#alta cotter

39. “You’re not givin’ me much of a choice.” 73. “You know more than you’re telling me.”

Oooh, interesting. I’ll try my best! <3 <3

There it was again- that nasty cough that practically rattled Arthur’s whole being. He reaches one arm up against the saddle of his horse as he exits the general store, leaning the other against his knee as he doubled over, always finishing with a long wheeze before he starts up again.

Every breath he took was raspy and seemed painful. It was hard to watch. He straightens up once the coughing fit was over, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He briefly stared at it, observed was a better term, before clearing his throat and mounting up on his horse. He nods over at Alta to follow, spurring his horse to move.

The young woman furrows her brows in concern. “That cough doesn’t seem to be gettin’ any better, Arthur..” She notes quietly, following him out of the town.

“Sure,” He says, clearing his throat once more. “But don’t you worry ‘bout me. I’ll be fine.”

Alta’s eyes narrow in skepticism. Surely he knows that she doesn’t buy any of that. “You sure as hell don’t look like it. You’re sick and you’re not gettin’ any better. You know more than you’re telling me.” 

Arthur doesn’t reply after that, the ride back to camp going quiet. The only sounds that were heard were the hooves of their horses pounding against the dirt and the wind whistling past their ears. Eventually, he veers off to the right at a forked road, heading into the tall trees of the forest. 

Alta realizes then that whatever he was about to say next was important- why else would he take the longer route back to camp? 

“You always were too observant for me..” Arthur muses to himself, a hint of humor in his tone. He slowed his horse’s steps to a trot, prompting the young woman to do the same. “You’re right, Alta.. I ain’t gettin’ better- in fact, I’m gettin’ worse.. and I don’t think its gonna end well for me.”

Alta swallows the lump in her throat. “So.. you’re sayin’…” She couldn’t bring to finish her own sentence. 

“Yeah.. I’m dyin’. Doc says its tuberculosis- might’ve gotten it from Mr. Downes back in Valentine.” He finished it for her, momentarily looking back to see her downcast eyes before focusing his attention to the path in front of him.

The ride back once quiet once more. The birds chirping overhead along with the leaves rustling gave a serene ambiance- unlike the restlessness and heavy feeling shared between the outlaws. Then another sound was heard. 

Arthur turns his head at the sound of sniffling, seeing Alta brush the tears from her eyes. She tried to hold back her tears, tried to distance herself from the situation like she usually did. But this was different; Arthur was family. After loosing Hosea, she couldn’t take another loss in her life.

“Hey c’mon, don’t go cryin’ on me now. I ain’t dead yet.” He scolded, albeit playfully, in an attempt to lighten the mood. 

Alta didn’t know whether to laugh or cry more. Typical Arthur. “You’re not givin’ me much of a choice.” She sniffles, spurring her horse to move alongside his. 

The man sighs, looking over to Alta. He looks over and sees the scared little girl that she once was when Hosea first brought her in. “I ain’t usually the one who says this but- I guess all things come to an end and.. mine is comin’ soon. But that doesn’t mean I still can’t try and do good things, enjoy life while I’m at it..”

Alta nods at this, letting everything sink in. Arthur has a point and if that’s the way he saw it, then she might as well help him live it out. “You sound like Mary-Beth.”

“Well she said that I can be a romantic at times.” He muses. The familiar sound of the camp started growing louder as they neared the clearing they settled in.

just some sketches of my rdr2 oc.

template by @lavellanpls

jhdfsjkdfsdkj THANK YOU <3 oh man i’m gonna have fun with these ;D4. holding their hand for the first time.

Well knowing Theo he’d be taking Alta out to town for a nice meal or day out for fun and he’d link arms with her at first being the perfect gentleman but then it would devolve to hand holding and he’d be so delighted by it. Like even if it’s just platonic, he’s all about the little gestures of affection and would be so happy you feel comfortable enough around him to do so.

With Leo, it would probably be like, holding her hand to the horse to show her how to brush it properly or something, and then he realized he’s touching her hand and just gets nervous and pulls away. But like, say they’re just sitting under a tree together quietly reading their own books and Alta just reached out and gently took one of his hands in his? He’d tense at first, not reacting outwardly much, but then cautiously link their fingers together and just hold one of her hands as they keep reading together in peace. He’s occasionally gently squeeze her hand and she could squeeze his back, like a gentle communication to each other, like saying without words ‘I’m happy you’re here.’ I think after the first time, he’d get use to wanting to hold her hand, just like how he is with general physical contact with his brothers. :3c

Lol with Nick I’d imagine maybe he and Alta go on a hunting trip together and it’s a bit of a hike. He’s a bit awkward for conversation but he still has his manners. So when they’re having to go through a rocky area in the woods, he offers her hand, which Alta takes. And then she refuses to let it go. Nick just grumbles, ears going pink but otherwise lets her have his hand. And they just walk through the rest of the forest like that together. And after the hunt, they catch some deer or something, Nick is in a more enthusiastic mood, happily recalling their hunt and praising Alta for her great shot. He’d be so busy recalling their time together, he’d just grab her hand and hold it on their walk back through the forest, not even thinking about it, just carrying a deer over his shoulder with one hand, holding Alta’s with the other hand, rambling distractedly about hunting and maybe even flashing a smile. :p

14. tickling them

Lmao Theo is ticklish in the typical area on stomach. I can imagine him just playfully teasing Alta and she gives his stomach a poke and his flinches dramatically, and it just spirals into her tickling his side and him getting into near hysterical laughter. He’s the easiest to tickle lol

Leo’s not much for tickling, but the back of his neck is a little sensitive, so if he was in a playful mood and Alta brushed a hand to the back of his neck, you’d might get a rare little huff of a laugh from him. But otherwise he’d direct her to go torment Theo instead lol

👀👀👀 

thanks maddy for sending these in XD

7. kissing their forehead or cheek

If it were Nick that did this, Alta would be pretty surprised since she knows he isn’t usually all touchy and affectionate. But she knows its just his way of showing his brotherly affection and that he cares for her. Maybe this would happen when she was either stressed or really worried about something. Either way, she appreciates the gesture.

If it were Theo, she would be a little caught off guard but appreciates the gesture nonetheless. Again, she knows its also his way of showing his brotherly affection. 

Leo’s case is very special because there may be a chance that she’d reciprocate the kiss on his cheek too; because for some reason she sees him as a little brother and she can be affectionate with family. She finds the gesture really sweet and is actually pretty flattered considering Leo doesn’t usually socialize.

10. playfully whacking them with a pillow

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I can see Theo doing this to Alta. 

Two Scenarios:If its out of the blue, she’d be a little stunned considering Theo just came outta nowhere. But she’d whack him back before laughing and going back to what she was doing. 

idk what happened to the colors (y’all see how i tried to be artistic) but evidently- i fucked up :p