Care (Slashers X Reader)

TEN

You enter Michaels room sometime after lunch, finding the man sitting at his small table slumped over yet another mask. He doesn't move at all despite being aware that someone has entered his room. It's likely that he hasn't realized it's you quite yet.

"Good afternoon, Michael." Your gentle voice seems a bit loud in the otherwise silent room. Michael whips around to face you almost instantly, obviously a bit surprised at your visit. "I hope you don't mind. Since your free time was revoked for a while I figured I could come keep you company here instead."

He stares at you for a few moments before nodding slowly. You perk up a bit at his acceptance, moving to sit across from him at the table. He stands up before moving over to his side table where he grabs an unfinished mask that he sets in front of you before sitting back down. You're a bit surprised that he's allowing you to paint one of his precious masks but you won't complain.

Michael scoots some of his paints and brushes to the center of the table so you can reach them easier. You give him a bright smile and thank him as you pick up a bigger brush to paint on the first layer. Your eyes flicker between the color options and the mask, trying to picture the different colors on it to decide which one fits it best. The last thing you want is to accidentally ruin his hard work by painting it poorly.

You chew on your bottom lip gently as you focus on spreading the color you picked out evenly on the paper mache mask. You're unaware of Michael watching you, his eyes trailing over your features. He never really got the chance to properly look at you until now. He can certainly understand why the guards had said what they did that day at lunch even if they were a lot more vulgar than he ever would've been. Though, he feels ashamed even thinking about those disgusting men being right even if it's about something as simple as you being attractive.

The things those men said flicker through his mind, making him subconsciously clench his fists. At first the guards had started off by simply stating that the new nurse was beautiful and that she looked sweet. That quickly turned into them wondering if you were that sweet in bed which then led to them talking about what they'd like to do to you if given the chance. That's when his anger had taken over and he was seconds away from attacking them until you stepped in to calm him down. Of course those idiots couldn't stay quiet and taunted him.

He was reprimanded pretty severely by Wanda who scolded him for losing his temper. The older woman was a bit shocked when she discovered what exactly it was that made him angry and despite understanding it, she didn't approve. She told him that he should just ignore the guards from then on as it's just simple chatter. He's pretty sure that the way she said it meant that she didn't care enough to scold the guards for their disgusting words.

On top of being reprimanded, his free time was taken away- not that he really cared all that much. He'd just be doing the same thing he's doing now just in a different room. The only downside was that he'd lose out on spending time with (Y/N). He was slightly confused when he found himself disappointed with that thought. However, you surprised him by coming to his room to spend time with him instead. You really are different than all of the other nurses.

"Michael?" Your voice breaks him from his thoughts, making him blink as he realizes he's been staring at you this entire time. "Is everything alright?"

He stiffens slightly before slowly nodding once. He doesn't feel embarrassed about being caught blatantly staring at you. He does, however, wonder how long you were staring back before you decided to say something to him. By the darker tint to your cheeks he can tell it might've been a few moments before you chose to speak up. You were obviously a lot more embarrassed than him.

His eyes trail from yours down to the table where they land on the mask he gave you to paint. The way you painted it is certainly a lot different than how he would've done it- not that that's a bad thing. The base of it is black which helps the intricate flowers pop out a lot more. He finds himself reaching forward to grab it in order to take a closer look at it.

His fingers are surprisingly delicate as he traces over the petals painted beautifully on the mask. You watch him, silently wondering how he feels about it. It might seem a bit girly despite the fact that you consider flowers to be pretty gender neutral. You're suddenly very aware of the fact that he might hate it. That you might've ruined it despite not wanting to.

Those worried thoughts quickly diminish when he stands up, moving over towards his wall. You watch him take down one of the masks he had hung up before placing it aside and putting yours up where it had previously been. Your heart skips a beat as you realize that he likes it enough to hang it up among his others on display.

After that it's time for you to go. Michael gives you the mask he had been painting as a trade for keeping yours and you thank him kindly for it before exiting the room. You don't have much time to go all the way to your room to put it away so you carry it with you to your next destination.

Trekking down the hallway, you stop just outside of Hannibal's room. The man is sitting in a plush chair, legs crossed and a book in hand. You patiently wait for him to address you first, not wanting to speak up before he's ready in case you interrupt his reading. You know that he's fully aware of your presence as he seems to know anything and everything.

"Hello, dear." Hannibal finally snaps his book closed as he looks up at you, giving you a polite smile. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Hello Hannibal." You smile as well despite feeling a bit nervous now that you're under his scrutinizing gaze. "I figured I'd come by and spend some time with you, if you don't mind. I'm sure it must be a bit lonely being in your room all by yourself all the time."

"How kind of you." He stands up to approach the glass before sitting on the floor. It's quite odd seeing the rather proper man sitting on the floor like that but he also looks quite cute gazing up at you from his position.

You sit down as well, mimicking him. "What were you reading?"

"Wuthering Heights. It was written in 1847. Quite an interesting read if I do say so myself."

"Would you mind reading it to me?" You tilt your head cutely which makes him smirk.

"Anything for you, dear." He opens the book back to the beginning which surprises you. You figured he'd just read from where he left off. You feel almost bad for asking but as his heavily accented voice reads the words carefully and beautifully you find yourself entranced. Something about his voice is quite soothing.

You sit there for an hour just listening to him, finding the story interesting and entertaining though that might just be because he's reading it to you. You're quite a few chapters into the story when you realize you should get going so you say your goodbyes with the promise to visit again so he can continue the story for you.

Hannibal stands up to watch you leave, his gaze lingering on you until you disappear from his sight. Sighing, he places the book on his desk, his fingers gently grazing the cover. With you here, he now has something to look forward to every week. You're certainly different than all the other nurses. Your willingness to spend time with him means everything to him and he knows that he may soon grow attached. Whether or not that's a good thing is yet to be known.