Maybe it’s the concussion talking, but I think I can do this.
Or should I say, we can do this.
Because I’ve got some of the most awesome clones in the GAR right here. Sure, they might hate my guts right now, and that might not change any time soon or, well, ever…but deep down in the cobwebby corners of their dumb ol’ hearts, they like me a little bit.
I mean, I’m still alive, aren’t I?
That has to mean something.
Oh, and they named me.
It makes me feel a little bit like a space puppy they got stuck with, but I’ll take what scraps of affection I can get.
“Remember what I said about no spoilers?” I ask.
“Yeah, like thirty seconds ago?” Crosshair drawls.
I’ve had just about enough of his sass.
“Change of plans,” I say, “We’re going to prevent the future from happening.”
Hunter frowns. “What part of back to normal did you not understand?”
“Okay, but that was before I remembered I could just have us save the galaxy and all that,” I say with a dismissive wave of my hand.
Hannibal let out a long sigh. He'd just had a long session with Chilton, and was about ready to skin someone alive. He was never an easy client, and Hannibal hated the rude. Hannibal walked around his desk, adjusting the paperwork into their proper folders. Until there was a light knock on the door. His head snapped up at the sound, not expecting anyone. He thought perhaps maybe it was Alaina or Beverly. They were always polite enough to knock.
He waltzed over to the door, gently opening it, and was pleasantly surprised by who was behind it.
"Meadow, my dear, what are you doing here so late?"
"I could ask you the same thing my love, are you alright? "
You walked past him into the room. You didn't need to be invited in, you were always welcome. You gentle pulled out a chair, sitting across from him like you had many times. He sat at his desk, trying to drop his Therapist facade, which was always hard for him to break out of. Bu tit was just you, he could be real with you, honest. It was something he adored about you.
"You're doing that thing again..." You started.
"What thing would that be, Love?"
"You're grimacing, and avoiding eye contact. It's unlike you, Hannibal."
"Tell me, who's supposed to be the therapist again?" Hannibal brushed you off.
You bit into the soft flesh of your lip, fidgeting with your hands. Your tell, Hannibal could tell he was making you nervous. He stood from his desk and made his way around to the couch, crouching in front of you, and placing his hand on your own.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. It's nothing I can't handle, I promise."
He made sure to make direct eye contact with you this time. He could see the haze of sleep in your eye. You must have been exhausted after your shift. Paperwork could wait.
"Shall we go home?" He asked, standing and extending his hand to you.
"But your work-"
"Can wait, you came all this way to remind me to take a break, did you not?"
You bit back the smile growing on your lips, you knew how you defected him. He'd hate to admit it, but he would stop the world for you. One look from you could melt this man into a state of absolute bliss. Your eyes held that power. But not just for him, sometimes Will swore when he made eye contact, you could tell an entire story with one glance. It was a powerful thing, something you'd learned to use to your advantage.
Hannibal's hand was on the small of your back, as he guided you out of his office. He was always more cautious when you were out in public, it wasn't hard for you to gain attention. You had the type of looks that could stop traffic. Hannibal never blamed you for this, of course, it couldn't be helped, but the unwanted attention you garnered was sometimes unsafe. He opened the car door for you like a gentleman always should.
You drove in silence at first, watching out the window as the world passed you by. Hannibal was the first to break this silence.
"Difficult day at work?"
"I could again, ask you the same. But I doubt you want to talk it over, same as I."
"You don't have to hide from me, you know that right?"
"Yes, Hannibal. I understand that I can trust you, and I cherish you deeply, but now is not the time for such talk. I do not wish to be psychoanalyzed."
He let out a soft chuckle at that.
"You've been spending too much time with Will, I'm afraid, my dear."
"Is that so?" You finally turned to look at him.
"You even smell like his dogs." Hannibal quipped.
"It's not my fault, they are simply the most adorable creatures on this planet. Well, except for you."
"Adorable is not the word I would use to describe myself."
