Chapter Text
Will leaves Hannibal’s house with the intention of driving around the block until Jack leaves, but seeing as they didn’t actually go out for dinner, Will decides to go pick something up. Then, he realizes his wallet is still in Hannibal’s car, so he just waits outside a restaurant for Hannibal’s call.
When Hannibal finally does call, Will is starving.
“Hey, baby,” Will answers. “You wanna meet me at that Italian restaurant down the road?”
“You don’t want to come home and finish what we started?” Hannibal asks.
“I haven’t eaten since breakfast,” Will sighs. “I was going to bring something back, but I left my wallet in your car.”
“Darling, if I had known you were hungry, we could have eaten before our appointment,” Hannibal says. Will can hear the jingle of car keys on Hannibal’s end, and the door to the garage open and shut.
“Yeah, well. I wasn’t sure if we’d have time,” Will says. “Are you on your way?”
“I am. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“I’ll get us a table,” Will says, then hangs up.
He gets out of the car, digging his hands into his pockets to shield them from the cold. He gets a table for two, and looks at the menu while he waits for Hannibal.
A man stops next to the table and Will looks up at him, but it’s not Hannibal, nor is it a waiter. He’s wearing a tie like Hannibal would wear, though. An ugly paisley thing that doesn’t quite work for him, but Will knows would work beautifully for Hannibal.
“You’re Will Graham,” the man says. “You’re one of Doctor Lecter’s patients. I’ve seen you in Tattlecrime.”
Will sighs and nods. “I am. And you are?”
He already knows, though. This has to be the patient that is overly interested in Hannibal. And of course Will chooses the one restaurant this man is in today. He has half a mind to call Hannibal and warn him, or ask if they should go somewhere else, but then Hannibal slides into the chair across the table from Will. He doesn’t even glance at the man as he sits.
“Doctor Lecter,” the man says, surprised as all hell.
“Ah, good evening, Franklyn,” Hannibal says. The smile he gives Franklyn is one of the most forced ones Will has ever seen on him, and Will can’t help his own smug smile from forming.
“I didn’t know you took patients out for dinner,” Franklyn says.
“We work together, as well,” Hannibal says. “This is a work related dinner.”
“Oh,” Franklyn says, face dropping considerably.
“Now if you will please excuse us, we have much to discuss,” Hannibal adds.
“Sure. I’ll see you next Thursday,” Franklyn says.
Hannibal nods once, then directs his attention away from Franklyn, staring at Will instead. Franklyn hovers for ten more seconds before finally turning and leaving. When Will is sure he’s out of hearing range he leans forward across the table.
“So that’s the guy, huh?” Will asks.
Hannibal looks up from his menu and nods.
“He thought you were taking patients out for dinner now,” Will says. “That’s really too bad that you aren’t. He seems like he’d be great company.”
Hannibal glares at Will over the top of his menu, but doesn’t say anything about it.
“Did you bring my wallet in from your car?” Will asks. Even though he knows Hannibal definitely did not, and is going to insist on paying for both of their meals.
“It must have slipped my mind,” Hannibal says. “I am still recovering from a concussion, afterall.”
“Uh huh. Give me your keys,” Will requests, holding his hand out. Instead of Hannibal handing his keys over, he takes Will’s hand in his own and kisses Will’s knuckles.
“No,” Hannibal whispers against Will’s fingers.
Will sighs, but knows when it’s not worth it to argue, so he doesn’t bother.
A waitress comes by and takes their drink orders, and Hannibal never lets go of Will’s hand, just drops them to rest on the table instead. When their sodas are set down on their table, Will has to yank his hand out of Hannibal’s in order to open his straw.
“Jack told me he is worried that you and I are going to start dating,” Hannibal says just as Will takes his first sip. Hannibal doesn’t look up from his menu, says it as casually as he can, as if it’s no big deal.
Will chokes on his drink and starts to cough. Hannibal still doesn’t look up from his menu while Will tries to stop coughing. When Will finally gets his breathing back under control, he shakes his head.
“Okay, don’t leave me hanging here,” Will says. “What did he say? What did you say?”
