arthur morgan who gets a faceful of trail dust every time he brushes out his horse's coat. arthur morgan who tries to avoid sneezing and startling his horse — knuckling under his nose, scrubbing his face against his shoulder, pausing with the brush mid-stroke as he tries to get his hitching breath under control, expression scrunched in need, big barrel chest rising and falling with rapid little breaths that finally turn into a big, gasping breath that almost takes him by surprise. arthur morgan who fails to keep from sneezing every single time despite his best intentions, who finally can't hold back a few huge, gusting sneezes, who aims them in the vague direction of his elbow and then pulls the bandanna from his back pocket to swipe it under his nose, cheeks pinking with relief. arthur morgan who gives his horse an absent pat in apology and says “sorry, boy. tried to keep those in for ya, but they were too damn strong.” arthur morgan who will go through this ritual when he gives his horse a brush-down, every single time, without fail.