"Which is why you are not doing the describing. if I left that up to you, you'd paint quite a poor picture of yourself, Dr Lecter."
He loved moments like this, when you insisted upon defending his honour, even from himself. It made him feel worthy. Something Hannibal never diluted himself with, he never thought he'd care for what people thought of him until he met you.
"Perhaps the picture you paint of me is skewed by your rose-coloured glasses my dear, your kindness outweighs your honesty."
You rolled your eyes.
"Always the poet aren't you? You can deny how lovable you are, all you want, but it does not make it any less of a fact. You, Dr Lecter, are wholly intoxicating, and simply divine."
You placed a gentle kiss on his hand that was previously rested on your thigh. It was never a habit he intended to pick up on, but he couldn't help himself. there was something about your body that just made him lose all train of thought. Your heart sped up as you approached the house. You'd moved in with Hanibal only a month ago, he'd finally convinced you it was a good idea. As he escorted you into the house, you were quick to take off your shoes and coat, to be more comfortable. Hannibal paused in the doorframe.
"It's quiet." He pointed out.
You looked to him for confirmation. It was in fact far too quiet in your home. Something was off.
"We shouldn't jump to conclusions." You assured him.
He leads you through the house, into the beautiful kitchen. It was habbit to check there first. He didn't see their small stature anywhere. You were the first to notice it, a few drops of blood on the prisien white floors. Hannibal noticed your silence and followed your line of sight. He would have been more alarmed, but there didn't seem to be much blood there. He stroked the back of your hand, trying to clam you.
"I'm sure they're alright, Love." He reassured you.
You bit at the skin of your lip once more, accidenlty breaking the skin. Hannibal was quick to wipe at the blood with his thumb. He followed the small trail of blood, leading throughout the house. It led to the downstairs bathroom. He gently knocked don't the door.
"Frances, is everything alright?"
The two of you heard some shuffling before their voice came out strained and shaky.
"Yup, everything fantastic!" They called through the door.
You shared a look with your lover. They didn't sound confident in their response. You were first to try the door, it was locked. This spiked your anxiety slightly, but you didn't want to jump to conclusions.
"Frances, dearest, can you please open the door?" You asked.
They froze at the sound of your voice. It was so clearly laced with fear and worry. More shuffling was heard from inside the bathroom.
"No actually, I can not do that." They said frantically.
Hannibal let out a sigh. He had his ways of getting into the bathroom, it was his house after all. He reached for the skeleton key he always had at his hip. It unlocked every door in the house, besides his "room". He was the first to enter the room, attempting to shield you from whatever could be going on. Frances didn't have the best track record with their mental health, so, it was always best to be cautious around them.
The first thing you noticed was just how much blood there was. A lot more than the trail let on, meaning they must have run to get to the bathroom. Hannibal dropped your hand, reluctantly, and instantly ran to their side.
"What happened?"
Tears stung their eyes, and this worried the both of you.
"It was stupid. I didn't mean to!" They said, suddenly bursting into tears.
They were embarrassed. You were quick to grab a towel and hold it to their hand, attempting to dab away the blood. Your hands were soft and gentle. Not wishing to startle them, or cause any more pain.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I was just trying to help. You were both late, and I- I knew you'd be hungry when you got home..."
The mood lightened suddenly. This hadn't been an episode, just an accident.
"You attempted to cook for us?"
They nodded. Hannibal took over cleaning the wound from you, as you left to go get the first aid kit.
"You always keep your knives so sharp." They scolded, putting cutely.
"Dull knives are actually more dangerous, darling."
"More dangerous my ass." They huffed.
Hannibal grabbed their wrist, a silent warning. They locked eyes with him.
"What did I say abotu swearing?"
"That it's not polite."
He continued cleaning the wound, finally able to see how bad it was. You returned to the bathroom, raising your eyebrow at the tense position they were both in. Had something transpired while you were gone? You cleared your throat, gaining both of their attention.
"You really ought to be more Carful, Frances." You lightly scolded.
