Archive of Our Own

“At least the garden is getting plenty of water.” You joked, not looking up from your book.

You knew good and well that your vegetable garden was likely to be flooded beyond repair by the time Monday morning rolled around. In any event, there wasn’t anything you could do about it, so you weren’t too phased by it.

Arthur was feeling a bit of cabin fever. He never minded the occasional day or two indoors, but that was with the option of being able to go outside if he wanted to. Now, the three of you (yes, Arthur actually included the dog in that equation) had been lounging around your quaint house for the entire weekend, only braving the treacherous weather when you absolutely had to, which boiled down to only when Buddy needed to go outside.

“It hasn’t rained this much in the whole two years that we’ve been here.” Arthur sighed, his hand tapping anxiously against the window frame.

Arthur was not the kind of guy who was built for being stuck inside the house for days at a time, and this was really beginning to eat away at him.

“Arthur, honey, why don’t you come sit with us?” You suggested, tearing your attention away from your book. 

The use of the term “us” caught his attention, because he surely didn’t think you were referring to the dog too. When he turned around, he couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that was exactly what you had meant.

“I thought we agreed to stop lettin’ Buddy up on the furniture.” Arthur grinned, knowing that you had such a soft spot for your furry pal.

Buddy’s dark brown eyes shot open at the mention of his name, his tail thumping against the pillows of the couch as he looked at Arthur. At one time, neither you nor Arthur cared if Buddy stayed on the furniture. Granted, Arthur wasn’t too keen on Buddy sneaking into your bed every night, but for the most part, Buddy was allowed pretty much anywhere. 

However, a few months prior, Buddy had decided to come barreling into the house after he went digging holes on a wild gopher hunt, and he tracked dirt and mud all over the furniture and the floors. The floors had been easy to clean, but the sofa and chairs? Not so much. 

You had been strict about it at first, keeping Buddy’s boundaries exclusive to his own dog bed and the floor. Despite this, you had been lenient this weekend, allowing him to snuggle up next to you.

“Well, I thought I could make an exception. The poor boy hasn’t been able to play outside for days,” You mewled, scratching at Buddy’s ears, “That and you left him outside in the rain this morning.”

“I swear that was an accident. I thought you had let him in,” Arthur laughed, “It wasn’t like he was out in the open. The porch is covered and he was only out for maybe ten minutes.”

Your bottom lip jutted out in sympathy for Buddy, who had been dripping wet and freezing as he had howled for someone to let him inside. Although, Buddy hadn’t been upset in the slightest. 

“Poor baby...” You cooed, earning another tail wag from the pup.

Arthur shook his head with another laugh, crashing down on the open seat next to you. He groaned as he sat, stretching out to where his head settled in your lap and his legs draped over the arm of the sofa. His eyes closed in content, his final attempt at making himself relax in the midst of the raging rainstorm outside. You had given up on reading, closing the book and setting it on the table in front of you. Arthur’s breathing was steady, a blush appearing on his cheeks from the warmth of the fire. 

“Do you think it’ll still be rainin’ tomorrow?” Arthur questioned.

“I’m not sure. I guess we’ll see.” You smiled, a hint of amusement in your tone.

A beat of silence went by, and despite his seemingly calm appearance, you could sense that his mind was racing.

“Do you think the horses are alright?” He referred to your personal horses that were safely stabled in the barn behind the house.

“Oh, yeah. They’re plenty warm and we made sure they were well fed earlier, remember?” You answered, bringing a hand to Arthur’s hair to scratch lightly at his scalp in an attempt to settle him.

“I know, darlin’, but do you think they-”

“Arthur. They’re fine,” You giggled, “So are you, Buddy, and me. Everything is completely fine.”

Arthur’s eyes snapped open, his gaze looking up at you from his position. He smirked sheepishly, not realizing he was being paranoid. It had been two and a half years since you and Arthur had split from the Dutch Van der Linde gang after the catastrophic events at Beaver Hollow. It hadn’t been the smoothest transition, and about six months of those two and a half years had been strictly for getting enough money to live on your own. With time, though, the two of you had purchased a wonderful piece of land and built a wonderful home to serve as the foundation for your new life.

