A/n: This chapter has been edited, mature content removed. Please view on AO3 for the full upload.
Nearly all our originality comes from the stamp that time impresses upon our sensibility.
-Charles Baudelaire
Wednesday – 21 Sep 2022 – 9.09 AM
Chiyoh left for Florence early the following morning, she'd said over the awkward and mostly quiet dinner they'd all shared the previous night, that she'd make the hour long drive early enough that she'd be able to monitor Morgan's school schedule again, as she'd been doing every day in the past three weeks.
It would be her last day of surveillance before they'd put their plan into action and abduct the boy. She refused to reveal her actual design for taking Morgan Verger though, or at least not around or to Will, but if Hannibal didn't know or was even curious about it, he didn't show it, he just seemed to trust her explicitly. But the one thing that had been settled for certain, was that Will would be going with Chiyoh for the actual kidnapping.
Presently Will was sitting up in bed, leaning back into pillows propped up against the white wrought iron headboard and enjoying a cup of coffee as he stared out through the closed doors of the balcony at the continued rainfall.
He'd woken up feeling rumpled and well rested, having been nestled deep under the soft bedcovers at the time, to a few leisurely lip to lip kisses and mingled content sighs between himself and Hannibal. And then, following their mumbled 'good mornings' and a few minutes of Hannibal nuzzling Will's hair, kissing his neck and sliding his hands in sensual touches over the skin beneath Will's sleep clothes, Hannibal had left Will in the bed feeling warm, fuzzy, loved and half hard, promising to return with coffee and breakfast.
And he had, ten minutes later, returned with a tray on which he'd carried two mugs of steaming coffee and two saucers with a large breakfast croissant, stuffed with sausage, egg and cheese, on each.
Will wondered if it was Chiyoh or Hannibal who'd made the croissants, because while Hannibal had -unusually- still been in bed when Will woke up, was still wearing his pajama pants and a beige pullover, his hair only just neat enough to suggest he'd brushed through it with his hands, it didn't mean he hadn't been up for hours already.
They'd eaten their breakfast in bed a while before and were now currently sitting in easy silence, Hannibal leaning back against pillows and the headboard as Will was, and Will was still nursing his coffee, while Hannibal's was long finished, his mug sitting in the saucer on his bedside nightstand.
He looked over at Hannibal, who was busy on his tablet -a common sight- as he sifted through his thoughts. Will had fallen asleep thinking about the inevitable kidnapping of Morgan Verger and had woken up still thinking about it –before Hannibal had started kissing him at least. And now he was back to thinking about it, and he'd been considering their options,
"Once we have Morgan," he said, apropos of nothing, "we should contact Margot…" Will licked traces of coffee from his lips, his eyes trailing from Hannibal's side profile upward to the white muslin curtains hanging from the rails of the four poster bed. He raised the mug to his lips then and sipped, blinking slowly, breathing quietly.
He felt surprisingly at ease there in Chiyoh's villa with Hannibal beside him, it felt almost like being at home.
"Why Margot?" Hannibal asked after a beat of silence, and out of Will's peripheral he noticed the man was still tapping away on his tablet. Will sighed softly and pursed his lips, they were warm from the coffee, a contrast to his skin which felt cool from the temperature drop that had resulted due to the rain.
He raised his eyebrows, looking again to the balcony doors when he answered,
"Alana isn't as attached to the child as Margot is." he mumbled against the rim of the sky blue mug.
"Oh?" Hannibal's interest was piqued now, and he lowered his tablet and straightened out his one leg so that both were flat over the unmade bedding, before he placed the tablet on the nightstand and crossed his legs at the ankles. Will turned his head to look at Hannibal and then brought his free hand up to rub at his eyes, before he reached for his spectacles on his nightstand where they were set beside his cellphone.
"Yeah, I only spoke to her once where the subject of the Verger boy was mentioned," Will slid his glasses onto his face and then he inhaled sleepily and turned to look at Hannibal again, "it was during the time when I was visiting you at the institute." he raised his mug to his lips and took a larger gulp of the liquid before continuing, "When I commented, I said…that it was good for Margot that she had her Verger baby," he raised his eyebrows, "and Alana was quick to tell me that he was her child, that she'd birthed him, but," Will shook his head, frowning lightly, "it wasn't said with maternal pride, she said it more like…someone who'd…who'd won something." he sighed down into his coffee before he finished it, draining the dark liquid from the mug.
