snowblindrpg | [log] A Snowhell Dinner Party [closed]

[Meanwhile, House smirks, in spite of himself and knowing how dangerous the current situation is. He has to hand it to Hannibal. He's objectively funny, provided you're in on the joke. Watching him troll poor Will is also incredibly entertaining. House raises a hand and taps a finger to his nose.]

Not it for being the blood price. And he's anemic, so maybe give it a week or two if blood prices are on the table. That covers us for the next few days, right?

Edited 2017-11-25 04:16 (UTC)

[Hannibal turns his head toward House, giving him a nod.]

I assure you, at the moment I am not interested in a blood offering from either of you. After all, you need it to summon an Elder God.

[Hannibal inclines his head toward the kitchen, inviting the younger man to join him.]

Do you believe that what happened between us on that cliff is of the same kind as our other attempts on each other's lives? All three of us bled that night. And you and I died together. We have been resurrected from the waves.

[ He caught that smirking out of the corner of his eye and shot House an aggrieved look. ]

Don't encourage him.

[ Alright, there was something surreal about the fact that Hannibal was on guard against getting teamed up against by House and Will, House was on guard against teamed up against by Hannibal and Will and now Will had to worry about the two atrocious humor twins!

He glanced at House and flicked his eye to a spot where the older man could probably position himself to have a good view of the kitchen, while still being out of the immediate line of fire. Then he stepped into the ghost like space with Hannibal, moving automatically to the side and out of the way. ]

I believe that what happened on that cliff was meant to be a culmination of the zero sum game that lay between us. [ Will crossed his arms over his chest, a position that slid more towards a sort of self embrace, than a defensive posture. His voice lowering. ] It was meant to acknowledge that I couldn't live without you, but that our having agency in the world was ... forbidden.

[ He tilted his chin downwards, reluctant to give House any more ammunition, but at the same time aware that if he was going to have this conversation, there was something poetic to it being House eavesdropping on the words. ]

I haven't entirely known what to do with myself since I woke up here.

[You can't stop the humor, Will.

Faking his old limp means House isn't exactly quiet as he shuffles over to the point Will's indicated, but he does wait for Hannibal and Will to enter the kitchen to start moving. It gives him a little more cover as he drags his pack along and ends up just sitting down to watch this. He makes an attempt to look like he's not just eavesdropping as he starts pulling cooking utensils out of his pack. Hannibal was downtown, which means he probably has decent food. And he's going into the kitchen which also probably means he wants to cook something. House hasn't exactly stocked up on relevant cooking supplies, but even with as meager as his appetite is, he'll contribute in the hopes of getting something actually hot and not vending machine food.

He lays out the following in a neat row next to him:

Dish soap;
A one cup metal measuring cup;
A full set of metal measuring spoons;
Metal tongs;
A wire whisk;
A bent metal fork;
Two metal spoons, one of them bent;
A roll of paper towels;
A quarter-full bottle of olive oil; and
A roll of tin foil

After that, he pulls out a magazine that appears to have risque imagery on the front--scantily clad women. He leans back so it isn't obvious that the cover has been switched out. Really, it's magazine about monster trucks, and he puts on his reading glasses to pretend to read it while he listens.]

Edited 2017-11-25 05:16 (UTC)

[Hannibal notes every item that House lays out with some amusement. One might think that the other doctor was himself a culinary afficionado, what with the implements that he is carrying around with him. Hannibal himself sets both the tote bag and the shopping basket he's carrying onto the table and begins to empty it, pulling out apples, oranges, peppers, tomatoes, an onion, a package wrapped in butcher paper, a baguette.

He knows House is listening to this conversation, but ignores it for the moment.]

And now? Can you live without me, Will?

[ Lovely. They were into the show me yours stage of this interaction.

Regardless, Will began to unpack as well. His contribution was:

Firewood
Lighter fluid
Sugar Cubes
Butcher's Knife
Dowel Rod
Screwdriver

As he worked, his head down in an attempt to not think about his audience; particularly House with the damn porno mag.

Regardless, Will didn't try to shy away from the uncomfortable truth. ]

I knew I couldn't live without you when I came back for the Dragon.

[ There really was no point in trying to pretend otherwise, even if he recognized that Hannibal's stay away had been added fuel to the fire of drawing him back. He'd realized, in his verbal sparring with Bedelia, that it was a simple truth.

He was always going to come back to Hannibal. ]

Edited 2017-11-25 05:43 (UTC)

I was about three years ahead of you.

[Because Hannibal's own declaration had been on the lawn that night when he surrendered to Jack Crawford instead of being banished from Will's life forever.]

What use freedom, if it means being torn asunder?

[As Will lays the screwdriver on the table, Hannibal reaches over, and sets his hand over Will's.]

[ Back in the BHCI Will had insisted that he'd sent Hannibal away, because he knew it was the one play that would bring Hannibal back of his own volition.

The truth was; Will wasn't entirely sure.

Everything had been so blurred by that point, that he couldn't be entirely certain that he hadn't been testing Hannibal's commitment to the entanglement between them. Had Hannibal kept running, taken the freedom offer, then Will could have worked from a broken heart, but tried to put what remained of his life back together. That Hannibal had returned, spoke in a way that could never be captured by mere words.

