Chapter Text
Arthur never liked these big fancy events. Dressing up in tight, expensive clothes with collars that restrict your breathing. He never did too well in the “keep these clothes clean because they cost a lot” department. Arthur was always on the move, on the run, doing dirty work for his folks. Arthur isn’t even sure why he agreed to come to this big, fancy event. He hates the city and all the people who live there, but considering [name] asked him, how could he say no?
[Name] doesn’t exactly hate the city, but they never liked it, either. They find it fascinating more than anything else, especially the events that go down in high places. Compared to a campfire sing along and dance, going to a Gala is completely different. Different people, different music, and not as interactive. Arthur grumbles as he attempts to fix his crooked long tie that disappears halfway into the suit vest he was convinced to buy. His calloused fingers loosen the tie to retighten it in a slightly different position a few times. As Arthur looks into the shaving mirror at his tent, he can see Hosea approaching him with a soft smile. “I never thought I’d see this day come, Arthur!” He exclaims, clasping his hands together. “I never expected you to go to a big fancy party outside of work.”
Arthur scoffs as he increasingly becomes frustrated, somehow overdoing the adjusting of his tie multiple times. “Well, [name] was itchin’ to go and didn’t want to go alone,” Arthur muttered, his fingers hard at work. “They asked me, I didn’t want to say no.”
Hosea laughs and puts a hand on Arthur’s back which prompts him to turn to the laughing man. Hosea swats his hands from Arthur’s tie and begins to fix it himself, loosening the overly tight tie. “You didn’t want to say no simply because it’s [name], Arthur.” Hosea says with a playful glint in his eyes. He smiles so wide, you can see the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes clearly. Arthur felt his face burn a bit; what was that supposed to mean?? Arthur opens his mouth to respond, but Hosea hushes him as he finishes fixing his tie. “Ta-da! You’re ready, now. There’s a carriage waiting down the road from camp to take you two, I think [name] is already waiting.” Hosea says as he steps back.
“Have they been waitin’ on me?” Arthur questions, grabbing his weapons belt. No weapons are allowed, but he won’t sit still unless they’re somewhere nearby. “Only for a few minutes, not too long.” Hosea responds as he takes out his pocket watch to check the time. “Now, shoo! Go have fun or at least try to enjoy your time with [name], if you go now, you’ll arrive on time.” Hosea urges, beginning to push Arthur. Arthur can’t help but chuckle and shake his head. “Alright, alright, I got it..” He murmurs.
Arthur walks down the trail out of camp, muttering his goodbyes to Karen and John who are guarding. Arthur walks down the road once he reaches it and sees a carriage in the distance with someone leaning against the compartment of the carriage. The person sees Arthur approach so they stand up properly and wave, and Arthur realizes it’s [name].
“Hey!” They call out, waving to Arthur with a smile on their face. “C’mon, we’re goin’ to be late, slowpoke!”
Arthur sighs and shakes his head, although he’s not annoyed. The opposite, in fact. [Name]’s enthusiasm for everything that they do is charming, to say the least. Arthur approaches them and gets a good look at their outfit; and [name] cleaned up incredibly well. Their clothes are ironed, and vibrantly colored, their hair taken care of and their whole demeanor just screams “I’m ready”. Arthur blinks as his face begins to feel a bit hot, a finger pulling at his collar a tad bit. They smile widely and walk over to the carriage, opening the door. “After you, sir .” [Name] purrs with a bow, which makes Arthur huff a bit. He grumbles but he gets inside and sits down, nonetheless. [Name] follows his lead and sits in the other seat.
“I know you don’t really like these fancy events, but thank you for coming with me.” [Name] murmurs, looking at Arthur and scanning each feature on his face. “Yeah, don’t really like ‘em, but…” Arthur sighs and folds his hands together. “You asked, oh so nicely .” He finishes sarcastically. [Name] laughs loudly which causes Arthur’s stomach to tighten up weirdly.
