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damnedparker · 4 years ago

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velvet and sunshine

pairing: obi-wan x reader (gender neutral, no y/n)

warnings: food mentions, reader is sad, very mild general hurt/comfort

summary: college au. little to no sleep and awful professors have given you quite the day, and you need a nap. preferably in obi-wan's bed.

also posted on ao3

more self-indulgent fluff from me! i’m a one-trick pony! but i was yearning and stressed over college and i’ve screwed up my sleep schedule again so yknow here we are. i hope some of you enjoy my too sweet fluff. i would definitely write a cute little au series of this concept if i had the time <3

Oh, college. The ultimate vehicle of stress.

Your first of two classes you had on Fridays had went absolutely horrid, all on top of the fact you had gotten maybe an hour of sleep the night prior to get the homework due today done. You knew you needed to be better about procrastination, you really knew, but there's only so much blame you can put on your past self before you run out of time to catch up on the work that was stressing you out enough to put it off in the first place.

Your one, single hour of sleep had been at the cost of you having enough time to properly wake up and get ready as usual, so on top of being exhausted, you also had to deal with being around people when you felt more insecure than usual, feeling like a slob and like everyone was judging you for not having your usual makeup or outfit on. It did nothing to help your already miserable mental state.

In your first class, there was a discussion on the work due today, and the professor had taken every shot he could at putting down your contributions and opinions in the assignment. The rest of the class was completely silent as well, not knowing what to say. It was humiliating, and had gone on for around fifteen minutes, which ended up feeling like hours. After finally getting out of that class, you just wanted to curl up in a ditch and cease to exist for a while. But you had another class in around half an hour.

You sighed as you got in line at the campus market, clutching your meager excuse for lunch—some potato chips—in your arms like it was a precious treasure. It wasn’t the most fulfilling lunch, but the campus up-charged on-campus food like crazy, so you didn’t feel like wasting too much of your money on mediocre food. You would just eat later after your next class.

Just as you were imagining the lecture you’d receive from him for your poor nutritional choices, your phone buzzed with a message from your favorite person—Obi-Wan. He had sent you a simple little meme, one of those with a cat surrounded by heart emojis, accompanied with a simple “thinking about you :-).” You smiled and almost felt like crying at how sweet it was, despite this being a daily occurrence from him. That man loved his wholesome memes, and sent them regularly, and you were so thankful. It always made your day better.

But after today? The little spark of happiness didn’t last long.

After paying for your sad excuse of sustenance, you trudged out of the university center, walking slow as can be in the general direction of your next class. You really did not want to go; you could feel the exhaustion creeping up on you and you could tell you’d doze off in class, which was a nightmare waiting to happen. Although you had your best friend, Anakin, to cover for you, since he sat right next to you in that class, you just didn’t feel like dealing with any of it today. None of it.

And with that, you simply turned and started walking towards the edge of campus, toward your safe haven: Obi-Wan and Anakin’s apartment. You lived quite the ways away from campus, much too far to walk, but Obi-Wan and Anakin’s little home was just a block over. Your boyfriend had class for another hour or two, but you really just wanted a place to nap, and you didn’t trust yourself to drive all the way home. You would’ve almost certainly been hanging out with Obi-Wan later tonight anyway, so you figured he wouldn’t mind. You could have him bring you to get your car sometime later.

After some delirious walking, you finally reached the apartment complex, heaving out a sigh once you stepped in the elevator, leaning against the wall as it made its way to the second floor. Your brain was absolutely fried from the lack of sleep, stress, and emotional day you had, and you could feel yourself struggling to hold back tears from the overwhelming mood beginning to take your mind once you arrived and managed a small knock at the door.

“Oh no, is it raining?” Anakin’s brows furrowed once he let you in, figuring you were there to drive him. That’s what you always did when it was raining outside, mostly just so you didn’t have to hear him complain about his clothes being wet during class.

“No, I just- I can’t deal with another class today,” You sighed, setting your bag down by the couch and toeing off your shoes. “Obi’s not working today, right?”

“No, he should be home after class,” Anakin watched as you rounded the kitchen counter, helping yourself to a glass of water. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just having a day,” you could feel your shoulders hanging, your posture reflecting your mood. “I just need some sleep. I can’t do class the rest of today, sorry to leave you to deal with Windu alone today.” You scrunched your nose in apology, referring to your strict, and often frustrating political science professor. The man was wonderful at lecturing, but absolutely frustrating when it came to assignments and tests. He often liked to pick on Anakin for discussions, and usually you came in to save him when no one else in the class felt like talking.

“Don’t worry about it, I can handle him on my own,” your friend nodded, reaching over to squeeze your arm affectionately. “Enjoy your nap,” he collected his bag and put in an earbud, preparing for the walk to campus. “But do not eat all my snacks like last time. Obi-Wan hates Cheetos, so I know it was you.” He gave you one last playful glare before grinning and shutting the door behind him. You looked down at the counter, now alone in the quiet apartment. You felt safe here, comforted by your best friend and boyfriend’s belongings laying about. It was clear what was Anakin’s and what was Obi-Wan’s, the difference very clearly seen between objects that were tidily tucked in their places, while others were strewn about in random places. You had witnessed many fights between the two adopted brothers over things like this, and sometimes it was a wonder they were able to live alone together at all. Not to say that Anakin hadn’t insinuated you should move in with them multiple times lately, very pointedly looking at Obi-Wan while he did so. Of course you would say yes in a second, but you didn’t want to pressure your boyfriend, who was very careful about big decisions in your relationship. The two of you had been dating for almost a year now, and were practically inseparable, and he was secure in the fact that you both believed there would never be anyone else you could love as much as each other. However, you knew Obi-Wan was a very particular man, and could be somewhat traditional in his courting. You thought it was sweet. Anakin, who was already daydreaming to you about proposing to his own partner, thought it was stupid, saying you already practically live here anyway! He wasn’t totally wrong. At this point, unless Obi-Wan was at yours or you were somewhere with him, you were probably going to be found at their place.

You sighed to yourself, feeling your eyes getting heavy. You were beginning to crash from your many cups of coffee last night. You headed straight for Obi-Wan’s room after locking the front door. His room was always impressively neat, never any clothes on the floor or anything out of place, except momentarily when you had forgotten to put something away or the two of you were in the middle of something. Painted a deep blue, and decorated with various framed posters or art, along with a few framed photos, his room was very simple. It was just the right size for it to be cozy without being suffocating.

You made a pitstop at his closet, pulling a sweater off the very top of his laundry basket, the one he’d worn the day before, along with some pajama shorts you kept in his dresser for impromptu sleepovers. You changed quickly, not keen to sleep in jeans, and also wanting desperately to lay down. You crawled into his bed, snuggling under the sheets and breathing in the scent of him all around you. Sleep came not long after you settled into the blankets.

---

Obi-Wan hummed softly under his breath, a song that you had showed him a few days ago and had subsequently gotten stuck in his head. He smiled to himself as he remembered the overjoyed look on your face when he had told you how much he liked it, fumbling to get his keys out of his pocket and get in his apartment. He paused while he was hanging his jacket up, noting your bag next to the couch, along with the glass on the counter. He furrowed his brows, knowing you had class, and although you certainly had before, you rarely skipped since your professors counted absences against your grade. He dropped his bag next to yours and made his way into his room, shoulders drooping as the weight of worry escaped them. You were curled up in his bed, wearing one of his sweaters, fast asleep. It was an adorable sight, you clutching onto the stuffed bearded dragon you had won out of a claw machine at the mall on your last trip together, whom you had gleefully named Boga as you passed the gift into his arms, insisting it was for him.

Obi-Wan shucked off his pants, leaving him in a t-shirt and his boxers, before sliding in next to you. He watched your eyelashes flutter slightly; clearly you were dreaming. You mumbled something in your sleep, followed by a happy sigh, and another mumble of something that vaguely resembled his name. He could’ve collapsed in on himself from adoration purely aimed at you.Carefully, he reached over to brush a stray hair out of your face, before beginning to press kisses to your skin, first at your jaw, then cheek, forehead, nose. You began to stir at his affections, sleepily blinking open your eyes to your boyfriend smiling at you. He trailed his hand down your arm, intertwining your fingers together as you began to wake up more.

