#arthursty

My very own Van der Linde gang cigarette cards 😍

Isn’t he just the best 😌

(I don’t usually post things this long, but I couldn’t cut it back!)

The sweltering Lemoyne air hung heavily, oppressive even at night. Though the sunset had provided moderate relief, the sweat was still pouring down your back as you and Arthur made your way back to camp. Finally, Arthur had enough .

“That’s it. It’s too damn hot and I’m too damn tired to keep going. We can make it back to camp in the morning.”

You nodded, then pointed to a shaded area some distance away in the woods. “How ‘bout we make camp up there? Looks a bit cooler, anyway.”

Arthur agreed, and you followed him as he made his way into the woods. He was just about to start setting up camp when you grabbed his arm, putting a finger to your lips. His eyes met yours as his body tensed, his hand drifting to his gun, but you quickly shook your head, then cupped your hand behind your ear, pointing. As Arthur tilted his head to hear better, a smile spread across your lips, and soon Arthur was smiling as well. He quickly grabbed the few things he’d unpacked and followed you as you lead your horse deeper into the woods and alongside a ravine. As it shallowed, the sound you’d heard earlier became more clear, louder, until you found what you were looking for.

At the end of the ravine there was a small swimming hole, fed by a creek that ran out to the river, a few miles in the distance. It was sitting in a small depression, almost completely surrounded by trees, with a bank to one side that was just big enough for a campsite. The water was beautifully clear, with nothing but a few small fish swimming in it, and, judging by the breeze that traveled along the ravine, it was nice and cool.

You sighed in relief, mock collapsing as you stepped to the water’s edge. The horses had already started drinking their fill as you squatted down beside them, dipping your hand in. It was exactly as cool and refreshing as you’d hoped, and you wasted no time in gulping some down and splashing yourself thoroughly. From where he stood beside the tent, Arthur laughed at you.

“You keep going like that, might as well jump on in.”

You tilted your head, looking between him and the water. “It ain’t the worst idea you’ve ever had. I could probably use a bath anyway, all this sweat and dust.”

He stopped what he was doing, looking at you like you were crazy. “You serious? You ain’t even got a change of clothes!”

“Okay, first of all, my damn clothes are already soaked with sweat, and I really doubt they could get worse by jumping in a swimming hole.” You said, stepping towards him. “Second, who in the hell said I was planning on wearing clothes, anyway?” You poked him in the chest sharply, making him draw back. If you thought he’d looked at you like you were crazy before, this was ten times worse. You shrugged and rolled your eyes.

“It ain’t like I’m suggesting we strip naked and waltz through town! This place is hidden, deep, and it’s in the middle of nowhere. Ain’t even any signs anyone’s been here recently!” You threw your hands in the air, turning your back to him. “You don’t like it, don’t get in.”

He scoffed. “You were expecting me to get in too! What the hell is wrong with you, woman?” He stepped to where you were, moving to stand in front of you. “Have you lost your goddamn mind? You forget that you and I are slightly different in certain ways?”

“I ain’t forgot nothing.” You unfolded your arms, gesturing wildly as you spoke. “I’m hot, Arthur. Been hot all damn day, and this is nice, cool, clean water. Don’t you think it’d feel so good to just jump in and cool down? To hell with all that man woman business. Would you hesitate if it was John?”

“John can’t swim.” Arthur pointed out the obvious, partly to distract you, or maybe himself. How was he supposed to tell you that the reason he was so damn desperate to keep you from stripping down was because he knew he wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off of you? He’d known you now for six months, and for nearly all six, he’d been trying to convince himself he wasn’t attracted to you, hoping it’d be true. Instead, it had just made him pine for you harder. He was only beginning to be able to admit he kinda liked you, more than the average woman, and not like he liked the guys.

While Arthur was busy fretting and arguing with himself, you’d already headed to a spot in the edge of a shadow and started undressing. He looked on helplessly as you unbuttoned your shirt, stretching backwards as you peeled it off. Then you reached up and shook your hair free, and reached for the front of your pants. As you pushed them down and shimmied out of them, Arthur whimpered to himself. This was torture. He’d done some pretty nasty things in his lifetime, and even enjoyed a few of them, but he still couldn’t imagine what he’d done to deserve this torment, especially when you moved to get into the water, stepping out of the shadow and into the shaft of moonlight breaking through the trees.

