[ she zooms up the stairs and throws the door open without knocking so i hope he has pants on or something, not that it looks like she will care one way or another. she's a disheveled mess and her eyes are red like she's been crying and her hair, notably, is up in a ponytail.
which means thomas gets to see the whole of her scars, missing ear and the slice over slice on her throat. ]
[ sweet fucking mercy, who the-- what in-- what? abigail is a mess, and while he's seen the scar on her throat before, many of the others he hadn't and he almost has to remind himself that they're scars, not new injuries. not something he should be freaking out about right now.
the tears, though, yes. that's worth freaking out over. ]
I-- Yeah, of course, no problem. Abigail-- [ he starts, hands going to her shoulders as he crouches some to try to get more eye level with her, concern creasing his brow ] What happened? What's wrong?
[ her head shakes at first, automatic, because she doesn't actually want to talk about it. but thomas lives here and thomas needs to know so he doesn't do something stupid if he finds out from someone else -- because he's seen her memories, he knows, and he wanted to react with violence when there was nothing to react to.
[ hannibal. he knows the name, and recalls the memory he'd witnessed with perfect clarity - the cold in his voice, his eyes seeming devoid of any real light or humanity. unconsciously, thomas's vision shifts to the scar across abigail's neck, and a chill goes through him.
no. no one else is dying. he's so goddamn sick of losing people - this guy can go right the hell back from whatever hell he crawled out of. ]
Did he see you? How do you know? [ he stops, breathes, and the hands on her shoulders squeeze some, trying to reassure. ] He's not getting anywhere near you, okay? I'm not gonna let that happen. None of us are.
You aren't doing anything. He already killed Marissa, I can't--! [ thomas is one of her only friends. she already lost stiles and derek and freddie... the idea of hannibal breathing in the same area as grey or thomas makes bile rise in her throat and she has to swallow a couple times before she can continue, ponytail whisking back and forth as she shakes her head. ]
[ his eyes squint some, brows knitting, and thomas shakes his head, not understanding. ] You can't... really think he'll never figure out you're here. I know it's a big country, but there aren't actually a lot of us in comparison.
[ and how many people keep records of the imPorts? is abigail registered? she'll be logged with the government. it's too easy to find someone here. way too easy. ] What if he comes knocking? You want me to just sit back and let him hurt you?
and she knows how easy it'll be to find her. especially if he just looks up the directory of communicators. but she knows will will rip the world apart to protect her, which is why she doesn't want thomas just running wildly into trouble like an indignant puppy. ]
I know, it's... just. [ a hand lifts to rub her knuckles across her forehead. ] He's not just-- He's prolific, Thomas. He kills people because he enjoys it and then he eats them. He killed Marissa because he felt like it! Promise me you won't do anything.
He... [ thomas starts, voice actually gone soft, in a bit of shock ] eats them?
[ literally any other post-murder activity would have been better. anything that didn't remind him of the scorch and of denver and of the face of ultimate horror in thomas's mind that is the flare and the cranks. ho-boy. ]
So what happens when he starts killing people here? And eating them? [ some sick part of his mind chimes in with 'at least he kills them first'. LITERALLY ANYTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER, ABIGAIL. ] Just shut up and hide? Give him a chance at rehabilitation, like they tried with Crane?
No! Here he goes to jail! Because he's too new to manipulate everyone. Will and Chilton are trusted by people here, he hasn't had years and years to get his hooks in.
[ she makes a frustrated sort of noise, stepping back and yanking out her phone. ]
[ for a long moment, he stares at her, jaw clenched and hands closed into fists at his side. there's been so much 'don't fight it because it's too scary' going on here lately, and when it was just the general threat to the public that Crane was, that was one thing, but this is Abigail specifically. his friend - one of his few remaining friends.
which also means he shouldn't be so quick to act against her wishes. the logical part of him wants to say he knows better, but that's the part of him that has done things in the name of 'greater good' that thomas isn't proud of. fine.
finally, he reaches out to take the phone, a bit snappy, and obviously not pleased with the state of things, but goes about typing at it for a silent moment or so. ]
Who do you want to be instead? [ what name should he be putting in? ]
[ he starts typing it in, eyes on the screen, but asks anyway, in a blank voice - ]
That's not anyone you know or anything he'd recognize? [ don't want it too close to something he could guess at, in the case that something else she says on the network arises suspicion. ]
[ he considers it for a second, tilting his head and chewing at the instead of a lip. dead for three hundred years, and its a pretty common name anyway, so it should be alright. someone with a good mind for history might find it worth note, though.
he taps at the baskspace key, before writing in a new name, handing the phone back to her with the new ID a moment later. ]
You're Harriet Newton. She's no one. [ well, she's the leader of Group B plus Isaac Newton's last name, who Newt was named after, but point is the two combined isn't anything to remark on. ]
[ all the best people are fake-named after inventors, ok. (well actually most of them are dead by the end of canon so maybe this wasn't an awesome idea, ooops) he nods, lips pulling into what might have been a tight smile if thomas wasn't a few lightyears past tense at the moment.
but seeing her fidget, and the lingering terror still sitting with her, he lets out a slow exhale, blinking his eyes closed for a moment, before trying to get back to the conversation. ]
I... won't say anything. [ not about this. he might stalk the fuck out of him. maybe. but he won't do anything. not unless hannibal shows up on their doorstep with a butcher's knife and asks for abigail to come out. reaching out, he tugs her forward, into a hug, chin plopped on top of her head. ] You won't. I can't lose you either, okay? Whatever you need me to do to keep you safe, I'll do it. Promise.
