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Chapter Text

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“Love is, that you are the knife which I plunge into myself.” 

• Franz Kafka

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Will rapidly blinked his eyes as he tried to adjust to the early morning light pouring into the room from the nearby window. Sunspots danced across the room and fell gently against Hannibal’s face, slack in sleep. Will gazed at him from where he rested his head on his own pillow, quietly committing every line, angle, and curve of his face to memory. 

He shifted softly, slightly uncertain with how he felt regarding the position he now found himself in. Granted, Will was painfully aware of how deep his love ran for Hannibal, but he simply hadn’t expected nor prepared himself for the more tender and softer sides of their relationship. 

He had come to associate Hannibal's touch and very presence with an intense combination of comfort and pain. Every time Hannibal had endeavored to hurt Will, he had always offered affection and raw intimacy alongside it. Hannibal, with his hair slightly tousled from sleep, now emanated a softness that, without the accompanying pain, was unfamiliar to Will. He wasn’t so sure he could have one without the other. 

As his uneasiness grew, he slid quietly from the bed and padded to the door, easing it open and walking out to the kitchen. He let Roux out into the yard to run around while he began looking through the cabinets in the search for coffee. He frowned when he couldn’t find any instant grounds, scoffing grumpily in the direction of the pretentious espresso machine 

“What are you engaged in such a desperate hunt for, Will?” came Hannibal’s voice behind him. Will stiffened briefly and turned to him, offering a shy smile. 

“Coffee?” 

“What’s wrong with the espresso beans?” Hannibal asked. 

“Oh, um, nothing, I just… am not… familiar with making espresso…” Will said, his cheeks heating in embarrassment. 

“It is no problem. I shall make it for you. You need only ask me, Will,” Hannibal said, lightly placing his hand against the small of Will’s back as he moved past him to grab the beans and pour them into a grinder. Will watched Hannibal pack the shots with a budding sense of irritation. 

“I don’t need you to do everything for me, Hannibal.” 

“Whatever are you talking about? You just stated you were unfamiliar with making espresso, I am simply trying to help you,” Hannibal said, raising an eyebrow at Will. Will sighed in aggravation. 

“I just feel useless, I suppose. You’ve done everything to take care of us and I appreciate it, I do, but I just feel like I’m not contributing anything here,” Will said quietly, gazing stubbornly at the floor. 

Hannibal placed the two mugs of espresso down and came to stand directly in front of Will. He didn’t say anything, waiting for Will to look up at him. When Will finally did glance up at him, Hannibal snuck his hand under Will’s chin, holding it there. 

“You are not useless, Will. I genuinely enjoy providing for you in all of the ways I know how. Let me take care of you,” Hannibal said. Will gazed into his eyes, which appeared more brown with specks of gold than maroon today. Let him take care of you, Abigail’s words repeated in his ears and Will sighed softly, closing his eyes and nodding. 

“Good boy,” Hannibal said, his lips curving slightly upwards. Hannibal gazed at him with a passion so intense that Will worried he was going to try to kiss him again, which was something Will wasn’t ready to explore again quite yet. Hannibal seemed to sense that though and wrapped his arms around him instead, pulling Will against his chest in order to rest his chin on his head. Will let himself relax in the embrace, leaning into the warmth of Hannibal’s chest. 

“Besides, I think I may have just the thing in mind to make you feel useful again,” Hannibal said, pulling back to look at Will. 

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Will asked, curious. 

“I’ll show you,” said Hannibal before turning to walk out of the kitchen. 

Hannibal showed Will to a closet off of the living room that Will hadn’t yet had the chance to explore. Hannibal motioned to the door and Will took a step forward hesitantly before opening the closet and turning on the light. What he saw rendered him speechless and he took a moment to collect his thoughts before turning to Hannibal with a soft smile. 

“Thank you, Hannibal,” he said before surprising himself and Hannibal by taking Hannibal in his arms in a tight embrace. He pulled back relatively quickly and looked away from Hannibal’s smirk as he blushed. 

Will turned back to look at the closet, fully equipped with a wide variety of fishing gear. That Hannibal had taken the effort to ensure Will was happy touched him deeply. He reached out a hand and ran it along one of the poles, idly musing over whether or not Hannibal knew how to fish. 

“Hannibal?” 

“Yes, Will?” 

“I appreciate the thought, but I don’t know exactly where you think I’m going to fish? The pole’s not exactly long enough to reach down the side of the cliff,” Will said with a playful smile. Hannibal rolled his eyes fondly. 

“As it so happens, I do actually own a boat that is currently docked about two miles or so down the coastline.” Will’s eyes lit up at this and Hannibal did not fail to notice, of course. He smiled indulgently. “And I will certainly show you someday soon but there is actually a place nearby I think you’ll enjoy much more. And you can make yourself ‘useful’ as you say by catching us dinner,” Hannibal said. Will smiled and nodded, a genuine happiness beginning to bloom in his chest.  

After Hannibal prepared them breakfast, he began to pack the car with an assortment of materials he insisted on taking to wherever it was they were going. Which meant that he packed several thick blankets, a large cooler of water, snacks, and his sketching materials before informing Will it was his turn to pack anything he wanted to bring. Will picked out a couple different poles and grabbed the waders and packed it all into the car before calling Roux and hopping in himself. 

