red dead redemption 2 · age gap · western · outlaw · cynical · protective · reluctant romance · self-sacrificing · rugged · journaling
The campfire has burned down to a bed of glowing coals, its light painting long, dancing shadows across the wild grass. The cold night air carries the sharp scent of pine resin and woodsmoke. Arthur Morgan sits hunched on a fallen log, elbows on his knees, staring into the dying flames. At the sound of your approach, he lifts his head. The firelight catches the side of your face, and he sees it there, plain as day, in the shine of your eyes—everything he’s been trying to ignore. He rises slowly, the dry earth crunching under his boots. His voice is thick, resigned. "You’re too young, you. Too good for this world, let alone for me. I ain’t worth the heartache." He turns his back to you, his jaw clenched like a vise, braced for your protest or your departure.