Hannibal was smirking as he watched Will place the empty mug on the nightstand, and only when Will turned to face him again, did he speak,
"She had won something, it is certainly a victory to be the mother of the heir to the Verger fortune." he sounded amused. Will snorted and grinned,
"That's sort of what she said, 'he's the Verger heir'." he quoted her with a 'matter-of-fact- tone before he frowned again lightly, "It was almost a challenge as much as it was a proclamation, as if she'd been daring me to have an opinion." Will was amused as he shook his head, remembering how intensely Alana had stared at him when she'd told him sternly that the child was hers.
"Perhaps she assumed you would point out how convenient her arrangement was, or the glaringly obvious fact that she'd likely used her psychiatric expertise to take advantage of and manipulate Margot and Mason's precarious relationship in her favor." Hannibal brought a hand up to idly run his fingers along his jaw line before he scratched lightly at his morning stubble.
It still felt like a rare sight, Hannibal doing such simply human things as fidgeting or moving idly. It was a sign that his guard was down, that his ironclad control over his person suit was relaxed in moments during which he didn't need to be alert or aware or in character for anyone. Will still remembered the first time he'd seen and heard Hannibal blowing his nose, it'd been surreal. But it wasn't any more, there'd been a fair amount of human behaviors Will had witnessed in the man since living with him, and each new one clicked neatly into place, automatically added to his 'Mind Palace Hannibal', the mental version of Hannibal that Will would recall and interact with for comfort should they ever be separated again for any reason.
"Freddy Lounds shares your opinion on that." Will grimaced at bringing up the red head. Hannibal raised an eyebrow in curiosity so he explained, "When I ran into her trespassing on one of Francis' crime scenes," they shared an unsurprised look over that detail, "among other…blunt observations that she shared with me, Freddy also mentioned that she found it convenient how Alana ended up rich in the end."
Hannibal shrugged facially, a subtle rising of his eyebrows and dismissive twist to his mouth,
"Miss Lounds was always rather good at making correct assumptions about things she could only guess at. That is the truth of her talent, regardless of how tactlessly she utilized it at every turn." he said with an obvious note of dislike in his voice that was always present when they talked about Freddy.
Will chuckled quietly, loath to agree out loud, even though he mentally conceded it was true. He realized then that he'd digressed from the original subject, so he brought the conversation back around to the point,
"I'm not saying I don't think Alana loves her son, because obviously she does," he tried to clarify, wetting his lips, "I just think that Margot is more likely to react…emotionally, whereas Alana is…she's-…"
"Calculated." Hannibal provided.
"Yes." Will agreed, nodding and shifting to face Hannibal bodily, "Alana is more likely to stop and think, even in the heat of the moment, if she gets a call to let her know that her son has been kidnapped, she could still remain level headed. She may even have contingency plans, and…and swat teams on speed dial," Will was shaking his head, stressing himself out, "she's been made wary and vindictive by circumstance, Hannibal and we need to be very careful." he sighed heavily and clenched his jaw, leaning back into the pillows again as he let himself slide down some, "At least…at least just until we have both Margot and Morgan and Alana realizes she's backed into a corner and that the only thing left to do…is to come crawling to us on her hands and knees," he mumbled and closed his eyes, "no room for tricks up her sleeves, nothing sharp hidden behind her back. Just her, accepting of her fate…with her head down, defeated." he sighed out, he was picturing it and he was aware that he sounded distant.
"Subjugated." Hannibal added quietly, his voice rough and pleased, and Will opened his eyes just as the older man shifted closer, leaning his weight over Will so that his one hand was pressing into the mattress at the side of Will's shoulder as he rested his weight half on top of Will's body and leaned down to kiss him.
