When she was just a girl, she expected the world

[notathreat]

WHO: Abby, Ellie
WHAT: The conclusion of Cuntgate
WHEN: End of Bloomingtide
WHERE: The Gallows
NOTES: They haven't spoken since, y'know, this

Ellie's back from a mission. Sweaty. Tired. It's late, and all she really wants is to soak her feet. She's still too keyed up to properly go to bed.

Once the kettle's warm enough to take off the brazier, she pours the steamy water into a basin next to her bed. Pulls her boots off one by one. Eases her feet into the water and lays back on the sheets with a low groan.

"Fuck," she mutters under her breath. Deep breath in, let it all out.

A snuffly-nosed overgrown puppy lets himself in. Noses around her fingers until she moves her hand to scratch him behind the ears.

"Hey, buddy," she mutters, but doesn't get up to play or properly pet him. He licks at her fingers, whines softly, then fucks off for something much more interesting -- one of her boots.

"No, don't-" Ellie mutters as Wags scoops up one of her boots in his mouth, then takes off excitedly running down the hallway. Ellie stares after him, considering, then lets out a deep sigh and lets it go.

She's due for new boots soon, anyway.

Comments

[armd]

Abby grunts, both hideously uncomfortable and relieved to hear. In retrospect she is actually glad she didn't kill her, because Ellie was right when she said she had nothing to do with it. One less red mark on her record. It's fucked to think of it like that but–

"Good," she says, like a confession. She closes her eyes, and lets her head bump gently back against the wall. Ellie is obviously upset about something that's been left unsaid but that's fine with Abby. She doesn't want her to say it. She doesn't want to know the specifics any more than Ellie would want to know more about the couple she murdered in the aquarium.

Opening her eyes, she says, "D'you want me to go." She's probably gonna to go anyway, but it weirdly feels polite to ask, like she's giving Ellie a say in it.

[notathreat]

It's a good question, and Ellie holds it in her hands, turns it this way and that to try to find all the nooks and crannies and crevices of it. She's exhausted, yes, but there's something satisfying about this exhaustion and pain.

It needed to happen. She feels better.

"Yeah," she decides, after a long pause. "But I'm not mad that you came."

[armd]

That's a good way to describe it. She feels the same way, like they've bled something close to bursting. It doesn't feel nearly as tense as disengaging from Ellie used to feel.

And her honesty is appreciated. Abby pushes herself upright, and glances at Wags who has all but plastered himself to Ellie's leg while she rubs his ears. He hasn't moved, so, "You can send him back later if you want."

She's not gonna make him leave if he's happy here, and not causing trouble. He knows where home is.

[notathreat]

"Sure," Ellie murmurs, and doesn't entirely wait until Abby leaves to press her face into the back of Wags' shoulders.

Abby's kinder than she knows.