#charles smith x gn/reader

[amorgansgal]

Hi hun! I love how you wrote on Arthur confessing to his crush, I was wondering if you could do the same with Charles?

Hello! Thank you so much! I got a couple of requests for crush reveals, this one with Charles, and also Javier and Kieran. So as requested:

Just a Little Crush Part 2!

Charles

Does Charles have a crush on you? Does he not? The man can be so calm and steady with his emotions, you wouldn’t have a clue that his heart flutters when he looks at you and that he’s trying not to smile too much when he looks at you.

Charles doesn’t see any reason to change the way he behaves around you, but when you ask for his advice and listen carefully to his response, he’s almost tempted to cup your face and kiss you!

He spends a lot of time alone, trying to truly work out whether it’s just a passing fancy or if it’s something more serious. He doesn’t let that effect his work around camp, but his hunting trips tend to take a little longer now.

He doesn’t really get jealous either. You’re not his to keep. Trapping a bird’s wings between his hands will only make them try to fly away faster. So if anyone else flirts with you then he won’t say anything, just go a little quiet and withdraw himself from the situation.

However, he begins to feel that he does need to tell you how he feels. Regret is a bitter emotion he’s all too familiar with and he doesn’t want to spend his life wondering.

He’ll avoid telling you in camp, either inviting you out hunting with him or finding a way to accompany you home after a job. But he’ll want your focus on him and to tell him truthfully how you feel, he doesn’t want you to sugar coat things if you don’t feel the same way.

It’s a very serious and earnest revelation and Charles may even offer you some time to think about it. He’s not really interested in have a fling and he wants you to consider what he’s offering carefully.

‘I don’t know how you feel about me. But I know how I feel about you. I admire you in so many ways. I want to be with you, for as long as you’ll have me.’

Kieran

He’s so nervous and sweet and earnest, you’d have to be blind to not figure out that he has feelings for you.

But don’t worry if you’re a bit oblivious to his attention, his nervous laugh and smile full of admiration for you as you leave, the girls will make sure that it’s more than obvious how Kieran feels about you!

Kieran will go above and beyond for you, no task big or small is too much for him! Especially if your horse has a stone in their hoof or your saddle needs polishing. That thing will shine like the sun by the time Kieran has finished it!

If you’re working in camp, Kieran will find any excuse to sit with you and chat, he’ll ask you dozens of questions about your day, whether you’ve had a chance to eat something, if you need him to do anything for you and then he’ll get a bit bashful and apologise for bothering you so much.

Kieran doesn’t mind enjoying the feelings of a crush, even if it’s unrequited. He likes being soft and sweet with you.

Though eventually, with the girls pestering both him and yourself, he may be pushed to say something. He’ll be tentative and unsure, not really wanting you to feel like you have to like him just because the girls are getting giddy and excited by the blossoming romance in camp!

He might struggle to look you in the eye and will nervously pick at his clothes, but he’ll bravely admit to having fallen for you.

‘I know we haven’t known each other for long and if you don’t feel the same way then that’s fine. But I am sweet on you and I hope you are sweet on me too… but you don’t have to be.’

Javier

You’d think for Mr Swarve and Cool, he’d know exactly what to do with a crush. Though surprisingly when face to face with it, he’s at a lost.

He knows how to be charming, hell he’s still confident and flirtatious towards you, but actually admitting that his feelings might run deeper than that seems an impossible task!

He thinks about writing you a song. He’s already played dozens of love songs and sometimes made eye contact with you while singing, seeing you look flustered and pleased makes his heart beat a mile a minute!

But after a few attempts to scribble a song down while he’s on guard duty, he gives up. He wishes he had all those poets and songwriters around to ask them how they managed to capture the feeling of being in love with someone so succinctly and beautifully, when his own attempts feel futile and insipid.

Nothing changes much in how Javier treats you, but you do notice him being a little more gentlemanly than usual. He helps you down from your horse, opens doors for you, gives you his coat when it’s cold or rainy (which given the man’s impeccable dress sense is a big fucking deal)!

It will take a lot for Javier to consider telling you, because he wants to be sure you feel the same way as him and not make things difficult around camp.

You might have to be involved in a shoot out or escaping on horses after a bank robbery. With his blood up and his fear that something could happen to you if he dares look away, he knows that he can’t hide his true feelings anymore.

‘I think… I think I’m in love with you. After all of that, I want to speak truthfully to you, Mi vida. I will be yours, wholly and completely.’

#javier escuella #charles smith #kieran duffy #javier escuella x reader #javier escuella x gn/reader #javier escuella x gender neutral reader #charles smith x reader #charles smith x gn/reader #charles smith x gn!reader #charles smith x gender neutral reader #kieran duffy x reader #kieran duffy x gn!reader #kieran duffy x gn/reader #kieran duffy x gender neutral reader #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #rdr #red dead redemption

[vanderlesbian]

rdr2 men as girl dads

arthur, charles, john, dutch, + hosea

technically gn reader, but some things may be interpreted as being more fem? you are the other parent of the child

arthur morgan

+ he would definitely go to the women in the gang (and you of course, but he'll be more shy about it) to ask them questions. "is this what you ladies like?" before he gives his daughter a gift.

+ he'll document basically her entire life in his journal; write entries about her biggest moments and their times together, and he'll draw her all the time. there will be pages that are just covered in drawings of you and your daughter.

+ the other gang members would tease arthur for being "so soft" around his daughter and he probably gets real flustered about it, but you think it's adorable how gentle he is with her.

+ she will make flower crowns or put flowers in arthur's hair and a lot of the time he'll forget about it, so he'll walk around camp or even go out riding with a braid and flowers in his hair.

+ of course, your daughter would have some kind of knowledge as to what the gang does, but arthur will still try to hide violence from her. he'll make up silly excuses as to how he gets cuts or bruises, and he tends to hide his guns when around her. hell, he won't even really smoke when in her presence.

+ arthur is very accepting, and that especially applies to your daughter. if she wants to travel the world, he'd support it. if she said she wanted to be a dinosaur, he'd try his best to help her achieve that. the only thing he would say no to is being a gunslinger.

+ arthur's daughter would be a girl constantly surrounded by love. i can imagine her being artistic and creative like her dad, with the ability to get along well with anyone she meets. she would also be very expressive and bold, feeling that she can be whatever she wants.

charles smith

+ crafts dolls and other toys for her!!

+ he'll take your daughter out on nature rides or walks and will teach her all about animals and their importance. especially when she's a baby; he just finds it comforting to have a little friend he can talk to, even if she doesn't respond.

+ charles would be SO protective of his daughter. he would definitely teach her important rules of survival and how to handle weapons because he believes she can take care of herself, but he also can't help but step in immediately when the smallest altercations happen.

+ he also knows how cruel the world can be, and he doesn't want his daughter experiencing any of that. he likes to keep everything pg around her; if micah or someone is being inappropriate around her, charles will get upset quickly.

+ you can learn a lot from children, and charles is well aware of that. he's such an attentive listener when your daughter speaks to him, and will act like everything she says is revolutionary. he'll bring up a fact you've never heard of in a conversation with you, and when you ask him where he learned that from, he'll nudge his head towards your daughter.

+ i think charles' daughter would be a mini version of him, minus his use of violence lol. she would be quiet and only open up to those shes comfortable with, and would be very passionate about those she loves and the things she cares about.

john marston

+ you will always be able to tell when john dressed her because what in the hell is she wearing?

+ the goofiest dad but he's trying his best he swears!!

+ he's not the most vocally affectionate dad out there, but he'll randomly show up with gifts because he'll remember his daughter mentioning that she liked a specific item.

+ he'll also show affection by teaching her things. he doesn't really know what young girls would find interesting, so he just kind of assumes she would enjoy horseback riding or something of the sort. will definitely feel awkward if she expresses that she's bored.

+ john is trying, but he doubts himself and will always come to you for reassurance. he feels a lot better after speaking with you about things. "i'm just...bad at this stuff. you think she even likes me?" "john, she loves you more than anything, and i do too."

+ he's so bad at playing pretend, but he tries his hardest and you think it's so funny. if arthur catches him playing dolls with your daughter, he'll definitely tease him about it later. "dad, use your girl voice!"

+ a daughter raised by john marston would probably be rather shy, but also very kind, patient, and understanding. she might also take on some of her dad's sarcasm.

dutch van der linde

+ he would spoil his baby girl ROTTEN. he just can't seem to ever say no to her and will end up going into town himself to get a new stuffed animal for the kid the moment she asks for one.

+ dutch would definitely boast about how smart his daughter is. he would teach her to read and write as soon as possible and would feel so proud when she tells him about the things she read or wrote about. "she gets it from me, of course."

+ he would quite literally kill for his daughter. he's definitely the scary dad, but like in a way that she will casually bring up "oh yeah my dad has killed people" on first dates.

+ dutch's daughter would definitely be one to have a rebellious phase. i think he would tend to insist that she stays at camp because it's safest, but he would raise a girl that's curious about what the country is like outside of her tent. there would be many instances where dutch will send someone out—or himself to go find her after she steals a horse and runs off somewhere.

+ i feel like he would want to name his daughter something like...antique, or based off of some character from literature. things like ophelia, elizabeth, athena, victoria...

+ i actually think that dutch would raise a rather fiesty daughter. educated and bold, i think a daughter raised by the leader of the van der linde gang would grow to be a leader herself.

hosea matthews

+ i think hosea was born to be a girl dad.

+ he would so have a nickname for her that would stick with her for the rest of her life. something cute like dew drop or honey bee; and sometimes even the other gang members would call her by that nickname.

+ with the way hosea sits and listens to the women in the camp, he would do the same with your daughter. although he can be a stern parent when needed, he'll always listen to her before doing anything else.

+ he'd love to teasingly embarrass her in front of the others. "remember when you were wearing diapers until you were four years old?" "dad!"

+ HE KNOWS HOW TO DRESS A BABY!! and he would be so proud of himself. he'd probably be more excited over baby clothes than you.

+ oh he would treat her like a princess. i imagine him reading her fairytales as a child and will play along with her when she pretends to be a princess. if he could, he would build her a castle.

+ i believe that hosea would raise a humorous, kind hearted girl, who can also be rather mischievous. i can imagine his daughter being very outgoing and friendly, but very serious when needed.

#red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption #rdr2 #rdr1 #arthur morgan #charles smith #dutch van der linde #john marston #hosea matthews #x reader #headcanons #fluff #gn reader

[arthurthethird]

First request for @arthurmorgansleftear

I hope this will be good enough since it's pretty much first request I do on here. Please enjoy.

Camp boahs comforting reader after Micah comments on their weight

Gn!reader

The day started calmly. Birds singing, fish swimming, rats wondering around the kitchen.

Speaking of kitchen, you decided it's a good time to get some food. You haven't eaten in a while and a good outlaw has to eat plenty, so you decided it's your time.

Speaking of rats, it so happened that one of the camp rats was sitting there. Not really doing anything else than sipping whiskey, a sight no one can be surprised about.

You calmly ignored him. You learnt that that's the best way for you to go on with your day without having to break his nose.

Yet he always asks for it.

Even now.

As soon as he saw you approaching, Micah immediately grinned.

"Didn't expect you here"

You stay quiet, only giving him a confused glance.

Now, depending on your silhouette, he'll find a way to get under your skin.

Either "Didn't you come here today already?" "And I've been wondering where all the food goes..." "Look at that, you'll soon have to buy yourself new clothes if you keep eating so much!"

Or "first time in a month, ey?" "You finally decided to eat! Everyone thought you're sick" "If you like starving so much, why are we wasting our food on you?"

He has his ways.

And we all know he doesn't have the perfect body either, so you try to ignore him.

Try to.

Of course, it doesn't end well, since you end up trying to hide your feelings.

It hurt. Of course it did, why wouldn't it?

You quickly walk away, not even bothering to actually eat something. You only hear his sickening laugh as you walk away.

He knows he has won.

~

Arthur's first reaction as soon as he heard that familiar laugh was to check what's going on.

Obviously if Micah's happy, someone's not.

You bumped into him just as he walked towards the place.

His hands landed on your shoulders as he looked down to you.

Now, Arthur might be an idiot, but he can easily read someone's emotions from their face.

You were hurt. Micah was happy.

That bastard.

He looked at you with a concerned look.

"what happened?"

You just mutter that it's nothing. That it's just Micah trying to get under your skin. And that's what takes him over the edge.

Arthur walks up to the blonde rat and punches him right in the face.

While Micah's busy cursing him out, he takes you by the arm, gently, but firmly, and walks to your tent.

You want to ask what is he doing, but before you can, he hugs you.

Telling you that you shouldn't listen to stupid Micah. You're beautiful and everyone in the camp knew that.

Then he brings you a bowl of Pearson's stew.

You try to decline but he basically shoves it down your throat.

"Don't listen to that son of a bitch. You have to eat no matter what."

~

Charles isn't even bothered at first.

He learned to stay away out of camp conflict, so he couldn't be bothered.

But when he sees that it's you who's stomping away from Micah, he quickly jumps into action.

He walks to you, asking what happened.

Even if you don't want to tell, he makes you.

As soon as he hears what happened, he goes for the rat.

You know that moment where Charles throws Micah because he said something assholish?

Yea, that. He does that.

After that he walks to you and sits you down for a proper talk.

And that means him telling you why the food's important and why you're beautiful no matter how much you eat.

Then he gets some food and goes to his own tent, pulling you along of course.

Proceeds to feed you.

"You need energy. Besides, I didn't caught that deer for you to not try it."

~

John immediately tries to locate where what is happening.

As soon as he sees you with Micah, he gets up and makes his way over there.

He heard everything while coming over.

Wraps an arm around you, covering your ears and proceeds to curs the snake out.

You stand there, not knowing if you're supposed to cry or laughed.

You just watch Micah's expression go from annoyed to confused.

You didn't even noticed that John leaded you away.

He went outside the camp with you and looked at you.

Proceeds to hug the shit out of you.

Telling you that you shouldn't listen because what you eat is your deal.

And it definitely shouldn't impact on your self image.

For one's he said something smart.

"I don't care what other people say about you, you're goddamn beautiful. And everyone in the camp knows that. Shut up, you can't disagree"

~

Hosea usually doesn't care about the camp fights.

Prefers to stay out of it unless it includes him directly.

But he heard you mutter something to yourself.

So he raised his head from the newspaper to see what was going on.

Oh boy.

He doesn't do much.

Just gets up, rolls the newspaper, walks to Micah and smacks his head with it.

He ignores the rat cursing him out. Instead walks to you and leads you back to the fire.

Similar to Charles, explains why eating is important, telling you that you're beautiful and who cares about what Micah says.

He gives you a hug, then encourages you to eat something.

If you don't want to, he'll leave you alone.

But definitely will come to check on you every night.

"You gotta eat. So what if someone cares, are you harming them with your food?"

~

Dutch heard everything.

He was smoking a cigar outside of his tent when he noticed the situation.

Immediately walks there.

"What's going on?"

Micah tries to show the situation to Dutch as lighthearted, but when he noticed the leader isn't buying it, he looked away grumbling.

Dutch proceeds to explain to him that they accept everyone and that he didn't care about Micah's looks when he took him in.

He then takes you to his tent, sitting down with you and asking what was that about.

Talks you through why you think what he said might be true.

Basically a therapist.

He then gives you a hug, telling you to eat something.

"we need you big and strong! Another job's comin'!"

~

Javier was playing his guitar nearby.

As soon as he sees Micah's mouth open, he stops, turning his full attention there.

As soon as he starts talking, Javier took his guitar, walks there and smacks his head.

Micah will definitely have a bruise, but who cares.

Curses him out in Spanish.

Then pulls you with him back to his tent.

He let's you vent about everything.

Then plays you a song while you lean to him, bummed out.

After that, definitely makes you eat something.

"I know it's hard mi amigo, but you have to try!"

~

Sean is confused when he sees you walking away without the food.

He didn't hear anything happening, he only knew that you went to eat.

He gets up, going to you.

"where's your food?"

You look at him and mumble you weren't hungry.

He's confused, but then looks over to where you came from.

Ah. Micah.

He narrows his eyes and walk over there. You try to tell him it's okay, but he doesn't stop.

"oi! Don't bother my friend!"

Basically screams at him to the point his accent is too thick to be even able to understand.

It doesn't do much, but you appreciate it.

He then walks over you and cups your cheeks.

"look, I love you Y/N, but I don't want to have to stuff food down your throat"

Tries to make you laugh.

Eventually ends up eating with you so you'll feel better.

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption #rdr #arthur morgan #dutch van der linde #rdr2 x reader #john marston #reddeadredemption2 #micah bell #sean macguire #javier escuella #charles smith #hosea matthews #gn!reader #m!reader #f!reader #rdr2 x f reader #rdr2 x gn reader #rdr2 x m reader

[kylesgarrick]

now writing for red dead characters!! (favourites are : charles smith, dutch, kieran and bill)

#red dead redemption 2 #male reader/gn reader only #charles smith #javier escuella #john marston #dutch van der linde #x male reader #fanfic #male reader #fanfiction

[morlawny]

hi if ur requests r still open rn uh can u do headcanons of how the gang reacts to finding out the Reader is in a relationship with Arthur and Charles (separately) and what their thoughts are on it? (like if they think it’s cute, r surprised they’re a match, etc.)

also i love ur posts esp Morlawny since I never really thought abt it until now but I think it’s cute :-)

i'd love to answer this <3 not gonna do everyone since that'd take forever but i'll do a few! and thank you!! ;u; morlawny are my blorbos, i adore them.

dutch:

arthur: he's a bit surprised when he finds out you're with arthur, considering he hadn't seen the man with anyone since mary. he's happy for you both though!

charles: also a bit surprised, but not as much as he would be with you and arthur. thinks you two make a good couple!

hosea:

arthur: very very happy for his adopted son and you! he was very worried arthur would end up alone after mary, but you guys proved him wrong.

charles: pretty much like dutch; happy for you guys and think you two make a great couple.

grimshaw:

really could not care less for either, just hopes that you guys can help keep the camp running and not get too distracted by each other.

john:

arthur: "jesus christ, finally", which results in a smack in the head from arthur.

charles: a bit surprised at the match, but he can definitely see it.

sean:

endless teasing for both, and he will not stop, ever. even when arthur and charles both smack him several times and threaten death.

javier:

a bit like sean, but he doesn't mean it. he's happy for you guys regardless!

josiah:

arthur: secretly jealous (my morlawny bias i'm sorry), but tells you both he's happy for you! then goes to sulk for a bit.

charles: genuinely happy for you guys. a bit of light teasing, but he doesn't mean it.