The drive was actually relatively short and about ten minutes later, Hannibal turned down a dirt path in a more heavily wooded area off the main road. The twisting, winding path eventually gave way to an idyllic clearing in the center of the woods, complete with a steady stream that emptied into a pond. Will sucked in a breath at the sight- it was beautiful . The trees were thick enough to provide ample shade from the sun while still allowing a perfect view of the clear sky and the grass was just beginning to show the first signs of spring with its light green coloring. 

Will could feel Hannibal watching him out of the corner of his eye so Will turned to him and smiled again, hoping that the gesture would convey his appreciation. Hannibal flashed him a fond smile in return before stepping out of the car and beginning to unpack everything. 

Five minutes later saw them stretched out on a large, thick blanket next to the stream. The quiet gurgling of the water was incredibly peaceful and Will sighed in contentment. He felt as if he needed a place like this, an ideal place to decompress. 

However, the allure of the pond was simply too much to bear and Will quickly cast aside the desire to relax as he pulled on the waders (which fit perfectly of course) and reached for the tackle box to select a fly. He froze as his eyes landed on a fly with red and spotted feathers. He picked it up gently and examined it intently. He looked over to Hannibal, who was watching him with a blank expression. 

“This is mine,” Will said. 

“Yes. I have made it quite clear that this was all intended for you,” Hannibal said, his eyes not leaving Will’s. Will narrowed his eyes, running his fingers over the fly. He’d know his own work anywhere . 

“Hannibal. I meant that I made this fly. How long have you had this?” 

Hannibal blinked slowly before drawing a breath. 

“Since your imprisonment years ago.” 

“Why…?” Will asked, confused. Hannibal tilted his head. 

“I told you I prepared a place for you. I wanted things to be… familiar for you.” 

Oh. Will nodded, his heart twisting at the reminder of what could’ve been. He shook the thought away stubbornly. What matters now is what could become, together . 

“You’re all that I’d need for a place to feel familiar, Hannibal. I hope you know that,” Will said quietly before pulling himself to his feet and wading into the water. 

They spent quite some time by the water, Hannibal stretching his long limbs out on the blanket as he leisurely sketched and Will fished contentedly. Every so often, Will would glance over at Hannibal and feel his heart stumble as if he were a young man once again, nervously asking the girl in his class out on a date. The ridiculousness of the situation made Will shake his head fondly, which caught Hannibal’s eye and caused him to look up in curiosity. 

“Thinking of me, Will?” he asked, a smirk on his face. Will spared him another glance before turning to watch the fish he was reeling in. 

“No,” said Will, though he couldn’t keep the laughter out of his voice. He walked back towards Hannibal then and deposited the freshly caught fish in the cooler with the couple others he’d managed to catch. Not too bad.  

“Come sit with me, Will,” Hannibal said, gazing up at him. There’s that damn fluttering heart again. Get a grip. Will nodded and slipped out of his waders before plopping down next to Hannibal. He glanced over at the sketch Hannibal had been working on. It was of Will, of course, as he stood in the middle of the pond, face relaxed and vaguely… happy. Will furrowed his brow. 

“Is it that terribly bad?” Hannibal asked him, a playful tone apparent. Will shook his head. 

“No, it’s amazing, naturally, it’s just… I don’t remember a time where I ever looked so peaceful. Content ,” he said, drawing out the word slowly, as if it were unfamiliar as the feeling itself. 

Hannibal hummed noncommittally. 

“I hardly find the change surprising. You have spent the majority of your life running from realization and denying yourself actualization. You caged yourself within your own body and even when the door was opened, you still kept one foot firmly planted within. And yet these past few days, you have allowed yourself to experience yourself as you truly are; you finally took that step out of Plato’s cave and here you are, bathed in the light of self-knowledge and expression.” 

Will ran a finger along the soft edges of the blanket underneath him and squinted at something (nonexistent) in the distance. He sighed as he realized Hannibal was right and nodded slowly. Hannibal closed his sketchbook and poured Will some water. 

“You want such sweet and easy peace, Will. Yet our greatest poets and philosophers would remind us that anything worth having is never won without a brilliant and bloody war. So much sweeter is the victory, then. You have agonized and turmoiled in your becoming, though I daresay you would not accept it any other way, would you, dear Will?” 

“No, I suppose not,” Will said quietly after some time, acquiescing. “But you would hardly have had it any other way, either,” he added, with a hint of bitterness. Hannibal looked at him again, expression intense. 

“No, hardly not,” Hannibal agreed, without a trace of self-consciousness. “But you are beautiful in tragedy, stunning in suffering. It would be a crime not to bear witness to the art you are, in all its forms.” 

“Yeah, and perhaps even form some of the conditions that led to that ‘art’ yourself,” Will said, only slightly annoyed. But Hannibal only smiled back, unperturbed. Will caught his eye and smiled back, surprised to find that the anger that normally boiled over whenever references were made to past abuses was minimal. 

