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Darrin huffs as he carries his catches back to Buttercup. He’s out on his weekly patrol around the camp’s area to check his traps. On the bright side, his snares were definitely in good shape; a whole four rabbits, three squirrels, even a pheasant found its way into them! But on the downside, carrying all of it at once can be a pain in the ass, especially with his habit of collecting everything before he comes back to drop them off.
He finally reaches the spot he left Buttercup, the horse not even needing to be tied in place to stay. Darrin’s sure it’s because of her bond with him, as she’s never given urges to run when he’s left her in places, but he’s also sure it has to do with a particularly good shrub she found herself eating when she arrived. The cream colored mare doesn’t even look up as he approaches, not until he gives a sharp whistle to grab her attention. But she looks up quickly when he does, huffing and stamping her fore-hooves when she realizes her owner’s return.
“Don’t worry girl, still in one piece,” the one-eyed man says, patting her side. Buttercup gives the horse equivalent of rolling her eyes as she lets out another huff. Darrin chuckles before getting to tying his catches to the saddle, double checking each and giving the saddle a bit more tightening before climbing atop. Buttercup gives a dramatic grunt, making Darrin roll his eye.
“Oh relax, I’m not that heavy.” The mare whinnies as if laughing at his tone, then begins a trot as Darrin pulls her reins in the direction to go. Together the two stroll through the thick woods, letting the sounds of nature fill the silence as they head back to camp. Darrin hopes that these kills will make a more flavorful stew (they never do), but Pearson’s genuine appreciation for his catches hardly lets him care. Hell, any negatives he could think of in his life are miniscule to any he had before joining the gang.
Especially since meeting who we could only describe as the love of his life because of it.
Finally the entrance to camp comes into view. Sean’s on guard duty right now, said Irishman giving Darrin a toothy grin and a greeting at his return. Darrin smiles and gives him a quick greeting back, not wanting to distract him too much. He has Buttercup trot further into camp, the sound of life and busy work surrounding him again as they approach Buttercup’s hitch stand. At the hitch he dismounts and strings the catches over the stand before finally relieving Buttercup of her saddle. The mare practically sighs in relief and lays down before Darrin can even tie her to the stand. Darrin looks at her blankly, long used to this kind of behavior.
“I swear you’re gonna just make me lose it someday.” Buttercup just whinnies at him as he ties her reins and picks up the prey, carrying it over to Pearson’s area. The jovial man thanks Darrin for the catches and gets to work preparing them for later, promising the young man to keep some of the bones to give back to him later. Darrin nods with a smile and walks away, already thinking of how he might carve them or who he’ll sell them too. But his thoughts are quickly interrupted by a flick to the head. He rubs the spot and looks at the blonde woman responsible, who stands in fake innocence.
“Do you have to get my attention in the most annoying way possible, Lily?”
Lily shrugs her shoulders, a slight smile on her face. “I could hardly call myself your sister if I didn’t.”
Darrin rolls his eye. “Ha. Ha ha ha.”
“Your dry laughter will not discourage me. Hell, it gives me more motivation.”
Darrin gives his sister a shove as she laughs. “Yeah, yeah, if only I were so lucky. Anyway, you had a good day? You went into town, right?”
Lily nods. “Got some good intel, heard about a particularly wealthy coach that’s gonna be making its way through the area.”
“Nice. Think Dutch’ll let you take lead with it?”
“Please, you think I’d let him have the choice.”
Darrin snorts, still unsure how Lily manages to skirt around the Van der Linde leader’s instructions the way she does. He assumes it’s cause of his relationship with the gang’s “top gun” as many would put it that makes Dutch give a tad leeway to their (i.e. Lily’s) antics. Of course she’s also exaggerating; she’s proven she already knows her way around a gun and a robbery on top of taking care of all her personal chores, chances are Dutch will let her handle it regardless as long as she has someone with her.
“Oh, by the way, Tilly wanted to ask if you were up for dominoes sometime soon. Said you guys haven’t played in a while.”
“Because she always kicks my ass at it. I need a break from my spirits crushed every now and again.”
“Aww, you’ll get me eventually Braddock,” Tilly says as she passes, overhearing the conversation. Darrin gives her a credulous look.
“Yeah, as if, you hardly let me breathe by the third turn.”
Tilly gives a look of innocence. “I ain’t got the slightest clue what you mean.”
Darrin looks between Tilly and Lily. “It scares me how much you two have started sharing the same behavior.”