#i may add more but we'll see #rdr2 headcanons #rdr2 gang headcanons #rdr2 #red dead 2 #arthur morgan #charles smith #charles smith x reader #arthur morgan x reader #gn!reader

[bimrsadler]

Please can we have Charles for the emoji ask game and these emojis: 💓 🧸 💋 🧲 💔

Somehow this is my first request for Charles so I hope I wrote for him well enough 😊 mild nsft under the cut!

emoji asks

💓— What could their partner do to make their heart race?

Taking care of him

Charles works hard and doesn’t ever expect anything to be done for him

Nor will he ask for help outright, which makes it far too easy to neglect himself in the process

So if you notice that he needs it? If you tend to a wound, cook a meal, or rub his shoulders after hard work?

He’ll be enamored and determined to not let such a good thing go

🧸— What are they like as a parent?

Patient and caring, Charles makes an excellent father

He’ll take care of his partners every need, being doting and protective

Once the baby is there he does everything he can to be an equal caregiver

He’s also a wonderful teacher

As soon as his child is old enough he’s beyond eager to pass down his knowledge and skills, of which there are many

Stern when needed but never pushing too hard, instead finding ways to encourage and motivate

💋— What are their kisses like?

Slow and deep

Charles is a powerful but gentle man

He’ll grab your face tenderly with his large, rugged hands, pulling you in for languid and unhurried kisses

The nasty and sultry kind that lead to lots and lots of grinding

He wants you to feel that every move he makes is with consideration for you and how much he appreciates your beauty and pleasure

On that note - the kissing will extend to your entire body, making every inch of you feel worshipped

🧲— What’s an easy way to turn them on/get them riled?

Playing hard to get

Charles knows you want him but you love the courtship too much to rush it

Luckily he’s a patient man, you have to be in order to be a good hunter/tracker after all

So he doesn’t mind waiting, the anticipation and buildup is a huge thrill anyway

He’ll spend his days distracted with thoughts of you, and nights touching himself while fantasizing about finally taking you

Though he won’t admit it to many, he’s a romantic at heart

He’ll bring you wildflowers and make you jewelry, telling you how gorgeous you look

He likes feeling like he has to chase you, to earn you

And boy does he

When it’s finally time he makes it laaaast, excruciatingly slow and sweet til you’re begging

“What’s the rush beautiful? I thought you liked this?”

Slow and passionate is his default but if it’s later in the relationship and you play hard to get throughout the day? You’ll be feeling it for days after he gets you alone

#charles smith #rdr2 #charles smith x reader #charles smith x gn reader #charles smith headcanons #prompts #requests #headcanons #nsft

[mx-pastelwriting]

RDR2 HC - How They'd React to you coming to them when its a cold night.

RDR2 x GN! Reader

Summary: How They'd React to you coming to them when its a cold night.

Warnings: Fluff, Cuddles, Established Relationship

Characters: Dutch van der Linde, Arthur Morgan, Javier Escuella, Charles Smith, Bill Williamson, Hosea Matthews, John Marston

Dutch van der Linde

-Would wake up startled and reach for his gun under his pillow, but quickly sees it's just you.

-He takes a breath, a sign of relief, and asks you with a laugh what you're doing in his tent.

-Only dating for two months, you never spend a night in Dutch's tent. He respected your choice to go slowly, but on this cold night, everyone had to huddle up near the fire, leaving no room for you.

-Explaining to him, he happily opens his blanket for you to snuggle in. His hands wrap around your waist, him being the big spoon.

-Being so close, he whispers into your ear, telling you how much he loves you and the moments you have.

Dutch spoke sweet nothing into your ear, his warm body welcoming you, the shivering one. As you fall asleep, he pulls you closer into his chest. He kisses the back of your neck, making you laugh in your sleepy state. Not stopping, he locked his fingers with yours to bring you more warmth. Your eyes started to fall closed; he noticed and pulled the blanket over you, tucking you in with a final kiss on the cheek before you fell asleep.

-

Arthur Morgan

-Would be up and see you coming to his bed; through the five months you had been dating, you had only been next to him in bed three times.

-It wasn’t a regular thing to come to his bed and cuddle with him, but he welcomed you with open arms.

-He could feel how cold it was, so he moved over before pulling you onto his chest and putting the blanket around you.

-Saying nothing, the only thing you hear is his warm breaths and his heartbeat, which you could only hear in his little space.

-Waiting until you stop shaking, he gives you a kiss on the hand, taking it from the warm underside of the blanket before you fall asleep.

You could feel Arthur's hand cup your cheek; its warmth tingled your cheek, and as it came closer, you kissed him, causing a hummed laugh from him. Smiling, you cuddle in more into his chest, wrapping your arms around his waist as he did yours, and looking up, you meet his eyes. You kiss him, cuddling up into his neck. Taking a final deep breath, you close your eyes, having his breaths lullaby you to sleep. You could faintly catch an "I love you," but you chalked it up to the crackling of the fire a few feet away.

-

Javier Escuella

-After his song for the night, as he was getting ready for bed, he saw you come over with your bedding.

-Would greet you and help you place your bedding next to his by the fire. As you both lay down, he faces you, warping his arm around your waist.

-You only started dating, but he made you feel like the only thing in his world. Dutch had nothing on you in Javier's eyes.

-He kisses you as he talks to you and then sings you to sleep, his voice like honey, like his kisses now on your cheek and forehead.

-Pulls you in closer as he sings to intertwine his legs with yours, tucking in your blanket more, and watching you fall asleep.

Javier's arms were warmly tucked under your arms, and his voice sang softly with words only for you. With your eyes closed, you could hear a smile on his face and his hand caressing his thumb. He planted kisses on your nose before going back to singing, He didn't care if anyone listened to him; he wanted them to know how much he loved you, despite him not being able to say it just yet because it would be too soon. He let you fall asleep with his love song playing in the background as you faded into sleep.

-

Charles Smith

-You would have to get him off guard duty; thankfully, he was just about to switch with Bill.

-The bedding was already set up beforehand by you; you watched him as you shook under the blankets.

-Only dating for five and a half months just about how long he had been with you and the gang—you noticed how talkative and close he had been to, among other things, so you took that to confess your love for him.

-He quickly gets in, warping his arms around you and letting you rest your head on his chest. He rubs his hand on your arm, trying his best to warm you up.

-He kisses you on the top of your head, and he told you stories that his mother told him.

Listening to his stories, you tuck your arm close to you as you hear his faint heartbeat with his lungs air coming in or out, letting him continue with his story. You watched the fire going with the wind, but your eyes fought to close, and Charles's voice lulled you to sleep. It was quickly affecting you. With his arm soothing you, in the end, you lost hearing his warm voice as you faded into sleep.

-

Bill Williamson

-He would be a bit drunk, and you would have to get him to bed or at least tell him it's bedtime.

-He was a very lovely dove to you when he was drunk, so tucking him in was easy, and he pulled you to his chest. He mumbles "I love you" a lot.

-Kisses you so much all over your face, but if you tell him to stop, he does because he knows he smells like beer.

-You dated him for a year now, and throughout that time, you've made him less of an asshole, but he's still your Bill.

-A living space heater keeping you warm through the night, he would snuggle into your neck in the middle of the night.

Bill kissed your cheek and neck, talking about how much he loves you, and you laughed as his kisses tickled your skin. Soon after you asked him to stop, he thought about it for a minute, then did snuggle into your neck. His arms warped around you, but he continued to whisper "I love you" in your ear, kissing you one last time before letting you both go to sleep.

-

Hosea Matthews

-Would wake up when you get into his bed, though not getting his gun as you tell him it's you.

-He cuddles you quickly, feeling that you were shaking. He whispers that you're okay and rubs your arms, the friction from which gives you more warmth.

-He gives you kisses on your cheek and forehead, then cups your face, trying everything to make you stop shaking.

-When you did, he pulled you closer. Now he had to get you to sleep. He makes voices and tells stories about getting people out of money.

-Though he had made you laugh up a storm, you were exhausted after his words. He noticed and gave you a kiss one last time before you fell asleep.

Hosea rubbed your arms, slowly kissing the top of your head. He whispered something you couldn't make out, but it soothed you. You listened to his lungs and heartbeat as they slowed, then heard his soft snores. You huffed a laugh at it, but quickly you fell under the sleep spell, and you cuddled closer. Closing your eyes, you fall asleep, hoping you can wake before him to get him coffee. You love when his face lights up.

-

John Marston

-He would be so confused waking up to your cold body next to him shaking, but he would ask you "What's wrong?".

-After telling him, he pulls you closer to him, kissing your cheek. His voice was hoarse as he told you how cold you were.

-He pulled the blanket up more, letting you intertwine your legs with his.

-He wanted to move you both next to the fire, but he could not when your shaking had come to a stop.

-Trying not to fall asleep first, but losing the battle, he talked little loving things into your ear with a final "I love you".

John put his hand on your back, rubbing it here and there; you could feel his body move like he was wanting to move, but you had only just stopped shaking. He had laid back down and continued to talk, pulling you closer. You could hear in his words how he slurred; he was falling asleep. Patting his chest, you tell him to go to sleep, but he tells you he's not tired, so you just leave it with a smile, letting yourself fall into the sweet bliss of sleep.

Hello, I hope you enjoyed if there is and grammar mistakes or misspellings sorry about that feel free to let me know in the comments, have a great day/afternoon/night!

#arthur morgan x reader #javier escuella x reader #charles smith x reader #bill williamson x reader #hosea matthews x reader #john marston x reader #rdr2 x reader #rdr2 headcanons #dutch van der linde x reader

[roseghoul26]

Charles Smith x gn!Reader

"Keeping your hand on his cheek, your lips brushed the shell of his ear. 'Although, I do think you looked rather beautiful.' He practically shuddered, a pleased smile on your mouth as you leaned back again. Keeping only a few inches between your faces, you watched as his eyes flicked down to your lips before returning up. 'Yeah?' You don’t think you’ve ever heard his voice so low." Synopsis: A brush with hypothermia forces you and Charles to camp out in an abandoned cabin. Having to resort to some more intimate means of survival, will you be able to keep your feelings in check for the hunter, or will the proximity force you to confess?

Tags: Fluff, Smut, Friends to Lovers, Hypothermia, Huddling for Warmth, yes this is a cuddle for warmth fic, idc if its cheesy, Oral Sex, Gender-Neutral Reader, Fem Anatomy for Reader, Face-Sitting, Love Confessions, but in a twist its not the reader who gets frozen, surprise!

Author's Note: listened to chappell roan the entire time while writing this (hence the title). i also got so distracted by stardew valley my addiction has returned also, there’s a moment where the reader touches charles’ hair. as a non-indigenous person, i’m not fully educated when it comes to hair and the importance it holds in native american culture. i did research, but i could still be wrong. if i have made any errors, please let me know, and i will change it. 

If you never had to see snow again, you’d die happy. 

Tightening the fur coat around your body, you tried to preserve what heat you had left in you. The cold air of Colter was like a leech, sucking you dry of any warmth and joy. And it wasn’t just affecting you, you noticed. Glancing around the room, everyone seemed to be in a similar situation, with as many furs and clothes on their bodies as they huddled around the laughably small fire. 

The gang had been in Colter for about a week, hiding away from the law after the disaster that was Blackwater. You don’t remember much from that day, most of it a blur in your memories, but you remember the bloodshed. Pointless, ruthless bloodshed. You hoped you’d never see something like that again. 

Shivering, you almost regretted giving your extra jacket to Abigail, who had wrapped it around Jack. You were only feet from the fire, but it might as well have been hundreds of miles away with the way it was doing nothing to warm you. With a huff, you rubbed your fingers together, simply sitting and passing the time until someone asked you to do something or you had to go back on guard duty. That was all you could do, really, the snow and remote location making it impossible for you to do your normal robbing and thieving. 

There were many times during this week that you’d debated leaving the gang after you all made it out of Colter. You’d only joined about a year and a half ago, Dutch personally inviting you to his group after hearing about your notoriety across the states. Sure, it was nice to have a group like this, but this wasn’t what you signed up for, especially the events at Blackwater. You were promised opportunity and freedom, not brutality and hiding and cold-blooded murder. You wondered, would it be easy to slip away?

Sighing, you slumped forward, and your  legs were numb from sitting on the hard floor. You were on the precipice of coming to a decision, but there were still some things preventing you from taking the leap. You’d become somewhat close with the members of the gang, your lone wolf attitude dissipating as you created bonds with the others. It was easy to get along with Arthur, the two of you becoming fast friends, frequently doing jobs together. You spent most nights chatting with the girls in camp, chatting until late in the night. You respected Hosea, and even Dutch for some time, the recent events shattering that respect for him. To some degree you’d created a connection with each member of the camp, keeping you tethered to one place. 

There was one person in particular, however, that kept pushing those thoughts of leaving out of your mind. Charles Smith, the taciturn hunter that you’d become weirdly fond of these past few months. You’re not sure what you’d call your relationship with the man. The two of you were friendly, maybe even friends. When Dutch sent you out on jobs together, it always ended well, working together quite decently, if you’d say so yourself. 

Still, you wished you were closer with him, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. You found it hard to try and initiate conversation with him, never quite knowing what to say that wouldn’t make you seem like a fool. And when you would talk to him, it felt like you were just talking at him, but if he was annoyed by you, he never showed. He’d just politely nod along, adding a few words here and there. 

But you knew he didn’t dislike you, finding him frequently looking at you around camp, just silently observing. Whenever you’d catch him, he’d just give you a polite smile, before turning away to do something else. Every time he did it, you found yourself grow bashful, your heart skipping in your chest. His starting was certainly not helping the infatuation you had with him.

Yes, your stupid heart had fallen for him, making it hurt to even entertain the idea of leaving. It was ridiculous and irresponsible to have feelings for him, and you knew that. They’d been there since he joined, and you figured that they would’ve gone away by now, but that was months ago. You’d never met a man like him before, someone so strong and fearsome, yet honorable and kind at the exact same time, and you figured that’s why you were so drawn to him.

Arthur knew about your feelings for the man, drunkley telling him during a night out at the bar in Blackwater a few months ago. He almost said something to Charles, who was somewhere in the same bar that night, claiming that ‘this life is unpredictable’ and ‘you gotta do somethin’ before it’s too late’, but you quickly shut that down with a swift kick to the shins. But that didn’t mean he stopped asking you if you’d done anything yet, and each time you’d respond with ‘no’.��

You knew that Charles didn’t think of you that way. You’re unpredictable, reckless, fiery, everything opposite of what Charles is. Where you were chaos, he was calm. Fire, water. And you didn’t want to ruin what relationship you had with him, so you kept your mouth shut (and never got too drunk around him).

A gust of sharp cold wind and the creak of a door broke you from your thoughts, a shiver wracking your body as you turned to see who just entered the cabin. In some cruel timing from the universe, the man who had just been haunting your mind walked in, a fresh dusting of snow hitting the ground as he shook out his jacket. A chorus of greetings came from the group collected around the fire, a gentle smile coming from you before you turned back to face the fire. Charles calling out your name had you slowly turning to him again. 

“Will you go hunting with me? The deer me and Arthur caught didn’t last as long as we’d hoped.” You now noticed the bow in his hand, along with a small quiver of arrows.

“I mean, sure,” you stood up, your cold muscles aching as you stretched, “but I ain’t much of a hunter, ya know. I usually end up scarin’ away animals instead of catchin’ ‘em. The others might be more well-suited for this.”

“But I’m asking you. And I can’t exactly do it myself.” Charles held the bow and arrows out for you to grab. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes.” Not like I could ever say no to you, you thought as you took the weapon and slung it over your shoulder, and secured the quiver on your hip. “Let’s go.”

With a nod, Charles opened the door, holding it open to let you step outside into the harsh Colter weather. Wincing at the bright light bouncing off the white snow, you were temporarily blinded as you made your way to where your horses were, Charles not far behind you. A light snowfall came down around you as you walked, not terrible visibility wise, but enough to be obvious. You just hoped that it wouldn’t pick up later. 

There was probably a good foot-and-a-half of snow on the ground, making your movement sluggish and awkward. From what little you knew about tracking, though, it meant that it would be easy to pick up an animal's track, so for that you were somewhat grateful. 

It didn’t take long for you to reach your horses, and you went to mount up, only to notice that your horse just wasn’t there. Spinning around, you looked to see if maybe she got unhitched and wandered somewhere nearby, but there was nothing. Whistling, you waited a few moments, seeing if you’d hear the sound of hoofbeats and winnings, but there was nothing. She was just gone.

As Charles mounted, looking equally as confused as you were, you turned and  looked to see who was currently on guard duty, thinking maybe they had seen something. “Javier!” You called out, the poor man nearly jumping out of his skin at the sudden loud noise. “Where’s Hera?”

“Arthur took her!” He shouted back, and you couldn’t help groaning in annoyance. I’m gonna kill you, Arthur Morgan. 

“And you let him?” Javier had made his way over to you now, and you saw him open his mouth to respond, but you stopped him with a wave. “Nevermind, it’s not your fault or your responsibility. I’m just… frustrated.” You took a deep breath, and a cloud left your lips as you exhaled.  “Where’d Arthur go?” You heard the ground crunch behind you as Charles approached on Taima. 

“I dunno,” Javier shrugged. “Him, Dutch, Micah, and Bill went out a few minutes ago, he’s been borrowing everyone else’s horse since his died. Guess it was Hera’s turn.”

“Well, shit,” you sighed, crossing your arms. “You don’t reckon they’ll be back soon, right? Maybe they forgot somethin’?” You missed the way Charles let out an amused huff, your back facing him as you conversed with Javier. 

Javier lightly chuckled. “Look, if you need to go, I’ll let you use Boaz for a bit. It’s not like I’ll be needing him for a bit,” he gestured to the repeater currently in his hands. “If anything happens to him though…” he threatened, gesturing again to the weapon in his hands.

You were about to respond, but Charles beat you to it. “Or you could ride with me. If you’d like.”

You tried to keep your face neutral as you turned to respond, but you had to stop and glare at Javier who was sniggering. Apparently your facial expressions weren’t as subtle as you believed. Thank God you had your back turned, then. 

You turned again, and when you weren't so rudely interrupted by Javier’s childish antics, you responded to Charles. “Are you sure?”

He extended his non-injured hand to you as he nodded. “We gotta get moving though. Only a few hours of sunlight left.”

“Alright.” You linked your hand with his, letting him help you on to the back of his horse with ease. Javier had long since left, already halfway back to his guard post, not before giving you a knowing smile. As you wrapped your hands around his waist, you tried and failed to keep your breathing even, your heartrate picking up substantially. 

