Chapter Text
Hannibal knows why Will took them both off the edge of a cliff.
He understands perfectly.
Will observed what they had done together, saw the aftermath of a whole new kind of hunt, and he concluded what others could not, or would not.
He told Hannibal it was beautiful.
He saw beauty where others would see horror.
They both did.
It’s difficult to describe the overwhelming emotion that filled Hannibal at that moment.
He got to witness Will’s becoming.
And that might just be the most stunning thing he has ever seen.
Will had rested his head in Hannibal’s chest. His hands gripping onto him.
They held each other.
And it was perfect.
And then it ended.
Hannibal won’t say it didn’t hurt, in more ways than physically. But it’s difficult to be wounded by Will’s decision when he understands it so clearly.
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“Are you mad at me?”
Will had asked one evening, quite out of the blue.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific.” Hannibal replied, sipping on his whiskey as they sat in front of the fire.
“I could have killed us.” Will said quietly, his voice a whisper, he felt ashamed.
“I understand the reasoning behind your actions, Will.
You observed what we did together and you saw what others could not see.
Beauty.”.
Hannibal explains it like it is the most normal thing in the world.
“You knew that in that moment you wanted nothing more than to embrace this side of yourself, with me. And it frightened you.
You don’t want to be a killer but the reality of the thrill you feel when killing those who you deem deserving contradicts this.
Your internal conflict led you to believe that you should take us over the side of that cliff.
You knew that you would struggle immensely to ever return to a ‘normal’ life after seeing how beautifully abnormal a life with me could be. You wanted that life.
But a part of you told you that you were wrong for wanting it. That part took us over.”. He concludes.
Will takes a sip of his drink.
It’s actually a little frustrating how well Hannibal seems to understand him.
“But here we are, my dear Will. Alive and well.” Hannibal says with a smile.
But as Will sits with an expression of sadness, Hannibal realises that it might take a while to make him see that he holds no grudges, he feels a lot of things for Will Graham, anger isn’t one of them.
“I’m proud of you, you know.” He says gently.
Will huffs a laugh.
“Only you would be proud of me for what I have become. Only you would be proud of this change.”
“You haven’t changed Will,” Hannibal corrects, “The fire inside of you has always been there, it has lay dormant, desperate to come out and play. The people you have kept company with might as well be waves of water, surrounding that fire, not allowing it to thrive.
Occasionally a spark has freed itself, and you have been quick to put it out.”
“And then you came along with a bucket of gasoline.” Will says.
Hannibal smiles at that.
“Perhaps that is why you desire to be with me,” Hannibal says confidently.
His wording makes Will blush a little.
“I feel pride where others would feel shame.
I want to see your flames spark and soar Will.
I want to see them dance ferociously through the sky.
Others want to put you out.
You should never feel ashamed, Will.”.
Will hears Hannibal’s words and plays them over in his mind fondly.
“You never judged me.” He says in a whisper.
And it’s true.
Hannibal has hurt him, as he has hurt Hannibal.
But he has never faced judgement from him. Only admiration and fascination.
“I’ve never known myself as well as I know myself when I’m with you.” Will states. It makes Hannibal feel warm, and he knows it’s not the whiskey.
“I should hate you.
And you should hate me.
I know exactly what you are, and what you’ve done. And you know exactly what I am and what I’ve done.” Will says as his eyes swell with tears.
“Why are we so drawn to each other?” He asks as his voice breaks.
Hannibal leans forward in his chair, reaches a hand out to Will’s knee and places it there reassuringly.
“Because we understand one another.
You understand why I have done certain things, as I understand why you have done certain things.
We’re just alike, you and I.” Hannibal says with a warm smile and a fond look on his face.
“Conjoined.” Will replies.
“It’s a beautiful thing, Will, to be seen.
Your intelligence allowed you to see me when others had remained blind.” Hannibal pauses and seems to consider whether or not to continue to say his next words.
“You believe that I unlocked something in you, but Will, you have unlocked something in me.”
Will pauses for a while before saying,
“Bedelia told me that you loved me.”.
He whispers it, saying it quickly before he chickens out.
His voice is so quiet it is almost inaudible.
Hannibal just hums, as if he has been aware of this for some time.
“And how did that make you feel?” He replies calmly.
Will chuckles gently at this, some things never change.
“Honestly?” Will says, “I don’t know.”.
“That’s understandable.”. Hannibal reassures.
There is a pause.
“Do you?” Will asks.
“Do I what?”.
“Hannibal...”.
Hannibal just smiles, brings Will’s hand to his lips, and places a gentle kiss on his knuckles.
Will let’s him.
Hannibal’s lips are warm.
And then the older man just stands and walks away.
