Red Dead Redemption 2 One-Shots

↬A.M.↭RIVALS↫

Arthur set the boar pelt on Pearson's table with a grunt and wiped the sweat from his brow. His hard work was met with a scoff as you placed a perfect deer carcass next to it. His eyes narrowed as you grinned cockily, resting a hand on your hip.

"Pitiful," you scoffed. He snorted.

"I saw ya puffing as you was walking over. Was it too heavy for ya?"

"I managed fine, but I guess the boar was too heavy to pick up so you could only bring back the pelt?"

Pearson sighed as he walked over, used to your bickering but nonetheless pleased with the meat you provided. "Well done, both of you." You glowed.

"I do my best for you, Pearson." He made a shooing motion and you walked off toward the fire, Arthur following.

"Ya know he was just being nice, right? Any old fool could bring meat, even Micah," Arthur said.

"Yeah but it was perfect. I provide nothing but the best, after all." You glanced over your shoulder at him, smirking. He rolled his eyes.

"Well I've got a gator skin on my horse but I was trying not to show off." You stopped.

"Actually?"

"Yep."

"Well..." You scrambled to come up with a retort. "Agh, fine, you beat me there." Arthur grinned as you sat on a log. "Now leave me alone you brute."

"Yes ma'am." He walked off. You smiled as you watched him approach the stew. This rivalry had been raging since your childhood; if there was even a chance one of you could do better than the other, it was a competition. It drove the gang mad half the time but you thought it was fun. When you were younger it was more of a feud, but now that you were older and wiser (although you weren't sure if he was), it was more like a game.

"Who you starin' at?" Karen sat beside you, a whiskey bottle in her hand. You snapped your gaze to her, not realizing you were even staring.

"I was...zoned out."

"Uh huh." She nodded, her hair bobbing as she did so.

"You're just looking for some drama you drunk." You rolled your eyes but couldn't keep the smile from your lips. She giggled.

"Mayyyybe! So who was it?" She leaned closer, as if you were going to impart great wisdom upon her. You leaned in.

"I was staring..." She looked up at you eagerly. "At the stew."

"Gah!" She splashed the whiskey on you, ignoring your cries of distress. "When're you gon' admit it?"

"Fine, fine, I'm hungry." You held your hands up in surrender, snickering.

"You're a real comedy- comedian." She shook her head as if to shake the haziness away. "You have a thing for Morgan."

"Yeah, there's a rivalry going on. Even drunk I thought you could see that?" She tried to smack you but missed.

"You liiiikkkke him." She giggled, attempting to put the bottle to her lips and pouring most of its contents all over herself.

"How many have you had?" you asked, snatching the whiskey from her.

"You've been makin' lovey eyes-"

"You need to go to bed." You stood and tried to help her to her feet but she wasn't making it easy.

"And sometimes he stares when you ain't lookin'-"

"He's probably just gazing upon my superiority and wondering how I can be this cool." That was met with a chuckle, and upon looking up, you saw the man you were talking about. "Little help?" you grunted, trying not to drop Karen into the fire.

"I'm too busy gazing at your 'superiority'." He leaned against a tree. You sighed and shambled over to the tent closest the campfire, nearly collapsing once you were there. You laid her on the blanket. Oh, she's already out.

"Thanks for the help." You rolled your shoulders as you approached Arthur.

"How did you get to be that cool?" he asked, a smile cracking his face.

"Shut up." You pushed his shoulder, but even you couldn't hold back a smile. "Was she right though? Do you stare at me?"

"I don't think so." He scratched his chin as he thought.

"Well feel free. I'm, as I've said, pretty cool." You backed up towards your tent.

"That you are," he agreed. You blew him a kiss and headed into your tent, pulling the flap closed.

You thought you'd fall asleep rather quickly, but Karen's words ate at you. Most of what she said when she had a few too many was blatant lies, but once in a blue moon there was some truth behind it. Was this one of those times? More importantly, why did you care?

Seeing as you weren't about to get any winks any time soon, you stood and crept out of your tent. Everyone was asleep, save for the guard at the entrance of camp. You snuck over to Arthur's tent, seeing the man fast asleep with his satchel draped over the chest at the end of his bed. You carefully reached into the satchel and pulled out his journal. If there was any hint of truth to Karen's words he'd put it in here.

You flipped through the whole hundred pages. Barely even a mention of you. Sighing in defeat, you were about to put it back when you saw a fold in a page in the back. You opened to the last few pages and found all the evidence you were looking for. It was a drawing of you, a rather good one at that. You turned the page. Another one, this time you were holding a snake you were rather proud of slaying. Next page, you threatening Bill with a spoon. It was over something stupid but the memory still got a grin out of you. You were flipping to the next page when a knife was held to your throat.

"What're you doin'?" a rough voice demanded.

"Ya know," you tilted your head back to look up at him. "You should talk like that more often. It's hot."

"What're you doin' (Y/N)?" he asked. He slipped the knife back into its holster as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "And whatdaya mean hot?"

"Your 'I just woke up' voice, I like it." You tried to put the journal back without him noticing but he caught your wrist with your hand in his satchel. "Just browsing your journal." His eyes went wide. "Yeah, I know, not cool." you said before he could yell at you.

"Why?"

"Just..." you looked down at your boots. "Wondering if Karen was right."

"Dammit (Y/N), I told you I don't like you!"

"Who said anything about liking me?" Silence fell upon the tent. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Look-" He started, then cut himself off. "You-" He stopped again.

"Do you actually mean that, or is that just that a really bad attempt at lying?" you asked, your tone serious for once. He didn't answer. "Cuz I don't think you'd try to hide your drawings of me if you did." Still no response. "Fine, I'll say it first: I like you." He met your gaze.

"You mean that?"

"Took a drunken harlot to make me realize it, but yeah." You offered a small, somewhat cautious smile. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Well I like ya too."

"Oh good!" You put a hand to your heart. "For a second there I thought I was reading the room--well, tent--wrong." He chuckled. It was silent for a moment as you glanced around the tent and he studied his boots. "Hey." He looked up. "I bet I'm a better kisser than you." He shook his head at your blatant scheme.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." You leaned closer, grinning. He leaned close enough to brush his nose against yours.

"Well let's test it then."