☆

arthur  is  not  the  only  one  made  uneasy  by  silence  .  where  he  expects  another  shoe  to  drop  ,  an  ever-approaching  danger  ,  hope  fears  the  ear-ringing  silence  of  large  empty  rooms  &  words  that  will  never  be  said  .  she  has  always  struggled  to  slow  down  &  take  a  breath  ,  to  allow  for  a  comfortable  lull  in  conversation  -  but  ever  since  her  mother's  passing  she  just  can't  stand  the  𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔  .  it  reminds  her  too  much  of  what  is  missing  ,  what  has  been  taken  from  her  .  where  there  used  to  be  laughter  ,  music  ,  love  -  it's  all  turned  to  grey  under  the  heavy  dulling  blanket  of  grief  .  .  .  distraction  ,  drowning  it  out  with  as  much  noise  as  she  can  ,  it's  the  only  thing  that  helps  .

she  watches  him  ,  pale  blue  hues  darting  between  the  large  hand  on  his  weapon  &  every  micro-expression  she  can  glean  from  his  features  .  when  he  does  respond  ,  her  shoulders  sag  in  equal  parts  relief  &  𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑬𝑷𝑰𝑺𝑯𝑵𝑬𝑺𝑺  -  gaze  dropping  low  . 

his  mannerisms  are  so  unlike  anyone  she's  used  to  ,  without  all  of  the  social  conventions  she's  been  taught  to  abide  by  .  .  .  hope  is  just  genuinely  not  sure  how  to  read  a  room  with  him  in  it  .  all  the  rules  go  out  the  window  when  it  comes  to  arthur  morgan  ,  but  the  idea  of  making  up  her  own  ,  now  that  intrigues  her  . as  his  tone  softens  up  ,  she  finds  the  courage  to  lift  doe  eyes  once  more  .  ❝  okay  ,  good  .  .  .  just  wanted  to  make  sure  .  ❞  teeth  sink  into  the  plush  of  her  bottom  lip  ,  trying  to  hold  herself  back  .  now  would  be  a  good  time  to  stop  .  she  has  her  answer  ,  they  could  remain  in  𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆  oppressive  awful  silence  for  the  rest  of  the  night  .  .  .  or  .

❝  sometimes  .  .  .  it's  hard  to  tell  what  you're  𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮  ,  that's  all  .  ❞  sometimes  is  a  huge  understatement  ,  but  she  wants  to  cushion  the  observation  a  bit  -  unsure  how  he'll  take  it  .

     ❝ i'm sorry, ma'am. it's not you i'm laughin' at, ❞ arthur explains, though a few chuckles slip past his GRUFF apology. ❝ it's just - ❞

     his back falls against the chair, legs coming out to stretch in front of him. purposeful or not, hope baxter's words seems to have relaxed arthur a bit. it gave him just a tiny hold of normalcy to grasp, & the creature of habit he is, arthur takes it easily.

     ❝ i'm not usually thinkin' too much. if you wanna try to get inside my head, best just to not think of nothin'. then i reckon you'll be able to figure it out. y'seem a SMART girl. ❞

     his legs cross at the ankle, an arm resting on the table beside him as arthur begins to disassemble his revolver. there was more he felt on the matter - that much was clear in the way he shakes his head softly. to say there ain't no GOOD reason to figuring out what he's thinking. why she would even want to. good society people could give two shits what goes on in the head of an outlaw.

whenever  she  touches  him  hope  has  to  be  careful  not  to  linger  .  once  she  begins  ,  it's  difficult  to  stop  .  they  see  each  other  so  little  ,  so  when  they  are  in  proximity  she  wants  to  spend  every  moment  making  contact  with  him  in  some  way  .  this  isn't  normally  like  her  ,  always  keeping  others  at  an  arm's  length  -  but  something  about  arthur  &  their  fleeting  moments  together  makes  her  𝑩𝑶𝑳𝑫  ,  reckless  .  he  brings  out  a  side  of  her  not  often  seen  ,  someone  who  doesn't  overthink  or  hesitate  quite  as  much  .  he  makes  her  feel  brave  .

