(*-platonic, but could be considered a potentially unrequited love)

Linda Shelby was a woman you hated with every fiber of your being. It wasn't like you to be so harsh on other women, but Linda was probably one of the worst in your opinion. She wasn't good for her husband at all, and you knew that because Arthur had been your best friend for longer than you could remember. He was a strong Shelby man brought down by a manipulative and controlling woman.

No longer did Arthur come 'round to the Garrison just to have a drink with you. No longer did he come to the ring to let out his frustration. You knew he had children now, so the fighting thing didn't bother you as much. But the slight turning of his back on his family because his...wife decided that the rest of the Shelbys were no better than dirt beneath her feet? That made a rage build within you in a way you'd never felt before. A rage that was only made worse by her "holier-than-thou" complex. So yes, you despised Linda Shelby, but never more than in this moment right now.

When the pounding began at your door, you were irritated. You were tired and ready to retire for the evening. That irritation instantly melted away when you opened the door to find Tommy and Michael dragging a (very obviously) drunk Arthur between them. You moved aside to let the three in without a single question. They would tell you when they were ready.

They plopped Arthur down on the couch as you grabbed a bucket in case Arthur got sick. Tommy turned to you as he straightened his jacket. "Arthur's in a bad way." You snorted out a laugh. "I can see that. Am I allowed to know what's happened, or is it family only business?" Tommy arched a brow at you. "You are family, Y/N. Linda walked out on Arthur. For another man." Your eyes widened.

"SHE DID WHAT?!" Arthur groaned at the sudden volume of your voice. "Sorry, Arthur," you muttered before practically pulling Tommy and Michael from the room. "You're joking. Tell me you're joking, Thomas," you stated as calmly as you could. You knew better, though. Tommy wasn't one to joke like that. "Arthur spent most of the day in the pub. Probably still be there if Finn and Isaiah hadn't found him. I thought I'd seen him at his worst. Turns out, I hadn't."

"Where is she?!" you growled, "I'll wring her neck! How dare she! The hypocrite!" You moved toward the door only to be stopped by the two non-intoxicated Shelbys. "You don't worry about Linda. Arthur needs you right now." You took a deep breath through your nose, indicating that you were not happy about it. "Fine. But if I ever see her face, no force on earth is going to stop me. Not even you, Tommy." He smirked before tipping his hat and leaving your home.

With a sigh, you turned back to help Arthur. He held the bucket you'd given him near his face as he groaned loudly. "Oh, Arthur," you whispered. You carefully sat next to him and rubbed his back. Arthur glanced at you, or tried to, before letting out another noise of agony. The two of you sat in silence for a bit before Arthur spoke in a mess of slurred words.

"Sh-Should have been you," was what you managed to catch. "What?" you asked softly. You didn't want to make the headache you were sure he had worse. "Should have m-married y-*hic*-you. Wanted to." You blinked in surprise. What the hell? "Arthur, you're drunk. You don't know what you're saying." Arthur shook his head which seemed to make him feel ill as he leaned over the bucket.

"We'll talk about this more in the morning over breakfast." Arthur let out another couple of hiccups and set the bucket on the floor next to the couch. You helped him lie down, your mind racing a mile a minute. Were Arthur's words really those of a drunken mind? Or did he mean them? And, if he did, did you feel the same?

You loved Arthur, sure. He was your closest friend and had been for years. But were you in love with him? Did you love him as more than a friend? You had never thought about it before. "I need to sleep," you muttered. You could think about this more in the morning. You bid Arthur a good night only to find him already snoring from his spot on the sofa. A soft laugh escaped your throat. Then you headed to your own bed in hopes of catching at least a few hours of sleep. You would deal with this in the morning and you only hoped that, no matter what your head and heart agreed on, it wouldn't change things between you and Arthur for the worse.

You tossed and turned all night, finally giving up when you caught sight of the dawn through your window. With a sigh, you rose and snuck downstairs to brew a cup of tea and cook breakfast. You knew the smell of a home cooked meal would wake Arthur from his stupor. And you needed the time to think. Cooking always helped you do that.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Arthur entered the kitchen. He looked awful, but then, who wouldn't after the night he had? He let out a groan as he sat down at the table. Without a word, you slid a cup of coffee his way before continuing with breakfast. A comfortable silence settled between you while you worked and Arthur nursed his coffee.

Once breakfast was ready, you sat a plate in front of Arthur before sitting down with your own food. You felt Arthur's eyes on you as you ate slowly. It was like he was trying to decide if he'd messed up the night before. He was trying to piece together what had happened and you let him. You weren't going to bring it up and potentially embarrass either one of you. Arthur was a man who got angry when he was embarrassed and that would only make his headache worse.

"Tommy tell ya?" he finally asked and you nodded slowly. Arthur's lips dipped into a frown. He looked like he was contemplated every choice he'd ever made in life. "Am I bein' punished?" You arched a brow. "Of course not, Arthur. Linda's choices were her own. She chose to break the vows she made. She chose. Not you. You love her, enough to remain faithful and stop drinking and fighting, at least for a while. She made the choice. You're a good man, Arthur Shelby. A good man who sometimes makes bad decisions, but no, you are not 'being punished' for anything in this situation."

Arthur grew silent again, pulling another sigh from your lips. You rose from your seat and made your way over to him so you could wrap your arms around his shoulders as you'd done a million times before. You pressed a kiss to his hair. Arthur used one hand to hold onto your arm a little more tightly than usual, as if he were afraid you would disappear. You had never seen the man more broken, and you only hoped he would make through this an even stronger man than before.