james

fuck terfs & fuck racism

[leahdarkspear]

Dive Bars in Zandalar

**I haven’t seen a post about this, oddly enough, so I decided to do one of my own! I will do a post about dive bars in Kul’Tiras at a future date.**

The Dive Bar - Kingsmouth River, Zuldazar

The Sand Bar - North of Zeb’ahari, Zuldazar

Gral’s Grotto - Atal’Gral, Zuldazar

Torga’s Tavern -  Northeast of Torga’s Rest, Nazmir (Probably my favorite - nice views and a really great atmosphere.)

Heyman’s Hideaway - North of the Temple of Sethraliss, Vol’dun (There you can find Heyman’s Hearthstone, which will transport you to a shipwreck off the southeastern coast of the Isle of Thunder, Pandaria)

[gaaebolg]

Your Illidan faces are super good! You interpret the meme very well IMO - sincerely, an anonymous Illidan fan

from one illidan fan to another: thank you!!❤️

[anarendaldracon]

god i love illidan

[distantcowboynoises]

One Day This Will All Be Fields. - One-shot

Arthur Morgan x Male Reader

AO3: One Day This Will All Be Fields. 

Word Count: 1.4k

Summary:  “I’m-,” he was cut off by more coughs, “Y/N… I- I’m dyin’.”

Note: I got an idea while writing on the other thing and yeah I’m sorry this shit hurt to write. Also wicked short but not short enough to be a drabble so there you goooooo.

Keep reading

[cowboynuts]

you think you could write arthur comforting a male reader abt his self harm scars? idk, its okay if you think its too ooc or you aint comfy writin it. I love your works dude

hope this was okay with what you were asking for!!

**CW for self harm**

It wasn’t uncommon for either of you to take time sitting alone in the outskirts of camp. Basking in the quiet, peaceful moments in the hot lull of the day. Sometimes a book or notebook in your lap— other times nothing at all except the soft company of rustling wind in the trees. Today was different, though. Instead of seeking out quiet time to think and relax, you were scrambling for somewhere to hide. The days were getting colder the more the leaves had started to change, and you pulled your coat tighter around you with balled, shaking fists. Tears stung at your eyes but refused to fall. You set your jaw and fell back to the ground heavily. Your back pressed back against a big tree trunk and you let your arms connect together as you brought your knees up to your chest. Being an outlaw took strength— both physical and mental. Always being tough and indestructible. Arthur was more of the tough one between you two, though. Tears rolled down your cheeks and you choked on a silent sob. Arthur was definitely the stronger one. 

Keep reading

[distantcowboynoises]

Image.

Arthur Morgan x Male Reader

Part One of Two

AO3: Image. 

Word Count: 6.1k

Summary:  It was your usual shift, working graveyard at the jail in Annesberg. You sat at your desk, huddled in your coats as the wood exterior of the jailhouse didn’t do much to shelter from the barbarous cold of the bleak midwinter. You shivered as you attempted to warm the shells of your ears as they grew redder and began to sting. God damn this cold.

Note:  your least favorite yeehaw dumbass is finally back with some fanfiction action. sorry for not getting this out sooner, burnout is a hell of a thing but i promise i’m coming out of it. feeling a bit better after my accidental hiatus and i’m so fucking happy to be positing again. took a bit of inspiration from Christoph Waltz’s character King Schultz from Django Uncahined and  I think it may be obvious in the story line. was a lil worried about this as a comeback, but after a quick pep talk from the lovely @cowboynuts and jamming to lizzo for a sec, i think i’m alright. here goes nothing,  please lmk if you enjoy it :)))

Keep reading

[mattymattymerduck]

Pick-Up Lines

Summary: "Don’t go getting any funny ideas,“ You said quietly as you adjusted, tossing a leg over his hips and nuzzling your nose into his neck. "just ‘cause you’re in my bed doesn’t mean you’re gonna get into my pants.”

“Y/N you’re not wearing any pants.”

[Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]

Warnings: Mild swearing

Word count: 1600

A/N: No one asked for this but ya’ll’re getting it anyways

You’d think Connor would’ve gotten used to working with difficult people, what with Gavin being an asshole and Hank completely closed off to him in the beginning. His difficulty wasn’t limited to just those two either, being an android in post-revolution Detroit made plenty of humans wary of his character.

But he’d never had to work with someone so flirty.

And frankly, he didn’t know how to react. Regardless of his endless supply of information, every wise-crack and flirty response and cold rejection refused to process when you glanced up at him with that mischievously proud smirk you got before you opened your mouth for another comment.

In your defense, he made it incredibly easy, what with his cute face and all the little things he did that honestly begged for you to comment on. Besides, the way he looked like he was gonna short-circuit after a particularly lewd comment was worth the strained side-eye you’d get from Hank if he overheard you.

Connor believed that the real problem wasn’t that you were flirting with him, probably solely for the fun of it (which he’d admit was a disappointing thought now that he understood what disappointment felt like), but that he wanted to flirt back. And even worse, he couldn’t. It was an emotion he hadn’t quite figured out yet, somewhere between anxiety, nervousness and embarrassment that made his throat feel closed off (it was, technically, because he didn’t have a trachea, but that was besides the point). He was desperate to change that though, and thankfully you gave him lots of opportunities.

“Hey hot stuff, what’s new?” You hopped up on his desk, sitting right in front of him with a shit-eating grin on your lips. He wasn’t sure if he hated or loved the way his processors whirred whenever he saw that smirk, the closest his synthetic body would get to a rush of adrenaline.

“Hello Y/N, you must be tired this morning.” You raised an eyebrow in his direction, waiting for him to explain himself.

“Seeing as how you were running through my thoughts all night.” Is what he was supposed to say, before he got too distracted by the way you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. He was aware that this was a dumb thing to get distracted by, even flustered over, but he had suddenly imagined how soft your touch would be. How completely welcoming and sweet your fingers would feel running through his hair or over his jaw, crawling over his collarbones. He felt like the wires connecting his audio box and his processor had disconnected, and he closed his mouth to stop himself from muttering something entirely stupid.

“I noticed that you were here late, the timestamp on your last report was well past 2 am.”

“Ah, yeah I could use another cup of coffee.” You leaned back on your palms a bit, probably mentally preparing yourself to get up and make one. Connor often had to do the same thing, since Gavin’s desk was right by the coffee machine.

“Would you like me to get one for you?” He would, however, brave the walk for you. And the small look of surprise on your face when he offered was worth any insult Reed could throw at him.

“If you did I’d only be able to repay you with a kiss.” He could only hope you would.

“I’m sorry, that’s not a currency I’m experienced with.” He meant it half as a joke, but he was still getting used to making those. You smirked again and Connor swore he would be breathless if his functions permitted it.

“Anytime you want some practice, sweetheart, I’m all yours.” He attempted to hide his flashing red LED by stepping out of his chair and heading towards the lounge, fighting back images and the simulated feeling of your lips clashing with his.

—

“Hey Connor do you have a map?” You walked up from behind him, doing a quick turn and stopping in front of him, same glint in your eye.

“I have every map downloaded on the internet, where’s it for?” He asked almost suspiciously, wondering if you were about to flirt with him or if that look extended to more than that.

“For here, I just got so lost in your eyes I can’t find my way around anymore. Then again,” You ran your finger under his chin, savouring the flicker in his LED as you did so. “now that I’ve found you I don’t think I want anything else.”

Connor almost felt light headed, how that was possible he had no answer, but it must’ve been because that’s what was happening.

“I- oh.” Was all he managed to get out, knowing if he could blush he would be. You just sounded so… Genuine, it threw him off. Your little giggle didn’t help either.

“I actually am late for a debriefing though, so I’ll catch you later sweetcheeks.” You shined an earth-shattering smile, bounced up on your tiptoes to plant a kiss painfully close to his lips, then sped off to Fowler’s office.

—

“Jesus Connor, it’s like 6 in the morning what the hell are you doing here?” You groan tiredly, holding yourself up with your front door as you open it to the android.

“I was sent a report and Hank refused to come with me to investigate, telling me to come recruit you instead.” He folded his hands behind his back and tried to ignore the fact that you were only wearing a t-shirt and underwear, and how adorably messy your hair was.

And how cute you looked trying to rub the sleep from your eyes.

And how his thirium pump seemed to kick into overdrive, and his usual objective (previously 'Convince Y/N to investigate the scene’) jumped between 'Flirt’, 'Kiss’, and 'Look away’. He had noticed since becoming deviant that giving yourself orders was much more confusing than when he accepted the ones Cyberlife gave him. Sometimes he missed it, the easy answers, the doubtless actions.

“Well come in I guess,” You offered, padding away from him and the open door and walking back into your room. “You know, I imagined the first time I had you in my bedroom would be under very different circumstances.”

He was, in fact, trying to avoid those exact thoughts.

“Well, maybe next time.” You joked to yourself, without the usual conviction because you were still more than half asleep. Connor watched you look over to your closet, like you were considering grabbing a change of clothes and getting ready for the day.

And then he watched you take a step towards your bed and crawl back in it, like he wasn’t even there. Like you hadn’t heard him talk about a new case, like you hadn’t literally just said you wanted to sleep with him. How could you say something that worked him up so much without even being awake yet? How was it so effortless, so natural for you?

“Y/N?” He stepped slowly over to the bed and heard you make a small hum in response. You had curled up to a pillow and Connor was fighting a sense of envy over it.

“Do you not want to go to the crime scene?” It’s not what he really wanted to ask but he supposed it was a better idea to ask this instead of questioning your feelings toward him.

“I just need a little nap, you’re free to join me.” Your arm felt heavy but you lifted it anyways, welcoming him into your bed like you would invite someone in for a hug, but he continued to stand and watch you curiously, cautiously.

