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Arthur was quite the outdoorsman. The man could survive in the wilderness for months on end if you let him. With copious amounts of gear and supplies, he was more than ready for any possible oncoming apocalypse, and although you teased him for it, it was undeniably cute to see him so passionate about something. His birthday was coming up and you knew you had to work out something special.
Arthur came home from a long day at the shop, smelling like oil and gasoline and smudged up with grease stains. His took off his work boots and slid his shirt over his head, landing it in the nearby hamper.
“I’m home, darlin’,” he called out.
“In the kitchen!”
He came up behind where you stood at the stove and wrapped his arms around you, pressing a kiss to your shoulder, “Smells good in here.”
“Nothin’ special,” you smiled, leaning back into him slightly, “Just cheeseburgers.”
“You know I love anything you make.”
“I thank the heavens I was blessed with a simple man.”
He hummed, moving to kiss your cheek and giving you one more tight squeeze before parting. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and took a seat at the table, sitting with his legs spread and letting out a content sigh.
“How was work,” you said as you finished up fixing plates.
“Nothing too bad. Had to rip out an entire motor from this little Toyota I could barely even get in. Built way too big for them little cars.”
“That why you refuse to replace that old beater truck,” you teased.
“Hey, be nice to Dolly! She’s gotten me far.”
“I know sweetheart,” you smiled as you set the plate down in front of him.
“You have an okay day,” he asked as he chowed down.
“Nothing changed but the weather.”
“That woman from the other department still giving you a hard time?”
“Always.”
“I’m sorry, doll,” he said gently, nudging his leg against yours under the table.
“No matter. Besides, I’ve got something a bit more exciting to tell you about,” you smiled.
“What’s that now?”
“Well,” you drawled, “Your birthday is next week.”
He furrowed his brow, “Mmhm.”
“So, I hope you don’t mind, but I called into your work and I asked if you could have some time off. Before you worry, they’re fine with it, said you earned it. Now, you ready for the surprise?”
He still looked terribly confused, “What are you gettin’ at?”
You gave him a quick smile before digging into your pocket, pulling out the reservation for a week-long stay at one of the campsites at one of the biggest national parks. You slid the envelope across the table and he immediately pushed his food aside and opened it. He scanned over the papers quickly and his eyes went wide. “You serious?”
”We leave tomorrow.”
Without another word, he got up from his chair and pulled you up from yours. He wrapped his arms tightly around you, leaning back to lift you a few inches from the ground. He let you back down and pressed his hand to your jaw, bringing you to meet him in a sweet kiss.
“I love you so much,” he whispered as he pulled away.
“Love you more,” you whispered, pressing your forehead to his.
He cursed himself under his breath, “Got a bit of grease on ya.”
“It never hurt no one. I’ll be fine. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
You parted and quickly loaded the dishwasher before going towards the bathroom. Arthur grabbed towels and you ran the water. Arthur always took great comfort in showering together so you did it about as often as you could. He’d never admit it, but he liked being taken care of in that way. You washed the grime from his body and helped him relax under the hot water, him looking truly peaceful.
You dried off and got dressed, him only dawning a pair of baggy sweats. He tied the waistband and tossed the used towels over the shower door before leading you to the bedroom. He dug his plastic tubs from the back of his closet and brought them to the front room. He pushed the coffee table out the way and began laying out the various supplies on the floor. You turned on your playlist and sat back as he opened the containers.
“I trust you know how to use everything here,” you chuckled, “I can’t say I know what half of this even is.”
“I’ll take good care of ya, don’t you worry.”
He proceeded to take out hatchets, rations, knives, tackle, ropes, sleeping bags, everything you could have imagined needing and so much more. “Thankfully we’re not backpacking, otherwise this would be way harder to pack for.”
“Honestly, I don’t know the real difference.”
“Backpacking is better for short trips. I’d rather stay stationary in terms of sleeping and explore during the day. Keeps you a bit more grounded. This way we can keep all our stuff in the truck when we’re not usin’ it, not worrying about how much weight we’re carrying.”
“Were you a boy scout by chance?”
“Got kicked out. Why?”
“Just askin’.” you smiled.
He began to load backpacks with various supplies and had you grab enough clothes to last for the week in the wild. He organized well and put everything in them in a way that made sense. He was in his own little world as he finished up. He put the full packs against the wall and sat back for a moment, knees bent in front of him. He shook his head and smiled to himself, his lips turned up in a way that made your heart swell.
“I’m so excited,” he beamed.
“I am too,” you said as you helped him up from his spot on the floor.
He wrapped his arms around you once again, letting them rest around your waist and his forehead bump into yours. “Just gotta do a bit of grocery shopping in the morning and we’ll be okay.”
You nodded and smiled, meeting his lips once again, this one lasting a bit longer than the previous. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and he began to sway, finding the beat of the song and leading you to move with him. He kept his head pressed against yours, a subtle smirk resting on his face.
