phedredelaunay

Willy

While Hannibal was gone, Phedre went and spoke to Alcuin. He was in and out of consciousness, though it seemed not to be the injury but more whatever pain medication House had given him. He'd said something about Willy, and Phedre was certain that Hannibal wasn't going to send word to him, so after she left she went over to the inn herself.

It was evening by then, and Willy was easy to find. She ordered a glass of wine out of politeness to the establishment, so that she could wait until his song was over. It wasn't as if there was a rush at this point.

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"I feel perfectly fine," Alcuin said. "In fact... I think I'll go take a shower quickly, and put on some fresh clothes. I ah, I assume these are yours." And whatever he'd been wearing yesterday had been covered in blood. "Why don't you have the cook set up the kitchen for us, and I'll meet you there."

"Feel free to put on anything from the closet, if you like," Hannibal said. "I'll makd breakfast myself. Come down when you're ready."

Alcuin nodded, and after Hannibal left, he looked around for a moment, but then decided he'd go back to his own room. He ran into a couple of the employees on the way and explained to them that he was fine, and then took a long shower. Once he was alone he found himself uncharacteristically in the middle of something of a panic attack. It had all just been... too much. Memories of the night before came flooding back to him, and it was quite a while before he was able to compose himself and get dressed.

But by the time he came downstairs... he was perfect again. He smiled. "It smells wonderful."

"Thank you," Hannibal said with a small smile. "I made it myself."

The meatballs in the soup were Halicon.

He offered Alcuin a seat and sat down after.

"I called for Phedre. I'm sure she'll be here soon."

Alcuin sat. It still felt a little strange, Hannibal serving him.

He picked up a spoon. "I was thinking, I ah... suppose there's no need to wait now, to have the rest of my marque limned. I thought I'd have to wait, since I thought I wouldn't be able to lie on my stomach."

Hannibal waited for Alcuin to take the first bite. It was beautiful to him to see the victim consume the perpetrator.

"Of course."

Suddenly the maid burst in. "Oh, I'm sorry. But... Did you hear? They found Halicon's head on a spike just outside the city walls! And the rest of him on the floor gutted like a fish!"

Alcuin dropped his spoon, and it clattered to the table, soup splashing. He was white as a ghost. “I - I’m sorry,” he stammered, and hurried to clean it up.

Hannibal watched Alcuin as the news was announced. He found he wanted to tell him exactly what happened, but of course he did not.

He stood. "Rose, would you clean it up, please?" He asked, then offered Alcuin his hand.

"Are you alright?"He asked the boy.

Alcuin didn't know what to say.

Finally he squeezed Hannibal's hand so tight it must have hurt, and said, his voice low, "That cannot be a coincidence, Hannibal."

"Perhaps not, but a fortunate one, wouldn't you say?" Hannibal asked him.

Alcuin wasn't stupid. There was no way he could ignore how... not surprised, Hannibal was. And he honestly didn't know what to do with this knowledge.

"The kingsguard won't think so," he said. "They don't know what a monster he was."

Hannibal could see the cogs in Alcuin's mind turn, but he waited until the maid left before he spoke. "He was a cruel man and met a fitting fate. I will not mourn him - and I should hope you will not either."

“I… won’t,” said Alcuin. And didn’t really know what else to say.

“I suppose at least I have an alibi.” Pause. “And so do you. Since you were so kind to stay by my side all night.”

Alcuin was going to find out; Hannibal was certain of this. He wasn't sure he wanted to hide it from him. But he did know that he would have to have a better hold on the boy if he did find out.

"I did. I wanted to be there. In fact, I will miss you, if you go back to sleep in your own rooms tonight."

Alcuin went still. “But… Why? I’m fine now.”

"I liked having you there," Hannibal replied simply. And truthfully.

"Oh," said Alcuin. "I'm... not sure what to make of that." He was a bit at a loss. "Are you - lonely?"

"I care for you," Hannibal admitted, "More than I should."

Alcuin wasn't dense. He knew what Hannibal must be saying.

"Why now?" he asked bluntly. "Just because you thought I was dying? Or is it something else?"

"Because you're a free man. Because I thought I lost you - to death... or to Willy," Hannibal admitted. All quite true. "Because you're older now and because apparently both Phedre and Greg already knew and have been telling me I should act on what I feel. Even Willy did." That wasn't quite true in the sense that Hannibal could have kept it to himself perfectly. But it was in his interest here admit to these influences.

This was all so sudden, and unexpected, and...

Willy. He'd offered to make Hannibal fall in love with him.

He knew that it probably wasn't likely, but it was enough to make him doubt, on top of everything else. Including, as Hannibal said, being a free man.

He was torn on what to say, but finally told the truth. " I think I've loved you for years," he said, and put down his spoon. "But right now, I just... I need to think."

Hannibal nodded, a little disappointed. "I understand."

"The feelings are not sudden, if you were wondering. But you know I am not prone to act on emotion."

The fact that he mentioned both Greg and Phedre did lend support to the idea that this was not some sudden magic from Willy. And well. He could always just ask Phedre.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "This - this is not what I imagined I would feel." Maybe it was Willy. Maybe it was almost dying because of something Hannibal had pushed him to do. Or maybe it was just because this felt like how things had always been with Hannibal. The expectation that Alcuin would do exactly as was expected of him. Stay in my room now. That was it, businesslike.

Maybe it wasn't fair of him. But he knew what actual romance felt like now.

"Well, as I said; you're a free man. I will leave it to you to do as you will," Hannibal replied. He didn't push the hurt out of his voice entirely.

Alcuin opened his mouth, then closed it again, and then nodded.

He should say something else, he thought. He should do something. Kiss him, maybe. What was he thinking? Wasn't this what he wanted?

But in the end, he just lingered awkwardly for a moment, the conflict very clear on his face, and then... walked away.

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