Sighing, you refrained from resting your head against his back. This was pure torture, but you knew you were going to enjoy it.

Thank you, Arthur Morgan… I’m still gonna kill you, though. 

─•~❉᯽❉~•─

He wasn’t quite sure why he offered to let you ride with him on Taima; he was just making it harder for himself to stay away from you. He scolded himself, because someone else had your heart, and he would just end up hurting his own if he kept doing things like this. 

The two of you had sped out of Colter, Charles setting a brisk pace that made the air bite at his skin. The pain was good, as it distracted him from thinking of you. You, who subconsciously shifted closer to him to shield yourself from the air. He felt you adjust behind him until his larger frame was shielding you entirely. 

He expected you to have started talking by now, making some comment about the weather or cursing Arthur out. When you didn’t he felt himself start to grow a bit panicked. Did I make you uncomfortable? Is this too much?

He kept his voice steady, and he gently called out your name. “You’re awfully quiet.”

“I figure that must come as a relief.” 

I could listen to you for hours, he thought. I don’t ever want to stop hearing your voice. “Are you alright?”

He felt you shift behind him, your hands tightening where they sat on his waist. Your touch wasn’t even improper, yet he still found his breath hitching in his throat. Charles just prayed that the howling winds around the two of you drowned it out. “I think so. It just… this place is really terrible.” When he nodded in agreement, you continued. “And I’ve got a lot on my mind. Blackwater, the gang, my future… It's a little bit overwhelming.”

“Do you…  want to talk about it?” He offered, and you sighed. 

“I… I can’t stop thinkin’ ‘bout Blackwater, ‘bout everything we did wrong, what we should’ve done differently, the choices we made. But I especially can’t stop thinkin’ ‘bout that girl that Dutch murdered. The way he killed her, no mercy or falter, I ain’t even seen nothin’ like that from him before. Or maybe I chose to look away before…” you trailed off.

“You’re not the one who pulled the trigger. Dutch is the only person guilty of that.”

“Maybe I didn’t pull the trigger, but I’m sure as hell ain’t innocent. I could’ve- should’ve done somethin’. There was plenty of time for me to.”

“Don’t go beating yourself up about the past. The only thing we can hope to do is learn from it and continue on towards the future.”

“But the future is just as terrifying as the past! I’m scared for the gang, for its future. We’ve become so bloodthirsty, and now all Dutch talks about is revenge.” Your voice was becoming more and more distressed. “Is that what we’ve turned into? A bunch of no-good killers who think with their guns? I ain’t- I don’t wanna be that. That ain’t what I joined up for.”

Charles didn’t know how to respond to that. He’d noticed that shift in the gang over the last few weeks, the members become quicker to jump to violence and bloodshed. He wasn’t a saint, the blood on his hands equal to yours, but he was even becoming disturbed by the amount of unnecessary killings happening. 

“I’m thinkin’ ‘bout leaving.” Your voice was barely a whisper, like you were ashamed to say it. Charles stilled, shock running through his system. “Once we get out of here. This… this isn’t what I wanna do. I don’t wanna be associated with the Van Der Linde gang if it’s gonna continue heaidn’ in the direction it’s goin’. And I don’t wanna find myself at the end of a lawman’s barrel, noose ‘round my neck.”

“Oh.” Charles found himself at an impasse; did he just keep his mouth shut, or say something that might reveal too much? If you truly wanted to leave, then he didn’t want to guilt you into staying by revealing his true feelings. He understood why you wanted to leave, those same thoughts frequenting his mind as well, but he’d found a reason to stay: you. He hadn't told Arthur that when he asked why Charles was still hanging around a few days ago. His conversation with the other man when they hunted had solidified his stay with the gang, for better or for worse.

Did you feel the same way? You fool, Charles chastised himself. They don’t want you that way.

“Does anyone else know?” 

“No,” you sighed. “You’re the only one.”

A selfish part of him was glad that he was the only one that knew, but he quickly pushed those thoughts away. “Well,” he began, “the only thing I can say is to not do something that you’ll regret… and just know that there’s a lot of people here that will really miss you if you decide to leave.” I will miss you so much that it hurts.

He felt your head connect with his back as you slumped forward, and he jolted at the contact. “Why can’t you just make the decision for me, Charles? I trust your judgment.”

Stay. Please, stay, he screamed in his head. “I can’t tell you what to do, how to live your life. Unfortunately, the decision comes to you,” was his reply. 

“You’re right. You’re always right, Charles,” you laughed half-heartedly. “I haven’t made up my mind yet. Still got a ways until I have to.”

“Whatever decision you come to, I’ll support you.” Liar. “Just… don’t leave without saying goodbye, you hear?”

“I promise. Now,” your usual chipperness returned to your voice, “where are we headin’?”

He explained that he was taking the two of you to Lake Isabella, following the Spider Gorge down. The lake had started to melt, meaning animals were more likely to start coming out as the weather warmed. As the two of you rode, you kept close to him, significantly closer than you were when you left. 

Charles pretended not to notice.

─•~❉᯽❉~•─

There wasn’t much to look at on the ride down. Everything was white, splashes of black rock breaking up the monotonous landscape, and the occasional tree made itself known. There weren’t any animals, not even a rabbit. It was like you and Charles were the only living souls in the area.

You only spotted a couple of buildings, two of them a small cabin that could house one or two people. One was absolutely destroyed, time and weather causing the ceiling to collapse in, only a skeleton remaining. The other still stood, smoke coming out of the chimney, but you had no idea if the occupants were home or not. 

Taking a mental note of the building, before returning your attention back forward. Charles seemed to be content with just riding in silence, so you settled against him, your head nearly resting on his shoulder. You hadn’t meant to spill so much to Charles, and you certainly hadn’t meant to tell him that you thought about leaving. It’s just that you felt so comfortable with him that you couldn’t help the words from coming out, and you felt ten pounds lighter because of it. 

You didn’t want to drag another person into your troubles, especially over something so trivial in comparison to what the rest of the gang was going through. A part of you wanted this to be the moment in all those cheesy romances you read where the love interest confesses their feelings in order to make the main character stay. But this was real life, and this was Charles you were talking about, the man who would put everyone’s needs before his, even if it hurt. And besides, Charles had never done or said anything that gave you the impression that he had feelings for you. From what you could tell, he saw you as a friend, and nothing else.

Right?

God, you were so desperate for the man you held on to. 

He made no comment when you did actually rest your head on his shoulder. If he did ask why, you’d just say you were cold. You knew you just wanted to pretend that he was yours. 

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath. It did little to calm your erratic heart. 

Eventually, the partially frozen Lake Isabella came into view. This area wasn’t too unfamiliar to either you or Charles, having been there a few days prior to dispatch a group of O’Driscolls. Having opened your eyes a few moments prior, you were able to make out a few deer drinking from the newly exposed lake water. You gestured to them, but Charles had already seen them, bringing Taima to a halt behind a large bush.

By this time, the snow had begun to pick up, the sheets coming down obscuring your view ever so slightly. But it wasn’t enough to force you indoors. 

Dismounting as quietly as you could, you readied the bow in your hands, letting Charles lead the way as he snuck closer to them. It was almost supernatural, the way he was able to move so silently. For someone of his stature, you’d never expect him to be able to move so quietly and with such ease, yet here he was. You tried your best to move like him, taking a bit longer as you followed in his footsteps. Charles led you around the edge of the lake, the shore edge mere inches from your feet, occasionally splashing against your shoes. 

Luckily, the deer hadn’t noticed either you or Charles, still drinking without a care in the world. He had stopped by now, moving to the side to let you move ahead. The deer were in range by now, and you only needed to move a few feet closer, making you halt underneath a large tree. The branches drooped under the weight of the snow, a few globs falling off and hitting the ground around you. 

Weirdly enough, you felt at peace. Not because of the hunting, but because of the man who stood a few yards behind you. You felt safe under his gaze, like nothing could hurt you. As you drew the arrow back, you let out a confused noise as the deer suddenly scattered, spooked by something you couldn’t see. 

You turned to look back at Charles, but you realized then that you probably shouldn't've had your guard down so much. A large weight dropped on you from the tree, too heavy and too warm to be just snow. You let out a startled cry, blocking out Charles shouting out your name, panic seeping into his voice. 

Whatever fell on you landed on your back, your face pressed in the snow as you lay on your stomach. It clicked now that there was someone on you, a hand yanking your head back by your hair, warm breath assaulting your face as your attacker spoke. You couldn’t quite make out what exactly he was saying, snow and shock causing your hearing to be spotty. All you were able to make out were a few curses, the word “kill” multiple times, and some racist phrases aimed toward Charles.

Even before the initial shock had worn off, you were fighting back, squirming and moving desperately against the man’s grip. He just laughed, then you heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked. He rested the barrel against the back of your neck, the cold metal pressing against the exposed skin. Dread washed over you, numbing your senses far beyond what the cold could do. With the way the man gripped your head, you couldn’t move it, and you strained your eyes as you looked around, desperate to find Charles. Is he alright? Please, let him be alright. 

You saw a flash of movement out of the corner of your eye, and as soon as the weight was on you, it was gone. An alarmed yell left your attacker as he was tackled off of you, being pushed a fair distance before falling onto the frozen Lake Isabella. Rolling over, your hand fell into the cold water, and you quickly pulled it back.

Standing as quickly as you could, the world spun for a moment, your body confused with the many different orientations you were just in. Pressing your back against the tree for stability, you watched as Charles and your attacker rolled far across the ice. You saw the distinct green handkerchief around his neck, and you couldn’t help the exasperated groan that left you. No matter where you went or what you did, you couldn’t escape the O’Driscolls. 

Shouts from behind you had you spinning around, quickly drawing your revolver, the bow long since discarded on the ground. Three more O’Driscolls came running from the woods, only a few yards away from you now, their cries of alarm coming from the two bodies of their members lying in the snow, which you had just noticed. Keeping your aim steady, you took three shots, the gunshots cracking through the still air. The first one hit right in the heart, the second one finding a home between his eyes, and the third one hit the final O’Driscoll right above the shoulder, merely grazing the skin, and the only non-fatal shot. Still, it caused all three of them to hit the snow.

With the final man falling relatively close to you, you ran over to him. Pulling him up by the scruff of his shirt, you held your revolver right below his chin, the hot metal burning his skin. He could not have been more than eighteen years old, a sliver of childhood innocence still left in his eyes as he stared up at you, fear and pain rendering him mute. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” You snarled, pressing the barrel harder into his skin. “Gimme one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right here, boy?”

Your words seemed to go in one ear and out the other, a few tears leaving him as he stared at you blankly. He was shaking, and you wondered how long he’d run with the O’Driscolls for. He was obviously young, and if this was his reaction to being held at gunpoint, you gathered that he didn’t have a whole lot of outlaw experience under his belt. Against every instinct in your body telling you otherwise, you felt yourself loosen your grip on the boy, a pang of sympathy running through you. 

Sighing in exasperation, you holster your gun, a relieved noise leaving him as you did. Glancing forward, you saw two horses hitched to the trees, seemingly the rides that they came in on. “Go,” you waved. “You ain’t even grown.”

“Th-thank you!” He nearly wept, getting to his feet shakily. 

“But if I ever see ya again, especially as a damn O’Driscoll,” your hand hovered above your weapon. “I’ll not hesitate to put a bullet in your head. You hear me?”

“Y-yes.” He clutched at his shoulder. 

“Now go!” you shouted. “Get outta here! Before I change my mind.” As soon as he sped off toward the horses, you turned back toward the lake. Charles stood above your attacker, beating the life out of the man, his face pure crimson. He was using his injured hand, but he paid it no mind. Blow after blow, Charles’s strikes hit true, the thuds echoing across the water.

You really should not have found it as attractive as you did. 

You let yourself watch for a few moments longer, before you were snapping out of it. “Charles!” You called out. Immediately, he was looking up at you, the man below him no longer even on his mind. Wiping away a smear of blood on his cheek, he slowly made his way toward you, his steps slow across the ice. 

Concern etched across his features as his eyes raked over your body, looking for any injury or hurt on you. “Are you alright?” You asked, trying your best to push down the flush of your cheeks as he stalked towards you. He had an almost murderous glint in his eye, his movement predatory; you especially should not have found that attractive. 

“Did he hurt you?” He completely brushed off your question, his eyes wide with panic. You don’t think you’ve ever seen him this disheveled and worried before. 

“Only my pride.” You sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Charles opened his mouth to respond, but was promptly cut off when the ground beneath him gave way, the weakened ice no longer strong enough to hold him. Immediately, he was submerged under the water, but luckily he was close enough to the shore that it wasn’t too deep. He reemerged seconds later, sputtering and coughing. 

As soon as you heard the crack of the ice, you were running toward the edge, stepping precariously on the ice. In retrospect, it wasn’t the smartest idea, especially when you started walking towards where Charles fell through, but at the time you didn’t care. All that mattered was getting him out. 

Scanning around, you quickly assessed the best way to save him. The hole that was created was way big enough so he could get his arm up, but as soon as he pressed at the ice it shattered, unable to hold anything. As you stepped closer, you felt it begin to break as well, and you quickly moved back to the shore. 

“Fuck…” your hands went to you head, your gloved fingers pulling at your hair. A large stick from the tree you assaulted jumped down from sparked an idea. Grabbing it, you started chipping away at the ice, smashing and breaking it until a path big enough for Charles to go through was created. Standing at the shore, however, you realized  that neither your arms or the stick was long enough to reach the man, who was starting to get dragged down from the weight of the water in his clothes. 

Quickly unhooking your lasso from your belt, you created a loop for him to grab on to, throwing it at him with an accuracy from years and years of practice. It landed right in front of him, and he grabbed on to it as quickly as he could, his movement sluggish. Wrapping it around your hands, you began to pull him to shore. “Hold on!” you shouted at him, and he let out a noise in response. You’d take that over nothing.

It wasn’t incredibly hard to pull him closer, the water helping carry him over. But once he got to the shore, and you discarded the rope, pulling him up onto the land proved to be almost impossible. Grabbing underneath his arms, you pulled with all the strength you had, the muscles in your back and shoulders crying out in pain, but you paid them no mind. It took an incredible amount of effort, but eventually he was fully out of the water, laying splayed out in the cold snow. 

You didn’t let yourself get a moment to recover, instantly running over to his side. Turning his head toward you, you let out a sigh of relief when you say his eyes flutter open. He was absolutely drenched, his heavy winter gear made even heavier with water, and you watched him begin to shake and his teeth begin to shatter. And, if your luck wasn’t already terrible enough, a full on snowstorm had started, causing cold blasts of snow and wind to pelt your bodies. Chalres shivered even harder, and you let out helped sit him upright. “We gotta get you indoors, and soon. You ain’t gonna-” a lump formed in your throat at the thought. “It ain’t gonna be good for you if you stay out here. I’ll need your help, though. I can’t lift you on my own. Just… just find what energy you can to get up. Please.” You couldn’t help the panic in your voice. To say you were scared would be an understatement. 

You’re not quite sure he fully comprehended what you said, but he started to get up, and you forced him to lean a bit of his body weight against you as he did so. When he was up, you slung his arm over your shoulder, nearly sagging under his weight as he nearly collapsed. You called for Taima, whistlin the same pattern you’d heard Charles use for her. 

Within seconds, the sound of neighing and hoofbeats filled your ears, his loyal steed coming to a halt right in front of the two of you. She let out a worried snort, and you reassured her with some soothing noises. “Alright, Charles. Here comes the worst part.” It took quite a bit of maneuvering and effort, but after a minute Charles sat where you did on the ride there. 

His eyes, which were onced unfocused and confused, had regained some clarity to them, and you heard him mutter out your name. You smiled as reassuringly as you could, before you were mounting up on Taima, sitting in the saddle and the reins in your hands. “Hold on, darlin’.” You were too panicked to notice the name slip out, and you took the gasp from Charles as being from the cold. 

With little urging, Taima moved forward, almost immediately breaking into a gallop. You led her back up the trail, heading toward the cabin you saw on the way down. It would take too long to return back to Colter, and with the way the storm raged around you, you doubted either of you would be able to make it. 

As you rode, you felt Charles slump against you, exhaustion taking over his body. You reached behind with one hand, grabbing his knee and shaking him awake. “I know you hate me right now, but I need you to stay awake for me… please.”

He grumbled something in reply, his speech slurred and indecipherable. 

“I’m gonna talk at you, like I always do,” you tried to joke. “And you’re gonna do what you do, which is nod along and pretend you care. Just… just stay awake. You hear me?”

“I care…” you heard him protest, and you just shook your head.

“Uh-huh.” The wind was biting into your cheeks, and your eyes were watering, but you didn’t dare slow. You filled the couple minute ride with your voice, telling stories of your childhood, or random anecdotes you’d picked up from your travels, to recounting the bar fight you’d gotten into a few weeks prior. Charles, despite being exhausted, kept alert, giving one-word responses from time to time. 

He shivered the entire time, and you couldn’t tell if that was worrying or comforting. Panic was steadily bubbling in your chest, finding it hard to keep focus on your stories. Halfway through the ride, much like you did, he rested his head on your shoulder, burrowing his face into the crook of your neck. You suppressed a surprised noise as you felt the freezing skin against your own, his nose and lips unnervingly cold. 

“Stay with me, Charles.”

─•~❉᯽❉~•─

It was cold. 

Everything was cold.

Could hair get cold? It sure felt like it. Charles had never felt such coldness in his life before, and he never wanted to experience it again.

He should’ve never gone on to the ice, his brain was screaming at him.

But he had led with his heart, shoving the man off you and following him on to the ice. As soon as he had seen you go down, the other man on top of you, it was like time had slowed down. He had seen red, the two men attempting to hold him down quickly meeting their ends at the hands of his fury. 

He prided himself on being able to keep calm in situations, his anger rarely ever taking a hold of him, and it had never happened since he joined the gang. Guess that streak was broken now. Not that he had any regrets.

Well, he had a few.

He should’ve registered the footprints in the snow leading up to the base of the tree. He should’ve noticed something was wrong, should’ve not been so distracted by you. He should’ve said something.

Maybe none of this would’ve happened then.

But he’s just a man, and man is selfish. He was glad this happened.

Without this happening, he wouldn’t have his arms wrapped around your body, his face buried into your neck breathing you in. Without this, you wouldn’t have called him darling, causing his heart to thump erratically in his chest. Without this, he wouldn’t have been able to pretend right now that you and him were more than friends, a fantasy that he had played out a million times in his dreams.

