A guest room in Glacia, Thursday night Fandom time

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal settled his things in the wardrobe and wandered about the room, familiarizing himself with everything in it. Karla's hospitality was as impeccable as he would have expected, even if he had been for all intents and purposes kidnapped. He wondered darkly for a moment if Glacia had an equivalent of the FBI to investigate such things.

Which naturally led to other thoughts. Of Jack, of Alana. And especially of Will.

He stood in the middle of the room, eyes closed, calming himself.

Jono	The equivalent of the FBI, in Glacia? Julian. Jono. How in the world did Hannibal keep befriending those types, anyway? To the point, in fact, where one of them was currently standing outside of the door to Hannibal's room, wondering if perhaps now was a bad time? //Hannibal?// It wasn't so much a word as it was a question, a light wash of inquiry, wondering if he was intruding. Maybe a sort of soft hint of, 'hey, I'm worried, I'm here if you need somebody' to go along with that.
Hannibal	Something about the violence and intellectual challenge of the job, maybe? Whatever it was, Hannibal had several fewer friends now than he had earlier in the day. He nodded, swallowed, and spoke just loudly enough for Jono to hear. "Come in."
Jono	Oh. Oh. That was a tone of voice that Jonothon had never heard from Hannibal before, and it had him hesitating at the door for a moment before reaching for the doorknob and letting himself in, pulling the door shut again behind himself. //Hey,// he said, tentatively. //Just wanted to check up on you, mate. Karla was in a hell of a rush to usher me away when you got in, and I never got a chance to ask if there was anything I can to do help.// But he had plenty of time to finish cleaning the canapés from the floor while Karla chased Hannibal up to the shower. So. That had been something.
Hannibal	And Hannibal would greatly appreciate that cleanliness once he got back home. For now, he turned to Jono and did his best to smile at him. It was a fairly credible one; he did have a lot of practice. "Thank you." He sat on the corner of the bed, and took a moment to think. "I don't believe there is, but I do appreciate your concern."
Jono	//Nah,// Jono replied, nodding once, //I figured that might be the case.// He'd danced this dance before. Though maybe with somewhat less murder than had been involved, not that he was aware of that much. //But I figured I ought to make the offer all the same. You don't have to force a smile for my sake, Hannibal. I'm not here because I think your pain is a spectator sport.//
Hannibal	That got a more humorous smile. "I hadn't thought it was. Although I wouldn't hold it against you to be a bit morbidly curious. It's human nature, isn't it?"
Jono	//Can't deny that,// Jono allowed. //We don't much care for mysteries, though if you're not feeling up to talking about what happened, I'm not going to push you for information. I know it wasn't your blood, I know you're more pulverized in an emotional sense than the physical one that Karla was letting on. And if there's anything you want to talk about, I'll listen. If you don't want to talk, I'm just fine with sitting here in silence, if that's what you want. Or leaving. It's your call, mate. No expectations, no demands. I don't expect you to perform, here. I just...// He shrugged. //... care.//
Hannibal	Hannibal waved Jono to sit. He wasn't sure if he could or should speak of what had happened, but perhaps the company would distract him.
Jono	Well, if Hannibal wasn't going to chase him out of the room, Jonothon was going to nod and take a seat in a nearby armchair. //Thanks,// he said, leaning forward a little. //... You know, I think this chair is actually more comfortable than the one in my room? There's how you tell Karla likes you, mate. You get the comfortable chair.// He... was rambling. Fabulous. //Hope she didn't put you out too much, kidnapping you away to Glacia like this.//
Hannibal	"I haven't ever missed a class before," Hannibal confessed. "I feel like I should be back there, doing something useful." Though given his current mindset, it was probably just as well that he not be around his students. "I feel..." he grimaced. "Like Sisyphus after his rock rolls back down the hill. I keep staring after it, wondering why it's fallen and how long until I have the strength to try again."
