Summary: You notice Arthur is missing from camp so you go looking for him in the woods.
On Ao3
You heard the crackle of the fire by your lean-to, the warm glow casting shadows over your closed eyelids. You rolled onto your side, slowly opening them, expecting to see Arthur a few feet away in his cot but it was empty. You sat up at that, slowly scanning the camp for sight or sound of him but you were only met with quiet, no movement.
You knew he was there. He had only just come back from a job before you retired to your bedroll. He wouldn't have left so soon and you felt a little bit of panic bubble up in you, though you weren't sure why. You cared about him like you did everyone else in the gang, but you had realized you were very aware of him recently, aware of his comings and goings, aware of the times he would smile or laugh freely with you, aware of the way he would idly adjust his gun belt, shaking it to get it to lie comfortably on his hips. If you were being honest, your mind was pretty much full of him lately. You bit your lip as you smiled even then at the thought of him, his soulful eyes, strong jaw, and powerful arms.
You pulled your boots on and threw a coat around your shoulders to cover yourself up. You treaded quietly as you exited the camp area, watching to make sure you avoided twigs and kept your footing in the dim light.
The trees were thick, making it difficult to see very well and you found yourself stumbling more than once, but managed to right yourself each time. You saw a break in the trees, moonlight filtering through the gap.
You headed towards it as you heard a noise, a sharp inhale of breath. You turned your head, trying to find the source of the sound when you heard another, a low groan followed by a broken drawl that sounded like your name.
You finally found Arthur standing by a tree, one hand braced against it as the other languidly stroked himself. Your feet were rooted to the spot as you just watched him, a familiar ache nagged at your cunt when he groaned again, his hand still moving in slow, steady strokes, his breath coming out in pants.
You fought the urge to moan openly at the sight in front of you. It was too much. Your brain wasn't functioning properly as you approached him, your body moving on its own. He didn't hear you, too lost in his pleasure as you came up behind him and reached around his body, curling your fingers over the ones he had wrapped around his cock. He jumped slightly at the contact, looking over his shoulder at you.
He let out a noise of shock and confusion, giving way to something more like a growl when you squeezed his fingers around his cock. Your fingers entwined with his and he began to move his hand again, stroking himself with your encouragement. After a few good strokes he stopped, releasing himself as he turned around to pull you against him.
"W-what are you doing to me, woman?" He stuttered out through heavy breaths, leaning down to kiss you hungrily. He dragged his lips against yours, nipping and licking at the bottom one until you were whining. You pulled back for a breath, his palm coming up to rest against your neck.
"I could ask you the same question." You took his other hand as you lifted up your skirt, placing his fingers against your wet slit. He groaned at the feeling, crashing his mouth against yours again. He greedily swallowed down the noises that poured from your lips as he worked his tongue against your own.
Arthur grabbed the backs of your thighs, lifting you easily as he turned you around and leaned you against the tree. He pinned you to it with his body. The heat radiating off of him made you feel faint, his cock pressed up against your slick entrance but he didn't move, taking his time with you.
"Wanted to do this for a while." He chuckled as he kissed your neck, stubble brushing over the sensitive skin and sending a shiver through you.
"Ain't just you." You moaned out as he bit down, soothing the skin with the swipe of his tongue.
You ground down against him, sliding against his cock until he shifted his hips to enter you slowly.
"Well, fuck." You breathed as he pushed all the way in. His cock was thick, stretching you in just the right way, filling you up as he fully seated himself, his hips flush against the back of your thighs. A muffled groan fell from his lips as he buried his head in your neck.
"You're perfect, sweetheart." He cooed as he began to thrust into you, keeping a slow but firm pace.
You wrapped your legs tighter around his hips, grinding down against him, rubbing your clit against the base of his cock as he slipped deeper into you than you thought possible.
"You're one to talk-nnng." You cut yourself off with a groan as the head of his cock rubbed against you in a particularly pleasant spot. He did it again and you felt a wave of pleasure threaten to push you over the edge.
He began to slam up into you, hitting that spot as he leaned in to kiss you deeply. His tongue slipped into your mouth and you sucked on it, drawing a deep groan from him.
“Fuck, you feel good.” Arthur ground out, laying his forehead against your shoulder. He grabbed your hips, thrusting deep into your cunt at a relentless pace.
Your legs began to shake with each thrust, the stimulation of the angle against your clit had the tension in your stomach winding tighter and tighter until it snapped. You moaned out a choked “Arthur” as you came, squeezing him with your cunt as waves of pleasure washed over you.
That did it for him. The look of pure bliss on your face and his name falling from your sweet lips. He let himself go, spilling into you with a low groan as his thrusts stuttered.
He held you up, panting against your cheek. You could feel his chest heaving against you, his cock still pulsing inside you.
“Jesus, woman.” He finally spoke when he pulled out, releasing your legs gently to the ground.
Arthur tucked himself back into his pants, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. He took a drag before passing it to you.
“Mr. Morgan, you’re certainly something, ain’t you?” You took the cigarette between your lips, taking a long slow inhale as he watched, entranced.
“I don’t know about all that but you most definitely are, sweetheart.” He took the cigarette from you and leaned in to kiss you on the cheek. “I’d -uh- like to spend more time with you, if you’d be interested in that...”
“If you didn’t I’d be quite offended, y’know.” You let out a small laugh as he took your hand in his.
“Alright then.” Arthur led you back to camp and you could swear you saw his cheeks tinge pink in the moonlight. A wide smile bloomed on your face as you followed behind him. This was a good night.
Summary: You sustain an injury on a job and Javier helps you to recover.
On Ao3
Chapter 1
Everyone had gone to sleep. You turned over on your bedroll, getting a look at Karen sprawled out on her back next to you, long passed out from drink. This wasn't working. You'd been lying there for what felt like hours and sleep refused come.
You got up and headed for the fire, throwing a blanket around your shoulders. Maybe some coffee would do you good since there was no way you were sleeping tonight. The moon shone brightly in the sky and the air was clear as you took in a deep breath.
Javier was sitting cross legged by the fire with his guitar in his lap, though he wasn't playing it, he was idly thumbing at the strings without plucking them. You sat down next to him, giving him a nod.
"Thought you'd gone to bed?" He asked, setting his guitar aside.
You pulled the blanket tighter around you, relaxing back against the log behind you. "So did I. Can't sleep." You let out a grumble.
He pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and taking a drag before offering it to you. You took it from him, inhaling deeply as you watched him eyeing you. The smoke curled into tendrils in the air as you exhaled.
"Thanks." You passed him back the cigarette.
"You alright?" He took another puff of the cigarette, grabbing it with his thumb and forefinger.
"I'd be better if I got some rest. Feels like I ain't slept in days." You yawned as he passed you the cigarette again. You accepted it, taking another light drag.
"Why don't you try lying down? I'll play you a song." Javier took the cigarette from your hand. Stubbing it out on the sole of his boot, he picked up his guitar again.
"If you can put me to sleep, I'll...well I don't know what but you'll be handsomely rewarded." You moved to lie down on his bedroll behind you. It smelled like campfire and Javier, metallic, spice, and leather.
"I'll look forward to it." He gave you a wink as his fingers started to strum a soft and slow melody on the guitar, his voice humming along in a deep rasp.
------
Your eyes shot open when you heard the clank of tin dishes in the distance. The canvas of the tent above you was not what you were used to but you felt warm, comfortable. You turned your head to see Javier sleeping peacefully on his stomach, his arm thrown over your middle. The last thing you remember was him playing the guitar. You smiled, you couldn't believe that actually worked. You'd have to come up with a decent way to thank him.
You gently lifted his arm, trying to slide out from underneath it without moving him. You didn't see many people around yet but you didn't want them getting the wrong idea about you and Javier. It was best for you to slip away before anyone noticed. You placed your blanket over him as you turned to leave to help Pearson prepare breakfast.
The morning passed by uneventfully, once you'd helped clean up you decided to take a break.
"Well, look who it is." Micah sat down across the table from you at mid afternoon.
"Micah." You addressed him without looking up from the book you were reading. Though Micah had only been with the gang a few months, it was long enough for you to know you weren't exactly fond of him. That much was clear after only a few hours.
"Didn't know you could read." He said it like it was a compliment, but it sounded like an insult.
"Guess you don't know much about me." You turned the page, hoping to make him leave by sheer force of will.
"Guess I don't. That's my mistake." Micah tapped on the table, trying to get your attention or fidgeting, you didn't know. "How's about you and me take a little walk?"
You looked up at him then and you're sure you didn't hide the disgust on your face. "No. Thank you."
"A short walk ain't gonna kill you. Now come on, girl." Micah reached for your wrist, causing the book to fall from your hands.
"Let go of me." You yanked your arm away from him but he didn't release you.
"Why are you being so goddamn difficult?" Micah pulled at you again as you resisted him.
"Leave me alone." Your wrist was starting to hurt from the grip he had on you and he only tightened his hold, still attempting to drag you from the table. You kicked him in the shin as hard as you could, his hand still around your wrist.
"You fucking whore!" He screamed throwing you to the ground by your arm.
"What the fuck is going on here?!" Javier ran up, immediately pulling you to your feet.
"Fuck off back to Mexico, greaser." Micah grabbed his shin, a look of pure hatred on his face. "This ain't none of your concern."
"That's where you're wrong you sack of shit." Javier stood in front of you, shielding you from Micah.
"Oh, I see." Micah spit on the ground, his mouth splitting into a nasty smile as he chuckled. "More interested in the feminine kind, huh?"
Javier threw a punch that landed square across Micah's jaw, knocking him to the ground on his ass. "Pinche pendejo! You better learn to keep your fucking mouth shut or next time it'll be a bullet in your face instead of a fist!"
You stepped in front of Javier, pushing him with a hand to his chest as Micah continued to yell insults and curses at the two of you. He took your hand and led you in the direction of the water.
"Did he hurt you?" Javier asked once you were out of camp.
"I think we did more damage to him but-" You lifted the hand that Javier was holding, your sleeve falling down to reveal the dark finger shaped bruises blooming along your wrist.
"Bastardo." He said under his breath.
"I'm alright, it's fine." You pull your sleeve back down, taking a deep breath.
"No. It's not. He'll get what's coming to him don't you worry." Javier squeezed your hand.
"Please don't start any trouble. Micah's just a bully. Once you stand up to him he backs down." You gave him a smile as he made a dissatisfied noise. "I should be going. Tilly'll be wantin' my help with the washin'. And, Javier, thank you." You released his hand and left for the washing station.
-----
You settled into your bedroll. The incident with Micah had really taken it out of you. But you couldn't sleep. You were exhausted yet wide awake.
A few people had come up to you after with remarks about how much of an asshole Micah was and asking if you were alright. Really you just wanted to forget it ever happened. You knew it was in Javier's nature but you didn't need saving and everyone's coddling did more to upset you than comfort you.
It was the middle of the night and you clearly weren't going to fall asleep...again. But you saw Bill unhitching his horse but the camp entrance.
You ran over and grabbed his arm before he mounted. "Bill, where are you going? You got a job?"
"Yeah, got a tip about a small gang hideout. Thought I'd go take a look, why?" He eyed you suspiciously. You'd never really gone out of your way to speak to him before.
"Can I come?" You didn't feel like explaining yourself and figured he wouldn't ask.
He didn't. "I guess. As long as you make yourself useful."
"You know I will. Just give me a second to grab some things?" You didn't wait for his reply before sprinting back over to your sleeping area. You quickly threw on a pair of jeans and grabbed your pistol and knife holster before heading over to mount your horse.
"Come on, let's go!" Bill kicked Brown Jack as the two of you left camp.
As it turns out the campsite was not too far away from your own so it was a good idea to take them out, though you're not sure why Bill thought he could do it alone. There had to be 20 men.
You snuck up to the few patrolling the perimeter, taking them out easily with a knife to the throat, while Bill stayed back surprisingly patient. From there you both slowly pushed forward, finding cover and taking out the men closest to you, moving up for the next group.
