*BROKEN CROWN

@faithgranted​   //  from 👑

there were few things that dorian found appealing about the countryside. from the beige to scarlet heat - blistered dust roads, to coyotes, to bumbling idiots with guns. but, as he noticed arthur’s eyes linger on his body, he supposed not everything about it was too bad.

oh yes, the country was filled with SAVAGE ANIMALS; one of them walked with him — eyes felt hungry, like a starving WOLF stalking its pray. or, well — perhaps he was being just a bit melodramatic with that line of thought. arthur seemed gentlemanly enough, and dorian was by no means some HELPLESS RABBIT waiting to be eaten.

“well, it’s a good thing you found me out here. my pretty head feels so much safer.” hands raised to lightly press fingers against the exposed muscles at the edge of rolled up sleeves, and dorian thought that he must have made a nice adornment upon arthur’s arm, “if anything tries to eat me, you’ll protect me, won’t you?”

though posed as a question, dorian wasn’t looking for any reassurance; he knew the answer, and there was undeniable pride in his voice. even in the breathy laugh that escaped his lips.

“unless you try to eat me. what could i possibly do, then?” 

it quickly became apparent that an entirely separate conversation had begun to flower in between the lines of their dialogue, and it was becoming impossible to ignore. even the shrubbery urged him to slow their pace, snagging on the threads of his sleeve as the stranger squeezed in beside him on the narrow path

“ well mister, i don’t rightly know. ”  arthur breathed, fingertips splayed across the small of his back as if dipping his toes into an icy stream only to find it warmer than he expected,  “ reckon yer lucky i like to play with my food. ”

there was no mistaking their chemistry; how their bodies leaned into each other all too easilyー how their fingers danced. arthur saw little reason rush their return to civilization, to hold his feelings back. ( never mind he hadn’t even caught his name yet )

the old oak a few paces ahead was as good a place as any to press the stranger against. his touch was insistent, but delicately, almost gentlemanly so. hip bones ghosted into each other, hovering only inches apart, and half-lidded eyes trained on the stranger, tuned into every minute expression that fluttered across his pretty face 

arthur’s steps faltered and he chuckled at that before forging ahead once again; he felt a little called out despite his best attempts to contain himself around the man. what was a lingering gaze or two among men anyway ?

“ city folk tend t’ attract a lot of attention out here. jus somethin’ irresistible ‘bout them, i s’pose. ”  arthur mused lightly, then examined himself more seriously, ‘ maybe its his cologne. or the way he moves them hips. ’

only thing for certain about the stranger was that he was dangerous. definitely not your average new york milksop that ended up lost, alone and penniless in the country side. he had eyes that cut like diamonds and confidence that wasn’t just born from father’s fancy estate and years of baseless self-aggrandizing. he was desirable and he knew itー  arthur worried he might end up the one feeling lost without him if he didn’t watch himself

“ don’t worry yer pretty head none, we’re nearly back t’ town now. ” 

usually, such things as mending wounds and sewing in sutures hardly bring the farmer pause, but this was ARTHUR. it’s a man he loves to pieces, ( doesn’t wish to bring anymore harm to the bits of him that’d already suffered enough ). ❝ — y’er hide means more than one’a my quilts. ❞ he idly retorts, eyes only sparing a seconds glance away from his work to watch the outlaw avert his own gaze. with all the stitches he’s put in people at this point in his life, teddy has found that always appeared to make the process easier for them. 

it’s true; he’s purposefully trying to be extraordinarily delicate. not that he’d ever been striving to be painful prior. now, his efforts at gentleness were only made obvious. dutiful digits continue to pull through the metallic twine, watching to be sure nothing goes amiss. there’s a fair trickle of blood he pauses to wipe clear, offers a droop of his shoulders. ❝ — yain’t the only one who brings trouble, so don’t’ch’a go sayin’ that. ❞ if arthur wanted to go with that argument, they could go back and forth all day. never would a negative PEEP be leaving the farmer’s lips. last stitch is tugged, scissors cutting the remainder loose. ❝ y’er a good man f’r me, arthur. ain’t nothin’ i’d change ‘bout’ y’a an’ y’a know that. ❞

teddy knows what bringing outlaws onto his land entails, ( and always has ). arthur isn’t that same noxiously ROWDY crowd he’s been dealing with for years. his heart is a little more clear upon his sleeve. less digging than usual, the farmer finds. everyone has one, mister morgan is simply willing to share his.  ❝ — y’a know, my pa would’a loved you. would’a called y’a somethin’ like’a righ’ gentleman. ❞ hand beckons, chair scooted, ❝ here, lemme’ wrap it good. ❞

every hushed sentiment the farmer shared felt like another blow to the chest. he yearned for them to be true, and it ached far deeper than the wound throbbing under the bandages teddy carefully applied. gaze never left him through the one-sided exchange, brows creasing and lips parting as he only became more parched for words. teddy looked so beautiful to him now. blond curls desperately needed a trim, they danced over freckled skin and obscured his eyes when his head dipped in concentration. ( making the moment those sky blues finally tilted up and met his gaze all the more electric. )