Jono	It was an interesting comparison. After all, Sisyphus' fate was a punishment devised to rub in his face that he thought he was more clever than the gods. //Your class will get on without you for a week,// Jono shared, //though there's enough of a connection to the island from here that you can contact somebody to take over your class if need be. As for the rock...// He shrugged his shoulders again. //I don't think you're damned to push it for eternity,// he offered. //And even if you are, you're certainly not required to push it alone. But...// His brow furrowed faintly as he tried to puzzle out how to say what he wanted to say. //That doesn't make it less brutal now. As much as 'this too shall pass' is true, that doesn't always make the here and now easier to stomach, does it?// This was heartbreak, wasn't it? Heartbreak was crushing.
Hannibal	"No, it doesn't," Hannibal agreed. "I still failed. I have still lost friends." Will had still rejected his friendship, rejected his own nature.
Jono	//I'm sorry,// Jono murmured, and he very much meant it. //It's the doubt afterwards, isn't it? When you end up asking 'what could I have done differently?' Picking apart every little aspect of what you've done, inspecting it in minutiae, after the fact.// And hindsight was always perfect, wasn't it? //Makes the loss that much worse.//
Hannibal	Hannibal clenched his hands around the edge of the mattress, his jaw set. "I trusted someone." Offered him my friendship. But he rejected it.
Jono	//Ah.// Jonothon's eyes rested on Hannibal's hands for a few moments, and then he looked up, trying to meet his gaze. //That's worse, then.// He didn't need to be a telepath to catch the undertones of betrayal and rejection in that statement. //Trust is a dangerous proposition.//
Hannibal	Especially for someone with Hannibal's secrets. "I told him I forgave him. I'm not certain if I meant it." Forgave him for putting him in a position to kill or be killed by Jack, certainly. Forgave him for rejecting both Hannibal and his own nature? Possibly not. Or possibly he still held out a tiny ember of hope.
Jono	//Do you suppose you'll ever be able to mean it?// Jono lingered awkwardly in that seat for a moment, and then nodded to the spot next to Hannibal on the bed. //May I?// This just seemed like it had evolved into the sort of conversation you didn't have from opposite ends of the room.
Hannibal	Hannibal nodded to the second question. To the first... "I gave him more than I've given anyone in a very long time. He turned it down. I don't know if I can easily let that go."
Jono	Jono stood, making his way over to sit down beside Hannibal, his gaze falling back to the floor once he was there. //And when you've been that closed for that bloody long...// Ouch. //Serves to reinforce why you don't open up in the first place. Rough bloody reminder of it. For what it's worth, I don't think anybody's going to expect you to give more than you feel you're able. Especially not in the wake of something like that.//
Hannibal	"Bloody in more than one way," Hannibal acknowledged with a grim smile. It wasn't as if Jono were going to forget the state he'd been in when he'd arrived home.
Jono	//Bloody in more than one way,// Jono agreed, glancing sidelong at Hannibal, at that. //Care to talk about that, at least? Or is that something you'd rather not discuss?// He wouldn't deny his curiosity on that front. It wasn't as though he could pretend he wasn't—Hannibal would know better just as well as he did, after all. It was human nature to want to know.
Hannibal	"I..." Hannibal tried to find some words to say that would be descriptive without being damning. He pictured the scene that he'd left at his Baltimore home, and nearly vibrated with grief and frustration. He swallowed and consciously tried to relax himself again. "Not now," he answered a bit curtly, trying to smile to soften it. "Perhaps when it isn't so close." When he could think about it more objectively, speak of it without the danger of losing control.
Jono	//Not now,// Jonothon echoed, nodding again. He hesitated for a moment before leaning sideways just a little, just enough to kind of bump his shoulder lightly against Hannibal's, filling his next words with as much patience and reassurance as he could. //Not ever, if you never feel up for sharing it. I'm not going to press.// Much as he wanted to. His curiosity wasn't worth endangering a friendship over.
Hannibal	Sharing. Hannibal nodded again, then all but threw himself off the bed, unable to sit still any longer. "Thank you," he managed, squeezing Jono's hand for a moment before he stalked away to pace.
Jono	Ah, pacing. Jono knew that urge well enough, himself. He sat silently for a minute, just watching, before pulling himself to his feet. //Anxious, mate? Want a hand working some of that frustration off?// Sometimes it helped to just hit things.
Hannibal	It did. And sometimes it helped to carve things up. But even if Jono wouldn't actually be harmed by that, Hannibal doubted that was what he was offering. He flicked a glance over at Jono. "What did you have in mind?"

