Chapter Text
The evening was beautiful, streaks of orange and pink stretching across the darkening sky and welcoming the faint pin-prick stars. Tall, green trees and white two-story homes were blurs as Alana drove down the streets of Baltimore, each neighborhood becoming more and more elegant as she approached her destination.
Cradled in the front seat of her car was a nice bottle of wine, a gift she intended to give to Hannibal for when she showed up for dinner. She hadn't been invited, but she knew he liked the occasional spontaneous visit from his friends—a while ago, he'd mentioned how Will would stop by in the mornings or evenings and how he was glad for it. No one else had been brought up in that specific context, but she assumed it would be just fine.
Hannibal was fond of her, and Alana was fond of him. They were just friends, at least for the time being, but what better way to move things on than a dinner date? This would be the perfect push to get them going in the direction they should've been years ago when they were working in the hospital together. They would just have to make up for lost time.
The faint hum of something vaguely classical played on the radio as Alana pulled into the driveway, parking behind the glossy, black Bentley she'd always wanted to be driven around in. She grabbed the bottle of wine and stepped out of the car, smoothing her hands over her dress and making sure her hair wasn't tousled.
Satisfied with her appearance, Alana walked up to the door and knocked. A few moments later, it opened. Instead of Hannibal, whom she obviously expected, Will stood in the doorway. She was surprised—his car wasn't even in the driveway.
"Will?" Alana said, shocked that he was here.
It'd been a while since she'd seen him, now that she thought about it. She still consulted on cases for Jack every once in a while, but Will was never there when she stopped by. Truthfully, she was glad for it. She did tend to run into Hannibal, though, which she thoroughly enjoyed.
"Oh hi, Alana," he greeted, regarding her with mild curiosity.
Will hadn't fully opened the door, still half-standing behind it. He seemed more reserved than usual, not exactly in the way that he was hiding something, but that he intended for this interaction to be short. The observation irritated her.
"What are you doing here, Will?" She asked, trying to keep her tone friendly.
Will stared at her for a few moments, honestly seeming confused. "Hannibal and I ate dinner a little while ago, I guess?"
Alana tamped her jealousy down, knowing that it made people act irrationally. She was not some overly emotional, unstable omega, but one of poise and grace. "You had dinner with Hannibal?"
He nodded slowly. "Yes…?"
Her eyes strayed from Will's annoyingly blue eyes down to his clothes, at least what she could see of them—he wasn't wearing something formal or upscale like people normally did when coming to Hannibal's house, but a loose t-shirt and what might honestly be pajama pants. He looked… comfortable here.
Alana felt strangely upset.
"Do you come here often?" She asked, both wanting and not wanting to know the answer.
Will began to look a little unnerved by all her questioning. His fingers tightened around where he held the door, eyes shifting away from her. Alana was making him uncomfortable and hesitant, and she had to resist prying the door open and pushing past him, maybe kicking him to the curb too, just for good measure.
"I mean… I'm kind of here all the time," Will said in a strange, cryptic manner. He eyed her outfit and the expensive wine clutched in her hand with something that might've been dissatisfaction. "Why are you so interested in me being here? And why are you here, anyway?"
Alana decided to ignore his inquiries, instead attempting to look through the gap in the door into the house. "Is Hannibal here?"
Will squinted his eyes at her suspiciously. "Yeah, I'll go get him, I guess."
He shut the door behind him as he walked back into the house, a pointed gesture of his irritation. Luckily, he didn't lock her out like she was beginning to think he did, and returned a few moments later with Hannibal.
At the mere sight of him, she immediately felt better and nearly forgot why she was so annoyed in the first place. But she could still spot Will standing behind him, watching them carefully. So much for a private conversation.
"Alana, what a surprise," Hannibal said in greeting.
Alana smiled at him, though it wasn't as sincere as it would've been a few minutes ago. "I thought maybe we could have dinner, but it seems you already ate."
Hannibal nodded, neither his face nor his tone giving anything away about his thoughts. "Yes, but please come in. It's rather cold outside tonight."
