Just You and Me Now

Does that sound like a contradiction to you, Jack? Does this kind of thinking make you uncomfortable? ((Indie Will Graham from the show Hannibal. Semi-AU (see "verses") and semi-selective.))

[youhad-disadvantages]

“Not as long as I’m with you.” The dogs wagged their tails. One barked again. “Hey! They won’t mind. Really.”

[gonnadiehistoric]

He looked sharply at the one that barked, but when it didn’t do anything else, he eased again. “…okay. If you say so.”

[youhad-disadvantages]

The boy looked skittish. Either he didn’t have a lot of experience with dogs, or he was still shaken by being tackled by all eight of them. Will couldn’t blame him for that. It was probably an intimidating sight, for people who weren’t used to them. “Are you thirsty?” he added as he started walking back to the house. The dogs followed after him.

[capablequeen-blog]

She nodded, and smiled softly. He really did, though. She could tell he was a sweet person, and with everything he’d been through… he deserved far better.

“Agreed,” she glanced around as well, fidgeting a little. Unsure whether it would be or not, but… if nothing else it had inadvertently introduced her to him, and that wasn’t a bad thing at all.

[youhad-disadvantages]

He was trying to decide what to say next when he heard his name being called. Will glanced up to see the receptionist looking at him. “Well, I guess that’s me.” He slipped his glasses back up his nose, got up...and turned back around. “Hey, listen, if you need anything or...” He fumbled at his pockets briefly. There was a pen, there was a scrap of receipt paper from coffee that morning. He wrote his number on the margins. “...just want someone to show you around, I can do that.” He held out the paper to her. The hesitation was probably etched into his face. He wasn’t sure if this was too forward.

[gonnadiehistoric]

“…is there more dogs?” Nux asked suspiciously. The pack hovering nearby hadn’t attacked again yet.

[youhad-disadvantages]

He had to count. “No, this is all of them.”

[gonnadiehistoric]

Nux nodded, still watching them. “Are they gonna get mad if I go in?”

[youhad-disadvantages]

“Not as long as I’m with you.” The dogs wagged their tails. One barked again. “Hey! They won’t mind. Really.”

[capablequeen-blog]

“Seemed that way, certainly,” Capable snorted, rolling her eyes some. She was glad he was smiling, at least. It felt good to cause. “Thank you, I’m glad you’re not seeing him either… you deserve better than that,” she sighed softly. Someone rooting around his head when that had been the problem to begin with? It was just unfair.

[youhad-disadvantages]

“...thank you.”

He wasn’t used to hearing that.

“Both of us deserve better.” He looked warily around the office. “Here’s hoping this is better.”

[youhad-disadvantages]

That was a lie. No, not a lie. It was like the boy was reading the response from a script. He knew that was the appropriate response, so he said it. Will could relate. “Maybe you should come inside.”

[gonnadiehistoric]

“…is there more dogs?” Nux asked suspiciously. The pack hovering nearby hadn’t attacked again yet.

[youhad-disadvantages]

He had to count. “No, this is all of them.”

[capablequeen-blog]

Her smile grew at this, and she issued another chuckle. A genuine one. It felt so long since this had happened. It was almost distracting, in fact. But, she focused. “I doubt that’s a bad thing, not with him anyway. Besides, he likes the sound of his own voice,” the smile turns a bit dry in it’s amusement.

[youhad-disadvantages]

“Yes, he does.” He was able to smile at it now. Even if there was an edge of sarcasm to his voice. “Expected everyone else to like it just as much.” He leaned back in his chair. “I’m glad you’re not seeing him anymore.” That was a genuine sentiment. No one deserved seeing Chilton. She deserved seeing him even less.

[capablequeen-blog]

When she laughs again, softly, it feels alien almost. But… nice, strangely, despite the subject. It was so nice for someone to get it, though. To understand… probably better than anyone else ever could.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that too, then… I get the feeling he probably didn’t get much from you?” her smile is more genuine now. Will was too smart for that, far too smart for Chilton. There was no way he would’ve allowed such clumsy hands to grace the inner workings of his mind.

[youhad-disadvantages]

“I think all he got from me was deliberately avoiding human contact. He might’ve put selective mutism in my file, too.” Will didn’t know. He hadn’t taken a look at his own file. He already knew what Chilton thought of him. “I wasn’t doing a lot of talking at the time.”

[gonnadiehistoric]

“…think so,” he admitted as he took the hand and hauled himself up. “I was lookin’ at all the tree-things. Trees. Where’s this?”

[youhad-disadvantages]

“You’re in Florida.” Tree-things? “This is my house.”

[gonnadiehistoric]

“Florida.” Now that was a strange word. “…it’s a nice house.” Was it? Home to him was stone and metal and unbreakable, not…whatever that was.

[youhad-disadvantages]

That was a lie. No, not a lie. It was like the boy was reading the response from a script. He knew that was the appropriate response, so he said it. Will could relate. “Maybe you should come inside.”