“As an android I don’t need sleep.” He noticed the little frown on your lips and felt something inside him collapse.

“Then come cuddle, you can wake me up in 5.” He let you wrap your fingers around his wrist and tug lightly until he lay down beside you. He wasn’t sure how good of an idea this was, but god he wanted it so bad, how could he say no to you?

“Don’t go getting any funny ideas,” You said quietly as you adjusted, tossing a leg over his hips and nuzzling your nose into his neck. “just 'cause you’re in my bed doesn’t mean you’re gonna get into my pants.”

“Y/N you’re not wearing any pants.” He couldn’t help himself from teasing you a little, even if you were too tired to appreciate it.

“Exactly.” Connor wished there was a way he could say “?????” but it didn’t translate well into audio, so he stayed silent. It didn’t take very long for him to register your soft breaths against his collarbone and confirm you were asleep, but he was faced with the problem of finding a less awkward position for himself, pinned to the bed by your limbs.

And since you were asleep, he let his guard down a little and did something he wouldn’t dream of doing with you conscious; he placed a light kiss on the top of your head and wrapped his arms around you, tracing little patterns into your back to entertain himself.

“Hey Y/N?” He said softly, more tenderly than you’d ever heard him before. If you were even slightly awake it might’ve even made you swoon.

“Yeah?” You whispered into him and he swore he felt the words crawl up his synthetic skin with a shiver.

“I hope you like the feel of my jacket, it’s made of boyfriend material.”

[thirium-fiction]

So, because I can’t reply to every single anon, I decided to make these instead! Wanted to show my gratitude, love, and appreciation for y’all. Just another way of saying thank you for being there. Feel free to use them for whatever reason but please don’t take credit! :))

[my-funky-little-cowboy]

can we pretty please see an arthur/mary-beth fluff bit after their dance for sean's return?

Aww, let’s see if I can. I’m not fluffiest! Thank you so much for the ask!

The song ended and Arthur instinctively dropped his hand, wishing he could let it linger on Mary-Beth’s waist.

He had genuinely been thrown off when she asked him to dance, surely she could have asked one of the younger men in camp, but she had come up to him as he returned to his tent.

His other hand still held her hand, respectively thanking her for the dance with a quick bow as Dutch had taught him. He waited for her to remove her hand, but her hand remained in his.

He finally looked at her face, she was staring at him intently, her face full of questions. He tried to put her at ease, “Thank you for the dance Mary-Beth. I haven’t done that in years. Hopefully I didn’t step on your feet too much.”

Dancing had never been his favorite, or something he considered himself to be very skilled in, but he could get by thanks to Dutch.

Mary-Beth’s face had turned a bright red as she turned away from Arthur’s gaze, her mind racing to find the appropriate response. “Y-you dance very well, Mr. Morgan, I had a wonderful time.”

“Stupid! Why did you use his last name, he is going to think you had a terrible time!” Was there anything this man wasn’t good at? Sure she hadn’t danced with many men, but he had definitely been as graceful, if not more than Dutch.

It had taken her breath away, she never expected him to accept the dance, much less be a skilled dancer.

She had only been with the gang for a couple months, but she clearly remembered when she came to join them. She had spotted Arthur in the saloon, he was handsome, big (good, he will be slow to react), drunk, and looked to be an easy target. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

Striking up a conversation with him she looked for the opening as the night progressed and he drank more, coyly avoiding drinks herself.

She saw her opening when he reached an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close to whisper in her ear just how pretty he thought she was. His skin against hers was hot, he was heavy, she worked quickly, snaking her hand into the satchel on his hip.

His breath was hot on her neck,“Now princess, that ain’t very nice.” She hadn’t felt him move, but his hand closed around her wrist still in his bag.

Her head flew and her eyes locked with his, there was no malice in his eyes, but they were hard and cold. His previous drunken playfulness was gone. She tried to pull her arm back, but he held his grip, the pressure wasn’t enough to hurt her, but more than enough to prove his point.

He turned back to the bartender, ordering two more drinks. “What’s your name, miss?” His hand had not moved, and to the causal patron these two were getting friendly at the bar. His free arm still around her shoulder, pulling her to his chest in mock affection.

She was too scared to answer, it had been a long time since she had misread a target this badly. Doing her best to mask her fear, if he had wanted to draw attention he would have, “Mary-Beth” it came out shakier than she had intended.

“Well Mary-Beth, I’m Arthur Morgan, and I’m going to release your hand, but you should really be more careful when you try and steal from someone. Not everyone is as forgiving as me, but I’m a sucker for a pretty face.” His voice was soft, so no one but they were able to hear this. His gaze was locked on whiskey on the bar, only briefly breaking it away when he released her wrist to see her reaction.

She pulled her hand back slowly, but let him keep his arm around her shoulders, curious about this man who hadn’t publicly called out her attempt to rob him.

“Mr. Morgan, if I can be so forward…” her voice barely above a whisper as she pressed herself closer to his side in lock affection, “I’m not that kind of girl if you’re expecting to blackmail me to keep you from exposing my hustle.” Her lips were practically in his ear, and he couldn’t help but smirk.

“Good girl, so young, but good on the fly.” His head tilted to touch hers, voice low and gravelly, “You know, sometimes it’s good to have someone watch your back, I may be able to offer some protection for someone in your line of work.”

It would have been a lie to say that he had convinced her that having someone to answer to was preferred. It had been more childish than that.

Her stomach flitted with butterflies, she felt the coil in her center. This man, was unlike anyone she had met before, outlaw or dignitary. He was dangerous, he knew it, but she didn’t feel the malice she usually felt in dangerous men.

She followed him into the night out of pure curiosity, and it had been one of the best decisions she had made. She had never realized how lonely it was on her own, but here she had family.

It was those same feeling that overtook her tonight, seeing yet another thing this man was secretly good at, whether he saw it or not.

Her hand still resting in his, she pulled it away slowly before closing the distance he had created between them.

Wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest. “Thank you, Arthur!” her words muffled by his shirt, “For everything you’ve done for me. You are a good man, despite what you may think.”

Arthur’s arms wrapped around her, “I’m sure any of the boys would have done better during that dance, but I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Resting his head on top of hers, he gave her a squeeze and released his grip. Worried she may get the wrong idea if he held the hug too long.

She held him tightly, looking up to catch his eye, “Don’t do that, don’t pull away, please?”

Her eyes pleaded, he met her gaze and she saw the sadness there, the longing. “I love you, Arthur…” the words slipped out, barely more than a whisper against his chest.

His chest tightened, how had he been so blind. He wrapped his arms around her again. Pulling her into a tight hug, his head resting on top of hers, his lips pressed to her head.

“I can’t believe you fell for an old fool like me…” peppering the crown of her head with soft kisses, he closed his eyes and relished the moment. This…felt nice, and he would be lying if it wasn’t what he wanted.

Sorry this went off the rails, and now includes how I think MB joined the gang. This was fun, despite me not being a fluffy person.

[dutchmatthews-deactivated202304]

Would you be willing to right something about someone from camp/ or even multiple someone's walking in on Arthur and Charles getting it on?

Forgive me if this isn’t great, I still love writing and I love this prompt, but I’ve been so busy as of late that literally all of my motivation has left me.

~

As horribly muggy and uncomfortable as Shady Bell was, one thing that Charles and Arthur enjoyed about it was the fact that they finally had a room; well, it was Arthur’s, but they both definitely got their use out of it.

Arthur had returned from hunting over the weekend, he had heard enough of Pearson hounding him about the fact that the camp was nearly out of supplies. Along with hunting, Arthur was more than often drowned by tedious chores and after a while it certainly started to take a toll on the man.

That night, when he had finally turned in, he was pleasantly surprise at what he was greeted with in his room. His partner, Charles of course, had tidied up his quarters and finally invested in another cot so the two of them could finally comfortably sleep together.

“You like it?”

Charles appeared behind the other, his hands placing themselves on Arthur’s hips.

“Yeah, looks like we’ll finally be able to sleep.”

Arthur answered, turning his head to look at the other. They shared a smile before sharing a kiss, which soon turned into much more.

They discarded their clothes and retreated to the overs of their new, larger, bed. The pair of them remaining exceptionally quiet as their bodies moved together, save for a few groans and kisses. They had barely even gotten to the real good part before the door to the room was opened,

“Arthur, we have–”

It was Dutch, of course it was. Arthur let out a shout and covered both he and Charles as he moved off of the other. He sat back, covering his chest, while Dutch immediately stepped backwards into the hallway.

“What is it, Dutch?”

Arthur shouted, he could feel the blood rushing to the tips of his ears snd like filling his cheeks.

“N-nothing, son, just…Come see me when you’ve…finished.”

Dutch responded, clear embarrassment also filled Dutch’s tone as he shut the door again.

After a moment, Charles couldn’t help but laugh while Arthur covered his face.

“I can’t believe that just happened..”

Arthur huffed in exasperation, the mood had successfully been killed and the poor man was definitely traumatized for the next week or so; no matter how much Charles tried to coax him to finish what they had started.

He would get over it eventually though, and Dutch definitely knocked from then on whenever he needed a word with him.

[magicalicefairy]

You might like it (Arthur Morgan x Reader)

Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Reader

Warnings: fluff, super fluff

Word Count: 3.2k (sorry, not sorry)

You entered the General Store in Valentine and looked around. The store was packed with food and other useful things. You walked along a shelf and discovered canned vegetables, salmon and sweets. Neatly prepared and clean.

“Miss?” You heard a voice behind you.

You looked a firmer man in the face. You came closer to the counter and put your hands on it .

“Um, hello, I’m looking for some perfume, lavender perfume, to be exact, do you have something like that in your Store?” You asked and looked at him hopefully.

