houston is a kleptomaniac.
you could argue everyone in the payday gang is but i feel like for houston it is serious. people in the safehouse ask where a trinket of theirs went and its always in the garage. dallas had to set up a lost and found in the living room for everyone to come grab things houston stole. nothing he needed or even wanted, nothing he even planned to keep. he just cant stop himself from reaching over and grabbing a tape from jackets collection, no intention to play it. it is irresistible to grab a hockey puck from the rink with no plan to play. a marker from sydney's corner, a controller from joy's van, a pen from clover's desk, a glass from the bar. its especially ironic considering how possessive he is of his own belongings.
luckily a lot of the time he doesnt steal anything personal. its not whether or not the item is personal that makes him want to steal it. just the fact that its there. its so easy. he could do it right now- look he just did it. wanna see him do it again? sometimes though it does go too far. he never knows the sentimental value of the item. he just sees it lying unattended and cant help but pocket it. he doesnt look through it, just sets it in the garage like everything else. someone yells about how they cant find it and houston deals with their wrath and cant give an answer for why he even did it in the first place.
everywhere dallas went in his younger years he had a little bandit on his tail. he had to smooth talk his way out of altercations with adults on his brothers behalf, explaining every time that he just doesnt know better. takes the hit for houston and says it was him that took it. houston kept getting into trouble over tiny little things.
it started off when he did want something. wanting a chocolate bar from the corner store and having nimble enough hands to take it. then he registers how easy it was. its become muscle memory to reach for something and take it. an impulse he cant control. it isnt like he wants the object itself. he tells himself "i shouldnt do this" but before his neurons process the command, hes already stolen something. even from places houston knows he shouldnt steal from. he sits out on group activities like the farmer's market, conventions, et cetera. just because he knows he'll wind up stealing something.
its not like him to regret taking things. it really depends on the thing and the location. at walmart he will pocket whatever is around the register. he faces away from the camera and uses his body to shield the view before grabbing something all within seconds. he does it like a routine. he dresses in loose hoodies and cargo pants to places not just for comfort, but for the deep pockets.
he felt bad for a long time during retirement for still stealing. but he cant help himself. it hurt not to do it. it oddly felt more like he would be caught if he didnt steal it, so his hands act before he can think and he is relieved. then guilty again. then feels anticipation, relief, guilt. anticipation, relief, guilt. anticipation, assault, control.
its the reason he wound up in prison. he was retired. he had all the money he needed and no reason to wish for more. he was comfortable and capable of being a normal civilian after everything finally came to an end. but then he saw a bank open up, or heard about a new museum exhibit. whatever he was doing.
he told himself he shouldnt do it. itd only get him into more trouble. he wasnt sure whether or not he wanted to return to the life he had growing up. he felt relief finally being out of it, then felt empty without it. was a thief all that he was? who was he if not a rogue? it hurts not to do it.
he told himself he shouldnt do it, but before his neurons could even process the command, he was already planning it out. meticulously mapping routes on his own on a corkboard, putting on his best suit and punching numbers into a keypad. hes thorough. hes nimble. hes stealthy. he never forgets anything, right?
the question of why remains. is it former substance abuse? gambling addiction? a lack of dopamine? the adrenaline rush? bad habit?
why cant he stop himself? are his hands physically working against him? deep down is he just a selfish thief? no matter how much guilt he feels for it, is it perhaps true that he is just a selfish, greedy thief?
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