Hannibal was gazing at Will again with unfiltered longing and Will felt himself redden under the attention. He cleared his throat and gestured to the sketchbook. 

“I saw your other sketches of me. Jack brought a box of your stuff over to me after you were sentenced,” Will said. 

“Ah, the good Uncle Jack,” said Hannibal, amusement written on his face. “And what did you think?” 

“I had no idea you saw me like that. The man I see in your sketches… that man is not me,” Will said. 

“Oh, but it is, Will. And I have every confidence that you will come to see that man as yourself too, once you stop hating the man you see in the mirror. Even now, I can still tell that you long to smash the mirrors in our home when it is your gaze you see reflected back-” 

“I don’t long to smash them because it’s my gaze I see reflected back, I long to smash them because it’s yours ,” Will snapped. Hurt flickered across Hannibal’s face, etched into his microexpressions, before his mask slid into place and Will was staring at a blank expression once again. But Will had seen the hurt and the answering gash that buried itself in Will’s own heart brought him to his knees. 

“Hannibal, I’m sorry-” 

“It’s fine, Will, no need to apologize,” Hannibal said stiffly. Will’s heart twisted again. 

“No. Hannibal, I really am sorry.” Will reached out and laid a hand tentatively on Hannibal’s arm, causing him to flinch slightly. Will’s eyes widened at the sight, never having seen Hannibal demonstrate such a vulnerable reflex. He held his arm tighter. 

“Hannibal. I meant it when I said I am content here. Content with you . You were correct in saying I spent so long denying my own inclinations, but that extends beyond just those of a deadly nature. It extends to you, and my feelings about you. My feelings for you,” Will said, surprising himself by the confession. Hannibal looked at him again and softened his gaze slightly. Will sighed. 

“I chose this future with you. I chose it when I broke into that cell that night, knowing deep down I’d never be able to kill you. I chose you when I dropped my knife and kissed you instead. And then I chose you ten more times as I dropped ten bodies on the way to break you out of there. And I’ve been choosing you every day since.

“I just need more time, Hannibal. You promised you wouldn’t let me run and I’m not asking you to. I don’t want to run. Not anymore. But I just need more time before we progress our relationship… physically, or otherwise,” Will said, his ears turning bright right as he mentioned the part about physical intimacy. Hannibal smiled at him and reached out his hand to lay lightly on top of Will’s and rub soothing circles into his skin. 

“Then time you shall have, Will.” Hannibal grabbed Will’s hand and brought it to his lips, planting a chaste kiss on his knuckles. Will felt his breath catch at the sight and he looked to Hannibal who looked back with flames dancing in his eyes. 

“I have earned your hate. Now let me earn your love,” Hannibal said, bending his head to kiss Will’s hand tenderly again. Will found in that moment that speech eluded him and he could only manage to nod weakly. 

***

The next two weeks passed by quickly, and yet Will felt as if time stood still at their little  house by the sea. Despite the rockiness of the first week following their escape, the two of them established an atmosphere comparable to the period of time following Will’s murder of Randall Tier, though with much more honesty between them both this time around.

While there was considerably less anger in the air, the tension between the two of them had perhaps doubled to make up for it. Hannibal had been quite serious about his promise to earn Will’s love, and Will found himself incredibly- annoyingly - charmed by all the extra lengths to which Hannibal goes, whether it be reciting poetry to Will by the fire in the evenings or romantically recounting the way he first discovered he was developing feelings for Will. 

But while they have been much more forthcoming with each other, there are several things which go unspoken. Neither have dared to confess to one another that they are actively in love with the other, nor have they broached the subject of physical intimacy since the day Will first asked for more time. Hannibal, ever the gentleman, hardly pushed Will in any matter regarding it, but Will can feel the heat of his gaze and it’s enough to send him into a fever of his own. 

Will had remained unable to summon the courage to face the overwhelmingly tender side of their relationship and as such, it had now been two weeks since the last time they had kissed, when Will had stormed off in anger. Will had initially been more than willing to let their relationship progress through hatefucking, though he eventually agreed with Hannibal- he wanted their first time together to be free of the long shadow that hate cast. And Will could now say that hate was the last very last thing on his mind when he came to Hannibal. 

Though Will had still resisted to even initiate a kiss in the past two weeks, he had found himself unable to keep his own hands off of Hannibal. Will had not returned to his own room after that first night that Hannibal had welcomed him into his bed. Though Will had told himself the morning after that he’d return to his own bed that night, by the time night came around, Will found himself awkwardly hovering by Hannibal’s door. Hannibal had looked at him and smirked lightly before crossing the room and pulling him back into the room slowly with a smile on his face. Will had laughed and fallen into bed before allowing himself to be scooped up in Hannibal’s arms for the night. 

And so Will watched with disbelief as the world around him shuffled and his existence became even more intimately tied to Hannibal’s. Already, when Will woke in the middle of the night in a fit of terror over a haunting memory from the past, he immediately sought Hannibal’s embrace, which was already held open for him. Will had never found the thought of sharing a domestic life with anyone to be a comforting, much less a desirable, thought. Yet now he couldn’t imagine ever leaving Hannibal’s side again. 

