#idk how to help my family aside from taking extra shifts to cover bills ;___;

[morgan-macguire]

Outlaws For Life

Arthur Morgan x reader (rdr1)

Summary: After Johns family is taken, he comes to you and Arthur.

Warnings: rdr1 spoilers, rdr2 spoilers too tbh

A/n: I finished rdr1 for the first time in years a while ago and wanted to write this. In this fic, Arthur did not die on the mountain. Also!! it’s gender neutral :) Arthur and reader have kids but I didn’t say how they got them so that part is up to u lol :)

idk if anyone still reads for red dead, but I’m still writing (very slowly)!

masterlist

not my gif

Thick grey clouds blanketed the normally blue sky. A cold breeze swept through the land, much unlike the usual pleasant breeze that you’d grown so accustomed to. Rain was heading your way for sure, Arthur and the boys were taking advantage of the weather as much as possible. They’d invited you to come along on their fishing trip, but you declined. As much as you loved spending time with them, you didn’t want to get caught out in the rain.

So instead, you stayed home and looked after the house. Arthur assured you they wouldn’t be out too late, they’d be back by supper time. He offered to cook upon his return, but you beat him to it. A hearty venison stew, including some fresh vegetables from the garden, was already cooking on the stove before they got home.

You had just finished setting the table when you heard three heavy taps on the front door. It was unlike Arthur to knock before entering his own home, so you peered through the kitchen window to find out who was paying you a visit before heading over to the door.

“John Marston!” You gasped, stepping through the doorway to engulf him in a hug, “It’s been too long.”

John let out a small chuckle, “That it has, y/n.”

“Please, come in. Supper is just about finished,” you opened the door fully after letting him go, not bothering to wait for his reply. “Arthur should be back with the boys soon.”

John mumbled out a thank you, following you into the kitchen. He took a deep breath, inhaling the delicious smell of the stew pot. Abigail was, without a doubt, a terrible cook. The last time he smelled something so good, he nearly brought his family to live with you.

“Where are Abigail and Jack?” You questioned, setting an extra seat at the table for him and returning to the pot on the stove.

“That’s why I’m here, actually.” It didn’t take much for you to pick up on the frustration that laced his raspy voice. You ceased your movements, setting the silverware aside and taking a seat with your old friend.

“What’s wrong, John?”

Whatever he had come to tell you, it was hurting him something fierce. You could see it in his eyes. They drifted from yours as his shoulders tensed in visible irritation. Your hands moved to rest on his, hoping to provide some comfort. As he gathered the words in his mind, you couldn’t help but wonder if they had left him again. Sure, John wasn’t always the best father or husband, but he always tried his best. After all these years and after what happened with their daughter, surely they wouldn’t leave. It was silly of you to even think that.

“The government took them. They tracked me down, and want me to go after the rest of the gang. They took my family.”

“Oh my lord. John, I-“ You waited a moment to process what you had just heard. With a hand raised to cover your mouth in shock, you were speechless. After all these years, the government was still after the Van Der Linde Gang, or what was left of it. Before you could gather your words, the front door swung open. You heard Arthur’s spurs clink through the threshold, followed by two less than graceful sets of footsteps thundering in after. 

Arthur‘s gentle voice laughed at something that was said prior to entering the house. You heard him gather the fishing poles and tell the boys to check on you while he put the gear away. It didn’t take long for the boys to stumble into the kitchen, faces lighting up at the sight of their Uncle sitting across from you.

“Uncle John!” Thomas and George both raced to your friend, nearly knocking him off his chair in the process, “We saw your horse out front!” Thomas noted.

“You two are gettin’ big.” John smiled, patting both of your sons. He stood up to greet Arthur when he stepped into the kitchen, slightly damp from the rain.

“The golden boy!” The two men embraced, both glad to see the other. You sent the boys away to wash up as you removed the stew pot from the stove.

“Let’s eat. We have to talk. Away from the boys.” You sent Arthur a pointed glance, silently letting him know that it was important, before looking back to John for his input.

