He was not fast enough to catch the boy before the impact with the ground was made, so Hannibal made no movement at all. He knew that the youth would not appreciate a fruitless showing of an attempt in his last moments, as he would not have enjoyed that himself. The knowledge that there was nothing to be done for the collapse was secure in both of them.
The burning was a curious thing, however. The smell of the cooking flesh went from pleasant to overdone very quickly. Ash twisted in tight spirals upward on drafts from the stage front. Every so often, a spark would join in the dance. Elegantly lifting in blazing orange and fading to nothing as the oxygen assisted the burning substance. Skin. Hair. Clothing. None of it was safe from the fire.
It was a slow burn, no case for spontaneous combustion. Though, he was sure there would be nothing of the boy left once it was over. Immolation was going to be thorough.
Hannibal watched Erik move to his friend's side. Together they made quite a sight. Their closeness had been known to him, but he had not quite gotten to see it. His heart filled with their love for one another. Hannibal wondered if they'd spoken it aloud before, or if they'd left it unsaid. It seemed to him that they probably had not needed to state the obvious. There was a trust that couldn't be denied.
Before the fire could take too much, Hannibal moved forward. He knelt next to the body. It seemed entirely lifeless upon looking, but a hand placed upon the chest and a close listening told him that there was a faint thread there. Not that the boy could be saved. Nothing on the planet would help him live. But there was still time for something else. His eyes met Erik's, and he could only hope that the composer would not stop him. He knew what he would have wanted in this situation, and it was up to him to make sure that the younger Hannibal got the same thing. He knew somehow that Erik would not know, and if he had, he probably would not grant the wish.
He pressed firmly and found the burn had gone deep enough to part the solid matter under his hand very easily. It was hot. Hannibal knew that he would probably need medical attention after this. Still, he would do what he knew was the right thing in this situation.
His hand sank in to the wrist, until Hannibal found that which he was seeking. His fingers closed around it. There was a layer of char that fell away from his fingers, but for the most part the matter was still solid. Hannibal pulled up, and it came with his grip without much protestation. When he lifted it free of the body, the heart was still burning, but he did not hesitate bringing it to his mouth.
Dante's verses came to his mind as he bit in, eyes closed.
“In his arms, my lady lay asleep, wrapped in a veil. He woke her then and trembling and obedient she ate that burning heart out of his hand. Weeping I saw him then depart from me."
It felt as if the fire was itself sliding down his throat as he swallowed the meat of the boy's heart. As if he would, in turn, alight and become ash. The sensation filled him from finger to toe, every nerve in him awake and firing now. But Hannibal did not cease his quest.
Eating the heart of a loved one was an honor to them. Bringing them into oneself to make them a part of one's own body forever. And what heavier love could there be than the one had for oneself? The youth before him was, after all, him. Literally himself in another life. In another time. He deserved nothing less than this act.
There was little blood, most of it having been dried up and sizzled away. He was careful to make sure that none of what was left dripped onto himself or the floor. Hannibal wasted nothing.
When he was finished, one careful bite that also took the ash from his fingers in an elegant fashion - Hannibal did not lick them off, merely using the moisture of his mouth to clean them - he finally opened his eyes again. He was burned, for sure, his hand and his lips were scalded. But he was not being consumed by the fire. It did not burn him, yet it felt like it was burning inside of him. The maroon of his gaze found Erik and stayed there.