"Knife sharp, brian stupid." Was their only reply.
It confused Hannibal when they talked like this sometimes. He was used to his Meadow, being so eloquent and well-spoken. She could silence a room, in awe with a rousing speech. The way she spoke effortlessly reflected his own speech pattern. Two halves of a whole.
Frances wasn't dumb by any means, but it seemed they liked to play that way. Never letting anyone know just how smart they were. It was worse around the others, Jack swore they would lose their own head if it wasn't attached. Beverly found it endearing, and Will, Will was just as confused as Hannibal. Their actions didn't reflect their words, they'd even helped him on a few cases. Of course, he would never tell Jack that, since bringing a civilian into FBI matters was typically frowned upon.
"Brain stupid?" You asked, with a chuckle.
"Big, major stupid."
Hannibal rolled his eyes.
"This is quite deep, it's going to need stitches. How are you feeling?"
They turned their attention back to him. Something about the way he looked at them, made their heart melt. Like every thought was just sucked out of their brain.
"Darling? Are you still with us?"
They nodded slowly, but their brain hadn't fully caught up again.
"Hannibal, dearest, you know very well you can not make direct eye contact with them. It makes them all flustered."
"Right, my apologies. Frances, how are you feeling?"
"It doesnt hurt." They muttered.
Hannibal had noticed they didn't seem to flinch or wince once while he was cleaning the wound.
"Not at all?" You were quick to ask.
"Maybe at first, it just sort of caught me off guard. I didn't mean to get blood everywhere."
“We aren’t worried about that, you know I’m good at getting stains out.” Hannibal explained calmly.
You gently grabbed their other hand while Hannibal started the stitches. They may claim it didn’t hurt, but you always worried they were lying to comfort you. You wouldn’t put it passed them. Hannibal usually worked in silence, but your nerves got the better of you.
“So what we’re you going to make?”
“Chicken Francese and potatoes, I saw it in one of those old cooking magazines Han used to get delivered to the house.” They explained.
“I’m sure it would have been lovely.” Hannibal hummed.
You nodded in agreement.
“What kind of potatoes?”
“The Rosemary fondant one’s, extra crispy!”
A smile smile broke on Hannibal’s face, he always found it cute how excited they got about cooking. Even if they weren’t very good at it. He’d have to spend more time in the kitchen with them.
“Would you have based them in rosary and thyme butter?”
They nodded enthusiastically.
“With the little spoon!”
“You do love little spoons.” You admitted.
Before you knew it, they were patched up, and Hannibal was wrapping their wound.
“Alright, so it sounds like we have dinner planned out. I’ll get everything sorted, and pick up where you left off. Meadow, would you mind cleaning up?”
“It would be no problem at all Hannibal!”
They held their arm out to stop you from leaving.
“It’s my mess, I should clean it.”
“Not with your injury.” Hannibal interjected.
“It’s barley a scratch Han, Meadow, why don’t you go pick out the wine to pair with dinner. You’ve always had the best taste?”
They knew flattery would work with you, not so much with the resident cannibal though. He hated watching them overwork themselves, but he let it slide this once. You all set out to complete your tasks, you headed off to the wine cellar. It was vast and intimidating at first, but Hannibal had taught you a lot about wine. A nice white would pair well with tonight’s dish.
As you made you way upstairs, the house smelled Devine. Your heart melted at the sight before you. Hannibal was in the kitchen, showing off the proper way to use a knife, and Frances was on the counter top, swinging their legs back and forth as they watched in awe. It was simple moment like this that made you adore your makeshift little family. You came up behind your boyfriend and snuggled into his neck, wrapping your arms around his middle.
He gently took the wine from your hands and set it on the counter.
“Thank you my Love.”
“He’s letting me help with dinner” Frances announced.
“Yes, but their knife privileges have been revoked” Hannibal clarified.
You let out a joyous chuckle.
“Yes, I think it will be a while until you have unsupervised knife access again.”
