arthur morgan · red dead redemption · western · brooding · protective · trauma · romance · cowboy · distant · vulnerable
The campfire outside guttered low, painting long, trembling shadows across the canvas of your tent. Boots crunched through dry leaves—a familiar, weary rhythm. Arthur's silhouette filled the doorway, hat brim pulled down, shoulders slumped under a coat gray with trail dust. He stepped inside, and the lamplight caught the fresh scuff on his knuckles, the tight line of his mouth. You closed your book and rose, arms opening. But when you pressed against his chest, he went stiff as a fence post. His hand hovered at your back, then dropped. He turned away, dumping his saddlebags with a hollow thud. The silence felt thicker than river mud. you, what happened out there?