“Perfume?” he laughed. “No, no, not really Miss. We don’t have such things here.

"Oh, thanks anyway.” You nodded and left the store

“But if you need supplies, you’re welcome any time” he said before you closed the Store door behind you.

You were not surprised that you couldn’t find a decent perfume in Valentine, but still you were a little disappointed. The sun blinds you and you pulled your hat further into your forehead.

“And found what you were looking for?” Arthur asked.

I really wanted a lavender perfume, but he doesn’t have things like that in his assortment.“ You tried to imitate the shopkeeper.

Arthur laughed, put his hands to one side and shook his head.

"What?” you asked him.

“Lavender perfume seriously? What are you? One of those fancy ladies of Saint Denis?” he said, still laughing.

He was right, you were not a fancy lady of Saint Denis. You were an Outlaw. You didn’t like skirts or even dresses. You usually wore jeans and a shirt, a scarf or collar. You looked like you wanted to rob the next stagecoach. But you still had the right to smell good.

“Yeah, you’re right.” you admitted, but quite disappointing.

Arthur looked at you. “Come on, you don’t smell that bad”

“Thank you Arthur, how nice.” Now you were the one who laughed.

“Come on, Miss, her noble steed is waiting for you” he said with a slight bow and led you back to your horse. Together you rode back to the camp.

 “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Arthur asked as he fumbled the lower street with his binoculars. “The stagecoach should be right here!”

What?, yes, I just wanted to pick some flowers, these ones, they’re called “busy lizzy” and they are just beautiful, they only grow in the summer.“ you couldn’t take your eyes off the flowers. The pink just looked beautiful.”

What do you want with Flowers in a robbery of a stagecoach?“ he asked, looking at you. "Stick the flowers in the nose of the driver so that he smothers?

"Oh my god Arthur, no, we’ll kill him, of course, well if we have to.” you said as he stared at you with a raised eyebrow.

You could hear clatter of hooves in the distance. The carriage was on the way.

“Come on hurry and cover your face!” Arthur already pulled the bandana over his nose. In a hurry you picked some flowers and put them in the saddlebag of your horse. With a jump you sat on the back of your black Arabian and your face was covered.

“Ready?” Arthur asked

You nodded and spurred your horse. “Let’s go boy!”

You could feel the wind in your hair and your eyes were fixed on the carriage in front of you. Arthur led his Mustang stallion past the coach and pulled his revolver.“Hands up, Gentleman that’s a robbery!” he yelled at the carriage driver. His passenger was just about to draw his own weapon when you held your gun in his back.

“Not so fast my friend,” you said.

The man raised both hands in the air. You stretched out and reached for his revolver.

“Thank you, sir,” you said while looking at your newly acquired weapon.

“Open the coach! Now!” Arhur prepared his weapon ready for firing.

The man was almost crying and shaking all over. “I can’t Sir, we have no key for it Sir.”

“Dammit” escaped your mouth. If we don’t hurry up, The law will show up here!“

Arthur didn’t take his eyes off the two men.”

Looks like we have to blow it up.“ He took out some dynamite and threw it to you.

"What’s with them?” you said pointing with your gun at the two men.“

Oh please, Sir, Miss, don’t kill us, we have family to look after.” said the man that still had your gun in his back.

“Agh damn, I’ll tell you one now, you’re getting off, get lost and not telling anyone what happened here! Understood?” Arthur let dismounted the coachman and his companion the coach

“Thank you Sir, Miss,” both thanked you.

“Go on and get lost i said!” Arthur barked, aiming his weapon at both men.

“S-Sure” the coachman said and both ran up the hill and disappeared.

“I just hope they both shut their mouth Arthur, otherwise it will look quite different here in a few minutes.” You said to him while you got off your horse.

You started to liberate the horses from their bridles and gave both of them a clap. Both horses rushed away and had disappeared like the two men before.

“Okay, let’s get it done” you said to Arthur.

He nodded. “It’s going to be pretty loud, i guess someone will notice it.” You ignite the fuse and threw the stick of dynamite in the direction of the carriage. You both took a big step backwards and not 5 seconds later there was a deafening bang.

“Oh, shit” you screamed “Arthur! It worked!” You enthusiastically lifted your fist in the air.

“Come on” and you were already on the way to the cracked carriage door. Arthur climbed into the carriage and you handed him a bag to transpot your loot.

“Oh we have the checkpot!” you heared Arthur calling from the coach?

“Seriously?” You tried to catch a glimpse into the coach.

“Yes, yes, jewelry and money!” Arthur could barely hide his pleasure.“

Then go faster and pack everything in the bag!” you pushed Arthur and your eyes were on the street, looking for the law .And then you heard it. Hooves pounding on the floor.

“Hurry up, someone’s coming,” you said to Arthur, pulling on his sleeve. And you could barely remember the next moment. Law men came around the corner on horses. At least eight men with drawn weapons.

“Shit, shit Arthur the law! Come out there and let’s leave” you shout

Arthur packed the remaining things and jumped out of the carriage. You whistled for your horse and pulled your revolver, ready for shooting.

“Come here, behind the fallen log!” Arthur grabbed you by the hand and pulled you to cover. The men came riding in a high speed now. You hear a shot hiss through the air and the first rider fell dead from his horse. Arthur had just opened fire without saying anything. You were so shocked that you were paralyzed.

“What are you waiting for?” Arthur screamed. “I could use some help here!”

You shaked your head and pulled your weapon out of the holster. The law tried to encircle you, but Arthur shot the next man off his horse. Another man came riding up to you and not two seconds later you aimed at his head and he fell dead from his horse. Suddenly your Arabian and Arthur’s Mustang ran down the hill.

“Go on, get on your horse!” ordered Arthur and you ran to your horses. With a good swing, you sat in the saddle and gave your horse a spur.

“Follow me!” Arthur rode along the path and into a forest. You followed him and tried to avoid the further shots of the law.

“Arthur, they are still behind us!” you shout through the wind. Suddenly you heard a shot and the next moment you felt like the saddle lost it’s position and you slip off the horse. One of the law men had made a bad shot to your luck and shot your saddle. You and your horse were unhurt, but your horse ran away scared.

“Shit!” you heared Arthur and watched him turn his horse.

Despite everything, you had ache and gasped for breath when you hit the ground with your saddle.

“The woman is on the ground! Quick!” One of the men was close to you. Damn close. Your vision was blurry and you couln’t see that much. You could feel someone over you and realize that it was not Arthur.

“Fuck off!” you mumbled. The man was aiming for you and the next moment the man was knocked out. Arthur had thrown himself on him and shot him a bullet in the head. Arthur had no mercy on the rest of the law. When he was done, he ran to you.

“Everything OK?” he asked as he helped you on your feet.

“Yes, yes, i’m okay, it was just the impact, but otherwise I’m fine.” you said to him.

Your gaze wandered to your saddle. The belt was broken and you couldn’t use the saddle anymore.

“Great” you mumbled.

Arthur watched your gaze and looked up at the saddle.

“You’re lucky that the man was an idiot and didn’t hit you or your horse.

"Yes, you’re right, but where is he anyway?” your eyes wandered around looking for your stallion. You whistled for him and heard a neighing nearby. Slowly he got dragged.

“I think Charles can fix that” Arthur said distractedly.

Your eyes looked sadly at your saddle when you suddenly saw the saddlebag.

“Oh no, my flowers!” you said and reached for the bag. Too late, the flowers were crushed and the leaves fell off. You flew onto your bag during the impact.

“What a pity!” you said.

Arthur looked at you incredulously and said “Seriously?” He touched his forehead with one hand. “You are worried about the flowers”

You sat by a campfire in the camp. You just took a bowl of Pearson’s stew when Jack sat down next to you.

“Hey Auntie, how are you?” Jack asked and sat next to you.

“Hello Jack, I’m fine and you?” you asked him. He was really pure sugar.“

All right, I just heard Pa talking to Uncle Arthur, they said you fell off the horse, I just wanted to know if you’re okay!” Jack said.

“Aww how nice of you! Thanks Jack” and you stroked his head. Jack looked satisfied with himself.

“Eww, i can’t eat that” you said to yourself. Your gaze wandered to Jack. “Ehm, I said I have no appetite anymore.”

I know what you mean" he said with a laugh. “I would rather have sweets.

"Oh yes, chocolate wouldn’t be bad right now” you looked dreamily in the air.

“Oh yes, chocolate! I haven’t had one in a long time!"Jack said with a sweet smile on his face.

"Do you have any auntie?” He asked with big eyes. You shook your head depressed. “Unfortunately not Jack, I’m sorry!”

Jack lowered his head. “Well, eventually there will be chocolate again!He smiled at you and you smile back. "Well, Jack, I have to ask Charles if he fixes my saddle, see you soon! You gave him a kiss on his head and went to Charles tent.

 You sat in front of your tent and were reading a book. The sun was already setting and it started the cozy time in the camp. Charles had promised to repair your saddle and Kieran would take care of your horse, even if your stallion had no injury, he had offered it. He’s especially nice to you and also pretty shy when talking to you.

You were just so engrossed in your book when you heard a throat clearing. Your gaze wandered over the book and you saw Kieran, who stood quite nervously in front of your tent. "Kieran?” You ask, looking puzzled.

“Hey” he said and scratched his head nervously.

“I hope I don’t disturb you”

“No! No way!” You said and put your book aside. “What’s up?”

Kieran looked extremely nervous and he also seemed to hide something behind his back.

“Well, when I heard about the riding accident, I was worried and I know you are fine and thank God, nothing has happened to you!” All this bubbled out of him at a tremendous speed that you could hardly understand.

“Yes, Kieran, I’m fine! I- "you just wanted to say when he interrupted you.