[OOC: Preplayed with the wondermous furnaceface and continued in comments! NFB]

[ETA: Now very firmly NSFW!]

Comments

[furnaceface]

Jono gave his shoulders a shrug.

//A few laps, maybe. A spar. Hell, I could find something that plays music and we could dance, if that seems at all like it might do the trick. Something to get you moving, get some of that leftover adrenaline out of your system. You're all wound up, and I doubt that's helping you any.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"A spar?" Hannibal asked, darkly amused. As good as he was in a fight - and he'd had confirmation of that far too often lately - he was well aware that he was far outclassed by Jono.

[furnaceface]

//Or a training session, if you'd rather,// Jono replied, vaguely amused, himself. //You have that look about you like you want to hit something. Hell, it might be good for you. And throwing down with somebody who wants you in one piece might do you some good.//

It was as good a suggestion as any he could dredge up.

//It'd be a good distraction, if nothing else.//

[sharp_as_knives]

It would be; Hannibal couldn't deny that. And either he would work out some of his frustration, or he'd regain his control. It might, though, be a bit more revealing than he cared for.

He thought about it for a moment, then said apologetically, "I've learned to fight rather dirty, I'm afraid." A homicidal person wouldn't warn about that, would they? "And I'm not in the best frame of mind."

[furnaceface]

//Well, then I'll be prepared for dirty fighting,// Jono replied with a shrug. //Keeps me on my toes while we're at it, right? Occupational hazard, playing security here for Karla. And if you need to stop, calling a time-out ought to be easy enough.//

It... was probably not Hannibal who would need one of those.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal was significantly older than your body was, Jono, and he actually needed his. He would likely need a break long before you did.

Which didn't mean he was more likely to call for one.

He glanced around the nicely appointed room. "Not here?"

[furnaceface]

Well, Jono needed his body in working order for a field trip on the island on Friday, so if it looked as though he was going to get too damaged, he'd probably still tap out.

//Not here,// he agreed. //We can head outside, if you like. And the estate has a salle, if you'd rather stay indoors. They've each got their upsides. We'd be likely to have more privacy in the salle- I can just put a sign on the door telling people to bugger off until we're finished.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"I should prefer not to have an audience," Hannibal answered after a moment's thought.

[furnaceface]

//Salle it is, then,// Jono replied with a nod. //Take five to get what you need, and then we can head down.//

Yes, this was a brilliant plan.

[sharp_as_knives]

And this was how you knew that Hannibal liked you, Jono - he left his scalpel in his bag. He didn't actually have any workout clothes with him, so the button-up and slacks he was wearing would have to do.

[furnaceface]

If Jono had known that the scalpel had even been an option, he probably would have left his leather coat on once they got to the salle. As it stood, he was shrugging it off and leaving it near the door, which he'd affixed a 'keep out' sign to on their way in.

He cracked his knuckles as he stepped out onto the floor, giving Hannibal a single, quick nod.

//Whenever you're ready, mate.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal left his shoes and socks at the door and joined Jono in the middle of the floor. And stood there for a moment, looking Jono over, assessing him.

[furnaceface]

Without his jacket, it was probably ridiculously clear just how different Jono's body was now, as opposed to his larger, grey frame. He was thin, almost to the point of being gaunt, and there was an unnatural stillness that settled around him when he wasn't moving from place to place.

He looked, at a glance, like a man who would be easy enough to just pick up and throw. At least, he looked that way in every way except how he carried himself, head up, shoulders back, eyes meeting Hannibal's eyes steadily, with confidence. Anybody who would take a moment to look past how wiry Jonothon was would know, immediately, that he was in his element, here.

He shifted his weight where he stood as he watched Hannibal make his assessment, putting the majority of it on his back leg, and he raised his hands just slightly, holding a surprisingly open sort of ready stance. What reason did he have to guard his chest, after all?

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal was well acquainted with Jono's current body; it didn't exactly come as a surprise. The extent of his confidence was interesting, if not entirely surprising either, and Hannibal made a note of it.

Hannibal himself had a little more bulk, but was still wiry, like a dancer rather than a weightlifter. Jono had a bit of reach on him, and the benefit of youth, and probably quite a bit of experience. And that was without touching on his abilities.