If he’d taken the time to sit down and draw what he thought was the perfect shape for a woman, it wouldn’t have been half as perfect as you looked at that moment. Your back was to him, giving him full view of the arc of your hips, the way they softened down into the delicious curve of your ass. Then there were your legs. God, how he wanted to part those velvet thighs, nestle himself between them as he pressed his face into the tender sweep of your neck. To feel the brush of your hair against his face as he moved his hips against yours, the gentle embrace of your arms against his skin.

By the time he got a grip on his thoughts, you were half submerged in the water, and his cock was straining at the front of his pants. It would be impossible for you to miss, if you happened to look his way, and something had to be done about it. At first, he tried turning his back, sitting down to ignore you. The problem was that it was more than a little uncomfortable, and when he tried to readjust himself to make it better, he ended up stroking himself through his pants, still thinking of you, and made the problem worse. Plus, if you were to get out, he wouldn’t see you coming, and the thought of you catching him made his cheeks burn bright and hot.

He sighed. Maybe he should just give in and join you. Obviously he wasn’t going to be able to avoid you wrapping around his thoughts and getting stuck in his head, and maybe the water would cool him off a bit, literally and figuratively. If not, he might have the opportunity to relieve himself in other ways, even if the thought of doing that while thinking of you when you were so close made him feel like a filthy old man. He probably deserved to feel bad about it, anyway- it’s not like you’d have him, and he wasn’t going to waste his time deluding himself.

Resigned, he stood up and tried to hide the bulge in his pants the best he could while attempting to casually walk to the same shaded area you’d disrobed in. After glancing towards you to be sure you were distracted, he started taking off his clothes. He’d gotten his shirt off and his pants pushed halfway down his thighs when he heard you calling out to him, splashing your way over.

“You decide to join me after all?”

Arthur made a valiant attempt at a good natured chuckle. “S’pose so. Do you, uh . . ,” Arthur swallowed. “Would you mind turning your back until I get in the water?”

Once you’d turned your back, Arthur finished undressing and waded into the water, covering himself with his hands the whole way. He swam over to an area far from you, deeply shadowed by trees. The water was nice and cool, and felt good on his body after the heat of the day, but wasn’t cold enough to take his mind off of you, or to do away with the result of his thoughts. He ducked his head under the water, wetting his hair and pushing it out of his face, then looked over at you. You had resumed swimming on the other side, maybe a hundred feet away. A decent distance, but not nearly far enough, not for what he needed to do.

As he watched, you leaned back, relaxing into the water and floating up on your back. Though most of you was still underwater, he could clearly see the arc of your breasts in the moonlight. Thoughts of cupping them in his hands and taking them into his mouth came unbidden, making his cock ache with want.

“Jesus Christ, woman, what you do to me . . . ,” he muttered under his breath.

His hand snaked slowly across his hip as he took hold of his cock, eyes riveted on your shape. As his hand slid slowly down his length, he told himself that it was just this one, just to take the edge off, and then he’d stop. When he reached the end of his stroke, he let his thumb glide over the tip, teasing himself. You looked so tempting, he couldn’t help himself, and before he realized it, he was running his hand along his cock in long, languid strokes. He pictured your full, soft lips, tongue running over them flirtatiously as you held his gaze, your naked body ready for his adoration. How he’d love to spoil you with his attention, kissing every inch, praise pouring from his lips. He’d get down on his knees at your feet, worship you if that’s what you wanted.

He was lost in his fantasy, eyes closed as you slipped through the water towards him, and he didn’t notice when you crept up beside him. You watched him for a moment, eyes wide as heat coursed through your body. For a second, you wondered what you should do, and in that second, Arthur’s eyes opened. He jumped back, cursing as he covered himself with his hands and tried to think of a good excuse.

“I swear, it ain’t . . . I mean, I’m not . . . it ain’t what it looks like!”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Well if it ain’t what it looked like, what is it?”

Arthur’s mouth opened, then closed again. He could think of a hundred things to say, and not one of them was believable. Finally he sighed, his shoulders drooping.

“Alright, it was what it looked like. I’m real sorry. It was stupid of me.” He shook his head. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go hang myself.”