God, Arthur doesn’t want to admit it, but he is in love with [name]. He fell incredibly hard and fast, everything they did was just taking pieces of Arthur’s heart. With every word, every moment, he was mesmerized. But he hasn’t acted on it; their way of life, the gang? Arthur already lost three different people to this lifestyle, and he doesn’t think it’s worth it to lose them, as well. [Name] brightens up camp, and they take lead, even when it isn’t recommended.
Arthur is especially prone to his feelings when they act soft and down to earth. They’re usually bouncing around camp, but with Arthur? Of course, [name] is still bubbly and bright, but they seem so much more.. genuine.
Arthur selfishly hopes it’s only a privilege he’s allowed to see.
“What exactly is.. A gala? Is it just a fancy meet and greet with rich people?” Arthur questions, ignoring the way his face is increasing in color. “It’s like.. a fancy social event with entertainment, really.” [name] answers. Their hands fold together on their lap, leaning slightly forward towards Arthur. He can’t help but notice the way their lips curl into their very own unique smile, the way their cheeks have smile lines.
“Entertainment? Like a show from a theatre?” Arthur asks again. “But only for rich people?” [name] can’t help the giggle that escapes them again, their shoulders bouncing. “You could say that..” They murmur, making eye contact. “If you get bored, you could just.. Make connections. Think of it as you trying to be Hosea, or Josiah, hm?” They nudge Arthur’s arm before leaning back against the seat. Arthur lets out a breathy chuckle from that, averting his eyes to the floor of the carriage.
The carriage comes to a slow, and then to a stop. The muffled neighs of the two horses can be heard as [name] yawns and stretches as best as they can in the compartment. The door opens, the driver looking pristine and perfect as he motions. “You have arrived.” He says in a very posh accent; or at least, what Arthur thinks what posh accents sound like. “Thank you.” [Name] says softly, stepping out of the carriage. Arthur nods in appreciation and also makes his way out of the carriage, smoothing his dress pants out. The driver shuts the carriage door and hops back onto the seat and sits there.
“Come on, it’s this way.” [Name] taps Arthur on the shoulder and grabs onto his sleeve to tug it in the direction they’re going in. “I’m comin’, I’m comin’..” He grumbles, but he makes no move to remove their grip on his sleeve.
Of course they are in Saint Denis, where else? [Name] pulls Arthur down the sidewalk to a bright lit house with a steel fence surrounding the perimeter with the spikes to prevent trespassers. A couple of police officers are patrolling about, being weary of the party and what possible violence could ensue. “It’s in the backyard, but we have to go through a checkpoint at the main entrance of the house.” [Name] explains, letting go of his sleeve once they’re through the steel fence. They smooth out their own clothing, which Arthur watches. He notices the way they seem slightly nervous; what could it be? The party, the entertainment? Is it the amount of people that will be there? He’s itching to know, but he doesn’t want to overstep. [Name] looks back at him, their eyebrows raising as they make eye contact. “Waitin’ on you, [name].”
“Ah, right!” They say, quickly leading Arthur up the stairs to the muscular men guarding the door. [Name] pulls out two tickets from their pocket, showing it to the men. “We have tickets to see the show in the backyard.” They smile, handing one of the men the tickets. “There aren’t any weapons allowed in this here venue, so we will hafta search you both.” One of the men said, stepping forward. “Do what you need, I guess.” Arthur grumbles. [Name] gently taps the back of their hand on his upper arm, giving him a playful warning glare. Arthur shrugs and holds his arms out as one of the men begins to pat him down and check his pockets. The other man proceeds to do the same to [name], who seems eager to get to the backyard. “Alright, you’re clear, sir. Don’t cause no trouble, ya hear??”
Arthur huffs and drawls out, “Sure, sure..”
[Name] swiftly grabs his hand this time and begins to tug him around the house, leading him to the backyard. Arthur glances at where their hands are connected, allowing himself to be pulled along. “Come on, we have to get a good view!” They exclaim excitedly, making their way down the steps, through a little garden area and then they are both met with a fantastic view.