Will's head was pressed back into the soft pillows under the intensity of Hannibal's lips against his own, the older man's tongue licking over the seam of Will's lips for a only a second before Will opened his mouth, letting Hannibal taste him and arching up against the older man, gripping handfuls of the back of his sweater to pull him closer. Hannibal kissed Will for a dizzying minute, his tongue and teeth and the deft application of both rendering Will unfocused on anything besides Hannibal's mouth. And Hannibal shifted above Will with familiar ease, his movements smooth and sure, a gentle rocking of his hips against Will's to illicit a soft moan and the impress of his weight above to pin Will down, sliding one of his legs between Will's to take his place there…all of his movements made with subtle dominance, so that Will was then supine beneath him, Hannibal settled between the languidly accommodating spread of his legs.
Will's erection from earlier came back with relish and he rolled his hips upward, pressing against Hannibal as the older man did the same, their clothed bodies pressed flush together, chest to chest, pelvis to pelvis. When Hannibal left off from Will's mouth, it was so he could balance his weight on one forearm and use his other hand to push Will's T-shirt up. Will helped it along, pulling it over his head and tossing it to the bottom of the bed before laying his head back on the pillows and exhaling a breathy moan as Hannibal went to work with his mouth, tongue and blunt nails on Will's smooth chest, down his sensitive sides and over his sensually rising and falling stomach.
With his hands in Hannibal's fine hair, his blood singing arousal in his veins, Will grinned,
"You like hearing…me talk…abo-…about killing her." he wet his lips, enjoying the way Hannibal tongued into his shallow navel and scraped the sharp edges of his teeth over sensitive skin. Will started slightly and clipped out a breathy 'fuck', when Hannibal made an open mouthed, teeth bared bite against the pale, smooth, soft skin of his side.
"You have no idea." Hannibal said gruffly against Will's skin as he started to push Will's pajama pants and underwear down off his hips...
A LARGE PORTION INCLUSIVE OF EMOTIONAL PLOT WAS REMOVED WITH THIS SEX SCENE, PLEASE VIEW ON AO3 FOR THE UNCENSORED UPLOAD
Wednesday – 21 Sep 2022 – 4.35 PM
With a sore ass, having swallowed two painkillers and having had two orgasms that made it entirely worth it, Will was justifiably exhausted by the time he'd crawled back into bed.
Before leaving the bathroom, they'd remained in the shower a while longer, rerunning the water while they'd lathered one another up with gel soap all over again, and they'd kissed each other so thoroughly throughout their rinse down that Will's lips burned and he was sure he'd swallowed a fair amount of water and soap in the interim.
After their shower though, when Will had just returned to bed and lied down, his hair wet and the towel still around his waist, Hannibal had groomed himself and dressed for the day, and he made no objections to Will not doing the same. In fact, he hadn't even bothered to stop Will from –rather quickly- dozing off.
Will hadn't intended to fall asleep though, so when he woke up several hours later to the afternoon sun streaming in through the windows and balcony doors, leaving warm streaks across his skin, he groaned quietly and buried his face into the pillows. He lay like that for a further minute, just getting his bearings and waiting out the drowsiness and once he felt awake enough, he sat up and adjusted the towel around his waist as he glanced around the bedroom.
The lingering and pleasant scent of Hannibal's cologne remained from when he'd dressed that morning, but if he'd been in the room again since, Will couldn't tell. He realized then that he'd been sleeping so dead-like, that he'd woken up in the exact same position he'd fallen asleep in. Leaning forward where he sat, Will rubbed his hands over his face and exhaled irritably when he thought about how much time he'd wasted sleeping.
Uncertain of the time exactly, he picked his phone up off his nightstand and unlocked it, checking the time, and then he groaned again and rubbed at his eyes when he saw how late it was.
They had so much to still discuss and sort out before he and Chiyoh went to Florence the next day, there was no time to be lazing around. It gave Will pause then, when it occurred to him that he probably wouldn't be able to just laze around again, not for a very long time, after they'd kidnapped Morgan Verger and killed Alana and Margot.
The reality of it hit him pretty hard, making his breath catch and he closed his eyes tightly, clenching his jaw as he acknowledged –with a pain in his chest- the fact that he and Hannibal would have to leave Spain…actually, they wouldn't ever even be able to return there, not even to pack.