It went well until you got to the last few men. They were hunkered down behind a wagon. Bill always was a lousy shot so it was no surprise he couldn't make the necessary headshots in the dark and you were having trouble focusing, the lack of sleep wearing on you, so you weren't doing any better.
You tried to move to other cover, an attempt at flanking them, but at the same time one of them popped out from behind the wagon. You both pulled the trigger, you watched your bullet hit him square in the neck as you collapsed behind a rock out of sight.
There was a sting of pain, hot fire burning in your side as you looked down to see the red blooming on your blouse. Fuck.
Bill managed to kill the remaining stragglers as he rushed over to you.
"Ohhh no. No, no." He took off his flannel, pressing it forcefully against your side. "Just hold on, okay? Can you do that?"
You didn't answer as he lifted you up, every movement he made causing you distress. Your head was beginning to feel fuzzy. You opened your mouth to say something, but no words came out and your eyes fluttered closed.
------
Javier was on watch duty, bored as ever. He had gone to check on you before grabbing one of the carbine repeaters left by the wagon but you weren't in your bedroll and he didn't see you around the camp on the walk back.
He shifted on his feet, his legs beginning to ache in the cold. He heard the fast and loud sound of horse hooves approaching. His heart began to race a little as he yelled into the darkness, "Who is that?"
"It's Bill. Get Grimshaw now!" His voice was panic stricken. Bill rode into the light of camp and Javier's stomach dropped seeing your body slumped unconscious over Brown Jack. He dropped the rifle, shouting for Grimshaw as he ran to wake her.
Javier had woken just about every person in camp with his shouts. People had gathered around as Mary-Beth brewed some coffee for everyone.
"What the fuck were you thinking?!" Javier grabbed Bill by the collar of his shirt, his fists yanking the material tight.
"She wanted to come. I didn't see no problem." Bill shrank back a little, the fire in Javier's eyes intimidating him.
"Oh, you didn't? DO YOU NOW?" Javier yanked Bill by his shirt to face where Grimshaw had you laid out on a bedroll, your bloodied clothes set to the side
"Javier, calm down." Arthur placed his hand on his shoulder. "They're both idiots for goin' alone without knowin' how many there was. She's gonna be alright."
"You don't know that." Javier growled at Arthur, shrugging off his hand. He stormed off to where Grimshaw was hovering over you, inspecting your wound.
"Javier. You need to take a breath. This ain't no one's fault and you goin' off and hollerin' at everyone ain't gonna help her." She had her hands pressed firmly to your side. "Now hand me that alcohol there."
Javier did as she asked without argument and she poured it over your wound.
"She's very lucky. Looks like the bullet didn't do much damage. Seems the other guy was as bad a shot as Bill."
Chapter 2
You felt hot, too hot. You opened your eyes, kicking off the blankets on top of you as you gasped loudly, the movement causing pain to shoot through your body. You looked down, lifting up your top to see bandages wrapped around you.
"Hey, you're awake. Are you in pain?" Javier opened the flap of the canvas, entering to kneel beside you. He brushed your hands away from the bandage around your side.
"Javier?" You wiped a bit of sweat from your brow with the back of your hand. "Where am I?" You asked as you took in the unfamiliar surroundings of the large tent and a cot you didn't recognize.
"Miss Grimshaw thought it would be better for you to rest in your own tent." He pressed his fingers along the edges of the bandage, making sure it was still safely in place.
You made a sound of acknowledgment, looking back up at the roof of the tent.
"Look, Javier, I appreciate you tryin' to help, but you ain't gotta worry yourself." You sat up, pushing through the pain and trying to keep your face even. "I'm perfectly fi-" You threw your legs over the side of the cot and tried to stand but a burning pain shot through your body as soon as you moved. Your face twisted as a hissing gasp escaped you and you clutched at your side.
Javier caught you before you could collapse, easing you back to lie down on the cot. "Stop fighting it. Just let yourself feel better." He reached into his satchel, pulling out a health cure and uncorking it. He handed it to you and you drank from it without question. "That should help a little."
"Thank you." You said quietly. You knew that you needed to learn to accept help when it was offered. That had always been a flaw of yours, trying and failing on your own. You had to admit that this was something you couldn't beat without assistance.
"Are you hungry?" He broke the silence when you were too caught up in your own thoughts.
Your stomach chose that moment to rumble in answer.
"I'll go grab you something to eat, don't move." He didn't wait for your reply before rushing out.
Javier returned with food minutes later, too much food. Some stew, an apple, a pear, crackers, a few canned vegetables, and a bottle of beer, which appeared to be for him. He took a sip as you nibbled at the food, not really feeling as hungry as you thought. It didn't take long before you started to feel sleepy again, pushing the food aside. Javier helped you clear the cot and lie back down.
He picked up his guitar and began playing a soft melody. You vaguely recalled it was the same one he'd put you to sleep with before as your eyes became heavy and you drifted off.
------
You woke up alone in the tent, evening light softly filtering through the canvas. Your side was throbbing as you knocked back a tonic that someone had left by your cot. An hour later and it did little to help the ache in your side.
You weren't normally a big drinker. You preferred to stay sober, in control of yourself and situations. Sure, sometimes you would have a beer or two at the camp parties but never more than that and you were almost always the only one to wake up the next day feeling refreshed rather than hungover.
However, today was not a normal day. You were bored and frustrated and in pain, a lot of pain. You just wanted to numb it a little. So you'd asked Karen to bring you some whiskey and she had, a little too enthusiastically you thought.
It didn't take much before you felt more relaxed, a pleasant warm sensation filling your body. You wanted nothing more than to go for a walk and get some fresh air. Sober-you would have thought it was a bad idea in your condition, barely being able to stand for more than a few minutes at a time, but drunk-you thought it was brilliant and she was the one in charge so you headed for the treeline.
It was pretty, the leaves were a vibrant shade of green, though they were a little bit blurry. Someone oughtta fix that. You reached out to touch one and it fell, floating down to the dirt.
"Oh, how sad." You mused to no one but yourself.
You started to feel a little dizzy, leaning back against a tree for purchase. Your stomach turned a little as you closed your eyes.
“What are you doing out here?” The voice sounded far away but you could hear the crunch of leaves and twigs beneath boots.
You sighed deeply, taking in a big gulp of air and the voice came again. “Did you hear me?”
You finally opened your eyes to see a slightly blurred Javier. He looked handsome, he always did but right now he really did. He must have been working, his sleeves were rolled up and he wasn’t wearing his hat.
"Javierrrrr! Look, I'm standing!" You moved to greet him, but your legs refused to work properly and you tripped over a stone, stumbling into him as he caught you by the elbows.
"You're drunk." There was something in his tone of voice but you were too far gone to make sense of it. He steadied you, putting his arm around you to hold you up.
"Nah. Just having some fun." You smiled up at him, putting most of your weight against him. "Don't yooou want to have fun, Javierrr?"
He didn't say anything as you turned in his arms and pressed your lips to his, backing him into a tree. He immediately kissed you back, sliding his lips against yours in a way that made you moan into him. His hands grabbed at your hips, pulling you closer to him as he licked into your mouth hungrily. Then just as quick as it started he pulled back, looking away from you.
"Come on, let's go back to camp." His breathing was heavy as he slipped out from between you and the tree, grasping your hand in his.
"But whyyy?" You whined and in the back of your mind you knew you sounded like a child, but couldn't bring yourself to care.
"Because." He looked back at you. "Dios mio. You're drunk and you need to sleep it off."
You stopped in your tracks, causing him to stop as well. "Please, can we stay a little longer? I'm just plain tired of their looks."
"Who's looks?" Javier turned to look at you, not releasing your hand.
"All of them. I already feel like a prize idiot. I just want a break from all them pityin' looks." You felt his fingers flex against yours.
"You're no idiot. Bad shit happens sometimes. You know that." He pulled at you as he sat down against a tree, you moving with him to sit beside.
"Thanks." You mumbled, letting your eyes fall closed. You laid your head against his shoulder as sleep easily overtook you. You fell asleep to the sound of his steady heartbeat and calm breaths.
------
You remembered why you didn't drink heavily as soon as you opened your eyes. Your head was aching, your stomach felt uneasy, and you felt mortified. The only upside was that you weren't in excruciating pain from your wound. Though you would gladly trade off for the embarrassment of making a fool of yourself with Javier, which you unfortunately had a clear memory of.
You were able to sit up a little though standing was better as it didn't compress your wound. Arthur brought you some food and water in the morning. By mid-afternoon you left the tent for a short walk around camp. You could only stand for a short period of time, finding yourself exhausted by the time evening rolled around. You retired back to your tent with well wishes from Sean and Abigail.
You were surprised when the tent flap opened and Javier stepped inside, closing it behind him. You figured he'd made himself scarce to avoid you after you threw yourself at him, but he gave you a small smile, holding out his closed hand until you put out yours. He placed three small, paper wrapped candies in your hand.
"Thought these would cheer you up. I heard they're real good." Javier closed your fingers around the candy. "At least that's what the ladies at the shop said."
"Thank you...but..." You trailed off, awkwardly avoiding eye contact.
"But what? You do like candy, don't you?" He eyed you suspiciously.
"Of course I do. Who don't? It's just I woulda thought...that maybe you were done helpin' me." You flushed a little, still not meeting his gaze.
He took your chin in his hand, turning your head to face him. "Why's that?"
"After...y'know...what I did." You whispered the last part, feeling renewed embarrassment bubble up in you at having to actually say it.
"Someone told me you were just having fun." He lifted an eyebrow at you, a smirk on his lips.
You dropped the candies in your lap, burying your face in your palms. "Please forget everything that happened yesterday."
"But, mi amor, those memories are so precious to me." Javier grabbed your hand, dramatically bringing it to rest over his heart as you tried to pull it away. He released it, leaning in to bump his shoulder against yours playfully.
"Leave, Javier!" You extended your arm, pointing a finger at the entrance to the tent, throwing a scowl in his direction.
"Fine." Javier stood to leave, a wicked grin on his face. "But I'll be back for you later, hermosa. Count on it."
You rolled your eyes as he disappeared through the flap. You laid back down on the cot, closing your eyes as a smile crept onto your face and you felt your cheeks warm.
Chapter 3
Each day brought a new surprise. You were able to do more and more and Javier continued to look after you, bringing you trinkets and items to entertain you; books and wild flowers, a hand whittled Boaz. He even bought you a special lure so the two of you could go fishing once you’d recovered enough to ride to a spot he’d found outside of camp. His excitement at the thought of it brought a smile to your face and filled you with positivity and even more of a desire to get back on your feet as soon as possible.
You found you could do nothing but smile when Javier was around now. He was so sweet and attentive that before you’d even realized it was happening, you had developed a rather serious crush on him, small flirtation giving way to actual feelings.
You were able to help a little more now. You sat by the fire, sewing a button onto one of Johns shirts with a contented smile on your face. Normally sewing wasn’t something that got you excited but after so long lying down and feeling utterly useless, you were ecstatic.
You heard Javier before you saw him, his beautiful guitar playing accompanied by his sweet voice, the sound wrapped around you like a warm blanket as you lifted your eyes from your work to watch him.
He was sitting on a crate by a table across the camp. Most people didn’t pay him any mind, scurrying by without so much as a hello. Then there was Tilly.
“Alright, Javier?” She asked as she sat down next to him.
He finished his song but kept strumming, giving her a nod. “Hola, Tilly.”
She gave him a wide smile. Leaning on the table with her chin in her palm. “You play real nice.” Her tone was dripping with sugary sweetness.
“Thank you.” He smiled back at her, kindness in his eyes.
You felt jealousy spark in your stomach and immediately felt stupid. They were having a normal conversation...weren’t they? You second guessed yourself. It wasn’t as though you’d told Javier how you felt or bothered to ask how he did. After all he hadn’t even tried to touch you since that day you drunkenly threw yourself at him. Maybe he wasn’t interested in you like that.
You started to feel a little sick, not able to stomach watching them together, you set down the sewing and headed back to your tent to lie down. You let out a frustrated sigh as you stepped inside, balling your fists, your nails digging into your palms.