[arealtrashact]

Come on hounds! The game is afoot! 

wtf i wanted to draw something dramatic for the super dramatic trailer but this happened instead asdjfxcnv

[youhad-disadvantages]

((@ tumblr how dare you rec a Hannigram blog to me))

[capablequeen-blog]

A chuckle escapes her at this, dry smile growing on her lips while glancing at him, “I suppose that means he’s always been like that?”

And that he’d met him too. Somehow this seemed unsurprising, either she’d heard Chilton’s name mentioned in the midst of talking about Will’s debacle, or merely because of Chilton’s desire to claim the more newsworthy patients.

[youhad-disadvantages]

“For as long as I’ve had the misfortune of knowing him.” Dealing with Chilton had been comparatively minor in relation to everything else going on. But somewhere along the line, the good doctor had become the symbol of everything Will hated about psychologists. “I had the misfortune of being placed in Baltimore State when...” When everyone thought I was a serial killer. “When I was living up north. He tried to pick my brain more than once.”

More like he’d talked at Will and Will had ignored him. It didn’t make the hours go by any faster.

[capablequeen-blog]

A nod in agreement at this. Exactly like that. Except her car wreck had been longer than an instant of collision, and the damage ran deep. Instead of just slowing down, the voyeurs stopped to get out and start digging into the wounds to find the source.

‘I don’t mind,” she shook her head. Normally, or with anyone else, she might. But, she knew this question wasn’t searching for the wrong reasons.

Oddly, very oddly, she felt trust towards him already.

“After we were… found, I was passed to Dr. Frederick Chilton in Baltimore.”

[youhad-disadvantages]

Chilton.

He cringes immediately at the name. Chilton wasn’t a man with a scalpel. He was a man with a machete. He knew. He remembered. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered. “I am so sorry.”

[capablequeen-blog]

“It wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t under the guise of sympathy… if they would come right out and admit they want to see the blood and gore of it. But, instead they pose questions as tender concern,” she shook her head some, lips twisting down at the thought. She hated the mock compassion. She needed the real thing, not a shoddy replica to fish for details.

[youhad-disadvantages]

His lips compressed into a tight line at her words. He remembered that, too. He remembered concern being used for much more malicious ends. “Like slowing down near a car wreck.”

It was a risk. But Will took off his glasses. Looked at her, not in the eyes, but enough to catch a peek. There was still a light there. Dimmed by adversity, battered, but still glowing.

Hope. God knew that kind of thing didn’t flourish under a knife.

“Who else have you seen? If you don’t mind my asking.”

[gonnadiehistoric]

Was he hurt? Nux had to look away from the dogs to check, and then he looked back up at Will. “Don’t think so. Barely even bit.”

[youhad-disadvantages]

“They’re not really biters.” Will put the dog down and offered the boy a hand up. “Are you lost?”

[gonnadiehistoric]

“…think so,” he admitted as he took the hand and hauled himself up. “I was lookin’ at all the tree-things. Trees. Where’s this?”

[youhad-disadvantages]

“You’re in Florida.” Tree-things? “This is my house.”

[capablequeen-blog]

“It’s alright… I’m more worried about the kind of creeps she’s getting,” Capable grimaced herself at the thought. She really hoped Angharad was alright.

“I’m sorry that you’ve got to deal with this sort of thing too,” she frowned some. It seemed so cruel, he lived through something so horrid, and yet the torture continued. People couldn’t just let it go. She hated to think of the kinds of things he’d been harassed about… especially considering how reserved and quiet he seemed.

Nodding some at the advice, she chuckled a little, before sighing, “I already feel bad for them, whoever they are…”

[youhad-disadvantages]

This sort of thing. The publicity, the reporters, people looking at him. In a way, being exonerated had been just as painful as people thinking he was a murderer. That was part of why he’d left Wolf Trap. He wanted to get away from the leeches.

“The public loves a victim.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s the best combination of an underdog story and schadenfreude you can find.”

[youhad-disadvantages]

“…no?”

Will noticed the scars first. He’d seen that sort of thing before, usually done in ink, but not always. Sometimes done to other people. An attempt at a transformation. Witness my becoming. What was this boy trying to become? Why did it involve what looked like a car engine?

He shook his head to clear away the speculation. “They’re just eager. Are you hurt?”

[gonnadiehistoric]

Was he hurt? Nux had to look away from the dogs to check, and then he looked back up at Will. “Don’t think so. Barely even bit.”

[youhad-disadvantages]

“They’re not really biters.” Will put the dog down and offered the boy a hand up. “Are you lost?”

[youhad-disadvantages]

“No! Hey! Down!” Most of the dogs backed off after his second round of scolding, though they didn’t stop barking. Will had to lift one of the smaller dogs off the intruder. “I am so, so sorry. Are you okay?”

[gonnadiehistoric]

Nux uncurled slowly, keeping an eye on the pack around him, in case they changed their minds. “They didn’t…they didn’t eat me?”

[youhad-disadvantages]

“...no?”

Will noticed the scars first. He’d seen that sort of thing before, usually done in ink, but not always. Sometimes done to other people. An attempt at a transformation. Witness my becoming. What was this boy trying to become? Why did it involve what looked like a car engine?

He shook his head to clear away the speculation. “They’re just eager. Are you hurt?”