“Well, I never ,” Lily says in the most exaggerated sarcasm Darrin’s ever heard. She links her arm with Tilly’s, who’s already giggling at the incoming antics. “Come on, Ms. Jackson, we don’t have to put up with this prickly man.”
“Hardy har har ,” Darrin calls after them as they walk away, Tilly still laughing and Lily with her nose literally in the air. He huffs and shakes his head before heading off, deciding he’s ready to take a bit of time to relax. Glancing over at the horses, he notices something that makes him smile. A familiar horse, the copper mare called Gunpowder, is also hitched up near Buttercup. That only means one thing…
Arthur’s back at camp as well.
Darrin relishes the thought. Even if Arthur’s still more keen on keeping affections tame in camp, even the older gang member wouldn’t object to spending more time together with his lover. Darrin smiles to himself, sure he looks dopey, as he heads for Arthur’s tent to find him.
But when he gets there and peeks through the flap, there isn’t a single sign of the cowboy inside.
Darrin hums and looks around camp again, sure he would’ve seen Arthur around if the man was out and about. And sure enough, his second scan comes up fruitless. But it does help him spot the one person who can help him. Darrin walks over to Hosea, the older man smiling warmly as he sees Darrin approaching.
“Hosea,” Darrin says, nodding to him and returning the smile.
“Ahhh, glad to see you’re back Darrin. I take it the trip went well?”
Darrin nods. “Probably one of my best yet. Pearson should have good meat for a couple days with it.”
“Good, good. But I doubt you came over just to give a report on that. What can I do for you?”
Darrin gives a small laugh, always impressed by Hosea’s ability to read people in a second flat. “I was trying to find Arthur, and was hoping you might have an idea of where he could be.”
“Mmm…” Darrin notices a shift in Hosea’s expression at that. He internally sighs: Arthur’s name matched with that kind of reaction is never a good sign. “Last I saw him, he was heading over to the cliffside. But...he might not be the most willing of company right now, even with you. Just so you should know.”
“No, yeah, I get what you’re saying. Thanks for letting me know.” Darrin waves goodbye as he heads towards the cliffside, internally preparing himself for what might happen. He knows Arthur, he knows that he’s not always in the mood for company, and he knows when the man needs his space. But it doesn’t help the disappointment he feels whenever it happens. He just...wishes there were more he could do.
Darrin stops when he sees Arthur, the man sitting on a rock near the cliff’s edge, the gorgeous view laid out in front of him. He can tell from the way Arthur's arm is moving that the man is using his journal. Darrin takes a moment to stand there and watch, forgetting to think of how to approach him and more so just admiring the image of Arthur in front of the amazing view.
Without thinking, Darrin lets out a sigh, which catches Arthur’s attention as he sits up straight. He turns around with a cold glare in his eye, but that look softens slightly when he sees who it is. Still, he just gives a silent nod of acknowledgement before turning back to what he was doing. Darrin stands there for a moment, waiting to let Arthur say something first, but quickly realizes he’s going to have to talk first if a conversation is going to start.
“Hey bear.” Arthur just gives a small hmm at that. “Mind if I join you…?”
Arthur goes still for a moment, making Darrin side step a little as he waits for a response. Eventually, Arthur looks back again and gives a silent nod, shifting himself so there’s room for him to take a seat. Accepting the invitation, Darrin walks over and sits down next to Arthur, letting the silence settle back in as Arthur goes back to drawing.
Darrin takes a peek at the page. At one point, even he wouldn’t be able to look at such a personal part of Arthur’s life. But after so many months together, and so many vulnerable parts of themselves shared with one another, Darrin is one of the lucky few to see this hidden part of Arthur. Right now he’s taken to sketching the view ahead, in such detail that it takes his breath away. Hell, any of Arthur’s drawings take Darrin’s breath away in their talent.
Arthur notices Darrin staring and chuckles. “I know, I know, it ain’t pretty — ”
“Arthur, hush.” Darrin takes his hand, giving it a squeeze to stop the man from further deprecating himself. “Your drawings are amazing, and I ain’t ever gonna stop letting you know that.”
Arthur goes silent, just looking down at him. Darrin finally notices the tired look in his eyes, the kind that forms whenever there’s a lot on his mind. Darrin brings his free hand up to Arthur’s cheek, moving his thumb to caress it. Arthur seems unresponsive for a moment before slightly moving towards the touch, a movement almost invisible if you don’t look close enough.
“What’s on your mind, bear?”
Arthur sighs, closing his eyes. “Nothing…”
“Arthur — ”
“Nothing important, I mean. Not anything you need to be worrying about.”