Now, two weeks after he’d asked Hannibal for more time, and after two weeks of Hannibal lavishing Will with romantic gestures, Will now found himself tapping his fingers on the armchair of the couch as Hannibal cleaned the kitchen. He glanced over at the grand piano and mentally steeled himself. Tonight’s the night.  

Hannibal joined him a few minutes later, toeing off his shoes as he sat near Will on the couch, huffing with annoyance at having been blocked from sitting closer to Will by a stretched-out Roux resting with her head in Will’s lap. Will laughed and then swallowed nervously, shooting a glance over at Hannibal. Hannibal saw him and raised an eyebrow in question. 

“I have something for you,” Will said, watching his own fingers tangle in Roux’s fur fretfully. 

“Oh? And what might that be?” Hannibal asked, eyes ablaze with curiosity. 

Will gently stood and walked over to the piano, taking a seat at the bench. He could feel Hannibal practically about to combust with intrigue behind him but he kept his eyes straightforward, knowing that if he turned to look at him, he’d lose his nerve. Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath before gently placing his fingers on the keys. As he felt the cool ivory beneath him, he recalled Hannibal’s sheet music for Primavera* , the piece he’d written for Will. Seeing the notes materialize in front of him, he began to play. 

Will gave himself completely over to the music, following the light melody with his fingers, letting the darker notes of painful yearning accumulate and bleed through his fingertips. He kept his eyes closed tightly, unaware of how his shoulders rocked with the climax of the piece, as if he could feel the depth of emotion that Hannibal had woven into the composition. The experience of playing it in full, knowing in the back of his mind that Hannibal was watching behind him, was a heady one and Will found himself completely at the mercy of the music. 

When Will finished, his fingers shook slightly as an overwhelming current of love, desperation, and yearning flowed through him. He took a deep breath and turned to face Hannibal, but he could have taken a thousand deep breaths and it still wouldn’t have prepared him for what he saw. 

Hannibal was gazing at him with unfettered admiration, eyes open and vulnerable. With a jolt, Will realized that Hannibal was actually crying, and the sight made his breath catch in his throat. He was filled with an overwhelming need to be close to Hannibal and so he stood and walked briskly to the couch before coming to a stop in front of Hannibal. 

“Will, mylimasis -” Hannibal started, but Will put a finger to his lips. Then he straddled Hannibal’s lap, encouraging Hannibal to wrap his arms around his waist in a tight embrace. Will then brought his own hands up to Hannibal’s face and cradled it in his hands, gazing down at a face now more maskless than Will had seen in quite a long time.  He brushed his thumbs under Hannibal’s eyes, collecting his tears before he stared into his eyes with a heated gaze and brought his lips down crashing into Hannibal’s. 

Will felt Hannibal sigh beneath his lips and Will took the opportunity to gently press inside, deepening the kiss. Hannibal reached up and carded his fingers through Will’s hair, gently tugging, eliciting a soft moan from Will. Will felt himself redden as he realized what had happened but hardly had a second to think twice about it because he was soon moaning again as Hannibal brought his lips down to Will’s neck and began kissing with a certain ferocity that made Will pliant. 

Hannibal sucked bruises into his neck, holding Will firmly in place while doing so as Will’s shame quickly disappeared and he found himself moaning louder. Will rocked his hips back and forth, desperately seeking friction with Hannibal. Hannibal trailed his hands down Will’s back and cupped his ass instead, using the leverage to bring Will’s hips more firmly against his own hardening cock. Yet when Hannibal heard the desperate groan Will made at the contact, Hannibal made a low noise that could easily be described as a growl and flipped Will onto his back on the couch before crouching over him. 

“What a clever boy you are, Will. Even now, I could still never entirely predict you. To have you here, beneath me, yearning for my touch- it is everything I have ever wanted. You are everything I ever wanted.” 

A strangled “ Hannibal ” was all Will could manage to say before Hannibal’s lips were on his own again. Hannibal slowly lowered himself against Will’s body, bringing their straining erections into contact with one another once again. Will’s hips bucked upwards into the contact and Hannibal’s hand flashed out to grip Will’s hip tightly to hold it in place as Hannibal thrust against Will. Hannibal buried his face in Will’s neck, deeply inhaling his scent and tracing the bruises beginning to form on his neck with his tongue. 

“ Hannibal ,” Will tried again, speaking between kisses. “You are everything ,” Will said, tears threatening to spill at the confession. As if sensing this, Hannibal pulled back and looked at him once again. 

There were no words to encapsulate the way the air changed around them as their mutually acknowledged confessions hung between them. There was a newfound lightness, a greater breathability. Hannibal smiled benevolently down at Will before pulling himself up. He held out his hand for Will. 

“Come,” Hannibal said. Will swallowed. 

“Hannibal, I still don’t think I’m quite ready to actually -” Will began to say with a worried look but Hannibal shook his head. 

“I know, Will. You misunderstand. I just want to lie in our bed and hold you close to me,” Hannibal said simply. Will couldn’t help the broad grin that broke out across his face. He reached out to take Hannibal’s hand and allowed himself to be led to their room, content to be held through the night by the one man who had become the only thing in the world that mattered. 