Lanterns are strung up on these poles that line the backyard, lighting up the area. There are people in fancy petticoats and designer jackets everywhere, there’s even carpet on the grass so they wouldn’t dirty their shoes.
[Name] squeezes his hand, looking around for a table. “There has to be a free one somewhere.. Aha! There!” With no warning, they immediately tug and drag him once again. “Woah, slow down there, you’re goin’ to trip me,” Arthur says hastily, but he does not take his hand away like always. “Oh, you’ll be fine!” They call over their shoulder. [Name] only lets go once they get to the table; it’s a fancy round table with a very clean white cloth covering the top. Two fancy chairs sit at the table as well, with a card sitting in the middle labeled [Last Name]. “Wait.. did you buy those tickets and reserve a table?” Arthur says, furrowing his eyebrows. [Name] glances over at him, smiling softly. “Perhaps,” They answer. “I wanted to go with you, and I knew you wouldn’t refuse.”
Knew you wouldn’t refuse?
“What is that supposed t’mean?” Arthur says, taking a seat across from [name] who also takes a seat. They put their elbows on the table and lean on their hands, looking at Arthur with a glint in their eyes. “You have a soft spot for me, Mister Morgan.” They say softly, tilting their head. Arthur’s face gets pinky dizzily fast, his shoulders tensing and his heart picking up the pace. “W..what?” Arthur stutters. He knows he has a soft spot for them, one that he never clearly acknowledged in his mind. This soft spot has always been there, and it only intensified when romantic feelings developed.
Arthur hates being in love with [name]. They are so kind and so understanding, yet so authoritative. The way their hair sits, the way they smile, the way they care for others. When John had been attacked by wolves and gained those nasty scars, Arthur was selfishly jealous by the way she was by John’s side, assisting Abigail in healing him back to health. He was so jealous whenever [name] would care for anyone but him, but Arthur knows to not intervene. That’s selfish, and he can’t be selfish.
That’s why he can’t reveal that he’s sweet on [name]. He wants them to be his oh so badly, but when you live this life, you can’t have anything nice.
“..thur? Arthur, heellooo?” [Name] says, waving a hand in front of Arthur’s face. He blinks rapidly and waves them off. “Sorry, I was miles away.. What were you sayin’?” He murmurs, a sliver of nervousness dripping in his tone. “I said.. ” They begin, smiling wider. “I know you have a sweet spot for me. You seem embarrassed by me noticing, but don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.. Because everyone already knows.” They laugh, watching Arthur’s expression switch to flustered horror. “It’s pretty obvious.. I also have a question, Arthur Morgan.” They say softly, looking down at the table to avoid eye contact. Their finger traces the fancy fork that sits on top of a napkin beside the fancy white plate. “What is it?” Arthur asks quietly, his heart hammering in his chest. “Did you agree to come with me because.. You felt like you couldn’t say no to me?” [name] looks back at him hesitantly. Arthur furrows his eyebrows and immediately shakes his head. “What? No, no, darlin’, I agreed because I wanted to.” Arthur regrets ever speaking. DARLIN’?? Are you kidding me?? [Name] laughs breathily, and lets out a sigh of relief. “Oh, good! I was worried for a moment there…” They say quietly. [Name] puts their hand on the table and turns their body towards the makeshift stage set up a few feet away. “I hope you enjoy your time with me here, Arthur,” [name] says, their tone all smooth. “I..” Arthur trails off, glancing at their hand.
He takes a breath of courage and puts his hand on theirs, looking at the stage as he can already guess [name] looked back at him. If he made eye contact, he would absolutely die. “I’m sure I will.”
Even if Arthur refuses to reveal his love for them, to keep them safe as he’s pretty sure he has a curse attached to him or something, he will allow himself this. Alone time at a fancy event with their hands touching. Arthur heart tightens, savoring the moment.