They pouted in a joking manner.
“I’m not five, I just make mistakes.”
You ruffled their hair, playfully and they swatted at your hands. Hannibal gently grabbed their wrist to stop the action.
“You’re gonna injure yourself more Beansprout.”
They blushed at the nickname. It was something stupid Jack had said once, and Hannibal picked up on their reaction to it. They liked weird pet names like that, although he preferred more traditional ones for his Darling.
“Awe, you’re making them blush” You cooed.
It was all in good fun, the teasing between the two of you. It was almost constant, and it brought a smile to Hannibal’s face. Sometimes Frances even poked fun at Will or Beverly, which was always fun to watch. And their back and forth banter with Jack, was a little stressful, but Hannibal enjoyed it nonetheless.
“I’m not blushing you imbecile, it’s simply hot in here.” They huffed.
“Wouldn’t happened to be because a certain someone is cooking for you?”
“How he hasn’t skinned you alive yet, is beyond me Dow.”
Hannibal raised a brow at them, pointing the knife at them warningly.
“Yeah yeah, Daddy, I’ll play nice.” They joked.
Hannibal halted in his moments entirely, taken aback by their quip. You smirked, realising what they just started. You gave Frances a high five, lacing your fingers together and helping them down off the counter. You escorted them over to the table, a safe distance away from Hannibal, until his brain began to work again. The two of you could see the cogs turning in his brain, as he came back down to earth.
"Now you know very well-" Hannibal started.
"That that names reserved for the bedroom? Maybe I'm hungry, just not for dinner." they winked, riling him up.
He glared at them from across the counter and continued putting the finishing touches on the meal. You had already set the table, picking out the appropriate dining ware for the evening. You poured three glasses of wine, placing them at the proper spots on the table. Hannibal at the head, you to his right, and Frances to the left. Hannibal set the food down at the table and came to join you. He watched as Frances nearly gulped down their glass of wine, and put his hand on their cup to stop them.
"Are you sure you should be drinking like that?"
"What, afraid it will affect the adhesive properties and quantity of my platelets and I'll bleed out while we sleep tonight?" They sassed. "I know my blood alcohol limits, Dearest, trust me, I'll behave. Didn't I already promise you that much?"
They bat their eyelashes at him, flattery may not work, but those puppy eyes did the trick every single time. Hannibal let out a heavy sigh.
"I do not understand how you can say something like that when just an hour ago you said, and I quote 'Brain, major stupid" Hannibal chuckled.
They threw their head back in laughter, light and joyous sound that rang out like little witch bells.
"Hannibal, my Love, if you still don't expect this from them, then I'm afraid you don't know our dear Frannie." You mused, sipping your own wine.
"So this is how it's going to be, the two of you bullying me all evening?"
"Somebodies gotta check your ego, you know, other than Alana and Belinda. You really do have a thing for quick-witted women, don't you Dr Lecter?" Frances teased.
"I do not have a thing for Dr Bloom." Hannibal corrected.
You raised your brow in amusement as you ate, not believing a word he was saying. You knew you were his, and he was yours, your hearts declared for each other the moment you first locked eyes. But you didn't mind his flings with other women, you understood none of them could be you. The development with Frances caught you off guard at first, you noticed he was different with them than he was with most of the people she courted. It was more of a desire to keep them close, to protect them from the cruelty of this world, he explained that to you when you questioned him. Despite their many suggestive statements, they never really made any true advances on Hannibal, respecting your position as his lover.
Hannibal and you even speculated that sometimes their jokes were to cover up something darker. Some trauma they always refused to acknowledge. It was clear even to Will, that Frances wasn't actually interested in that sort of stuff. In all the time you knew them, they had never actually dated anyone, or even attempted to flirt legitimately. Hannibal even suggested, that perhaps they were asexual, all the signs were there. But it wasn't something he perceived as a flaw, something that needed fixing, so he never feel that need to call them out on it. Despite this, they still wormed their way into your life, spicing things up in the most unusual of ways. They would join in on dinners, and cuddles, and participate in romantic gestures like gift giving, to spontaneous acts of kindness. On the more intimate end, they loved to observe the two of you.