"Here! For you! "He held out a bouquet of Flowers under the nose. Surprised, you looked to the bouquet and then to Kieran. Totally perplexed you didn’t know what to say. Kieran seemed desperate with  every second. He thought you didn’t like them.

"You don’t like them!” He said sadly and a little embarrassed. “I’m an idiot!”

“No” you said. You took the flowers. “They are beautiful! Thank you Kieran” you gave him a smile and he blushed bright red.

“I was just astonished! How did you know?”

“Arthur thought you might like it,” he said. “You were with him in the robbery.

"Oh Arthur?” You mumbled.

“Yeah, but good that you like it” He turned to go.

“Well, I’ll let you read again in peace, nice that I could make you smile.”

“Thank you Kieran!” And you saw him going to the horses.

You looked at the flowers, they were just beautiful. That was really nice of Kieran and Arthur, that he had noticed that. You were looking for a container in which you could put the bouquet and you decided for a simple clay jug. “Perfect! Now they just need water. "You said to yourself and set out to get water. The sun had already set and the campfires seemed to dance in the night. Pearson was already preparing for the stew.

"Mr. Pearson?” Your look went under the table, he was just picking vegetables from a box.

“Miss? you heared from under the table

"I need some water for these flowers” you said.

“Behind the wagon” he grumbled, you thanked him and walked behind Pearson’s wagon, where a barrel was already full of water. The jug was filled quickly and you made your way to your tent.

“Hey querido” you heared behind you, you turned around and saw Javier walking towards you, with the usual grin on his face.

“Hello Javier”

He stopped in front of you and took your hand to put a kiss on it. Typical for Javier. He was a ladies man. He knew how to treat a woman.

“I have something for you hermosa” he said, handing you a small package.

“Oh thanks Javier! What is that?” You asked.

“Open it” Javier said with a grin on his face. You set the jug aside and began to open the brown paper. A small box appeared and you opened it carefully. A perfume came to light.

“Oh Javier! You didn’t- ”

“Ah ah ah no, do not say anything! Try it! ” He interrupted.

You pressed the pump and sprayed out a pleasant lavender scent. You could not believe what was happening here.

“Where did you get it from?” you didn’t know what to say.

“Oh, Arthur said you might like it and I thought why you should not have it!”

“Oh Javier!” You could not believe it. “Thank you!” You gave him a hug.

“No problem, everything for the beautiful lady” and he bowed. “Come sit by the campfire and I’ll play a song!” He said.

“Later, Javier, I would like to bring that into my tent and take care of the flowers,” you told him.

“As the lady wishes. You know where to find me! "He winked at you and walked over to the campfire where Sean and Charles were already sitting. You put the jug with the bouquet and the perfume next to your bed. The thought that Arthur was behind all this didn’t let you go. He was paying attention. Was he just an attentive person or was there more behind it? You could not say it, because he was not the one who brought the flowers or the perfume. Lost in thought, you did not realize how Jack appeared next to you. Startled, a small shriek escaped you.

"Oh god Jack!” You placed a hand on your chest.“

Oh I’m sorry Auntie!” He said excitedly. “I just wanted to give you that!” He handed you a bar of chocolate.

“Jack, where did you get them from?” You asked him.

“Uncle Arthur gave it to me, I’m supposed to share it with you.” He said pointing to Arthur, who had meanwhile joined Javier, Sean and Charles.

“What?” Completely perplexed, you let yourself fall on your bed. Jack sat down next to you. He took the chocolate out of your hand and started sharing it. You didn’t know what was going on, but now it was obvious there was more. Arthur apparently liked you and you wanted to know what’s up.

“One moment Jack, wait here!” You said and stood up.

“But Auntie! The chocolate! "He shouted.

"Eat Jack!” You shouted over your shoulder and you were just walking away towards Arthur.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” You asked Arthur. Everyone was staring at you. Javier was pleased to see you. “Heeey querido, come sit down.” Arthur looked at you and nodded. He followed you away from the campfire, just outside the camp.

“How is your back?” Asked Arthur.

“Alright, thanks” you said. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yes?” He seemed a little nervous"

Kieran gave me flowers today,“ you said.

"Oh, how nice of him” you heard him say. He looked weirdly wooden.

“Exactly the flowers that I picked shortly before our robbery” you were looking for answers in his face. “And Javier gave me a lavender perfume that I mentioned only to you.”

“Oh,” he said again. “That’s very attentive of you, Arthur,” you whispered “That was Javier and Kieran, not me.” He said.

He looked nervously in the air.

“But you were attentive and you knew it.” You smile at him.

“Why didn’t you give it to me?”

“I- I would not have dared … I don’t know how. I don’t know what you think about me. I’m much older than you- "he said quickly

"Arthur,” you interrupted him. “What are you talking about? Listen to yourself.”

You took a step closer. “I don’t like my voice that much” he said sarcastically. A soft laugh escaped you.

“Thanks, for your attention,” you said and you kissed him on the cheek.

Arthur blushed under his hat.

“Next time come to me,” you ordered him sternly.

“Promised, my lady” he bowed slightly and you had to laugh.

You looked into his eyes and you feel like you came closer, how your lips came closer.

“Uncle Arthur! Auntie! "Jack screamed and you jumped apart abruptly.”

Jack everything alright?“ You asked.

"Yes” he nodded. “But I ate the whole bar of chocolate”

Arthur and you looked at each other and you both laughed out loud.

“Come on, let’s get you back to your mother.” Arthur pushed Jack toward the camp.

On the way back, you took his hand and he smiled at you.

[youimploresme]

Hello! How are you? May I ask 67 with Sean please? If so, thank you friend 😊

Hi! I’m great, thanks. Even better now tbh. I hope you enjoy it ♡♡

67. “It was my fault, I know it was my fault.”

•••

When you woke up, one drizzly morning, you immediately knew something was wrong. It didn’t take you long to realize it, too. The cold air in the bed beside you said it all. The note perched atop your satchel explained it all.

“I can tell you’re not happy anymore.” Is how it started and you swallowed back the lump in your throat, “I know I haven’t tried hard enough to make this work. I go out for a long time just to put off the time between seeing you so… sad. And I can’t do anything about that sadness because it’s because of me.”

You swiped at the rogue tear that slipped from your eye, shaking your head before continuing.

“I’m so damn sorry, (Y/N). I can’t even do this on my own. I have to get someone else to write for me. I have to get someone else to put it in your tent because I know I’ll never be able to leave if I see your face again. I love you, damn I love you so bad. Maybe you loved me back once, but maybe we were just too young to really know what love was.”

You shivered against the cold, but couldn’t move to warm yourself. Your limbs were frozen as you forced your teary eyes to keep reading, hoping that this was all some twisted joke.

Of course it wasn’t.

“It was my fault, I know it was my fault, I just didn’t want to accept it. I didn’t want it to be over and I especially didn’t want to leave, but there’s a time and place for everything and our’s has come and gone. I’ve been gone for a long time before, so no one will worry for a while. Shit, I could’ve left without a word and no one would notice until it was too late, but I just couldn’t. I had to say goodbye.”

Goodbye.

That word felt like a thousand pounds on your chest. He really was gone. Sean– your Sean– had left with only pencil lead letters as his goodbye.

The worst part was that it was all true. You hadn’t been happy for a while and you tried blaming it on the stress of the gang’s screwed luck, but anyone could tell that your feelings were failing. You didn’t have the same shine in your stolen glances at Sean. You didn’t have the same smile.

Maybe he had been right, and maybe the “love” you felt wasn’t really love, just the young fear of being lonely. Being without him stung, but how could you know you really loved him?

The others eventually put two and two together when Sean had been gone a little under a month, and they quickly tried to cheer you up. Arthur always held a knowing look on his face and you knew he had known even before you had.

And one day, like the storm clouds parting to reveal the sun, you smiled. You were overlooking the lake, watching it ripple from fish and shimmer in the waning light, and you smiled.

There was a spot on your heart where Sean had been, and it was where he would always be.

That’s how you knew you really loved him.

•••

Requests Open //

This was a hassle to write and I wanted a bit more angst, but I loved writing it and I’m pretty happy with the result.

It’s currently 2am and I’m just finishing this cuz I’m bad at time managing and I’ve been cursed with insomnia, so I’m gonna leave this here and try to get some sleep. Hope y'all enjoyed ♡♡

[youimploresme]

Scared of the Dark?

Here’s a happy Sean one shot, requested by @vanderlinderideordie, thank you for this and I really hope you like it! I’m better at angst, in my own opinion, but I worked hard and think it payed off alright.

•••

Yeah, you were scared of the dark.

Gunslingers? Nope.

Hundred-pound Grizzly bears? Puh-lease

The absence of light in any place bigger than the depths of your satchel? That was where you drew the line.

You liked to defend that it wasn’t exactly the darkness that scared you, but whatever was lurking in said darkness. You were afraid of being caught flat footed, snuck up on without the ability to see the danger approaching.

Sean liked to bug you about it. Of course, when it came to him, you didn’t mind the juvenile teasing. He was clearly sweet on you, and you’d be admittedly lying if you said you didn’t return those feelings, if only a little. He was charming, in his own way, but liked to charm the ladies. If anything was going to happen, you had to know he was serious this time.

“Like what'cha see?” A voice sliced through your thoughts, tearing you back into the present. A smile graced your features as you took another swig from the bottle in your hands.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m just wondering what I see in you when I’m sober.”

He smiled, clearly unfazed, and opened his arms wide.

“A whole lot, I bet! A young, handsome stud like me? I don’t know what ya couldn’t see in me.” He gushed, puffing his chest out. You laughed.

