[ wynonna's got her hands braced on her hips now, her eyes not having left the dog since she put her down, and the puppy seems content to investigate solely through the use of her nose at the moment, though wynonna idly wonders just how long she's been sitting in that basket up there and whether she might actually have to go outside sooner rather than later.
good thing she's got a big yard. ]
Beats me. Maybe they decided to start handing out puppies. "Sorry for the recent trauma, here's a furry friend"? [ her shrug is probably audible in her voice, if not through the phone. ] Uh, everything? Food, dog bed? She's gonna need bowls. Oh, and toys so she doesn't start going at the furniture with her freaking needle teeth. [ she's learned that last one from experience, earning a few playful bites on her finger when she'd picked the dog up before frank had called her back. ]
[ the car was one thing; ultimately, he could make use of a car, and the shutters pre-set on them to keep out potential dangers was a useful tool to have. a dog? he certainly couldnāt conjure up a why in that case, and while thereās that natural concerning worry, he also finds himself a little anxious as well. ]
Alright, okay, so ... everything. I can do that. [ will the mart have those things? he hasnāt exactly kept his eyes peeled for pet supplies. ]
Iām leaving the diner now. I should be over in less than an hour.
[ and in the meantime, she's just going to be playing surprise dog-sitter ā wynonna earp, she of limited personal responsibility who can't even keep a plant alive, but dogs are easier than cats, right? cats are assholes, pushing things off tables just because they can. she's seen the vines. she knows what she's talking about.
unfortunately, she doesn't trust the puppy enough not to get into all her shit when she's taking a shower, so by the time frank finally rolls in with everything on their thrown-together list, she's still wearing the clothes she slept in ā a tank top and a pair of ratty gym shorts that say something like deerington high class of 1992 on one leg, because she's a big thrift-store shopper these days ā her hair gathered up into a ponytail because the dog seems to like trying to bat at or chew on the ends every time she picks her up.
in fact, they're sitting out on the porch because the puppy's exhausted all her interest in the first floor of the farmhouse already, and so frank's going to get someone bounding up to him when he gets out of the car, tail wagging excitedly at the new arrival. (hint: it's not wynonna; she's watching from the porch with a faint smile on her lips.) ]
[ heās walked by the pet shop a few dozen times on his way to and from the diner, but somehow itās only now that he seeks it out that he really notices it. after momentarily being skeptical about the place due to the creepy person-faced dog statue that lingers at its entry, he comes to find that everything else about it seems relatively normal enough for him to get whatās needed: kibbles, bowls, bed, stuffed toys, collar, and a few other scattered necessities without venturing too deep in the hole of being oversold products he doesnāt actually need.
heās distracted enough with the purchases that he doesnāt think about the core of the situation in which he now has a dog, or the way or how of it, and itās only when he arrives at the farmhouse, stepping out from the driverās seat, stocked bags still in the trunk, that it really hits him once he sees the dog pouncing across the path towards him.
before he can even manage a greeting over to wynonna, heās already lowering himself on his knees, letting the small pup hop against his thighs, his hand reaching out to pet her softly, his eyes fully distracted with her presence. ]
[ she realizes after letting the dog bound over to greet him that he's probably going to have his hands full with more than one thing, among them the tiny, wriggling body that seems very intent on inserting herself into a new person's lap; given how much she's been wandering around, wynonna's convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the dog's going to crash and crash hard in a matter of hours.
after a beat, she steps down off the porch and makes her way across the front yard, unconcerned about bare feet in the grass until she gets to the gravel driveway ā and then she stands just shy of stepping onto it, idly rubbing her hands over her arms. ]
Do you want a hand with anything, or ā ? [ it doesn't even occur to her to ask if he plans on leaving anything here or if he's going to leave the car packed up to take the dog back to his apartment; at the very least, maybe she can commandeer a few of those toys so the puppy doesn't try to eat the furniture instead. but he seems pretty intently focused on the puppy and vice versa, so inevitably wynonna takes a few more steps forward, gravel be damned, and crouches down with the two of them. ]
[ he doesnāt immediately hear her question, or anything else for that matter, not as soon as the tiny canine is already rushing up to jump freely into his arms once he reaches out to her with a welcoming hand. with the dogās small weight brushing up against his belly, he wraps his palms around her sides to lift her up closer, right up until her snout presses itself damp to his lips, a long tongue soon following to offer appreciation.
his nose scrunches up slightly, but frank does little actually fight out the tender puppy kisses, a chuckle managing to escape his breath when he finally turns his head to peer over at wynonna once she settles in closer to them. ]
I, uh, got some of that stuff you asked for. Whatever seemed important. Just gotta unload the trunk.
