ANYTHING, ANYONE ⊳ arthur morgan x reader

━ xi

As welcoming and cozy as the name Colter makes the abandoned town out to be, it's anything but.

The buildings are shabby at best, but, practically being a surrogate mother to who just so happens to be the son of the second most important man in the gang comes with a privilege or two. You, Arthur and Isaac get your own room — albeit cramped — but with mostly intact walls and even a fireplace.

After Dutch holds his mandatory speech and announces that he and Arthur leave in search for Micah and John, you help set up the bare necessities around the temporary camp. For dinner, you and Tilly are tasked with handing out canned or dried goods for everyone to eat. You note that Dutch and (more importantly) Arthur are still missing.

With that in mind, you seek out as many gang members as you can, take the time to lend a helping hand if needed. You fear that spending your time assessing your situation would only turn you more cynical — keeping busy is the best cure for overthinking. And, aside from that, you also get to make yourself useful. A win-win situation.

Isaac falls asleep quicker than a light that's being switched off, and you can't claim you're doing much better either by the time you get to the room you share with him and Arthur.

His father's still nowhere to be seen, which means bad news for you. Sleep hardly ever comes to you if Arthur's not around. You suppose it's out of habit. Of course it can be cured with warm tea and a book you've already familiarized yourself with a dozen times before, but...you find that his presence is much more efficient when it comes to making you feel at ease.

"Is he back yet?"

A benevolent smile tugs on your lips when you hear Isaac's voice from the other corner of the room. Being a light sleeper runs in the family.

"Arthur?" You ask as you trot over to the boy's cot. Isaac is snuggled up in a blanket that's far too big for his size — he's pulled it all the way up to his nose so that only his eyes peek out. The end is tucked under his legs, reaching the back of his knees. He gives one soft nod. "Not yet. He's out looking for John and Micah."

The cot creaks when you move to sit down next to Isaac's tiny form. He cuddles up against you in a way that's familiar, and you set your hand atop his head. Brushing his shaggy, untamable locks into shape is objectively speaking pointless, but you do it anyways because the way he closes his big blue eyes and smiles dreamily makes you feel warmer than any wool blanket ever could.

"I hope he finds John." Isaac tells you after a few seconds of silence, and then he yawns. "Jack's been real sad 'cuz his pa's gone."

"John's got his flaws, but yeah. I hope he finds him too." You brush one strand from his face, then adjust the blanket around him properly.

"And I hope papa finds Jenny. And Mac, and Sean." Isaac pauses, frowns in thought until his nose crinkles in the slightest. "Micah can stay where he is though."

You chuckle, then nod in agreement. "Definitely." He looks at you like he can't quite understand what's so humorous about what he's just said — something Isaac does quite often. When around you, or anyone he truly trusts, he speaks his mind without any inhibition, which often results in hilariously honest comments from him.

Silence ensues, and you twist one of his locks of hair around your index. They're getting quite long, you should give him a trim again sometime soon, you think.

Isaac closes his eyes after you tell him to try to get more sleep. You sit beside him, playing with his hair until his breathing starts to grow shallow and slows.

Just as you get up, you hear his voice whisper yet again.

"We should bury Davey with a blanket." Isaac states out of nowhere, peeking at you with only one eye because he knows he's supposed to be asleep.