“Sure, sure. You’re just an endless pit of ego, aren’t ya?” You pressed the bottle to your lips, but stopped. Sean looked like he wanted to say something else, eyes darting around everything but you. His jaw flexed and he twisted his fingers together, like he was… nervous.

Sean Macguire had never been nervous in all the time you had known him. This was the strangest thing you had ever witnessed, you were sure. The scouts campfire danced across his face, seeming to highlight his insecurities even more.

Then, in a blink, he stood and reached down.

“Let me show you what I want you to see in me.” His confidence was softer now, the bulk in his voice being hidden under a layer of calm. Loud laughing came from the main campfire, where most of the gang was gathered in celebration of making it to the new camp.

They wouldn’t notice if you slipped away for a while. Besides, the genuine look in Sean’s eyes told you that this was now or never.

So you took his hand and let him pull you up.

“Lets grab a lantern-”

“No. We don’t need one.” He was pulling you toward the darkness. You could almost see the shadows moving.

“Sean…” your voice was warning and you dug your heels into the dirt, your childhood fear making your muscles tight.

“(Y/N), you have to trust me.” He began easing backwards again and you felt your feet moving with him, “Just close your eyes ‘nd let your instincts take over. Trust me.”

You could’ve refused, shaking his grip off and retreating back to the security of the fire, but something made you stay. Something made you put your trust in him.

So you closed your eyes.

The clawing shadows were immediately gone and you were just moving by the influence of Sean.

“I swear to god, Sean, if you throw me in the lake I’m going to be so pissed.” You threatened, voice wavering. Sean chuckled.

“I would never.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Alright. We’re almost t'here. Keep it down, or you’ll wake them up.” He whispered and you faltered.

“Wait, wait… wait… Wake who up? Sean, Sean what did you get me into? Get back here!” He had let you go and you squeezed your eyes shut even more as you grabbed the air for him, scared to see what had undoubtedly snatched him away.

“Shh, I’m still here. I told you that you’d just have t'a trust me. Stop flailin’ like a fish and open your eyes.” He soothed. You stopped, but hesitated on the second instruction. You knew that as soon as you opened your eyes, you’d be surrounded by darkness.

“Sean… I- I’m scared.” You hugged your arms to your chest.

“I know, but you have to be a little scared to be brave. I’m right here, it’ll be okay.” His voice sounded like coming home and everything you couldn’t say.

You shoved down your doubts and pried your eyes open. You were on the edge of a small clump if trees, looking out across a small field. Sean was directly in front of you, grinning that stupid lopsided grin that you had fallen in love with.

He stepped away from you and wiggling light immediately sprung from around his feet. It was like a ripple effect. Fireflies filled the air around you two, fighting the darkness back like tiny lanterns. You couldn’t help but laugh, reaching out to them. They bobbed across the breeze gracefully, little lights dancing in the air.

“Whaddya think?” His voice was so soft. You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and smiled.

“Its… it’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.” You breathed. The small bugs were settling again.

“That’s why I brought you here. I wanted to show them t'heir competition, prove that there’s more beautiful things in t'he world.”

You rolled your eyes, trying not to feel too flattered. You weren’t the first girl to hear those sugary sweet words, “Come on, Sean. I’m not that easy.”

“Exactly. You’re not. You’re a whole adventure, a storybook all in yourself. And I want to know each and every chapter. I want to memorize every page until I can’t remember anything else,” He paced a bit as he spoke and every step sent a wave of fireflies into the air, which constantly kept the darkness at bay, “You’re different, so much more than anyone else I’ve ever met. You have every right to doubt me, but please give me a chance.”

He was right. You had every right to doubt him. You had seen the strange women he had brought to camp, both of them drunk out of their senses, and you had seen the look of regret the morning after. Every time.

But you had never seen this spark in his eyes.

“You got those book terms from Hosea, didn’t you?” A smile crept onto your face and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I don’t even know if I used any of t'hem right. But, hey, I tried,” He glanced around, not meeting your eyes again, “So is that…?”

Your heart hammered against your chest as you took a step towards him, then slipped your hand into his, smiling as best you could with shaking limbs.

“I’ll give you a chance, since you so kindly asked.”

Seeing him light up like that was enough to chase the darkness away and you knew that it was love as soon as you set your eyes on him. And, when you looked into his eyes, you saw that love reflected in his own eyes.

You were the one.

“I mean, I wasn’t nervous. I knew you were head over heels for me as soon as we met.” He defended as you two made it back to camp. You laughed quietly.

“I only said yes because you used book terms. That you didn’t understand, might I add.” You teased him.

“Yeah, well.” He caught your hand and pulled you close to his chest. You could’ve sworn that your heartbeat could be heard across camp, “You’re afraid of the dark, so we’re even.”

You scoffed and slapped his arm, smiling so much it hurt, “Goodnight, cowboy.”

•••

Requests Open //

[seanfknmacguire]

The worst day | Sean MacGuire

this is just a little thing i thought of and i’m in a very angsty mood I apologise if this is awful

You had a bad feeling in your stomach that you couldn’t explain. It was causing up a fire in your brain - and making you ask so many questions. The others had noticed it too - Abigail becoming increasingly worried as you paced, biting your nails waiting for everyone to get back. Sean had gone to Rhodes with Arthur, Bill and Micah, something about doing a job for the Gray’s. With how much Dutch and Hosea were plotting them and the Braithwaites’ together something was bound to go wrong.

“Are you okay?” Abigail asked, placing a hand on your shoulder. You nodded quickly. It’s just paranoia - he came back every time. He was okay every time. But this time was different.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just waiting for Sean to get back.” You smile weakly.

“Try keeping yourself busy, that usually helps.” She smiled, handing you a hay bale to feed the horses with. “He’ll be fine.”

You smile weakly again, taking the haybale and wandered over, placing it by the horses. You kept yourself busy for about an hour, with the pit of anxiety burning fiercely in your stomach. Until you heard horses come back into camp.

There stood Arthur, Bill and Micah, covered in dirt, gunpowder and blood splattered their clothes. No Sean. Your fears had been realised.

Arthur looks at you sadly, wandering over to you and placing a hand on your shoulder, looking at the ground.

“Where is he?” You smile, tears filling your eyes. He had to be doing something else, maybe he got sidetracked. Arthur looks at you in the eye, and you swore his eyes were filled with tears too.

“We were ambushed. They knew what we were up to. They know everything. Sean was-“ He stopped, taking a deep breath. Tears rolled down your face, you knew exactly what had happened.

“No.” You whispered, your heart shattering into a thousand pieces. “Where is he?”

“They killed him.” Arthur stated after taking another deep breath. The rest of the camp had gathered, wondering what had happened. You heard gasps coming from everyone, but didn’t take them in as you felt your legs buckle to the floor. Your love, that ginger Irish boy who you fell in love with, that little shit was gone. Arthur knelt next to you and cradled your head, as you sobbed into him. This was the worst day of your life.

[hoeseamatthews]

Mirror View

A/N: Just a lil modern au idea I had a few days ago, I picked it up and ran with it so it got a bit lengthy!

Pairing: Dutch Van der Linde x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2,664

Warnings: Swearing, semi-public unprotected sex

Summary: You’ve chosen an outfit to surprise Dutch with, and when you model it for him, one thing leads to another…

“How much longer will you be in there?”

The sound of Dutch’s voice snaps you out of your one-woman fashion show you’re currently having within the confines of your changing room cubicle. So far, you’ve tried on a few dresses for him, maybe a skirt and blouse or two. They’re not for anything in particular, other than you wanting to treat yourself, as well as have his opinion on outfits in person as opposed to sending him pictures of them, too. That way, the difference between his reactions being genuine or generic are clear.

But the next one is different. This one is for his eyes, and his eyes only. Dutch isn’t even aware that you picked it up off the rack, so it’s bound to be a pleasant surprise for him. At least you’re hoping it will be, because you took the time and effort to seek out something you know he’s bound to appreciate and take the time to admire.

Lingerie.

Keep reading

[annoyedfanfiction]

van der Linde.

(2)

Trusting Micah over you and Arthur had been one thing. Trusting Micah over Hosea was another entirely. Prioritising money over John’s life was the last straw.

“No.” You’d said it so calmly at first, no one was really sure if you’d actually said it.

“What?” Dutch questioned, immediately rounding on you.

“I said no!” You leapt to your feet, as the rest of the gang hauled in a tense breath.

“I don’t think ya remember, girlie,” Micah drawled, slinging his arm across Dutch’s shoulders. Always touching, like he was attached to his fucking hip. “Who yer talkin’ to.”

“It sure as hell weren’t you, Bell,” you answered, easily. Dutch shrugged him off, and Micah shot you a glare as he returned to his seat.

“Y/N, now ain’t the time.” Dutch attempted to soothe you, taking a step closer, and faltering as you immediately took one back. “Sweetheart–”

“No, don’t you fuckin’ sweetheart me, Dad.” Hosea gently tugged you backwards, but you just brushed him off, sitting him back down and mumbling about hurting his damn ribs.

“Y/N, we just need–” He began speaking again while you were facing away, but your returning glare shut him up.

“We don’t need nothin’!” You gestured at the camp around you. “We got more'n enough ta get by – for all o’ us to get by. We ain’t need ta run off on anymore o’ his fool errands just because you’ve suddenly got a taste for fuckin’ gold! Hosea almost died, John’s still locked up–! My little brother’s still locked up for god-knows-what reason an’ you wanna take another fool robbery just for the sake of this blond fuckin–” His hand echoed against your skin, leaving a burning handprint in its wake, even as the others in the camp jumped in protest. You caught Hosea, as he stumbled, still injured, but checking over your swelling cheek. Arthur was at your side in an instant, positioning himself between you and Dutch, a hand in each of your directions as though you were both wild animals to be tamed.

