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Note: I am starting with my oldest works first. These are starting with 2018 to most current. I promise my writing has improved. Any Kudos or comments are always appreciated! Feel free to comment here or my tumblr of the same username if you have any requests.Jack had just been successfully rescued from Angelo Bronte’s men. The gang was so relieved that they threw a party. Normally, Arthur would grab a beer, chat for a bit and then go to his tent for the night. Arthur is definitely a bit of an introvert in that he’s fine with social interaction, but it can be draining for him.Arthur was leaning against a tree observing the party. Sean was begging Karen for a dance. Miss Grimshaw was playing dominoes with Mr. Pearson. Tilly was dancing with Lenny with Mary-Beth cheering them on.Arthur was watching you laughing at something Uncle said when John elbowed him saying, “ You should ask them to dance, ya know. They’d love it.”John then walked away with a wink. Arthur scoffed. There’s no way he was going to take romantic advice from anyone, especially John fucking Marston.Then again, you did look exceedingly attractive tonight. You had put on a new dress/suit and had coiffed your hair with pomade. Earlier, Arthur thought he’d caught a whiff of a new scent as well. He scowled feeling conflicted. He wasn’t lucky in love. Just look at how things ended with Mary. At the same time, Marston may be a shit, but he didn’t think Marston would ever set him up.He gulped the rest of his drink and slowly approached the log you were sitting. Javier was playing the guitar and Bill was in the midst of an argument with Micah while Charles watched bored. Good. Maybe they wouldn’t notice him if he fucked this up. You looked at him and beamed. Arthur’s lip twitched into a quick smile. Damn it. Why do you have to make this so hard for me? He thought. No. He had survived multiple stab wounds, gunshots and torture sessions. Right now, he thought getting shot might be less painful.He cleared his throat. “Hey, Y/N. I was wonderingifyouwantedtodancewithme.” He said it so quickly it all came out one word. You squinted trying to process what he said. He quickly stuttered,“I mean you don’t have to. I ain’t going to make you. I was just joking. Bye”. with that, he turned to leave, blushing furiously. You grabbed his wrist and smiled sweetly.“Of course! I’d love to.” You had mercy on his soul and led him closer to the privacy the trees offered. You knew he wouldn’t want to dance in front of the others.Arthur was in two minds. Pure excitement and the hell did I get myself into? He glanced at you shyly,“I ain’t real good at this, you know. I kinda got two left feet, but I’ll be real careful, darlin’.” You just squeezed his hand and said, “I’m not worried. I’m sure you’re fine.”.He was taller than you and definitely wider. You could have kissed him and no one would have seen you. He stood there with your hand in his, he slowly put a hand on your waist. The two of you moved slowly to the strum of Javier’s guitar. He gave you a slow twirl and a small smile. He seemed less nervous, but still a bit reluctant.Javier then moved on to play a slower, more sweet song. That’s when you decided to close the gap and wrap your arms around Arthur’s middle. You started to sway slowly and looked up at Arthur. He let out a small laugh and wrapped his arms around you. You then laid your head on his chest hearing his poor heart racing. You thought he got past this. You laid a hand over his pec and shushed him. “It’s alright. I’m not going to attack you, Arthur”.He let out a laugh, “Yeah, I wondered if you could feel that. I’m sorry. You just stir up all sorts of feelings in me. I’ll be better.” You glanced up at him quirked an eyebrow.“It’s not about being better. You’re doing amazing. I just wanted to let you know that you can trust me. I know how difficult it is to open up to someone. To take a risk. But if your heart is going to be pumping like that, at least let me give it a good reason, too”.You then grabbed the back of his neck and gave him a gentle yet passionate kiss. You grinned placing your head back on his chest feeling his heart skip. Arthur let out a whistle.“Yeah. That will do it.”. He then kissed you on the forehead and sighed contently.All the sudden, you heard a wolf whistle. The two of you whipped your heads around to see John Marston and Charles grinning wildly at you both. Charles gave him a nod of approval and a quiet, “Nice” while John said, “I told you this was a good idea!”.Arthur blushed and hissed, “God damn it! You two get the hell out of here before I kick y’all across this camp!”.
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*This poor thing is very touch starved. He will definitely stiffen up the first time you touch him. It’s like you can see the gears turning in his head. He has had his heart broken many times so he would wonder if he dares dream that you like him even a fraction of how much he loves you.*Will melt if you massage his aching muscles. He would definitely have to stifle a moan. If he’s in private, he is more likely to let a few slip. The noises he makes are an interesting combination of cute and sexy. He is more than willing to return the favor.*Speaking of moans, Arthur adores having his hair combed through with your fingers.*Once you finally convince him that you love him and are not embarrassed to be seen with him, you can just see the pep in his step. He will want to hold hands with you when you’re able to. He has really large hands, too so you always feel safe feeling his calloused hand wrapped around yours.* He loves hugs. He’s not as likely to initiate them at first but will do so later as he becomes more confident. Hugs from behind always make him laugh. (Although try not to startle him too much…)* Loves to cuddle. He loves holding you against his chest and wrap his arms around you. He’ll play with your hair and just sigh contently.*He nearly sheds a tear the first time you cradle his head to your chest. That feeling of love and warmth is just overwhelming. The sound of your heartbeat is really soothing to him and he’ll likely fall asleep soon after.Arthur wants to keep your relationship on the down low. Not because he’s ashamed of you - no, never. He’s ashamed of you being seen with him. He also knows that the other camp members are going to talk.* You assure him over and over again that you’re not ashamed of him. That you want to be with him.*Each kiss you give him is an affirmation of your love. Every time you stroke his cheek or his hand. This man needs all the affirmation in the world - and you give it to him. You’ll give it to him every day if need be.*You start off with spontaneously grabbing his hand whenever you feel like it and then releasing it as soon as he realizes what you’re doing. This always takes him by surprise - his eyes narrowing in suspicion.*Each time, you increase the amount of time you hold his hand until it becomes normal to him. When you’re in public, you’ll grab onto his arm or hold his hand. He blushes a rosy hue each and every time.*At the campfire, you’ll brush your leg against his. Sometimes, if he’s feeling bold, he’ll brush against you in return. Charles notices but says nothing. He’s a good bro.* You like to rest your hand on his thigh. Sometimes, you’ll massage the muscles underneath or run your fingernails over them till he has to suppress a shiver. He always makes the quietest of whines. He is in two minds about it: He hates that he gives you such a reaction, but he doesn’t want you to stop either.* When you’re drunk, you are sometimes very affectionate. You’ll wrap your arms around his neck and smash your lips to his. Sometimes, you will dramatically fall into his lap and ask him to hold you. You could have sworn you have pinched his ass before. Arthur is usually a little embarrassed, but he also finds it rather endearing. He knows you would stop anything he didn’t want you to do and that you wouldn’t ever go too far anyway. He knows that drunk feelings are often true feelings.* You’ve never seen him as drunk as he was with Lenny - but you’ve heard about it. When he’s drunk, he’s openly affectionate with you. He’ll put an arm around your waist and lay your head on your shoulder. He’ll stare at you for long periods before getting up and pepper your face with kisses.* The weirdest thing you’ve seen him do: You were laughing with Uncle by the fire. Arthur was hovering in the corner until Uncle’s story was finished. He then wandered to you before giving you a very gentlemanly bow, offering his hand and said,“ My dear lady/gentleman, would you please accompany me to my tent so that we may commence snuggling?”.* You almost laughed in his face. It was so unexpected. He had decided to imitate some of Josiah Trelawny’s accent and mannerisms hoping to charm you. However, you saw the look in his eyes and nodded before saying in your own impression of Trelawny,“My darling Arthur, I would very much love to accompany you for snuggles.”.With that, you took Arthur’s arm, leaving a bewildered Uncle behind.* Once in bed, you held him in one of his favorite positions - head on chest, fingers combing through his hair. Before going to sleep, you told him that he never needed to put on an act around you. He could simply ask or hint about what he wanted. He didn’t say anything, but you did notice him asking for affection more often.*You, of course, always give him what he needs.
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You and Arthur had just performed a very successful heist, one of your most lucrative since you joined the gang several months ago. It was over seven hundred dollars worth of loot! Surely Miss Grimshaw and Dutch would be placated by the haul. You and Arthur were galloping your horses laughing maniacally, hooting and hollering. You couldn’t remember the last time your spirits had been this high!“ I can’t believe it, Arthur! Who the hell carries this much money with them on a carriage?” you said laughing. Arthur smirked and growled,“A dumbass, that’s who,”.You and Arthur had just reached a clearing only a mile from camp. You waved your hand for Arthur to stop his horse. He obliged your request and raised an eyebrow.“I have an idea. How about we have a friendly race between us?” You exclaimed“A friendly race, eh? Not so sure it will stay that way, but I’m game.” He said simply.“Alright, how about we make this interesting. Loser has to buy the other a round of drinks at the saloon!” You said readying your reigns. Arthur nodded his approval.“Great. On the count of three! One…two…three!” With that, you were off.You gave your horse an encouraging pat on the neck as the scenery flew by. Tears had come to your eyes from the cool wind. You rode like your life depended on it - in the past it had! You ventured a look at Arthur who was only inches behind you. You couldn’t help but laugh at the look of concentration on Arthur’s face. He looked so cute the way his eyebrows furrowed and his lips were almost pouting.The camp was in sight! You leaned over to your horse’s ear mumbling quiet words of encouragement,“There we are, girl. We’re almost there! I’m sorry I pushed you so hard, but just a little more! You’ll get a juicy red apple out of this.” Your beautiful red roan let out a huff and pushed forward. You won the race!Bill Williamson had watch-duty and shouted a startled, “Who’s there?”. He visibly relaxed as he saw you and Arthur come in to view. Arthur nodded a greeting at Bill. You dismount your horse and watched as Arthur did the same.“Alright cowboy, I win. You owe me a round of drinks!” you said giggling. You gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. He gave you a rather tight smile and motioned for the loot.Oh yeah. You had almost forgotten about your haul in the excitement of the race.“Payday, folks!” You yelled as the two of your placed your bags of loot next to the contribution box. Dutch sauntered towards you placing a hand on your shoulder and Arthur’s before bellowing,“ Now that’s what I like to see! Look at this, everyone! This is the type of reward you get when you work hard. Learn that well. You all need to pull your weight like these fine gentlefolk. Thank you, Arthur and YN”. With that, he gave you claps on the shoulder and walked towards his tent.You turned to say something to Arthur, but he was gone. Your smile fell. What was wrong with him? He was fine laughing and joking with you before the race, was he that much of a sore loser? You didn’t think so, but maybe you were wrong. You shook your head. No, maybe he was just tired? It was a well-known fact that Arthur over-worked himself. You wandered towards the supplies wagon and found an apple to give your roan.She started to paw the ground excitedly as you drew near. Her ears twitched as she took the apple, slobbering happily. You gave her a hug before going to the women’s tent to change.Throughout the day, you kept yourself busy doing whatever needed to be done. Every time you tried to speak to Arthur, he coldly brushed past you without sparing you a glance. The first time you thought he didn’t hear you, but there was no mistaking it the other two times.You wandered off to the right side of camp, there, Mary-Beth, Tilly and Karen were sewing and darning clothes. You smiled in greeting as you grabbed a spare needle and thread and went to work.“That was a pretty big haul, ya get there ____. Don’t know if it was as good as my bank robbery, though.” Karen said with a grin. You and Karen had a friendly competition as to who could bring in more money. Right now, Karen was winning, but you were doing your damndest to catch up.“I don’t know Karen, I thought it was pretty good. I think I might have more than you know.” You said bluffing. Karen laughed calling your bluff.Tilly looked up from the sock she was working on,“You and Arthur looked like you had fun”. She said with a knowing smile. Mary-Beth hawed in agreement. You shrugged. The ladies always teased each other over who would get to Arthur first. It was all in good fun, but there was no doubt that you and Arthur had a special connection.“I don’t know. Arthur doesn’t seem too happy with me, right now” you said sparing a glance at Arthur’s direction. He was sitting with Jack reading a story.Mary-Beth put the shirt she was sewing down.“Now Y/N, you know Arthur’s crazy for you. We’ve all seen the way he looks at you. The way he sneaks little things to you. I’m sure things are fine.” You explained how Arthur was deliberately avoiding you.Tilly let out a snort.“Girl, I’m telling you. He loves you. He just doesn’t know what to do with that it’s pissing him off. He’s as stubborn as an ass.” Karen muttered a quiet ‘damn right’ under her breath.Mary-Beth nodded. “I agree with Tilly. Just give him a little time. Then try to talk to him.”At dinner, you sat next to Abigail and Jack asking how their day went. Every once in a while, you caught Arthur glancing at you with an imperceptible look on his face. You heard John sigh dramatically.“Would you stop your brooding? It’s makin’ me lose my appetite,” he said with a slight scowl. Arthur drank the rest of his stew, places his bowl on the table and made his way to his tent.“Well, that solves that problem, doesn’t it, John?” Javier said watching Arthur leave. Abigail rolled her eyes and gave you a pat on the knee. You finished your stew quietly as Jack finished telling you how many new words he learned today.“That’s great, Jack. You’re learning so much. I’m proud of you. Keep it up,”. With that, you ruffled his hair and bid everyone a good night.You then made your way to Arthur’s tent where he was furiously scribbling something in his journal. You cleared your throat quietly. You heard his pencil stop for a moment and then resume its pace.Tears started to well in your eyes, but you refused to let them fall.“Arthur, please. Please stop ignoring me, I can’t stand it. If you’re mad at me, please just tell me why so I can fix it.” You pleaded. Still nothing.“If it’s about the race, you don’t need to buy me a round of drinks. It doesn’t matter. It was just a stupid game.” You saw his shoulders tighten up.“If you want me to go, just say it. I’ll go as far as I can, but you have to look me in the eye and say it,”. You didn’t know whether you were begging him, challenging him, or both.You heard him sigh. He slammed his journal shut and shoved it underneath his pillow. He ran a hand through his blonde locks before his eyes finally met yours.“Let’s go for a ride.” was all he said. A ride? He clearly had lost his mind. It was nearing eight o clock now and it was getting very dark. You saddled up your horse with a quiet apology to her and followed him. Was he wanting to race you again? What if it was something more sinister? What if…“Let’s go, YN” he called out, interrupting your thoughts. He took you about a mile or so away from camp, you following somewhat cautiously. If this was a race of some sort, you were going to let him win.He halted his horse and jumped down before offering his hand. You took it unsure of what to think. You glanced up at him before you realized how truly exhausted he had looked. You all a sudden felt bad for hounding him, but it still didn’t give him the right to treat you like he did.“I’m sorry, Y/N. I’ve been acting like an ass. I’ve been under a little pressure, but that’s not your problem. I have just been doing some thinking lately. Today just confirmed it. Watching you race me led to my thoughts racing and I realized that I think I’m in love with you.” He said whisper-quiet. You had to really strain to hear what he was saying.You couldn’t believe it. Sure, he was flirty with you, but he came across that way to a lot of people.“You…love me?” You stammered.“Yeah. Um, you don’t have to feel the same way. I was planning on just leaving you alone or something, but I can’t hide it anymore. Not really good at that anyway.” He said looking at you sadly. You grabbed his hand, relishing the feel of his large hand in yours.“I think I feel the same way, Arthur Morgan. I just didn’t think there was any way you’d feel the same”. You said feeling your smile return.“Really? Damn. I really am a fool. Shoulda done this sooner, I guess.” he said with a small laugh. You agreed.“Say, how about instead of you buying me drinks, we make this a date. A real one,” you said embracing him. He stiffened a little before returning the embrace.“A date - date? Oh man, I haven’t been on one of those in a long time.” He said thoughtfully.“Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Just us drinking, eating and having a good time,” you assured him.“Hmm. I like the sound of that.”
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I didn’t want to torture my anon with a huge ass response. I thought I’d write some background HCs for John and Arthur being in love with the reader.* You’ve been with the camp for years. You were found by Dutch and Hosea only a year after John was found. You were slightly older than John being about nineteen.John:*John was very prickly around most people. He was very guarded and acted like an abused dog that had been hit one too many times. Sadly, this was probably true, but he was always noticeably softer around you.* He always wears his hat low so you don’t see how he blushes around you. He also tends to stutter easily around you.* He definitely tries to show off which is only sometimes successful. The rest of the time he risks embarrassing himself.* I can see him trying to brush against you. Like “accidentally” holding hands. He’s very touched starved so he just melts when you place an arm around him or lay your head on his shoulder.* Your first kiss with him was after you were shot. He was so terrified of you dying, that he stayed by your side the entire time despite Hosea’s reassurance that you were fine. When you woke up, he gently gave you a hug and kissed you. It was sweet, a little rough due to inexperience, but heartfelt.* Awkward John also told you he loved you right after this. You just smiled and kissed him again not realizing he was serious.*Dutch ships it. He thinks you calm John down and make him want to become better. Plus, John is just really cute all flustered.Arthur:* Very gentlemanly towards you, but doesn’t seem to pay a lot of attention to you at first. When he sees you start to pull your weight around, he definitely softens up a bit.* Arthur at this age is a lot smoother than John is. He takes great delight in making you blush and winks at you. You give as good as you get and celebrate when you make him blush.* Arthur is also pretty calm and rational compared to John. (Arthur is still rather impulsive so that’s not saying much…)* You laugh a lot together and bond over books. Sometimes you have passionate debates about books, history, politics, etc. Only thing is, it makes it a lot harder for him to try and put on the “dumb brute” act.* Despite the laughter and the flirting, there’s something very vulnerable about him that he just can’t hide no matter how hard he tries. It’s his eyes that give it away.*Hosea ships it. He thinks you bring out Arthur’s intelligent and sensitive side. He also thinks you two are a lot healthier than what he had with Mary.* You surprise him by kissing him first. You two were huddled up around the campfire, shoulders touching. He was laughing at something you said. Next thing you know, your lips are on his. Once over the surprise, he’s cradling your head kissing you back. Unfortunately, he smiles sadly and says, “You don’t want me, sweetheart. You deserve better.” and walks to his tent leaving you hurt.Prelude to Fight:* Lots of longing glances over the year from John, even after meeting Abigail. Ever since that little confession, he didn’t know how to actually show his genuine love for you. You truly didn’t know how bad he had it for you. Still doesn’t completely outgrow his awkward stage. He likes Abigail, but at this point, they’re not really compatible. He pulls away from you slightly after finding out about the pregnancy. He leaves completely before Jack is born. You’re heartbroken, but try to help Abigail.* Arthur definitely put up a bit of a wall around you ever since the kiss. He was still kind as ever, but he didn’t laugh as easily and the flirting was much less.Then the fight happens.
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* You’ve been with the camp for years. You were found by Dutch and Hosea only a year after John was found. You were slightly older than John being about nineteen when found.John : * Your first kiss with him was after you were shot. He was so terrified of you dying, that he stayed by your side the entire time despite Hosea’s reassurance that you were fine. When you woke up, he gently gave you a hug and kissed you. It was sweet, a little rough due to inexperience, but heartfelt.
Awkward John also told you he loved you right after this. You just smiled and kissed him again not realizing he was serious.*Dutch ships it. He thinks you calm John down and make him want to become a better person. ( outlaw?) Plus, John is just really cute all flustered.Arthur:* You laugh a lot together and bond over books and debates.*Hosea ships it. He thinks you bring out Arthur’s intelligent and sensitive side. He also thinks you two are a lot healthier than what he had with Mary.* You surprise him by kissing him first. You two were huddled up around the campfire, shoulders touching. He was laughing at something you said when you realized how handsome he was. Next thing you know, your lips are on his. Once over the surprise, he’s cradling your head kissing you back. Unfortunately, he smiles sadly and says, “You don’t want me, sweetheart. You deserve better.” and walks to his tent leaving you hurt.Prompt starts here: Fight:* Lots of longing glances over the year from John, even after meeting Abigail. Ever since that little confession, he didn’t know how to actually show his genuine love for you. You truly didn’t know how bad he had it for you. He pulls away from you slightly after meeting Abigail and finding out about the pregnancy. He leaves completely before Jack is born. You’re heartbroken, but try to help Abigail.* Arthur definitely put up a bit of a wall around you ever since the kiss. He was still kind as ever, but he didn’t laugh as easily and the flirting was much less.* The fight occurred when you and Arthur were drinking at a saloon. Hosea had insisted that the two of you go into town together for some reason or another and you two ended at the saloon drinking and laughing.* After a few drinks, you were in a dark corner, sitting on Arthur’s lap flirting and joking. He surprised you when a sober moment came and he said,
“I really was a dumb ass about the campfire incident. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I wanted better for you. I’m so sorry, but I’m a selfish man.”, He then kissed you which you eagerly returned.* John had decided that he was going to confess his feelings for you that night and had cleaned up after Dutch told him where you were. He was tired of waiting. He walked in right as you and Arthur were making out.* Everything else was kind of a blur.* John had shouted “What the Fuck? You ignore them for years before deciding you need them?” And You? You’re just okay with this?” Arthur just laughed in his face.“Pretty sure they’re fine with it, especially since they were kissing me back. Look at you all dressed up. Guess you were going to try to confess now. How cute, YN and I have always gotten along. We’ve always had fun discussing books and philosophy. You barely know how to read. What have you two got in common? You already have someone. Go home to Abigail and Jack.”“You mean a woman who doesn’t love me and a kid that probably ain’t mine?” John spat. He didn’t have a response to the books.Arthur just said, “ Yep. Be a man and provide for your family. You know? The one you chose.”John smirked.“That’s rich considering you were dumped by Mary and you couldn’t protect your own family.”Arthur saw red.* Next thing you knew, tables were turned and fists were flying. Brutal punches and kicks all around with furious shouting.* Thankfully, Charles had overheard both Hosea and Dutch’s conversations and had put the pieces together. He, Lenny and Javier arrived soon after to stop the fight. They dragged the two away from each other with Charles calming John and Lenny calming Arthur down.* Javier escorted you back to camp. Your face red in embarrassment hoping no one else at camp figured it out.* You now had a choice to make. John, Arthur, or neither.
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* You had been trying to keep yourself busy since the others came back without Arthur. At first, you thought that the gang had accidentally come back without Arthur. You thought that he was just going to be a day behind at worst. There was no way anyone would dare leave Arthur behind. Arthur who had given his entire life to the gang so loyally for nearly twenty years. Arthur who made sure everyone had food to eat and tried to keep the peace. He who would go out of the way to make sure Jack had a toy to play with or that Mary-Beth had the paper to write her stories and a lot of other things.* You were stunned when Dutch said he had no plans to rescue Arthur because he’d be fine. His flippant behaviour was frankly appalling because not only was this a gang member but a son. You were damn near ready to start your own search party, but that’s when you hear hoof beats. Arthur had finally returned to camp. You gasped horrified thinking he was dead. Arthur wobbled off his horse, limped to his tent and collapsed.