You were talking to him, but he couldn’t make the words out. A shiver wracked his body, and he burrowed deeper. God, he was so cold. And so tired.It would be so easy to just close his eyes, to let unconsciousness wash over him… 

He was jolted awake by a hearty shake of his knee, and he heard your voice break through the fog of his brain. 

You had such a lovely voice. He hated how worried it sounded, and all because of him. Or maybe he was happy you were worried about him. He couldn’t tell. Everything was unclear. The only thing he was certain about was the fuzzy feeling in his chest that grew with each glance and each soft word from you.

He was in love with you.

Stupidly in love, in fact. 

He couldn’t stop himself, the words tumbling from his lips like a freefall. But it came out as gibberish, and he felt you shake your head, unable to comprehend him.

That’s alright. He’d repeat it as many times as you needed. 

And as another shiver tore through him, he felt you rub his thigh reassuringly. Despite the thick material of your gloves, he could feel the warmth of your skin, practically burning against his frosty skin. The butterflies in his chest bubbled to life, and he couldn’t stop the small laugh he let out. 

He was infatuated.

─•~❉᯽❉~•─

The short ride felt like forever, the monotonous landscape that had once been soothing now tormenting you as you searched for the cabin you saw prior. The smoke trail was impossible to spot out in the snowstorm, so you used what limited navigation skills you had to get you there. 

Eventually, the frame of the cabin broke through the sheet of snow, and you nearly cried in relief. You were starting to freeze, and you couldn’t even begin to imagine how Charles was feeling. Taima huffed as you brought her alongside the entrance, the steam from her snout dissipating instantly. Quickly dismounting, Charles nearly fell off when you moved, slowly slipping into unconsciousness. 

“Oh, no you don’t,” you snarled, roughly shaking him awake. Yes, you were threatening the hypothermic man. No, you did not care. You were almost inside, and you were not going to lose him. “Do not pass out on me, Charles Smith. Now, let’s get you off Taima.”

Charles muttered out an apology, his eyes reopening as he struggled to get off. His clothes were starting to solidify, clumps of ice forming across his jacket. You helped as best you could, catching him when his feet made contact with the ground, nearly sending you both to the snow. Again, you slung his arm over your shoulder, your other arm holding your gun as you entered the cabin, ready to clear out any homeowners. 

A blast of heat hit both of you as you creaked the door open slowly, and you heard Charles sigh with relief. A quick scan around proved that it was empty, and you gently set Chalres in front of the still burning fire. You realized now that the occupants were probably some of the O’Driscolls that just jumped you, and the cabin now stood empty for you and Charles. Relaxing slightly, you put away your gun, then added a few more logs to the fire pit, the flames lapping at the wood eagerly. 

To call the cabin small would be an understatement. It was large enough to fit both you and Charles comfortably, but you can’t imagine that the few O’Driscolls camping here temporarily had a lot of legroom . A single twin sized bed was lined up against the wall, cloth and other materials covering the windows beside it. There was a fireplace, a small stewpot, a nightstand, and a chair. Extra sleeping bags and rugs adorned the floor, a few cans of fruits and vegetables scattered across the floor. You saw the occasional empty bottle of alcohol, and you even found a pack of cigarettes. 

Charles seemed to wake some, the warmth of the fire breathing some life back into him. You saw him look around, body still shaking. He looked even worse than you thought, his normally warm-toned skin devoid of any color, and his hair was plastered to his face. As you crouched down in front of him, you went to push back a few strands, your gloves long since discarded, but you refrained. 

“A-Are you alright?” You heard him ask again through chattering teeth, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes. Even though he saw freezing, likely suffering from hypothermia, he was more worried about your well being.

“I’m not the one who fell into the freezing lake. What were you thinking?” You weren’t angry, your words surprisingly gentle despite the fear in your heart. 

“I-I wasn’t… I-” his body cut him off, shivers wracking his body. 

“We gotta get these clothes off of you,” you picked at the offending garment, the material barely budging. You started to work the heavy coat off his shoulders, the roaring wind outside the only noise.

Suddenly, Charles was grabbing at your wrist, stalling your movement. You were halfway done with taking it off, the water melting off of it coating your hands. “Taima…” you heard him say.

“I’ll go make sure she’s secure,” you quickly rose to your feet. “Just get undressed. We need to get you warmed up.”

Stepping outside, the gusts hitting your body caused you to let out a curse. Taima was  still where you left her, stomping impatiently in the ground, shaking out her coat as she tried to keep warm. When you clicked your tongue, she came prancing over, ready to get out of the wind. 

You led her to the attached stall, which was in pretty decent condition. It blocked out a lot of the wind, and it shared a wall with the fireplace, letting some of the warmth to the horses as well. There was some hay left scattered on the ground, and you took off her saddle, setting it on the stand. You left the horse blanket on, giving her some extra protection. 

When you were done, you moved to leave, and you felt Taima brush affectionately against your head, nuzzling her snout into your shoulder. Laughing, you pet her neck affectionately before she removed herself to continue eating at the hay. Making sure the gate was secure, you headed back into the cabin. 

Charles was still undressing when you entered, his back to you. Even his undershirt was soaked through, the material clinging to his body like a second skin. It was at that point it clicked that the man you were infatuated with was going to be bare before you soon. You found yourself turning away, uncharacteristically embarrassed, shrugging off your own jacket and laying across the back of the chair. If it was any other person, you’d’ve not reacted this way, your lifestyle not allowing for much privacy. But of course it had to be Charles getting undressed in front of you, and you found yourself growing quite warm. 

Taking the lasso from your belt, you strung it across the room, making a makeshift clothesline to hopefully dry his clothes faster. His jacket, which was a wet pile of fur, was the first to be hung up, the rope creaking precariously under the weight. Luckily, it held, and you added each new item as he took it off. 

You made sure not to look directly at Charles, and you saw in your peripheral vision as he worked off his shirt. Your throat was suddenly dry, hands shaky as you continued to hang items up. Why, out of all people, did it have to be Charles? It was like God was tormenting you, giving you what, but keeping it just out of reach. 

You must’ve made a noise, because Charles was turning toward you, concerned. You finally let yourself look at him. He was partially done unbuttoning his shirt, the collar open, but you saw that he was struggling with the small buttons, his fingers barely working. “May I?” you asked, gesturing toward his shirt. The sooner he was out of the wet garment, the better.

He paused for a second, contemplating. “Yes,” he consented, lowering his hand at his side. Stepping forward, your hands resumed his work, quickly undoing the rest of it. Do not make a big deal of this, you repeated in your mind. You were simply helping a friend not die from hypothermia, not unbuttoning the shirt of the person you were hopelessly in love with. He shrugged it off, practically peeling it from his body. You were especially careful to only look him in the eye now, not daring to look at his newly exposed chest. 

Turning your back to him to hang up the shirt, the unmistakable clang of his belt hitting the floor had you stilling. Exhaling shakily, you heard him take off the remainder of his clothes, all making themselves comfortable on the floor. You didn’t dare turn around to grab them. Instead, you headed towards the bed, pulling off the heavy duvet. Walking backwards, you held it out to him behind you. You heard him murmur out a small thanks, taking the blanket from your outstretched arms. 

You gave him a few moments. “Are you… decent?” you asked, keeping your gaze up even with your back turned. When he gave a noise of confirmation, you finally turned back around. After situating his discarded clothing, you gathered some of the canned goods strewn about before setting your boots next to Charles’ beside the fire. You sat down next to him on the various furs and bedrolls. Charles had the blanket wrapped around his body, and you tried really hard to not concentrate on the fact that he was completely bare under the duvet. 

You opened one of the cans with your knife, tossing the lid of it behind you and handing it to the man beside you. “Eat. You need to get your strength up.” You saw him open his mouth to protest, but you cut him off before he could. “There’s plenty of food for the both of us. Now, eat.” You pushed the can of what looked to be sweetcorn in his hand, and he finally took it, tipping it back into his mouth and eating slowly. 

He was still shivering, but he was slowly becoming more and more alert, and his teeth had ceased their chattering. Quickly finishing the can of food, he placed the empty can beside him, rubbing his hands together beneath the blanket. You were looking into the fire, and you could feel his eyes on you. He didn’t say anything, just observing you like he normally did. 

This time, however, it felt like his eyes were picking you apart, like he could see every secret beneath your skin. Clearing your throat, you stood up, gathering up the remainder of his clothing and hanging them up. You were scared that the longer you sat by him, the likelihood of you having to confront your secrets would increase tenfold. “You need anythin’? More food? Water? Coffee?” You asked, drying your hands on your pants. 

“I’m g-good,” he responded. 

“Have you warmed up at all?” He shrugged in response, the action barely noticeable with the heavy blanket around his shoulders. You didn’t bother to hide the concerned frown on your lips as you crouched beside him. Running the back of your hand, you winced when you were met with deathly cold skin. “Shit…” you cursed, pulling your hand away, and you failed to notice Charles chasing after your warmth.

Standing up, you began to pace the room, trying to keep the dread you felt at bay. Your mind was running wild with thoughts, all ending in worse case scenarios. Taking a deep breath, you tried your best to keep calm, just for Charles’ sake. You wouldn’t do him any good if you were freaking out. You tried to think back on the basic first aid you’d learned through the years. Most of the things you’d already done, like getting him out of wet clothing, getting him food, getting him in front of a fire. Was there anything else you could do? Or did you just have to sit and wait and pray that what you did was enough.

You knew Charles was watching you pace, doing nothing to calm your racing heart. You ran your fingers through your hair, a gasp leaving your lips when you finally remembered. Body heat, which means… oh. 

Goddamn it all. 

You hoped you didn’t look too alarmed. It’s not that you were opposed to the idea, but it would make it significantly harder to bottle up your feelings. In fact, doing this might just smash the bottle all together, causing you to spill your heart to him. “So…” you began nervously. How the hell were you supposed to ask this?

“So…?” Charles repeated, raising a brow. 

“I-I… well…” you ran your hand over your face. The wall was looking quite interesting right now. “I was wondering if you’d like… I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable or anythin’... if you’d like for me to share my warmth?” That sounds so weird. “It’s just, you’re not gettin’ any better… and I don’t want anythin’ to happen to you. I couldn’t bear it.” The last part you whispered, and you doubted he even heard it. 

Something flickered across Charles’ face, too quick for you to recognize. He looked conflicted, and you chewed nervously on your lips. Did I cross a line? Oh God, did I make this weird? He’s gonna hate me-

“I’d like that,” his voice cut off your minds’ rambling. 

Letting out a breath of relief, you gave him a small smile, which he returned. Okay, this is happening. Again, do not make a big deal of this. This means nothing. Your hands, which weren’t steady, began to work at your button up. Charles slowly looked away, his eyes darkening slightly. “I’m not gonna take everythin’ off,” you reassured, taking the look in his eye as concern. Taking your gun belt off and setting it on the bed, your pants and socks were off next, joining the belt, leaving you in only your undergarments. 

Slowly, you approached him, your steps uncertain across the bedrolls and furs. You tried to keep calm, but the reality of what was going to happen quite soon was causing your heart to pound against your ribs. He watched you approach, head turned back around. You couldn't imagine it was comfortable for his neck, but he didn’t seem to mind. 

Finally, you stood in front of him, partially blocking the fire, which caused your shadow to cast over Charles. Without breaking eye contact with you, he pulled the blanket back, inviting you in. Your shadow, thankfully, blocked out any newly revealed skin, but you still found a blush creeping up your neck. 

Without giving yourself a chance to back out, you sat yourself on his lap. With your legs wrapping around his hips, your ankles were barely able to interlock. His following sigh sounded pleased, and you found yourself smiling as he wrapped the blanket around the two of you, creating something akin to a cocoon. He kept his hands braced on the ground beside him, refraining from touching you.

Charles was indeed freezing, and you let out a discontent noise at the contact. “Sorry,” you more felt than heard him say, your faces mere inches apart. 

“I should be the one who’s sayin’ that…” you sighed, and you rested your hands on his shoulders, beginning the process of warming his body back to a normal temperature. “I should’ve been payin’ better attention, then we would’ve never ended up in this mess.” Not that I’m complaining too much. 

The two of you sat together for a few minutes, letting Charles simply enjoy your body heat. “I don’t think either of us were expecting an O’Driscoll to come falling out of a tree.” You heard him say.

“It certainly wasn’t on my list of things to happen today,” you laughed, your hands moving down his shoulders to his biceps. Having him under your touch like this really put into perspective his sheer size. “And neither is this. Any of this. I’m sure you weren’t plannin’ on takin’ a bath in Lake Isabella today.”

“Can’t say I was. But, you-” Charles cut himself off, his eyes widening the tiniest bit. If you weren’t so close, you probably wouldn’t have noticed. You gave him a confused look, and he just shook his head. “It’s nothing. I almost said something foolish,” he tried to dismiss, embarrassment evident on his face.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say somethin’ foolish the entire time I’ve known you.” You tugged at one of his arms, bringing it between your bodies after he shifted his weight on to the other arm. You clasp his uninjured hand between yours, blowing hot air and trying your best to return some life back to the ice cubes that were his fingers. “You know I ain’t gonna tease you for what you say, right?”

“I know,” Charles sighed, but he didn’t elaborate further. You didn’t push, not wanting to wreck this moment between the two of you. You felt him flex his fingers between yours, a relieved noise leaving him as more feeling returned to them. Eventually, you let go of his hand, but it seemed like he didn’t quite know where to put it, hovering a few inches above your waist before returning back to the ground. “You can touch me, Charles.”

You held back a content noise when you finally felt him grasp your waist, his fingers resting on the waistband of your undergarments. Occasionally, his fingers would brush your bare skin, your undershirt having rid up when you had sat down, and you felt goosebumps erupt across your skin. 

Moving to his injured hand, you eyed the now wrecked bandage, blood and water causing the material to practically dissolve. You tsked disapprovingly, and began to peel off the old wrapping, discarding them across the cabin. You were expecting to see the wound completely reopened, especially because of the punches he threw at the O’Driscoll, but were pleasantly surprised to find a pretty much healed injury. It was slightly irritated, sure, but it must’ve been healed for at least a day or two.

“And here I was scared that we’d have to chop off your hand,” you joked, flipping his arm over as you examined the now scar. “This has been healed for a day or two now. You’re probably only gonna have a light scar from this.” Realization dawned on you, and you chuckled. “Charles, you could’ve gone huntin’ on your own today.”

“I could’ve.” He didn’t even bother trying to deny it. “Still, I did want to do it with you, but I could’t just ask. I needed an excuse.”

“You never need an excuse, Charles. I’ll gladly go huntin’ with you, injured hand or not.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

You felt him squeeze your hip gently, a playful grin on his face. It had your stomach doing somersaults, and you tore your eyes away to begin warming up his other hand. It was strange, seeing him so carefree like this. It was a look you’d never really seen on him, but you rather enjoyed it. “Only hunting?” he asked.

“Maybe,” you teased, drawing out the syllables. “Whatcha have in mind?”

“Not quite sure yet. But it’ll just be us.”

“Like a date?” You joked, trying not to sound too hopeful. 

“Sure. Like a date.”

A giddy smile cracked across your lips, and you gingerly kissed the back of Charles’ hand before letting it go, where it immediately joined his other by settling on your waist. Your ears were burning, a flustered blush growing across your body. Here you were, sitting on a naked Charles’ lap, only the thin material of your undergarments separating the two of you, but the thing that made you bashful was him asking you on a date. 

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you rested your head on his shoulder. You felt him chuckle, the hands on your waist moving up your back, keeping your body pressed close to him. The digits were still a bit chilled, but you didn’t mind. The blanket around the two of you was barely hanging on at this point, and you tried your best to keep it around him. Like he did on the horse, you felt him bury his face in the crook where your neck and shoulders connected. 

Although it was significantly less cold than the last time, you still shivered at the contact. You felt his lips brush against the skin, and you could barely feel the light kiss he pressed there, gone in an instant. So many thoughts and emotions were running through your mind at that moment. You mostly felt relieved, your feelings for the man no longer feeling so one-sided. Your mind was so loud, in fact, that you barely heard him mumble something against your skin. You realized that he was thanking you, and you responded with a confused noise.

“You saved my life today. Twice. I haven’t thanked you yet.”

“I wouldn’t’ve just left you, Charles. I couldn’t. I…” you trailed off, a confession ready to leave your lips. The bottle had cracked, its contents spilling out as you tried to damndest to keep it all contained. “If I remember correctly, you also saved me today. Nothin’ good would’ve happened if you weren’t there today.”

You felt him tense, an almost pained sound leaving him. “When I saw you like that… I don’t ever want to see that again.”

You moved back so that you could see him again, and you cupped the side of his face with your hand, relieved to find the skin significantly warmer than it was moments ago. “I’m alright. Thanks to you, I’m safe.” 

He relaxed slightly, but his eyes were filled with so much sadness that it had you frowning. “I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared before,” he whispered, resting his own hand atop yours. “The best thing in my life, and I almost lost it today.” Both of you seemed surprised by his words, but you didn’t let him backtrack.

“But you didn’t. You are the one who got that man off me, and showed him the error of his ways.”

He chuckled at that, but then another frown adorned his lips. “I didn’t… unsettle you, right? I… I saw your eyes widen after you called me off him. You’re not-”

“Never. I know you’d never hurt me.”

Relieved, you felt him go fully lax under your touch. His whole body had returned to a normal temperature, you noted, the heat under the blanket beginning to become sweltering. With your thumb, you stroked his cheek, feeling the raised skin of the scar across his cheek. He let go of your hand, moving it back to the ground to keep the two of you propped up as you leaned forward. The duvet fell slightly, exposing his shoulder to the air, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Keeping your hand on his cheek, your lips brushed the shell of his ear. “Although, I do think you looked rather beautiful.”

He practically shuddered, a pleased smile on your mouth as you leaned back again. Keeping only a few inches between your faces, you watched as his eyes flicked down to your lips before returning up. “Yeah?” You don’t think you’ve ever heard his voice so low.

You nodded, the fingers on his cheek moving to brush a few strands away from his face. His eyes were dark, pupils blown out but not because of the low light. “I always think you look beautiful,” you murmured. 

He hummed in response, and you felt the hand on your back creek up, resting at the nape of your neck. He didn’t pull you forward, he just held you. “Next to you, however, I imagine I look quite plain.”

“Oh, hush,” you chided while smiling. 