“Either you follow my orders or you get out o’ my goddamn camp, Y/N!” Dutch bellowed, standing to his full height, towering over your smaller form. Your dark hair, matching his, fell over your face, covering the stinging tears in your eyes.

“I hope yer fuckin’ gold makes ya happier than yer daughter ever did.” You didn’t know how your voice was so calm, even as you tossed the necklace he’d given you – a memory, he’d called it, with the photo of he and your mother, smiling, within it, his hands resting on her swollen belly. It splashed in the mud, and by the time he’d bent down to grab it, you were urging your silver mare, Artemis, out of the camp.

“Y/N, I didn’t mean – don’t…” His words trailed off as you stormed out of hearing range. You could hear Arthur yelling at Dutch, and Dutch’s response to get off the damn horse, you’d come crying back anyway, before you heard Boadicea’s hooves clatter out of the camp after you.

“Y/N! C'mon love!” Arthur’s voice almost tempted you back, soft and gentle. “Y'know we can’t manage without you, no matter what Dutch says. Hosea and John’ll miss you…I’ll miss you.” You paused for a moment, in a tight-wound circle of trees, and rolled an apple out in the direction of his voice. You heard Boadicea’s pace slow, even as Arthur attempted to urge her further, heard him call out to you, even whistle for Artemis, before you were out of earshot.

John glared at his cellmate, as the man drivelled about how he didn’t deserve imprisonment. Sounded to John like it was pretty cut and dry – the man had killed his own wife and daughter. The clink of keys in a nearby lock cut John out of his murderous reverie, and he looked up, just as you kicked his cellmate directly in the temple, effectively slumping him onto the cold stone of the floor.

“I’ve only been ‘ere a minute an’ that ass was already gettin’ on my nerves,” you hissed, irritably, hauling John out of the cell. “The fuck were ya thinking’, Marston?”

“I weren’t,” John grumbled back, as you pulled him out towards the stables. You handed him the two revolvers, the rifle, and the shotgun you’d flirted out of the lawman before knocking him cold.

“There’s a bloody new one,” you remarked, sarcastically, letting him mount before you grabbed him. “Listen, John, I ain’t goin’ with ya.”

“Whaddya mean y'aint–” he began, but you cut him off, cupping his face in your hands.

“John, little brother, Dutch an’ I, we had a big row, alright? He told me ta get outta camp, an’ I can’t go back with ya.” He frowned, glancing down at your chest.

“Where’s yer necklace, Y/N?” he asked, noticing the conspicuously absent glint of gold around your neck.

“Pay attention,” you retorted, flicking his eyes back up to meet yours. “I need you to tell Arthur I love him, alright? I love him so much. An’ I’m sorry. Good luck, little brother.” You let him go, and galloped out of town, not even looking back as you heard the lawman shout, and release a gun shot. John could look after himself.

“Ain’t you a pretty lil one.” You recognised the predatory purr in his voice before you saw him. “What’s van der Linde’s precious daughter doin’ in the woods on 'er own?”

“Wish I could say th'same for you,” you answered, stepping to your feet to face him. “But I’d be lyin’ if I said ya looked better than whatever donkey yer mum fucked to shit you out.” You dodged as he swung at you, sloppily, and danced under him, pressing your gun to his back.

“Colm O-fuckin’-Driscoll.” Irritatingly, your smaller frame only took you up to his shoulders. “What’re you doin’ in the woods on yer own?” A twig snapped behind you, and your horse skittered, nervously.

“Now, now,” he smirked, not even turning. “Who said anythin’ about alone?” The gunshot sent your horse galloping out in a frenzy, but none of the O'Driscolls even bothered to move after her. The searing pain in your right shoulder knocked your gun from your hand, and you scrambled to reach for it, before Colm pressed his foot down on your hand, crunching your knuckles into the hard ground with his spurs. “C'mon, sweetheart,” he smirked, bending down to leer at you as you dropped. “Wouldn’t want Daddy dearest to find ya with too many holes in ya, now would we?”

[vigilvntes]

Tightrope - Chapter 2 (Arthur Morgan x Reader)

Blackwater: The Gang

Word count: 4.1k

Note: Tumblr doesn’t show posts that have links now?? weird. Anyway the first chapter to this is in the masterlist in my bio so check that out!

——————–

Arthur woke up on his cot, letting out a small groan. He tried to open his eyes more, urging them to adjust to the light that was being let in through the opening of the tent. He sat up slowly, lifting his arms up and stretching his back. The man sat still for a few moments, running through the plans of the day in his head: ‘find the girl, bring her back, make sure nothing bad happens to her, return her safely.’

Arthur nodded to no one but himself and pushed himself up from his cot, standing up. He knew what he had to do today, and a part of him was reluctant to do it, but another part of him knew that Hosea and Dutch were right. The longer you knew about the gang and their plans, the more threatened they were. Arthur wasn’t sure what Dutch planned to do with you when you arrived at the camp, but he had a feeling that it wouldn’t be so pretty.

He picked up the jacket from the side of his cot and threw it over his shoulders, then headed out of his tent. His first stop was a cup of coffee. He walked over to the steaming pot and took out a small cup from his satchel, filling it with hot coffee, before walking off to find Hosea. Arthur knee that after your meeting with him yesterday, and the aggressive nature of it, you most likely wouldn’t agree to come to the camp so easily, and Arthur didn’t want to use force. He thought that having Hosea there would offer some sort of reassurance, as the elder man seemed harmless. Of course, Arthur and the gang knew otherwise, but it wouldn’t hurt if you didn’t.

Arthur found Hosea in Dutch’s tent, and Hosea gave Arthur a smile as he approached, “Are you ready to leave, boy?”

The brunette nodded, “I’m ready when you are.” He watched Hosea mumble something quietly to Dutch and then stand up from his seat. Arthur furrowed his eyebrows at this, but didn’t care to ask too many questions. Business between Hosea and Dutch wasn’t his main priority, it was finding you. Hosea approached Arthur and gave him a curt nod.

The pair began walking towards their horses, but were stopped when they heard Dutch call from across the camp, “Remember, I want her alive!” Arthur shook his head at this, not once had killing you crossed his mind. He knew you were just an innocent girl who happened to get caught up in Trelawny’s antics in the saloon. He knew better than to kill you.

Arthur approached his horse, Boudicca, and gave her a pat, pulling an apple from his satchel and feeding it to her. He pulled himself up onto her saddle, patting her again. She was a large horse, but she had speed, and Arthur had never grown more attached to a horse in his lifetime. Some lasted a matter of days with the gang, some lasted months. But Boudicca? She had been with Arthur for years, through thick and thin.

Hosea looked over at Arthur, who gave him a subtle nod, and the two began their ride into Blackwater. Hosea was up front, and shouted behind him to Arthur, “Any idea where we can find her? The town is fairly big, I don’t want to be out all day, and I suppose you don’t either.”

Arthur thought for a few moments, then shouted back, “She was in the saloon yesterday. We should try there first. If we ain’t finding her right away, ask for a girl named (Y/N).” The rest of the ride to Blackwater was quiet, with only Hosea making small comments here and there, and Arthur grunting in agreement. He wasn’t so up for chatting this morning, just as he wasn’t up for bringing you back to camp. But what was he supposed to do? Tell Dutch no? Never.

Eventually, they came to stop in front of the saloon in Blackwater, and the two of them dismounted quickly. Hosea turned to Arthur, “So, what’s the plan, my boy? You met her yesterday so I’m assuming she’ll know your face when she sees it.”

Arthur frowned, “I wouldn’t exactly say we met, Hosea. More like I threatened her about what she knew and left her scared. I say we go in, ask around and if she ain’t there we tell Dutch she’s no where to be seen.”

Hosea understood Arthur’s reluctance to find you. He’d seen what Dutch had done to others who had found out about the gang, who had threatened their plans. Maybe this time would be different, you were, after all, just an innocent young woman who had gotten caught up in the wrong moment with Trelawny. Hosea nodded, “Sounds like a plan, let’s get in there.”

The two walked up the steps slowly and Arthur pushed open the doors of the saloon, holding them just long enough for Hosea to walk in after him. His eyes scanned the room, looking for a (H/C) woman, which he figured wouldn’t be too hard to find as yesterday you seemed to be the only woman in there. He sighed to himself when he caught no sight of you, and began to approach two men sat at a table, drinks in hand. He cleared his throat, “’scuse me gentlemen, you haven’t seen a girl, (H/C) hair around this height.” He used his hand to gesture your height.

The men turned to each other, then laughed loudly, doubling over as they did. One of them caught their breath, then spoke, “What would a man like you want with a woman like her?”

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms, “Can you fellers just tell me where she is? Or if she even came in here?” Arthur was growing impatient, he didn’t care about who liked or disliked you, he only cared about finding you and taking you back to Dutch. Securing the safety of the gang was all that mattered to him.

The other man shrugged and pointed over to the bar, “Probably over there, waiting for trouble. Or causing it. Always seems to find her.” Arthur thanked the man quietly, thinking over his words carefully. He wasn’t sure whether to trust the man’s word, but maybe you actually weren’t as innocent as you seemed?

Arthur didn’t pay much more attention to what he had heard as he started walking over to the bar at the back of the saloon. He realised as he approached that you were there, stood between a group of men. He furrowed his eyebrows as he neared, trying his best to be as quiet as possible so he could listen in on exactly what the man were saying to you.

One of them leaned towards you, his hand on your thigh, and whispered, “The things I would do to you….” Arthur saw you visibly tense up, and he knew that he couldn’t just leave you there with the strange men. He had to intervene.

Arthur approached them and grabbed one of them by the collar, pulling them backwards until they lost their footing and fell on the ground. His voice was gruff and deep as he shouted, “What the HELL do you think you’re doin’? “

Another man that had been surrounding you turned to Arthur, “What does it look like?”

