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Chapter Text

Will sighed, he felt like he had been on this train forever. Well, maybe not forever, but it had been long enough and he was ready to get the hell off of it. "You know, you are an entirely new kind of shitty sometimes,"

Hannibal looked up from his book just long enough to smile at his partner. He wasn't going to reward him with a response, not when they were about to get off and switch to a bus ride at any moment. 

"This train is hot," Will whined. 

It was true, the temperature was high, but it was also starting to get cold outside. There was no way to have it both ways, so once again, Hannibal did not respond to his childish remarks. 

"Ha..." Will began, but stopped as someone walked by their seats. "Harrison, why aren't you talking to me?"

Hannibal shut his book and turned full attention to Will. "Because I am not entirely sure why you are complaining,"

"I...I want off of the train," Will said, rubbing his temples. 

Just then the train came to a complete stop, including the slight rollback. Hannibal rolled his eyes and stood up, gathering his bags. He held his hand out for Will to assist him to his feet. "Just wait until you spend the next few hours on a bus full of loud people, you will be begging for the train," 

"I doubt it, but, if you don't mind, don't eat anyone on the way Sandusky, we will only be there for one day and we do not need to attract attention to ourselves," 

Hannibal chuckled, thinking back to the reason they had taken the train in the first place. Leaving a day early from their previous location because they attracted attention to themselves, or rather, Will had done a fine job of that, but he would bring that up on another day. 

They got off the train and headed towards where the cab was waiting. It turned out that having money hidden in accounts offshore and otherwise was the right idea in the long run. It was just a short ride to the bus station and then they would be Ohio bound. 

***

From the night that Will embraced Hannibal and they both ended up bracing for a fall, it had been like this. They were trapped somewhere between miraculous love and a beautiful disaster. The blood, the carnage from that night still completely burnt into each of their brains as if it was only yesterday when in reality it had been almost three weeks. They had been reported missing, but since no bodies were recovered or likely to be due to the way the water current moved it would not be long before they were declared dead.

From that night they had turned into something, but neither was entirely sure what that something was. In fact, it had not really evolved past the embrace and occasionally sharing a bed when they actually had one to sleep on. 

Whatever this was, it would take more time to clear it up, actually define it. Until then, they would just keep moving, as they had from the moment they hit that water. 

The train had been significantly better than the bus, Will decided. Despite its luxury seating, it was still loud and crowded. Toddlers were crying and couples were fighting. He would have slept if it had been even remotely possible, just to avoid the madness that was this coach bus. 

And, of course, Hannibal had found a way to avoid being present. On the train, he had submerged his nose in books he picked up in a few of the different cities they had stopped in. Now, he suddenly had noise cancelling headphones over his ears.

Will squinted his eyes at Hannibal. A quick surge of irritation and anger pushed him to punch him in the arm for not sharing the wealth and getting him a pair. 

Hannibal lifted one side of his headphones off his ear. "Is there a problem?"

"No, not really, I am just sick of you being right all the time," Will grumbled.

Hannibal fought the smile threatening to take over his lips. "It is a burden that I must bare," 

Will crossed his arms and turned towards the front of the bus, something that wasn't too difficult considering they were sitting in the front row. He concentrated less on the sounds of the people behind them and more on the scenery outside. One thing that he realized, Ohio was ridiculously flat, almost to the point that he couldn't tell one area from the next. 

***

Hannibal had fallen asleep on the way to Sandusky. He needed to rest after the sleepless nights and all of the traveling they had been doing. Will enjoyed watching him sleep, he seemed completely at peace, something he lacked ever since the events with the Dragon. However, no matter how much Will enjoyed the appearance of a peaceful Hannibal dreaming away while classical music blared into his ears, he also enjoyed messing with his head since it was literally the most difficult thing in the world to do. 

Thankfully, in the hours spent on the bus, Will had a conversation or two with the driver, Luther. The hulking black man was about as irritated by the people on the bus as Will. He had a voice that could wake the dead, booming and deep. It was perfect. 

As they approached their destination, Will ever so carefully slipped Hannibal's headphones off. Since at this point most of the bus had silenced simply due to the exhaustion of being in one place for so long, the outside noise was not an issue. He gave a cue to Luther to begin their game.

"There goes the flooooor! You're out the door! Enjoy your ride on the Raptor!" Luther shouted, much to the surprise of everyone on the bus. 

But, it wasn't everyone else's reaction that mattered, it was Hannibal's. 

Hannibal immediately woke up, his body startling and almost launching into a standing position. His eyes were wide and his breathing was heavy. He looked around with all of the feral anger of a wild animal. 

Will couldn't help, but giggle. This was the most enjoyable thing that had happened in a long, long time. Even Luther was amused.

Hannibal's eyes narrowed in on Will. One brow arched up in anger. Will was certain that he was going to get punched in the throat for this, but it was oh-so worth it. 

Sure enough, Hannibal clenched a fist, making a noise that was somewhat like a growl. He didn't hit will though. He settled back into his seat and threw his headphones in Will's lap, instead. "Listen,"

"Listen?" Will repeated and held up the expensive headphones in his hands. 

Hannibal made a gesture. "Listen,"

Will put them on his head. Hannibal was not listening to classical music at all, but rather the sounds of wheels against a track. "Why?"

"Trying to prepare myself, dear Will, as I have not ever been on one and should you chose to do so, I would like to be somewhat prepared," He explained, though it did not really clear anything up.

"We are sneaking in to retrieve one item from a worker who is waiting for us, don't make it more than that," Will whispered.

Hannibal was silent, giving him only a simple shrug. They really needed to be out of a moving vehicle for a little while. The tension was definitely getting to them. 

***

"How does it feel?" Hannibal asked, looking up at the collection of colored steel above him and realizing that if he was going to dare step aboard one of the monstrosities he needed to lose a layer or two of clothing.

"Like flying, actually, but without any of your internal organs still in your body, you have to leave those on the ground," Will said in a flat tone, wanting only to admire the beasts from afar and not take any risks.

If he had kept that sort of thinking from the get go, he wouldn't be standing in the middle of a theme park with a cannibalistic psychiatrist.  

"Really?" Hannibal said in disbelief, beginning to shed his jacket with ease. 

"Please don't," Will grumbled.

"Just one, we can find our new friend later,"

Will shook his head and followed the older man. It was funny how much Hannibal did not realize what he was getting into. 

Chapter Text

"The weightlessness, the reality of it, a wonderful concept, really, I cannot believe I have never experienced that before," Hannibal rambled on as they walked towards the back of the park. He had since thrown his jacket over his shoulder casually, apparently feeling the need to throw all typical priority out the window after one two minute joy ride on a big orange coaster named after a werewolf.

"Have I lost you to the excitement of a steel track?" Will asked, mostly joking.

Hannibal smiled. "Of course not, Will, but you were right, completely,"

"Good, I think."

They remained silent as they walked on, heading towards the racer where they were told they would meet their contact. The quick exchange would leave them with the keys to a car and a place to stay for a few days. Regardless, Will wanted the hell out of the park. The two of them had not been alone in days, at least not really and he was beginning to yearn for just that. 

Sure enough, just past the railroad tracks that circled part of the park there was a woman sitting on a bench beside a coke vendor. She matched the description they were given, long blonde hair and athletic with dark, intense eyes. She did have a uniform on with the name of the park, but Will had an inkling that it was just part of her cover. 

Will approached first, causing her to look up. "Hello, my name is Andrew Cartier and this is my," Will paused to gesture towards Hannibal who was eyeballing something large and wooden and fast. "This is my husband, David. I believe you are have something for us."

The blonde woman stood. "Mr. Cartier, yes, I've been expecting you. While I am sure the names that you have given are aliases, mine is not, I am Caitlyn McCoy." She held her hand out for Will to shake it. 

Will took a deep breath. "In your business I am sure it is normal for people to give false names, Miss McCoy,"

"It certainly is, but I do not ask questions, it is not my job to know why people need to get away from their lives or hide. If I had to guess, one or both of you are married to wonderful women, despite being in a relationship with each other, and now you intend to run away together, but that is just a guess. I suppose it could be a number of other things, which I will not ask." Caitlyn continued.

"Yes, anyways, Miss McCoy, if you don't mind we have more travel ahead of us and would like to be on our way," Will told her, realizing there was a pretty good chance he was going to have to peel Hannibal away from wherever he wandered off to and he also realized that he was not paying enough attention in the first place to notice that Hannibal had began to wander.

"Absolutely," She said professionally. She opened up her bag and removed a set of car keys, two keys to a door, and three additional smaller keys, each with white sticker with a four digit number written across it. 

"What are the others for?" Will asked, beginning to glance around for slightly overdressed man. 

"They are included in the estate," Caitlyn began, shuffling through papers for precise information. "A boat, a motorcycle, and an atv of some kind."

"Wow," Will was slightly taken aback. "Who owned this estate before your agency picked it up?"

"Technically, I am not allowed to share that information, but since you are so cute, I will make an exception," 

Will blushed. "Thank you," 

"Anyways, as it turns out this estate belonged to a Doctor Hannibal Lecter, the serial killer that went missing in Baltimore. He purchased it about ten years ago, actually."

Hearing that caused Will to become very aware of his surroundings. It was probably a good thing that Hannibal had not lingered around Caitlyn. He was actually really surprised that she had not made any kind of connection. 

"Interesting, well, I must be going, it turns out my husband has decided to explore the rides. Thank you for all of your help, Miss McCoy, your agency will get a rave review of your services." Will smiled and took the remaining contents from Caitlyn. He quickly spun around and began walking in the direction that he hoped Hannibal had gone off in. 

It did not take too long to locate the man. He was standing on the pavement beside the animatronic dinosaur exhibit glancing up at the tallest coaster hill in the park. Will rushed to his side, placing a hand on the taller man's shoulder. 

Hannibal looked down at Will. "Want to?"

Will shook his head. "No chance in hell, the track is swaying in the wind and when the car goes over it, not going to happen,"

"Maybe I should ride it without you, then," 

"Be my guest, be my guest. So, out of curiosity, when were you going to tell me that we were headed to a house you keep in some isolated lake town in Michigan?"

Hannibal's eyes widened. "I did not think it was an important detail, when I made the arrangements I requested we be placed in that house since it was mine."

"Okay, so, you were just going to keep it from me the way you like to do," 

"Had you asked, I would have given you the answer, I was not keeping it from you,"

Will sighed, handing Hannibal a majority of the keys and documents that went along with them. "Let's go, I can't have you getting distracted by another ride,"

Hannibal squinted. "Certainly one more wouldn't hurt,"

Will covered his face with his hands. "Oh brother," Then he turned to walk in the other direction, Hannibal surprisingly in tow.

The strange pair continued down the path that would eventually lead them to the front entrance. Will could not wait to be away from the fast rides and large masses of people. He had been thinking about the fact that he wanted solitude for quite a while, but this place had taken it to the next level. 

Not to far ahead of them, there was a group of young boys attacking a girl. They were roughing her up, tossing her around in a circle the way someone would throw another in a mosh pit. She cried out as they grabbed her belongings, dumping them out onto the cement. Will could not believe the employees were not getting involved in some way. 

Hannibal licked his lips. "I suddenly find that I have a big appetite," 

Will sighed, he wanted to avoid this. "So, eat some cheese on a stick," 

"Don't be foolish, you know exactly what I am in the mood for,"

"Unfortunately,"

"I only need one," 

"How about this?" Will began. "You can go be Mister Intimidating Vampire looking guy for a minute and make them back off, and if they don't, only if they don't, you can figure out where to go from there."

"What if they decided to behave until I am out of view?"

"I'll distract you by buying you a coffee, because, when in...the theme park?"

Hannibal scrunched up his nose, feeling only slightly defeated. "Fine,"

Hannibal, big bad Hannibal to be exact, strolled up to the boys with ease. His stride made him look elegant and regal and the way that he grabbed the one boy's shirt collar made him look powerful, maybe a bit evil. Will couldn't hear what he was saying to the boy, but he noticed rather quickly that it made them all scatter. That is, except for the girl who seemed to instead hug Hannibal tightly around the waist. 

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," She cried. 

Will walked up to the only pair to stand next to each other in the park that looked more out of place then he did with anyone. "Everything alright?"

Hannibal patted the girl on the head. "Seemingly," He was still a tad upset that he didn't get to handle the situation the way he wanted, but for the love of Will Graham he had made exceptions. 

"It is! Thank you! Thank you!" The girl carried on. 

Will felt just a small ping of envy with how close this girl was to Hannibal. He had an urge to be in that exact place. This was a new feeling and he wasn't at all sure why a girl less than half Hannibal's age would trigger something like that. 

He moved in anyways, wrapping an arm around Hannibal's waist and resting his head on his shoulder. 

The girl looked up at Will, noticing his presence and taking it as a hint to back away. "Oh? Are you his?"

Will lifted his head off of Hannibal's shoulder for a moment. "Mmhmm," And, even though he didn't actually say anything, it felt incredible to admit it. It felt almost the same way he felt while on a coaster, like flying. The semi verbal realization agreed with Hannibal, also, since he was now looking down at him and smiling almost obnoxiously. 

"Cool. You guys look good together. Love totally wins." She said.

Hannibal pressed a kiss on the top of Will's head, causing the younger man to stiffen in shock. It was nothing, really, and yet, it made him feel like he was being watched. 

"Well, uh, thanks again, guy," Was the last thing she said before she disappeared into the crowd. 

"How about you buy me that coffee you mentioned before?"

"What? Oh, right, coffee." Will mumbled as he pulled away from Hannibal and headed towards the Starbucks. 

Hannibal didn't allow him a full escape, however, grabbing his hand and yanking him back. "Kiss me,"

Will gulped. "Kiss you? Right here? Right now?" 

"Yes, give me a kiss," Hannibal almost seemed to be saying it as a command. 

"Okay," Will whispered before allowing his partner in crime to pull him close. 

Then their lips met. It was quick, chaste, but it was a kiss and as far as Hannibal was concerned, it was also a step in the right direction, because he would be dammed if he couldn't have his Will. 

Chapter Text

Just like that, the two men were on the road again. Another day of travel, this time into a state that they might stay a while in. Forest land and hillsides and post American cities. It would be an acceptable change from the strange path that they had been following. No more down and up the coasts, this was going to be different. 

"We have enough money, perhaps we could stay in a hotel for the night?" Will suggested, or asked, he would determine which side he was leaning on once Hannibal answered. 

"I know," He paused. "Where would you like to stay?"

Will shrugged. "You act like I know all of the possible stops from here to wherever the hell it is that we are going?"

Hannibal reached over and grabbed Will's hand. "I just imagined that you might have an idea,"

"Anywhere with a bed, I am not too picky," 

"You forget where we are headed, you are about to see what places look like after all industry collapses," He exaggerated, sort of.

"Ooo...scary..."

"Who knows? It could be."

***

Their day had predetermined that they would arrive in the Dearborn area around nightfall. It was like clockwork, although they were still a good twenty four hours or more ahead of the original schedule. 

Hannibal selected another alias and checked them into a hotel while Will slept in the car. He wasn't sure how long his Will had been asleep, but he didn't have the heart to wake him, either. 

He lifted a sleeping Will out of the vehicle carefully after slinging two bags over his shoulder. He carried him into the elevator and all the way to their room, making very brief eye contact with the few select people who dared to pay attention to them. Those few usually looked away the second his dark eyes latched onto theirs. He did not want anyone asking questions. 

Once they were in the room, Hannibal had been crafty in his ability to unlock the door with Will in his arms, he laid the sleeping man on the bed. Will instantly curled into a ball, something that Hannibal did not want to admit was ridiculously adorable. 

He sat on the edge of the bed, trying to decide if he was willing to wake him up for their next little adventure, or if he would simply go out on his own. 

Will had been teetering on the side of full consciousness, but had recently become aware of a change of setting. He could feel the bed beneath him and that was enough to stir him fully awake. He sat up, looking into the dim lit room. "Hannibal?"

He reached over and turned on a lamp. "Hannibal?"

He was alone. 

He was alone and he had no idea where he was. All he had been able to establish was that his location was a hotel. "Seriously? You left me alone in a hotel? Hannibal, you...you motherfucker."

***

Hannibal had every intention of going into the store and buying just enough so that he would be able to feed Will before they left in the morning. However, that did not mean he was not tempted by the delicious smelling female that was doing a fine job pickpocketing the shoppers. 

On one hand, he was fully capable of subduing her and taking what he needed, but on the other it was also a strangely crowded store and it would probably gain more attention than he was looking for. Or, as a third outcome, he would become the vigilante in the suit that he had been in the theme park and that was not something he was in the mood for, either. 

He clenched his fists, leaning his head back before letting out a distressed sound, one that happened to cause the pickpocket to come his way. There was still a slight chance that this would work out. He twisted away from her, letting out another sound caused by the slight pain his side from his healing wound. Clearly, he should not have been on that roller coaster, or at the very least he should have bandaged himself tighter. "Fantastic,"

The pickpocket moved closer, reaching to wear his wallet was. Even in his pained state Hannibal was quick, grabbing the woman's arm and wrenching it behind her back. "Sh...silly girl, you would not have even succeeded if this was my worst day and it is far from my worst,"

She squirmed. "Let me go, I'll scream,"

"Pickpocket another person in this store and I will be sure you do just that," He told her, pulling harder. 

"Keep doing that and I might just let you,"

"Believe me, what I would do to you would be most undesirable, I suggest you do not take my words lightly," Hannibal sighed, finally accepting that he had been put in the hero position once again. 

He let her go. He convinced himself that it was for the best. He had to get back to Will, anyways. 

"Thanks guy, we appreciate that, she comes in here and does that once a week," One of the cashiers said to him as he took his bags over his arms. 

Hannibal huffed. "Wonderful,"

***

"And just where have you been?" Will asked when Hannibal entered the room. 

He held up his bags. "You need to eat,"

"Is there butchered human in one of those bags?" 

Hannibal placed the bags down on the small table. "No, unfortunately, I did not see an opportunity to acquire such items,"

"I am just going to go with fortunately," Will laughed lightly before tearing into the bags.

The contents of the grocery bags didn't make a lot of sense. There did not seem to be a cohesive meal in the works between any of the ingredients. Will was, however, starving and willing to eat just about anything placed in front of him.

"I suppose I could make a salad," Hannibal said, scratching his head in wonder as to where he was going with the items he bought as well. He had been much too distracted by the pickpocket to make gather the right foods.

"With dried cranberries and almonds, I guess that kind of worked out," Will said as he ripped open the bag of cranberries and began shoving them into his mouth.

"I am so sorry, Will, maybe I should take you to dinner,"

Will, feeling unusually daring, wrapped his arms around Hannibal's waist and pulled him flush against his body. "No need, we will be just fine, this is all fine,"

Hannibal moved his hands to either side of Will's face. "I only want you to be happy,"

Will quickly moved his hand so he could wag a finger in Hannibal's face. "Nope, none of that sappy crap, I thought we nipped that in the bud before, like, you know, after we sewed each other up,"

Hannibal took a deep breath. This was going to be one of those times where he did not respond to Will's personal brand of petulant child mixed with crazy adult. Instead, he latched his hands into Will's hair and caught him by the mouth.

Will had a problem with the affection for all of five seconds, and for all five seconds he refused to kiss Hannibal back. The sixth second was when he stopped fighting it and grabbed Hannibal's ass, trying to do anything that would connect their bodies more. He gave into the kiss, lusty and passionate and hot and wet. His mouth opened for the other man, allowing his tongue to dance in the dark cavern of its desire. He moaned into Hannibal, reinstating excitement and arousal.

There was a knock at the door. Both men startled and pulled away from each other.

"Who could that possibly be?" Hannibal asked Will in a whisper.

"Uh...not sure...did you piss anyone off while you were away?"

"I am also unsure and I left the pistol in the car,"

"A gun? You brought a gun? You actually want to use a gun?"

"It is meant to be for you to defend yourself, hold enemies at bay,"

"Which is exactly what I am going to be able to do with it considering it is in the car,"

The knock persisted. Irritating and loud, certain to bother anyone occupying the nearby rooms. Hannibal removed a blade from his pocket and braced himself as he moved to open the door.

"Who is it?" Hannibal called in between rounds of knocks. His hand was on the doorknob and he was beginning to twist it open.  

Chapter Text

Hannibal opened the hotel room door to see a very timid and very terrified pizza delivery man. He knew how it must have looked for him to be holding a blade with ill intent as he came into the man's view. 

He turned his head toward Will. "Did you order a pizza?"

"No!" Will threw his hands up. "Scout's honor!" 

Hannibal turned back to the pizza delivery man. "I am sorry, I believe you have the wrong room,"

"This isn't 2201?" The man asked. 

Hannibal looked at their door. That number wasn't even close. "Clearly," He shut the door. 

The man knocked again. "Can you tell me where it is?"

"I am afraid I cannot," Hannibal said, not bothering to open the door. "I have...other things to attend to," 

"Are you sure?" 

Hannibal resisted rolling his eyes. There really was no point in that action, especially when the person it was directed toward could not see it happen. 

When he turned around he was surprised to see Will lying on the bed with all of the various foodstuffs laid out beside him. There was just enough space for him to fit in on the other side. 

He joined him. A bed of random food. A most interesting concept considering how many times he thought of Will that way. 

"I feel like I have just set myself up for some really stupid comments from you," Will remarked as he paid full attention to how this looked. 

"No, I do not make stupid comments, despite that I really would like to after that little encounter," 

"So, what is on the agenda for tomorrow?" Will asked, popping a grape in his mouth. 

"I know that you are eager to head to our new temporary residence, but I find there is a museum nearby that I would enjoy visiting. I figured we are ahead of schedule and I did go to that theme park with you."

"Oh, yeah, because I had to twist your arm to get you to go past the gate, anyways, it was the best meeting spot to get the keys from that woman," 

"That is beside the point, I would like to go,"

"Which is code for...we are going?"

"Yes," Hannibal smiled with an almost possessed glint in his eyes. "Indeed,"

Will nodded. "Great, I am glad that my input makes a difference,"

"Oh, it does, I just decided that I was not going to listen if you declined," Hannibal's smile grew and Will couldn't help, but see just how beautiful the man was in his wicked and strange way.

Will felt his heart soar for just a moment. He placed a hand on Hannibal's cheek, bringing him closer. "Thank you, the appreciation is felt all around,"

Hannibal bridged the small gap between them, pressing their foreheads together. "Of course, always,"

***

Their day started early the next morning, though honestly neither of them were very clear on what time it was. All of the traveling at random hours and the frequent venturing off their course had made it next to impossible to know how long it had been since even their previous stop without glancing at one of the phones they purchased, which was something that was not done frequently.

The museum Hannibal dragged Will to was nothing like he had pictured. This museum was a massive cluster of buildings, containing both a magnificent modern museum and a historical village that went on for at least a few miles. It was amazing to look at. It left Will in a state of wonder, looking around and spinning like a crazy person.

"It is not so bad, is it?" Hannibal asked his Will, seeming to be gesturing at the statue of the museum's founder.

"I guess not, it is not an uppity art museum or something like that, I am a little curious now,"

"Good, because I am getting really hungry,"

"Who are you intending to eat at a museum?" Will asked.

"I do not know yet, I just happen to think that I will find someone suitable here versus the places I have been looking,"

Will was not completely fond of this part of Hannibal, but he also was not going to go through the trouble it would take to change him. That would take more time than he had, especially since they were still on the move. That being said, Will was so fond of Hannibal, especially the way he had been since they were on the move. He wasn't going to protest, not today. Instead, he was going to embrace the weird love that was budding between them.

He held his arm out for Hannibal. Hannibal raised an eyebrow at him for a moment, confused by the younger man's actions since he usually became timid to a public touch. Now, he was offering it.

"You intend to lead me through the museum?" Hannibal questioned Will's motives.

"I think that might be what I am doing, sorry if it bothers you,"

"On the contrary, Will, I find myself rather enticed by the idea, please take the lead,"

As they started walking, Will's thoughts dipped deeper into things unsavory, coming to feel that there was a maddening negative energy in some of the buildings. It might have just been the history of the village, since people often forgot the blood that was spilled to get there, but it was eating away at him.

"I think I could eat, too," Will finally said in a low whisper.

Hannibal ran his tongue along his teeth. It was an exciting prospect, a wonderful step in the right direction. Hannibal wanted to believe that Will was coming around completely. It was a good sign, since the last time they killed together was out of a necessity more than anything else. 

"That is good to hear,"

"Then again, maybe I am just really looking forward to frozen custard," Will shot back with a smirk.

"Will," Hannibal took a deep breath. "I consider that as being a tease,"

"No, this is being a tease," Will pulled away from Hannibal to stand by where an omnibus was loading. There was only one seat left.

Hannibal cocked his head to the side, in slight disbelief that Will was actually going through with it. As the horse drawn vehicle drove set off Hannibal stood in silent, trying to figure out how to get back at him for this. "This is great, fantastic really, thank you, Will!"

The omnibus continued off into the distance. Hannibal suddenly felt out of place. He was always overdressed and now he was by himself. This was going to be interesting. 

Chapter Text

Hannibal inhaled the scents all around him. This could have been a good opportunity to do a little bit of hunting. In reality, it was much more intelligent to go hunting for Will, instead. 

He remembered the comment about custard, deciding that might have been enough of a hint. If he could find a vendor that sold custard in the village, the odds that he would also find will were definitely in his favor. 

He was now regretting the fact that he had declined the map, which would have at least pointed him in the right direction. 

After glancing at his reflection in a shop window he had an idea. He might just be able to kill two birds with one stone, providing that he was able to keep things cool. 

His targeting skills had to be completely in tune now. He needed to be sharp. This would remain especially true if he was going to find someone who had a similar size to him, a worker. Dinner and a show. 

It couldn't be just any worker. The speakers were peppered all over the village with uniforms that were very basic in nature, with the logo emblazoned across their vests. No, he needed someone dressed in something a bit more traditional and in line with the time period that most of the venues boasted. He wanted to look like he stepped out of a history book, going from the 1910's to the present, maybe not that exact time period, but something close. 

It didn't take long for him to find his victim. At first, he thought there might have been a slight chance this turned into a cross dressing situation since he had spotted two women of Amazonian height and broad shoulders, but this thought quickly diminished when he came across a well dressed shop worker. Part of the same complex as the Wright Brother's house, this man stood in one of the shops, explaining how things were at the time. For a moment, Hannibal listened, but then he remembered that he had work to do.

The man was not that much younger than he was, but slower from a lack of refinement. He was a marvelous human, lean and muscled, definitely would be high in taste if seasoned correctly. He was at least slightly athletic and he at least smelled good enough to eat. 

Hannibal moved to the edge of the counter, waiting for the crowd to clear out after the speech was given. He looked up at the door, cautious, careful, needing to know exactly how much time he had. One person walking in would ruin it all. 

He continued to inch closer, small, baby steps that didn't alarm the man who was strategically shuffling a few papers, moving items back into place. Not once did he even think to look up at the man who remained in the room.

The realization came that this needed to be quick, people were moving in and out of the shop again, and if he waited too long there was a chance that the man would start another historical speech. He closed the gap between himself and the man, sliding one of his well polished oxford shoes on the side in order to knock the man flat to the ground with one simple sweep of the leg. 

The man crashed down, hard, head smacking against the hard wood flooring with a crack. "Ah!" He yelped, but the sound only lasted for a second. 

Hannibal ran around the counter, shutting and locking the door so that he could continue his work. He returned to his work immediately, stripping the man of most of his clothes. "Nothing personal, in another life we might get along quite well," He whispered, counting down the short time that he had left to finish.

After the worker was out of his clothes, Hannibal exchanged them with his own. He stood up in the historical suit, making sure that the coast was still clear. He then pulled a knife that would sever flesh easily out of his pocket. 

He didn't have enough time. And, to make matters worse, he still had no idea where Will was. He was going to have to wait. He sighed and put the knife back into his pocket. Now, he would fit in with the workers and that would assist him in moving with invisibility. This was becoming a game and his new prey was Will, but in an entirely different way than the man he left on the floor. 

***

Hannibal placed the hat on his head and strolled through the village. The suit he left behind hurt, but if the house up north was as he left it, there were far better ensembles to wear. 

He nodded at the passersby, even going as far as to say hello a few times in a tone that best covered up his normal accent. He felt as though he was presenting in a convincing way and because of that he was a bit happier about his decision to lock the shop doors behind him. The last thing he needed was the man being found by a patron, or waking up with enough memory to be able to pin the incident on him.

He turned down the next street where a majority of the people walking had frozen treats in their hands. Sure enough, the custard shop was down that street serving customers. However, Hannibal did not see Will. 

This colossal waste of time that had not even provided him with sustenance was in the first stages of pissing him off. He pulled his phone out and went to dial the number Will had been using. He was done playing games. 

A hand suddenly took purchase of the small of his back, trailing around slowly to wrap an arm around him. He looked over at will with a waffle cone in his hand, smiling like an idiot. 

"What are you wearing?" Will asked before going back to licking the custard.

"That isn't important, what is important is that we get out of this village soon," Hannibal whispered.

Will's eyes widened, but he didn't appear to want to stop eating. Hannibal would have been lying if he said the way Will was eating wasn't sexy. 

"Do not give me that look, I know what you mean with that look, I did not kill anyone, but I did not come here in these clothes,"

"Alright, I'll bite, what did you do if you did not murder some poor actor?" Will asked, now willing to offer his food to Hannibal.

Hannibal took the cone, allowing a gluttonous side of him to take over for a moment. "I had gone into a shop with the intention of killing an actor, I was going to put on his clothes and then take some prime cuts that would have been most delicious. My plan was to use his suit as a method of crossing into areas only employees are allowed access to in order to locate you. I did not think I was going to have my time cut short, or that you would be the one to find me. As you can imagine, finding a place that sells frozen custard, but not the man you expect to see eating it is a feeling rather unpleasant."

Will took his cone back, but he noticed a small drip on Hannibal's chin. He had a couple of options, almost all of them were sexual. Since he wasn't ready to make a scene, he only ran a finger along the vanilla flavored liquid, popping the finger into his mouth and sucking the remaining substance off. Even as simple as it was, it appeared to entice the taller man. Mission accomplished. Baby steps was what it was, how he was going to be Hannibal's lover. His confidence came in waves, but it seemed like enough. He was his, that much was certain.

"To the museum, then? You can educate me on Route 66 or whatever they have in there." Will suggested.

"I would like that, though I would have to let the museum do the educating if it has anything to do with Route 66,"

"Okay, but you get to lead this time," Will grabbed the hat off of Hannibal's head. "You might want to lose this too,"

***

The walk through the giant museum began to feel more like first date territory. Hannibal took the lead, but Will did most of the the talking, reading off the plaques as they navigated through rows of cars and other methods of transportation. 

"This should be renamed the hall of things that have wheels," Hannibal scoffed. He appreciated the fine design of some of the classier vehicles, but could not find any significance in the ones that were designed poorly with boxy shapes. It was one thing for the first line of motor vehicles to lack a definitive sleek style, but there was no reason for cars that were only thirty years old lacked the same thing. 

"I think that is across the parking lot and I am almost one hundred percent sure it is closed," Will mumbled, finding refuge in the large room of vehicles that didn't quite make sense by moving in closer to Hannibal. This wing of the museum was almost empty, as it was being closed off for a black tie event. 

"Pity," Hannibal continued in his mocking. "I thought a name like that one would really stick,"

"Enough cars for today, I've seen enough cars on our trip north,"

"A trip that is still far from over,"

"All the more reason to navigate away, towards the other side of the building,"

"We should find a way into this banquet," 

"Uh no, I really happen to think you have done enough for today," 

Hannibal looked down at his feet, shuffling one against the ground. "Yes, Will, I suppose that you are right," 

The pair did cross the unmarked barrier between wheels and people, traveling right into the civil rights section. Most of it was typical history book knowledge, but there was a chair that attracted Will's attention. 

"Lincoln got shot in that chair," Will said, pointing at the rocking chair behind the glass.

Hannibal nodded. "And, for whatever reason that meant it should be in this museum, celebrating death, rather than life,"

"He died because someone did not like his decisions, assassination is a big deal,"

Hannibal studied the chair closely. "Apparently, the chair is not that important, because it has a lot of stagnant water stains from poor storage,"

"Damn, I really wanted that to be blood and you really ruined that for me,"

"I do what I can," Hannibal chuckled before walking away. 

Will ran after him, determined to not allow him out of his sight. The dashing figure Hannibal cut even in dated clothes was kind of amazing. Will had taken a decent handful of Hannibal's ass in the hotel room, but had forgotten how nice it looked in well tailored trousers. The ones that he was wearing were not even his, yet they hugged him wonderfully, perhaps, maybe even a bit too wonderfully.

Hannibal's ass had been just enough of a distraction to cause Will to run into a silver bar that was meant to protect a display. He spilled into the room like a puddle, unable to stop it from happening.

He stood up, red faced from embarrassment and went over the bar. An employee eyeballed him, waiting until he was three feet away to stop watching his every move. He mouthed an apology, but it was useless. He was surprised that he didn't get kicked out on the spot.

Lucky for him, Hannibal had noticed that he was no longer behind him and turned back to get him. "Silly boy, didn't anyone ever tell you that you are not meant to run in museums?"

"It was not the running that caused me to fall," Will mumbled while looking at the ground. "I was distracted,"

"By what?"

Will was still red, blushing now because the embarrassment was coming from two different sources.

"Are you going to inform me of the reasoning, Will? You are blushing."

Will glanced around, making sure there were no children in earshot. "Your ass,"

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, neither too sure on how to continue the conversation.

With that the two men busted out into laughter. They needed to get going. This place was going to cause problems. 

Chapter Text

Will could not have in one million years imagined what kind of estate Caitlyn had handed them the keys to. The expanse of the land seemed infinite. The main house was accompanied by two smaller guest houses and a large garage building that held all of the motor toys. To the back of the massive lot was access to a lake and to the front was wooded lands with the nearest neighbor being far enough away that it was pleasant, but close enough that they could be reached on foot. 

They could stay here a while. 

It was a twenty minute drive into town, and a thirty five minute drive into the nearest town with a grocery store. It was not one that suited Hannibal's taste, but it would have to suffice. That was especially true if they wanted to avoid another spontaneous bout of travel to get them to the only safe place remaining in the United States. 

Will unlocked the door to the grand entrance, pushing the doors in to expose what the house looked like on the inside. 

It was just as beautiful as the outside, perhaps better still. It was oddly on the side of traditional, with only a few flares of modern furnishing complementing the bright whites and dark blacks of the interior. The setup still screamed expensive, it was just more homey. This place was more fit for Will than for Hannibal, and yet, there was absolutely no way he could have planned it. 

Of course, by now, Will had realized that he should never, ever put anything past Hannibal. He was capable of both great and terrible things. He was also capable of loving someone with every fiber of his being and still hurt them at the drop of a hat. 

Hannibal walked up behind him, encasing him in his arms. Will spun around in the tight embrace, feeling comfortable and safe. He laid his head against Hannibal's chest, suddenly he could hear him breathing. 

Hannibal smiled. He was partial to holding onto Will this way. "Can you feel my heart?" 

"Yes, it is fast," Will mumbled into Hannibal.

"My pulse quickens when I look at you Will, certainly it has become more obvious,"

Will made a noise that almost resembled a purr into Hannibal's chest before looking up at him. Even though their height difference was not extreme, there were times where Hannibal's stature and his touch made him feel small. "It is the same reason that mine does it,"

"Yes, that is my hope,"

Will caressed Hannibal's cheek. "There is no need to hope when I am right here, feeling the same things as you,"

Hannibal showed off his strength by lifting Will a few inches off the ground, wrapping his arms right beneath Will's buttocks. Will involuntarily cried out as he was carried into a Victorian style family room and laid down on a sofa. 

Will pulled Hannibal down on top of him. He wrapped his arms around Hannibal's neck, forcing the older man into a much needed kiss. The intensity built instantly as Hannibal sank into Will, latching onto his curls in the process. 

