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“She’s out like a light.” Morgan’s voice is a low, quiet hum as he speaks, smiling endearingly at the baby between him and Boothill as the three lay together in the latter’s bed. It was a rather easy going day, working out in the fields and tending to the farm, but for a baby who’s just now learning how to walk and wants to see what the world has to offer for her, it was tough!
Boothill watches Morgan, taking note of how gently he treats the little thing snoozing away between them. His hand, calloused from handiwork, is gentle as he smooths out the girl’s pajamas. The sight before the cowboy fills his chest with a sweet warmth, causing his own lips to curl into a smile, and a familiar thought crosses his mind.
“Y’know,” Boothill doesn’t even have to finish the sentence as Morgan’s heard it time and time again, but he does anyway with the same sincerity in his voice, “having one more parent in her life won’t hurt.”
He watches Morgan’s hand still before he pulls it back, tucked against his chest. Their eyes meet, and even under the dim glow of the moon slipping past the blinds, Boothill finds himself falling for his friend again. Morgan’s got a bit of a frown playing at his lips, but his eyes betray him, and it’s as if Boothill can see him entertaining the thought in his head, fantasizing a little— then there’s that momentary flash of doubt, his brow twitching and his eyes falling elsewhere.
“… I dunno,” he murmurs, unable to say yes or no, “there’s gotta be someone else better suited for this stuff.”
The excuse almost makes Boothill want to laugh a little. If there was someone out there better at being a parent, then he wouldn’t have come across his kid in the first place— hell, his own parents wouldn’t have found him or his siblings if there were people out there better at parenting than they were.
“Well, I’m as good as it gets, right?”
“You are.”
Morgan says it so matter-of-factly like this whole dad thing was a given for Boothill, and the latter smiles again when their gazes meet once more. He reaches for the hand he pulled away earlier, holding it delicately and running his thumb over the other’s knuckles.
“Besides, I don’t think I want nobody else besides you,” Boothill says, that sincerity unwavering still, “I thought I made that pretty clear by putting my hat over your head… how many times has it been now?”
Morgan lets out an amused huff, that small smile of his from before returning. Boothill gently pulls his hand over the sleeping baby and towards his face then, eyes gently closing as he presses his lips against the other’s knuckles, lingering a second longer as he kisses his ring finger. He doesn’t see how Morgan quietly melts in that moment, but he catches the longing in his eyes when he opens his own once more.
Boothill’s gentle grip on Morgan loosens, but the latter hesitates to pull away for a moment before settling against the baby’s tummy again. Embarrassed, he looks only at the sleeping child before him.
“You’d make a good dad,” Boothill says it for real this time, not beating around the bush. He sees Morgan’s eyes glimmer again, clearly entertaining the idea. He doesn’t get an answer this time, though he thinks he doesn’t need one. Just that look is enough— more than enough.