Hannibal looks up at him then and gives him a fond smile. “He said that us going to dinner, and you spending the night on New Year’s makes it seem like we are getting too close.”
“And he knows I stayed the night, why?”
“People asked where you went, and I simply said you were staying in my guest room,” Hannibal shrugs. “Even so, I told Jack I have dinner with friends often. I should have mentioned it is not unheard of for people to spend the night at my home after parties. You aren’t the first person to overindulge on alcohol in my home, and you certainly will not be the last.”
“So Jack thinks you and I are about to start dating, but it didn’t cross his mind that we have been for over three months?” Will asks.
“Apparently not.”
“What else did he say?”
“He can’t risk you losing me as your therapist,” Hannibal answers. “I believe if we came forward and said we have been together since Minnesota, then perhaps he would realize his fears are unfounded. You have been doing just fine.”
“No,” Will says, shaking his head. “He’ll make me get a new therapist. I don’t know how many times you and I have discussed this, but surely you have not forgotten this.”
Hannibal shrugs. “My concerns mostly revolved around how this may affect how our relationship develops over time.”
He pauses, but Will knows better than to interrupt, or ask questions about what specifically Hannibal means. Will does know; going on vacations together, moving in together, marriage. Hannibal goes on to say as much.
“I won’t be presumptuous about your own feelings regarding these matters, but should we become even more serious, and take further steps in the development of our relationship, it would be harder and harder to hide it,” Hannibal says. “I would also like to point out that Jack has interrupted us on our way to the bedroom on multiple occasions now.”
“So what do we do?” Will asks.
“The reason you come to me for unofficial therapy is because Jack doesn’t know how equipped you are for field work. However, I couldn’t ask you to quit.”
“I don’t… I don’t know if it would be a good idea for me to quit,” Will says. He leans forward and brings his voice low so no one can hear them. “I have access to every case file, I know where investigations are going, and I’m their best profiler. You know how that helps, right?”
“Yes, darling,” Hannibal says.
“I… I have clearance to talk to you about all of my cases because of this arrangement. I would rather get interrupted once in a while when we’re about to fuck, and then have to lie about it, than… well, the alternative,” Will whispers. “I quit, and go back to teaching, and I can’t access everything I need, I can’t sway investigations, or give profiles that…” Will looks around to make sure no one’s listening “...lead away from you. Or I don’t quit, we still tell Jack, then I would get assigned a new shrink, and then I can’t tell you about anything.”
“So we’re back where we started,” Hannibal concludes. “We keep going as we are.”
“I know it’s not ideal,” Will says. He can’t help the grimace that forms on his face, remembering how he told Abigail that it wasn’t ideal he couldn’t be by Hannibal’s side at the party. He knows they’re in for a long line of parties where Will isn’t hanging onto Hannibal’s arm. He reaches across the table and takes Hannibal’s hand again. “I wanted nothing more than to be next to you during that party, you know. I really wish it wasn’t like this. I just think we’ve dug ourselves too deep. And with Jack so adamant about us having conversations right now, it’ll be a long time before any of this can change. We were concerned about the psych eval part, but you keep clearing me, and especially after I spoke for you in the kitchen tonight, it’ll look bad.”
“Indeed. Jack is worried about my objectiveness,” Hannibal agrees. “Don’t look so upset, love. We are doing just fine.”
“I know, it’s just,” Will sighs. “I don’t want you to think I’m ashamed of being with you, or anything. I want to tell everyone you’re mine.”
“I know you are not ashamed of me. You’re protecting us both, but me especially. For that, I would hide for a hundred years, as long as it meant having you by my side.”
Their waitress comes back, and they both order their food then. When she takes their menus, and walks away, Will lifts Hannibal’s hand to kiss his knuckles, just as Hannibal had done before.
“When we move in together, then the cat will be out of the bag, but we can cross that bridge when we get there,” Will says.
“You said when. Not if?”
“Not if,” Will confirms.
After they eat, Hannibal pays for both of their meals, and they agree to meet back at Hannibal’s house. Hannibal can’t stop thinking about what Will said at the restaurant, about how they will end up moving in together. That may cause problems if Hannibal keeps killing as the Chesapeake Ripper, but just like their other concerns, Hannibal will cross that bridge when their relationship gets there.