Pleased at the invitation, Alana gladly followed the two of them inside. They settled in the sitting room, a room less intimate than she'd hoped. She noticed with great displeasure that Hannibal and Will sat on the same couch, a very minimal distance between them. She stiffly sat on an adjacent couch, isolated from the alpha she so desperately wanted to be near.
"I, um, brought wine," Alana said, feeling quite awkward.
"Thank you," Hannibal said, taking it when she handed it to him and setting it on a side table. He didn't even read the label.
"I didn't know you and Will were so friendly," Alana said lightly, though she wasn't too sure if her tone came off correctly.
They both looked at her strangely, as if she was missing something important. It made her heart race, more anxious than ever with the loss of control of the situation.
Hannibal then looked at Will imploringly, and the amount of affection in his features nearly caused her to grimace. "Will, would you mind getting us some tea?"
He didn't say alcohol, she noted. It was rather strange, as many things felt since the moment she arrived. Since when did he stop offering his guests a drink, even if their stay would be short?
An unpleasant feeling bloomed in her chest.
Will nodded at him with a look of understanding, subtly sending a glance at Alana, and got up to head into the kitchen. It was a near guarantee that if Will Graham was in the room, Hannibal's eyes were on him, as much as she hated to admit it. His departure finally left her and Hannibal alone, and she was endlessly grateful.
"It is not often I receive guests unexpectedly for dinner," Hannibal said, looking at her intently. "Might I ask the reason for your visit?"
Alana cringed a little, feeling like her presence was an intrusion. "I'm sorry for stopping by unannounced, but I guess I thought… maybe you'd be happy to see me?"
Her words settled into the air heavily. She didn't exactly sound desperate, but… actually she did, now that she thought about it. She struggled to rein in her embarrassment.
"Did you have an ulterior motive for visiting me, Alana?" He asked rather bluntly.
She fisted her dress in her hands with nervousness. Her eyes darted from the stupidly extravagant paintings to the marble statues that decorated Hannibal's house as she formulated a way to convey her reasoning.
"Well, I've—we've known each other for a while, from when you were my mentor. Since getting involved with the bureau, we've, um, gotten closer. Become friends," Alana said, taking a second to look up at him. "So, I thought maybe you'd be willing to… have more with me."
Hannibal's expression didn't change, but the air in the room certainly did. The clinking of fine china and bubbling water could be heard from the kitchen, saving them from the utterly painful silence that would've appeared between them. It was a small mercy.
"You're—You're an alpha and I'm an omega, and we're not getting any younger," Alana tried to explain, her voice slightly unsteady. "I don't mean to be so blunt about it, but—"
"I'm afraid your affections are misplaced," Hannibal said firmly. His eyes seemed darker and colder than normal.
Alana just about blanched at his words. "I-I don't—"
At that moment, Will walked back into the room. He held a tray with three steaming cups of tea and some cookies, an impassive expression on his face.
It was then that Alana finally looked at Will. She wouldn't say he waddled, but there was definitely something a little off about his gait. He leaned down to set the tray on the table that the couches surrounded, and as he straightened up, with severe dread, Alana noticed the swell of his stomach. It had probably been somewhat concealed by his baggy clothing, but it was really quite obvious.
Will moved to reclaim his seat next to Hannibal, though there was no space between them now. He regarded her without giving away a single emotion, though the clarity of his eyes made it seem like he knew exactly what was on her mind, and therefore her intentions on coming here.
"…You're pregnant?" Alana asked with a strained voice.
Will looked down at his stomach and back up at her with what might be disbelief, but he seemed a little wary. "I am."
Things were beginning to come together, and a vague sense of panic slowly started to trickle into her. "Who…"
Hannibal placed his hand over Will's. They were wearing matching rings. "Alana, Will and I—"
A sudden wave of rage came over Alana, unable, or rather unwilling, to comprehend the evidence in front of her. "Hannibal, you—you and Will are mated?"