“I’m serious.” You felt him play with the hair at your neck, fingers running lightly through the strands. “It’s distracting, how beautiful you are. Whenever I walk into a room and you’re in there, you’re the first thing I look at, and I can never bring myself to look away. At night at camp, you look so at ease, the fire illuminates your face in a way that makes you look ethereal. I can do nothing but watch you, too stunned to speak. You plague every waking thought, and you haunt my dreams. You’ve unknowingly burrowed yourself into my heart, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

You were at a loss for words, your mouth moving but no words actually came out. Choosing to ignore the way your heart celebrated, you let out an airy chuckle. “I think that’s the longest I’ve ever heard you talk.” 

He laughed. “I can keep it short, if you’d like?”

“I didn’t mean that,” you scoffed. “What could possibly condense all that?”

Charles gave you a look, like he couldn’t believe you hadn’t caught on by now. A part of you knew what he was going to say, but you wouldn't believe it. You needed to hear it from his lips. The hand playing with your hair stilled, the only sound being the crackling fire behind you. 

“I’m in love with you.” 

He said it like it was the simplest thing ever, like it hadn’t just completely flipped your world upside down. He had taken your bottled up feelings and opened it himself. Taking your responding silence as a negative thing, you felt his hand fall slightly, a worried look crossing his face. You didn’t give him much time to worry, pulling him closer with the hand still cupping his face. Your foreheads connected, and your lips were almost brushing. “You mean it?” 

“Of course.”

“Well… for how long?”

“How long have I been with the gang?”

Surprised, you laughed lightly, and he visibly looked confused. “So this entire time, you felt the same way?”

It took a second for him to process your words, a wide grin appearing when he did. “I guess so.” He paused for a moment, and you felt him take a deep breath. “You love me?” He asked, his voice small and uncertain. 

You moved your face back an inch, giving you room to nod. “I do. For the same amount of time, too. I was too scared to say anythin’, I didn’t wanna ruin what we had. And I kinda thought I annoyed you to death,” you chuckled. “But if today reminded me of anythin’, it’s that this life is too unpredictable to have regrets.”

“Arthur gave you that lecture too?”

You rolled your eyes. Of course he didn't heed your warning about not playing matchmaker with you and Charles. But still, you might have to thank him later. “Despite what he claims, he’s a nosy bastard.”

He hummed in agreement, and a silence hung over the room, anticipation heavy in the air. With the lightest touch, you felt him bring you forward with the hand on the back of your head. “I wanna hear you say it,” you heard him ask. 

“I love you, darlin’.” Both hands now cupped his cheeks, and you hovered your lips above his. “Kiss me?”

“Gladly.” You felt his hand move to cradle your head, pulling you in the final distance until your lips were colliding. There was only a hint of chill left on his skin, easily melting away against your warm mouth.  His lips were soft, softer than you imagined, and you let out a pleased sigh. It was a surprisingly quick kiss, and you sucked in a breath when you felt him pull away, his eyes blown out. 

He was also panting, and his fingers wove into your hair, like he was grounding himself. Moving forward, you tried to reconnect your lips, but he moved his head so that your lips collided with his cheek instead. A jolt of panic shot through your body, thinking you horribly misread the situation. “I want… I want this,” he reassured. “But I want to make sure you want this. That you want… me.”

You’d never met a man like Charles Smith, and you’re sure you’d never meet another like him. Never, ever had you heard of or met a man explicitly asking for consent like this, and it got you more excited than you thought it would. “I’ve wanted this for a while now,” you admitted, resting your touch on the junction where his shoulders and neck met. “I’ve dreamed of a moment like this more times than I can count. I want you, Charles. I need-”

In a complete switch up, he crashed his lips against yours, muffling your words. If the first kiss had been gentle and hesitant, this one was hungry and confident, lips eagerly moving against yours. He was practically devouring you, like he couldn’t get enough of you. With every small noise that left you, he seemed to grow more bold, and you felt the fingers in your hair tug slightly. It didn’t hurt, but it caused your lips to part. Within seconds his tongue swept into your mouth, eager to explore you. 

The blanket had long since fallen off, bunched up on the ground surrounding the two of you. Pushing him lightly on his shoulders, you eased him on his back. Your hands planted on his chest when he made contact with the furs, your lips not separating for a moment. He was a pleasant temperature under your fingers, his skin surprisingly soft, just like his lips. You were straddling his waist now, your hands barely keeping you from laying your entire weight on the man. 

He had let go of your head, his hands moving to your waist to keep you secure. His grip was strong, but not enough to leave a mark. A part of you wanted him to, but you didn’t say anything. If he wanted you like you wanted him, then there would be a next time.

Rocking your hips, you felt a growing hardness barely separated by your thin undergarments. You felt him groan when you did so, and he tugged at your bottom lip with his teeth. When he moved his head away to suck in some air, your hands snaked back up his neck, nearly covering his ears. You’d thought your attempts at warming him up were fruitful, but when you felt how cold his ears were, you made a concerned noise, your lust temporarily forgotten. “Your ears are freezing…”

He looked like he couldn’t care less, but then a mischievous smile crossed his face. “You gonna warm them up, then?”

“What do you think I’m tryin’ to do?” You giggled, and you made sure that your hands fully covered them. You had easy access to his lips, and you gave him a quick kiss. 

“Not with your hands, my love.”

You smiled at the endearment, but his statement confused you. Cocking your head to the side, you moved your hands off his face, settling them back on his chest. “What-?”

You didn’t get to finish your question, the hands on your hips effortlessly pulling your up toward his face. Your knees now straddled the sides of his head, your thighs practically where your hands were, covering his ears. You looked down at him with wide eyes, a flush creeping up your neck at the implications. Surely he doesn't want that, right?

Charles let out a satisfied noise, and with his hands now on your thighs he eased you on to him. You let him, but you kept a few inches between his mouth and your body. He genuinely seemed upset by that, and you felt him press a quick kiss to the inside of your thigh, causing a shiver to run through your body.

“Please, let me taste you,” he pressed another kiss to the inside of your legs, this one closer to your aching center. If he moved any closer, he was bound to feel your wetness through the fabric. “I want you to fall apart on my face.”

You exhaled shakily. “You want to?” You asked, almost in disbelief. This man was unreal.

He nodded, the action causing his chin to brush against your center. “Let me make you feel good, my love.” When he pulled you down again, you didn’t keep any distance between the two of you. You felt him press a kiss to your clothed center, a smug grin on his face when he felt your arousal. He didn’t say anything, just pulling you down closer to his face until your legs were fully wrapped around his head, no space between the two of you. 

You felt his tongue flick out, simply tasting you through the damp fabric. He did it again, and again, and his hands tightened on your thighs. He was indirect with his tongue, but each swipe had you letting out small moans. A mix of his saliva and your arousal was causing the fabric to become even more wet; they were most certainly going to be wrecked. 

The small kitten-licks were nice, but you needed more. Charles knew this too, and you felt him work his fingers under the material of your undergarments, pulling them down your ass and thighs. It took some awkward maneuvering, but eventually the garment was off, being tossed somewhere to the side by you, leaving you in only your undershirt.

He wasted no time, pulling you back down onto his face with a growl. Parting you with a pass of his tongue, he let out a pleased noise, the vibrations shooting straight to your core. Charles was insatiable now, lapping and drinking you like you were the best goddamn meal he’s ever had. His eyes were hooded, drunk on you. When his broad strokes turned into concentrated flicks on your clit, you moaned loudly, your thighs turning vice-like around his head. 

It spurred him on, working your clit with markman’s accuracy, bringing you closer and closer to your climax in record time. You heard him groan something under you, and you let out a breathy sigh when you realized he was groaning your name over and over again.  

This entire time, you had kept your hands to yourself, but you were growing more and more desperate to touch him. Reaching down, your hands tangled in his hair, and then almost immediately releasing it like it burned you. For a second, you panicked, thinking yet again you crossed a line, which seemed to be a repeating event this evening. You knew his hair was an important part of his culture, and you would never forgive yourself if you did something to upset him.

Without even slowing down a beat, you felt him grab your hand, leading your back towards his head. He closed his eyes when he felt you weave your fingers through the locks, his hips bucking when you tugged slightly. 

You were getting close now, and you felt yourself moving against his face in time with his tongue. “Charles,” you whined, and he hummed in response. “I’m- I’m gettin’ close, darlin’,”

As you neared your release, you heard the sound of skin-on-skin from behind you. Turning around, you saw Charles stroking himself, getting off to eating you out. “Oh my God… Charles…” you breathed out, barely able to tear your eyes away from the beautiful sight behind you.

His eyes were hazy with lust as he peered up at you from between your legs, and you could feel yourself begin to tip over the edge. Sighing out his name, you felt him grin. Before you could even process it, he sucked on your clit, pushing you over that edge as you came hard on his face. You were crying out his name, but your voice sounded distant to your ears, temporarily out of your body as you orgasmed. Charles kept his tongue moving as you came, drawing out every bit of pleasure from your body.

It took you a few moments to recover, and the first thing you were able to hear was the obscene noise leaving Charles’ mouth as he drank in your release. Secondly, you realized you had a death-grip on Charles’ hair, and you quickly let go, and you tried to apologize, but your words were jumbled. He continued to lap at you, but it quickly became too much, your body beginning to feel overstimulated. You rolled off of him, being mindful of the fireplace even in your post-orgasmic haze.

Glancing over at Charles, you found him already watching you, just like he would do in camp. With a soft smile, you scooted closer until you were pressed into his side. He gave you his arm to la on, and you felt him kiss the top of your head. It was silent between the two of you, simply taking the moment to catch your breaths and recover. 

You couldn’t help looking down, though, having to stifle a gasp when you saw how big he actually was, having only gotten a glimpse of him early. He was going to feel good, but you knew you would be sore for a few days after. Not that you cared. 

Looking back up at him, you let your fingers trail up his chest, resting right above his heart. It was beating erratically, just like yours, and you heard him let out a noise when your fingers “accidently” brushed over his nipple. You heard him whine out your name, and you slowly sat up. You were able to see him clearer now, and he looked like a mess. His face was covered in your slick, glistening in the firelight, and his hair was all tousled from your fingers. But the best part was the pure bliss on his features.

It was almost comical, the way his eyes snapped open when you pulled off your shirt, exposing your chest to him. “You’ve got somethin’ on your face,” you tried to joke, but your voice was quite hoarse. You tossed your shirt at him, giving him something to wipe his mouth with. He merely set it to the side, unbothered with the mess. Propping himself up with an arm, he offered you his free hand, pulling you forward when you took it in yours.

You nearly fell right on top of him, your muscles pure jelly. Laughing, you were just able to get upright before he was kissing you. It was weird, tasting yourself on him, but you found you didn’t mind. You didn’t keep your lips on his for too long, moving down his jaw, then down his neck. You weren’t straddling his hips, so the positioning was a tad bit uncomfortable, but you didn’t care. 

Moving down further, you trailed kissed across his collarbones, then down his sternum, his breathing growing uneven as you went lower and lower. A hand now rested on the back of your head as you continued downward, reaching a patch of hair that started at his belly button. It surprised you, the rest of his body being relatively hairless, but you weren't complaining. In fact, you were imagining seeing it peek out from under his shirt as he stretched, his clothing riding up with his arms. Even though it was relatively innocent in the light of everything else the two of you were doing, it had you pressing your thighs together, trying to relieve the returning ache between them.

Following the happy trail, you ran your fingers through the hair as you adjusted closer to his member. His was achingly hard at this point, and his breathing stilled when you ghost your lips over the tip. Leaning over him, you flicked your tongue out, licking up the bead of precum. The hand and your head tightened into a ball, and you could tell he was fighting every urge to buck himself down your throat. Next time, you thought. 

Moving down further so that you sat between his legs, you spit into your hand before you grasped him. He was velvety soft as you slowly began to stroke him, a mix of your name and a moan leaving his lips as you did so. With heavy eyes and part lips, he watched you pleasure him. “You feel so good in my hand,” you murmured, “butI think you’ll feel even better in me, no?”

His response was slightly incoherent, but you could tell he was agreeing with you. “In a second, darlin’. I wanna taste you, too.”

“You don’t need to do that.” Charles found his voice again, although it sounded very strained.

“But I want to. Don’t make me beg for it.” You weren’t really intended to suggest anything, but the look on Charles’ face at your comment had you grinning. “Unless you want me to?”

“I-” he was stunned, but you could tell he was imagining it, and liking it. 

“Please, darlin’, let me suck your cock,” you fluttered your lashes at him. “I bet you taste so good… just let me taste you, please. I need it so bad, darlin’. I need your cock-”

“Fuck, you’re gonna be the death of me.” Charles cursed, which was more arousing than you thought it would be. “Yeah, go ahead, my love.”

Pressing one last kiss to the tip, you flattened your tongue and ran it up his length, and you heard him moan. You did it a few times, receiving a similar reaction each time. Eventually, you slowly took the tip of him into your mouth, swirling your tongue around while doing so. Taking more and more of him into your mouth, you were only able to take him halfway before he was pressing against the back of your throat, and you relaxed as best you could, not wanting to trigger your gag reflex.

Taking the rest of him in your hand, you began to bob your head up and down. Hollowing your cheeks until you reached the tip of him, you then ran your tongue across the slit, before moving back down his length, keeping your tongue flat. You repeated this action for a while, falling into an easy rhythm. You felt him buck up a few times, but other than that he kept his hips relatively still, letting you have your way with him. His hand didn’t push you further down him, he just simply held you, moving back the hairs that tried to fall in your face. 

You heard him moan out your name, and you groaned. “You feel so good, my love,” he praised. His words turned into a surprised moan, whe, with your free hand, started moving slowly up his thigh, moving inward until you brushed against his balls. He nearly jumped with the contact, causing his cock to go further down your throat than you'd like, causing you to rear back coughing. 

Immediately, he was apologizing. His hand was now on your cheek, wiping away the spit around your mouth as you recovered. “Are you alright?” He asked, and you nodded, not trusting your voice at that second. You could tell that he still felt bad, and you pressed a kiss to the inside of his wrist. 

“I’m alright,” you managed to get out, and you cleared your throat some more. “Just caught me off guard, that’s all.”

“So did you, touching me like that” he teased, his earlier concerns dissipating when he saw that you truly were okay. “I wasn’t gonna last long even before you did that.” Pulling you up to him, he kissed you, and you finally straddled his waist, his cock resting between your bodies. 

You weren’t given much time to savor his lips before your world was quite literally turning as he flipped you on to your back. The furs nestled nicely against your skin, and you locked your legs around Charles’ waist, grinding yourself against his member. His head fell against your chest, and you felt him brush feather-light kisses across your skin, much like you did. But a new eagerness had overtaken you, and you grinded again against him, and you felt him chuckle. “Patience, my love.”

“I’ve waited long enough, Charles. I need you in me.”

“You think you’re ready for me?” If those words came out of any other man, you would’ve laughed at the arrogance those words held. But you knew it came out of a place of genuine concern for your wellbeing, scared of hurting you. He was large, and you knew that it was probably going to hurt when he entered you, but your lust fueled brain did not care. You need him in you now, consequences be damned.

“Please,” you whispered, and he adjusted so that his face was level with yours. 

“Alright, but if at any point-”

Kissing him quickly, you smiled at him, brushing back a long strand of hair that fell in his face. “I will. I trust you. Now,” you kissed him again, “fuck me.”

He didn’t respond, pressing a kiss against the tip of your nose before you felt him press into you. He kept his eyes on your face, gauging your reaction as he slowly entered you. The initial breach was always the worst part, and you couldn’t help the slight grimace that crossed your features as he breached your entrance. He halted, but you urged him further by pressing your heels into his back. 

The stretch was unlike anything else you’d ever felt, satiating a need you didn’t know you had. Tangling your hands in his hair, you pulled your face against yours, resting your foreheads together. “God, you feel so good,” you panted as he pressed himself deeper into you. You were certain that he was going to ruin you for any other man. 

Hearing him chuckle made you realize you said that last part aloud. “After this, you’re stuck with me, my love.”

Because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut, and you were curious to see how deep his possessive side went, you pushed further. “Am I now?” Yes. 

For a second, it seemed like Charles couldn’t tell that you were teasing, but when he saw the playful glint in your eye he played along. “Do you think anyone else could make you feel like this?”

He was nearly fully sheathed in you, and you fought the urge to just pull him the rest of the way into you “I dunno. If I remember right, I asked you to fuck me. It sure don’t feel like you’re doin’ that.”

Finally, he was fully in you, your hips flushed together. You both let out content moans, and Charles gave you a moment to adjust. “You want me to fuck you?” He confirmed, and the words sounded even filthier coming from his mouth. 

“If you don’t, I’ll find someone who will.” 

Letting out something akin to a growl, he pulled out of you quickly, leaving only the tip in before he was slamming back into you, hands gripping your hips tightly. He set a brutal pace, and your head rolled back, your moans and cries filling the air. With the way your head was, it caused your back to arch, meaning your breasts were right in his face. With zero hesitation, he took one into his mouth, sucking and toying with the nipple in his mouth. Releasing it, he switched to the other one, making sure to give both apt attention. 

Tugging at his hair, you brought his attention upwards. Smashing your lips against his, your kiss was open-mouth and messy, more tongue and teeth than anything. His hips were snapping against yours, incessant as he pounded into you. 

“Yes! Charles,” you wailed, tearing your lips away from his to do so. He kept his lips busy, nipping and kissing the skin at your jaw and neck. A particularly hard bite had you gasping, and you felt him smirk against your skin. Your senses were completely overwhelmed in the best way; all that you could register was him, the way he felt, the way he tasted, the way he looked. 

He leaned over you now, broad arms caging your head in. His dark hair fell in waves around him, blocking out any other visual in the room. All you could do was look at him, and he was a sight for sore eyes. Color had long since returned to his cheeks, the skin there darkening with exertion. His eyes were locked on to you, dancing around your face and chest like he couldn’t quite figure out what he wanted to look at. His plush lips were parted, soft gasps of air leaving him with each thrust.

Another snap of his hips had you grasping at his back and shoulders, pleasuring washing over you as another orgasm began to build up. Your nails dug into his skin, no doubt leaving marks, but it didn’t seem to deter him. In fact, he let out a low moan, and it had your cunt clenching around his cock. 

Babbling his name, your nails ran down his back, leaving in its wake angry red lines. “You feel so good… like you were made for me.”

“My love…” he sighed, and one of the hands at the side of your head cupped your face,  bringing you right to his lips. His length was reaching places in you that you didn’t know existed, filling you deep and hard, just like you wanted. You were going to become addicted to him. 

