Old buildings had never looked like works of art to Will. In fact, old buildings had never looked like much at all except remnants of a society long since passed, being nothing more than aesthetically appealing additions to an otherwise barren landscape of hills and valleys. Hannibal taught him how to read the buildings, taught him how to move his eyes over the fine cracks and fissures in the stone and decode their darkest secrets. An old church was now a story of love and loss; how the hopeless found themselves once again and managed to regain the light in their life. The old and narrow homes between negozi and chiese held the chronicles of history. Even the uneven cobblestones upon which they walked held stories, and Will was beginning to know how to read all of them. The city was as beautiful as it was old, and Hannibal was beginning to let Will see it through his eyes.
Will pondered this newly blossomed understanding of Hannibal's mind, and found in a way how disturbed he was that it came so freely. He'd thought, as Hannibal had, that his mind was permanently configured to an abstract, weaving maze of rational thought and an over-active imagination for scenario reconstruction. Hannibal's mind had seemed to be such a stark contrast; a flowing, organized, logical assortment of knowledge and skill. And music. Will thought. How could I forget the music.
Hannibal was walking beside Will, hands in the shallow tweed pockets of his jacket as the pair wandered down another beautiful street. Every now and then Hannibal would gesture to something and explain a historical fact, each seemingly random compared to the last. Beginning in a large park, Hannibal was taking Will on a tour of all the places he enjoyed most within Florence at his request. Accepting the invitation, Will really only wanted to hover about Hannibal without searching for an excuse to do so. Now he trailed along beside him, blissfully wrapped in his woodsy smell and listening to his melodically soft voice explain things to him in between bouts of peaceful silence. At the beginning, Will had only seen through the eyes of a tourist. But now Hannibal's vision of Florence was becoming the standard, although Will still held much of his 'American materialistic idealism' as Hannibal called it. Mingling between the explanations and the silences, Hannibal spoke in Italian to him, the words so beautifully matching the scenery around them that he often forgot they had an English counterpart, of which Hannibal had been trying to get him to learn. Ah, but I am a stubborn student of deeply ingrained tendencies. I'm surprised he has yet to grow frustrated with me. It wasn't at all that Will didn't want to learn everything Hannibal had to offer him, but more that Will got distracted by him. His presence could be so overwhelming that it was difficult for him to learn as opposed to lose himself in the cadence of his voice, the aroma of his cologne. It made Will tremble. It made him weak.
"In here, Will. This is our second destination of the afternoon." Slipping his hand over an elaborate door handle, he pushed the door inwards and gestured Will through. Giving a nod, he entered and was immediately taken by the intense smell and aesthetic appeal of the building in which they stood. Closing his eyes and letting his sense of smell take over, he felt Hannibal's arm brush against his own and his heart fluttered weakly as it always did. "Shall we?"
Letting himself be lead into the building, Hannibal toured him around the scattering of other people and brought him into a grand room filled with shelf after shelf of bottled liquid, jars, ointments, creams, potpourris, and every other type of aromatic vessel he could think of. The building looked the same as all the places the cannibal preferred to associate himself with. A high, artistic ceiling, beautiful statues, hanging chandeliers. A woman greeted the pair and spoke in questioning, fast tones. Hannibal responded and the woman nodded and let them be seemingly satisfied that Hannibal knew his way around. Will didn't even know where to begin.
"The Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. Founded in 1221, opened to the public in 1612, and still one of the most beautiful places in the world today." Turning and giving Will the smile he'd grown to love, he returned it with a small, genuine smile of his own. Hannibal had mastered the art of getting Will to smile like that, and in this case it didn't take much at all to bring it out. The smell of the building alone made him want to sit and close his eyes, absorbing everything this enticing place had to offer. Instead he slipped his hands into his pockets and trailed along beside Hannibal as he moved from counter to counter. "You've already come to know many of the more famous scents: the Rose Water which you commented smelling on the sheets," a blush and furtive glance at the customers around them from Will, "the pot-pourri which you've commented I have a jar of in every room of my home. And the soaps I keep at every sink. Which I've commented as being responsible for a noticeable softness of your hands."
His eyes snapped up to meet Hannibal's at that, feeling his cheeks warm at the teasing smile he was receiving. Adjusting his stance and rolling his shoulders, he cleared his throat and looked around the room with a sniff.
"I suppose now that you have me here you're going to pick out everything you want me to smell like?" This earned a light chuckle.
"Well, I do enjoy your scent as it is." Another teasing twitch of the lips and quirk of the eyebrow. "But I wouldn't be opposed to giving you something to hide the smell of dog a bit better."