When Will awoke the next morning, he sighed deeply in contentment as he nuzzled more deeply into Hannibal’s neck, drawing a chuckle from the older man. Will leaned his head back and looked up at Hannibal groggily, which only made Hannibal smile more broadly. 

“How endearing you are, Will. Especially in the mornings,” Hannibal said, sleep making his accent thicker which Will couldn’t deny was incredibly attractive. 

“Shut up, Hannibal,” Will huffed and turned himself over so that his back was facing away from Hannibal. He pulled the sheet more tightly around him, desperate for more sleep. Hannibal, however, wasn’t so content to be rejected for anything, even if it was something as non-threatening as sleep. Hannibal turned on his side as well and drew Will backwards so that Will’s back was pressed firmly against Hannibal’s chest. Hannibal snaked his arms around Will and held him close, taking the opportunity to press his own face to Will’s neck and plant light kisses there. 

The gesture, sweet at first, soon turned to something much more heated as Hannibal began to kiss more intently, dragging his teeth along the sensitive skin on Will’s neck. Will moaned lightly, sleep rushing from his body quickly. In an unconscious movement, Will pressed himself more tightly to Hannibal before gasping softly when he felt Hannibal’s hardness press against his ass insistently. 

Hannibal sucked another bruise on his neck and brought his arm up to wrap across Will’s chest, holding him tightly to his chest. Will half heartedly struggled against the sensation of being caged in by Hannibal, moaning again when Hannibal brought the hand up from his chest instead to clasp onto his neck possessively. 

Will could hear his own breath rasping but was delighted to hear that Hannibal seemed just as decomposed as he was behind him. He experimentally bucked his hips backwards onto Hannibal’s cock and was promptly awarded with a low groan from the man. Will then found himself suddenly much less hesitant and began to grind his ass against Hannibal’s cock. Hannibal’s hand then flashed out and gripped Will’s hip tightly and Will moaned loudly when he felt Hannibal take control and thrust against him. Will felt himself begin to unravel and groaned in frustration when he suddenly felt Hannibal cease and pull away from him. 

“Hannibal, what-” Will groaned, turning to look at Hannibal, now stood on the other side of the room pulling on his clothes for the day. Hannibal smirked. 

“Ah, I can’t give it to you that easily, my darling boy. I promise you, Will, I’ll have you begging for it by the end of the week, and you know I always keep my promises,” Hannibal said, smiling arrogantly. Will rolled his eyes and scoffed. 

“No you won’t,” Will said defiantly. 

Will, it turns out, had drastically miscalculated when he had made that statement. As Friday evening rolled around, Will felt as if he was about to combust from pent-up sexual frustration. Hannibal had spent the majority of the past several days teasing Will during the day by ‘accidentally’ brushing up against him, making suggestive comments, and gazing at him with unparalleled heat that caused warmth to pool in Will’s belly. During the night, he held Will tightly to him and whispered romantic prose in a pentameter designed to drive Will mad with desperation. 

Will felt as if the inside of their home was crackling with electricity and what he really wanted was some fresh air. As they sat down to dinner that night and Hannibal sent him smoldering stares across the table, Will put down his fork and looked at Hannibal. 

“I want to go gigging.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“I said, I want to go gigging.” 

Hannibal rolled his eyes imperceptibly. 

“I heard what you said, Will, I am simply unfamiliar with the term.” 

“When you catch fish at night using a pronged spear, also known as a gig, it’s called gigging. I would like to go tonight. To the stream, if you’re amenable.” 

“I will certainly go with you, but I will not be partaking in this ‘gigging,’” Hannibal said. Will smiled. 

“Oh come on, Doctor Lecter , you aren’t afraid of a little competition, are you?” Will asked smugly, his own eyes flashing beneath his lashes. Hannibal narrowed his eyes. Will knew then he had convinced him and laughed brightly. 

“That’s what I thought. We leave at ten.”

When ten o’clock came around, Will stood by the front door and sighed with impatience as Hannibal walked past him out to the car again with yet more “essentials.” 

“Jesus, Hannibal, we’re going to the stream not a fucking roadtrip,” Will said as Hannibal walked by with a stack of thick blankets and some pillows. Hannibal shot him a glare that would have chilled anyone else’s blood but only served to make Will chuckle. 

Hannibal closed the trunk of the car and motioned to Will, who grabbed the cooler and the gigs and made his way over to the car. 

“Why do you have gigs if you didn’t know what they were?” 

“Simple. When I endeavored to build you a collection of fishing gear, I simply told the merchant I patronized that I wanted a wide variety of all they had to offer. I admit I had the slightest idea of what he was talking about, but it seems as if he did alright, yes?” 

Will felt warmth spread through his chest at the thought of Hannibal spending inordinate amounts of money just for the chance of seeing Will happy, though the feeling wasn’t unaccompanied by a certain amount of embarrassment. 

“Hannibal, you really shouldn’t have spent so much-” Will started. 

“Nonsense. You said yourself you chose this life with me, and you knew what type of man I am. You should expect me to spoil you for the rest of our lives.” 

