Hannibal's house (which Jono's not speaking to him in (ha) ), Friday

[sharp_as_knives]

Lucille, Hannibal had no doubt, had heard the entire altercation with Jack. But she was inclined to murder herself, and had helped him after, so he wasn't worried about that.

Sparkle, on the other hand, he had little doubt had also heard, and he'd not seen hide nor hair of the boy since. And while Sparkle did seem to harbor his own sort of ruthlessness, it hadn't yet extended to murder save when they hadn't entirely been themselves.

So, Hannibal had phoned him and left a message. A request, not a demand, to speak with him.

Now he waited and hoped.


[Hannibal's home all day; open post other than Sparkle's thread. The nature of Jack's beef with Hannibal and the discussion of murdertimes NFB!]

Comments

[myownface]

Sparkle had gotten the message. Of course Sparkle had gotten the message. He'd listened to it three or four times, had balled himself up and scowled at the phone, and then listened to it three or four times more.

And then, against his better judgment, he made his way to Hannibal's place. Armed, knives and his little blaster hidden under his clothing, but that was the norm, these days. There was no way he was leaving his apartment without it. It wasn't entirely because he had no idea what Hannibal was asking him over for. Hell, it was stupid to do this, to give him the benefit of the doubt and come to talk to him. But after years of being a father figure to him, maybe Sparkle owed him at least that much.

He was holding his breath as he knocked, though. And looked as though he could bolt at any moment.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal levered himself off the couch and came to answer the door, giving Sparkle a gentle look that wasn't quite a smile. "Please, come in." He stood aside and left the choice to Sparkle.

[myownface]

Sparkle couldn't quite help but give Hannibal a little bit of a deer in the headlights look. He'd been hoping that maybe Hannibal wouldn't be able to make it to the door. But lo, here he was, and Sparkle... well, he could probably outrun him if it came to that. Hell, he could probably blow Hannibal over with a sneeze, at the moment.

He huffed out a breath and nodded, and then made his way into the house.

"Hey. Uh."

Awkward.

"How're you feeling?"

Beyond impressively shit-kicked.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal gave him a wry smile as he shut the door and led the way to the living room. "I have been better. Also, I am apparently grounded. I would offer you coffee, but I'm not allowed in the kitchen until I can lift my arms above my shoulders comfortably."

And Jono, unfortunately, could tell when Hannibal was in pain.

[myownface]

"I don't really need any coffee anyway," Sparkle replied, managing to not jump when the door shut behind him. "I'm already not sleeping tonight."

Really, it had been difficult enough before the handy re-tread of his recent PTSD yesterday.

"Thanks anyway."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal grimaced and went to put his arm around Sparkle. Slowly, so he could avoid it if he wanted to. "I apologize for putting you through that. I have taken steps to ensure it won't happen again, from Jack or anyone else."

[myownface]

Sparkle stiffened at that, eyes on the floor, breathing steady, but shoulders tense.

"Steps?"

You were going to have to clarify that one, Hannibal. Sparkle's imagination was a force to be reckoned with, and he hadn't stayed around long enough to see what had happened to Jack.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Jono and Eliot left Jack in the land with the dinosaurs, and I've spoken with Portalocity - they've closed off access to and from my world. Nobody else will be following."

Hannibal spoke quietly and soothingly, lightly rubbing Sparkle's shoulder.

"I should have expected something like this, I suppose, but I was overly optimistic. Again, I apologize."

[myownface]

Sparkle swallowed, and then he shrugged.

"It's... I mean, not fine. It's not. But it isn't like anybody but you three got hurt." Hannibal, Jack, and Starsmore. It could've been him or Lucille, though. There had been a gun waving around, after all. Sparkle had to remind himself that. "Optimistic about what?"

That part seemed... odd. A cop shows up with murder in mind. What is there to be optimistic about?

[sharp_as_knives]

"Jack was my friend, and is an FBI agent," Hannibal answered. He sat on the couch and urged Sparkle to do the same. "He has always been a good man. At the worst, I hadn't thought he would endanger anybody but me."