Will frowned and directed a light sniff at his arm when Hannibal's back was turned. I do not smell like dog. Wandering from case to case he watched as Hannibal picked up jars, passed them under his nose, occasionally handing them to the woman behind the counter who was preparing a package of their selections. Not once did he offer anything for Will to sample, but would hesitate between two choices, giving Will an analyzing look before selecting one over the other. Making certain I'm seasoned correctly, I'm sure.
"This pharmacy contains things to solve any ailment, no matter how large or small they may be," Hannibal explained. "They sell an excellent cream made from almond butter that is especially soothing in the winter. Several different types of soap all of which cater to different needs like stress relief, or aid with sleeping. And they sell this." He lifted a small rounded box before handing it to the woman behind the counter and giving a nod. Reaching into his pocket, he drew out some money and exchanged the cash for the wrapped parcel.
"And what exactly was that?" Will inquired, watching the transaction before following Hannibal out of the store. Turning to give him a small smile, Hannibal nodded to the left of the shop and the pair began their walk again as they spoke.
"An anti-irritation talcum powder for dogs. It's meant to clean their ears and paws, and lessen their natural smell." Hannibal said lightly. Will couldn't help but crease his brows together at this, for as far he knew Hannibal wasn't a huge dog-person. Turning to give Will another grin, this time with different undertones. "The rest of what I bought is purely selfish. Several after-shave tonics I've been meaning to try for myself. And several bathing oils I've been meaning to try with you."
Will's heart skipped a beat at this, and his cheeks burned hot. It still took him by utter surprise when Hannibal would mention an act of future intimacy with him laced so casually in among his conversation. At the blush, his acquaintance leaned in and closed his eyes, careful not to touch his nose to the skin. They turned and began walking down a narrower street, crowded closer together and arms almost constantly brushing together on the confines of the narrow sidewalk. Gulping, he threw a glance no higher than Hannibal's deep green necktie.
"Of course. The water has to be seasoned just right for the meat to simmer in." This drew another soft chuckle from Hannibal as they continued along.
"Will, you know I am beyond such things with you." His voice was soft, and it made Will shiver. They reached the bottom of the street and came out in front of the dim sky's reflection on a wide passage of water. The glow of the evening lights just beginning to flicker to life were slowly becoming reflected on the surface. Standing close to Will, their arms were still brushed up against each other and despite their layers of clothing Will felt the familiar warmth and found himself craving his closeness. Leaning in, Will turned his face away from Hannibal to stare down the length of the canal, but his ears were finally tuned to Hannibal's words. "No, Will. I picked up something for our dinner last night. For you, these oils will serve a different purpose. Some will make your whole body tender, draw your attention to every physical item that touches you. Others will sweeten your senses, make you feel warm and lightheaded, eager to feed anything that will give you pleasure. And others still will harden you. Make you crave more than warm bath water to satisfy your desires."
Will blushed furiously at this, feeling the blood pooling in his ears and his body gave a slight shiver beneath his jacket. This time Hannibal made no effort to stop his nose from lightly trailing the exposed skin under Will's ear. Instead of looking around to see if anyone saw, Will closed his eyes at the feeling and felt his body reacting to the closeness.
"When you blush, your smell is more divinely intoxicating than any combination that pharmacy has to offer." The words were murmured so softly Will was worried he'd only imagined such a sweet sentiment in his head. Opening his eyes to meet Hannibal's, he found he had not imagined them. Allowing themselves a lingering moment, Hannibal smiled and straightened, shifting his parcel from hand to hand. "Come, Will. There's still one final thing I wish to show you before our day together is over. I've spent long enough here on my own and I'd very much wish to show you everything that's held my attention."
"Yes, I'd imagine you've had lots of time alone in your head." Following Hannibal again, they walked along the water's edge in amicable silence. The sounds of Florence were all the soundtrack they needed, at least while they walked. Will allowed the silence to linger as they moved, keeping his hands in his pockets and eyes trailing the water. "Tell me, what is it you think of when you're alone so often. Is it music? Do you mentally prepare all the dishes you plan on eating, ready yourself for the sweetness of the...ingredient shopping?"
"When I'm alone, Will? Ti penso sempre." Hannibal's voice was soft, and Will knew he had glanced up at him. A brief moment of silence went by, broken only by the sounds of chatter from couples sitting by the water, and the gentleness of small waves lapping at the brick. Will nibbled his lip before replying.
"And I of you."
Their eyes didn't need to meet again for Will to know the look the side of his head was receiving. After what seemed like quite some time, they emerged in a large, open square with clusters of locals walking fast, and groups of tourists clustered and snapping photographs. A large and ornate church stood at one end, and it was towards this building that Hannibal was leading him. Once they were inside, Will allowed himself crane his neck to observe the high ceiling and musing that he would never grow tired of the way the buildings in Florence all looked the same. As Will watched, Hannibal's eyes roamed the exposed neck, fighting the hunger for Will that he always felt so strongly when Will inadvertently displayed his most vulnerable parts to him.
