His favourite Toy

Part 22: ReThink

"I'm sorry I'm shipping you off to school, baby" I sighed to Clem, kneeling down to her height to adjust her coat on her shoulders. 

"It's okay Gracie, I like my friends" she reminded me playfully. Although I know she's still grieving, she didn't have much of a relationship with them anyway so I know this will all blow away eventually... hopefully. I gave her a big smile, pulling her in for a loving hug.

"Have a good day, okay?" I then cupped her face, squishing her little cheeks together.

"Okay" she managed to speak through her squished mouth. I giggled a little at her, then stood to my feet, watching her sprint into the school gates - her my little pony lunchbox in the air.

———

"And what's this you're drawing?" I teased Hannibal who was sat at his desk by swooping in to snatch his art work from under him, his pencil still in hand. He stared up at me, a subtle smile developing on his emotionless face as I inspected his drawing of a building.
"What's this?" I asked off him, viewing its beautiful 3D look and the well detailed bricks.

"A school I went to as a boy" he informed me as he stood up from his desk, slowly walking around me. However, I kept my eyes on his piece even when he moved the hair off my shoulders and onto my back, his presence only inches away from me.

"It's really beautiful" I mumbled to him, mesmerised by the ongoing detail.

"Thank you. I do recall that you were artistic?" He questioned me, his gravel like tone right by my ear. I raised one eyebrow up at him, smiling.

"Well... yea" I spoke high pitched, shrugging one shoulder.
"But I didn't realise I had competition" I joked, however I did not get the reaction I intended to since he collected a paper and pencil off his desk, hovering it over for me to grab. I kept switching my glanced between him and the paper, frantically placing his artwork onto his desk while staring up at him with wide eyes.
"What do you want me to draw?" I spoke in one breath to him, causing him to let out a chuckle at me.

"Anything you wish" he compromised but I let out cry at him, slugging down my shoulders.

"A clock. I can do a clock" I joked yet his eyebrows furrowed to himself as he directed his eyes to the floor.
"Hannibal?" I waved my hand in front of his face, bringing him back to reality.

"Perhaps an animal?" He suggested. I hesitantly took the paper and pencil from him and went to seat himself down on his couch, tapping the pencil against the paper as I began to ponder what to draw.

———

"May I see now?" Hannibal groaned, like a child repeatedly going 'are we nearly there yet?'. I rolled my eyes to myself, laughing.

"Yes, yes! Come, come" I patted the spot next to me, scuttling to give him some room. He rushed to seat himself down, his face showing that he's attempting to hold back his excitement.
"I did a deer" I confessed, pressing the paper against my chest.

"Intriguing" he leaned in to say to me. I bit my bottom lip to prevent my grin from developing, however it was unsuccessful so I bowed my head down at him and revealed my art to him. He slowly reached his hand out to it, taking it out of my hands and admired the graphite on the paper, using his index finger to trace over the lines. With my anxiety going through the roof, I kept shooting glanced between my art and Hannibal who still had yet to show emotions.
"It's perfect" he managed to spit out, his eyes still glued to the paper. I let out an anxious giggle at him.

"What?" Is all I spoke out, since his words didn't compute to me. He then raised his head up at me, revealing his fallen strands of hair.

"It's perfect" he repeated, more clearly. I just stared at him speechless, attempting to analyse him.

"Daddy issues" my dad began singing behind me, jumping around the room. While I was listening in on my fathers hallucination, I didn't realise Hannibal leaning forward and pressing his lips against mine gently, lifting my chin up with his hand. I deeply kissed him back, cupping one of his cheeks in my hand.
"Your taste in men only progressively gets worse... eesh" my dad let out a shiver, sliding himself into Hannibal's desk. I attempted to ignore him by closing my eyes again, focusing on Hannibal who became more affectionate in the kiss, laying me down on the couch.

"Family reunion!" Mia clapped her hands enthusiastically. I opened up one eye to see her standing over me, a big, weird ass smile across her face as she inspected Hannibal and I become comfortable. Yet again, I closed my eyes and put a hand behind his head, lifting up my shirt to unbuckle my pants.

"Well, it is now" my dad sighed, now sitting up from Hannibal's desk. As Hannibal was sliding a hand down my pants slowly, kissing firstly my cheek then my jawline, then my neck. I opened up my eyes to reveal Kenny at the very end of the couch, staring at me with wide glassy eyes, still bleeding from the mouth, pale skin and slashed clothes. Suddenly, I let out a scream and Hannibal jumped himself off of me, revealing his scruffy hair and unbuckled belt - but not pants. I let out a few gasps, covering my mouth with two hands with my big eyes showing nothing but fear.

"Grace?" Hannibal's face switched to concern, reaching his hand out to my wrist slowly to take them off my face, which he did.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry" I cried to him, still collecting my breath. He then cupped my face, forcing me to look at him - I was melting in the touch of his rough hands.

"What did you see?" He questioned, slanting his head. I just stared into his face with wide eyes, attempting to form the words in my mouth as I opened it to allow words to escape yet they never did. He furrowed his eyebrows up at me, showing concern.
"Kenny?" He raised an eyebrow. I then began to frantically nod my head at him, the tears already beginning to form.

"I'm so scared of him..." I confessed, burrowing my head into his chest - like clem did with me. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around me and kept me close.
"His eyes, his eyes Hannibal" I kept repeating to him, however he slowly rocked me while shushing me, kissing me on the head frequently.

"I have you now" he promised me.

———

I managed to unlock my front door, re introducing myself to my old couches which had holes and scratches in them. The love-hate relationship I have with these walls is truly something. I allowed my bag to drop to the floor, letting out a long grunt to myself as I switched on the light, revealing Mia sat on the couch with her legs crossed, staring up at me as if she had been waiting forever. She opened her mouth to say something however I just paced into the kitchen, searching the cabinets.

"That was quite something with mr. Therapist" Mia teased, resting her hip against the kitchen counter as she spectated me rummaging through the cabinet.
"I mean... if you were stable you'd never have met him" she reminded me, clicking her fingers. I felt for a bottle and once I felt it's glassy feeling, I pulled it out of the cabinet and inspected the label - Absinthe. Mia whistled at the sight of it, laughing to herself.
"No mixer? That's a death wish" she laughed.

"I'm not the one who had one" I shot a glance over at her, sitting onto the breakfast bar to which she joined. I flicked off the cap, ignoring Mia resting her elbow on the counter as she stared over at me. I took in a swig, instantly feeling a fireball burn in my mouth and throat however it was a feeling I missed. I inspected the bottle again, licking my lips and then handed it over to my hallucination, who gracefully took a swig.