Living domestically was the best thing that had happened to the two of you. It brought such a peace of mind that the two of you had never experienced, and it made the two of you realize how much better having freedom really was. As easy as it was to get used to living in serenity, the elements of your old life still crept their way into the present...more so on Arthur’s behalf than yours. 

He was so used to having to be on guard at all times that he sometimes found it hard to calm down. Some nights he became so lost in his nervous thoughts that he’d make himself physically sick. There had been several occasions where his paranoia and skittish fear had nearly brought him to tears of frustration. The frustration came from the fact that he knew that the two of you were safe, but he couldn’t make himself believe it. The paranoia came from the fact that he had lived dangerously for so long that it was beaten into him. 

He thanked God every day that he had you by his side, because he would’ve given into his anxiety long ago if it hadn’t been for you. 

A sigh whistled out of Arthur’s nose at the feeling of the cold metal of your wedding ring on his head. All he had to do was relax. If he just simmered out, then he wouldn’t feel like he was close to combusting. He focused on the feeling of your fingers in his hair, the sound of the rain drumming on the roof, and the warmth of the fire burning just a few feet away. He was okay. Buddy was okay. And you were okay.

That was all he could ever want.

You watched the muscles of his face slowly but surely begin to unwind. The tension in his shoulders dissipated away as he fell into a state of repose. Your left hand continued to pet Buddy’s fur as your hand in Arthur’s hair moved to his chest, caressing at the skin peeking out from the collar of his union suit. The tips of your fingers danced across his skin, earning an involuntary giggle from him. Arthur had always been ticklish, and you could have him fall to pieces within a few seconds just by tickling him.

“Don’t start with me.” He warned, but he couldn’t even try to mask the entertainment in his voice.

“Or what, Mr. Morgan? You’re not so big and bad.” You teased, your teeth toying with your lower lip.

His eyes opened again, and he shifted to where he was sitting upright with your nose close to touching his.

“You’ve always had quite the mouth on you, princess. Don’t make me shut you up.” He said playfully, knowing that you knew he was kidding around.

“You won’t.” You sassed back, knowing good and well that he would.

And he did. He kissed you sweetly, the scruff of his light beard scratching at your skin as he kissed you. Your hand left Buddy’s head, taking its position by cupping Arthur’s face to pull him in closer. The make out session didn’t last long, however, because Buddy was NOT happy with the sudden lack of attention. He wiggled his fuzzy body between the two of you, his wet nose nudging your hand that was now on Arthur’s face. Arthur groaned, scolding the dog for interrupting.

“Buddy, get outta here.” Arthur ordered, but the dog didn’t budge.

“Awh, Arthur, he wants you to pet him.” You gushed over the puppy eyes that Buddy was giving Arthur.

“No, no. He’s bein’ needy ‘cause we coddle him too much,” Arthur mumbled, “Buddy, get-”

The dog cut Arthur off with a whine, and it was a noise that you recognized very well.

“Actually, I think he needs to go out,” You remarked, “Would you mind?”

Arthur groaned, giving Buddy an annoyed glance before nodding in defeat.

“Sure, angel,” Arthur got off the sofa, “Come on, boy.”

With a burst of energy, Buddy rocketed off of the couch and to the door, his tail swishing wildly and his upper half lowering to the floor in excitement as he waited for Arthur to meet him at the front door. Arthur grumbled as he put on his boots and coat, clearly disgruntled that Buddy had interrupted an intimate moment. But you would never leave Arthur hanging like that.

“Arthur...” You called in a sing-songy voice.

His head turned in your direction, his response getting lodged in his throat as he realized that you were beginning to unbutton your top.

“Don’t be long.” You winked, hinting at him with a sultry voice.

Arthur’s face lit up like the morning sun that you hadn’t seen in three days, a lopsided grin plastering over his expression.

“Yes ma’am.” He tipped his head, opening the door for Buddy to scramble out.

The rainy weekend had driven Arthur stir crazy, and undoubtedly made him bored out of his ever loving mind.

But it seemed that this had turned out to be a great Sunday after all.