* You had hardly left his side since he came back to camp deciding to pull up a chair next to his cot. You attempted to bathe him to the best of your ability using rags. Then, you cleaned and stitched his wounds. Some of them were just ghastly and it broke your heart to see him so bruised and battered. You tried to feed him his broth and gave him your portion as well. You shed a few tears when he awoke.*When Arthur awoke, he thought he was dead. He hardly remembered stumbling into camp and to see you by his side tending to him? There’s just no way it could have been real. He remembered slipping into unconsciousness multiple times while he was being tortured. He always dreamt of you and now you were here with him.You promised to never take him for granted again.* The first time you reach out to touch him, he flinches. Your heart breaks at that.* When he sees himself in the mirror, he says “Damn. I just keep getting uglier by the minute. Not sure why you bother.”
You respond with “Stop that. You’re beautiful to me. Most of this will heal. Besides, I see how all the ladies and quite a few of the gents look at you”. He doesn’t quite believe you, but he’s comforted anyway.* You spend a lot of time giving him gentle caresses, soft kisses and combing through his hair. He was pleased to see that you kept it pretty clean.* You’re pretty sure you’re babbling, but you keep telling him how much you love him and how thankful you are that he’s back. You tried to catch him up to the events that he had missed, but you just didn’t have the heart to tell him that Dutch didn’t search for him. Not yet.* When he drifts off to actually sleep, you see his brows furrow and his jaw clench. His breathing speeds up. You reach out to wake him when he starts to whimper. All you can hear is small exclamations of no as he starts to thrash. As much as you want to lay a hand on him, you don’t want to accidentally get hit. You know that would make Arthur feel sick if anything happened to you, especially by his own hand.* You urgently start to call his name until he wakes with a start, wild-eyed and panting. You just gently coo his name and approach him slowly before laying a hand on his shoulder.* He immediately tries to apologise for waking you. You just sit on the cot and embrace him professing your love for him and saying there is nothing to be ashamed of. He sheepishly asks if you’d cuddle him. You, of course, do. You pull his head to rest on your chest and you card through his hair. You sleep like this until he’s able to be out and about. (Even then, you’re seriously considering moving into his tent.)* He’s stubborn. The moment he’s able to walk properly, he immediately wants to go back to helping Dutch who has only checked in on him once. At least Dutch looked somewhat guilty. Upon hearing this, you decide it’s time for an “impromptu hunting trip”. You pack a few of yours and Arthur’s things and ready the horses. You don’t even allow Dutch to say a word. Arthur just quirks an eyebrow and follows.* You lead him to the nearest town and rent a hotel room for the new couple of days. There, you send Arthur to take a bath while you order the restaurant to send up a large portion of the best meat available, some potatoes, a slice of pie and a decent whiskey. You also order a decent meal for yourself.* You were tempted to help him with the bath but thought he might want some privacy. When he returned, you had set the table and your food had arrived. He just grinned at you and started to eat. (He had to force himself not to wolf it down.) It was romantic really with all the candles.* “Why are you doing all of this? I don’t deserve it.” he says slowing down.
“The hell you do, Arthur Morgan! You need to realize that you are worthy of love and deserve to be cherished. You give so much to everyone without a second thought.” You replied chest heaving. His eyes went wide and just nodded too speechless to continue.* When you’re both finished, you decide to take him to bed. He stops you as you attempt to undo his shirt. “You really don’t want to see me naked right now. It’s really bad.” You ask him if he’s sure he wants to have sex in general before he decides to take his shirt off, not quite meeting your eyes. You kiss every single bruise, nick and cut and continue to do so when you’re both nude.* He tries to reciprocate, but you lay a hand on his chest to stop him. “No, darling. Tonight, I’m taking care of you”. You then gently make love to him before falling asleep in each other’s arms.( Then you take Arthur and half of the camp with you to start a new life away from crime and live happily ever after for many years. The end.)
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SFW*Sadly, because of the times, he may have to be more discreet regarding PDA depending on gender identity. He is NOT ashamed of you and is actually really proud of you. He just doesn’t want anything to happen to you because of him. If you’re at home, around the camp or private? Whole 'nother story.* He had always known he was “different”. He tried to suppress it, but when he saw the way Hosea and Dutch interacted with each other, he felt validated. Eventually, Hosea and Dutch gave Arthur a talk about how he was loved and accepted, but that he had to be careful because of the bigots in society.* He doesn’t really have a preference. Are you the introverted scholar? The extroverted entertainer? The cunning outlaw? It doesn’t matter. As long as you two love each other, that’s all that matters.* He’s very protective of you regardless of the type of man you are. He just absolutely cannot have anything happen to you. The idea of “failing” another person he loves makes him nauseous. However, he knows that you can likely handle yourself and tries not to hover around too much.* Arthur is actually rather shy around you at first. He’s never been very good with his feelings. For him, he’s not 100% sure what to do. He knows what he’s supposed to do for women based on what he’s seen Dutch do, but he knows you’re not a woman. He tries his best though! He might try to bring you flowers, a book you like, a new gun, etc. You’re going to have to be a bit blunt with what you want from him.* The camp is fine with your relationship with the exception of Micah who sometimes makes rude comments. Even then, it’s possible he’s projecting.* Expect lots of unexpected “hunting trips”. Sometimes you do go hunting, but a lot of times, it’s just an excuse to have you alone with him. He loves having you cuddle with him under the stars where he can kiss you without the camp trying to cheer him on.* He’s a bit conflicted about adopting a kid(s). Part of him would love it, but the other part of him worries he’d fuck it up “like last time”.NSFW* He’s versatile and proud of it.* He will never ever make you do something you don’t want to do.* Definitely focuses on your pleasure over his own. He’s very cute how he furrows his brow while concentrating.* He’s pretty vanilla overall. He really enjoys making love. However, don’t think there aren’t times where he wants to bend you over a table and fuck you into oblivion.* He has a dominant streak. Part of the reason he enjoys being dominant is due of the trust you two have to have in each other. Definitely loves to tie you up and be tied. He’ll also mark you.* He is very well endowed, about eight inches and veiny. He will definitely have to prep you before entering you.* He loves giving oral. He loves to watch you squirm. Watch out. He’s definitely a tease.* He’s not really used to receiving oral and is always surprised when you want to take care of him.* He’s not really loud unless he’s bottoming. Most of the time, it’s panting, quiet grunts and exclamations of “Oh Fuck”. If he’s bottoming, he’s a lot louder. You might have to put your hand over his mouth.* Great at giving rim jobs. He’ll make sure you two maintain eye contact or else he’ll stop.* Cuddling and aftercare is very important for him.
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* We know Arthur loves to sing. He sings when he’s by himself, he sings with friends. He probably sings in the bathtub. However, he’ll be far more bashful singing in front of you. He’ll do it. He just won’t look at you in the face because that blade of grass or that floorboard is really interesting now.* He would totally draw pictures of you. It doesn’t matter if it’s of you working, sleeping, laughing etc. I think he’d have a nosebleed if you wanted to pose nude for him. (He’d love it.)* He’s actually a really good cook. He learned how to cook with different seasonings and how to properly cook tons of different animals. He also learned advanced foraging from him. He’ll claim he’s just “Okay” at cooking. He will blush if you compliment him, but he’d be more likely to cook you a romantic dinner. (You should surprise him, too. Even if you can’t cook, it’s the thought that makes him happy.)* He actually likes to dance. He’s light on his feet when it comes to hunting or other physical activities. He’s just got two left feet. He will dance with you, but you have to do some convincing.* He’s such a nerd in the best way. Arthur loves to learn about anything and everything. He may try to put on the “brute” act as Hosea puts it, but he really is intelligent. If you need to get him a gift, get him a book! (He also enjoys poetry. Thanks Hosea!) Need a date idea? Take him to a museum!NSFW:* He does not usually enjoy one night stands. It reminds him too much of Eliza. Also, he tends to have trust issues so opening his heart and his body to just anyone isn’t going to happen. However, he will not shame anyone else for enjoying them.* He has a bit of praise kink, both giving and receiving. He’s a man who just wants to be loved and has a lot of it to give, so tell him how good he’s doing!*In that same vein, he will melt if you start to body worship him. He seems to have some self-esteem issues, so kissing his scars, soft caresses, calling him handsome/beautiful, etc, really gets him going.* He loves your body regardless of size. He will take his time and kiss, lick and bite every single area of his body.* Tries not to leave too many marks lest the rest of the camp pokes fun at him. However, he still likes to leave at least one mark somewhere. Man has a bit of a possessive streak at times.* Has large, rough hands with lots of calluses. I’ve heard them compared to bear claws. I agree. Being an artist, those hands can get quite creative.* Generally likes to take his time with you, but he won’t say no to a quickie.* Loves giving oral. Don’t be afraid to wrap your legs around his head. Be prepared to be licked a lollipop and to come at least once in his mouth. He also loves to finger you while licking and sucking.* He doesn’t have the largest dick in the campsite, but he is still well endowed. Decent thickness. Rather veiny. Those veins are also sensitive, so have fun.* If given permission, he would love to fuck your mouth. He would gently play with your hair and give slow shallow thrusts. He wants the moment to last.*Please tease his head with your tongue. He will melt. You’ll know he’s close when he starts stuttering random phrases and his hips shake.* It’s been a while for Arthur, his stamina isn’t what it used to be. However, if this is a regular occurrence, expect his stamina to increase in time. He will ALWAYS make sure you come first.* He prefers positions where he can look in your eyes or hold you close. He’s a romantic at heart.* He always puts all of his effort into what he’s doing, but isn’t usually rough unless you ask him to be. As odd as it sounds, he loves making love and tends to be a bit dominant.* Despite this, his heart might explode if you are on top, riding him and taking care of him. Again, expect to hear a lot of pet names and please say some to him!* Always asks where he can come on you.* Loves to cuddle afterwards. Lots of kisses and praises. Always asks if you’re okay. Prefers to be big spoon, but will secretly melt if you let him be the small spoon.
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Reader gives Arthur a puppy HC 1This was supposed to go with my SFW Arthur HC, but it took up a lot of room. I decided to expand and include a few other people.*You found a puppy shivering in the rain during one of your visits in Valentine. You tried to ask around to see if the dog belonged to anyone, but no one claimed it. so you decided to give it to Arthur. When you present him with the puppy, he’s so happy, he can’t even think about hiding his excitement. He would give you the largest grin, gasp loudly and say,“I’ve got a boah! I’ve got a real good boah!”.*You have to keep yourself from giggling as the puppy drowns him in kisses. Arthur is just gleefully laughing which just warms your heart.* Hosea and Dutch would have complained, but they decided against it when they saw how happy their son was.* All the campers eventually warm up to the dog. It takes Pearson a little longer because the dog kept trying to steal scraps from him.* Dog will follow him everywhere. Arthur has full-on conversations with it.Ex: Arthur sees Sean laying on the ground.Arthur: I think Sean has had too much to drink again. What do you think, boy? Dog: Bark!Arthur: Yeah, I shouldn’t have asked. He’s definitely had too much to drink. I think we need to have a discussion about this. I’m starting to worry. Maybe I should put him to bed. Nah. He’ll be fine there.Dog: GrowlArthur sighs heavily: Alright, Alright, fine. It’s the last time though!It’s not the last time he puts a drunk Sean to bed, but after a heartfelt conversation, it does happen a little less often.* Arthur will leave the dog at camp during a more dangerous task. He can’t stand the thought of anything happening to it.* You try to prevent the dog from sleeping with the two of you. The cot is too small for the both of you as it is, but the dog is always curled up next to Arthur’s head in the morning. You eventually give up. They’re just too cute together.* You have to be very careful not to overfeed the dog. Arthur loves to give him treats, however, the dog will beg for more treats from everyone.* While out hunting, Arthur and the dog get sprayed by a skunk. You throw them both in the bath. They just look at you pitifully before Arthur sighs and starts to wash them both.*Jack loves the dog which leads to my next hc….* Hosea doesn’t mind having the puppy be a lap warmer. Claims it helps his joints.* Uncle claims the dog will hurt his lumbago, not help it. However, he has been seen with the dog sitting on his lap, anyway.* Miss Grimshaw was a bit exasperated by the idea of a dog in the camp. She warmed up pretty quickly, though.*Pearson doesn’t hate it per se. He just doesn’t like how the dog acts like a dog. (Wanting meat and such.)* Sadie just gives the dog more treats just annoy Pearson.* Arthur sometimes has troubles getting work done because he wants to play with the dog. Mary-beth, Karen, Abigail and Tilly have no problem taking the dog and spoiling it with pets.* After seeing the dog with the ladies, Sean tried to take it with him to town to impress the ladies. Arthur raced after him the second he realized the dog was gone. Sean nearly got punched. Javier and Charles then scold him saying, “I told you it was a bad idea”.* Kieran loves the dog to death. He likes to vent to the dog and tells him secrets* Micah avoids the dog at all points after the incident.* Jack loves Arthur’s dog. They’re best buddies. The dog always goes fishing with Arthur, Jack and anyone else who wants to come.* They play together for hours which always tires Jack out. Abigail really appreciates this.* The dog tends to be a bit of an emotional support animal at times. He can comfort Jack during his panic attacks, Bill after his nightmares, Abigail after a fight with John, Molly after an argument with Dutch, and Kieran when he’s feeling anxious.* The dog is the most loyal to Arthur though. He will always sense if Arthur’s depressed or anxious and go lay by him.* However, John takes some time to warm up to it. He never really liked dogs until later in life due to getting bit as a child.* He just groans when Jack starts begging for a dog.* With enough begging, he eventually tells Jack that he’ll think about it. He thinks that’ll be the end of it.* It’s not. John eventually rescues a dog of his own and sheepishly asks Dutch and Abigail if he can keep it.* Jack helps with the begging. Dutch knows he should say no, but he can’t say no to them. He just sighs and mutters “I guess”. Dutch then makes an announcement saying, “No more dogs! Two is enough!”.* Abigail says, “Fine, but he ain’t sleeping with me!”. The dog sleeps with Jack much John and Abigail’s relief.*She is happy that Jack will have a friend to play with and to help with his anxiety.* Pearson wails in the background that he has to deal with two beasts. Sadie just cackles.* Arthur would pick up the dog and make the dog wave while saying “You have a buddy, now!”.
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Hey, anon! Congratulations on the realization! I’m bisexual myself. I know coming out can be a terrifying experience. I truly hope it goes well for you. I’m here if you need to talk. I have two versions of this writing, both are positive. One is where Arthur is straight and one where he admits that he himself was bisexual. I didn’t know which version would be better, a scenario that likely echoes your family or a more made up one. If you want me to send you the bisexual Arthur version privately, I would be happy to do so!Arthur was sitting on his porch, enjoying the dark aroma and bitter taste of his coffee before he started on the day’s work on his and John’s ranch. It may not have been the most exciting work, but it was honest. Arthur, his spouse, the Marstons and a few others had left Dutch’s gang after it was clear that Dutch had lost his mind. It was a difficult decision and it broke his heart, but he knew he had to heal from his illness. He had people to live for and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t convince Dutch to settle down.Now he had you, his darling daughter. The light of his life. He never thought he would have another chance to start a family, but he was thrilled to be proven wrong. He sighed contentedly when he saw you approach him. He gave you a warm smile and nodded, but his smile fell when he saw the look on your face. You were walking slowly towards him, fiddling with your hands, worrying your lips.“What’s wrong, baby? Are you sick?” he demanded in fraught concern. You nodded no, not quite able to meet his teal eyes. He set his coffee down and closed the distance between you, placing his hands on your shoulders.“What’s wrong, sweetheart. You know you can tell me anything, yeah? We’re a team.” he said encouragingly. He waited as patiently as he could, a million scenarios racing through his mind.You slowly met his teal eyes and took a deep breath.
“Pa, I’ve got something to tell you, but I’m terrified. Just terrified that you won’t love me anymore. It’s awful. I’ve been trying to fight against it, but I can’t anymore. Pa, I love boys…but I also love girls romantically. I’m so sorry. .” You broke free from Arthur’s grasp and burst into tears feeling so ashamed.Arthur didn’t say anything for a second. He was trying to process what he heard when he took a step towards you.
“ And here I thought you killed someone or something. I’ve done that plenty of times. Don’t recommend it. But this? This is okay.” he said with a sigh of relief. You looked at him with a bewildered expression.“What?” you said meekly. Arthur gave you a small smile.“I said it’s okay, darling. I love you and have loved you from the moment I found out I was going to be a father. I always will. Nothing will change that. And this to me is no big deal. It doesn’t affect the way I feel about you. It’s an extra layer to your identity, but it doesn’t change anything else about you like how intelligent you are, your kindness or anything else. Besides, Dutch and Hosea were my two fathers and I strongly believe they were bisexual. A few others in the gang were, too. I appreciated their bravery to be themselves just like I’m proud of you now. I’m so sorry you worried about this. Your mother will be just as accepting of it as I am.”.He pulled you into a tight embrace, not letting go until you asked. He figured you need this and he was going to give you as much time as you wanted. He kissed your forehead, wiping away a stray tear with the pad of his thumb before saying,“I love you, y/n and I always will.” you smiled against his shoulder.“I love you, too, Pa.
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* He’s definitely intrigued by you. He’s heard of Russians, but he’s only met a few of them. They were gangsters and they didn’t really interact with him much.* He finds your accent very alluring. He’ll find himself thinking about you and the way you speak with a fond smile. He has a weakness for your flirting, you’ll pepper in Russian words like dorogay (darling), dusha moy (my dear soul), or milay (my sweet.)* If you’re feeling especially confident, you’ll whisper some very NSFW stuff in his ear. He doesn’t know what you’re saying, but he’s intelligent enough to know it’s something sexy by your tone of voice and body language.*He’s frustrated that he can’t find any books on Russia, but he’ll soak up any information he can find.*This includes asking you questions about your upbringing, how you came to America, your culture, anything!*You try to cook him as many dishes from Russia as you can. You’ll pepper your dishes with dill, horseradish, and garlic. They have many of these in the United States, just like in Russia. He really enjoys when you make him Olivie (a potato salad) or a Solyanka soup. (A meat stew)* If anyone in town tries to cause trouble, he will try to step in. Most of the time, you can defend yourself.* He will worry about you having heat stroke during the summers because in his mind, Russia is nothing if not cold.*If you decide to have kids, he will insist that both cultures be present in your child’s life.
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*The gang is interested in you from the start because Dutch is convinced that Australia is the answer to all of the gang’s problems. He believes he can convince you to become a guide for the gang. Plus, it’s not often that they meet foreigners.*Dutch really turns on the charm around you. He’s not flirty, but he definitely wants to recruit you an ally. He ensures that the rest of the camp is on their best behavior. The gang isn’t in-genuine, but they are definitely toned down.*However, Arthur caught your attention because unlike some of the others, he decides to be his normal self. His rugged good looks, the rough timber of his voice and his quiet intensity certainly didn’t hinder his attractiveness.*At first, you weren’t sure if he even liked you. Sometimes, he’d walk by you with hardly a word. Other times, you noticed him hovering you with the most peculiar expression on his face. Turned out, he really enjoyed listening to your accent. He was only avoiding you so you couldn’t see the blush on his face.* You loved watching him work whether it was chores around the campsite or his skills during a heist. It made you all hot and bothered. Maybe it was your imagination, but you could have sworn he was showing off. You would bet money you caught him winking at you.* Slowly but surely, Arthur would venture out of his tent to seek you out. He would ask for stories about your time in Australia. Sometimes he asked about the culture or the history, but his eyes always lit up when you regaled him with stories of the Australian wildlife.*Sean once claimed that he would win in a fist fight against a red kangaroo which Arthur quickly debunked with a lazy left hook.*Arthur is a very private man in just about all aspects of life and this included his sexuality. He always knew he was bisexual, but he still wanted to keep his feelings towards you on the down-low.*He asked you out on a “fishing trip” with a small of wildflowers that he had “found”. The two of you talked for hours about this and that and shared a sweet kiss while the sunset. The two of you swore to Mr. Pearson that the fish simply weren’t biting today.*Arthur isn’t one for PDA, but he will hold hands with your under saloon tables or rest his hand on your lower back. Anyone who dares look at the pair of you funny is bound to get either a threat or beating depending on how he is feeling that day.* As expected, he is a very kind and gentle lover. Honestly? You’d be the one wearing the proverbial pants in the relationship.* Even though he doesn’t quite agree with Dutch’s plan, he would still love to go to Australia with you. The Outback really intrigues him, especially with how developed the United States was at this point.