As those deadly fingers closed over his hand, Will froze but he didn't remove his hand from Hannibal's. The warmth of the man, anchored their current reality in a way that Will couldn't begin to described; yet his shoulders relaxed and his hand rested softly beneath the Hannibal's touch.

For a moment, though he was aware of House's breathing and his presence, that awareness fell to the peripheral, as he looked up at Hannibal. He really had been talking about the man in almost every conversation with the diagnostician, and as House was an addict himself, surely he understood this moment?

After a moment, he looked up towards caramel colored eyes, watching the flicker of banked maroon within, before he spoke. ]

I told Bedelia, that I had no intention of allowing you to be captured again. There would be no repeat of those three years of separation. Jack expected the use you to capture Dolarhyde and to kill you both during the capture.

I don't believe my own plan, aligned with Jack's ... the way it had in the past.

[Hannibal holds that eye contact with the same gentleness as his hold on his friend's hand. How many times had he returned to that particular shade of blue in his mind palace whilst imprisoned, remembering it as one of the distinguishing characteristics of the man he missed so dearly?

Will's revelation prompts a slight cock of Hannibal's head.]

Were your intention merely to see me dead, it would have been easy enough for you to allow Jack's plans to unfurl unimpeded. Perhaps you could not allow my death to be at the hands of anyone but you.

Edited 2017-11-25 17:49 (UTC)

[ It felt like so long since he'd seen that curiously tilt to Hannibal's head. A gesture that seemed to appear when the man was genuinely engaged with a curiosity that intrigued him, rather than bored by the mundane of normalcy. ]

No more so than you would have allowed anyone else the pleasure of killing me. [ He pointed out and for the first time since they had reached this house, his lips twitched into a genuine smile. ]

It seems there are some of life's horrific beauties that we will not deny ourselves?

[That smile is so lovely, and Hannibal smiles warmly in return. Someone who was witnessing this from the outside (House, perhaps?) might find it bizarre that their expressions of affection center on the expressed desire to be the one to murder the other. For the moment, Hannibal doesn't care. House is already aware of their particular, peculiar, relationship. No need to obscure the truth of it.

He lifts his hand from Will's, and uses it to caress the side of the younger man's face, settling to cup his cheek.]

[ A hand to his cheek usually precipitated a knife to the gut but Will was starting to become comfortable with the idea that Hannibal didn't mean bloodshed. At least, not at the moment.

He leaned into the touch, equally unconcerned about having an audience. They had played out their dance for public consumption often enough in the past. Chilton, Jack, Alana and others. Will was used to being judged for it, and also for being unwilling to alter his own chosen course as a result of that judgement.

Of course, this didn't mean he wasn't braced for the trolling comment he expected would be coming from House at any moment now. ]

[It's a good thing will is expecting comments from the peanut gallery. Unfortunately for him, it might be a little hard to decipher what they are.

House has no idea what languages Hannibal actually speaks, but the accent says eastern European. He'd been hiding in Italy for a while. And he's a connoisseur of fine food. French comes to mind, but it's one of the more common languages for Americans to know. That goes for Italian and Spanish, as well. Of the options left to him, Japan is probably next most well known for its culinary arts.

He speaks up in perfectly fluent, if accented, Japanese:]

Oh, for god's sake, just kiss the boy. Do I have to wait for the commercial break?

[Hannibal turns his head and lifts his eyebrows at the other doctor. There's a great deal of significance to the Japanese, of course, from House's ability to puzzle out that Hannibal would know Japanese, to his clear desire to communicate in a way Will would not understand. But his timing leaves much to be desired.

He answers in Japanese.]

Would you mind giving us a moment, Dr. House?

Edited 2017-11-25 21:29 (UTC)

Let me have the bed tonight without a fight or a coin toss, and I'll be out of your hair while you two get cooking.

[Is it wise to test whether or not he can manipulate Hannibal? Probably not. But he has to try. When the psychiatrist is sufficiently distracted by his desire for Will seems as good a time as any.]

Edited 2017-11-25 22:26 (UTC)

[Oh, House is trying to manipulate him! How cute.]

Perhaps I should discuss it with Will. I'm sure he'll be quite interested in your attempts to cut him out of the conversation.

[House raises a brow and sets his sets his magazine aside as he focuses on Hannibal more fully. There's a small smirk curling up his lips. This is dangerous, but it's fun. He wants to see what will happen.]

Sure. Tell him I'm giving you sex advice, while you're at it. Ancient burakumin techniques I learned from a village at the base of the Akaishi Mountains. He's cute when he sputters and blushes.

[Fun, indeed.]

I could tell him, that, yes. I'd be happy to frame our conversation in those terms. If you are so kind as to give us a moment to ourselves. Otherwise...well. I would hate to have to see which one of us Will trusts more. Do you think it would be you, Dr. House?

[Oh, now that's an interesting tactic. House decides to try it for himself and hopefully undercut the threat. He switches to English.]