“Hi, Obi.”

“Hello, my love,” he murmured, keeping his voice soft. “Not that I don’t enjoy coming home to you in my bed, but don’t you have class right now?” Your peaceful state from just waking up seemed to crack at his words, and a lump came back to your throat at the return of your sour mood from earlier. His eyebrows furrowed at your immediate change in mood, knowing something was wrong.

“I really couldn’t handle another class today,” you rolled onto your back, moving your joined hands to lay on your stomach. Obi-Wan scooted closer to you, resting his head against his hand, propped up on his elbow as he studied your face. “Sorry, I should’ve texted you to let you know I was going to be here.”

“No apology needed, darling, you’re always welcome here,” he untangled his fingers from yours, beginning to play with your hair as you talked. You could feel tears springing to your eyes from the gentle affection, the simple relief of being around the person you loved most, and his immediate recognition of your need for comfort. Obi-Wan could read your moods almost scarily well, and he almost always knew what you needed from him to make it better. “If you want to talk about what’s made you sad, I’m here to listen. Or we can just have a cuddle and listen to music.” You managed a small smile at his offer. Always so sweet.

“Can I have all of the above?” You turned your head to pout up at him, earning a happy grin and chuckle from your boyfriend.

“Anything for my sweetheart,” he pressed a chaste kiss to your lips, rolling off the bed to retrieve his phone from where he’d set it on his dresser. He shuffled the playlist you had made together one late night on Spotify when you couldn’t sleep, full of relaxing songs that the both of you often drifted off listening to together, since the both of you couldn’t sleep in complete silence. “Now, come here.” He almost jumped back into the bed, immediately pulling you on top of him. Your head fell into its usual spot at his neck, forehead pressed to his pulse point, which was steady and comforting. Obi-Wan wrapped you up in his arms, gentle hands sliding under your— his— sweater, rubbing comforting shapes into your lower back. You hummed contentedly.

“I might fall asleep like this instead.”

“That’s okay, honey,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to your head. You let out a soft chuckle as his scruff tickled your forehead. “Now, tell me everything that’s wrong so I can make it better.”

As you began to detail everything that had led you to seek refuge in his bed, Obi-Wan listened patiently, humming affirmations every so often and continuing to trace lines across your back, his sweater now partially pushed up to expose your lower back. The contrast between the slight chill of the open air and his hands was pure heaven. You didn’t know how you were still talking so clearly; half your attention was busy focusing on the slight callouses of his fingertips against your skin. Everything was warm and gentle, swallowing you up in velvet and sunshine. It was an absolute miracle that you didn’t doze off by the time you finished venting, the heavy feeling dragging you down having been lifted just the slightest bit, both by letting it out and by Obi-Wan’s hold.

“That is quite the horrid day, my dear,” he affirmed. “But you made it through, and it’s over now. You’re here and you’re safe, and we can spend the rest of the night doing whatever you like. You can relax.” His arms fully circled your waist then, squeezing you to him affectionately in a hug. “Everything will be better now.”

“Yeah,” you murmured, lifting your head and slightly sitting up from your comfortable position against his chest. Your boyfriend gave you a small smile when your gazes met, leaning into your hand that was now resting against his cheek. “You’re too good for me, Obi.”

“Oh no, I’m afraid it’s the other way around,” he grinned, a bit of pink settling on his cheeks. Crow’s feet became evident around his eyes and you were absolutely crushed by how lucky you are, how much you loved this man. “It’s a privilege just to be able to make you feel better after the awful day you’ve had.” His words were completely genuine, gaze absolutely soft as he looked at you. You could have cried. You don’t know how you didn’t. Obi-Wan seemed to gather this from your long silence, and the slight shift of expression on his face. “Everything alright, angel?”

“Yeah,” you said after a moment, pressing a short, chaste kiss to his lips. He found your hand next to his head, intertwining his fingers with yours. He squeezed your hand and tilted his head in a silent are you sure? “Everything’s perfect.”

#obi-wan kenobi x reader #star wars fluff #star wars au #college au #obi-wan x reader #ewan mcgregor x reader #fluff #my fics

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storysofmyown · 4 years ago

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Seven stages of love Chapter 6: Agape

Summary: Ever since the Celestial War, since they all fell, Asmodeus has dedicated himself to his sin. Not caring about anything else, but drowning himself in the pleasure and ecstasy of it all. But not anymore, now he cant even handle the idea of it. But, what else is there to want? After so long of having indulged in his sin, what is there than Asmodeus is looking for, something that will fill him, and that wont drive him to destruction? Perhaps his brothers can help him with that. Warnings will appear in each chapter.

Read on ao3

Word Count: 1560

Trigger Warning: None that I can think of. If you find any feel free to let me know so I can add them!

“…hey.”

Asmodeus eyes snapped open, sitting up immediately only for his forehead to come in contact with that of the red haired demon that awoke him.

“Beel!” Asmodeus whined as he rubbed the spot he had hit, looking at his younger brother that had fallen on the ground, and was rubbing his forehead too. “You scared me!”

“Sorry.” He spoke, one eye closed as his hand kept the spot they had hit hidden. “I got curious on what you were doing.”

Asmodeus let out a sigh at that, eyes moving from his brother to the currently empty sky. The moon light shinning over them and the flowers of the garden, as a light breeze made the demon shudder, sighing, his breath becoming a fine mist before disappearing in the cold air of the devildom. What was he doing? Right, after his talk with Lucifer he had escaped from the oldest room and had wondered aimlessly. Lost in thought, or more like lost in life. The He felt…ashamed, of having said those things to Lucifer, and above all, he felt exposed, like part of himself had become undone for everyone to see. And he didn’t want his eldest brother to see what was going on trough his head.

But, for some reason, he had found himself wondering into the gardens. Maybe it was because he knew it was rare for the others to come in here at this hour. Or that’s what he originally thought. There seemed to be many things he didn’t know about his family, as well as himself, and possibly everything that was around him. He had never stopped to think what it meant to be a demon, and even worse, he had never stopped to think what it meant to be Asmodeus, and now, here he was, watching as the flowers in front of him moved slightly, some closed of to the world as Beel sat beside him.

“…just wanted to think.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the total true. He had wanted to be alone, to not be seen by anyone but…there was something comforting in the Avatar of Gluttony that made him know he wouldn’t be judged no matter what he said.

“I see, thinking is nice.” Its all Beelzebub said, before picking up a watering can.

Afterwards the two felt into another silence. That was something he had become aware of recently after the talk with the eldest, their conversations were full of pauses, moments in which they could collect themselves and think before answering, spaces where they could analyze and take in what the other had said. But there wasn’t much to take in at the moment. It was only him, Beel, and the soft breeze that made some water droplets fly towards him, making the disoriented demon smile just slightly, before going back to his comfortable position. In which the silence prevailed, and he was grateful for that. Grateful that it was Beel the one keeping him company as he thought.

It was rare for his mind to be this quiet. For the last weeks it had been like a swarm of bees had settled in the demons’ mind, each screaming something else and pulling him in different directions that he couldn’t even see. But right now, it as…peaceful. And for the very first time since this whole crusade had started, he found himself being quite sure of what it is he needed. Almost all brothers had given him the answer, but each meant something different to them. And Asmodeus had yet to understand what it meant to him. He wanted to know what that word was for him. And maybe, just like so many times before, one of his brothers had the answer.

“Beel?”

“Mhm?”

“…what is…**** for you?” his words could be carried away by the silent breeze of the night, but somehow his brother had managed to hear him.

“Well, I guess everything?”

…what? Everything? And why had Beel not questioned him on why he was asking such a thing? Well, what else could he expect? It was Beel he was talking to, and as weird and cyrtid his answer was, it made the smallest smile come to the demons lips.

