infomodder | IC contact [Mask or Menace]

[He can handle dogs, but putting him in charge of people's lives kind of...there's a reason she went running to Hannibal. No one could blame her, especially not compared to Will.]

It's not like that. [With Annie, with Sasha, with Jayden, with any of the teenagers he's latched onto in his own way. They're not Abigail at all, and the words of one sorely missed doctor who had experience with Will and raccoons comes flooding back. They're not strays.] Not with the other kids here. None of them are her. I'm not—it's a circumstantial thing. [And uncomfortable, too. Gosh, he keeps swallowing, looking unable to sit still.] I'm paternal with her for reasons that won't happen again. I'm nobody else's dad.

[Gunther, dumb as he may be, snorts at that like he understands. Gets his attention.]

Humans, I mean.

[Better? Better.]

[ Circumstances that involved her mom, April can only assume. But whatever. Unlike some people she's ~~bullied~~ known, Will's been pretty prone to just come out with info he actually wants to share. If he's going to swallow and fidget instead of spitting it out, there's probably a reason.

Which means she won't press. Not that she won't enjoy the discomfort and run with it in a new direction. It's the only thing keeping this conversation grounded for her as they weave around the apparent point of it.]

So one of your mickey mouse club might win the child bride prize.

[Child bride. Prize. The idea of Abigail ever being a bride isn't sad because it invokes the paternal feelings of loss and protectiveness, it's sad because, as far as he knows, The Corpse Bride isn't real. She can't come back in any way. She can't ever be a bride. She won't be all right, she won't wear white and have her hair done to cover a missing ear, or have some veil in place that covers it up. Covers up the scar on her neck.

But he knows she's trying to go into the opposite direction of heavy and terrible and soul-crushing, so he does his best to follow along. Swim right down, shake the blood out of his hair.]

Probably not. I'm not looking to get married. Doubt she is, either. Doubt—the sort of people you've got here from my world, we're...not really the marrying type.

[Which may sound like he has nothing but sex on the mind when it comes to any sort of relationship that's intimate, perhaps, but it's more—well, in general, and here? Of all places? It seems so...destined for disaster. The people from his world are also kind of terrible at all relationships. And one of them, at least, has already killed a spouse. Really, just. It ends badly in Baltimore.]

Are you?

Sometimes. It kinda depends if the relationship is the marriage type. Some aren't. But if it is..mm, yeah, I guess. Why bother with the middle stuff if the end's better?

[ She married one man on literally the first date. True, there had been some zany City magic involved with that, but in hindsight it was still one of the better weeks she'd had in the city. She'd do it again, if she felt like that again. But she hadn't with Max, she'd felt like living together and doing small crimes and mocking people instead. So they'd done that, and it'd been just as good.]

What. Do you want to know if I want kids, too?

[Will continues to reel in conversations that will be so terrible to look back on if he ever goes home and has no idea of it. For now, he doesn't have so much of a problem talking about it, and the flat What has his face screwing up, a companion What what? without as much being said.]

Don't you already have some? [Will has seven dogs, people might count them as his kids.] Seem like you're readier to be a vet than anything else. A good vet. I'd take my dogs to you sort of good vet.

[Compliment???]

Thanks.

[ Compliment. She will take it. ]

I'll keep it in mind if making people miserable gets boring, I guess.

[Compliment taken, some Baltimore problems explained, that went over better than expected—and it shows that Will might have foreseen going a little worse (then again, he hadn't gone in true horrific detail) when he runs a hand through his hair, scratches at the side of his head like he's just been on a mental roller coaster. Has to re-adjust, come back down to more normal things.]

Welcome. [It's quiet, missing the You're that should be there, grasping at small niceties. That's normal. Politeness, that's appreciated and normal and.] It's kinda that time, isn't it? Of the month. When new people sometimes show up. Think I should pack a sleeping bag this weekend, just in case?

[Prayer circle for April's floor.]

[ It's easy to roll with things when you refuse to digest them (or...contemplate them. poor word choice with the ear thing) until later, when playing Survivor Fetch with the house dogs alone. Where no one can hear her maybe text Abigail. ]

Why? You've already got a bed out here.

[ She smiles faintly, but she's back to looking at the cute dog in the shot, too. If anyone asks, he's the reason she hasn't done her normal thing of switching back to text once she got what she wanted. ]

I mean, the raccoons have been practicing laying in a circle shape on the floor. I dunno who'll be in Cole's room next.