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What he’s like when he’s sick* He absolutely refuses to believe he’s sick. He’s completely in denial, but he’s intelligent. He knows deep down that he’s sick and he needs to rest. Unfortunately, he doesn’t think he will be able to rest because he “knows” that the camp will fall into chaos without him.* You nursed Arthur back to health after his TB scare, ever since then, you have been watching him like a hawk. You know you shouldn’t be paranoid, but every single cough or sneeze leads you to whip your head around to check on him.* Arthur usually holds his hands up in defense and tries to ease your anxiety; but even he is aware that his health isn’t what it was.* He’s still stubborn as a mule, but he realizes that he’s not the man he used to be. He knows that the only way to improve and be present for you and the camp is to accept help.* If worse comes to worst, you’ll bring someone like Charles, Hosea or even John or Miss Grimshaw in to convince him to care of himself. They are all very effective in their own ways.* That doesn’t mean he has to like it. He’ll get huffy at times. He can’t help it. He becomes restless very easily because he worries a lot. Give him his journal and he’ll settle down. He loves it when you sit by his bedside and read to him. He’d love to cuddle you, but he would be horrified if he gave you whatever illness he had.*You also care for his numerous injuries. Like with his illnesses, he’ll brush off almost any injury so he doesn’t worry you.*Overall, once you catch him, he’s not really that bad of a patient. He’ll pout and complain, but that’s the worst of it.*Sadly, he does feel guilty when he’s sick because he remembers all the months you cared for him with TB. He thinks you deserve better than someone sickly as he is. He’ll sometimes ruminate how his health was before catching TB.*He used to be shy about you seeing him sick, but when he contracted TB, he was too sick to put up much of a fight. Nowadays, he’s far more relaxed about it because you’ve seen him at his worst. John is a whole different beast on the other hand…* When he recovers, he’ll shyly try to apologize, but you shut up him with a kiss. You gently chide him for apologizing for something he can’t control. You’re his partner for life. He’ll just grin and ask what he did to deserve you.If you’re sick:*Arthur is a damn pro when it comes to caring for others. Most people don’t see this side of him, but people like Mary-Beth, Hosea, Dutch, and even John knows it exists. When he was younger, he was always the one stuck caring for John when he was sick due to their age difference and relationship.(Arthur always acted like he hated it, whereas John couldn’t think of anyone else he’d rather care for him.)*Arthur is very observant, even intuitive at times. You can try to hide your illness from him, but it will be futile.* He’ll narrow his eyes in suspicion, but he doesn’t want you to know he’s on to you. So, he’ll do his famous “hovering” maneuvers. You could be washing your clothes or brushing your horse thinking Arthur is nowhere in sight. You sneeze. Arthur appears out of nowhere like the ghost of Christmas past.*Arthur is very selfless. He doesn’t care if he catches your cold; but after his TB scare, he realizes that he has to be more cautious.*Still, he’ll bring you tea, not coffee. He doesn’t believe coffee has the health benefits tea has. Sometimes he’ll ask Hosea or Charles to teach him some new herbal remedies or teas.He’ll often sneak into the general store and collect whatever your favorite treat is whether it’s peppermint candy or raspberry tea.*He’ll be sure to bring you extra helpings of stew, but if your stomach is upset, he’ll find you something else.*He’ll hold your hair back and rub soothing circles on your back if you’re vomiting. He’ll also give you cool clothes if you have a fever.*If anyone tries to visit you, they have to go through him. He’s not trying to be controlling, he only wants to make sure that their intentions are good.*He has troubles leaving your side. Sometimes he will hunt for something extraordinary for Pearson’s stew, but he is never gone long. Not even Dutch can convince him to leave your side for more than a few hours.*Arthur likes to read “self-help” books for lack of better phrasing. He’d be very annoyed if anyone found out, but he enjoys learning new ways to care for himself and for you as well.*He’ll risk everything to fetch a doctor for you if needed. Luckily, he has a few friends that he knows he can count on.
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* I can see Arthur really agonizing over his love for the reader. He’s a broody man to begin with, but Arthur falling in love with someone younger than him makes him feel terrible because he thinks you can do better than him.* Reader would have to be kind, yet persistent in her desire for Arthur. One he finally accepts that you want to be with him, he’ll be less hard on himself.*There’s definitely a comfort in having a relationship with an older Arthur. He offers a lot of insight and patience when it comes to you.*But you definitely bring your something to the table! You make him feel invigorated and like there’s something to live for. You make him feel younger.* He takes this relationship with you very seriously - to him, you’re his chance for a “normal” life and happiness.* You love to take Arthur to scientific events like invention expos. He’s always amazed and a little terrified by the new inventions.* You teach him a lot about new technology and how to navigate cities - something he has very little experience with.* He teaches you how to defend yourself and any survival skills that you may have missed.* He loves watching you protest for causes you care about like Women’s Suffrage or Civil Rights. He’s very supportive.* If you want a baby, it would be better to start sooner rather than later. Arthur may need a little convincing and you all have to make sure your lives are more stable.*If not, you and Arthur are more than happy to adopt several dogs and cats.* He may think he’s old, but doesn’t act like it physically speaking. ;)
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A good friend requested some headcanons when struggling with work and study. I know it’s exam time for many of you all. I hope this helps! My Arthur is an architect who works for a construction company.* Arthur is a worrier by nature. He is very stoic to the casual person, but anyone who takes the time to develop a relationship with him knows that a storm of anxiety swirls inside.* When he’s with you, that storm lessens to a pitter patter. He is absolutely devoted to you because of everything you have done for him.* He’s the type to pay attention. He has a daily routine with you and will notice if the routine differs at all. You swear he can almost sense your shifts in mood.* When you’re studying or working long hours, he will make sure you take plenty of breaks. If you work outside of the house, don’t be surprised if Arthur shows up.* He’ll bring you water, coffee, sometimes a snack.* At home, he thinks it’s important to walk around a little. Sometimes, he will grab your hand and the two of you will walk his dog Copper II.* Sometimes, he’ll distract you with an impromptu make out session or back massage.He has large and rough hands, but they’re actually very gentle.* If you’re needing to study, then he will attempt to study with you. He’s a very patient study partner. He won’t make fun of you if you struggle. He’s very encouraging.* If you’re working on a presentation, he’s actually very helpful! He’s very well spoken when given the chance. His writing skills are even better.* He can be rather stern if you’re overworking yourself, especially if you skip a meal.* If you’re on the computer, he will save your progress and turn it off. If it’s a book, he’ll put a bookmark and slam it shut, placing it out of your reach. He’ll then cross his arms and proclaim it’s time for a bed.* He has been known to carry you off to bed if you protest too much.* If he sees you fall asleep at your desk, he’ll just sigh and carry you off to bed.*In return, he loves when you visit him at his architect’s office. He will attempt to brush it off like it’s no big deal but in actuality? He’s thrilled. If he had a tail, it would be wagging.*He loves it when you grab him by the hand lead him off for an early lunch break.*Sometimes that’s an actual lunch at his favorite bistro, other times he’ll find something sweeter like your lips.
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* He is a nervous wreck. He wants so badly to do right by you and the baby. However, he is also very excited.*You have to constantly insist that you’re pregnant - not dying whenever Arthur is hovering around you too long. He’s reluctant to let you do much of anything - but be kind, his worry is from a good place.* He would be overjoyed if you wanted him to actually go with you to your appointments with the midwife/doctor.* If you’re craving something or even if Arthur thinks you’re craving something, he will get it for you.* Lots of massages.* Arthur craves physical touch and this intensifies during your pregnancy. However, he’s always respectful if you don’t want to be touched. He doesn’t even necessarily want sex, though he will oblige you if you want it! He just wants to hold your hand.*At night, he loves holding you against him - usually spooning. He loves running his hands over your swollen belly and feeling the baby’s movement.* When he thinks you’re asleep, he’ll whisper sweet things like how excited he is to meet the baby, how he hopes he’ll be good enough, how much he’s already in love with the baby and so on.*Sometimes, he’ll hold these conversations while you’re awake, but that’s rarer. In those cases, he tends to rub your belly and switch between looking at you and the baby bump while he’s telling you about his day.* Baby definitely responds to his voice.*When your water breaks, he turns white as a sheet but doesn’t panic. He has John fetch the doctor/midwife while he and Abigail comfort you.* When the baby finally arrives, you tell the midwife to give Arthur the baby first because you know what this means to him.
*You’ll never forget that hitched breath and the tears in his eyes as he cradles the baby to his chest and whispers a watery,“Hello there ____, I’m your daddy Arthur. This is your momma ____. Can’t believe you’re finally here.”.*He then gives the baby a kiss before handing her/him to you. He looks at you earnestly in the eyes, kisses your forehead and whispers a heartfelt thank you.Bonus HC:If this is a happy homestead AU- I can see Hosea being so damn excited. Same with Dutch and the rest of the gang, but Hosea is the most excited out of the gang. He just loves babies and children in general. He also stans Arthur’s happiness.After you and Arthur spend time with the baby, I can see Hosea parting the rest of the gang like the Moses and the Red Sea just to get to the baby. Bonus points if you all have a girl because there hasn’t been a baby girl yet.Hosea basically gleefully shouting that he and Dutch are Grandpas.Chose this gif because it used to be customary for new fathers to have a cigar when the baby was born.
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* Arthur is a giant of a man and he knows it. There have been times where he has to duck in order to enter tents and doorways. Dutch is one of the few people taller than Arthur. Your head reaches to about his chin.* Arthur doesn’t mind the height difference. He occasionally thinks it’s cute if you can’t reach for something, but other than that, he tries not to make you uncomfortable. Besides, you’d be in good company. Javier is also one of the shorter members of the gang.*You and Javier share a sort of camaraderie because of it.*Arthur knows you’re capable of handing yourself - he often prefers you lead in robberies because he knows you know what you’re doing. This goes for a lot of things like when you struggle to reach something or fighting against someone bigger than you. He’ll only step in if he feels like you really need it.* He assures you that you are just as much of a man as the others are.* Sometimes, you’ll have to do some climbing to open a window and unlock the door in a homestead. Marston is always so relieved that he isn’t the one having to do it anymore.* Sometimes while drunk, you and Arthur play tag. You usually win because you’re faster than he is. Your favorite move is to hide under the table, just out of Arthur’s reach. He’ll sometimes try to crawl under there with you, but he gets stuck.*He will occasionally use your head as an armrest.* You have a lot of fun stealing his clothes. They are pretty large on you, comfortable and best of all, they smell like him. Plus, you look damn handsome in them, too. Sometimes, Arthur will be running around shirtless trying to find his shirt and you’ll parade yourself with the shirt as a badge of armor.*Many of the ladies and gentlemen are jealous of you and Arthur’s love.*If you want to kiss him, you have to grab his collar and bring him to your level. You’re pretty damn strong and it always catches Arthur by surprise.*Arthur sometimes wants to pick you up and kiss you, but he doesn’t do it unless you give him some sort of cue as permission.* You switch between being the big spoon and the little spoon. Arthur quite enjoys being the little spoon.* Sometimes you’ll hide your favorite snacks from him because that boy will eat them. He usually forgets to check down low so your snacks are usually safe from him.
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* Arthur is all about equality. He thinks everyone regardless of who they are is capable of anything whether that be for good or for bad. Meaning, he isn’t going to treat you any differently than he would anyone else in his family. He loves you for who you are as a person, identity and all. No one at camp gives you any trouble either. They accept you as one of the gang.* Due to the time period, he may not 100% understand what you’re going through, but he really wants to learn so he can make you feel comfortable. He wants you to trust him and feel like you can confide in him.* Watch out if someone tries to insult you, though! You thought his reaction to being called a “pretty boy” was bad? His reaction towards insulting you, the love of his life is going to be worse. He’ll ask you what you want to do with him. He’ll fight or he can just threaten them.* Either way, I don’t see him yelling in this scenario. I see him giving that icy glare and that eerily calm voice saying, “Let’s take a walk,..”*Afterwards, he immediately checks in on you. He’s not the type for PDA in general, but he’ll quietly ask if you’re okay, give you a squeeze on the shoulder and ask if you want to go hunting or something.* At camp, he’s still a little shy about PDA, but that’s because people will point out how cute he is towards you. However, he’ll definitely try to hold your hand and give you quick pecks on the cheek when he sees you chopping wood or feeding the animals.*Actually a bit competitive around you! He really loves when you challenge him to a race, see who can hunt more, or who the better shot is. I know you’ll definitely win the fishing challenge. Arthur can’t fish to save his life.* Be careful during drinking games! You can out drink most of the camp, but with Arthur, you risk another “Lenny” situation. (Which can be fun, anyway.)* He’d secretly be excited to take you shopping with him. He knows your capable of picking your own outfits, but he’ll make suggestions if you want. He really hopes you’ll do the same because he wants your opinion on what looks good on him.* If you feel comfortable, he can help or find someone to help with any binding that you need. He can also help you accumulate muscle if you feel you need some.* You’re his partner in crime. He’ll back you up in whatever you need. He feels very comfortable with you leading heists or being diplomatic.* Please cuddle with him! He may act like it’s nothing or that he doesn’t like it, but that’s a lie. He’ll melt. He really likes kisses, too, especially on the jawline.* His journal is full of drawings of you whether you’re doing chores, talking with your friends or sleeping.* He just loves you so much.
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* One thing they all have in common is that they feel immense guilt for the incident. They all struggle with the idea of “What if” or “ I should have …” - but they all react to this in different ways.Arthur: I have a feeling Arthur would struggle with the guilt the most. He’s very hard on himself at almost all times. He is also seen as the lead enforcer and protector after Dutch and Hosea. You can just hear the anger and the sadness in his voice. I think part of him would want to withdraw from you out of guilt, but he would force himself to do all that he can to help you. Luckily, you do manage to navigate your new lifestyle rather easily. Arthur is still the type to hover all the time. He’s willing to help you with anything and everything. At night, he would hold you close against him. The fact that he almost lost you terrifies him, especially since he’s lost so much in his life already. He constantly talks about how sorry he is and how much he loves you. You’d have to take him aside one day and admit that the life of an outlaw is unpredictable and that there was nothing that could have been done. You’d have to reassure him that you harbour no ill will against him and that you still love him. He is extremely protective - the only flaw is that he tends to treat you like glass.John: John is actually a bit spooked about the incident because his own father became blind after a bar fight. However, he is more cynical and realizes that you all do live a violent lifestyle - but he still feels guilty and that he should have prevented this. His father going blind was his fault and not anyone else’s. This was different. Once he gets over the this, he’s actually very helpful because he’s lived with a blind person before. John is not as openly affectionate, but you can feel his love for you in his words. It’s like a stable current in everything he does. He tends to do some hovering of his own, but he focuses more on helping you adjust to the lifestyle. He’s surprisingly calm, overall. His voice is very distinct and like a beacon. Sadly, there are days though where the guilt and stress tend to boil over. He’ll definitely need some reassurances like Arthur does and in private, he will let his guard down and tell you how thankful he is that you’re with him still.Charles: Charles handles the situation with logic and calmness - which is the way he handles a lot of situations. Unlike the other two, he will want to sit down with you and discuss the event, and more importantly your needs. He’ll hover from a distance if that makes sense. He doesn’t want you to feel belittled or coddled, but he does want to make you feel loved. He’ll try to teach you how to stay calm and how to focus on your other senses. While he has no idea what it is like to be blind, he does know a lot about completing tasks in the dark. He is also the best one to vent to when things start to bother you. Yes, he feels a lot of guilt, but that was why he discussed this with you early on. When these feelings creep up, he tends to deal with it in a healthy way like crafting items or hunting. He tries to empower you by talking about how strong, beautiful, intelligent and innovative you are.Javier: Javier’s reaction actually surprised a lot of the people at the camp to the point that some people were actually mad at him. He didn’t treat you any differently. He didn’t look at you with pity or guilt. He kept those feelings to himself and knew they would pass in time. He is very practical about the situation and allows you to do almost everything for yourself. Make no mistake! He WILL help you with whatever you need, he just wants to make sure that he isn’t stepping in too early. He tries to make you laugh and is still as loving and loyal as ever. He’ll serenade you, tell you stories while you work, snuggle you and more. He thinks that if you wanted to, you could take on some of your old tasks. He wouldn’t’ feel comfortable with you in a robbery or any obviously dangerous situations, but little things like distracting someone while another camp member steals items from the back is something he thinks you’d be great at. Of course, he would bring this up in a very tactful and respectful manner.
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Arthur apologized softly as he pushed his horse Boudica to her limit. He would make reparations later, but right now, all he cared about was reaching the camp. Arthur tried to calm his breathing. He had to moderate his feelings long enough to appear normal to the other gang members. They couldn’t see him like this!No. He had an image to uphold. Dutch’s right-hand man and enforcer is stoic, cool and ruthless, not an anxious mess like he is now.The snorting and hoofbeats of his horse were the only noises invading the quiet atmosphere. Arthur sighed as the familiar treeline greeted him. He spurred her on apologizing once more. He leaped off his horse swiftly tying her to the hitching post. He gave her a scratch behind the ears as he gave her the juicy, ruby, red apple in his satchel.Arthur’s expression was as neutral as possible as he stalked across the camp. He hoped no one would suspect anything or worse, try to engage him in a conversation. He snatched two bottles of whiskey, keeping his head low to the ground as he hurried to his tent, tying the flaps closed behind him.Arthur sighed in relief as he crumpled onto his cot, head in his hands.Today was Father’s Day.The guilt was gnawing and clawing at his insides. He should be thanking Dutch and Hosea. He should be spending time with them. They saved him from an early death. They took him, a lowly, angry street-rat and turned him into a man. He wasn’t a good man. He knew that. He wanted more than anything to be more like Hosea, but all he could do was try.He snorted bitterly as he took a long swig of his whiskey.They were more of a father to him than his shit biological father was.Lyle Morgan.Arthur worked to repress a shiver. That thing that was his father was no man - but a demented creature straight out of hell.He wasn’t a religious man, but he prayed to whatever god or spirit that he would never end up like that piece of shit. He hoped that bastard was burning right now.Bastard always committing awful, brutal crimes. He couldn’t even excuse it as a way to provide for the family.No.Arthur remembered being four years old, his little body going without nourishment for two nights. His mother Beatrice begging and searching for scraps. At night, she would grab a piece of cloth and tie it around his belly to fool his stomach into thinking it had been fed.Lyle would come back from his drinking binges stinking of whiskey, sex, and shit. He had the audacity to ask “his woman” to make him dinner.Arthur shuddered as he remembered his mother meekly answered that there was no food and that there hadn’t been any for days.Lyle’s cold blue eyes would narrow, his mustache twitching as his lips curled into a sneer.He remembers Lyle’s fist connecting with her face.He remembers Lyle turning to him, shouting at him to do something useful in his life.He remembers his mother diving between them, protecting Arthur with her body.He remembers being huddled in the corner with his mother, waiting for Lyle to pass out.He remembers Beatrice wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, before grabbing a handkerchief to wipe his face as she whispered: “Be brave, Arthur”.It wasn’t long after that incident the Beatrice became ill with an awful cough. Thinking back, Arthur thought it was pneumonia. He remembered every cough wracking her tiny frame, how he tried to soothe her fever with a cool cloth.Arthur sniffled as he remembered her last words. She told him she loved him. Apologized for not being able to provide him with a better life. Her last words?“Be brave, Arthur.”His father came in later that night and shook his head in disgust before grabbing a few of their belongings and bellowing for Arthur to follow him.A kindly neighbor buried Beatrice in a pauper’s grave. Arthur remembered laying the pink-hued flowers on her grave before his father pulled him away.The next years were hell.Arthur provided for himself during the day. Stealing, working or begging for whatever he needed. It was always a hit or miss whether Lyle would appear that day.Unfortunately, hit or miss took on a literal meaning in his world. Arthur still had the scars to prove it - they were a haunting reminder that Arthur wished he could forget.The one on his chin was his least favorite - so prominent and on his face.Arthur took another swig and blotted at his eyes with a rag.He remembered having to bail his father out of jail, hoping his father would finally give him some words of encouragement or a word of praise.Instead, he was reprimanded for not showing up earlier.Finally, Arthur decided he wasn’t going to assist his father ever again. When he heard that Lyle was arrested yet again for murder and was due to hang, Arthur laughed instead.“Let the bastard hang,” he had said to another street urchin.Arthur blended in with the crowd as they hung the noose around his neck. He made eye contact with Lyle who looked amongst the crowd with wild eyes. His eyes widened in terror when he met Arthur’s. He started to thrash and curse while Arthur stood there grinning.The trap door released and Lyle struggled and gasped before finally breathing his last.Arthur followed along as the sheriff removed the corpse of his father and dumped it on the ground to be buried. He hurried along, stealing the hat from Lyle’s head and giving the corpse a swift kick to the head.He wanted to beat it to a pulp. Disgrace it however he could, but he knew he had to leave. Arthur turned once more, spat on the corpse and went on his way.