“Everything, huh? How so?” Asmodeus and opened and closed his eyes, noticing the twinkling lights up ahead as he lied on the grass, not even looking at his brother, who was still watering the plants.

“Well, I guess I just don’t have many things I dislike.” Beel shrugged, making a frown as he put too much water on a plant, proceeds to take a shovel and put a little more dirt to it. “But I do like a lot of stuff.”

“But liking is different…isn’t it?”

“Is it?” There was a genuine confusion in his brothers voice as he straightened up, glancing at Asmodeus for half a second, at which the demon glanced at his brothers as well. There was an unspoken answer in their looks. “What is difference?”

“…I don’t know. I guess that’s why I’m asking. I just…don’t understand how you can say that you…care for everything like that? I mean, I understand if you said us or food, but everything?” Asmodeus impulse himself up slightly, having his weight rest on his forearms, head thrown back as he watched the ever still sky of the Devildom, that above his gaze felt eternal.

“Yeah, I don’t know why either. I just think that way.” His brother shrugged before placing the watering can where it originally was and sitting down besides Asmodeus, his gaze fixated in the exact thing Asmodeus was. The infinity above their heads, and the vastness around them. “I mean, why would I not care about things?”

“But why would you care about everything?” it felt like they were going back and forth, and at thee end, like they didn’t say anything at all.

“…well, because everything composes the things that I really care about.” Asmodeus simply looked at his brother with a puzzled expression, tilting his head to the side. Only for the demon to talk again as if he could read the clear confusion that had taken over his older brother and the younger claim. “I mean…well” Beel frowned, almost as if he was having trouble putting into words what his head was telling him, putting into words the reasoning behind the bold claim of loving everything. “…you know how I really love food?”

“Oh, you do?” Asmodeus said in an almost sarcastic tone before chuckling and nodding to his brother.

“Well, I guess its kind of like how I like Simeons BTL sandwich. I like the sandwich entirely, but it wouldn’t be the same without each of the individual parts. So, why would I also choose to like certain parts of it, when I already adore the complete thing?” Beel had a small smile on his face as he chuckles a little.

His words left Asmodeus thinking. At first, he found it almost cliché that his brother would decide to relate things back to food. It was Beel, after all, so he wasn’t surprised when the demon started talking about food. But if he ignored that part, his brothers words made sense. Beel said he cared for everything, and at first Asmodeus was dubious of it. Heck,. The Avatar of Lust could have sworn in the past his brother couldn’t even feel anything else besides hunger. But now, here he was, the two starring at the same sky.

“…I guess that also applies to you.” Beel speaks, a smile on his lips as his eyes reflected the stars. “…you are all my family and I **** you all. That includes the bad, and the things I know you don’t like about yourself.”

“…does that include Mammons stupidity?” Asmodeus attempted to joke, only to notice Beel frown at that.

“Of course it does. And I guess that is also why I care about everything. Because all is part of the things and the people that I hold dear and close to me.”

At this, the demon smiled again, this time slightly even brighter, and Asmodeus smiled too. There was something almost…peaceful in his brothers words. Something that gave him hope. And even something that provided him with the very thing he had been looking for this entire time. Understanding. A genuine smile plastered itself across Asmodeus lips, the confused, rage, and sadness he had been feeling for so long now he finally understood. He could finally once more face himself in the mirror.

“What about you? What is **** for you?”

Days before, the question would have sent him into a spiral of self hatred and reflection where he couldn’t even find a shred of ideas that could let him answer that question. Now, the most it did was make his smile falter for half a second before a content sigh left his lips. Falling back onto the green grass of the gardens inside the House of Lamentation, Asmodeus chuckled lightly. That question had the very same answer of the “what was ****” question. But the answer would not have been complete without all of their brothers meddling in his life like always. Asmodeus could finally say what was exactly what he needed.

“…I think I finally know the answer.”

Agape: Love to all beings without expecting in return.Universal, generous love.

******

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Next week will be the final chapter of this work so I hope you all are excited lol. Hope you all had enjoyed this episode, and that you all enjoy next weeks as well!

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connorspiracy · 4 years ago

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Amulet You Finish || Connor, Ariana & Agatha

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @connorspiracy @detective-keen @letsbenditlikebennett CONTENT: Death SUMMARY: Ariana and Connor are out for a walk in the woods looking for something to film when they stumble upon a crime scene.

Despite Connor’s affinity toward the supernatural and loving catching it on film, Ariana found she was able to just be a young adult around him. Like she didn’t have to think of the worries and planning that had been plaguing her for too long now. That would all come to an end soon enough, but for this afternoon, they were just a pair of friends enjoying walking through one of White Crest’s many trails in hopes of finding something cool for Connor to film. While it wasn’t necessarily the safest of hangouts, Ariana knew the woods well enough to be confident against anything they may come across. The path they walked today wasn’t one that could be found on the internet. She discovered it almost entirely by chance on a run one day and it had quickly become her favorite. There was a certain serenity that came with the less traveled trails. It allowed her to relax a bit more when her senses weren’t firing off at some new sound or smell quite so frequently. It was nice to be able to share it with Connor. “I’m sure there’s bound to be something out here. Since the full moon just passed, I think I can rely on brute strength alone without becoming furry if it comes to it. I’d rather not be werewolf public enemy number one on the internet and all.”

Connor had come to White Crest just looking for content. He'd expected to find it everywhere, and he hadn't been disappointed. There was always something happening, and his main problem seemed to be that most of it was too outlandish for anyone to believe could be anything but special effects. He hadn't expected to actually find friends. At least not like this. It was kind of strange having people he liked hanging out with, filming or not, but he was even luckier they didn't have objections to his video-camera shenanigans.

He had a chest mount with one of his lighter cameras attached so he'd be able to leave his hands free for balance, but even still, it was clear Ari was much more comfortable on the trails than he was. "You're like a proper woodsie person, right? I can tell. I suppose it comes with the wolf territory." Made sense to be familiar with the woods around here so you had a good place to transform away from everyone else. "What do you usually do on the full moon?" he asked, curious.

To say she was a woodsy person was a bit of an understatement. In more ways than not, Ariana was a wolf and the woods were where she felt most at ease though her own home was starting to rival that feeling. She laughed a bit as she leaped off one of the steeper parts of the trail with ease. “You could say that. I actually lived in a tent for a while. Wolf things don’t hurt with that either. I spend a lot of time here whether it’s the full moon or not. It just feels right.” She shrugged a bit. She supposed it would be hard for a human to totally understand, but it seemed like Connor wanted to understand which was nice. It didn’t seem like he had a judgmental bone in his body which was always refreshing. “Oh, I usually go very deep out into the forest where there aren’t trails or anything. No chance of anyone showing up. Just me and the forest animals… which are admittedly delicious.” She laughed a bit and hoped her answer sufficed. This full moon had been different, but that was not of her own design. “I wouldn’t recommend going into any part of the woods on a full moon though. There’s not much in the way of control to be found for myself and other wolves.” She scaled another dip in the trail and kept a close ear out for their surroundings. Nothing smelled off either. “Filmed anything good recently?”

The woods felt as if they were becoming darker, perhaps the canopy of leaves growing thicker as they made their way deeper into the forest. It was obvious just how at home Ari seemed. Sometimes it struck Connor just how different their worlds were. There were things about Ariana he'd probably never quite understand, but that just made her interesting company. "I've done plenty of filming campouts, but I can't imagine living in a tent," Connor murmured, shaking his head in disbelief with a good-natured little laugh. "The posh London boy in me is mortified at the idea."