By then, it’s possible Will already knows, and is perfectly fine with the extent of Hannibal’s crimes. He seems fine enough with what he already knows, which Hannibal sees as a good sign.
They both pull into Hannibal’s garage and Hannibal can hear the loud rock music coming from Will’s car. Will turns to look at him, and he’s singing along to the words with a smile on his face, which Hannibal can’t help but return, even if he can’t make out what the singer is saying.
Hannibal gets out of his car first and runs around to Will’s door to open it for him.
Will steps out and immediately wraps his arms around Hannibal’s neck, kissing his cheek.
“You know, if we would’ve fucked in your car earlier, we wouldn’t have even known Jack was knocking at the front door,” Will says.
“He would have wondered why your car was in my driveway,” Hannibal points out.
Will shrugs and kisses Hannibal quickly on the lips, then lets him go and walks into the house. He glances over his shoulder, seemingly checking to see if Hannibal is coming inside, so Hannibal follows him at a quicker pace.
“Can we stay in Wolf Trap this weekend?” Will asks in the mudroom.
“If you’d like. I’ll come over after work tomorrow. You do have an appointment on Sunday, though. We would need to come back for that.”
“I figured as much,” Will answers. They keep walking through the house, into the kitchen where they both drop off their keys, and Hannibal puts both of their wallets on the counter next to them. “I don’t go back to teaching until the fourteenth, so I might just stay over Sunday night.”
“If you want to.”
“Yeah. I do.”
Will goes to the fridge and looks through it while Hannibal leans against the counter behind him.
“We just ate,” Hannibal says.
“I was seeing if you have anything for dessert,” Will says. He reaches for a bottle of wine instead, pulls it out and shuts the fridge door. “I need a drink.”
“I put you through a stressful situation with that suit fitting,” Hannibal says. “Pour me one too.”
“Suit fitting was fine,” Will shrugs. He pulls down two glasses from the cupboard, then says, “Your patient makes me want to drink an entire liquor store.”
“Yes, Franklyn has that effect on people,” Hannibal agrees.
“I mean, what are the odds he’s at the same restaurant I picked?” Will asks. He hands Hannibal a glass of the leans against the counter opposite him, just a few feet between them.
“He found out that I stop there some nights after late appointments. I don’t always feel like cooking after a long day,” Hannibal explains. “He knows Thursdays are late nights.”
“He is actually stalking you, Hannibal.”
“Yes, so it seems.”
“Why don’t you do something about it?”
“I stopped going to that restaurant on Thursdays because we don’t have our appointments. That counts, I would say,” Hannibal says. “I will admit I’m curious to see what comes of it. He’s no danger to me.”
“Hannibal, what if he follows you one night? What if he sees you kill someone?”
“He won’t. And if he does, I’ll take care of it.”
“Yeah, but what if you can’t?” Will asks, his voice wavers and Hannibal sets his glass down behind him and crosses the few feet between them to take Will’s glass, set it on the counter, and wrap his arms around him. “I can’t lose you, Hannibal.”
“Will,” Hannibal breathes. “You won’t. I promise you.”
“I can’t lose any more people.”
Will starts shaking, and Hannibal just holds him tighter, cradling the back of his head, letting Will bury his face into Hannibal’s neck. He kisses the top of Will’s head. He can’t promise Will won’t lose anyone else, but he knows he can do everything in his power to make sure Will doesn’t lose him.
“Let’s go upstairs, darling,” Hannibal murmurs. “I know you’re tired. You tossed and turned all night last night.”
Will shakes his head. “Can we sit in your study instead?”
“If you’d like,” Hannibal whispers.
“Did I keep you up last night?” Will asks. “I don’t need to stay tonight if you want to sleep. I can’t promise I’ll sleep much better than I did last night.”
“I have told you since our very first night together that I do not mind,” Hannibal says. “Would you allow me to give you something to help you sleep?”
Will shakes his head.
“Then I won’t,” Hannibal says.
He lets go of Will and picks up both of their glasses, nodding at Will to go to the study. Hannibal follows after him.