You had only just entered when Javier came in behind you, setting his guitar down against the side of the tent.
“Are you alright?” He pressed the back of his hand to your forehead as you turned around. “You don’t look good.”
“Well, thanks.” You scowled, turning your head away so his hand dropped from your forehead.
“Hey, you know what I mean. I could go get you some water or food, if you’re hungry?” He sounded concerned and you felt a surge of irrational anger bubble up inside you.
“Just don’t, Javier. You don’t need to take care of me anymore.” You spat the words with as much venom as you could muster.
“...What’s wrong?” He asked, clearly confused by your dismissive attitude.
“Nothing. I’m feeling better. Much better. I can look after myself now.” You hadn't looked him in the eye, choosing to stare at the wall of the tent instead.
It was quiet. He didn’t speak but he didn't move either. You wanted him to leave. You wanted to push him away like your instincts told you to.
“I ain’t sure why you felt like you had to watch over me me to start but I’m lettin’ you off the hook. You don’t owe me a thing, Javier. I’m thankful for all the help you gave me but I’m good now. You ain’t gotta worry about me anymore, okay?”
Silence stretched between you as you felt him move closer to you until you could feel the heat coming off of his skin, smell the scent of campfire and gun powder stuck to his jacket.
“No.” He said and you looked up at him in surprise, his dark eyes holding your gaze. “It’s not okay. I reckon I won't ever stop worrying about you.”
He reached out to cup your face in his hand, your eyes going wide. When he kissed you, all thought left you, the only feeling was him; his lips parting yours, his fingertips dancing across your skin, his hair falling against your cheek.
“J-Javier.” You stuttered when you parted for breath. “What are you-“
“If you think I’m just going to let you walk away from me, you’re crazier than I thought, cariño.” He let out a chuckle, stroking your cheek with his thumb as he leaned in again, pressing his lips softly against yours.
You’re not sure who started it but your clothes are shed so quickly that you’re suddenly both bare in front of each other, eyes slowly taking in each other’s exposed forms. You felt yourself flush under his intense, hungry gaze. It made you feel shy, but so desired as you glanced down to see his cock, hard and heavy for you.
Javier moved to kiss you again, resting his palm against your neck as he slid his tongue into your mouth. You moaned into him, feeling his fingers flex around your throat and his cock twitch where it lay between you.
His hand slid down your chest, taking your breast in his palm, his thumb circling your nipple as it hardened. He closed his thumb and forefinger around it, arousal coursed through you at the gentle pressure and a loud moan rose out of you before you could quiet yourself. You threw your hand over your mouth and he let out a quiet laugh, pushing you back to sit on the edge of the cot.
He spread your legs, nestling between them as he lowered his head, tasting you with his tongue. He groaned as he lapped at your entrance, collecting the arousal that leaked from you. “You taste so good.” He murmured against you, lips touching your skin as he spoke, a shiver of pleasure running through you at the sensation.
He flattened his tongue, stroking upward to your clit. He focused his attention there, switching between lightly sucking and licking small circles around it until you were breathing in short pants, your body flushed all over from arousal. You had never been brought so close to orgasm so quickly.
His eyes were glued to your face, watching each twitch of muscle, each quiver of your lip as he eagerly slid his tongue against you. Tension coiled inside you as you gripped the edges of the cot so hard your knuckles turned white. Javier moved his hands up your thighs, stroking his thumbs against the soft skin as he pushed you closer and closer to the edge. It didn’t take much longer. Your skin felt like it was on fire, heat coursing through your veins. He sucked at you greedily and you came, hard, his name on your tongue followed by a drawn out moan as he gave one last kiss to your clit. Your chest heaved with heavy breaths as you tried to keep yourself sitting upright.
He didn’t allow you much time to recover, picking you up and depositing you on the bedroll on the ground. Javier placed his hand in yours as he leaned down over you, threading your fingers together as he moved to kiss you deeply. You tasted yourself on his lips, renewed arousal shooting through you at the realization.
Rubbing his cock against you, swollen and wet, he lazily teased you before slowly pushing in. He fully seated himself within you, his fingers still twined with yours, palms still pressed together. You felt him throb inside of you before he began to rock in and out gently, slowly fucking you as his hands squeezed yours and a groan fell from his lips.
Your eyes fell closed, a broken moan falling from your lips as he stroked a particularly pleasurable spot inside you.
"Are you in pain?" He stilled his movement, looking over your face.
"God, Javier. No." You gasped, lifting your hips to press against his, encouraging him to move. "I just n-need..."
"Tell me." He filled the pause with a tortuously slow slide of his cock inside you. "Tell me what you need."
"More. I need more of you. Please." You trailed off to a whine.
Those words seemed to break whatever reservations Javier had. He released your hands to grab your hips, thrusting into your cunt even deeper until you were crying out with nearly every push of his hips. He buried his head in your neck, releasing a shaky breath against your skin that sent a shiver through you.
"You don't know what you do to me, hermosa." He whispered in your ear with a press of his lips to your shoulder.
"S-sorry." You let out a quiet laugh as you wrapped your legs tighter around him.
"I'm not." He smiled against your neck.
You ground up against him as best you could, pleasure mounting in your core, an ache for your second release making it difficult for you to breathe. Your hand went to your clit before your brain could catch up, your eyes fluttering closed. You split your fingers, squeezing with gentle pressure as your orgasm built up inside you, biting down on your lip as he continued to fuck into you in long strokes.
"Mierda." He exhaled. You opened your eyes to see him watching you pleasure yourself. His gaze rose to meet yours, a look of absolute desire written on his face. You gave him a small smile which he returned as he picked up his pace, his thrusts beginning to falter, growing deeper but shorter as he approached his end.
A string of words you didn't understand left his lips when he came, spilling into you with a low groan and a final deep thrust that made you contract around him as you joined him. He continued to lazily slide into you as you both came down from your high, nothing but the sounds of your panting breaths filled the tent.
He finally removed himself to lie beside you, taking your hand in his as he closed his eyes. You rolled onto your uninjured side to look at him, watching the slow, steady rise and fall of his chest.
"I can feel you staring at me." Javier said without opening his eyes.
You let out a small laugh. "Sorry but how can I not stare at someone so handsome?"
He smiled before opening his eyes and rolling onto his side to stare back at you. He reached out to cup your face in his hand, leaning into press his lips softly to yours.
"Stop that now. You're gonna make me blush." He whispered against your lips, still smiling.
"Now that I'd like to see." You let out another laugh.
"Stick around and you just might." He smirked at you, stroking your jaw with his thumb.
"Oh, Javier, you know I ain't goin' nowhere. 'Fraid you're stuck with me now." You grasped his hand turning your head to kiss his fingertips.
"And I wouldn't have it any other way, hermosa." He pulled you into him, tucking your head under his as his arms cradled you against his body.
Summary: John confronts his feelings for Arthur after seeing him flirt with a woman.
On Ao3
John stared down at the glass of whiskey on the bar in front of him. He took a small sip, scanning the rowdy saloon. He was seated by himself but most of the younger guys from the gang had joined in on this particular outing. He spotted Sean, flirting away with some of the working girls. He was, of course, laying it on extra thick and they were eating out of the palm of his hand. He could read the ingredients on a tin of cocaine gum and they'd be just as interested no doubt.
Javier and Charles were at the opposite end of the bar chatting up some of the locals. They weren't prostitutes, John was pretty sure, but they could have passed for some with the way they were leaning in, all their assets on display for the boys.
Then there was Arthur. John knew it wasn't smart to be watching him as closely as he was, people might get the wrong idea. If John was being honest with himself, it wasn't exactly the wrong idea. He had tried to push his feelings for Arthur away since he was teen, but as he'd gotten older they'd only gotten stronger causing him to leave the gang for a while. He tried to get the unnatural feelings out of him by sleeping with other men, figuring once he'd gotten it out of his system he could return to the gang and be done with it. It had only served as a catalyst for his feelings to grow as every sexual encounter he had, he imagined the man was Arthur.
Arthur was sat at a table with man and a woman. The man was clearly interested in the woman, but she was only looking at Arthur, her hand on his arm, fingers lightly tracing along the skin exposed by his rolled up sleeves, seductive smile on her lips. The man, realizing he was beat, left the table with a scowl on his face in search of an easier target. And Arthur, well, he was playing along with the woman. Smiling at her, leaning in close to whisper in her ear, gently stroking her neck with the back of his hand. John's stomach turned at the scene and he downed the contents of his glass in one swig.
He ordered another whiskey, fingers tapping on the rim of the glass as he tried to distract himself from what was happening at the table. He was unsuccessful as he quickly found himself turning back around again to see an empty table. His eyes darted around trying to find Arthur and, when he did, his heart sunk. John watched as Arthur slipped into a room upstairs with the woman, her hand in his.
John felt sick. Of course he knew that Arthur did not have the unnatural urges he had. He had been there for all of Arthur's flings and short lived relationships with women; Mary, Eliza, and various others. Arthur had never alluded to being interested in men, not that he would as their relationship had become so tense over the years, John trying to put distance between them.
Minutes passed as John stared at the closed door, imagining Arthur tangled with the woman in a passionate bout of love making. Their bodies sheened with sweat as they writhed against each other. John felt sick and turned on at the same time, imagining Arthur's hard cock, thick and heavy as he fucked into the mystery woman. But as soon as he had formulated the image in his head, the door opened, the woman stepping out and descending the staircase, joining another group of people at a table in the corner of the saloon.
John downed the rest of his drink and headed for the room. Easing the door open, he stepped inside and the door slammed behind him. He was thrown against it, Arthur's hand curling around his throat. He should have known better than to catch him by surprise but he wasn't thinking straight, his head hazy from drink and filled with nothing but thoughts of Arthur.
"Arthur, it's me." John wheezed, struggling to breathe with the restriction.
"Oh, I know, Johnny." Arthur squeezed John's throat a little tighter. "Why'd you follow me?"
"Let me go!" John coughed and sputtered, feeling a little light headed.
Arthur relaxed his grip, throwing John onto the bed. "You gonna answer me, boy?"
"W-Who was that woman?" John stuttered, sitting up to rub at his sore neck.
"That ain't any of your concern, now is it?" Arthur eyed him suspiciously, slowly approaching the bed.
"Just tell me, Arthur. What were you doing with her?" John turned his head to look away. He felt ashamed, he had no claim to Arthur and he knew it wasn't any of his business who Arthur slept with.
"You want all the details of what I did to that lady?" Arthur chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. "Well, ain't you the curious pervert?"
John felt a pang of regret and dread in his chest as he looked up into Arthur's eyes. He tried to keep his face neutral, but the alcohol made it difficult and he knew he looked like a wounded puppy.
"Wouldn't a thought I'd see the day that the golden boy was jealous of me." Arthur shook his head. "Y'know I wouldn't tell Abigail on you if you wanted to have some fun of your own..."
"I don't want that." John scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Then what do you want? Because you're in an awful mood and I gotta say I'm pretty damn tired of seein' that grouchy face of yours. The scars are bad enough already, ain't gotta make it worse."
John stood suddenly, a determined set to his jaw and, for a split second, concern flashed across Arthur's face before he took a step back. John advanced further, backing Arthur up until he was against the wall.
"What in the hell are you doing?" Arthur shouted as John pressed their bodies together flush.
"What if I said, you're what I want?" John's lips were loose from the whiskey and he couldn't take it anymore.
"You're drunker than I thought." Arthur shook his head. "Stop talkin' nonsense."
"It ain't nonsense." John muttered, leaning in until his lips were almost touching Arthur's. "I tried to fight it, Arthur, I did. I spent a year away from you and it ain't do nothin' but make me want you more."
John leaned in before Arthur could respond, claiming his mouth in a kiss that was all teeth and tongues, both men vying for dominance. Arthur didn't pull away, instead biting at John's bottom lip. He sucked it into his mouth, swiping across it with his tongue and sending a jolt of arousal through John.