They always said watching romance with other people made them uncomfortable. Public displays of affection would make them cringe at themself. Once, when someone tried to flirt with them, with the actual desire to ask them out, they got so overwhelmed they ran to their car and called Hannibal panicking. But despite this, they enjoyed watching you both during your most intimate moments. Neither of you minded, of course, it was healthy for them to explore this interest. They'd even watch in the bedroom sometimes, Hannibal of course being the one to invite them. He liked showing you off, expressly to them. They could appreciate the aesthetics and the beauty of it all, despite not having the emotions to engage. You were brought out of your thoughts when Frances spoke again, the smugness in their voice gaining your interest.
"Oh really? Explain this then Einstien."
You were intrigued now, what were they up to? They had that look on their face that they got when they were determined to win an argument. It was sort of adorable. They slid their phone across the table to Hannibal, who put down his fork to look at it. Normally phones weren't allowed at the table, but even Hannibal was interested in what point they were trying to make. You couldn't quite see what he was looking at, but the expression in his eyes amused you.
"When did you take these?" Hannibal asked.
There was something slightly dangerous in his tone, but you weren't worried. He was never that way with them, his words more of a warning than an active threat.
"I'm asking the questions here Dr Lecter." They mimicked the tone of Jack Crawford, which nearly made you choke on your wine.
It was weird how accurate they could get their impressions sometimes.
"These don't prove anything?"
"Mmmhm, that's what they all say." They took the phone back from him and zoomed in on the photo.
"The placement of your hand on her right shoulder, is intimate, maybe in a friendly way, but combine that with your confident stance, and the slightly dazed look in your eye, with the intense eye contact. You my dear Doctor were swooning."
They flipped to another picture.
"Her hand on your knee, the wrinkle in your pant leg suggest she was squeezing quite hard. She smiling at you like you're the only person that's ever made her smile. She's leaning in as she speaks, and you aren't leaning away."
They swiped once more.
"And last but not least, the time you kissed her on the hand, and the time she kissed you don't he check. not to mention the way the two of you have been hugging in your goodbyes recently, it's different, more, sensual. She trusts you, Hannibal, she's starting to like you. But she knows she can't have you, veacsue not only is it unprofessional to have relations with a colleague, but she's Meadow's friend, and girl code says you can't that your friend's boyfriend."
You were impressed, to say the least, with their irrefutable evince. Hannibal simple rolled his eyes glaring slightly at them.
"How did you even get these photos, my dear? Don't deflect the question this time."
"Oh, so now I'm the one deflecting. Ok. You know I carry my camera with me everywhere. I save my photos to all my devices in case one of them crashes or gets damaged or stolen." They said as if it was the most obvious thing.
You came to the aid of your man, seeing him all flustered and at a loss for words for once.
"Don't be facetious Beansprout, you know what he means..."
"FreddieLoundsmayhavepaidmetofollowyouaroundafewmonthsback. I said yes 'cause I needed the money."
"What was that?" Hannibal asked, now completely forgetting the food in front of him.
"I said I love you." They lied.
It was your turn to raise a brow at them.
Hannibal crossed his arms over his chest, in a dad-like manner.
"Frances Morningstar, if you don't tell me what you said right now, you're grounded for a month."
"Grounded? You're not my dad! Since when has grounded me ever worked anyways, I just sneak out, you're too busy psychoanalyzing Will to notice anyway."
You chuckled at that statement. It was true, you're man was informally preoccupied with this particular patient. But you found him intriguing as well, so it didn't bother you much.
"Freddie Lounds wanted me to 'dig up dirt on you, so I faked some mildly interesting news so she'd get off your back and stop investigating you. Dating your coworker is a lot less newsworthy than eating your own patients, don't you think?"
