Hannibal's house and totally not Jono's, Thursday evening

[sharp_as_knives]

Since they'd returned to their actual home (Hannibal somewhat amused at Jono's embarrassment over calling it that), Hannibal had done quite a bit of cooking, and resting, and working out, and catching up on things, and being sat upon and/or glared at by cats. Jono had been doing much the same, but with less cooking and far more brooding.

Today, he seemed to have spent most of the day in the basement level, working off his mood by alternately focusing furiously on billiards and beating the hell out of the heavy bag. Hannibal was frankly surprised that neither the bag nor a billiard ball had been put through the wall yet.

And while the focus and working off energy were good in theory, neither of them seemed to be helping him much. So, Hannibal would simply have to intervene.

When he came downstairs, he brought a good-sized mug of coffee and a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries. He did, after all, know his audience.

Comments

[furnaceface]

//... The waiting is the worst part,// Jono admitted. //Once things are attacking, usually that's when it all gets straightforward. But making certain a pack of students is combat ready is... nothing I want to be a part of. Been there, done that already. Humanitarian missions seem a bit more reasonable.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal nodded. "It will make them somewhat more ready for dealing with problems, and give them more confidence, without bringing them onto a battlefield. At least, not intentionally."

[furnaceface]

//The fewer children I have to lead out on a battlefield...// Jono tapered off at the thought, and then just shook his head. //I've already done that too many times. It never ends well. 'It could be worse' is a bloody poor measurement of how bad things have gotten, when you're talking about life and death.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"Not always, but I take your point," Hannibal said. "And I'm in no hurry to send you to a battlefield, either."

[furnaceface]

//Mm,// Jono replied, nuzzling in close. //I'd likely come back, but there are no guarantees what shape I'd be in if I did.//

Terrible shape, at least in his mind. Almost certainly.

[sharp_as_knives]

Ah, but then Hannibal could have so much fun putting him back together!

"So, humanitarian missions instead." Here, Jono; have another strawberry. "Will that satisfy your need for action and altruism?"

[furnaceface]

//For action and altruism, certainly. And there's always Fandom if I really feel like I need to punch something.//

Like the heavy bag! Or dinosaurs!

[sharp_as_knives]

"I imagine there may be punching from time to time in your endeavors, even if only of inanimate objects." Hannibal nodded at the heavy bag. "Have you had enough of that for now, though?"

[furnaceface]

//For now...// Jono nodded his head just a little. //Now seems to be as good a time for a break as any, really.//

He was at least somewhat less frustrated. That was a step in the right direction.

[sharp_as_knives]

"We could try other ways of exhausting you, if you'd like," Hannibal suggested.

Then, after a beat, "A run around the island, perhaps?"

[furnaceface]

Hannibal, you continued to be terrible.

//Started my day with two of those,// Jono replied, though it came along with a wrinkled-nose look for that tease.

Hannibal, you knew what you did.

[sharp_as_knives]

Always.

Hannibal grinned. "Perhaps we can find something else, then." He rubbed Jono's shoulder. "Or we could start with a massage?"

[furnaceface]

//That could get interesting...//

Considering the burns? It could get very interesting.

Note, of course, that this was not a 'no.'

[sharp_as_knives]

"Could it?" Hannibal grinned. "Let's try it, then."

[furnaceface]

//Look at you, always knowing exactly how to get me to stop pushing myself too bloody hard,// Jono murmured, leaning for a moment more before pulling himself back up to his feet. //Lead on?//