“The rest of our lives?” Will asked back, a certain level of wonder in his tone, as Hannibal pulled out onto the main road and began to make the way towards the hidden path in the woods. Hannibal looked at him intensely, as if daring Will to contradict him. Will smiled widely to show Hannibal his happiness, which seemed to relax him. 

A quick ten minutes later they had arrived and Hannibal parked the car. Will stepped out into the beautiful night air, which was slightly cool but nowhere near the point of discomfort. Will marvelled at the bright full moon hanging above them and the sky full of stars twinkling as if they were winking down at him. 

Will enthusiastically grabbed the gigs and some of the- ridiculously excessive- things that Hannibal had brought and walked over to the stream. Hannibal followed him and looked at Will. 

“You go ahead. I’m going to build us a fire first.” 

Will nodded and pulled on his waders and walked into the stream before turning on a flashlight and beginning his hunt for sleepy fish. Behind him, Hannibal got to work setting up a charming campsite. He laid down several of the blankets and placed cushions and pillows around the edges before hauling out the firewood he’d brought and lighting a fire. 

Will turned around to check on him and smiled softly to himself as he watched Hannibal position a charcuterie board on the blanket and place a cloth over it so that it would be ready when they were done. Such a romantic bastard . 

Just then, another fish flashed by Will’s feet and Will acted on pure reflex and sent the spear plunging through the fish. He then removed it and added it to the cooler. 

“Better come catch up old man, I’m already two ahead of you!” called Will to Hannibal. Even from the stream, Will could see Hannibal’s frown, the fire casting more shadows onto his face so that he looked even more sinister than usual. 

Hannibal rolled up his sleeves and reluctantly pulled on waders as well before entering the stream to stand next to Will. Will glanced at him from the side; he could help but be embarrassingly aroused just from the sight of Hannibal gripping the spear in his hand, looking every bit the primal predator he truly was. In Will’s moment of distraction, Hannibal stabbed a fish nearby and tossed it in the cooler before turning back to spear a second one immediately. 

“Now what was that bratty comment about an old man?” 

Hannibal, much to Will’s chagrin, was actually quite good at gigging- of course he was- which meant that he ended up gigging more fish than Will by an embarrassing amount. Will glared grumpily over at Hannibal, who had removed his waders and was now lounging on the blankets, looking annoyingly attractive in the firelight and a light red sweater. Will toed off his waders and dropped down on the blanket beside him. 

“How are you possibly so good at everything you do?” Will asked, a bite in his tone. Hannibal smirked. 

“Come now, Will, don’t be a bad sport; you could hardly expect to beat me at anything,” Hannibal said, tone playful but with a hint of sincerity behind it. 

“You’re an ass,” Will replied. Hannibal clucked his tongue. 

“Language, dear Will.” 

“Or what?” Will retorted. 

“Or I may just have to take you over my knee and teach you some proper manners,” Hannibal replied. Will felt his face heat instantly, arousal mingling with a swift surge of aggression that propelled Will over to Hannibal, where he straddled his lap and pinned Hannibal’s wrists above his head. Below him, Hannibal merely smiled. 

“What a savage thing you are,” Hannibal murmured. 

Will snarled in response and bent forward, bringing his lips to Hannibal’s in a rough kiss. Hannibal immediately parted his lips to allow their tongues to slide against each other as Will bit Hannibal’s bottom lip between his teeth and pulled , enough to draw blood. 

Will pulled himself up slightly to look at Hannibal below him, lips bloody from Will’s assault on them. His face was flushed as well and he was breathing heavily with desire. Will met his eyes and felt his chest catch fire as he was engulfed by overwhelming yearning for this man below him. This beautiful, adoring, dangerous man. 

It was with a rekindled passion that Will brought one of Hannibal’s arms up to his mouth, turning his wrist inward so that Will could kiss along the scar that ran down his forearm. Hannibal stifled a gasp and Will locked eyes with him as he turned to do the same with the other arm. Will leaned back up to Hannibal’s face and pressed another kiss to his lips before pressing more open-mouthed kisses down his neck. 

“ Will ,” sighed Hannibal, the sound going straight to Will’s cock. Hannibal’s own cock gave a twitch in response, causing Will to suck in a breath as he felt the friction between them grow. Will thrust his hips forward, dragging his own length along Hannibal’s and letting out a deep moan of his own as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes at the onslaught of sensation. 

Hannibal’s hands then clasped at his waist tightly, shocking Will from his trance-like state as he was flipped under Hannibal. Hannibal pinned him down with a hungry gaze. He looked like he was starving . And before Will could even take in the sight, Hannibal’s hands were placed on either side of his shoulders and Will was pinned below him. The thought alone made him moan, which only intensified as he felt Hannibal’s hands run along his chest. 

“Are you ready, my love?” Hannibal asked kindly, taking Will’s hand in his and placing a light kiss to his knuckles. Will’s breath caught in his throat. Oh god yes . 

“What, out here in the middle of the woods?” Will asked, biding his time. Hannibal smiled and ran his hands through Will’s curls before cupping his face. 