He nodded with interest as she spoke about her full moon habits. The camera wasn't turned on yet, so nothing was being picked up, no risk of her being outed to the world. Connor wasn't opposed to taking advantage of a situation to get the shot, but there were some things that were off-limits, even to him. He shuddered slightly and laughed at the mention of the animals. "Rabbit and venison are great, but raw? You must have a fucking strong stomach." The conversation turned back to him, and he gave a noncommittal shrug. "Rio and I did a haunted cabin. We should be editing it soon. I kinda didn't film too much during the whole Bloody Mary shit." He ducked under a branch, using the trunk of the tree as leverage to help him balance as he made his way around a particularly nasty root, knotted like ropes. "Was there something in particular you were hoping to show me out here, or are you just looking to make a wilderness boy outta me?"

While Ariana did love the coziness of her warm bed, especially considering it had been warmer as of late, the comforts most considered necessities had never been so much so for her. She shrugged and said, “It was a bit out of necessity. We were on the run most of my life, but I never really minded. Out here feels like home in its own way.” She laughed a bit at the mention of being posh. “So you’re more of a glamping kind of guy?” If she hadn’t been leading the way and sniffing out what was ahead, she would have given him a playful nudge.

It was evident to her that Connor was curious about werewolf life. To her, it had never been that fascinating. It was just who she was. Ingrained in every cell of her body. “I wouldn’t recommend it for you. I mean, even when I look like this I cook them. When I look more like a wolf, well-- Wolves are kind of meant to hunt and eat fresh. Needless to say, all around I have a strong stomach.” She perked up at the mention of a haunted cabin. While she dreamed of a cabin, she could live without the haunted part, but she assumed it was no more. “That’s pretty dope. I can’t wait to see it. Probably a good idea though. Bloody Mary was kind of a nightmare and dangerous.” As soon as he asked the question, she raised a hand to quiet him. Something off in the distance caught her ear. While she didn’t smell anything that seemed like a beast, it sounded like there was some sort of struggle. She whispered, “I hear something. Didn’t have anything planned, but figured I’d sniff something out for you to film.” She motioned for him to stick close. “Move quietly and stay behind me.” She looped through the trees, following the sound of a fight ahead. They were still too far away to tell whether it was more of the supernatural or human variety.

“Give me a fancy RV any day of the week mate,” Connor said, pulling his vape out of his pocket as they walked because he had a feeling Ariana wouldn’t exactly be keen on him dumping cigarette butts in the woods. “At least have it parked nearby so I can get in there if I need to take a shower or something.” Something about washing his balls in a cold creek just didn’t really appeal to him. “It’s cool that it’s like a home to you, though. It is pretty nice out here. I just like my creature comforts too much,” he snickered. Slightly lower chance of being eaten by some kind of monster back at home, too. But only slightly.

He would have happily kept chatting away about the woods and hunting game all afternoon if not for the sudden change in Ariana’s entire body. Connor didn’t hear anything, but he practically felt the hairs on the back of her arms standing on end. He nodded, saying nothing as he made himself smaller, crouching and trying not to break an excessively loud twig under the weight of his boots as he moved through the golden and red carpet of autumn leaves on the forest floor. “What is it?” he finally whispered, quiet as he could muster. Everything seemed completely normal to him, but he supposed those were the perks of having a werewolf friend.

Ariana enjoyed the comforts her home offered her as much as the next person, but she found humans needed it far more than she did. She saw little issue with hopping into the creek the way she did the morning after the full moon to clean off. A patch of grass was just as much home as her bed was... Though maybe as of late that wasn’t entirely true. Her ideal would be a nice little secluded cabin in the woods. Those little daydreams quickly faded as she followed where her nose and ears led her. She was light on her feet and conscious of their surroundings. She paused briefly, picking the way to go and answering Connor’s question. “It sounds like there’s some sort of fight breaking out. You may want to stay a good deal back. You can still film. I’ll try not to get all ‘grr’,” she said with a little claw like hand motion.

“This way,” Ariana directed as they made their way to a small clearing. There were two men in ski masks beating up on an elderly man. The coppery smell of blood coated the air as she got close and her eyes settled on the knife. Shit. By the smell of it, it seemed everyone was human. Not that she could really discern other non-shifting species from humans all that easily. She quietly snuck through the brush and let out a low growl to distract the men. It was purposefully intimidating and she stayed out of their line of sight. One of the men’s heads shot up and looked terrified. “What the shit was that?” The other man scanned the area and responded, “I don’t know, but we’ll leave him to whatever it is. He’s bleeding out anyway.”

Another snarl resonated through the cleared area and the two men went running, not keen on seeing where the sound came from. Once Ariana could tell they were far enough away, she emerged from the brush, pulling her first aid kit out of her bag as she moved. “Where are you hurt? Who were those men?” She questioned the older man, who could only point to the stab wound on his torso.

Connor’s eyes widened at the mention of a fight. Keen as he might be to get some good footage, getting in the middle of a physical altercation was rarely his idea of a good time. “Wait, okay--I’m turning the camera on.” He didn’t want her to accidentally wolf out mid-frame, but he knew how important it might be to have the incident on film if something happened. The sounds of a scuffle were growing clearer as they grew closer, and Connor called to Ari in an urgent whisper. “Shit. Maybe you shouldn’t--just be careful.” Most of Connor’s confidence and charm went right out the window as soon as a fight became part of the equation, but he edged closer to the sounds, keeping his body low to the ground. He could see a gathering of what looked to be men, surrounding someone who was clearly in pain. The words ‘bleeding out’ stuck out like a sore thumb.

He ducked behind a bush, heart beating so loudly he was sure the camera would pick it up. He was certain they were going to come find them, to kill them just like they had killed the poor man who was lying prone on the ground, apparently, bleeding out. Once they were gone, he finally breathed again, following Ari out of the bush, the camera falling on the ground as he rushed to the man’s side. “Shit, there’s blood everywhere. Bloody hell--we’ve gotta call an ambulance.” But how the hell was an ambulance supposed to find them out here? It was no use. He’d be dead by the time anyone made it through the woods. Connor was holding his phone, hands trembling as he dialled anyway, but a pair of white hands, quickly growing colder, gripped his. “Keep it safe,” the man whispered, pushing an amulet that seemed to appear from nothingness into Connor’s sweaty palm, and then his eyes fell shut. “Ari-- Ari, I think he’s dead…” Without thinking he stuffed the amulet into his pocket, calling 911.

There was a certain panic that rose in Ariana when she saw just how bad his injuries were. Her hands gravitated toward the stab wound on his stomach and she grabbed a wad of gauze and pressed down on it to slow the bleeding. She could attempt to stitch it up here, but she had no concept of whether any of his internal organs were damaged. Would she just be doing more harm than good. There was no time for doubt, she applied pressure to the wound to help it clot, but her hands just ended up covered in more and more blood. “Focus on me,” she told the man, “We’re going to get you out of here, okay?” The more blood that soaked through the gauze as Connor spoke of calling 911, the less hope she had. This man was older and this was a lot of trauma for his body to go through. “I’m Ariana, and that’s Connor. We’re going to get you help, okay?” Her voice managed to sound much calmer than she felt and for a brief moment, she felt as if maybe she embraced some of Celeste’s essence. An alarmed look crossed her face when an amulet appeared out of seemingly nowhere and was placed in Connor’s hands. “Keep it safe? What is it?” Before she could get answers to her questions, she felt him sputter underneath her hands. “Wait, no!” She raised a hand up to quiet Connor for a moment as she tried to hear the elderly man’s heartbeat. Nothing. “He is- He’s dead. There’s no heartbeat. We need the police, not an ambulance.” At least Regan couldn’t give her shit for not reporting this one right away.

“I know, I know--” It was tough to say what was trembling more; Connor’s hands, or his voice. He squeezed his eyes shut to stop himself from crying. Jesus, was he in shock? He didn’t know what this was supposed to feel like, but it hadn’t been what he had in mind when Ari told him they could go look for something to film in the woods. When dispatch answered, he struggled to get the words out. “H-hello? I need-- police. They stabbed him. He’s dead. I--it’s in the woods, I don’t even know where we are…” After some back and forth questions, Connor struggling to explain what trails they’d been on and Ariana needing to stop in to help him, they finally hung up and told the two of them to wait right there and not to touch anything. Connor stepped back, hands and clothes covered in blood. “What… what do we do?”