Will ends up falling asleep with his head in Hannibal’s lap while Hannibal reads a book. He holds the book in one hand, and lightly rubs Will’s chest with his other hand. Will makes soft noises in his sleep, but after a while his breathing picks up and the noises become more distressed.
Hannibal is about to wake him when Will wakes with a sharp intake of breath, sitting up abruptly. He takes in his surroundings with a scared look in his eyes, but his face softens as soon as he sees Hannibal.
“What time is it?” Will asks.
Hannibal checks his watch. ”Nearly midnight.”
“You should’ve woken me to go up to bed.”
“I was enjoying my book,” Hannibal says. “We can go up now.”
Will nods and rubs his eyes, then looks around. Hannibal picks up Will’s glasses from the table next to the couch.
“Did you take them off me?” Will asks, putting them back on.
“Yes. They were digging into my thigh, and I didn’t think it would be comfortable for you, either.”
“Thanks,” Will mumbles. He rolls off the couch, just barely planting his feet in time, then stands. Hannibal watches as he picks up his half empty wine glass, and drinks the rest in two gulps.
Will hands the glass to Hannibal, then turns to go upstairs. Hannibal takes both of their glasses to the kitchen, and washes them. By the time he gets upstairs, Will is already under the blankets, a pile of clothes next to his side of the bed. His eyes are already closed.
Hannibal puts Will’s clothes into the laundry basket, then undresses himself, and uses the bathroom. When he gets into bed, Will is laying in the center, eyes fighting to stay open.
“Come ‘ere,” Will mumbles, reaching for Hannibal. “Freezing.”
“You wouldn’t be freezing if you put on pajamas,” Hannibal whispers. He goes into Will’s arms, and lets the man snuggle close. Will digs his cold toes into Hannibal’s shins, and releases a content sigh. He’s asleep within minutes.
He doesn’t stay asleep, though, and starts tossing and turning in his sleep. Hannibal gets out of bed when that starts and goes to the kitchen to make some tea for the both of them.
Will comes down as he’s pouring it into two teacups, fully naked as he comes into the kitchen.
“I woke up and you were gone,” Will mumbles.
“I apologize. I was making tea,” Hannibal says. “Go back upstairs, I was just on my way up.”
Will turns to go and Hannibal follows after him. He hands Will both cups when he reaches the bedroom, then goes to the electric fireplace and switches it on.
“You know, I’d have figured you would have a real fireplace,” Will says, sipping from one of the cups of tea. The other is sitting on Hannibal’s nightstand.
“It’s not convenient in my bedroom. By the time I come upstairs I’m usually ready to get in bed, and I don’t like leaving fires overnight. The one in my study is real, as is the one in my office.”
Will nods. “Makes sense, I guess. Do you ever use the one in your office?”
“Sometimes,” Hannibal says. He gets into bed, sitting next to Will. Will scoots over and rests against Hannibal’s side, dropping his head to his shoulder.
“Sorry I woke you up.”
“Will,” Hannibal warns. “I’m not going to say it again.”
“I know you don’t care, but I’m still sorry, okay? Thanks for the tea.”
“Of course.”
“When’s the opera?” Will asks after a minute of silence. He sets his empty cup on the nightstand and lays down, resting his head on Hannibal’s thigh.
“Two weeks from tomorrow. You’ll need to go back to my tailor next Thursday to see if the suit needs any adjustments, then they should have it ready for you the following Thursday, then the opera is that Saturday.”
Hannibal sets his cup down on his own nightstand and lays down, moving Will so his head rests against Hannibal's shoulder. Will kisses Hannibal’s collarbone, then rolls over onto his side to face away. He doesn’t reach for Hannibal, so Hannibal takes it as a request to sleep apart, and shuts off the lamp on his own nightstand. He stays facing away, laying on his side with his back to Will.
“What are you doing?” Will asks. “Get over here.”
“I wasn’t sure,” Hannibal murmurs. He rolls over and presses his front to Will’s back, and puts an arm over his waist.
Will’s hand finds the one Hannibal has splayed against his stomach and laces their fingers together. “If I don’t want this, I’ll tell you.”
“I didn’t want to assume.”