[ which he mostly intends to do, but proves difficult with the animal that seems content with this meeting of her new person. ]
[ that little display of affection is partly why her question ends up dangling, at least before she's able to ask the rest of it; the puppy wriggles herself into his hands and then promptly delivers a series of wet sloppies to the shape of his mouth, the underside of his nose, and wynonna just watches the whole thing go down with a faintly amused look on her face, bracing her forearms on her knees and half-tempted to make a crack about whether she needs to leave them alone together for a little while. ]
Didn't realize you were such a dog person.
[ which he can't really argue against; she'd seen the way he hadn't really tried to fend off that exuberant licking, and she stretches out one hand to gently rake her fingernails along the space between the puppy's head and one of her ears, giving her a soft scratch until one of her back paws starts kicking against the front of frank's shirt. ]
I'll get it. [ she quietly offers it since his arms are pretty much occupied, pushing herself up to standing and then gingerly navigating across the gravel to pop open the trunk. if he'd been able to load this thing up by himself, she can sure as hell manage to get all the bags inside in one trip; that's the assumption, anyway, though she has to lean forward to make sure she's got a grip on every single handle before lifting them out. ]
[ and if she hadnāt realized it before, sheāll definitely get all the proof of it now with the display before her as frank shows a bit more enthusiasm with regards to his circumstances in the way he begins to stroke at the dogās ears, one arm braced around the pup to hold her close to his chest like a child. ]
Well, a little known fact ā dogs are better than people.
[ which is one way of affirming that yes, he is certainly a dog person.
this is where heād be more inclined to help her, but finds himself consumed with the distraction in front of him, a paw rising up and almost tangling into the oversized mess of his beard. he does eventually manage to rise onto his feet, pup held close against him with one arm as he takes the short path to his trunk, palm open and held out to her as he wiggles his fingers. ]
[ it's not that she hasn't been an audience to indicators of his softer side before ā sometimes even on the receiving end of them personally ā but it happens in fits and starts, enough to give her pause every now and then, and whoever said dogs are good judges of people was right on the money because the puppy is currently snuggling into frank's chest without the appearance of any greater worry whatsoever. ]
Well, everyone knows that.
[ in spite of having to spend the last few hours puppy-wrangling, she's not that annoyed by it; straightening up to shove the trunk shut with her elbow, she glances over to find him standing at her side. ]
Oh. Thanks. [ none of the bags are that heavy; the most cumbersome part of it is the small bed, which she's tucked between her arm and her side, but she hands him two of the pet store bags, her knuckles skimming his palm when she deposits the straps in his grasp. ]
First a car, now a dog. You think they're trying to tell you something?
[ it doesn't take much to balance out some bags and the small dog in his opposing arm. somehow she seems even smaller as he's holding her than when she's free to roam along the grass where the blades are high enough to prick at her miniature nose. the real difficulty, if any, is in keeping her still as she pressing her paws firm against his chest trying to invade his mouth with his own lapping tongue.
even if he ultimately doesn't mind the kisses as much, he's still forced to dodge a little with the tilt of his head to try and respond to wynonna as he walks beside her back to the front porch. ]
That I need to take this girl out on a few joy rides? [ definitely not that, but somehow he's trying not to consider the alternate option. ] Maybe she belonged to this other Frank, too, or something. You say she didn't come with a name?
[ which would mean it'd be up to him, and maybe she's right in saying that they're trying to tell him something if they're granting him these responsibilities. ]
[ it's a pretty amusing sight, frank trying to confine a small animal against the broad expanse of his chest even while she attempts to wiggle herself free, presumably to try and achieve more of those wet kisses, definitely intent on lavishing him with all kinds of affection ā and wynonna raises an eyebrow, flashing a grin when he's forced to lift his chin out of reach. ]
I hope you don't expect a greeting like that from me.
[ it wouldn't be the first time he's gotten a gift intended for some other version of frank castle; the concept of the multiverse has always seemed a little mindblowing, but she knows at one point there was more than one peter parker here and it stands to reason that there could also be another frank who owns a GTO and rides around with a tiny pitbull puppy in the front seat.