Just like that.
Will just sits there, trying to process what had just happened.
A few minutes later he hears a sweet melody coming from the next room as Hannibal begins to play his harpsichord.
He decides he won’t ask him again.
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Ever since their conversation in front of the fire ,about a week ago, Will has seemed more at ease to Hannibal.
It is clear that he truly believed he was holding a grudge.
Perhaps Will was scared of how Hannibal would express his anger, if he had any.
He laughs more now.
It makes Hannibal smile every time.
They’re happy together. It seems unlikely that after everything they could pick themselves up and run away together to a happier life, but here they both are.
There is an element of secrecy and an instinct to hide, but it doesn’t overpower their desire to be free.
Will seems to be more accepting of himself. When they ‘hunt’ together, he looks over his shoulder less and less, instead he enjoys the moment.
There are many things Hannibal loves about his new life with Will, but seeing the younger man all wide eyed, mouth open as he pants and blood spills out from his teeth, his clothes with rips where their prey has fought back, and his long hair refusing to be tamed during their dance for dinner - that might be his favourite thing.
He looks so wild, and he smiles when they finish their prey off, huffs a breathy laugh and clings to Hannibal as he gets his energy back.
He does that pretty much every time.
Drags himself over to Hannibal and holds onto him in one way or another as they regain their breath.
It makes Hannibal proud.
In the moments where Will feels euphoric from his kill, he goes to Hannibal. Almost as if he is thanking him.
Hannibal usually sits back and just allows Will to do what ever he feels he needs at that time, sometimes he just clings onto his arm, other times he nuzzles into Hannibal - when he is more emotionally overwhelmed at their new found life style.
Hannibal holds him when he needs him to.
But lately Will is becoming more confident.
And while he still turns to Hannibal after their battle, and looks at him like he is the sole reason for the overwhelming feeling of power that he now possesses, he clings to him less.
Like he doesn’t need a security blanket any more.
He doesn’t need Hannibal to tell him that what they’re doing is a thrilling thing that he enjoys anymore.
Will feels less guilty.
Hannibal can see it in his eyes.
Will used to cling to him because he knew that Hannibal would reassure him and praise him. Make him feel like what they were doing was just a fun day out.
He doesn’t seem to need that anymore.
He enjoys the hunt more and more each time.
Feels less and less guilt each time.
It makes Hannibal swell with pride.
Will is starting to give in to who he is, who he wants to be. Hannibal is helping him realise, of course. But it’s Will who is making that jump.
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It is the evening when Will and Hannibal had been forced to make a quick exit from their little ‘scene’. They had planned on making it more eccentric, but when they had heard someone near by, they had to make a swift return to home.
This meant seeing Will stood in the kitchen, covered in blood and oozing adrenaline.
He was still panting and smirked as he said, “Jesus, that was close, we need to be more careful.”
But instead of saying it with any concern in his voice, he said it with excitement and a hint of humour.
Hannibal smiled at him proudly, refusing to wash his hands of the blood just yet.
“You are becoming more brave and confident, my dear Will” He said as they faced each other in the dimly lit kitchen. It was very late.
Will smiled back at him, not quite blushing but something close to that.
Hannibal stepped closer, feeling the heat radiate off of Will’s body.
“A very cunning boy indeed.” He said teasingly, delighting in how it made Will bite the inside of his cheek.
Hannibal was now stood just in front of Will, and he reached a hand out to his face, tracing his thumb over Will’s blood stained lips.
“You are absolutely covered in blood.” He said in a quiet voice, his eyes turning completely black as he looked Will over.
“Way to state the obvious.” Will chimed back, but he was smiling as he said it.
“And anyway, so are you.” He finished, gesturing to Hannibal’s blood stained hands.
Hannibal hums.
“It looks different on you.” He says quietly.
His hand was still lingering on Will’s face, his finger stroking a new part of it occasionally, seeming to be fascinated by the blood that lay there.
He would run a thumb over Will’s jaw, then a knuckle down his cheek bone.
Just looking. Admiring.
“How so?” Will asked quietly, his breathing becoming a little shallow at the little intimate touches.
Hannibal seemed to love studying every inch of him. That’s why he drew him so much. Will had found his ‘collection’ of drawings. Hannibal had even asked Will to pose for him a few times.
And Will had.
He liked the attention Hannibal gave him, it made him feel special and admired. And it’s hard not to like that.
It was very true that Hannibal had never judged him for who he was, only remained in awe.
Hannibal ignored his question, seemingly lost in his exploration of Will’s bloody appearance.
He visibly hesitated with his next words, opening his mouth to speak and then closing it again. and it made Will’s fingers twitch, anticipating what Hannibal would say next.