“I’m so close, Charles…” Releasing one of his shoulders, you snaked your hand between your bodies, moving to start touching yourself. You weren’t expecting him to quickly grasp your wrist, bringing it out of the way and replacing your hand with his much larger one. He began to rub at your clit, slow circular movements that juxtaposed the fast in-and-out of his cock. His ministrations had you seeing stars, and you felt yourself reaching completion again that night. 

“Charles, I-”

“I know. Let me feel you fall apart.” He pressed a quick kiss to your lips.

His slow movements turned rapid, groaning when he felt you clench around him. With a cry of his name, you came, pleasure rolling over you in waves. This one was stronger than the first, feeling like every nerve in your body had been set aflame. Your eyes rolled back, the world temporarily turning dark as your eyelids shut. He kept his eyes on you the entire time, a reverent look in his gaze. With the way your walls were fluttering around him, and the quickened pace of his hips, you knew that he wasn’t going to last much longer either.

His arms went back around your head, continuing to move as he chased his own release. You heard him gasp out, quickly pulling out of you, and you let out a discontent noise as he no longer filled you. He stroked himself a few times, hand moving fervently up and down his length. If you weren’t so fucked out of your mind, you would’ve had taken him in your hand yourself, wanting to feel him as well. Moaning your name, you watched as he came, his release spilling over your stomach. His hips canted forward a few times as he worked through the aftershocks of his orgasm.

You loosened your legs that were wrapped around his waist, and silence hung over the two of you as you both processed what just happened. A small laugh left you, breaking the trance, and you saw him smile back at you, mirroring his laughter with his own. You watched him grab the blanket that was still bundled up on the floor, and he tore off a section of it, the sound of fabric ripping startling you slightly. 

Wiping his release from your skin, he tossed the soiled cloth to some corner of the room. It’s not like this was your place, anyways. Opening your arms, you invited him to lay with you, and he gladly accepted. He was careful to keep his full weight off of you, but he still lay partially on top of you, his head resting on your chest. It was comforting, and you felt yourself begin to grow a bit sleepy. “Are you warm yet?” You teased, running your fingers soothingly through his hair, and you felt his chest rumble with laughter.

“I think so,” he responded, bringing the blanket around your bodies. The fire was starting to die down, but neither of you moved to add fuel to it. He murmured something, and you gave an inquisitive sound. “I love you,” he repeated, his brown eyes filled with emotion as he stared up at you.

“I love you, too.”

He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but he quickly shut it. “What is it?” You asked, and he sighed, his warm breath tickling you.

“Does that mean you’ll stay?”

In all honesty, you had completely forgotten about your earlier conversation. The vulnerability in his voice had your eyes watering, and it didn’t take much thinking to reach your answer. Sure, you were scared for the future of the gang, and you were scared that with each passing day you’d find yourself closer and closer to finding your end at a rope or a barrel, but none of those fears mattered, not anymore. Not when you finally had all that you wanted in your arms. And who knows, maybe you’d end up leaving in time, but you knew you wouldn’t be leaving alone.

“Yeah, I’ll stay. Besides, you still owe me a date.”

His responding smile solidified that you had made the right decision. Whatever the future held, you knew it would be easier with Charles by your side.

#charles smith #charles smith rdr2 #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #charles smith x reader

[glenechoslasher]

"Silver Lining" ||

Charles Smith x GN!Reader

Rating: None

Length: 2.5k

A/N: I had the idea run in my head after a friend told me about it storming where they live, which a little fic popped into my brain, and I do have an idea for a second part if anyone shows interest~

But I adore Charles and think he deserves the world. This is my first time ever writing for him, so I hope I did some justice!

Summary: You were separated from your father while on a business run, and now you're stranded with no way home and soaked from the raging storm. A stranger approaches you and offers his hand, and when you take it, you find a new friend.

The only thing that made today even worse was the steady rumble of the storm that was rolling in toward your direction. Of course, why wouldn't it start storming soon? You felt the chill of the air hit your skin, the leaves in the trees slowly began to wave gently, and then their dance became panicked. The clouds ahead rolled in, deep, grey, and heavy. You tried to find shelter quickly before you felt the gentle, cold raindrops begin to fall, but there was none around for miles, and you had no clue. 

You'd run for a cluster of trees and figured that the grouping of leaves and branches would save you somehow, which was true for the moment, but as soon as the heavier clouds slowly made their way overhead, you knew you were doomed. Your entire outfit was soaked, the jacket you had that was draped over your head barely kept the water from getting into your face, it just dripped right through the fabric. You let out a frustrated groan as the rain hid your tears, but you wiped them away angrily and figured you'd just wait till the storm passed. 

If the thought of asking strangers for help didn't terrify you, you would have been waving your arms frantically so you could have been seen sooner, but you remained hidden among the trees for now. You figured you could wait it out and see what would happen from there, only problem was that it wasn't letting up. 

Over an hour passed and you were feeling as miserable as a wet cat in a burlap sack, and there had barely been anyone on the roads to flag down in the first place. You sniffled and wished that you weren't so nervous, you felt defeated.

What you didn't hear was the sound of hoofbeats approaching, the thunder drowned that out completely, instead, you had your arms wrapped around your legs as you lowered your head, wishing the rain would stop just for a little while. 

The man on his horse rode as fast as he could to try and get back to his camp, he had been just caught out in the storm coming back from an errand he had to run for Dutch, so if he timed it right, he could get back before it really got too unbearable. His horse, Taima, was sprinting fast since she didn't want to be out in this weather either, the man couldn't blame her. He was almost so set on getting back that he barely saw you, a brief blur in his peripheral, but he managed to spot you.

He pulled on Taima's reigns and she chuffed in response, wondering why they were both slowing down, but she trotted where she was needed. The horse trotted right up to you as you shivered from the cold, and you looked up in curiosity. 

“Are you alright?” The man asked you, looking down with wet hair plastered to his face. He was large, bulky, like he could punch a man once and he'd be out of commission for a week. “Are you hurt?” 

You looked up from him and stared for a second, wondering if it was your imagination conjuring a savior of some kind or if it truly was someone there to save you. “Hello, I uh, I’m cold… and lost.”

The man then hopped down from his horse and crouched under the leaves with you, checking to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. “Hmm. You seem unhurt, so that's good. Where do you stay? I could give you a ride back.”

You're shivering as you look up at him, wondering how far you'd gotten from home. “I live near Emerald Station on Emerald Ranch, you know where it is?”

“That's quite a ride from here, how'd you end up all the way out here?” 

You looked ashamed, but he didn't press any further, instead, he reached for your hand. “Come on, I'll get you home, okay?” 

You just smiled up at him and nodded, then grabbed his hand. He was so warm despite the rain still pouring down, and you wished you could retain some of the heat he was giving off, it felt wonderful. He assisted you onto his horse, but instead of sitting on the back, he made sure to sit you in the front, that way his arms could envelop you and give you some of his body heat. 

“I hope you don't mind, this way you can keep some warmth,” he explained as he settled in on the saddle. 

You tried to get as comfortable as you could, but it didn't matter, the heat was the most important. You clung to his arms and snuggled back against his chest, shaking like mad as you braced yourself for the ride. “This will work, thank you,” you sighed in contentment, already feeling safer with this man as your teeth chattered.

“I'm Charles,” he said as he snapped the reigns of his horse, and now you were on your way back home.

It was embarrassing really, how you ended up all the way out here on your own, far from Emerald Ranch. You and your father had taken a long ride out for a business venture just outside of Rhodes, and of course, you wandered a tad too far from the wagon, interested in the beautiful nature that surrounded you. When you had been far too invested in following a small group of foxes, there was a commotion and gunfire, so you ran. Of course, you ran, you wanted to stay safe. You heard your father shouting for you to hide, all you heard was his voice and gunfire. 

You wished he was okay…

The sharp cold from the rain began to sting as soon as you felt the sliver of warmth from Charles, but you tried not to let it affect you too much, you just had to hope that you would be home and your father would be alright. You were so lost in thought that you weren’t sure if the man had spoken at all or if you had been imagining it, but when he cleared his throat, you looked up at him in confusion.

“Did…you say something? I’m sorry, I was thinking…” you explained timidly.

The man looked down at you ever so slightly to check on you, and you caught a glimpse of the scar that adorned his cheek, but you said nothing about it aloud. You were curious how he got it, but you had no place to ask such things, nor would you have that courage. “I was just asking you if you were hurt at all, or if you could remember what happened.”

“Oh, um, I got lost, separated from my father. I don’t know if he’s alive…” Saying it out loud made it too real, you wanted to cry with how your entire body felt as if you were riding waves. 

Charles continued to ride down the path, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary or Lemoyne Raiders, which had become a larger problem as of late. “Well, do you remember how you got separated?” He asked you, hoping you could give him something to work with so he could help, considering he could track fairly well. 

Your eyes darted down and watched as his hands held onto the reigns, you committed the lines, the scars, and the contours by memory as you sat there between the horse and his chest. “I think… something happened with his business proposal he had with some men, maybe some bounty hunters or gang members… I dunno, I wandered off and got separated before I heard the gunshots.”

Charles listened and continued to guide Taima, finally crossing into New Hanover territory, but there was still quite a ways to go, and the rain was slowly but surely mellowing as you both continued to ride. Maybe asking you what happened wasn’t such a great idea, despite wanting to reunite you with your father, maybe you required more of a distraction than recalling painful memories. 

“Emerald Ranch is a nice open area, you lived there long?” 

You were thankful for the topic change as you wiped away the tears and rain that fell against your face. “Yeah, my whole life so far, it’s quiet mostly, never really get a lot of nonsense there. I get to watch the deer and wild horses a lot,” you said as you took in the scenery around you. Despite the circumstances, you thought that it was a beautiful area.

A small smile played at his lips. “So you like nature, I'm assuming?”

“Mhm, watching the wild horses is my favorite thing when I get to sit alone in the fields, it's peaceful.”

“I like nature as well, I track a lot of animals and you get to see all sorts of creatures and places you never really expect.”

“How far have you been here, you know, in the country?” 

“Well, Colter has been the coldest and farthest up I've been, the mountains are no joke.” 

You thought of how beautiful the snow looked across the mountains, wondering just how cold it was out there, and just what types of animals inhabited the snowy hills. “That is pretty far,” you pointed out with a small smile.

Charles nodded and made a content hum, wondering if he should tell you about the interesting creatures he saw while he was stranded in the mountains mere months ago, but he had wondered if this conversation was stimulating enough for you, that is until you spoke up again. 

“What kind of animals are up there? I heard there’s a rare bison that’s seen around there, its fur is pure white.” You had heard stories around the states that there were legendary, rare animals that were scattered all around, most of their coats being a pure snowy white or a rare pattern.

Charles was impressed with your knowledge of things surrounding that nature, but he was also interested in spotting some of the rare creatures on his own time. “I  believe you’re right, I have a friend who goes hunting regularly to help feed our camp, and he says there are rare animals scattered across the states.”

Your eyes brightened at the mention of it and wondered just how many there were out in the world, you were curious to know if there were even any nearby, so maybe once you were home safe and sound, you could ask around. The silence between you two wasn’t uncomfortable in the slightest, but you felt that he was a man who didn’t say much, kept his cards close, which you didn’t mind. You weren’t exactly dissimilar to the man who saved you, always feeling that your feelings and thoughts shouldn’t be overshared, you never knew who would use that against you. 

You could finally see the outskirts of the ranch as you rode closer, your chest tightened, hoping you could see your father's wagon, but maybe he’d gotten home some other way. Or what if he wasn’t home at all? What if something-

“We’re just about there,” Charles said, snapping you out of your daze. “Which house is it? I’ll make sure you get there.” He slowed Taima down to a trot as he entered the grounds of the ranch, and you pointed.

“There, that larger house in the center, to the right.” You were still in his arms now, wondering if you’d get home to your worried mother, already seeing her face brighten when she laid her eyes upon you, but that smile faded when your father was nowhere in sight. What would you tell her? HOW could you tell her? 

Charles stopped his horse and he patted your shoulder gently, then grabbed your hand as you slowly hopped down. He then proceeded to jump down beside you and wrap an arm around your shoulders, walking you straight up to the door. “Are you going to be okay?” He asked in his gentle tone, looking over at you with an unreadable expression. 

When you froze at the door, not reaching for the handle, you looked up at him with worry etched into your features. “I’m not sure… I don’t know if my father is here, or alive for that matter…”

“I can keep a look out-”

The door swung open, revealing your disheveled father looking like a sopping wet cat, but his face conveyed all the love in the world when you stood there. “Oh, sweetheart! You’re alive! I can’t believe what happened, oh-” Your father threw his arms around you and almost sobbed against you.

You stood there in complete surprise, but that heaviness lifted as soon as you realized this wasn’t a cruel trick. Your arms wrapped around your father and squeezed so tight that you thought he’d pop. “Dad, I… I thought something happened…” You sighed in relief and then looked back at Charles, who was beginning to walk away. You pulled away from your father and reached out, touching Charles’s shoulder. “Wait.”

He turned to look at you and offered a quizzical look. “Are you alright?”

“Well, er, yes, but please,” you began as you began to dig through your pocket, then you pulled out a few crumpled bills that were soaked. “Er, sorry, but please, this is all I have and I want you to have this.”

Charles shook his head with a small smile. “No, that’s quite alright, you keep it.” He grabbed your hand and curled your fingers back around the bills, his large hand encasing yours. 

“But, I insist you take it for the trouble.”

He just smiled a little wider. “Trust me, it was no trouble at all. You stay safe, okay?” He placed a hand gently on your shoulder to express how much he appreciated your kindness. 

He was kind, and selfless, and could have probably used the cash to help himself. Instead, he just refused it and just wanted to see you safe. In a moment of weakness, you did the same as you did with your father and hugged the larger man, thankful that he came to your rescue. You smiled as you squeezed him, and slowly but surely, his arms wrapped around you and he stroked your shoulders gently.

You told him your name and your smile only grew. “Can I see you again?” You asked him with a sudden urgency, hoping to repay his kindness later on. 

“Thank you, Charles…”

“You’re welcome, oh, I never caught your name.” He pulled away and looked down at you, your eyes shining with happiness as you flashed him a smile. 

He was taken aback by this question, unsure of how to really answer, mostly because he never knew what would happen with Dutch and the camp, he didn’t want to make promises he couldn’t keep. But when Charles looked down at you and you just looked at him so fervently that it was as if he couldn’t say no, even if he wanted to.

“Of course, I would like that very much.” 

#tinalbion writings #charles smith #charles smith rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #charles smith drabble #charles smith writing #writing drabble #red dead redemption 2 charles smith #red dead writings #charles smith x you #charles smith x reader #gender neutral reader #fluff #slight angst if you squint

[cowboyfromh3ll]

Now it's a request (a bad one I guess?)

Charles Smith x gn!reader (or whatever gender you'd like)

Reader being someone very shy who spends a lot of time with Charles (learning to make arrows, hunting or just being around each other) but is embarrassed to ask him out until he decides it's time to try

(Sorry, this is a really bad request, creativity isn't my strong suit)

Flint and Cedar

(Charles Smith x GN!Reader)

No request is a bad request

Warnings: none

In the summertime, when the sun was high in the sky, various members of the gang would occupy themselves with jobs. Not that it ever stopped in the colder months, it was just much more bearable now. Train and bank robberies, sniffing for leads like Dutch’s hounds, bounty hunting, homestead robbing, anything that would bring the gang money. Yet you took a much more domestic approach. You preferred staying at camp, yet seldom integrated yourself with the camp girls. You did not seek the company of Kieran, Uncle, Reverend, or any of the other homebodies (Not to say that they didn’t try to occasionally speak to you). You would on occasion engage in conversation with the others, but it was evasive and short-lived.

Instead, you found your company in knapping away at stones, striking rocks at one another and using the compression to angle and shape the points of arrows. You would sew day after day, endlessly, ripping apart old shirts, skirts, dresses, and trousers to remake them into new clothes. You’d learned to can every fruit you could scourge. You'd raise and feed chickens, carry around sacks of food, and of course, hunt. This was your company.

And of course, Charles Smith, who taught you most everything you know.

Charles did not force you to talk, he did not demand a conversation, nor did he immediately expect you to have a heart-to-heart with him about why you were so withdrawn, if at all (As others usually badgered you about.). Charles himself was a reserved and quiet man, he kept to his own devices, he did not put up a facade, and he was good company all the same. And in your friendship, he was usually the first one to say anything.

Your first actual interaction consisted of you staring off from where you sat by your tent, looking curiously at what Charles was doing. You watched him repeat the same pattern of percussion and striking in order to form the flint in his hand. His strong hands held the stones, and you watched as the muscles and tendons in his arms and hands tensed as he struck the stones. You hadn’t been aware of how far forward you were leaning until the jagged edge of the box you were sitting on began to poke into your thigh. He noticed your engrossment in what he was doing, but did not think it was silly.

“I’m making arrows, why don’t you come on over. I’ll teach you.” He set what he was doing down and motioned for you to come over, patting the crate next to him. Your back straightened in surprise of being noticed, and you became hyper aware of your every moment as self consciousness invaded your mind. You looked around then back at him before pointing at yourself.

Charles couldn’t help but laugh, which made you visibly blush out of embarrassment.

“Yes, you, don’t be shy.”

Charles did not know that asking that of you was like asking Sean to actually do a job around camp. You softly set down your fabrics and needles, giving them a pat before walking on over to Charles. There was hesitation in the way you sat down, still second guessing whether or not he was actually talking to you. He handed you a flintstone tenderly, a gentleness in his hands that you found oddly comforting. You studied the stone in your hand, noticing one end of it was already jagged and sharp. Before long, he handed you another stone, a different type of stone.

“Here, you’re supposed to hold the flint while striking it with the other stone. But you gotta make sure you angle it right so it gets a nice pointed end.” He explained. He reached for one of the arrow heads and held it up for you to see. “See? It’ll take a bit but you’ve just got to have patience.”

You nodded in understanding, leaning over your own lap as you attempted to chip away at the flint. As chips of it began flying all over your trousers, frustration was evident in your face. You struck it particularly hard, subsequently splitting the stone in half. You sighed, your entire face burning in embarrassment and you wished the earth would open up beneath you and swallow you.

“Sorry..” You muttered. Charles shook his head, but it was not out of disapproval. He cupped his hands beneath yours, allowing you to deposit the stones into his. His hands dwarfed yours, and you could not help but blush from it, deepening the red on your face. The entire time he taught you, not once did you feel patronized by him.

“No worries, we can try again.”

Since then, you began to spend more and more time with Charles. Being around him, you had never felt more understood. It was as if your innermost thoughts and feelings that you believed no one else could commiserate or understand were part of some shared quota between you and Charles. At first, a part of you felt intimately invaded and you shied away, another part of you welcomed the intrusion into your personal life. Yet it never felt like an intrusion.