Arthur gulped the rest of his whiskey feeling light headed. He remembered what happened next….Dutch and Hosea had picked him up years later at the age of fourteen. He smirked as he remembered what an angry bastard he was. However, they were patient and kind. They clothed him, fed him, taught him to read. Taught him to fish, hunt, shoot a gun properly, and how to utilize his emotions.He owed them everything and then some more.He always looked up to Dutch, but he felt like no matter what he did, it was never enough.He needed to have more faith. He loved Dutch. He hated the guilt and shame that sprung up whenever Dutch looked at him disapprovingly.He agreed. He deserved it. All of it. He doesn’t blame Dutch. How could he?Arthur needed to do more.He hated himself for thinking it but loathed himself for feeling it. He loved Hosea more. He always knew where he stood with him.Hosea with his quick wit. Hosea who always knew the right thing to say, who knew when to laugh, when to comfort, and when to reprimand. Hosea was kind and patient.That’s not to say Dutch wasn’t. Dutch was…something else. He was always on the move, always ready for action, ready to see what great score lay ahead.Arthur always worried he was a bother with Dutch. He didn’t want to burden this great man.He wondered if John ever felt this way. Arthur remembered when he was the prized pony being doted upon. He loved it when it was just the three of them. Not much changed when Miss Grimshaw joined. He chuckled quietly reminiscing over when John joined the gang. He hated that little bastard so much. He didn’t think he was a worthy addition. Just another street rat. At least he was useful, or so he thought.Kid was awkward, angry, and just a prick overall, but Arthur realized that Hosea and Dutch wanted him to mentor John. He vehemently refused, but the forced close proximity lead him to take the role anyway. (Not that Dutch or Hosea cared about Arthur wanting the said role.)John turned out alright, but the prized pony was slowly losing its shimmer. There was a new man in town - Micah Bell. It seemed as though John would be demoted to workhorse - just like him.Arthur clumsily stood, his knees nearly buckling from the alcohol. He peeked out the tent to see John whittling with Jack starting at him adoration in his eyes. John occasionally tried to make conversation before quickly giving up.God damn, he’s awkward. Arthur thought. John didn’t know how good he had it.John had a chance - has a chance. Not like him. Arthur failed his son.He remembered stumbling into the shitty saloon half drunk after Mary had rejected his proposal. He had been in and out of bars for over three days now.But that waitress, Eliza, was kind to him…and also rather terrifying.She had seen through his bullshit excuses. She had managed to sober him a bit and the two began to chat. She was pretty enough and was very funny as well. It added to her charm.Before he knew it, he was climbing into bed with her fucking his brains out.He didn’t really expect to see her again as he rode out the next morning, but when he returned a few months later to check on mail for Dutch, she was there.And she was pregnant.With his child.Arthur nearly passed out from terror. He had done a lot of horrible things in life. He was a thief, a murderer, he beat people for money. Risked his life numerous times for the gang, but fatherhood? The most terrifying thing of them all.He asked her what she wanted to do with the child. He was surprised she wanted to keep it, but he knew it was her body and that he had no true power over her.He asked her if she wanted to join the gang. He was stunned when she rebuked him once more.He remembered standing there like an idiot as she made her demands and expectations of him. He nodded like an idiot and agreed to her terms.He would return at least three times a year to care for her and the child. He would provide whatever means of support he could whether it was through supplies, goods, or money.And that’s what he did.He missed the birth of his son. He felt rather guilty he couldn’t have been more helpful, but at the same time, he knew she didn’t love him. He didn’t love her, either. He wasn’t sure what help he could have provided.All he knew was that he never wanted to be like his own father.After a while, Arthur began looking forward to these visits. The gang still came first no matter what, but he still enjoyed spending time with his son - Isaac. He was a sweet little thing with her dark hair and his light eyes.He seemed rather intelligent, too. He would always babble to Arthur about trains and how he wanted to be a conductor when he was an adult. Arthur would smile and ruffle his hair fondly.Isaac used to greet him like a running bull. It was the same greet every time. Eliza stood there with her hands on her hips commanding Isaac to wait until his father came to the door.“No running out like last time!” she said. Isaac always nodded, but the excitement would always build up.The second Arthur jumped off his horse, Issac would run as fast as his chubby little legs would allow him.Eliza always sighed exasperated, but she was always grinning.Arthur would get down to his knees and spread his arms out like an eagle, waiting for his son to jump in.His heart always melted seeing Isaac’s toothy grin and shouts of “Daddy!”At those times, his heart always seized a bit in his chest as he noted how big he was getting each time he saw him.He always brought Isaac various train related items whenever he came to visit. Arthur used to sneak him rock candy as well; that always earned him a swat on the ass from Eliza. She hated it when Isaac had candy - it always led to a sugar rush and a sugar crash.It was hard to hide so much of himself from Isaac. He had no idea what Arthur did for a living. Eliza knew, but she never shamed him. She never asked him to leave that lifestyle and join her. She accepted him for what he was.Instead, Isaac used to curl up in Arthur’s lap as he regaled him with stories about the weird people he met, or the interesting animals he saw. His son’s eyes grew wide in excitement or wonder.He loved feeling the weight of Isaac against his chest or the sweet snores that followed story time. He loved rocking him through the night. He didn’t even mind waking up with a sore back.Arthur remembered how hard it was to say goodbye. Eliza was always polite and cordial with him. They were on friendly terms. Sometimes, they’d share a beer and tell each other stories.But Isaac had trouble saying goodbye. It was the same each and every time, just like the greetings.Arthur admitted it, he hated saying goodbye, too. It was times like these where he truly thought about abandoning the gang.Isaac’s lower lip used to start to quiver, his eyes watering. He watched as his son tried to smile through the tears.Arthur used to pick him up and hold him close, placing a kiss on his forehead.“Be brave, my son. I love you. Be good for your mother.” Arthur said as he echoed the words his mother said to him all those years ago.Isaac sniffled as he wrapped his little arms around Arthur’s broad neck.“I love you, Daddy. Come back soon, okay?” he used to say. Arthur would set him down and ruffle his hair.“Of course, son. Maybe I’ll have a new toy train for you!” he called as he mounted his horse.Eliza used to pick Isaac up as they both waved goodbye, Isaac’s calls of“Bye, Daddy!” echoing in the distance.Arthur started to sob as he opened the second bottle of whiskey. He rocked himself back and forth as he tried to soothe himself. He didn’t want to alert the others.Arthur hated this part.Arthur had been away for about four months before he was finally able to return. This wasn’t too unusual for him. He rode into town feeling unusually chipper. His satchel carried two new toy trains…one was made out of metal, too.He even was able to bring some chocolate this time! He didn’t mind the strange looks of the townsfolk as he cheerfully greeted them with the tip of his hat.He pushed his horse to a gallop as he made his way towards Eliza’s homestead. He braced himself for Isaac’s leaping hugs and how big he was going to be.He rode up to the homestead.It was dark.Arthur’s chipper mood quickly turned into panic and confusion.“Eliza? Isaac?” he called. Maybe they were just busy or something?He dismounted his horse, tying her to a nearby tree. He grabbed his satchel and gun.He desperately wanted to run to the homestead, but he didn’t want to startle them. He forced himself to walk, each step filling him with dread.It was far too quiet. No signs of life.Arthur’s heart started to race.Isaac should have attacked him by now. Eliza should be scolding him.He reached the homestead. The windows were gone. He forced himself against the door as it gave way.Arthur’s knees gave out.There was blood on the floor. Lots of dried blood.Arthur screamed, a harsh guttural sound as he started pounding his fists into the floor.He looked up, with tears pouring out of his eyes.“Why God, Why! Why did you take them! They were innocent! They did nothing. Nothing wrong. Take me. Please, God, take me instead. I deserve it. Please. Not them!” he said sobbing.The place was completely ransacked. Furniture on the floor, plates broken. Knick-knacks scattered.He walked over to Eliza’s bed and saw it turned over. He picked up the bed and flipped it over.He stood against the bedpost, memories of the time he shared with her flooding his head.“I’m so sorry, Eliza. I’m so sorry. You deserved better. I should have been here. I could have protected you.” he whispered. He sat on the floor.“No. You should have never met me. This is my fault. All my fault”. He said, his voice cracking.He walked over to the far right of the cabin.His son’s corner.It was the same site as Eliza’s. Broken objects and tipped over furniture.He crouched to his knees surveying the site. He remembered buying him those picture books. He remembered making him the toy sword.Arthur looked into his satchel. There was the shiny new train that he bought for him.Arthur remembered collapsing once more, wishing he could just die - thinking maybe, just maybe, if he willed his body to die, they could come back. Maybe he could join them in the afterlife. No. He was too sinful a man to join them.Arthur wasn’t sure if minutes or hours passed by, but he remembered leaving the desolate cabin and a part of his humanity behind.It didn’t take long to find the two freshly dug graves in the churchyard. At least they had a proper burial.He sank into the moist Earth sitting silently. Arthur had never cried so hard in his life as he had tonight. He thought he was a sobbing mess after Mary left him, but that pain was only a dull ache compared to the thrashing his soul was given.“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Isaac. You were my sunshine. You were supposed to grow up big and strong. Maybe go to school if you wanted. You were supposed to find a nice person to settle with. Be that conductor you wanted. Have children if you wanted. Now you can’t. It’s my fault. I’m so sorry, my son.” he monologued brokenly.Arthur reached into his satchel and laid the toy train on his son’s grave. He reached further finding some beautiful pale blue flowers that he found near Rhodes and placed them on the grave.He placed his hat on his head and silent stalked to his horse. She eyed him wearily, sensing the change in her master. Then he rode. He wanted to murder every single person sitting in jail, right now for what happened.No. It was likely the murdering fuck was long gone.He remembered Boudica leading him back to camp, a pale shadow of the man he was before - which wasn’t much in his opinion. Everyone sensed the change.Hosea, Susan, Dutch, and even John were worried about him. They knew about Eliza, but not much about Isaac. He didn’t bother telling them.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Arthur coughed feeling dehydrated and exhausted. He ventured a look in the mirror. His hair a disheveled mess, his eyes red-rimmed, his skin red and blotchy. He was a mess.John didn’t know how damn lucky he was to have a woman who loved him and a son who worshiped him. Arthur wanted to curse him but stopped himself when he heard a scratchy voice erupt into laughter and a high pitched voice join that voice.Arthur peeked outside of the tent to see John holding Jack high above his head and swing him around and around.“Again! Again!” Jack squealed. John obliged him but started to tumble a bit.“Again!” Jack shouted again.“I don’t know, son. I ain’t feelin too good.” he groaned, smiling weakly.John obliged him one last time, but tripped, having Jack land on him with an “oof”. Both boys groaned. John was sprawled out, limbs stretched out with Jack laying across his chest.“You okay, Jack?” he groaned again.“Yeah, I’m Okay. That wasn’t as fun, but I still liked it!” Jack said grinning at John.“I’m glad, son”. John finished weakly as he ruffled Jack’s hair and laid back down again.For the first time today, Arthur smiled. Maybe there was hope for John and his family after all.
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* Is open to both short term and long term relationships because he knows that his life can turn chaotic at any time. He prefers long-term overall, though, especially as he starts to get to know you overall. ( He mentions in the game that he would like to have a wife and child someday.)*Very sweet man. One of the most giving and loyal partners in America.* Tends to be very clean. He bathes almost every day, if possible. He always finds the best spots to bathe with the most beautiful views. They tend to be hard to find areas, but he has no problem sharing them with you.* In fact, he would to show them to you because that way, you both have a secret hideaway when things at camp become too much.*He loves to sing songs to you that he learned from his childhood. Has a very deep and husky voice. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself getting sleepy.* Will teach you what he knows about botany.* His culture is sacred. He is willing to share it with you, but please give him time and space to decide what to share.NSFW:* Sex is a very spiritual experience for him. He wants the mind, body and heart to be involved.* Foreplay is a must with him because not only is it fun and part of the experience, he has to prepare you for him. His dick is the longest in the camp. Not the thickest, but he has decent girth!*Prefers gentle foreplay and sex and might hesitate to be rough, but if you convince him that you want it, he will give it to you.* I saw that it is now fanon that he and Javier are the best at giving oral. I agree with this.*Charles may like gentle sex, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t to tease! He loves to see you squirm and rut into him. Doesn’t matter if it’s tongue, fingers, or dick.* He will take so much time, you may be worried he’ll leave you wanting.Don’t worry. He won’t. You will come at least once before the session is over.* This man is flexible. Be prepared to be in all sorts of strange positions.* Loves hitting that G-spot/Prostate.* Play with his hair. Please do.* His neck is very sensitive. He loves kisses, licks and the occasional nip.* Always gives plenty of warning before he comes. He loves to try to have you both come together at the same time.* Kisses and cuddles afterwards with lots of words of affirmation.
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When He’s Sick:*It’s very difficult to tell when Charles is sick. He can be very stoic at times and does not ever want to be a bother.*Unlike Arthur and John, Charles has the sense to actually care for himself when he shows symptoms of being ill. Charles believes full heartedly in caring for mind, body, and spirit at all times, otherwise, he knows he can’t be at his best.* He’s very aware of his body and limitations. This didn’t come easily to him. He was a healthy enough child, but after his father died and his mother was kidnapped, he struggled to care for himself. He didn’t see the point.*He didn’t start to care until he met a kindly old hermit who had nursed him back to health after he had collapsed from exhaustion. The man was part Native like Charles was and had lived by himself after his tribe had either moved to the city or to a reservation. He taught Charles what he knew about botany including how to make medicine and poison, what plants were safe to eat as well as his personal philosophy. Charles picked and chose what he believed from those discussions. He combined his prior knowledge with what the old hermit taught him.* You become worried when you notice him sleeping for longer periods of time. Charles normally wakes up at dawn in order to hunt or enjoy some alone time. You don’t want to nag him for sleeping. You know he deserves it, but you had a gut feeling that something was wrong.*He’ll try to cover up his coughs so not to worry you. As kind as his thoughtfulness is, you want him to know how much you love him, even when he’s sick. You’re the type to worry about him either way.*It isn’t until you discover him mixing masses of herbs that he finally admits to you that he’s been ill. You just nod and say, “I know”. Charles decides to turn this into a lesson. He explains what herbs he’s using, what their properties are and how to properly mix them.*After the lesson, you send him to bed. You pile him with blankets and rub his calves.* He always feels guilty when you care for him. He thinks he should care for you, but when he feels how good your hands feel on him, it’s hard to resist.*You’ll sometimes try to tell him jokes. He’s more likely to laugh when he’s alone with you. You love the way it sounds.*Sometimes, you’ll try to gossip with him. He’ll roll his eyes, but listen anyway. Charles occasionally throws in something juicy as well. Beware if John is nearby. He’s a ho for gossip and will try to join in.*He tries to be a good patient. He will try to care for himself if Miss Grimshaw forces you to do chores. He tends to recover very quickly.Charles Caring for You:*You literally could not ask for a better person to take care of you in the camp.*Your bond with Charles is so deep, that the two of you can communicate with glances only. However, you’re both very intuned with one another. You’re not surprised that Charles immediately senses that you’re off.* He’ll silently hand you a canteen full of water and motion for you to drink.*He and Hosea are the ones that make tea for everyone when they are sick. Hosea focuses on Ginseng whereas Charles likes to use ginger, mint, and elderberry. He’ll occasionally give you something extra special in the drink :)* Charles is one of the few people that can cook. He’s not a gourmet chef by any means, but he knows what’s he doing with seasoning.* This dude gives A+ massages. He’s also like walking heater.* He’s been known to carry to your shared tent in order to get you to rest.* He’ll do extra chores and does what he can to keep Miss Grimshaw off your back.*He’ll stay up late with you, fingers carding your hair as he tells you stories that he heard growing up.* He’ll keep Uncle away from your tent. Uncle likes to hang out with sick people so he can claim that he’s “caring for them” and get out of actual work.* Charles will sometimes make you little gifts out of feathers, bone and whatever other material he can find.*He is always relieved to see you up and about once again. He gives you a proper greeting later. ;)
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* First of all, he will NOT cheat on Abigail. This is canon. Meaning, this will take place before he meets Abigail or if she ever broke up with him.* He’s pretty different sexually in his likes, dislikes, and habits compared to Charles and Arthur. These headcanons could also change depending on when you meet him.* This man can get stinky and a bit greasy. All of them at camp can, but he seems to wait the longest to bathe due to his fear of water.* However, if YOU want to bathe him in a bathtub, now that is a different story.* Like Arthur, he has a few issues that may come up during sex. For example, he is almost always polite to women but is guarded with everyone regardless of gender. It will take time to get him to warm up to you. This is due to his painful past. Like Arthur, he has had his heart broken before. Charles is far more well adjusted despite his past and has less of a temper.* Also like Arthur, he has a temper. He’s never violent during sex, but he is more likely to be rough than Arthur. (Or at least, he’ll want it more.) This is more in his younger days. More on that in a minute.* Despite his rough exterior, he has a burning desire to be loved and cherished. That’s why arguments with Abigail or anyone he loves tend to hurt him more. He has times where he feels like he isn’t good enough. He wants approval, acceptance and softness.* However, despite his desire to be loved (Or maybe because of it?), he can make stupid decisions. He has nothing against one night stands (More so in his younger days), the only problem is that he may not always choose the right partner which may lead him to feel used, or he may act coldly afterwards and leave you feeling used. Javier, on the other hand, is fine with one night stands, but because of his mental state, he has no problem acting lovingly during a one night stand and pleasantly saying goodbye without either party hurting or wanting. John has various levels of success at this.*When he starts to trust you, will drop subtle hints that he wants affection like huddling closer next to you by the fire, or brushing against you “accidentally”. He think he’s smooth, but he can be a bit more transparent that he’d like to think.* When he trusts you, he will eventually swallow his pride and verbally tell you what he wants. He’s not the best with words and his anxiety will be apparent as he stumbles over his words and he wrings his hands.* He DEFINITELY would want to keep things on the down low, not because he’s embarrassed by you, but because he’s concerned he’ll be put down by the others. He’s terrified of messing up and doesn’t want everyone to know if (Or when in John’s mind) he fucks up. I feel like Arthur is similar, but that’s another story.NSFW:* He would try to take you on dates, or “outings” He wants to go slow and do things right.*I feel like sex with him is going to be different depending on his mood. Sometimes he wants the most romantic, cuddly and sensual sex while other times, he wants it extremely rough.* If he feels like this could be an actual relationship, his first time with you would be slower and more gentle. He might seem slightly hesitant when in reality, he’s probably thinking too much. Probably anxious. Poor boah.* If it’s a one night stand, he’s far more confident and likely to be rough. To him, it’s about mutual pleasure so there’s not any pressure on him and he doesn’t have to deal with feelings.* Regardless, BOY IS LOUD! This has gotten him in a lot of trouble.
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* Total gossiper. Talked about this with a friend once. John acts like he doesn’t care about what’s going on around town, but an observant person may find that he’s actively listening.*The minute Abigail comes home from work, he attempts to nonchalantly ask her if she heard anything interesting at work. If the gossip is juicy, he’ll actually sit down because he’s so excited. Abigail thinks it’s hilarious.*If John hasn’t heard anything in a while, he’ll ask Jack about his school friends. They always have drama. John dislikes Jack’s friend Becky despite never meeting her. Every time Jack says something about her, he’ll shake his head and say, “Damn it, Becky!”* Likes to make Abigail’s name “rhyme”. Once while arguing, he called her Abigwail. Also has said Abifail and Abipale. Jack helps him come up with new ones.* He really hates cats. He thinks they are assholes. Abigail thinks that John may have been a cat in a past life. A real cat burglar……* Actually loves to sing! He only does it in private, although he will occasionally sing obnoxiously when Jack is being rude to him. Abigail loves it when he thinks she isn’t nearby and he sings.* John seriously regrets not spending more time with his son. Now that Jack is a teenager, it is far harder to connect with him. He misses the days when Jack would look up to him.*John has far more scars that you would actually believe. His body is covered in them, especially his shoulders, upper left arm, and chest. The wolves didn’t claw just his face, but his arms and torso when he tried to defend himself. His neck is also covered in scars from the near-hanging Dutch and Hosea saved him from. That doesn’t count the scars from stab wounds and bullet holes.* John hates goats. It’s confirmed (No, really. It is). Jack found out and asked Abigail if they could buy one. She said yes not knowing the reason behind it. John was pissed.*John doesn’t understand why Abigail hates the squirrel taxidermy he brought home.* John gets visibly annoyed when he’s behind slow walkers. He will get very huffy.* John randomly gets baby fever. He’s not just horny. He wants a baby. He doesn’t know why. Probably because he wants another chance to be a good father.* John thinks he might be getting a dad bod, and he’s pissed. He thinks it’s the ice cream. He’s also very curious about spaghetti.
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Note: I think the way he’d care for you would change depending on where he is in life. John before Chapter 4 of RDR 2 isn’t as kind or selfless as he is later in the game. By rdr 1, he’s a very different man than he was when he was twenty-six. Link to part 1. Arthur’s post. Charles’ Post.John Marston Caring for Sick Reader:* Just because I think it’s cute: child John is super protective of you, but he doesn’t want to make it look like he cares. Think Damian Wayne from DCU. He’ll drop off a cup of tea or coffee on the table by your bed and hide behind a tree to see if you take it.* At night, he’ll sit by your tent, but he’s not guarding it. No way. You kiss him on the cheek when you’re feeling better. He’s definitely not blushing. Never.*As an adult, he still has that caring heart deep inside of him, but he’s still a little insecure about showing it. Fast forward to about 1906 and you couldn’t ask for a better husband.* John is extremely perceptive. He’s always observing his surroundings and watching over those he loves. Like Arthur, his eyes will narrow on you the second he hears you coughing or notices that you’re not eating as much.* He’s a little gruffer than Arthur is. He still loves you with all his heart, but he is far more likely to drag you to the doctor than Arthur is. John just wants you to get the best care possible.* He’s actually rather strict but acts this way to hide his anxiety. He’ll carry you off to bed and have someone like Uncle or Jack watch over you.*He’ll rush through his chores and will either do your chores as well or delegate the rest of the chores.* He’s been known to run into town at strange hours of the night to fetch whatever it is you need, even if it’s only the food that you are craving.* Not the best cook, but he thinks that he is a better cook than Abigail was. He tries his best. Funny enough, Uncle is the best cook in the house, but he tries to keep that to himself.* He’ll pull up a chair and sit by your bedside, holding your hand. When you wake up, you see him glaring into the distance. He’s already lost too many people in his life to illness. He can’t lose you, too.* In a moment of weakness, you asked him to hold you. He does so without a second thought. It’s no surprise to either of you when he becomes sick a few days later.When he’s sick:*As strange as it sounds, some of John’s best memories are from when Arthur was taking care of him when he was sick. He was only twelve when joined the gang and was always underfed no matter how much he ate. He was also very active and reckless leading him to become sick or injured more often.*Arthur would always loudly protest that he was stuck with the “brat”. While Arthur hated missing heists, he didn’t completely hate spending time with John. They would make up increasingly ridiculous stories about who was the better thief, make fart jokes about Uncle, or talk about their dreams. On rare occasions, they’d have a heart to heart conversations about their fears and their childhoods.*This stopped altogether when John became an adult. Arthur would occasionally throw a blanket his way or check on him, but nothing like he used to do for John in the past. This really hurt John.*As an adult, John is very hard on himself when he’s sick. Like Arthur, he will try to deny it, but in reality, he’s very angry with his body. Despite being called Dutch’s show horse, he feels like he’s not very useful This attitude mostly appeared after he was attacked by the wolves. Prior to this, he was always a bit insecure about his skills and place in the group, but the wolf attack exasperated these feelings because he was ‘out of commission’ for so many weeks.*John is covertly embarrassed whenever he’s ill or injured. He’ll roll his eyes and think Not again.He’s lost track of how many times he’s been shot or stabbed and how many bones he’s broken. Modern AU John would describe himself as a reluctant test crash dummy.*Unfortunately, John periodically brings these injuries on himself. While he likes to plan his approach and smooth talk his way out of situations, he still has a very reckless side to him, especially when he’s angry. Sometimes he puts himself in these situations on purpose as an outlet for his emotions.*So when you catch him clutching his side because ribs ache, massaging his hands, or coughing, his eyes become wide and he’ll look away from you. He’ll wave you off. He doesn’t want you to see him as a weakling. Don’t be surprised if he decides to do something like fix a wagon wheel or chop wood. He’s only attempting to prove that he’s not sick.*One day, you see him nearly collapse after carrying feed around. You place your hand on his forehead and see that he is burning up something awful. He’ll weakly try to push you away, but it’s too late.You’re about to go Miss Grimshaw on him if he doesn’t listen.Luckily, John doesn’t need that much coaxing. He’s too weak at this point.*Once in bed, he’ll try to protest, but that stops once you finally start talking.You let him know that everyone gets sick sometimes. Everyone injures themselves at times.*Yes, he has his reckless moments, but overall, he doesn’t ask for these events to happen. It’s an unfortunate side effect to your lifestyles. You’ll brush his hair from his face and fetch him water to drink.*He won’t relax until you repeatedly assure him that he’s fine to do so.Once he’s relaxed, there’s a definite wave of relief*John’s a bit childlike when he’s sick.Like Arthur, he’s very pouty. Once he feels comfortable, he’ll complain about how he’s feeling…a lot.He’ll also quietly plead for you not to leave him. He wants to curl up against your chest and have you run your fingers through his hair. That always relaxes him.If he’s vomiting or something, he’ll try to push you away. He doesn’t want to see you like this.It’s kind of a cycle of I’m too embarrassed, don’t look at me mixed with please stay with me.*If he’s injured, he’ll scowl at the new marks silently cursing them. Once he’s bandaged up, you like to place little kisses on his scars. That always makes him smile bashfully.*The largest problem with him being sick is Jack. Jack being so young doesn’t quite understand why John seems to be ignoring him. Since John is often sick or injured, it confuses Jack that John is present one minute and “avoiding him the next”. John feels awfully guilty about this. He explains the best that he can from a distance while you kneel to his level and explain the situation*He’s not as eloquent as Arthur, but when he’s feeling better, he’ll take your hands in his, look at you earnestly in the eyes and whisper a quiet, but heartfelt “thank you”. He’ll then give you a kiss and a squeeze before continuing on with his day. He’s usually off to find Jack. He may not say it, but you caring for him makes him feel like the most important man in the world.