He reached down, cupping Arthur's half hard cock through the fabric of his clothes. Groaning with the realization that he was aroused too, years of unfulfilled desires being brought to light. "Hell, it feels like you want me, too." Arthur didn't reply, he only rutted into John's hand with a groan, crashing his mouth against John's in a rough kiss that left them both breathless.
"Just shut up, Marston." He growled when they parted. Arthur always did hate to lose and John was the only one that truly challenged him.
John dropped to his knees, hands working at Arthur's belt buckle before his hand came to to rest on John's.
"Let me do this, okay?" John said, pulling Arthur's cock from his jeans, now fully hard. It was thick and heavy, bigger than John's and he unconsciously licked his lips, looking up into Arthur's eyes to see a look of desperate need burning in them. John placed his hand around the base, squeezing in an upwards motion as a groan fell from Arthur's lips and pre-come leaked from the tip of his cock. John leaned in to lick it clean as he felt Arthur shake beneath him, electricity shooting through his body at the small action.
John took the head of Arthur's cock into his mouth, tongue lathing the underside as Arthur released a groan that made John's cock twitch in his pants, hardening even more. He licked at him, slowly taking more of his length as Arthur slipped is fingers into John's hair.
Arthur began to thrust gently into John's mouth as John worked at the buttons of his jeans. He pulled himself out, moaning around Arthur's cock as he stroked himself steadily. The scene in front of him was almost too much for Arthur, John's mouth around him as he thrust into his own hand.
Arthur yanked him up, crashing his mouth against John's, pulling at the back of his neck as he reached between them to wrap his hand around both their cocks. Velvet soft skin to velvet soft skin, John thrust against Arthur's cock, saliva and pre-come creating enough lubrication that he moaned loudly at the action. Arthur stroked them both as John continued to thrust into his grip.
"God, Arthur..." John gasped as his movements began to grow shaky, he let out a string of curses and moans, thrusting unsteadily as he came. His cock pulsed against Arthur's, spilling his release across his hand. Arthur followed soon after, his cock twitching as he let out a low groan and leaned against John, his chest heaving with heavy pants.
"Damn, Marston." Arthur laughed once they had both recovered from their orgasms. He grabbed a towel off the nearby table handing it to John before cleaning himself up.
"She had information about a job." Arthur said after a few minutes of silence.
"What?" John tucked himself back in his pants, fastening them as he looked up.
"The lady." Arthur rolled his eyes, taking the towel from John. "She was tellin' me about a home needs robbin'."
"So nothin' happened?" John asked hesitantly, clearly still jealous. Arthur smiled at him, a warm feeling blooming in his chest.
"Come on, Marston, you know I ain't interested in her kind." Arthur set the towel on the table before turning back to John. "Only in fools that almost get eaten by wolves."
Summary: Arthur works harder than everyone and never takes time for himself...until you make him take time for himself.
On Ao3
Arthur had been gone a long time. You had tried to busy yourself with work around camp, idly scrubbing Bill's sweat soaked undershirt as your thoughts wandered. You had other things you could be doing in town, truth be told, but you didn't want to chance missing his arrival back at camp.
You were never one to be distracted by or fixated on a man. In fact, aside from physical pleasure, Arthur was the first man you'd spent any time thinking about. Never had you met a man with such a big heart. He liked to hide it with a rough exterior and endless self deprecation but that didn't blind you to what was really underneath. A kind man that cared about his family and was loyal to the end. The two of you had not really confessed your feelings but there had been weeks, months of feelings slowly building. Gentle touches, long glances, playful banter. Though the words were unspoken, you both knew what you had in each other.
Which brought your thoughts back to the matter at hand. Arthur had been gone a long time. He said he'd only be gone a day or two but it had been a week. Too long. Arthur could handle himself of that much you were sure. You wouldn't trust anyone else to take care of things so effectively and efficiently, but even that thought couldn't dull the sour feeling in your stomach at his prolonged absence.
The sun rose again and Arthur was still nowhere to be seen. Few of the gang were up this early, though Pearson had put some coffee on. You helped yourself as you packed some extra ammunition and throwing knives into your horse's saddlebags. Luckily, since there weren't too many people milling about you were able to leave camp without too many questions.
You mounted your Arabian and gave her a little pat, reaching in your saddle bag to grab her a carrot. She was a gift from Arthur after your horse was shot by O'Driscolls during a fight. You cried for days after until Arthur came riding up leading the Arabian behind him. Though she didn't replace your old horse in your heart, it was just so sweet of Arthur that you wanted to cry for another reason. You couldn't help jumping into his arms and squeezing him so tight that everyone in camp had their eyes on you.
"Sorry, I lost myself a bit there." You had said when he let you back down.
"'S alright." He coughed and turned away but you did notice a slight rosy blush on his cheeks.
You rode for Saint Denis. John told you that Arthur was following up on a lead there so that's where you would start. By the time you arrived the town was just starting to wake up. People you passed in the streets greeted you good morning, some commenting on how nice your horse was. City life wasn't so bad.
You dismounted outside the small courtyard that housed the trapper and the fence, hitching your horse to the post outside. The courtyard was already packed with people, some you supposed never really left.
Stepping foot inside the fence, it was dusty and dark. But then you heard it.
"How much could ya give me for this one?" Arthur's voice sounded rough. You scarcely believed your ears. It felt like an eternity since you'd heard his voice.
Rounding the corner slowly, you peeked your head around it and there he was. Arthur Morgan. Normally you'd know better than to surprise him but you couldn't help it. You ran up to him and threw your arms around his waist, hugging him tight from behind.
"Wha-" He started, turning his neck to see the top of your head, your face pressed against his coat. "What in the hell are you doing, woman?!"
"Well, I missed you too, Arthur Morgan." You released him with an annoyed look on your face. "You said one or two days!"
Arthur was finishing with the fence when he turned and grabbed your hand, leading you out of the store into the daylight. "Sorry. Things ain't gone as planned."
Now that you saw him in the light, he looked terrible. His skin was sallow and lifeless, he had big bags under his eyes, his lips were chapped.
"What in the world happened to you, Arthur?" You chided. "Have you slept at all? Drank anything other 'an whisky?"
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Ahh don't worry about me. I'm fine."
"You don't look fine. You're coming with me." You took him by the hand and led him to your horse. "Now come on."
The ride was quick to Bastille Saloon. Tossing the bartender a couple of dollars, you led Arthur to the baths. "You get in there and get cleaned up. I'll go get the room ready. Meet me up there when you're done."
----
Arthur knocked on the door before opening it and peeking his head inside. You motioned for him to come in from where you were seated on the couch. He looked a lot better already without the dirt and grime caked to his face and hair, but he threw his dirty clothes back on and you weren't having that.
"Get out of those clothes, they need a good washing."
Instinctively he reached for this belt buckle to remove it but then dropped his hands. "Can't just..."
"Can't just what? You're nice and clean and those clothes are not." He looked at you with an embarrassed expression on his face. You smiled kindly at him. "You feelin' shy? Alright, cowboy, I'll turn my back so you can undress and get under the covers."
He did as you asked and you took the clothes down to the front to find someone to launder them.
You returned to find Arthur on his stomach under the covers. You sat down on the edge of the bed, taking in his peaceful face. His eyes were closed, his breathing coming out in soft puffs. You leaned forward to gently rub his back.
He surprised you by letting out a contented groan. "...Feels nice."
"Just what have you been up to, Mr. Morgan? The muscles in your back are very tense." You pressed a little harder in between his shoulder blades and you were treated to another soft groan.
You kneeled on the bed, throwing your other leg over him to straddle him. Pulling down the sheets from his upper body, you leaned down to speak quietly in his ear, "Let me take care of you a little bit."
Squeezing his shoulders with your delicate hands, your thoughts drifted to the man below you. He was constantly running himself ragged for the gang. The ledger showed proof of that, his name and donations outnumbered the others combined by at least 5 times. And yet he was so hard on himself. Didn't take credit for anything and never took a moment for himself. So you set out to change that. This was his time and you were going to let him enjoy it.
"Arthur," You murmured softly.
"Hm?" Was all you heard in response.
"You deserve this. You deserve to be treated with kindness and made to feel good."
"What're you talking about?" He scoffed but you could feel the heat rising in his body. You slid your hands lower on his back, thumbs working just above his ass.
"I'm sayin' I wanna make you feel good." You heard him let out an uneven breath. "You're sweet and kind and caring. You take care of everyone, including me."
You leaned down, tracing your hands up his back and out onto his shoulders, down his arms to his fingers, where you laced yours with his, squeezing them. You lifted back up working your hands over all of the same areas again, taking time on each muscle, rolling it between your palms.
You stood up for a moment, removing the sheet entirely. He didn't argue as you took your place atop him again, now completely bare.
Settling your hands back to his ass, you began to massage the toned muscles. "I really appreciate that y'know. I know the others do, too, but they should say it more often."
You slid further down onto his legs, dragging your hands from his butt to his thighs, softly caressing the insides of them before working the muscles. He let out a soft moan as your thumbs went higher. You could tell he was affected by the movement of your hands and you'd be lying if you said you weren't too. Just feeling Arthur's taut muscles, all that strength, beneath your fingers had you tingling and wetness starting to pool in your pants.
You continued to work at the muscles of his thighs, caressing and squeezing, pushing into them and earning grunts and groans from the man below you. You thoroughly massaged every inch of his legs to his toes.
"Roll over." You ordered as you lifted off of him enough to allow him to. He rolled onto his back without hesitation. You couldn't stop your eyes from roaming over the newly exposed skin, his toned chest and stomach all leading down to his thick, very hard cock, fluid beaded at the slit from your ministrations. You looked up at him and made eye contact, smiling, you bit at your lip.
You resumed your position, leaning down to rub at the hard muscles of his chest, his cock trapped between your bodies. You could feel it twitch from the pressure of your stomach.
You looked up realizing you were face to face finally. "Hello there." You smiled fondly.
"'ello." He replied before kissing you hard on the mouth, pulling your body flush against his as he slipped his tongue into your mouth, kissing and sucking at your lips. He moved to kiss down your neck, licking and dragging his teeth across your skin, as his fingers worked at the buttons on your shirt.
"Why in the hell are you wearing so many clothes." He let out a frustrated growl, his fingers clumsily still trying to undo the buttons of your shirt.
"Let me help." You laughed as you sat back on your heels removing your shirt for him. You watched his face as your breasts were revealed to him, a look of lust and hunger in his eyes. You stood to remove your pants, shimmying out of them before jumping back onto the bed.
Arthur immediately threw you down, pressing you into the bed as he dipped down to lick and suck on one of your nipples. You moaned unabashed but pushed him back. "I'm s'posed to be makin' you feel good."
"This makes me feel plenty good, trust me." Arthur replied with a smirk, his thumb ghosted over the now hardened peak. You moaned again.
He slipped his fingers between your thighs, running them along your wet slit. He looked up at you, realizing just how affected you were by him. You felt your face flush with heat as you gave him a shy smile.
Arthur pinned your wrists down, claiming your mouth again as he positioned himself against you. He rubbed his cock against your entrance, coating himself in your wetness before slowly pushing into you. The stretch was so good, he felt perfect in you. He moaned as he thrust gently into your cunt.
"God, Arthur." Is all you can get out between gasps and moans. His pace picked up a little as you continued to moan beneath him. Suddenly he rolled onto his back, pulling you up with him so quickly he stayed inside you.
You leaned down against him, fucking yourself on him as he held your thighs and thrust up into you. You buried your face in the crook of his neck, feeling the tension coil tighter inside you. "A-Arthur, I'm so close.." You whispered against his skin.
"Fuck." He groaned. "I am too, sweetheart." Hearing him call you sweetheart was all you needed, a few more good thrusts, and your walls contracted around him as you moaned his name.
Arthur rolled you back over as you recovered from your orgasm. Fucking into you with everything he had, his thrusts became shaky quickly. He let out a long groan as he came, twitching as he spilled himself deep inside you. He collapsed on you, careful not to put his full weight. As his breathing slowly returned to normal and his cock began to soften, he pulled out and laid down next to you.
"Jesus." He mumbled, turning his head to look at you.