with  him  ,  she's  someone  who  knows  exactly  what  she  wants  &  is  determined  to  savor  every  minute  while  it  lasts  ,  pushing  aside  her  feelings  about  the  𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆  goodbye  .

he  will  be  here  next  year  ,  &  she  will  be  too  .  it's  this  certainty  that  gives  her  the  confidence  to  reply  in  earnest  ,  a  softness  to  her  voice  .  no  point  in  pretending  when  they  both  already  know  the  𝑻𝑹𝑼𝑻𝑯  ,

❝  i'm  always  glad  to  see  you  ,  ❞  the  reply  comes  with  a  slight  tilt  of  her  head  &  she  fixes  him  with  a  warm  smile  imbued  with  all  the  emotions  she  struggles  to  put  into  words  .  if  arthur  really  believes  that  he  is  the  only  one  affected  by  their  𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒚  ,  he  would  be  dead  wrong  .  when  he's  around  ,  she  can  never  seem  to  think  straight  ,  always  distracted  by  this  magnetic  pull  he  has  on  her  -  drawing  her  in  ,  locked  in  his  orbit  in  a  way  she  doesn't  quite  understand  &  has  never  felt  with  anyone  else  .

 his  compliment  has  butterflies  springing  to  life  in  her  gut  ,  cheeks  flushing  noticeably  pink  as  she  smoothes  out  the  wrinkles  in  her  skirt  as  if  𝑺𝑼𝑫𝑫𝑬𝑵𝑳𝒀  aware  of  the  outfit  she  had  carefully  chosen  that  morning  especially  for  him  .  ❝  arthur  ,  this  is  how  i  always  look  ,  ❞  the  breathy  laugh  that  leaves  her  is  relaxed  ,  fond  .  ❝  -  but  thank  you  all  the  same  .  ❞  he's  always  been such  a  gentleman  to  her  ,  &  from  anyone  else  it  would  seem  like  trying  too  hard  .  .  .  but  from  arthur  ?  it's  effortless  ,  she  knows  it's  because  he  means  it  .  gaze  drops  away  ,  body  language  turning  coy  .  she's  never  been  good  at  taking  compliments  ,  but  he  makes  her  want  to  try  .

❝  you  look  good  too  .  ❞  god  ,  he  always  looks  good  .  he's  always  been  beautiful  to  her  ,  but  as  they've  grown  older  arthur  has  aged  like  𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒚  -  only  getting  better  with  each  passing  year  .  it's  so  funny  to  see  each  other  now  ,  having  known  one  another  through  their  awkward  teenage  years  .  the  two  have  grown  into  themselves  ,  but  somehow  time  seems  nonexistent  when  they're  together  .  all  the  years  &  the  distance  &  the  baggage  melt  away  ,  leaving  only  the  very  best  parts  of  themselves  -  the  ones  that  really  matter  .

sometimes  she  𝑾𝑰𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑺  that  she  could  just  live  in  these  moments  .

arms  extend  toward  him  ,  draping  over  his  shoulders  &  pulling  him  into  a  tight  embrace  -  something  she  has  been  𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈  to  do  all  day  .  what  she  says  next  is  so  quiet  ,  only  audible  because  of  how  close  her  cheek  is  pressed  to  his  chest  ,

❝  i  𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑳𝒀  missed  you  .  ❞

     but his hand smooths over her back in a slow, languid stroke. he doesn't want to wrinkle that pretty shirt she's got on. ❝ missed you, too, ❞ arthur replies.

     he almost doesn't pull away. almost. but the urge to get to his favorite part of their reunion is too strong to ignore & arthur hasn't never really had great impulse control. not when it came to hope baxter. not with her looking as damn beautiful as she did.