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* You’re a more recent arrival to Dutch’s gang. You had worked closely with your father, a town doctor when the O’Driscolls came to your town. They started to kill random civilians to get Dutch’s attention. Your father told you to hide so they couldn’t get to you. As you hid, you heard your father being shot down. You came out of hiding when you heard Dutch’s voice cursing the O’Driscolls. You begged them to take you with them since you had nothing left, you toted your skills as a doctor. Over the years you were an expert at stitching wounds, extracting bullets, treating concussions and more.*Arthur and John were very sympathetic to your plight since their fathers also met terrible ends, but you were always closer to John. He was close to your age and always took time out of his day to sit with you while you were sewing, checking supplies, or doing chores around the camp.* John liked how calming your presence was and would always find excuses to be near you. Unfortunately, he was very “clumsy”. At first, you were always treating the various wounds that he received from heists. Those were important and you thought he was just reckless. You would always chastise him about this saying you couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him. He’d just blush and say, “I ain’t going nowhere, darling,”.* Then he would start coming to you for just about anything from the smallest scratch to the smallest splinter. You’d just look at him and sigh as you treated him, affectionately calling him a “big baby”. He’d just stare at you with stars in his eyes. You loved to give him lingering touches just to watch him blush.*When he was attacked by the wolves, it took every fiber in your being to keep from panicking. Unfortunately, that was the time when John Marston decided to be a stubborn asshole. He’d just try to swat you away and claim he didn’t need your help anytime you try to change his bandages. You didn’t understand why he was being this cold to you.*Finally, you grabbed the uninjured side of his face and whispered, “Why are you doing this to yourself? To me? Just let me take care of you damn it! Can’t you see that I love you?. John’s eyes widened, desperately trying to look away.* “Baby, you could do so much better than me. I don’t even know what to do with myself anymore. I’m less of a man than I was before. I’m a damn bit uglier than I was before, that’s for sure. It doesn’t matter.” he sighed dejectedly.* You immediately shushed him. He just looked so hurt. You reached for the water bowl and ointment as you started to clean his wounds. He stiffened and kept his eyes averted.*”Sweetheart, you’ve been nothing but kind to me ever since I’ve joined the gang. I’ve told you time and time again that I can't’ lose you. I didn’t say I love you because I pitied you or anything. It’s because I meant it. And honestly, these scars show that you’re a damn survivor. If that’s not attractive, then I don’t know what is.” You finished up your work and sighed.* John let out a shaky breath and gently took your hand and held it to his chest. “I can’t say I understand or necessarily believe your line of thinking, but I’m trying. I’m sorry I’ve been such an ass to you. Thank you. For everything.” He started to gently massage your hand as you started to comb through his hair with your free hand. He moaned quietly.*That’s when you decided to gently place your lips over his. You heard his breath hitch as you deepened this kiss. Once he got over the surprise, he started to kiss you back hungrily. He pulled away sounding slightly out of breath.*“ I can’t believe this real,” he said with a grin. “I love you so much, YN. Always have and always will.” You grinned and kissed him gently saying, “I love you, too John Marston,”.
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Note: This is in reference to how I roleplay and view John:I bet you guys are tired of my long answers. But there are two versions of this as well because there are two versions in canon. (As far as Abi’s and John’s relationship goes.)Option 1:There is the theory that they were a fling that accidentally ended in a pregnancy and now they are “stuck” with Jack”. In some versions of people’s games. They are downright hateful and an argument can be made that this is the case. In a Modern Au - they are very estranged and want nothing to do with each other. John doesn’t want to see Jack. He still doesn’t think Jack is his - if tested - he will pay child support and that is it. If Jack does visit, it is chaos. Bad chaos. They don’t have Amelia. Amelia was made out of love. Literally and figuratively speaking. Abigail would leave him because she was tired of the drinking and she felt like there was never really any love to begin with - just attraction (Again - this is actually a common idea in the fandom!). John doesn’t really give a shit. He just sees her as a nag. Even without the alcohol, Abigail thinks he’s a selfish ass. John is a bit of a mess. By the time he meets reader/Oc - he is recovering because Charles, Hosea and Arthur refuse to let him accidentally die. He is a misanthrope and a bit of an ass. He has a lot of trauma and anger. However, his life slowly becomes more normal. He needs someone supportive - bu can also call him out on his shit. He will be pissy about it , but he’ll realize he needs it. He needs someone who will accept him at his core.. He’s still moody, but secretly very sweet. Still works as a mechanic and is a biker and old car enthusiast. Tends to be more of a loner and more willing to do crimes with Dutch’s biker gang. He’s more reckless. Do not try to fix him. I don’t like rping that sort of shit because it can’t happen in real life. That’s another reason why he and Abi divorced. She thought love would fix him. John would try tinder dates and realize he just feels shitty. John is more open to exploring his sexuality. He’s bi and always has been. TLDR: He’s healing and will take time to warm up to you. He’s a bit gruffer and more selfish - think “bad’ version of chapter 2.Abigail is frosty towards him. However, she is dealing with her own trauma. After divorce She wants to be in love. She wants to love and care for someone - but she wants it to be real. Not because she’s a pretty face - but because you see she has value. She really hates one night stands.s Both are more closed off and suspicious than in option 2.I have to admit - this one is more challenging - yet more fun to play as a writer. It’s not as healthy - but there is a lot of wiggle room for character growth.Option 2:And of course, the idea that they love each other. My playthrough never had them abuse each other. No arguing, calling each other darling even in early chapter 2. It was cute. In this version, they fell out of love and both of their hearts were broken. They love each other in certain ways, but not like a married couple “should”. They agree it’s best for the kid(s) to part ways. However, they are still very close friends and protective of one another. Jack still doesn’t like his father - but wants his approval.Abigail wants John there - but she understands that it’s painful so she tries to convince them to do little things instead. Amelia switches between them, but they live only ten minutes from each other so it’s not a big deal.Both are healthier because they do know love.They are both somewhat guarded - but trying to start anew. They will even play wingman for each other.I don’t see them hooking up with others as often. Maybe hardly ever. They both feel like they are older so they do want to settle down - but they aren’t going to marry the first person they see.Abigail wants an equal who will help her in her business. Someone to support her and she wants to support you in return. She secretly loves romance. Loves holding hands, surprise picnic trips, and cuddling. She’s confident, but she can still come across as shy. She wants to make sure you’re serious. I would love to see her paired with a woman in either option. Not for the sake of it, but because I think she would do better with a woman than man. THIS IS MY OPINION.John takes it a bit harder than Abigail. He did love her. He wants to win her back. So the reader would have to take it slow and be genuine. (Bonus - it never hurts to befriend Abigail here. She will try to help if she sees you truly want him.) He’s a bit insecure and feels like he won’t find anyone else interested in him. He’ feels like he’s too damaged, but he heals over time. He’s more reserved. He still does stupid shit. He still can be rough, but his mindset is a bit more mature.Please be aware that as a father, his daughter is number 1. He feels like it’s too late for him and Jack. This has the potential for more cute moments.
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* John is a romantic at heart. He wants to love and be loved. Expect lots of kisses with tongue, cuddles eye gazing, and hair play. Slow kisses exploring your body. Words like “Darlin’” and “Baby”.* He won’t say it at first, but he craves it in return.*HUGE Praise kink. I can’t tell who is worse: Him or Arthur. If you really shower him with affection, John has to stop himself from coming right then if it’s been a while for him.*He’s not as long as the others, but a bit thicker.* This man loves getting his dick sucked. Just loves it. Tease his head, his shaft, his balls, his hole.*In romantic moods, he likes missionary, and spooning. Anything close and intimate.* Really likes to have sex in the bathtub, but that’s somewhat risky and messy.* Also likes 69 regardless of mood. Sometimes, it’s the only way to shut him up.* You will come at least once.* Loves to cuddle even if he isn’t vocal about it. The man is touch starved. Skin to skin contact is best.* Please tell him he did well, pet his hair and hold him. He’s yours forever.*Sex with him is going vary greatly depending on his mood. Sometimes he wants the most romantic, and sensual sex while other times, he wants it extremely rough.*If he feels like this could be an actual relationship, his first time with you would be slower and more gentle. He might seem slightly hesitant when in reality, he’s probably thinking too much. Probably anxious. Poor boy.* If it’s a one night stand, he’s far more confident and likely to be rough. To him, it’s about mutual pleasure so there’s not any pressure on him and he doesn’t have to deal with feelings.* This man is loud, but even more so if he’s wanting to be rough. Some people pound on the door yelling at him to quiet down. He usually ignores them. Usually.* He’ll eye you hungrily before he’ll push you against the wall, kissing sloppily. little love bites before pounding into you.* Will ask first, but he enjoys some light choking. Giving and receiving, but he’s always gentle unless you ask for more.* Loves to spank or grabbing your ass so he can hit just the right angle.* Has very mixed feelings on being called daddy. Sometimes he’s all for it, other times, not so much.*Being called sir, on the other hand, drives him mad. It lights a fire under his ass.* Loves to bite and be bitten. Usually, it doesn’t care about leaving marks until its too late. He has many uses for that bandana. The gang can usually tell what’s up and give him “the look”.* Loves to tie you up - smirking as you squirm.* Tie him up and he has no idea what to do with himself. He’s usually bucking his hips trying to get contact.* He likes some edging both giving and receiving.*He loves this side of you. Actually, he just loves you.* Quickies will leave you breathless, but sometimes he’ll last for hours with breaks. You’ll probably be tired the next day.* Aftercare is a must with him. He wants to make sure you’re okay and feeling loved. Lots of kisses over any marks he made. Praises how well you did and how good you made him feel. Loves to spoon.
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Modern! John calling from jail:J: Baby, I’m in jail. I’m going to need you to Abi-bail me out.
A: God damn it. I’m already pissed that you got arrested yet again, but now you’re staying the night.Abigail tries to bake a cake for Jack’s birthday. It’s burned to a crisp. John: That looks like an Abi-fail.It’s starting to hail. Abigail turns to John expecting him to say something about it Abi-hailing. After seeing her expression:
John: Look! It’s Abi-hail! As in hail my queen, Abi-hail.
Abigail: You’re safe. For now.
John sighs in relief.John and Abigail are having date night:
John: Alright. I’m going to abi-nail you.
Abigail glares.
John: Abi-rail you?
Abigail: ….
Johh:…
Abigail: You’re not getting any Abi-tail.John forgets to walk Jack home from school. Abigail is furious at him.John: What are you going to do, put me in abi-jail?John is then sent to sleep out in the barn.Modern AU: John and Abigail are shopping for produce.
Abigail places some greens into her basket.
John: You’re buying Abi-kale.John coming home from the post office:
You have abi-mail!Abigail: John? Have you seen my milking pail?
John: You mean your Abi-pail?John buys a quail.
John: Baby! I bought us a bird! Her name is Abi-quail!John is about to propose to Abigail on the boat.
John: I’ve taken you for an abi-sail.John waits patiently at the altar feeling slightly breathless as he sees his bride for the first time.
John reverently: There’s my girl wearing her Abi-veil.Abigail is crying because of a sad book Jack is reading.
John: Don’t make your mother Abi-wail!Jack: I want to be a lawyer at one of those fancy schools. Like Yale. Dad. No.
John smirking: If your mother went with you she’d be Abi-yale…Modern John gives Abigail a beautiful bracelet for her birthday. Abigail gasps in awe as she examines her wrist.
Abigail: Where did you get it?
Silence. Abigail sighs.
Abigail turns to John who is grinning sheepishly. Abigail quietly says under her breath:
Abi-zales.
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I wrote this in my fictional bio for John, but:He probably has no idea when his birthday is. :( Maybe he knows the month.His mother died giving birth to him and his father was horribly neglectful and abusive. It’s a wonder John survived at all. It’s likely one of the fellow working girls cared for him or maybe he had formula somehow. IDK. :(Or the Reader wants to give John a birthday present and bake him a cake. They ask everyone in the gang and no one seems to know. You figured maybe they just didn’t care. John is a loner. But not even Abigail knows.The reader tries to talk to ask John, but he avoids the question. Finally, he snaps.“You really want to know? Fine. I don’t have a birthday. No one gave a damn about me so I never knew. I don’t even know the month.”The reader gives his cheek a kiss.“Why don’t you pick one?” you ask. He’s silent.“I don’t know…maybe July? July 23rd?” He shrugs.“That makes you a cancer in the zodiac calendar. It fits you. July 23rd it is.” He gives you a little grin. Finally. Someone who cares enough to ask about him.BTW - My good friend is a zodiac expert and reviewed all the signs. I agree that Cancer fits him with Scorpio being a second choice.
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Please excuse my English. I’m very confused about how to spell Scottish the correct way. I’ve seen three versions and Idk what’s right.I feel like this has been brought up before - but the idea of some of the gang being bilingual or at least understanding more than one language. (Sean, Abigail, Javier, etc.)I was thinking. John’s father is Scottish. Very patriotic and it was one of the only things he talked about. John said, “With the way my father talked - you’d think he did nothing but eat haggis and wear kilts.” (Rdr 1)His father was born on the boat to Scotland and his father’s parents were, of course, Scottish. It’s likely his father spoke either Scot-English or Scottish Gaelic.I mean, what if his father spoke it while drunk? Maybe tried to get John to learn it?So I can totally see some Scottish guy arguing with someone. The gang is entirely unsure of what the guys are saying.John reluctantly speaks up.“He says his neighbor stole his cow and his wife. The other neighbor said, ‘What’s the difference?’ Now they’re fist fighting.”Cue Arthur staring at him.Or, maybe as a child - they hear John speaking it while angry. Hosea, Dutch, and Arthur are even more convinced he’s a gremlin. It’s not until John is adult that they realize he’s speaking a language, and that’s only because Sean pointed it out.Maybe he still does it when he’s upset or thinking and he doesn’t realize it. Jack and Abigail are freaked out. Maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s cute. I’m from Eastern Europe and I do the same thing.
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So, I’ve briefly talked about love languages before. It’s essentially how you like to show and receive love. The five “languages” are quality time, words of affirmation, physical touch, favors, and gifts. Most people don’t know these until you get to know someone and most people don’t realize that they are technically acting on it.So Abigail is several years younger than John, but she’s very wise - especially when it comes to the games men can play. She’s had tons of men impress her daily as a working girl and in general. She’s seen men puffing their chests, lifting heavy objects for her, throwing money at her, buying her expensive things, getting into fistfights - basically anything you name - she’s seen it and she’s not really impressed. She finds it annoying and boorish. I still see John trying to impress her somehow - but I think she would like him by observing him when he’s not trying to impress her. Kind of like, the real him so to speak? I think her watching him be a bit helps her see through any bullshit or antics he tries later on.I hate to sound cliche - but I feel like John would be the kind of aloof type? As in like, “Grungy, I”m not cool. Don’t talk to me. Meh.” mixed with a bit of his cocky side. Does that make sense? I know I’m not describing it well.So, I think he’d try to act like, he cares but not too much so he doesn’t put his heart too far on the line. I Hc that he fell in love with a farmer girl and it didn’t work out because he was young and the gang had to move all the time.Then I hc that he flirted around/messed around with men as well.But, after the farmer girl, I hc that Abigail would be his first true relationship. Because honestly, without the farmer girl I made up, when would John have time to have a real relationship? He never meets people.I’ve said before that I personally think John is the type to leave little gifts for someone - but more in the practical sense. I don’t think he’d say, “Oh, I brought you this,”. I think it’d be more like oh, her brush is broken - he steals a beautiful one and it appears in Abigail’s tent or something like that. She knows it’s from him because she catches him watching her and whenever their eyes meet - he looks away, sometimes with a hint of a blush. I think if he sees something broken of hers or something she needs help with (Ex: fixing a clasp on her necklace, her reaching for something) He’ll do it for her without her asking. For that sort of thing, he’d make sure she knew it was him.Basically, little hints that he cares for her and her wellbeing. I can see Uncle trying to goad him into more romantic endeavors. Leaving her flowers, swiping It’s a trope, but I can see Abigail being like, “Oh, I can’t get the hang of shooting!” Whereas everyone is well aware she can. I know it’s a trope, but the idea of John guiding her hands and him behind her? Super romantic. Of course, I can see him smirking, saying “Hm. You ain’t no beginner. I know you can shoot. You’re a damn good liar when you need to be, but you don’t have to lie to impress me, darlin’.”Then of course, he’d show off a bit for her. He just can’t help. Of course, she drops the act and tries. Obviously, she’s not skilled as John who seems to canonically be peak levels of gifted - but she’s no slouch either. I see their first kiss being him behind her - genuinely giving a tip and the trope - she turns around and kisses him. Like they are tropes for a reason! Because they’re good!I can see him trying to “sneak” holding hands with her - but only under the table type of thing. Putting his arm around her waist protectively when someone flirts with her or is an ass to her.I think being good in bed would of course help and she’d be happy to do that with someone who’s selfless. I definitely think she’d have fun, but at the same time - I really really don’t think that would be the first or second thing she’d care about.
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Request: How do you feel about sadie/Abigail or other Abigail wlw pairings? Content for wlw ships is always scarce but something about abigail gives me powerful bisexual energyFirst things first - it’s hard to comment on Abigail being shipped with canon characters only because she’s a “forced” loner. No one, especially the women, talks to her very often except for Sadie and Tilly. The only men who talk to her besides John, later on, is Hosea and Arthur as far as saying something besides a greeting. She really seems like an outcast.But YES. Abigail gives me mega bisexual energy, too. If it wasn’t for John and her true love for him, I can see her maybe being a lesbian. DON’T KILL ME!! iT’S JUST AN OPINION. I can explain this later if someone wants.I think she loves John, and I maybe see her with Arthur but more like a platonic marriage. Those did exist back then.When I read Arthur’s comments about wanting to marry Abigail, I did not see or sense any romantic notions. I took it more as “Let me step up for her because she needs a man and the boy needs a father”. Yes, he mentioned Mary, but I still don’t really think it’s love. I think it’s guilt over the women he’s failed in the past. LH Arthur lusts after her, but he also lusts after Tilly, Mary-Bet, Karen, and Sadie so I don’t give that much credence.Back on topic, she really seems like she would do better with a woman/someone in the LGBT community. They might be more understanding of her struggles. Not guaranteed since women can be misogynistic…Below is what she would look for in a relationship and what it would look ife she dated each member of the gang.BUT She has a greater chance for equality. I think she constantly has to worry about what men want or viewing her as just an “easy piece of ass” because of her past. (I definitely believe Abigail was forced into her profession.) That or men think she’s manipulating them.On top of that, her dating a woman could partially stop these claiming she’s stringing/ manipulating men, imo. She could still do it to her LGBT+ partner if one really wants to follow that thought, but Again. Equal footing.I think she’d have fewer communication issues as well. While Abigail does have her moments where I hardcore disagree with her, I overall think she’s a very depressed woman who only wants what’s best for her son. She repeatedly denies her own chances for happiness telling John she doesn’t care what happens to her. She just wants Jack to be okay.She’s also absolutely devoted to those who show her any shred of kindness.I think Abigail can also be far more vulnerable with a woman. I think with men, she doesn’t really feel safe enough. I think she shows this with John, but she seems to think it’s risky? Like she’ll get soft and then act like she wasn’t being soft. I don’t get it. John doesn’t make fun of her for any kindness/softness. He loves it and is very loving!! They are the best together when they snuggle at bedtime. Other than that, she’s surrounded by men and I feel like she would think that she can’t “afford” to appear too soft. Like she’ll be sweet with him and then seems to try to say something to appear tough again, imo.I admit, I sometimes struggle to ship her with others but that’s because she seems so much older than she really is. I was stunned when I realized she’s 22 in the main story and wasn’t even 40 when she passed. The ladies, John, Sean, and Lenny just seem so much younger than her. (She’s not interested in Bill or Micah, obvi.)I think it’s because she’s a pessimist who has seen so much of the bad of the world. I’m not saying the other ladies haven’t! but I think they still have hope where Abigail doesn’t.Sadie understands a lot of the shit Abigail went through and Abigail seems to understand her very well. They respect each other and realize that A. Abigail isn’t just a “naggy mother” and that Sadie isn’t “a crazy bitch”. I can see them working well, but I think Abigail doesn’t want a person of action like Sadie. She would want Sadie to give up Bounty Hunting and I don’t see Sadie doing something like that. I think if they could get over that then it would be easier. I don’t think Sadie does. Sadie seems to want to travel and go on adventures. It’s why she leaves Beecher’s Hope. IDK if she’d actually settle down on a homestead again. There’d have to be a lot of negotiation. Sadie is also very firey and stubborn so if there are fights, I think they could get ugly - but I think they’d be able to work it out. I Just think maybe Jake was a bit softer and able to reach a different side of Sadie. Sadie and Abi are like watching two powerhouses.I can see her more with someone like Tilly because they are both strong women who are brave, kind, selfless, logical. They don’t take shit. They also both value stability, love, and family. Tilly is also constantly helping with Jack and adores him. I think Abigail trusts Tilly the most with Jack after Arthur and Hosea. On top of that, Tilly can give Abigail push back and has an interesting dialogue with her. She doesn’t just accept Abigail’s pessimism. She’s very firm and mature whereas a lot of the others aren’t as much. I can see them calmly talking disputes out and if not, I don’t see Tilly putting up with Abigail if she’s having a temper tantrum of sorts. I love Abigail, but she does get overly emotional sometimes. They’re both very kind, selfless, and intelligent. I don’t think Tilly judges Abigail and I think Abigail really appreciates that. I think Arthur, Tilly, and Hosea are the people who interact with Jack the most. The others don’t as often so that’s a point against any of the other women. That’s big because Jack is her number 1 priority.I can’t comment on Mary-beth because I’m biased. I think Mary-Beth’s flightiness would really bother Abigail. (But it bothers me IRL so I might be biased. I’ve been compared to Abigail before. Yes, I know it’s weird.) Trying to be impartial - but I think she’d find herself parenting Mary-Beth.”Mary-Beth,you need to go do chores. Mary-beth, please come help me with this. Mary-Beth, we have bills to pay. Seriously. Put the book down and help with these chores. Mary-Beth, thanks for helping Jack with his reading, but why don’t we talk? Okay, maybe not……”I think Abigail might do okay with Molly. She seems to think that Molly is a little pampered and naive. However, she never bashes Molly once and actually expresses worry for her. Same with Tilly feeling sorry for Molly.She’s very kind to Molly and I wish we could see them interact more. She and Molly actually have a few things in common like their love for the better things in life, the desire for stability, both having troubles with men, etc. But IDK for sure! I feel like Molly could easily through Abigail’s past in her face and Abigail throwing Molly’s past in and that would get ugly.Karen and Abigail is kind of weird combination. They are kind to one another and Karen was supportive of Abigail when Jack was taken.I just don’t see them together. They don’t interact. ( A lot of them don’t.)If we’re including Miss Grimshaw, they REALLY wouldn’t work. They hardcore don’t seem to like each other and I think it’s because Grimshaw thinks of her as just a lazy whore. I’m not joking. She actually tries to force Abigail back into prostitution. She seems to think Abigail is just a freeloader. In some ways, I can see how Miss Grimshaw would say that. I do agree that Abigail could help with chores in camp - but Mary-Beth and Molly are just as guilty.I think Abigail needs someone who is a combination of softness and strength. She needs someone who can round her sharp edges and make her feel safe. Someone who lets Abigail know that it’s okay to do things like hold hands, call each other pet names, etc. But she can’t deal with a whiner either. She wants an equal, not someone else to mother and I think that’’s the main complaint with her and John. *until rdr 1 that is.* I think any OC/reader/ would also have to help Abigail with her emotions as far as knowing what to accept and what not to accept. Again, I love Abigail and most times, she has a reason to be angry. People have the right to be crabby as well - but Abigail also has times where she just isn’t rational and needs to be called out. It has to be equal. Not just someone who lets Abigail do what she wants but also not someone who dominates Abigail.Fun fact about LGBT women: WLW can easily get away with less shit because they were always viewed as sisterly. I’m not joking. You could l literally kiss a woman or hold hands and people would comment think they’re sisters, cousins, friends, etc.Men had it far more difficult, but in the Old West, it was very different. Hosea and Dutch could have gotten away with a relationship relatively easily. (As long as they weren’t in the East and avoided the Temperance movement.)Discussing pair-ups is actually fun.
