"Are you feeling quite alright, (Y/n)?" Hannibal broke your train of thought as you all sat down at the table for breakfast; his voice full of concern. "You seem rather quiet - more so than usual."

"Y-Yeah, what's wrong?" Norman anxiously chipped in, his eyes gleaming with worry whilst he barely managed to contain his uneasiness.

"Oh, um, I'm fine!" You hurriedly lied, placing your fork down and deciding to finish breakfast early. "I'm just...tired - that's all."

"A-Are you sure about that-?" Norman bit his lip and looked incredibly hesitant, not wanting to be pushy. But still...

"Tired? Is there perhaps a reason for that? Like Krueger, for example?" Hannibal's next words caused your body to freeze up, your eyes widening at what you'd dreamt about.

"Oh princess~" "~I thought we were." "I-Well-I...It's just...I don't really feel like um...being intimate right now." "That just means daddy can teach you~"
"I don't need to be—!"
"Now...come to Freddy~"

"Wait, I—" Your face reddened after you remembered what you'd done last night; the excitement that had flown through your veins, how shy you'd felt, etcetera etcetera. The steamy kisses and intimate touches were just...just...

"No!" You nervously exclaimed, taking a deep breath and attempting to calm down. "No, he...he didn't do anything. I...I slept...fine!"

"Really? Because you seem very on-edge, my dear." Hannibal raised one eyebrow and cottoned onto your untruth immediately; the dark-haired male placing his cutlery down and resting his chin atop his hands as he awaited your response.

An anxious gasp escaped your mouth after Michael breathed against the side of your neck heavily; making you scrape your chair back and stand up sharply. "Michael! Don't...Don't do that...!" You weakly ordered - eyeing the stalker with feigned strictness.

"ᗪOᑎ'T ᗪO ᗯᕼᗩT?" [A/N: "DON'T DO WHAT?"] He scribbled messily, not understanding why you were so jittery.

"Don't...Don't breathe against me like that..." You continued to blush once you'd replied, feeling embarrassed that you had to explain aloud. "It's...well it's unnerving...!"

"Michael." Hannibal planted the palms of his hands against the table and stood up himself, looking at the masked male with an unreadable expression. "That's enough."

"(Y/n), I-I thought we were going to spend time together today..." Norman became upset out of nowhere, holding your wrist with both hands and staring up at you with saddened eyes. "W-What happened to that...? W-Was that nothing more than a...a lie...!?"

"We are, we are!" You quickly responded, frantically wanting to calm the situation down. "I promise we are! I just uh...I just need to know when we're going, that's all, Norman. M'kay?"

"Oh, okay!" His face brightened up as soon as you'd said that, the miserable mood vanishing into thin air and leaving you confused.

"(Y/n) dearest, a word please?" Hannibal requested politely, his sudden wish causing you to feel even more awkward before you nodded.

Then, you left the dining table and followed him into his office; the psychiatrist taking a seat in the office chair whilst you took the opposite one. "So how come you wanted to talk with me away from the others...?" You wondered in a timid tone, stiffening up as he took both of your hands in his and softly stroked the top of them with either thumb.

"Oh, no reason, really." Hannibal flashed you a kind smile and slowly but surely set your mind at ease, "I just noticed how apprehensive you appeared to be this morning and couldn't help but wonder why, that's all."

"Oh, there's no reason!" You airily answered, pulling yourself out of his grasp and inwardly cursing at how unconvincing you sounded.

His smile widened before he switched the subject, the male already coming to the conclusion that you weren't going to tell him the truth. "So according to Norman, the two of you are heading out somewhere today. Do you know where that is? Or has Norman kept you in the dark about his current idea?"

"He actually has a plan for today?" A look of bewilderment flickered across your facial features; a light laugh slipping through your lips a second later while your anxious attitude faded.

"I'm assuming he does - what with how excited he seems to be." Hannibal remarked with a hint of amusement.

"I see." You shook your head and smiled yourself, "In that case, I should probably go and get ready, huh?" Once you'd said that, you stood up a second time and stepped towards the door; your body receiving an unpredictable jump-scare from none other than the male you were just conversing with.

And why was that? Oh, only because he'd placed a hand on your shoulder and gently steered you around to face him, holding you by your hips afterwards whilst he delicately pulled you closer to his body. "Hannibal, what are you—?"

"Please be careful out there, mio tesoro." He urgently murmured against your lips, interrupting you as he leant his forehead against yours. "Norman's condition isn't untreatable per se, but it causes him to  behave in an extremely erratic and destructive manner."

"He attacked me once, and that was merely because his imaginative mother didn't trust me." You attempted to justify Hannibal's worries with a soothing tone, clasping the top of his shoulders in return and giving them a reassuring squeeze.

"Be that as it may, I'm still very concerned by the fact that you two will be completely and utterly by yourselves during this entire period of time." Hannibal informed you seriously, "To be perfectly honest, I'd much rather prefer that you spend your afternoon here instead of with such an unstable individual just as Norman."

"Come on now, don't you think you're being a tad bit harsh?" You uneasily disagreed, wanting to protect Norman and stop the contradicting conflict once and for all. "He's apparently taking tons of tablets - which he said you'd prescribed to him. Surely they should at least be helping him by now."

"And they are, angelo mio. But until he acknowledges that the fabricated images of his deceased mother are false, the medication I've prescribed cannot - and will not - truly take effect." The dark-haired male gravely explained; now cupping your cheeks with the absolute care. "So please understand. He's much too dangerous for someone as...delicate as yourself."

"He's not that dangerous." You defended Norman at once, surprise painting your face after Hannibal had tenderly pressed his lips against yours in an act of romance.

"So what you're saying is that my words - and therefore I - am incorrect?" He summed up with what seemed to be a disheartened sigh - causing guilt to flood through your veins.

"No, no, no!" You panicked instantly, feeling fear flare up after you assumed he was annoyed with you. "I just meant that Norman behaves relatively well enough, is all."

"Oh mio bellissimo, bellissimo fiore," Hannibal spoke in almost irresistible Italian as he stroked the sides of your face, "Why must you always act so sweet and pure?"

"Excuse me...?" Taken aback by both his enticing Italian language and his unexpected, obsessive actions; bemusement washed through your body like water, your mind not grasping what exactly he meant. "I...I don't understand. I...I thought you were—"

"Mad at you?" Hannibal shook his head and repeated his soft smile from earlier, now running his fingers faintly through your hair. "No, no, no...that would be absurd."

"Well, um..." You struggled to muster up a proper reply and grew flustered instead, "I grow mad at me. Sometimes."

"Well, I assure you that'll never happen around me." He promised pleasantly, kissing you one more time before breaking away.

"Right..." You shyly mumbled, your heart racing as your thoughts became scattered. Then, you shook your head and sent him a weak smile; feeling a little faint. "Anyway, I think I'm going to freshen up a bit now...before heading out, y'know?"