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The camp seemed to be bustling with life today, chores were completed for the morning and there was nothing that needed to be done. Money was good so there were no plans in action, and it felt good to finally just relax. And relax Dutch did, flicking through pages of the most recent Evelyn Miller book he had robbed, sat on the bench against his tent.
He casts a glance around the camp, everyone was relaxing as they ought to be but he was looking for one person in particular. He casts a glance at where Hosea sits at a table with young Tilly, playing dominoes; one of the only games the man can’t cheat at though if you gave him enough time, Dutch is sure Hosea would find a way to. The boy isn’t with him though so Dutch carries on looking, grinning when he finds Arthur.
The boy is waddling around behind Kieran as the man carries a bale to the horses, Arthur picking up a wad of fallen hay held tightly in his pudgy hand as he determinedly follows before throwing it with entirely too much force at the ground at Silver Dollars feet.
The horse in reaction bends his neck down and knocks his muzzle against the boys cheek gently causing Arthur to scream laugh.
Dutch laughs with him before returning to his book with a shake of his head.
He isn’t sure how much time has passed, too absorbed in his book as he was, but the next thing he knows that his vision is now obscured with a face full of weeds and his son’s grinning face.
"O-oh, hello Arthur" Dutch says pulling his face out of the weeds that were suddenly placed in the way of the pages. He looks the boy over, notices his knees and shirt is covered in muck and smiles, closing his book and placing it to the side before he bends down to catch his son around the waist and lifts him into his lap.
“What have you been up to my Little Prince?” And Arthur beams up at him before delving into senseless babble that Dutch treats with the utmost respect, responding with various “Mm”s and “Is that so”s and even a shocked “wow!”.
Eventually the boy grows tired of mindless ‘talking’ and seems to remember the weeds he’s got in his hand and he thrusts them back up into his dad’s face to get him to take them.
“For me?!” Dutch exaggeratedly asks, gently taking the handful from him and taking a smell. The smell of dirt is pungent and he doesn't want to know where the boy obtained these ‘flowers’ from, but he’d be damned if he was going to let that show to the boy.
“Thank you Arthur, they’re very nice.” They’re not but the sentiment is the same.
He has a thought and smirks to himself, “Say, have you shown your flowers to your mama yet?”
Upon hearing Hosea’s new name, Arthur’s face alights with a smile and an idea, his eyes go wide as he gasps wiggling in Dutch’s lap as he tries to get down.
“Hold on now sprout, gotta wait for me to help you.” Dutch laughs, gently placing the boy on the floor.
Arthur grabs the clump of weeds again, leaving Dutch with a single one, before he turns around to make a ‘run’ for Hosea.
“Careful Arthur-” Dutch calls but it’s too late and Arthur falls only to get straight back up and turn to Dutch with a gapped tooth grin, carrying on his way.
Dutch shakes his head again, settling back down, but not with his book, this time he just watches as the boy goes about his mission of interrupting Hosea’s domino game.
When Arthur reaches the table, he pulls on his mama’s shirt to get his attention, smiling as Hosea looks over his shoulder at him and raises his hands, one still tightly gripping his cargo, to be picked up.
“Hello Arthur, where have you been? You’re filthy!” Hosea says dramatically trying his hardest to not make a face at the state of him, but picks the boy up nonetheless as Arthur squeals.
The boy squeaks as Hosea places him in his lap, back to chest, and waves excitedly at Tilly when he notices that she’s sat opposite to them.
“Hiya Arthur.” The girl greets with a smile.
Arthur babbles at her for a moment before turning to try give Hosea his gift, chunks of dirt fall from the roots dirtying the pair.
“Thank you, Arthur. Very generous of you sweet boy” Hosea says, taking the butchered mess from the boy with a grimace. He discreetly drops them under the bench when Arthur gets distracted by the domino tiles, wiping his hand off on his pant leg.
Just in time as well because Arthur has just taken his chance to stick a tile in his mouth while Hosea was distracted.
He fishes it out of the boys mouth and throws it on the table, fingers slick with saliva, before fighting the boy’s arms back as he determinedly goes to grab for more.
The game has all but been halted with Arthur’s continuous interference but neither Hosea or Tilly care all too much. It gave them time to catch up on things without the intention behind each sentence to be to distract the other.
Once again, Hosea has to pause mid-sentence to wrestle another tile from the boys mouth before he decides to shove them all to the far corner of the table out of the boy’s reach.
He could have called Dutch over to take the boy, but he doesn’t truly care, enjoying just being able to hold his son.
Arthur sits content against Hosea’s chest for the most part, playing with the man’s fingers that hold him around his waist, occasionally giggling when Hosea wiggles his fingers on his belly. But it’s not long before he starts to rub his eyes and yawn, curling more into Hosea’s chest.
Hosea sighs when he feels the boy begin running his face into his waistcoat, eyes drooping before he jerks back away obviously trying to fight the inevitable.
Hosea checks the time.
"Apologies, dear Tilly, but I fear someone is long overdue his nap" Hosea stands, shifting the boy so his head rests on his shoulder.
"Of course, Hosea." The girl nods, kissing her hand before laying it on Arthur's head.
"Night Arthur" She whispers before walking off.
By the time they reach the tent, Arthur is already asleep nuzzled against Hosea, muddy hands fisted in his vest.
Hosea looks around, stopping to look at the cot that resides beside their bed and decides against it. Instead he carefully wipes him down to remove most of the mud and moves onto the bed, gently lying back against the pillows with Arthur remaining on his chest and a book held just shy of the boy’s back.
Hosea had gotten about an hour into his book when the tent flaps open and Dutch walks in, his own book held in hand.
He looks at Dutch before making a ‘be quiet’ sign with his hand.
Dutch raises his hands mouthing “okay”, pretending to tiptoe over to the side of the bed with a smile. Hosea quietly laughs, reaching a hand out to the man, Dutch takes it and lays a gentle kiss to the back of it., moving to kneel besides the bed.
“Getting those ‘flowers’ seems to have tired the poor buggar out.”
Hosea smiles down the top of the boys head, “It’s understandable, it must take a lot of energy to carry around such a big heart in such a little chest.”
Dutch softly laughs, bringing his hand up to run calloused fingers through his son’s hair. “God knows where he got it from.”
Hosea turns his head to the man, sees him staring with what can only be described as ‘heart eyes’ at the boy and grins, “Oh I don’t know Dutch, you’ve got an all loving heart, just don’t’ know where to aim it most of the time.”
Dutch blushes but grins back “How do we know he didn’t get it from you ‘mama’. You were always the soft one with the bleeding heart, despite living in sin.”
Hosea’s face softens as he looks at Dutch, reaching out to stroke the back of his knucks against Dutch’s jaw, feels the slight stubble coming in.
“Join us?” Hosea asks, he knows it’s a long shot as it’s still day out and the man probably wants to make the most of it.
But he’s surprised when instead Dutch just stands and carefully makes his way onto the bed, trying his hardest to lay down next to Hosea without jostling Arthur.
He succeeds, after having paused over Hosea at the boy’s snuffling before settling back down and lies on his back.
Dutch strokes the side of Hosea’s head briefly, motioning for him to lift his head and when he does, Dutch lays his arm underneath it, the other coming up to rest against the rhythmic rise and fall of his son’s back.
Hosea sighs, content and looks over at Dutch to see the man already peering at him and whispers “Thank you” into the air between them and Dutch smiles.