Hannibal's office in Baltimore, Sunday afternoon

[sharp_as_knives]

This weekend Hannibal was himself (so far as he was aware), male, and wearing whichever clothes he felt like. He was wondering if he should keep an extra eye out - this could have been any day in Baltimore before he'd gone to teach at Fandom. Unless you counted the fact his patient was a werewolf, but he wasn't ruling that out any other time anymore, either; it seemed safest.

Meanwhile he sat in his office waiting for Derek.



[OOC: Open to the grumpy werewolf and phone calls or e-mail, NFB for therapy!]

Comments

[justlurkinghere]

And Derek was more than okay meeting in Batimore with what had been happening with him this week.

"Dr. Lecter."

Derek's greetings left something to be desired.

[sharp_as_knives]

His greeting might not be verbose, but it was to the point and polite. "Mr. Hale." Hannibal held the door for him. "How have you been, this week?"

Yes, he was opening with the hard-hitting questions.

[justlurkinghere]

Derek made a face, walking quickly to take a seat. "I don't know."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal followed him and took his own seat. "Meaning you're not certain what you've been up to, or that you're not sure how you feel about it?"

In his defense, that could have been a question even before Fandom; now there were simply more possible causes for the former.

[justlurkinghere]

"The latter." Because it was a good question considering Fandom. "Mostly about my--relationship with Stiles."

He dug out a less than pristine paper, unfolding it carefully before offering it over to Hannibal.

"He gave me this."

It was a survey. A survey about sex things, Hannibal.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal read it over, noting the variety of acts on the survey, then refolded it and handed it back to Derek. "He wanted you to fill this out. Did he give you his own?"

[justlurkinghere]

"Yeah," Derek replied, clearing his throat. "So we can figure things out before we do anything."

And make Derek research what half the things on the survey even were.

[sharp_as_knives]

"One of those things that sounds very sensible in theory, but probably induces quite of bit of anxiety in practice," Hannibal noted. "Is there anything in particular that makes you anxious?"

[justlurkinghere]

Did all of it count? Because that's what Derek had going there.

"I want to have sex with him. I've thought about it." In a very vague, abstract sort of way. "I just haven't--"

Thought about the reality of it.

[sharp_as_knives]

"You haven't considered all the things that may come with that." Hannibal pointed at the paper. "So it isn't any one particular thing, it's the concept of this becoming real."

[justlurkinghere]

"I have been with one person and that was when I was sixteen," Derek ground out. "And I really doubt anything about it was normal."

[sharp_as_knives]

Well, that would explain quite a bit. "Are you worried you might bring prior trauma into this, or simply uncertain how to handle it?"

[justlurkinghere]

"Both?"

[sharp_as_knives]

That was actually an incredibly honest answer, Derek; there might be hope yet!

Hannibal nodded. "The uncertainty is something that only experience and time will cure; just remember you both have the same problem." He pointed at the list. "That is one of Stiles' steps toward managing it. So long as you talk to each other, I imagine you won't have much problem there."

Which, granted, was a pretty big "if", but you could do it!

"As to the prior trauma - are you worried you might hurt him physically, or react badly to something? Or do you worry that he might hurt you, trigger past emotions that you haven't fully dealt with?"

[justlurkinghere]

Hey, they were totally talking about stuff! Ish.

"I don't know. I never tried after--" You know. Don't say you don't. "Because no one." He sighed, frustrated. "No one was safe."

[sharp_as_knives]

"Safe from you, or safe for you to be with?"

Or both?

[justlurkinghere]

"For me to be with." Because Derek was a big ol' romantic who couldn't handle meaningless sex.

[sharp_as_knives]

"But Stiles is." For some value of the word "safe" that worked in Fandom and Beacon Hills. Which might not be saying much.

[justlurkinghere]

"I think so."

[sharp_as_knives]

"But you're still worried." Hannibal gestured. "Is there anything he could do to make you less worried?"

[justlurkinghere]

"I'm worried," Derek said slowly, working through the appropriate words here. "That it's going to be a let down for him."

And then he'd turn evil.

"He has all these things he wants to do like sex is just no big deal and--" Derek shrugged.

[sharp_as_knives]

"If he were, to put it vulgarly, horrid in bed," - hey, that was vulgar for Hannibal - "would it be a let down for you?"

[justlurkinghere]

"No, but he's not the older one here. With some kind of experience."

[sharp_as_knives]

"And you think that's what he expects you to be - experienced." Hannibal spread his hands. "Does he know your past history, or does he have reason to think you might be more well-versed?"

[justlurkinghere]

"He knows. About Kate." He made a face, trying not to cringe. "She hit on him when she came looking for me."