Helloo
I saw you were encouraging requests for writing, and I just had something on my mind for awhile.
Id really love to see how the interaction would be between an Arthur and a grown up version of his son (maybe in some au where Isaac survives and is wandering around? Something like that and he struggles to recognize at first)
Thank you for your time!
- Reunion, at last.
✧ summary - After all these years, Arthur had moved on from the deaths of Eliza and Isaac. Mostly, anyways. However, after a brief encounter in town, all of those feelings he had pushed down are stirred awake once more. ✧ word count - ~1.5k ✧ warnings/tags - Arthur Morgan, Isaac Morgan (?), very minor angst, reunion, fluff, mentions of death, brief mention of alcohol use, happy ending, arthur lives au, isaac lives au. ✧ a/n - oh em gee!!! first fic i have literally ever written so please be kind! i am so giddy. i love these boys so much and they make me so sad, so its happy to see them alive bc who kills a CHILD. ✧ requests - open! please, please request! ✧ credits - @deltamel (dividers)
The sun was high in the sky, shining down across the fields and basking the Earth with its warmth. Not a cloud in the sky was to be seen. It was actually pretty nice out, lacking the normal gloom that would follow Arthur around as he went about his day. Normally, being in the New Hanover area after so long would bring back memories that he would rather have been repressed, but they were tolerable for the moment. And for that, he was content.
It had been a while since he had been with the Van Der Linde gang. The fallout was long and exhausting, before suddenly blowing up in his face all at once like misfired shotgun. It was miracle he had gotten out of that, really. Sometimes, he would get the newspaper and see something about a group of outlaws robbing a train nearby, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was Dutch and Micah. However, he tried not to allow his thoughts to linger on those fools any longer then they needed to. He wasn't that man anymore.
Gently tugging on the reins eased the mare he sat atop of to a walk as he rode down the main street in town. Valentine hadn't changed one bit since he had last been there. Mud, working girls, and honest men. It lacked the O'Driscolls, kudos to Dutch, Sadie, and him all those years back, so atleast that was an improvement. He hitched his steed infront of the general store, patting the horses jet black flank before disappearing inside. He only had to pick up a few essentials — food, coffee, whiskey, all of which were easy to find. Once purchased and stuffed into his satchel, he pushed his way back through the door. He couldn't help but be eager to get out of town and back to his camp, missing the solitude of the forest. Town's put him on edge, with the sounds and the people. He brushed past a young man on the way out, gruffly excusing himself before climbing back up into the saddle. He grabbed a cigarette from his jacket pocket, lighting it as it hung from his lips before inhaling the smoke, letting it swirl in his lungs to ease his nerves before exhaling, watching the smoke dissipate into the air.
Just as he was about to ride away, he found himself having to pause, feeling a sense of... something tugging him back. He must have been forgetting something. Begrudgingly, he slipped back down off the saddle, apologizing to his mare as if she understood a word of what he was saying, and returned inside. Ignoring the slightly confused look of the cashier, he looked around, trying to figure out what in the world he could have forgotten, before something caught his eye. Or, rather, someone.
The young man he had pushed past earlier, there was something about him. Something familiar. He watched him move from shelf to shelf, grabbing various things that Arthur wasn't paying attention to. His brows furrowed in slight frustration due to the fact he couldn't figure out what was nagging him. Meanwhile, the young man went up to the register, the cashier greeting him with a friendly lilt to his voice.
"Ah, Isaac, how're you doin'? Are you and your momma settlin' into town well?"
Issac?