     so he leans back, almost as if to break the hug, but his other hand comes up to circle around hope's jawline & against the base of her skull. in one quick, DESPERATE movement, arthur tilts her head up & he's kissing her. not like the shy, chaste sort of kisses they shared once or twice as teenagers in a stable. the immediate intensity is enough to make arthur just a little light-headed, & he ends up having to lean against hope for a moment until he's got his bearings again.

     arthur doesn't seem to care much about the carnival bustling around them. there was a couple games he noticed on the way over he noted wanting to bring hope to play. of course, they were gonna split a funnel cake, maybe go up in the ferris wheel if there was time.

     but kissing hope like this - TASTING her like this - it was difficult to remember his own name, much less date plans.

arthur finally breaks the kiss once he realizes he needs to breathe. his breath is hot & harsh against her lips. he wants to say something. anything at all. a dumb joke or comment or even just repeating how much he's missed her. but as usual, words don't come all that easy to arthur. & he's left staring at hope like she's the only one who can string together the words for him.

𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝒊 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒅𝒌 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆

@quastari said : distracting your lover from a task by kissing their neck. ( from will )

hope's  freckled  nose  is  buried  deep  into  her  work  ,  𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕  gaze  currently  addressing  one  of  the  several  padds  laid  out  before  her  .  she  pauses  only  long  enough  to  take  occasional  sips  from  her  nearby  cup  of  mint  tea  .

assigned  on  an  away  mission  for  the  next  day  ,  she  has  been  pouring  over  any  relevant  information  available  to  her  ,  trying  to  absorb  all  she  can  manage  before  they  depart  at  0900  hours  .  despite  the  fervor  of  her  𝑪𝑼𝑹𝑰𝑶𝑺𝑰𝑻𝒀  for  a  whole  new  planet  of  flora  &  fauna  to  explore  ,  her  eyes  are  steadily becoming  weary  ,  blinks  growing  slower  &  heaver  with  each  passing  minute  . 

so  enraptured  by  her  research  ,  along  with  the  gentle  steady  pull  of  sleep  ,  she  jumps  about  five  feet  in  the  air  at  the  sudden  𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒆  at  the  door  indicating  a  visitor  .  while  she  does  not  apparently  break  concentration  on  her  work  ,  a  pleased  smile  does  tug  at  her  lips  .  she  doesn't  have  to  wonder  who  has  come  to  pay  her  a  visit  .

❝  come  in  ,  ❞  hope  calls  ,  inviting  the  commander  to  enter  with  a  teasing  singsongy  tone  .  he  knows  her  well  enough  by  now  to  predict  that  she  would  most  likely  be  spending  the  evening  studying  herself  into  exhaustion  .  the  pair  have  been  here  before  ,  &  she  recognizes  the  game  he's  playing  𝑰𝑵𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑳𝒀  -  what  she  doesn't  see  coming  is  how  forward  riker's  strategy  is  going  to  be  right  off  the  bat  . 

she'll  chastize  herself  for  that  later  ,  this  is  𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚  like  him  .

'it's  my  own  fault  ,'  hope  thinks  .  sitting  upon  a  small  loveseat  with  a  low  back  ,  she  faces  one  of  her  windows  to  the  twinkling  expanse  beyond  the  ship's  hull  .  it's  nice  to  look  up  every  once  in  a  while  to  admire  the  ever-breathtaking  beauty  of  the  stars  when  her  eyes  strain  from  the  endless  research  articles  .  it  also  leaves  her  in  a  𝑽𝑼𝑳𝑵𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑩𝑳𝑬  position  facing  away  from  the  door  .  what  she  wears  must  only  add  to  the  temptation  he  faces  upon  entering  the  room  .  her  shirt  is  sleeveless  &  form-fitting  ,  it  would  leave  very  little  to  the  imagination  if  not  for  the  loose  hand-knit sweater  layered  atop  it  .  however  ,  the  garment  slid  off  the  shoulder  he  has  chosen  to  hover  over  at  some  point  ,  leaving  her  neck  fully  exposed  to  him  .  her  hair  is  the  last  nail  in  the  coffin  ,  tucked  into  a  high  messy  bun  to  keep  it  out  of  the  way  while  she  dutifully  prepares  herself  .

