Jonathan Archer Tag Drop.
jonathan archer tag drop.
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♡ for a starter / memes from arthur morgan
surprise flickers over arthur's face immediately, attention shooting back over in time to watch the way hope's eyes expand. her fingertips brushing over plush, pink lips as if it would help REIN in what she just said. but it was in the air now - hanging in much the way cigar smoke does. heavy, thick, intrusive.
arthur blinks once, twice, shifting in his seat on the third. he had an inkling about how hope might've felt about this whole thing - he ain't like dutch, but arthur's come to know miss hope baxter a little by now. knows when she's being truthful & when she's trying to spare his feelings. when she's genuine or teasing.
❝ so you don't wanna marry this guy, ❞ arthur says bluntly. reinforcing what she just admitted by mistake. not allowing it to be shuffled under the rug in a way hope will want to do.
he spins the whiskey in his glass, mouth tight & jaw set. a small temptation rises in arthur's gut to point out that, CONTRARY to her question about doing anything else with his life, he ain't the one being pushed into a marriage. he had the freedom to marry for love, if love ever found him.
( it did. long ago. & it was these same damn expectations that kept her from him. )
arthur lets out a long, IMPATIENT sigh. ❝ if you don't wanna get married, then don't ! what - daddy won't be happy ? seems to me you should put 'urself first. ❞
❝ -- no ! ❞ hope lets out a small half-hearted laugh compulsively , to match his energy more than anything else . she continues , ❝ i mean , not unless you wanted to be somethin' 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒚 . ❞ she tilts her head to the side in evaluation of his reaction , brows furrowing together . it surprises her how quickly he dismisses the idea that he might ever have been anything else in life . he's smart , much smarter than he gives himself any credit for anyway . he's got plenty of skills applicable to careers outside of gunslinging & playing muscle for the van der linde gang . she's seen it . . . but he really doesn't , does he ? that thought weighs down her sweet smile - noticeably drooping into a pout .
as he surveys the room , hope takes the opportunity to briefly study his features - she notes his scars , the lines around his eyes , their color . she wonders what those eyes have seen ; she wonders how they see 𝑯𝑬𝑹 .
as arthur refocuses , leaning in that little bit closer , she draws in a quick sharp breath - gaze flickering toward his lips for a single beat . while she tries to keep her expression neutral , kicking herself internally for being so easily 𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 - she can't hide the flush that blooms across her freckles like wildflowers .
her attention successfully captured , she listens to what he says intently - heart dropping to & shattering on the filthy floor . it takes her a moment to process it all , first the briefly flippant description of his parents , then . . . 'even worse man than me . . .' that admission alone floors her into momentary silence , a rarity for her & an 𝑰𝑴𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑽𝑬 feat on arthur's part.
before she can come up with something 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 apologetic to say , he has already moved onto his question - further throwing her off .
❝ i . . . me ? ❞ she blinks up at him , still recalibrating from the sheer mental whiplash . her sufficiently inebriated mind struggling to keep up . ❝ uh . . . hm ,❞ she scrambles blindly for something , 𝑨𝑵𝒀𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮 to say - & so the truth spills out with an incredulous giggle . ❝ well i wouldn't be getting married , that's for sure . . . ❞ the moment she hears herself azure eyes blow wide , lips flatting into a thin line , fingers pressing loosely to her lips in shock .
❝ - i don't know why i said that , ❞ maybe the drinks were a 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂 after all . . .
arthur spots her instantly.
he doesn't move to intercept her. not yet. with an indigo sky bleeding into a WANING deep orange & gold lights that twinkle around & around, arthur takes just a moment to watch hope. he so rarely gets to see her - only a handful of days out of the year. even then, it's maybe just a couple hours where she isn't running around or laughing or cheering. seeing hope stroll casually about, with nothing to do but wait for him, was a nice change of pace.
but soon, as always, arthur finds himself moving to be in her vicinity. pushing off the metal barrier & stalking through the crowd towards her. making sure her back stays facing him. arthur can't help himself - a smile tugs on his lips. anticipation of seeing her up close, mixed with a TWISTED amusement, nearly gives him away because he almost wants to laugh.