Darrin bites his tongue, thinking of what to say next. He decides on nothing; if Arthur isn’t willing to tell, it’ll do more harm than good to pry it out of him. Instead he just wraps his arm around Arthur, pulling him close and hugging him silently. This close he really feels how tense Arthur is right now, the muscles under his skin taunt and stiff. Arthur sighs as Darrin rubs Arthur’s back, the former putting the journal down to simply sit with his lover. The two let the sounds of nature in front of them flow over, taking the silence as a chance to breathe and clear both of their heads.
With that head clearing, a thought is able to form in his head. He looks up at Arthur with a smile, which only gets him a quizzical look in response.
“What’s got you looking so dopey, boy?”
Not a day goes by where hearing this man call him ‘boy’ with his drawl doesn’t make Darrin’s heart skip a beat. “How about we take a ride out? Just you and me?”
Arthur gets an abrasive expression at that, one Darrin fully expected. “Darlin’, you know there’s too much work —”
“That can be done just as easily tomorrow,” Darrin cuts him off with. “C’mon, love, you need a break. You don’t gotta tell me what’s bugging you, but at least let me help take your mind off it. I’m sure folks won’t mind if you take some ‘you’ time to recharge…”
Darrin feels a slight guilt at the use of “love”; it’s a pet name the two tend to reserve for more serious discussions. But he’s sure as hell not gonna let Arthur kill himself with work or stress. He’s already heard from the others about that habit way back in his early days here. A sea of turmoils seems to brew in Arthur’s eyes for eternity before the older man sighs, giving Darrin one of his rarer softer looks.
“Okay…if you can convince Dutch to give us a little time off, I’ll follow your lead.”
“Perfect.” Darrin moves his hands back to Arthur’s face, cupping his cheeks. “You are going to be the most pampered bear in these woods when I’m done with you.”
Arthur snorts, putting a hand over Darrin’s. “I’ll hold you out on that, boy.”
Turns out, convincing Dutch was easier than expected. Thank god for Darrin’s niche role in the gang; all it took was one story about a possible snare issue and a request for someone else to help him with it was more than enough to get the two of them an overnight out in the woods. Though Darrin swears he saw Hosea give him a look when the two were ready to head out. Oh, he definitely gave us a helping hand .
Now deep in the forest and on their own, the two have just finished setting up camp for the day. Well, really, Darrin did. The most Arthur got to do was hitch Gunpowder over to the side with Buttercup before Darrin was pulling him along, sitting him down and pulling his hat over his face.
“Now what’s your plan here, darlin’?” Arthur asks as he pulls the hat back up. “Don’t you think we gotta get this place set up before dark?”
“Course I do, bear. Which is why I will be taking care of it while you get started on relaxin’. So go ahead, let your thoughts clear, take a nap, and I’ll have this place set up in no time.”
“Darrin…” But the man is soothed into agreement as Darrin moves behind him, rubbing his shoulders until he feels the man relax under his touch. “Alright, alright, you’re the boss today…”
“Perfect.” Darrin leans down to give Arthur a kiss on the temple. “I’ll let you know when I’m done.”
“Mmmhmm…” This time Arthur moves his hat down himself as he closes his eyes. Darrin watches him for a moment, seeing the cowboy slowly drift off into a nap. Once he’s sure the man is out, he takes his sweet time getting everything set up. The first part of his pampering of his lover is making sure he catches up on his rest, because even on his good days that’s a struggle for him. Even after everything is done, he takes an extra few minutes before waking Arthur up. Said man grumbles and rubs the sleep out of his eyes.
“Damn…how long was I out for?”
“Oh don’t worry, it wasn’t too long. I got set up as quickly as possible.”
The look in Arthur’s eyes tells Darrin he doesn’t believe the lie, but the smile the man gives him tells him that he doesn’t quite care. “Mmm, right, course…”
Darrin puts his hands on his hips in mock annoyance. “Now what is that tone supposed to mean, mister?”
“Nothing, nothing.” Arthur puts his hands up, chuckling. “Just curious what you got next on this little ‘pampering’ trip you’ve brought me on.”
“Weeeeell…” Darrin turns and takes out various items from a large satchel, placing it near some other things that were clearly set up to be chosen from. “I figured we could take advantage of the daylight by doing something you love. I brought stuff for fishing, getting good sketches, bird watching, card games, hell even just a trip through the woods if you want. The choice is yours, bear.”