Will did quick work to remove a few layers of the other man's clothing. He didn't know how far this was going to go, but he did know that he wanted to touch Hannibal, wanted to feel his bare skin. 

The shock of all of the buttons coming undone caused Hannibal to lean back on his knees, amazed at Will's hidden talent for taking off clothes. "Well, well," He admired the handy work. "And not a single button lost,"

"The way you look in that shirt, couldn't bare it if I destroyed it," Will said with a weak smile.

Hannibal leaned back in, taking Will in a deep kiss. Will's breath hitched and he broke the kiss, lost in Hannibal's dark eyes. 

"Why are you looking at me like I am something to eat?" Hannibal asked, playing on the joke of it. 

"What did you do to me, Hannibal?" Will whispered, kissing Hannibal's sensitive jaw. "Did you bite me like a vampire so I would be forever yours?"

Hannibal bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing. "No, but if that is all it is going to take to keep you by my side it can definitely be arranged,"

"Do it then," Will turned to nibbling that same place on Hannibal's jaw. "Bite me,"

The former psychiatrist caught the former FBI Consultant by the mouth once more, choosing to bite down on his bottom lip, hard enough to draw a small amount of blood. 

Will moaned, never realizing that he enjoyed being bitten until Hannibal had done just that. 

Hannibal took the hint, turning to lay kisses and bites all along Will's jaw and neck. He found an exceptionally delicious part of Will in his clavicle. His teeth ran along the protruding bone, his tongue admiring how the skin tasted. He bit down lightly, sucking and prodding at the area. He marked this spot, his territory, eager to see whatever sort of bruise it created.

Will continued to moan, his arousal never more apparent. He bucked himself up into Hannibal, wanting nothing more than for him to reach down and assist him in release. Hannibal was hard, as well, so he couldn't figure out why he only continued to suck on his neck.

Either way, this was thousands of times hotter than he imagined. He had been straight his entire life, so of course he had no idea what this would feel like, this closeness with another man. He loved this man, could not envision himself with another person of any gender, and it just kept getting better. Maybe he was bisexual, he was not sure, but at this point, he didn't care.

But, a big part of him wished that he could go back and smack his past self in the face for not giving in to the desire and beauty that was somehow Hannibal Lecter.

Hannibal lifted his head up so that he could see his Will's face. The thin layer of shimmery sweat coating his forehead and dampening his dark curls left Hannibal with a craving. His Will was incredible.

Will bucked up again, needing any and all friction. 

"So sweet, so delectable," Hannibal said quietly with a heavy accent that his partner could barely understand. 

"I don't care what you do to me, just touch me," Will said through a moan.

Hannibal wetted his talented lips. A very slight smirk adorned those same lips for a barely there millisecond. He moved down Will's body, focusing on the soft skin beneath his navel. He meticulously unzipped Will's pants, pulling them down enough to show his throbbing erection that threatened the integrity of his boxer briefs. The impressive cock twitched as Hannibal lightly ran his hand along the length of it and even more so when Hannibal peeled the fabric off of Will with his teeth.

He immediately went to work on Will's hardness, giving it all of the attention he could spare. He ran his tongue along the underside, all the way up to the tip. Once at the top, he grabbed the base with one hand, moving his mouth down the shaft. As he took the entirety, Will gasped. He had no idea why Hannibal was so good at giving head, but he was just fine remaining ignorant. He would allow Hannibal this, anytime, anywhere.  

Hannibal's head bobbed up and down in between Will's legs, continuing to leave him just on the brink of ecstasy. Will had his hands in Hannibal's hair, tugging as a sign of direction that never seemed to matter. Hannibal hummed, practically swallowing Will whole, still managing to force him to hold off. 

He let Will's cock out of his mouth with a slight pop. Will was aching to achieve an orgasm and this man above him was doing everything in his power to keep it from happening. 

"Hannibal!" Will called out as the other man took to performing once more, adding a few techniques to the table. 

Finally, Will released into Hannibal's mouth, hard. His entire body spasming at the completion. He drank it all, swallowing with ease. 

Hannibal sat up and wiped his mouth off on the back of his hand. Will looked up at him, sleepy smile in full force. He could not believe how sexy this destroyed Hannibal looked, all flushed cheeks and swollen lips. 

"If I had any idea that you could do that, I probably would have dropped my pants sooner for you," 

Hannibal yawned, tired from both the long drive and the oral sex he had just given. "I would have much rather had it this way, as much as I think that is a lie,"

"Come here," Will pulled Hannibal on top of him, feeling more comfortable with his weight pressed against him. 

They shared a kiss, rough and tired and strangely painful. 

"I am very glad you enjoyed it," Hannibal whispered before snuggling up against Will completely.

"Enjoyed would be a huge understatement, believe me," 

"We will see just how true that is when I want you to return the favor,"

"It won't be as good, I'm not a cockslut, like you,"

Hannibal lifted his head up to look Will in the eyes. "Excuse me if I hear you incorrectly, did you just refer to me as a cockslut?"

"I believe I did, yes,"

Hannibal randomly decided that he wasn't going to fight the accusation. "Well, I have been called worse things than that,"

"Hannibal?" Will began, sounding like a child who couldn't find their friend. 

"Yes, Will?"

"I love you, you know that, right?" Will actually said it.

"And you know, that my love is only for you, I would do anything for you," 

Will smiled. He had been smiling so much more over these past few weeks. Being with Hannibal agreed with him, no matter what the capacity. He didn't think about things that happened before the fall, only what happened after. It was the perfect prescription to a lonely, sad life.

Hannibal inhaled deeply before draping an arm around Will's small waist. Will turned on his side, welcoming being the little spoon with ease.

Chapter Text

Will was awestruck, or something of that sort. He wasn't sure. He couldn't figure it out. He probably needed a nice smack to the head to clear away some of the cobwebs that had begun to build, but for now he was content to live with them. 

He sipped his turkish coffee in silence. He was watching Hannibal sleep on the sofa. He was tossing and turning quite a bit to compensate for the strange lack of space. Will also figured that Hannibal was realizing that he was no longer beside him. 

Hannibal stirred more. He stretched out, arching his back and trying to get comfortable. A groan left his lips and caused a small chuckle to leave Will. 

He opened his sleepy eyes, shifting towards Will. "Are you...sitting on my coffee table?" He mumbled, voice rough and heavy from sleep, his accent heavy.

"What? Huh? Oh, yeah, I am." Will said before taking another sip of his coffee. 

Hannibal inhaled deeply. "That smells wonderful, I could use some,"

"I thought you might say that," Will told him before presenting him with the steaming hot mug full of liquid gold. 

Hannibal sat up before taking the mug. He wrapped his hands tightly around the mug and inhaled the scent of the wonderfully aromatic coffee. "Thinking ahead, I see. Trying to stay a step ahead of me, I see."

"Oh, don't be like that, Hannibal," 

Hannibal brought the mug down from his lips and smiled. "Like what, exactly?"

Will resisted hitting Hannibal's leg, only due to the mug full of burning hot caffeine. 

They sat in silence, drinking the only thing that would keep them going through the day. Will was very aware of Hannibal's dark eyes fucking him over the table. 

"Hannibal, I have a weird question for you, is that okay?" 

Hannibal nodded. "As long as that was not the question I will be completely fine with it,"

"When did you know that you loved me?" Will asked, blue eyes open wide. 

"I knew that I loved you the first moment that you made full eye contact with me," Hannibal paused. "I did not know then how deep that love was, but I knew it was there. Your eyes, they took me by surprise in a way I never could have expected."

"Damn," Will shrank down, feeling partially crushed by the reality and the words behind it. "Damn,"

"When did you know that you loved me?" Hannibal asked, shocking Will back to full attention.

"Wha...what? No! You cannot use my question against me."

"All I wanted was a simple answer," Hannibal said in a tone that reminded Will very much of their sessions. The only reason it felt different was because his hand was on Will's knee and neither of them were fully clothed.

Will took one more sip before beginning to speak. He wasn't one hundred percent sure how he was going to word it. Obviously, he was in love, but it was more complicated than Hannibal's deep love confession. 

"Alright, Hannibal, I knew that I loved you when Bedelia told me that you loved me."

Hannibal raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I'm sorry, I know that it isn't as amazing as yours, but after everything that you had done to me, despite my occasional surges of what might have been love for you, I wasn't sure. When I saw Bedelia and she...she suggested that you might have been in love with me, I guess really I said it...I knew then. I knew that if you loved me back, then I must not be that crazy. I could love you, I could be in love with you." Will explained.

Hannibal sat his cup down and gestured for Will to sit in his lap. He took Will's mug from him, sitting it down beside his own. "It does not matter how you get to the realization, it just matters that you did, indeed, get there."

"Well, in that case, Hannibal Lecter, I love you," Will whispered, pressing kisses against Hannibal's cheek. 

"Good, because, I love you, as well, dear Will," Hannibal replied, deciding he would much rather have those kisses on his lips.

"Then you won't get mad at me when I tell you that we have to go grocery shopping and you can't go there dressed like you dress..." 

Hannibal squinted. "Please, Will, explain,"

"There are no groceries in the house, I have to eat, so do you, and it is a Walmart so...none of the usual finest Italian suits," 

"There are no groceries?"

"Not unless you consider wine, coffee, and cheese proper groceries,"

Hannibal sighed. "And just what am I to wear?"

"You are going to hate me, but I found some things in the spare room that would be more appropriate-ish. The previous tenants, or the most recent ones, were fans of black and steel grommets."

"I am not sure which part of that bothers me more, that there was someone living in my home or that you intend to dress me in their clothes," 

"Will you at least try the clothes on, so we don't look out of place?"

Hannibal nodded. "For you, yes, anything,"

***

The two men still looked out of place at the store. They had avoided the appearance of a wealthy, on-the-run, murderous psychiatrist and his lover, however, and that was deemed as a win in at least Will's position. It was so crazy that it had to work.

As they entered the grocery side entrance, Will noticed the eyes that were on them. It was mostly older women and young girls, but he suspected it was for two very different reasons. 

Will allowed Hannibal to go a little bit ahead of him, let him play around in the produce for something that was at least half-way acceptable. 

Hannibal was quite a sight in the different clothes. His tight black jeans were covered in buckles down the front, more than a little skin showing. Just that article of clothing was enough to stop traffic. Will had not even really began to admire the rest. There was the tight black t-shirt that was almost too small around Hannibal's arms, biceps threatening the seams. Of course, Will had also thrown a few accessories into the mix to complete the look and a pair of black boots. This was not Hannibal, this was some punk rock biker with a flair for culinary arts.

He couldn't help, but find it kind of sexy. It was like a role play game. He wanted to throw him down into the tomatoes and take those clothes off right that moment.

He shook the idea out of his head. They really did need to finish shopping before anything like that happened. Creating scenes was not on the agenda, invisibility was.

Hannibal lead him down the next set of aisles. The grabbed bread, more coffee, some sort of jam that had a French name, and a salad dressing among other random things that were tossed in on a whimsy. They moved fast, not making prolonged eye contact with any of the shoppers. 

Will walked ahead this time. He knew that if he grabbed the food he wanted with Hannibal beside him there would be a bunch of unnecessary comments about it. He just wanted sour patch kids and pop tarts, that didn't need to be treated like he had just broken all ten commandments in one action.

A gorgeous, curvy dark skinned girl of no more than twenty five approached him just as he decided he wanted the biggest bag of the sour candy that the store carried. She had her hands on her hips and a smile on her face that almost seemed seductive in nature. Her big, dark brown hair was hanging down her back and over her shoulders, curly and unmanageable, but remarkable. It reminded Will of something, someone, but he didn't have time to think about the color red or how irritating it was.

She seemed to be admiring him, waiting for him to talk. He became heavily aware that the clothing he had picked out for himself was not too far off from Hannibal's. The only major difference being the pants he wore had straps and massive rup holes and he had chosen to wear the weird arm warmer with the grommets last minute to make Hannibal feel better about his revealing and slightly unsettling appearance.

"Hello," Will said shyly. He didn't want to interact with her, he wanted to get back to Hannibal, but he he also didn't want to be rude.

"Hi," She replied, leaning in closer. "I haven't ever seen you in here before,"

"I am new in town,"

"Well, well, well, that is good, that means that you don't know all of the other girls yet,"

Will took a deep breath, looking around. He really wanted to know where Hannibal was. His knight in shining buckle pants. "No, you are correct, I do not,"

"Good, because I would really like to know you," She giggled, trying to show off her assets.

Hannibal walked up behind him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and looking down at the girl. "Is everything alright? I would like to speed this process along, if at all possible."

"No problems," Will grumbled.

"Oh, is this your dad?" The girl asked.

Will suddenly wanted to look in the mirror and see if he really did look young enough to be Hannibal's son. He certainly didn't feel like someone who was young enough to be Hannibal's son. He definitely knew he didn't look like Hannibal.

Hannibal didn't wait for Will to respond. He moved his arm down around Will's waist, using the other hand to cup his chin. He finished his territorial show by kissing Will overly passionately, just to twist the knife in the wound.

She raised her eyebrows in shock. "Not your dad, get it,"

Will pushed Hannibal away as the girl turned to walk. "She was not causing any problems,"

"Even if she was not causing any problems, she was hunting on grounds that have already been purchased by someone else,"

"Geez, Han, c'mon now," Will grumbled, not keen on being referred to as land.

"No one told you that you should not talk to strangers?"

Will rolled his eyes. "Let's go,"

Chapter Text

Hannibal helped Will unload the groceries into the house, but was quick to leave him alone. He was going to have the kind of meat he desired and he now had at least the basic idea of where he was going to get it. The thought thrilled him. 

He got dressed in clothes that suited him more. He would be less recognizable to the people in the store that might have seen him earlier. He fixed his hair and made sure everything was perfect. 

It had been so long that he was actually getting ridiculously excited. The car ride did nothing to calm him. 

If he didn't reel it in he was going to make a mistake, get caught. 

He did not want to get caught. 

They would instantly be able to figure out who he was, what Will did. Will would get caught. It would be a disaster. 

So, he planned everything out on his way to the store. He calculated every move, knowing that he had to stay on task if he was going to be bringing home dinner. 

***

After all that had happened with Abigail, Hannibal did not see himself wanting to be a parental figure to anyone. He was content for it to be just the him and Will. He was more than welcoming of that idea. 

Apparently, the universe had other plans. The universe wanted to throw a fork in all of Hannibal's plans, and that included the plans that he had for making Will a proper dinner. 

The suit wearing vigilante had checked back in.

When Hannibal arrived at the store a surprising majority of those who were there the first time, were still there. It was less of a store and more of a local lounge where all of the bored citizens of the town gathered for hours at a time. He scoffed at the idea. A rude bunch of people. 

All the more reason to find meat to stock the freezer with here. 

Before he was able to make a move, wanting to target the younger girl who hit on Will, he came across a rather horrible sight. Abandonment. A toddler, more than likely one that was under two years old, all alone. He could not believe that he was the first person to notice the small child sitting on the floor in the baby department. 

For a split second he was going to walk by and ignore it, but found the pull too great. The part of him that had strong paternal instincts raged against him, the part of him that remembered the feeling of being alone did so even harder.

He walked over to the little boy and scooped him up in his arms. He held him tight against his chest, the smell of baby still thick in his hair. The toddler looked up at him, big sky blue eyes and a smile on his face. He even tried to hand Hannibal his cup. 

He couldn't fight the smile that took over his face soon after. 

"Your baby is so cute!" A lady shouted, over enthusiastically.

"Yes, he is," Hannibal played along, running his index finger over the boy's chubby cheeks. 

"How old is he?"

"Almost two, actually,"

"That is just so sweet, he is adorable," She said before walking away. 

He sighed. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with the child. As much as the little boy touched his dark heart he knew he could not take him home. Will would have had a mental breakdown. Not to mention the fact that it would be much more difficult to travel with the small child. They had nothing for him. 

He still was not going to just put the toddler back on the ground and walk away. People had seen him with the boy in his arms. He actually had to do something about it. 

He carried the child up to the service desk of the store. The clerk running the station turned to look at him with a terrified expression. It was the girl from before. She knew who he was right away, despite the change of clothes.

"Have you come to rub in the fact that you are a creepy old guy with a hot, younger boyfriend? Is this your child?" She asked in a very annoying, snotty tone. He was going to enjoy eating her, even if it was not today.

Hannibal drifted back and forth on the sides of being sassy or an asshole for a moment. He finally swallowed and chose a more professional approach. "I am not here to do any of those things, I am here to turn in this abandoned child,"

Her angered expression softened. "Wait, what?"

"I found the small boy all by himself on the floor, I did not see anyone near by who might have been a parent and no one came to claim him after I picked him up in my arms. Abandonment is no small issue. This child needs someone to take care of it. Can you help me?"

"I...I...of course, I...let me go over the speakers and inform all of the shoppers that a child has been found. You just wait right here!" She spun around and picked up a phone. Seconds later the message was broadcast to the large chain grocer. 

"What would you like me to do now? Am I supposed to wait?" Hannibal asked.

She shrugged. "I suppose, at least for a few minutes, before the police gets involved,"

Hannibal shuddered. The police, even small town officers, were not people he wanted to interact with. It was not as if the FBI would be coming, but the threat was still very real. The last encounter with local police caused the two men to be on a train ride in attempt to get away faster and ahead of schedule. He did not need another precinct breathing down his neck. "I am afraid I do not have much time, I have somewhere to be,"

"At home with your piece of man candy?" She asked, smirk on her face.

Just when he had wanted to believe that there might be a bone in the girl's body that was not rotten to the core, she ruined it. He still wanted to eat her. 

"Yes, as a matter of fact. He will be waiting for me. I cannot keep a man such as him waiting." Hannibal told her while he distracted the toddler in his arms with a silk handkerchief.

"So," She began, eyes drifting down to a very specific part of Hannibal's body. "Are you hung like a horse or something? What keeps that hot guy with the wonderful hair in your bed?"

"I am not going to discuss that, it is an inappropriate conversation to have, especially in front of a child. I do not care if he can understand the topic, it is still not something he needs to hear. What keeps him with me, it is of little importance to you and I expect you will agree to keep it that way." Hannibal's voice became intense, deeper and full of anger toward a number of different things that just kept bubbling to the surface. 

She shut up, seeming to notice his raw power.

"OH MY GOODNESS! AYDEN!" Cried a woman who came running up to Hannibal. "AYDEN! MY POOR BABY!"

Hannibal resisted handing the child over for a moment, examining her and picking up her scent before he allowed it. "Why was your child all by himself?"

The woman glanced around. "I know this must sound horrible, but I left him with his older sister for five minutes and she sat him on the ground and allowed him to run away."

Hannibal raised an eyebrow. "You should pay more attention, since obviously your older child cannot be trusted,"

The woman pressed her child against her chest. "I know, I know, but thank you so much for keeping him safe, I was so worried, I hope he wasn't any trouble,"

"He was no trouble at all. In fact, I found him quite a card. A very well behaved toddler, despite being left alone in a store as large as this."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, I can't thank you enough for it to be possible for you to understand how grateful I actually am."

"Just keep him safer next time, that is all you need to do. A watchful eye can save a life."

"Well, thank you again...Mister...?"

Hannibal thought back the list of aliases he had come up with over the years. He definitely had to pick one, more than likely the one that Will used at the theme park in Ohio. "Mills, David Mills."

"Thank you, Mr. Mills," 

Hannibal nodded before the woman was on her way. Then his attention was brought back to the girl at the service desk. Perhaps, there was time to get fresh meat for dinner, after all.

***

He waited patiently for the girl to get off work. He knew by the comment that she made to a fellow employee that it was not going to be too long.

He knew just where to wait.

As the rude, nosy girl walked across the darkened parking lot to her vehicle, Hannibal moved behind cars in the next row. Thankfully, she had backed into her parking space, making it that much easier to access her.

She unlocked her door and went to get inside. Hannibal walked up behind her, placing a hand over her mouth. She tried to scream, but it was already too late for that. He slipped the keys from her hand and proceeded to unlock the back door. He threw her up into the small SUV. She struggled, but he put a stop to it immediately with a whack to her head with the professional grade tennis racket she happened to have on the floor.

Becoming curious, Hannibal turned on the light from his phone and examined the vehicle. Not only was this girl rude, but she was also a thief who stole from the very company that employed her. He laughed, suddenly a little happier that he had waited this long to kill someone.

He was going to drive her car away from the store before he went any further, but quickly decided against it. It was only getting darker by the minute and that was simultaneously the best and worst part of the situation.

By this point he had ignored five of Will's calls. He needed to finish this.

He grabbed her legs and swung her body over his shoulder. He moved across the lot toward the back where the man made swamp collected all of the rainwater and chemicals that the store dumped. Being careful not to move in front of any of the cameras that were very likely only live feed he laid the girl in the grass near the murky, mossy waters. 

He pulled the decent sized blade from his pants pocket. He sliced at her legs, her tongue, and lower back. At this point it was messy and there was no way she was going to be able to wake up from the loss of blood. 

He discarded all of her clothes and removed more of her flesh. The last thing he took being her scalp, an identifying feature based on her hair alone. 

Once it was pitch black he went for his car. The cooler he bought earlier came in handy. He placed the prime cuts inside, filling the bag of ice that had been purchased alongside it around them. Then he turned back to the bloody mess of female, fluids leaking from every cut on her body. He still needed to move her.

Making a decision that would have made any other man squirm, he bit her lips, pulling them off with his strength. He did everything in his power to make her unrecognizable, should anyone find her in the near future. He finalized his magnificent kill by unceremoniously putting her in the swamp. The mix of chemicals and other wastes would do their work on what was left of her near perfect skin and internal organs.

Hannibal licked one of his fingers, hunger eating away at his stomach. He was not particularly proud of his handy work this time, but it did get the job done. He wondered if she saw his face in the side mirror as he approached. This a kill somehow both equally satisfying and unsatisfying. 

And, he had missed six more calls from Will.

Chapter Text

"HANNIBAL!" Will screamed as the man pulled into the driveway. 

Hannibal stepped out of the vehicle, cooler in hand. "Yes, Will?"

Will's hands found a home on his hips. "Where have you been?"

Hannibal wiggled the cooler in his hands. "I was getting dinner,"

"We have only been here one day, you already killed someone?" Will whispered.

"Not someone that will matter or make a difference, rude and inconsiderate,"

Will shook his head. He was in love with a cannibal who looked at everyone like his next meal. His father would have had a fit. Hell, not even just his father. "Okay, sure, might as well get that in the fridge before it spoils,"

"I will make you something delectable, I promise," Hannibal told him as he walked inside the front door.

"Maybe tomorrow," Will muttered.

Hannibal turned around and stopped. "Tomorrow? Have you already eaten dinner?"

"No,"

"Then I am not following, Will,"

"Then you should follow me," Will walked past Hannibal and into the kitchen. 

Hannibal inhaled the scintillating scents that filled the beautiful marble room. It brought a smile to his face to know that Will had prepared a meal that was not from a box or a can. He was rubbing off on his beloved after all.

"What delicious, slightly overbearing cilantro drenched dish have you made for us this evening?" Hannibal asked as he scrunched up his nose, unsure of how he felt about the use of the herb. He tolerated it, but right now it smelled soapy. 

"Oh, don't give me that look," Will smiled. "I threw together something based on what I knew and what we had, mind you this is no five star meal, but it will be better than eating handfuls of dried cranberries."

"I am sure that is the case, what do you call the dish?"

"Southwestern eggrolls," Will said quietly, feeling stupid already before he even presented what he made to his love.

Hannibal's eyes grew wide. "I know what that means, but I cannot figure out how the two words are able to mesh together,"

"Tell me that after you eat it,"

"Certainly,"

Will took one of the egg rolls in his hands and bit the crispy end off. The warmth from the frying pan still emanating from the filling. Cheese stretched out, falling in strings across his chin. 

Hannibal allowed Will to put the egg roll in his mouth. He took a bite, his mouth assessing the mix of flavors caused from a number of spices and the fresh corn and black beans. Despite the grease and the massive amount of dairy product in the roll, he found he enjoyed the taste. It was seasoned just right, except for the cilantro.

"So?"

"Surprisingly delicious, I am impressed," Hannibal said with a smile. 

Will was beaming. He felt warm and full of love. Hannibal was the most incredible person that he had ever met. No one had ever seen him the way that Hannibal did. Hannibal was so perfect that Will was waiting for him to disappear.

He grabbed Hannibal by the shirt collar, pulling him down into a kiss. The contact was incredible. He opened his mouth to him, their tongues tangling together in pure passion. Already he was coated in a shimmery layer of sweat, his arousal pressing on his tight jeans. 

Hannibal was close enough to feel Will. He moved his hands down, pushing against Will's hard cock. Will moaned, pushing up into his hand to create friction. 

Hannibal swiped all of the utensils out of the way. He lifted Will up on to the counter and went to taking off his pants, pulling them down to his ankles. He dropped down to his knees in front of him. He pressed kisses against all of the tender places on Will's legs, working his way up to Will's cock. He licked the tip, driving Will wild just as it had before. 

Will ran his hands through Hannibal's hair, yanking him upwards to his level. Their lips met in another flush of passion, Hannibal exploring every part of Will's body that he hadn't had the chance to the night before in the midst of it.

"I am butt naked on your countertop, Hannibal, I am pretty sure this is mentioned somewhere in the definition of rude," Will giggled like a little school girl who found her new teacher attractive. 

Hannibal smiled wickedly. "Fuck it,"

Will raised an eyebrow. "Fuck it? Fuck it? Is that what you seriously just said?"

Hannibal grabbed Will's ass and moved him closer to the edge of the counter. "Yes, Will, fuck it,"

Will placed his hands on Hannibal's face, loving the way his high regal cheekbones felt to the touch. "How about instead...you fuck me?"

He did not need to respond. He only needed to do. He unzipped his pants and let them fall to the floor in an undignified way.

Will reached down to stroke Hannibal's thick cock into full hardness. The older man reacted by throwing his head back in a pleasurable moan. He pulled Will's legs apart, wrapping them around his waist. 

While Will continued to give attention to Hannibal's throbbing shaft, Hannibal slid a finger inside of Will. Will let out a gasp, sucking in all of the air he could, before relaxing into the feeling. Hannibal curled his finger inside of Will, making him twitch, but the pleasure was there. 

Finally, Hannibal added a second finger. He scissored them apart, stretching Will even further. Will moved his hands around, looking for something, anything to grasp. He took Hannibal's shirt in his hands, bunching the fabric like a sheet in his fists. 

"Just do it, already, hurt me," Will whispered. 

Hannibal gave a slight nod, removing his fingers from inside of Will. He gripped the base of his cock, pressing the head against Will's tight entrance. He did as the younger man wanted, thrusting in with all of his strength and weight to guide him. 

Will moaned, loudly. His back arching up into the feeling. Hannibal filled him with a foreign feeling, painful, but not horrid. 

Hannibal let out a feral sounding growl as he thrusted harder into the tight, velvet warmth of the man beneath him. He found a rhythm, moving deeper, moving to hit Will's prostate as the pace quickened.

In a sweet moment the entire room was spinning. Hannibal's mouth was all over Will's neck. Will ripped what was left of Hannibal's clothes off, digging his nails in and clawing down his back. Moans of pleasure left both men, rough, yet slick. Sparks flying from touches, fiery tingles left behind from teeth, everything coming together.

Hannibal moved faster even, the familiar but much-anticipated feeling in his core. He moved his hands onto Will's shoulders, using him for leverage.

"Will..." He moaned, his entire body falling into the powerful orgasm as he grew weakened in the knees.

The sensation of Hannibal's release filling him, left him craving his own. As soon as Hannibal was able to regain footing, he pulled out of will, turning to focus on Will's deliciously precum wet prick.

He stroked Will, other hand up Will's shirt and playing with his perked nipples. 

"Fucking dammit, Hannibal!" Will cried, sitting up and holding onto the older man tightly. 

They met in a lusty, needing kiss. The mix of pleasure finally pushing Will over the edge, white covering the black t-shirt Will still wore. 

Hannibal ran his fingers through the mess, then put them in his mouth. He sucked them dry like a child with a popsicle. "You are marvelous,"

"I am still standing by my previous accusation of you being a cockslut," Will laughed, sleepily. 

Hannibal laughed back at his sleepy Will. He lifted him up off the table, kissing him once more before heading up the stairs to the master suite. "Silly, silly boy,"

"Babe, the food..." Will protested weakly.

"It will be fine," Hannibal brushed Will's words right off, except for one. "Did you call me babe?"

Will smirked. "I did, got a problem with that?"

"No, actually, Will, I do not,"

"Good," Will nuzzled against Hannibal. "Babe,"

***

When Will woke up the next morning, it was because Hannibal was running a finger along his thigh. He was naked. He definitely had not been when he fell asleep.

"Good morning, beautiful," Hannibal's voice was poetic, full of admiration. 

Will couldn't help the laugh that slipped out. Only Hannibal had ever used a tone like that toward him. Only Hannibal made him want to feel incredible and confident and well, beautiful. 

"Good morning, how did you sleep?" Will asked, leaning up on his shoulder, realizing it still was going to hurt from time to time. 

Hannibal yawned. "I find it was a bit troubled, unfortunately. The events prior to what happened in the kitchen have left me uneasy."

"What happened?"

"The meat I intended to prepare has spoiled, for one, but more importantly I came across a toddler all alone in the store,"

Will perked up. "What did you do with the toddler?"

Hannibal placed a hand on his forehead. "I found the toddler's parent, of course, but it really caused me to think about children,"

"You want to have kids? Now? I hate to break it to you, but I can't help that case." Will chuckled.

"Perhaps, I might want to be a parent in the future after we have found a permanent home with enough protection from anything our past may dig up."

"We, our, I still can't have a baby,"

"Surrogacy, adoption, obviously the ways I would imagine we have children," Hannibal explained. 

"I think I would like to think you would want to marry me first," Will said, mostly joking. 

"That, dear Will, could certainly be arranged,"

Chapter Text

Hannibal laid in bed with Will until well past ten in the morning. The two men held each other in a warm embrace, enjoying the company and the radiating love. They spoke. No topics off limits as their minds opened up in ways that had been so lost to them for so long. It was almost as if the bed had become a replacement for the room where Will's unconventional therapy from Hannibal had begun years ago. 

It was beautiful. 

"I think eventually, we might need to get dressed," Will said in a low voice.

Hannibal smiled, swinging one leg over Will. He straddled his lover, looking down into his eyes with such admiration. "We have nowhere to be, not a single person to see, it is just you and me, Will,"

"I hate when you say that kind of crap, makes me want to kiss you more than I already do," Will giggled, reaching his arms around Hannibal's neck. 

"Then kiss me," The words came from Hannibal with such magically seductive undertones that Will could have gotten off on listening to the man's voice alone.

Will sat up slowly, moving his arms around Hannibal's waist, holding him tight. He kissed him passionately, feeling every part of his talented mouth work cohesively. 

Hannibal grabbed Will's hair, fingers tangled deep within the younger man's dark curls. He began to grind his hips down into Will's. Tingles ran up and down his spine as parts of his partner's anatomy became rather alert. 

The doorbell rang. 

Hannibal stiffened. Will let out a pained groan. 

"Maybe if we don't answer the door they will just go away..." Will whined. 

Hannibal shook his head. "Or they will simply continue to ring the doorbell, which will be horrendously distracting,"

"I give you full permission to kill whoever is at the door and eat them," 

"Even a girl scout selling cookies?" Hannibal asked, grinding down again to tease.

"In that case, buy some cookies," Will said with a weirdly sadistic smile on his face. 

"Then allow me to find suitable clothes and I will see who is so persistent in getting our attention,"

"Hopefully watching you put on clothes is as sexy as you taking them off," 

Hannibal turned his head back as he pulled a pair of fleece pajama bottoms over his hips, one eyebrow raised. "You will have to let me know how it makes you feel,"

***

Hannibal opened the door, taken aback more by the brightness of the northern sunlight than the people standing in front of him. It didn't pay to keep all of the dark curtains closed, apparently.

"Hiya," A beautiful brunette woman began. "Did you just wake up?"

Hannibal looked down at his clothing that implied just that. "No, I have actually been awake for quite some time now,"

She stared at him in awe. It had to have been the accent, always a bit more prominent at the beginning of the day. "Oh, great!" She shoved the glass dish she had into Hannibal's hands. "Do you mind if my husband and I come in and meet our new neighbor?"

Hannibal turned his focus to the auburn haired man. He wore a suit, expensive, but more muted than what Hannibal was used to wearing. He was quiet, smelled of espresso and blood. Of course, Hannibal was going to allow them to come in. 

"Absolutely, please do come in," Hannibal said, moving to the side with the dish perched almost precariously on one hand. 

He lead the couple into the breakfast nook, keeping them out of the kitchen that probably looked a little worse for wear with clothes on the floor and whatnot. 

The brunette woman, appearing of Italian descent, held her hand out to Hannibal. "I apologize for being so rude and intrusive, I just wanted to make sure that you got this dish before it started to cool, my name is Regina Rinaldo, and my husband is Michael Rinaldo. Who do we have the pleasure of being in the presence of?"

Hannibal shook the woman's hand. "David Mills,"

"David Mills, hm." Regina felt every syllable of his false name on her lips. "Are you new to the country, or just this area, if you do not mind my asking? I was just curious because of your accent."

"Lived in the country for a long time now, actually, but needed a change and chose the beautiful woodlands of northern Michigan. I am originally from Lithuania, however." He suppressed a groan after the last sentence. He could have said a number of countries, but went with the one he was actually from despite the problems such a detail could eventually cause. Perhaps, the couple wouldn't make the connection, ever.

"Do you miss it?" Regina asked, proving that things would only escalate in this no holds barred scenario. She was lucky he was intrigued by her husband or she would have been what was for dinner. 

"Of course, I always will have a part of my heart in that country, but my love is for this one." Hannibal explained. 

Michael was interested. He didn't say anything, but he looked at Hannibal with curiosity. This was good.

While Regina rattled on about the small town's heritage, Hannibal uncovered the dish she had handed him. A fruit cobbler, cherry to be exact. It was still warm. He was so hungry he was almost tempted to grab a fork and try it. "This smells lovely,"

"Michigan cherries make the best baked goods," Regina told him with a bright, white smile across her dark, red lips. 

"I can't wait to try it," Hannibal inhaled the scent again. It was probably the best he had ever had the pleasure of smelling. That was saying something. "I was wondering, Mrs. Rinaldo, which house on this street do you live in?"

"Oh, please, call me Regina. Right down the road on the left, hidden driveway so you cannot see the house. We have a wonderful one, but it is not quite as beautiful as your lakefront. You cannot even begin to understand how glad we are that a normal person has moved in, especially after the gothic group went around vandalizing everything. A lot of work was put in fixing this yard before it went on the market. I never did see how much they asked for it, must have been a steal." Regina explained, still smiling. Her lovely dark eyes looked at Hannibal with a sense of wonder, which made him wonder exactly why that was. 

"I will have to drive by it some time, see for myself," Hannibal muttered, giving in and grabbing a fork from the kitchen. Propriety be damned.

"David, what do you do for a living? You have a house like this, must be something worth while." Michael asked, speaking for the first time in a voice that seemed to cut Hannibal deeper than he expected. 

"I am a writer, currently. I used to teach psychology at UCLA, but have recently found more enjoyment out of doing exactly what I wanted to do." Hannibal told him, he was happy he decided to read the files Will kept on their aliases back at the hotel in Dearborn. 

"Amazing, I would love to quit my job at the law firm to be able to do something like that. I always loved the arts, I minored in photography at one point in my academic career."

"What type of law do you practice?" 

"Lately, business, but in the past it has been mainly divorce and custody battles, messy things," 

Hannibal smiled at the auburn haired man. He was incredibly interested in learning more about him, especially since he presented as a sociopath with a very neat mask to him. He might have moved in across the street from a serial killer. 

"Are you in this big house all by yourself? That seems so lonely." Regina asked, breaking the silence that fell over the three. 