(she may or may not have devoted time and effort to thinking about what the alternate wynonna earp might be like. less of an alcoholic? a better mom? most of it tends to be too depressing.) ]
Nothing. Just the note that said she was yours, so I guess that means you get naming rights too. [ she winces as a piece of gravel digs into her heel, gingerly stepping back toward the safety of the grass and then up to the front porch. ]
I donāt know. You do get kind of sloppy sometimes. [ heās teasing, of course ā possibly ā and it might be difficult to tell if his chuckle stems from his own joke or the pupās ticklish cold nose pressing up against his own.
if frankās thought about this other version of himself, itās less to do with the car heād been gifted that seemed to have been under a different ownership, and more to do with the fact that some sleepers here have been familiar with his face in a much different context. heād tried to separate himself from this āother frankā, to accept that versions of himself exist elsewhere and it was better not to tangle with that fact, but it seemed in trying to do so, itād only resulted in some more conflicted scenarios (he wonders how chloeās doing, but the guilt has kept him from asking). ]
Hmm. [ he considers those ānaming rightsā, the whole thing still a bit sudden for him to really let himself open up to, but he tries to debate it in his head anyway as he wanders up the porch beside wynonna, stepping into the familiar space of her expansive home before leaning down to let the dog roam freely, her legs practically leaping around the room without drifting too far. ]
[ and he absolutely gets a look in response to that, teasing or not; she aims it back over one shoulder, but he's more distracted by the dog than she initially predicted he'd be and eventually she's forced to glance ahead of herself so she doesn't trip heading up the stairs.
for now, in lieu of any firm ideas of where to put everything, she settles for putting it all down just inside the front door instead, idly blowing a few stray pieces of hair out of her face as she lightly crosses her arms over her front, watching the puppy sniff and investigate with the same level of enthusiasm as though she hadn't just spent the last little while doing exactly that in these exact surroundings. still, she keeps her glance wary on the off-chance the dog decides to turn one of the sofa legs into her new chew toy, but her eyes sweep back to frank's face after a moment. ]
Mmm. Could get confusing. And I've never been great at learning new tricks. [ she chuckles at her own joke with a small hunch of shoulders, gaze lingering on his thoughtful profile. ]
You'd think after all the racing around she did earlier, she would've tired herself out by now.
[ he grants his own joke to his own amusement, to which sheāll eventually follow up with one of her own, a bit of a reminder that the playfulness which comes easier to him now these days is more of an effect of what sheās encouraged out of him, whether intentionally or not.
he doesnāt intend on ājudyā at all for the name, though he doesnāt have anything actually in mind either, considering all of this had come on pretty suddenly and the mere presence of the dog is still trying to be processed.
as he straightens up, hands on his hips, he watches the little pup spin around in circles to chase her own tail for a few moments before getting distracted with the pile wynonna sets down, nose sniffing about at the unfamiliar scents within the bag. ]
You kidding? Sheās still got a good chunk of time before she conks out. [ he snickers in his breath, shaking his head softly before releasing a soft sigh. ] They really aināt gonna let me catch a break, are they?
[ she can tell that this ā all of this ā is a lot for him to handle, the surprise of yet another thing delivered to him that seems intent on keeping him firmly rooted in place, even if he's done plenty along those lines already by securing another job, developing a routine. even neglecting to shave feels like an extension of that, a sign that he's not actively seeking a way out of here but content to stay and offer his help until the time comes when they're no longer needed.
but tethers like these ā the car, the dog ā they're all facets of a life that could be even more entrenched here if he allowed it, and he confirms her suspicions when he sighs the way that he does, tearing her attention away from where the dog is persistently dipping her nose into one of the bags as if she can smell the food in its sealed package within, tail wagging with unrepentant curiosity. ]
Hey. [ she doesn't have to reach far to touch him, fingertips gently skimming the outside of his wrist for a beat, not to offer the reminder of her presence but the assurance that she's here, and she gets it. ] If it helps, we could divide up doggy duty. I can watch her while you're working, and then hand her off when I've gotta clock in.
[ maybe what bothers him most of all is that it doesn't actually bother him. he'd been puzzled on the car briefly, but once he'd taken it out for a few rides, he'd familiarized himself with the vehicle enough to feel the wheel almost natural against his palms as he drove it around town. and even in the few minutes he's had with the small energized canine, he already finds himself thinking ahead on a reliable schedule that'll allow him to care for her in balance with his already self-appointed responsibilities.
there's the car, the dog, the house that doesn't belong to him and yet takes up a majority of his presence, and the girl that comes with it ā the more he thinks on it, the more that he considers it ain't a bad life. even in this shitty town.
and when she speaks up, he turns to look at her, studying the features of her face that demonstrate her natural sincerity that he places all of his trust in, a sigh in his breath that's more grateful for her presence than any other sort of reluctant relief. ]
Yeah? [ his face softens, not quite a smile but a relaxed turn of his lips peering at her as his hand lifts, thumb stroking gently at her cheek. ] You'd do that?
