Hannibal's house, Saturday

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal was learning that while Jono as a snake might have more of an excuse to burrow under the covers, Jono as a human was no more eager to get out of bed when he was warm and comfortable. And bribing him with food didn't work quite as well this way.

Beethoven, however, had different priorities, and Hannibal himself needed to eat as well, so he gave up, left Jono in bed curled up with his tablet, and went down to cook. He hadn't yet decided if he'd be nice and bring a tray up, or if he'd make Jono stretch himself if he wanted to share.


[OOC: Expecting the one who's already in the house, but open for whatever!]

Comments

[furnaceface]

Blink?

Why with the blinking now?

Jono was blinking back. Not for the same reason, mind. More because he had no idea what in the world Hannibal's blinking was about.

//Er?//

[sharp_as_knives]

//Apparently we get five wishes each,// Hannibal shared. //And it only lasts the weekend.// Thank goodness, though he kept that thought very close to himself - it didn't seem terribly polite to think around Jono.

[furnaceface]

//Thank goodness,// Jono murmured, because honestly now, he wouldn't wish this particular state of affairs on anybody. Especially not people he actually liked. //Bit of a shite first wish, though. It's not really worth losing half your bloody body just for the sake of understanding my sorry state of affairs...//

[sharp_as_knives]

//No,// Hannibal assured him, //now that I know what it is, this could help quite a bit. And it's...interesting. Besides,// he added, his eyes twinkling, //you know how I do adore dramatics.//

[furnaceface]

//You do certainly like those,// Jono allowed, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. //Still, I'm not entirely certain what in the world you could possibly be getting out of this.//

Besides that understanding that he'd wished for. Besides that.

//Breakfast's going to go to waste.//

It was a tragedy, okay?

[sharp_as_knives]

It was!

Hannibal sent a disgruntled mental sigh. //Beethoven will eat it.// He levered himself up, getting used to the very different balance. //I should probably put something more than a robe on.//

[furnaceface]

//Might I suggest a lot of leather,// Jono replied, a little flatly, as he doubled back to retrieve the blanket he'd dropped. //I have spare wrappings in my coat pocket if you need them.//

Hannibal was new to this. Jono figured the safest bet was probably something he wasn't terribly likely to light on fire in the process of putting it on in the first place.

[sharp_as_knives]

//You really should get something more stylish,// Hannibal teased. He put a hand on Jono's shoulder. //Are you all right?//

[furnaceface]

Jono's shoulder hitched up a little bit.

//S'just jarring, I suppose. I'm not thrilled about this, though. I guess I don't really have to be for this to be educational. Hell, you're taking it better than I am.//

[sharp_as_knives]

//For me, it is a chance to experience something new and to learn more about a friend,// Hannibal answered. //For you, it was an unimaginably tragic experience when it happened. I think this wish, however it worked, gave me your current experience, rather than your initial one. Which is a very good thing,// Hannibal said dryly. //I should hate to have to waste my other wishes on a new house.//

[furnaceface]

//And I wouldn't exactly be thrilled about being vaporized while sitting around in a bedsheet watching you eat breakfast, either,// Jono noted. //It's never a pretty experience. Less so when you don't see it coming.//

Not that seeing it coming had ever stopped it from happening, before.

[sharp_as_knives]

//It would be rude of me to vaporize a guest,// Hannibal said. He rubbed Jono's shoulder. //Let me put this down for the cat, and then you can show me how to wrap up.//

//I trust you're fully awake now?//

[furnaceface]

//Very awake,// Jono agreed, nodding just a little. //Funny how watching somebody's face melt off can do that so early in the day.//

He had nightmares, sometimes, of people he cared about coming down with a sudden and horrible case of the 'on fire.' It was actually more unpleasant in real life. Funny, that.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal gathered up his food and set it out for the cat, reluctantly setting the dishes in the sink and leaving the cleaning for the moment. He spent the time in simply feeling what it was like, experiencing it, since that had been the point of his wish, after all.

And in the back of his mind, he kept up a steady stream of wordless mental murmuring, calm comfort directed Jono's way. It was probably a bit more distracted than his usual calm, but he had no intent of letting Jono wallow because of this.

[furnaceface]

Jono, meanwhile, was trying to slip walls into place, little barriers so that it wouldn't be immediately obvious just how much this was bothering him. Nothing obvious, of course. Just something to absorb the worst of what Hannibal might pick up on in the way of ambient mental noise.

At the same time, Hannibal's murmuring was calming. More than he would've had otherwise.

//At least you caught on to how to use it quickly,// he noted.

It had taken Jono a while just to get a hang of speaking. He'd needed a lot of focus just to get words across without sending terribly broken sentences.

[sharp_as_knives]

//It would seem to have interpreted my request rather literally, and gifted me with your current experience rather than your initial one,// Hannibal answered. //And after all, I have experience with you speaking to me, if nothing else.//

Yeah, good luck hiding, Jono. Hannibal didn't need telepathy to know this was bothering you.

Hannibal wiped his hands and went to put an arm around Jono. //I would appreciate some help in bandaging, though. I've never had to wrap myself so extensively, and this is...very distracting.// He tried to keep the flames down and out of his line of vision, at least.

[furnaceface]

//Tell me about it,// Jono replied, leaning against Hannibal just a little. //Right, then. Let's get you wrapped up.//

And then he could sulk about it when they were done! Best plan!

[sharp_as_knives]

There would be no sulking, Jono!

//And let's get you some clothes. Unless you plan on making a toga from that sheet,// Hannibal answered.

[furnaceface]

//Maybe I do,// Jono replied. //Maybe today is 'blow your face off and wear a toga' day. Very important holiday among my people.//

Mutants? British? Punks? Who knew?

[sharp_as_knives]

//What a coincidence,// Hannibal answered smoothly. //It's a holiday among my people as well. The traditional activities consist of sitting around with friends and attempting to understand them.//

Because if Hannibal couldn't eat, he could damn well be manipulative.

[furnaceface]

//I still feel like there are less extreme ways of going about that,// Jono muttered, making his way for the stairs. //I'm not...//

He stopped himself short, if only because he knew damn well that finishing that sentence with 'worth this' was probably just likely to have Hannibal dig in even harder to prove a point or something.

//... thrilled. About this.//

A lame finish, but also true enough.

[sharp_as_knives]

//I had noticed,// Hannibal answered. And had a very good idea of why that was. //Less extreme, perhaps, but none so enlightening. Does it help to know that I could wish to reverse it if I wanted?// he asked.

[furnaceface]

//Not as much as perhaps it should,// Jono confessed, hiking his shoulders up a little. //Wouldn't know how to begin putting words to what's bothering me around it.//

At least, not without that 'not worth it' part.

[sharp_as_knives]

//Don't, then,// Hannibal advised. //Show me.// They were both telepathic now, after all.

[furnaceface]

And really, it only needed one of them to show the other, or to take it however they pleased. That wasn't stopping Jono from bunching up at the shoulder a little bit more.

//S'just a jumble of twisting feelings,// he replied as dismissively as he could. //They wouldn't do anybody any good.//

And they were his, dammit. His messiness to cling to.