As if on cue, sleepy eyed and without his glasses, Will came down the stairs and into the breakfast nook, following the noise. He wiped his eyes on the sleeve of the oversized shirt he put on, which was indeed one of Hannibal's, stopping to look just before he ran right into him, arms immediately finding their happy place on Hannibal's waist.

"You coming back upstairs any time soon?" Will asked, before taking a moment to register that they still had guests. 

"I will take that as a no," Regina chuckled in a nervous sort of way. "Who might this be?" 

Will blinked a few times. This was the first time he was actually being legitimately lovey with Hannibal in front of people that had not just been saved by Hannibal. And, the girl who hit on him didn't count, because he barely reciprocated the touch that was intended to be an act of dominance, marking territory. This was a weird feeling. Wonderful weird.

"Um...hello...?" He mumbled. 

"This is my husband, Andrew," Hannibal began introducing everyone, nailing Will's alternate identity with ease. "Andrew, these are our closest neighbors, Michael and Regina Rinaldo." 

"Nice to meet you, Andrew," Regina said, holding her hand out much like she had with Hannibal. "I certainly did not expect David to have someone like you upstairs,"

"You too, both of you," Will replied weakly, taking her hand and ignoring her other comment. He really didn't like meeting new people. 

Hannibal had the most jovial of expressions on his face. If this did not end in blood, it was going to be an eventfully good time. 

***

"Do we really have to do this?" Will asked, adjusting his new silk tie. 

Hannibal came in front of him, hands resting on his shoulders. "It is just a simple dinner, at a simple local restaurant, with our neighbors, we need to maintain appearances and we cannot do that by becoming hermits, despite what you believe."

Will pressed his forehead against Hannibal's. "It is him, isn't it? The man. She is annoying, it can't be about her, unless you intend to eat her."

"It is him. I am curious about him. I could faintly smell a mixture of espresso and blood on him during our first meeting. I want to know more about him."

"He is attractive, do I need to be worried about it?" 

Hannibal kissed Will's cheek. "Not at all, however, I am a bit concerned to find that you think he is attractive,"

"I only meant it as a fact, he is a good looking guy, better than what is standing in front of you," 

The older man pulled his lover against him roughly, taking him in a quick kiss. "We have a difference of opinions on that subject, now, let's head out,"

"Fine..."

Chapter Text

"Have you ever, even once, had a feeling in the pit of your stomach that what you were about to do was a going to end in disaster?" Will asked.

"Well, not recently, but you are causing me to overthink it," Hannibal said before linking his arm with the gorgeous empath. 

The men entered the restaurant. It was a four star affair under the guise of a tavern. There was hardwood and antlers everywhere. This sight gave Will chills. It took everything out of him to not turn around. 

"I am not into this," He grumbled. 

Hannibal took in the decor. He didn't think it was worthy of the type of restaurant it wanted to be, but he was not going to make judgements until the food was served. 

Regina and Michael were sitting at a table in the dark corner. Regina caught sight of Hannibal and waved them over. Hannibal immediately dragged Will along with him. 

"We are so happy you can join us, this is our favorite place, this is where we had our third date, the food is to die for," Regina raved.

Hannibal smothered a laugh. The woman needed to learn to chose her words more carefully around men she didn't know. "Then I cannot wait to try their best fare,"

"What are you drinking, David?" Michael asked. "I can recommend their best craft beers."

"I prefer a good red wine over a craft beer," Hannibal replied.

"I think I'll take a beer though, I am so used to all of the wine he shoves at me I might have forgotten what a good beer tastes like," Will jutted in, trying to appear like a social creature. 

"Good, a beer man, I thought we would never find one," Michael chuckled. "I'll order you one I know you will like,"

"And I will get David a glass of the best wine money can buy here, everything is on us," 

"Thank you," Hannibal said with a smile.

The two couples enjoyed their meals and the pleasant conversation that went alongside it. All the while, Hannibal was secretly taking a mental note of everything that Michael did. His movements, his words, everything. He was almost one hundred percent certain that this man had a big part of his life that he was keeping from his loving wife.

Will took this opportunity to make his intentions known. They weren't in Baltimore, they weren't in Wolf Trap, no one would be gossiping about the two men holding hands at the table. He didn't know if this was a town of strong prejudice, but he realized that he didn't entirely care. He only wanted to show that Hannibal was his and that they were in love. His confidence was booming, he was brimming with excitement. This new place, no matter how long they remained, might have been just what he needed. 

He leaned his head on Hannibal's shoulder as dessert was served. He allowed Hannibal to feed him, to worship him in any way that he pleased. What a wonderful, little gay boy he had become for his monster lover. 

Hannibal excused himself from the table. Michael did the same as soon as Hannibal was out of view. Will sighed, knowing this meant that Regina was going to ask him questions, probably about his relationship. 

He avoided eye contact with her for as long as possible, tapping his fingers on the table as he waited for his beloved to return. 

Then he looked at her. 

"How long have you and David been together?" She asked. 

Will scratched the back of his head, nervously. "Um...well...we have kind of been on again, off again for years, but about a month ago we sort of...eloped," He stammered a bit, but it really was not that far from the actual truth. 

"Is that the reason you two wound up our neighbors?"

"Yeah, actually, that was a big part of it, needed to get away from it all,"

"Better to see true love survive then to have it constantly threatened by those around us," Regina said with her beautiful smile.

"Things have been better since we moved in, even though it hasn't been long," Will admitted. 

"You two have incredible chemistry, I imagine it is loud in your bedroom," Regina began to giggle, she definitely got off on the idea of two men in a bed.

"I have never been one to kiss and tell," He chuckled, remembering when he showed up at Hannibal's door to tell him that he had kissed Alana. "But my husband, as you might have noticed, is very...kissable." He continued to play off the memory, wishing he had known back then that Hannibal had wanted to kiss him. 

"Oh, I have noticed, noticed it the moment he opened your front door," 

"He kills me a little bit every time he looks at me with those eyes of his,"

"His money must be a perk, hm?"

Will couldn't help thinking that was rude. He pictured himself jumping across the table and strangling her in front of everyone, hanging her up like a trophy when he was done. He snapped out of it, however, realizing it was not the time to be acting like that. "What was that?"

"Clearly there is an age difference, I was just wondering if the money had something to do with your decision to finally commit,"

"No, it is love, I love my husband, he is more than I ever could have imagined,"

On the other side of the restaurant Michael had cornered Hannibal, pressed him against the wall in the locked handicap stall of the bathroom. His arm being used as a massive restraint, proving he was stronger than he appeared.

"I know who you are," Michael whispered. 

Hannibal's eyes grew wide. "And, who might that be?"

"Doctor Hannibal Lecter," He replied directly into his ear.

Hannibal swallowed, but didn't make any other identifiable sounds. It was not going to happen like this. "I believe you are mistaken,"

"Not possible, I followed your story, I know your face,"

"What you know is obviously very little," Hannibal sighed.

"If you are worried about me turning you in, don't, because I don't need the police sniffing around my neck of the woods any more than you need them,"

Hannibal felt the waves of being right wash over him. "That is why you smell like blood, every time I see you,"

"It is," Michael said with a smile. "Now, we just have to have a little mutual respect here, I am Michael Rinaldo and I kill my wife's competitors and my failing clients for sport, you are Hannibal the Cannibal and you kill people for food."

"I have no respect for you holding me in this stall like this,"

Michael laughed maniacally, choosing to lick Hannibal's ear in the process. "Well get some,"

***

 Hannibal was silent on the way home, silent even on the way to bed. He didn't know what to say to Will, or if he was even going to bring it up. They had planned on staying in this house for at least a few weeks and now the very neighbors they were nice to were the ones threatening their well being. At the very least, Michael was. If he didn't bring the police in on the matter, it was only going to be a matter of time before he got a taste for the idea of killing Will or Hannibal. Hurt the serial killer by taking away the only thing he loves, or take the serial killer as a prize. 

Will picked up on the odd behavior pattern of Hannibal. He tried several times to engage him in conversation in the car with no success. When the same thing happened in the house he grew instantly worried. When Hannibal was quiet, there was often a big reason. 

Will woke up in the middle of the night, noticing the weight on the bed was uneven. He was alone. He quickly scrambled out from underneath the covers and ran down the stairs. Hannibal was standing in the kitchen, staring at his reflection in a knife. 

Will breathed a sigh of relief, but was unsettled by Hannibal's hands as he felt the blade, squeezing almost tight enough to cut the skin of his palms. 

"What are you doing? It is late, you should be asleep." Will said as he approached slowly.

Hannibal looked up. "Will, I believe you are the one who should be sleeping, because it is indeed rather late,"

"You didn't answer my question," Will replied in a low tone, tugging at the collar of his t-shirt.

Hannibal sat the blade down on the kitchen counter. He glided his way around it, stopping directly in front of Will. "I have found that my fight or flight instincts are raging inside of me,"

"Why?"

"At the restaurant, when Michael followed me, I learned that it is hard to maintain aliases when the people you are trying to fool already know your real name,"

Will's jaw dropped. It took him a few seconds to process what Hannibal was actually saying. He was terrified. "Michael...he...he knows who you are?"

"Yes, Will, that seems to be the case. He said my name and confessed that he was also a killer, he kills for sport. He knows my story, you are part of my story."

"What are you going to do about it?"

Hannibal took Will's hands in his. "I was actually waiting for the right moment to ask you,"

"What? What are you going to ask me?"

Hannibal chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before speaking. "Would you rather I end this man's life in order to keep this house, or would you like to run away with me once more?"

"Where would we go this time? What was the next place on the list after our time was up, anyhow?"

"California, but I think the idea of London is looking even more appealing, especially if we plan on settling down,"

Will turned his palm over, squeezing Hannibal's hands three times, an action he was having trouble understanding. "Settling down, somewhere safe, yes, that, I want that,"

The other man licked his lips. "London it is,"

"They never caught Jack the Ripper, maybe you can give it a crack," Will laughed as Hannibal pulled him into a loving embrace.

"The empath might be a tad bit more useful in solving that crime,"

"Hardly," 

Hannibal exerted his strength, lifting Will in his arms. "We will just have to see about that,"

Chapter Text

The air was not as cool and crisp as it had been in Michigan, but it was not exactly the hot, humid thickness that a majority of the state often suffered. After a short moment of contemplation at the airport in Indiana, Hannibal had decided that they were not going to England anymore. So, here they were, in northern California, San Francisco to be exact. 

Will was not complaining. The invisibility he had tried to achieve in prior locations seemed to be significantly easier to do here. He had thought that about Michigan, but that had proved to be completely wrong. 

The company that had provided the house before did so again. They moved into a large home that only had enough space between it and the house next to fit a small car. When they arrived all that Will could think about was Full House and Charmed. 

There would be no killing when the neighbors were home. 

Hannibal became distant in the days following. He had managed to ever so carefully become the anti-social hermit that Will had been in Wolf Trap. As he withdrew from the outside world, he began having art supplies delivered to the front door, addressed to their new names. From there he began to draw again, and paint. All the while this happened, he also began to worry Will immensely. 

Hannibal kept tabs on the Rinaldo's, daily. After learning that Michael knew who he was he took great care in making sure that it would never get out. Michael could not outsmart Hannibal, even on his worst day and he certainly did not have the skills that would have been involved to blackmail him. The only thing that Hannibal did regret was that he was not there to see the reaction of the small town, and of Regina, when they discovered the alleged suicide that also acted as a confession to all of the murders that were committed. It lead the local police into a bigger investigation, one where evidence had been placed to give them reason to believe Michael had murdered David Mills. This did not account for Andrew Cartier's disappearance. Everything from there was bonus. 

Will adapted into his new persona. It was not far from his area of understanding. He was a teacher at an elementary school. He traded in the name Andrew Cartier for Daniel Martin. He got a new haircut, but not one that destroyed his curls. He trimmed his beard into something a bit neater, as well. Falling in line to blend in. It was not the worst thing that could have happened, even if some of the parents found him a bit strange.

Despite all that was going so unbelievably well, there was still the matter of Will and Hannibal's relationship. It had hit a sort of bump and needed smoothing out. They didn't fight or fuck, or anything at all. They simply were on a level where they barely spoke. It was not intentional, it was just happening.

"Hannibal? Where are you?" Will called, setting his coat on the table in the foyer. 

Hannibal peeked his head out from the room he had spent most of his time in. "Usually you do not say anything when you arrive home, you just go right into the kitchen,"

Will bit his bottom lip. Couldn't help noticing that San Francisco agreed with Hannibal, his skin taking on just a slight glow from all of his time spent in the backyard. "I know,"

"Do you need something?" Hannibal asked, voice completely void of all emotion.

"Yeah, I do, actually," Will began, sighing deeply.

"What is it? I would be glad to get it for you."

"Hannibal, are you really that clueless on what it is that I need?" Will asked, feeling a pang of love return to his heart. 

"You have said less than two hundred words to me since we arrived, excuse me if I find myself more out of touch with your needs than usual,"

"I know, I know, and I am sorry," Will stepped closer to Hannibal, wanting nothing more than to bridge the gap between them. "I need you, Hannibal,"

Hannibal moved completely out of the threshold of the door, his body immediately pressed against Will's. He placed one hand tightly against Will's throat, keeping his head and neck completely still. His other hand pinned one of Will's wrists to the wall beside him. He finally took his partner by surprise, kissing him hard and deep, with passion unmistakeable. 

Will pulled his head back to breathe, lips swollen from the encounter. He reached his free hand up in an effort to move Hannibal's heavy one off of his adam's apple, gasping when he was able to inhale normally. 

"Was that acceptable?" Hannibal asked with his lost wicked smile returning.

"That was..." Will continued to fixate on his ability to breathe. "...more than acceptable..."

Hannibal slid his hand from Will's secured wrist, to Will's hand, interlocking their fingers. "Good, now come along, Will,"

Will raised an eyebrow, but didn't protest. Instead, he followed Hannibal into the next room. 

The minor online shopping addiction that had befell Hannibal in recent weeks had been just enough to establish a partial library and near perfect studio. There was a canvas in front of the window, open books strayed across tables, and sketches everywhere. Will was amazed. It was a shame that he had not been inside the masterpiece of a room previously. 

"What do you think?" Hannibal asked, gesturing to the work that was on the canvas.

Will couldn't believe his eyes. He had seen Hannibal's work before, but none of it was quite like this. He had every detail of Will's beloved dogs perfectly. He had tried to forget just how much he missed them. A tear fell down his cheek, not expecting the flux of emotion he had not been able to hide it. It was beautiful and it was only one part of it. 

"Hannibal..." Will whimpered, curling into Hannibal's open embrace. 

"Positive thoughts, I take it?" Hannibal asked, holding Will tightly against his chest. 

"Yes, yes, completely," Will mumbled into the collar of Hannibal's shirt. 

Hannibal smiled. He spun Will to have his back face him. He wanted Will to know this painting, as it was a gift, but it was also a message. The dogs had been the focal point of the piece, but not the main subject. 

He allowed Will a moment to study the rest of the image that had taken so much of his time. Will ran his fingers along the outsides of the artwork, wanting to transport himself into the world he once knew. 

The front porch of the house in Hannibal's painting was not familiar. It was not Will's home in Virginia. In fact, it wasn't one he could actually place. It reminded him of multiple different places that he had been, all with Hannibal. And, what was on the porch, that was enough to make him tear up again, but he wouldn't. 

Will turned back to Hannibal. He was surprised to see that he was no longer at eye level with him, but rather looking up at him from one much lower. He had been so distracted, he hadn't even heard Hannibal move. 

He couldn't fight it any longer the rush of feelings. Will began crying, despite his best efforts. He took a few steps closer to Hannibal, loving exactly how he looked in that moment, down on one knee. 

Hannibal had tears in his eyes, too. 

Will started to laugh, everything bubbling to the surface as he stared into loving eyes that appeared amber in the sunlight. He could not believe this was actually happening.

Hannibal opened up the small black velvet box, presenting a rose gold band with six small diamonds embedded inside to Will. Will fell into being typically dramatic, covering his mouth with one hand. Hannibal reached for his other hand, using it to pull him in close. 

"My dearest Will," Hannibal began, not realizing how overcome he would be. He swallowed hard. His composure was gone. 

Will dropped down to Hannibal's level, wrapping both of his hands around his lover's. "I love you, so, so much,"

The corners of Hannibal's mouth turned upwards, enough to warm Will's heart. "My dearest, dearest WIll. My love for you has grown to unimaginable heights. In my mind, there is not one scenario where I can live the rest of my life without you by my side. I hope that you will stay by my side, through everything that happens, no matter what it is. We have made it this far, together, and I can think of no better way to celebrate, our love, our life, our pasts, our mistakes."

"Hanni..." Will tried to speak, only to be stopped by a finger pressed against his lips. 

"William Graham, will you do me the honor of marrying me and making me the happiest of men?" 

Will's brain was firing off, urging him to speak and he knew what he wanted to say, but kept having a hard time making the right sounds to produce the word. Hannibal was everything he never thought he wanted, but everything he never wanted to lose. Once he had realized that his life was much better with Hannibal than it ever was without him, it was all very clear. A new chapter was beginning. 

Will nodded. "Y...ye...yes!" He was shaking, unable to contain that strange part of him even when Hannibal slid the ring on his finger, especially then. 

"I love you, Will," Hannibal whispered in Will's ear, taking him in another embrace. 

Will glanced back at the painting. "How long have you been planning this?"

"Three days after we moved in,"

"So, all of the distance and staying in here for hours on end was because...what?"

"I could not have you suspecting anything, of course, not until I was ready. That, and, I knew that I wanted every detail of your dogs to be exact." Hannibal explained. 

"That was a dick move, Hannibal," Will said, playfully smacking the older man's shoulder. 

"It worked, however," Hannibal laughed. "Yet, still you have not noticed the one detail I planted in plain sight,"

"The dog that isn't mine? Oh, I noticed, I just am not sure if I understand."

"I went to the local shelter while you were at work, they have a wide variety of dogs there that need loving homes, this was one that caught my attention, but I thought you might like to go take a look for yourself since it would be your dog," 

Will melted, legs weakened, and he sat down completely on the floor. "You are killing me, Hannibal,"

"I do what I can," Will's new fiance replied with a wink.

Chapter Text

The Saturday following their engagement, Hannibal took Will out into the city with every intention of bringing home a shelter dog. 

The Saturday following their engagement, Will allowed Hannibal to believe he was in charge, but used his own influence to determine exactly how the day turned out. 

The day started early, beginning in a coffee shop. The two men, dressed to handle the weather, appeared just like any other couple in the city. Black coffee loving Hannibal ventured out of his comfort zone, allowing the barista to create a new drink for him based on a few simple questions. Will stuck with the basics, not wanting something that was mostly frills. 

Their day was mostly planned out. They would be on foot for most of the day, seeing everything they could in the downtown area. Right now, however, it was simply peaceful.

Will sat his sturdy paper cup down for a moment to get a better look at Hannibal. He raised his eyebrows, watching, waiting for the perfect moment to make a comment. 

He cleared his throat. "Are you sexualizing the coffee cup?" 

Hannibal stopped, swallowing whipped cream. He had lowered his standards for a latte. "Sexualizing the coffee cup?"

"Your tongue is all up in that, it is...distracting,"

Hannibal snapped the lid back on. "Thinking of something you would like me to do to you?"

"It is actually...something I would like to do to you,"

"Mm, I will have to remind you that you said that later on," Hannibal said with a smirk.

Will made a nervous fool out of himself, his tell being his hand running through his hair. "Believe me...you won't have to remind me,"

Hannibal checked the time on his phone. He stood up and left the small table, taking his drink with him and leaving Will at the same table to contemplate what was going on. 

***

Will caught up with Hannibal outside. "Seriously?"

"Usually," Hannibal said, throwing his head back in laughter. 

"How come no one else ever realized how much of an ass you are?"

"You were not the only one to realize it, you are just the only one who ever mentions it." 

"Alright, I guess I will accept that," Will replied, flatly.

"You have to, you do not have a choice in the matter, so sorry Will," Hannibal whispered before walking away once more. 

Will took a moment, this time actually having to take a minute and think about what was going on. He shook it off and followed Hannibal like a really stupid, lost puppy. 

***

On the path that Will trusted Hannibal to lead him, they passed a winery. Will was shocked that the temptation didn't reel Hannibal in. 

While it was true that Hannibal had an interest in it, he did not stop. Picking up old habits was the easiest way to attract attention. He was newly engaged and had only killed one person in San Francisco. Things were good and he was not going to ruin it, part of the reason he had remained at the house to avoid temptations. 

"Hm...I am impressed," 

Hannibal perked up and looked over at Will. "What is it that impresses you?"

"Your ability to walk right by that place without so much as a single comment."

"We have wine at the house,"

"They have wine tastings,"

"Unless they are going to allow the two of us to make a wine right on the spot, I have no interest," Hannibal said, not even noticing how snarky his tone sounded. 

"Eh, private label is just fine..." Will said in a mirroring tone.

Hannibal sat down on the nearest bench. He pulled out his phone and typed something furiously quick. Will joined him on the bench, being handed the phone as he did. 

The website was of a different winery, one located in Michigan. While he was not entirely sure why they would want to do anything that might connect them back to the state, the information provided seemed to put the wedding planning in motion. Private Labeling in the form of wedding favors. Will wasn't sure why he would expect anything less, this was Hannibal he was marrying and he was not about to give up his expensive tastes for anyone no matter what the situation was.

The point did pop into Will's mind that he couldn't even begin to fathom who they would invite to the wedding since everyone thought they were dead or missing, whichever suited their needs. In that case, who would they send all of this wine to.

"What do you think about this? Send them to our friends."

Will shuddered. "Send wine that informs people that we are getting married to the very people who would rather see us in prison?"

Hannibal chuckled. "I think we would spend our married lives in the mental hospital, but it will be amusing to know they are receiving these bottles: The nuptials of Hannibal and William."

"They would find us here,"

"No, because it is an online transaction and the bottles will be sent out from the Michigan based winery. Not to mention that the visa is prepaid and was purchased in Ohio. It will just be a kick in the head."

"I can almost picture the facial expression of Jack..."

"I would pay to see a picture of that," Hannibal said, imagining it vividly.

Will leaned his head on Hannibal's shoulder. "Is it weird that I feel lucky?"

"Lucky for being mine?" Hannibal asked.

"Exactly,"

"I guess it depends on how you look at it," 

"I would like to think it does make me lucky and it isn't weird at all,"

"Then that is what it shall be, Will, that is what it shall be,"

***

By the end of the day they had officially added a new member to their family. A sweet, young pup named Selena. Mixed breed mutt of black lab, german shepard, and at least one other thing. 

The shelter provided them with a food and water bowl, along with a leash. She was already showing signs of being a good dog, behaving in the car ride back to the house. Will was ecstatic. He never thought he would have a dog again and yet, here he was with his new love.

 As they settled into the house, it was determined where the young dog would be able to go. Of course, the room that had turned into an art studio was off limits. No matter, she still had free range and Hannibal suspected that she would become a fixture at the end of their bed if he didn't say something about it. Will was happy, though, and that meant more than space on the bed ever could.

Will played with Selena for hours. Hannibal had slipped away, but that didn't interrupt the peace. Somehow, this dog had made the house feel that much more like home.

After the dog fell asleep, Will walked towards the noise. He was drawn to Hannibal. Hannibal was under no circumstances being quiet. 

In the kitchen he found his one and only, sitting on one of the bar stools. Music flowed from the speaker on his phone, but it wasn't the typical genre Will was used to Hannibal playing. 

"Will!" Hannibal semi shouted, waving him over to him.

Concerned by the type of behavior, Will was slightly reluctant to approach him, but there was a curiosity about it that drove him forward. 

Hannibal took a swig of the green bottle in his hand before offering it to Will.

Will took the bottle, examining the label, and drank some of the semi-dry wine. "Not bad,"

"Bought it in Michigan, was saving it for a special occasion," Hannibal said, taking the bottle back. There was a certain slur in his voice, one that came from polishing off almost seventy-five percent of the liquid. 

"Are you drunk?" Will asked.

Hannibal paused the music. "I'm not drunk, I'm just enjoying the finer things," 

Will grabbed the bottle back, almost finishing it off. "You're drunk, Hannibal, you can admit it,"

"I do not drink to the point of in...in...intoxication, Will," Hannibal laughed, drinking the last of the wine.

"Sure, whatever you say," Will chuckled. This side of Hannibal was a funny side of Hannibal.

The older man stood up, hands on his lover's face. "What are you planning to do to me?"

Will pulled Hannibal into a kiss. "Come upstairs and you can experience it and more,"

Chapter Text

"Take off your shirt," Will's tone was demanding, full of a power even he didn't think he could show.

Hannibal continued to back up towards the bed, but he did as he was told. He began to loosen his tie.

"No, keep the tie, lose the shirt," Will shot back. 

Hannibal squinted. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it on the floor, waiting for Will to give more direction. 

"Get on the bed, you know how this works," 

He did just that, laying across the bed. 

Will crawled on top, catching him in a kiss. He quickly removed Hannibal's pants, sliding them down along with his black boxer briefs. He was already hard and not as drunk as Will thought he was. 

Hannibal grabbed Will's ass, pulling him down to grind enough into him to make him just as hard. 

Will yanked Hannibal's hands off. "I am in control, this is..."

Hannibal cocked his head to the side. "Your design?" He chuckled.

An unexpected smack across the face stung him silent. Will changed his course of action. He pressed kisses into every sensitive part of Hannibal's skin, loving every gasp and moan that left the older man's lips. 

He slid down Hannibal's lean muscled frame, continuing to kiss and nibble his delicious skin. Eventually, he gave attention to the throbbing cock, his hands becoming heavily acquainted with it, even flicking his tongue against the tip. He had never had his mouth this close to this part of Hannibal, or any man for that matter, but he was going to try. 

He thought about what he liked, especially from Hannibal. Slowly he took part of the length in his mouth, creating friction as he moved his lips lower, preparing to take more.

Hannibal's hands wound into Will's hair. He pushed Will's head down onto his manhood, gagging the younger man whenever he pleased. Will thought that he was in control, but for this he was very wrong. 

Will lifted his head up, letting Hannibal's dick out of his mouth. "Turn over,"

Hannibal rolled onto his stomach. Will moved him into a position he wanted, on his knees, legs spread, and back arched just right. His hands ran over tight muscle and soft flesh, exploring the things touch caused in the man beneath him. He acted accordingly.

Testing his boundaries, he leaned in to Hannibal. He trailed his tongue across flesh, sucking and teasing liberally. Hannibal continued to moan, his fists bunched up in the sheets beneath him. 

Will distracted Hannibal with a bite on the thigh, beneath his ass. He jerked, gasping as he moved into the motion, as Will lapped at the afflicted area. While attention drifted, Will daringly slid a finger inside of Hannibal, the tight warmth somehow beautiful and new. He took his time, pushing in and out with a constant rhythm. 

"More," Hannibal panted, muffled by the pillow he buried his head in.

Will became more in tune to Hannibal. He added a second finger, continuing as he had before. He curled his fingers towards Hannibal's prostate, rubbing over the area teasing him in the most agonizing way possible. 

He added a third finger. The motions were the same, but the response he was getting was even better. Hannibal began moaning loudly, impaling himself further onto Will's fingers to gain as much contact as possible. The sight made Will ache, made him wish it wasn't his fingers. 

Will got on his knees, leaning back just enough to admire his work. He had Hannibal breathing heavy, skin decorated with love bites. He stroked his own cock, eyes never leaving the sight in front of him. Reaching in the nightstand he put just enough lube on his hand to slick himself down. He steadily pressed the head against Hannibal. Little by little, he pushed himself in further, feeling every single part of the space he occupied. 

Hannibal cried out. The fullness of Will's hard prick inside of him left a remote, sting in his throat. Will's thrusts were long and slow, drawing out the sensation. As he began to move faster, his force caused Hannibal's own, neglected shaft to make contact with the bed beneath them. 

Will was in a state of awe. Hannibal's tight ass was unlike anything else, better than anything the fairer sex could offer. Each thrust drove him further over the edge, dangling just a little while he watched muscle and bone move under Hannibal's skin. He listened to him call out his name, again and again, crying out through the sweat drenched heat of the room. 

He pulled out of Hannibal, feeling much too close. He leaned back on the bed, breathing heavily. Hannibal noticed, turning around to face him. He straddled over him, reaching behind and stroking the swollen rod in his hand. 

Hannibal lead Will's cock back inside of him, rocking his hips in a grinding motion. Will sat upward, grabbing the tie in one fist and holding Hannibal in an embrace as he bucked his hips in attempt to get even deeper inside. 

"O, sudas!" Hannibal shouted, breath hot on Will's neck as his entire body spasmed until he was more like gelatin than man.

As aftershocks rattled his body, he tightened around Will even more, just the right catalyst to throw the younger man over the edge. Will squeezed his whole body around Hannibal, releasing everything inside of him. 

They both collapsed, heads at the foot of the bed. Hannibal rolled over, breathing labored. He smoothed his hair off of his forehead and did the same for Will. 

"That..." Will mumbled, barely understandable. "...that, my Han, was...something else..."

Hannibal smiled, amused by dilated blue eyes. "It was," He pressed a kiss into Will's temple.

"I guess I really am bisexual now, huh?" Will asked sarcastically.

Hannibal huffed. He was not giving in. There would be no response to that.

***

The next morning, Hannibal was quite pleased to see that their heads were at the right end of the bed, Will on his chest. 

Will turned to look up at Hannibal. They shared a sweet kiss as Hannibal attempted to roll on his side. He quickly stopped, realizing his right arm was restrained. 

Will was grinning from ear to ear, full of pride over what he had done. This proved to be the case as he slipped out of the bed, pulling Hannibal's left arm into a similar position and restraining it the same way. 

Hannibal struggled for a moment, until it sank in that without his right arm fighting back would be useless. "I have been betrayed by my own clothes,"

Will checked both bed posts to ensure that the Hannibal could not easily slip his wrists from the tie restraints. "It had been the plan all along, I guess you really should have taken off that tie last night,"

Hannibal glared at Will, willing to do just about anything to break free and get back at him. "Do you intend to leave me here all day?"

"I do," Will giggled. "I really do. The way I see it, is I get revenge on you for some of the absolutely ridiculous things you have done and I will know that you are right where I left you when I come back, ready for the taking."

Hannibal pulled at the ties. "Where might you be going?"

"First, I am taking the dog for a walk, and then, I will see where the day takes me," Will licked his lips, relishing the thought of having so much power over the most manipulative man on the planet. "And, don't tug too much, you will ruin those, they are expensive,"

Will leaned in and gave Hannibal a kiss on the forehead. Then he went on to doing normal, everyday things. 

"WILL!" Hannibal shouted, but there was no use.

***

Will walked Selena through the neighborhood, getting her used to her new surroundings. She was curious about everything, extending the time of the walk, which only caused Will pleasure in the back of his mind, knowing full well what was going on inside the house. A part of him had almost wished he set up a camera. 

His phone rang. He pulled it out to check, half fearful that it was somehow Hannibal. 

The number was blocked.

He rejected it. 

Two more times the blocked number called his phone without a voicemail left. That certainly did not make him want to answer it. 

On the fourth call, he hit accept, putting the phone up to his ear and waiting for whoever was on the other line to talk. 

"Hello? Hello? Will? Are you there?"  A woman's voice said. 

It wasn't just any woman, either. If he was not going crazy, that voice belonged to Alana Bloom. 

His breathing became frantic as the panic pumped into his blood. If she was able to get his number, there was no telling who else would be able to get a hold of him.

He dropped the phone, managing to hang up the phone in the process. As soon as he got back home he was calling the company. He and Hannibal were both getting new phone numbers, immediately. 

Chapter Text

Will walked back into the house, unhooking the dog's leash. He pulled his phone back out of his pocket. He went to dial the number for the phone company, but stopped when he heard a rustle on the floor above. The shock of the call almost caused him to forget about Hannibal, almost.

He tossed his phone on the counter and ran up the stairs. 

He opened the door to the bedroom, making sure his footfalls had been extremely quiet. "Hannibal?"

He stepped inside. The bed was empty. Hannibal had escaped from his restraints. But, where was he?

Hannibal shut the door behind them. He wrapped an arm around Will's neck and pressed his body against his. "Hello, Will,"

Will gasped for air, shock and pressure taking away his ability to breathe. "Hanni...bal...you're choking me...you're cho...king me,"

Hannibal loosened his grasp and spun Will around to face him. "My apologies, Will, but while you were out I decided that this was my design," He said, laughing lightly.

Will resisted hitting Hannibal. He figured that kissing him would be more effective. 

Hannibal moved his hands down, taking purchase of Will's ass. Will moaned, becoming aware of the fact that Hannibal was still not wearing any clothes and that he was already half hard. 

"Before we get too into this, Alana called, or at least she sounded like Alana, she knew my name," Will rambled. 

"Did you speak to her?" Hannibal asked in between kisses he pressed onto Will's jaw. 

"No, I was so surprised to hear her voice, to know that she had somehow gotten a hold of me, I dropped the phone," Will mumbled, barely able to speak with the way that Hannibal was touching him. 

"If you did not speak with her and you do not have your phone right now, I believe that there are far better things to occupy your mind with," Hannibal growled, lifting Will off of the ground.

Will squealed. He clasped his hands over his mouth immediately, red taking over his cheeks. Hannibal smiled in response, throwing the younger man down onto the bed and crawling on top of him.

Hannibal ripped Will's clothes off, tossing it all to the floor. He moved down his fiance's body, taking one of his feet in his hands. He ran his tongue along the bottom, invoking moans and curled toes. His attention changed, his teeth and tongue tracing a trail up Will's leg. 

Will's erection was brought to full hardness, aching to be touched. Hannibal's breath ghosted against his skin, making the temptation agonizing. A part of him wanted to grab Hannibal by the hair and force him, but good things came to those who could wait. 

A talented tongue ran along the underside of Will's cock, flicking against the tip. He bit his lip to keep from calling out, choosing to thrash his legs around instead. Hannibal pressed his hands down on Will's hips, keeping him in place before taking the length whole. 

Hannibal's head bobbed. He used every technique he knew to drive Will mad, humming and creating enough friction to have the younger man writhing. 

Will couldn't take it. He grabbed Hannibal by the hair and lifted him off. "Keep that up and I'll be done for," 

Hannibal didn't speak. He spread Will's legs further apart, kissing the insides of his thighs. A wicked smirk decorated his wet, swollen lips as he moved up the length of Will's body, catching him in an unexpected kiss. The taste still lingering. 

Lips found tender places, fingers found warm ones. Will felt the tease at his nipples, his collarbone, and his naval. Hannibal's fingers were doing their own work, causing Will to twist and cry out. 

Hannibal slid his fingers out, immediately replacing them with his throbbing shaft. He thrusted into Will deeply, his fingers laced in dark curls. He yanked Will's head back, exposing his slender neck. He bit down, sucking, nibbling at the skin with exceptional force. 

Hannibal's thrusting became faster. With every snap of his powerful hips, Will shouted. A mix of curses and random sounds that masked the pleasurable moans that would have flowed out instead.

The room was hot, air thick from their bodies. Every touch set off sparks on Will's skin, painful, but beautiful. The sound of sweat slick skin colliding flooded his brain. As Hannibal's hand reached down to finish him off, everything was spinning. Will entered his headspace, pupils dilated and back arched into the feeling. 

"Hannibal! Fuck!" Will called out, his release spilling in ribbons all over his chest. "Fucking hell!"

Will's orgasm sent Hannibal after him. He quickly pulled out, stroking himself to the leg shaking end. His cum coating the same parts as Will's own.

Will remained where he was, content to never move again if it was possible. He needed to clean himself off, though. 

Hannibal laid on the bed where he collapsed. He looked over at a very sticky Will and chuckled. "I'm so sorry, Will,"

Will blinked the stars from his eyes. "For what?" 

