trembling and obedient,

summary: his visiting lectures at the fbi academy are all too dull; his appointment is met without courtesy. he dances with the little scholar starling at galas and fundraisers. and then, she charms him: gut-sick, and wanting. in which hannibal and clarice meet at boring social functions, and their rapport and quick back-and-forths are established while slow-dancing with one another.

warnings and tags: wonky timeline/canon divergence - they know one another before he's imprisoned; age gap (clarice is a trainee at the fbi academy, hannibal is a visiting professor/lecturer); older man/younger woman; sexism; misogyny; gratuitous references to literature; romance; slow burn; hurt/comfort; kissing; eventual smut; piv sex; soulmates; letter writing; strangers-to-lovers; dance partners; jealous!hannibal; possessive!hannibal; book version + jodie foster!clarice; book version + anthony hopkins!hannibal; murderer + cannibal!hannibal; mutual pining; mutual obsession; virgin!clarice (🫣)

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