"Now..." You grabbed his hand in yours, softly caressing his palm. "Why don't you get some rest and feel better."
"I can rest but I don't imagine I'll be feelin' much better than I do right now, sweetheart." There was that word again, you couldn't help the smile that spread onto your face. Arthur Morgan, sweet as can be and all yours.
Summary: You and John are best friends but things change after a drunken night.
On Ao3
"You ready?" John smiles at you, pulling his bandana over the lower half of his face. You give him a nod and follow suit, giving your horse a little squeeze with your thighs, you trot out of the bushes. The stage coach is coming from the other direction and you both ride out in front to block its path. The driver pulls up on the reigns, horses skidding to a halt.
"What's the idea?!" The driver shouts before he fully takes in the situation. John's got his gun out and when he points it at the driver he recoils in fear, eating whatever other words were on the tip of his tongue.
"Folks, this is a robbery. Be on your best behavior and you'll be on your way in no time." John's rough voice gives you goosebumps and you shake your head, trying to release the feeling and focus on the task at hand. "Everyone just stay where you are while my friend here does what she does best and no one needs to get hurt."
He nods at you and you give your horse a little kick to take you around to the back of the stage. Dismounting and pulling your tools from the satchel, you approach the lock box in the back. You're thankful that it's relatively quiet as you work, no one's trying to be a hero for once.
That thankfulness is short lived as one of the men leans out of the cabin and shouts in your direction. "You've chosen the wrong path, my dear." You ignore him, continuing to work, you've almost got the lock opened.
"Come with me, I could find you honest work, a decent man to wed instead of this...outlaw." You can hear the grimace in his voice. "You could be happy, real-" Two loud warning shots go off in the air.
You can hear John's tone immediately shift to anger when he speaks. "Don't you talk to her. Don't you even look at her. You're dealin' with me! And you best shut up if you don't want a bullet in your brain!"
It's quiet after that but it only takes you a few more seconds to get the box open, shoving a pile of bills and a few bags of jewelry into your satchel. Emptying the box of all its contents, you mount up and begin to trot back over to John. You ride too close to the carriage as you pass and the man's hand shoots out of the carriage to grab your arm.
"I mean it, girl." The man's tone is gentle, but he has a look on his face, predatory and vile, as he pulls at your arm. "Why don't you come with us?"
John's on the man so fast that you're actually startled as he pries the man's hand from your arm. John pulls back on his hand until you hear bones breaking and a shrill shout. "Guess I need to repeat myself. You are <i>dealin'</i> with me. So don't go talkin' to the <i>lady</i>." The man let out a whimper, holding his wrist with his other hand.
John gives you a look and you turn to ride away. "Thank you for your time, gentlemen. Now you have a nice day." John touches the barrel of his gun to his hat before the two of you ride off.
No one follows you and you're able to put enough space between yourselves and the stage very quickly. The sun is setting and you decide to set up camp for the night, being too far away from a town for a hotel and too far away from the gang's camp to make it back before it's pitch dark.
John pitches the tent and sets up a fire while you go hunting. You're able to find a couple rabbits, more than enough food for you both. Though he would deny it, John's a very decent cook. Arthur taught him about herbs, but he's picked up a few things over the years from Pearson and the other ladies in camp. He manages to season the rabbit and make a good meal for the two of you as the sun begins to set.
"Have a drink with me?" He smiles at you, uncorking the bottle of whiskey and taking a swig before offering it to you. You hesitate, you're still shaken up after the afternoon and you don't want to make it worse. "Come on, one drink ain't gonna kill you. Hell, I need two after that job."
You make a show of rolling your eyes at him. "Fine. I wouldn't want you drinkin' yourself silly alone, I s'pose." Relenting you take the bottle and drink. The liquid burns all the way down until you're coughing, struggling to breathe. He pats you on the back and takes the bottle back from you, taking a long swallow. You watch the way his lips move against the bottle, feeling heat steadily spread through your body as you reach for the whiskey again.
-------
You're definitely drunk. Your visions swims as you stare at the empty bottle tipped over by the fire, your fingers idly tracing your necklace.
"I think I should..." You lose your focus mid-sentence, attempting to stand. Your feet refuse to work and John doesn't help when he grabs at your hand, trying to pull you back down into his lap. He tries to steady you as you tumble over but he misses and you both roll over into the grassy patch of dirt, you on your back and him hovering above you.
Yes, you're definitely drunk, though apparently not as drunk as John. You still have that voice in the back of your head. The one telling you this a bad idea. You shouldn't be doing this, shouldn't be risking what you and John have, a strong friendship and a steadfast partnership. But you squash those thoughts when he leans into you, pressing you down into damp grass with his body.
John's hand cradles the side of your face as he idly thumbs your cheekbone. "You're beautiful." His face is lit by firelight, each one of the pale scars marring his face stands out against the contrast of the dark night sky. He moves closer, his lips inches from yours and you have to force yourself to look away from them.
"You're drunk." You let out a laugh, finally shifting your gaze to meet his eyes, deep blue and crinkled with his smile.
He tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. "Maybe I am." He laughs with you then, a deep sound that resonates within you, filling your whole body with syrupy warmth. "Doesn't mean it ain't true."
Then he kisses you, tasting of whiskey and smoke, lips soft and pliant as he moves them against yours perfectly. And you know there's no turning back. You want him. Hell, you've wanted him since the moment you first laid eyes on him. There's something about him that draws you in and you've always known it would end like this, gentle touches and soft caresses as he grasps your skirt in his hand, lifting it to expose the delicate skin of your thighs.
He kneels in the grass to free you from your undergarments, waiting for your nod of approval before he slides them easily down your legs. He leans down to kiss you again and you feel his erection digging into your hip. You move against him, the pressure causing him to release a sweet sound into your mouth, somewhere between a whine and a growl. You can't help the shiver that runs through your body.
John sits back up, quickly unbuckling his belt and pants to pull out his cock. You catch a glimpse of him, flushed and excited before he pushes forward into your cunt. You let out a gasp as he fills you, stretches you. It's been a long time since you've had someone inside of you and it feels almost foreign.
He groans into your neck as he fucks you into the dirt, fast and hard. You lift your hips, wrapping your legs around him, encouraging him to thrust into you deeper. He does, but he doesn't last long, his pace picking up until he's a shaking, moaning mess. His movement stutters as he comes inside you with one last low groan. Pulling out to lie beside you, he takes your hand in his, placing a lingering kiss on the back of your hand as his eyes flutter closed.
------
You wake up alone in the dirt. The ground is hard and cold but there's a blanket haphazardly strewn across you. Your head is aching something fierce and your stomach twists and reels as you sit up. You don't see John but his horse is still hitched by the tree next to your own.
Something catches your eye and you turn to see your undergarments on the ground beside you. Internal panic sets in. It hadn't been a dream. You stand to pull them on and you feel it, a bit of moisture seeping out of you and fluids dried and sticking to the skin on the inside of your thighs. Definitely not a dream.
You take another quick look around before pulling on your underwear as quickly as you can. You still don't see or hear John. You try to swallow the feeling of dread welling up inside you, busying yourself by packing up the small campsite.
John's footsteps approach as you finish tying the last of the camp essentials to your horse.
"Oh." His hair is wet, falling into his eyes as he looks down, obscuring his expression. His voice is neutral, indifferent. "You're awake."
"I am." You reply with what you hope is the same tone of indifference.
"Ready to go then?" He still hasn't looked you in the eye.
You mount your horse without answering and the two of you ride back to camp in silence.
-------
You'd always thought John was handsome, sweet too, though he would argue both points if you voiced them. The truth of the matter was you'd fallen for him the first time you'd stumbled into a job with him.
<i>~~~ You hadn't been with the gang long. Four of you had run into a group of O'Driscolls hunkered down in an old abandoned ranch. Javier, Arthur, John, and you made a pretty decent team. The gang was dispensed of quickly enough, they were more annoying than anything, not posing a real threat...or so you thought. Arthur and Javier had gone to the main house to search for any leftover supplies and goods.
You and John had taken the barn, checking for horses or a wagon you could sell. It was quiet, no horses to be found, but something caught John's eye on the ground of the barn.
"You see that?" He walked further in, bending down to pick something up off the ground. He turned his shoulders to you as he held up a beautiful silver pendant, glinting brightly in the light. He slipped it into his pocket, giving you a smile.
You opened your mouth to respond but in a flash a man stepped out from behind a nearby beam, the butt of his rifle striking John in the back of his head with a loud crack. You grabbed your gun from its holster, shooting the man three times in the chest before he could aim the rifle at you. He crumpled to the ground on top of John.
You ran over, pulling John out from underneath the O'Driscolls lifeless body, running outside to get your horse as Javier and Arthur were exiting the main house.
"What in the hell is going on?" Arthur shouted, seeing your panic stricken face.
"It's John. Help me, will ya?" You nodded towards the barn. Javier and Arthur ran over ahead of you as you mounted your horse and met them at the barn doors. They lifted John onto the back of your horse and you could see the blood leaking from the wound on his head.
"I'm taking him into town to the doctor." You kept your voice even in spite of your heart beating out of your chest.
"Now that's not necessary." Arthur shook his head. "We've got supplies back at camp."
"Arthur, I'm taking him." The resolve in your voice was clear. "It's closer and I can get there quickly if I go alone."
"Alright go then." Arthur nodded as he slapped your horse's rear and you took off at a full gallop.
---
You sat by the bed, a book in hand but not really focused on the words. John slept peacefully, the doctor had bandaged him up saying he just needed a couple days of rest. That was three days ago. You let loose a sigh. You hadn't left him alone for more than a few minutes at a time, feeling somewhat responsible though you didn't know why.
When John opened his eyes he immediately reached for the bandage on his head, scratching at it with his fingertips.
"Leave that alone, you hear." You chided him, closing your book and setting it on the nightstand.
He let out a noise of surprise, turning to look at you and dropping his hands quickly, a small smile crept onto his face, a warm kind of smile that gave you a funny feeling in your stomach. "Hey."
"Hey yourself." You smiled back. "Glad to see you're still with us."
"Barely." He chuckled, his voice rougher than usual from disuse.
"How are you feeling?" You scooted your chair closer to the bed until your knees bumped against the mattress.
"Not great. My head feels like it was split in two." He reached for his bandage again before you caught his eye with a look and his fingers moved to fidget with the bed sheets instead.
"Well, it was, so there's no surprise there. Why don't you have some-" You turned to grab the glass of water from the nightstand before you felt his fingers curl around your wrist, warm and calloused. The feeling in your stomach had blossomed into full on butterflies at his touch, your heart beating a little bit faster. You felt the heat of his fingers as he loosened his grip, sliding his hand to yours and turning your palm upwards. He deposited something in it as you turned back around, closing your fingers around it.
"Take this." He coughed a little awkwardly. "As a thank you."
You opened your hand taking in the silver chain with a beautiful engraved pendant, the one from the barn. "I-I can't, John. This is valuable. A fence would pay a decent price for this." You held the pendant up. It was even more beautiful in the light, the detailing carved into the piece was incredible. You had never seen anything so nice before, let alone owned something.
"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Go on now, take it." He sat up slowly. "Come here, turn around." He took the necklace from your hand. Placing it over your chest, he fastened it behind your neck, his fingers brushing against the sensitive skin there as you felt a current of warmth flow through you.
You turned back around, your fingertips gently tracing the pendant. "Alright...well, thank you." You couldn't help the goofy smile you knew was plastered to your face or the soft flush that rose to your cheeks. ~~~</i>
You'd really gone and done it this time. It had been a few days since you'd returned from the stage robbing job and John hadn't so much as looked in your direction.
You glance across the camp at John, sitting by the fire, coffee in hand. Though he hadn't looked at you, you found that you couldn't do anything <i>but</i> look at him.
Your fingers involuntarily went to stroke the pendant around your neck. There hadn't been a day since he'd given it to you that you hadn't worn it and you feel an ache deep in your chest at the thought of taking it off.