Hannibal propped himself up on his shoulder. He dragged two of his fingers through the mess on Will's chest, sucking them clean after. "For making you look so destroyed,"

"So...you going to lick me clean or...get a towel...or?" Will mumbled, only very slightly coherently.

Hannibal got off the bed, disappearing into the bathroom for a moment. He returned with a washcloth that had been dampened with warm water. Using slow, steady swipes he cleared Will of a majority of the sticky, white substance that covered his chest. He made sure to taunt further by pressing his lips against each spot after the cloth touched over it. 

Hannibal laid back down, curling his body around Will's limp one. He used his strength to maneuver Will, moving him so that his back was against his chest. Hannibal draped an arm over him. No one he had ever had in his bed felt this good. For the first time, someone fit completely. After all that he had done in his life, especially to Will, he could not believe he had been able keep such happiness.

"I love you," Hannibal whispered, never tiring of saying those words to the man he held in his arms.

Will turned his head, their lips less than an inch apart. "I love you, too, Hannibal,"

Hannibal gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Hearing you say it, makes my heart sing like a harpsichord,"

The younger man rolled towards his beloved, placing his hands on his chest. "You already have me, you can stop being so damn adorable, its like you came out of a damn romance novel half of the time,"

"I see nothing wrong with telling you exactly how I feel, which is usually deeply and honestly," Hannibal said before kissing Will's forehead.

"I'm hallucinating, aren't I? Or I'm dead? Either of which are entirely possible since we went off a cliff together. It would also explain Alana being able to call me."

Hannibal poked his finger hard into Will's tender shoulder. "You are right here in the present, with me,"

"I like that better, anyways,"

***

Will missed Alana. After their phone numbers were changed, he realized just how much he did. The odds of her being able to call again were slim. Add in the fact that the calls might be being used simply as a way to catch Hannibal and it was a recipe for disaster. He was not sure what he expected to come of it, anyways, since Hannibal wanted to kill Alana.

Will, for one, did not ever plan on consuming Alana, Margot, or their child. He drew the line there, even if Hannibal somehow caught them.

It was for the best that he let it be. They had a good life in San Francisco. They were getting married. No matter what he missed from his old life, it could not compare to this.

Which, of course, made him think about what Molly must have thought. If he had just one more chance to tell her something, he would have explained it all. He would have told her that he had developed intense feelings for his psychiatrist and that they were there in some form long before he met her. Hopefully, she would have understood on some level, because he always imagined that she would.

He made for one very distracted elementary school teacher. At least, the students did not seem to mind.

When he walked in the door he was greeted by Selena. He peeked into Hannibal's art studio, but he was nowhere to be seen. He listened for some sort of noise indicator to tell him where his future husband might be. His car was still in the driveway, so he was definitely nearby, but that did not erase the mysterious unnerving feeling that traveled with him throughout the house. 

The last time he came home, Hannibal did jump him. It did not end badly, by any means, but that didn't mean he wanted it to happen again.

He walked past the family room. He swore he saw a figure draped over the length of the couch. He took a few steps back and looked closer. 

Hannibal was sleeping on the couch in the middle of the afternoon, dressed in one of the nicest waistcoats that Will had seen in a long time. He stepped into the room, admiring the gorgeous, sleeping man. It reminded him so much of their first night in Michigan and just how much that had impacted him. 

Hannibal felt Will's presence, could smell him in the room. He stretched before sitting up and wiping his tired eyes. "Will, how long have you been home?"

"Fifteen minutes, give or take," Will chuckled, sitting down beside his fiance. "You know, you are so damn cute when you are asleep,"

Hannibal yawned. "I do not even remember falling asleep, and I vaguely remember what I was doing,"

Will saw the laptop sitting on the ground. "Bet if you opened that you might figure it out,"

Hannibal put the computer in his lap, lifting the top. The screen brightened. "Oh, now I remember,"

"Looking for a job?" Will asked, reading the webpage. "Painting and drawing all day not what it's cracked up to be?"

"I am bored, thought there might be something that interests me,"

"As long as I don't come home to bulletholes in the wall, I am okay with whatever you decide to do," 

Hannibal smiled, resting his head on Will's shoulder. Having nothing to do was exhausting. "I won't do that,"

"Good. Good."

"You have a rough idea of how my day went, how was yours?"

"It is impossible to cover the giant hickey you left on my neck with normal clothing, so thank you for that. It was the subject of lots of students and my fellow teachers."

Hannibal started laughing, proud as hell. The bruising was huge. 

Then Hannibal's phone started ringing. 

The number was blocked. 

Chapter Text

"If you answer that call, Hannibal, you better put it on speaker and cover up that accent of yours like you are getting paid to do it," Will said, eyes glued onto the lit up screen of the phone.

Hannibal contemplated it for a moment. They had just changed their numbers. The originals had been registered to their current aliases anyways. There was no fractures in their new personas, everything had been taken care of. If this call turned out to be Alana, like Will suspected before, then there were more devious powers at work. Alana would have to be seeking them out, private investigators and such.

He slid his thumb across the screen to accept the call. He tapped the speaker button, waiting for the person on the other line to speak. 

"Hello? My name is Molly Graham. I am trying to get a hold of a Will Graham. His last known phone number has been disconnected. I received information that said I might be able to get into contact with him through you." The voice said. 

Hearing her speak sent chills down Will's spine. He couldn't even fathom what was happening. The phone call from Dr. Bloom, and now this? The individuals involved with leaking their information were going to be in massive trouble when they were identified. Will figured that they might want to start shopping for a bigger freezer.

Hannibal cleared his throat. The sound that came out of his mouth when he spoke took Will by surprise. His eyes grew wide as he listened to his fiance use a very convincing New Yorker. "Hi, I'm real sorry, but I do not know of anyone named Will Graham,"

"Are you sure? He might be going under the name Andrew Cartier? I'm not sure. This is, Edward Reese, right?"

Hannibal turned his head towards Will. This was hitting too close. This was threatening to ruin the life they were trying to build. 

Yet, in some way, Will felt so guilty that a part of him wanted to grab the phone and tell her everything right then and there. 

"This is Edward Reese, but I can honestly say that I've never met a Will Graham or an Andrew Cartier. I am very sorry." 

"Alright. Thanks, anyways."

"Not a problem. I hope you get into contact with him."

"Before you hang up, would you mind...taking my phone number down...just in case?" Molly asked.

"Absolutely," Hannibal replied before allowing her to rattle off her number. Will wrote it down. He might have a reason to use it, someday. 

Hannibal ended the call. He took the small piece of paper from Will's hands, shaking his head slightly. "You cannot call her. It is bad enough that two people have managed to contact us on two different phones with completely different numbers. They know who you were in Michigan."

Will furrowed his brow. "That must mean that they think you are actually dead,"

"What would allow you to think that?"

"Andrew Cartier went missing. David Mills was believed to have been murdered. If they were able to make the connection that I was Andrew, they must have had some idea that you were David, unless they really think I am about to shack up with another fifty year old rich guy."

"Hey!" Hannibal shouted, playfully grabbing the collar of Will's shirt. 

"Oh, please, you are gorgeous, now get over yourself," Will sighed, pulling away from Hannibal's grasp. "Anyways, they don't know you are alive. Molly called you Edward Reese. Not once have I heard you use that name. That isn't the name on your i.d, either. I was worried before, but now, now I am just curious. I want to know how this happened. Alana, Molly, is there going to be a third? Who knows? But, what I do know is that, in the meantime, we are in the clear."

"Your certainty is appealing, but it does not mean you are right,"

Will kissed Hannibal on the cheek. "Oh, but it does, Hannibal, it does,"

Hannibal turned back to his job search. If it was settled that they were not going to worry about the possibility of the past showing up on their front porch, then he was going to find something to do. He had spent enough of his time on his gift for Will. It was high time he found something a bit more productive to do. 

Will's kisses continued, trailing sweetly down Hannibal's neck. Hannibal tried to ignore it. He continued typing and selecting different websites. He was considering working for one of the local wineries, but at the same time it was really difficult for him to avoid the mental health professions. The temptation was high. It was just risky. 

Will was inflicting high amounts of a temptation of a different kind. 

"Will..." Hannibal gasped. "...Will..."

Will lifted his head up to look Hannibal in the eyes. "Is there a problem? Maybe one that you might like to discuss?"

Hannibal licked his lips and swallowed hard. His blood flow had redirected before his brain could protest. Will had a magical effect on him. "I...no..."

Will took Hannibal's laptop and sat it on the floor. He crawled over to straddle him, making use of his hands to untuck and unbutton his shirt. 

Hannibal's head fell back. There was no use in protesting something that his body wanted so much. Will continued his torture, tongue tasting skin as he worked his way down Hannibal's frame. 

"I really, really hope that I am not terrible at this," Will uttered, always overly conscious of what he was doing.

Hannibal let out a sexualized purr. "My dear boy, if it was indeed terrible, I would begin to direct you,"

"Good to know. I'll keep my ears open." Will chuckled, removing Hannibal's hard cock from the prison of his tight pants, and these pants were especially tight, allowing very little to be left to the imagination.

Then he took his glasses off.

"If you are an especially good boy, I'll give you a few more conversation pieces for work tomorrow," Hannibal's purr quickly turned into a growl.

Will teased Hannibal's manhood, lips ghosting the base before his tongue began to taste him in full. Will then turned his focus to the head, taking just it in his mouth, swirling his tongue around and paying special attention to the slit. 

He moved lower, taking more of the length in his mouth. He was beginning to feel more at ease, enjoying Hannibal's taste and his scent. He battled his gag reflex to take more into his mouth, hitting places he never thought he would. As everything came together, he loosened up, finding a rhythm that suited them both. 

Hannibal moans grew louder and louder. His hands latched onto Will's hair, tugging lightly. The urge to buck his hips up to further his cock into Will was painful. Will's bright blue eyes only supplementing this as he looked up at him. If they were any indication, his pupils would be just as blown. 

There was no more room for resisting. Hannibal pulled Will's hair, indicating his need. He allowed himself to fuck the stunningly destroyed man's mouth, occasionally being enough to gag. Will let it happen. A dormant part of him wanting to be a slave to the older man.

Hannibal jerked without warning, releasing into Will's mouth. Will almost gagged again, trying to greedily swallow what he could before he had to take the softening cock out of his mouth. 

"Wow," Hannibal mumbled, caressing Will's cheek. "I am, in fact, quite impressed,"

Will pulled himself back onto the couch, giving Hannibal time to zip up his pants. He laid his head in Hannibal's lap, because he apparently had not spent enough time there already.  

"I...can't even begin to understand why I am in any way good at that," 

Hannibal moved so he could bring his legs off of the floor. He tucked Will in between them, wrapping an arm around his petite shoulders. "I can, would you like me to explain it for you?"

"Sure," Will replied, already feeling like he wasn't going to agree with his former psychiatrist's explanation. 

"You, being male, know what feels good in that situation. Added in with the fact that you wish to please me and your admiration for what that particular part of my body can do to you and it is an instant recipe for good fellatio."

"Want to know something that you probably don't know, might have something to do with it?" Will asked.

"Go on,"

"I like the taste. Literally in a state of disbelief trying to process that, but it is true nonetheless. I like the taste. I like the way you taste. I like the way it tastes."

Hannibal muffled a laugh. "That was certainly not new information, the way that you swallowed was a decent indicator of such,"

Will rolled his eyes. "Always gotta be like that, doesn't it? Can't just let me have one?"

Hannibal lightly patted the side of Will's face before moving to sit up. "I should start dinner,"

Will's head dropped to the cushion, still warm from Hannibal's body heat. "Awesome, don't address it, just pretend it didn't happen because that is what you do,"

"Italian sound appetizing, Will?" Hannibal called from the kitchen, still avoiding what Will said. 

Will shook his head and laughed. There was so many crazy things happening around him. He glanced at the ring on his left hand. Somehow, someway, it was all going to prove to be worth it. Of course, they needed to make it to the wedding first. 

He wondered what his father would have thought, how he would have handled the news that his socially awkward son was engaged to a man, and that the man was several social classes above him and in almost every way his foil. He imagined that his father would have been just happy that someone actually wanted to marry him and take care of him, but he would only say that after he gave Hannibal a stern talking to. He probably would have done the same thing to Molly.

Selena pushed her nose into Will's side, trying to get his attention. He patted her on the head, happy that she was there to pull him back into the present. 

Chapter Text

Hannibal made a meal that was vegetarian. 

Hannibal also almost gave Will a heart attack simply based on that fact alone. 

It was incredible just as much as it was incredibly odd. 

"Eggplant?" Will asked, examining his plate. 

"Yes, Will, it is eggplant," 

"Hm," Will muttered, slicing into the dish with his knife and fork.

"Is there a problem with eggplant, Will?"

"No, of course not, it is just weird, you know, you making a dish with no meat,"

"As you know, I have not the pleasure of finding good meat lately, and for good reason,"

Will scoffed. "I was not aware that you were completely averse to the idea of a Whole Foods,"

Hannibal ignored him. A task that he was going to be a master of at some point. "Will, have you thought of where you might like to get married?"

Will took the hint. "I was kinda under the impression that we were going to get married at a courthouse or something, since we literally have no friends or family to invite,"

"Just because we have no one to invite does not mean we have to keep it simple, we could have a location ceremony...England, perhaps?"

"Oh, so now you want to go to England?"

"Just for the wedding,"

Will placed a hand on Hannibal's arm. "You've clearly already decided, so why bother asking me?"

"I am simply trying to give you the feeling that you are somehow involved with the wedding planning, despite it being quite the opposite due to your brilliantly high levels of disinterest in the matter." Hannibal explained.

"I am not disinterested, I had just thought it would be easier to make it a little justice of the peace thing." Will replied, refusing to feel wounded.

"I am not going to make light of it. It is OUR wedding, Will. I am going to marry the man I want to spend the rest of my days with, I want it to be a memorable occasion. I want it to have a memorable location, one we could visit, perhaps bring future children..."

Will clasped his hand over Hannibal's mouth mid sentence. "Stop, you stop that right now. Not another word about your strange need to procreate until we get past this wedding. Got it?"

Hannibal nodded.

There was a sudden silence that took over the dining room. The subject had caused a ceasefire on all conversations. That had not been the intention, but it had been the result.

Until Hannibal broke the silence. "I would like to believe that in another world, another life, I could have came out to you without it being the cause of such misery,"

Will took a sip of his wine and raised an eyebrow. Confusion was settling in. "I was not aware that you ever actually 'came out' and told me that you were gay, even though there were signs there that I definitely should have picked up on,"

"No, Will, not that. Anyways, I am not gay. I have never identified as homosexual. I am no more gay than you are. What I was referring to, was the exact reasoning why you were trying to make certain I was incarcerated in some form."

"Right, cannibalism..." Will trailed off, much more intrigued by the sexuality portion of the dinner discussion. "If you are not gay, what the hell are you?"

"I do not believe there is a label that suits me. I've been with women, I've been with men, and I've been with people who do not fit into gender roles. I see past gender, despite being heavily aware of it. My attractions are not predetermined by genitalia."

"Do I have a label?" Will asked as his curiosity fired up.

"Yes, I believe you do. I believe you to be bisexual, a word you have used yourself."

"But you are the only man I have ever...ever..."

"Perhaps to this extent, but I am sure you have had moments where another male makes your pulse quicken, even if those moments have been repressed."

Will tried not to overthink it. "Maybe, I don't know. I do know that despite all of your personality traits and physical traits that I find appealing, and always have, there was something about what is between your legs that actually helped me realize that I could be a sexual bisexual."

"I see," Hannibal whispered. "I now know the only real reason that you want me,"

"You are such a bastard," Will laughed. 

When they finished their meals, Hannibal went to grab dessert. 

The shock from the last almost heart attack rose back up in him. The casual manner in which Hannibal was presenting the sweet part of the meal was causing Will to feel nervous and twitchy. He couldn't figure out what Hannibal's angle was, or if he even had one. Everything was just weird. 

The two went into the living room and resumed their place on the couch. Hannibal handed a spoon to Will and removed the lid from the pint of ice cream. 

"Bon appetit," Hannibal told him with a smile on his face.

Will dug his spoon into the ice cream. "You are so wonderfully odd, sometimes, always full of interesting surprises,"

Hannibal took the spoon, eating the contents. "I long for you to continue saying that for the rest of my years,"

***

Will packed up his paperwork, completely ready to leave work and return home to Hannibal. He missed him, even though he had seen him that morning. He was so enamored with Hannibal that sometimes it scared him. Made him feel like he would not be opposed to the idea of calling him his soul mate, especially since they were already 'murder husbands'.

"Mr. Martin?" Called a female voice. Miss Allison Gratien, a fellow teacher and instigator of rumors galore. It didn't help that she was a ginger, causing Will to make connections with Freddie.

"Yes, Miss Gratien, can I help you?" He replied. His voice was cold and flat. In the entire time that he had worked for the school she had not bothered to acknowledge him. Now, should not have been any different.

"I think you can, actually," She purred, approaching his desk. He could already see her bleeding out from injuries. She didn't know about Hannibal.

"Well, what do you need?" 

She leaned forward, the first few buttons of her blouse struggling desperately against her supple breasts. Will tried not to notice, but that wasn't going to happen. "I need a really, really big favor. I am going to this wedding this weekend for one of my cousins. I am basically the last one to get married and I don't plan on it happening anytime soon. I was wondering if you would like to be my date, keep my family off my back for a little while?"

Will was taken aback. "Your date?"

"Don't make it weird. You are pretty, but you aren't my type. I just need your type to make me look good." She explained further.

"Oh, um, okay,"

"And, don't think I don't know that you've got a man at home, everyone suspects it, girls don't leave hickeys like those. I will give him credit, though, the one looks like a heart. So, what do you say?" Allison asked, fluttery eyelashes and everything.

Will sighed. "What is in it for me?"

"I don't know, name your price,"

"My fiance comes to this wedding as well, I play it off to him as my way of taking an active role in our wedding planning, but really it will be my way of convincing him to tone it down." 

"What if it doesn't work?"

"I'll figure something out," 

"Alright, I'll let my cousin know. This helps, too, because my sister needs a date, as well, she's a lesbian." Allison told him.

"Great. It is settled. You will give me more details beforehand, right?"

"You will show me a picture of your piece of ass, right?" She said with a smile on her face. 

Will took a deep breath. He pulled out his phone and went into his pictures, selecting one Hannibal had taken of both of them. He turned the screen towards Allison so she could see. 

Her eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. Will felt fear for a split second that she recognized his face. 

"Damn,"

"What?" Will asked, tucking the phone back into his pocket.

"Yes daddy, he is hot as hell. Now that, is more my type. Where did you find him and does he have a straight brother?" She asked with a giggle.

"There is only one and he is mine," 

"He will have to be my pretend date, because he is too old for my sister, she's nineteen. You are too old for her too, but it is just pretend."

"Do I need to worry about you overstepping your boundaries?" Will asked the young teacher.

"No, I'm not like that. I'll look, but I won't touch."

"Alright. See you this weekend."

"Right on,"

***

Hannibal had plans. 

He purchased a fantastic bottle of wine, a new tie, and cilantro. 

He was going to teach an old dog, new tricks. 

Chapter Text

"Welcome home, Will," Hannibal's voice called as Will opened the door. 

Will tried to figure out which method Hannibal used to know he was home. He was later than normal and had tried to be quiet because of that, however he was not entirely sure how well that worked. Either Hannibal's sense of smell was multiplied by the thousands or Selena had noticed him walking towards the door. 

No matter what, it was still weird since Hannibal was definitely in the back of the house where the kitchen was located. 

"Hi," Will said as he approached Hannibal who was hard at work on their meal. 

Hannibal looked up from the tomato he was dicing ever so carefully. "How was work?"

"Uh...I got invited...we got invited to a wedding...this weekend," Will stammered nervously. 

Hannibal stopped and put down his knife. "A wedding? Someone at work invited you?" 

"Yeah...her name is Allison. She never really spoke to me before, so initially I found it really strange, but she seems like she means well. She wants to meet you, a lot." Will explained, albeit rather vaguely since he was distracted by a detail of Hannibal's person that seemed a little off. "Hannibal, why do you have sunglasses on your head, wasn't it raining earlier?"

"Oh," Hannibal had been so involved with the dish that he had forgotten all about them. "It is bright enough outside that no one took notice. Apparently, dear Will, I am the only one who is interested in not stirring the waters since you accepted a wedding invitation."

"You were hiding?" 

"Indeed. After our conversation where you informed me that you feel safe, I realized that I did not."

"What did you plan on doing when you got a job?"

"I've decided against it, instead I think I may do something that is more rooted in technology simply due to the fact that I am comfortable here. Yes, I will be moderately bored, but it is a sacrifice that I am willing to make." Hannibal told him. 

Will leaned up against the counter. "That is your way of telling me that you are not going to the wedding, isn't it?"

"Oh no, I fully intend to go with you, but only for the simple fact that I do not trust anyone around you."

"I know that's the truth, you kill people who talk to me," Will sighed. "Perhaps, this is not such a good idea."

"It is an absolutely horrible idea to attend this wedding, but you are not going by yourself." Hannibal picked his knife up again, gesturing it towards Will to make a point. "Besides, this will give me good cause to wear all black and appear like a spy or a Bond villain."

Will finally relaxed, beginning to feel the corners of his mouth turn up in a small smile. "Not that I don't like that or the idea that you are somehow invested in such a big part of pop culture, but I did show Allison a picture of you so there isn't much you could do to fool her."

Hannibal took a long pause and a really deep breath. "Will, what level of rational thought could have possibly been in effect for you to think that was a intelligent idea?"

"Not rational, spontaneous and stupid, but it is rare for me to feel safe being friendly to another person and I am weirdly proud of you. I only wanted to show off."

Hannibal shook his head. Once more he stopped what he was doing, coming around the counter to make contact with Will, wrapping his arms around the smaller man's waist. "I would end your life right now if I did not love you as much as I do,"

"Is that supposed to be comforting, because if so you missed the mark by a few miles,"

Hannibal pressed a kiss into Will's forehead. "I suppose my words can be up for you interpretation, now, come over to the cutting board so I can show you how to properly use cilantro in a dish,"

***

Will filled in all of the blanks for the wedding details the day before the ceremony. Hannibal was no more thrilled to hear them then he had been the original plans. 

He quickly realized that there were more sinister concepts at work by way of his fiance. Will had further plans. He would play along, for the time being. 

He had found a way to entertain himself. This was going to be much more interesting than anticipated. It certainly helped that this wedding of complete strangers was one that took place outdoors. 

It was time to play.

"Daniel!" Allison shouted, approaching the two men as they exited their vehicle. She would have shouted Hannibal's alias, as well, but she had not been told what it was. 

"Hello, Allison," Will said with a smile. 

Hannibal joined Will's side, sliding his sunglasses up onto his head to expose his newly green-blue eyes. Will suspected this was not the first time he had worn a color changing contact. 

"This is my fiance, Micajah Morgan," Will introduced Hannibal and his brilliantly weird public name.

"Hello, I'm sure you know my name is Allison," The redhead said as she shook Hannibal's hand. 

"Yes, please call me Cage, everyone, but Daniel does so," Hannibal replied with ease, using a voice that reminded Will of Chilton, pre burnt Chilton of course.

"Pleased to meet you, Cage. You are going to sit next to me and Daniel will be sitting with my sister, Carlie. Same seats at the reception. It should be relatively painless." Allison explained with a laugh.

Will absentmindedly yanked at his shirt sleeves. He was suddenly regretted being at the wedding. It was foolish and there were too many people. 

On the plus side, there were so many people that hardly anyone would pay attention to them, hopefully. 

The ceremony went off without a hitch. Tasteful, traditional, and white. It was really the reception that caused the most worry. Hannibal and Will were psychopath magnets, if there was one in attendance they would probably do everything in their power to seek them out. It made Will sweat under the collar, clammy hands, and twitchy fingers. 

Allison and Hannibal got along smashingly. They were talking the entire time. Will could barely get a word in edgewise. They barely knew each other, yet had conversations as if they were childhood friends. Cut from the same absolutely terrifying cloth. And, Hannibal was holding back on a significant amount of detail for protection. 

In between the family interrupting to learn more about Allison's pretend boyfriend, Will tried to talk to Carlie. She was unresponsive, wanting the least amount of contact with him as humanly possible. He tried to shrug it off, feeling like it didn't matter. He could play antisocial, he was antisocial.

Hannibal excused himself from their table. He ushered for Will to do so as well. The two walked over to the open bar together. 

"So now you want to talk to me, I see how this works," Will sneered. 

"I cannot play too friendly with you, I am not your date, I am Allison's,"

"Then why did you have me get up?"

"Allison would make a wonderful surrogate and she is not against the idea, actually brought the subject up on her own," Hannibal whispered.

"Surrogate? Seriously? I thought that we were going to talk about this after we were married?" Will whispered even lower after ordering a beer.

"We might not have another opportunity like this one, I advise that we take it while we have the chance."

"Okay, I'll bite, what if we do this and then suddenly we have to move again?"

"I have already considered that and I happen to think that she is not so attached to this life that she would not give it up to come with us, she can be trusted,"

"It might seem that way, but we don't actually know her all that well and she is attracted to you so of course it is going to seem like that," Will kept hushed, but his body language was easily registered. Hannibal accused him of doing stupid things, but this was way beyond that. 

"Could we not use Chiyoh at some later date? Or a complete unknown?" 

Hannibal's expression appeared like he might have been considering the idea on some level, but he wasn't. Just the same as he was only becoming more attached to the idea of a glorious, beautiful wedding over the simple one Will wanted to push. 

"No, I would prefer children that were not interacial," 

"Annnd, that's racist,"

Allison came up behind them, playfully stabbing them both in the sides with her long fingernails. "Whatchatalkingabout?" 

Hannibal turned his head back toward her. "The same thing you and I were," 

She smiled. "Ooh! So, what do you think, Daniel? Would you let me be your baby mama?"

"UGH!" Will shouted. The walls were closing in on him. Hannibal was controlling everything, again. He was always five to ten steps ahead of him. His head was swimming. It was all going much too fast. 

And then it wasn't. 

And then everything went black. 

Chapter Text

It was the sound of what might have been moaning that brought Will back into consciousness. It was masculine sounding to him, at first, but as it continued he was certain that it was rooted in something more feminine. 

It sounded remotely like two people having sex. 

He sat up and looked around the room. He was at home. His bedroom. Alone.

The sound continued. It was actually starting to bother him. More so when he considered the conversation he had before he blacked out. The blackout had come as a sort of shock on top of that since it had been so long since it happened to him. 

He got off the bed and began walking quietly through the house, moving closer to the noise with every step. There were two voices, his mind had not betrayed him. One was definitely Hannibal.

He went down the hallway. He grabbed the doorknob to the room he suspected the noise was coming from. Fear rose into his throat as he accepted the fact that what might be on the other side could also destroy him. 

He swung the door open. Hannibal and Allison stopped what they were doing to look at him. 

"What in the actual fuck?" Will asked.

Hannibal released Allison from his grasp, causing her to drop to the floor with a thud. "Glad that you could finally join us, please come in,"

Will blinked. He wanted this to be a part of a hallucination or a dream. Deep down he knew that it wasn't. Hannibal had brought her to the house, let her see their life, let her see him. This was ridiculous and reckless and way worse than anything that Will had done since the fall. Well, except for the one time.

Allison picked herself up and brushed off her dress. "He is a fantastic teacher, he should teach personal defense classes,"

"I had no idea," Will replied, shaking his head. 

"It is not so much my teaching skills as it is Allison's capacity to learn," Hannibal announced with a smile. 

"Oh my god," Will blurted, not able to catch himself. 

"I prefer my given name," Hannibal shot back with a wink. 

Sometimes Will just wanted to punch him in the stomach. Just for good measure.

"You two are hilarious, you are going to make wonderful parents," Allison chuckled.

"That is the hope," 

Will stood in silence with his mouth agape. He raised an eyebrow as he kept looking from Allison to Hannibal. The bastard was working an angle with the woman. His psychiatric prowess was in full swing as he manipulated her into being whatever he wanted her to be. She was going to fill the void that was left by Mischa, by Chiyoh, by Abigail, by Will himself. He no longer had an object to control, despite being able to control all of the events around him to suit his needs. 

"You need to slow your roll," Will said under his breath.

Hannibal moved to wrap an arm around Will's waist. "It is something that we both want, we should take it while we have the chance,"

"I can have fertility tests done as soon as possible," Allison told Will with pride.

"You have both lost your minds. You have no chance to get them back."

"This is correct, Will, since you threw mine over a cliff," Hannibal scolded.

"Hannibal!" Will shouted, not realizing that what he said did more harm than Hannibal's words until after he said it, covering both of his hands over his mouth instantly after.

Allison's eyes suddenly looked as if they were going to pop out of her head, hanging from their bloody cables. "Hannibal? Hannibal Lecter? Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter? I thought that you sort of looked like him, but the eyes were all wrong."

She didn't scream. She didn't raise her voice. She didn't even try to leave the room. She smiled. She was wickedly amused. 

Hannibal walked up behind her, performing a move that caused her to drop to the ground like a sack of potatoes. "See what you did? We should not have gone to that wedding, Will."

"Did you just kill her?" Will asked, wondering when it was time to freak out. "People will noticed that she is missing."

"She is not dead. She will awake in an hour, give or take. Odds are she won't recall this exchange, but we have to be on the safe side. I will do what is necessary to keep us safe."

"This would have never happened if you would not have brought her back to the house, this fault definitely falls more on you,"

"Don't be silly, I would have never even discussed the idea of surrogacy had we not been at the wedding, something you decided we should do,"

"Are you kidding me!?" Will could feel anger rising inside of him like an angry demon, the only problem was that the actual demon was standing right in front of him. 

"Help me get her into the guest room, she may not be ideal for our surrogacy, but she can give us one thing."

Will gulped. "Are you...are you going to harvest her eggs?"

"Yes, Will, she is a very healthy woman and has traits I would appreciate in a child," Hannibal explained. "Her physical traits are also almost completely recessive, meaning they will not overshadow mine which are mostly dominant."

"I can't believe you...wait, no...I can believe you...and I still want no part of your crazy master plan until after we are married," 

"Will, I will not mention a single word of the matter until after our wedding if you assist me with this simple, medical task."

Will crossed his arms. "Let me get this straight, you want me to help you turn this woman into an unsuspecting egg donor by stealing them while she is unconscious? What are you going to do when she is conscious?" 

"That is exactly what I want you to do. When she wakes, we will tell her that we are no longer interested in her being our surrogate at the time being because we need to discuss it further, but that we will keep her in mind. The last thing she should remember is driving here from her cousin's wedding."

"What if...she remembers more?"

"We will address that problem if it becomes a concern, which it will not."

Will thought about it. He was under the assumption that with or without his help, Hannibal would still harvest the woman's eggs. She would have made a decent surrogate and he had to admit that she had good genes, and she was a lot like Hannibal personality wise. He knew that this meant any children born with Hannibal as their biological father would be carbon copies of him. It was not the worst thing he ever imagined, tiny Hannibal babies, but it might not have been the best thing. 

He was going to go along with it. 

He was going to help Hannibal do this unthinkable thing. He accepted Hannibal's unmatched level of pure, concentrated evil. He loved him, unconditionally, for some reason.

"I guess since I am going to hell...let's do this, Hannibal."

"I knew that you would come around," Hannibal said, moving to lift Allison off of the floor. "Now, would you mind getting the door?"

"We better not get married and you tell me that there is a woman pregnant somewhere with the child you intend to create from this..."

"I assure you, Will, I would not do such a thing without your consent,"

"Now, that is something I'm not sure if I believe,"

***

Hannibal managed to convince Will that the best way to work past their issues was in bed. 

Will happened to agree, but that was partially due to the way Hannibal was rubbing up against him. He was so twisted that he wasn't sure if he could say no. An addict for an irresistible nightmare of a man who was good to him, despite being terrible to everyone else.

Will also happened to enjoy the sight of Hannibal riding his cock, something the man was incredibly gifted at. 

It was during this that he learned that Hannibal was far more naughty and submissive than anyone could have guessed. He wanted to be spanked.

***

"I hope you are hungry," Hannibal told the two barely awake human shaped creatures sitting on the bar stools in the kitchen. 

Allison burst out laughing. "Daniel ought to be,"

Will glared at Hannibal. "Why is that?"

"When I woke up last night I heard what sounded like two men having a great time, recognized Daniel's voice,"

"Ah," Hannibal smirked. "I believe a man should be very vocal in his pleasures,"

"I am so sorry about passing out at your house last night, I really have no idea what hit me," Allison told the two men apologetically. 

Will didn't make eye contact with her. He felt bad. He felt how she did. 

Hannibal muffled a laugh. "I am sure that we all were influenced more than usual,"

"Oh yeah, I just feel awful about it, that isn't who I am at all," She took a bite of the omelette in front of her. "Wow, this is amazing, you should open a restaurant!"

Will shook his head, still remaining quiet. Even he didn't know if what they were eating was pork or something else.

"I am more inclined to work that is art based,"

"I can tell, this looks like art,"

"Thank you, I am glad that you are enjoying it,"

If they had been at a normal table, Will would have long since kicked Hannibal.

"Daniel, you've been pretty quiet, do you have a hangover?" Allison asked. 

"Nope, just tired, that is all," Will grumbled.

Allison giggled. "Feel like Cage should be the one who is tired, and he got up and made us breakfast,"

Hannibal cocked his head to the side, full of wonder. "I beg your pardon?"

"You bottomed from the top which meant more work was involved on your part,"

"How did you know that?" Will asked.

"I have superpowered ears, I could tell based on the sounds being made, just like I heard when breakfast was being made," She explained.

It was then that Will realized they would not be making mini Hannibal clones, but rather mini Hannibal 2.0s. Hannibal had to have known that.

It was kind of incredible how many changes in the plan could occur in less than twenty four hours.  

Chapter Text

Will was afraid he would be forever curious about the location of Allison's eggs. 

However, the location of what was implied to be part of his future children was irrelevant. At least, it was at the time being. He was covered in blood and he just wanted to shower, rid himself of the very thing that had caused him so many revelations in the past. This experience was no different from those. In fact, it might have in some ways been more profound, more thought provoking. 

Hannibal was not the only dark soul. He had believed it to some extent before, knew his heart had a bit of black, but now he felt cold. He had avoided this side of him since they began their life on the run. 

He peeled off his blood soaked clothing, wrapping it in red towels before it all went into the laundry hamper. He turned the water on, temperature as hot as he could tolerate, and stepped underneath the stream. 

The water washed his body clean, the bottom of the bathtub he stood in turning completely red. It almost appeared that the murder he committed had been right under the showerhead. 

It was not as if the man he murdered did not deserve what happened to him, it was simply that he had not been prepared to react as he did. The murderous creature he became the night he killed Francis Dolarhyde had clawed its way out, taking the life of man who tried to assault Allison.

Hannibal knocked on the door of the bathroom. "Will? May I come in?"

"If you want to," Will croaked, unsure if he was going to scream or break down and cry.

Hannibal entered, slowly. "Are you alright?"

Will pulled back the curtain. "I just killed a man,"

"I know that, Will. Are you alright?" Hannibal asked again.

Will looked into the dark, tantalizing eyes, suddenly able to relax. The knots in his shoulders dissolved and he felt as though he might be made of putty. 

Hannibal could influence someone with just a look. 

"Yes," He finally spoke. 

"How did it make you feel?" Hannibal slipped into his old way of handling Will.

Will took a deep breath. "Wonderful,"

"Interesting,"

"Come here," Will gestured at his fiance, stepping back under the stream of water to hide the misleading tears that were beginning to well up in his eyes. 

Hannibal made quick work of removing his clothes, joining Will when he was finished. Will pulled Hannibal's body against him, his hands cupping the perfectly toned ass he desperately wanted to touch. Hannibal moaned into his ear. 

"I find myself incredibly aroused by this part of you, murder suits you," Hannibal whispered.

