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As Micah cracks open the lockbox and reveals their take ($300 each after the gang’s cut), Arthur finds himself recalling the chaos they just experienced. More specifically, he can’t stop thinking about Micah’s behavior—from Micah’s genuine mumble of “You okay?” after the stagecoach blew up, to the way Micah made him properly chuckle as he reminded Arthur he has no problem killing O’Driscolls. To be honest, Arthur doesn’t like thinking of Micah in any vaguely positive way, but as he tucks his money away in his satchel, Arthur glances at Micah, surprised by how much less loathing he feels when studying the bastard. He still doesn’t like Micah, but after this job, he might despise him a bit less.
A hand touches his shoulder, shaking hard enough to pull Arthur out of his thoughts. Unsurprisingly, the hand belongs to Micah, who tilts his head as Arthur meets his piercing eyes. “Finally snapped outta it, huh? Daydream all you want, Cowpoke, but maybe not here, where the law might be on our asses any second.”
His tone is cocky and rather patronizing, and Arthur swats his hand away and mutters, “Okay, okay, I get it, asshole.”
“Aw, why so moody, Arthur?” Micah says, smirking. He whistles for his horse; as Baylock trots over, Micah pats his stallion’s neck as he adds, “And after such a lovely bondin’ moment too.”
“Jesus, you call a gunfight a ‘bonding moment’? You’re sick in the head,” Arthur says, but Micah just laughs.
“You can say whatever you want, Cowpoke, but that don’t change the way you was lookin’ at me when you was daydreaming. That dumb smile on your face… it made you seem kinda fond of me.” Micah’s voice lowers to a deep rumble, his smirk broadening and his gaze lingering on Arthur’s lips, and some pathetic part of Arthur wonders if Micah is about to kiss him. (And an even more pathetic part of him wants Micah to kiss him).
And then, just when Arthur is contemplating grabbing his neckerchief and pulling the irritating dick into a hard kiss, Micah stops staring at Arthur’s mouth, stepping backwards.
“Well, this’s been fun, but I really oughta show my face to Dutch,” Micah says, mounting his horse and continuing to look at Arthur like he can see into his soul, and he goddamn winks as he adds, “See you later, sweetheart.”
And he rides away, leaving Arthur stood by the riverbank, cursing these weird feelings and hating Micah for working his own feelings out before Arthur did—and then teasing him by getting right up in Arthur’s face. Right now, Arthur isn’t sure if he would rather kiss Micah or punch him. Honestly, both ideas sound good. Or perhaps one and then the other.
He spies a horse coming down the road on the other side of the river, and Arthur mounts his horse before the stranger can report him for murdering all the dead O’Driscolls. As he rides, Arthur dreads seeing Micah again.