#and Will remembers. and somewhere along the line he decides (probably from the start) Hannibal is on the wrong side of the glass

[cartsandhorses]

Those aus where the characters never meet but it’s hannigram and they just don’t have a reason to. Not that that would stop them but maybe Will was recommended a different psychiatrist or left the field entirely, dropped off the face of the earth. He would be the talk of psychiatric circles but Hannibal would never have a reason or opportunity to seek him out. Hear his name in passing and move on, never see his face and fall in love. And maybe they walk by each other but by the time they look back it’s too late. A brushing of shoulders Hannibal would find rude and that Will would go out of his way to avoid but didn’t. A scent that Hannibal inhales and can’t let go of (he wants to, it bothers him) but can’t trace its source because Will already walked away. But he had gone still. Just for a moment, uncertain of why…

They never do get an answer. Not this time. Perhaps they’ll both feel something missing, distantly and locked away.

It’s like outside forces divine intervention are keeping them apart.

[campbluelake]

A Grotesque Mirror Image | Malyce 3.6

Malyce grips his knees firmly as Jo, or whoever she decides to be, begins to explain away her secret. If she's not some ultra intelligent criminal mastermind serial killer, what is she? Is she not a Hannibal Lecter? A Norman Bates? Jason Vorhees? Jo's shed her mask, and now Malyce can look upon her with scrutiny, and judge if she's fit to be worth understanding. It's not even his choice, but this illusion that he had any emotional power over her gives him respite in the grief. 

Ryan is the first in an anthology of pain. A girl whose life was cut short. A future stolen from her. But one could argue she deserved it, somewhere in the darkest recesses of one's heart. Malyce has had plenty of Ryan's. Six of them. Valentino's dangling of Marion in front of others to demonstrate what not to do. Myrna's well intentioned, but cruel pranks. Taddeo's protective ways, saying things along the lines of 'No one gets to toss around Mary but me.' Maybe it was from a place of love, but it had only alienated him. He's thought too many times of starting their family home on fire and watching it become a pile of rubble. He could have easily held a bat to any of their faces. Malyce's anger dampens again. 

The second tragedy. Dani. The feeling of being excluded. Of being left out. Marion Faustino was just some dweeb in the photography club who loved cinema and could ramble on for hours about The Exorcist. He was nothing like the popular and extroverted Faustinos that came before him. He remembers a similar time where he wasn't invited to a homecoming party because they thought "he'd be busy". It wasn't always about being there, but the intention. Even if he'd rather not be there, it didn't mean he didn't want to be invited. His anger left him leaving slugs in lockers for weeks. The anger began to shift to a sinking feeling that he related to Jo on a frightening level, and he hated it..

His eyes had glazed over as he listened to her third and fourth tales, glad that his heart didn't break with empathy at the last ones. Io was saddening, and tragic, but he couldn't relate. The only two loves he had felt perfect until he was no longer wanted. He had grown out of how entertaining he could be to them and they moved on. He never had to chase or fight. He never felt revenge and rage towards them, their decisions were their own. That's what irks Malyce, reminding himself of his disgust at Jo.

By taking their lives, she took away their agency. Their ability to make choices, and grow, and change. Io should've just called the cops and let them handle it. She should've done a thousand things she didn't do. Maybe Jo wouldn't have gone off the deep end if things were different. But now they can never come to fruition, because Jo made the choice for them. Shiloh sounded like an asshole that his sister would have gotten along swimmingly with, and it sickened him. Maybe he deserved some bad karma… but death? 

Warrick would have kept her secrets, he's sure. Warrick keeps secrets because he's logical, he's loyal, and he knows that such a thing isn't his to tell. Malyce probably couldn't force him to gossip if he held a gun to him. But Warrick never had a choice because Jo stole that from him. His grip tightens as he inhales, having finally noticed the breath he held in for so long. Can he truly feel bad and relate to such a person? Was he allowed to? Was Warrick always destined to die, or could have faith been changed? A simple lie, switching of notes. What if he did tell people? Not like Jo could've killed multiple people. 

As Malyce exhales his breath, the anger is replaced with grief. Grief in himself, grief over the star of her five part tragedy, and grief over losing one of the first friends to truly understand him, and never look at him with pity. This whole thing was horrible, and Malyce was done with it. He scoots back to his seat, pulling his knees to his wet chest. His voice is soft as he tries to croak out,

"You're fucked up, Jo. Really fucked up. I dunno if I can ever forgive you. And now that you have nothing but eternity left for you, with a bunch of ghosts who are probably already dreading your arrival... maybe you can work on being less fucked up. Okay?"