[ she's not so embedded in this place to think of it as home yet ā she knows where home is, and it's with waverly, in the house they grew up in, the house they survived in against all odds, in spite of an absentee mother and a father who always seemed to wake up on the wrong side of the bed and never met a bottle of liquor he couldn't find the bottom of by the end of the day.
but that doesn't mean she considers deerington a weird and wacky vacation spot, either. she's got the things that give her structure here, something resembling a routine, a damn job that pays ā and somehow, she's fumbled her way into an honest-to-god relationship on top of all of that, with someone who inhabits her space time and time again and hasn't run screaming for the hills yet. looking at him, it sometimes hits her that he's a more steadying presence for her than almost anyone she's ever met, and when she catches him looking back at her something in his gaze always manages to make her stomach do that flippy thing.
she tilts her head into the touch of his hand, that familiar warmth, the path his thumb always seems to take in tracing her cheek like he's relearning the shape of her. ]
Yeah. [ her voice is soft too, meaningful. ] I mean, in case you haven't noticed, I've got a pretty big yard, and I think dogs are into those.
[ he can't say he necessarily knows why the dog had come addressed to him but was brought onto the doorstop of the farmhouse, but a part of him knows. the apartment back over at david cliff feels exactly like what it's always been meant to be, a temporary residence while he's in this town, just a place to sleep things off until the next day comes. but the farmhouse ā where he'd never bother to replace the broken furniture in the apartment, he's worked day and night to keep things to upright shape here, since the very first day wynonna asked him to look into restoring that sink.
there's labor that's been placed into making this house as much of a home as possible, whether or not it stands to be a temporary one, and there's never been a dime received for that work save for the cups of warm coffee he asks for in return.
when shifts at the diner are done, he finds himself instinctively making the extended drive in this direction despite the apartment being a closer distance, finding more relief in laying upon a mattress already imprinted with his shape and wynonna's presence routinely found beside it.
whether he chooses to admit it or not, he knows why the dog was delivered here, and when wynonna offers to take turns looking after her, he realizes he never even considered the possibility that that dog would live anywhere but here.
warm cheek nestled in his palm, he can't help the softness of his own smile, and he chuckles in his breath when he leans forward, pressing his lips to her forehead. ] Yeah, maybe Cliff won't mind playing with her either. Kids like animals, right?
[ it's not home here, maybe not yet, but it's as close to a place of her ā of their own making as they can manage it, with a distinct lack of holes in the drywall and a more reliable water pressure in the shower and a wrench permanently stowed under the kitchen sink for that leak that seems inclined to persist. she'd made a crack about paying him once, but somehow they'd never gotten around to that, his insistence in charging a fee by way of a fresh pot of coffee ready and waiting for him instead.
and the more problems he'd unearthed with the farmhouse and taken it upon himself to fix, the more time he'd spent within these four walls, sometimes for days at a time if a project required more than a few hours to accomplish. it's no coincidence that her fridge is fuller than it's ever been, containing food that doesn't just consist of leftovers from the diner or the pizza place, or greek yogurt that's gone bad. it's no coincidence that he has a better sense of everything that's in her kitchen to cook with than she ever will.
the instincts are there for him to be here, embedded in their own foundation, for him to sleep on the side of the bed she's left open for him and for him to block her truck in with his car because he'll be the first one leaving in the morning anyway.
she closes her eyes for a few beats, smiles into the press of his lips and the tickle of his beard on her skin, and her hand assumes a light grip around his wrist, thumb gently sweeping across his pulse. ] You kidding? Kids love animals. They lose their shit for them. She'll have him wrapped around her tiny puppy paw in seconds.