hope  will  admit  ,  she  is  purposefully  ignoring  him  when  he  approaches  -  but  once  he  makes  contact  ,  she  can't  quite  keep  that  act  up  anymore  .  not  when  achingly  soft  lips  brush  over  her  skin  ,  causing  her  to  𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓  &  melt  near  instantly  .  head  tilts  to  give  him  more  access  before  she  can  have  a  moment  to  think  better  of  it  ,  giving  in  much  more  easily  than  she  had  originally  planned  .  usually  ,  she  puts  up  at  least  a  bit  of  a  fight  ,  but  tonight  she's  feeling  particularly  susceptible  to  his  charms  .

❝  i  knew  you  were  up  to  no  good  ,  commander  ,  ❞  she  hums  ,  setting  down  her  work  in  𝑫𝑬𝑭𝑬𝑨𝑻  .  ❝  come  to  make  sure  i'm  woefully  underprepared  for  tomorrow  so  you  can  swoop  in  &  save  the  day  ?  or  did  you  just  miss  me   that  much  ?  ❞

     a slow sigh rolls out from his lungs, wafting over hope's skin. he didn't want to think about work anymore. & he was determined to STEER her away from the topic as much as possible.

     ❝ well, i've missed you, of course, ❞ will answers easily. his hand floats up to lightly grasp her upper arm. fingertips sink into the plush wool of her sweater, so soft & light that will might have been tempted to rip it away if he wasn't so tired. it wasn't very often when he cared to slow down & soften up like this. but today has been one of those days. ❝ besides, i don't think it's possible for you to be underprepared for anything. you put the rest of us to shame. ❞

     she already seems open to the idea of quitting for the night. will can tell that much by just seeing her & hearing her & touching her.

     so, with another TENDER kiss against her ( unfairly ) exposed trapezius, will uses his grip on her arm to pull her back against him. he's quick to loop his free arm around her waist, keeping her locked in place & all but forcing hope to focus more on him than the PADDs. not that it would've been hard to do anyway.

     ❝ why don't you take a break, huh ? save some EXPLORING for when you're actually on the surface. ❞

⸻  nothing  will  ever  bring  him  peace  the  way  the  forest  does,  bathed  in  moonlight  and  offering  him  a  quiet  reprieve  from  the  chaos  that  follows  him  as  both  the  hunter  and  hunted.  nature  of  the  beast,  isn't  it?

at  least  he  can  retreat  deep  into  his  occasional  isolation,  lingering  near  his  home  within  the  woods,  though  never  taking  the  risk  of  coming  too  close  to  it.  enough  accidental  property  destruction  has  left  him  cautious  of  where  he  completes  his  lunar  shift.

it's  a  choice  for  him  to  exist  in  his  lonesome,  no  longer  running  wild  and  free  with  his  pack.  as  such,  he  doesn't  expect  company.  he  wants  it  even  less.  his  body  is  tense  for  a  number  of  reasons,  from  the  throbbing  pain  in  his  joints  to  barrett's  sudden  presence;  his  senses  too  aware  of  a  new  scent,  the  footfalls  on  plush  spring  grass.

an  uncomfortably  long  pause  to  let  his  silence  weigh  heavily,  then  he  straightens  his  posture  and  allows  golden  irises  to  glance  over  at  the  other—

"can  i  help  you?"  he  can  only  hope  that  the  answer  is  no.

     until strange smells & stranger sounds got him all tense & needing to patrol.

     his eyes flicker over the older man a few times, leaving to sweep the trees before eventually returning with his frown set deeper than before. ❝ you, uh, 'kay, sir ? ❞ barrett asks in a gruff tone. ❝ there's WOLVES 'round these parts, i hear. ❞

she  derives  a  sick  sort  of  amusement  from  watching  him  squirm  .  joel  makes  it  so  obvious  that  this  ,  being  casual  ,  the  give  &  take  ,  𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈  -  isn't  something  he  does  often  .  ever  ,  really  ,  judging  by  the  way  he  looks  like  he's  two  seconds  from  tucking  tail  &  running  .  .  .  but  he  doesn't  ,  bless  his  heart  .  he  puts  a  smile  on  just  for  her  ,  &  she  knows  that  from  him  it's  no  nervous  tic  or  meaningless  appeasement  .  .  .  that  tight  awkward  smile  means  something  ,  more  than  anyone  else's  full-toothed  grin  would  . 

