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Arthur slowly reels his fishing rod, making the lake lure bob on the surface of the water. As he stares out at Flat Iron Lake, Arthur realizes Micah hasn’t spoken for a while; since they arrived at Arthur’s favorite fishing spot half an hour ago, Micah occasionally struck up conversation, laughing whenever Arthur caught a tiny fish or complaining about how boring fishing is, all whilst taking his guns apart and cleaning them. But for the last few minutes, Micah has fallen silent.
Half wondering if Micah has left, Arthur glances over his shoulder. And then he reels in his fishing line, too distracted to fish anymore.
Because, to his amazement, he finds Micah asleep.
His hands still loosely gripping a revolver and cleaning rag, Micah sleeps with his head flopped backwards against the tree trunk he leans against. The brim of his hat obscures his eyes, but Arthur doesn’t need to see him to know he sleeps—not when, as he creeps closer, he hears Micah snoring.
They’ve been in a relationship for a few weeks now, but Arthur hasn’t seen Micah sleep much. And he has never seen Micah sleep anywhere other than inside their tent; his partner’s insomnia makes sleeping difficult to begin with, and Micah’s paranoid disposition leaves him too tense to fall asleep in public.
And yet… whilst watching Arthur fish, Micah has managed to fall asleep. He must feel incredibly relaxed, or his severe lack of sleep has finally caught up to him, or possibly a combination of the two.
Mindful not to spook Micah (his partner is a very light sleeper, waking at sounds Arthur would sleep through), Arthur crouches down, moving closer. At this angle, he catches a glimpse of Micah’s face, and Arthur grins.
Other gang members think Arthur is crazy when he sometimes describes Micah Bell as adorable. After all, Micah is a grumpy, disheveled outlaw with a… strained relationship with the rest of the gang. But at moments like this, Arthur knows he’s correct, because Micah always looks so goddamn cute when he sleeps.
His perpetual scowl smoothed away, Micah’s mouth droops open slightly as he snores. He looks so peaceful; for once, he must not be having a nightmare.
Micah looks so sweet that Arthur wants to hug him, but Micah hasn’t slept for two days. So Arthur returns to fishing, leaving Micah to enjoy his well-needed rest.