after making this post about Abolish's name, and thinking about other name headcanons, I remembered @jackdaw-sprite pitching Legs' first name being Louis and then this scene happened.
I'm definitely not slowly building out a post-oakhurst extended story of Legs joining the Organisation after Abolish stops him from sacrificing himself............
*.*
It had been a long, exhausting process. They'd been sitting in that quiet office for hours — him, Abolish, and an agent who had been introduced but Legundo couldn't remember his name — slowly working their way through the official statements.
Legs was used to paperwork. Between the military and medical training, he had filled out more than his fair share. This wasn't all that different from giving a report to a superior officer after a military campaign, but the familiarity brought no comfort. He was glad Abolish was there at least, a steadying presence at his side, as he had to recount the last two months in painful detail. He'd handed over his recordings and his journal at the same time Abolish had handed over the cure books.
He was wrung out, drained emotionally but not physically. He'd accepted the bottles of crimson he'd been handed when they had arrived at the manor, and had listened while Abolish explained his options.
"If nothing else," Abolish had said, "we'd appreciate having your version of events on file."
—//'I want you to stay' //—\\'I won't leave you like he left me'\\—
They both had ignored the emotions passing back and forth across the connection neither of them knew how to control.
Legundo agreed to give a report.
.
After the two or three hours of questions and retellings, Abolish finally sat back in his seat.
"I think that covers everything," he said, sounding as tired as Legundo felt. The other agent, who had been taking dutiful notes the entire time gave them both a nod.
"Very well," the man said, shuffling the pile of papers before him. He slid the stack over to Abolish, who began to slowly page through them, eyes skimming over the writing.
Once he reached the last page, he picked up the pen. Legundo had assumed he was just putting his signature at the bottom, but it looked like he was writing an entire statement. He frowned a little as Abolish gave a weary sigh and pushed the stack over to him next.
Legs didn't bother flicking through the pages. He'd already relived the events of the last two months too many times, and he trusted Abolish would have picked up any egregious errors. He'd have to read what Abolish wrote at the end, though, in case there was some specific statement was expected to write.
He was surprised when there was simply a place at the end for him to write his name, and below the heading of 'Statement given by:' was Abolish's neat handwriting.
Abolish Thy Fear And Be Free Of Regret Veylocke, written out painstakingly.
Legs blinked once. He hadn't questioned Abolish's name, had assumed it to be like his own, an epithet with a frustrating and/or confusing story behind it, that had been used so frequently it was easier than giving his own name. He supposed he was far off.
He glanced at Abolish out the corner of his eye. His fledgling was staring blankly at the wall across the room, and he could feel the waves of exhaustion and boredom rolling down the bond. But then Abolish seemed to sense his gaze, and flicked his eyes over to meet Legs'. There was a little flush of embarrassment, and Legs wasn't sure if it his his or Abolish's he was feeling. He dragged his gaze back down to the page, and pressed the pen to the blank spot below Abolish's name.
He got as far as writing Dr. before he paused.
Paused too long, obviously, because he earned himself an awkward cough from the waiting agent.
He hadn't told anyone. Not even Owen. Especially not Owen. Not after—
He swallowed and pressed the pen down again.
Dr. Louis Gunderson, he wrote, and didn't let his hand shake.
He pushed the papers back over to the agent, who collected them and gave them a wordless nod that Legs recognised as a dismissal. He and Abolish rose at the same time, and walked out the office silently.
It was a few steps down the hall that Legs felt Abolish glancing at him sideways, curiously.
"I thought it would at least be your surname," Abolish said, and while his voice was it's usual neutral tone, Legs felt the hint of amusement beneath it.
"It's… a very long story," he said, letting his weariness paint his words. Abolish just gave a little hum, that Legs knew was fond. He bit the inside of his cheek to take his mind off the feeling.
They walked a few more meters in companionable silence, before he couldn't help himself.
"Not as long as your name, though," he muttered under his breath. Abolish let out an actual chuckle.
"My father was going through a phase, apparently. My mother indulged him," he said. And then he slowed, as the air between them shifted.
"It was supposed to keep me safe," Abolish said quietly. "A kind of promise."
Even through the raw, unfiltered nerve that was their bond, Legundo could feel the way Abolish was trying to keep the emotion at bay. He reached across slowly, and placed a hand on his fledgling's shoulder.
"They loved you," he said softly. Abolish nodded, not making eye contact.
There were so many more things to say, but neither of them were ready. Legs gave Abolish's shoulder a squeeze, released him, and they continued down the hall once more.
this started after losing his parents. He would frequently have nightmares and wake up to the smallest sounds, or have trouble falling asleep because the leaves outside sounded like footsteps. At some point multiple times after Morcant found him tired in the morning from not sleeping, Morcant pulls out a knife and hands it to this ten year old. He says ‘Keep this under your pillow and when you hear something scary throw the knife at it. If it screams then you were right and you yell for me.’ (he knows nothing will get into the manor or get into Abolish’s room so Abolish can’t get himself hurt by chucking a knife at an actual person). Abolish stares at the knife, he does not know how to throw knives. Morcant teaches him. The only case in which Abolish is not a light sleeper is when he’s been awake longer than he should be and needs to Sleep ASAP. Then it’s lights out, have fun waking him up and getting whacked in the face when he does fully regain consciousness.