Ariana stood there silently looking at the body with a look of horror on her face. Why had this happened and why was it that she always seemed to be too late when it came to saving others? The tremble in Connor’s voice as he spoke to law enforcement on the phone didn’t go unnoticed, so she stood a little taller and put on her brave face. She could do this though she needed to keep reminding herself of it. “We have to wait until they get here. Other things out here might smell the blood. I’ll be on lookout duty.” With the anxiety that was coursing through her, every sound picked up in a near grating way. As she remembered he handed Connor something, she turned to him and asked, “What was it that he wanted you to keep safe?”

Connor reached in his pocket, feeling for the amulet. He didn’t really want to touch it, and yet in the same vein, he never wanted to let it go. Something about it activated a sixth sense in him. It felt normal. It looked normal. But it wasn’t normal. He held it up for Ariana to see, almost reluctantly, but then his eyes caught sight of the black and silver object on the ground. “Fuck, my camera--” He tried to remember if they’d said anything incriminating, about Ari being a wolf. They hadn’t, right? They hadn’t talked about it on camera because he knew he wouldn’t be able to use any of that footage. “I don’t think I’m supposed to touch it.” He was normally all too happy to break the law, but trespassing and interfering in a murder investigation were on completely different levels. “How long do you think it’ll take them to get here?”

Agatha, along with two police officers strode through the woods. It had been 10 minutes already since she responded to the call on her radio. With only a rough idea of where to find these people, they moved carefully. Here was their dilemma. Whoever had done this was still around, and if they were noisy, they would miss them, but if they did not hurry, they would miss them too. On top of that, they had to take into account this very simple fact: the woods were a dangerous place. Agatha, of all people knew this much, having lost her father to the woods. Looking at the two other police officers, she wondered if they felt anguish, being stuck with a Keen in the woods. The detective took a deep breath, stopping to gain her composure and calm back. She did not need those insecurities now, or ever, and yet, after all these years, all the good work she had done, she still asked herself if she was doing enough, good enough. Minutes passed, silent, lonely. No wind, no deer, nothing. “Well, I hope that kid didn’t get his trails wrong,” she checked her map and took out her compass, sighing. “What would you say? We must be around here?” She pointed to a spot on the map and scratched at her ear. “We have to split to find them,” she didn’t like that idea, but what choice did they have? They nodded in agreement, and each one went their separate way, circling around the same spot.

Each minute felt entirely too long as the pair sat in silence waiting for the police to arrive. Ariana couldn’t stop staring at her blood covered hands that had tried so hard to stop the man’s bleeding. Just like Sammy, she couldn’t save him despite her efforts. It left her limbs feeling numb as she slumped against a tree. Moments ago, she’d wanted to be brave for Connor and the old man, but she found it was quickly fading now that there was no longer an action for her to take. There had to be something to do here, but they weren’t supposed to touch anything. Even if she started pacing, she’d risk covering the track the murderers left behind. She heard the police approaching and trying to find their spot. For a moment, she stayed quiet knowing they were too far away to hear her even if she were to call out. Once the light patter of footsteps was closer, she called out, “We’re over here.” She stood up and started to wave them over.

It was rarely a good thing when Connor was exposed to the police. He’d been lucky most of the time, not getting in too much trouble over his trespassing and filming, his white privilege and family money certainly not hurting the situation. This was different though. He’d witnessed a fucking murder, and though they had the murder on film, no reason for either himself or Ariana to be suspected, he couldn’t help but be afraid. “Hey,” he called, joining in with Ariana. “This way! The body’s over here.”

“The body’s over here,” Agatha muttered to herself, blinking and shaking her head in surprise. If only it were usually so easy. Approaching the voices, she kept her weapon in her hand, wondering who she might land on. The sight of those two college kids did seem to ease her tension, and she approached the pair, and the deceased man with caution. “Did you see what happened?” She squatted down. Her hand went to the man’s wrist, trying and failing to catch a pulse. By the state of the wounds, there was not much she could have done to help him anyway. Looking up at the pair, she frowned, and her expression did not soften as she caught sight of the camera, “you wouldn’t have happened to film this, would you?” If they did, then this might have been her easiest case for this whole year.

A detective she didn’t recognize approached them, but this was a seemingly normal crime. Minus the weird amulet at least. There was nothing to hide here. By all indication, everything was incredibly human. Ariana finally took her eyes off the body and looked at the cop that was speaking to them. “There were two men in masks, I don’t know why they--” she couldn’t think of what could possibly drive this. She looked down at her own bloody hands and mumbled, “I tried to help-- I know a decent amount of first aid and how to do-- He was dead before I could do anything.” Now that she didn’t have to be the one on guard, she felt her composure slipping. She wanted to go home and pretend like none of this had ever happened. Her eyes glazed over as she found herself staring at the body, Agatha’s next question not quite registering.

Connor tried to keep his cool, reminding himself that he hadn’t actually done anything wrong. Ari was covered in blood. So was he, but less so. His eyes fell on the camera that had caught the entire thing, pointing to it, his hand trembling ever so slightly. “We were just filming the woods, and each other, making a video for YouTube. I dropped the camera when we saw them. I don’t know how much it caught.” But given the position compared to the body, he figured it had caught a fair amount. Too much to risk lying. “He gave me this,” Connor said, holding out the amulet. “I don’t know why. I don’t think he wanted whoever killed him to take it.”

“That’s alright, you did the best you could. You could have never saved him,” Agatha assured the young woman, wiping her hands clean. With a pen, she pushed open the dead man’s jacket, to check for a wallet, a phone, anything that might help identifying him, and reaching his relatives. “You did your best,” she repeated, her expression softer. The boy started speaking, and she gave him a look. He did not seem too comfortable, and while she couldn’t help but wonder if there was something else behind it, witnessing a murder did tend to do this to people, and she decided to drop that thought for now. “I’ll need to take your camera. We’ll give it back to you, don’t worry,” she added before he could try protesting. “He wanted you to take it, then? Did he say something?” She reached out to Connor with a plastic pouch. “Drop it in there, please,” whatever this thing was, it had to be the key.

Ariana had heard the sentiment too many times to really let it resonate. Sure, it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t kill the man. There wasn’t much she could have done to save him either, but the fact didn’t change that she and death were becoming far too closely acquainted. She nodded her head and mumbled, “I know, I just… I don’t know.” There was a spaced out look on her face as Agatha continued to speak and ask questions. She remembered the man dropping the amulet into Connor’s hand and wanting them to keep it safe. But why? What was so important about a necklace that it needed to be kept safe. It’d be safe with the police at least. The idea of helping guard some amulet on top of everything else made her head spin. It was good the cops would have it. At least she hoped. She could ask Jane to make sure it didn’t do anything sketchy to the other cops. “He said to keep it safe, I think. Right, Connor?” She rubbed her hands on her arms to warm herself and became acutely aware of just how much blood was on her. Her hands dropped back to her side and she asked, “Do we need to come with you?” Everything in her hoped it was a no. She wanted to jump in the creek and rid herself of the old man’s blood that was now fogging up her senses.

Connor really didn't want to hand over either his camera or the amulet, but this bloody mess (literally and figuratively) of a situation hadn't left him with much of a choice. He swallowed, nodding. "I know. Just be careful with it, yeah? It's an expensive model." He didn't want it to go missing in police custody. "He just said to keep it safe? I think whoever killed him was looking for it, but they didn't find it on him. I..." It had been hidden in some way, by supernatural means, but he couldn't exactly say that. "I don't know why he gave it to us. I suppose because we tried to help him. He trusted us." And the question he doubted the police could ever answer was what was it, and what did those people want with it? Connor reluctantly handed everything over. They headed to the station to have his clothes taken for evidence and give a statement, and on the car ride, he looked at Ariana, silently communicating. We need to get that thing back.