"Breathtaking." Will mumbled, and Hannibal agreed, although his observation was not about the church. Nudging Will lightly, he took him around the quiet room, explaining the history of the church and educating Will of the various pieces of artwork etched into the walls. As it was nearing the dinner hour, the church was almost empty and the pair passed through a dimly lit archway into a narrow hall of grave markings and places to dedicate one's respects to various important church figures who had died over the centuries. Will's eyes pondered over the display before them, the soft flickering glow of the candlelight reflecting almost hypnotically in his eyes.
"Ho trascorso una splendida giornata con te." Hannibal spoke softly. Will turned to meet his gaze and felt searched the other's eyes with his own. He is mesmerizing. Will wished for nothing but hours to sit under that gaze, not speaking, simply observing. Now that he had time with Hannibal, he found himself unable to focus on much besides wishing to be with him. There were several facets to being with Hannibal in a solely private realm, and being taught Italian was one of them.
"I don't know what that means." He admitted finally after running a mental inventory of all the Italian words and phrases he'd been taught so far. 'Con te', that means 'with you', and 'splendida' I'm sure is not much different than what it sounds like. Hannibal smiled slightly at him and gave him a gentle nudge.
"It means I enjoyed time spent with you today." Will sighed at this, but let the words bump around inside his head.
"It's not my only day here, you know. I did agree to stay." This made Hannibal's smirk grow into his full smile and nod to himself. Will wanted desperately to embrace him, especially without him expecting it. He took great pleasure in the way Hannibal would freeze up when Will showed unannounced signs of affection. Instead it was Hannibal who surprised Will. Leaning against the wall slightly, Hannibal reached to push Will's shaggy hair off of his forehead, moving his fingers to the soft mess of it behind his ear.
"Your hair is getting long." He mumbled, eyes following the movements of his fingers and savoring the way Will shivered slightly at his touch. Still staring at the candles, Will drew his brows together again as his eyes moved down the wall to focus on a spot on the floor.
"I suppose I'll have to find a decent barber in Florence." Darting his eyes to look at Hannibal, he caught only a quick flash of his middle before looking back at the floor. The fingers lightly massaging along his hairline were making him desperately want to press himself more fully into him; wanted to feel every inch of him instead of just this fleeting touch.
"I like it this way." Heart skipping at the words, Hannibal removed his hand from Will and walked to brush past him. "I'd say it's getting late, and you and I should be heading home for supper soon. I planned a quick meal for us, and did most of the preparation last night." Will made a mental note to skim the missing persons later, just to see what cut of meat he'd be supping on that night. Adapting freely to Hannibal's diet was also something of a learning point with him, but the less he thought about it, the more he was able to simply enjoy. Lest the hunted become the hunter.
Dusk had transitioned to velvet night with the streets flooding with people heading for dinner, either home or out. For Hannibal and Will, home it was to be. Walking across the busy piazza, weaving in and out of the bustling inhabitants of the dinner hour. Allowing himself the fleeting thought of whether those promised baths from Hannibal would come his way that evening, they came to a stop at a busy crossing as traffic sped by. Glancing across the crowded street, Will spied a young man leaning on a lamppost. Short blonde hair framed a rather pleasantly angled face, and the man's gaze was transfixed across at them. A squirming feeling of jealousy worked its way into Will's stomach, thinking without question that the young man was staring at Hannibal. The light changed, and the pair crossed the street, walking right by the man which allowed Will to shoot him a sidelong glance as they went by. Beside him, Hannibal sighed softly.
"Much like a siren's song compared to the bleak waves of the sea, it was not I who captured his attention." Hannibal was neither angry nor affronted by Will's reaction. Glancing up in slight confusion, Will flicked an eyebrow and contained a roll of his eyes.
"Ah yes, because who could resist your devilish appeal with me standing beside you." Now Hannibal did give a sigh of mild frustration. Bringing them to a stop by the garden in front of Hannibal's home, they came to look at one another. Will with disdain, and Hannibal with slight exasperation.
"Do not sell yourself short for anything less than what you are, Will." Sighing again, Will humored him, knowing that Hannibal was about to give a lecture on self-value.
"And what am I?" Instead of a lecture, Hannibal looked almost torn as his cool eyes searched through Will's warm ones. His answer was a whisper against the cool air, and if Will hadn't watched his lips move he wouldn't have been sure the words existed at all.
"You are beautiful."