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John squinted as he read the question before roaring with laughter. A very unusual sound - not at all dissimilar to a dying horse.“Have I made any mistakes in parenting? You mean besides my entire existence and presence as a father?” he said laughing again.“Damn. Ask Jack. I’m sure he’ll give you a whole list. Well. Do you want one for Jack and Amelia? Alright.” He stretched.“After the gang fell apart, it was just Abigail, myself and Jack. Jack was four at the time and struggled with keeping undercover. I don’t feel like this is my fault, but… sometimes people would talk to Jack more than us. He’s cute and I’m…scary looking so it’s easier to talk to him.”.“Sometimes people would ask what I do for a living. Jack would sometimes say, “He’s a cowboy! He shoots people! Like this! Pow pow pow pow!!!! It’s lots of bad guys.” John re-enacted, his fingers gun-shaped.“Yeah. We had to move sometimes because of that. I was in so much trouble. Now. Amelia is far more embarrassing. I wanted to die. She picks up cuss words easily. It’s Uncle’s fault, really.” He paused.“Okay, it’s my fault, too. One time. Amelia wouldn’t eat her porridge. Normal kid stuff, apparently. I didn’t have that choice as a kid. Anyway, I remember sighing exasperatedly. I thought to myself,“ Are you shitting me right now?”. Turns out. I said it out loud. She heard me.Amelia is sweet with us, but she’s rather serious.She looks dead in the eyes and in the most serious tone she says,“No Papa, I am not shitting you.”.“Thought I was gonna die. We just stood there staring at each other. I don’t really remember the rest except saying,“Don’t tell your mother about this.”“There was also the time at Mr. Pearson’s store, but that’s for another day.”
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Y’all. Imagine Jack and John finding a litter of sleeping puppies on Beecher’s Hope. Jack starts to beg for another dog. John simply groans and claims that Rufus is more than enough. But then, the puppies perk up hearing his voice and gallop towards him.He falls onto the ground as puppies jump, yipe and kiss John’s face. They don’t even care about his scars. Jack is laughing hysterically. His father, the big scary outlaw is being attacked by puppies. John tries to scowl the entire time, but even he starts to laugh.Abigail rushes towards them hearing all the commotion. She has no idea what’s going on, but she sees her husband on the ground with Jack bent over laughing. She sees the puppies and she melts. She sees John laughing and she’s a goner. She feels herself falling for John all over again because even he is laughing hysterically at this point. He’s not even pretending to scowl anymore. He looks so young and carefree right now. She hasn’t seen her two boys this happy in a long time. She wishes she had Arthur - now John’s camera with her.Abigail puts her hands on her hips and exclaims, “Guess we’ll have a new addition to the family - or a few.”. John lifts one excitable pup and cuddles it to his chest.“Guess we do.”
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* Arthur was fourteen when he was found whereas John was eleven. For years, Arthur was the only child so to speak.*I think that Miss Grimshaw joined a few years after Arthur so for a while it was the three of them, then the four of them. Bessie also came in at some point. I think John was next.*John was eleven when he joined with Arthur being twenty-one at the time.*I most definitely believe that Arthur was confused and probably annoyed at the situation. Dutch and Hosea viewed it as giving Arthur a little brother and that is essentially what he becomes.*It’s implied that John was a very angry little boy, the same as Arthur. It’s no surprise considering their upbringing. I think deep down, John was scared and very insecure.*He was likely desperate to prove himself to Dutch and Hosea because he may have worried about being kicked out of camp if he wasn’t useful. Arthur was someone close to his age and in a similar situation.*I can see John annoying the utter shit out of Arthur, Asking him to go fishing, hunting, shooting, robbing, anything.*I can see John picking up his mannerisms, trying on his hat when he’s not looking, falling him around, etc.*John looked up to Arthur as a friend, mentor, and brother. Arthur would probably be reluctant to accept him into the group, but I can see Hosea forcing “bonding sessions” between them because he can’t stand the fighting.*Arthur would be a good influence on John. He can sometimes get him to do things that Hosea and Dutch ask him to do like practice reading, do chores (By making it a contest) or how to work with horses.* While Arthur would be annoyed with him, I think in his heart he secretly likes John and finds him a combination of angry, awkward and sweet.*Once Arthur accepted him, John was elated. His eyes would light up when Arthur walks out of his tent and chats his ear off. It’s even worse if they shared a tent.*John brings out Arthur’s youthfulness and protectiveness. John likes to convince him to pull pranks with him, play games, etc.*Make Arthur laugh is a victory unless he’s laughing John. Then, John’s insecurity comes in to play. He gets deeply hurt but tries to hide it through anger. Anyone being angry with him also deeply upsets him.*It’s during those times that the gang is reminded by just how young John really is. Sometimes John will run away which scares the hell out of everyone or become very withdrawn. Sometimes he’ll cry.*I can see Arthur being a little more affectionate than Hosea and Dutch. In those situations, he’ll apologize, talk about what happened and give him a hug. I don’t see any hugs happening with Dutch and Hosea. Sometimes people just need that. John and Arthur are people I see being that way.*If anyone gives John crap that isn’t Arthur, Dutch or Hosea, you better watch out. Arthur is coming at you with full force to either chew you out or beat you up if you hurt John physically.*Finally, I can see John being extremely jealous of Mary. He views her as someone who is taking Arthur away since Arthur isn’t around to guide him. This is normal behavior for siblings. I think he’d eventually accept it, though.*If he ever met Mary, I can full on see him trying to embarrass Arthur with stories of Arthur being awkward/dumb. I can see John awkwardly trying to console Arthur after they break up. Same with the Eliza situation.I think as more people start to join the gang, the two drift apart a bit because there are other people to focus on. Arthur may think John doesn’t need him anymore and John may think Arthur has moved on.*Either way, that bond is still there, though. It just takes more work to continue. I think the biggest wedge in their relationship is Abigail This is unintentional, of course. It’s just part of growing up.
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To answer your question, I think John had an uphill battle of sorts. It’s him having to think and act in an entirely new way. I don’t think John is inherently a selfish person. If he was a truly selfish person, I don’t think Abigail would have fallen for him. I absolutely do not think Abigail would be ungrateful for any love or attention, but I do think she’d be suspicious. She’s been hurt and ignored for at least three years. John was there for the pregnancy and left when Jack turned one.We’re not given any information on how he treated her. Did he ignore her at first, did he try and then change his mind? We don’t know.I think I can explain this through love languages. There are five love languages and they are pretty easy to lookup. It’s how people show and receive love.John is definitely the type to hate showing vulnerability and emotions.I think he was taught it was a weakness, or it may be because he wasn’t shown any true softness and vulnerability. Any softness he had wasn’t given until he was 12 and that is very late for someone to be receiving that for the first time.He doesn’t know how so he’s having to learn it. Almost every other gang member had this opportunity. John did not.Abigail is similar in that she hates showing that she wants love and affection. Anytime John does try to treat her kindly, she brushes him off. Or if John is in trouble, she’ll act like she doesn’t care until the last minute. So John thinks he’s doing well, but she isn’t the type to readily show that she’s happy or emotional because she doesn’t want to be made fun of. This makes John frustrated and feeling like she’s ungrateful and the cycle of frustration and hurt starts again.I think his talks with her in chapter 3 really helped. He was awkward as hell but he truly spoke from his heart. He does love her and as for Jack - he was too scared to accept he was his. It’s not an excuse, though. However, Abigail sees the meaning and that’s when she starts to slowly trust him again. Because it’s not just romantically winning her back, it’s earning back her trust, too.I think he craves love and affection and I think he has to give, but I think because he hasn’t had a lot of softness in his life, giving “softness” and such can be difficult. I think Abigail can be similar in that she is jaded. She had a very tough life, too. However, Abigail is probably the type that had people dote on her as far as compliments and material goods go. She’s beautiful and probably had tons of suitors. She does in the main game as well. John can’t compete like her suitors could. Thankfully for him, her love language is different.Something soft and romantic is going to be wayyyy out of John’s comfort zone. I think she’d secretly like it, but not like the crap you’d see in a rom com.We see this in his proposal, but he does try!John is a fixer. He is constantly seen fixing wagons and other equipment. Is her tent crooked? He’ll fix it.Is Jack’s wooden sword broken? He’ll make a new one. Anything like that, he’ll handle. (Ie: Building her a house.) This is called acts of service.He’s not the best with words - but he tries. He becomes more eloquent as he grows older. I think she sees that, but she can be a little harsh. Physical touch in love languages do NOT have to be sex. It can be holding hands, cuddling, etc. I do think she would appreciate that, but I believe both of them would prefer to even hold hands in private. Sitting next to each other in public would be enough, I think.I do think he’d try to buy her little gifts, but I think unless he bought something for Jack, Abigail would worry that the money should have been spent on Jack. She doesn’t really think of herself as she never asks Arthur or anyone else to buy anything for her. However, I do think she would appreciate it. It might work better after the first time or so for John to just sneak things so he doesn’t have to deal with a discussion.Like, I can see John being the type to silently sneak Abigail a new thimble, a new set of needles, maybe a plain apron. Practical stuff, but I think Uncle would convince him to bring her traditional things like chocolate, flowers, wine, etc.Quality time would be his best choice. Choosing to sit with her or talking with her over say, going out to the saloon with the boys would be extremely meaningful to her. It would be a huge indication that he’s changing and that he loves her.
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He remembered when he was first brought into the camp at twelve. Damn, he thought he was such a tough little man acting like a little rattlesnake towards anyone who was near him. Hosea and Dutch were the only ones safe from his wrath. It took some time to warm up to Miss Grimshaw, but before he even had the time to do so, she gave him a stern talking to and a threat of extra chores if he tried to pull that shit on her.Now Arthur, on the other hand, was a different story. Arthur was twenty-two at the time. Tall, muscular, intelligent, confident and talented. Everything John was not at that age. John idolized him from afar. He would give anything to be even a bit like him. All of the ladies and even some men ogled from afar and few ladies were quite up close and personal. Arthur was quick as a whip, the greatest shot he had ever seen and loved dearly by all those in camp.John was jealous sure, but that’s not why he hated Arthur. No. He hated how well Arthur could read him. He hated how those sharp teal eyes could pierce through his soul.John smiled sadly as he remembered being called out by young Arthur all those years ago.One day, Miss Grimshaw had complained about how dirty John was getting.“That’s just not healthy! That brings diseases and bugs. Heck, it might even be stunting your growth or something. You don’t want that. Now go get washed!”Hosea gave him a look over and agreed. “She’s right, John. I can smell you coming from a mile away. Bet Arthur is not enjoying a sharing a tent with you right now,” He glanced at Arthur who was reading a book. “Arthur will take you to the river for your bath. Arthur, remember what happened last time and keep him safe!”. Arthur had frowned but muttered a quiet ‘yes sir’ as he put his book away.He grabbed a few things as he sighed and eyed the teen wearily. He grabbed John by the collar and muttered a “Come on you,”. Right when they were out of sight, John had started clawing at Arthur’s hands and snarling to let him go.“Look, I know where we’re going. I can walk, damn it!”. John screeched. Arthur loosened his grip a bit and smirked.“You tried to run last time,” he said.“Yeah. That was last time. I’m fine now.” John said wiggling free from Arthur’s grasp. (Realistically, Arthur let him go.)“Alright, but you ain’t acting fine”. He said as he shrugged his shoulders. John tried to glare a hole through Arthur’s head.When they got to the river, he had stripped off his clothes and snatched the bar of soap from Arthur’s hand. He waded a foot or two into the river and started to wash as quickly as he could. He felt the panic start to wash over him. Last time he was at the river, Arthur had thrown him in not knowing John couldn’t swim. Arthur had to then rescue him while Hosea comforted John and Dutch chastised him. After that incident, John had hidden from Arthur for a few days ashamed that he had seen him afraid. He had scoffed off Arthur’s apology, but inside, he could sense the sincerity and it warmed him.John tried to focus on the task at hand but felt his breathing become shallow. He looked around wildly. He didn’t want to admit it, but he wanted Arthur near. Of course, Arthur had known this. He had waded in the water behind him and was looking away saying,“I’m right here. Ain’t going nowhere. You’re fine.” John hated to admit it, but he immediately felt better. He had just finished up when he slipped on a rock.This was it. This was how he was going to die. He started to flail and gasp for breath when he felt strong arms around his middle lift him out of the water. He quickly put his clothes on and immediately started to pace, panting trying to hide his tears from Arthur.He heard Arthur heaved another sigh. It seemed like the only time he heard Arthur sigh was when he was interacting with him. Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose,“Look John, I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you and I never will. You can stop the rabid racoon act. You and I both know you’re just scared and trying to protect yourself. I get it. I used to be the same.” he said. John whipped around.“You don’t know shit.” he said furiously as he tried to wipe a tear away. Arthur approached him slowly one step at a time with his hand held out.“Come here.”“No!”“John, come on. Just come here.”“Fuck off!” he sputtered trying to wander off. Arthur caught up to him in two strides.“John, I implore you. Come here, please” he said quietly with an arm stretched out.John finally looked up at him feeling miserable. He was still feeling panicked and angry. Angry at himself for letting Arthur see him like this and angry at Arthur for being so damn nice. Arthur gave him a small smile before pulling John into his arms. Arthur was at least a foot taller than him and twice as wide.Arthur held him tightly against him running his hands through John’s clean hair. He hated to admit it, but he melted into Arthur’s embrace. It just felt so damn good to feel protected and…loved? Arthur placed a soothing hand on his back.“You don’t gotta keep doing this. I know it’s hard on you. It was hard on me. I came in at 14 and didn’t know shit. I was angry at the world for basically every reason imaginable. I wasn’t just angry though, I was afraid. Afraid I wasn’t good enough. Afraid I would let Hosea and Dutch down. Confused why I was picked to be saved. Hell, I still have those thoughts. You think I got my shit together? Nah. Sometimes I’m just bullshitting. Sometimes I’m still scared and have these feelings of doubt until my mind is racing and it’s hard to breathe. It ain’t just me. I know Hosea, Dutch and hell, even Miss Grimshaw have felt this way. She is human after all.” John let out a quiet laugh. He stood there soaking up Arthur’s warmth.“All I’m saying is you don’t need to pretend. Not around me. Just….come sit with me or somethin’ if you’re feeling this way. We don’t gotta talk. We can just sit until you calm down.” Arthur shuddered and stepped out of John’s grip. John missed the warmth immediately.“Alright, Boy. You have soaked up my damn shirt. Now let’s get back to camp before they send a search party. I gotta change.” With that, he ruffled John’s hair as they returned to camp. It was a companionable silence this time. When they got to camp, Miss Grimshaw had shouted ‘much better! Thank you, Arthur”. Arthur went into their shared tent and changed into a new shirt while John grabbed his stuff for bed when Arthur stopped him.“Hey John, ‘member what I said. Anytime. Hell, I might even give you a hug if you want. No problem. Now get ready for bed.” he said elbowing him in the ribs. John smiled shyly at Arthur, muttered a quiet, but heartfelt “thank you”, and did what he was told.Arthur just smiled fondly and said, “You’re welcome, John.”
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Note: For my Modern AU: I have a version where John stays with Abigail and a version where John gets together with an OC/Reader character. Trigger Warning for child abuse and alcohol. I changed Arthur’s age to make it easier for them to relate. Part 2 is now up.
*John was born to a prostitute and an alcoholic. His mother passed giving birth to him. His father was blinded in a bar fight when John was five. His father hardly remembered he existed.*When he did acknowledge him, it was only to admonish or beat him There were a lot of days where he would go hungry. Children at school sometimes made fun of him for having dirty hair and torn clothes. He lived with his father until he was eight as his father was sent to jail for having one too many D.U.I.s.*John was placed into several different foster homes and a group home. He never stayed in them long due to his status as a problem child - however, he left due to the abuse. Not only did he have a lot of anger, hurt, and resentment, he was also a child vagabond. He lived on the streets for weeks at a time before being sent to the group home again.* Hosea Matthews caught him trying to steal his wallet when he was at the local ATM. John was a talented pickpocket, but Hosea was a professional and caught him. John had begged him not to tell the police or else he would not only have to deal with the law but would be forced to go back to the group home.* Hosea and his partner Dutch decided to legally take him in as their ward. They already took in Arthur Morgan, a boy six years older than John that they had helped in a similar situation.*The four all lived together in an old, yet renovated estate on the outskirts of town. Hosea is a former con-man who turned his life around and is now a civil rights lawyer. Dutch runs a luxury vehicle shop by day at one location and a mechanic shop that is a cover for his biker organization nearby. Dutch insists it’s not a gang. No, really.* John was considered “difficult” even after Dutch and Hosea took him in. Abuse and trauma are not magically fixed in a night. John appeared much younger than his actual age due to neglect. John’s brain was always in survival mode and without a loving family, affecting was foreign to him and he fell through the gaps of the education system. It turned out he had a form of dyslexia. It was Hosea’s patience, Dutch’s praise, and Arthur’s presence that calmed him.* John hero-worshiped Arthur much to the elder’s discomfort. He didn’t think he was anything special whatsoever. He didn’t understand why this rabid, greasy boy looked up to him. Despite this, Arthur filled the big brother role well. Arthur, Dutch, and Hosea taught him most of his survival skills like hunting, gathering, mechanics, shooting, fishing, horseback riding, and so on. They also helped him with reading.* John did eventually make friends. His first and closest friend was Javier Escuella, an aspiring musician and Arthur’s best friend Charles Smith, an architect who works with Arthur. He’s also close to wannabe YouTuber Sean MacGuire, and the Callander Brothers..* As stated before, school was more difficult for John due to his learning disorder, but given the right encouragement (and with lots of pestering from Dutch and Hosea), he made decent enough grades. He was a whiz with math, mechanics and similar subjects.* He met Abigail in highschool. She was also a product of foster homes. Abigail was always focused on escaping the system. She had a 4.0 GPA, was a volleyball player, a tutor and her foster mother pressured her into cheerleading. Imagine 1990′s grunge for John. Quiet, rebellious, angry - smoke behind the school type. However, actually very kind when spoken to. They had a strange “will they won’t they” relationship and finally got together in senior year.He went to community college for a year because he felt that was what Hosea expected of him and did not know what else to do with his life. John thought about becoming an architect like Arthur but decided he didn’t want to go through the schooling. He decided that if he wanted to work with Arthur, he’d just ask.*Meanwhile, Abigail was studying agriculture and gender studies. He dropped out of college to focus on his true passion: cars and motorcycles. Hosea was disappointed whereas Dutch was overjoyed. He needed John for his side business.For this section: There is the “nice” divorce and the “nasty” divorce.