He didn't even listen to the rest of the conversation. Almost immediately, a million different emotions followed. Confusion, surprise, and maybe fear? More sadness then he had felt in years dominated the rest. This couldn't be him, surely? Isaac was dead. Eliza was dead. They were killed over a few bucks all those years ago. He remembers it so vividly. Almost too vividly, really. He shut just about everyone out for months, falling into the bottle for any sort of comfort, even though none was provided, and yet he still drank. He would go on jobs with the gang, and the ones he did go on always ended up with him having to be carried by everyone else. The familiar prickle of tears in his eyes surprised him almost as much as the revelation of Isaac being alive. Swallowing his pain, he quickly pulled his hat down over his eyes to hide his face, fleeing from his past like it was threatening his life. He couldn't do this. Not here, not now, maybe not ever. He was torn between desperately wanting to see his child and a deep, intense fear that plagued his mind for reasons unknown. He was so worked up and stuck in his head that he didn't hear the jingle of the shop door opening from behind him, the young man stepping out.
"Arthur? Is that... is that you?" a voice asked from behind him, familiar yet different.
Arthur had never been this nervous in his entire life, and he had done it all. Robbed trains, banks, and people, been shot at and stabbed, and ran for his life from bounty hunters. Still, this was the thing that scared him the most. He felt a bit pathetic. Slowly, maybe even a little reluctantly, he turned around, examining the young man before him.
This was definitely his boy. From his lake blue eyes to the dirty blonde hair that curled slightly at the ends, to the faint freckles that dotted the bridge of his nose and his sun kissed skin. Even though the boy looked eerily similar to himself, he still held some Eliza's features. He could see her face structure in him, and his general aura of kindness that mirrored his mothers. He could have broken down into tears right there — what a first impression that would make.
Arthur's mouth opened and closed for a moment, trying to find the words that could even begin to describe how he felt, but they never came. How could he even begin to describe how heartbroken he had been? How distraught, angry and grief stricken? He didn't seem to have to, however, as the boy set down his things and pulled him into a tight hug, clutching onto his father as if he would disappear again if he even dared to let go. After the momentary surprise wore off, Arthur squeezed him back, ignoring the strange looks he got for hugging someone so desperately in the middle of the street.
Eventually, the two separated, followed by Arthur immediately bombarding Isaac with questions about himself, his mother, where he was staying, how he had been doing, and things of the sorts. The poor boy could barely get the answer to one question out before the next one was thrown at him. Arthur simply couldn't help himself. The last time he had seen his son was when he was four or five, and now he was in his mid-twenties. That was so much of his life that he had missed, and he desperately wanted to catch up with all of it as quickly as he could. His meeting of Eliza was similar, with an incredibly long hug and more questions then one person could answer. He must have talked more and hugged them more in the past day then he had to anyone throughout his entire life. He was so proud of the young man for taking care of his mother and getting a good job, he almost couldn't handle himself. They seemed a tad bit nervous around him, considering that he looked much rougher and sported a few more scars then the last time he had seen them, but he couldn't care less. Atleast they were in his arms and alive.
Arthur couldn't help but worry that he may not be accepted into the little family the two of them had created. What if they didn't want him back, and had been better off without him? What if Eliza was mad at him for not finding them when they had fleed from their home? Maybe he was too rough for their domestic lifestyle, considering his past. He could sense the way the shifted uncomfortably as he described what he had been doing all these years. The blood that soaked his hands. Still, he tried to ignore that, remaining hopeful that they wanted him. That they missed him like he had missed them.
By the end of the night, he had been extremely reluctant to leave their home, as if he was worried that they wouldn't be there when he returned tomorrow. He promised over and over that he would visit regularly, and he planned on following through with that. He smiled the whole way back to his little camp.
Sitting on his bedroll, under the stars, he scribbled in his journal, drawing a picture of both Isaac and Eliza from memory. With a bright grin on his face, he recalled every detail of the encounter, down to the smallest of things like how respectful Isaac had grown to be to how beautiful the home was, before finishing off with something sweet and from his heart.
' I can not believe that I saw him today. Oh, how the boy had grown. My boy. I don't think my old bones can handle how excited I am, but I will make them nonetheless. I have a hell of a lot to make up for. I hope I can be the father he needs. '
edit: i'm seeing a few people saying that there could be more to this, which i totally agree with, since this was sort of me testing the waters to see where my skills are and what you guys like. would you guys be interested in some sort of expansion to this? maybe a jump into the future?
