Arthur Morgan One-Shots, Imagines, and Preferences

Relax (Fluff)

     After a long day, all Arthur wants to do is shut out the world. When you notice his stress you decide Arthur needs to be treated to a relaxing night away from camp. 2,035 words.

The gang has just relocated camp to an area called horseshoe overlook. It's nice to be out of the freezing temperatures of Colter. Although everyone is in higher hopes, food is becoming scarce. This morning, Dutch had sent Arthur hunting so early that you hadn't even woken up yet. Exiting yours and Arthur's shared tent after getting ready, you decide to busy yourself by helping Tilly with laundry.

As the day passed, you kept busy with odd chores around camp like you do most days. Once 4 o'clock rolled around you begin to wonder what could be taking Arthur so long. You try not to worry be usually he's back at about noon, especially if he leaves that early.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of your mind, you sit down at the table with a bowl of stew. As you finish your food and chat with the other women, you hear a voice from the entrance of camp. "Who's there!" you hear Bill shout. A familiar voice then barks back, "Arthur, dumbass!" You can't help but smirk at his response. Standing up to greet him, you smooth out your long skirt. As you approach him you see he's covered in dirt and the blood of the deer that hangs over his shoulder. "Arthur," you say, greeting him. As he walks past you, it's almost as if he doesn't notice you.

You follow him at a distance and watch as he lugs the deer across camp. Once he reaches Pearsons butcher table, he slams the carcass down and huffs away into your tent. You walk toward the tent and peer inside through the crack. He stands in the middle of the canvas walled room and drags his hands over his face and lets out a loud sigh. "Arthur?" you call quietly through the flaps. "Can I come in?" you ask, hoping for yes as a response. You hear another huff before he pulls the canvas aside and and meets your eyes.

Once he lets you in he walks over to the cot and sits down heavily. A lantern illuminates the small space and allows you to notice the scrapes he adorns across his face and the exposed parts of his arms. "Arthur, what happened?" you ask, slightly concerned. You seat yourself next to him on the cot before he begins to speak. "Damn horse bucked me off right on the side of a hill," he grunts out as he dusts his sleeves off, trying to remove the caked on dirt. You stifle a laugh, luckily he doesn't seem to notice. "All these scratches are from rolling down a hill?" you respond, a little confused. "The hill lead right into a bunch of thorn bushes. It wasn't exactly the smoothest hill either," he adds. He hangs his head as he begins to remove his boots.

As he pulls his boots off you stop him. "How about we go into town and get you a bath. You've been working real hard lately," you say to him in a gentle tone. "No, no, it's fine, I just-," you cut him off before he continues to protest. "Put your boots back on," you tell him in an assertive tone. He groans before putting his boots back on. He decides not to argue with you since you're too stubborn to be told no the majority of the time.

Exiting the tent, Arthur heads towards the hitching post to saddle up his horse. You quickly grab the leather luggage bag that sits in the corner of your tent. You fill it with your linen chemise, an extra dress, a change of clothes for Arthur, and his spare union suit. Arthur sighs as he sees you exit the tent with the bag, knowing you were going to make him stay in the hotel. He knows how deeply you care for but he can't help but feel guilty when you treat him this well.

You mount the back of his horse with the bag and wrap you arms around his waist. You can't help but feel how tense his muscles are as you lean against him back. The ride took slightly longer than usual due to the fact that Arthur doesn't like to go very fast when you ride with him. You've told him a million times you will be fine but he doesn't want you to fall and get hurt.