Archer & The Nx01

jonathan archer tag drop.

kaidan alenko tag drop.

more tags.

              ᴘʟᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴄᴀʟʟ

♡ this post if you want to plot with any of my muses.

not sure where to start ? check out my wishlist for an idea. i'm open to anything on there, as well as any ideas you or i might have.

most active muses - arthur morgan - joel miller

muses i'd like to develop - stanley pines - kaidan alenko - will riker

♡ for some memes or perhaps a starter

                         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 .

jon dips his head in a single nod to acknowledge her words, though he's heard them from her before. his reply was normally to ASSURE her it wasn't a problem & they enjoyed having her here.

instead, he tosses the alien-fruit back into the container. ❝ making a good meal out of these is all the repayment we need. ❞

jon continues winding through container after container - only stopping to occasionally SKIM through a manifest report here & there. his focus was mainly on ellie. ❝ though, i hope you don't feel like you need to be helping out. i'm not going to maroon you somewhere because you aren't preparing dinner for us. ❞

｡･:*:･ﾟ🐬 BODY RAISES SLIGHTLY ... onto the balls of her feet , so that she can look into the containers as well. a bright smile crosses her lips as she pulls out a cucumber looking veggie - blue eyes look up at jon and her head nods , before she focuses back on the cucumber like food. ❝ these are great. ❞ chef had indeed ended up trusting her enough with the shopping list - just a little test. ❝ it's okay , captain. ❞ ellie replied , placing the cucumber back into the container and standing flat on her feet again. ❝ chef and i had a talk the other day. i'm not trying to push him out of his own kitchen. ❞ there was a laugh. ❝ but i don't want to just sit around in my room doing nothing , if i can do something to repay you guys for helping me. ❞