Gourmet Suite at the Arms Hotel, Sunday morning

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal woke up, stretched, and blinked. Then gave himself a moment to appreciate the lack of any particularly overwhelming emotion this morning.

He looked over at the others in bed with him whoever ended up in the cuddle pile and chuckled. Well, it had been interesting, there was no denying that.

However, he had no intention of spending another day in Jono's clothing or his own pajamas, thank you.

He got up carefully, took a shower and dressed casually but in his own clothes, and headed out to start the coffee.

He had a feeling they might be needing it.

Comments

[furnaceface]

Ha, like Jono could bring himself to hate anybody he had cared about as thoroughly as he'd cared about Raven. Gayle, his first 'one true,' had attempted to get him eaten by a mutant-marrow-sucking cannibal, and Jono had forgiven her with a hug and a 'try harder than that.'

//It couldn't hurt to talk to Hannibal about the emotional aspect of it, perhaps,// Jono offered. //He's been good at talking to me about my own emotions, not even in the capacity of a doctor, but as a friend. And bottling up worries and nightmares never did anybody any favours.// He squeezed her hand right back. //We've both tried it. It bit us both in the behinds so bloody many times over the years. I, for one, am tired of second-guessing if my troubles are enough to warrant anybody else's concern. And yours? I've always got time for you and yours, luv. I'll listen. I'll help where I can.//

He'd done a lot of growing in the past couple of years. Or he'd finally hit the mental reprogramming jackpot and actually had an incarnation of himself in his head that had learned to cope. One of those.

[trigons_child]

"I know bottling things up is not healthy," Raven said. She'd definitely learned that lesson. "But talking about it...." She shrugged helplessly. She knew it was foolish to be afraid, but that didn't help her anxiety about how people would react if she told them about her dreams and how she felt during them, and then they'd know she was the monster she thought she was. Even now she could feel panic starting to build up inside her. It had been so much easier not to think about it and just get caught up in living life moment by moment.

She leaned her head against Jono's shoulder. "But I should talk about it," she corrected herself.

[furnaceface]

//You should talk about it. But I get it. It makes it real,// Jono murmured, nodding and wrapping his arms around her. //It means you have to face it, and the moment somebody else knows those fears, they're not just yours anymore. They've been let out into the world, they've become this tangible thing that needs to be addressed.//

He would have sighed, if he could. As it stood, the best he could do was close his eyes and nuzzle his face into her hair.

//It'll take a lot more than the things we've been through to shake me, luv. I'm not afraid.//

[trigons_child]

Raven let out a shaky breath and clung to him. She should've known he'd understand, of all people.

"I will hold you to that," she whispered. She still wasn't sure she could make herself say some of the things out loud, but she felt a little more likely to try now.

[furnaceface]

//You don't need to,// Jono promised gently. //I hold myself to it, Sunshine.//