Title: Live for the Chase
Prompt Number: 19
Requested By: Self Prompted
Description: clarice finally convinces hannibal to join her for a run
Rating: PG
Characters Mentioned: Clarice Starling; Hannibal Lecter;
Word Count: 690+
-the sound of sneakered shoes pounding the pavement echoes in the feet's owner that beautiful morning. the sun cascades across her skin, glistening the sweat which clings to and drips off her pale flesh. a messy ponytail, coming loose, swishes back and forth behind her head. clarice starling has always been an avid runner, going whenever she could find the desire and time equally. she was frequently strict about her exercise routine, and every so often she would challenge herself—adding a mile or two to her regime. today was not one of those days, simply because she was not running alone. hannibal lecter looked odd in track clothes—not because he did not make them look good, which he did; but because she had grown so accustomed to seeing him in suits that it seemed foreign to be observing the man this way. gradually, she turned around and continued to run but at a considerably slower pace. she was rarely ever good at running backwards for a long time, though she would never admit to it.
-"now you are just showing off, clarice. that is not very nice." he calls to her from down the sidewalk. she giggles, coming to a stop before reaching behind her—letting down her hair. quickly, she bent forward to let all the hair out and over the back of her head. she can feel the breeze on her now bare neck and finds it a relief. "you feelin' all right, old man." she teases, tapping his calf before coming back up. her locks found their way back into the hair tie and she moves to stand before him, head canting with a loving air. "no, but really, how ya doin'? think you could go a few more miles?" she was only concerned for his well-being. if it would be best to walk the rest of the way, then they would. he seemed all right, but she was not certain. "clarice, i may be older than you by a measurable amount of time but i am not that old. do not patronize me, please." her jaw drops, a little offended. "i'm not patronizin' you, you dick! fine! you think you're okay for this? then why don't you try catchin' me?" the challenging tone of her voice follows her taking off rather rapidly, making it down to the other side of the street before lecter even realizes what's happened. however, it does not keep him from going after her. in fact, he's thought about the idea of watching her run—and now he gets to run with her. this pleases him.
-it takes him a considerable amount of time to come even close to catching her, but after nearly two miles he managed to do so when she had to stop at a cross light. "fuck…" she exclaims as she pants when she feels his arms wrapping around her torso. her t-shirt, with deep blue letters reading 'FBI' is so soaked with her sweat that the light grey fabric looks dark grey in places. "i will always find you, clarice… i will always get you." he breathes playfully against his lover's ear, even though it truly was just dumb luck that he caught up to her. she laughs, turning in his embrace. "and i you, hannibal… always." her response is honest and true, something lecter seemed to appreciate. "i love you, clarice…i do." he speaks in a hushed yet accentuated murmur as his forehead rest against hers. he's tired but so is she. "i love you, too. and i'm pretty sure i wouldn't have even got you to consider the idea o' runnin' with me if you didn't…" she points out; a valid point no doubt. he smiles; a genuine yet fatigued grin there on those lips. "i am fairly certain, clarice that you could cajole me into doing anything you wanted, and I would do it unquestioningly because of how much you mean to me." those words mean a lot more to her than she lets on. she merely hums in her happiness. "want t' start walkin' home?" her voice emanates quietly from her throat. "yes,"