she stops. he stops. her head turns slightly to the left & then the right - looking for him, arthur realizes. it makes him take two long strides closer to her, coming within arms reach of hope. by now, he's grinning. bounces on his toes once. LEANS closer to her. from anyone else's point of view, arthur might seem like some sort of creep.
the fun is quickly overridden by his desire. he takes another step closer, right behind her shoulder. leans in close to her ear. the sweet smell of her threatens to strangle him but arthur doesn't need to speak so loudly where he stands so he's CONTENT to let it.
❝ lookin' for someone ? ❞
𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 ( accepting ! )
@quastari said : meet me at our spot tonight . ( from modern arthur )
❝ i'll be right there , mama - just gotta 𝑪𝑯𝑬𝑪𝑲 on somethin' real fast . . . ❞
prepping for the annual brightside county fair is quite an event in the baxter household , akin to holidays like christmas or thanksgiving . everyone wakes up early , everyone pitches in . even little sister faith , who is begrudgingly back home from college for the summer , is involved - albeit her help is accompanied with several complaints & an above-it-all roll of her eyes . hope's father is packing up the stand they use every year , loading its aged & well-loved wooden components into the back of the family's red pickup truck for the short journey to their small town's fairgrounds . ardella is transporting boxes upon boxes of sweet treats , breads , preserves , wildflower honey , fresh produce , chicken eggs , flowers from the garden . . . a 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 spread of the rich bounties their farm has to offer , lovingly cultivated to be shared with their community . this tradition is one of hope's very favorite times of year , a time of togetherness & nostalgia under the hot tennessee sun .
so much has changed over the past few years . she has finally opened up her own bakery , in brooklyn no less . a few years ago she wouldn't have even thought it possible . she'd been burnt out , drowning between waitressing gigs , her shitty ex boyfriend , & culinary school . but every obstacle has been 𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑬 , now hope & christina are left to reap the profits from what they have laboriously sowed . at last , hope baxter has found some breathing room , & her chosen reward for all of that hard work is a trip back home just in time to soak up the southern farming town charm she's been missing in the big city . things are simpler here , quieter . it's nice to know that even when everything else in her life is nothing like what it used to be . . .
. . . there are 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 things that never change .
hope slips away from the kitchen , just for a moment - as promised . she has been keeping an eye on her phone all day for this very reason . & finally seeing arthur's name pop up on the screen fills her with 𝑾𝑨𝑹𝑴𝑻𝑯 . like any other part of these yearly festivities , she can always count on their little rendezvous , & he's never once let her down . unlike so many others . . .
[ text : arthur 🐴❤️ ] i'll be there ; )
she replies quickly with a giddy grin , stuffing the phone into her back pocket & getting right back to business . it's clear to the whole family as she strides across the front lawn with more crates in her arms , that something has 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 a newfound skip in her step , although none of them knows why . a girl has to have her secrets , after all .
before she knows it , the sun is setting on the first of the three days during which the fair is held . everything goes as successfully as ever . in high demand , the baxter's goods sell out in record time . thankfully there is always plenty more . ardella is a smart woman & well-seasoned at this by now . they have the routine all down to a 𝑺𝑪𝑰𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 , & with damien taking charge to keep everything on track , things couldn't go smoother . the height of their sales typically peak on the very first day , so hope is given the go ahead to drift off & explore on her own . the remaining two days are hers to do as she pleases .
she makes a beeline toward the carousel - their spot - only pausing briefly to make sure she looks presentable in one of the funhouse mirrors along the way . sunshine yellow blouse , blue jean shorts , & her dark curls pulled up high into a ponytail tied with a ribbon . . . all slightly 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 to make her look all stretched out , but it gives her a good enough idea . quietly she wishes she'd worn something a bit more adventurous , maybe that sundress she'd packed specifically to drive him crazy .
she'll just have to save 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻 for when she's cheering him on at the rodeo tomorrow .