[myownface]

Sparkle's teeth clenched, but he sat down, maybe a foot or so farther from Hannibal that he would have normally. And when he did, his back was stiff as a board, and he was sitting ahead enough on the sofa that he could dart to his feet and bolt if need be. He probably could have stood to be subtler about it, but he wasn't really in any state to care.

"He didn't sound like much of a friend from where I was sitting," he said, voice flat. "He sounded like an angry cop trying to murder a--"

He choked on it. Whatever word was going to leave his mouth next, he couldn't.

[sharp_as_knives]

"That, too," Hannibal agreed. "He has been through quite a bit of stress recently, and likely more I'm not aware of. It would appear to have made him more vicious than previously."

[myownface]

Sparkle swallowed, and then stared quietly down at the floor, heart beating a tattoo in his ears, breath... not cooperating, so much.

He licked his lips.

"Sounded to me like he felt pretty certain he was doing the right thing."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal gave a shrug, slightly aborted due to his sore ribs.

"Most people do. People rarely set out to do something they believe is wrong. We all see ourselves as the heroes of our stories."

[myownface]

"How about you?"

Sparkle glanced Hannibal's way, trying to keep the hurt from his face. Trying to find some sense in all of this.

"What story are you the hero of?"

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal thought about it. "I do my best to make the world a better place, and to help those I care about to be true to themselves and live as successfully as possible."

He gave Sparkle a calm and direct look. "Nobody should be afraid of themselves, or hindered by the specious expectations of others."

[myownface]

Sparkle bit the inside of his cheek, gently at first, but harder as Hannibal spoke until, a few moments later, he could taste blood.

He swallowed.

"And killing people helps that?"

Really, it was a miracle he managed to get those words out at all. An even bigger miracle still that he didn't shrink back once he had.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal just smiled a little. "I think it does. I've killed quite a few people the world - or worlds - would be better off without." He thinned his lips. "There are regrettably many of them. People who revel in making life difficult for others, in preying upon children, in abusing their power."

[myownface]

... Oh, Hannibal. Invoking children. You were good.

Sparkle swallowed, and pulled in a deep breath. He couldn't even argue that. Couldn't point out that Hannibal was listing the exact sort of thing that the police were there for. After all, the police hadn't done such a great job of protecting kids like him. And now he was a fugitive, himself.

"You're a hunter, then."

A beat.

"No. A predator."

[sharp_as_knives]

"In the more traditional sense of the word, I suppose I am," Hannibal agreed. "I cull the undesirable animals from the herd."

[myownface]

"Animals," Sparkle echoed, and a desperate little noise followed it, a brief, high-pitched giggle. He reached his hands up and wrapped his arms around himself. "Fuck, seriously? Animals?"

[sharp_as_knives]

"Is there a better word for them?" Hannibal asked. "Most animals are better intentioned than the ones I kill, it's true. A cow or a pig doesn't force itself upon others or make their lives miserable. A deer or even a wolf never intends to behave cruelly toward its young or others of its kind. Humans often do. Regrettably so."

[myownface]

Sparkle... was feeling like he wanted to be sick, again. Sick, because he'd lived under that. He'd been taken away from it, but those scars ran deeper than most.

"Then the word for them is 'human,'" he replied, quietly. "If nothing else is as cruel as we can be, that's the only word that fits."

[sharp_as_knives]

"Human, then." Hannibal offered Sparkle a hug if he wanted it. He seemed to need it, but Hannibal wasn't going to presume. "And what does that make those of us who strive to be better? Are we gods? Monsters?"

[myownface]

"Human, too." Sparkle considered that offered hug quietly. Wanted to crawl into it and just pretend yesterday hadn't happened. Instead, he balled himself up that much more tightly, and tried to ignore the tears that were stinging at his eyes. "That's the great thing about humanity. We have this awesome potential to be as kind or as shitty to one another as we please. Even our monsters are only human. And not even the fucking pope is actually divine."