Arthur chuckled and stepped towards you and the other men, “You better step away from the girl, gentlemen.” Arthur noticed that throughout this whole ordeal, you had not turned to face him once. Even though he was saving you, his best bet was that you were scared of him, after all, he did threaten you the day before.

The man who Arthur had thrown to the floor had stood up, and was suddenly as confident as ever against the outlaw, and he spoke in a loud and clear voice, “Or what?”

Arthur didn’t hesitate to pull his guns out, one aimed at the man stood behind him, and one aimed at the men surrounding you. Gasps could be heard from all around the saloon, but Arthur didn’t care. “Or….i’ll shoot ya.” He growled, cocking his guns. The men all moved away from you slowly, and Arthur shouted at them as they did, “Move! Get outta here!”

In all the commotion, Arthur didn’t notice that you had slipped away from him, out of the back door of the saloon. You walked quickly around the backstreets, trying your best to remove yourself from the scene, and distance yourself from the man you knew only as Mr Morgan as much as you could. Little did you know, he was following right behind you, keeping up with you as you manoeuvred through the mud.

You heard someone clear their throat from behind you, and you froze up. Then, you heard his voice, “I just saved your skin and I don’t even get a thank you for that?” You turned and saw Mr Morgan stood with his hands clutching his belt, a smirk on his features.

You took a shaky breath, “Thank you, Mr Morgan.” The two of you stood in silence for a few seconds more until you spoke quickly and panicked, “I haven’t told a soul, I swear.” You remembered his threat. You knew he wasn’t someone you’d want to pick a fight with. You definitely hadn’t told anyone, so why was he back looking for you?

Arthur sighed, “Look, I know just as well as you that you ain’t told a soul about the robbery, but the rest of the gang ain’t too sure. They just want you to come back to the camp so they can have a few words with ya and then they’ll let you go. Sound alright?”

You shook your head quickly. No. Definitely not. That did not sound alright to you. It was one thing to have an interest in gangs and outlaws, and to like hearing about their stories, but it was another to actually be face to face with a real life gang of outlaws. You knew that you were damned when you started pressing Trelawny with questions yesterday, but you couldn’t help yourself. You just had to know.

You turned your back and began walking away quickly, leading Arthur to sigh and mumble under his breath. “I really didn’t want it to come to this….” He ran up beside you and swept you off the ground, throwing you over his shoulder as gently as he could. He cringed as you struggled against him, pushing against his back and shoulders in an attempt to free yourself from his grip, but after a minute you stopped the struggle, giving into him. Arthur walked round to the front of the saloon where he met Hosea.

Hosea raised his eyebrows and chuckled at Arthur Morgan, stood in front of him with a girl on his shoulder. He spoke calmly, “I see it took a lot of convincing.”

Rolling his eyes, he put you down on the floor in front of his horse and you huffed, shoving hair out of your face, “I guess I have no choice now?” Your eyes were narrowed at him, and your arms were crossed. The last thing you wanted to do was visit his gang, but what else could you do? A total stranger knew about their plans, and they most certainly weren’t willing to take your word for it when you said you didn’t tell anyone, as Arthur had demonstrated when he threw you over his shoulder so abruptly.

He sighed and spoke quietly, “Look, I don’t wanna bring you to camp as much as you don’t wanna be there. So really, we’re both sufferin’. If that makes you feel any better.” He mounted his horse and offered you his hand to pull you up, which you reluctantly took.

You weren’t sure how you felt about Mr Morgan. He had saved you from a group of creepy one minute, and the next he had thrown you over his shoulder and was planning on kidnapping you for the rest of the day. He certainly did give off mixed signals, and you weren’t sure whether you liked him or not.

The two men rode back to camp quickly, you weren’t sure why they were in such a hurry to get you back there, and on the journey there your mind wandered to what they could possibly plan on doing to you. Would they torture you? Kill you? You weren’t so sure, and the two men escorting you there hadn’t been much of a help, the silver haired man only gave brief answers, and Mr Morgan flat out ignored you.

The ride only took around 10 minutes or so. You would have expected their camp to be further away from the town, but what did you know about gangs and outlaws? Arthur pulled his horse into some trees, that then revealed a small clearing. You saw tents lined up at the side of the camp, people chatting to each other and wagons that probably held supplies scattered around. You gave a small smile. It was nice here, you liked the openness and had often wished for a life like this in your dreams.

Arthur hitched his horse up and pulled you off, setting you on the ground. He looked over at the silver haired man and spoke quietly, “Tell Dutch she’s here.” Hosea nodded and walked into the camp and towards a large tent where a man with slick back hair and narrowed eyes stood. He whispered something to who you assumed was Dutch van der Linde, and Dutch smirked, his eyes landing on you. You bit your lip, you still weren’t sure what his motives were, and now you were feeling the fear.

Arthur put his hand on your shoulder, and you looked up at him, but he didn’t look back. Arthur understood that first meetings with Dutch could be scary, and he wanted a way to reassure you that everything would be fine. And somehow, it did. Arthur led you over to Dutch, his hand now on your back. He nodded at Dutch, then spoke, “We got her.”

Dutch gave a loud chuckle, “Indeed you did. Dutch van der Linde.” He extended his hand for you to shake it, and you did, introducing yourself alongside the gesture.

Dutch gave you a smile, which you could tell was fake and spoke, “I assume there wasn’t too many troubles with you coming to camp? Everything went smoothly?”

You nodded, “Yeah, I had no problem at all.” You heard Arthur give a small laugh from behind you, his mind wandering back to images of you rushing out of the saloon, being thrown over his shoulder, forced to come here. But, he would only allow you, Hosea and himself to know that, to spare any trouble with Dutch.

Dutch grinned, and put his hand on your back, “Good.” His hand on your back didn’t have the same effect that Arthur’s did. You felt a threatening presence, a feeling that you could be hurt. You didn’t like it, but you let him lead you over to his tent anyway, refusing to object. He sat you down on a seat, then mumbled to Arthur, “Fetch the boys.” You tensed up at this, wondering what they were going to do with you. Dutch must have noticed and he chuckled, “Don’t worry Miss (L/N), we just want to talk.”

Before you knew it, you were surrounded by six men, two of them you knew, one you recognised. Dutch went round the group, introducing the men, “Lenny Summers, Micah Bell, John Marston, Hosea Matthews. And of course, you know out Arthur Morgan here. Gentlemen, this is (Y/F/N).” The men introduced as Lenny and Hosea nodded at you, a kind, sympathetic smile on their lips. John didn’t do anything, and Micah just scowled at you.

Arthur sighed and stepped forward a little, “What exactly is she doin’ here, Dutch? She’s innocent, Trelawny should have never opened his mouth to her.” Arthur didn’t know why, but he felt the need to stand up for you. It wasn’t your fault that Trelawny talked, and it wasn’t your placed to be wrapped up in this business. He couldn’t go against Dutch, but he could sure as hell make sure nothing happened to you.

Dutch sighed, “Arthur, have a little faith in my motives. I was hoping that she could tell us what Trelawny said, and if she knows anything about the ferry.” All eyes were on you, and you’d never felt more threatened.

You cleared your throat, and spoke quietly, but just loud enough for everyone to hear, “He just told me you were planning on robbing the ferry. I don’t know much about the ferry but I know that it’s carrying money, a lot of it, from New York. The town’s been advised to stay inside on the night it arrives to avoid any danger with the law. Apparently men from all around West Elizabeth are coming to guard the ferry and the town.”

John sighed, “Don’t tell me you’re still plannin’ on robbin’ this ferry after what the girl’s just told us.”

The man introduced as Micah, who hadn’t given you the warmest welcome, snarled at John, “Shut it, Marston. We’ve got it under control.”

John was just about to square up to Micah, but Dutch interrupted them, “Gentlemen, now is not the time for fighting. We’re going to rob this ferry, that I can assure you of. What Miss (L/N) has given us is nothing but valuable information. I have a plan, don’t you worry.”

Arthur shook his head and stood forward, speaking to Dutch directly, “This is crazy. And you know it. You can’t rob that ferry with half of West Elizabeth out on the streets!”

Dutch raised his eyebrows at Arthur, “You’re still set on not helping us, I see.”

Arthur sighed, “Dutch, me and Hosea have a score. A patch of cheap, good land that we’re so close to getting’ a good deal on. We could buy it, call it our own. Live normal lives.” You looked up at Arthur as he spoke, and you could tell that’s what he really wanted, more than anything. But then, you looked back at Dutch, and you could see his distaste for the idea of not living as outlaws.

Dutch shook his head, “Do what you must. We ARE robbing this ferry, gentlemen. That’s final. I have a plan, and I hope you trust me enough for it to execute properly.” Dutch looked over to you, “Now, Miss (L/N), do we have to keep you at camp until the ferry job is over, or are you a willing to be a participant in this job?”

Arthur scoffed, “Why would she have to stay here with us?” You were just as confused as Arthur, but you thought you would wait until Dutch explained his motives to make a decision.

Dutch chuckled, “Have you completely lost your head, Arthur? She could tell anyone about our plans if we just let her go! So, I’m willing to offer her an ultimatum. You can either stay here for a week until the job is over, or I’ll let you go back to your father if you agree to help us.”

You bit your lip. You knew that if you stayed here with the gang, your father would be looking for you, and he would bring a gang of people if it meant getting you back. But you also weren’t keen on being involved with the plans. You sighed, having made your mind up, “What kind of help do you need, Mr van der Linde?”

Arthur was about to speak out in protest but Dutch raised his hand, silencing him, “Whatever you can offer us will be more than fine.”