Wakes up to his name
Fairly straightforward. He will wake up for a plethora of other things, but he will always wake up to his name unless he’s conked out. This is the best way to wake him up without getting a knife thrown at you.
Now, there are levels to how Abolish sleeps based off of his location.
Danger
This is in the case of extreme missions, ones where leaving a blind spot or turning your back for a second could lead to your death. Abolish sleeps as well as he can before traveling to the mission spot, and refrains unless absolutely necessary from resting (usually by planning the missions to be short enough to do so). If the mission goes long to the point where it is necessary to sleep, he will either tough it out (if applicable and safe to do so) or take a really short nap, armed to the teeth (multiple weapons in reach, on him, and a knife under his pillow) and on edge. The smallest sound by itself will make him snap awake and upright, just in case. He can, will, and has before been awoken by a sound and immediately thrown a weapon at it, completely knocking whoever was sneaking up on him off kilter.
High Alert
There is potential danger in the area, but it is not certain and imminent. However, there is also no safe space to rest (ie a house or space where a vampire could not get into). This is where Abolish would not be in a direct line of fire, he is infiltrating, or accompanying, and hasn’t done anything that would warrant someone being out for his blood. There are deadly threats nearby, but he is not the target. That does not mean he can’t get caught in the crossfire or become the target. Sounds will wake him up immediately, but he will take a second to determine whether it is a threat or not. Any sort of touch to his unconscious body will get whoever did so, friend or foe, absolutely thrown. Restrain first, ask questions later.
Mid Alert
There is danger in the area but a safe space exists. Oakhurst fluctuated but mainly stayed in this category due to the fact that he had a house. This category is also where a lot of his post canon missions fall into because (I headcanon) the Organization a majority of the time gives Abolish missions near to Scott, and Scott lives near Abolish’s apartment (I headcanon Abolish is just constantly cycling through apartments to keep his location hidden and to keep up with Scott moving). So the mission itself is a medium danger level, there could be significant damage if handled ineffectively, but it’s paired nicely with the fact that there is a safe space to rest (which safety isn’t entirely guaranteed, sometimes the targets aren’t vampires, sometimes they figure out a way in anyways). He wakes up to sounds, will throw anything that touches him but he can get a full night of rest without the stress of not having a house/rest place. The knife is still under his pillow, but he can sleep without having any uncomfortable weapons on his person. Still many weapons in the room however.
Low Alert
There is no danger or a very low danger (and by no danger I mean that there is always danger in existing as Abolish does, but you can’t constantly be thinking about that otherwise you’ll never sleep and you’ll work yourself into a frenzy). There is also a safe resting space, usually these are the many apartments that I headcanon Abolish to have frequented. His homes. And yet they are still at low alert and not full safety because while they are his homes they are still not completely safe. (Also why I never refer to them as his homes, just the houses he lives in). He is alone in them, and even on the rare chance when he’s not alone, he doesn’t trust those people to be competent, or attentive enough to relax completely when resting. The knife is under his pillow and there are easy to reach weapons. He wakes to sounds, determines if they’re threats and dismisses them. Any touch will get whoever did so thrown, but less so than normal, just so Abolish can stop getting noise complaints from his neighbors and can avoid paying to fix the wall.
Full Safety
Thornvale Manor does not start in this category (since Abolish arrives here recently traumatized) but once he understands and witnesses the fact that nothing gets past Morcant and that the staff are just as capable and trustworthy, it becomes the only place he can fully and truly relax. There is no weapon under his pillow (although there are still many throughout the room), any sound in the room (which he will only wake up to if he’s particularly stressed) can easily be explained as nonthreatening, and the staff know to call Abolish’s name to wake him up (if someone is touching him while he is asleep it is almost 100% Morcant or a new staff member). Most of the time when Abolish visits Morcant just to visit or to accept a new mission or drop off a report he will stay the night and get some of the best sleep he’s had in years. Morcant is aware of this, and because of this often tries to persuade Abolish into staying longer. It rarely works.
and just as a general thing, when I say Abolish doesn’t feel safe that isnt a ‘Abolish is sat in a corner shivering and wide eyed waiting for something to happen’. Abolish not feeling safe to me is such as unconscious thing for him, it is a ‘this situation gives bad vibes so I’m gonna keep acting how I normally do but keep a closer eye out’. You cannot tell from the outside if he doesn’t feel safe cause he acts the exact same as he would on any other mission, but the unsafeness manifests in how he reacts to being woken up. That is how you tell how badly the stress or worry is getting to him.
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