he  wants  her  to  𝑺𝑻𝑨𝒀  .

that  thought  fills  her  with  a  warmth  she  hasn't  felt  in  years  .  everything  with  joel  is  so  real  ,  subtle  -  but  𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍  .  she  would  take  this  any  day  over  the  empty  grand  gestures  &  broken  promises  she  had  grown  accustomed  to  in  another  life  .  .  .  but  the  shadow  of  her  past  comes  &  goes  with  a  practiced  ease  ,  none  of  that  matters  anymore  .

a  smile  of  her  own  creeps  its  way  onto  her  features  as  she  waits  patiently  to  be  invited  in  .  it's  like  𝑺𝑼𝑵𝑺𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑬  ,  alight  with  knowing  .  brows  raise  &  head  tilts  with  fond  humor  ,  expectant  ,  offering  the  silent  teasing  question  of  ,  '  well  then  ?  '

he  finally  steps  aside  &  she  enters  ,  following  along  with  a  little  satisfied  pep  in  her  step  .  observant  gaze  astute  as  ever  ,  she  pieces  together  the  story  told  by  each  muddy  print  ,  crumpled  wrapper  ,  &  empty  capri-sun  pouch  .  where  joel  expects  her  to  see  nothing  but  a  mess  ,  hope  perceives  a  very  different  narrative  :   a  good  man  ,  a  𝒅𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅  father  ,  a  provider  -  all  qualities  that  only  soften  her  heart  further  .

❝  no  need  to  be  sorry  ,  i've  witnessed  my  fair  share  of  category  five  teenage  girl  kitchen  raids  from  robin  &  her  friends  -  this  is  𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮  ,  really  .  ❞  resting  her  hip  upon  the  counter  she  watches  him  dig  around  ,  a  small  laugh  bubbles  forth  .  ❝  y'know  ,  not  that  i  don't  appreciate  you  committing  to  the  bit  ,  but  .  .  .  you  do  know  the  sugar  thing  was  just  a  line  right  ?  ❞

it's  her  turn  to  feel  a  little  𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒇𝒖𝒍  ,  gaze  lowering  to  the  floor  -  while  there  ,  she  notices  a  singular  fallen  grape  &  nudges  it  around  with  the  tip  of  her  shoe  .  voice  softens  ,  no  longer  teasing  -  she's  being earnest  now  . 

❝  i  .  .  .  just  wanted  to  see  you  .  is  .  .  .  that  𝑶𝑲𝑨𝒀  ?  ❞

     joel is sure she must be fucking with him.

     there's a hundred things he wants to say all that once. a few are some equally flirty responses that joel would likely CRINGE over later. others are embarrassingly-dumbfounded questions of reassurances - ❛ really ? to see me ? nothing else ? you don't need me for anything ? ❜

     joel finally lands on something neutral. stable. reliable. it's what he does : ❝ it's always okay. ❞

     & it's god's honest truth. the amount of times he thinks about walking on over to hope baxter's house just to see her face & hear her voice is honestly too mortifying to admit. so to see her be the first, to take initiative, offers some comfort.

     but it also leaves joel in an unfamiliar role - the recipient. not quite knowing how to respond. unsure of what hope wants him to say or do. his own ideas don't seem to MEASURE up. ❝ was actually gonna come talk to you. sara's been beggin' me to get you & robin to come to her game this weekend. i told her i'd ask. ❞

     it's not the whole truth. sara only mentioned it once, but she was very PUSHY on the matter. but somehow, it's less damning for a girl to be begging than her father.