[ never mind the fact that she'd found her own excuses to scoop the animal into her lap earlier while they'd been waiting for frank to get here, sneaking tiny kisses to the top of her head between those floppy ears. ]
[ a smirk lingers on his lips, giving her a playful squinting stare. if anyone's got anyone wrapped around their finger, it'll be a fair easy guess on who exactly that is, considering frank's been a little more obvious is displaying a certain weakness on his sleeve these days. he's almost hesitant to draw himself away, but he finally takes a few steps back after a brief squeeze of her fingers so he can squat down, elbows over his knees as he looks across the room at the puppy running in circles.
his mouth presses tight, brows curved inward as in a deep focus as he merely watching her for an extended span of seconds.
eventually, he tilts his head up to wynonna, sincere when he asks, ] What do you think of Bogie?
[ she flashes him a quick grin with a side of teasing in it, brow furrowing in feigned confusion while she shakes her head; she hasn't the faintest idea what or who you could be referring to, frank. he gently pulls away from her and her hands fall to her hips, a natural pose for her to assume while she's looking down at both puppy and newly minted owner as the former does a thorough job of exploring with the use of her nose and the latter seems to be studying her with the intention of finding something to base a name on.
it's a silence only broken by the sound of the puppy's tag jingling on the collar she wears, the one that mentions returning her to frank if found, and it's something wynonna doesn't move to fill with more words, both eyebrows rising when he finally poses a suggestion at her. ]
As in Humphrey? [ because that's the first reference her mind goes to, considering his favorite movie and the fact that it's actually a tie between two. ] I like it. Gender-neutral names are very on brand these days.
[ if his beard would allow, he might have even flushed a little at how fast it'd been for her to pin down the source of the name. if only because there's an air of predictability to it for what she's learned about him, for something that actually draws on back to a detail she'd been spoiled with upon their first unintentional meeting. ]
Yeah, yeah, as in Humphrey. [ at least she isn't calling him out on it.
but he smiles a little when she gives her own affirmation, peering up at her briefly with soft eyes in silent appreciation before he focuses back in on the energetic puppy going circles towards anything she can get her nose on.
he raises his voice, not sternly but louder for it to cross the room, ] Hey, Bogie!
[ the truth is, he's got her pretty well-pegged too, those seemingly insignificant bits of trivia they'd exchanged over a table while other details had been removed from their perception now holding new weight between them. it's rare that she has so much of a glimpse into anyone right from the start, but the answers he'd given her had somehow exposed more than he'd intended them to, to say nothing of her own honest confessions about why a certain movie starring judy garland holds so much personal meaning for her.
and it is a cute name, considering the potential double meaning behind it; the puppy seems content on living up to the other one as she zooms around the house, tiny claws scraping against the weathered hardwood as she tries to avoid crashing into the furniture, but the sound of frank's voice sends both ears perking up almost instantly before she trots over to both of them, tail wagging in expectation.
wynonna voices a soft huh of surprise, crouching down to frank's level and extending a hand to try and steal a few scratches behind those attentive ears. ] Looks like she's into it, too.
[ it shouldn't even come as much of a surprise that the name comes as one of his ideas, since upon closer inspection, with perhaps a bit of a slight shave on that beard to bring it closer to a shorter scruff, he could pull off looking a bit like the namesake himself. fitting that the small dog now placed under frank's care would be deemed a miniature version of that shared resemblance (since frank could be considered part-pitbull himself sometimes).
but there's a bit of something warm when she comes sprinting across the wood, circling her way back to him, either because being called in itself is enough to get her running back or there's a shared comfort in the name. either way, frank looks far too proud when he joins wynonna in offering scratching affection against that fur. ]
Guess that's that, then. Gotta get that on the collar. [ which would brand all of this even more official than he might have bargained for. yet, he does little to fight it now. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
audio;
good thing she's got a big yard. ]
Beats me. Maybe they decided to start handing out puppies. "Sorry for the recent trauma, here's a furry friend"? [ her shrug is probably audible in her voice, if not through the phone. ] Uh, everything? Food, dog bed? She's gonna need bowls. Oh, and toys so she doesn't start going at the furniture with her freaking needle teeth. [ she's learned that last one from experience, earning a few playful bites on her finger when she'd picked the dog up before frank had called her back. ]
audio;
Alright, okay, so ... everything. I can do that. [ will the mart have those things? he hasnāt exactly kept his eyes peeled for pet supplies. ]
Iām leaving the diner now. I should be over in less than an hour.
action;
unfortunately, she doesn't trust the puppy enough not to get into all her shit when she's taking a shower, so by the time frank finally rolls in with everything on their thrown-together list, she's still wearing the clothes she slept in ā a tank top and a pair of ratty gym shorts that say something like deerington high class of 1992 on one leg, because she's a big thrift-store shopper these days ā her hair gathered up into a ponytail because the dog seems to like trying to bat at or chew on the ends every time she picks her up.