“Describe it to me.” Hannibal said simply, like it was clear what he was asking for. His voice was quiet, an intimate tone that highlighted the fact that this conversation was one that only he and Will could share.
“What?” Will replied rather cluelessly, after all; Hannibal had hardly given him any context.
Hannibal took a slow breath before replying.
“What we did tonight. Describe it, please.”
Will looks confused.
Hannibal licked his lips slowly and Will noticed his eyelashes flutter shut for just a second, like he was struggling to remain his usual controlled self.
He looked hungry.
“I want you to tell me how it felt. When we tore that man apart. I want to know what you were thinking, what the blood felt like on your hands, how it felt to be with me in that moment.”. Hannibal’s breathing had become shallow as he spoke, Will could think of no other way to describe it than filled with desire and passion.
Lust?
“I want you to tell me everything.
Do it for me, Will.”. Hannibal finished, his hand reaching around to grip the back of Will’s neck almost uncomfortably tight as they stood just a foot apart.
Will looked into Hannibal’s eyes before he answered.
He looked different. Like he was aching for something.
He was stood so close to Will, one arm holding the back of his neck and the other hanging by his side as though he was scared that if he touched Will with it he would get carried away.
“I was thinking about what a great team we make.” Will said in a whisper.
“The blood was warm..”, his voice faltered as he described it.
“It looked black, just like that night on the cliff” Will spoke slowly, looking up to try and read Hannibal’s expression - he had his eyes closed, like he was absorbing Will’s words and reliving the experience.
Will carried on, if anything just because he could see how much Hannibal seemed to be enjoying his description.
“I looked up and saw you staring at me, almost lovingly- you looked proud.” Will said with hesitation, but when he looked up he could see that Hannibal couldn’t agree more, he had that same proud look on his face even now.
“But there was something else on your face.” Will said.
Hannibal licked his lips, curious to see if Will could read what he was feeling when he had looked at his cunning boy all covered in blood and animalistic fury.
“You looked.. ravenous.” Will said.
Hannibal’s tries to suppress a groan, it gets caught in his throat but it’s enough for Will to hear that he is unable to conceal his lust.
It made Will want to keep going.
Especially when Hannibal brought his other hand up to grip onto Will’s shirt, gripping so tight he began to wring some of the blood out of the material and they could both hear the droplets fall to the floor.
“You looked like you wanted to devour that moment - never forget it.” Will whispered, delighting in the way that Hannibal was practically panting now, gripping onto him as Will described their night.
When Hannibal spoke his voice was raspy and deep, “You were perfect tonight, Will.” He said, with the utmost amount of sincerity.
It made Will lick his lips and rest his hands in between them both, his fingers wrapping around the material of Hannibal’s shirt.
“Crimson splashes painted across your face,” Hannibal was beginning to sound breathless, “you looked...” , he can’t find the right words. It’s a first for him.
“It was beautiful”, he finishes.
He hopes it’s enough to make Will understand.
Chapter Text
When Will gazes at him with what seems to be simultaneously understanding and confusion, Hannibal pulls him even closer and delights at the shocked gasp that escapes Will’s lips.
Hannibal feels his resistance and desire both taking their turns on him, and realises that he isn’t quite sure how much longer he can take this.
With that in mind, he slowly leans down to press his face into Will’s neck, feeling his warm and soft skin against his cheek. It makes him hum with satisfaction.
The action is close to him nuzzling into Will, but he tells himself that’s not what he’s doing.
Will seems a little stunned. Certainly surprised at the gesture. But his grip tightens on Hannibal’s shirt none the less.
“Do you understand, Will?” Hannibal says into Will’s neck, his voice a little muffled.
“Do you understand what you’re doing to me?” And his voice cracks a little as he says that.
Will closes his eyes and presses himself against Hannibal, the two of them locked in a warm embrace, Will remains shocked at Hannibal’s confession.
Although now he thinks about it, he knows that Hannibal never really hid his admiration for Will.
Will just never really realised how far it extended.
He can’t lie, the warmth radiating from Hannibal’s tall, firm body is more than comforting. And he smells of the forest that they had ran through just a few hours earlier, with the undertone of a metallic scent.
Hannibal knew in that moment that his want for Will was the strongest pull he’d ever experienced.
Will didn’t know what to do, quite frankly it was all too much to process.
Had Hannibal always been this passionate towards him?
Here he is, clinging to him breathless and overtly aroused, and pouring his heart out to Will.
“I don’t know what to say. Or do.” Will replied honestly in a whisper, breathless and overcome with a mixture of warm emotion and confusion.
“I want you to tell me that you feel it too.” Hannibal replied in a voice that appeared desperate for Will’s confirmation.
