Date night, Home to ... somewhere, Saturday night

[sharp_as_knives]

The fortunate thing about finding a world in which an avant-garde opera they might both enjoy was playing, was that such places also tended to have somewhat outre ideas of fashion. It might be Hannibal's birthday, but he wasn't in a mood to make Jono uncomfortable or start any fights. Instead, Hannibal's plaid would be downright staid where they were going, and if Jono wasn't careful, he might start a trend.

Right now, though, Hannibal was trying to decide upon a tie that fit the evening. He'd had one chosen earlier, but had foolishly left it hanging too close to the bed, and it had been summarily pulled down - at the moment it was being used as a cat bed. Even if he could pull it out, the grey hairs on it weren't going anywhere any time soon.

Comments

[furnaceface]

Jono just shrugged his shoulders.

//I haven't given it all that much thought myself, admittedly,// he replied. //I don't know that I'd want to lose my Starsmore, not that my family's done me many favours over the years. I don't think I'd mind a hyphen all that much, though.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Jonothon Starsmore-Lecter? Hannibal Lecter-Starsmore? "It seems somewhat unwieldy to me, but I would be willing to discuss it." He was rather fond of his Lecter himself, but he'd gone by other names in the past with no difficulty.

He wasn't actually married to it.

[furnaceface]

Groan, Hannibal. Groan.

//Honestly, I'm not terribly fussed either way, if we'd rather not,// Jono admitted. //Some people do. Angela used both of our names, didn't she?//

A beat.

//Not that one of Fandom's 'someday maybe' things should be any basis for us making a decision like that, admittedly.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"She had yours as a middle name and mine as surname, if I recall. But yes, we should probably not force ourselves into one particular possible future's mold." He cocked his head as he held the Portalocity door for Jono. "Although we could do the same. I've no middle name; Starsmore wouldn't be a bad one."

[furnaceface]

//It'd be ridiculous,// Jono replied, a laugh in his voice as he stepped into the Portalocity office. //Starsmore is barely a normal last name, though I suppose at least if you had it as a middle one, you could hide it easily enough.//

Now he was just teasing.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Precisely," Hannibal said, smiling back. "No need to tell anybody who doesn't need to know. Of course, 'Jonothon Evan Lecter Starsmore' risks beginning to sound somewhat regal. It'd be quite a collection."

[furnaceface]

//Ugh,// Jono replied, wrinkling his nose. //It just gets worse if I go somewhere they want to throw a rank in front of it. General Jonothon Evan Lecter Starsmore? Next I'll be invading foreign nations, introducing my radical ideas among the local populations.//

Or at least his penchant for stupidly long names.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal smirked. "I like the sound of that, actually. Can we take our vows with those names?"

[furnaceface]

Jono wrinkled his nose a little more. Really, Hannibal?

//You're welcome to take your vow with whatever name you like. But unless I'm kidnapped away to Glacia for the wedding, no 'General.'//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal greeted the Portalocity staff politely and turned an innocent look on Jono as they waited for their portal. "You could choose formal uniform instead of a tuxedo, if you'd rather."

[furnaceface]

//I will jab you in th'ribs with my bony bloody elbow, Hannibal. Just see if I don't.// Yeah, he wouldn't. Though some days it was a tempting thought. //... I suppose it'd save me from needing a fitting, though.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. "When was the last time you wore your formal uniform?" He was honestly surprised Jono hadn't burned it.

[furnaceface]

//Ah...// Jono had to pause and consider that one for a moment. //... How long's it been since before Kayla was born?//

A while. It had been a while. He'd sort of avoided Glacia since then.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Long enough that you'll want to have a tailor look at it," Hannibal said. "We may have only made small changes to your body since then, but the fit could still have altered. But if you'd prefer it to a tuxedo, it's a legitimate choice."

Their portal arrived, and he stepped through before turning to wait for Jono's answer.

[furnaceface]

Damn it, Hannibal. Now Jono was half tempted.

//It's practically period clothing,// he noted, as they stepped through the portal. //If I were to wear it, you'd need to dress to match.//

And Jono dressing in Glacian formal would probably mean a lot of adjusting for the rest of the wedding's aesthetic. He wasn't sure he was that committed to the idea of wearing clothing he already owned.

[sharp_as_knives]

"There are modern styles that would contrast nicely," Hannibal said. He shrugged. "I'm certain we could make it work."

Hannibal could make any fashion work.

[furnaceface]

A fact that Jono was forever astounded by.

He was still fairly certain it was a mutant power.

//Well... let's look at tuxedos all the same,// he decided. //If something grabs me, we'll see if we can work with it. It seems like I'm going to have to get poked at by a tailor one way or the other, anyway.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Perhaps it was a power brought on by diet.

Hannibal nodded. "We'll do that, then, before deciding."

Or Jono could always wear a formal kilt.

[furnaceface]

NO MORE KILTS. EVER. If for no other reason than the fact that his pasty white knees would blind the wedding guests.

//Good, then we've got a plan.// For something. It was a start. //Now, are the doors open, or do we get to wait in the lobby watching fancier people than me drink overpriced wine first?//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal grinned. "We can probably take our seats, and watch fancy people drink wine from there instead." He linked his arm through Jono's and thought at him, We don't have to be kind in private, so long as they can't tell.

One benefit to not always using the library's world. It was his birthday, and he could be awful if he wanted to.

[furnaceface]

Oh, there was a smile, around the corners of Jono's eyes.

//You certainly know how to make a night out special, Hannibal,// he replied, linking his arm in Hannibal's. //That sounds like an excellent way to spend the next twenty minutes or so.//

[sharp_as_knives]

And to get Jono to spend more time in Hannibal's head, in case there was any residual shyness from last week.

I do my best. Hannibal smirked. Where shall we start?

[furnaceface]

//Obviously with anyone who so much as gives us a side-eye,// Jonothon decided, oblivious to any ulterior motives. //There's usually at least one, isn't there?//

Particularly when they were walking arm-in-arm like this.

[sharp_as_knives]

Usually, yes. Hannibal scanned the crowd until he found one; he let his eyes trail over as if he hadn't noticed anything, but pointed him out to Jono. The man there, along with an image of him. He seems none too happy with us. He smiled at Jono and squeezed the hand on his arm, and the man's look turned more sour.

[furnaceface]

Jono took a moment to poke around in a few of the minds around them, until he could settle in and get a good look at the man's expression using somebody else's eyes. Something he used to be staunchly against doing, yes. He'd had a lot of time to reconsider his ethics, over the years.

//Oh, he didn't like that,// he noted, amused. //I've half a mind to get you to nibble on my ear.//