You soon began sharing the same smoothness in your hands as Charles from handling the stones. And the fondness in your heart for him began to grow as well, yet you could not ever imagine telling him how you feel. The conversations you two shared would increase in intimacy, as you two began to share more and more details of your lives with one another. You learned about his past, and through that, he was able to share many more of the things he learned with you. He taught you to make all kinds of arrows, how to poison knives, how to make bait. And your favorite, he took you on hunting trips.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Charles watched you draw the string of the bow back, your arm trembling from the prolonged force as you attempted to steady yourself and aim at your target's head.

“Steady now.” He whispered behind you. But you swore you could feel his breath on your ear, his hands ghosting around your waist as he attempted to get a good look at the animal for you. You choked on air as you lost concentration, his proximity sending riveting shivers up your spine. You released the arrow involuntarily, partially from surprise and the other from exhaustion, and sent your arrow head spearing into a cedar tree instead of the head of the rabbit you intended to kill.

“Gosh! Charles!” You turned your head away, blushing.

“I’m sorry, perhaps I was being overbearing.” He apologized. You shook your head in response, attempting to hide your blush.

“You were a little close is all..” You mumbled. You set your bow down against the tree and slumped against it. “It’s been I don’t know how long and I haven’t been able to catch anything..” You sighed shamefully. You were usually decent at hunting. Probably not as good as Charles, but decent. You never felt a sense of inferiority before, yet lately you did feel an urge to impress him. There was never an underlying tone of competition between you, but there was this thought you had in your head that it had to be enough for him. No matter what you did.

He kneeled down to your level and shook his head.

“(Name), it’s okay. If you don’t catch anything today we can always try again tomorrow.” He gave you a reassuring smile and a nod, one you were barely able to return. He patted your shoulder and gave it a squeeze, letting his hand linger and drift down your arm slightly as he retracted it. A small, easy to miss gesture, but one you promptly picked up on.

Unbeknownst to anyone else, you fancied Charles. It’s not like you ever spoke to anyone around camp about things beyond surface level. You definitely didn’t tell Charles these feelings, and you didn’t have family to write to. So for the first time in a long time, you felt alone with your feelings. And you hated that. Ever since Charles lended you his company you never felt alone. You shared everything with him after all, and to be unable to do so made you feel frustrated and boxed in.

Charles chuckled to himself. “You have that look on your face.”

“What face?” You asked in confusion, perhaps sounding a little harsh. Yet he took no offense.

“When you’re frustrated, you make a face. You scrunch up your nose and eyebrows.” He sat down next to you as you spoke. Your face softened when you realized he was right, the tension in your face evaporating. You looked at each other with a shared warmheartedness as a moment of silence befell you both. That look said all the things you two did not say to each other, and despite that shared yet subtle understanding of tenderness in your feelings for one another, you two remained oblivious to it.

“You’ve been real worked up lately.” He began. He reached into his satchel and undid a cloth containing jerky. He offered the jerky out to you and waited for you to pick a piece. You took a piece, timidly chewing on a corner of the tough meat, not quite biting anything off. You struggled to even look Charles in the eyes anymore.

“A little… I don't know why.” You said briefly. It was fleeting, hasty, and all the things that signified to Charles that you didn’t want to talk about something. Normally he would wait for you to actually warm up to him and tell him on your own terms, but this felt different. Like he had to do something.

Another moment of silence befell you both, the serene yet lively noises of the wood providing you two company. It felt more awkward this time though, the air taut and heavy. The both of you shifted around a little, and in the moments you glanced at Charles you noticed him looking around in thought, opening his mouth slightly to try and start some sort of sentence. You became even more aware of the space you took up, and your heart rate picked up when you realized your leg was touching his. Yet neither of you moved away. Neither of you wanted to move away.

“Say, (Name),” He began, fiddling with the piece of jerky in his lap now. “Do you want to uh, go into Saint Denis with me sometime?”

You looked up in confusion. To your knowledge, Saint Denis was heavily industrialized and far east. And both you and Charles spent your time working outside. So what usefulness could you possibly find there.

“For what?” You asked bluntly in your obliviousness. “Do you need something? Why can’t we go into Valentine? It’s super close to camp, y'know.”

Charles swore he could facepalm, but he made an effort not to, he didn’t want to make you feel stupid for not understanding his proposition.

“I meant, we could do something special.” His voice faltered a little at the end and he cleared his throat. You swore you could see a hint of blush on his cheeks. It took you a moment to realize what he actually meant, but when you did, a timid smile made its way onto your face.

“Oh.” You giggled, looking off again. You suddenly felt jittery as you hugged your knees up to your chest. You dared to look back at him, the two of you looking absolutely smitten, pure adoration written all over your faces.

You knew Charles. And he knew you. And that wasn’t something you could say about anyone else.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I feel like I really amped up the subtlety in romance in this one and I'm sorry if that's not what you wanted ToT I thought it'd be more fitting since both reader and Charles are more reserved and scared to be too direct.

#red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption 2 x reader #van der linde gang x reader #red dead fandom #writing #charles smith #charles smith x reader #fluff #charles smith fluff #red dead redemption fluff

[outlawwithaheart]

Outlaw's Masterlist :)

Asks open :) Feel free to ask for Headcannons, or oneshots! I do fluff, or smut (I don't write anything violent, if you want specifics you can ask anonymously if you want <3)

Arthur Morgan💗

General Relationship Headcannons (pt. 1)

General Relationship Headcannons (pt. 2)

How Clingy are the RDR2 Boys? (HCs)

Charles Smith💕

General Relationship Headcannons

NSFW Headcannons

Charles x Reader Oneshot (GN! Reader)

How Clingy are the RDR2 Boys? (HCs)

Charles x Virgin! Reader (NSFW HCs)

Micah Bell💛

Micah x Reader (Oneshot)

Micah during pregnancy, and as a father (HCs)

How Clingy are the RDR2 Boys? (HCs)

Javier Escuella💜

Javier Escuella Relationship Headcannons

Javier Escuella Fluff Headcannons

How Clingy are the RDR2 Boys? (HCs)

Sean MacGuire

Sean MacGuire General Relationship HCs

Modern! Sean x Reader (smut, oneshot)

How Clingy are the RDR2 Boys? (HCs)

Hosea Matthews ❣️

Hosea as a Dad to a Young Adult!Reader (HCs)

Kerian Duffy💕💗💕💗💕

General Headcannons for Keiran

Bill Williamson 💙

How Clingy are the RDR2 Boys? (HCs)

Dutch Van Der Linde ❤️

How Clingy are the RDR2 Boys? (HCs)

John Marston🖤

How Clingy are the RDR2 Boys? (HCs)

#rdr2 x reader #rdr2 fanfic #rdr2 fanfiction #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan x reader #charles smith x reader #micah x reader #red dead redemption x reader #sean macguire x reader #john marston x reader #javier escuella headcannons #javier escuella rdr2 #javier escuella x reader

[vanderlesbian]

rdr2 x autistic reader headcanons

saw someone else do this but i wanted to give my headcanons too! enjoy tehe... includes arthur, john, dutch, and charles!

gn!reader + no warnings / fluff

arthur morgan

arthur is so patient and understanding with you

from the moment you met him, you never felt the need to mask around him because he never questioned your behaviors or belittled you for them

if any problems ever arised, arthur would always be quick to come to your defense

hes very careful with you; he handles you like he's holding a butterly. not because he thinks youre fragile or incapable, but because he cares for you too much and never wants to hurt you

he also knows that youre sensitive to things and will take mental notes

if he sees that you cover your ears when something loud happens, he'll be sure to be quiet around you

if you express that you don't like how a certain food feels, he'll start bringing other options along to make sure you're eating

he's not very good at being upfront with his emotions, and you can't always catch onto his hints which ends up with you being confused

but he's trying to break that habit

all in all he's a very understanding partner who prioritizes you above all

john marston

lets be real john is also autistic

youre both very understanding of each others needs and its nice to be able to completely be yourself around your partner

in a relationship he can be very touchy sometimes, but he can recognize when you dont want to be touched. if hes unsure, he'll ask

he will wait or ask for permission to do pretty much anything

"can i kiss you?" "can i hug you?" "is it alright if we hold hands?"

hes definitely awkward but he just needs the confirmation

he is veryyy blunt but to you its a good thing

it makes me feel like neither of you have to worry about if the other is beating around the bush or something because both of you say whats on your mind LOL

both of you are trying to figure out this relationship thing together

from an outside perspective, people might think the two of you are moving really slow, but for both of you its a perfect pace

dutch van der linde

dutch is your biggest fan when you start infodumping

he will listen to you speak about whatever for days on end, and you'll do the same with him as he talks about whatever philosophical tangent he has for the day

hes so infatuated with you its crazy

you will finish your infodumping tangent and he will scoop you up in his arms and go,"you're so beautiful/handsome, you know that?"

like oookaaayyy huhehehehehhehhshsh

he will SPOIL you with things related to your special interest. anything he sees that he knows you'll like, he'll snatch it up so quick to give it to you

he'll definitely boast about you to the other members

"they're so INTELLIGENT and HARD WORKING...perhaps the rest of you should take a note or two"

he lets you fidget with his fingers because you like his rings

he makes sure that your shared tent is perfectly up to your standards

the feeling of the blanket overwhelms you? suddenly hes sending arthur out to fetch a new one

he definitely pampers you a lot and sometimes it might feel suffocating at times but not bc you dislike it, you just need a moment to recharge

you'll tell him you need a moment to yourself and he'll oblige

charles smith

the two of you love parallel play omg

you two will be completely silent while he makes arrows and you partake in one of your hobbies but its so comforting to both of you

charles will always be the first to notice when you start to get overstimulated, so he'll tell the others to quiet down, give you space, or whatever else you need to calm yourself

hes kind of overprotective of you, so sometimes you'll have to reassure him that youre fine

he just cares about you more than anything

now that im thinking about it charles is also probably autistic

he's usually very quiet but with you he'll never shut up because he knows that you'll listen and show genuine interest

he will craft things for you to fidget with omfg

he'll notice that youre very antsy with your hands or legs and one day you'll come back to your tent and see a small handmade doll sitting on your bed

"did you make this for me?"

"i noticed you play with your fingers a lot"

he's genuinely the sweetest ever and he will just have heart eyes for you all the time

#first post hi #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption #rdr2 #rdr #dutch van der linde #arthur morgan #john marston #charles smith #hosea matthews #javier escuella #sean macguire #x reader #headcanon #headcanons #autistic #autism #imagine #fluff #gender neutral reader

[arthurthethird]

Start of troubles

Rdr2 x gn!reader

Part 4/???

Pt 1, Pt2, Pt3

(A/N) I'm back again! Sorry it took so long. I'll try not to leave it with a cliffhanger this time. Requests are open!

Also, figured out how to do the 'read more thing' :D

★★★★★

So, easy to say, you did not think you'll be the one getting robbed that day. But there you were, gun to your head, not sure if you can even move.

"Everything you have! Now! And don't you think about moving!" The man barked. You was quiet, thoughts running through your head quickly. You're an outlaw, damnit! Surely you know what to do??

Yet holding someone at a gunpoint and being at one isn't really the same. You tried to calm your breathing as the man behind you pressed the gun more on your head. "Faster!!"

Only thing you could think about is buying some time. Surely someone went to get the law already? Tho how could you buy enough time so you won't get shot?

But he wouldn't shoot you. If no one noticed yet, they would when he'd shoot. With not enough time to actually collect anything, he'd run. If he chose to stay, the law would get him. It did make sense?

You slowly turned around so the gun was pointed at your forehead. You could see the man frown, half of his face covered with a bandana. "I told you not to move!!" Then... An idea popped to your mind.

"shoot me" you smiled calmly. The man was taken aback, confused. An amateur. Not used to people not being scared of the gun. You could see it. He didn't think it through.

"...what?"

"your first robbery? Oh, no, no fool would go on a post office as their first robbery... And you're clearly not too nervous. Tho you didn't think about everything, did you?" You stated. You could see the man becoming unsure, lowering his gun slightly. You took your chance.

Grabbing the man by his wrists, twisting them in a way he dropped the gun, just like your pa taught you. Then proceeding to knee his crotch, then slamming his head against your knee when he bent over, like your ma taught you.

What they didn't teach you is that revolvers might go off when they're dropped. And that's what happened. Sure, the man was laying on the ground with a bleeding nose, but now so were you. Shot on your leg.

Luckily enough, the law appeared soon after. At first confused as to who should they take care of. The man with a bleeding nose, or the bullet wound in his leg. They figured out quickly that the robber might have a bandana on.

As they took the man away to the sheriff's, Charles ran into the building, quickly spotting you. "Y/N!" He ran up to you, dropping to his knees next to you. "Damnit... Dutch will kill you..."

"No one can kill me Charles" you chuckled before hissing in pain, grabbing your leg. Charles sighed, picking you up carefully, trying not to make the pain worse. He walked out with you, ushering you to the back of his horse as he called your's to follow. He jumped on Taima, riding back to the camp.

---

"what happened??"

"I was getting robbed"

"the law could recognize you!"

"but they didn't"

"how are you so calm about this??"

"I'm not, I'm panicking" you looked at Dutch calmly. He looked at you, clearly annoyed before sighing heavily.

"miss Grimshaw, please take care of that fool..."

"of course" dear Susan helped you get to your tent. Of course she was chewing your ear off about how foolish you were. About how you better pray you can walk. About how if she won't see you resting, she'll put another bullet in you.

Charming woman.

When you was laying on the bed, you could only look at her and give her a polite smile.

"Miss Grimshaw, as much as I think you're dear to this camp and I love hearing your voice shouting at those idiots to get them to work, right now I feel like you'd be putting another bullet in my head. But by hand, not with a gun"

"Well good! That's what you should get, you bastard" the woman scoffed, tho you did see the faint smile on her lips. "Get some rest. And I swear to God, don't even try to get up"

You just nodded as she walked off. A charm she was, that woman. Everyone loved her, everyone feared her. And you still adored her no matter how many nasty comments she said to you.

"That woman really gets on my nerves..." The person entered the room, chuckling dryly.

Everyone, except one person. You only sighed heavily.

"Hello Micah"

★★★★★

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption #rdr #arthur morgan #dutch van der linde #rdr2 x reader #john marston #reddeadredemption2 #red dead redemption 2 x reader #gn!reader #m!reader #f!reader #micah bell #charles smith #rdr x reader #red dead redemption x reader #guys please can someone notice this

[spcewild]

Masterlist ☆

A/N: my list of all stories I wrote for different characters, etc.! :)

Fluff: 💌

Angst: 🌧

Smut: 💋

MK1:

Johnny Cage:

Johnny Cage x (gn!) Reader 🌧💌

Johnny Cage x (gn!) Reader 💌

Tomas Vrbada

Smoke x (gn!) Reader 💌

Smoke x (gn!) Reader 🌧

Raiden

(Smoke) x (gn!) Reader x Raiden 🌧

(A smoke request but Raiden is included ^)

Raiden x (gn!) Reader 💌

Resident Evil:

Leon Kennedy

Leon Kennedy x (gn!) Reader 💋

Leon Kennedy x (fem!) Reader 💌

Leon Kennedy x (fem!) Reader 💌

Red Dead Redemption:

Charles Smith

Charles Smith x (Taller!GN!) Reader 💌

The Walking Dead:

Shane Walsh

Shane Walsh x (gn!) Reader 💋

Borderlands:

Handsome Jack

Handsome Jack x (gn!) Reader 💌

COD:

Frank Woods

Frank woods x (gn!) Reader 🌧

The Punisher:

Frank Castle

Frank Castle x (gn!) Reader 🌧💌

The Outsiders:

Dallas Winston

Dating Dally Winston moodboard 💌

If you see a character you want me to write for that I didn't include on here, ask me in my requests! <3

☆

#fanfic #headcanon #oneshot #writers on tumblr #x reader #spotify #resident evil #mk1 #the walking dead #the walking dead x reader #cod x reader #borderlands #fanfic x reader #mortal kombat x reader #mk1 2023 #leon kennedy #resident evil smut #leon resident evil #writerscommunity

[pryce0]

Yo, here to make another rdr request. Can you do Arthur or Charles with an S/O who is an expert in medicine and stuff like that, even more than doctors, and will help them if they get shot or sick, they even will help even in the middle of battle. I know it's a weird request, lol

Dr. Feelgood (Charles Smith x Doctor!GN!Reader)

gif by; @caelumss

word count; 1,265

masterlist; here

summary; you are an expert in medicine and herbs, intense knowledge on human anatomy and overall science of the body. you’re dating charles who seemingly keeps getting hurt in the line of fire, and he wouldn’t have anyone else but you to take care of him.

a/n; YESS, ty for requesting arthur or charles <3 i love my man charles. i nearly made this a male!reader because i personally headcanon charles as gay, but i kept it gender neutral. i know you said “more knowledge than a doctor”, but i wasn’t sure what to call the reader, so they are a type of doctor, but just very smart!! and this is not the best i am so sorry!!!! first time writing my boy charles

[warnings/tags; blood and injury, fluff, mentions about death.]

———————————

To be completely honest, you’re part of the reason why the (current) entirety of the gang is still alive.

You’ve been running with the gang for at least a year now; you had joined by the gang through Dutch, of course. You heard an intense firefight nearby and decided to waltz in and there you found Dutch Van der Linde, a stab wound to his shoulder. The blood was rapidly staining and soaking his clothes and at first, he held you at gunpoint. He was trembling and panting, his hair sticking to his forehead from the sweat. Blood was spilling from between his fingers, his revolver shaking. “I’m a doctor,” You said with caution as well as with your hands up, your bag in your left hand. It’s weight was heavy, but nothing you couldn’t handle. You knew he was shaking from pain and adrenaline, no doubt extremely paranoid from anyone passing by. A bullet whizzed by and you ducked without a second thought, being shielded by crates and boxes. You knew this wasn’t the safest place to be; the bullet holes and the dead body nearby was evident, but you couldn’t ignore people in need. Dutch sneered at you when he first saw you approaching, thinking they sent someone over to end him.

With really no other choice, Dutch lowered the gun. You quickly approached and stayed by his side, murmuring your every intent. “I’m going to take your shirt and vest off, sir.” He watched you with a close eye, allowing you to do so. The wound was not too deep, but deep enough to slow him down and needed stitches. You quickly opened your bag and grabbed a bottle and opened the cap, pouring the liquid over your hands. You set the bottle down and you quickly scrub them. Dutch’s eyebrows furrowed and he weakly gestures to the bottle. “What’s that?” He asks quietly, out of breath.