Arthur gives a quiet hmmm as he looks over the items in thought. Eventually his eyes land on the fishing pole, and he picks one up, turning it over in his grasp. “Been a while since I went out and caught anything. What say we spend some time down by the river?”
Darrin smiles, grabbing the other rod. “Sounds good to me, Mr. Morgan.”
Arthur snorts, lightly shoving Darrin at the ridiculous honorific. The younger man just laughs and takes Arthur’s hand, leading the two to the water nearby.
For the next few hours, the two just spend the late afternoon enjoying the time together. Sure there’s some idle chat here and there about their personal activities back at camp. But the pair mostly save their noises for the excitement of catches, letting the quiet settle over them as they watch the water for signs of movement. Arthur can’t remember when he just got to sit down and fish like this. He looks down at Darrin, who’s taken to saddling up against him, leaning on his shoulder. Arthur smiles; he can’t lie that his previous inhibitions about this day off have been slowly leaving him every minute they’re out here.
Soon the two have their fill of fishing for the day, reeling in their lines with a good dozen or so catches under their belts between them. Arthur stretches, needing to get the blood flowing again after sitting still for so long.
“That was fun!” Darrin says, looking at Arthur with a smile (and maybe a tad bit of satisfaction at Arthur’s more relaxed look compared to earlier). Arthur hums, nodding his yeah.
“Sure was…guess you were really onto something with this trip.” Darrin is sure his satisfaction is showing on his face now with the way Arthur rolls his eyes. “I know, I know, you ain’t gotta tell me ‘I told you so.’”
Darrin snorts. “Oh relax, I would never.”
“That’s not what that smirk just then was telling me.”
“Keep talking like that cowboy, and you won’t be getting the next part of your pampering.” The words come with no bite; Darrin long accepted that Arthur could do literally anything and he would sweep the earth his next steps are on. Arthur puts his hands up in surrender.
“Alright, alright, I’ll heel. What’ve we got next?”
Darrin picks his pole back up, using his free hand to take Arthur’s. “We gotta get back to camp first. It’s an activity for the tent.”
Arthur quirks a brow. “And here I thought we’d be saving that for later.”
Darrin rolls his eye, elbowing Arthur’s side lightly. “Mind out of the gutter mister. We still got plenty of daylight left before we jump to that .”
Arthur laughs as Darrin pulls him along, the shorter man looking just a bit more stiff in his stance as he walks. Arthur just watches him fondly as they head back to camp, quickly placing their rods down before heading right towards the tent. The two climb in, Arthur leaning back as Darrin pulls in a smaller bag from outside.
“Take your shirt off,” Darrin says, digging through the bag. He gives Arthur’s smirk a flat expression. “What did I tell you before Morgan?”
Arthur puts his hands up again in defeat before he gets to unbuttoning. Of course the promise of nothing more going on doesn’t stop Darrin from sneaking a few peeks at the fuzzy, well built frame slowly being revealed by each button. As much as Arthur doesn’t understand what Darrin sees in him, Darrin doesn’t understand how Arthur doesn’t see himself as anything other than physical perfection.
Thoughts aside, Arthur throws the shirt to the side once he’s done and leans back. “Okay, I did as you asked, am I gonna get to know what you’re lookin’ for?”
“This.” Darrin pulls out a bottle of oil, which only makes the suspicious look Arthur’s had deepen. “Okay, this one I understand not making sense given what I said before, but just trust me.”
“Alright, I’ll go with it. What’s the plan here?”
“First, get on your stomach.”
Okay that one throws Arthur a bit of a loop. He’s got no idea where doing that leads to. I mean, usually we don’t...it would certainly be a surprise…
Arthur flips over onto the bedroll, stomach down and putting his hands under his chin. Darrin straddles his rear, which just makes Arthur even more certain of his previous idea. But he decides to save the surprise and look ahead. He hears Darrin open the cap of the bottle and squeeze some of the oil out, and he prepares himself to feel his trousers to be pulled down…
…only to jump at the cold feeling of oil right on his lower back, making him jump a little. He looks back and sees that Darrin has put the bottle down and put both of his hands on Arthur’s back, starting to spread the oil.
“You okay, bear?” Darrin asks, having felt the small jump in Arthur’s body.
“Yeah, yeah, just…didn’t expect that. Is that…?”
“Massage oil? Yeah, course, why? What did you think?”
Arthur can feel his ears heat a little at the question, and he’s sure they’re a tint red from the way Darrin is smirking at him. “Shush…”
“Hey, I didn’t say anything. If that’s what you want to do later, just let me know. You have me at your mercy.”