Hannibal pursed his lips and studied her carefully. "Yes."
Alana felt taken aback and severely offended. What did Will have that she didn't? How could he ever have convinced Hannibal to pick him over the dozens of other omegas pining after him who had so much more to offer? And based on their whole interaction, why was she the last one to know?
She laughed in disbelief, sharp and rude. "I can't believe you'd willingly hitch yourself to—"
"I think it would be best if you leave, now," Hannibal said tightly.
Alana sprang to her feet in angered surprise, genuinely incensed. "Will is unstable! Do you really think he's fit to bear your child?"
A plaintive whine along with the tart, potent smell of distress filled the room. Alana's attention immediately fell onto Will, who had backed as far away from her as he could on the couch. Deep sorrow tainted his features, his arms wrapped around his stomach and trembling with the despair that radiated off him.
Alana really did blanch this time. Putting a pregnant omega into distress, especially in the sight of their alpha, was a most severe offense—an objectively deplorable action that the offender could be brought up on charges for.
"Leave," Hannibal practically spat, standing in front of Will in a fiercely protective manner.
Alana's chest tightened at the absolute mess of the situation she'd created. She'd trespassed in the home of two mates, insulted both of them, and insinuated their child would be flawed.
Unsteadily, she backed away and just about ran out the door. Tears fell from her eyes and obscured her vision, anguish heavy in her heart. Never in her life had she been so mortified and livid. Shame flooded her from head to toe as she collapsed into her car. With shaky hands, she started the ignition and drove away despite knowing she was in no condition to drive.
She didn't look back as she fled.
The second the door slammed shut, Hannibal pulled his dear, beloved Will into his arms. He wrapped him up in his embrace and scent, wishing to protect him from the misery he knew coursed through him.
Will sniffled into his shoulder, trembles wracking his body as he clung to him desperately. "Hannibal, w-what if I'm not—"
"That's quite enough of that, my love," Hannibal said softly, but leaving no room for objection. "There is no one in the world I would rather have as my mate and dam of my pups. Our pups."
Will pulled his face away from his shoulder and gazed at Hannibal, a look of fragile timidity on his face. "…Are you sure?"
Hannibal merely smiled at him, warm and tender. "You wear my bite and are filled with my child, are you not?"
Will blushed beautifully and Hannibal couldn't resist capturing his lips in a sweet kiss. Their hands roamed across each other's bodies, slipping beneath clothing and caressing smooth skin.
"I love you, Hannibal," Will said when they parted for breath. "You make me so… happy."
"I am equally as enraptured with you, my dear Will," Hannibal said, a truth so fierce he was afraid he would never be able to put the severity of his feelings into words. "To love you is my greatest pleasure in life. There is nothing more I want than to care for you and ensure you will want for nothing."
Will smiled, adoration painted across his angelic features. "Take me to bed?"
Hannibal cupped his cheek and pressed another kiss to his lips. "Of course."
That night, Hannibal showed Will how deeply his adoration went for him. Every touch, caress, and sweet word displayed only a fraction of what his heart held, what he would do for the person he wished to keep inside the place he'd carved out of his soul.
Tears that glimmered with joy and pleasure fell from Will's eyes as Hannibal made love to him, overflowing with the intensity of his passion, the very essence of himself that belonged to his mate. There was not a more beautiful sight in the world than Will splayed across the tousled sheets of their bed, stomach swelled with their pup, and head thrown back as he was taken care of by his alpha.
Pressed close, skin against skin, drinking down each other's moans, they were wonderfully and perfectly joined. Tied together by Hannibal's knot, they laid in each other's arms and were content.
No two people in the world would ever be more right for each other, so devoted and desperately in love. Their names were written into their souls, woven together to make a beautifully intricate thing that existed outside of conceivable life.
The next morning, and each day after that, they showed each other that love, the infatuation that ran beyond their bones. For as long as the sun was pulled into the sky and tugged back down, as long as the heavens shimmered with light, their luminous, inseparable union would persist.