* John has a knack for *finding* vehicles that people “don’t want anymore*. Sometimes, he’ll take certain parts, other times he’ll bring in the whole vehicle. Occasionally, one of his friends will bring in an old truck or a “job” for him to complete. His entire “friend group” does.* They also sometimes borrow things, things “accidentally” set on fire. They collect donations. Just stuff biker clubs sometimes do!*John and Abigail dated highschool. She quite liked him and wanted to work on her business and settle down. He thought she was both beautiful and fiery. He c cared for her, but he didn’t see himself settling down anytime soon. The idea of settling down horrified him.* Then she became pregnant. He would have rather had the Earth swallow him up than deal with this. Arthur tore his ass a new one and insisted he care for the child. Dutch and Hosea were not thrilled either, but encourage him to do the right thing.*In John’s mind, this was eloping with Abigail.* He tried to be there for her, he really did. He hardly knew anything about her and here he was getting constantly yelled at, working long hours and making impromptu food runs for chicken nuggets and strawberry jam.*He and Abigail were blessed with a healthy baby boy they named Jack. He tried to read a few parenting books to attempt to prepare him, but he didn’t expect there would be this much crying and feces.*His fight or flight instincts kicked in and he responded to the stress by drinking heavily, running cons for Dutch, stealing more cars, and getting into bar fights. He wanted to feel something, anything other than fear.* Hosea and Dutch attempted to intervene several times and get him help with his drinking, but it was Arthur who finally got him to shape up. Arthur seemed to have some experience in the matter, but he was very guarded about the subject. John cleaned up his act after Arthur pointed out that John was no better than his father was and would end up exactly like him if he didn’t change.*This lit a fire under John’s ass. There was no way in hell that he wanted a child to have to go through the hell that John had as a child.(DIVORCE VERSION)* He tried to make things worth with Abigail. He wanted to provide for her and Jack. While he was able to stop drinking, his workaholic tendencies worsened. When he came home, he and Abigail always seemed to be fighting.*During a camping trip with Arthur in Wyoming, John was attacked by wolves and suffered considerable injuries. His face, neck and body were partially mangled. He lost sight in one eye, lost part of his sense of smell and taste, too. He returned to drinking.* He wasn’t exactly surprised when she asked for a divorce. She deserved better than him. Still, he didn’t expect it to hurt so much. He gave her what she wanted. The two now have joint custody over Jack.* The two are rather amicable with one another. Abigail brings Jack over to spend time with John. She remarried three years later to a kindly teacher. She’s very happy. John still hurts, but he’d never tell her that. John dated a few people here and there, but nothing too serious. He’d tell himself that he didn’t have time or that he wasn’t worthy. (There is a version where they are estranged.)*Now Jack is twelve and seems to resent him for John’s previous behavior. John had never hurt. Never. He simply wasn’t there very often. In actuality, Jack both resents and loves John. He just wishes he was as cool as John and wishes he was there more.*Now John spends most of his time working to pay for child support, running jobs for Dutch, or hanging out with Javier, Arthur or Charles. He’s desperately trying to find ways to reconnect with his son and repair the damage.* John didn’t have time to think about anything else, until he met you, that is.
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* Works as a mechanic. His specialty is motorcycles and old cars.* He likes working as a mechanic because he’s fixing something. He feels like he can actually do something useful for once. He wants to feel needed.* His car is a 1980’s red Mustang. It’s his baby. He restored it himself.*Has a bad habit of borrowing Arthur’s green, beat up pick up truck.* Loves classic rock. (We all saw that Led Zepplin shirt fanart!). His favorites are Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, ACDC and Aerosmith, Santana and Tom Waits.*He’s been known to roll down the windows and scream the lyrics to his favorite songs.*Jack finds it embarrassing as hell.* He has multiple scars across his face and body from when he was ambushed by a pack of wolves while hunting. He is now partially blind in his left eye and his sense of smells isn’t that great. If someone rudely asks or stares at his scars, he’ll claim it was Mothman that gave him the scars.* He’s a slut for pizza, root beer, and cracker jacks. He just likes junk food.*He tends to be a bit of a loner. He’ll occasionally hook up with someone to fill his urges, but it’s usually a one-time thing. He thought he’d be okay with going to bed alone by now.*Is extremely touch starved, but would die before admitting it.*Sometimes has night terrors about his father or the wolves attacking him.*He is a sponsor for Alcoholics Anonymous.* Doesn’t drink anymore, but still smokes. It’s a habit he picked up as a kid. It’s something he does when he’s anxious. He’s trying to quit.* When anxious, he’ll also run his hands through his hair or bounce his leg. It annoys the shit out of Arthur and Dutch.*He likes to help Arthur with whatever he’s building.*He bought an old ps3 to try to impress Jack with his video game skills. He thought Jack would be upset that it wasn’t a ps4, but Jack was actually thrilled. Lately, he’s been having fun with Jack playing Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies. They curl up on the couch together and eat pizza. John’s not too bad at the game himself, but his bad eye gets in the way.* Rufus comes over every time Jack comes to visit. They are inseparable.*He lets Jack watch parts of the Walking Dead. Jack thinks John reminds him of Daryl Dixon. It was the best compliment he’s ever received from his son.*He likes to take Jack to the bookstore to buy comics or other books. He’s not trying to buy Jack’s love. He simply knows how much he loves books. John loves watching Jack get all excited about whatever book he’s been reading. John will occasionally pick up the occasional self-help book or book about old cars.*Doesn’t realize how handsome he actually is or how his voice will affect people. Jack notices the men and women ogling him and just rolls his eyes.He wears mostly dark colors. During the week, he’ll wear leather jackets and black jeans. On the weekends, he’ll wear a band t-shirt of his favorite hoodie.
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* As a child, she had dreams of becoming a singer. She remembered seeing a beautiful woman perform an aria on an outdoor stage and was absolutely entranced. She was enthralled by the way that woman commanded the stage and was able to bring such emotion to the crowd. She remembered hearing later that this was meant to be the advertisement of sorts for a set of shows. She had no mother and no father to fawn over her - just a shitty orphanage. So, she snuck into the show each night by pretending to be a cleaning girl. The nights spent watching this woman were some of the best nights of her life.* Abigail was discovered by the performer herself on the last night. She was about to go to her hotel and prepare for the next city. Since Abigail was just a street girl in the city, she expected her to be rude or snobby. Instead, the woman had stooped to her level and introduced herself. Abigail was stunned. It was like meeting a princess. She remembers telling the woman how beautiful her voice was and how gorgeous she was before blurting out that she wanted to be a singer, too. Abigail wanted to have the crowds love her and give her praise - something she never had.* The woman smiled kindly, but there was an air of sadness to it. Abigail wanted to run away with her troop. Maybe this woman could be like a big sister? Maybe she could teach her how to sing! She was willing to be an apprentice, heck even a servant girl if needed. She didn’t want this night to end. She even tried to hatch a plan to sneak into their wagons.*The singer had taken Abigail’s hands and held them for a moment before telling her that she herself had a tough upbringing, but with hard work and a lot of sacrifices, she was able to make it and that perhaps Abigail would too one day. She then gave Abigail’s hand a squeeze and bid her farewell.*Abigail knew she should have been placated by this incident - it was more than she could have ever hoped for. However, she was starved for affection and was about to enact her plan to run away with them. Unfortunately, after saying goodbye, one of the fellow troop members saw the “street urchin” as a nuisance and had requested that she be taken back to the local orphanage.* She remembered wanting to kick and scream, but she knew that would only end in a beating if she fussed. Instead, she wept silently as she was led back to the orphanage. Some part of her had hoped that the chanteuse would rescue her, but she knew it was fruitless.* Afterwards, Abigail had practised her singing whenever possible and eventually became talented enough to bring in small amounts of money.*At the age of fourteen, she had run away from the orphanage for the final time and lived on the streets or any abandoned building she could find. There, she figured out how to pickpocket and how to use her charm to scam people.*Unfortunately, at some point, she herself was scammed by a madam. The Madam had praised Abigail’s voice and claimed she could introduce her to the “right” people. She naively followed. At first, she thought she was on the right path. Men were paying her money to sing to them. It didn’t take too long for Abigail to realize that the “patrons” were only men.* Before long, her requests for songs became fewer and fewer. Abigail finally accepted that she was now a lady of the evening. It didn’t take long for resentment and bitterness to set in. Abigail, of course, blamed herself for believing she could ever make it as a star like that beautiful woman all those years ago.*Eventually, she lost her confidence regarding her singing skills and focused instead on becoming the best escort and con-woman possible. Eventually, she was recruited by Uncle to join the Van der Linde gang.*She would hear the various gang members sing uproariously around the campfire. She would occasionally hum along but kept quiet overall.*This started to change when her son Jack was born. There were times where Jack’s incessant crying was driving her mad. She would rock him, sush him, and cuddle him. It was only when she hummed a lullaby that Jack would finally settle down. Sometimes, she would sing quietly to him which would act as a balm. It would put Jack right to sleep. Sometimes, she’d sing more playful songs that would end with a gummy smile as a reward.*Some of the other camp members would overhear her. Some would gossip and wonder why she didn’t sing. John would just shrug and deny any knowledge of this. Arthur, on the other hand, understood the desire to hide certain aspects of his life. He didn’t share his art or writing with others, so he saw no reason why Abigail had to share her singing talent with others. He would always tell everyone to knock it off. It was yet another reason why Abigail adored Arthur.*By 1899, Abigail just didn’t see a reason to sing unless her son asked for it. Even then, her son seemed to notice her apprehension and would instead request a story instead of a song.* Abigail started to sing once more after John built her not just a house - but a home. She was finally truly and deeply happy. She had a man who was a bit of a pain in the ass, but who loved her deeply nonetheless. She had a son who was bright, healthy and kind - even if he was a brat at times. She had loyal true friends like Charles Smith who helped build her this home and Sadie Adler who had saved her life on several occasions. She had Uncle who had freed her from her escort job and had introduced her to her family. Finally, there was Uncle who despite being rather lazy always had a kind word to say.* John had been stunned when she burst into song one day. She held her head tilted to the sky, arms outstretched with the widest grin he hadn’t seen in ages. John stared at her in awe with love in his eyes.* When she had finished her song, she let out a peal of laughter. She sounded so girlish. John shook his head and breathily said,“Wow. I think that’s the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.” which made Abigail blush as dark as a robin. She laughed the compliment off when she saw the sincere look in his eyes.* “I mean it. Truly. It makes me feel things…You know I ain’t good at this shit. You know what I mean, though. ” he finished lamely. Abigail then kissed him with all her might, throwing her arms behind his neck. Uncle let out a wolf whistle while Jack made a noise of disgust.*Ever since then, she would sing whenever she pleased - cleaning, cooking, around the campfire. She would sometimes even sing quietly to John if he was having a nightmare. Her voice always chased away his demons.* But of course, their happiness was not meant to last. When John Marston gasped his last breaths, he took everything from her. Her joy, her passion for life, and her singing voice. She stayed strong as she could for Jack, but she never sang again. Then, three years later, she was reunited with her beloved John leaving poor Jack behind.
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*Hosea is probably the most intelligent person in the gang. Yes, he knows how to read and write, but he knows how to do more than that. He likes to study science and geology. He likes to learn about other religions and cultures. He can speak at least three languages: English, French and German.* He loved being an outlaw and still does to a certain extent, however, he knows that he “is a relic of a more barbaric age”. Nowadays, he his conflicted over his decision to return to the outlaw life. If he didn’t return, he wouldn’t have helped raise Arthur and John, but Bessie might still be alive and he could have had children of his own. He feels very guilty for this.*We know he misses Bessie, but few know the extent that Hosea misses her. He knows he will never fall in love again. He will be loyal to Bessie until the end. Hosea tends to keep peonies around him as often as possible, they were her favourite flower. He’ll smile sadly if he smells cinnamon- which is what she smelled like. Still wears his wedding ring and says I love you and goodnight to Bessie every evening.* Desperately wishes he could have saved Dutch from himself. It hurt him greatly to see his oldest friend and sometimes lover go down such a path. What hurt him most was how Dutch started to trust Micah over him.* He would love to take the Marstons, Arthur and anyone else who wanted to leave the gang and move to a farm or something. He secretly would love to see Arthur find someone and possibly have children again, however, he would never bring this up.* Would love any children that the gang members have. This man WILL part like Moses parting the red sea when the first granddaughter is born. (Only because he considers Jack his first grandchild and grandson.)* He is a very healthy eater overall, but this man has a huge sweet tooth. Dutch and Arthur used to always give him liqueur-filled chocolate as a gift.
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Please note that I do not speak Spanish so I sincerely apologize for any mistakes.* Javier is very proud of his culture. He would love to share it with you. He would beam with joy whenever you ask him questions. He’d talk about his childhood, leaving Mexico, how he met Dutch, etc.* He is actually a decent cook! He doesn’t necessarily focus on one ethnic cuisine or another. He usually just cooks what he can find. He would love cooking Mexican food, but he doesn’t have as much access to authentic ingredients as he would like.* He’s very creative! He’s very good with painting, but he thinks all of his work sucks. You’d have to convince him to show them to you, though. He enjoys painting nature scenes. He’d actually blush if you complimented them.* Speaking of creative, we all know he can play guitar and sing. He won’t hesitate to serenade you. It has gotten him out of trouble with you before. (And may or may not have ended in a passionate night. ;) )* He doesn’t like arguing at all. He tries to keep it at a debate level, but he can still be very passionate during these debates.* He will try not to go to bed angry. With this lifestyle, he never knows when or if something could happen to either of you. He may try to apologize with flowers and gentle words.* I feel like most of the men would do this, but if you don’t know how to shoot a gun, you will now. Javier is a very patient teacher.* Will call you nicknames like Hermosa/Hermoso - beautiful, handsome Cariño/ Cariña - darling, Mi Vida/ Mi Vido - My life. Source: Fluentu** Javier and Charles are more likely to hold hands with you in public. Arthur might, but his inner saboteur would believe that you wouldn’t want to “hold hands with a brute like him”. Obviously, he’s wrong. He might try to put his arm around his waist when he’s feeling protective. John’s more possessive and likely to do PDA.* Javier has developed an interest in botany from hanging out with Charles. He really likes what certain flowers mean. Interestingly, this led to debates between him and Charles because their cultures have different meansings for different flowers.
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* You had had enough of all the bickering at the camp. Tensions had been running high lately with all the bullshit that had been going. Dutch had to move the gang to yet another location and morale was low. If you heard Miss Grimshaw harangue you about contributing again, you were going to eat your arm.* You saw your best friend Javier whittling on a log. You too have been close ever since he joined the camp. You thought he was chivalrous, well-dressed and handsome. He loved your kindness and how you could take care of yourself. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t fancy him at all.* You sauntered over with a grin and grabbed his arm saying, “Come on, Javi. We have places to go. I’ll ready the horses,” He looked at you stunned before letting out a laugh and getting ready.* The ride to the city was full of laughter, stories and flirting. Then, the two of you ran a few errands. You went to the general store to pick up some food, medicine and other provisions for camp along with a toy for Jack. Javier went to the stable to pick some things for the horses. By the time all of this was done, you were starting to get pretty thirsty. Javier, of course, suggested the Saloon.* You told yourself you weren’t going to get drunk. No way in hell. You two had to keep a low profile. Well, it didn’t end that way.* You had started slow with a bottle of beer and a snack. Javier raised his eyebrow at you as he drank his whiskey. “You know, you’ve been tense lately. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable if you don’t want to drink more, but you deserve something nicer than just a piss cheap beer. Now if I could, I would get you some tequila, but that’s not an option sadly.” You smiled at him. “Alright, one drink couldn’t hurt.” Famous last words.* Javier was telling a story about a robbery gone wrong and how he had to hide in a potato sack so the law didn’t catch him. You were laughing so hard, tears were in your eyes. He yawned and stretched, “Alright darling, one more drink and then I think it’s off to bed”, he said with a wink. You nodded and he went to get your drinks.* That’s when you heard a slurred voice say, “ I didn’t know we allowed **** in this bar. The fuck you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with your rat people in whatever shithole you crawled out of?”. Javier scowled, but when he caught your eye, he took a deep breath, saying “I’ve got every right to be here as you do, buddy.”“I ain’t your fucking buddy, you fucking ****”, the drunkard growled and with that, the first punch was thrown. Javier was faster though and blocked the blow. At that point, several bar patrons had started to gather around. Some were watching, some were running. Those watching were cheering the drunk bastard on.* Javier threw in several jabs and gave a kick to the man’s shins. The man fell with an infuriated roar. He then grabbed Javier’s ankle and started to choke him. Some of the other patrons watching looked interested in joining.* You couldn’t have that. The drunk was bigger than both you and Javier, but he was pretty overweight. You took one bottle in your left hand and took a second bottle in your right. You caught Javier’s eye as you crept behind the drunk and smashed the bottle on his head. Glass shattered everywhere. He loosened his grip on Javier, but not as much as you’d like so you smashed the second bottle. The man let go of Javier’s neck and fell backwards. You slammed a few coins on the bar, grabbed Javier by the hand and ran into the night.* The air was hot and humid as the two of you drunkenly ran from the saloon and into the hotel down the street. Javier shoved a small wad of cash to the innkeeper and dragged you upstairs and into the room. He slammed the door and locked it.* You started to laugh. You had a shitty feeling the night wasn’t going to end as peaceful as you would have liked. You finally caught your breath as you looked at Javier. The room was so silent, you could hear a pin drop.* Javier wandered over to you putting his hands around your waist before gently pressing his lips against yours. You moaned eagerly as you threw his hat onto the bed, stroking his hair. You deepened the kiss as you felt him caress your cheek. He manoeuvred you to the bed.*“You’re so goddamn beautiful, you know that? So incredibly sexy, ‘specially how didn’t think twice about defending me. Thank you, YN” he whispered. He peppered kisses down your neck between each sentence. You grabbed his cheek and gently bit his lip before prying your tongue into his mouth. He eagerly accepted it as your hands started to roam his body. You paused a moment for air before saying,“You’re welcome. Anything for you, Javi,” and pressed another gentle kiss on his lips. He grinned fondly before saying,““Damn, I’m a lucky man,” and kissed you back.
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So, Javier is a confident man. He dresses well and is polite and kind to women. Some of the women in the camp seem to either have feelings for him (My opinion) or feel very comfortable at the very least. There’s no doubt that he enjoyed his time in the gang - as odd as it sounds - this is when he would have felt the safest or the most secure. This leads to him being his best self.(Although I have to say, IDK if every person was their “best self” in the gang.)He doesn’t seem to have any problems finding people interested in him.It appears to me that Tilly Jackson had a crush or some sort of romantic interest in Javier. I personally think they would have been cute together. (Of course, racism would have made things difficult for them.)There is no doubt in my mind that Javier was heartbroken and betrayed at the end of RDR 2. I think his faith in Dutch was severely shaken despite choosing Dutch’s side. It sounds like Dutch, Javier, and Bill might have been separated and then reunited at some point before breaking up again.I think the events of RDR 2 made him jaded and more cynical. He would have eventually seen that Dutch lost his mind. I don’t know how long he was with Bill in New Austin before he went to Mexico. It sounded like Javier was living day to day and living as a bounty hunter. He sounded pretty miserable. He has family in Mexico even at the time of RDR 1. He has a sister with children, and I believe some extended family. He chose not to go back to them. Maybe shame? Maybe to protect them? They didn’t say what dictator kicked him out of Mexico and Allende wasn’t in power that long.I don’t really see him getting into a romantic relationship - at least not very easily. I think you’d have better luck if you were a former Van der Linde gang member that was pretty neutral most of the time. Maybe a fellow bounty hunter/ outlaw would work out, but I don’t know if I see him settling down with a spouse and working on his sister’s farm. I think you’d have to be very patient and accept that there is a chance that he’ll settle down. But who knows? That’s just my opinion and I can easily be wrong.
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* Absolutely fine with one night stands, short-term relationships and long-term arrangements.*He’s very flirty and is not subtle about it at all.*He’s well known for his bedroom eyes. Those intense chocolate eyes could drill a hole in your skull.*He has no problem sliding an arm around your waist as he starts to whisper sweet things in your ear.*Then he’ll pull you on his lap with a wicked grin before describing what he wants to do with you. He loves doing this in front of others to show everyone your his.*He will definitely lick and nibble on your neck leaving tons of marks for you to remember him by.*He will also finger you/give a hand job under the table.*Yes, he’s also given oral under the table.*Not Javier. He doesn’t give a fuck. In the hallway of the saloon? Yeah. In a forest? Yeah. In an unzipped tent? Yep.*He just dares someone to interrupt him. If they do, he’ll just grin and keep going. If he’s in a good mood, he might ask if he or she wants to join in. This normally doesn’t work, but it has before!* He has his romantic moments, though.* He will tell you how good you make him feel, how attractive you look and how good you’re doing.*He can be very gentle if you want. However, he is more likely to tease you if he’s being gentle. He wants to draw the moment out.* He prefers being rough and will ask you what you feel comfortable doing.* He loves rough oral. Deep-throating until tears come to your eyes is his favourite. He’ll praise you the whole time.* Loves the 69 positions and fucking against the wall.* He has a weird penchant for fucking on tables. He doesn’t know why. It doesn’t end well. He has broken tables before with his activities. He just laughs it off and moves you to a different surface.* He’s not as flexible as Charles, but he gives him a run for his money!* He will make you come as often as possible. It’s his pride and joy. If this is a normal occurrence, he’ll try to make you come more often than in previous encounters. If he’s given you a shit ton, he’ll focus more intensity.*He is damn good at dirty talk. Most times, he’s very sweet and sexy. However, his language can get very rough.*He loves trying you up. He’ll put that lasso and bandana to good use.*However, if you want to tie him up, be prepared to work for it. You got to be fast. If you tie him up, he’ll be very proud.*He prefers to cum in you. He loves to watch it drip out.*If you want, he’ll hold you close and give you tons of love and praise. Lots of soft kisses. He’ll also make sure to take care of any marks that are on you.*However, if you don’t want to cuddle, he’s okay with that too. He’ll give you a kiss and a wink as he dresses. He’ll then tell you that he can’t wait to do this again.*Either way, he will make sure you’re happy before he leaves.
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* Dutch is very dominant in bed. Probably the most dominant person in the camp. This isn’t just because he’s the leader of the camp. He’s just a top no matter what. He’s never cruel, though.* I see him as an ass man, but breasts and pecs are nice, too!* Lots of spanking. He’s a bit rougher than some of the others are at camp. Your ass will be red. He’ll kiss it better. ;)* He’s not too loud himself, but you’ll have to work to keep yourself quiet.* He loves french kissing with some light biting.* He will definitely want to mark you with some love bites. He’ll let you do the same.* Just because he’s dominant doesn’t mean you don’t have a bit of spirit yourself!* He has a bit of a daddy kink. Ok. A lot of a daddy kink. He just likes taking care of people!* He has a breeding kink regardless of his partner’s gender as well, but for obvious reasons, he can’t practice this too heavily or he’ll end up with mini-Dutches.* He likes doggy style because he can get a hell of a deeper in you. He’s not as flexible as he used to be, but he’s all up for trying new positions!* He loves oral both giving and receiving. I hope you can deep throat, reader.* He’s a tease. Very into edging and overstimulation.* This is actually one of the ways you can get an “edge” over him. (See what I did there? XD) He likes being edged, too so there is something very satisfying about being in control of that.* Aftercare is important. Lots of kisses, massages and praises how well you did. He’s fine with cuddling, but he can go without as well.* He may be dominant, but he’s a bit of a romantic no matter what he says.