[He wouldn't mind if digestion found its way out of her mouth. God knows he thinks it enough himself, and really, he didn't have time to digest much of it. If any of it ever truly did get attacked by stomach acids. So it's not as bad as it could be.

April is one person he honestly wouldn't have any qualms with talking to Abigail about...well, most anything.

What is difficult is talking about getting off the floor any time soon, all things considered.]

Really gonna leave me down there with them? What if they get handsy?

[He needs protection. Clearly. Clearly he can't do it on his own, clearly that dog cozy with him isn't protected, clearly he needs some help with raccoons.]

Hm. Good point. Beards confuse them sometimes. It's messy.

[ Just leaving that last one there. Not saying if they think it's food or a cat or a something to love, mostly because experiments had thus far proven inconclusive. But she isn't going to count this a win until he's the one that says exactly where he's planning on spending the night. It's just too easy if she does it, and where's the fun in easy. ]

Better come up with a back-up, I guess, smart guy.

[Wait. Wait. Is this—beards confuse them, no explanation, could be fact or just bullshit. Some dogs are confused by what appears to be nothing, a bit of clothing on a person or having a hair color that reminds them of someone else, but that's not the case here, is it. This is...he thinks he gets it, and the smile that he manages is not bitter, strained, or fake.]

Ideally, April, the floor would be the back-up. My first choice actually involves sharing your bed. [Enough? No, wait.] Provided you find that agreeable, of course.

[Still smiling like a normal, healthy, happy person, what is this nonsense.]

[ A smile that doesn't get laughed at, that's what. Instead she grins back for a full second. Before ducking her head a little, hair falling slightly forward again to partially cover one eye. Emotions. Human emotions. She can only stare directly so long, even if her smile stays.]

We'll find out when you're here, I guess.

[April's free to stare, more than free—he's used to it, knows if he goes back home he'll have to get even more used to it, pacing behind bars and watching people sit in a chair far enough away that no matter how good a reach he has, he can't get them. Only there won't be any smiles, not like this. He's just going to appreciate it while he can, however brief, and keep that somewhat goofy smile on his face.]

I'll be sure to be on my best behavior, then.

[And take a shower.

And maybe shave.

Maybe.]

[ Don't go to heroic lengths for her, Will. She's not even planning on going to the fancy assembly this month, no point in prettying up. ]

So when'll you be here? I need to know when to ditch work.

[Heroism on part of the shaving razor, maybe.]

Shop closes at six. I can make my way over Fridays after that. [But that is not proactive and does not in any way show that he's more interested in April than just as a weekend buddy.] Or twenty minutes. I could be there in twenty minutes.

[He shrugs, trying not to look or sound desperate. He's not, but he's also not got anything to do and if April doesn't either, why the hell stay around doing absolutely nothing? Bader can bathe herself, she doesn't need the special in-depth scrubs every night, he can spoil someone else, his corpse wolf roommate will understand.]

[ There's just the tinniest bit of surprise, he had started this leg of the conversation with the new people thing and all. But the lack of anything to do had been the reason she'd called. Boredom clawing at her skull, and Will's number high on the speed dial list, and god she approves of the direct route over all the normal people dancing around and setting dates and thinking too far ahead. So there's not even a moment of hesitation before the reply. ]

Bring food.

[Score. Score. A thousand scores. He looks at Gunther a second, and then:]

We'll be right there.

[That's all she wrote, murder and bed-sharing propositioning and everything in between. No more talk, time to show that he means it.

It won't take him much time at all to throw some clothes in a duffel bag, the numerous pill bottles he has (that might take some explaining, huh), Gunther's leash, doggie treats (Ace might like them, he wagers, they're expensive and fattening and Gunther eats them like children eat candy if he can) the very basics. What will take extra time is picking up food, because while he can bring a bag of fresh fish (and it's happening), he's not sure what April likes.

So when he shows up, it'll be with a pizza, with a bag of ambiguously Asian take-out, and another bag of tacos. If she asks, it's for the roommates, it's to spread it, it's because he doesn't live there and he's bringing offerings. Because people have feelings, and people like being fed physically as much as Will might be hiding a need for the entire house not to stare at him like he doesn't belong. Everyone likes the guy who brings food without charge—look at Lecter.

But secretly, yes, he's going to be analyzing what April goes for first to work with every time after. He gets data, the roommates have something to munch on, and no one really has to be any the wiser.

HE IS SUCH A JEENUS]

IC contact [Mask or Menace]

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