“What are you doin’, Morgan?”
“Just stealin’ a dance from the most handsome feller I ever did see,” he replied, a sense of warmth and admiration clear in his tone.
You only smiled back and kissed him briefly before letting your head fall against his bare chest, holding him closer and losing yourself in the moment. He hummed as you continued the subtle dance, the acoustics hitting your ears in the dim lights. With his cheek nuzzled against your head and big hands holding you pressed to him, it couldn’t have been more perfect.
The two of you parted and finished little chores around the house, making sure everything was in decent condition so you wouldn’t have to worry about it when you got home. He put away the dishes as you vacuumed the rugs and tidied the living room. It was getting to be about 10 o'clock when Arthur started yawning.
“You ‘bout ready to tuck in for the night,” he asked as he rubbed his eyes.
“Yeah, we gotta be up early, don’t we.”
“Mmhm, c’mon, I wanna feel you.”
You followed him into the bedroom and took your spot. He followed soon after, laying his head on your chest and clinging to you. He whispered a few groggy sweet nothings before little snores began to leave his mouth. Soon, you were drifting off too, dreaming of nothing but him.
--
The sun was just crossing the horizon when you felt the bed move. Your eyes fluttered open to see Arthur, now dressed in his day clothes. He crawled over you, pressing pecks to your jaw, moving up your face and up to your forehead.
“G’morning, sweetheart,” he hummed.
“Hey,” you whispered back, letting your eyes adjust to the light.
“Made you a bit of breakfast before we gotta go,” he said, leaning back and lending you a hand up.
“You’re too sweet for your own good,” you shook your head.
“Nonsense,” he teased, “You’re far more than worth it.”
He led you to the kitchen where he had made your plate of biscuits and country gravy. You sat and had a decent amount of time to properly wake up and get your day started on a good note. As breakfast finished, he made double (and triple) sure that he had everything you might need on your trip out. You got dressed as he finished loading the truck. You stood up from lacing your boots and he met you with a playful stare
“Hmm,” he cocked his head, “Just need a little something more.”
He quickly went to the closet and dug out whatever it was he wanted. Coming up to you, he plopped a worn trucker hat on your head and tied a bandana around your bicep. He folded the sleeves of your shirt up to your elbows and undid the top few buttons.
He stood back to admire his work with a big grin on his face, “There it is.”
You shook your head, “At least I look the part.”
“Just need to get you rollin’ around in the mud for a bit and we’ll make a true outdoorsman of you yet.”
You locked up your place and went out with him to the truck. He looked over the bed to check once again that he hadn’t missed anything before taking his spot in the driver’s seat. The loud engine of the beat-up Ford turned over and he made his way to the local grocery store.
You walked out with him and grabbed any snacks you might need. Protein bars, trail mix, popcorn, and a few fixings for sandwiches. He grabbed a cup of live bait as well. The place was nearly dead at that time in the morning, only a few elderly folks roaming around to get their errands done before anyone else left their bed.
“Swear it’s almost blasphemous to be awake this early on a Saturday,” you joked.
“You’re alright,” he teased.
You paid for the goods and got them loaded before setting off on the brutally long drive before you. Arthur was still so clearly excited, making the time all the more worth it. Through hours of road games, folk tunes, deep conversation, and countless god-awful but extremely passionate renditions of “Life is a Highway” and “Country Roads,” you made it to your destination. After only two stops for gas and food, it felt amazing to stretch your legs.
The scenery was beautiful and his eyes lit up as he looked across the landscape. You pulled into the lot and dragged your things to your designated campsite. He made quick use of the firepit and pulled the tent from its case. He took a step back before looking over to you.
“You up for a challenge,” he asked.
“Always,” you replied.
“You wanna try setting the tent up by yourself?”
“Hell yeah,” you exclaimed. “Piss off a minute, I got this.”
He laughed at your eagerness, “Thatta boy. I’ll be waiting over there by the picnic table if you need anything.”
“Consider the situation handled, I got this,” you said before unfolding the tent.
“Hey just one thing,” he spoke up.
“Hm?”
“You’re on an incline, set it up over there a little ways,” he said with a smirk.
You gave him a quick glare before moving the tent where he pointed. You spread it out flat and began putting together the polls. Arthur watched intently, sitting back with a leg crossed over the other and a dumb smirk on his face. You pushed the polls through their designated slots, everything was going just peachy until it came time to get the tent to stand up by itself. You put the key into the tent pole and moved to the opposite corner, and things got complicated. You tripped over the material and got all tangled up in the tent flaps. The poles came out of place and you made a right mess of yourself.
Arthur was practically rolling with laughter as he watched the turn of events. He shook his head and wiped the happy tears from his eyes before lending you a hand, still unable to really stifle his laughter. You gave him a light push to the chest and he just pulled you by the back of your head into his chest.