Hey, Graham Cracker, enjoy the make-out session. Just don't get anything on the food. I gave your beau some tips. I'm gonna go check out the bed. Your boyfriend said I could have it for the night if I stop bothering you guys.

[He absolutely does not expect Will to believe him fully on that, but there's a grain of truth to the commentary and it puts the onus on Hannibal to call him a liar now. The doctor picks himself up slowly.]

Don't burn the house down with all that crackling UST.

[If neither Hannibal nor Will stop him, House will limp off to the bedroom to start methodically searching for items in the house. He leaves the cooking supplies and his magazine, but picks up his pack to take with him.]

Edited 2017-11-25 23:10 (UTC)

[ As soon as the pair of them began to trade exchanges in Japanese, Will recognized he was at a severe disadvantage. It definitely was a language he had no experience in, and given the way Hannibal could play poker and House could deflect in his expression, the ex-profiler couldn't even get a good read off their expressions.

This was ... concerning.

Not just because he knew that House was trying to find Hannibal's buttons to push them, but because he knew that Hannibal's curiosity and amusement with the diagnostician's antics would only go so far. Will wasn't going to be able to intervene (not that he was all that effective to begin with) and if they began to collude?

Yeah this could be a problem.

By the time House switched back to English, the younger man was looking decidedly wary of both older men. Thus he gave House a suspicious look. ]

Answer me this, you two. Do they teach the ability to knot a single truth into a web of misdirection in medical school or is that something you learn in Residency?

[ Because Hannibal did it, and House did it. But then House was limping off without answering, leaving Hannibal on the hook and Will turned his attention to his friend. ]

I know better than to ask. [ He said, in a wry voice. Because it was true. Hannibal might explain or might keep it to himself, depending which chess move best suited his plans. ]

[Hannibal sighs and lowers his hand, turning instead to the table, looking at their supplies, his disappointment likely visible to Will in the slight droop of his head and his shoulders. That delicate moment has passed, and it feels improper to try to initiate any further physical intimacy.]

He's misrepresenting how that exchange went.

[He speaks without looking up from the table.]

Edited 2017-11-26 00:31 (UTC)

[ Will's jaw nearly dropped.

He didn't think he could ever think of a time when Hannibal had been, dejected? The exchange in his kitchen had been heartbroken, yes but determined and always in control. Part of Will wanted to reach out to his friend, but part of him wasn't sure it would be welcome.

But he did take a step towards both the table and Hannibal. ]

I expected as much. [ He confirmed and when he found himself feeling a desire to get back within Hannibal's line of sight, he didn't fight it. Just edged around, looking for those dark eyes. ]

House is deliberately infuriating. He uses it as both a weapon and a shield.

[ For a minute Will fell quiet and then it was his turn for his eyes to look to the table before he continued in a softer voice. ]

Unfortunately, he's also a very good listener, and an excellent diagnostician. He knows what questions to ask, and I ... I needed to talk about you. Perhaps more than I should have, I ... apologize for that.

But I [ Will's voice caught, held and then he finished. ] I thought I was alone.

[ I thought I'd never see you again. That I'd found Hell. Living without you. ]

[Sympathy is a way to get Will on his side. That isn't to say he wasn't sincerely disappointed at a moment lost, but he allowed Will to see it, perhaps more than he would have otherwise.

Once Will tries to catch Hannibal's eye, he turns toward him, moves toward him, wanting to make it clear that his turning away was not a rejection. When Will falls silent, Hannibal moves closer, and places a hand on Will's shoulder, tilting his head in an echo of what Will had done, trying to catch his eyes.]

There's no need to apologize, Will. I do not blame you whatsoever for speaking the truth. I know you felt alone. It's a terrible feeling. But you're not alone anymore.

[ Will should probably be a little more wary of these sort of nuanced manipulations from Hannibal. But he was on uncertain ground, had lost a step -at least- and so tumbled head first into a tangle of his own emotional making.

That and Hannibal always had been good at working a situation to his best advantage.

Blue eyes found dark, and perhaps Will didn't try searching as deeply as he should have, or at any other time would have. He truly had been at a loss, waking up in this town, fresh on the conscious heels of having made a commitment he'd run from for so long, yet finding himself completely alone.

He should know better, but those warning voices were silent for the time being and Will could only feel a sense of relief at the forgiveness (wait what??) and then a need to step to Hannibal, just as he'd done on the cliff. His arms tentative as they found their way around the older man's waist, tension not leaving his body until he was able to replicate the way he'd rested his head on Hannibal's shoulder.

Only then, with the physical presence of the older man against his cheek, the scent of him and the soft sounds that came with shifting fabric, only then did he close his eyes and relax. ]

[The last time this happened, Will dragged Hannibal off a cliff. Perhaps, then, Hannibal can be forgiven a glance at the table to ensure that the butcher knife is still there and not in Will's hand. Satisfied the knife is not part of this exchange, Hannibal wraps his arms around his friend, settling one hand on the back of Will's head, cradling it to his shoulder. With the other hand he slowly strokes Will's back. He leans his head against Will's, and closes his eyes, inhaling deep Will's scent.]

[log] A Snowhell Dinner Party [closed]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

cw: canon typical codependency

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)