It cut him deeply, knowing that he had to give up their home there, their dogs, their friends…
But he found he wasn't angry at Hannibal for it, for his never ending pursuit of Alana, because he'd known Hannibal would have found her eventually, it had been an inevitability. It had to happen.
He sighed tensely, thinking of how he would miss the view in Benidorm, and of how the meat in their fridges would spoil. And Will couldn't help getting angry at the idea of the police raiding their home, going through their things, taking everything apart.
He sat for a while, thinking about everything he'd be giving up, he and Hannibal, just so that Hannibal could keep his promise to Alana…who probably wouldn't even taste good considering what a bitter person she'd become. And when he thought himself in circles on the subject, in the end Will only saw one way for him to deal with the situation.
Glancing over first to make sure it was still there, Will leaned across the bed to the nightstand on Hannibal's side and with his fingers stretched out, he grabbed Hannibal's leather covered tablet.
Once he had it, Will adjusted himself so he was sitting back against the headboard, and he got comfortable before he unlocked the tablet and brought up the web browser…
Wednesday – 21 Sep 2022 – 5.18 PM
When Will had finished what he was doing on the internet, he'd gotten out of bed…and made the bed –because Hannibal-, before he'd brushed his teeth and dressed. It'd taken a while longer than usual to get his hair into some sort of order after falling asleep with it wet, but he felt he'd managed pretty well by the time he left the room and made his way downstairs.
The house was quiet and downstairs was basked in afternoon light with a chilly breeze filtering in through the open windows, the weather had been made cool by the rainfall and it was pleasant and fresh. Enjoying the crispness in the air, Will wandered through the hall and into the kitchen, where he predictably found Hannibal. It was late enough that he figured the older man would already be done preparing dinner, so he –correctly- assumed that Hannibal would be working on dessert.
And Will was amused to find Hannibal looking unimpressed, dismissively setting a can of peaches down on the island counter, placing it separately from a spread of other ingredients. The older man glanced at Will and raised an eyebrow in greeting, before he returned to the chopping board set out and he began efficiently dicing up what Will identified with an inhale, as being fresh mint.
Will cocked an eyebrow at Hannibal's quick handed chopping as he walked over, coming to stand near the older man with at least two feet between them, just so that he wouldn't be in the way.
"Will." Hannibal verbally greeted, formal on the surface but his voice carrying a warm undertone.
Will raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly before he assessed the various cups of chopped up fresh fruits laid out among the other ingredients. He ventured a guess,
"Fruit salad for dessert?"
Hannibal tipped his head briefly in answer as he lifted the chopping board and deposited the finely chopped mint into a small mixing bowl with other stuff in it,
"A seasonal fruit salad." he specified and then started whisking the mint in with the ingredients already in the bowl, which took a professional half-minute before it was thoroughly mixed and Hannibal continued speaking, "It is meant to be a fresh fruit salad-.."
"Ah," Will immediately caught on to the problem and chuckled softly, "hence the disregarded canned peaches." he nodded slowly, having sort of expected as much. Hannibal just shrugged in response, and it was so slight but such a mundane and human motion that Will never got tired of seeing it. He picked up the can of peaches then and looked over the label, "Why not just make something else?"
Hannibal was being careful and presentational as he added a select portion of the different fresh fruits into each of the three white ramekin dishes; strawberries, melon, cherries, mango, raspberries, etc. And Will supposed he'd just decided to veto the peaches altogether in the end.
Hannibal idly adjusted the bowls once he'd finished filling them,
"Because Chiyoh does not have a sweet tooth,"
"…shock and awe…" Will mumbled.
"and…she is partial to fresh fruit." Hannibal had only just faltered in his words…to smile at Will's comment.
Will was kind of stuck on Hannibal's words though, and he was glaring at Hannibal's dexterously working, elegant hands. He wanted to be upset, or jealous or whatever, about Hannibal making dessert to suit Chiyoh, but then he knew how Hannibal's sense of etiquette worked. They were guests in Chiyoh's home and also Hannibal liked everyone smiling at his dinners, so he would cater to everyone. And Will ate fruit, he ate any fruit, fresh or preserved, so it wasn't as if Hannibal was neglecting to consider him.