That definitely does not help the reddening of Arthur’s face. The older man coughs, deciding to redirect the conversation. “When did you get the idea of a massage, anyway? Some skill you got back in the fancy life?”
Darrin slows at the question, and Arthur notices a slight tint of red set into his partner’s face now. “I, uh…might have looked into a few massage classes on trips to town…”
This time Arthur’s the one smirking. “You’ve been planning to do this for a while now, haven’t you, boy?”
Darrin’s blush is enough of an answer, making Arthur chuckle. Darrin huffs, looking away and moving his hands again. “Oh hush and let me get to work, you.”
Arthur gives a last huff of laughter before putting his head back down, closing his eyes. “You’re the boss.”
Darrin tries to not let that last line make his face even more flush and instead focuses on spreading the oil over the rest of Arthur’s back. A breath escapes him as he feels the muscles flex under his touch, and good lord this man is tense he thinks to himself. He’s got his work cut out for himself…
He starts at his lower back, pressing his fingers deep into the taunt muscles to untangle them, mimicking what he learned before as best he can. The sigh that comes out of Arthur at the first push is enough to just fry his brain. He stops for a moment as he finishes the first spot.
“You okay, bear?”
“ Lord , yes…” Arthur lets out another sigh. “Please keep doing… that… ”
Darrin doesn’t need much encouragement after that. He gets straight to work, finding the rough knots hidden under Arthur’s skin and slowly untying them one by one. Darrin swears Arthur hasn’t sounded this satisfied even when they have sex, and he’s not sure if he should be appreciative or jealous of that. By the time he reaches up to his shoulders, Arthur’s practically sunken into the bedroll, the dopiest expression on his face that Darrin’s ever seen.
“I take it you’re having a good time?”
“Good god, can we just do this the rest of the night…”
Darrin chuckles. “Much as I’d love to do that for you, bear, I’m gonna run out of sore spots.”
“I don’t care if you have to make the spots sore again in order to do it…”
That one gets a snort from Darrin. “Maybe we can do your legs too, if you’d like.”
Arthur doesn’t even give a verbal response to that, already understanding what that means and lifting his hips to unbuckle his pants. Darrin’s smile widens. He’s never seen the man so willing to just…unwind. It makes him feel a little special inside that he’s gotten to see this side of Arthur Morgan that he’s sure almost no one has before.
So Darrin pulls the trousers down to expose Arthur’s legs. He hesitates for a moment before also taking off Arthur’s undergarments to reveal Arthur’s rear. He checks for Arthur’s reaction, but the man doesn’t even seem to mind, just ready for the massage to continue. It’s honestly a mesmerizing sight to Darrin.
He leaves the thoughts in his head as he gets more oil and puts it over Arthur’s legs. He won’t lie and say he doesn’t spend a little time marveling at the size of Arthur’s thighs, but he keeps the remarks in his head as he looks for more tight muscles to work through. Over the next while, Arthur’s thighs, calves and feet are prodded and kneaded until every muscle underneath is a smooth sheet of relaxation. He even gives the man’s arse a few deep rubs, curious if that would get him in the mood. But Arthur looks like he’s in his own world of bliss that won’t be broken by anything, and it makes Darrin’s heart melt.
Once the final knot’s been undone, Darrin pulls away and admires his work. Arthur gives a disappointed sigh at the clear signal that it’s over, but Darrin just gives him bum a pat in response. He chuckles, sure Arthur is rolling his eyes at the gesture, then moves to lay down next to him. He wraps his arm around Arthur’s back and looks him in his heavily lidded eyes.
“How was it? Hope I did alright.”
Arthur moves his arm to pull Darrin closer, squeezing him tight. “Darlin’, think we might’ve discovered the hands of an angel.”
“Oh hush, you’re just buttering me up.”
“Boy, I’ve done a lot of sinning in my life, but I’m not gone let lying to you be one of ‘em.” Arthur presses his forehead to Darrin’s. “You worked some damn magic on me, darlin’. I haven’t felt this relaxed in...well, years …”
Darrin would argue, but he can tell it’s true. Just holding Arthur like this shows him the difference; the usual tightly wound muscles of his back is gone for the first time Darrin’s ever known him. Some of that must have been years of stress, given how much Arthur seemed to hate resting normally. Darrin can’t even imagine how good that must feel right now…
The two lay in silence for a little while after that, listening to the sounds outside as they breathe the same breath. Darrin starts to wonder if Arthur had fallen asleep again, but eventually the man squeezes him again and slowly blinks his eyes back open.