“Well, I’m telling you to assume. You’ll know if I don’t want you to touch me, Hannibal.”
Hannibal doesn’t respond, just kisses the back of Will’s neck and breathes in. He doesn’t smell inflammation anymore, which is a good sign that Will has recovered from his encephalitis. If Hannibal could be completely sure, he would tell Will to cancel his appointment with Sutcliff, but he can’t risk it.
When Will wakes up in the morning, Hannibal isn’t in bed anymore, but his side is still warm. Will sits up and sees him standing in the closet, a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Morning,” Will says from the bed.
Hannibal looks over his shoulder and smiles at him. “Good morning. I have to leave soon.”
“Figured. Mind if I catch a few more hours here?”
“Not at all. If you’d like to stay until lunch, I can come home today.”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Will agrees.
It’s so simple, so easy to adjust to each other’s schedules, to not worry about overstaying a welcome. It’s something Will has really never had in any of his relationships. Hannibal makes it all so easy, makes Will feel welcome at all times. Even if Will keeps Hannibal up all night, even if Will falls asleep on the couch in the middle of conversations, even if Will is having a bad day and his temper is short. Hannibal adjusts, and he never makes Will feel like a burden. Never makes Will feel like Hannibal has made drastic changes, which Will knows Hannibal has. It makes Will feel loved.
The next few days are full of simplicity and love, as well. They have their lunch together, then Will goes home and relieves Abigail from dog duty. Of course, she decides to hang around for the afternoon. Beatrice follows her around everywhere, Will notices.
“She hasn’t given you any trouble, has she?” Will asks.
“She’s a sweetheart,” Abigail answers. “Why? Does she give you trouble?”
Will shakes his head. “Hannibal insists she’s a menace when I’m not around.”
“I’ve never had a problem.”
They both glance at each other and grin, both knowing that Beatrice has it out for Hannibal. Even though she’s technically Hannibal’s cat, and he loves her almost as much as he loves Will.
Will teaches Abigail how to make fishing lures, but tells her fishing will have to wait until the spring unless she wants to go ice fishing and sit out in the cold for little reward. Will doesn’t particularly want to go ice fishing, so he’s glad when Abigail declines the offer.
Hannibal shows up in the evening, and Will greets him at the door with a chaste kiss. Abigail leaves after dinner, going back to stay in Baltimore. Hannibal and Will take the dogs for a walk, deciding not to go far because it has been cold, but still enjoying the walk, bumping shoulders as they move across the snowy fields.
Will doesn’t even think they discuss immediately getting into the bath after they go inside, they just do. And it’s so simple. Will almost tells Hannibal he should officially move in already, but he bites his tongue. Just sinks further into the warm water with his back pressed to Hannibal’s chest.
When they get out, Will pushes Hannibal up against the bathroom wall and drops to his knees. Hannibal was hard the entire time they were in the bath, with his cock against Will’s ass. Will doesn’t bother finding towels for either of them, just takes Hannibal into his mouth and sucks him until Hannibal is coming down his throat.
Will pulls back, letting Hannibal’s cock fall from his mouth, and looks up to see Hannibal looking right back. Hannibal runs a thumb along Will’s bottom lip, then joins him on the floor, pushing Will to lay on his back, and spread his legs so Hannibal can lay between them and return the favor.
Eventually they find towels and make it to bed, curling around each other like they do every night. It’s so simple, and Will wishes everything about their relationship could be as simple as days like these.
Not worrying about other people, not having to think about murder, or crime scenes, or anything else that causes them stress. Just the two of them in a bubble forever.
By the time Sunday comes, Will isn’t worried about the appointment, not like he had been the first time Hannibal reminded him of it. Not even Doctor Sutcliffe can ruin the good mood he’s been in all weekend. Besides, Hannibal already told him that he’s confident the encephalitis is gone, so the good mood can only be ruined if he’s told he’s dying.
“Ah, I see you two are still together,” Sutcliffe says when he sees them.
“Yes, we are,” Will answers, taking Hannibal’s hand in his own and lacing their fingers together.
Hannibal gives his hand a gentle squeeze, and they both sit down across from Sutcliffe to discuss Will’s symptoms.