“ would have liked to ‘ve met th’ fool. ”  arthur finally managed, promptly swallowing a lump in his throat

for a flash, arthur saw another path his life could have taken. pictured himself young and dumb and looking for work, finding it in a soft-hearted mister fischer rather than the handle of dutch’s gun. many sweaty summers and fruitful autumns passed in this vision, muscles practically aching with the labor of it. it ended all too quicklyー with his heart pounding and hands twisting around greasy neckerchief before the old man. eyes darted from his graying hair to his smile lines that settled in all the same places teddy’s started to and asked for his blessing 

maybe it wasn’t too late. his good hand reached out cupped the other man’s face, expressing shifting to something infinitely more desperate and sincere than he had ever dared to show him before; breath shallow

“ that settles it then. ”  grin was almost devious in it’s languid reveal of his teeth, catching his bottom lip in excitement,  “ m’ sure riley will manage without us fer a coupl’ a days. ”

no further warning was givenー little husband ( thrashes and giggles and all ) was collected in strong, tanned arms and hoist over his shoulder. arthur manhandled him with ease, playful palm cupped the curve of the farmer’s behind as he stole him away. teddy squirmed; with delight or meak-heartedness, arthur wasn’t sure but his eyes crinkled in adoration for his love all the same; a fond smile playing across his lips

as arthur approached the idle blonde shire with a penchant for being the second dullest tool in the shed, ( he had earned that title himself fair and square, dammit ) it became obvious that preparations for this venture had already been made. they exchanged a brief glance, then arthur gave teddy a boost; tucking him between saddle horn and tent roll. the saddle bags were already fat with supplies and ready to go, but that didn’t make arthur a man that enjoyed taking hostages any more

cowboy meme || not accepting

“ ain’t no one gonna kill you in yer sleep, boy. ”  his face scrunched up as if he sipped something sour,  “ now m’ not gonna act like i can speak fer all of us crooks, but most a’ th boys here would prefer you awake while we killed ya, s’ jus’ no fun if y’dont squirm a lil. ”

he gave himself a little chuckle at that, so ludicrous to him that anyone could fear these folkー what with half of them so drunk they could barely stand without wobbling at the knees. the poor fool worried more than he ought to. though, it seemed it was simply in the man’s nature to worry, and he hadn’t spent his life surrounded by these bums like arthur had, either. he supposed it wouldn’t kill him to be a little more understanding

arthur’s attention eventually faded back to the gesture of a deer etched into his journal, eyes creased with residual amusement

“ really now. you’d know if anyone here wanted you deadー namely on account of th’ fact you’d be dead already if they did. loosen up a little. ”

@faithgranted

        Abigail smiled kindly at the outlaw as he made his way back into            camp. Her and Jack has been waiting for him to come back for            awhile now. Especially her darling little boy- constantly asking when            uncle Arthur would be back with supplies. Once he was down off his            horse and made his way into camp, she quickly made her way to him            and placed a hand tenderly on his shoulder.                        ❝How’d you get on, Arthur? No trouble, I trust?❞

“ not unless you reckon an irritable shop keep is ‘ trouble ’. ”  he teased, but he appreciated her concern.  ( not many women were as patient with him as abigail was. )  heavy with tools and foodstuffs, arthur shed his bag like a sack of potatoes before pulling her in by the nape of the neck, pressing her head to the spot her hand once warmed him. his nose lingered in the roots of her hair; always smelling of some cheap, sweet perfume he quite enjoyed

(( @faithgranted liked for a starter ))

                it was mid-morning when she made into the general store of the small town. Eli rarely made her way into civilization unless there was a need, too many people complicated things in her eyes. eli hated the stares, the whispers, the gossip that the saloon girls and old men tended to spread. she had been content to live in her corner of the world, alone. 

               she was reaching for the last serving of C O F F E on the shelf when another hand snatched it away. the blonde’s head snapped around eyes widening just a little. “hey, that’s mine,” she frowned.

“ is it now ? got yer name on it ? ”  brow cocked, inspecting the tin with a sarcastic sparkle in his eyes 

like salmon swimming upstream in glacial waters, teddy’s fingers wriggled up arthurs spine and inspired a sense of dread so palpable his skin crawled and jolted with it 

“ gitー git out of there now, ”  arthur warned, reaching around himself to arrest the offending digits, yanking them from his shirt and cupping them between two large palms. a honeyed smile stretched across his lips, pinched with both amusement and adoration as if he had just captured something coveted,  “ you nasty lil thing. ”

pale knuckles were brought to pink lips, placing a single, prickly kiss on ‘em