pleased with her appearance , hope makes her way over to the ride - the spinning lights reflecting like 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 in her eyes as she approaches . the sky is just beginning to darken , still streaked with the shades of sunset blue , pink , & orange . it's only a matter of time now , but she tries not to look around too much . she doesn't want to seem overly excited , even if her heart is already fluttering in her chest with anticipation .
part of arthur didn't seem to want to breathe with hope so close. the smell of her clung to the inside of his throat like smoke - deceivingly sweet but still TOXIC in its own way. in the moment, however, it was impossible to describe it as it was.
hope baxter has always been a forbidden fruit he was too SINFUL to hold. perched on a branch just low enough to reach. its sweet smell had been tempting arthur closer since the beginning but he always managed to turn away. it only took the smallest breeze to knock her loose right into his hands & now he finds he's AFRAID to learn how she tastes.
his eyes dart away when hope brings a hand up to his cheek. her fingers are soft & gentle - so contrasted from the more VIOLENT touches he is used to. yet, it affects him all the same. flinching ever so slightly, expecting it to hurt but realizing he wants more.
the line of his mouth tightens at hope's reply. her refusal to continue certainly would've made things far EASIER for him. ❝ i ain't sure on a lot of things. ❞ arthur admits, eyes returning to hers.
carefully, as if afraid to hurt her, his hands come up to hold her arms. he almost pushes her away. he almost pulls her closer. arthur decides on keeping hope still until he can decide.
❝ ... but i do know that this ain't exactly smart. runnin' out on your wedding was one thing - hell, maybe it was the right thing. but i can't have you gettin' involved with an OUTLAW like me. ❞
𝒔𝒐𝒇𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 & 𝒔𝒐𝒇𝒕 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏 ( selectively accepting ! )
@quastari said : ❝ are you sure ? we can stop if you want . ❞ ( from arthur )
lips remain parted as she tries to catch her breath , head still spinning in the aftermath of their lapse in judgement . she can still taste him on her tongue - tobacco smoke & something 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕 she can't quite place ; she still feels the scratch of his beard too , no doubt leaving her pale skin even more flushed . she has spent the better part of the last month imagining what it would be like to kiss this man , & perhaps it's the sheer anticipation of it all , ( or maybe it's that there is some deeper , much more dangerous connection between the two of them . . . ) but it is everything she's been fantasizing about - maybe even more .
his words take time to cut through the heady rush of emotions she's experiencing , their meaning sinking in like 𝑴𝑶𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑬𝑺 in autumn . the blue sky of her gaze eventually refocuses on arthur , the sun peeking back out from behind the cloudy haze she'd gotten lost in , his rumbling drawl the swift wind pushing it away - bringing her back to reality .
hands rise from where they had taken purchase , clinging onto his shirt for dear life . hesitating only briefly , she moves to gingerly cup his face . just for a moment , she allows herself another indulgence to satiate her pining , a thumb brushing across a stubbled cheek . her gaze brims with all of the affection she's been denying - 𝒔𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 even further in response to what he's said . even now , he's still trying to protect her . it's nearly enough for her to compulsively close the minuscule gap between them once again . somehow , she resists the urge .
❝ believe me , the last thing i wanna do right now is stop , ❞ she admits , a bit taken aback by how 𝑵𝑬𝑬𝑫𝒀 she sounds , speaking hardly above a whisper . ❝ i . . . ❞
. . . don't think i've ever needed someone quite like i need 𝒚𝒐𝒖 .
it takes her a moment to reconfigure her thoughts away from finally being honest with herself & to him , the 𝑰𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑰𝑻𝒀 of what she wants to say sending her heart into a panicked frenzy . she stalls , tongue darting out subconsciously to wet her lips , clearly still precariously wavering between lust & logic . ❝ are . . . are you sure ? ❞ turning it back on him , classic deflection hope baxter . well done .
BARRY SLOANE as Joe 'Bear' Graves in SIX (2017—2018) Episode 2.02 Ghosts