“I’m still having the nightmares, and the occasional headache,” Will shrugs. “Nothing else, really.”
Sutcliffe writes that down, then looks to Hannibal.
“I haven’t noticed anything else,” Hannibal says.
Sutcliffe nods once, and then Will is being directed toward the MRI machine.
When his results show that Will has made a full recovery, he immediately turns and kisses Hannibal, unable to contain his happiness, and wanting to share it with the love of his life.
“I believe this calls for celebration,” Hannibal says once they’re back in the car. “A dinner party? Quite small, and only people that know about us.”
“Okay,” Will agrees.
“Likely not until next month, though,” Hannibal says after a moment. “I do have other ideas for how we can celebrate before then.”
“What did you have in mind, Doctor Lecter?” Will asks.
He watches as Hannibal’s expression changes into surprise for just a split second, then his face goes blank again.
“What was that?” Will asks.
“Hm?”
“You looked caught off guard. Was it because I called you Doctor Lecter?”
“You haven’t done so in quite some time,” Hannibal says.
“I said it on Friday.”
“When Jack was there. And you didn’t make it sound so flirtatious then.”
Will laughs once. “I can do it next time. Give Jack more reasons to worry about us.”
“That would be playing with fire, darling.”
“It would be kind of funny, though. We flirt around him, but never give him quite enough to prove anything,” Will says. “Oh, come on. He calls us to crime scenes at five in the morning, and shows up at our houses. We could get back at him. It would drive him insane not being able to do anything about it.”
The corner of Hannibal’s mouth lifts into a smile, and there’s a twinkle in his eyes. He lifts a hand from the steering wheel and sets it on the center console, which Will takes in his own hand.
“It would be amusing,” Hannibal says finally. “We will just have to see what happens, I suppose. We are good at keeping it professional, so it may not even end up happening out of habit.”
Will nods in agreement.
“And to answer your question, I believe you will just have to wait until we get home to see what I have in mind,” Hannibal says. He turns his head slightly so Will can see him wink.
Will almost tells him to pull over right there, but he patiently waits until they pull into Hannibal’s garage. Will’s car is parked right next to Hannibal’s, since they learned their lesson about waiting on Friday.
“Abigail’s still home,” Will sighs.
“I’m making us dinner before she leaves to take care of the dogs,” Hannibal says.
Will groans. He was hoping to go straight upstairs and eat later, but apparently Hannibal always has other plans. Will thinks this is worse than Jack Crawford interrupting them on Friday.
Dinner is a quiet affair, Abigail not having much to say, and Will growing more and more tired as he makes his way through his plate of food. Abigail leaves right after the plates are cleared from the table, claiming she wants to catch a show that airs in an hour. Will finishes his glass of wine and meets Hannibal in the kitchen where he washes the dishes.
“You were yawning all through dinner,” Hannibal says when Will hands him his empty glass.
“Sorry,” Will mumbles.
“It was an observation, not a condemnation,” Hannibal says. “I have a few things to finish up tonight for work, but you’re welcome to go to bed early.”
“Weren’t we going to have celebratory sex?” Will asks.
“Did I say that?” Hannibal asks innocently.
“You heavily hinted at it, Doctor,” Will scoffs, crossing his arms while he leans against the counter next to the sink.
“I never said sex. Maybe I was going to give you a massage,” Hannibal says.
“Last massage you gave me lead to sex.”
“So it did,” Hannibal smiles. He leaves the plates to air dry and wipes his hands with a dry towel. “But you are very exhausted, darling. We have all the time in the world, but you should rest tonight.”
“Where are you doing your work?”
“Study.”
“I’ll lay on the couch, then,” Will decides.
They end up in the study, Hannibal at his desk, and Will on the couch in front of the fireplace. Hannibal had started a fire and laid a blanket over Will before taking his place at his desk. The back of the couch obscures Hannibal from Will’s eyes, which is good because Hannibal is in no way doing psychiatric work.
He’s drawing up diagrams and doing research for his next Ripper kills. He keeps glancing toward the couch every few seconds in case Will sits up to look at him, but after a while he hears soft snores instead. He uses those noises as assurance that Will isn’t going to look.