He turned to leave, but you grabbed his shoulder to stop him, giggling. He looked at you, pleading, desperate to be freed from this awkward predicament. To make matters worse, he was still hard, his erection between the two of you like an exclamation point.

“Arthur . . ,” you tried, gently, “I ain’t upset.”

He looked at you like you’d grown another head. “The hell you mean, you ain’t mad. Of course you’re mad. You got every right to be.”

You shook your head. “I tell you, I ain’t mad.” You swallowed hard. “But I gotta ask you something, and I wanna know the truth, alright? You owe me that much.” Arthur nodded as you put your hand beneath his chin, forcing him to look in your eyes. “What was it you were thinking about?”

There was a long pause as your heart pounded in your chest, desperate to know. Arthur shook his head, trying wordlessly to convince you to not ask, but you gave him a stern look, holding his gaze as he tried to look away. Finally he gave in, figuring that he’d ruined yet another of the few good things he’d had. His eyes softened as he breathed out a single word, barely audible even in the stillness of the night.

“You.”

He cast his eyes downward, resigning himself to your fury. It was quite a surprise to him, then, when you ducked beneath his head and pressed your mouth to his. He was so shocked, he didn’t even respond to the kiss, making you worry for a second that you’d crossed a line. When you leaned back, brow furrowed, he looked at you with his eyes wide and his mouth half open for a moment, then pulled you into his arms, his mouth crashing against yours. He was desperate, hungry for you, and you were more than happy to oblige. As you threw your arms around his shoulders, he lifted you, wrapping your legs around his hips and carrying you out of the water. Any thoughts of modesty were forgotten, lost in the passion of your mouth against his throat as he crossed the bank to where the tent was set.

He lowered you carefully, kneeling in front of you to spread kisses along your hips and thighs as you stumbled backwards, trying to feel your way to the tent. Arthur was relentless, grasping desperately at your hips to pull you back against his mouth. His hot kisses turned into gentle nips, then hard bites that left marks along your skin, until you tangled your hands in his hair to pull his head back. A grunt of harsh pleasure left his throat as he looked up at you from his knees, eyes closing as you tugged his hair again. His hands traveled over your hips, sliding up across your sides as you kneeled in front of him, planting a soft kiss on his lips.

You backed into the tent, leaning on your elbow as you beckoned him forward. Obediently, he crawled towards you, his body hovering over yours as he drew in a sharp breath. He ran his calloused fingers over your collarbone, trailing down over your breast and making you shiver with pleasure. Slowly letting the weight of his body descend on yours, he trailed soft kisses along your throat, inhaling your scent and whispering against your skin.

“You’re so goddamn perfect.”

“Speak for yourself.”

A breathy laugh turned into a moan as he pressed his hips against yours, grinding against you and spreading your wetness down the length of his shaft. You were warm, so slick and full against him he almost wanted to finish like that, spreading his cum across your stomach as your bodies moved against each other. Instead, he lifted his hips as you slipped your hand down between your legs. You found him slick and eager as you lead him to your entrance, hooking your foot around his calf.

He hesitated for just a moment, until you grasped his arms and lifted your hips against him, a soft whimper of lust breathed in his ear. He tried to still himself, to be calm and gentle as he pushed into you, but desire took over the second he felt your warmth around him. He needed you, craved you, and drove into you hard and fast as you gasped. Your fingers gripped the flesh of his shoulders, nails biting bloody crescents into his skin.

He was wild, desperate, hips pounding against yours while his mouth left mark after mark across your neck like he was laying claim to your body. The faster he moved, the more you came apart beneath him, his primal sounds of pleasure pushing you closer to the edge by the second. As he hit the deepest part of your core, you cried out his name, loosing a deep growl from his chest as his teeth pressed into the tender flesh of your shoulder. You could tell by the way his moans turned desperate, hips beginning to falter in their steady rhythm, that he was closing in on his release, and closing fast. Once again you put your hand between your legs, this time to take him out, angling him to slide against your clit in rapid strokes. Soon your thighs were clenching tight around him, head thrown back as you cried out his name, pleasure ripping through your body.

It took no time at all for Arthur to add his cries to yours, his cum thick and hot against your stomach as he collapsed over you. His body was covered in a fine sheen of sweat that somehow made him look even sexier than he had before, though he scoffed when you told him so. You took his face in your hands, pressing your forehead to his.