You look back down at the vegetables you're chopping, letting loose a sigh. Why hadn't you listened to that voice in your head? Anger and frustration and sadness all mix inside you, causing your stomach to turn and acid to rise in your throat. You feel like you've lost your best friend and, no matter how good or right it felt to be with him, you wish you could erase that night, reclaim what the two of you had in each other.
"You alright?" You didn't hear Arthur come up until he placed a hand on your shoulder, causing you to jump at the contact. "Woah, there. Didn't mean to startle you."
You can't help but internally smile at the fact that he's speaking to you like he does a spooked horse. "'m fine, Arthur. Thank you."
"Forgive me for saying this but, sweetheart, you don't <i>look</i> fine. Ain't seen you smile in a while." Arthur fixes you with a warm smile as if it's going to leap from his mouth to yours.
You try to smile to placate him but you know it looks forced. "You're sweet, Morgan. But really. I'm alright."
"Come on now." Arthur doesn't accept your brush off, taking your wrist and shaking it lightly until you let the knife drop from your hand onto the table. He leads you to where your horses are hitched. "Mount up." He nods towards your horse as he mounts his. You follow suit and the two of you trot off to an unknown location.
------
John never was very good at expressing his emotions, other than hatred and anger that is. He knew that about himself but he would never admit it. He'd never needed to. Not until he met you.
He couldn't stop his jaw from dropping the first time he laid eyes on you. You were pretty, sure, but there was something else about you that caught his attention. You were effortlessly free and had a way of calming those around you. You were responsible and could take charge without being overbearing or forceful. Others listened to you, valued your opinion. You were smart, way smarter than John, he knew that much.
The women in camp looked up to you and you'd easily earned respect amongst the men. John could see that the first week you were with the gang.
John had gone to wash in the river before you'd woken, though water surely couldn't rid him of the shame he felt. That night he couldn't control himself. He took what he wanted from you, what he'd wanted since he met you. He knew he didn't treat you right, figured there's no chance you'd want anything to do with him after.
He tried not to show his full hand of cards, speaking to you in a voice that he hoped didn't give away his nerves. But when there was no love or joy in your response he knew he'd lost. He knew he'd ruined what the two of you had and he was so angry with himself that he stewed in silence.
So he tried to forget that night. But that didn't stop him from thinking of you when he was falling asleep. John imagined your hands in his, your skin, soft and warm, beneath his fingertips. He imagined you together again, panting and gasping for air. This time he imagines he's more in control. He'd slide his fingers against you until you moan his name. He'd give you the pleasure you crave and only take his once you'd had your fill. He'd make you come over and over until you breathlessly begged him to stop.
John sees you leave with Arthur, sees Arthur's hands on you. He feels the anger rise up inside him like boiling water, threatening to overflow. Anger and shame. He knows he has no right to be upset if you want to spend time with Arthur, be with Arthur. He knows that he left you, abandoned you for no reason other than selfishness.
The fact is, John's embarrassed. If he were being honest with himself, really he's just scared, but he <i>tells</i> himself he's doing this for you. You deserve better than him. He tells himself this even as he grabs a few scraps of food and some ammo, loading up Old Boy's saddlebags before he takes off. He doesn't know where you and Arthur have gone but he figures he'll start in town, ask around a bit and see where it leads him.
He's not sure what he's going to say or if he'll even say anything, but he needs to see you with his own eyes, to make sure you're okay, if only just to let you go.
------
"You haven't left camp in a while. Thought it might be good for you to get away 'least for a little bit." Arthur knocks back the glass of whiskey in his hand.
"Thank you...I just." You sigh, running a hand through your hair. "I've been having a bit of a hard time lately I guess." You decide to be honest with Arthur. He's never given you a reason not to.
"I can see that. Anythin' you wanna talk about?" His voice is calm and steady and his eyes are genuine, there's real concern in them.
"Well, it's...John." You feel your heart clench even saying his name and your hand unconsciously goes to your pendant.
"Ain't it always." Arthur lets out a snort. He looks back at the distressed look on your face and shakes his head. "I'm sorry. What about the <i>golden boy</i>?"
"I...miss him." You say plainly, ignoring his obvious jab at John. Your eyes begin to sting with unshed tears but you're thankfully able to hold them back, not wanting to burden Arthur.
"Miss him? He's back at camp, we can go-" Arthur moves like he's heading for the door before you put your hand on his arm.
"Arthur, you know what I mean. Things is different between us now." You take a sip of your whiskey, wrinkling your nose at the strong, burning taste of it.
"Yeah, I'm just joking with ya." He gives you a smile and a pat on your hand. "Now John's not the smartest feller in normal situations but when you start throwing things like feelings in, well, that's a whole other mess." He pauses to take another drink. "But I know that boy. He'll come around. He just takes more time than most." Arthur puts his arm around you and gives you a little squeeze.
Arthur is so kind and earnest that you can't take anymore, you can't stop the tears from falling, can't stop the way your body shakes as you struggle to breathe.
"Aw, come on now, don't cry. You know I can't stand to see a lady cry." Arthur moves his hand down your back, rubbing in small soothing circles.
"S-Sorry." You let out a choked sob, pressing a hand to your flushed cheeks. "I just...wish things would go back to the way they was. John and I...we were so close."
"Hush now, darlin'. It'll be alright." He leans in to kiss your hair.
"Hey!" John's voice accompanies the loud bang of the saloon doors being thrown open.
Arthur rolls his eyes as he stands. You can see the anger in John's eyes as storms towards the table but Arthur moves to meet him, placing a hand on his chest before he can approach you. "Go." He pushes him back out the doors of the saloon.
------
"What do you think you're doing?!" John yells once they're outside. "Why were you <i>kissin'</i> her, touchin' her?"
"'M just tryin' to fix what you broke, boy." Arthur yells back with just as much venom. "Always cleanin' up after your messes. Thought you woulda grown out of this by now."
"What in the hell are you talkin' about, Morgan?" John takes a step forward, closing the distance between them aggressively.
"Idiot! The girl's in love with you!" Arthur sighs heavily, rubbing his eyes. "Any moron could see that plain as day. But I forgot. Johnny Marston is a particularly stupid breed of moron."
It's quiet for a moment and Arthur sees the fire leave John's eyes, replaced with something else, something softer. He's quiet when he speaks again, almost a whisper. "What'd she say?"
"Why don't you go ask her yourself?" Arthur doesn't bother trying to disguise the annoyance in his voice. "And try not to go messin' it up this time. Or I might have to go in there and make love to her myself."
John shoots Arthur a malicious look before leaving him standing alone outside the saloon. He's not John's focus right now.
------
You pull out your pocket mirror, taking a quick look at yourself. You're startled by the reflection staring back at you. Your eyes are puffy, nose red, cheeks flushed and wet with tears. You dry your cheeks with the back of your hand, running your fingers underneath your eyes with a sniffle. It's about as much as you can do to pull yourself together.
Arthur and John's voices are loud enough to carry over the noise of the busy saloon but you can't quite make out what they're saying. You swallow down the last contents of your whiskey glass in hopes it will give you the courage you need to confront John. As if on queue, he comes through the doors though Arthur is not with him.
He signals to the bartender as he takes a seat next to you.
"Hey." He says, a hint of a smile on his lips.
"Hey yourself." You smile at the repetition, his smile growing to match yours.
"Guess we need to talk." He pays the waitress as she sets down the glass of whiskey on the table.
"I s'pose we do." You nod your head in agreement as he takes a sip of his drink.
"I-" He starts.
"You-" You say at the same time.
You both close your mouths, smiling widely at each other.
"I ain't sure how to say this." He speaks first this time, his hands fidgeting with a button on his coat.
"You, at a loss for words? Never thought I'd see the day." You can't help but poke fun. It's so good to see him smile, to talk with him again. The weight removed from your shoulders, you feel as though you could float away.
"Hush now, you. I'm nervous..." He says it quietly as he tucks his hair behind his ear. He's been wearing it longer lately.
"And nervous to boot. Well, I'm just blown away by all the new sides I'm seein'-" You shut up when takes your hand in his, pressing your palms together in his lap. He doesn't say anything and that makes <i>you</i> feel nervous. Suddenly you feel a little bad for teasing him.
"John Marston." You breathe. He looks up, all his attention on you.
"I love you, you know." You say it firmly, a statement. But you can't believe your eyes when you see him flush, pink rising on his stubbled cheeks. You bring your other hand to his face, stroking your thumb across the skin, feeling the heat beneath. His eyes fall closed as he leans into your touch with a contented smile.
You stand suddenly and he startles but follows as you take him by the hand. Leading him to the bar, you place some money down and
head for a room in the back of the saloon.
You're barely inside the door before he's got you pressed up against it but he doesn't move. He simply stares into your eyes and you feel yourself flush at the attention. You lift a brow at him and, with a smile on his lips, he leans in to place a soft kiss on your forehead, then your cheek, then your lips. It's gentle and delicate at first, hesitant, as if he's scared he might break you. You lick across his bottom lip, taking it between your own, sucking on it until his tongue invades your mouth, moving against yours until you're left breathless, forced to pull away.
You both work to remove your clothes then. Not taking the time to undress each other, it feels like you've waste so much time already. Coats, shoes, pants, the floor is littered with them as you shed them as quickly as possible.
John lays you down against the soft bed, brushing his lips against yours as your fingers thread through his hair.
Then he takes his time, as if trying to commit every inch of your skin to his memory. His fingers trail along every curve and angle and, with them, his lips and tongue follow their path. By the time he reaches the apex of your thighs you're already shaking and wet. When he presses a firm kiss to your clit you let out a low moan, writhing underneath him as he pushes a finger into you, long and powerful. He brushes against something inside of you that makes you keen and buck into his touch.
John places a kiss on the inside of your thigh as he adds another finger, fucking you with them steadily as he continues to hit the spot that turns you into a moaning mess, one that can't breathe properly. He thumbs at your clit, flicking against it with gentle pressure, your thighs beginning to shake in response.
You feel yourself tipping over the edge, tension building deep inside you until it all breaks loose and you lose yourself, pleasure rolling through you in waves. John's name escapes your lips in a moan, your walls gripping at his fingers still deep inside you.
When you open your eyes he has a look of utter disbelief on his face, eyes wide, face flushed, mouth parted in a small o. He's staring at you so intensely that you begin to feel shy, covering your dampened face with your arm. No one has ever looked at you like that before, with such desire and...love. You reach out to place a hand over his heart, the steady beat beneath your finger tips increasing its pace at your touch.
He removes his fingers from you and you sit up flush against him to watch him as he brings them to his lips, licking your taste from them with a contented hum. You grab his palm, leaning forward to lick at his fingers too, sucking one into your mouth and working your tongue against it. A hoarse groan leaves him as you feel his cock pulse and twitch where its trapped between your stomachs. You suck harder on the digit until he pulls his hand back and replaces it with his mouth, his tongue seeking to lick all remnants of your taste from your own.
John rolls you onto your back, hovering over you as he slowly enters you. You let out a whine when he's full seated in you, the full feeling makes your walls contract around him, coaxing a low groan from his lips as he begins to push into you. You wrap your legs around his middle as you lift up to meet his thrusts, wanting to take him as deep as you possibly can, to be completely filled by him, claimed by him.
He abandons his gentle thrusts, fucking into you harder as your moans get louder.
"God, John. I need you so bad." You manage to speak, though it comes out more like a whimper.
"I'm right here, darlin'." He leans down even closer to you, kissing your neck as he grips your hips in his hands.
He slams into you shakily, groaning with nearly every thrust. You feel your cunt tighten around him and he lets out a growl, releasing one of your hips to move his hand between you and stroke at your clit. Your body is on fire, every nerve ending lit up as he rubs at you in circles, your orgasm hitting you like a train out of nowhere. You whimper, feeling a rush of wetness leave you as John continues to fuck you through it. He doesn't last much longer, your cunt gripping him and pulling his orgasm from him. He lets out a whining groan when he comes, his cock pulsing as he spills himself deep inside you.
He collapses against you, both your breaths coming out in pants as he pulls out to lie next to you. You roll onto your side, taking in his sweat soaked skin, long strands of hair sticking to his forehead. You reach out to brush them away, a smile on your lips.