"It wasn't murder, it was the human equivalent of taking out the trash. He was going to attack Allison, his entire persona read as a sexual predator. I did Allison and the rest of the world a favor." 

"How did you do it?"

"Hand to hand combat, my knife, my teeth..." Will told him. 

"Your teeth?"

"Yeah, I thought about how you would have ended his life and I did it,"

"You protected Allison because of the gift she has given us and you have prevented further crimes," Hannibal smiled. "You should be proud," 

"I really should be. I am." Will smiled back, all weight from the event lifted off of his shoulders. 

"You have no idea how happy that makes me," Hannibal said before taking Will in a simple kiss. 

Will took the kiss further, moving his hands up the expanse of Hannibal's strong back. 

"Let's be honest, I kinda have an idea about how happy it makes you, we have played this game before," Will told Hannibal as the kiss broke.

"Not like this, we haven't, allow me to show you,"

Hannibal dropped to his knees. His new task involving Will's throbbing erection.

***

"I still do not feel remorse for what I did, but that does not mean that I plan on making a habit of it and doing it every night like Batman," Will told Hannibal for what could have very well been the ten millionth time. 

"Batman does not kill those he brings to justice, you are thinking more along the lines of a Daredevil mixed with The Punisher type of character,"

Will scrunched up his nose. "Why the hell do you know any of that?"

"Just because I do not partake in the indulgences of the typical pop culture fare does not mean I live in a box and have not been acquainted with such," Hannibal explained, devilish grin on his face.

"You are going to make a wonderful father," Will said in response, half sarcastic. 

"I certainly intend to be one,"

***

The world was changing all around them. Quick and terrifying and fantastic. Better even because a date was selected for them to marry. A small, but elegant ceremony to be held in the Seattle area. Compromise made for the purpose of avoiding needing a dog sitter and avoiding setting off any warning systems on an international flight. 

They would spend a long weekend in the city. Hannibal had planned it to the very last detail. A mix of both styles, a laid back elegance. 

There was something he did on the side, a trick that would taunt those they left behind. Will had only been told about the idea, he was never informed that it was actually done. Wine bottles announcing their marriage, but decorated with a private label that had their real names and a false date. It still amused the occasionally deranged, definitely demented cannibal. 

He was especially excited knowing that Jack would receive a bottle, always had been. 

Completely untraceable. 

Will packed their bags for the trip based on what Hannibal was willing to tell him. The secretive aspect of the ordeal was not something he was a fan of, but allowed it after he had shot down so many of the things Hannibal suggested. It was still going to be an incredibly glamourous affair, despite its size, this was Hannibal.

"I hope you know that I think you are a bitch," Will sang, a little angry because he was the only one actually packing.

Hannibal sipped his wine. "I appreciate your opinion, Will,"

"And, you are a brat,"

"If those are the words you wish to use to describe me, I do not mind,"

"I love you, you beautiful bastard,"

Hannibal grabbed Will by the arm and made him fall into his lap, almost spilling his wine. "I love you,"

"Are you sure we can't just get married here?"

"Everything has already been booked,"

Will nipped at Hannibal's jaw. "You're certain that there isn't something I could do to change your mind?"

"No, I think not, but please continue in the direction you are headed, I am very interested in seeing the way that you planned on changing my mind," 

"Damn, it seems like I have forgotten how I was going to do that," Will chuckled, getting out of Hannibal's lap. "You are not going to put your hands on me until we say 'I do',"

Hannibal stared up at Will, slack jawed. He couldn't believe the words that he heard come out of Will's mouth. This made him want to up the ante. 

"You cannot socialize with the dog until then, either,"

Will almost shouted, but he reeled it in. "Fine. It is only for five days. You will crack first. It is just a dog." He was lying, Hannibal knew he was lying.

"I accept the challenge,"

Chapter Text

Hannibal was sitting on the floor at the coffee table, a mess laid out before him. 

It looked like he had dissected what was in front of him, separating the different elements, despite there really only being two.

Will was pretty sure that meant Hannibal had lost his mind.

"What are you looking at, Will? I can feel your eyes from over here." Hannibal called across the room.

Will wondered how long Hannibal knew he had been standing there.

Hannibal turned his head back to look at him. "What are you looking at?"

"You. What the hell are you doing?" 

"Eating a muffin," Hannibal replied blankly.  

Will came around from behind the couch, sitting down and getting a closer look at the food mess. "That is definitely not the way any sane person eats a muffin,"

"I should correct myself, I WAS eating the muffin. What I am doing now, is trying to find a blueberry."

"So it is a blueberry muffin without blueberries? And, because of that you have decided the best way to combat such is to break the muffin up into a million, tiny, little pieces?"

Hannibal pulled himself up onto the couch to sit beside Will. "It is very rare for me to eat something of this variety if I have not prepared it myself, a lovely brunette woman who worked at the store recommended it, I gave in and purchased it. A vegan blueberry muffin. I know what you are thinking, Will, why was I bothering with a vegan muffin? I did not prepare it, so a healthier alternative where I could identify all of the ingredients was the only option. There are no blueberries, there never were any, and now I am disappointed and left with a mess."

Will shook his head. "You are the blueberry muffin, Hannibal, you are a mess,"

"Nonsense, I am usually very well put together and I have blueberries."

"And, because you say things like that, I have to stick with what I have said," 

Hannibal shrugged it off. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed what was necessary to clean up the crumbles. After he returned, he made use of the items he intended for cleaning and made the coffee table look as good as new. 

Then his attention was changed to Will. He leaned into his fiance, nuzzling against his shoulder. He moved along his arm until he decided that was not enough. He leaned up and tried to kiss Will. 

Will did not let him. 

He attacked Will's neck, peppering the skin at the most sensitive points with light pecks. 

"I find that there is nothing that I want to do more than fulfil your innermost desires," Hannibal whispered in Will's ear.

"That is cute, babe, does that mean you have cracked?" Will chuckled. 

Hannibal groaned, but eventually did back away from Will. He absolutely refused to be the one who broke down first. He fancied himself stronger mentally than Will, he was definitely stronger physically. It was only four more days, then he would be able to make love to his fiance. It was only four more days, Will would want to play with the dog. He had suffered periods longer than this without the touch he craved from his empath. The first that came to mind was the three years he spent in the BSHCI. 

"Not at all," 

Of course, the time he dedicated to professions rooted in medicine and mental health taught him another fact, that one often did not quit a drug without symptoms of withdrawal. Will was a drug, one with an everlasting high. Hannibal was an addict, whose ability to function as a human was affected directly by the dosage. 

Seattle was in trouble. They were not prepared for what was about to hit them. 

***

The drive was going to take almost thirteen hours. Hannibal was going to drive most of the way, promising that he would switch with Allison or Will should he get too tired. Everything was already waiting in the trunk of the rental car waiting for them. 

Will was still trying to understand why Allison was joining them. He did get along with her, and Hannibal adored her, but they did take her eggs and decide to not use her as a surrogate so the friendliness was becoming a bit confusing. He supposed they did need a witness, regardless if she was essentially lying because she did not know who they really were. Hannibal told Will that she would be useful to them again in the long run.

The neighbors were going to look after Selena while they were gone. She had a heart wrenching look of sadness in her eyes as they got inside the vehicle. She wasn't used to Will not interacting with her and now she had to deal with him being away for four days. It made his heart ache. 

"Daniel, Cage, are you excited?" Allison asked as she slid into the backseat of the Impala. "Ooh, this is nice, you should probably buy this car when you are done? This backseat is enormous!"

Hannibal glanced back at the redhead. She was in support of his plight after she found out what they were doing. She was being suggestive and everyone knew it. Will just rolled his eyes. 

"I selected this car for that reason, luxury wise, anyways. I simply did not feel comfortable driving my car for this duration of time, did not want to put that many miles on it, either."

"I don't blame you, I certainly would not have been willing to drive my own car this long, and my car is nowhere near as impressive as yours," Allison said with a chuckle. "But, in all seriousness, are the two of you excited that you are about to get married?"

"About, would imply that there was not a significant amount of time remaining before the ceremony. I find the current duration much longer than I previously thought. Such a short four days and yet, it almost makes me recall when we spent a much longer gap apart." Hannibal said in typical way. At some point he felt comfortable enough around her to drop his accent and Will was really curious as to when that was. He still kept in the contacts, however.

"I am excited that we are about to get married," Will interjected. "I am so happy that I am going to spend the rest of my life with this man,"

Hannibal's eyes lit up. "You certainly know many ways into a man's heart,"

"Yet none of those ways are through your stomach," Will laughed lightly. "That is my advice to you, Allison, find a man who can cook, they are usually, at least in this case, are so good with their hands."

"That is utter nonsense, Daniel, and you know it," Hannibal said, shaking his head.

"I don't know, Cage, I have seen your hands and I have heard what you do to Daniel, it can't be that much nonsense," Allison said with a wink.

Hannibal had not realized the consequences of his actions until this point. He enjoyed Allison's company, her thought processes, even, but he had not anticipated what it would be like to spend the duration of a thirteen hour car ride with her. 

And, he left the sedatives in the trunk. 

Will tuned them out. He put headphones in his ears and shut himself off from whatever ridiculousness was about to transpire between the two of them. He turned towards the window, he would sleep before he would indulge the two alpha dogs about to battle it out in wits. He just hoped that Allison would still be alive when he returned to reality.

***

Will woke up in a jolt from a dream about Alana. He was reminded of the phone call he received, despite never actually being able to confirm it was her due to fear. He dreamt she visited him, disgusted with his choices, particularly his choice of lover. 

When he looked around the car, it was just Allison and Hannibal. The only differences was that Allison was now driving and Hannibal was laying across the backseat with his eyes closed. 

"Welcome back, good to see you are still with us," Allison whispered, barely taking her eyes off of the road. 

Will leaned against the headrest, turned just enough so that he could watch Hannibal sleep. "Damn, I love him, so much,"

"He takes on a different persona when he is sleeping. Hauntingly beautiful. It is super weird."

"I could watch him sleep for hours," Will said, smiling.

"Have at it, but you are going to be sleeping next to him until one of you dies or gets pissed off enough at one another,"

"This is different,"

Chapter Text

"Oh my..." Will lost his ability to speak. He was pretty sure that he was about to lose his ability to stand any second. Motor function was certainly limited. He sort of just stood, mouth agape, waiting for someone to breathe the life back into him. 

They were only standing in the lobby. The beautiful, completely unbelieveable and immaculate lobby of the Edgewater.

Hannibal walked around to stand in front of his fiance. He waved a hand in front of his face, making sure he was not lapsing into some shock induced episode. He wasn't even sure why he would be in shock, but he wanted to be certain that it was not the case. Will needed to be in tip top shape for their visit to the county records office.

"Did you break him?" Allison asked, walking in behind the two men carrying most of the bags. Hannibal grinned, finally realizing the young woman's true purpose in his life. 

"I did not...I hope," Hannibal half mumbled. 

Will's hand shot up and latched onto Hannibal's wrist to prevent him from waving his hand anymore. "Would you stop that?"

"I was simply ensuring that you were still with us, I apologize," Hannibal said softly.

"I have decided that this needs to be a part of my memory palace," WIll told him, wide eyed. 

"Just wait until you see the room, my dear boy," Hannibal whispered, lips almost grazing against Will's ear. 

Now, he actually was out of it, not just experiencing a sensory overload. His hands trembled as he reached out to grab onto Hannibal, had to make contact with some part of him and prove that he was real. 

"Allison," Hannibal called her over. "Daniel and I have a private suite with a view of the water, very private and secluded, however, I have not forgotten about you."

"What?" She asked, sweet smile overtaking her pink lips. Those lips that reminded Hannibal so much of Will's.

"I kept it a surprise, but I wanted to thank you for coming and you have a room that I believe will be to your liking."

"Aw, Cage, you shouldn't have,"

"I should and did, you will be quite comfortable and are free to use all amenities provided. There is one thing, however, that you must agree to and it is important."

"Absolutely, anything,"

"Do not talk to anyone about why you are here or who you are here with, remain oblivious and ignorant, only leaving the hotel if we come for you," Hannibal explained, his voice stern and completely void of any inflections. 

Allison nodded, still appearing as if her happiness might spill out of her. "I can do that, that is fine,"

"Thank you, Allison, your actions are highly appreciated, I can assure you," 

"Can we stop standing in the middle of this lobby like three idiots and check in? Last time I checked, we need to get a marriage license today in order for your plan to work." Will piped in.  

"Yes, yes, certainly," 

***

The suite was just as incredible as the lobby. A master bedroom, a living room with a dining area, and the most lovely bathroom. More importantly, to Will, was the bar. He actually wanted to pass out drunk on the bed and the sooner it happened, the better. 

He turned around, wanting to throw himself at his fiance. Hannibal's artificially blue eyes tipped him off. That was not his Hannibal. Those were not the maroon eyes that appeared a wonderful shade of amber in the sunlight. This was not Hannibal. This was Micajah. He hated it. 

"What do you think, Will?" Hannibal asked, staying at arm's length, despite the fact that Will would have melted to his touch.

"It is incredible, those pictures on the site you showed me were of another room, you were keeping this a surprise and I love it," Will was on the verge of beginning to ramble. 

"This is all because I love you and want this experience to be one you never, ever forget,"

Will took one small step forward. "It is already imbedded in my brain,"

Hannibal resisted reaching out once more, wanting to caress the cheek of the man he loved. He kept at bay. "Come along, Will, we need to get going if we are going to make it, grab the documents and meet me downstairs,"

"Where will you be?"

"Taking up a new habit," Hannibal patted the unopened pack of cigarettes in his pocket. 

"Bullshit, I don't believe that for a minute,"

"Because it is exactly that, something being done for show, I am fully aware of the laws regarding smoking in this state so it will become my bait,"

"You want to eat a smoker?"

"No, I am going to eat the person who tries to stop me from my freedom,"

"How long is this going to take, exactly?"

"Just scoping out the pens for the time being," Hannibal said before turning away. 

Will's eyes followed the slope of Hannibal's backside with his eyes, landing on his perfect ass. As much as he had acted like the lack of sexual contact had not bothered him, it was killing him on the inside. He hadn't realized how much he invested emotionally on that aspect of their lives since it became a full part. The sex was damn good, and he had become partial to that ass in his view riding his throbbing cock. 

He crossed the room swiftly to catch Hannibal before he went out the door. He grabbed and squeezed, causing the older man to jolt and slam the door shut before spinning towards Will.

"Yeah, I see you, I know what you're thinking, but I'm not sorry,"

Hannibal licked his lips. "You are quite the tease,"

"You were the one wearing the pants that made your ass look like something I wanted to grab, wanted to be inside of,"

"Will, not until after the wedding," Hannibal told him with a wicked smile turning up the corners of his lips. The balance of power leaning more towards him, new leverage joining the little game.

"Maybe,"

***

Hannibal and Will signed the document that entitled them to get married. Will was most definitely still married to Molly, but Daniel had never entered into such an agreement. 

It almost pained Will to not sign his real name. His marriage essentially a lie on multiple levels. Yet, at the same exact time, it was the most legitimate thing he had ever done, because it was representative of how much he loved Hannibal.

As the two walked outside Hannibal stopped. He gave Will a peck on the cheek. "Mano meile,"

"What does that mean?"

"My love,"

Will took the knot of Hannibal's tie in his hand, sliding down the length just a little and yanking him forward. "Stop being so damn cute, just shut up and kiss me,"

Chapter Text

There had been plenty of good reasons why Will did not like the sight of giant, black SUVs. They always seemed to show up with bad news, or they were the bad news. Seeing one made him think of Jack, especially, and it was not exactly bad, but was decidedly not the best thing, either. 

So, one could imagine why one pulling up beside him would make him uneasy. This being even more true when the driver of the vehicle was catcalling at him.

He tried to ignore it. It was rather unsuccessful, to the nth degree. He considered walking back into the hotel, watching from the windows instead of being this close to the Suburban, until he realized just what was going on.

The back window rolled down just enough for the person in the backseat to speak their mind. "I highly suggest that you get in the car, Daniel,"

Hannibal. The slimy bastard also known as his fiance was up to another one of his infamous I-am-elegant-and-amazing-and-full-of-surprises plays. Will knew this sort of thing was going to be sprung on him over the course of their stay in Seattle, but he wasn't exactly sure that he was in the mood.

The driver catcalled again. He did not know the voice off the top of his head, but he was becoming more aware of how many people were in the large vehicle. And, this was in part to him being able to see Allison's bright red hair when the window was cracked open that indicated she was in the passenger seat. 

"Daniel, did you hear me?" Hannibal asked, door now open for Will to join.

He nodded, reluctance as he moved forward. Odds were leaning towards this outing being one that was either really fucking weird or was really going to make him uncomfortable. It didn't matter which. It was his luck.

"Let's get to gettin'," Allison called, craning her head around to look at Will who was halfway into the backseat at this point. 

"You are as stubborn as..." Hannibal began.

Will cut him off. "...as stubborn as you?"

"That sounds about right," Allison chuckled. 

Will settled into his seat right next to Hannibal. 

The woman in the driver's seat turned her head back and smiled. It took everything out of him not to make a sound. If he was not completely crazy, the woman was none other than Chiyoh. Hannibal's protector. Will had to wonder if she was going to be in attendance at the ceremony, since she definitely filled the void of a second witness. 

"Nice to see you, again," Will mouthed.

"I did not want to miss it," She replied. "I refused to miss it,"

"That reminds me, where are we going?" Will asked Hannibal.

Hannibal caressed Will's cheek. "What, might I ask, puts you in the frame of mind to think that I would be willing to spoil this surprise?"

"I guess I don't really know," Will assessed the situation further, taking in the strange atmosphere of the vehicle, everything was dark, except for some reason Hannibal. "You are scaring me."

"Why is that, my dear?" 

Will placed his hand on Hannibal's thigh, rubbing the tight fabric that covered his skin. "You are wearing jeans, denim jeans,"

"I was unaware that such a thing was to be an issue," 

"A waistcoat and jeans, babe? I'm sorry if I am just a little confused." 

"Where we are going requires a certain level of dress, yet it is not formal. This was what Allison suggested." Hannibal explained.

Now, Will was even more curious about what was going to happen. This opened up plenty of room for insane possibilities. 

"You are wearing jeans!" 

***

"We will be back for you two in about three hours," Allison told Hannibal and Will when they were dropped off. 

This literally was the least discreet place in all of Seattle. No amount of sunglasses or contacts, or even Hannibal's fresh haircut could hide them in plain sight. They would have been less noticeable if they would have worn t-shirts with their names on them. Will could picture it vividly in his mind, people would stare, but none of them would see. 

SkyCity. A rotating restaurant. In the Space Needle. Which, was just a catchy name for observation tower and landmark. It was bizarre for Will to process. The other appearances that they made in public had always been local businesses or just distracting enough for them to slip by completely silently. 

Hannibal took Will's hand, interlocking their fingers. They really were going to do this.

Will sighed. They might as well have called Molly and told her to bring the entire FBI and the Verger-Bloom clan. 

Will was about to protest, make them turn back. He was persuasive. He could have taken the upper hand, used his sensuality to lure his man into a scenario that was much safer.

Illogical reasoning had caused him to have a chain that went from cafes and coffee shops to books to everyone in the city having a vague idea of who Hannibal was when they walked by, but as it was illogical, it was also irrational.

His protests fell when he was inside. Hannibal kissed the top of Will's hand before letting go. Will was frozen in place, again.

"What are you thinking about, Will?" Hannibal asked, amused by the silence and the adorably dumbfounded expression on his beloved's face. 

"How is this possible? How is this place empty?" Will spoke slowly, wrapping his head around the insanity of it all.

"Money can usually take care of even the most belittling of requests," Hannibal told him, placing a hand on the small of his back.

"The amount of money that you have sometimes takes me by surprise," 

"I do not see how that is ever possible, considering everything that I have done with or without you." 

They had the entire restaurant to themselves. Everything was at their disposal. A table close to the window was selected, before hand considering Hannibal's prearranged bottle of wine sitting on the flat surface.

Hannibal pulled out the chair for Will to sit in and he graciously did so, leaning into Hannibal's warm touch. The older man sat across from him, both hands lying in front of him on the table. Those hands. They things those long fingers were capable of doing major damage on Will's psyche, not even beginning to touch on the things that his fingers were able to do to Will's body.

"I love this, that you do so much for me," Will said to Hannibal, tears in his eyes. The profound love spilling out of him in small waves.

"It is because I love you," Hannibal replied to the other man, lacing their fingers together again. "I love you..."

"I love you, too,"

"I love your eyes, your hair, your pale white skin, especially with just a light touch of color from the beautiful sun," 

The waiter came to their table at that moment, interrupting Hannibal's speech before it even got off the ground. Hannibal licked his lips, eyes drifting over the frame of the male standing in front of them. Dinner had been served.

Chapter Text

"Hannibal!" Will shouted in a low tone, kicking the shin of the man seated across from him at the table.

"Why did you kick me?" He asked in response, not feeling like his actions deserved that sort of punishment.

"You forget, I can see you, I know that your gears are grinding inside that brain, you want to add something new to the menu," Will explained.

"Is that so wrong?" 

"Yes! Do. Not. Kill. Him." Will commanded, darkness in his eyes. "He is just a waiter, he is not evil, and he will be back at our table any minute."

Hannibal swallowed. "I cannot promise you that I will not do what I am driven to do to all that are rude,"

"Speaking poetically is not going to change my stance on this,"

Hannibal's ears seemed to move backwards like a dog being scolded. "Fine,"

What had started out as a romantic evening had switched to something quiet and businesslike. They sat in silence, only taking the time to speak when it was time to order. 

Hannibal continued eyeballing the waiter like he was something to eat, literally. 

As each interaction with the waiter occurred, Will began to see what it was that had triggered Hannibal's desire to murder. The man really was insufferably rude. More of it was directed towards Hannibal, but Will picked up on it. People of high intelligence were usually not rude to Hannibal if they valued their lives, too bad this fool didn't have a single clue. 

Hannibal was so hell bent on the waiter that he was barely eating the food that was in front of him. 

"Oh my god, just do it," Will sighed, silence killing him just enough to give in.

Hannibal raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure about that, Will?"

Will held up a finger to signal Hannibal to hold on. He pulled out his phone, appearing to check the time. "What is Chiyoh's number? How can I get a hold of her?"

Hannibal grabbed Will's phone and typed in the number. "Here. What do you need?"

"I need her to come get us, without Allison, because we have to transfer roughly 163 pounds of meat to a location safe enough for you to extract whatever it is you want. I am not going to have you give me the silent treatment until the end of time." Will explained as he hit the call button. 

"No," Hannibal shook his head. "I will be just fine."

"Obviously that is a lie because you are picking at your food like it is disgusting and you can't stop looking at the waiter,"

Hannibal grabbed Will's hand. "That is because it is disgusting and I know that with the proper marinade that man will be delicious,"

Chiyoh responded to Will's call with a text. She was going to be there in no more than ten minutes, regardless of what Hannibal had to say about it. Will was the new man with the plan. Chiyoh could work to his advantage, too.

"Come on, let's go," Will said as he got up from his seat. "Our ride is going to be here soon."

"I said I was going to be fine," Hannibal protested. 

Will grabbed Hannibal by the chin. "Stop being a petulant child and get the fuck up or you will never, ever see me naked again,"

Hannibal pulled away, but did eventually stand. He followed Will, half sulking the entire way, and more angry that he did not kill the waiter when he had the chance since it was definitely not happening now. 

***

Chiyoh took them to another restaurant. Will sat in the passenger seat, forcing Hannibal to take the back. They stopped communicating again. 

Of course, things seemed to change roughly ten minutes later. 

"Will, this is not a place that is easy to get into, you need a reservation." Hannibal informed his irritated fiance.

Will turned back to look at Hannibal. "Yes, interesting story about that, I already know,"

"I am wearing jeans," Hannibal added.

"This is also something that I am fully aware of, mostly because I have noticed how good you look in them," 

"The rest of your suit is in the back," Chiyoh interjected.

"Well, I suppose the last thing that I shall ask is how you managed to pull this off, I am quite amazed," 

"I did my research, and I have met you,"

"Intriguing,"

"I certainly hope so,"

***

Canlis. A stunning fine dining establishment that seemed more up to par with Hannibal's tastes. They had an entire private dining room to themselves, again. Only this time there was only one well dressed host who would check on them, roughly every thirty minutes. Everything else was completely ready and waiting for them. 

"Will, you have really outdone yourself," Hannibal said as he took Will in a tight embrace. "How could you have ever done such an amazing thing? I am the one who is supposed to be surprising you."

"Funny how that works, isn't it?" Will said with a wink, before dropping his guard completely and kissing his beloved.

"You have always been unpredictable, Will, and I have loved you even more because of it," 

They took their seats, closer to each other this time. Close enough that their hands often brushed. 

Hannibal was actually hungry by this point, beginning to eat a little off of all the dishes in front of them. Will took in the sight with a smile. He liked to see Hannibal indulge, be himself, be the foodie and the freak. 

He was absolutely entranced by the fact that a restaurant produced the food in front of him. There was no conformity to it, however, because of the set up. It was more like a free-for-all. He loved it.

Will found himself instantly turned on. He grabbed the back of Hannibal's head, pulling him into a lusty, passionate kiss that left them both reeling. 

Hannibal broke the kiss to catch his breath. "I would very much like to see you naked tonight,"

"Mm," Will purred, wanting to take him to bed right that very moment.

"Could I possibly see just what I want?" Hannibal asked, a feral part of him raging inside.

"Mmhmm,"

"Even though I am supposed to wait until after the wedding?" 

"Yes, yes, please take me," Will whined, moving to sit in Hannibal's lap. Hannibal was hard. 

"I am going to need you to get off of me, Will,"

"Right, right," Will stood up and grabbed Hannibal's hand, yanking him to his feet. "I want you to...split me in two..."

"I can do that," Hannibal growled, throwing a fifty down on the table for the tip. He was going to ensure that Will could barely walk.

Chapter Text

"Fuck!" Will shouted as Hannibal's tongue licked a part of him he had no idea was so damn sensitive to that type of touch. "Fuck!"

Hannibal ran his tongue lower, and in this position that meant his mouth had made contact with Will's balls and the base of his hard cock. 

Will's legs were trembling beneath Hannibal's teasing touch. He was lost in the feeling, his entire body on fire as sparks flew every time he felt Hannibal's fingertips.

This was the purest bliss. A state of euphoria washing over his entire being.

Hannibal pressed his tongue flat against the underside of Will's shaft. He waited until Will looked back, wanting to make eye contact before trailing to the tip. 

Will shoved his face down into the pillow to keep from shouting out. 

Hannibal stopped, crawling up Will's body. He grabbed his hair, yanking him back to expose his neck. "I would much rather hear you scream,"

Will panted, Hannibal's body heat only making matters worse. "Isn't that...inconsiderate?"

"Will, we are in the penthouse suite," Hannibal replied dryly, slithering back down Will's thin body.

Hannibal grabbed one of Will's calves and whipped him onto his back. His wide, blue eyes pumped with desire as he looked up at him. Once more, Hannibal put himself at level with Will, licking Will's lips to entice him further. Will whimpered in response, hating himself for making the sound.

Hannibal leaned back on his knees. He took in the sight of his fiance. Just looking at him was enough, but he wanted more. 

"Why don't you stop staring at me and start fucking me?" Will asked suggestively, sitting up to try bringing Hannibal closer. 

The older man raised an eyebrow, full of hungry lust. He gripped his thick cock, pressing into Will's backside. Will hissed, but he relaxed and pushed himself further into onto Hannibal's rod. 

Just as Hannibal thrust fully into Will's tight ass, there was a loud knock at the door. A persistent and annoying one, at that. Hannibal groaned. He could not believe this was happening. 

He tried to get off of Will to answer the door, but he held onto him. 

"You expect me to be able to finish with that knocking?" Hannibal asked.

Will shook his head. "I guess not..." Disappointment in his face and in his cock. 

Hannibal pulled out completely and grabbed his pants off of the floor, sans the boxer briefs he had been wearing before. Will watched intently as the fabric was pulled up over that magnificent ass. 

"This is rude," He grumbled, ready to walk out the door as soon as he buttoned himself. "Who is it?" 

"It is Allison and Claire," Allison's voice responded. "We have to see you."

He couldn't help thinking that it sounded a bit strange. 

Will joined him, wearing his pajama pants low on his hips. "You should just stop wearing underwear all together, babe, you would be doing a great service to the entire population, especially me,"

"Should I allow Allison and Chiyoh into our room?" Hannibal asked.

Will grumbled. "Nothing good ever happens when you open the door to our hotel room,"

"Should I or should I not allow Allison and Chiyoh into our room?" He asked, again, more sternly.

"Yes..." Will finally replied, but not before getting a shot at placing his hands on Hannibal's hips.

Hannibal moved Will's hands and moved forward. He opened the door, both women entering with completely different expressions on their faces. 

Allison looked as if she might get stuck in the wide smile that stretched her pretty lips across the width. Chiyoh was stoic, a product of Hannibal's construction. Will could have laughed if it had not been for the fact that he was a bit perturbed by them disrupting the very promising sex he was about to have with his very-very-soon-to-be husband.

That was downright rude, if he did say so himself. Unfortunately, he would not get to see either woman become the target of Hannibal's slaughter. He wasn't sure what kind of person that made him, or if it was literally just a factor of the current situation.

"Were we interrupting?" Allison asked, not giving up on her crazy grin.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Hannibal informed her. 

She was sizing him up, very aware of the fact that Hannibal had decided to answer the door without a shirt on and those pants were probably, at least, a little too small. Will caught her gaze, just feeding his irritation. He was not a fan of her eyefucking his man, especially in those pants. 

"I'm sorry that I am not more sorry about it, it is just, time," She told him with great certainty. 

Chiyoh, always the creepy silent Asian, was silent, despite her also running her eyes up Hannibal's frame. A different reason from Allison's, but very much obvious. 

"What is it time for?" Will asked.

"To separate the two of you, before the wedding," She began. "I will take you and Claire will stay with Cage. Can't see the bride before the wedding."

"Wait, wait a minute. First, you want to separate us for some superstitious reason and then, you want to refer to me as a bride. I'm not sure that I support this."

"C'mon, Daniel, it was bound to be you, look at Cage,"

Hannibal held back a smile. "We are both going to be each other's husbands, there are no brides in this scenario,"

Will didn't hold back his own smile. "Thank you,"

"Whatever. No one cares about the specifics. You are still coming with me, you are still not going to see each other right before the wedding. I have decreed it, so it shall be true."

Will wanted to reach out at slap her. Damn her for her strength, confidence, and personality traits that screamed loud and obnoxious version of Hannibal. 

"Can I protest and leave this room kicking and screaming?" Will asked.

Hannibal shook his head. "I would not recommend doing that, I will see you at the ceremony, my love," 

They shared a longing kiss. Allison had to drag Will by the arm and took him out of the room. He breathed in. He didn't have to worry about it, or rather, was trying to not worry about. He could just hope that the time passed fast. He only wanted to be in Hannibal's arms. 

This was stupid. 

This was exciting. 

Chapter Text

And, so all of the time leading up to the moment he walked down the aisle was going to be with Allison. 

So far, he was plotting ways to murder her. 

The only reason that Will had not acted any of them out was because he didn't want to have to find another witness at the last minute. That would have been annoying and even last minute, slightly time consuming. The idea was not to prolong this event. 

She was being so stereotypical Maid of Honor that he also put that into consideration. He needed to be nice to her. She was not an awful person. She just pissed him off. 

For some reason it really hit him. Much like finding out about Hannibal's extracurriculars.

"How excited are you?" She asked, gushing.

"I was excited to have sex tonight, not to sit in a room decorated with union jack pillows and you," Will responded flatly. His phone was in front of his face, texting Hannibal and very tempted to video chat. He didn't, but he was tempted.

"Don't be like that, Dan, you will get to have lots of sex after the wedding," She chuckled. "This is tradition,"

"Tradition? Really? I don't even think tradition is a valid defense against this because nothing about this marriage or how we got here is traditional." Will told her.

"Hey! This isn't even my fault!" She shouted.

Will raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't?"

"Nope,"

"Then...who?" He was treading lightly, having the biggest hunch that he was not going to like the answer. Deciding he knew it before she replied.

"Your fiance, the one who is all for tradition,"

"That is why he told me to go, that is why he told me not to protest, oh my god, he really is a manipulative bastard,"

"I honestly figured that he would have told you before hand and not been doing what you were doing before I knocked,"

"You don't say?" Will grumbled, sending a simple 'i know your secret' to Hannibal before setting his phone to the side. Now, he wasn't even pissed at Allison. He was, however, going to donkey kick Hannibal in the face next time his mouth was anywhere near his ass as retribution.

His phone vibrated a moment later with the reply, but he didn't look at the screen or bother to reply.

"Soo...what should we do next? I could...I really don't know because I have never been a Maid of Honor for a man."

"Um..."

"Well, I don't know. Should we paint each other's nails or something because it is a special event. Help me out here, Daniel."

Will contemplated his answer. If he had not been angry as a fucking demon this would have been easier to decide. That was not the case, but he was improving.

"You know, if you have black...I'll let your paint my toes."

"Awesome, c'mon, you know I have black,"

"The only other color I would allow is a deep, bloody maroon, because I think that would compliment my skin...did I seriously just say that? He did that to me, that was not me, that was him speaking through me." Will sat back, wide eyed and terrified by his own voice.

Allison could not stop laughing. Literally. She probably couldn't breathe, either.

***

Hannibal laid back on the bed, watching Chiyoh on her laptop. He was still shirtless, wearing nothing but the too tight black pants. He was waiting patiently for Will to reply.

"Have you told him, yet?" Chiyoh asked, breaking the thick silence that had built up in the suite.

Hannibal lifted his head off of the bed to angle his head towards her. "Not yet,"

"When will you?"

"Not yet,"

"Hannibal, it is important,"

"This I understand. Not yet."

Chiyoh shut her laptop and walked over to the bed. She sat down on the edge and looked at Hannibal with concern.

He responded by sitting upright, his eyes burning into hers. He reached a hand out, the backs of his fingers brushing her cheek. He didn't smile. Neither did she.

"I find it hard to deny you anything," She whispered.

"I know," He muttered, moving in closer, his forehead against her shoulder. A strange show of affection.

"When you do tell him, I do not want to be in the room, I feel as though it will make matters worse,"

"I will tell him when we are alone, after the ceremony, but I imagine he will want to speak to you as well,"

Chiyoh turned her head slightly, meeting Hannibal's gaze. She brushed Hannibal's bangs out of his face. She smiled. "You should probably sleep,"

***

Will's body was tingles. He literally felt like he might disintegrate into billions of particles right in front of Allison while she buzzed around him like an overly busy bee. She was making him dizzy.

This whole thing made him feel like a doll. She had a massive color pallet of makeup spread out on the counter. She wanted to bring out the snow white paleness and accentuate his eyes. 

There was a correction to be made: this whole thing made him feel like a porcelain doll.

He wasn't even sure why he was allowing this woman to apply makeup to his face. It was a very natural look that she was going for, but it was still a bit off. He may or may not have been falling into bride mode. 

"Are you going to shave?" She asked, finishing applying mascara to his bottom lashes. 

"Uh, what? No? What's wrong with my beard?" Will asked, nonchalantly rubbing his chin. He would have been harder to hide now, facial hair close to resembling the way he wore it in the FBI. 

"Nothing, Alright," She snapped.

"Does he want me to be clean shaven?" Will started to wonder, knowing how much influence the man he agreed to spend his life with actually was.

"No, this was all me, wondering, sorry," She retreated back into an invisible shell. 

"It is fine. I am just nervous. I didn't think I was going to be nervous."

"I did," She laughed. 

Will sighed. He wasn't sure if he was shaking or shivering or some other third thing. 

He was sure that today he was getting married. And, that somewhere Hannibal was putting on a tuxedo of immaculate beauty. 

He wanted Hannibal to be nervous. 