With that fact in mind, Will hooked his index finger under the easy open tab of the can and peeled the seal back, revealing bright, sweet peaches soaked in syrupy goodness.
Hannibal glanced at him and then went on to pour the mint and something or the other dressing over his pretty little fruit salad dishes. Will figured the syrup of the canned peaches would interfere with the taste of the dressing and that's why Hannibal was an unhappy cannibal.
Will had to hide his smile at his own stupid mental phrasing, doing so by turning away to retrieve a fork from the dish drying rack. When he turned back to face Hannibal again, he leaned his hip against the counter and stabbed a syrup soaked peach slice onto the tines of the fork before popping it into his mouth and chewing it with a light crunch.
Hannibal continued with what he was doing, the two of them standing in comfortable silence. And Will randomly found himself wondering whether Chiyoh was a cannibal, even just occasionally. Like, if Hannibal had to cook something using long pig, would she eat it? He slowly chewed on another peach slice as he made a mental note to ask Hannibal about that at some point…and just then his other mental note of needing to ask Hannibal about Bedelia popped up-…
"Do you feel properly rested after sleeping?" Hannibal asked as he carried the fruit desserts to the fridge on a tray.
Will swallowed his mouthful of sweet peach and then licked his lips and smirked,
"Some…I definitely needed a nap after this morning." he answered, trying for a sexy voice and in his opinion, landing it. He watched Hannibal for a reaction as the older man came back over to the counter, but he was only smiling just slightly, and as he began to tidy up the few items of ingredients on the counter, it faded altogether,
"I'd rather have you properly rested for tomorrow, Will." he said evenly.
Will's smile faded too when he recognized the note of disapproval in Hannibal's tone, and it was because he didn't want Will to go with Chiyoh to Florence. He was being ridiculous though, Will honestly wasn't worried about being recognized, and besides,
"Would you stop? I'm not even going to be doing anything except waiting in the car for Chiyoh." he reminded Hannibal dully and ate another peach.
They'd only hashed out some of the details over dinner the night before, a dinner during which Chiyoh had not been happy to find out that Will would be accompanying her. For all of her posturing though, she hadn't argued when Hannibal had made the decision.
Hannibal didn't respond to Will's remark, instead going about putting stuff away in the cupboards and then taking the few dishes over to the sink to wash them in continued silence. Will stabbed another peach slice with his fork and then paused before he could eat it, glancing at Hannibal and feeling frustrated but also guilty for being so dismissive of Hannibal's concern.
He wasn't going to let it get to him though, he was determined to go with Chiyoh, end of story. Sighing, Will decided to just ignore it and he walked over to stand beside Hannibal at the sink, leaning there while the older man manually washed the few dishes he'd made. With his eyes on Hannibal's hands as he washed a paring knife with a soapy sponge, Will bit a small piece of the peach slice off the fork before asking,
"Where is Chiyoh?"
Hannibal rinsed the knife off and placed it in the drying rack,
"She had an errand to run for me, something I required her to pick up before she returned. But she should be here shortly." he answered neutrally as he washed a bowl next.
Will nodded, vaguely curious about what errand Hannibal was referring to, but assuming he'd find out when Chiyoh got back, he let the subject rest and ate the rest of the peach slice as he glanced around the kitchen, looking out through the glass patio doors to the large side patio area and at the distant view of trees and green hills.
His thoughts drifted then to their home in Spain, and then to what he'd spent the last 45 minutes upstairs doing online. Will glanced at Hannibal as he considered whether or not he should bring it up right then, because he knew he had to talk to Hannibal about it, and before Chiyoh returned would be good, but it definitely had to be before tomorrow came. And Chiyoh would be back soon…
Will forked another peach slice just when Hannibal turned the faucet off and grabbed a dish cloth to dry his hands. Will watched as the older man turned to face him –eyes warm, multi tonal hair unstyled, soft and relaxed around his face- as he pulled his sweater sleeves down from his elbows, adjusting them neatly at his wrists. Will swallowed tensely then, chest warming with love and affection for Hannibal as it so often did, and he felt so unsure of how to phrase what he needed to say. So instead of talking, Will just lowered his eyes and raised the fork to his lips, taking the peach slice off the fork with his teeth.