He met Jono's eyes, his own expression a bit darker than usual, curled one hand into a fist, and struck out.

[furnaceface]

The expression was one that Jono wasn't used to seeing across Hannibal's features, but it was one that he could brush aside almost as easily as the fist that was being swung at him. He dodged, bringing one arm up to knock Hannibal's swing aside, moving the other direction as he did so. The arm that wasn't up to block swung forward, then, aiming for a punch at Hannibal's ribs.

He was pulling his punches, though, getting a feeling for how Hannibal fought, and for how Hannibal was going to want to fight.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal turned, going with the motion of Jono's block to spin out of the way and try for a strike to his kidneys. If he still had them. Hannibal was learning, too, consciously trying to force that part of him to the fore. Curiosity was more productive than anger.

[furnaceface]

No kidneys, though Jono still projected a little spark of recognition, a sort of wry twist of 'you got me,' there. It didn't slow him down, didn't really stop him from continuing his own spin to throw a kick out at Hannibal's knee. But it was confirmation that Jono wasn't exactly terribly concerned about blocking every swing thrown his way, if nothing else.

//Don't have those,// he reported, because yes, he did know where kidneys went, thanks.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal nodded in acknowledgement; he hadn't quite managed to dodge Jono's kick, though he'd turned it into enough of a roll to avoid further damage and catch his breath. "Do you have any internal organs?" he asked, partly to stop himself plotting ways to kill him, partly to distract Jono.

[furnaceface]

//None of the fun ones, anyway,// Jono replied, taking a few steps back, once again watching Hannibal with a calculating eye. //If you're curious, there are x-rays. I have photos of them on my phone, you can gawk all you like later.//

This was Jono, getting to a point where he could finally accept that he was a medical curiosity, yes.

[sharp_as_knives]

"I would appreciate that." As he'd said, it was human nature. "It also might help if you are ever injured, to know what your normal state is."

And in the hope that Jono would take a moment to think about that, as soon as he stopped speaking, Hannibal struck out again. Jono might not have a chest to hurt, but with any luck the strike would push him back and a sweep to his leg would have him on the ground.

[furnaceface]

Ah, Hannibal played dirty, did he? Well, Jonothon had been warned, he supposed. Not that the strike pushed him back at all - there was only a solid force where his chest had been if Jonothon wanted there to be, and at that particular moment he was standing his ground as Hannibal's hand tore several of his bandages askew, planting his feet and surging forward to try to plow his shoulder into Hannibal's chest.

It wasn't quite so easy to kick his feet out from under him, either.

[sharp_as_knives]

Well, that didn't mean Hannibal wasn't going to try. He'd never learn these things otherwise.

He didn't dodge Jono's shoulder, instead using the move to wrap himself around Jono and pull, trying to overbalance him.

And thinking as hard as he could about the last time he'd been near Jono's neck, and how fun that had been. If the man was telepathic, he might as well use that to his advantage.

[furnaceface]

Aaaand over they went. There were a lot of things that Jonothon expected during a spar. Being pulled back so that he was landing on top of the person that he was fighting was on that list. Suddenly having incredibly sexy surface thoughts drifting by him, on top of that? He couldn't help but close his eyes even as his hands moved to pin Hannibal to the floor by the shoulders.

//Good lord,// he mumbled, ducking his head forward to press his forehead against Hannibal's shoulder. //Weren't joking when you said you played dirty, mate...//

Remembering hot mood-crystal-inspired sex around a telepathic soldier while initiating a good roll-around on the floor was really mostly just foreplay. Rather effective foreplay.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal shrugged as best he could while pinned. "It isn't as though I could win any other way." He twisted one leg around Jono's and tried to throw him and reverse their positions.

[furnaceface]

Jono... did not actually resist being flipped around, no. His shoulders hit the floor hard, and now fire was flicking up between them from the skewed wrappings around his chest. He tilted his head a little, raised an eyebrow up at Hannibal from where he was laying, back flat to the floor.

//When all else fails, think hard about very enjoyable sex? I'll have to remember that one for future reference.//

His hands weren't so much pressed against Hannibal's shoulders as they were clenching fists into his shirt, at this point.