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[personal profile] ex_this_ismydesign36 2018-05-12 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
[ Over the years, Will's learned to take what he can get in terms of navigating his hallucinations. The ones that weren't trying to kill him or psychologically torture him were rare but well met fellows (or ladies) indeed. ]

Something along those lines. More evidence that whatever Miller and the static was doing, it somehow separated me from whatever that presence may be.

Despite the way it came about, I honestly don't know whether to fear it, or be glad of it. [ He kept going back and forth on what he believed. Currently he was leaning towards the positive.

However, this conversation jogged a memory. ]


Err that reminds, when we were down there I was asked to make sure you were alright. [ Will looked down at his half nibbled cracker, then over at House, his expression gentle. ] I was also asked not to tell you someone had asked.

[ Sorry Rhys, but he's going somewhere with this. ]

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[personal profile] ex_this_ismydesign36 2018-05-12 01:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ At this point, interesting or revealing would be good things. Even if they threaten him personally, House better damn well use that information and kick ass with it.

At the pulled face, the ex-profiler's lips twitched upward in a gentle smile as he shook his head. ]


You're right on the big and formerly muscular set. But this someone is definitely a brunette and also in possession of a tail.

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[personal profile] ex_this_ismydesign36 2018-05-12 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
[ Even in the dimness, Will was watching closely as he nibbled on his cracker. House's reaction was interesting, especially when he bumped it up from what he'd gotten from Rhys in their exchange.

Looking back down at his half gnawed cracker, he turned it over in his fingers in a pensive gesture, before he spoke. ]


You know that he's at least a little in love with you?

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[personal profile] ex_this_ismydesign36 2018-05-12 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
I think it goes a little deeper than that. [ Will continued in quiet, calm tones. He could feel the annoyance in House's tone, and he wasn't really interested in pissing his friend off. Not at the moment.

But he kept seeing these flashes of the dance they did, and though Rhys had done a commendable job of trying to hide it, his wistfulness had bled into his words. ]


I'm not particularly good at the whole interpersonal thing, despite the empathy, but I'd say his feelings are growing.

[ Wow, even Will could tell he was doing badly at this. Exhaling, he went to stuff his half eaten cracker back into the wrapper. He was fidgeting. ]

Every time we've talked, even when there has been tension in the air from you two, its always been pretty professional. The type of conversations acquaintances have, sharing information about this place, that sort of thing.

This time ... this time he told me I should be glad I'm not alone. That I should hold on to any comfort I had. Its the first time he's been that personal about things.

[action] (cw: mentions of suicide and sex)

[personal profile] ex_this_ismydesign36 2018-05-13 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ House is a generous man, to stay and address what is bothering Will. When the doctor snapped, Will was prepared for him to shut down the conversation. It certainly would not have been the first time. But House continues and Will sits quietly and listens, letting his friend just talk.

There doesn't appear to be any surprise to the news that House had enjoyed a homosexual encounter in an alternate timeline. A timeline that played with these perception of how long they had been trapped and alone in this place. If anything, he would have been surprised if House hadn't sought comfort when offered.

The news about his death price did sober the ex-profiler. He'd met 'child House' in his own experience with distorted perception, and could only imagine the strain. Not only in the regression to childhood but also upon returning to his actual age and dealing with the aftermath of his defenses being down.

It was tempting to call out that House could no longer 'no homo' him when they ended up in those situations, but he didn't think his friend would appreciate the humor at this moment. Maybe later.

For now, Will allowed himself to drift back over his experiences with Rhys, connecting them to what House was saying here and now, before he looked down and poked at his crackers. ]


He craves connection. [ He offered, trying -trying- to tread lightly. ] We all need connections, especially going through so much, for so long in this place. [ It was his way of saying that alternate reality or not there was a reality to that kind of need, and there was no regret in that. ]

Has he lost someone, or something vital while he's been here?

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[personal profile] ex_this_ismydesign36 2018-05-13 05:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ How he sucked at this whole, offering comforting advice thing. Honestly, Will wouldn't have even attempted it with anyone other than House or Hannibal, his own damage was just too extensive to allow him to be useful in this area.

Even when he'd tried to help Jack, with Bella's illness, it had been more a case of sitting with a friend, just being there and ultimately listening a little. Jack had ended up leaning more on Hannibal in the end, which probably said something about Will's ineptitude in this arena, but the ex-profiler wasn't going to focus on that.

He was just going to try his best, and work off the assumption that if he really fucked it up, House would simply shut down and tell him to eat his crackers and stop talking. ]


That's the risk with trying to help. [ Will remarked quietly. ] Things go wrong, between intention and result. Emotions get into the mix and it becomes unpredictable.

[ Sometimes in a way that was negative, but also sometimes in a way that was positive. Himself and House being an example of the latter. Though Will was happy to say such a thing in a round about way, to avoid getting swatted like a naughty puppy. ]

Has anyone shown him how to get past them? [ Will asked, putting the spotlight back on Rhys for a moment, his question genuine. ] You and I are so used to functioning through what our lives have thrown at us, we've learned how to survive it. Learned so long ago that we've probably forgotten how we got here.

[ Or in other words, they've both been living with pain for so long, they have survived because they learned to see failures as positive. If they hadn't ... neither of them would be alive to be here. ]

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[personal profile] ex_this_ismydesign36 2018-05-13 07:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[ 'Danger, danger, Will Robinson'! It had been a joke in the police academy where Will's unique gift had really started to flourish and it was flashing all manner of signals at him at the moment.