You bit your lip and smiled a little, “I’m quite the actress.” You had taken lessons in the dramatics when you were only a few years younger, hence why you could work your way around anyone in the saloon in Blackwater.

Dutch smirked at your proposition, and you spoke about a plan. You were to distract the guards however you liked while Dutch and the gang snuck onto the ferry, and then you were free to go. Unless things went south, then Dutch would use you to get away from law enforcements. You weren’t too keen on the second part of the plan, but you had no choice but to agree.

Dutch smiled at you, “You’re free to go, Miss (L/N. Arthur, do you mind riding her home?”

Arthur sighed, nodding at Dutch. He had hoped that Dutch would have asked him that before the two of you devised a plan. You stood up, and he put his hand on your shoulder, leading you to his horse. He lifted you up quickly, then pulled himself up onto the horse. He rode out of camp slowly, then picked up the pace a little, causing you to hesitantly wrap your arms around his waist to steady yourself. You felt him tense under your grip, and you bit your lip.

After a minute of silence, Arthur spoke, “Ya don’t have to help with the plan if ya don’t want to, Miss. Don’t let Dutch talk ya into something. That’s what he’s good at.”

You bit your lip and thought over Arthur’s words, then answered him quietly, “It’s okay. I wanna help. I’m fed up of my boring life, a little excitement would do be nice. Plus, I think I owe you and your gang, and why not put my skills to use? I ain’t gonna use them anywhere else.”

Arthur shook his head, “Nah. You don’t owe us. Trelawny owes us, Dutch just likes to involve anyone he can in his plans. I just don’t want you wrapped up in this.” Arthur felt the need to protect you, just as he often felt the need to protect innocent people, protect their freedom.

You furrowed your eyebrows, “Why do you care so much whether I help your gang or not?”

He bit his lip, and after a minute he responded to your question, “Look, if you get caught up with gang business, you’re stuck with us. There ain’t no getting’ out of this life until people get fed up of chasin’ you, and trust me, they hardly ever get fed up of chasin’. I just don’t want you giving up your life now to run from the law.” Arthur came to a stop just outside of Blackwater and waited for you to get off of the horse, which you did.

You bit your lip, “I’ll be fine, Mr Morgan. I’m willing to give everything up for this. I’ve already agreed to this. I can’t back out now, but I appreciate the concern.” You offered him a small smile, and then turned away and began walking towards the town.

He sighed, watching you walk away, and shouted after you, “I’ll see you soon!”

You just turned and gave him a small wave, then continued walking away from him. You knew exactly what you had gotten yourself into, and you couldn’t decide whether you regretted it or not. Were you really willing to give up your life now for people you hardly knew? A life of crime? Maybe.

Arthur dismounted his horse at camp and almost immediately his name was called by Hosea from the small bench in the middle of camp. He sighed and patted his horse, then walked over to Hosea and sat down next to him. “What do you want?”

Hosea chuckled, “Always nice to see you, Arthur. I’ve managed to get a meeting with the landowner about the land we’re thinking about buying in two days. Go out, buy yourself some nice clothes. You need to look the part Mr Swinton.”

Arthur groaned, “Yer getting me to act again? You know I don’t like that, Hosea.” The last time Hosea had Arthur acting resulted in a shootout, which Arthur didn’t appreciate.

Hosea shrugged, “Well, if we want a chance to buy this land we need you to look less like a tough, brash outlaw and more like a fancy upper class man. Remember to buy some clothes.” Arthur sighed and stood up, walking over to his tent.

He sat down on his cot and pulled out his journal, writing an extract next to a small picture of a you and Dutch:

“Dutch made me bring the girl to camp and somehow managed to get her to agree to help with ferry job. Not sure whether I’m okay with that, but I don’t wanna question Dutch. He seems to know what he’s doing more than the rest of us. Just hope everything turns out alright. She hasn’t done anything wrong.”

——————-

Tags (let me know if you wanna be tagged in future uploads!):

@0dobi0 @sylviassaloon (ps i’ve probably been so annoying with tags but i’ve had to take it down and reupload so so many times!)

[repsajjjasper]

William x Dutch Van Der Linde Valentine’s Day Special

William’s POV

Warning: Fluff and Swearing

I sit under a large oak tree, enjoying the scenery, just outside of what I currently call home. We really didn’t have a home, but Horseshoe Overlook sufficed for the mean time. It was nice where we set up camp. A small town not too far away, beautiful plants and animals. I hope to stay here a while.

I’m abruptly taken out of my thoughts by two hands cupped over my eyes. My immediate action was to grab my knife which was in my pocket. Before I reach it though a familiar voice rings in my ears.

“Guess who.”

I gumble softly and attempt to roll my eyes. “Anyone ever tell you not to sneak up on an outlaw Mr. Van Der Linde?” I ask in an unimpressed voice. “Perhaps.” He replies.

He takes his hands off of my face and walks in front of me. He pulls me up to face him. We’re about the same height. He’s taller than me, but only by a few inches or so. To my suprise he kisses my forehead, cheek and then my lips.

I kiss back and he slips his tongue into my mouth. I moan quietly and he pulls away only to start kissing and biting my neck. God did he know how to use his mouth.

“Mmh. Fuck, Dutch.” He pulls away soon with a smirk on his face and winks at me.

“Do you have any idea what day it is?” He asks in a hushed tone. “Uh. Thursday?” He shakes his head. “It’s Valentine’s Day, Sweetheart.” “Oh.” Truth be told I never celebrated the holiday. I didn’t have anyone to celebrate with. But now I had Dutch and boy did he love to spoil me.

“We’re going somewhere special tonight so dress nice.” He says before biting my neck again, causing me to jump and whimper.

All he does is chuckle and walk away. “God damn tease.” I mutter under my breath as he walks away.

The rest of the day I spend wonderimg aimlessly around camp. Doing small chores, making sure everyone was doing ok. All is well in the gang. Well. Except for hearing my one and only boyfriend yelling at the O'Driscoll we held hostage.

I begin to walk past him and he looks up at me, still tied to the post. The unscarred half of my face is showing towards him and he gave me a shy smile.

I know that look. I always looked friendly enough to anyone on my right, but horrifying to anyone on my left. Even Hosea, the man who saved my life jumps slightly when he sees me.

I let out a small sigh and look down at him. I do pity him. Tied up to a post, constantly being threatened.

“What do you want?” My voice came out angrier than expected and I see the man shrivel back. “I-I-I’m sorry. I’m just so damn h-hungry.” His voice cracked when he spoke. He was stuttering.

I roll my eyes and pull out an apple. “Here.” I try to make the conversation quick. “Th-thank you.” I nod slowly before walking away.

I zone out again in the tent I share with Dutch. I get snapped out of reality quite literally. “Hey. Hey Will. Are you listening to me?” It’s Dutch again. “Hmm?” “Remember what I said about today? Get dressed we’re going somewhere nice.” He said with a smile on his face.

I push him out after he insists that I change in front of him. Something about how he wants to know if it looks good or not.

There isn’t much to wear. Well. There is a three piece suit I’ve seen. Fuck it. I try it on and it fits.

I walk out of the tent in my outfit. Dutch isn’t by the tent. Damn. Arthur seems to notice and chuckles. “Ain’t that Dutch’s shirt?” I simply shrug in response “Probably.” “You look like Trelawny.” “I feel like Trelawny. I hate it.” Both of us laugh. I see Dutch by The Count. “Good seeing you Arthur.” And before he can respond to my father quick goodbye I walk away.

I jump on The Count, Dutch right behind me. We ride into ,ironically, Valentine. Dutch helps me off of his horse and he stables him. “Valentine?” I ask “You made me dress up for Valentine.” He laughs a little. “My dear. You really don’t think too much huh?” He says and grabs my hand, pulling me towards a stagecoach.

The ride is full of laughter, light conversation, flirty comments and continuous ‘Are we there yet’ s between Dutch and I. He even blindfolded me so I couldn’t see where we were going.

“We have finally arrived!” He cheers before taking my blindfold off. “Saint Denis?” I question. “Yep!” I smile and pull him into a hug which he happily returns.

We walk into a restaurant. It looks nice. So nice im fact, that I start to feel out of place here. However, knowing that I’m with Dutch makes the feeling go away. The room is so full of chatter that I can hardly hear Dutch tell the waiter that he has a reservation for two. The waiter nods and walks us to our table. Thankfully it’s a table that’s a little isolated from all the other ones. Knowing Dutch he’s full of tricks up his sleeve. But that’s not the only thing he’s full of.

The waiter brings a glass of water for each of us. We make small talk. Well we were making small talk. He was a little touchy but that was expected of him. “I completely forgot to give you your gift.” I blush a little. “Dutch. You didn’t have t-” “I wanted to.” He cut me off. He pulls out a box, in it was necklace with a charm on it and two rings. The necklace was beautiful. It was a wolf head with diamomds encrested in it and two small rubies for the eyes. I pulled that out first. “I know how much your necklace means to you so I figured maybe you could wear another one.” A smile creeps onto my pinkish face. “This must’ve been a fortune.” He just shrugs in response. “Do you wanna wear it right now?” I nod. He stands up, out of his chair and walks behind me to clasp the necklace on. Once he’s sitting back down I ask how it looks. “Absolutely wonderful.”

He pulls out the two rings. They’re matching, gold with engravements on them. One says 'Van Der Linde’ with emeralds in it, the other says 'Stone’ with rubies in it. “Here.” He hands me the Van Der Linde one. “It’s a promise ring.” He explains. I put it on my ring finger, it’s a perfect fit.

Tears for in my eyes. Tears of happiness of course. “This. This is too much. Dutch…” I trail off, speechless. “No it’s not.” “I didn’t even get you anything.” “You put up with me.” He mumbles. “That’s enough.”