#paras #with: ari #with: agatha

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jornthur · 5 years ago

Text

“Unshaken” Chapter IV

Originally posted: March 22, 2020

Arthur Morgan x Reader, Slow-Burn Romance

(Photo Credit: @hysterialevi)

Summary: You save a mysterious man who is dying on a mountain. Finding out he has Tuberculosis, you use your knowledge and skills with herbs and natural remedies to save him from death and help nurse him back to health. As he slowly starts to recover, you can’t help but wonder: Who is this man? Why had you found him the way that you did, beaten and ill? Only time, patience … and perhaps love … will tell.

•••••

The silence seemed to stretch on forever.

After a while you started to feel foolish for asking the question, but it was too late. It was out, and you couldn’t take it back. Why in the world did you even ask it? You thought, feeling embarrassed.

As you got closer to the cabin, Arthur still hadn’t said anything, and you were beginning to feel like a total idiot. Unable to take the silence anymore, you turned your head to look over at him.

Arthur was looking down at his feet as he shuffled them across the ground. He was leaning most of his weight on the tall walking stick, trying to keep himself balanced. Was he avoiding the question? Had he even heard you?

“Arthur?”

A small spark of hope shot through you as you thought that there might have been a chance he’d missed what you’d said. Maybe it wasn’t too late, after all, you thought with relief, it was a dumb question, anyways.

But that relief suddenly fled as he looked up at you, and those blue eyes of his sparkled knowingly, a slow grin stretching across his face.

Oh, he’d definitely heard you.

You blushed as you looked away immediately. “I’m sorry, Arthur,” you said, “I mean, not that it bothers me — I just wasn’t sure why … you know … I wasn’t sure why you would be callin’ me that, since we barely know each other and all — “

You heard him let out a soft chuckle, making you blush even harder. “You ain’t got nothin’ to worry about, darlin’,” He said softly, “It’s just cuz of all the honey you’ve been given me, thought it’d be a cute nickname for you.”

Could that damned blush get any hotter? “Oh … alright.” That was all you could say. Was it the answer you were expecting? Was it the truth? Maybe, but you couldn’t be sure.

Finally, you both reached the front porch steps of the cabin, and you turned to face Arthur, “Would you like me to help you up these steps?” You asked, trying to change the subject away from the previous one.

Arthur opened his mouth to reply —

“Y/N!”

Your head whipped around, looking over your shoulder to see Austin waving at you as he rode up towards you on his Bay Roan Ardennes, two large jackrabbits tied to his saddle. “Austin!” you called out. He looked exhausted, his clothes appeared to be messy and even his hair looked out of place, swept in different directions. “How was your trip?”

Austin pulled up right next to you and Arthur and swung off the large horse. He untied the jackrabbits from his saddle and presented them to you with a big grin, holding them both up by their back feet with one hand, “This is what a managed to catch. It ain’t much, I know, but it might last us a few days,” he said, then added “One for me and one for you.”

You looked up at him, baffled at those last words. “What about Arthur?”

Your brother just shrugged, no remorse in his face whatsoever. “If he wants somethin’ to eat he can eat the chicken feed from the stables,” Austin said unapologetically, even though Arthur was standing right next to you. Very well within earshot.

“Austin!” You were completely shocked at his words. Well, not really. But why did Austin insist on being such an asshole to Arthur? What had the man truly ever done to him? You were at your wit’s end.

You were about to say something you would probably later regret when Arthur suddenly reached out his free hand toward Austin.

Your brother visibly flinched slightly, but Arthur just reached over his shoulder and took the carbine repeater from the horse’s saddle.

Oh, God, no, you thought. Please don’t let it end this way. Was he about to kill Austin? Your mind started racing, had your brother been right all along —

Without hesitation, Arthur cocked the gun and swung the rifle through the air with his free hand. He aimed the thing in less than a second, and shot a single round into your raspberry bushes several yards away.

The shot was loud as it rang out in the sky. The Ardennes whinnied in surprise, you’d covered your ears from the loud thunderous crack, and Austin nearly jumped out of his boots.

He glared at Arthur. “What the hell do you think you’re doin’, cowpoke?!”

Arthur gave him a slow grin. “Gettin’ my share, boah,” he said in his low southern drawl, his dark brows drawn down as his blue eyes narrowed at Austin. “Ain’t that what you wanted?”

You and Austin were both speechless as Arthur handed the gun over to you. Not knowing how else to react, you took the carbine, and with that Arthur turned to walk in the direction he’d shot the round. Once he approached the raspberry bushes, he crouched down slowly using the walking stick for balance and reached into the bushes with his spare hand.

He pulled out a large, now dead jackrabbit out from underneath the foliage. As he straightened and made his way back over, you squinted just enough to see a nice, clean bullet hole right in its head. Your jaw dropped, your lips parting.

When Arthur finally approached both of you he held the jackrabbit out to Austin. “This good ’nough, feller?” He asked. His voice was harsh, laced with ice, his face having gone completely dark.

Austin just stood there as he gaped at Arthur, his eyes wide, his lips parted in shock. “How — How the hell did you — what the hell?” He stammered.

You were in awe as well. You’d had no idea that Arthur could handle a gun like that, let alone a large one.

“Where on Earth did you learn to shoot like that, Arthur?” You asked. “And how did you even … how did you even know it was there?”

Arthur turned his gaze to you, that face of his softening as a small smile stretched his lips. “Sure was makin’ a lotta noise while it was eatin’ your berries, Y/N.”

Your jaw almost dropped at his answer. Just how good was his hearing? If you didn’t know any better, you would’ve sworn it was almost like he had an eagle’s sense of his surroundings … You looked over at the raspberry bushes, completely stunned, unable to fathom what had just happened.

Who was this man, truly?

“You gonna take this or not, boah?” Arthur’s deep voice snapped you out of your thoughts and you looked back over to see Austin reach out a shaky hand to take the jackrabbit from Arthur.

“I’m … I-I…” Austin stuttered, tripping over his words. “I can’t believe … where- how did you learn to shoot like that?”

Arthur just huffed, “Years of practice.” He said hoarsely. He cleared his throat, then he brought his arm up to his mouth and started coughing.

Immediately you forgot everything else except for his health. You handed the carbine over to your brother who took it. Grabbing Arthur’s arm, you urged him toward the cabin. “C’mon, Arthur, you need to lie down.”

Arthur continued to cough even harder as he let you lead him up the steps and through the front door, all the while the fit having taken over. His body must’ve reached its limit, you realized. You sat him down on the large couch and went to grab your supplies, bringing them over to him. You handed him a dry cloth and he accepted it, giving you a grateful smile before coughing into it, his entire body shaking hard.

Quickly you prepped the syringe and cleaned off his inner arm with some alcohol. “Try to stay still, Arthur,” you said softly, rubbing his shoulder with your spare hand to try and get him to relax. As soon as his body settled down for a couple seconds you pushed the needle into his skin, pressing the plunger down until the barrel was completely empty. Pulling it out you patched him up and grabbed the glass of water and two pre-crushed herbs.

“Here, Arthur, I need you to take these, they should help ease your breathing.” You said urgently, holding the herbs and water out to him in each hand.

He stared at what you offered for a few seconds and then took them, placing the herbs in his mouth. He brought the glass up to his lips and drank from it until it was empty. As soon as he finished he closed his eyes and laid down on the couch, resting his head onto the pillow.

You took the empty glass from his hand and placed it on the nightstand. You snatched the thick wool blanket from the end of the couch and laid it back over his body, tucking it underneath him so he was comfortable.

As minutes passed his coughing slowly started to diminish, until finally he was breathing evenly again.

After a little while you reached out and rubbed his shoulder in an effort to ease him. “How are you feeling?”

Arthur opened his eyes and that blue gaze looked at you gratefully. “Much better, honey. Thanks.” Then he closed his eyes again with a low moan.

