Perfect Storm

Hannigram

Chapter 1

…

Will walked through the front door, the heat hitting him immediately. He ran a hand through his wet hair before removing his jacket. He was a little late for his appointment and hoped Hannibal wouldn't be too annoyed at being kept waiting.

"Hannibal..."

Will called out but got no response. He walked in to his office to find it empty and jumped when he heard a flash of lightening; he hated thunder and lightening, ever since he was a young boy. He walked thought to the kitchen to find it empty; he felt a cold draft and went towards Hannibal's utility room to find the back door open. He shivered slightly, ready to close the door but noticed the tall figure standing outside, looking up at the sky.

"Hannibal…" Will called out.

Hannibal didn't answer him so he grabbed one of the jackets from the coat rack on the wall and went outside to the older man. As he got closer he could see Hannibal shivering. He came to his side and eyed him closely, at first glance he looked perfectly fine but as Will came to stand in front of him, to look him in the face and could see the older man had been crying.

"Hannibal…you okay?"

Hannibal was completely lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Will right away, until Will reached out for him, his hands firmly on his Hannibal's shoulders, forcing him back to the present. He lowered his head to see the worried look on Will's face.

"Will…."

"Hannibal are you okay?"

"I'm…fine."

"Yeah…sure you are. Come on, lets get you inside…it's freezing out here."

Hannibal allowed Will to usher him back inside, he took a seat at the table as Will made them both some tea. Will kept his eyes on him as he poured the hot water in to the cups and took them over to the table.

"Here, drink this."

Hannibal lifted the cup in to his hands, the warmth hitting him immediately. He took a few sips before putting the cup back down and looking at Will who wouldn't take his eyes off him.

"Thank you Will."

"What happened out there?"

"It's nothing." He said, lowering his head.

Will got up and came to kneel down in front of him, placing his hands on Hannibal's knees.

"Hey, look I know you're usually the one listening to my problems, but how about for tonight at least…you allow me to listen to yours."

"It's not professional."

Hannibal got up and moved away from Will, leaning against the counter.

"Screw professional…I thought we were friends?" Will said.

"We are…only I…"

Will stood in front of Hannibal, refusing to leave him alone.

"I'm not going anywhere so you might as well tell me what's going on…Hannibal, I want to help you. Please, talk to me."

…

Hannibal looked in to Will's eyes and smiled before he began.

"Today would have been Misha's birthday."

"Misha?"

"My sister."

"Your…I didn't know you had a sister."

"She died when we were very young, she…always loved the rain, the thunder and lightening. She would always rush outside when it came. I feel like tonight she came home."

"I am…so sorry. I had no idea; you never really talk about your personal life."

"There's no need too."

"You know every thing about me, the good and the bad and yet I know next to nothing about you."

"You are my patient…I am not yours."

"No, but I thought you were my friend."

"I am your friend; I care about you a great deal Will." Hannibal looked away. "More than you will ever know." He whispered.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, we should get you out of these wet clothes. You'll end up with a fever."

Hannibal walked up stairs towards his bedroom, hearing Will's footsteps closely behind him. Once inside, Will made his way in to the en suite and turned on the shower for him as Hannibal began removing his shirt slowly.

"The showers heating up for you, here let me help you."

Before he could protest, Will had taken over the task of unbuttoning his shirt, revealing his toned body. For a man of his age, he was in extremely good shape. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Will, who tried not to stare for too long.

"I can take it from here thank you Will."

…

Will watched as Hannibal went in to the en suite and closed the door behind him. While he waited, he looked around the room and got out a sky blue shirt and jeans from Hannibal's wardrobe. He gave a small laugh, never actually remembering ever seeing Hannibal in Jeans the whole time he'd known him. As he closer the drawer he spotted the photo of a young girl and older boy standing in front of a large country house, a small lake to the side. He assumed the picture was of Hannibal and his late sister.

"Will…"

Will turned around to see Hannibal standing in the doorway, his black shorts covering him as he dried his hair with a towel.

"Oh hey, I eh…got your clothes ready." He said, handing them to the older man.

"Thank you."

Will smiled before taking a seat on the bed as he watched Hannibal put on his dry clothes before he took a seat beside Will.

"I'm sorry about your session tonight; I'll give you double my time at our next session."

"Don't worry about it."

Lightening struck, causing Will to jump a little.

"Does lightening scare you Will?"

"Erm yeah kind off…always have been, even when I was a kid."

"It's strange isn't it, how thunder and lightening affects different people. It scares you and yet Misha, she loved it so much. She couldn't wait to rush outside in the rain and just watch and listen."

"Tell me about her."

"She was…my best friend. She was born ten years after me, she came rather late for my mother. She was so beautiful and trusting of everyone and everything. When my parents were killed, it didn't really register with her, she was only four."

"What happened to them?"

"They were killed in a car crash, drunk driver…they didn't stand a chance. My Uncle was given guardianship of us but he wasn't really interested, he drank a lot"

"Hannibal I'm so sorry."

"My mother always made me promise that no matter what, I would always protect Misha."

"How did she die?"

"She was six; she went out one evening when it was a heavy storm. My Uncle was sleeping off a hangover, she begged me to let her go outside. I eventually gave in to her; I was busy with an exam. I wanted peace. When she didn't return an hour later I began to worry, I went out to look for her and that's when I found her."

Hannibal ran a hand over his face as he felt tears falling from his eyes. He tensed when he felt Will's hand gently grasping his.

"She must have fell and hit her head, she landed face first in to the lake…and she drowned.

"Jesus…you know that wasn't your fault though…right."

"Of course it was, I was supposed to protect her and she…"

"You were a child yourself; it was your Uncle's responsibility, not yours."

"But she…"

"Stop, you are not to blame for your sisters death."

Hannibal looked up at Will, tears falling freely now as Will pulled him towards him and hugged him tightly. They remained close for a few minutes before Hannibal began to calm his breathing. Will pulled back so he could get a better look at him.

"Feel better."

"Mmmm, a little. I'm sorry; you shouldn't have to see me like that. I assure you it's not something I normally do."

"I don't care; you're allowed to fall apart every now and again. It's all part of being human; it's not good to bottle things up…why do you think I come to you every week."

"It's not easy for me to share things with strangers."

"I'm not a stranger, I'm your friend."

"Friend?"

"What…"

"You want me to be honest, to share my feelings. I think of you more than just a friend Will, I think deep down you know that."

"I know, but you never made any move to progress things beyond friendship and I…I didn't want to push you."

Hannibal could only smile as Will leaned in and placed a gentle kiss to his lips, Hannibal wrapped an arm around his waist, bringing him closer as he deepened the kiss.

Will pulled back to see a content look on Hannibal's face.

"Why don't we lie down for a bit, you can protect me from the awful storm?"

Hannibal obliged and moved over on the bed as Will came to join him, Hannibal lay on his side, Will wrapped an arm around his waist, bringing him close as he placed a kiss to the back of Hannibal's neck.

"You'll be okay Hannibal; I'm always here for you. I'm sure Misha doesn't blame you either."

"I hope not, I like to think that tonight, this storm…is her way of saying hello again."

"I'm sure it is." Will smiled.

"The perfect storm." Hannibal whispered, before closing his eyes, his hand covering Will's.

…

-Fin