in fact, they're sitting out on the porch because the puppy's exhausted all her interest in the first floor of the farmhouse already, and so frank's going to get someone bounding up to him when he gets out of the car, tail wagging excitedly at the new arrival. (hint: it's not wynonna; she's watching from the porch with a faint smile on her lips.) ]
You thought about what you're gonna name her?
action;
heās distracted enough with the purchases that he doesnāt think about the core of the situation in which he now has a dog, or the way or how of it, and itās only when he arrives at the farmhouse, stepping out from the driverās seat, stocked bags still in the trunk, that it really hits him once he sees the dog pouncing across the path towards him.
before he can even manage a greeting over to wynonna, heās already lowering himself on his knees, letting the small pup hop against his thighs, his hand reaching out to pet her softly, his eyes fully distracted with her presence. ]
Uh, no. Not yet.
action;
after a beat, she steps down off the porch and makes her way across the front yard, unconcerned about bare feet in the grass until she gets to the gravel driveway ā and then she stands just shy of stepping onto it, idly rubbing her hands over her arms. ]
Do you want a hand with anything, or ā ? [ it doesn't even occur to her to ask if he plans on leaving anything here or if he's going to leave the car packed up to take the dog back to his apartment; at the very least, maybe she can commandeer a few of those toys so the puppy doesn't try to eat the furniture instead. but he seems pretty intently focused on the puppy and vice versa, so inevitably wynonna takes a few more steps forward, gravel be damned, and crouches down with the two of them. ]
action;
his nose scrunches up slightly, but frank does little actually fight out the tender puppy kisses, a chuckle managing to escape his breath when he finally turns his head to peer over at wynonna once she settles in closer to them. ]
I, uh, got some of that stuff you asked for. Whatever seemed important. Just gotta unload the trunk.
[ which he mostly intends to do, but proves difficult with the animal that seems content with this meeting of her new person. ]
action;
Didn't realize you were such a dog person.
[ which he can't really argue against; she'd seen the way he hadn't really tried to fend off that exuberant licking, and she stretches out one hand to gently rake her fingernails along the space between the puppy's head and one of her ears, giving her a soft scratch until one of her back paws starts kicking against the front of frank's shirt. ]
I'll get it. [ she quietly offers it since his arms are pretty much occupied, pushing herself up to standing and then gingerly navigating across the gravel to pop open the trunk. if he'd been able to load this thing up by himself, she can sure as hell manage to get all the bags inside in one trip; that's the assumption, anyway, though she has to lean forward to make sure she's got a grip on every single handle before lifting them out. ]
action;
Well, a little known fact ā dogs are better than people.
[ which is one way of affirming that yes, he is certainly a dog person.
this is where heād be more inclined to help her, but finds himself consumed with the distraction in front of him, a paw rising up and almost tangling into the oversized mess of his beard. he does eventually manage to rise onto his feet, pup held close against him with one arm as he takes the short path to his trunk, palm open and held out to her as he wiggles his fingers. ]
Here, hand me some.
action;
Well, everyone knows that.
[ in spite of having to spend the last few hours puppy-wrangling, she's not that annoyed by it; straightening up to shove the trunk shut with her elbow, she glances over to find him standing at her side. ]
Oh. Thanks. [ none of the bags are that heavy; the most cumbersome part of it is the small bed, which she's tucked between her arm and her side, but she hands him two of the pet store bags, her knuckles skimming his palm when she deposits the straps in his grasp. ]
First a car, now a dog. You think they're trying to tell you something?
action;
even if he ultimately doesn't mind the kisses as much, he's still forced to dodge a little with the tilt of his head to try and respond to wynonna as he walks beside her back to the front porch. ]
That I need to take this girl out on a few joy rides? [ definitely not that, but somehow he's trying not to consider the alternate option. ] Maybe she belonged to this other Frank, too, or something. You say she didn't come with a name?
[ which would mean it'd be up to him, and maybe she's right in saying that they're trying to tell him something if they're granting him these responsibilities. ]
action;
I hope you don't expect a greeting like that from me.
[ it wouldn't be the first time he's gotten a gift intended for some other version of frank castle; the concept of the multiverse has always seemed a little mindblowing, but she knows at one point there was more than one peter parker here and it stands to reason that there could also be another frank who owns a GTO and rides around with a tiny pitbull puppy in the front seat.
