Characters Charles Smith Slow Burn

Best Charles Smith Slow Burn Fanfics

The best slow burn fanfiction featuring Charles Smith (RDR) on AO3, curated by popularity. Readers love the anticipation, the meaningful character development, and the eventual payoff of a well-earned romance.

RDR 5k Charles Smith works 850,000 slow-burn works

Top Charles Smith Slow Burn Fic Recs

2 slow burn fics featuring Charles Smith, followed by other top-rated stories.

1

Call to Motion

Slow Burn

by mangochi · Charthur

“Hey.”Charles looks up, squinting against the sun, and focuses on the figure looming above him. It’s a bright day on the mountain, and all this damned snow is doing nobody any favors. “Arthur,” he says. “Good morning.”“Huh? Yeah, mornin’.” Arthur tilts his head, scratches at his jaw, and tucks his c

6,000 kudos 19,144 words 8/8 chapters Explicit
2

Only Lost The Night

Slow Burn

by KBstories · Charthur

"Arthur should've realized, then and there, that a gesture of kindness is like pulling a trigger – it shifts the course of fate just so, and things will never be the same again."Charles and Arthur regroup after a brush with death.

2,470 kudos 5,635 words 3/3 chapters Mature
3

Out of the Dark

by sky_daybreak · Charthur

Arthur knows he's dying, can feel the unstoppable pull of it, feels the spirit appear behind him to take him along. And yet, he finds he does not want to die. There is so much that went wrong, so much he regrets and he wishes, with all his being, he could change it. Could at least ensure those that

6,712 kudos 144,322 words 12/12 chapters Mature
4

And In The Morning I Loved You Too

by pipdepop · Charthur

Since this... thing between them started, on a surreal, star-soaked night just outside of Blackwater, Charles has learned two things.One: Arthur Morgan sleeps like the dead.Two: the rest of the gang seem to view Arthur’s tent as communal property, and will happily barge in at any time of day or nigh

4,273 kudos 25,971 words 6/6 chapters Teen And Up Audiences
5

Your Words Are All I Breathe

by pipdepop · Charthur

Micah catches Arthur and Charles cuddling, and scurries off to tell Dutch. He does not get the reaction he was expecting. Hosea thinks the whole thing is highly amusing.

2,797 kudos 1,349 words 1/1 chapters Teen And Up Audiences
6

Blind Fortunes

by Gingersnap741 · Charthur

“Hello there! Ah, I see you’re new around these parts. I’m old around these parts. Blind Man Cassidy is my name. If you’d like your fortune told, I just ask for a bit of gold.” He holds out a tin coffee can smothered in rust, full of empty, whistling desert air. Heat broils up around them and makes

2,710 kudos 414,458 words 64/? chapters Explicit
7

take it, if you can

by shades · Charthur

It was a nice respite, Arthur thinks, watching Charles stand, the glint of the sun in his dark hair, his eyes far away, considering, but it wasn’t ever meant to last.

2,451 kudos 68,550 words 10/10 chapters Explicit
8

You Raise Me Up

by antimorston (lasagnatheory) · Charthur

As it turns out, Charles is the only person in camp who can pick up Arthur.

2,415 kudos 2,927 words 2/2 chapters Teen And Up Audiences
9

It's Not a Big Deal (It's Alright)

by Monotom · Charthur

The members of the Van der Linde gang had watched the two men dance around each other for so long now, that most of them were getting tired of it. Every time they saw Charles smiling at Arthur, or Arthur braiding Charles' hair, they all thought the same thing. Just get together, already. OR 5 times

2,146 kudos 16,776 words 6/6 chapters Teen And Up Audiences
10

Helping Hand

by Magisey · Charthur

It doesn’t matter that his throat hurts. It doesn’t matter that he can hardly swallow. It doesn’t matter that a handful of hours ago he’d been slowly dying with a rope tight across his trachea.What matters is the image of Charles, with the sun burning on his shoulders like a devil, face cast in shad

2,048 kudos 2,973 words 1/1 chapters Explicit
11

Quiet For So Long

by KBstories · Charthur

"And Arthur knows, before he even opens his mouth, that he shouldn't pry. That he shouldn't drag the vulnerability lurking beyond those words into the light – yet he asks, 'What changed?', and Charles looks at him, eyes warm.'I met you.'"Charles and Arthur explore some things, and figure out some ot

2,006 kudos 4,813 words 3/3 chapters Explicit
12

American Spirits

by werewolfsquad · Charthur

There was a rumor that Dutch van der Linde sold his soul at a crossroad in exchange for the shapechanging beasts that followed at his beck and call. Frankly, Arthur didn’t buy it. He followed Dutch and Hosea because they fed him. Some deal with a devil had nothing to do with it.

2,005 kudos 30,728 words 8/8 chapters Mature

Find More Charles Smith Slow Burn Stories on AO3

Browse the full AO3 archive for slow burn Charles Smith fanfiction, sorted by kudos. Then read offline with Fanfict Reader.

Charles Smith in Slow Burn Fanfiction

Charles Smith — Quiet, principled hunter of the Van der Linde gang who never wastes a word or an arrow, and one of the few members to escape the life intact. His steadfast bond with Arthur anchors the fandom's flagship ship.

Slow Burn — A romance that develops gradually over time, with tension building across chapters or the entire story.

Readers love the anticipation, the meaningful character development, and the eventual payoff of a well-earned romance. Charles Smith's role in RDR makes them a natural fit for slow burn storylines, which is why this combination is one of the most popular in RDR fanfiction.

Charles Smith Ships

Looking for slow burn fics with a specific pairing? Try these Charles Smith ships:

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