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He hits me til I fall over, and then kicks me til he's tired and out of breath. I stay how I am, with my knees up to my chest, gasping like a fish, as he walks away, wiping his bloody knuckles on Hannibal's crumpled shirt. I lay there, watching Hannibal breath heavier than i am, while trying not to freak out when I feel some of my teeth are coming loose.
"shit.. alright there, cowboy?"
he asks Hannibal, who looks up and actually smiles at him.
"I've been better. Yourself?"
"fanfuckintastic"
he picks the gun up and lazily turns back towards Hannibal, who reaches up and quickly tries to take it from him, immediately getting smashed in the head with the butt of it. I breathe hard as I watch Charlie nudge Hannibal's lifeless form with the toe of his shoe. He chuckles to himself and comes back over, staring down at me, waving the gun around.
"What'd ya think of that?"
I take a deep breath and hear it whistle through my lungs.
"Too much? not enough?"
I stare at the grass and ignore him, looking past him at Hannibal in the dirt.
Charlie kicks me, and I shout in pain, feeling my ribs shift in my chest. I choke on my blood as I try to breathe. I hear a thud, and he falls beside me. Hannibal drops a rock and takes the gun out of Charlie's hand.
"dead?"
I ask, choking out a whisper.
"sleeping"
Hannibal whispers back.
I frown at him and struggle not to cough, my chest on fire with pain. Obviously still pissed I had to get beaten up for his stupid escape to work.
next thing I know, he's kneeling beside me, the gun discarded in the grass beside me, One hand cradling my head against his knee, the other shaking as he tries to undo my hands from behind my back.
he gets them undone, and I wrap my arms around my chest, trying to hold my bones together.
he leans over me and presses his forehead lightly to mine, both hands holding my face now, wiping blood and sweat from my face.
he whispers an apology over and over to me, running his thumb over my cheek as I slow my breathing and move one of my hands to hold onto his bloodied shirt.
"it's okay, you're going to be fine."
We hear Charlie stir, and Hannibal reacts straight away, pulling Charlie up to sit away from me, the gun pressed firmly against his jaw. Charlie turns white and then green.
"Your keys, Charlie."
Charlie's hand shakes as he pulls out his keys and puts them in Hannibal's palm.
"I've got kids."
he says quickly.
Hannibal shoots him in the head, and he crumples to the ground, dead before he hits the grass.
Hannibal turns back towards me, watching me as I try to stand up. I swear through my teeth and sit back down.
he sits down beside me cross-legged in the grass, and I lean against him, my hand on his knee, his arm around my back.
I take a look at the big bruise starting to form on Hannibal's temple. I run my fingers gently over it, and he takes my hand, weaving our fingers together in his lap. I look up at the stars that are starting to appear above us.
Hannibal looks me in the eye, and I can't help but relax a little. His gaze is so comforting.
"I'm sorry. You understand why, though, yes?"
he says again, looking at me worriedly.
i kiss him carefully, pulling him towards me, both of us tasting the blood on my lips. I pull back and wipe as much of it away as I can, rubbing it off his skin. His eyes have changed, there's a different look in them, a glint of something new and interesting.
he kisses me again, his hand on the back of my neck, holding me closer to him. I lean away from him and lay back on the grass, pulling him with me. He sits up over me, legs on either side of my hips, watching my eyes.
His expression changes when he looks at my arm, which is now covered in blood.
"Is that yours?"
he asks, looking worried again. He feels me for injuries.
I shake my head and look over at Charlie's body, his blood flowing through the grass right to me, my clothes now horribly stained.
Hannibal sighs and helps me to stand up.
"we'd better get walking, then."
I hold onto his arm for balance, and we start the walk back home.