“Of course.” John nodded.

When the boys returned, the four of you sat around the table to eat. The dinner conversation was pleasant, and consisted mostly of your boys telling John stories of their recent adventures with their father. Of course, they fabricated many of the details, but John pretended to believe everything. The cheerful mood turned sour, however, when Arthur inquired about John’s family.

“What are Abigail and Jack up to?” Arthur asked, casually taking a bite of his stew.

John instantly frowned, glancing to you before looking back at his brother. The table grew silent quickly, and both young boys looked to you.

“George, Thomas, why don’t you finish your supper in the family room, like you’re always asking to do?”

“I thought you didn’t want us to eat in there?” Thomas popped an eyebrow up at you.

“We can make an exception tonight. Now go ahead, before I change my mind.” You ruffled George’s hair as the two of them relocated to the other room without a second thought.

Arthur eyed you and John carefully. He could sense that whatever John had come to say wasn’t anything pleasant, so he patiently waited to be informed. When the boys were completely out of earshot, John began to explain his predicament.

“Agent Ross tracked me down. Him and all of his government boys took Abigail and Jack. They’re holding them somewhere, won’t say where. They say I’ve gotta go after Bill, Javier, and Dutch to get ‘em back.” 

Arthur was silent. He sat in shock, eyebrows creasing in the middle as he thought over the situation.

“I hate to ask, you know I do, but I need help.”

“It’s been a long time, John.”

“I know, brother. We all got out of that life years ago, I thought it was done.”

“We’ll never be done, John. The life we lived, it don’t let you out.” Arthur sighed. His shoulders sank and he glanced towards the family room before looking to you with sorrow in his eyes.

John sank in his seat.

“We’ll do what we can to help you, John. We’ll get Abigail and Jack back.” You said what Arthur was thinking, doing your best to reassure John.

“Thank you,” he nodded, “I know Javier is somewhere in Mexico. Bill is hiding in Fort Mercer behind his own gang, I figured that much out when he shot me-“

“You were shot?!” You gasped.

“It ain’t the first time.” John pointed out halfheartedly.

John went on to explain his peculiar circumstances. He’d been rescued by a rancher woman, Bonnie McFarlane, of the McFarlane ranch out in New Austin. She had him fixed up at the doctor and let him work off the bill. He was planning to go after the rest of your former family alone, but he needed to tell you and Arthur first. It didn’t feel right leaving the two of you in the dark, especially with how things ended with the Van Der Linde gang.

“We won’t let you do this alone, John.”

John shook his head, denying Arthur. 

“Arthur, I can’t ask you to come with me. I was trying to avoid you being involved in this as much as possible. I just need information-“

“You’re not asking.” Arthur cut John off, “You’re my brother. I ain’t gonna let you do this on your own. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

You agreed with Arthur as a nervous pit settled in your stomach. The two of you had a family. You knew Arthur would drop everything to make sure his family was safe, he’d do the same for John’s. You also knew he would be going with John alone. He’d beg you to stay home, safe, with the boys. After everything that had happened all those years ago in the gang, he swore to himself that he’d never let you or your family fall into harms way again. He intended to keep that promise, no matter the cost.

Arthur, sensing your anxiety, placed his hand over yours under the table, trying to comfort you. He was likely thinking the same thing.

“No.” John managed to mutter out through the turmoil in his chest. Arthur furrowed his eyebrows, staring at Mr. Marston with a look of bewilderment.

“I have to do this alone,” John began, “You can’t come.” He watched Arthur carefully as he finished his statement. Arthur couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

“You’ll be killed, John. How do you know they’ll just hand Abigail and Jack over once this is done, huh?”

“Goddammit, Arthur!“ John raised his voice, “You’ve got a family here. This isn’t exactly the easiest job we’ve been on. They was once our family.”

“They stopped being family long ago, John. They made that call.” Arthur’s voice had shifted to a low growl as he recalled everything.

