Hannibal x gn! reader with an ed
Cw: eating disorders,very very brief implication of vomiting
He saw how you always avoided food,as if it were poison. How everytime you looked at your plate,you seemed to want to just dissapear. How you stared at your immage in the mirror,hate and shame mixing togheter. How you spent so much of your time exercising despite barely having any muscles to do so.
He heard the sounds of gagging from the bathroom after he was able to get you to eat something. He heard the grumble of your stomach everytime you smelled the delicious aromes of his cooking. He heard your muffled crying after every skipped meal.
And he tried to subtly help you. Making your favourite dishes,gently insisting you ate at least a bite of it,hoping the taste would remind you of countless dinner you two had togheter and convince you to just eat. He tried to remind you of how you two spent hours after a good,filling meal just chatting,sipping wine.
And how now you were too exausted and malnourished to do so.
He really tried,but as your husband,there was only so much he could take. And he wasn't going to just silently watch as you ruined yourself.
The breaking point came after another skipped dinner. You had helped him cook,as usual. He had seen your mouth watering slighlty and heard your stomach grumbling,as usual. And as usual,when it was time to eat,you had proclaimed you weren't hungry and sat at the table without a plate.
He didn't snap violently. He never did. But you could see his eyes turning nothing short of icy and his mouth barely moving downward in displeasure.
"Is there something we need to talk about,dear?" He asked,his voice a blade wrapped in silk.
"No,why?" You answered,uneasiness clear in your tone
"You haven't been eating. Is my cooking not of your liking anymore?" He asked,already knowing the answer.
"What? No,of course not! Your cooking is as delicious as ever." Yoi said quickly,now worried you had offended him. "I'm just not hungry,really. That's all"
His eyebrow twitched ever so slightly at that,not quite a frown but almost. "You 'haven't been hungry' in far too long,dear. There is something else going on and as your husband,I want to know what it is." He said,his tone gentle but definitive.
You kept silence for a long moment,holding his gaze. Your eyes ultimately drifted down and you sighed. "I'm getting old,Hannibal. Old and...softer. I-I'm afraid I'll lose the beauty you fell in love with." You admitted,your eyes refusing to met his.
His gaze softened,from steel to a warm blanket you could drown in. "My dear,you couldn't lose that beauty even if you tried. I didn't fall in live with your body. I fell in love with you. With the softness of your eyes,with the sharpness of your mind and the warmth of your smile. And time will never be able to take that away from you,for that is what you truly are." He said,the ghost of a smile gracing his lips.
You finally looked at him,studying his eyes,searching for any trace of a lie,of hidden disgust at your new self. You found none. He slowly got up,and served you a plate full of the food you two had spent your time preparing,his hand lightly brushing yours as he handed it to you. And for the first time in so long,you ate it without the fear and the guilt that plagued your eyes for so long.
And at that moment,he fell in love with you all over again.