FTM Reader/Arthur Morgan Headcanons
A/N: The amount of FTM reader inserts I've seen on Ao3 gave me the push to write as openly FTM. This is my first writing for this fandom, but I'll write more and I'll take requests. :)
Being the Wild West, going stealth is the only safe option. It takes time to learn who is trustworthy enough to risk your life around when injury means outing. Arthur is not the gossip type, and your preference for him doesn't hurt either.
He finds out on a mission. Your torso gets injured, and it doesn't leave much of a choice. Arthur gives enough of a rat's ass to prefer helping you than allowing you to potentially get injured further.
He might not even question it at first. Not his business. Until the chest bindings have to come off, and he's admittedly confused. Still, you have an open wound, so that explanation is not exactly top priority.
He's heard of trans people*, but he doesn't understand what it entails. As a good friend, Arthur would rather understand than rat you out based on a moral dictionary he barely even follows himself, and would say as much.
He could empathize with the feelings of displacement, self-loathing, even your gender euphorias to an extent. It feels good to be a man, sometimes.
You wouldn't ask, but he might find himself giving you advice on passing better out of a natural urge to protect you. Secrets are vulnerabilities, and he cares about not losing you. Square your hips, smoke a cigarette before you speak to lower your voice. Simple things that avoid complex questions.
His sexuality isn't something either of you question much. Despite his objections, the society Arthur was raised in still influences him. Who is to say past fancies haven't been mistaken for platonic admiration? He thinks of it more, now, but he'd rather it be simple to love you.
*Trans people were usually called "cross-dressers" in the 1800s, accurate vernacular came much later in the 1900s. I thought it was an interesting note on language that makes this scenario a lot different than we normally experience it today, as there wouldn't be a definition like "transgender" to rely on.