[ it's easy to just sink into thomas' embrace, arms circling around him as she buries her face against his chest. maybe she could just hide here. she can't ask thomas to do anything, because it will put him in danger and she can't do that, not on purpose. it's nearly unavoidable, really, since he's part of their household, and their family, but she refuses to do anything else.
muffled against his shirt, she mutters, ] Can you and Grey sleep in my room tonight?
[ her nightmares, after all, are better when someone is nearby. ]
[ to thomas, family's always been the people around him. he doesn't remember much of his actual parents, and WICKED raised him but could hardly be called anything as kind as family. it's always been his friends - the gladers, brenda, jorge. here, it's this house. grey, abigail, april. will, probably, though he still doesn't know him as well. for him, she is family, and he'd run straight into danger without question for her.
but he's also not going to do anything to hurt her, not without absolute necessity. his arms tighten around her, giving a quick squeeze, and he nods his head. ]
Oh, Bark was always part of the deal. [ he says, tone taking on a more playful tint, trying to relax back into something normal. ] I mean, if you weren't allowing him in, that'd be a deal breaker.
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which means thomas gets to see the whole of her scars, missing ear and the slice over slice on her throat. ]
Can you change comm IDs?
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the tears, though, yes. that's worth freaking out over. ]
I-- Yeah, of course, no problem. Abigail-- [ he starts, hands going to her shoulders as he crouches some to try to get more eye level with her, concern creasing his brow ] What happened? What's wrong?
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now there is. ] Hannibal is here.
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no. no one else is dying. he's so goddamn sick of losing people - this guy can go right the hell back from whatever hell he crawled out of. ]
Did he see you? How do you know? [ he stops, breathes, and the hands on her shoulders squeeze some, trying to reassure. ] He's not getting anywhere near you, okay? I'm not gonna let that happen. None of us are.
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You can't do anything. Promise me.
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[ and how many people keep records of the imPorts? is abigail registered? she'll be logged with the government. it's too easy to find someone here. way too easy. ] What if he comes knocking? You want me to just sit back and let him hurt you?
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and she knows how easy it'll be to find her. especially if he just looks up the directory of communicators. but she knows will will rip the world apart to protect her, which is why she doesn't want thomas just running wildly into trouble like an indignant puppy. ]
I know, it's... just. [ a hand lifts to rub her knuckles across her forehead. ] He's not just-- He's prolific, Thomas. He kills people because he enjoys it and then he eats them. He killed Marissa because he felt like it! Promise me you won't do anything.
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[ literally any other post-murder activity would have been better. anything that didn't remind him of the scorch and of denver and of the face of ultimate horror in thomas's mind that is the flare and the cranks. ho-boy. ]
So what happens when he starts killing people here? And eating them? [ some sick part of his mind chimes in with 'at least he kills them first'. LITERALLY ANYTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER, ABIGAIL. ] Just shut up and hide? Give him a chance at rehabilitation, like they tried with Crane?
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[ she makes a frustrated sort of noise, stepping back and yanking out her phone. ]
Change my ID, please.
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which also means he shouldn't be so quick to act against her wishes. the logical part of him wants to say he knows better, but that's the part of him that has done things in the name of 'greater good' that thomas isn't proud of. fine.
finally, he reaches out to take the phone, a bit snappy, and obviously not pleased with the state of things, but goes about typing at it for a silent moment or so. ]
Who do you want to be instead? [ what name should he be putting in? ]
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Mary Warren. [ an innocuous name, but one she'll readily recall. mary warren was one of the salem witch trial accusers -- along with abigail hobbs. ]
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That's not anyone you know or anything he'd recognize? [ don't want it too close to something he could guess at, in the case that something else she says on the network arises suspicion. ]
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he taps at the baskspace key, before writing in a new name, handing the phone back to her with the new ID a moment later. ]
You're Harriet Newton. She's no one. [ well, she's the leader of Group B plus Isaac Newton's last name, who Newt was named after, but point is the two combined isn't anything to remark on. ]
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Okay. [ she fidgets again, uncomfortable with her outburst, tugging at the end of her ponytail as it curls over her shoulder. ]
I'm not asking you not to talk to him, just be careful. I already lost Marissa, I can't lose you, too.
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(well actually most of them are dead by the end of canon so maybe this wasn't an awesome idea, ooops)he nods, lips pulling into what might have been a tight smile if thomas wasn't a few lightyears past tense at the moment.but seeing her fidget, and the lingering terror still sitting with her, he lets out a slow exhale, blinking his eyes closed for a moment, before trying to get back to the conversation. ]
I... won't say anything. [ not about this. he might stalk the fuck out of him. maybe. but he won't do anything. not unless hannibal shows up on their doorstep with a butcher's knife and asks for abigail to come out. reaching out, he tugs her forward, into a hug, chin plopped on top of her head. ] You won't. I can't lose you either, okay? Whatever you need me to do to keep you safe, I'll do it. Promise.
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muffled against his shirt, she mutters, ] Can you and Grey sleep in my room tonight?
[ her nightmares, after all, are better when someone is nearby. ]
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but he's also not going to do anything to hurt her, not without absolute necessity. his arms tighten around her, giving a quick squeeze, and he nods his head. ]
Of course. We'd be happy to.
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