You smiled and nodded, then stood up to clean and put away the supplies. It would probably be best for him to stay off his feet for the rest of the day, you thought. But at least he got some of what he’d needed. You truly couldn’t blame Arthur for wanting to get out of the cabin, but at the same time you really needed him to take it easy so that his body could continue fighting off the tuberculosis bacteria that was left.

Austin walked into the sitting room and looked down at Arthur, then up at you, “He feelin’ alright?” He asked.

You nodded. “Yes, please don’t bother him. He needs to rest.”

Your brother’s mouth twitched into a smile. “Alright, well … I’ll go ahead and prepare the meat then.” His voice was much softer in tone, as if he were thinking about something.

“You okay, Austin?” You asked, meeting his eyes.

He just smiled and nodded, “Yeah, Y/N, I just … well, it’s nothin’. I’ll be outside workin’ on the game.” With that he turned and walked out the front door, closing it gently behind him.

You looked at the closed door, feeling surprised. It was the first time Austin had been in the same room without throwing any kind of insult or negative statement at Arthur. Was your brother actually starting to change the way he thought about him? Was it because of the gun incident?

Brushing that thought away, you continued cleaning the equipment. Once you were finally finished, you washed your hands and walked back into the sitting room.

You glanced at the honey pot on the nightstand. He needed to take more, you thought, but you would wait until he was awake again.

The cabin was quiet, and you looked over at Arthur, taking in what you saw. He was completely relaxed now, fast asleep, the medicine having gone to work throughout his entire body now. He almost looked like a completely different person, his face no longer hard, those features having gone completely soft.

Letting out a sigh of content, you grabbed a book off the shelf over the fireplace and sat in the spare sitting chair across from the couch. This way you could continue to keep an eye on Arthur for as long as need be.

Later that evening …

You heard a low groan and looked up from the chapter you were reading.

Arthur was moving, his arms and legs twisting underneath the blanket. You closed the book instantly and placed it on the nightstand next to you. Standing up you went over and knelt at his side. You kept your voice in a soft whisper, so as not to disturb him too much, “Arthur?”

Arthur’s dark brows drew down tight as his entire face grimaced. He let out a grunt and opened his eyes. That blue stare looked up and seemed to recognize you. He smiled, “Hey, honey,” he murmured, his deep voice sounding rough.

You returned his smile with one of your own, “You’re awake. How did you sleep?”

He squeezed his eyes shut, scratching his neck, “Ain’t too sure. Think I might’ve slept like a dog.” He sat up slowly and raised his arms up over his head, stretching his entire upper torso. You found yourself unable to help staring briefly at his muscles as his blue shirt splayed tight across them from his movements.

“So,” you said, interrupting your own thoughts, “would you mind if I listen to your heart?” Okay, that sounded a bit weird, so you added “I need to listen to see if there are any abnormalities.”

He shrugged, “I guess so,” he said, his southern drawl hitching slightly as he cracked his neck, “do what you need to do.”

Seriously, his deep voice was going to be the end of you, you thought. Nodding, you stood up and grabbed your stethoscope and other tools from your desk and brought them over. Putting on the stethoscope you placed the disk on his chest. Being this close to him felt so strange, and you never managed to get over the warm feeling you got every time, “Okay, Arthur,” you said, “please take a deep breath for me?”

His chest rose and fell as he took in a large breath and let it out. You listened to his heart for any hiccups, but thankfully there were none. Moving the disk to where his lungs were you listened to each one individually. “More deep breaths, please?”

He obliged as his chest rose and fell again a few more times. His lungs were sounding so much better, you thought, they were taking in and pushing out air with much more ease. There was no doubt that the bacteria was dying off and the tissue was starting to grow back what it could. “Do you feel any pain right now?”

He looked down at you, “Not at the moment,” he said gruffly. He winced. “Just a little bit, sometimes.”

You placed your stethoscope aside, trading it for a tongue depressor. “Say ‘ah’ for me, please?”

Arthur obliged as he parted his lips and let you place the stick on his tongue. You examined the back of his throat, searching closely for anything out of the ordinary. There was a bit of redness in the back, probably an irritation result from the earlier coughing episode, but other than that everything looked good.

“Well, Arthur,” you said as you sat back, placing the tool into the trash bin at the foot of the couch, “Your heart and lungs sound pretty good. There’s a bit of soreness in your throat but that should clear up soon, as long as there are no more fits. I think you’ll be able to start movin’ about again with no problems very soon.”

Arthur rubbed at his chest, clearing his throat as he looked down at his lap. What was he thinking about? You wondered, but there was no time to ponder on that though. You grabbed the honey pot and lifted the lid. You heard Arthur clear his throat and you looked back up at him. “Is something wrong?’

He shook his head, an amused expression on his face. “No, honey.”

You blushed. Turning away so he didn’t see it you snatched the spoon up and handed it and the pot over to him without looking at him. “Here,” you said quickly, “you know what to do.”

You felt him take the pot and spoon from your hands, and you stood up to put away your book, trying to make yourself look busy until the blush was gone.

Out of the corner of your eye you saw him take the spoonfuls of honey into his mouth. “I still can’t believe this,” he said as he finished up and placed the pot and spoon down, “I still can’t … I really don’t see how I’m still here.”

His tone sounded tortured, you thought sadly. What on Earth had happened to him before you found him?

What kind of life had he led?

That thought brought another, and you suddenly remembered his satchel. “Oh!”

Your sudden outburst made Arthur jerk, looking up at you with surprise. “I’m sorry,” you said, “I just remembered somethin’.” You got up and raced over to your desk in your office, unlocking the bottom drawer.

“What is it?” Arthur called out.

Pulling the satchel out from the drawer and closing it you held the small brown bag up for him to see as you came back over. “My brother found this on one of his huntin’ trips near where we found you … ,” you paused, then added “I saw your name on the first page.”

At his questioning look you quickly added, “I swear I didn’t look any further, Arthur. I was goin’ to respect your privacy. I just — I just wanted to see if it was yours.” You approached the couch and held the satchel out to him.

Arthur stared at it for a long moment until he slowly took it with a shaking hand. Those blue eyes held so much emotion as he stared at it that you couldn’t help but wonder what was running through his mind.

He opened the satchel and pulled out the journal. His breath hitched as he stared at it, running a gentle hand over the front cover. “This … you found this?”

You nodded, but he didn’t look up from the journal, so you said aloud, “My brother did, yes. I kept it locked in my desk for safe-keepin’ until you were feelin’ better.”

He lifted the front cover and flipped through the first page and your eyes widened, unable to help but notice a two-page drawing that looked like some kind of camp. After a minute or two he continued flipping through the pages, his eyes looking more and more pained as he progressed through the journal. You could see words written down on some of them, except you refused to read them out of respect for his privacy. But those drawings. He stopped on some of them and you were absolutely astonished, unable to help but look.

Suddenly he closed the journal and placed it on the nightstand. He bent forward, elbows on his knees. Placing his face in his hands, he started rubbing his forehead with the tips of his fingers. He looked almost ruined, completely overwhelmed. His display of emotion almost had you regretting giving him back his satchel, but what else could you have possibly done with it? Maybe you could’ve waited a little longer, but he had the right to know. It was his property, after all.

Several moments passed and he didn’t move, his face still hidden in his hands. After a little while longer you decided to speak, using a gentle tone so that you didn’t aggravate him in any way. “Arthur … I noticed several sketches in there … did you draw those?” You were trying to change the subject in order to draw his mind away from whatever dark place it had gotten sucked into.

He didn’t respond right away, nor did he move at all, his entire body tight for several minutes.

Finally, he brought his hands away, placing them at his sides where he gripped the edges of the couch, his knuckles turning nearly white. He looked down at the floor, avoiding your gaze. “Yes, I drew them,” he said roughly, his voice nearly choking. His eyelids had gone red, his entire face set in a hard line.

“I didn’t mean to see them,” you whispered gently.

“No, you’re alright,” Arthur said in a rough tone, waving his hand through the air as if dismissing your apology. “I’m just thinkin’.”