Chapter Text

Hannibal stood in front of the mirror. Even though his tux, that he had only worn when he made sure it fit, was expensive and a perfect compliment to what Will would wear, he could not begin to get dressed. He had only held it in front of him, looking into that mirror. 

He never expected to feel like this. 

In all of his typical confidence and showmanship, this almost brought him to his knees. 

For the first time, he thought he was not the right man for Will. Thought that he was not good enough. Thought that everything he had done to Will was exactly the reasoning behind all of this. 

But, he loved Will. He loved him with a love that was more than love, especially if he was feeling particularly poetic. 

Chilling and Killing my Annabel Lee. He considered how many times that actually almost happened, including when it was not his fault.

It was not quite as powerful as Dante, but Poe's poem was certainly one that he felt strongly for. For Will.

His phone buzzed with a notification. A picture of Will's feet, freshly painted toenails, with a simple 'I love you'. He blushed. He had been more than a little aware about his almost fetish level adoration for those feet, Will knew this as well. The polish was just a surprising bonus.

He took a deep breath, allowing some of the tension out with it. With that, he began to finally dress. 

There was not a single soul on earth that could touch him like Will did every day. He was a better man for everything that Will was to him. Even better, still.

In just a few short hours it would be just the two of them, and he would show him just how much he cared. He would worship his empath. 

***

Will was finally satisfied with what Allison had done to his face. He looked mostly like his normal self, with some interesting definition in places he thought he had definitely lacked before, but that was the point. 

He put the finishing touches on his tuxedo. The scarlet in his bowtie matching effortlessly with the deep tones in his plaid waistcoat. It had sort of been a silly gesture for Hannibal, since he hadn't seen the actual thing, but Will found it appealing as well. As he pulled on his jacket he fancied himself a bit dapper in the tux. 

"He is going to love it," Allison squealed, tying the halter of her dark navy dress behind her neck. 

"I sure hope so, he only has a rough idea, the colors mostly," Will told her while he fumbled around with his bowtie that he refused to accept was not going to look any better than it did at the present moment. 

"I'm really glad I talked you into the longer tails," Allison giggled, no longer able to contain her emotions, not that that was incredibly different from the way she normally acted around him. Something about manipulative psychopaths feeling like they could show off their true, absolutely out of control sides. 

"I think the look I am presenting here is somewhere between gay conductor and lumbersexual twink," Will mumbled, tugging at the cinched strings that tightened the back of the jacket of his tuxedo. If he had not been the one to pick it out, he probably would have assumed it was made for a woman. Damn his slight waist.

Allison buckled over with laughter. Mostly because it was one hundred percent true. 

Still, Hannibal was going to love it. He was weird. He had weird tastes. It was all fine. 

The end result was really what it was all about. 

***

The world was so much smaller in the afternoon. Only five people existed in it. Only three knew how truly special this day actually was. One more had an idea. The last was an egg donor and sort-of friend. Regardless, they were five people about to experience something magnificent and lovely. 

Hannibal and Chiyoh were already at the beach. So was the marriage officiant. 

Hannibal was a beautiful monster, a vision in black on black. His tie, a scarlet to match Will's bowtie. This same red tone in his lapel. He kept his breathing steady, not allowing Chiyoh or the woman performing the ceremony to see that he was on the verge of fainting. 

Chiyoh was on the lookout. For Will. For Allison. For anyone who might have been a threat. This was going to happen flawlessly or it would happen in a pool of blood. 

Plus, the feminine part of her was very pleased with the way the dress Hannibal bought her looked. 

"Are you ready? It looks like we may have company." The Officiant asked. 

"Yes, let us proceed," Hannibal said with a nod, a smile just barely apparent on his lips.

***

This small, quaint ceremony was actually the most elegant of them all, decorated in reds and blues reminiscent of blood in its different states.

Will inhaled deeply. He turned to Allison, realizing that she was his only friend. Her smile almost killed him. She looked like someone's proud mom. 

"You are going to have to stop looking at me like that," He said, laughing lightly.

"I'm sorry, I can't," 

"I'm going to cry and then I am going to have black lines running down my face," He mumbled. 

"No. No. You can't. You are too handsome and this is supposed to be the happiest day of your life." 

Will bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from crying, taking another deep breath. "I know," 

Today he was going to marry Hannibal Lecter. He would have a husband, to have and to hold and to cherish. It was hard getting there, but he wouldn't have changed it for anything. 

***

Soft music began playing, a job handled by Chiyoh. Allison linked her arm with Will's and they walked down the dimly lit aisle. 

The very moment that Hannibal's eyes found Will in view his breath hitched. He swallowed what was the last of his horribly pointless nervousness and allowed his lips to part, amazed at the beauty he was beholding. 

That was his Will Graham. 

When Will reached Hannibal, the music stopped. Hannibal took Will's hands in his and for a moment they just stood in perfect silence, looking into each other's eyes. 

Will mouthed a silent 'I love you,' before they began.

Hannibal gave the signal to the Officiant with a simple nod.

"On this beautiful day, we are gathered here to join these two men in love and matrimony. This is a bond only entered into with the utmost care and compassion, between two people who promise to be each other's support and each other's better halves. In the short time that I have known this couple, particularly Mr. Morgan, I have realized just how passionate and well matched they are. I am incredibly grateful that I was given the privilege to bring them together. They have each written something they would like to share with the other. Mr. Morgan, if you will."

Hannibal stood up straight. "Mano mylimas, oi kaip as garbinimas uz visus siuos metus. I could spend hours trying to articulate the words that would express just how I feel about you. You are the only one who has ever seen me for who I am and loved me for exactly that. I know that this relationship has had its ups and downs, has been hard and at times completely unbearable, but in all of that it has made us stronger. I love you with every fiber of my being. I promise to do anything in my power to keep you safe, no matter the circumstances. I will be by your side until I take my final breath." He kept himself vague, not giving any details that would potentially expose them in front of those who were unaware of their past lives, but it was deep enough emotionally for Will to understand. 

Will cleared his throat and began to speak next. "You have been a beautiful nightmare for almost the entire time that I have known you. As a friend, as an enemy, as a lover. That being said, I love you just the way you are. I might not always show it, and it took me a long time to realize it, but this is a love unlike any other. No one could stand in your place, for I could not bare to say these words to anyone else. I love you. I love you. I love you. It never gets old saying it, so I know that I want to say it to you, forever."

Allison applauded, teary eyes. 

Stoic Chiyoh was stoic. 

A moment passed, Will clutching a bouquet of flowers and Hannibal resisting the urge to touch Will's face. 

"I, Hannibal Lecter, take thee, Will Graham, to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not yet know, I will respect your integrity and have faith in your abiding love for me, through all of our years, and in all that life brings us." 

Will's eyes grew wide, fear and shock and amazement all at once. He gulped, looking to Allison and to the Officiant, hoping that they didn't actually catch that. But, of course, Allison did, which was why she stood there, slack jawed and maybe a bit entertained.

Since he was going to hell.

"Hannibal, I take thee as my husband, with your faults and your strengths, as I offer myself to you with my faults and my strengths. I will help you when you need help, which in light of recent events will probably be very soon, and turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with I will spend the rest of my life."

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment to you," Hannibal said as he slid the black band up Will's finger, it fitting right on top of Will's engagement ring.

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment to you," Will said before doing just the same.

Will could not believe that Allison had remained silent throughout all of this. But he thought, once again, since he was going to hell.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Washington, I now pronounce you spouses in life, you may now share your first kiss as a married couple," The woman said, voice strong, despite the fact that she wanted to make any sort of comment possible about what had just happened.

Hannibal and Will shared a quick, chaste kiss before parting. Hannibal took Will's flowers, throwing them to the ground, as he pulled Will in a tight embrace and made certain that anyone who could see them knew that Will belonged to him. 

"I present to you...Dr. and Mr. Lecter," She finished the ceremony, feeling a little unsure of what names she was supposed to use. However, she did feel proud of herself for having an idea of who they actually were since she had followed their story. A small grin of satisfaction on her face.

Much like the way Hannibal had laid Allison out before, Chiyoh made sure that Allison was not going to become a problem during their getaway. After everything was complete, it would have been a shame for someone to ruin it now. 

Hannibal shook the Officiant's hand before leaving. "I appreciate what you have done for...my husband and I, Shelley, I could not have pictured anyone else performing this ceremony," His voice was strong, accented, and it didn't even sound like he was the least bit worried.

She blushed, of course, because this man was astonishingly charming psychopath and he was undeniably handsome. "Um...yes, you are welcome?"

He smiled, eyes and mouth, and it was genuine. Will nodded at her, his long eyelashes fluttering over his bright, blue eyes. 

"I suggest, this is between the four of us, redhead on the ground is not privy to the matter," Hannibal added.

"Right! Right. Not a problem. Not one. Happy to assist you." She gushed. 

Hannibal grabbed Will by the arm, dragging him to the closest road where a motorcycle was waiting for them. He handed Will a helmet and told him to hold on. He wanted him to be prepared for a bumpy ride.

Chapter Text

Will's arms were wrapped tightly around Hannibal's waist, holding on through every turn. Hannibal was careful about everything, unless there was a bike in between his legs.

Will had no idea where they were going, but he was excited to finally get there. There was something strangely comforting about trusting his husband to take him to some magical place. 

It was strangely not comforting to trust Hannibal at the same time, just because he was Hannibal, and no matter what Hannibal said, Hannibal still did some really fucked up shit once in awhile.

"Where are we headed?" Will asked, not knowing if Hannibal would be able to hear him. 

"You will see," Was all he got as a response.

***

On the back of a vintage motorcycle, Will was taken to a lodge somewhere just far enough away from the city of Seattle. Private enough. Classy enough. It was still a lodge, at heart, and that meant it felt just a little bit more like home. 

Then he came back down to earth, realizing that home was probably nowhere, considering what kind of stunt Hannibal had just pulled. 

Will was going to miss yet another dog. 

But, there was Hannibal's freakishly strange behavior and awful judgement patterns at work presently, so one could only guess where they would finally sink. 

Hannibal, completely noticeable mirror aviators covering up his natural eye color, checked them into their room. Within a matter of minutes he came back to retrive Will, lifting him up off of the ground, carrying him like a bride. Not a single bit of warning.

Because, in all honesty, Will had definitely ended up being the bride. 

Hannibal opened the door to their room. It was breathtaking. Will gasped at the surprise. Hannibal knew just how to get to him. Made him wonder if he was going to spring something on him. 

Hannibal cross the threshold, sharing a quick kiss with his new husband before laying him down on the bed. 

"Watch, William..." Hannibal said from across the room. His hand was tightened around a thin piece of fabric that covered a small, yet towering structure on the desk. 

Will leaned up on his elbows to get a better look. "I'm watching,"

Hannibal whipped the fabric off like he was a magician. He revealed a three tier cake, scarlet red with blue calla lilies crawling up the sides like a spiral staircase. In lieu of a traditional wedding cake topper, black and white branches that resembled antlers shot from the top. 

"Oh wow, it is...perfect," Will smiled, feeling proud that he had married such a thoughtful and inherently cheeky man.

"Come here," Hannibal gestured. 

Will pulled himself off of the bed and walked over to where his husband was standing. It was there that he was presented with a knife, one that looked like the one Francis stabbed him with and that he stabbed Francis with. 

After the blade was secure in his hand, Hannibal wrapped his own overtop. They sliced into the cake together, feeding small pieces to each other. 

"I love you, Hannibal," Will whispered, running his finger through the dark frosting, dabbing it onto Hannibal's nose. 

Hannibal's eyes crossed to further examine the bit of red gracing his nose. "Are you going to eat me now, Will?"

Will grabbed both sides of Hannibal's face, drawing him in close, licking the sweet frosting off of him. "You are the one who will be doing most of the eating,"

Those words caused heat to rise in Hannibal's cheeks. His blood flow was different, he was aroused, half hard by the sensation of Will's wet tongue lapping against his nose. He gave Will a dangerous look, letting him know just how this was going to unfold. 

"Take off your clothes," Hannibal demanded.

"Okay..." Will began to strip off his clothes, making good use of his ability to tease as each item dropped to the floor. "...What do you plan to do to me, husband?"

"Speak only to me when you have rid yourself of everything covering your body," 

Finally, Will slid down his boxer briefs, exposing his hardening cock to the man only a few feet in front of him. "There,"

Hannibal visibly gulped at the sight of Will's naked frame. He had seen him this way before, but this was the first time it ever felt like this. This time he was seeing the man he now called husband. He was exquisite. 

He quickly shrugged off his jacked, unbuttoning his shirt and throwing his tie to the side. He was determined, if anything, to turn Will into a quivering pile of aftershocks before the night was through.

"You look...amazing," Hannibal said, running his eyes up and down the pale skin that moved with muscle and bone and it was lovely. 

Hannibal inhaled. He needed strategy. 

He needed to claim what belonged to him. 

Will walked backwards with every step Hannibal took forward. He leaned up against the bed, waiting for him to join. As soon as he was close enough, he wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him down on top of him, kissing him hard and desperate. 

"How hard is it going to be to get you to eat me?" Will whispered, rich seduction making his voice hoarse.

He was met with a wet, needy kiss that hardly remained on his lips, attacking his chin and his jawline, his clavicle. And, two hands found firm grip on his hips, squeezing hard enough to leave bruises. An animalistic growl through bared teeth.

Hannibal pushed him further onto the bed. His steady hands quickly maneuvering him into the perfect spot.

Will spread his legs apart, waiting for contact. Hannibal grabbed them, moving them even further. A moment passed. He did absolutely nothing.

Will was yearning for Hannibal to touch him. He needed friction. He needed the man in his bed to take the next step.

Hannibal lifted Will's hips up, dipping low enough to taste the skin of his inner thigh. Teeth grazed against the most sensitive areas, causing twitches and tiny whimpers for more.

His mouth found Will's perineum, teasing until he was beginning to tremble. Anticipation brought him spiraling, barely able to catch his breath once Hannibal's tongue finally met the tight entrance of his hole, licking enthusiastically. Putting pressure in just the right spot. 

He ran a trail back up to Will's throbbing cock, giving equal attention to all parts. He placed his tongue flat against the underside of the shaft, running up to the tip. Tongue dancing for added effect. Then he took all of the length in his mouth.

Will let out a wild cry, back arching and hands latching onto Hannibal's hair, pulling lightly.

"Allow me," Will gasped, using the hair he held onto to lift the head right off of his dick.

Will pulled Hannibal forward, grabbing his ass once he was within reach. Hannibal felt strange, his knees on either side of Will's shoulders, but he trusted the pleasure. 

Will leaned his head up a little, taking a moment to sample the precum he slicked back on Hannibal's manhood. He wrapped a full hand around it, pleased with the length and the girth. So, he took as much of it as he could into his mouth.

Hannibal placed his hands on the headboard for leverage. He shoved his cock deeper inside of Will's mouth, fucking into him without remorse. Will allowed him, suctioning his lips tightly around, humming. 

The angle and size of Hannibal gagged Will till his eyes watered. Lines of black trailed from his eyes as Hannibal continued. The gagging noises only encouraged him. 

Will choked around Hannibal's cock, forgetting to breathe through his nose. 

Hannibal finally stopped. 

Will found a new level of control, power. He moved fast, shoving Hannibal down onto his back. He crawled on top, straddling the older man, pinning him down into the mattress. 

He took one of Hannibal's hands, sucking the fingers, making them slick with saliva. He twirled his tongue around the tips, eliciting all sorts of moans from the man beneath him.

He put those very fingers on his ass, encouraging Hannibal to make the next move. Hannibal slid two of them inside, slow and tender, scissoring apart and putting taunting amount of pleasure against his prostate.

A third finger slid inside.

Will swatted Hannibal's hand away. He wanted the real thing. He reached behind himself, grabbing Hannibal's shaft and lead it inside, impaling completely.

He rocked his hips back and forth, creating a steady rhythm and making Hannibal moan. He clenched around him, moving all the way up before slamming back down again.

"Will...Will..." Hannibal mumbled in between cries of pleasure.

He continued, hips moving rapidly as he felt the fullness of Hannibal's thick rod deep inside of him. He rocked harder, his body covered in a shimmery sweat as he rode Hannibal as hard as he could.

He could feel Hannibal's hips bucking upwards, his entire body wanting release. Hannibal clawed his nails down Will's body, intent to draw blood for symbolic reasons.

"HANNIBAL!" Will screamed. "Hannibal! Fuck! Fuck!" He was nearing his end, neglected cock needing to be touched.

Hannibal wrapped his arms around him, rolling them over so that Will was on his back. He thrusted in, hard, immediately fucking him with all of his strength. Will ran his fingers through the ash colored hair, tugging when he wanted him to go faster.

A moment later, Hannibal came with a shout, filling Will's tight velvet heat with his cum.

The friction of their bodies sent the teetering Will right over the edge, spilling onto both of their stomachs.

They laid just like that for several minutes after.

"Will...you are...marvelous..."

Will smiled, sleepily. "I know," He said with a wink.

"Get some sleep, my beloved, I will not require much time before I wish to see you in such a state, again," 

Chapter Text

"Good morning," Hannibal's words were muffled from sleep, heat from his breath right in the crook of Will's neck.

Will carefully turned towards the man beside him, smiling softly. "Good morning,"

Hannibal's lips brushed against Will's neck, soft and just a hint of teasing. He rolled over, turning his back to Will, and checked his phone. The only message that he had received overnight was from Chiyoh, wondering if he had told Will what was going on yet. She was very persistent, perhaps why they were able to work so well together. 

He had not uttered a single word. It did not seem like the proper time to. He would wait. 

This was his honeymoon, after all. 

"Chiyoh wanted to make sure we arrived at our destination," He lied.

Will pulled Hannibal on top of him. "Put that away, spend some time with me,"

Hannibal raised both of his eyebrows, he knew what direction this was going to end up in. His cock twitched in response as Will ran a fingernail along the small trail of dark hair that lead right to it. 

"And, pray tell, what shall we do with this time on our hands?" Hannibal asked.

Will grabbed Hannibal by the nape of his neck, taking him into a deep, hungry kiss. 

Hannibal broke away to make a comment. "I think I understand the appeal, you are quite the convincing little nymph,"

"Shut up, Hannibal, kiss me or fuck me, I'm not looking for any commentary or psychiatric evaluation," Will demanded.

"I like when you are in control," Hannibal giggled, amused at the sound. "I like what you do to me when you are in control."

Will kissed his new husband with all the fierce lustfulness from before. He laced their fingers together, allowing the power play to begin. Will suddenly had the urge to make love to Hannibal in the most bizarre of ways, it was just going to take some work to get there.

He reversed his prior decision, pushing Hannibal down onto his back and rolling on top of him. He nestled himself in between his thighs, looking desperately for a sign. 

Both men were hard in seconds, grasping and yearning for each other as if it had been months since the last time that they had touched.

Hannibal spread his own legs further, bending himself into a position that made his ass more accessible. Will slicked his fingers down with spit, preparing to stretch open Hannibal's tight hole. 

"No," Hannibal whispered into Will's sharp jawline.

"What?" Will asked, needing clarification to clear up his maddening disappointment.

"Just some lubrication, I want you inside of me now," He explained.

Will gulped. The idea of it meant it would feel fantastic, but he didn't want to hurt Hannibal in any way.

Will stroked his cock, precum already dripping from him. He spit into his hand, creating more of a fluid movement. He stuck one of his fingers right inside of Hannibal, wriggling around just enough before he pulled it out and pushed the tip inside. It was rough, he found it more difficult to enter Hannibal's brilliant warmth. 

"You are so tight," Will moaned when he finally slipped in, the velvet sweetness wrapped around the length of his cock with ease. 

"Mm," Was all that Hannibal could manage to say. He inhaled, hissing through the pain of Will using his strength to thrust into him ever so slowly.

Once Will was comfortable enough for this to work, he found a rhythm. He pumped his hips, thrusting deep inside of Hannibal. Hannibal wrapped his arms around Will's neck and his legs around Will's waist, this was just how it should have been. 

"Damn, babe," Will mumbled. 

Will began to move into Hannibal harder, faster. He wanted to see his beautiful face when he finally came. As he picked up the pace, he reached down to stroke Hannibal's thick, throbbing cock. If it was up to him, they would both find their climax at the same time.

He stroked Hannibal, thrusted into Hannibal, kissed Hannibal. The older man grabbed at him and pulled his hair, squeezing tighter with his legs around his waist to bring him in further. Their foreheads were pressed together, intense feeling washing over them at the same time. Tightening and convulsing muscles, backs arching as things faded to white bright light. 

"Will!" Hannibal called out, body shaking through the powerful waves of orgasm. "I'm..."

"Fuck! Shit! Oh my god!" Will shouted quickly afterwards, tingling in the pit of his stomach and feeling Hannibal's calming muscles wring out every last drop of his release. 

Will pulled his softening cock out of Hannibal. 

He had officially lost count in how many times they had done this in the last twelve hours. 

Hannibal moved into a more comfortable position, one that took some of the pain out of his lower back, allowing his muscles to relax. He looked wonderfully sated sleepy, and all Will wanted to do was kiss him.

Which he most definitely did. "Have I told you that I loved you lately?" 

Hannibal chuckled, nuzzling into Will's embrace. "Can I tell you no, simply because I cannot grow tired of it?"

Will kissed him again. "I guess that would be alright, as long as you do not mind me referring to you as husband all of the time?"

"I find that I rather much enjoy the sound of that word from your beautiful lips, my love," Hannibal half mumbled, accent hard and making Will have to think more than he actually wanted to.

Will couldn't help himself. He was a man possessed. He also was a man with a drop dead gorgeous husband. So, he kissed him again. "I love you, husband,"

"And, I love you," Hannibal smiled, pulling the destroyed sheets over his chilled frame. Even he was not capable of facing the day on one hour of sleep, certainly he could do it, but it would most likely result in disaster. 

"I think you have the right idea," Will whispered, curling up into the curve of Hannibal's outstretched arm, right against his chest. 

"We have a terribly busy evening ahead of us, it only makes sense that we rest while we can," 

"Yup, of course, whatever you say,"

***

Will woke Hannibal up with the best blow job he could give. When Hannibal came and Will swallowed every last drop, he almost felt bad that he had to possibly rain on his honeymoon parade.

He figured that Will would come around in the long run. 

"I recently remembered that you told me we could speak of children after we were married, as it turns out," Hannibal flashed his left hand. "We are, indeed, just that,"

Will sighed. "Right, children, that thing you think is such a good idea,"

"I desire to be father, but I desire to be a good husband to you, first," Hannibal began. "My love for you is unbelievably boundless and irrevocable."

"You want to reign in what you are trying to say, babe?"

Hannibal tussled Will's dark curls. "I cannot imagine starting a family with anyone, but you, and I am not getting any younger,"

Will squinted his eyes. "What did you do?"

He took both of Will's hands, squeezing them. "The timing seemed appropriate, it felt right, and I knew that because you love me it would be much easier to digest,"

"Spit it out, Hannibal,"

"Chiyoh is pregnant," Hannibal announced, without any visible emotion in his expression. 

Will sat up, feeling dizzy, all of his emotion visible in his expression. "Please tell me that means WE are having a baby?"

Hannibal nodded.

Will's expression lessened. The concept felt more real now that Hannibal had confirmed it. "We are having a baby,"

"Yes, Will, we are going to be parents," Hannibal told him.

"I can't believe I am saying this, but I...am really happy to raise a baby with you and I never wanted my own children,"

"That is how our love works," Hannibal said with a smile and a kiss. 

Chapter Text

Hannibal was exhausted. He was worn out, body sore, but it had been worth it. 

He leaned his forehead against his arms, both pressed against the tile of the shower wall. He let the almost-too-hot water run in streams down the musculature of his back, washing away his pain and making him feel clean. 

His well tuned ears picked up the slightest noise, someone else in the bathroom. Will. 

"Care to join me, darling?" Hannibal asked, sticking his head out to get a glimpse at Will.

Will was leaning up against the counter, robe covering his body. He was eating chocolate covered strawberries and watching Hannibal with dark eyes. 

"Probably not, Hannibal, but suppose you have spare time before we head out for the evening..." Will said, wrapping his wonderful lips around a piece of fruit. "...or maybe I won't do that because you like to keep things from me and do them behind my back."

Hannibal raised an eyebrow. "I believe I can convince you to settle,"

"You do?" Will asked his husband, allowing the sweet red juice of the berry to dribble down his cheek. 

Hannibal's eyes fluttered, he inhaled deeply and suddenly felt weak in Will's presence. "Oh, I do believe so, at least in some part,"

"Hannibal...before I agree to let you do that, is there anything else that I should know? Is there anything else that I need to know before we run off into the sunset, or whatever you plan on doing?"

"You don't want to go back to San Francisco?" Hannibal asked, shutting off the water. 

"I would love to. I'm going to miss our dog, a lot. I'm going to miss my job and Allison, at least in part. She has given us so much, didn't even know that she did. I am going to miss that house, the painting, the room where you proposed to me. However, I think that you have realized that I would not miss anything nearly as much as I would miss you if you were not in my life. I love you, I married you, so, no matter how foolish it makes me, I will follow you to the ends of the earth."

"I have wondered, often, what it was that kept you at my side," Hannibal said with a smirk.

"No need for that," Will shook his head. 

"Oh, there is plenty," Hannibal bridged the gap, pressing his wet, naked body against Will's robed one.

Will gasped, he had known Hannibal was hard, but it was a different feeling entirely once it was pressed against him, perfectly positioned to make contact with his own. 

Hannibal gripped onto Will's cock, stroking him to full hardness. He untied the robe, pulling it open to expose more of the flesh that he had been dying to touch. His lips met Will's, passion and love flowing between them as Will's mouth opened to his. He continued to stroke Will's wonderful erection, all the while exploring the inside of his mouth.

"Haaaannibal..." Will broke the kiss and moaned into the older man's ear, glad the counter was behind him as he became certain that he would lose his balance. 

He moved his hands low, his grip on Hannibal's bare hips, digging his fingernails in.

Hannibal opened up his hand to allow room for his own cock. He held them together in his grasp, stroking their lengths. He moved his hand faster, torturous. The friction leaving Will practically breathless. 

"Hannibal! Hannibal!" Will shouted, panting, digging his head into Hannibal's chest. He was so close.

Hannibal tugged a bit harder, maintaining the speed of his hands. He placed his other hand on the edge of the counter, holding himself up. He possibly closer than Will was.

They both came within seconds of each other. The two shook through their orgasms, eventually sliding down to the floor, connected by intertwined legs.

Hannibal laid back against the floor, breathing heavy. This had been some wedding night and it was going on a second.

"So, where are we going?" Will asked, grabbing another strawberry and crawling on top of Hannibal, feeding him the sweetness.

"Why not go to Maryland? Give Jack a visit?" Hannibal suggested, however it was all in jest.

"That isn't even in the same zipcode as funny," 

Hannibal chuckled. "Perhaps, we finally need to find our way to England,"

"You need to figure something out, we only have...how long until that baby you just informed me about is born?"

"It is what, the beginning of the month?" Hannibal pondered. 

"Yes,"

"Then we have roughly seven and a half, almost eight,"

"Oh, well, I feel like that is going to go by really fast,"

Hannibal wrapped his arms around Will's waist. "It shall, especially if we plan to live in another country, because the length of time becomes much shorter in that case,"

"Because pregnant women cannot fly,"

"Precisely," Hannibal said, smiling. 

Will pulled Hannibal's arms off of him, carefully bringing himself up to his feet. He helped his husband to his feet directly after. 

"I still can't believe that you..." Will stopped what he was staying abruptly.

"Why did you stop, Will?" 

"I changed my mind. I can believe that you did this behind my back."

Half of Hannibal's mouth turned up in an evil smile. "You must admit, it is certainly not the worst thing I have done,"

They both left the bathroom. When they passed the bed, Will pulled Hannibal down onto it with him, pressing soft kisses into his jaw. "Certainly,"

"The outcome of my actions will be positive," Hannibal added. His excitement threatening to bubble to the surface.

Will kissed Hannibal on the lips, both of his cheeks, and his forehead. "You're lucky that I love you,"

"I love you, too, Will, very much.

***

Hannibal sat alone, waiting for Will to finish his shower. He glanced around the room, admiring it just a little, but definitely searching for something to occupy his mind. There was so much going on inside of his head that he needed something a bit more simple. 

He was equal parts concerned and aroused. 

He was also a bit interested in the future. 

There was no rhythm. He despised it.

He wondered if Will ever felt this way, if he ever contemplated the meaning of meaning in a brooding that was ridiculous and wasteful. He wondered if Will ever thought about calling Molly, they did have her number for the record.

Will exited the bathroom wearing just his tight black boxers. He leaned against the threshold with his arms crossed over his shimmery wet chest. Hannibal swallowed, his blood flow swiftly changing. 

"I can see you are already interested in parts of me that are covered in fabric," Will chuckled, watching Hannibal reach out and grab for him.

"Why don't you join me?"

"Why don't you join me?" Will repeated, but made a gesture for Hannibal to come closer.

"Couldn't hurt," Hannibal mumbled, walking over to stand beside his one true love. 

Their lips and bodies smash against each other. The wall never had a chance.

Chapter Text

Will had the strange pleasure of having fingers in his ass, but never quite like this. 

Never in a place like this. 

It felt cheap. He felt like a whore. It was dark and everything about it was awkward, but he enjoyed it. That was what made it better. He apparently wanted to have something sexual happen to him in a public setting.

Anyways, they had about twenty minutes until the movie started. 

Hannibal was making damn good use of his hands, but mostly three of his fingers on his right hand. 

It was a good thing that the theater was hardly occupied, a few patrons sprinkled here and there. It was also a good thing that the previews before the show, there were so fucking many of them, were beyond loud. 

Will's back arched as he muffled cries of pleasure into the long sleeve of the shirt he wished he hadn't been wearing. 

At least, now, he understood why Hannibal suggested that they sit in the far corner of the top row. 

He continued to do as Hannibal's hands commanded. Moving up and down on the fingers that fucked deep into him. The fingers that continuously targeted his prostate like the best response would be for him to scream in the middle of the movie. 

Hannibal remained silent, letting his hands do the talking while he wore a subtle smile on his lips that even Will was aware of due to the glow of the screen. 

"Oh god..." Will whispered, feeling like his balance would soon be lost. 

Then it happened. 

He came violently, almost silent. He leaned back into Hannibal who took to biting his neck as the throes of his orgasm passed over him. 

That man did not even have to touch Will's cock once. Will was more than a little impressed, weakened, but impressed. 

He moved into his own seat, hoping they had still gone unnoticed. Still trying to figure out why he agreed it. Even though it had been wonderful.

Hannibal leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Now he was blushing and fumbling to fix his pants. 

"Why do I get the feeling that you are not even going to watch this movie, at all?" Will asked in a low voice.

Hannibal only smiled. He was proud of his work.

"You are a hot mess," Will muttered, meaning every single word. 

The movie was not particularly interesting. Will zoned out, feeling a mix of emotions, body barely able to support itself due to a blatant lack of sleep. 

To be completely honest, he wasn't even sure when sleep would come. He probably should have been sleeping during the movie. Hannibal certainly wasn't paying any attention to it, he was just watching Will's face and occasionally studying the few people in the lower rows who seemed to be having a good time. 

The comment Will made, however, did deserve some sort of response. In an immature change of events, Hannibal stuck his tongue out at his husband. 

Will was taken aback. "Babe, seriously?"

Hannibal raised his eyebrows, sticking his tongue out again. 

It took a lot out of Will to not reach out and grab a hold of the tongue. He decided that he liked what it did too much. 

"You are fascinating, an enigma," Will chuckled, quietly, of course.

"I try,"

"Fully aware," Will mumbled.

Hannibal turned towards the movie, suddenly feigning interest at whatever was going on. Will was not appreciative.

Will slid out of his seat, sitting on his knees in front of Hannibal. He went straight to work on the man's pants, belt, button, zipper. He palmed at Hannibal's soft cock, wanting attention and to promote and erection. 

As soon as Hannibal stiffened, Will pulled it from its fabric confines. He always admired its size, more so now as it was throbbing in his hands. 

He repositioned himself, mouth right over the head. Now, he definitely had Hannibal gasping. He had Hannibal's hands in his hair, too.

His tongue danced around the tip, lapping and teasing, tasting him and inhaling the musk that was all Hannibal. 

The hand in his hair began to push down on the back of his head. He took the hint. He wrapped his lips tightly around the hard shaft, sliding down while creating friction. Hannibal's head laid back on the chair, moan escaping from his lips.

He bobbed his head up and down, picking up the pace. His grip around Hannibal's waist lessened, he had other ideas. 

He lifted his head off of the cock that had been hitting his throat. He moved down to the base, lips wet and pressed against the underside, then lower.

Hannibal forced him back onto his dick. He was close and he did not feel like waiting.

Will sucked hard, purposefully gagging himself on the whole of it. Blue eyes watering while he made little sounds barely hidden by the sounds on the movie screen. He felt the instinctive buck of Hannibal's hips. One, two, three times, cum spilling into his mouth, almost making him choke. Of course, he swallowed. 

His swollen lips nuzzled into Hannibal's hand. He was pretty sure the movie was over.

***

Hannibal slept for hours. Will drove, despite not really knowing where they were going. The pitstop of the movie theater was more or less an activity to get them off the road. All he did was follow where the gps took him. 

He didn't complain, much. He was glad that Hannibal was finally getting some sleep. He deserved it. 

That didn't change the slight urge to punch him in the arm every once in awhile, but he didn't.

"Good morning, Will," Hannibal mumbled, turning to face his beloved.

"Not really," Will said back.

Hannibal lifted his head off of the back of the seat. "Why not?"

"It is one in the afternoon,"

"Oh," Hannibal took a moment to allow his eyes to adjust. "I see,"

"Good, now, where are we going?"

Hannibal rubbed his hand across Will's shoulder. "I will, soon,"

Chapter Text

He walked around the kitchen with a fresh green bean hanging out of his mouth like a piece of straw. He was pacing, or maybe it was like pacing, because he was certain that he didn't pace. 

He chewed on the end of the bean, juices dripping onto his tongue, full of flavor. 

He was bored. 

He glanced around the room. He could have washed the few dishes that were in the sink, or wiped down all the counters, but he didn't see a point. 

He picked up the strained bowl of freshly washed green and wax beans. He inhaled the scent. They were good enough, for the area, but he realized that he didn't want them. So, into the garbage can they went.

He sighed. 

He found his way into the family room, blanket still on the couch from the night before. He couldn't believe that in all of the lack of sleep that he had, he never folded up the damn thing. He was usually so precise, so organized.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He quickly removed it and smiled. The name and image warmed his heart.

"Hello, Will,"

"Hi, how is life treating you now that you don't have me to warm your bed?"  Will asked, almost snide in his tone.

"I believe you know the answer to that,"

"You're right, I do, you can't live without me," 

"This is definitely not new, I miss you,"

"Good, that is exactly what I want to hear from you. I want you to suffer." 

"I couldn't even sleep in the bed, couldn't handle it without you,"

"I fucking love that," 

"I figured, when are you coming home, love?"

"As soon as I can, I blame this on you, by the way, we both would have been doing this if you had not mysteriously come down with strep throat,"

"I fully blame the movie theater,"

Will yawned. "Alright, anyways, I love you and I will see you soon," 

"I love you, too, Will," Hannibal said before ending the call.

He sat down, lying back into cushions. He was hard. He would have made good use of his hands, but it was just not the same without his Will. 

It had been four days. Four days in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. All the while, Will was out killing and collecting Chiyoh for a doctor's appointment before they took their last long ride.

At the end of the ride they would be parents.

***

Will was so tired he had been incredibly thankful to come across a motel after his conversation with Hannibal. He missed him. He was aching for him. He couldn't wait to be where he was. 

He tried to listen to music, but everything reminded him of the husband who was not lying beside him on the hard bed. 

He considered calling Hannibal again, knowing full well how annoying that would have been. Plus, hopefully, Hannibal was sleeping and getting some sort of rest so that he would be at one hundred percent when Will finally returned.