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* Literally one of the sweetest and kindest people in the Van der Linde camp. Extremely helpful and courteous, but don’t mistake his kindness for weakness! He’s lived a difficult life and knows how to defend himself.* If you don’t know how to read, he’ll teach you. He’s very patient and encouraging.* He has no problem reading to you. In fact, as much as loves teaching you to read, he really enjoys reading with you. He gets really into the story, too.* He loves to read love poems, especially poems by John Keats and Percy Shelley.* He actually likes to write himself. Some of his work is actually, quite good! Hosea is addicted to it. You both try to encourage him to publish it, but he just laughs it off.* Very emotionally intelligent. He and Charles are both very gifted in reading situations and knowing just what to say.* He’s a great dancer! He knows exactly what’s popular nowadays. He tries to teach the other gang members the newest dance moves to various degrees of success.* Is prone to anxiety and is very thankful when you let him vent.* Be careful going out drinking with him. I’m just joking. Overall, he’s decent with his liquor, Arthur’s just a bad influence at times.
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* It was truly amazing to see the transformation that took place in Sadie. When you first met her, she was a scared shell of a woman - or so you thought. She spoke of how she enjoyed independence and equality with Jake, but now she was nothing.*You took the time out of your day to console her. You didn’t know how, but you tried and she knew that. As time went on, you started to see the spark in her eyes. Soon, you two would spend hours talking about everything and nothing. Lots of laughing with playful looks exchanged and lingering touches.*Eventually, you saw her rise like a phoenix into the strong and beautiful woman we all know and love. You were surprised when Sadie approached you, head held high and gave you a passionate kiss on the lips. She didn’t give a shit who saw. She withdrew with a wink and before she sauntered away, she said. “Thank you, beautiful. For everything”.* Later that night, the two of you had a long conversation about the future and ever since then, the two of you had become inseparable. She mentioned how she will always love Jake and that she thinks of him always, but that she sees light in her future and that’s you.*Somedays, she still misses Jake. That’s to be expected, especially after such a horrific end.* You’re her partner in crime - both figuratively and literally.She loves to take you on heists with her. She thinks the two of you make a great team. Sometimes you’re the bag woman, sometimes you’re the distraction or even running the operation.* Sadie is absolutely unafraid of your relationship and dares anyone to look at the two of you twice. It does not take long for you to move into her tent. Very unafraid of PDA in the camp and still open about PDA in public. She’s just sneaky then.* Her beliefs inequality are still firm as ever. However, she actually is not a fan of doing some of the more traditional “women’s work” like cooking and cleaning. She’d much rather be doing the “man’s” work, but she’ll still split the work with you as much as possible.* Calls you darling, honey, gorgeous, beautiful, cutie and her favorite, birdie because she thinks your voice is as beautiful as a bird’s.*She surprises you with some of her hidden talents! Sadie is a natural at pottery, animal husbandry and looming. One of her first gifts to you was a small clay figurine of a bird painted in your favorite colors. She’ll sometimes surprise you by hiding little projects she’s made for you in the tent or in your satchel.* Love to take you out stargazing - which usually ends up in make out sessions.* She’s not a huge cuddler, but she does like to play with your hair - she’s good with her fingers so it feels amazing.NSFW:*Definitely prefers to top. She’s all about equality, but she tends to be dominant in the bedroom. She really likes to take care of you. She doesn’t always ask for something in return. Sometimes, getting you off is enough to make her happy.*Again, good with her fingers. She has very calloused hands with long deft fingers. She loves watching you squirm underneath her.* She is an oral queen! She doesn’t really tease too often. She’s very serious and considers sex to be a craft.* I definitely see her using toys in the bedroom. Strap on? Hell yes. Getting fucked by Sadie is a treat.*She loves the idea of fingering you under a table in public. That gets her really hot and bothered. You should try it on her, though. I dare you.*Totally into the idea of threesomes if you are. She’s likely to pick someone like Charles or Arthur to join in.*She has extremely sensitive nipples and can come from that alone.
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* She was an orphan and went into prostitution at a young age. She became a mother at 19 with a man who wasn’t really right for her at this time. (We all know he got his shit together eventually.) Point is the girl is only 23 felt like that was it.* Then you came along. The idea of have someone that loves and cherishes her? She thought it was a dream. She’s still in awe that you love her and that she can pour her in love and affection on to you.* John’s cool with it. The camp is fine with it., they just want to see you all happy. John tries to contribute to Jack’s upbringing the best he can, but Jack now has two mamas to love! Jack does come first in her life, though.* Abigail is so much happier. She smiles a little more readily and her banter game is on point! She’s far more laid back. (At least as much as she can be in her situation.)* She loves you regardless if you identify as more feminine, butch, or anything else. She’s fine if you want to work in the camp, look for targets, or work like some of the men do. (As long as you’re careful.)* You save up the money to have a tent for the three of you and it’s great! Jack usually sleeps in the middle.*She’s very affectionate and not afraid to show it. In fact, it makes her proud, but if you aren’t as openly affectionate, she would understand.* Lots of hand holding and kisses on the hand, cheek or neck. Lots of mutual shoulder massages.* You both take turns trying to spice up meals into something a little better. Abigail isn’t really a great cook, but she tries her hardest to surprise you with something. You just smile and thank her earnestly.*She’ll sing to you! She’s an amazing singer. Sometimes it’s something that is so outrageous, you’re holding your sides from laughing so hard. Sometimes it’s something seductive, but a lot of times, it’s before she puts Jack to bed and before she kisses you good night.* She loves your relationship with Jack! She loves it when you read to him, try to teach him to read or sew, encourage him, hug him, give him piggy back rides, put him to bed, just anything! Her heart melts when she sees Jack make all three of you flower crowns.* Some of the camp members will babysit Jack for the night so you and Abigail can have a date night. She’ll literally shake in excitement when you take her to town for a warm meal, a show and a night of gentle lovemaking and cuddles. She’ll just look at you with such adoration.* Great kisser. Pours all her heart into it. It’s very soft and gentle, but she can get very passionate with her tongue. Lots of cheek caresses.NSFW:* Not as experienced with women, but she definitely knows what she’s doing.*Just like her kissing, she’s very soft and gentle. She’s a hardcore romantic. She wants to love you and feel loved in return. However, she is very passionate. She will take the time to map your body out and see what makes you shiver.*She’s verse. Sometimes she’s a pillow princess, but most times, she wants equality. She can be very dominant.* Lots of hand-holding, intense eye contact, and whispering.* She loves your chest. Total tit woman. She will worship them. Her breasts are beautiful, too.* She knows exactly how to use her fingers. She’ll start off with these sweet kisses to your inner thighs and to your lips before going to town licking and sucking you. Definitely knows how to work those fingers.* She is a tease, though. She won’t give in to you immediately. One, she likes your reactions and two, she knows the pay off will be worth it. You will definitely come at least once or twice.* She is almost shy when you reciprocate. Again, not too many people focused on her pleasure. Some days she’ll make the sweetest sound gasps while other days she’ll get throaty and command you to go a certain speed.* Either way, you’re both satisfied! You clean each other up, give lots of praises and kisses and go to sleep in each other’s arms.
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*First of all - your relationship is going to be far healthier than Molly’s relationship with Dutch.* It takes a while for most of the men to realize that lesbian relationships exist. Some of them just insist that the two of you are good friends. You ignore them, though.* She is extremely devoted to you. This time it is healthier because she knows that this devotion will be reciprocated. She knows that she can speak her mind and not be dismissed. She can be her own woman.* She shows this devotion in many thoughtful ways. She can read you like an open book. Are you sore after working all day? She will give you the most exquisite of massages. Someone make you cry? She’ll console you and then give whoever bothered you an earful - even if it’s Miss Grimshaw.*Speaking of consoling - she loves to sing, but she doesn’t really enjoy the type of songs that the rest of the gang sings. She prefers to sing little melodies that she enjoyed as a child - songs that remind her of more optimistic times with her family in Ireland. She’ll softly stroke your hair and pepper in little kisses in between lyrics. Before you know it, you’ve fallen asleep!*However, she herself is still confused about her role in the gang and hurting after breaking it off with Dutch. She and Dutch are both far happier without each other. It’s fairly amicable between them, but she still hates seeing him move on. Sometimes, she will cry because she believes no one else likes her.* You’ll just take her hand and whisper sweet words in her ear, rubbing small circles on her back with your other. Sometimes you’ll make her laugh with stories of you growing up with the gang or talk about the various animals you saw that day.* It may sound stereotypical, but go shopping with her. You won’t regret it. She laments that she can no longer afford a higher caliber of clothing, but she has become well versed in the art of getting a deal. (Or possible stealing whatever she needs/wants for herself or for you.) Point is, she knows how to dress and if you want, she can find you some very flattering clothes.* She slowly starts to come out of her shell when she’s with you. She’s shy and a bit embarrassed to own up to her shit, but she will slowly and surely make an effort to actively socialize with the other members of the gang and try to contribute to the camp. She does this because you help give her the confidence and support she needs. (Of course, you always tell her that she had this confidence already. She just needed a little push in the right direction.)*She is a hopeless romantic. She wants to be whisked away in a fairy tale romance. She knows it won’t happen, but she can pretend. She’ll try to surprise you with small poems that she’s written about you or will try to find your favorite flower. She loves to hold hands and give slow, lingering kisses that turn to sear make out sessions.
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“I cannot believe you, Dutch! You are blatantly lying to me now. I see the way you look at her. The way you ‘ve been slipping her little gifts. You think I don’t notice? You’re trying to dump me for her, aren’t you? Don’t leave when I am talking to you! ” Molly screeched at Dutch.She had a point. Dutch was treating Mary-Beth differently lately. Normally, you would feel sorry for her, but right now? No. You couldn’t stand any more of their arguments. Not only that, Abigail and John had been fighting over everything from the way John interacted with Jack to the way he dressed.Miss Grimshaw was on the warpath as well. You were pretty sneaky, though and managed to avoid her. You couldn’t handle this anymore. You needed a break, even it was for just a little while.You had your own concerns, everyone did - but right now, you didn’t have the energy to care about everyone else. You had fallen in love with Micah Bell of all people. You knew exactly what people said about him. You knew that he was disliked and distrusted by some members of the gang, but you didn’t really care. It happened and you weren’t going to deny it any longer. Normally, you crack jokes with Micah or Javier, but neither were at the camp. That’s when you decided to pay your dear friend Micah a visit.You knew he was camped out in Strawberry surveying “business opportunities”. He had been sent there only two weeks ago, but to you - it felt like he was gone for an eternity. You had to be sly to get past Miss Grimshaw, but you saddled up your horse and rode for Strawberry. You knew you couldn’t ask random passer byers about Micah’s whereabouts, that would just blow his cover. Instead, you rode to the outskirts of Strawberry sticking close to the rock formations. It was there that you saw a familiar black and white-faced horse.Micah had drawn his revolver out the second he heard hoofbeats. He barked out a laugh and holstered his gun upon seeing your face.“Wondered how long it would be before I head from you, Y/N. What’s wrong? The women gettin’ on your nerves again?” He said with a hand on his hip and an eyebrow raised. You laughed and hitched your horse.“Why yes, that’s exactly right. You’ve got me pegged…as always”. You saidMicah pointed to his temple,“That’s my god given talent. Seeing through the bullshit. Some people ain’t able to appreciate it though until it’s too late”. You nodded.“Well, you’re a man of many talents, Micah,” you said with a flirtatious grin. He grinned at you - but it held some sort of meaning. There was a glint in his eye that you could not quite discern.“That I am. Now stop standing there and come sit with me. I nicked some food and whiskey from the neighbouring town. Not just any whiskey. The good shit. Poor bastards didn’t know what hit ‘em. Was gonna save it, but I am a giving man.” He said with a wink as you sat beside him.Micah started to set out some of the stolen items - a cooked ham, a wheel of cheese, some berries, and some chocolates. Your eyes grew wide as he set it up.“This cheese was priced at twenty-five dollars, can you believe it? What dumbass is going to pay that much or more for some damn cheese? Not me, clearly. These chocolates? Fifteen dollars because they’re all decorated! Crazy shit, I’m telling you. Now let’s eat.” He said as he poured two glasses of the amber colored liquor.The glasses were still your average tin cups, but you could pretend that you were eating off of fine china and crystal glasses. You didn’t know where to begin. You watched as Micah swirled the golden liquid and took a sip smiling contently. That is when you started to dig in sampling everything. You didn’t understand how food could be so expensive, but you had to admit, everything was absolutely delectable. It was easily the best meal you’ve had in months. You weren’t an expert whiskey drinker - all you knew that it was strong with a variety of smells. You were surprised by how smooth it was. You couldn’t get enough of it!Soon, you and Micah were sharing stories and laughing heartily as the sun began to set behind you. You took turns doing impressions of various camp members and talking about this and that. Time seemed to pass quickly when you were with Micah. Leaving camp to find him was definitely the right decision.You were both definitely more than a little tipsy, but you were feeling bold. You decided to lay a hand on his thigh and kiss him gently on the lips. He looked at you in surprise but returned the kiss. Soon, things were becoming heated with hands roaming, touching, groping and pinching. Clothes were haphazardly discarded.“You want this, yeah?” Micah said looming over you.You nodded enthusiastically.“Yes, Micah. I want this. I want you. I’ve wanted you ever since I lay eyes on you. I’m sweet on you…but be gentle, please?” You said under hooded eyes.Micah did a low whistle.“First time, eh? Alright. For the record, you’re fine yourself, Y/N. Let’s see where this goes, but for now? Lean back and enjoy the show.” he said with a wolfish smile.
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* I personally do not see him as a gentle lover maker unless he’s drunk.* I think it would deeply surprise him if he had a date that wanted have a romantic and gentle evening. I actually don’t necessarily think he’d be angry, but maybe a little weirded out.* Micah is one of the few people who is kinder when drunk according to what I’ve seen.*Is very dominant and rough overall.*He’s more used to quickies than anything. Not saying he can’t last longer just saying that he doesn’t really have the time or care enough for the longer sessions.* Super into BDSM. He knows how to use that lasso. He probably won’t let you tie him up easily. Makes you work for your pleasure.* Really into deep throating. Fucking your mouth is a lot of fun.* Strangely into roleplay, mostly BDSM type of role play. Maybe some sort of hero worship type of thing?* Is into light mutual degradation, but would be very happy if you’re comfortable with more. He doesn’t mean the bull shit he says, though.* Definitely a marker. He wants people to see that you’re his partner.*Very into anal.* He’s also into spanking and light spanking.* Loves mutual breathplay.* Overstimulation and edging are his speciality.* Pretty fun night overall, but you both may be a bit sore.
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Bullets whirled past you at lightning speed. It was supposed to be an easy smash and grab, in and out, super easy. Wrong. You, Sadie, and Arthur had staked the scene out the night before, noting every possible point of entry and exit. You were thorough - but not exhaustive enough.It started easy enough creeping up to the impressive homestead, but despite all the time spent scouting, there was a hidden covered window on an unseen third floor - a lookout room. It wasn’t long til you heard a voice announcing your presence - and then the rain of bullets began, causing you to duck for cover.Sadie had taken the lead as usual, causing you and Arthur to share a look and sigh. She always was a firecracker. Things were going …okay.The three of you had finally carved out an escape route when you heard the frantic shout of your name and copious amounts of cursing. Then, you felt it. The dull throb and the burning, the red seeping through, wetting and sticking your skin. Time seemed to slow down; why had Sadie and Arthur’s voices seemed so far away?You heard Sadie let out a furious roar before your eyes rolled back, and darkness took you.From there, time was a blur. You felt pressure on your hands, and Sadie’s voice called for you to hold on, her voice sounding increasingly desperate.“I’m fine,” you slurred.“You certainly ain’t fine, young lady! Gettin’ shot ain’t fine!” Arthur chided.You felt a calloused small hand cupping your chin.“Come on. Hold on, baby. I’ve got you. Don’t you dare die on me, or I swear I’ll kick your ass in the next life.” Sadie threatened, but the panic was evident.Everything was a blur, from hearing murmurs from Hosea and Grimshaw discussing how to best remove the cloth from your shoulder to hearing arguments between Grimshaw and Sadie.“I ain’t leavin’ her! I shouldn’t have…..” to hearing the frightening words, “Hold her down.”A damn shame the pain wasn’t a blur. You remembered crying out and later a cool cloth on your head … Someone….it had to be Sadie, whispered words of encouragement.“Come on, they’re almost finished. You’re being so brave. So damn brave. Just a little longer.” You gave Sadie’s hand a weak but present squeeze before passing out again.Next thing you knew, you were awake, resting on a cot in Sadie’s tent with a bandaged shoulder and clean clothing. You glanced around, ready to prop yourself up -“No, don’t you dare try an’ sit up.”You tried again.“Come on, stop it. Damn you’re stubborn as a mule.” You heard Sadie’s voice ring out and a light shove on your good shoulder.You grinned toothily.“Think you like it that way. Stubborn. Keeps you on your toes.” You slurred, your voice hoarse.Sadie sighed before giving you her canteen.“That what you think? Drink up.” Sadie ordered. She sat at the edge of your cot, staring at the ground. Sadie wasn’t the most talkative of women, but this was something different. Her shoulders were tense. Sadie had something to say. You wondered if she was going to admonish you for not being careful enough.“Look, I ain’t good at this. All of this.” Sadie said, gesturing between the two of you.“It’s a wonder Jakey and I…..that we became a thing. When he died, I felt like my world had gone dark. Like the sun would never rise again. Then I met you and my world seemed a little lighter. We took our sweet time gettin’ to where we are now, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now the sun is back and it’s all because of you. But today? Shit, I thought I lost you. There was so much blood. I felt I couldn’t do nothin’ but shoot. Sometimes, I feel like that’s all I’m good for.” Sadie said with a humorless laugh.“I ain’t the prayin’ sort. Not at all, but I prayed today. I already lost one love, I can’t lose another. I can’t. I’ve never done this before, and can’t say I ever saw myself doin’ this, but you somehow make me do a lot of things I’ve never done before.” Sadie smiled slightly.She reached into her pocket, fidgeting with something before revealing a gold band with a light blue stone.“It won’t be the same as a man and his woman, but I think we have our own special thing that no one can take from us. Will you do me the honor of bein’ my woman? My gal for the rest of our lives? You make my day a lot brighter, and I’d do anythin’ to make you happy for the rest of your days.” Sadie held up the ring, hopefully willing herself to keep eye contact.You clapped your hand over your mouth and gasped.You thought about marriage as a girl. Most girls did, but you always expected it to be what girls were “supposed” to be thinking about. Then you met Sadie, and your world turned upside down. You always had feelings for women, but Sadie was something else. You didn’t know women could even have something like marriage until Sadie came back with a book about Boston Marriages.Sadie shuffled her feet, bringing you back to reality. Shit, you had been thinking too long.“Of course! Yes, of course I’ll be your woman. I never thought it was ….I never thought this day would come!” you said with a splitting grin and a heart full of love. You laughed joyfully, causing Sadie’s shoulders to soften, a wide grin of her own stretching her features as she relaxed.“Oh, Thank God. I don’t know what I would have done if you said no. I woulda managed, but I woulda felt mighty awkward.” She chuckled.You reached out for her, hoping for an embrace before hissing in pain. Sadie rolled her eyes.“What am I going to do with you? Let me.” she huffed before wrapping you in her arms before planting her lips to yours.END
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So this is just an idea that a friend and I had, but we personally headcanon that John may have had a bit of a stutter as a child and it mostly went away as an adult.I am no speech therapist so please don’t come at me, but I think that some stutters can occur when there is trauma and sometimes from lack of development. John was an orphan with a horrible upbringing and no education until Dutch found him. I personally headcanon that when John is emotional, he stutters, especially if he’s angry, scared or flustered. Maybe Hosea helped him with that.We noticed that John sometimes stutters in the game as an adult when he’s fighting with Abigail or someone else he cares about. Other than that, he doesn’t seem to do it. So that’s where the idea came from. That, and there were some RDR 1 moments that were interesting. Again, just a personal hc. It’s not law.
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Read the chapter summary for this to make sense!I bet when Jack was born, Abigail just thought, “Oh, what lovely Christian name!” Then she finds out during an argument and she’s like, “Are you fucking serious, you asshole!”. She’d have to keep from slapping him.I can see John saying something like, “He’s named after the good shit! At least he ain’t named after Jim Beam!”.Jim Beam for those who don’t know is a very cheap bourbon/whiskey alternative to Jack Daniels and has been around for 200+ years.
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John was working in the barn, sawing wood to fix up the gazebo the pair of you enjoyed on cool evenings, when you slowly approached him, trying not to draw his attention immediately.However, you and John had a very tight relationship to the point that the two of you could almost sense the mood or feelings the other had. It was part of your bond. This caused John to whip his head around immediately to face you, his confused gaze turning soft. He placed the saw down carefully and removed his gloves.“Darlin’,” he rumbled lowly as he made his way towards you, cupping your face as he closed the gap between the two of you.He immediately enveloped you in his arms, and the solid weight comforted you.At this point, you had been sniffling softly to try not to worry John more than you had to, but once you felt his arms around you, you couldn’t help but let the dam break.He sushed you gently as you buried your head into his chest, sobbing. John frowned, worry creeping into his features.“Do you want to talk about it?” John muttered.Truth be told, he never felt like he was the most comforting of people, nor was he the best at giving advice, but for you? He’d try. Always. (Of course, you disagreed. You saw how John treated others - gruff but polite and fair. He was far more generous and wise than he gave himself credit for.)It gave the quiet and serious man a complexity that few would know.You paused, shaking your head no. John nodded, not pushing the subject further - another thing you appreciated about him.John drew away from you, wiping the tears from your cheeks before giving your hand a kiss.“Come on, let’s dry those eyes in our room with some privacy,” He said, guiding you into the home he built for you.Blessedly, Jack and Uncle were away for the moment.John led you to the bedroom and shut the door, kicking his boots off. You gave a watery smile as you did the same.John plopped down on the bed, holding his arms out. You filled the space embarrassingly quickly. John gave the smallest of smiles before wrapping his arms around you once more.“I’m sorry you’re havin’ it rough right now. I’m here for you. No matter what. You just say it and it’s yours, darlin’.” he muttered into your hair, kissing your forehead.You smiled at him, muttering a quiet thank you.“ You don’t got to thank me, you know. Just takin’ care of the person I love.” he countered.You sighed, melting further into his embrace, your eyes growing heavy.“Go to sleep, you’ll feel better. I’ll be here when you wake up.” John said, running his fingers through your hair.With that, you slipped into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.