You nodded and waited, giving him whatever space he needed to work through whatever was running through his head.

After a while he lifted a hand and rubbed hard at his eyes. “I’m sorry, I … just gotta lot on my mind right now.”

You nodded, “I completely understand, Arthur, and I’m sorry if that journal brought back any painful memories. I shouldn’t have given it back so soon while you’re still sick.”

“No,” he interjected, “I’m glad you did.”

Was he really, though? You thought. Whatever was in that journal seemed to be putting him in a lot of mental anguish. You wanted so badly to help him think about something else, so you decided to bring up a lighter subject. “Where did you learn to draw?”

Arthur let out a harsh grunt at your question and shrugged, his heavy voice carrying a slightly bare tone to it, “I just look at what I see and put it on paper,” He scratched at his jaw, “I don’t really see that much in ’em, though.”

You almost gaped at his modesty. “They’re really beautiful, Arthur.”

He didn’t look at you as he just nodded and gave a small smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Thanks,” he said under his breath.

You gave a comforting smile, “You have an amazin’ talent, Arthur,” you told him gently, then added “if you ever want to draw somethin’, I have some pencils on my desk. You’re free to use them.” You patted his shoulder as you stood up. “I’m goin’ to go outside for a while and talk to my brother. Will you be alright?”

Arthur still didn’t look at you as he just gave another small nod.

You looked down at him sympathetically. “Alright, I’ll be back soon.” You turned away and walked toward the front door. Reaching it, you looked back over your shoulder at him one more time. His upper body was hunched over once again, his face in his hands.

He was clearly hurting, you knew, but you had no idea what else you could do other than give him some space and time alone. You stepped out and shut the door softly behind you.

Stepping out onto the front porch, the late evening air hit you like a gust of wind. You took a deep breath of it, letting the cool air settle your nerves as you looked around. The evening was quiet, the sun having just disappeared behind the distant mountains in the West. Crickets were chirping as if greeting the night that approached.

Austin was sitting on a stump over near the stream. It looked like he was working on something, but you couldn’t see what it was since he was facing away from you.

Before going over to him, you decided to go to the stables to check on the horses. It was a small building surrounded by fencing to the side of the house. There was just enough room in the fence to let the horses run around whenever they wanted to, about two-and-half acres of wide grass with a few trees spotted here and there. Since the cabin was located in the woods, several trees stood tall both in and around the stables just as well as the cabin. Your brother had cut several of them down a couple years ago in order to allow more room for the horses, but he’d left some up to provide shade for them as well.

You walked into the stables and saw the white Shire and Bay Roan Ardennes in their own stalls. They were both munching on the fresh hay that was no doubt Austin’s doing. You checked on the other animals, looking to see the goats and chickens in their own pens. They were still up and about, wandering around doing their business.

The white Shire lifted her head and came over to you, poking its head out over the stall gate to nudge your shoulder.

“Hey there, Lily,” you said in greeting, turning to face her and reaching a hand up to stroke her muzzle, “How’re you doin’?”

She whinnied softly in response.

You’d had Lily for 10 years, and she absolutely adored you, as you did her. Your father had given her to you for your 20th birthday and you’d named her after your favorite flower, the white lily. It had been the first plant you’d ever grown, with the help of your mother. Lily was absolutely magnificent and extremely loyal, and she’d seen you through many hardships in you life.

And if not for her, you wouldn’t have been able to save Arthur.

Giving her a final pat on her neck, you let out a breath, “Well, girl, I think it’s time to go to bed, don’t you? You rest well.” Lily shook her head up and down as if agreeing with you, then she turned away to resume eating her supper.

You turned to face the Ardennes, “Well, Butch, hope you’re ready for bed, too?” You asked him. He raised his head to look at you, letting out a snort.

Butch was a war horse, built for bravery and strength. Just like Lily, your father had given him to your brother for his own 20th birthday. You were both two years apart, so being 18 you had been slightly jealous of him until you’d gotten Lily. Butch would follow Austin anywhere. The big horse wasn’t really attached to you, but he recognized you as a friend.

You gave a small nod at him. “Alrighty, then. Y’all both have a good night.” You waved to both of them as you walked out of the stables and followed the dirt trail leading toward the small river. On your way you noticed the three skinned jackrabbits hanging off of individual hooks from one of the trees’ low branches. So Austin had finished the butchering job a while ago.

You brother was still sitting on the stump, and from this angle you could barely make out what he was working on. He was cleaning his carbine repeater, running a rag up and down the barrel of the gun.

You walked over to him, “Hey, Austin,” you kept your tone low so as not to startle him.

Austin looked up over his shoulder at you. He smiled and propped the gun against the stump as he stood up. “Hey, sister. Everything alright?” He asked, turning to face you.

“Yes, everything’s fine,” you answered. “Don’t worry, continue what you were doin’.” You gestured at the repeater.

He shook his head. “Nah, I was just finished anyways. So … ” he reached a hand around his head to rub at the back of his neck. “How’s Arthur?”

Your eyes widened. It was the first time Austin had called Arthur by his name. Before this it had always been ‘cowpoke’ or some kind of other insult. Was your brother finally warming up to him? “He’s a bit troubled right now … I gave him back his satchel, and he saw his journal.”

Austin shook his head, seeming empathetic. “Probably has a lotta memories in there.”

“Austin?”

“Hm?”

You shut your eyes briefly, bracing yourself for his answer to your next question, “Do you still hate him?”

Arthur’s eyes filled with amusement as he smiled, “Maybe a little,” he teased.

You rolled your eyes, unable to hold back a small laugh as you smiled back in return.

His grin grew wider at your reaction, then he gestured with his hand, pointing at the repeater. “He’s gotta hell of a shot.”

You let out another laugh, “Now you’re complimenting him? Where is Austin and what have you done with him?”

Austin chuckled, “Don’t get me wrong. I still sorta hate that man, especially after showin’ off like that.” He scratched his cheek, a habit you knew he had whenever he got embarrassed about something.

You tsked at him playfully, “You did kinda ask for it, though. I mean, really, Austin. Chicken feed?”

He chuckled, “You’re right, Y/N,” he admitted, “I’m sorry for saying that. It was stupid of me.”

You shook your head, “I’m not the one you need to apologize to, Austin.”

Austin let out a long sigh, seeming exasperated. “Men don’t apologize to each other,” he stated, his voice firm as if what he’d just said was a fact.

You narrowed your eyes at him.

“But I guess I can try talkin’ to him sometime.” He added, rubbing the back of his neck again.

“It wouldn’t kill you to try,” you said encouragingly. You reached out and patted his upper arm in an effort to comfort your brother’s silly ego.

“Don’t be too sure of that,” Austin replied, his voice light in tone. “I suppose I should make sure all the animals are settled in for the night.” He turned around, picked up his gun, and started heading over to the stables.

You smiled to yourself. Your brother seemed to finally be coming around. Even though he wouldn’t outwardly admit it, you could tell he was starting to like Arthur.

Funny how guns could bring men together sometimes, you thought with a small smile.

•••••

– To Be Continued

#unshaken #chapter 4 #part 4 #arthur morgan x reader #arthur morgan x female reader #slow burn #romance #arthur morgan #fanfic #red dead fanfic #rdr2 fanfic #red dead #rdr2 #red dead redemption #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption imagine

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the-mill-kat · 5 years ago

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Unshaken Chapter IV

Part 4- Arthur Morgan x Reader (18+, Slow Burn) Posted March 22, 2020

Here it is finally! I hope y’all enjoy it, I’m sorry this one took me so gotdam long! Please ***like/reblog/comment*** to let me know what you think.

(Photo credit: hysterialevi)

You save a mysterious man who is dying on a mountain. Finding out he has Tuberculosis, you use your knowledge and skills with herbs and natural remedies to save him from death and help nurse him back to health. As he slowly starts to recover, you can’t help but wonder: Who is this man? Why had you found him the way that you did, beaten and ill? Only time, patience … and perhaps love … will tell.