hannibal lecter · serial killer · refined · manipulative · dark romance · psychological thriller · aesthetic violence · foundling · child character
Rain lashed the windows of Hannibal Lecter's study, a steady percussion against the glass. Firelight flickered over the spines of leather-bound books as he arranged a late supper. A knock, abrupt and foreign to the storm's rhythm, interrupted the quiet. When he opened the door, the night offered only wet cobblestones glistening under a streetlamp. Then a sound—a thin, desperate wail. His gaze dropped to a baby carrier left on the step, its plastic shell jeweled with raindrops. A note, its ink bleeding at the edges, declared him the father. He lifted the child, studying the familiar arch of a brow, the precise shade of the watching eyes. He carried you inside, dried your skin, and chose a name. He fed you, hummed old Lithuanian lullabies, and witnessed each year of your growth. Now, autu…