A buzz on his cell phone pulls him out of his planning. He shuts his sketchbook and puts his tablet on top of it, then unlocks his phone to check the message.
Beverly Katz: Did you know Will’s birthday is on Friday?
Hannibal frowns, having not known that. He sends back a message saying, ‘ I was unaware. I suppose he keeps it a secret for a reason. How did you find out, might I ask?’
Her message comes through a few seconds later.
Jack found out, I guess. Probably on some paperwork. If you two don’t have plans, I was going to take him out for drinks. If he says yes, you’re welcome to join us. I’m sure he’d prefer if you did.
Hannibal types his response and hits send.
Of course. We do not currently have plans, considering I didn’t know. Tell me if you get him to agree. I will not mention it to him before then.
Beverly sends back a thumbs up emoji, and Hannibal goes back to his planning, listening to Will’s quiet snoring. He is distracted now, though, so he shuts his sketchbook, and clears the tabs on his web browser, then locks the sketchbook in one of his desk drawers.
He puts out the fire, then sits down on the couch next to Will’s hip. He lightly touches Will’s shoulder, rousing him from his sleep.
“Huh?”
“I’m going up to bed,” Hannibal says. He leans down to kiss Will’s forehead. “Are you joining me?”
“Tired,” Will mumbles, closing his eyes again. He reaches out his arms. “Come here.”
“We are not sleeping on this couch tonight,” Hannibal says, pulling out of Will’s reach. “Come upstairs.”
“Carry me.”
Hannibal kisses his forehead again, then whispers, “No.”
“I’m breaking up with you,” Will mumbles. “Won’t carry me to bed, so you must hate me.”
Hannibal laughs and kisses the corner of Will’s mouth. Will pushes him away and pulls the blanket higher around his shoulders.
“Come now, my love,” Hannibal says gently. He leans down to whisper in Will’s ear. “If you get up, I’ll suck your cock when we get upstairs.”
Will sighs, annoyed and tired, but it’s clear the offer is enticing enough, then sits up and pushes the blanket off of him. Hannibal takes it and folds it in half, laying it across the back of the couch. Will takes Hannibal’s hand and pulls him from the room, barely giving Hannibal enough time to shut off the lights before he’s pulled through the door frame.
“Hold on, darling,” Hannibal says, pulling himself free from Will’s grip. “I left my phone on the desk. I will be right up.”
Will takes off up the stairs, and Hannibal goes back into the study to pick up his phone. He stands there a few more minutes in the dark, ordering Will’s birthday gift, and then clearing his browser history just in case Will decides to get curious.
Upstairs, Will is laying naked on the bed, hand slowly stroking his cock.
“Took you long enough,” he mutters.
Hannibal smiles at him,then picks up Will’s clothes off the floor and puts them in the laundry basket, then starts removing his own. He leaves his underwear on and gets into bed, sitting with his back propped up by pillows.
He pats his thighs and Will moves to straddle him, hard cock nudging Hannibal’s stomach. Hannibal pulls Will forward by the hips so he’s sitting across his chest, and begins to kiss WIll’s bare stomach. He gets Will better situated in front of him, and takes his cock into his hand.
“Don’t be gentle,” Hannibal murmurs.
“Wh-” Will starts, but he cuts himself off with a moan when Hannibal takes him into his mouth. One of Hannibal’s hands moves to grip the back of Will’s thigh, and his other hand finds one of Will’s and places it in his hair.
Will’s other hand moves up to the headboard, and Hannibal knows he’s likely gripping the top of it hard while he sucks Will’s cock. Hannibal releases the hand on his head, and brings it to grip Will’s other thigh, and pulls Will forward again, then back again, moving Will’s hips until he gets the hint and starts fucking into Hannibal’s mouth without the extra help.
Hannibal releases one of Will’s thighs and brings it up to Will’s hand on the headboard, resting his own over Will’s while Will continues to thrust into his mouth. Hannibal wants to tell Will to stop holding back his sounds, to stop choking down his moans, but he’s not in the right position to do so with Will’s cock hitting the back of his throat.