“Will, I would love nothing more than to take you under the light of the moon, to make love to you under the stars by the warmth of a fire while the sounds of your pleasure makes music for us,” Hannibal said softly, gaze intense. Will took a shaky breath. 

“Yes. God, yes.” 

Hannibal nodded and bent down to kiss Will again. The kiss, which began gently, turned into a passionate crash of lips, teeth, and tongues as Will pulled at Hannibal’s hair insistently. Hannibal took the hint and began moving his kisses down Will’s jaw, nipping at his earlobe, and down the side of his neck. Will’s breath faltered when he felt a warm palm against the flesh of his stomach. He sat up slightly so that Hannibal could quickly pull Will’s shirt off. 

Will felt his stomach flip when he saw the way Hannibal looked at his scar on Will’s stomach. Hannibal ran a light finger over it and Will shivered beneath the touch. Then Hannibal bent down and began to kiss the scar, which made Will whimper. Fuck. Hannibal placed his hands on either side of the scar as if he were holding it in place as he gently bit into it, causing Will to cry out in pain and pleasure and arch his back in a perfect bow. 

“Beautiful,” Hannibal murmured against his skin, before running his tongue over the bite. His hands then traveled further down and he slowly undid Will’s jeans before pulling them and his underwear over his hips, causing his cock to spring free. After pulling them completely off Will so that he was fully naked underneath him, Hannibal bent down and lightly kissed the head of Will’s cock, the lightness of the sensation causing Will to buck wildly in desperate search for more . 

Hannibal smirked slightly before gripping the base of Will’s cock and then sliding his mouth over the head and then down Will’s length. Will cried out, finding the sensation of being swallowed whole by Hannibal completely overwhelming. Hannibal lavished kisses and sucked at Will’s cock enthusiastically, swirling his tongue around the head and greedily tasting the pre-come that was positively leaking from Will now. 

“H-Hannibal. Let me feel your skin on mine,” Will rasped out. 

Hannibal pulled back and gazed adoringly down at Will as he pulled his own sweater off. Will drank in the sight of the light brown and silver curls on his chest and followed the trail down to wear Hannibal’s slacks rested on his hips. Hannibal then stood and slowly unbuckled his belt, the sound obscenely suggestive in its own right. Letting it fall to the ground, Hannibal then pulled down his own pants and underwear and Will swallowed as he gazed upon Hannibal’s thick uncut cock. 

Hannibal then knelt back over Will and leaned up to press their mouths together, swallowing Will’s moan as he brought their cocks together. 

“ Fuck , Hannibal, you feel so good.” 

Hannibal hummed and began to suck another bruise, this time on Will’s clavicle. Will took advantage of Hannibal’s distraction to reach down for Hannibal’s cock, wrapping his hand firmly around it and pulled, delighted to hear Hannibal’s breath falter next to his ear. 

“Are you ready for me to make you mine, Will?” Hannibal asked softly into his ear, causing Will to quiver. 

“ Yes . But Hannibal, I’ve never… you’re the only man..” Will began, struggling to find the right words. Hannibal shushed him soothingly. 

“Let me take care of you, my dearest Will. Turn over for me please,” Hannibal said. Will blushed but did as he said. As Will pressed his chest and face against the blanket, he squirmed beneath Hannibal’s gaze. 

“Spread your legs, my love.” Will did as he was told, simultaneously aroused yet still somewhat embarrassed. Yet the embarrassment soon gave way as Hannibal grabbed his ass and pulled his cheeks apart before licking a broad swipe over his whole, causing Will to yelp in surprise. Oh, fuck . 

Hannibal’s hands dug into his ass as he continued to mouth over Will’s entrance. When he pressed his tongue just inside Will’s rim, Will moaned deeply, quivering under his ministrations. A thumb soon joined Hannibal’s tongue and began to rub at his rim before slowly pushing inside. Hannibal then drew his thumb back and pressed a finger in, causing Will to gasp at the unfamiliarity of it. A second finger was soon added and Hannibal began to scissor Will open. 

“You’re going to take it so well for me, aren’t you, Will?” 

Will moaned obscenely in response, which was then dragged on longer as Hannibal pushed a third finger inside. Hannibal alternated between fingering him and eating him out to ensure his entrance was wet enough. When a particularly well-placed curve of Hannibal’s fingers hit his prostate, Will began to thrust his hips backward to meet Hannibal’s hand thrusting into him and his impatience was met with a sharp slap to his left ass cheek. 

“Fuck!” Will exclaimed, pushing his head further into the blanket. A second slap landed on his right cheek, the sting making Will moan again. 

“Language, Will,” Hannibal said, but Will could hear the amusement in his voice. 

“Fucking sadist,” Will breathed out, earning him a final slap, harder than the rest. 

“Now turn back over for me, beloved,” Hannibal said, pulling his fingers out. Shakily, Will turned back over and laid on his back, looking up to Hannibal. Will’s curls clung to his forehead, wet with sweat and his cock leaked pre-come on his stomach. Glancing at Hannibal, Will was pleased to find Hannibal’s own cock was achingly hard and was similarly coated with pre-come. 