“I need you to understand this, Arthur. I. Want. You. Only you. I want your face, I want your skin, I want your body. I want your heart, and I want your mind. All of you.” You kissed him softly and slowly before continuing. “I happen to think you’re a damn fine specimen of a man, and I won’t hear nothing else. You keep saying mean things about yourself and you’re gonna break my heart. You wanna be responsible for my poor broken heart?”

He chuckled, nuzzling into your neck and placing a kiss there before propping himself back up to look at you.

Thank you for the suggestion @hey-its-cammy ! I’ve been AWOL for a bit but this has been a constant thought and this song is so arthur !

So I have gone for Beaver Hollow. Towards the end I suppose. It’s sad and angst and I’m adding some fluffy. I hope you like it 💕

It had been 14 days since the gang moved camps, this new place was in Beaver Hollow. It was the least homely place you stayed so far. Between the stress of pinkertons and everybody’s uneasiness with each other it had made you miss the sweaty and sticky run down house back at Shady belle . Something you never thought you miss. But days like that, where you’d laugh, joke and sing with each other had long gone, and it now seemed more like dreams than memories. Everybody was keeping to themselves. Dutch and Micah especially. Dutch never really says anything anymore. No more speech’s that rally you together, no more obnoxiously loud music. Just pacing which can be seen at night as a shadow inside his tent. Abigail is crying all the time, John has been caught by the law, Karen is constantly drunk and Arthur kicked Strauss out a few days ago now which has dropped the camp morale even more.

Sleeping was hard. You’d lay awake long into the night worrying about everyone, and what your life would be if the gang fell apart. You couldn’t think of any positives yet.. no plan B. So you just crossed your fingers and prayed when you woke up it would all turn out to be a horrid dream. But you never slept that long, just an hour or so and you’d be up and sitting on the rock at the edge of camp to watch the sun rise every morning. The only time the camp felt at peace, when not even Pearson was awake.

This day was no different. You woke with a sweat and bolted upright. Another bad dream where everyone but you is dead. You know better now that it was useless trying to go back to sleep. So your up and dressed in no time. As you peek out your tent it’s barely light and you could tell the sun would be rising any moment, your body clock was great for that. You head over to the rock on the ledge that looks over the river, it was your favourite spot to watch the sunrise. As your round your tent you see a hunched figure sitting on that rock. As you get closer you notice the broad frame and the infamous blue shirt on Arthur’s back. You still, almost as if he was a deer that you could spook if you made too much noise or movement. This is the first time he’s been in camp since he kicked Strauss out, and you didn’t want him to run off again. You watch him for a few moments, the rise and fall of his shoulders, his worn black hat that’d identify him from a mile off. It was nice to observe him when he thought he was alone, he looked more real like this, not the hard and brave outlaw he fronted everyday. You take a few cautious steps towards him, and as you round the rock he turns to look at you. You catch a glimpse of sadness in his ocean blue eyes before he stores it away and offers you a half smile, his eyes examining your face. Enough to make you blush, and smile kindly back. He looked tired, and older

“You’re up early” Arthur says, shifting over to make more space next him. His eyes drifted back to the view. The first bit of sunlight had begun to shine, bringing a cool breeze alongside it,

“Couldn’t sleep” you answer simply, taking his offered seat beside him on the rock. Despite their being plenty of space between you, goosebumps litter your arms underneath you cardigan.

“Mhm, I know that feelin” he mumbles. You both fall into a comfortable silence as the sun starts to cut round the mountains now, casting reflections of the branches across your legs, and when you turn to watch Arthur again you see he’s already watching you. He gives you that same half smile before asking

“You alrigh’ darlin’?”

His eyes searching your face, as if any internal pain would be reflected outwards for him to see.

“Just worried, that’s all” you shrug, as if the nightmares were just a scary story told round the campfire.

“Ain’t we all” Arthur replies, his eyes don’t leave your face and before he gets the chance to probe any further you intercept,

“How are you Arthur?”

“I’m just fine, really enjoyin’ myself ” Arthur laughs, the sarcasm clear in his voice. The laugh turns into a coughing it and your eyes alarm and he pats his chest hard to clear it. After a few moments the coughing stops, but he continues to wheeze, resting his hands on his knees to cough up a red liquid into a cloth he pulled from somewhere

“Excuse me” he mumbles, avoiding your gaze

“You’re sick” you state simply, more as a fact than shock

Arthur stills as if he could just pretend you said nothing. If feels that way as the silence remains without his response.

