Chapter Text
“It’s good to see you again,” Jack gave him a broad smile and ushered him into the office where they sat. “When did you leave the hospital?”
“Yesterday.”
Jack leaned back, squinting as he gave Will a look over. He seemed well, other than the fairly obvious bruise blooming around his split lip and nose. “Maybe you should check yourself back in. What happened?”
Will laughed it off and said, “I went to have a few drinks at a bar after I left.”
Jack could understand that. He almost gave up on ever seeing Will again after how much time passed, and when he heard otherwise from Katz, he was never more glad to be wrong. His team had an off the clock round of drinks in his name and it seemed like Will had much the same idea for his first day out, though significantly more private.
“Some ruckus broke out and, maybe I had a little too much liquid courage,” Will chuckled. “Not the best decision I ever made, but I lived.”
“How’d it go for the other guy?”
“Oh, he was an Alpha too, so the damage was pretty even.”
Surprise grew on Jack’s face and he mouthed a silent ‘oh’. He almost forgot about Will’s change and his nose barely even noticed the subtle shift in scent. “Are you well? Generally speaking.”
Will told him a little about his time in the hospital and how he woke up. He never mentioned why visitations were not allowed and Jack didn’t want to intrude with questions. The Alpha was curious about many things but kept quiet about most. The way Will spoke gave up his utter reluctance to talk about the procedure he, allegedly, put himself through. Not the right time; Jack would have to wait some more.
He kept noticing Will’s eyes catching on the case files that were littered around his desk, so Jack started closing them and setting them aside. “Sorry,” he said, “I doubt work is what you want to see right now.”
“No, actually, that’s exactly what I came here to tell you,” Will shifted in his chair, eyes glued to the mounds of papers and envelopes on his desk. “I want to get back to work.”
“Teaching?”
“Teaching and profiling.” Jack didn’t expect to hear the second one.
Going back to his job as quickly as possible was anticipated. Will had quite the fine to cover with the dangerous antics he pulled on himself, but profiling was not a part of Jack’s equation, though again, he couldn’t say he was disappointed to hear it. The Ripper murders, still filed as a copy cat, stopped after the odd and unorthodox sounder of four, and he was just waiting for someone to have a look at them again and shed some light. The Alpha still remembered Will’s twisted ideas and the more he was left to think about them, the more he believed them.
“Are you sure about this,” Jack asked.
“Yes. Yes, I’ve been thinking about the cases I left for a while now and, now that the fever is gone, I want to give them another look. A better look.”
He ordered Will another week of rest, though the younger Alpha wanted to start immediately but Jack was having none of it. Teaching was an easier position to reinstate him as, but profiling would require some work, a psychological evaluation, and a lot of chatting up with the administration. Before Will left, Jack passed him a large yellow envelope with his name written on the front.
“I have no idea what this was doing in my mailbox,” Jack frowned and Will looked equally puzzled by it. “Someone trying to make me the mailman.”
“Who knows,” Will shrugged and tucked the envelope under his arm. “Thanks, Jack.”
The Alpha shook his head with a smile and escorted Will out of his office.
+++
More than anything, Will wanted to stay in for the night and enjoy the company of his pack. When Alana brought the dogs over, there was a hesitant moment when they were cautious of Will, like they didn’t recognize his scent. But that confusion only lasted a moment before they joyfully surrounded him and ruined his clothes with their paws and wet snouts. Alana was charmed by the scene, admitting to missing them already. The only solution Will could recommend her was more dogs, which she seemed to take to heart. She wrote down the few names of animal shelters he gave her.
And now he had to leave them again, alone in his house, for a party he really didn’t feel a need for – a sentiment only he shared. A small little gathering of friends and co-workers that Alana instigated a few days after she heard of his release, hosted by Hannibal Lecter of course.
The subjects of conversation veered off personal life – no one asked Will why or how, whether he was handling the change and how he was adjusting. It was all talk of the six months he missed with a funny life anecdote here and there, courtesy of Jimmy Price. There was wine by the barrel getting passed around and Will mostly indulged in it to spring himself into a chatty mood while also quieting his hunger. He did manage to find a platter of meatless canapés just as he was seeking some solitude on the balcony.
The solitude didn’t last long.
“Unusual for you,” he said as he enjoyed the servings he grabbed on the cool evening air, “to make something vegetarian.”
Hannibal came to stand next to him, setting his glass of wine on the balustrade. “I was not familiar with the preferences of this crowd. It’s best to be prepared.” He eyed the glass of wine Will held and the food he was eating before adding, “You seem to have taken a liking for it.”
A snort left Will, and he almost spat the food he was trying to chew with his giggling. “I’m not eating your meat, Dr. Lecter,” he said through a smile.
“You don’t trust I’ll uphold—”
“I don’t trust you, period.” Will spared an indignant look at the Alpha who watched him with little reservation in his gaze. Traces of a pleasant smile lingered on his face and Will bit back the cruel words on the tip of his tongue. Cruel but justified. He turned away from the unblinking eyes that threatened to mellow his anger even further. “It’ll take you a long time to rebuild what you destroyed.”
He couldn’t trust the man’s words, not yet, not sure if ever, but Will could trust himself, his nose and taste. He just had to exercise their abilities until they were worth a damn.
They spent quiet minutes on the balcony together, nothing but the sound of crickets keeping them company. The Alpha took away his half empty glass of wine and, before Will could even protest or snatch it back, Hannibal asked, “Would you like to spend the night here?”
Will’s brow furrowed. “N-no,” the answer didn’t come as quickly and as surely as it should have, but it was still a no.
“Then you should stop drinking,” his Alpha smiled, “otherwise you won’t be able to drive home.”
Not a drop of alcohol came in Will’s direction for the remainder of the party, though he was last to leave under the excuse of helping with cleanup. He didn’t intend to do that, but there was something else he had in mind to treat his good doctor with. A little tease, a little touch, a little back against the wall, hooded eyes, and bared throat. A warm scent of desire lingered in the air, in the privacy of their company. Lips barely brushed against each other when Will smacked the letter he sneaked out of his jacket against the Alpha’s chest, his hand pushing it and the other man away from himself.
“A courier brought it yesterday,” Will said as Hannibal stepped away to take a look at the letter. “I believe it’s yours.” Will’s name was on it but, technically speaking, it belonged to Hannibal. He caused it. “Will there be a problem?”
The fine was large and it would have caused problems for Will if he had any desire to pay it, which he didn’t, not when it was someone else’s problem inflicted on him in egregious ways. “No,” Hannibal said simply after examining the letter.
Will nodded and went for the door to see himself out when a hand pulled him back a little unkindly and threw him against the wall. No questions, no may I or would you mind, no tenderness either, and it sparked anger in the younger Alpha, the kind of anger that melted to passion so quickly it was a question if it was ever even there. Teeth and tongue and callous hands, bodies flush against each other, low moaning through a breathless kiss – it lasted for as long as they had air, until the fire died down and its smoulders threatened to turn their clash into something soft and affectionate.
“Not a problem at all,” Hannibal whispered against his lips, and it took the younger Alpha a lot of will to push the other away and leave as quickly as possible.