He smiles back at you, his chest still heaving with heavy breaths. He reaches over to take your hand. "I...I love you, too."
"You better." You laugh, twining your fingers with his. He lifts your hand to his mouth, placing a soft kiss on the back of it. Warmth blooms in your chest at the sight of him, the feeling of his skin against yours. You lean towards him, brushing your lips against his. When he pulls at the back of your neck, drawing you in even closer, you know that the two of you won't be returning to camp for at least a few days.
Summary: Sean is a sweetheart but only shows that side to you.
On Ao3
It's not that you hadn't noticed the way Sean looked at you when he thought you weren't paying attention. It's not that you hadn't noticed how touchy he was with you or the flirting, the damn flirting. Then again he flirted with everyone, even Arthur, though that was mostly because Arthur hated it.
You knew that he and Karen had had some brief thing but Karen didn't think much of it and, according to her gossip, it hadn't brought her much joy. "He was as bad a fuck as he is at everything else, if you can believe!" She threw her head back laughing. She quickly moved onto the fruitless task of trying to get Charles into bed.
For all his bluster, you thought Sean was sweet. He could be a loud mouth, well, he was mostly a loud mouth, but underneath his rowdy exterior, he had a kind heart and he loved the gang, you included. You weren't sure if anyone else saw it but you did.
Knowing all of this, when Sean approached you and all but asked to sleep with you, you hesitated. You hadn't slept with anyone in the gang. The idea of everyone swapping partners and telling each other about their exploits made your stomach turn a little. You weren't a prude exactly, you had had many sexual experiences but it felt somewhat incestuous to you, the gang was family.
"No, darlin', I really mean sleep!" Sean laughed and adjusted his hat. "I can't stand the idea of another night next to 'ol Bill Williamson and you've got this big cozy tent all to yerself. Help out poor Sean, will ya?" He gave you a wink.
"Alright but no funny business. Sleep only." You replied firmly. What harm could it do if he promised to only sleep?
"Ya got my word, MacGuire Junior will stay safely tucked away." Sean gave you a salute. He took your hand and led you into the tent.
The cot wasn't exactly big enough for the two of you and so Sean placed his bedroll on the floor of the tent and you took your spot on the cot. He was surprisingly quiet as you both settled under your blankets.
"G'night Mr. MacGuire. Sleep well." You whispered in a low voice, turning onto your side towards him.
"Sweet dreams, my love." You could vaguely see his smile in the darkness.
------
"You! GET OVER HERE!" The man grabbed you by your hair and dragged you across the hardwood floor. "I said CLEAN. Does this look clean to you?" He slammed your face against the small spot marring the otherwise pristine floor. "I asked you a question, girl. You best answer."
"I-I tried to clean it, sir, but the spot wouldn't come up..." You stuttered, your heart racing. Your face ached as you could feel it already starting to swell.
"Doesn't seem like you tried very hard. I only keep you around to keep this place clean and if you ain't doin' that there ain't no point, is there? Might as well sell you to a man like I did your sister." You knew the kind of man that bought girls and women, what they were subjected to.
"N-No. No please! I'll clean it, I swear!" Tears were streaming down your bruised face. He pulled you up by your hair and slammed you against the wall, his fist reeling back to hit you across the face.
-----
"Please." You sobbed, shaking. "No." You felt warmth, a hand cupping your face, thumb brushing over your cheek.
"Shhh shhh," Sean gathered you into his arms as he climbed onto the cot. "Hush now."
You were awake now, still shaking as Sean tightened his hold around your body, his hand stroking your hair softly. The nightmares weren't new, they happened most nights, but you never spoke to anyone about them. It was your secret, why you left, how you ended up with the gang. You didn't want anyone to see you as weak. You'd proven you could hold your own with the best of them, but that fear still nipped at the back of your neck.
"S-Sean..." You choked as you tucked your face against his neck. It was difficult to breathe, your chest was heaving and your throat felt dry.
"'M here darlin'. I've got ya." His voice was soothing. You'd never heard him use this tone with anyone before. "Just breathe."
You tried to focus on your breaths. In...out...in...out...in...out. Sean breathed deeply too, matching your breaths. You focused on him now. In...out...in...out...in...out. He continued to hold you and stroke your hair through your panic. Minutes passed and only the sound of your inhales and exhales could be heard in the quiet of the tent.
"I'm so sorry," You looked up at him, your breathing finally coming back to normal. You felt utterly embarrassed.
"What's there to be sorry for?" Sean smiled down at you, his voice was still calm and quiet.
"I bet you'd prefer 'ol Bill Williamson after this," You let out a self deprecating laugh.
"I can't picture a world where I'd prefer Bill Williamson to you, darlin'" Sean let out a soft chuckle and he gently pressed his lips to your forehead.
You were exhausted. The panic had worn you out and the warmth of Sean's body wrapped around you, his slow steady breathing, lulled you back to a deep sleep before you could say any more.
-----
You woke up alone and were slightly shocked at the disappointment you felt in your heart at that fact. Then you immediately felt shame. He had seen you at your worst and you hadn't even thanked Sean for helping you through last night. Despite his kind words you had a nagging feeling he probably wouldn't be hanging around you much anymore.
You quickly dressed and exited your tent to see you were the last one in camp to wake. The place was busy with your fellow gang members already hard at work. You spent most of the day in camp, choosing to work on solitary tasks; mending shirts, washing dishes, helping tend the horses, rather than interact with the others. Though you slept well, you couldn't bring your thoughts away from Sean and how he had taken care of you during the night. He was surprisingly sweet, calming you down in minutes rather than the hours it normally took when you were by yourself and even then you were left with an uneasy stomach for the rest of the day.
You felt like you owed him so much, but you were unsure how to repay him. It turned out it didn't really matter as the day quickly passed and you hadn't seen Sean or even heard him, which was the more likely to happen before the actual seeing.
You let out a sigh as you stepped into your tent and closed the flap behind you. It was warm and you began undressing in favor of a light weight shift to sleep in. As soon as you dropped your dress to the ground, the tent flap flew open. Your back was to the entrance but you still covered your naked body with your hands as you looked over your shoulder, letting out a displeased noise as you took in Sean's flushed face.
"Sean!" You scowled at him, pulling the shift on as quickly as you could before turning to face him.
"Ah ha," He laughed somewhat awkwardly. "Good evening to you Miss."
"What are you doing in here?" You crossed your arms over your chest. The thin fabric of the shift left little to the imagination.
"I -ah- thought ya might appreciate a little company." He shuffled between his feet, unsure what to do. There was a beat. "I'll be goin' then."
He turned on his heel to exit, but you grabbed his wrist. "Come on then. You ain't gotta leave."
He stepped further into the tent, pausing to remove his hat, coat and boots as you climbed onto your cot. Pulling the blankets over you, you rolled onto your side, your back to him. You heard the sounds of him continuing to undress. After a few moments, you felt the blanket lift as he slid in behind you, pulling you against him. You let out a little gasp at the contact.
"Is this alright?" He asked hesitantly. You could feel his breath against your neck and couldn't help the warm feeling blooming in your belly at the sensation.
"Ah, yes." You said after a moment, trying to shift your thoughts. "It's fine." He took your words as encouragement, moving to hold you tighter than before. Then you felt it, his erection pressed flush against your backside. You stiffened at the feeling.
"Sean..." You spoke his name as a warning, wriggling a little in his hold.
"Sorry, darlin'. I ain't mean anythin' by it." You felt his hand go between you to readjust himself. "Just seein' yer beautiful body got MacGuire Junior here a bit excited."
"It's a-alright. Just...I meant what I said, you hear? No funny business." You tried to keep your voice calm, but you couldn't deny that just feeling his excitement had you more than a little excited yourself. Feeling his warmth wrapped around you reminded you just how long it had been since you'd laid with a man. But you had to stick to your guns. You didn't want a fling and certainly not with someone you had to see every day.
"O' course. Understood." He gave you a light kiss on your hair as you relaxed back into him, closing your eyes. That night the nightmares didn't come.
-----
It had been two weeks since Sean started sleeping your tent every night and you hadn't had a nightmare since. The two of you were able to keep it hidden from the others. They had assumed that Sean was off in town staying at the saloon. He would sneak in after everyone was asleep and be out in the morning before the others had woken. You began to look forward to sleeping just so you and Sean could have your time together. It made you feel silly, but his contact comforted you, made you feel loved, even if that wasn't what it was.
It was a cool evening as you sat by the fire, sewing a patch into an old pair of Arthur's pants. You couldn't help the smile that was on your face even as you worked.
"It's nice to see a smile on your pretty face, hermosa," Javier sat down beside you.
"Oh. Hello Javier." You greeted him, still smiling. "How are you?"
"Better for seeing you." He leaned in towards you, whispering in your ear. "You wouldn't want to take a walk with me, would you?"
"A walk?" You leaned away slightly, giving him a look of confusion. "Where to? Do you need help with a job?"
"No, bonita flor, I thought maybe we could spend some time together." Javier placed his hand on your thigh, sliding it higher as kept speaking. "...alone."
"Ah. I..." You were at a loss for words. Javier had never made a move on you before or even given you any kind of special attention. Why now? And how could you let him down gently without a real excuse?
"Just what do you think you're doin'?" Sean came up on you both so fast that you hadn't seen or heard him coming. He threw Javier's hand off your thigh with a scowl and grabbed you by the wrist, causing your sewing supplies to drop into the dirt.
"Sean!" You shouted as you were dragged away. You looked back to see a smirk on Javier's face, causing you to trip over your own feet. Sean caught you and righted you, continuing his pace as you were pulled along behind him.
"Yer lookin' a bit ill, Miss, maybe you best have a lie down!" He yelled in all directions, making sure everyone heard him as he pulled you inside your tent.
He released you as soon as you were both safely inside.
"Sean! What in the hell was that?" You flushed red as you tried to calm yourself down.
"I could ask ya the same thing!" Sean stepped closer to you and you could feel the heat radiating off his body. "Why was Javier puttin' his dirty hands all over ya?"
"I don't know, but it's not as though I asked him to." You said quietly, sitting down on the cot. You felt a little bad about your knee jerk reaction at what was clearly concern for your well being.
"Ya didn't?" Sean sat down beside you, a look of genuine curiosity in his eyes.
"Why would I?" You were a little offended at the would be accusation. "You can't be serious. Javier?"
"Well, I thought..." He paused, letting out a breath. A smile quickly made its way onto his face. "Guess that was a bit silly 'o me."
"Yes, it was." You rolled your eyes. "Now, should we get ready for bed?"
------
"No, no, no. Please! I'll do anything you ask!"
Your heart felt as though it could leap out of your chest at any moment.
Breathing felt impossible, oxygen turning to thick poison in your lungs as you tried to inhale.
You felt heavy, numb, like you were falling endlessly into darkness.
Something warm caught you, embraced you. Soft, sweet words whispered. Light fingers stroking your cheek.
You opened your wet eyes, looking up to see the face that had become a source of comfort and calm for you. His arms were wrapped tightly around you as he held you to his chest.
"Sean..." You let out a choked noise. He made a shushing noise against your hair. You could see his features bathed in the soft moonlight that was seeping through the cracks in the fabric of the tent. He looked beautiful like this and you knew you couldn't stop yourself or hold yourself back anymore.
You slowly leaned in to press a lingering kiss against his lips. He responded to you immediately as he licked at your bottom lip. You let out a quiet whimper, opening yourself to him. He moaned into your mouth as you sucked lightly on his tongue.
You could feel his chest heaving against you as he pulled away. "A-Are you sure? I mean, is this alrigh'?"
You didn't answer, instead, you sat up to pull your shift over your head, tossing it to the ground. He rolled you onto your back, cradling your head as he leaned over to press a chaste kiss to your lips, then your cheek, your neck, shoulder, your chest. He swiped his tongue across your nipple, causing you take inhale sharply as he closed his mouth around the peak and sucked gently. Reveling in the moan it coaxed from you, he pushed his body flush against you and you could feel his hardness through his clothes.