“Okay, great as that felt, the oil is startin’ to not feel so amazing. What say we wash up and get something cooked up for dinner?”
“I’ll do you one better. I’ll give you a washing up and get us something to eat. All you gotta do is sit there and look handsome, course you wouldn’t have a hard time doing that ever.” Darrin punctuates it with a tap on Arthur’s nose, making the man chuckle and roll his eyes.
“You’re real determined to make sure I ain’t doing any more work today, aren’t you?” Arthur moves his hand to Darrin’s side, moving his fingers briskly over a ticklish spot to draw out a sweet laugh. Despite the sensory attack, Darrin’s gaze softens as he cups Arthur’s cheek with his hand.
“You already do so much work for everyone else, most the time without ever being asked. I just…wanted to do the same for you…”
Arthur sighs, moving his hand up to Darrin’s face. He still doesn’t know what he did to warrant someone loving him so unconditionally, but he’s long moved past looking a gift horse in the mouth. He moves his thumb over Darrin’s lips, tracing their outline before pulling his lover into a sweet kiss.
“Don’t know what I did to get someone like you with me…but there ain’t gonna be a day that goes by that I’m not grateful for it…”
Darrin feels something wedge in his heart at the declaration. Arthur is not the man to give such strong expressions of affection often, even in the privacy he prefers to give regular affections under. So to hear him laying his heart out for him so openly…Darrin takes a shaky breath and pushes his face into the crook of Arthur’s neck in an attempt to hide the tears forming in his eye.
Arthur chuckles, rubbing Darrin’s back. “You getting misty eyed on me now, boy?”
Darrin laughs, giving Arthur a light smack on the shoulder. “Oh hush you, or you’ll be making dinner yourself.”
Of course he doesn’t follow through with the threat. After the two wash up in the river, Darrin uses a couple of the fish they caught earlier to cook the two a simple dinner. It’s no gourmet meal, but it's nice, filling, and great for the both of them to eat side by side. By now the sun had set and the stars filled the sky, the couple staying out long after dinner just to watch the sky. Eventually, as the fire is near dead, Arthur yawns and sits up to stretch.
“You ready to hit the sack?” Darrin asks, feeling the exhaustion of the day starting to creep up himself.
“Mmm, definitely,” is the grunted response. Darrin nods and stands, helping Arthur up and leading him into the tent. The two undress and settle down on the bedroll. Arthur throws a hand around Darrin, but the younger man quickly moves his arm off him. Arthur’s only able to give a confused look in response before he’s being guided to turn away from Darrin, who takes to wrapping his arm around Arthur’s torso and pulling his back flush against him before pulling the blanket over the two.
“This your idea of a final touch for the day?” Arthur teases, putting his hand over Darrin’s arm. Darrin laughs against his back.
“Figured we could try it differently tonight, let you know how good it feels to be held like this.”
Arthur won’t lie and say it’s not a good feeling. Him being the one to hold Darrin most nights is more of a convenience situation with how small the cot they sleep on it. But on a bedroll with less concerns of falling off, Arthur sees why Darrin’s able to nod off so quickly like this. In fact he can already feel himself dozing, blinking his eyes to keep them from closing just yet. Darrin seems just the same, from the way his breath is shifting and how his head is rubbing against Arthur’s back.
“Hey, darlin’...?” Arthur speaks quietly, in case he’s already asleep. But Darrin hums in response.
“Yeah, bear?”
“Thank you…for everything today. You didn’t have to go out of your way for this…really appreciate it…”
“Course, love…” Darrin brings his hand up to caress Arthur’s cheek. “I’d move mountains if I thought it’d make you happy. I’m glad you enjoyed the day.”
Arthur turns his head to kiss Darrin’s hand. “I really did…might be one of the best days of my life…”
“Perfect…” Darrin punctuates the word with a yawn. “Now we should get to sleep. They’ll be expecting us back tomorrow at some point.”
“Right, right…goodnight, Darrin.”
“Night, Arthur…love you.”
“Love you too, boy.”
A hum followed by steadying breath is the response, telling Arthur his lover is asleep. Despite his own eyes barely staying open, he looks down to where Darrin’s hand has moved back to his stomach. He smiles, tracing his lover’s small fingers with his hand as he listens to sounds of nature outside and the shallow breathing of the man holding him like it’s the only thing he lives to do.
Arthur still doesn’t know what he did to deserve him. But he leaves those questions behind as he drifts to a warm, comfortable sleep wrapped in the man that loves him to no ends.