After Will's super awkward experience with Chiyoh at the obstetrician's office, and this included getting a referral just in case they had a change of plans at the last minute, he really just wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere. However, he did learn that the babies were healthy. 

Chiyoh disappeared again after the appointment. She would turn up eventually. Mostly because she was carrying their child(ren).

He finally did break down. He didn't call, but he did text. He asked what was for dinner. 

The food porn pic he expected to see in the reply was not there.

What he did receive, was something of the more lip biting variety. There it became to have phone sex or not to have phone sex.

As far as Will was concerned, to have sounded a lot better than to not have in any situation.

He hit the call button.

"Babe?" He said, breathing heavy as the hand that was not holding the phone was palming at his half hard cock. "Hannibal?"

"Yes, Will?" 

"What are you wearing?" He asked, feeling all the more silly for it.

"Your favorite blanket..." Hannibal chuckled. 

"God damn, really?"

"Absolutely, I rather enjoy sleeping naked,"

"That is so sexy..."

"I know, what are you wearing, Mr. Graham-Lecter?"  Hannibal asked, voice running hot with seductive tones.

"My boxers,"

"Mmm...I would love to be laying on top of you in my current state," 

"What state might that be?"

"My penis is craving your ass,"

"Oh, please, cockslut, please tell me what you are going to do to me!" Will growled, not knowing why.

"I am a cockslut, but only for you and..."

"Yes? Yes?" Will panted, full erection in his hands.

"I am going to...

Chapter Text

"I am going to remove your boxers with my teeth, come back up and kiss your delicious thighs, taste the most intimate parts of your skin," 

"Oh god, Hannibal..."  Will mewled into the phone.

"Wrap my lips around your hard cock, taking you whole while your hips jerk up into me, deeper,"

"Fuck, my hands in your hair, clawing down your back,"

Hannibal's breathing became heavy. His concentration on speaking was beginning to wane. Will's voice as he moaned took Hannibal by surprise, not realizing just how much he missed that sound. 

"While I suck, my fingers slick with spit find a pleasant home in your tight hole, stretching you open,"

"Yes, please, harder, fuck me with your long, wonderful fingers..."  Will moaned again, clearly close to his climax while he stroked his hand over his hardness. "...god, damn, I want your lips on me, that tongue...fuuck..."

"Will, I want you to come for me, I want to hear the pleasure wash over you as you say my name," Hannibal said hushed, his voice rough, leg muscles twitching as his back arched. He just needed one thing.

"You...you should get up on my cock, ride me, fuck me until I ca-an-'t see straight...your perfect fucking ass around my cock..."  Will huffed, sounding as though the phone was not the only thing that he was gripping tighter. 

"Yes, Will, yes, just like that, with your hands around my neck,"

"Oh my fucking god, fuck, HANNIBAL!"  Will shouted, a combination of pleasurable moans and cries following. 

"Will, that is...so good...Will! Will!" Hannibal came right after, seed spilling all over his hand. 

Will continued to breathe unevenly into the phone. "I love when you say my name like that, daaamn,"

Hannibal chuckled, making himself cough. "I want you to come home early, Will, I want you to be here,"

***

"Yeah, I want to be with you, I should have been there the whole entire time, taking care of you. I'm too exhausted to drive right now, but first thing in the morning." Will told Hannibal, feeling even more sleepy than he did when he first arrived at the motel.

He noticed flashing lights out of the corner of his eye, but he ignored them. Until they were accompanied by a knock.

"Will, is someone there?"  Hannibal asked.

"Uh...um...something like that, let me check," Will said, pulling his boxers back up over his hips. 

He scooted off the edge of the bed, phone still in hand, and opened the door. 

"Will, are you still there? Who is at the door?"  Hannibal said after the long pause. 

"Um...I am...going to have to call you back..." Will spoke, hitting the end button before placing his phone on the small table. 

He swallowed hard, looking the person standing in his doorway with dead eyes. 

"Well, well, well, I feel like I have just seen a ghost," 

"Oh fuck," Will chewed on his bottom lip, everything he said from this point on had to be well thought out and without question. "Hello, Jack..."

Suddenly, Jack was very aware of the room, his eyes darting all around for signs of the doctor. "Hello, Will,"

Will took a step back. "He's not here, Jack,"

"Good," Jack stepped through the threshold, pushing Will slightly to the side. "I'm not here for you, so you can stop looking like I am holding a gun to your head, though in reality that is exactly what I should be doing,"

Will was very aware of the two rings that he wore on his left hand, which he tucked behind his back. "Why are you here then?"

"Someone was killed in this motel, we are going door to door to see if anyone knows anything," Jack explained. 

"Ah," Will lapsed and ran his left hand through his hair. "I see, well, I can't help, because I just checked in about two hours ago,"

Jack gripped onto Will's wrist, eyebrow raised. "So, it is true,"

Will pulled his wrist away. "I can't say that I know what you are talking about,"

"You married Hannibal, I thought the wine was a joke,"

"What if that is the case, Jack? You are not here to interrogate me? I have done nothing wrong and as I said, he is not here." 

"No, I am not here to interrogate you, and I can't even take you in for questioning, but as your friend, I can ask...why?"

"I am not answering that question, even as your friend," Will replied with little emotion in his tone. 

Jack sighed. "Do you think at the least that you might take a look at the crime scene, for old time's sake?"

"I'm sorry, Jack, I'm afraid I can't do that, I can't risk you trying to find a way to take me in a lure for Hannibal,"

"Where is he, Will?"

"Not going to tell you, but I am going to go outside," Will quickly pulled on his clothes, grabbed his keys and slid his phone into his pocket. "Goodbye, Jack,"

"Will! Will Graham!" Jack shouted, taking off after him. "Graham!"

The area surrounding the motel was almost completely pitch black, with only a few lights illuminating the walkway. By the time Jack got outside, Will was nowhere to be found. It was almost as if the encounter had never happened. He was betting that a false name was used in order to check in, anyways. He had no proof that the man had been there. 

As he walked out, arms came up behind him, wrapping around his neck. "That is Will Graham-Lecter to you, and you will be lucky enough to find me or my husband, again. This was a bad dream, it isn't going to make you reopen the case, or start the search back up. Have I made myself clear?"

Jack gasped. "Crystal, crystal," 

Will let go, slipping away again in the darkness of the night. Not leaving enough of a trace behind. He knew Jack wouldn't go out of his way to find DNA in the room, it wouldn't be worth the time and the effort since he had another crime to solve. It helped that the motel allowed Will to pay in cash, too. 

It was just the icing on the cake that Will had killed the child pornographer in question.

Once he was far enough away from the building, he pulled out his phone. He really did have to call Hannibal now. There was not much else he could do. 

"Will? You had me worried, what happened? Who was at the door?" 

"Jack," Will took a deep breath. "You need to be ready to go as soon as I get there, we have to get the hell out of the country. I know, I know, I kept trying to say that we could make it work, but we can't. We need to leave. Now. We need to get somewhere safe. Maybe south? Or we will finally go to England, like you wanted? China? I don't know."

"Will, you need to relax. Everything is going to be just fine. I will be waiting for you. We will leave immediately. I know just the place."

"What would I do without you, Hannibal?"

"Such an open ended question, so difficult to answer with the time we have allotted. Certainly, you agree?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, I love you and I'll be there as soon as possible, and on the off chance, don't open the door for anyone but Chiyoh or myself,"

"Wouldn't dare to do otherwise, I love you,"

When the phone call was over, Will did everything in his power to make his full leave untraceable. He switched the license plate on the vehicle to one from Wisconsin, tossing the California plates in the trunk. This was it. 

One last ride. 

Chapter Text

Hannibal got into the vehicle. Will noticed that he was holding something, outside of the obvious bag over his shoulder. He threw the bag in the back, but the items in his hands were still secure. 

Will gave them a once over. "We are on the run, on our way out of the country, but you couldn't leave without your precious...coffee mugs?"

"Will, these are not coffee mugs, they are tea cups, and I couldn't leave the country without them," Hannibal explained.

"Why?"

Hannibal tipped the cups upside down. Will glanced over. It made sense now. His heart melted a little, but Hannibal wasn't allowed to know that. "They are the equivalent of champagne flutes from a wedding, I procured us custom tea cups in their stead."

Even Will couldn't deny how sweet the gesture was, having their names and the date that they were married etched into the glass with gold. "Why did we not have them at our wedding? Or some time after while we were still in Washington?"

"Because I had been saving them with the intention of gifting yours to you on our anniversary,"

"Seriously? You cannot fucking do that to me while we are driving, Hannibal!" 

Hannibal furrowed his brow. "I cannot do what, exactly?"

"Stop being adorable because now all I want to do is kiss you and I have to keep driving," Will clarified his previously angry sounding statement.

Hannibal leaned over, placing a sweet, loving kiss on Will's cheek, setting the younger man's face aflame. Hannibal liked it when Will blushed. 

"I said stop being adorable, not turn it up to one hundred,"

The other man just smiled, feeling accomplished. 

***

England seemed farther away than it ever had before. It seemed unobtainable. Even though it was closer than they thought. 

There had been talk about Canada, because technically it was out of the country, but Hannibal deemed it unsafe. Alaska came up in the conversation, but neither of them wanted to deal with that many weeks of daylight, let alone the obvious weather issues that the state had naturally. Plus, technically, it was NOT out of the country.

So, despite all of the times that England was vetoed or exchanged in favor of something else, it was happening. 

They would travel through Detroit, discreetly. That route made the most sense. When they arrived, they would already have a car and a beautiful house, a four bedroom terraced home. It was going to be perfect. 

There was no shortage of horrid people in London, as well. That was not to say that they were all awful, but every big city has its bad eggs. Hannibal figured that made the move that much more gratifying. It fit better that way. Will couldn't complain about the abundance of meat in their fridge if the people were scumbags already. 

Their lives were finally coming together. Luck and chance providing, they would not be jumping on a plane again anytime soon.

Will was generally excited about that. Especially after the scare with Jack.

***

"Aren't you hungry?" Will asked Hannibal, they had been on the road for such a long time. 

"I could eat, probably would be a good idea before the flight," 

"Are you planning to find a decent pig or..."

Hannibal pressed a finger against Will's lips. "I would prefer that this was made quick,"

"McDonald's it is," Will laughed. He knew what he was doing. He knew there was going to be a smack to the back of the head, or something similar. 

"I would prefer the Asian restaurant inside the airport, if I have to eat something I cannot prepare, let it be something I have some minor trust over."

"Of course,"

***

Will let Hannibal order for him. He was hungry and he did have faith in his husband. 

"Babe," Will mumbled, cozying up to Hannibal, leaning his head against him. 

"Yes, Will?" He looked down at him, even he could see how exhausted Will was.

"Did you know that we are having twins?" Will jumbled his words, but Hannibal understood.

"I did not, but that is wonderful,"

"I thought so to, two mini Hannibals to cannibal England,"

"Will, you need to sleep,"

"You don't say," Will lifted his head up for a moment, looking around. 

Then he passed out. 

Complete blackness. 

Hannibal looked at his beloved Will lying on the ground. He shook his head. It probably would have been a bad idea to walk away before he came to. 

Chapter Text

Will awoke on the plane. The situation triggered thoughts of the last time that that had happened. His encephalitis. Minnesota. Abigail.

Of course, this was far from that. There was no diseased brain causing him to lose time and the person he was supposed to be sitting beside was actually sitting beside him.

He looked over at Hannibal, admiring the way he looked in the basic sunlight. His olive toned paleness somehow complimented perfectly by the natural light.

Hannibal felt eyes on him and turned towards Will. "You're awake," He said, smiling.

"Apparently. What happened?"

"You passed out, most likely due to the extreme levels of exhaustion that you were experiencing. A normal response in that state. I then proceeded to carry you onto the plane, which they thankfully allowed me to do after simple explanation." Hannibal told him.

"Hm. What were we talking about when I fainted or whatever?"

"Our twins," Hannibal said matter-of-factly.

"Right. Gosh, I can barely handle a world with one of you most of the time, now there is going to be three?" Will rubbed sleep from his eyes. 

"That might not necessarily be the case, my love," He replied vaguely.

"What did you do this time?"

"That is not a matter worth discussing at this point. We will be landing soon and we need to be prepared to head to our new home. In reality, I should have really woken you earlier. My apologies for any jet lag that occurs."

Will rolled his eyes, not angry, just unamused.

An attendant announced that they did not have long at all. She gave a few details about the processes that would follow once they arrived. It was simple enough, involving luggage, lines, and proper terminal things.

Will dazed off for a moment. He drifted into the back of his mind to fish. He didn't even notice Hannibal interlocking their fingers.

Once the plane landed, plenty of passengers got off, ready to see England. These passengers included the newlywed couple of Taylor Robinson and Michael Morris.

***

Hannibal pulled into the driveway of a plain off white terraced home. It was not like the other houses they had stayed at. It didn't suffer the appearance of being expensive and expansive. Will was rather surprised.

The interior of the house was quite the opposite, however. It boasted modern traditional aspects with plenty of details that one wouldn't have expected. Heated flooring, a marble spiral staircase, a beautiful kitchen with deep dark mahogany woods, and furniture that looked as if it had been selected from an exclusive catalogue.

"What do you think, Will?" Hannibal asked, gesturing towards the ridiculous staircase.

"This house is beautiful, no other words describe it," Will smiled.

"I almost feel as if this house was specifically made for us, it suits us, it suits our needs and desires,"

"It is insane,"

Hannibal sat down the one bag they had on the floor. "How about I grab a bottle of wine from the cellar and we can finish touring the house? We could start with the master suite?" He did not wink, but he might as well have.

"Wow," Never in a million years did Will think that he would be hearing all of those words combined in reference to a house that he lived in. "Of course,"

"I'll meet you upstairs, then,"

Will entered the master suite and immediately felt overwhelmed. The size of the room alone was enough to leave someone in shock. The suite was the entire top floor and it was wonderful.

He stepped into the bathroom. It was immaculate. His eyes grew large at the sight of everything, almost feeling like he was in a dream world.

He couldn't remember the last time that he showered. He was going to need to do something if he was going to have sex in the near future. Stripping off his clothes he made a decision to use the exceptionally large bathtub. It seemed like a better choice.

He slid into the water, enjoying the warmth and the tension relieving sensations that swept over him. He figured it was a good way to spend his first few hours in a new home, a new country, even.

The bathtub seemed like it was missing half of what it needed. The size making Will feel small. The idea of having company making him hard. He reached down and began to stroke himself, not wanting to completely finish, but wanting to be fully aroused.

Hannibal came up the stairs in search for him. He walked into the bathroom with a bottle and two glasses. "Hm, well, is that not a wonderful sight?"

Will looked up, feeling like he had been doing something naughty, even as a glass of wine was shoved into his hand. His cheeks flushed red as he stared into two maroon eyes that were dark with desire. "Well, imagine if the roles were reversed, I would love to see you in here,"

Hannibal leaned down beside the tub, sipping his wine. "I assure you, the sight of you is so much more appealing,"

"Maybe you should join me? Then we can find out." Will suggested. 

Hannibal stood up and rid himself of all of his clothes. He lowered himself slowly, but Will was not going to have that. Will grabbed him by the nape of his neck and pulled him down on top of him, lips colliding instantly. 

"At least you waited for me to take off my clothes," Hannibal said with a light laugh.

Hannibal caught Will in another kiss. He slipped his tongue deep into Will's mouth, tasting him as if they had spent years apart. Will moved his hands lower, grabbing onto Hannibal's ass, squeezing to ensure that he knew who would be calling the shots.

Hannibal pressed a finger against Will's tight hole. The man gasped underneath him, the intrusion feeling almost brand new under the water. Two. Three. Hannibal scissored his fingers apart, massaging Will's prostate and turning him the same consistency as the water while rutting against him. Will continued to make little noises against the sloshing of the water and Hannibal's movements. 

Will ran his fingers through Hannibal's damp hair, pulling occasionally. He crashed their lips together in a mind blowing kiss, mouths open and tongues dancing again. Will bit down on Hannibal's bottom lip, tugging slightly. It made him moan, so he must have been doing something right.

"Fuck me, Hannibal," Will whispered, clawing down Hannibal's back. 

Hannibal growled, spreading Will's legs further apart and positioning his hips higher. He grabbed the base of his cock underwater, slowly putting pressure on the tightness he wanted to enjoy. 

Will yanked on Hannibal's hair, steadying him to look directly into his eyes. "I said fuck me, so stick your dick inside me, stop fooling around and fuck me," 

Hannibal took to Will's neck, lips and teeth abusing skin. He began to thrust his hard cock deep into Will with an unrelenting force. Water escaped the tub with each thrust as Will shouted out and went straight back to clawing at Hannibal's back.

Hannibal continued to impale Will on his cock. He moved back onto his knees to allow even more of his strength into his thrusts, the tight heat wrapped around him a driving force unlike any other. 

Will tipped himself upwards, arms around Hannibal's neck. He began to rock his hips against Hannibal's, creating more friction. They met in another lip lock, passion being exchanged evenly. 

Will pushed Hannibal onto his back. He continued to move with him, rotating and rocking against whatever he gave. He cried out with Hannibal, the empathy he usually tried to hard to shut off enveloping him so that he was able to feel both sides easily. The overwhelming sensations causing tears to run down his face as his vision began to spark pure white light.

Hannibal became lost in the sight of Will on the cusp of orgasm. Using the hand that was not secure on Will's hip, he grabbed Will's shaft and gave him the final pleasure that kicked him past the point of overload. 

Will was done for in that moment. The feeling of everything and of being everywhere destroyed him, jerky movements and shaking legs as he screamed out for Hannibal in a voice he wasn't sure was his. Collapsing onto Hannibal's chest in the conclusion of it all.

Will's convulsing muscles around Hannibal's throbbing cock wrung him dry in two final thrusts. Hannibal held onto Will tightly as his orgasm washed over him, Will shaking in an aftershock as they both came down from their headspaces. 

"Was that what you wanted?" Hannibal asked, voice completely hoarse from all of the noise he had just made, accent so thick Will almost had to ask him to repeat himself.

Will only nodded, his head remaining in the crook of Hannibal's neck. 

"I cannot be certain that I will be able to move, even without you on top of me," 

Will lifted his head up. "Eh, we can do this. Besides, it is only proper that we christen the bed while we are at it."

Hannibal just laughed. He was happy to have Will in his arms. He was happy to finally be home.

Chapter Text

Hannibal stretched out, arm hitting the back of the loveseat he was sprawled out across. His neck was sore from being stretched over the arm and he had it on good authority that if he even tried to move his back, he would be in some sort of unbearable pain. So much for not feeling his age. 

He lifted his head up, glancing around the room, looking for some sign of his husband. He rolled onto his side to get off of his stomach. The current state of his body making him reconsider his ability to run after a toddler. 

He noticed the condition of the bed. Mattress off center, sheets hanging off the sides, duvet bunched at the headboard, and the pillows were nowhere to be found. He saw no sign of Will, however.

Slowly, he lifted himself off of the loveseat. He limped, half dead legged across the room. He saw two arms jut out from the other side of the bed, clawing and pulling to escape. They were covered in purple and crimson, hand shaped bruises and strange lacerations decorating the surface of the skin. 

He looked down at the man attached to the deeply colored arms. Debauched, swollen, and with a smile plastered on his face. He raised an eyebrow at the sight, wondering if he would need assistance or if he preferred to find his footing on his own. 

"I don't think I can get up by myself, my lower back and hips are a total mess," The man on the floor muttered.

"Sleeping on the floor probably did not help your case," Hannibal told him, leaning down to lift him up. 

He laid him down on the bed, admiration in his eyes for the vast amount of contusions. He was mildly fuzzy on most of the events from the night before, but there was pride in him for causing those marks. 

"Do you remember what happened last night? I've only got bits and pieces." Will half mumbled, wincing every time that he moved. 

Hannibal sat down beside him. "I am certainly in the same spot as you, I definitely do not recall laying down on a piece of furniture."

"Yeah, I woke up, and I was on the floor, and I was in pain," Will sighed. "My body is purple."

Hannibal smiled. "You have five fingerprints on each of your hips,"

Will lifted his head up to get a better look. "Well, I wonder who could have put those there?"

"A mystery that might never be solved," Hannibal replied with a wink.

"I'm really hungry, and I'm really in pain, and I'm really not going to move, just thought I would let you know," Will took a breath. "And, I'm really not letting you touch me anywhere below my waist for a long time."

"Can I carry you to the kitchen?" Hannibal asked. 

"Be my guest, you are not in the best shape right now, either, so have at it," 

***

Hannibal laid Will down across the countertop. He began cooking around him, not feeling weird about the situation in the slightest. 

"I feel like an ingredient," Will said, staring up at the ceiling. "You not talking to me is not helping."

"What would you like to talk about, Will? I am all ears." Hannibal asked, chopping a red bell pepper, very happy he had paid to have groceries delivered that morning. 

"I don't know. Everything has been such a rush since Jack came knocking on my door at the motel. We haven't really had any decent conversation since then. I can't even actually say how many days that it has been. Which is awful, because I hate feeling like I have lost time, as you know." Will told him.

"Perhaps, we should discuss what transpired last night. I am curious to know which parts of the evening stayed in your mind, versus what remained in mine." 

"We had lots of sex, that much I know. It was obviously a little violent, because I am covered in bruises and dried blood, and your neck is purple like my hands were wrapped around it at some point. So, maybe we don't really need to discuss all of the sex." 

Hannibal smiled, so many mixed emotions battling their way into his expression. "True, perhaps our topic of conversation should be along the lines of names for our children?"

"Hm." Will put his hands behind his bed, suddenly aware that they were both still naked. "That might work."

"Shall we decide on male or female names first?"

"Female, because I already know what I would pick,"

"Abigail?" Hannibal mused, he already knew.

"I suppose you would pick Mischa?"

"That has crossed my mind, though the idea behind naming children after the dead seems a bit unusual for our case,"

"Mischa Abigail Lecter?"

"That only names one child in the event that both are female," Hannibal pointed out.

"I've always liked the name Adelaide," Will said with a smile. "It is unique."

"Lilith," Hannibal suggested. "Lilith Adelaide,"

"What if we have sons?"

Hannibal tossed more vegetables into a skillet. "Continue my name, of course,"

"Seriously, Hannibal? Why not something different? Lucian or I really liked the name Micajah." 

"Elijah. However, I stand firm on continuing my name."

"Lucian Elijah does not sound right, it would have to be Elijah Lucian. What the hell, Hannibal? How come your choice always goes first?" Will asked, sitting up.

"Breakfast is ready, we can talk about this another time, you need to eat,"

***

England was good for them. It was the best decision that could have been made. Arguments were minimal, and any that happened usually resulted in make up sex afterwards. They didn't feel the need to find jobs or extracurriculars, because they were completely satisfied with themselves and each other. There was so much to discover in the country, in the city, even in their home.

As the time approached, Chiyoh moved in with them temporarily. It was a convenience for when their children were born, assuming she stuck around long enough to breastfeed, something Hannibal seemed impartial to at the time.

Together they made the decision to keep the gender of their twins a secret. Will loved the idea, was sure that Hannibal was going to find out anyways, but he played along instead. It made the occasion more exciting. These twins were, after all, their first actual children together.

Will walked into the livingroom where he found a heavily pregnant Chiyoh resting on the sofa. He almost couldn't believe how big she had gotten, it almost seemed to happen overnight. The small bump seeming to double in size as she gave them the one thing they couldn't have on their own. It was somehow the most incredibly beautiful thing he could see.

"Will, might you be willing to hand me that glass of water?" She asked.

Will sat down his bags and quickly did as she asked. He didn't mind waiting on her. "Here you go,"

She took the glass of water and sipped, hand pressed against the swell of her belly. "Thank you. You know, I think they recognize your voice, they move more when you speak. Would you like to feel?"

Will nodded. He got down on his knees, placing both of his hands on her baby bump. "Hello, how are you in there? I know there isn't much time left, but I still can't wait to meet you."

Sure enough, the twins began kicking with what little space that they had left. Will's face lit up in a big smile, amazed by the new life that he would be raising soon.

Hannibal joined them, kneeling beside Will. He placed one hand on Chiyoh and the other on Will's back. He was surprised by the kick. The extremely emotional side of him bubbling over, allowing tears to run down his cheeks.

"We are really a family now, aren't we?" Will asked him.

"Always," 

Chapter Text

The twins were born in one of the guest bedrooms. Healthy, beautiful twin girls. Chiyoh had fought her way through a grueling, nearly twenty hour labor with absolutely no pain medication. She and Hannibal both agreed that it was the best option. The results appeared to support that.

Hannibal and the midwife that Will hired wrapped each baby in a receiving blanket after cleaning them off and ensuring they were alright. Mischa weighed in at five pounds and six ounces. Lilith weighed five pounds and twelve ounces. Both lovely girls were nineteen inches long.

Will cried. He held Mischa against him while Hannibal rocked with Lilith. They shared a quick kiss, another chapter of their life beginning as one closed. 

And, if Hannibal thought that Will hadn't noticed that Mischa looked nothing like her sister, he was out of his mind. Which, was probably not far off from the real truth a majority of the time. 

"I know what you did," Will whispered, gesturing at the tiny babies' facial features. "I don't want to know how you did it, but I know that you did it,"

Hannibal smiled. "If I had told you, you would have told me not to,"

"Yes, you are right,"

"Exactly,"

"I am glad that you did, for now,"

"For now?" Hannibal repeated the words almost as if he was trying to understand them.

"Until she shows signs of being like me,"

"I assure you, Mischa becoming like you is the least of our problems."

"You are telling me," Will scoffed, remembering exactly who he was married to.

---------------------------------------------

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Hannibal surprised Will on their one year anniversary. He came home from a very sudden three day trip, returning with two four legged creatures that made Will's heart melt. One was their dog from San Francisco, Selena. The other was a new, young boston terrier puppy. 

Needless to say, Hannibal had ensured that he was getting lucky that night.

On top of that, two very rambunctious infants were very amused by the addition of furry friends.

SECOND BIRTHDAY OF TWINS

"Will! Will!" A calming, familiar female voice called from across the park. Will looked up at her and instinctively, he knew. 

Hannibal was preoccupied with keeping Lilith from pushing down her sister. It was not that she was actually more inclined to listen to Hannibal, but she allowed him to reason with her, as much as one could reason with a two-year-old. A very intelligent toddler she made, very know-it-all from the moment she was able to shout babbling nonsense. 

Will slipped away. He needed to speak with her and he needed her to stay away from a mostly reformed Hannibal. 

He had missed her for so long, he needed this.

As soon as they were able to stand behind a tree, far from the Lecter clan, Will pulled her into an awkward hug. "Alana, I can't believe it,"

"I am surprised that you agreed to this, that you reached out," She said, voice low.

"When Molly called us, my god that was a long time ago, Hannibal actually wrote down the number. I don't know why, but I thought that maybe there was some chance she would be able to get a hold of you. I blocked my number and I just, I knew I needed to see you one last time." Will explained.

"One last time, Will? You really want this to be the last time?" Alana asked, brushing her short, carmel highlighted hair out of her face.

"He hasn't killed anyone since the twins were born. He is an incredible father. I love him. If he sees you, I really don't know what will happen and I certainly can't be held responsible for it. I like the way he is right now, I don't want to ruin it."

"I am not afraid of Hannibal,"

"But I think that you should still be,"

"Will..."

Will pressed a finger against Alana's lips. "No, this is it. I just wanted to see you because I wanted to say goodbye. Hannibal didn't want me to know, but I think he is planning on moving us again. This was just something I needed. You were always such a good friend. I needed closure."

Alana presented Will with two small wrapped boxes. "Here. These are for your daughters. They really are adorable. I could not believe it when I found out. When they are old enough, you can tell them that their Aunt Alana loved their daddy so much that she wanted them to have a piece of her heart, since they are a piece of their daddy's. Okay?"

Will wiped a tear from her eyes. "Thank you," He took the lid off of one of the boxes. Diamond bracelets. He had no idea how he was going to explain them to his husband. 

"He better treat you right,"

"He does," Will replied, proud and finally satisfied. "He always has,"

***

Hannibal laid across the sofa. Mischa was asleep, curled tightly against him with her head on his chest. Will stopped as he walked into the living room, bright smile taking over his face. 

It was amazing to him how much Hannibal had changed. Not a single hair on that wonderful head of his wasn't silver, the same went for any time he had any stubble. The lines on his face were prominent, yet somehow softened his appearance. Still gorgeous in a cashmere sweater. 

Mischa stirred in her sleep, grabbing the collar of Hannibal's sweater in her fist. The sweet girl loved her father and he loved her pale skin and dark curls. Will could have watched them for hours. 

Will felt dark eyes drift up towards him and he insisted on making contact. "Hi,"

"Will, have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" Hannibal asked, voice in a whisper.

"I think so, almost everyday, actually," Will laughed lightly. 

"It is true, however, so I feel that I am allowed to say it whenever I please."

"You are quite the charmer there, kid in your arms and everything,"

"I love you," Hannibal said with a smile, completely content with leaving Mischa where she was. 

Will leaned down, pressing a kiss into his husband's forehead while rustling his daughter's dark hair. "I love you, too, both of you,"

"That reminds me, you might want to check on Lilith, she was playing with the dog,"

"You trust her way more than you should to not get into anything or hurt herself,"

"I have faith,"

***

A few days later Will was greeted by Hannibal and the two small boxes he had thought were hidden quite well.

Hannibal didn't say a word. He only held them out in his hands, waiting for Will to say something. 

"What? Did you want me to bring them to you first?" Will asked, throwing his hands up in the air.

"No. I am just inquiring on how Alana was able to deliver them to you and how she knew the names of our children."

"It doesn't matter, Hannibal,"

"But it does, Will, because I would like to send her a thank you note, these are beautiful," Hannibal's accent was overpowering, growling its way into his voice with simple ease. As if the wickedness in his eyes was not enough of a red flag.

"She does not need that kind of thank you note, Hannibal, and you do not need to go down that road,"

Hannibal squinted. "I...fine..."

"You accept defeat way too easily these days," Will chuckled. 

Hannibal sat the boxes down, yanking Will into a tight embrace. "There are only three people in this world that I am willing to do that for,"

Will nipped at Hannibal's jaw. "Two of which happen to be asleep, right now,"

"Yes, it appears as such," Hannibal said before diving in for a deep kiss. Will was his for the taking. 

Chapter Text

FIFTH BIRTHDAY OF TWINS

Will was the first one who broke. He sat down on the steps leading up to the historical mansion he had recently been inhabiting with his family. 

He tried not to glance down at the body. That only made it worse. Still, the body was definitely there.

Hannibal got out of his car and walked up to his husband and the now deceased gardener. He met big blue eyes, asking for help. 

"I am glad to see you realized that we were running low on food," Hannibal chuckled, kneeling beside the dead south african.

"He was...he sexually assaulted me, after I caught him peeking in on our daughters...with his hand down his pants..." Will said into his hands that now covered his face.

Hannibal's eyes grew dark, anger seeping through his every pore. "What did he do to you?!" He growled.

Will took a deep breath. "He tried to pin me down and he shoved me...he tried to shove his nasty, little pencil dick in my mouth."

Hannibal ran his eyes along the frame of the fallen man. There did seem to be some pooling of blood near the genitals. "Did you bite it off?"

Will looked at his beloved. "Well, I didn't really see any other option."

Hannibal smiled. "What did you do with it?"

"I gave it to the dogs,"

Hannibal pulled the gardener's clothing up. He whipped a knife out of his pocket and began to make surgical incisions. He was removing organs with ease right in front of Will. "So much for us not doing this anymore,"

Will shrugged. "It must be in the blood, I have a taste for it that doesn't ever fully go away, and I will always protect my family,"

"If it is possible I think I may love you even more right now," Hannibal said, removing bloodied hands from the corpse. "Can you go fetch me a dish?"

"Yes, absolutely," Will quickly got up and went into the house.

Hannibal licked one of his fingers. They had no neighbors. He was always a very neat monster, but he didn't care now. The taste, the smell, swirled around in his head. He was almost dizzy from it. He missed it.

***

Hannibal made an exquisite dinner. He made several jokes alluding to the meat, but thankfully Mischa and Lilith were too young to catch on. It would hopefully be years before they knew what happened to the man who had been around since they were three. 

Hannibal took an extra joy in consuming the food. No one assaulted his husband or threatened the innocence of his children and got away with it. 

Hannibal also took an extra joy in an idea that popped in his head and the fact that Will was going to protest it to no end. He was going to like going through the persuasion efforts, because he was sure it was going to involve getting Will out of his clothes.

The truth was, he felt that the two chairs on the opposite side of the dining table seemed empty. 

"Mischa, Lilith, I have a question for you, mano ukochane," Hannibal began, heavily accented, which usually got the young girls' attentions.

"What? What?" Mischa asked, excitedly.

"Yes, father, what?" Lilith followed suit, albeit, much more refined for her age.

"I was wondering if the two of you would like to have a little brother to keep you company?"

Will shot daggers from his seat. Not once did Hannibal discuss the idea of them having more children.

"I would like a brother, or a sister," Mischa giggled. "We could play dress up,"

Hannibal smiled wickedly over at Will. Daggers still being thrown.

"I want a sister, not a brother," Lilith half groaned. 

"Hannibal, do you think that I could see you in the other room for a moment?" Will asked through clenched teeth.

"Oooh, tevas is in trouble," Mischa said, cute bow tie lips clamped shut.

"Yes, daddy is mad," Lilith added. 

Hannibal smiled. They were both so different, yet as close as twins could be. 

In the other room Will pinned Hannibal against the wall. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?" He tried to keep his voice low so their daughters could not hear.

"I am not," 

"Is Chiyoh pregnant again? Was this your fancy way of telling me?"

"No, no one is pregnant. It was simply an idea that crossed my mind the other day. I would very much like to have a son." Hannibal said in a soft tone.

"Oh, well, I know you know that there is no sane way to guarantee a baby boy,"

"It would be worth it, the chances are decent enough," 

"You really want to have another one? Mischa and Lilith are a handful." 

"I may be getting older, but on that same note, I am not getting any younger. Now, would be a wonderful time to consider if we wanted more than just our two."

"We will talk about this later," Will grumbled.

"I always hold you to it,"

"Always,"

TENTH BIRTHDAY OF TWINS

"Oh hell no, get your nasty hand away from me, I will cut you!" Will shouted, running away from Hannibal. 

At this rate, the kitchen was going to be a mess. 

"Will," Hannibal called after his husband, only a few paces behind. "Will, I promise not to touch you with it,"

"I don't believe you! I've met you! You are sneaky and you are weird! You are going to rub it all over me!"

Hannibal looked down at his hands, moving his fingers around playfully. He was amused by the blood. "My beloved Will, you can trust me,"

"No!" 

Hannibal caught Will by the wrists, proceeding to rub the blood that coated his hands all down his sleeves and onto his shoulders. Will squirmed, but allowed Hannibal to pull him into a red embrace. He didn't even pull away when Hannibal smeared the thick coagulated mess on his lips and nose.

"There,"

"Ew," Will mumbled. "Ew,"

Hannibal kissed him. 

"Ew is right, get a room," Mischa fake gagged as she walked into the blood coated kitchen, not even seeming the slightest bit surprised by the fact that her father had drained some poor animal** and decided the best way to prepare dinner was to destroy the kitchen. Hannibal had been embracing a different side of himself, especially in his new experimental cooking. 

"Tevas!" Shouted a sweet, young ginger haired child. So much for the red hair being recessive. Everything else was still very much Hannibal.

The young boy wrapped his arms around Hannibal's legs and despite the stained hands, Hannibal lifted him up into his arms. "And just what might you be doing today?"

"I found a puppy," The little boy giggled.

Hannibal's eyes locked onto Will's. Nurture beating Nature. "Is that so? Where is this puppy?"

"Outside, in the back yard, Victoria has it," The boy told him.