Hannibal knelt in front of Will and bent down to envelop him in a kiss while he pushed his fingers into him again. Will arched up, against Hannibal’s chest, and brought his arms around Hannibal. He ran his hands down Hannibal’s back before tangling into his hair as Hannibal teased a nipple. Hannibal withdrew his hand again and lined up his cock with Will’s entrance. He circled the hole teasingly, watching each and every one of Will’s reactions rapturously. 

“I need you, Hannibal. Please ,” Will said, intertwining his hand with one of Hannibal’s. 

“As you wish, my beautiful boy,” Hannibal said as he pushed into Will slowly, spreading him even further open. They both let out deep moans at the feeling, Will scrunching his eyes closed as Hannibal continued to push in until he was fully seated within him. Will gripped Hannibal’s hand tightly as his body tried to adjust to the burning sensation. Yet Will didn’t want to wait. 

“Move, Hannibal,” Will groaned, causing Hannibal to laugh lightly before pulling his cock out most of the way and then thrusting back in. 

“Fuck,” Will swore. 

Hannibal then grabbed Will’s other hand and held both of them down into the blanket, fingers intertwined with his own, as Hannibal began to set a more steady pace. The feeling of being so full with Hannibal, of Hannibal knowing the most intimate part of him, of conjoining with him, was incredibly fulfilling and Will felt as if he could sob at the thought of it. Hannibal kissed Will as he began to thrust deeper, drawing a litany of beautiful noises from Will beneath him. 

As Hannibal snapped his hips and dove his cock deep into Will, Will wrapped his legs around Hannibal’s waist and gripped his hands tightly. When Hannibal released one of his hands to bring it to rest at the base of Will’s throat in a sign of possession and dominance, Will brought his hand up to dig his nails into Hannibal’s back, leaving long stripes of stinging skin mixed with blood. 

Will’s own desperation caused Hannibal to increase his speed even more and he began to relentlessly pound against Will’s prostate. The song of Will’s moans, Hannibal’s growls, and the sound of skin slapping on skin filled the air. 

“God, Hannibal, I’m close, I think I’m gonna come,” Will said between shaky breaths. 

Hannibal reached down and wrapped his hand around Will’s cock, pumping in time with his thrusts. As Will’s moans reached a fever pitch, Hannibal tightened the hand on his neck and turned it to the side slightly before leaning over him and biting down hard into the side of his neck. The feel of Hannibal’s teeth sinking into his neck combined with the feeling of Hannibal thrusting roughly into him while fisting his cock made Will come with a cry, his back arching up as his come spilled between them in hot stripes. As Will’s muscles clenched around his cock, Hannibal thrust in twice more, his teeth still buried possessively in Will’s neck, before he gripped Will’s hip to hold him still as he filled Will with his come, delighting in the breathless sob that shook Will’s chest beneath him. 

Unclenching his hand and teeth from Will’s throat, Hannibal pulled back to look down at Will and Will marvelled at how the flames of the fire nearby made Hannibal’s skin glow. Will smiled up at him and was rewarded with a genuine smile from Hannibal as well. 

Hannibal pulled out slowly, unable to resist pushing his come back into Will with his fingers as it began to seep out of him. He then lowered himself next to Will and grabbed at the cloth that sat over the charcuterie board and wet it before cleaning up Will’s stomach. He then reached for a nearby blanket, which he pulled over both of them. He pushed a pillow under Will’s head and one under his own as well and they laid there next to each other, staring up at the stars. 

“Hannibal, that was… I never knew how much and for just how long I have ached for you. Against all logic and morality, there is no one that could ever eclipse you. You are simultaneously my downfall and yet you elevate me; you beckon my darkness and yet you offer me your lightness. Loving you means that you are the knife which I plunge into myself.” 

Will felt his chest begin to heave with emotion, suddenly quite overwhelmed by the feeling of closeness, of oneness, between the two of them. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Hannibal, who gazed back at him intensely. Hannibal leant forward and cupped Will’s cheek as he softly kissed him. As he pulled back, he laid his forehead against Will’s. 

“You love me?” Hannibal asked, voice soft. Will’s heart twisted at the insecurity he could hear in Hannibal’s tone. Will grabbed Hannibal’s chin and pulled back to stare into his eyes. 

“I love you, and I see you,” Will said. Hannibal was temporarily too stunned to speak, as if he simply couldn’t believe what Will had just admitted. 

“I love you and I see you, too,” Hannibal whispered back, intertwining his fingers with Will’s curls as they laid on their sides facing each other. 

“You’re the only one who ever could,” Will said, giving him a soft smile and not even attempting to stop the tears as they began to stream down his face. Hannibal rolled onto his back and pulled Will up to his chest, running his hands down his back and against his cheek in an attempt to comfort him. 

“It’s alright, beloved,” Hannibal said softly. Will buried his face into Hannibal’s neck, planting light kisses before nestling comfortably against his chest, intertwining his fingers with Hannibal’s chest hair. 

Two figures laid intertwined beneath the light of the moon. 

Both content, having finally given his heart to the one he adored. 

The two, lying together as equals at last, victorious; transformed.