea said again, "John you're over there, (Y/N) your tent is next to Arthur's." Hosea walked off with Dutch to discuss things.

"That was a good ride, we have to do that again sometime." John walked off and started to watch Jack play with a new dog he had found. I see Arthur sat in the edge of camp, off the dock staring into the lake. He had a book in his hand and was drawing something. I smile and walk over.

"(Y/N), can I speak to you quickly?" Charles put a hand in front of me just before I reached the dock, I sigh and nod, following him. "(Y/N) you probably heard me and Arthur went out on a ride yeah?" He asked putting his hand against the wagon we were hidden behind. I nod, "Yeah, well done finding this place by the way." "Yeah thanks but, we were talking and, and I think you need to talk to him." He whispers sadly.

"Why? Was it about me?" I ask with a raised eyebrow, he looks off into the distance to Arthur who seems deep in thought, the golden sunlight kissed his skin making him shine. "N-no, I...well. He just told me things and some were about his past. He seems really down and shook up about it and I know you two get along well and thought you could get to him. See what's up." Charles asked. I began to worry about Arthur, he never really talked about himself, he tries to act so tough and manly but on the inside he's just a loveable giant. "Yeah, I'll try to talk to him." I say, Charles thanked me and gave me a side hug. I walk over to Arthur.

I stand behind Arthur and smirk at him, he doesn't notice me behind me and hums a sweet tune while sketching in his book. I peak over his shoulder and my eyes widen, "Arthur is that me?" I say. His body jumps and he throws his pencil into the air, he catches it before it hit the water and turns around to face me with his book and pencil close to his chest. "I Uh, how long were you there?" He asks slamming his book shut. I sit down beside him, "Long enough, can I see the drawing?" I ask, his face turns a crimson red as he looks down towards his diary. "Shoah." He says opening his book to the page.

I take it from him as he turns back and looks at the ocean, kicking it making ripples. I giggle at the drawing of me, he must've been adding final details because it was from when I was led against a tree. "The details very good." I applaud him, he mumbles under his breath, "Yeah don't think you're special, I've drawn mostly everyone in this camp except Micah." He says, I chuckle.

I start to turn the pages until he swipes it from my hands, "Until I'm dead no ones looking inside, I'll probably give it to John or something." Arthur says, "Thought you weren't so friendly with him." I respond. He sighs, "Me and John were like brothers, nothing lasts forever. We've known each other for years so." Arthur says. I look into the lake to see his reflection, his sad eyes staring back at himself. "Charles talked to me." I say, Arthur suddenly turned his body position towards me, "He better not have said anything I swear." He started to stand up, I pull him back down, "He didn't say shit he just said you seemed down and that I would cheer you up now what's the problem stop trying to be such a big brave man and let your feelings out."

He snickered and looked on into the distance, "I had a son once, like John has Jack. I had Isaac, his mother was a waitress I met, Eliza, she was only nineteen when she got pregnant. Isaac was such a good kid." Arthur said sadly, "What happened to them?" I asked, he sighed. "I went to her house a couple of months to check up on them, and one day I got there and I saw two crosses outside and I knew right away.Turned out some bastards had come through and robbed them and shot them dead, all for ten dollars." He took a deep breath, struggling to talk about his past. "It hardened me, feeling that kind of pain. I've realised you don't get to live a bad life and have good things happen to you."

"Mind you I've done bad things in my life, I regret them deeply. Leopold Strauss got me to collect these debts from some innocent people, I was hard on them. I can see the fear in their eyes now and, and I killed a fella. Thomas Downes, he was sick and I killed him. He tried to put up a fight by spitting on me but he was too weak. He had a wife and child that I put into deep trouble. I gave them a few bucks and they went on their way, I wish I...i wish I could apologise, it's not gonna make him come back but." Arthur coughed, his voice sounding like a failed car. "But I just want them to know I'm sorry. I'm trying to change but it feels like I'm making a bigger fool of myself. Bill calls me soft and Dutch says I'm changing."

I look at Arthur sympathetically, he's been through some shit that he's probably not told many people, I pat him on the back comfortably. "There's a good man inside you Arthur, you might not see it but I do." He smiles at me.

"You two lazy bones get back to work and stop acting so lovey dovey will ya?" Miss grimshaw shouts from the bottom of the deck, both her hands by the side of her waist. Arthur nods as she scoffs and hurries off in a strop. "Don't mind her, she's an angry old crow but she can be nice when she wants to. Just don't get on her bad side." Arthur says, I blush at what she said about me and Arthur but try to play it cool. "Well I best be going, I'm gonna go out camp and hunt. I would invite you but I work best on my own." Arthur says I nod and see him off.

I sit down at the campfire next to Sadie who was sharpening her knife. "I think that's sharp enough." I joke, she turns towards me with a smile, "Why? You wanna try it?" Sadie points they knife in my face making me nervously chuckle. "I'm only joking with ya, so I've been watching you and Arthur for a while and might I say you two make a cute couple." Sadie smirks, I blush. "Shut up, we're only friends and besides he's with someone else." I say, Sadie raises an eyebrow "Who?" Sadie asks, "That girl by his tent, the one in the frame." I say. Sadie starts laughing, "That girls Mary, she's in the past now. Never met her personally but the girls here say Arthur's too good for her." Suddenly I heard horses galloping, a lot of them. I then hear Bill shout Dutches name, I turn around to see what was happening.

"Dutch Van Der Linde! Come out Now!" A Man said jumping off his horse, he had hold of Arthur with a shotgun to his head.