“It’s alright arthur, no one else is here” you finally encourage “you know I keep myself to myself”

“I’ve got tuberculosis.” He blurts, before he takes a breath “and I’m probably gonna die”

Your face drops, and you try to imagine it. A world without Arthur..

“Oh arthur” you croak, your voice cracking enough for him to look at you with concern “I’m so sorry”

“Me too” Arthur mumbles “The thing is.. I got sick beating a sick man for money. It’s about right how this is gonna end, I was born into this life, grew up learning how to rob and steal, and I’ll die in this life being rembered for being a bad man and nothing more”

“Arthur, that ain’t true. You are a good man”

“Am I? Cause I don’t feel it.” Arthur says, shaking his head, “The sick man’s wife.. I saw her in Annesburgh.She’s offering’ herself for money.. and the boy, he’s barely old enough and is working himself to death in those mines. Their lives, do you think their lives would be like that if it weren’t for me, for the bad company they found”

“You couldn’t of known he was sick..” you begin

“That’s the thing.. I knew but I didn’t care” Arthur interrupts, his face twisting with disgust “I went and made my choices a long time ago, I guess I gotta start paying for my sins”

“Is that how you really feel?”

Arthur shrugs, sighing heavily before confessing “I guess..I’m afraid”

“Afraid?” You ask, surprised. As long as you’ve known Arthur he ain’t afraid of anything “of dying?”

“No, I ain’t afraid of dying” he chuckles lightly

“Then what ?” You push, but the reluctance in the silence is clear he won’t answer you

Arthur turns to you after a long moment, “Promise me.. when the time comes... you will get out, leave before anyone knows who you are, you can start a new life… a normal life”

“Arthur..”

“Please darlin’… I insist” Arthur pleads “I ain’t letting ya live a life like mine, one that will be forgotten”

“You can live a normal life too Arthur, you gotta try” you say, you inside hurting with the pain of leaving him behind

“There’s a difference. You have time.. me.. I don’t. Even if I wanted to I couldn’t live a normal life now, men like me.. we don’t get acceptance.. we don’t get to be free without consequences”

“A normal life, as you call it.. would be being free?”

“I used to think we were free already, away from all that civilisation…but I ain’t too sure anymore “

“Me neither” you says “ I think Freedom is however you view it, it ain’t one way ..”

“I coulda had it, that normal life with my son, Issac. But I choose Dutch, the gang and I don’t regret that.. but sometimes I wonder…if I stayed maybe he would of lived..”

“That ain’t your fault and what you did then, what choices you made.. they don’t matter now” you say, “what does matters is using the time you have left to save those who need it, make the right choices now”

“I ain’t no hero. I’ll die a god damn outlaw, no amount of good I do now will change that”

You watch as he frowns, his face unable to hide the hurt at loosing his son all those years ago, the worry about what will happen when he’s gone and no one can protect those who need it. You say nothing, you know nothing you can say will fix that pain or ease his worry. Instead you just place your hand on his warm thigh, and look out as the sun rises higher warming your face. You feel his gaze on you, and this his warm hand covers yours

“I’ll remember you” you say quietly. Arthur’s hand squeezes yours in response “you are more than an outlaw, you’re brave and strong and you mean… a lot to me”

You turn to meet his gaze, his eyes full of uncertainty,

“And all those little things you’re doin Arthur, when you think no one is watchin… you are changin people’s lives and I’m sure as anything they’ll remember you.. nearly as fondly as I will”

Arthur flushes red at this, “you think too highly of me darlin’, you’re too young to know any different”

“Age aint got anything to do with anything” you shake your head laughing “I could meet thousands of gunslinging outlaws and I won’t ever meet another man that will compare to you”

Arthur flushes even more, and looks away from you still holding your hand tight. It was clear he was embarrassed from hearing what you really thought of him, but he just mumbles

“You are somethin’ else.. one of a kind”

You laugh, a genuine laugh and it feels so good. Arthur’s face snaps back to you and he smiles as if he shares the shock and joy of hearing such a happy noise again. You smile at him,

“Hey, you should come hunting with me and Charles today. I think being away from camp for a bit will do you some good”