(she may or may not have devoted time and effort to thinking about what the alternate wynonna earp might be like. less of an alcoholic? a better mom? most of it tends to be too depressing.) ]
Nothing. Just the note that said she was yours, so I guess that means you get naming rights too. [ she winces as a piece of gravel digs into her heel, gingerly stepping back toward the safety of the grass and then up to the front porch. ]
action;
if frankās thought about this other version of himself, itās less to do with the car heād been gifted that seemed to have been under a different ownership, and more to do with the fact that some sleepers here have been familiar with his face in a much different context. heād tried to separate himself from this āother frankā, to accept that versions of himself exist elsewhere and it was better not to tangle with that fact, but it seemed in trying to do so, itād only resulted in some more conflicted scenarios (he wonders how chloeās doing, but the guilt has kept him from asking). ]
Hmm. [ he considers those ānaming rightsā, the whole thing still a bit sudden for him to really let himself open up to, but he tries to debate it in his head anyway as he wanders up the porch beside wynonna, stepping into the familiar space of her expansive home before leaning down to let the dog roam freely, her legs practically leaping around the room without drifting too far. ]
Guess Judyās off the table, huh?
action;
for now, in lieu of any firm ideas of where to put everything, she settles for putting it all down just inside the front door instead, idly blowing a few stray pieces of hair out of her face as she lightly crosses her arms over her front, watching the puppy sniff and investigate with the same level of enthusiasm as though she hadn't just spent the last little while doing exactly that in these exact surroundings. still, she keeps her glance wary on the off-chance the dog decides to turn one of the sofa legs into her new chew toy, but her eyes sweep back to frank's face after a moment. ]
Mmm. Could get confusing. And I've never been great at learning new tricks. [ she chuckles at her own joke with a small hunch of shoulders, gaze lingering on his thoughtful profile. ]
You'd think after all the racing around she did earlier, she would've tired herself out by now.
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he doesnāt intend on ājudyā at all for the name, though he doesnāt have anything actually in mind either, considering all of this had come on pretty suddenly and the mere presence of the dog is still trying to be processed.
as he straightens up, hands on his hips, he watches the little pup spin around in circles to chase her own tail for a few moments before getting distracted with the pile wynonna sets down, nose sniffing about at the unfamiliar scents within the bag. ]
You kidding? Sheās still got a good chunk of time before she conks out. [ he snickers in his breath, shaking his head softly before releasing a soft sigh. ] They really aināt gonna let me catch a break, are they?
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but tethers like these ā the car, the dog ā they're all facets of a life that could be even more entrenched here if he allowed it, and he confirms her suspicions when he sighs the way that he does, tearing her attention away from where the dog is persistently dipping her nose into one of the bags as if she can smell the food in its sealed package within, tail wagging with unrepentant curiosity. ]
Hey. [ she doesn't have to reach far to touch him, fingertips gently skimming the outside of his wrist for a beat, not to offer the reminder of her presence but the assurance that she's here, and she gets it. ] If it helps, we could divide up doggy duty. I can watch her while you're working, and then hand her off when I've gotta clock in.
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there's the car, the dog, the house that doesn't belong to him and yet takes up a majority of his presence, and the girl that comes with it ā the more he thinks on it, the more that he considers it ain't a bad life. even in this shitty town.
and when she speaks up, he turns to look at her, studying the features of her face that demonstrate her natural sincerity that he places all of his trust in, a sigh in his breath that's more grateful for her presence than any other sort of reluctant relief. ]
Yeah? [ his face softens, not quite a smile but a relaxed turn of his lips peering at her as his hand lifts, thumb stroking gently at her cheek. ] You'd do that?
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but that doesn't mean she considers deerington a weird and wacky vacation spot, either. she's got the things that give her structure here, something resembling a routine, a damn job that pays ā and somehow, she's fumbled her way into an honest-to-god relationship on top of all of that, with someone who inhabits her space time and time again and hasn't run screaming for the hills yet. looking at him, it sometimes hits her that he's a more steadying presence for her than almost anyone she's ever met, and when she catches him looking back at her something in his gaze always manages to make her stomach do that flippy thing.
she tilts her head into the touch of his hand, that familiar warmth, the path his thumb always seems to take in tracing her cheek like he's relearning the shape of her. ]
Yeah. [ her voice is soft too, meaningful. ] I mean, in case you haven't noticed, I've got a pretty big yard, and I think dogs are into those.