"Take these off." You pulled at the offending garments, making an impatient noise. He quickly did as asked, undressing faster than you thought possible. You inwardly smirked and felt a bit proud that he wanted you so badly as he slid back onto the cot.
You felt Sean's hand on your hip, his long fingers moving down to stroke at the skin of your inner thigh. "So soft." He murmured as he nuzzled his face into your neck. "What about here?" He inched his fingers up higher, torturously slow. "Or here?" Higher and higher up your thigh until the tips of his fingers reached their destination.
He dipped his fingers down to your opening, groaning at the realization that you were already so wet for him. “That’s my girl.” He pressed his palm against your clit with firm pressure, slowly moving his wrist in circles as he stoked the fire already starting in your belly.
Sean rubbed at you, coating his fingers in your wetness, before sinking two into you. You moaned openly as he started to slowly fuck you with his fingers.
"Like that, do ya?" You could hear the smile on his lips.
You swallowed and nodded, letting out a shaky breath.
"Can I..." He pulled his hand away, chuckling at the little whine that left your lips. "Can I taste ya?"
"Y-You want to do that?" You questioned. In your experience, very few men had asked to put their mouths on you and his interest surprised you.
"Been wantin' to for a long while, darlin'." Sean took your words as encouragement, moving lower on the cot.
He slid his fingers into you again as his licked around your clit. His technique was a little messy, but you were already so turned on that it didn't take much to push you to the edge. A few firm swipes of his tongue against you and you were coming hard, walls contracting around his fingers as a low moan of his name escaped your lips.
"Beautiful..." He murmured as he looked up at you, pressing one more lingering kiss to your sensitive clit.
"God, Sean." You sighed, brushing away the hair that stuck to the dampened skin of your face.
He didn’t give you time to fully come down from your orgasm before entering you, filling you completely with a groan. He stilled waiting a moment for you to both adjust to each other.
He began to move slowly, thrusting deep into your tight heat. “Ya feel so good, love, I d-don’t know how long I can last.” He stuttered, his breathing was already labored.
“Come here.” You whispered, pulling him by the back of his neck into a deep kiss, tasting yourself on his tongue. He stilled his movement, groaning into your mouth.
“Fuck,” he whimpered against your lips.
“It’s alright.” You smiled at him. “Let yourself go.”
He didn’t hold back, fucking into you while he continued to kiss you, only breaking away when he could no longer focus, his thrusts getting shaky as he approached his end. He let out a low groan as his cock pulsed, twitching as he released deep inside you. Your walls squeezed him in return and he let out another long moan against your neck.
He pulled out of you and rolled onto his side. “Fuck, darlin’” He leaned over to stroke your cheek. “Ya should be arrested for tryin’ ta kill a man.”
You let out a small laugh as you leaned in to give him a peck on the lips. He pulled you closer, wrapping his arms around you.
“Are you done now? Some of us are tryin’ to sleep, y’know!” Arthur’s drawl came from outside the tent.
“Shut it, Arthur!” Sean yelled back as you lightly punched him in the chest.
“Oh my god,” you cringed, throwing your hands over your face to hide your embarrassment, he just chuckled.
“Go to sleep, love. It’ll be fine in the morn’” he kissed your forehead, holding you against his chest.
------
Turns out it was not fine in the morning. As you sat around the fire, cup of coffee in hand, you couldn’t escape the knowing looks from everyone in camp. Sean came and took a seat beside you, throwing his arm over your shoulder.
“That’s right, gents, she’s mine so don’t even think about sniffin’ aroun’” You shrugged underneath him, elbowing him in the ribs as you scowled. This earned you a slightly hurt sounding “Wha’”
Javier sat across from the two of you, taking a sip of his coffee. “Finally. I was wondering when you two would work it out.”
You gave him a questioning look, the pieces slowly coming together. “You did that on purpose?”
“You two just needed a little nudge. Sean here isn’t the brightest when it comes to...well anything really.” Javier smirked and you gave him a wide smile.
“Hey!” Sean shot Javier a dirty look.
Though you hated to be messed with, it worked out well so you quickly forgave Javier for playing around with you.
“So was the first time all you hoped it would be?” Javier asked, raising an eyebrow with a smile tugging at his lips.
“Not this already.” You let out a long sigh. You knew this would happen. People loved to gossip.
“I’ll have ya know I know how to satisfy my woman.” Sean cut in in an overly confident voice.
“Yeah? Karen didn’t seem very satisfied.” Javier shot back with a laugh.
You rolled your eyes, ignoring the slight pang of jealousy inside, though you knew he wasn’t interested in Karen. For all his faults, Sean was loyal.
“Yeah, well...I wasn’t tryin’ to impress Miss Jones, was I?” He kissed you lightly on the forehead. You couldn’t help the smile that bloomed across your face as you accepted his tender touch.
“Bah. I’m gonna go. You two are gonna make me sick.“ Javier poured out the rest of his coffee and threw down his cup, leaving in a hurry.
“Ahh much better. “ Sean said once you were alone.
You looked up at him, giving him a soft kiss on the lips. He leaned into you, cupping your face with his hand, deepening the kiss.
“Jesus, get a room, will ya?” Arthur called from across the camp.
“Shut it, Arthur!” You and Sean both yelled in unison, turning back to each other you broke into a fit of laughter.
Summary: A botched job leaves you and Javier trapped in a small closet together. What will you do to pass the time?
On Ao3
The job went south pretty much as soon as you broke the locks on the door to the old plantation house. You had spent time at the saloon, easily soaking up information about the would be empty house from the drunks that frequented. It looked near abandoned as its owner's were said to mostly live at their second house in Saint Denis. The plantation was long gone, but the bones of the house were sturdy and it had potential to be an easy take.
A two person job. Javier and you. You headed upstairs, going straight for the bedrooms, looking for any jewels or cash that may have been hidden amongst the rich wooden furniture. But as soon as you'd slipped into the second bedroom you heard it. Footsteps. You'd grabbed Javier's hand and pulled him into a nearby closet, pressing a finger to his lips in the dark as your eyes adjusted.
The footsteps grew louder and the sound of voices could be heard in the hallway. Javier opened his mouth to speak but you silenced him further, placing your whole palm flat against his lips. After a few moments the footsteps and voices passed, you released your hand from Javier.
"I could just shoot them." Javier whispered, you could hear the smirk in his voice.
"Javier." You scowled disapprovingly in the darkness. You were a con woman and a thief, not a killer. Even if it were Javier doing the killing, you'd rather avoid it if you could. The two of you could wait until nightfall and sneak out, you were sure. It was already getting late.
The house was quiet as Javier shifted against you. "Can you just-" He tried to move, his leg brushing against your's and you realized how small the closet actually was, the two of you pressed against each other.
You and Javier hadn't spent too much time together aside from late nights around the fire and a couple of jobs; robbing a stage and picking some pockets of wealthy folk, but there were usually other people around. You had always been attracted to him, but you tried to keep your distance and he had never alluded to having feelings towards you other than friendship. But this was different. His body was flush against your's, you could feel the heat radiating from him, feel his breath against your skin. And you couldn't deny it was making you feel things.
You shifted a little, trying to create more space between the two of you. "Would you stop moving?" He kept his voice low.
"I can't get comfortable." You continued to move, stretching your cramped body. You nudged your knee forward, accidentally brushing it against his crotch. You stilled, embarrassment flooding your body.
"Oh my God." You whispered, thankful he couldn't see your reddening face. "I'm so sorry."
"Now will you stop moving?" Javier gruffed as he placed his hands on your hips, pushing you back into the wall.
"Yes...sorry." You repeated your apology.
Moments passed and you were starting to get an ache in your legs. You shifted your weight from foot to foot, trying to stretch out the muscles as Javier made a sound of annoyance.
"Javier, my legs hurt." You felt a little childish at the way it came out of your mouth like a whine.
"Here, let me try something?" He kneeled on the floor, pushing up the bottom of your skirts as you felt his calloused hands on your calves. He rubbed at the muscles, his thumbs massaging in soft circles. You couldn't help the soft moan that escaped your lips at the relief.
"Feels nice, doesn't it?" He chuckled quietly. You made a noise of approval as his hands roamed higher to the back of your knees.
He kneaded your thighs next, rolling the tense muscles between the palms of his strong hands.
"Javier..." You whispered but it came out sounding like a whimper. You could feel your body warming at his contact, tension starting to rise in your belly, an pleasant ache in your cunt, need overwhelming your senses.
He leaned in, pushing your skirts up further, he placed a soft lingering kiss to your inner thigh and you actually whimpered then.
"Can I?" You could feel his breath against the skin of your thigh as he whispered.
"Please..." was all you could get out. Javier pulled back long enough to slide your undergarments down your legs and you lifted your feet, kicking them to the side.
He pushed your skirts back up, throwing your thigh over his shoulder as he leaned in to taste you. The first swipe of his tongue sent electricity through your body, biting down on your lip you tried to keep yourself quiet.
He licked around your clit in small circles, tortuously slow, lightly sucking on you as a string of soft moans fell out of your lips. Your body was on fire, every swipe of his tongue gave you the touch you craved and yet it wasn't enough. He was teasing you, drawing out your pleasure as he lazily worked his tongue against you. Drinking down every gush of wetness from your slick cunt until you couldn't take it anymore. Your fingers grabbed at his neck, threading into his hair as you ground down against his face. He groaned into you at the action, the vibration setting your nerves alight as you came harder than you ever had before, walls clenching around nothing, his name falling from your lips.
Your breaths were coming out in pants as you pulled him up, crashing your lips against his. You hungrily licked your taste from his lips as he took your hand, placing it on his clothed erection. You felt him hard and hot beneath the fabric as you palmed him. He pushed your hand aside and unfastened his belt buckle, pulling himself out of his pants.
He lifted you up, entering you slowly as you wrapped your legs around his hips. You both groaned in unison as he fully thrust himself inside you. Your arms wrapped around his neck as you leaned forward to kiss him deeply.
"Nnng Javier, you feel so fucking good." You moaned into his neck as he fucked into your cunt, swelling further at the noises you were making.
"So do you, mi amor." He kissed and licked at the side of your neck, grabbing your hips to slam into you hard from a different angle. He hit something delicious inside of you and you let out a whine.
"God...do that again." He did and you moaned loudly, too loudly.
"Hermosa, I won't last long if you keep making those noises." He moaned as he thrust against that spot again and you cried out. He silenced you with a kiss, licking across your lips before sucking on the bottom one. His thrusts began to get uneven and you ground down against him in what little way you could. You were so close.
Javier fucked into you faster and you knew he was close, too. Over and over he hit that spot within you until you were coming around his cock, squeezing him and shaking with your orgasm. He couldn't hold back anymore, letting himself go with a low groan as he came. His cock pulsed, his release spilling deep within you as he braced himself against your body.
"Dios mio." He whispered against your lips, panting as he stole another kiss.
He released your legs, pulling out of you and tucking himself back into his pants.
"Well, I can't say I was expecting that when we left camp for this job." You laughed quietly, standing on shaky legs.
"That makes two of us." He leaned in to kiss your cheek.
"You think we can make a run for it now?" You asked, retrieving your underwear and pulling them back on.
"Yeah, I think so. It's been quiet for a while." He grabbed your hand and eased open the door, taking a look around before pulling you out behind him.
You had to a stifle a laugh. You were both in such a state that one look would tell anyone what you had been up to.
You both were able to slip out of the house unseen, mounting your horses and riding as fast as you could away from the house. Once you had gotten far enough away you both slowed to a trot.
"I think we should at least bathe before we go back to camp. We both look a terrible mess." You tried to straighten out your hair.
"Ahh. You wound me, mi amor. I look that bad?" Javier smirked, teasing you.
"You know what I mean, Javier." You rolled your eyes. "I did find a few things before we ended up in that closet. Hotel?"
Javier smiled wide. "A hot bath sounds pretty good...So does the idea of making love to you all night in a nice soft bed." You flushed pink at his words. "Hotel, it is."