"Oh," Hannibal glanced back at the mess he made of the kitchen. He supposed that it could be cleaned up later, even though it might stain. "Let's go out there,"

Sure enough, five year old Victoria had the puppy in her lap. "Hi, can we keep him?"

Before Hannibal could even think about protesting, Will interjected. "Yes!" 

Hannibal glared, setting down their son. "Will!"

"What? You do it to me all the time."

Unfortunately, he did have a valid point. 

***

"I believe they call it, being creative," Hannibal whispered in Will's ear while they stood out on the massive deck behind their house, his arms firmly around Will's petite waist. 

"It is cold outside," Will said in response, nuzzling his husband's chest. 

Hannibal slid his hands beneath the waistband of the fleece pajamas Will was wearing, grabbing the firm ass he loved so. Will ran his hands through Hannibal's silver hair. 

"Come, the bench has a decent enough cushion," Hannibal said as he took Will in a kiss. 

They were both already hard. They had four kids between the ages of ten and three. They knew just how to use their time wisely.

The kissing became lusty. More teeth than tongue or lips. Will yanked Hannibal's pants down, hand gripped around the thick cock he wanted so bad. Hannibal took Will by the nape of the neck, moving him over to the bench and pushing him down onto his knees. 

As he moved him into a position, fingers latched in salt and pepper hair, he pressed the head of his cock against the tight hole.

"Fuck me, Hannibal," Will mewled, pushing his hips back.

Hannibal steadied himself, thrusting deep into Will. Will cried out, pain and pleasure a sickening mix in his lower belly. Hannibal found a good speed, snapping his hips with ease. One of his hands traveling down to Will's dick, stroking it in rhythm with his thrusts.

Will was so glad that they didn't have neighbors.

"You feel incredible," Hannibal said breathlessly, grinding into the man beneath him. 

"Yes! Hannibal! Harder! Fuck me harder!" Will shouted, certain that he was going to wake up one of their kids if he had not already.

"Will!" Hannibal cried out, filling Will up. 

Will let off seconds later, coating Hannibal's hand.

The two sat up on the bench, cuddled against each other. Will pulled his legs up off the ground, doing everything he could to snuggle against Hannibal. "I love you,"

"I love you, always,"

***

Will rushed into the house. The phone call was urgent. He was worried. It was so rare that he even went that far away from the house, but they had needed the groceries and their son needed medicine for his throat. 

Lilith called. The problem had not been about the boy. It had been Hannibal. 

"What is wrong? Where is he?!" Will scrambled past Lilith, then Victoria, and the boy. 

Mischa was kneeling on the floor beside her father, both of her hands wrapped around one of his. 

Will dropped down to the floor beside them. "Hannibal! Hannibal, look at me, please!"

Hannibal smiled at Will. "I will be just fine, Will. I am just a bit light headed. I only need help getting too my feet."

Will and Mischa pulled Hannibal to his feet. They all walked into the kitchen together. Will figured that Hannibal needed some water.

Just as Will let go of Hannibal, the man fainted. 

"Call an ambulance, Lilith, now!"

Chapter Text

Will couldn't bring himself to leave Hannibal's side. He held his hand, tightly squeezing in series of threes from time to time. It was a silent 'I love you' while the hospital staff buzzed around the room. 

Will cried when Hannibal finally returned the squeeze, the series of three. 

Will looked up, eyes locked onto the darkly beautiful ones he had fallen in love with so many years ago. "Babe," He cooed, running his thumb along the top of Hannibal's hand. 

"Will, you've been crying," Hannibal whispered.

"I have been scared of what might happen to you, they have barely told me anything," Will said, his voice low. "I even called Chiyoh, she has reluctantly agreed to watch after the kids, despite the fact that the twins are in the visitor's room." 

Hannibal brought his other hand over to brush through Will's curls. "I did tell you that I was fine,"

A doctor knocked on the side of the door's threshold. "Mr. Robinson, could I have a word with you outside?"

Will nodded, standing up and following the young woman out into the hall. 

"Alright, have your word, I would really like to get back in there with him," Will pleaded.

"Your husband has high blood pressure. Odds are he knows this. What happened, with him fainting, was likely due to his high blood pressure. My guess is that he will be completely fine and able to go home in a few hours, but I would like to run a few more tests just to be sure. We do take this very seriously, however."

Will breathed a sigh of relief. "That makes me feel better,"

"He is going to be restricted for a few days, he needs to take it easy and avoid anything stressful or that causes anxiety. I will be prescribing medication for his condition and he will still need to have his blood pressure tested regularly. I will go over this all in more detail with you both in about twenty minutes." She explained.

"Ha! This should be interesting. Any way that you can tell me when I am allowed to yell at him?" Will asked, half joking.

"Um, Mr. Robinson, is there a significant amount of arguing happening at home?" The doctor asked with her eyebrows raised.

Will shook his head. "No, no, it was just a joke because he told me he was fine and just needed water before he fell to the floor in the kitchen. He used to be a doctor, so, you are right, he probably knew exactly what was going on, but did not want me or the kids to worry."

"Oh, you two are the parents of the two girls who keep terrorizing the younger children in the visitor room?"

Will looked down at his feet, shuffling his weight onto one leg, popping out his hip. His arms crossed instinctively. "Yep, those are definitely our girls, we have another daughter and a son at home with their...aunt."

"Sounds like the two of you have your hands full, which might be something to keep in mind when considering your husband's blood pressure." 

"I...am going to go back in and check on him, say, would you mind sending the terrorizing ten year olds my way?"

"Certainly, I have to go into that room, anyways,"

Will turned away and walked back into Hannibal's room. He was asleep. Peaceful and content. For a moment, he considered allowing him to rest, but based on previous information he deemed that as being just a bit too nice. He lightly shook his gorgeous husband back into full consciousness, secretly enjoying the strange look that was shot at him. 

"Han, why didn't you tell me that you had high blood pressure? Were you ever going to tell me?" Will asked, doing his best not to raise his voice. 

"Will, I...I did not tell you because I was certain that I would have it under control. I did not need your particular brand of worrying to follow me every moment of my day. You did not need your particular brand of worrying, would not have been healthy. I never expected to...faint."

"You can't do that to me, Han, you can't! I love you. You absolutely cannot do that to me. I can't imagine a world without you in it, and when you fainted, I..." Will stopped, tears welling up in his eyes. 

Hannibal moved to the right side on the hospital bed. He took Will by the hand and pulled him closer, ushering him to climb up onto the bed with him. 

Will laid down beside Hannibal, wrapping an arm and a leg around the man, his head on his chest. Hannibal interlocked their fingers and pressed a kiss into the younger man's forehead. 

"I'm sorry, Will," Hannibal mumbled. "You won't have to live without me any time soon."

"Never again, never again will I keep anything like this from you,"

"I love you, so, so much," Will said softly, lips almost brushing up against Hannibal's neck. 

"And I, my dear, love you, perhaps, even more," 

Mischa and Lilith walked into the room a minute later, rushing to the side of Hannibal and wrapping their arms around him. There was so much love. 

"When can we go home?" Mischa asked. 

"Soon," Will assured her, caressing her cheek. "Soon,"

SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY OF THE TWINS

A massive party had been canceled at the last minute. The boy had fallen out of a tree in the backyard, breaking his leg. For a nine year old, he had not one ounce of discipline. He was a mess as much as he was his father's son. His red hair had only grown darker, his smile more adorable, but it did not take a psychiatrist to notice the brimming edges of psychopathy beneath the sweet guise. Always plotting and working the room. 

He had been spying on Lilith when it happened. 

He wanted enough information on her to blackmail her into making a purchase for him. At least, that was what Hannibal was able to get out of him.

Will just sighed. The birthday party had been in the works for over a month, the twins were not going to be happy.

Will also knew that he had gathered the information needed. He could see it in the boy's eyes. He was sneaky, in all the right ways. With the help of Hannibal, they were going to get whatever it was out of him before he had a chance to use it. 

There were not tolerated secrets in the Lecter household. 

Hannibal kneeled in front of the wheelchair his son was seated in. "This is about Lilith's boyfriend, is it not?"

He remained silent. 

"Answer me boy, you will not be punished for relinquishing information that is relevant to your parents," Hannibal continued, voice stern.

"It is, kinda," He muttered.

"Kinda is not a proper answer, tell us what is going on," Will said from behind the chair, taking on the role of good cop.

"She will kill me, you know?" 

"No one is killing anyone," Will told his son, tone soft and almost maternal in sound.

Hannibal glanced up at his husband. "That is not necessarily true, it depends on what we are dealing with,"

"Hannibal, stop,"

"I will gut the boyfriend, I have no qualms about doing so,"

"Lilith is pregnant!" The young boy shouted, covering his face with his hands.

"WHAT!?" Will and Hannibal roared. 

"Yeah, I heard her...she talked on the phone with him...and she had a test in her waste basket in her room..." 

Hannibal's nostrils flared. Will was standing somewhere between shock and concern, mostly because this was exactly the kind of thing that would be considered bad for a man with high blood pressure in his sixties. No matter how healthy the rest of the man was. 

"Hannibal," Will was going to try to reason. "Breathe. We cannot immediately jump to the death of her boyfriend. You need to remain calm. We have to present a united front or we are going to have more problems."

"She had an early admission to one of the greatest universities in the world. She was going to be a brilliant surgeon." Hannibal's anger still surged within him.

"She can still have all of that. She will just need a little extra help. She is going to be fine."

"Children change things, her time will have to be redirected towards caring for hers,"

"Why do I have to be the voice of reason here? That is your job, last I checked. I am supposed to be losing my shit right now because my sixteen year old daughter is pregnant with the child of the seventeen year old from Jamaica, but you already did it for me." Will huffed.

Hannibal could feel his face getting warm. "I do not know what you want me to say,"

"I don't want you to say anything, I want you to cool your damn jets before we get too far away from the hospital,"

Hannibal nodded. "I'll try,"

***

Darryl, the Jamaican boy, and Lilith were waiting on the front steps when the car pulled up to the house. Lilith was staring with death in her eyes toward her little brother. She knew that he had told them before she even had the chance.

"If you know what is good for you, you will step away from my daughter," Will snapped.

Darryl moved down the steps, causing Lilith's death stare to direct to him instead.

"I would not suggest standing too close to me, either, foolish boy, for you have no idea what I am capable of," Hannibal scowled, his voice deep and his accent thick from the anger pulsing through his body.

 "Lilith, when did you plan on telling us?" Will asked.

She grumbled. "When the time came, but some little insufferable child thought it his news to share,"

"How could you? After everything that you worked for?" Will still could not decide on which emotion to express outwardly as they all swirled around in the pit of his stomach, making him awfully nauseous. 

"I did not plan this. Ever. We used protection. I know that I am young and that this is going to affect me in ways I am not prepared for, but I just do not care. I am keeping the baby and I will still go to college."

"Baby?" Mischa said the word as if it were a part of a foreign language as she walked around the side of the house with Victoria. 

"Yes, your sister is going to have a baby," Hannibal groaned. He turned to Will, ridiculous expression adorning his face. "Look at that, Will, we are going to be grandparents and we do not even have any adult children,"

"Do you have to be a complete asshole about it?!" Lilith shouted.

Hannibal narrowed his eyes. "If you even thought for a second that you were not going to be grounded after saying that you are horribly mistaken, I can handle your irresponsibility, but your insubordination will not be tolerated. I would enter the house if I were you."

"Fine," She shrugged, turning to walk inside. "But if you kill him, I know where your medication is,"

Hannibal directed his attention to Darryl. "Oh, I would never think of killing him, but if he thinks he can outrun me his best bet would be to get the five second head start I am allowing,"

Darryl didn't say a word, he just ran. 

"Are you actually going to chase after him?"

"For a moment, I considered what it might have been like to castrate him and create a dish out of him, but I would rather spend my evening with my family, even being angry to no end with one particular member of it,"

Will only laughed. It was an interesting image, at best.

EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY OF THE TWINS

Will sat back on a bench on the far side of the cemetery, not wanting to be involved with any of the commotion that came along with funerals. He also was not a fan of the people in attendance, either. He could watch the casket lowered into the ground from his position just as well as anyone else could.

He wouldn't even shed a tear, despite all that he had been through. He was emotionally stunted, unable to accept the absence of closure. 

He ran his fingers through his salt and peppered hair, mostly salt as of late. It was cut short for the occasion, trying to sustain the appearance of a proper adult, an unrecognizable one at that. One curl remained, however, a favorite of his husband's who refused to let it go.

"I can't believe I am sitting here, I shouldn't be here," Will muttered to himself. "This is stupid. This is reckless. This is horrible."

He looked over at the other side of the bench, occupied with a slightly muted version of the well dressed psychiatrist he met in Jack Crawford's office over two decades prior. He almost felt like he was part of some fevered dream, that he still might one day wake up from. He feared more than anything that the man would disappear.

"This is all of those things," The Lithuanian half mumbled, head cocked to the side as he ran his eyes over the crowd of funeral goers across the cemetery. "A lot of other things, as well,"

"That was a cop out,"

"Probably, I have yet to decide if I want to elaborate further,"

"You are such a freak sometimes," Will said as he exhaled.

"I'll accept that, it is not as though I have a choice in the matter anymore," He sighed. "It was only a matter of time, my hypertension has been nothing more than an ill timed disease capable of making me submit to nearly every obstacle in my life,"

"You are...never mind you have got the point,"

"Are you going to mourn with the others? You did fund a large portion of this funeral. I would imagine that it would be expected that you attend."

"I am afraid. I have yet to accept this for what it is. I also have this underlying fear that I would be brought into police custody should anyone actually get a good look at me." Will said, fumbling with his glasses. 

"They would make the assumption that wherever you were, I would not be too far behind you," Hannibal replied in part of a realization, pushing up the glasses he wore for aesthetic purposes up onto his face. 

"Exactly,"

"Interestingly inaccurate, their assumptions that I follow you, I fancy us an equal team," 

"Yeah, okay, you tell me that after we sign the papers for the mill tomorrow, you are going to need the power,"

Hannibal stood up, brushed off his suit, and acted like he was going to walk over to the funeral. Will grabbed his hand, somehow managing to pull the man into his lap.

"Oh, Will, I had no idea that you felt this way," Hannibal chuckled, arms around his husband's neck as he feigned overdramatics.

"Yes, being surrounded by all of these dead people really turns me on,"

Hannibal repositioned himself to straddle Will's thighs, his hands running along the sides of the younger man's body. "Yet, you claim I am the freak," He whispered with a wink.

***

Not long after Molly's funeral, Will and Hannibal headed to another old stomping ground together. The scenic route to a piece of property they were purchasing for Lilith, a built in income and home far from where they currently resided, the perfect place for her to raise her family.

A historic mill in the heart of an apple paradise. Covertly romantic, it seemed.

They still had one more day without their two younger children. Hannibal was going to take advantage of it.

"This place is even better in person," Will said, spinning around to take it all in.

"A bit closer to the road than I had figured, seems as if this road could have been positioned further out,"

"Hannibal, this place was built in the eighteen hundreds, no one was thinking about traffic on the road,"

"I am only commenting because I am not exactly supportive of Carson being able to run out to the road so easily, I only wish for him to be safe, and while Lilith is a wonderful mother, I do not trust her to keep her eyes on him at all times."

"That is why Darryl will be here, also," Will reminded his husband.

They walked down by the river, hand in hand, enjoying the crisp air and the scents that were uniquely attached to the mill.

"I asked Mischa what she would like for her birthday," Hannibal began, picking an apple off of a tree as he spoke. "I knew that it had to be quite extravagant due to this gift we are giving to Lilith. Do you want to hear what she wanted?"

"Well, yeah,"

"Interesting thing about our Mischa, she is not unlike my sister, despite not being of my blood,"

"C'mon, Hannibal, cut to the chase,"

"She is one of the most empathetic human beings on the planet, as well, due to being of your blood,"

"Hannibal, you are driving me crazy,"

Hannibal took Will's left hand, sliding both of his rings off of his finger. Keeping his grip on his hand, Hannibal lowered himself onto one knee. Will felt all of his emotions fall front and center, almost crying and laughing as he looked down at his beloved husband. Hannibal removed a small ring box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a new ring, one where each of the four stones represented the birth months of their children, Lilith and Mischa's on the outside.

"Our Mischa, she wanted nothing more than for me to do this," Hannibal said, taking a deep breath. "William Graham-Lecter, love of my life and excellent parent to our children, will you marry me, again?"

"Of course, I would love to," Will answered with a smile.

Hannibal slid the new ring onto Will's finger, replacing the wedding band on top of it. He rose to his feet, catching Will in a kiss as soon as they were at level. "She wanted us to renew our vows, while she officiated,"

"That girl, she knows how to tug on the heartstrings, doesn't she?" Will asked.

"Not unlike her dad in that right," Hannibal replied, pressing their foreheads together. "I love you, more and more every day,"

"I love you, too," Will wrapped his arms around Hannibal's neck. "What would everyone have said if they knew that you were this romantic softy nerd?"

Hannibal shook his head and laughed. "The world may never know, my dear Will,"

Chapter Text

Will and Hannibal renewed their vows at the mill. A beautiful ceremony by the river, the same place that served as the location for Hannibal's second proposal. Mischa was the officiant, just as she had wanted. 

Her eyes were teary as her parents cemented their love again, sealed with a kiss. 

Hannibal's eyes were teary, as well. Love pouring out of him. Nearly twenty years of marriage, over two decades of friendship, and despite all that had happened between them he would not have changed a single thing. 

They had a small reception, making up for the lack of one after their first wedding. It was still small, the number of people they trusted had been slightly larger than back then, but at least there was something. People they had crossed paths with overtime, coming together to experience the love that they shared. 

"A toast, to my beloved husband," Hannibal called the attention to all of those in attendance, holding up a champagne flute in his hand while his other arm made use to pull Will against him. "May he never forget what exquisite taste I have," 

Will laughed, shaking his head. "Very funny,"

"Remember, my dear, it is exquisite taste that brought me to you,"

"That isn't even remotely accurate, but I'll take it,"

"I seem to feel differently, because had I not had such wonderful taste, that taste including what I had for partners, I would not have pursued you," Hannibal chuckled, pressing a kiss into the top of his husband's head. 

"Well, if you want to look at it that way, I probably have questionable taste, because I still married you after you tried to saw open my head," Will replied, resting his head against Hannibal's shoulder. 

"I would like to give a toast to this beautiful couple," Darryl announced after the laughing had fully subsided. "When we first met and I was just the little boy who lived near you, you treated me like a son. I know that we have not been on the best of terms all the time, but now that I am an actual part of the family there is no place I would rather be than here, celebrating two people who couldn't be more loving, or better parents, grandparents too. Seeing the two of you makes me want to ensure that my marriage to your beautiful daughter lasts as long as yours has. Never have I seen two people more deserving of each other or more meant to me. Thank you for everything. I hope there are many more years of happiness to come."

At the conclusion of Darryl's speech Hannibal caught Will in a quick kiss, something that came off as more of a photo opportunity than anything else. Hannibal, always one to participate in showboating. 

Everyone applauded. Everything was wonderful. 

TWENTY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY OF TWINS

"All that I am, is because of you, tevas," Lilith said smiling as she bounced her two year old daughter on her leg. "Sometimes that terrifies me, I see it in the way I do just about everything, including the way I parent my own children. I am a twin with nothing in common with her sister than a bit of genetic makeup. If you would have had a twin and been a girl, I am you."

"I agree completely," Hannibal said, cracking his neck before pushing up his glasses. He actually needed them now.

"That being said, what should really terrify you is the fact that you look exactly like your father, it is literally uncanny, you could have been a clone," Will chuckled, walking into the room, throwing his jacket over the back of one of the chairs, making sure that he made eye contact with the meticulous gentleman on the sofa. 

Lilith glanced at Hannibal, especially his cheekbones. What Will said was not at all inaccurate. She had known it for years. "I certainly cannot be too angry about it, means I am attractive as hell. I mean, I must be, because if I look like him and he was able to get someone as gorgeous as you..."

"Stop trying to butter me up I get enough of that from him,"

Hannibal looked down, not even tempted to make eye contact with Will. 

Lilith started laughing, making yet another connection of similarity with her father. Even their laughs were similar in pattern. 

"Come here, beautiful, and please know that, you are beautiful," Hannibal's voice was low and not too far off from seductive, hell bent on waking up all of Will's senses. 

Once Will was close enough to Hannibal, he grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down to sit beside him. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pressing light kisses into the younger man's temple and cheek. 

"Mano saldus grazus vyras," Will whispered, tilting his head up to capture his husband in a passionate kiss. 

Hannibal smiled. He had taken the time to teach Lithuanian to Will when it became obvious that regular scare tactics did not work on their son. On the other hand, being screamed at in another language seemed to do the trick.

Hannibal had never imagined that teaching Will his native tongue would be something that was used against him. Seductive tactics.

"Mmm...my William," Hannibal purred, hand on the back of Will's neck as he took him deeper into the kiss.

Lilith made a mock gagging sound. "You two have a bedroom,"

Will pulled away from his beloved. "Can you believe that Victoria is getting married tomorrow?"

Hannibal nodded. "Absolutely, we have paid for most of the ceremony and she has expensive tastes,"

"Can't imagine where she got that from, but it just feels strange, our youngest daughter getting married,"

"She is twenty, Will, fully capable of making such a choice," Hannibal sighed. "Besides, James is a lovely young man and he makes her happy,"

"James Cooper, Marine," Will said, making a marquee gesture with his hand. 

"Victoria Margaret Cooper," Lilith let the new last name of her younger sister settle on her lips. "Weird."

***

Hannibal yawned. The wedding had exhausted him. Playing another role, doing everything in his power to keep people from seeing through his facade. He barely wore his 'person suit' anymore, it had been years at this point, but for Victoria he would play the part of average dad until he was blue in the face. 

He hadn't expected it to be so tiring, however. It shocked him. It was just another thing that made him feel old, something he had long before accepted. This had just not been one of those times he thought he would be spent. 

He slammed what was left of the wine in his glass, setting it down and heading inside the warm house. 

He had had every intention of curling up on the couch and getting in a quick nap. It had been important, especially if his recently insatiable husband came in horny. 

All of this was put on hold, however, when he found his son lying on the floor with a bottle of whiskey. Dazed out of his mind. 

"Sit up, what are you doing?" Hannibal asked. 

"Drinking, what does it look like I am doing?" The young man shot back.

"I have grasped that, but why? You are eighteen, you do not get to open up the liquor cabinet whenever you do so please."

He sat up. "I'm depressed. Anna and I broke up."

"Because of that, you assumed I would accept this?"

"No,"

"Why did she break up with you?" 

"I never said she broke up with me, I broke up with her,"

"Then why are you depressed to the point where you feel satisfied polishing off a bottle of whiskey?"

His son held his hand out for assistance to his feet. "The reasoning, actually,"

"Do you plan on telling me?"

"I realized...I'm gay," He took a deep breath. "I guess I had a feeling that I was before this, but I always pushed it to the side. I never thought of it as important. Well, guess what? I am gay. I like men. I figured it wouldn't bother you because, well, you and dad, but I have been with Anna for almost a year and I couldn't believe that I had to hurt her like this."

Hannibal opened and closed his mouth a few times before deciding to actually speak. "At least you figured this out before you married the girl, is there a man in your life with whom you have considered becoming romantic with?"

"Yes, but it is more like I have already been sort of romantic with him,"

Hannibal slyly slipped the bottle out of his son's hands and sat it down on the counter of the bar. "Someone we know? Someone from work?"

"Not exactly, as it turns out I do not just share dad's love of stray dogs, but also...older men. He is a teacher. He is twenty-eight."

"Ah, I see,"

"You are not reacting the way I was expecting you to,"

"Which was what way exactly?"

"I thought you would be okay with me being gay, but would start freaking out over the teacher. Any time any of my sisters brought home any boys you always gave said boy the third degree, you and dad immediately turned it into an interrogation. The only one who sort of avoided that was Darryl and that is because you knew him before they started dating."

Hannibal placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Allow me time to process this, when and if you do bring this teacher to me, I will be sure to interrogate him the same way I have done with all other men who walked through my door with the intention of starting a relationship with one of my children."

"Okay. Good to know."

***

The Saturday following Victoria's wedding, their son's new beau was invited to dinner. 

When Hannibal was finished preparing the meal, he slid a knife into his pocket. He wanted to be ready for anything. And, he would be. 

Will saw the blade, half tempted to pickpocket it right back out. He was pretty sure that he had the right methods to use for it. 

The doorbell rang. Will kindly went over to answer it. Standing in a sort of regal elegance only achieved from old money was a tall, thin man with pale skin and dark, sandy colored hair. Will couldn't place it, but something about the man seemed familiar, eerily so.

"Please, come in, dinner will be ready in just a moment," Will said, stepping back to allow the man to come inside. 

"Wonderful," The man stopped upon laying his eyes on the one person he had really wanted to see. "Would you look at that?"

"Tevas! Dad! This is Mateo Verger." 

Hannibal and Will looked at each other in absolutely flabbergasted amusement. Of all the people, Alana's son. Of all the careers for such a man to have, a teacher. 

Finally, Will held his hand out to greet the young man. "My name is Will, pleased to meet you,"

"Likewise,"

"This is my husband, Hannibal, who is apparently just going to silently stare at you like a serial killer or something," Will snarked. 

"My apologies, I am just amazed by the striking similarities in your appearance to someone that Will and I used to hold quite dearly,"

"Is your last name Graham?" Mateo asked Will, eyebrow raised.

"It is,"

"My mothers used to talk about you frequently, about your decisions to save a serial killer, who became your husband at some point, I presume," 

"Your mothers are named Margot and Alana, are they not?" Hannibal asked.

"They are, yes,"

Hannibal started to slide his hand down into his pocket where the knife was resting. It seemed only fitting that he made good on his promise. Will took a hold of his wrist much before he could present the blade. 

"Not today," Will said under his breath.

Hannibal sighed, releasing the blunt handle from his grasp. "Fine,"

"Please, head into the dining room, we will join you in just a moment," Will told his son and Mateo.

They did as they were directed.

"Why did you have to stop me? This might have been my only chance."

"Just think if they get married or something, Alana and Margot will inadvertently become a huge part of our life. You need to practice that self control you told me about."

"Fine,"

Petulant child, be warned.

THIRTIETH BIRTHDAY OF TWINS 

"And what did you say your name was again?" The woman asked, looking above her glasses, graying hair pulled back into a slick ponytail. 

"Hannibal Lecter," The ginger haired male in the three piece suit told her.

The name made her shudder. "Oh," She might have been the head of the Behavioral Analysis Unit, but that didn't change her deepest fear. She had been the only legitimate survivor and witness on the Chesapeake Ripper case. It had taken time to get over the fact that the man she thought was the Ripper was not, that she had brainwashed. 

"I take that as you knowing who my father is," The young man said with a smile.

"I do. I had a very unique experience with him. He kept me hidden for two years. He tricked me. I feel lucky to be alive."

"I'm sorry about things that happened in the past, believe me, you are not the first person who has told me of some horrible, awful thing he did. That was the past, however, and I assure you I am not my father. Certainly, I would hope that you might be able to look past my name and instead look at my skill set."

"Uh...if you don't mind me asking, where is he now? Is he still alive?" She asked with curious eyes.

He nodded. "Of course he is alive, but I am not about to expose his location and risk you sending someone to go get him. It is not my responsibility to give you information on my parents. He is happy, that is all that matters."

"But..."

"No, there are not any 'buts', because even if I wanted to see something bad happen to him, my dad would not be particularly fond of anyone who tried to detain his husband." 

"Dr. Lecter...wait...what?" 

"Ms. Lass, if you wanted to know my lineage you could have looked at my files, I do not try to hide beneath aliases. My own husband is the one who recommended me for this job. You trust him, you took his word for it that I would make a good consultant. Currently, my parents are irrelevant. One gave me his name and his genetics, the other nurtured me into being a somewhat good person."

"You're right, you're right, this is not about your father, this is about you and your merits. You were at the top of your class at Harvard, admitted and graduated early. You've turned down countless other jobs, I've called around, why this one?" 

"I have always had an interest in this line of work, for some time I believed that I might just want to be an agent of some kind, before attending medical school. My dad, the wonderful, nurturing man stirred the interest back in me last year. I knew that this was what I wanted, because despite everything, I have a knack for profiling."

"I still can't believe that they are still alive, living somewhere...you know what? I apologize. I just cannot get over how bizarre this all is. I am going to offer you the job. Dr. Verger wouldn't allow me to do otherwise, but this is not because of him, it is because of you."

"Thank you, Ms. Lass, I appreciate your time today,"

"Not a problem, I hope that you can start tomorrow,"

"Absolutely," Her newest employee said before shaking her hand and walking out the door. 

Miriam shook her head, still in shock. At this point, she could have decided to take legal action, but it had been such a long time that she wondered if it was worth it. Instead, she opened her mind to the idea that the younger Lecter would eventually trust her enough to willingly give up the information that would lead to an official closed case. Even if that meant bending the rules a little.

***

Hannibal stirred awake, the feeling of being watched bringing him to full consciousness. He opened his eyes to see his husband looking down at him, sitting upright in their bed. He smiled.

"Good morning, Hannibal," Will half mumbled, voice still rough from sleep.

"Good morning, indeed, my dear," Hannibal replied, struggling to move into a similar position without the use of one arm. 

"Careful," Will chuckled, "You really need to get used to that cast, it isn't going anywhere, anytime soon,"

"I know," Hannibal sighed, looking at the length of his right arm. "It is more of a nuisance that I expected,"

"I guess that means that the lesson has been learned, you are not indestructible, you can't go around trying to be murderous to a professional wrestler without me, even if he is bothering Mischa." 

"Lesson has been learned, yes," Hannibal said before leaning in to kiss his Will. 

"Our son called this morning, by the way, he got the job," 

"Good, I would not have expected anything else. He deserves it."

"You do know that Miriam Lass is in charge over there these days, don't you?"

"I do," He kissed Will again. "And that doesn't concern me in the slightest,"

"Good, I'm glad that at least one of us doesn't find that bothersome,"

"Well, I do trust our son and I trust that even if she could find us, it would be a hard case to actually follow up on being the three decades that have passed,"

"Point taken," 

Hannibal pushed Will down onto his back, crawling on top of him. "Always," He began kissing his husband's neck, eliciting all sorts of pleasurable moans from him. 

Will wrapped his arms around Hannibal, hands sliding up the older man's shirt. "Always,"

A fist rapped against the threshold of their bedroom door. "The two of you are ridiculous, I just thought I should let you know," Mischa laughed, shaking her head. "The least you could do is close the door."

Hannibal looked back at his daughter. "You are the one standing in the doorway, perhaps, you can do the honor?"

Mischa rolled her eyes. "I'm not kidding, I know that the two of you have had free reign of the house since Han moved out, but my kids do not need to see that, I want them to assume that you two are completely asexual until I can explain that sort of thing to them,"

Will laughed. "That is for you to figure out, we are the grandparents, that is not our responsibility right at this moment, it is our house, too. But, to get you started, you could shut the door."

"Dad! That's not funny! They are only five!" 

Hannibal rolled off of Will for a moment. "I believe you are not understanding this situation, Mischa. You see, you are the parent, you have two beautiful girls to teach and raise. We are the grandparents, our role is simply to occasionally look after and spoil them. We raised four children, all of which are successful adults, our work is done. In conclusion, this is our house and this is our bedroom, so I only suggest that you shut the door so your children do not see what is about to happen."

"UGH!" Mischa slammed the door shut, stomping away, emotional as ever.

"She is a mess," Will giggled. "What did we do wrong?"

"She just lost her husband, I expect that she will be alright in due time," 

"You killed him, this is your fault,"

"I do not tolerate rapists in the family," Hannibal said honestly. "Anyways, where were we?"

Will caught his husband in a kiss. "Right here,"

THIRTY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY OF TWINS

The family gathered at Lilith's mill in Parshalville. It was such a strange experience. They were celebrating life and mourning death only a few days apart. No one really understood how to handle it. 

Hannibal allowed himself to lay down across the length of the side porch. He had originally wanted to sink into the earth, let it envelope around him, but that wouldn't have been the right way to deal with everything. He needed to be strong, for his children, his grandchildren, and now his brand new great-grandchild. 

He never expected it to end like this. He assumed the natural course of biology would be what separated him from his beloved, not this, not a simple accident. 

His Will was gone, leaving behind their growing family. 

"Tevas, are you going to be okay?" Victoria asked, looking down at her father, worried. 

Hannibal slowly pushed himself back up, sitting and making eye contact with his youngest daughter. "I really do not know," Tears formed in his eyes, the only thing he was desperate for now being his own death, despite that being the opposite of what he needed to do. 

Victoria brushed her sandy blond hair out of her face, joining her father on the porch. "I miss him to, I keep waiting for him to pull up in the driveway, even though it isn't going to happen, I don't want to believe it,"

Hannibal completely lost it, every bit of his composure slipping as tears ran down his face. He sobbed into his daughter's shoulder, holding her in a tight embrace. 

The rest of the family heard what was going on from the side yard. Every single one joined Hannibal on that porch, the entire Lecter clan sharing the love, remembering the wonderful times that were shared with Will. 

***

Hannibal sat in Lilith's grand family room, her not allowing him to leave. The last thing she wanted was for him to go home to that empty house that they shared. He stared at the urn that held the ashes of his fallen husband, unable to move. He had been in such a state for nearly a week. 

He reached out and touched the lid. He was due to scatter the ashes somewhere in Wolf Trap later in the month, but for now it was just the two of them. 

"I love you, I have always, I always will, until we meet again," He whispered, hand running down the length of the well decorated urn. 

In his mind he got a response, the same words with Will's voice speaking them. A tear ran down his cheek at the sound.

He drifted off for a moment, hand still in contact with the urn. He dreamt of the reason why they had to leave Florida, all those years ago.

"I cannot believe," He muttered, staring at Will who had a brick in his hand.

"Can't believe what? That I am going to do it? This is no different than anything to do with your teacups."

"Nope. Not at all. Please do throw that brick and see where it lands. I guarantee it will end badly."

"That only makes me want to do it a little bit more,"

"What are you waiting for? An invitation?"

Will spun in the direction of an abandoned building, smiling at it. "This is the teacup," He chuckled, throwing it into the window.

A cop just happened to notice the strange activity. Hannibal happened to notice the cop. 

"Will, we need to leave, right now,"

Will looked over at the officer. "Seriously? All I did was throw it."

He smiled in his sleep, never to forget a moment they shared, never to forget their love.

Chapter Text

Margot sat across from Hannibal, kicking his leg occasionally just to make sure that he was present in their conversation. As the only two remaining parents of the Verger-Lecter marriage, it only made sense for their children to insist that the two live together for the remainder of their years. It helped as a way to look out for each other when said children were not around. 

"Is this where you always imagined you would wind up?" Margot asked, mostly sarcastically.

"No, but I am not complaining, I could have been sitting across from this table with your late wife,"

"Wouldn't that have been awkward?" 

"Precisely,"

"Is there anything you would have changed?" 

"I would have died with Will in that car accident, I am still unsure of how I came out of that situation unscathed," 

"It isn't all bad,"

"No, it isn't all bad, he is still with me, in my heart, much the way I imagine Alana is with you,"

"Just don't kill me in my sleep, okay?"

"I couldn't if I tried,"

_______________________

Lilith and Darryl remained at the mill, using the profits from it to live. They had two children, a boy and a girl, Cameron and Rose.

Mischa never remarried, but did inherit the home that she spent most of her childhood in. She raised her twin daughters, Nicole and Willow in that house.

Victoria and James opened up a shelter for stray dogs after James was wounded in combat and confined to a wheelchair. They adopted a little boy from an undisclosed African country, they named him Micajah.

The younger Hannibal and Mateo continued their work for the BAU. Mischa was the surrogate mother to their five children, all girls. 

________________________

Hannibal lived the rest of his days writing, the only true written account of what happened after their escape. His last words were 'You will,'