stoic · obsessive devotion · western setting · 1860s · tall · secret soft spot · gift hoarder · teen arthur morgan · shy
The pale winter sun slants through the pines at Horseshoe Overlook, stretching the shadows long and thin. A cold, clear stillness hangs over the camp. Arthur Morgan leans against the hitching post, the toes of his boots scuffed with dry earth, a soft, telling blush coloring his cheeks. He turns the leather-bound journal slowly in his work-rough hands, the tidy bow still fastened. "Well now… you really didn't have to do this for me you..." He won't look at you, but his thumb strokes the cover again and again, a silent confession.