“Tell me that you feel the same thrill, desire, intimacy... tell me that you feel it all, Will.”.
Hannibal seemed to lose a fraction of his control when Will moved his hands so that they were wrapped around Hannibal’s shoulders. Will told himself it was because his arms were starting to ache through holding them between them both, it was easier to rest his arms on his shoulders..
Whatever his reasoning, Hannibal almost growled as he felt Will’s smaller but muscular frame wrap even further around him, pressing their bodies closer together.
His mouth seemed to ache with the desire to sink his teeth into Will’s lovely delicate skin on his neck. It looks so soft, like it would bruise easily, leave a delicious red mark surrounding the imprint of Hannibal’s teeth, his claim.
It was too much to resist, and usually Hannibal believed himself to be someone with impeccable self restraint. Not this time.
He hummed with pleasure as he pressed his teeth into Will’s neck, tasting Will for the first time.
He really did have the softest skin. But firm at the same time. A tang of salt from where he had got all sweaty during their hunt, and the unmissable task of coppery blood..
It made Will gasp in shock, and then groan with realisation. He squeezed Hannibal’s shoulders as he involuntary pushed his hips up into Hannibal’s at the rush of tingles he felt go from his neck all the way down to his groin.
Damn he liked how it felt when Hannibal bit him.
Those predator teeth scraping over his most vulnerable point. The thought that Hannibal could kill him like this. Rip into his throat with those teeth, just like he did with the dragon..
He knew that he wouldn’t - Hannibal didn’t want to kill him, just taste him. Enjoy him. Relish in every inch of him, devour what was his.
It made Will moan. And then blush at the fact that it would make him react that way.
He found himself wanting Hannibal to do it again. And again.
His response only seemed to send Hannibal over the edge, he pushed Will back until he was up against a wall, trapping Will’s hands above his head as he began to grind himself against the younger mans body, desperate for some kind of relief.
Hannibal moaned into Will’s neck and it was like nothing he’d ever heard before. It was soaked in desperation and pure lust. Like the feeling of rubbing himself up against Will while his face was buried in the crook of his neck was the most pleasurable thing he’d ever felt in his entire life.
Hannibal moaned again as he continued to rut against Will, his erection impossibly hard as it pressed against Will’s own.
Will wasn’t sure when he’d become this aroused, didn’t think he’d ever been this turned on in his life.
As he felt Hannibal’s arousal fiercely fighting for friction, he could tell it was big. He knows that’s a cliche thing to think but Jesus..
It kind of scared him. What did hannibal want to do to him, with that...
It made him whimper.
He actually whimpered.
Jesus, what was this man doing to him.
Hannibal hummed with delight, “That’s it Will. I know..”
If Hannibal wanted to say anything more, apparently his own voice was interrupted with his own sharp inhale and groans as Will began to return the pressure on his hips.
He groaned and grabbed onto Will’s hips, continuing to rub himself against him.
Will was still gripping onto his shoulders.
Hannibal’s shirt was crooked and so some of his bare shoulder was exposed.
Will didn’t even think about it, he just leaned forward and started sucking on that exposed spot. He sunk his teeth into it, licked it, literally anything he could do with his mouth. He wasn’t really even aware of what he was doing, it was like a primal instinct to just take.
“Ohh, Will.” Hannibal all but sobbed into his neck, he ran his fingers through Will’s hair and tugged harshly, making Will groan and bite harder on his shoulder.
“You’re so perfect.” Hannibal moaned breathlessly into his neck. It made Will squirm against him as he pulled on Hannibal’s hair.
“I, Will I..” Hannibal tried to say something but apparently it wasn’t coming out.
Will wondered if he was going to say ‘I love you’.
He kind of wanted him to say it.
Wanted to know what it would feel like to hear that from Hannibal.
Whatever Hannibal was going to say, he couldn’t, not when he suddenly pushed Will firmly against the wall, holding him as he started thrusting against him a lot harder, his rhythm uneven until he became rigid and moaned uncontrollably.
Will could feel Hannibal’s climax through every part of him, he was radiating pleasure.
His body was now slack against Will’s, relying on the younger man to keep him up - too spent to even stand.
He stood panting, trying to get his breath back and get over the last few pulses of pleasure running through him.
Will found himself running a hand through Hannibal’s hair, almost petting him.
He knew that Hannibal had exposed a new side of himself that night. And Hannibal seemed a little vulnerable to him in that moment.
The older man hummed with satisfaction as Will comforted him with gentle touches here and there.
Will put some pressure on Hannibal’s shoulders so he would stand back and look at him.
He saw his reflection in Hannibal’s hazel eyes.
“I feel it too, Hannibal.” He said quietly, “I feel it all.”