shoplifter | Old Game Inboxes.

[ he knows it isn't easy for her, how enough hardships have made her hesitant; he knows because he's had his own resistance in accepting how people view him. but when laura smiles like that, like a young girl yearning for something unseen, he knows she shouldn't have any reason for it. ]

Yeah, I think so.

[ his own smile spreads a little before he turns back to the horse, his hand brushing over her side. ]

So, what do you say? It's a lot of responsibility, but if you think you want to take care of her, she's all yours.

I can!

[She says it maybe too quickly, eager to affirm it, but then reels herself back in.]

I can take care of her.

[... She looks shifty, smirking-]

She's probably easier to take care of than most of you.

[ frank breathes an easy laugh at her insistence, nodding his head in agreement. ]

Hell yeah, you got that right. I think you're taking on the easier job.

[ probably way easier than being a dad to one laura castle. not that he's filing any complaints about doing it. especially when he holds his smile the way he does. ]

So, what about a name? You got one?

... Ponyboy.

[She doesn't have to think too long about it, honestly.]

That way, we can be outsiders together.

[ of course he raises a brow at that; he knows he'd clarified the horse was very much a she, but whether she was listening or not, somehow he's convinced she hardly cares either way.

maybe that's why he doesn't make a point of it or raise an objection, instead nodding his head as the edges of his lips soften. ]

Good name. [ he hasn't forgotten that she'd mentioned the book before, how she seemed to resonate with it then, further proving the point with it now. ] We'll paint it up in the barn. Make sure she knows her home.

[Laura smiles and nods, determined; congratulations on getting her mind focused on one primary goal: to get her horse comfortable and feeling welcomed. After her little confident nod, she moves to throw her arms around Frank's middle, giving him a tight hug. It's nice. Getting gifts like this. Having someone to hug. It's all what she's dreamed about.

But instead of saying these things, she can only mumble warmly:]

... Thank you.

[ being a father again, it hasn't necessarily been easy, especially when it comes paired in the town they've been forced to live in, obstacles and challenges waiting upon every corner, with little room for actually having something of a normal life.

but they've adjusted and they've faced the hardest of days, and they're still here, still going, and if it means finding some way to give laura something that can provide a little sliver of happiness, he'll find all the chances to take it.

so when she shuffles forward for that tight embrace, he earns his own gift in turn, managing a soft smile as he leans down to press a soft kiss to the top of her hair. ] ... Always.

[She smiles with all the ease in the world, before pulling back and looking up with raised eyebrows.]

If I'm caught sneaking her into the house, will I be grounded?

[Say, that sounds like a real joke.]

[ of course, she'd never be able to leave it at just that, having to follow it up with something very laura-esque, and when she presents the question, he can't help the innate scoff, paired with a roll of his eyes and a muttered jesus.

maybe it's a joke, but it's something she's plenty capable of pulling off. ]

Yeah, you'll be grounded. Got enough to deal with trying to get that cow out of the living room. Think it's crowded enough in there, yeah?

[Laura's more than happy to hear the 'jesus'; it's a confirmation that her comment has worked just the way she'd hoped it would, and her lips curl into something a little less innocent.]

But it's cold outside right now. What if Ponyboy gets cold?

I need to be a good horse owner.

[ what does it say about him that he's become that damn predictable already?

but his stern tightened brow stare remains. ]

That's what the stable's for. I got it boarded it just fine. She'll get by.

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