Chapter Text
As Will ascended the stairs, slowly plodding up, he realised that he was a good deal fuller than he had expected. That piece of cheese must have pushed him over the edge, he thought. It was a shame that you couldn’t know that until it had gone in.
He felt unwieldy as he climbed upstairs, his stomach a rock in his upper abdomen. The pain was sharp but not too bad, like a stitch, but he hoped that getting up and back into bed would make that stop.
Quiet as he could, he settled back down onto the mattress and lay back against his pillows. He realised, with concern, that the feeling of uncomfortable fullness hadn’t gone away. Maybe if he pressed on the sore bit it would?
Will tenderly pushed his fingers in where it hurt, withdrawing them quickly when the sharpness of the pain increased. He felt his eyes start to water. How long would this last? He couldn’t wake Hannibal up. Then he’d know what he’d done and he’d be upset. Will didn’t want him to be upset when he had a tummy ache.
He curled onto his side, determined to stay as quiet as possible, determined to wait it out until Daddy woke on his own.
It wasn’t comfortable to lay like this. It made him feel swollen and tight and a little bit sick. Maybe if he could be a grown up it wouldn’t be so bad. He must have eaten too much as a grown up and not cried.
As that thought crossed his mind, he heard Hannibal shift beside him.
“Baby?”
Will burst into tears.
-
Hannibal heard a snuffling beside him that pulled him slightly out of his dozing. When it grew quiet he allowed himself to sink back down into the depths of sleep.
Then it happened again. He realised, with growing anxiety, that he wasn’t supposed to be asleep, and that it sounded like Will was crying.
He was awake within seconds, shaking off the confusion about what time it was.
His boy lay facing away from him, cradling his abdomen as he whimpered.
“Baby boy?” He asked. “Tell Daddy what’s wrong.”
“B-Belly h-hurts.”
Hannibal’s first instinct was to assume something was wrong with the baby. His heart sped up a beat as he shifted closer to Will placing a hand on his hip to bid him roll closer to him.
“No move, d-daddy.” Will whimpered.
Hannibal placed his hands on Will’s abdomen. It was soft. Will tried to push them away but Hannibal kept them steady.
“No, baba, no! Will sore.”
“Is the baby moving Will? Are you bleeding?”
“Nooo! Will just…”
“What my love?”
“Will has too much food for his tum tum.”
This time, Hannibal acquiesced, his arms going lax, allowing Will to push his wrists off of him. Hannibal smiled, and then started laughing. Softly at first and then louder. Will frowned, scrunching his eyebrows together.
“No laughing!”
But Hannibal couldn’t stop, collapsing back onto the pillows. It was too funny to even worry about how he’d gotten food without supervision.
After a while of this, Will smacked at his thigh.
“Help me feel better baba.”
Hannibal sat up, gathering his wits about him. He wiped the tears from his eyes and pulled Will up close into his body.
“Come here, little one.”
Hannibal took care, laying his large palm over the top of Will’s belly, where he assumed it would be sorest. He pressed his fingertips into the tender flesh there, sighing when he noticed how little give there was. He cursed himself that he hadn’t been awake and paying attention to Will.
The pressure made Will hiss and pull away, but Hannibal held him tight.
“You have to trust me.”
Will relaxed and allowed Hannibal to continue massaging him delicately. Over time, Will found himself focussing less and less on the ache, and more on the gentle caress and ease of Hannibal’s hands.
“Do you think this is punishment enough for disobeying Daddy? Or shall he give you a spanking when you feel better?”
Will tensed up. Daddy didn’t sound serious, but he’d thought he was completely off the hook. What if Daddy was serious? He hadn’t been spanked since the baby had gotten so big, maybe not even since they had known that the baby existed. Where would his bump go? Was Daddy really upset with him for breaking the rules?
“Does really hurt…”
“I know, little chick. But there’s a reason we have rules to follow.”
Will squirmed, suddenly realising that he hadn’t even cleaned up properly.
“I sorry baba.”
“Are you sorry because Daddy is upset, or do you understand why I don’t want you going in there alone?”
Will paused, thinking.
Hannibal knew he was looking for the answer he wanted to hear, but he allowed it. After all, Will was in pain and tired, he could be granted some benefit of the doubt.
“Cause I could hurt m’self, or break something.”
“Good boy. And did you hurt yourself today?”
Will brought his hands up to the bloated belly in his lap, hoping that baby would stay nice and still. He hiccuped, groaning.
“Yes, but was hungry.”
Hannibal ran his hands over Will’s, interlinking their fingers.
“I know you were trying to let me sleep, but always wake me up if you need to. I can make you whatever you want.”
At that moment, their daughter chose to wake up, stretching her legs. Will squeaked unhappily, as her feet pressed right into the sore part. There was a moment of hope where she stopped with them there. Then, joy of joys, she did something that felt like she was cycling her legs.
“Daddy!” Will groaned again and blew out. “Daddy make her stop!”
“I’m afraid I can’t, sweetness, but it will go away. I’ll get you some medicine to help.”
“Noooo” Will protested weakly. “You’ve got to stay here”
Will’s pleas fell on deaf ears, as Hannibal extricated himself from his boy’s grabby hands. Will pouted, but Hannibal paid him no mind, he’d be happy enough when he was comfortable and asleep. The brief period of suffering would do him good, help him remember why the rules existed.
When he returned, Will had got himself slumped down, half on his side, as he mumbled away to the baby about how mean, mean, meanie, Daddy was being leaving them there. He’d had a feeling that he’d be hearing something like that-maybe he’d deliberately placed his feet lighter and quieter than usual in order to catch him in the act.
“Come on, sit up for me. Drink this and then we can go back to bed.”
Hannibal held a cup of cooling camomile tea to Will’s lips, cradling his head like an infant, though he knew that right now he had better control over himself than that.
Trickles of pale yellowish liquid dribbled down his chin as he drank clumsily. He didn't know why adding more to his belly would help, but he trusted Hannibal, even if he was a meanie. He tried to push himself to finish the whole thing, but his struggle was evident, and Hannibal pulled the china away from his lips.
"Good boy."
He looked at Will, at how close he was to bringing their child into the world, and couldn't help but think of how there was only so much time left before they wouldn't be able to do this all the time. In that moment, he was almost grateful for the lack of restraint Will had showed, for the time it allowed him to care for him. The kitchen hadn't been that bad anyway.
He was snapped out of his distracted thoughts when he looked up at Will's face, his brow furrowed in pain. Gone was the innocence of youth, and instead the regret of an adult who'd wished to sleep peacefully for at least a few hours. Hannibal felt a flash of disappointment and wondered if he could have his little boy back for just a little longer. So he continued on with the game.
“Lie on your side and Dadda will rub your tummy.”
Will looked at him, and Hannibal saw that grown up melt away. Hannibal would always want to care for him when he wasn't regressed, but for now it was nice to be able to tend to his silly little boy.