House's words were in direct conflict to his mien and it was obvious why. Will considered dragging it out into the light, but in the end he dismissed it. Even as bad as he was at peopling, he could see that they had crossed away from that particular opportunity. It might come up again, or it might not. Will was going to let House lead this particular dance in the future. ]


Hannibal would have already leveraged an opportunity if he felt it was beneficial. I think he's got a line elsewhere. [ He glanced over quickly and added. ] Beyond what you and I talked about earlier.

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[personal profile] ex_this_ismydesign36 2018-05-13 07:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Will's answer to the question of what to do about Rhys would probably be a bit more firm then what House might be prepared pursue. One of those instances where Will's reserved sharpness would clash with House's genuine desire not to hurt people.

As for the question, Will arched his eyebrows and simply asked. ]


Do you really want to know? [ It was a sincere question. Sometimes ignorance was bliss when it came to Hannibal's machinations. ]

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[personal profile] ex_this_ismydesign36 2018-05-13 10:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Alright, fair point. ]

I believe he is making inroads on Dr. Watson.

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[personal profile] ex_this_ismydesign36 2018-05-13 11:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Will shook his head and gave his crackers a small spin on the floor. ]

Hannibal's already in Watson's head. He may have a pair of psychotic guard dogs but then I -in theory- had guard dogs of my own in Alana and Jack. Hannibal still got around them, because if you don't recognize the risk? [ Will shrugged and stopped playing with the crackers. ]

You did the singular most intelligent thing you could when you told me what happened. People don't do that, they think they can handle Hannibal alone, and you can't. By telling me, you've put a drain on the corruptive influence. It is no longer singularly internalized where it can only fester and grow. It is exposed.

Watson has created his own perfect storm. He's trying so hard to be an island unto himself, that he's effectively shutting out the very people who could protect him, while letting in the predator.

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[personal profile] ex_this_ismydesign36 2018-05-14 12:05 am (UTC)(link)
At the moment? He's actually enjoying Watson's companionship. [ Will leaned his head back against the wall. ] He is capable of genuinely liking someone, but also want to get in there and lay the threads in case he has to pull them later.

[ He considered pointing out that this was not unlike the way House liked to get under peoples' skin and push them to see what happened. It was that same curiosity, only House was academically curious, where as Hannibal was ruthlessly planning.

But given that House was already tender on the subject of Hannibal, Will kept that observation to himself. ]


Watson affords him a number of moves if he ends up in a situation where he requires them. Especially given his relationship to those two psychotic guard dogs.

[action] (cw: emotionally unhealthy dynamics, suicidal ideation.

[personal profile] ex_this_ismydesign36 2018-05-14 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ Picking up the crackers, Will grabbed his bag and tucked them away; stalling. Eventually he set the bag aside, glanced around to make sure he was aware of where everybody was either sleeping or otherwise occupied, then he drew up one knee and tipped himself towards House. Not invading personal space, just keeping the conversation private. ]

Watson wouldn't listen to me if I tried. That's how Hannibal works, he makes sure that those he keeps close, believe in him at least more so than they would believe in someone like me.

[ Add on the fact that Will had never made a particularly good impression on Watson, that was definitely a non-starter.

Besides. ]


House, I don't know if you will understand this, because I don't know if any sane person would want to understand this. [ Commentary on himself and his circumstances, rather than House's ability to grasp the impossible. ] Hannibal is as equally driven to destroy and consume me as he is to be in love with me, almost above anyone else ... even Miller. I am both a weakness and a threat to him, but I am almost the person who sees him and doesn't flinch away.

It's a precarious balancing act and it is a question of when, not if, the scales tip towards the murder option.

[ Saying it aloud, for the first time it made Will feel ... weak, in front of House, as if he'd failed, and a heavy wash of shame came with it. But he took a deep breath and kept driving to where he was going with all this. ]

If it was just he and I? I know I could take him down with me, I've done it once already. But now there is too great a risk of collateral damage, and I'm tired of the collateral damage.

[ He knew House would seethe at the idea of being protected, so Will went at that in a roundabout way. It was House he was protecting, but also Ecks, Ginger, Watson ... those who would be left behind with Hannibal if Will failed to take the older man with him. ]

So he and I are at a bit of an unspoken truce, compromise even. We've always been a zero sum game, and here is no different. If I were to go in and mess with his machinations, that would destroy the balance and then it would be open warfare between us.

That said, I've done what I could to try to get Sherlock to pay attention, but I don't know how much good it did.
Edited (I'm done, I swear) 2018-05-14 00:57 (UTC)

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[personal profile] ex_this_ismydesign36 2018-05-14 01:27 am (UTC)(link)
[ It was tempting to point out that Molly had been a good choice. But the truth was he had been the bad choice for her and he'd been selfish to let her make it. Will had never been cut out for a normal life, a normal family and he'd been fooling himself to think he could exist with one.

But he was simply grateful that the older man didn't appear disgusted with the weakness Will showed in this area. He believed that if House had been put off, he'd say so. ]


Hannibal is very good at hiding, especially when he can see a person's blind spot. Holmes has a huge one and I have no doubt Hannibal positioned himself right into it.

[ Reaching up, Will brushed his hand across his face, trying to chase off a headache. ]

I agree. We stay out of it, hope Beckett stays quiet. Though I expect he'd rather put me in his cross-hairs. I expect to have to sing for my supper, so to speak.

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