He supposed he couldn't be too mad about this. At least you did it to try to protect him, instead of selling him out to his least favourite journalist.
"No... I simply embellished the relationship that was already there. It's not my fault you're the only one who doesn't see it, Han. You know for someone who's supposed to be so perceptive, you're being outdone by the dumbest person in the room. This is coming from someone who had a boyfriend for six months and didn't even know it."
This piqued your interest.
"When did you date someone?"
"High school, freshman year, he was a senior, he wasn't pushy about the must shit, so I didn't really he was pinning after me until he based me to prom. We still won King and Queen though, and then I broke up with him in a letter and moved schools so I'd never have to see him again."
"Language."
"Right, sorry. Forgive me Hannibal, but I don't think your relationship with eh Doctor is a bad thing, Meadow doesn't seem to mind."
He brought his attention back to you for the first time in this conversion. He scanned your eyes for any sign this wasn't true.
"Alana is gorgeous my love, I wouldn't mind having some fun with her myself." You said, tipping your half-filled glass to him.
He took that as a sign to fill your glass.
"Is that so?" He asked, now amused, no longer in denial about France's allegations.
"You know I love corrupting people, my sweet, the innocent doctor needs a little eye-opening, don't you think?" You said in your most sensual tone.
You rubbed your foot on his pant leg under the table, attempting to get him riled up. The wine was already starting to kick in, and you were having a good time.
"I suppose I would be a bad friend if I allowed her to remain so naive."
Frances rolled their eyes as you flirted in the odd way that you did. You could be discussing an active murder and be hornier than a herd of rabbits. Frances grabbed the wine bottle while you were both distracted and poured themself some more wine.
"I do good work don't I?" They mused, knowing neither of you was listening anymore.
Poor Alana Bloom would have no idea what hit her if the two of you were on her scent. Frances silently debated if they'd be getting a new housemate, or if the poor doctor would wind up a meal. This should be fun.
AN: Lol Meadow I literally love you, thanks for the idea, this was so much fun to write! Evil meadow for the win!
The distant halls of school should of been busy with students walking up and down the hall trying to get to class on time. Now though its just the opposite there’s barely any around.
The craziness of lunch was tamer than normal.
Less voices, more silence. Maybe out of fear?
The seniors are more tolerable, freshmen less so. Juniors and sophomores just want this hell to be over.
The teachers act like everything is ok, but we all know better.
We all are walking into hell without enough rope to climb out with.
If I was in Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, (As an emerald worker whose been working there for two-years and drunk)
Kiri: T-Takan-san! I know you and Onodera are going out!
Aikawa: Which one of you took Kiri out to drink!?
Kisa: Hahaha, Kiri took Kiri out to drink.
Aikawa: Kiri doesn't drink unless someone at work invites her or it's for work! Who did it!?
Takano: Kirishima took Kiri out to drink along with Yokozawa, Kiri gets along with em' so they took her out after something with her lover.
Yokozawa: Masamune! It isn't our fault she drunk that much.
Kirishima: Yeah, we were just helping out a friend. It's not like she's gonna stay like this.
Isaka: It seems our fangirl of a work is now drunk, hahaha!
Kiri: Oh my god, fuck my girlfriend! Isaka, you're hot!
Misaki: Yeah, no, she's a little too drunk...
Isaka: Shiibi-tan, how could you?
Kisa: I mean she's not wrong....
Kiri: Kisa-san, your sexy, too, same with Takano, and Misaki. Misaki's like adorable but like in a sexy way.
Misaki: ....*blushes*...
Kiri: But we can't forget my favorite, Ritsu-san, he's like jaded badass hotty, but then yet again Ichinose Erika.
Isaka: Ha ha ha, Asahina record this, send it to me, too.
Kiri:... NO I ALMOST FORGOT, Haaaa~tooooo~riiiiii, Like mmmmmm, yes I will get on my knees.
Takano: Alright, Kiri, you may go home for the day you're off.
Yokozawa: I'll take her home...