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there's labor that's been placed into making this house as much of a home as possible, whether or not it stands to be a temporary one, and there's never been a dime received for that work save for the cups of warm coffee he asks for in return.
when shifts at the diner are done, he finds himself instinctively making the extended drive in this direction despite the apartment being a closer distance, finding more relief in laying upon a mattress already imprinted with his shape and wynonna's presence routinely found beside it.
whether he chooses to admit it or not, he knows why the dog was delivered here, and when wynonna offers to take turns looking after her, he realizes he never even considered the possibility that that dog would live anywhere but here.
warm cheek nestled in his palm, he can't help the softness of his own smile, and he chuckles in his breath when he leans forward, pressing his lips to her forehead. ] Yeah, maybe Cliff won't mind playing with her either. Kids like animals, right?
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and the more problems he'd unearthed with the farmhouse and taken it upon himself to fix, the more time he'd spent within these four walls, sometimes for days at a time if a project required more than a few hours to accomplish. it's no coincidence that her fridge is fuller than it's ever been, containing food that doesn't just consist of leftovers from the diner or the pizza place, or greek yogurt that's gone bad. it's no coincidence that he has a better sense of everything that's in her kitchen to cook with than she ever will.
the instincts are there for him to be here, embedded in their own foundation, for him to sleep on the side of the bed she's left open for him and for him to block her truck in with his car because he'll be the first one leaving in the morning anyway.
she closes her eyes for a few beats, smiles into the press of his lips and the tickle of his beard on her skin, and her hand assumes a light grip around his wrist, thumb gently sweeping across his pulse. ] You kidding? Kids love animals. They lose their shit for them. She'll have him wrapped around her tiny puppy paw in seconds.
[ never mind the fact that she'd found her own excuses to scoop the animal into her lap earlier while they'd been waiting for frank to get here, sneaking tiny kisses to the top of her head between those floppy ears. ]
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[ a smirk lingers on his lips, giving her a playful squinting stare. if anyone's got anyone wrapped around their finger, it'll be a fair easy guess on who exactly that is, considering frank's been a little more obvious is displaying a certain weakness on his sleeve these days. he's almost hesitant to draw himself away, but he finally takes a few steps back after a brief squeeze of her fingers so he can squat down, elbows over his knees as he looks across the room at the puppy running in circles.
his mouth presses tight, brows curved inward as in a deep focus as he merely watching her for an extended span of seconds.
eventually, he tilts his head up to wynonna, sincere when he asks, ] What do you think of Bogie?
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[ she flashes him a quick grin with a side of teasing in it, brow furrowing in feigned confusion while she shakes her head; she hasn't the faintest idea what or who you could be referring to, frank. he gently pulls away from her and her hands fall to her hips, a natural pose for her to assume while she's looking down at both puppy and newly minted owner as the former does a thorough job of exploring with the use of her nose and the latter seems to be studying her with the intention of finding something to base a name on.
it's a silence only broken by the sound of the puppy's tag jingling on the collar she wears, the one that mentions returning her to frank if found, and it's something wynonna doesn't move to fill with more words, both eyebrows rising when he finally poses a suggestion at her. ]
As in Humphrey? [ because that's the first reference her mind goes to, considering his favorite movie and the fact that it's actually a tie between two. ] I like it. Gender-neutral names are very on brand these days.
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Yeah, yeah, as in Humphrey. [ at least she isn't calling him out on it.
but he smiles a little when she gives her own affirmation, peering up at her briefly with soft eyes in silent appreciation before he focuses back in on the energetic puppy going circles towards anything she can get her nose on.
he raises his voice, not sternly but louder for it to cross the room, ] Hey, Bogie!
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and it is a cute name, considering the potential double meaning behind it; the puppy seems content on living up to the other one as she zooms around the house, tiny claws scraping against the weathered hardwood as she tries to avoid crashing into the furniture, but the sound of frank's voice sends both ears perking up almost instantly before she trots over to both of them, tail wagging in expectation.
wynonna voices a soft huh of surprise, crouching down to frank's level and extending a hand to try and steal a few scratches behind those attentive ears. ] Looks like she's into it, too.
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but there's a bit of something warm when she comes sprinting across the wood, circling her way back to him, either because being called in itself is enough to get her running back or there's a shared comfort in the name. either way, frank looks far too proud when he joins wynonna in offering scratching affection against that fur. ]
Guess that's that, then. Gotta get that on the collar. [ which would brand all of this even more official than he might have bargained for. yet, he does little to fight it now. ]