“Hannibal, I’m-- fuck, baby-- I’m close,” Will pants. He tries to pull out of Hannibal’s mouth, but Hannibal just hums around him and continues to bring Will closer and closer.
He comes with a loud moan, his head bowed, and his eyes shut tight. Hannibal feels his hand under his grip the headboard tighter while he fucks Hannibal’s mouth through his own orgasm. Hannibal keeps his lips tight around him until Will is whimpering and trying to pull back again. Hannibal lets him go this time, and Will releases both Hannibal’s hair and the headboard, and sits back on his heels on top of Hannibal’s chest.
It takes him a minute to catch his breath, his hands resting on his thighs. Hannibal sets his own hands on top of Will’s and squeezes them both gently.
“Good?” Hannibal asks.
Will laughs quietly and leans down to kiss Hannibal on the top of his head.
“Very good,” Will responds. He sits up straight and looks over at his shoulder, down toward Hannibal’s groin. “Can I do something for you?”
Hannibal is hard, and as much as he wants to say yes, he shakes his head. “This is not about me tonight. Beside, love, you look as though you could lay down and fall right asleep.”
“I probably could. Or I can give you a hand job if you want? I think I would definitely like to,” Will whispers.
“If you insist,” Hannibal whispers.
So Will climbs off of Hannibal’s chest and pulls Hannibal’s underwear down off his hips, and throws them in the general direction of the laundry basket. Hannibal doesn’t have to look to know Will missed.
After Hannibal comes into Will’s hand, and on his own stomach, they both get up and go into the bathroom. Will washes the come off his hand, and Hannibal wipes down his stomach, then they both turn to regard each other in front of the sink.
“Shower?” Will asks. A hot shower sounds really, really nice, but at the same time he feels like he could fall asleep on his feet. He knows Hannibal could catch him, though, so he asks anyway.
Hannibal shakes his head. He picks up both of their toothbrushes and the toothpaste, and hands Will his. They brush their teeth side by side, and after they both spit and rinse, Hannibal scoops Will up into a bridal carry and carries him from the bathroom.
Will is thrown down onto the bed, a laugh coming out of his mouth, but the laugh is quickly interrupted by Hannibal’s mouth on his own. Will tangles his fingers in the hair on the back of Hannibal’s head and pulls him closer, deepening the kiss.
Hannibal pulls back and moves from where he’s kneeling over Will to lay down next to him. He rolls on his side, facing away.
Will hesitates for a second, but Hannibal reaches behind him and Will sighs in relief, turning over on his side to press himself along Hannibal’s back.
Just as Will is about to drift off, Hannibal speaks, pulling him out of the half asleep state he’s in.
“Why didn’t you tell me your birthday is on Friday?”
Will’s breathing stops for just a second, then he tugs Hannibal closer to his body with the arm draped over his waist. He kisses the back of Hannibal’s neck, then starts to suck, attempting to leave a mark, but he can’t see his work in the dark when he pulls away.
“Will?”
Will sighs. “I don’t know.”
Truth is, he hates birthdays. He can hardly remember ever having a good one. He doesn’t want Hannibal to feel obligated to buy him anything. He hates parties. He doesn’t like being reminded that he’s getting older. The list goes on and on.
“How did you find out?” Will asks.
“Beverly told me.”
“I didn’t tell her,” Will says.
“Jack found out, and told her,” Hannibal clarifies.
“I don’t like birthdays,” Will admits.
“So you would object to a gift, then.”
“Yes,” Will answers with no hesitation.
“And if I already ordered it?”
And Will knows he absolutely has already, so there’s no winning here. He grips Hannibal’s chest hair with his fingers, releases, then does it again, trying to think.
“Fine,” he finally settles on. “But no parties, or anything, okay? I just want a quiet night. You and me, and the dogs, and Abigail if she wants to hang out with us.”
“I will make dinner. Any requests?”
“I don’t suppose you have any pizza recipes?” Will asks.
“I am sure I can think of something.”
“Okay,” Will yawns. “Is that all?”
“Yes, goodnight, Will.”
“Goodnight, Hannibal.”
Will wraps his arm around Hannibal’s waist again, and lets sleep take him.