“You’re so cute,” he giggled, planting a kiss on the top of your head.
You grinned through feigned anger, “Just help me put up the damn thing.”
The two of you got to work and you were blown away as it took him less than 3 full minutes to have the poles in place and corners staked down. “Just takes a bit of practice,” he told you.
The two of you messed around at the campsite for a while. The evening was approaching fast and the sun would soon be setting. He helped you put hot dogs on skewers and cooked them slowly over the fire.
The two of you sat with your backs to a log and paper plates in your lap. All was peaceful in the little part of the woods where you stayed. It was simple and it was easy, the air easier to breath out here and the sun shining the way it was meant to. He looked like he was more at home here than he was in his own house, the landscape greeting him like an old friend. With the wind gently blowing his hair back and the sky slowly turning orange, you couldn’t have asked for a better evening.
“Gonna have a lot of fun this week,” he said, discarding his plate and wrapping an arm around you.
You nuzzled closer into him, “Whatever you wanna do, I’m game.”
“Figured you might want to go fishing in the morning. It’s easy, kinda gross, kinda boring, but I think you’ll like it.”
“Ah yes, gross and boring,” you chuckled, “Sounds perfect.”
“You’re gonna do just fine. Still can’t believe you grew up the way you did, my daddy barely even let me in the house when I was young.”
“Yeah, I’m one of those clock-watching, fast-talking city boys you seem to despise so much.”
“Opposites attract,” he smirked, “You’re my clock-talking, fast whatever city boy. See, you got me trippin’ over my own tongue. No matter, though. Still can’t thank you enough for getting this trip out here.”
“Been saving what I could so we could make the trip. I’m so happy to see you happy,” you said back softly.
“You’re so far out of your element here,” he said earnestly, “Really, thank you.”
“Don’t thank me too much, they’ve got showers about a quarter mile down. But don’t sweat it cowboy, happy early birthday. Oh, hang on, let me grab something from the truck.”
You got up from where you sat and you looked at you confused. You only nodded and dug into the glove compartment where you hid the little surprise for him. You dug out the little box and kneeled back next to him, still not showing what you held in your hands.
“It ain’t much and hell, it might be a little cheesy, but I wanted to do a little something for you,” you said before handing over the box. He began to unwrap the bindings and you continued, “You tell me all the time and the phrase always sticks in my head and-”
He smiled as he revealed what was inside and just shook his head. Attached to a thin leather strap was a circular, silver pendant, engraved in it, simply the words You’re alright. You stood back and gauged his reaction, watching him clasp the pendant in his hands tightly.
“You like it,” you asked, eager but nervous.
He grabbed your hand and brought it up to his face, lips grazing your knuckles before settling on his cheek, “My dear boy, you’re far more than just alright.”
“You like it,” you asked once again, slight panic clear in your tone.
“I love it,” he grinned, making you relax immediately. “You’re the best goddamn thing that’s ever happened to me, you know that.”
The smile refused to leave your face as he brought his lips to your own once again, “I love you,” you whispered.
“Love you more.”
You parted and he turned around, letting you tie the ends of the leather at the back of his neck. You made a small but sturdy knot and he turned back to face you, still clutching the little pendant.
“This really means the world,” he whispered, “You’re everything to me, you know that.”
“It’s just a necklace, Arthur,” you said back, attempting to brush off the heavy compliment.
“It’s not just a necklace,” he shook his head. “Everything. I mean the trip, the generosity, the selflessness, I ain’t worth a dime and yet you treat me like a king, I swear. You’re my world, and that ain’t changing for nothing.”
“Don’t think of yourself as anything less than a prize, sweetheart. You’ve got me for the long haul. You’re my rock, my anchor, my- hell, you’re just mine. And I hope to be yours.”
“Always,” he whispered, “Never doubt that for a second.”
The went down past the horizon and you and Arthur sat and watched the stars appear. He brought out his old radio and played quiet folk tunes, the gentle acoustics only adding to the beautiful ambiance. He would point out all the different constellations and blush profusely at all of your not-so-subtle compliments and praises. He was like putty in your hands and he knew it too, but he had just as good a hold on you as you did him.
The two of you tucked back into bed not soon after, your head on his chest and arms wrapped around him. It was odd being away from your own bed, but sleeping with him made any place feel like home. He combed his fingers through your hair and hummed sweetly until he was sure you were finally asleep. The sun takes a lot out of you, and you were out fairly quickly, but it didn’t stop him from just wanting to watch you rest for a bit. He was in head over heels, but he would never even think about wanting to change that. You were what he needed and everything he could possibly want all wrapped up into one, and part of him could never really believe that it was you that he got to hold late at night.
“So perfect,” he whispered to himself, “And I am so goddamn lucky.”
He let himself drift off, still keeping you secure in his arms. He couldn’t be more excited at the thought of waking up and being able to explore with you, and with that, he fell asleep happy.