“Anti-septic,” You reply. “It disinfects wounds.”

He lets out a pained laugh. “Just use whiskey by that point.”

You shake your head with a smile, grabbing a rag and pouring the liquid over it, allowing the fabric to soak it up. Beads of the liquid drip down your hand and forearm, but you pay no mind to it. You gently press the soaked rag against the stab wound which causes a pained noise to escape the man.

After you stitched his wound up with the most expert precision, he thanked you by paying you a considerable sum of money. You took it after asking if Dutch was sure, in which he greatly insisted.

After that, you managed to score yourself a spot within the gang.

———————

You were used to treating the gang’s wounds, critical or minor and you were lucky if no one got injured in the middle of a firefight. You had your specialized tent which was bigger than some of the other tents; one side held your cot and the other held your medical cot for the gang. You made sure to disinfect it daily, you kept your tools up on a table away from the ground, and you always made sure you were stocked up on the necessary supplies.

Most of the gang found some of your supplies unnecessary, but Dutch was insistent they were important. Funds from the box in front of his tent are used to supply your work and you’re eternally grateful.

You found yourself within Charles’ company once again, sitting in your tent together. He loved to watch you work, count your shiny tools, your supplies. He loved your passion for your work and he admires your knowledge. You two often exchanged knowledge of herbs and the land, and he knew much more than the average person, the benefits of the nature around you. Charles always took time out of his day to hear you ramble about the benefits people don’t realize, how helpful many plants are within your profession.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Charles murmured, sitting on your cot, a piece of wood and his hunting knife in hand. He’s been shaving it down into the rod of an arrow as you worked. Charles always promises to clean up the wood shavings. You glanced at him from across the tent as you grab the box of bandages to put on your newly installed side table. He resides in your space while you were in the disinfected side. “What is it?”

Charles reaches over to your side table and grabs a bottle of the anti-septic you had set there; expired. He holds it up after looking at the label. “What are the differences between this stuff and whiskey?”

You smiled softly as he struck a cord within you; the joy you feel of spreading the knowledge you learned yourself. “Well, I’ll have to point out a similarity first. For starters, they both kill bacteria very well. I’ve had to test different types of alcohol against wounds—not willingly, mind you. I was in the line of fire.” You mutter, placing down the package of bandages.

Charles kept his eyes on you, his direct look softening as he hears you ramble on about the differences between whiskey and proper anti-septic, when each is good to use and when it isn’t, everything. He feels a warmth spread in his stomach and his chest. He adored your passion, how your nose scrunches up when you talk about when people choose to use the whiskey when it isn’t needed. “You guys took a good ten years off my life when I found out all you used was whiskey.”

Charles lets out a belly laugh, his hand drifting to his lower left part of his stomach. Your eyes track his hand before looking him in the eye, your concern evidently clear. “Does it still hurt?” You ask him softly, coming over to where he is sitting. Charles quickly shakes his head, keeping that smile on his face. Your worry is endearing to him, although unneeded. You tsk and wave your hands upwards in a motion. “C’mon, let the doctor see.” You tease, putting your hands on your hips now in a sassy manner, a playful smirk replacing your concern. Charles smile widened and leans back, pulling up his shirt to reveal his lower stomach. He’s decorated with scars and scrapes, but the one you are concerned about is the recent laceration he received from a knife fight.

“Your stitches are a bit torn— Charles, I told you to take it easy.” You chastised, your gentle fingers running over the sensitive skin around the stitches. Charles shivers from your touch, and from where you’re touching. He clutches his shirt a bit harder as he found himself under your prying eyes once again. Even though you’re lecturing him, he can’t help the warmth he feels. “I’ve stayed in camp, honest. It’s bad to disobey doctors orders.” He retorts in a playful manner. Charles winces when your finger brushes over the stitches and his abdomen tenses when your fingers touch the edge— the torn part.

“Of course, always listen to your doctor!~” You say in a gentle sing song voice before standing up properly. You gesture to the sterile side of the cot, looking at Charles. “Go sit on the cot. I’ll get the supplies and a proper herbal tea.”

“Herbs.. For the pain, right?” Charles questions, hoping it gets you rambling again. You laugh and nod as Charles lowers his shirt and slowly makes his way into a standing position. You kiss his cheek and grab his hand. “Yes, for the pain, love.”

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption two #charles smith #charles smith x reader #rdr2 fandom #rdr2 dutch #rdr2 x reader #dutch van der linde #the van der linde gang #fluff #blood and gore #romance #established relationship #requests are open

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RDR2 HC - Running away together & what would it take.

RDR2 x GN! Reader

Summary: Running away together & what would it take for them to.

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Established Relationship, Running away, Some Happy Endings

Characters: Dutch van der Linde, Arthur Morgan, Javier Escuella, Charles Smith, Bill Williamson, Hosea Matthews, John Marston, Josiah Trelawny

Dutch van der Linde

- A hard task in itself, prying Dutch away from his power over the gang, it's an almost impossible task. Though echoing Hosea's words to lie low would earn you some time in having a voice over Micah's, he would consider it.

- Nightly talks cuddled up in his arms, imagining life away from the one you have aloud; he entertains it, but not without saying some doubtful scenarios. Having to change your ways, almost manipulating him into taking that life as a real thing.

- Never leaving his side, hearing every thought, not giving Micah a chance to talk to him in private, in turn driving you crazy. Doing anything for that good life, leaving your intentions to change just to get your Dutch safe.

- Every day drained you; all that work had finally caught up to you. Slowly, you lost faith as the gang came into more trouble, making you come to a realization. You made your choice.

- A night of loving Dutch one more time, cuddled up into his arms, then having to leave them. Leaving him in a deep sleep with a final kiss. Taking your horse he had gotten for you a long time ago and what little clothes you had left from all the years of running. Finally leaving in the cold night, not daring to look back.

A year had gone by, and still you dreamt about that day and its many outcomes, but all you could do was smile at the memory of his messed hair loving him for that final night. Telling yourself over and over that it spared the both of you, there was no use to keep trying. Leaving to build your own life, living out your dream that you tried so hard to convince Dutch of so many times.

He would have loved it, just the two of you; he just couldn't see it. Getting up from your bed, dressing up for the day, and having to live off of the small land you fought to get months after. Making your way to the kitchen, readying breakfast before your day of work, but a knock interrupts you from the task.

Grabbing your old weapon, hoping it still worked, then walking slowly to the door, pointing the weapon from your hip. Upon opening the door, your mind and body went blank. Dutch was standing at your front door, looking like shit. "Dear," he says, voice cracking. Even after all this time, he charmed his way into your heart, igniting your love again.

-

Arthur Morgan

- You both have always talked about that kind of life and what it would be like, but it always ended as a joke and never as something to look forward to. Until you really thought about it, hearing Hosea's story of him and his wife fed into your dream.

- Bring it up to Arthur one night, making sure he took it seriously, not knowing what to say, only he couldn't leave the gang just like that. Over time, you pushed the matter, and he always listened but never said anything.

- Being with the gang for a long time, you watched it change as Dutch came into more trouble. Finally, it hit a breaking point when Arthur went missing from the meeting with Colm O'Driscoll. The camp had to calm you down, but it didn't stop the tears every night, fighting your mind to just leave, but it turned to worry that if he'd come back, you needed to be there for him.

- After days of the gang searching, you finally spotted Arthur's house with him on top, thinking you had just gone crazy. Hearing his groans of pain, you ran to him, crying aloud, causing the camp to spring into action, with some having to hold you back so the rest could work.

- After an hour of working on him finally letting you see him, never leaving his side as you waited for him to wake. Hosea brought you something to eat every day, knowing what you had been going through.

Snapping from your exhausted state as a groan came from Arthur, watching as he stirred from his rest. Tears once again spilled from your eyes while grabbing his hand and placing it to your cheek. Waking fully, he whispered your name, running a hand through his hair earning a hum from him as he rested his eyes once again.

"I thought you were dead," you whispered, kissing his hand earning another hum. "Okay," he whispered weakly, making you look at him meeting his blue-green eyes. Taking a minute for you to understand, you nodded, "Tonight." You responded, getting only a weak nod back. Quickly getting up to then plant a kiss on his lips before preparing your leave.

-

Javier Escuella

- Being so loyal to Dutch, as soon as you'd bring that idea of life up, he'd tell you of the time he tried to find that kind of life, with it ending with Dutch saving him, in turn needing to repay Dutch with his life. A life for a life.

- Still, of course, you stayed with him, but it didn't stop you from trying. From mentioning small things, such as telling him to look at the homesteads as you passed them or talking to couples who owned their land, hearing the stories of home life making sure Javier was near you to hear.

- Wishing aloud to love him behind closed doors, but he brought up the suggestion of a hotel quickly you shot it down with wishes of loving him in your own home. Unknown to you, it wasn't till the end that he would change his mind.

- Seeing as he buddied up with Micah breaking your heart, seeing what Micah did to Dutch, there would be no way he would sink his claws into your Javier. Realizing it even more after hearing Arthur's words confirming your Javiers changed, solidifying your thoughts. Having to do the only thing that was left.

- Grabbing a bag, you started to stuff your things into it. Hearing footsteps come closer, you didn't look up, knowing who it was. When asking what you were doing, you told him you were leaving him. Shocked, he begged, but you gave it to him in the end, giving him an ultimatum. You or Dutch.

Pain washed over his face. He looked to the floor, hoping it would have the answer, but you continued packing. "Amor," he begged, but you kept your back to him as much as it pained you. "I can't do this, Javi," you say, tears stinging the brim of your eyes. "Tell me," he says, putting a hand on yours.

"All of this, you hate Micah. What changed?" You asked, making him look away, but you brought his face back softly with your hand. Cupping his face, "I know you see it. He's not well. I'm not going to stick around anymore, Javi," you say, turning to zip up your bag.

"It's your choice," you say before grabbing a few more things. "I can't," he says weakly. "Okay," saying your final words before walking to the horses, putting your things onto yours before hopping onto your horse.

Taking a last look at the camp, not caring who chose to look. Hearing as the horse next to you stirred, looking to see Javier hop on his with his belongings behind him. Smiling at each other, you turned away from camp, taking off quickly to start your new life.

-

Charles Smith

- Having been in the gang for a small amount of time, he had never shut down the idea, though never did he start to make plans on it. Figuring it was from his friendships with Arthur and John or him just settling in having run with him before the gang, you were of course thankful for them taking you both in, but shaking off the idea was never going to happen.

- Taking long rides on the days he got off, hugging his waist while resting your head on his back, talking about many things: camp gossip, your past travels, the future. Sometimes passing by a homestead watching as the people worked away at their land, imagining out loud how that would be, it would be better than always running.

- He loved you dearly; it pained him whenever leaving you to do a job with the gang, but you hated it more when he came to you from a watch stumbling on his tired feet to then crashing into your arms falling asleep before he could even mumble, "I love you.".

- Making his choice after the bank job that had gone wrong, having to bury Hosea and Lenny's bodies, the both of you talked about the decision ending with a kiss and the start of packing your things. Though quickly interrupted by the law, causing you to run once again, making you both stick around the gang a little longer.

- Knowing it put the both of you in more danger, he tried to make it quick by using the gang to help the tribe, only meeting them once by going with him, you understood. Finally, the day came telling only Arthur and John and those closest to you, getting hugs and wishes of luck to your new life.

Waking to the cooing of birds wrapped in the warmth of Charles's arms, hearing him snore softly, kissing his scared cheek, waking him from his slumber earning a smile. Looking at you with tired brown eyes, taking a moment to admire your well-rested faces.

Wiggling out of his arms with an objection as he tightened them, making you both laugh before you headed off to the kitchen in your homestead, but not without getting dressed first from the night before. Having been years since that day, leading to a new life, though the past caught up a year later, causing Charles to go with John just to make Dutch and Micah pay for all those years ago.

Of course, coming back to you with a bullet in the shoulder and a promise to never leave you again, from John's home, you both made it up to Canada, living out your dream of a homestead. Ending your reminisce on the past as Charles wraps his arms around you once more, kissing your neck softly while you readied the morning drinks.

-

Bill Williamson

- It had never been an idea to the both of you from all the years you ran with the gang until going into town. Seeing how a couple talked about their lives after getting that first taste of that kind of life, you never looked back.

- Not telling Bill at first, wanting him away from Dutch a bit before springing it upon him after one of your hotel nights away, he entertained your thoughts, though laughing at some parts until he realized you were serious.

- His first feeling was anger at how he could never do that to Dutch, but you argued that Dutch doesn't control your lives. Finally, he calmed down, telling you he looked up to Dutch. Knowing how he wanted the limelight that Arthur and John had, you convinced him that even if it was painful to say and hear, he would never be them. His obsession can't control him.

- Even though he listened with understanding, even agreeing, he told you the time wasn't right. Giving your understanding back to his reasoning, you stayed with him. But things didn't stay still for forever.

- The bank job had gone wrong with the law running you out of Shady Bell, feeling as if it was years before you got Bill back in your arms after hearing tales of him on Guarma. Having enough, you started to pack your things, causing Bill to freak. Hearing none of it, you gave him a choice. Hoping he would pick the right one.

Standing in front of your horse, holding your bag tightly, "I've hit the end, Bill; I-I can't. I can't stay up every night hoping you're alive; it's not fair to me or you." You choked through your words, causing a scene for the whole camp to see, but you didn't care; you were done.

Seeing his hesitant look back at Dutch, who watched on calmly, you had your answer. His continuous seek for approval from Dutch would never stop, and you weren't going to be around to watch it kill him or you.

-

Hosea Matthews

- Having left before he would hear the idea once again, not shooting it down immediately though ending your talk with how his story ended, right back where he started.

- As time went on, his coughs had gotten worse, as well as his attitude towards it, helping with his cough fits earned a hand wave and a choked-out "I'm fine." But you kept pushing, knowing if it was the end for him, it should be anywhere but running with the gang.

- Bringing it up more, he entertained it a bit more, but other reasons would always pop up after, trying to understand you let it go after every talk. As the gang settled into Shady Bell slowly, you noticed that he became even worse; he barely came to bed, but when he did stumble in, smelling of booze, giving you a slurred "I love you" before snoring away.

- Not waiting for his final say any longer, you slowly packed your things over the days, making sure both of your horses were ready to go in the night. Thankfully, you met a couple who knew of a cabin not too far away at a cheap price. Saving up quickly, you bought the cabin, leaving it to wait for you. Taking note of when the watch shifts change and when the camp dies down for the night.

- Finally, you made your move. As Hosea stumbled into being his familiar drunk self, you went into action, calling his horse over by the back door quietly loading on what little you had left. Then, waking Hosea leading him to the horse with false words, finally, you were ready with Hosea in a drunken sleep on your back, fleeing into the dark swamp.

Riding through the night, keeping Hosea on the horse, with luck, you made it through the swamp and into the forest on your way to the cabin. Not knowing how long this would last not even sure if this was a new life. "Just enough for you to rest," you whispered into the cold night air.

Making it to the cabin, using all your strength to get him in the cabin, laying him on the bed, tucking him. Going back out, taking your things from his and your horses, then letting them rest in the small stable for the next few days.

Waking into the morning still hearing Hosea's snores with his warm arms around you. Slowly, you get up, readying his medicine, hoping he'll understand your actions. Being all for him in the end.

-

John Marston

- Having entertained the idea only came up two times. The first was for one of Hosea's cons, having you and John play as a married couple that lived on a farm just for another couple who actually lived on a farm to come along to buy into Hosea's con.

- As years went on, seeing how the gang dwindled, thankful for not taking your John, but not without a scare and a promise to stay with you. Getting out of the snow, helping John to Horseshoe Overlook, fighting to keep him down, and resting. John made a joke about you being his spouse and having a little farm. That was the second time.

- John wasn't the only one with that joke; being protective over him, Hosea started to joke about how the con act ended long ago, but you were still acting the part.

- Finally, John was ready for jobs again, so you loosened your protection, though you weren't afraid to give it to Dutch if he came back with so much as a small scratch. Furthering that joke in the camp led you two to talk. John agreed to the possibility, but it was different in his mind. You saw it coming sooner than him.

- Sadly, it wasn't until the very end you could live out that idea. The gang fell apart, pushing you both towards Strawberry, but not without making a rule for yourself. Never to live that life again. It was easier said than done. John helped the framer, and you fled, leaving your John behind.

Reading the letter over again as the carriage hit every bump on the road, making your impatience worse. Finally stopping, not wanting to look out the window, needing to see him up close, you hurried out.

Standing there face-to-face with your John, having been gone for so many months, your eyes stinging as you wrapped your arms tightly around him. "It's over," he whispered into your ear, making the threatening tears spill, tightening your hold, not wanting to let him go again.

-

Josiah Trelawny

- Living that dream already in Saint Denis, but unbeknownst to you, Josiah had dealings with a gang. Hearing the name of the gang from officers around town yet not thinking anything of them. Not even questioning his absence at home as his "office work" makes him travel a lot.

- Loving the stories of his travels made you susceptible to listening for things, but never did you think you'd hear about your husband from an officer's mouth on the street. Then the next day, another questioned you on your doorstep, being very hostile and pushing past you just to find nothing, but before leaving, accusing you of dealing with the "Van Der Linde Gang.".

- Hearing nothing from your Josiah in the few passing days got you worried—maybe you didn't know the man you married. Though finally, you saw him as he crawled up the stairs of your Saint Denis home, the sight brought you to tears.

- The damage to him was heartbreaking. He groaned and hissed through his teeth as you cleaned up his bloody wounds, then bandaged them up. Saying nothing, you let the silence fall with his story quickly following, but you didn't let him finish.

- Saying the name of the gang, seeing how his face turned pale. Telling him of what transpired days before, hit you hard speaking of what you knew out loud to him. Starting with a sigh, he told you everything with a voice filled with shame.

"Stop," you said, interrupting his explanation, doing as you said, looking to you. Not being able to handle the sight of him knowing every cut or possible broken bone was because of his deals with the gang. You started to question whether the life you built was even real; was the love you got from him even real?

"Love," he pleaded, placing a hand on yours looking into the eyes you fell in love with so many times. Still, you held your ground. "No more J," you say, making him look down watching as he nodded. Slowly, you wrapped your arms around his upper back and shoulders, hugging him as he sat in your home, where he belonged.

Hello, I hope you enjoyed if there is any grammar mistakes or misspellings sorry about that feel free to let me know in the comments, have a great day/afternoon/night!

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