“I know, Arthur. That’s why I need to go alone. You got out for good, they all think you’re buried somewhere in the Grizzlies. You have to keep it like that, for your family’s sake.”

“And what about your family, John? What if you get shot again, and there’s no one to save you? You know that the two of us could get this done far quicker and easier than you on your own. They won’t even know I was there.”

“I don’t need saving! I need you to stay dead.” John nearly shouted, startling you. As much as you understood John’s point, you knew there was no changing Arthur’s mind. The two of them were a powerful duo, even though neither of them were in their prime age anymore. Two was safer than one. The Marstons were family, and family takes care of each other. 

“Please, take this outside.” You interrupted the conversation with a heavy heart, not wanting the boys to hear them argue. Arthur almost started yelling back at John, but he stopped himself after hearing your voice. He took a frustrated breath, giving your hand one last squeeze before releasing it and standing up. John followed him out the front door without a word.

As soon as the door shut, you heard the two of them start arguing. Their voices were muffled due to the rain having picked up, but you had a pretty good idea about what they were saying. The porch shielded them from the water, but didn’t drown their voices out completely.

You dropped your head in your hands, trying to tune their voices out. A pit of anxiety formed inside you, eating away at your stomach. You just sat there, for who knows how long, thinking about how long Arthur would be away. Fort Mercer was far enough, they’d have to go to Tall Trees and Mexico. 

After a short while, the argument outside grew quiet and John and Arthur entered the house. They returned to their seats without a word to each other. All it took was one look from Arthur for you to know what the decision was. John could barely look at you, he felt so bad. 

You reached out to embrace your friend, not knowing what to say in the moment, and three of you went on to finish your meals. The conversation was awkward at first, but as time went on it strayed further from the inevitable and grew more lively. You told small anecdotes about your time at the Morgan ranch and John told stories about Beecher’s Hope. It had been months since the last visit from the Marstons. For now, you were just making up for the lost time. 

Before you knew it, the sun had set and the stars shone bright behind the thick rain clouds. Your chat with John and Arthur stole the evening, and it was nearly time for the boys to hit the sack before you realized. You had only been made aware of how much time had actually passed when Thomas and George came stumbling in. Always full of energy, they bounced around the kitchen and dragged Arthur away for a short while. 

“Would you stay the night, John? It’s late and the rain doesn’t look like it’s going to let up soon.” 

“I’d appreciate that, thank you.” John offered a sad smile, helping you clear the table. Your heart ached for your old friend. John was truly in an unfair situation, and you could see the physical toll it was taking on him. He had worked hard day and night to create a better life for his family. He fought for years for them. It was supposed to be over. He was supposed to be living out his golden years just like you and Arthur, away from the government and the problems they created as a happy family. The only difference was that unlike John, the government believed Arthur was a dead man. He died on top of that mountain all those years ago. 

“John.” you pulled yourself from you thoughts, gently grabbing his shoulder. When he turned to face you, you continued, “You’ve been dealt an awful hand, and I’m sorry for it. Arthur and I have your back. You’ll be back with Abigail and Jack in no time.”

“I really can’t thank you enough. You’ve both been too kind to me.”

“Nonsense, John,” you smiled, “We’re family, and family takes care of each other.”

—

After putting the boys to bed and getting John settled in his room for the night, you and Arthur couldn’t wait to get to sleep. The two of you had changed into your night clothes quickly, eagerly crawling under the covers together. Arthur wrapped an arm around your waist, drawing you in close to him. Reaching for his hand, you intertwined your fingers with his and pressed a gentle kiss on his knuckles. What a day it had been.

“What are we gonna do?” You asked, rubbing your thumb against the back of his palm.

Arthur exhaled into your neck, shaking his head. “We can’t let him do this alone.”

“I know, Arthur.” That much you were sure about. Everything else was up in the air. The two of you sat quietly for a while, silently thinking about what the near future had in store for your family.