Will didn't expect it when Hannibal, just a foot away, leaned in and bit into the other half of the peach slice still between his teeth, bringing their lips together briefly in a kiss before he drew away slightly so they could both chew and swallow. He didn't stop there though, stepping closer and Will smiled, humming softly when another lip to lip kiss was pressed to his mouth, syrupy sweet, and Hannibal raised one hand to hold the side of his face, caressing his thumb over Will's ear. Will initiated a third kiss then, and it was slightly sticky, languid and deep.
Hannibal leaned his other hand on the counter beside them, and after placing the can with the fork in it on the counter surface, Will circled both of his arms around Hannibal's waist and tilted his head into the kiss as the older man turned them so Will's lower back was against the high counter. Hannibal proceeded to kiss Will with a particular sort of demand as he leaned against him, there was aggression in the way he tongued deeply into Will's mouth, but also something sentimental, something heartfelt, and with the way he'd trapped Will there against his body, it felt protective too.
Through his empathy, Will could vaguely ascertain that Hannibal was worried…and maybe even feeling insecure.
Because he loved Will in whatever way he was capable of and he was still uncertain of Will's intentions toward the plan, still not fully believing that Will was going to stay with him and stand by him.
Will frowned into the kiss, feeling sad and annoyed with Hannibal when he picked up on those feelings. And wanting to reassure the older man, Will drew back from the kiss and said what he'd initially wanted to,
"We won't be able to go back to Spain." he breathed out against Hannibal's lips before slowly looking into his eyes, green-blue meeting day lit auburn, "The second the word gets out that Alana and Margot are missing, whether or not you're suspected to be involved, your face will be all over the news in Europe…in the papers, on the internet." Will took a shaken breath as the reality of it again flooded in and unsettled his sense of calm. He drew his arms back so that his hands were clutching the sides of Hannibal's gray V-neck sweater, "We'll have to go into hiding, Hannibal."
It was the truth, there'd be no avoiding it. Alana Bloom as well as the Verger name had both at one point been closely and negatively associated with Hannibal after he'd been revealed to be the Chesapeake Ripper, and any smart reporter, journalist or news blogger would use the past information about Hannibal to boost interest in a story about the missing Verger's. Hell, Freddy Lounds would probably do an exposé and rehash every gory and ugly detail on Hannibal the Cannibal for her American and online public within a few hours of a missing persons report going out.
Hannibal kept his eyes on Will's for a moment, his gaze solemn, intense and considering, and then he inhaled softly and tracked his eyes over Will's face slowly, his thumb continually stroking Will's ear,
"That is a likely outcome, yes." he acknowledged.
And Will clearly heard the note of tension in his voice, because right then, again, Hannibal was expecting him to try and talk him out of going after Alana, he expected Will to make excuses, to back-peddle, to let him down.
But Will had no intention of doing that, and when he smiled, intimate and lovingly at Hannibal, he made sure his sincerity was blatant on his face and he saw a hint of wonder in Hannibal's eyes even before he spoke,
"So, I was thinking it'd be nice to live in Argentina, maybe in Mar del Plata, or somewhere in Buenos Aires." Will suggested seriously and the intensity of Hannibal's stare increased, but in a good way, "I was Googling some places after I woke up, you know…places easy to get lost in, places that don't care about European serial killers and where people still speak Spanish so I won't have to learn another language." he raised an eyebrow, because he'd just mastered Spanish and that had been so fucking hard.
Hannibal chuckled, deep and fond, smiling at Will with that attractive curve to his lips and a hint of his teeth, and then he slowly wet his lips and regarded Will steadily, eye to eye,
"You'd be fine with that?"
Will nodded lightly and inhaled deeply, his senses filling with the scent of Hannibal, and God, the man smelled so fucking good. He absently pressed the length of his front against Hannibal, who was already as close as possible, firm and warm and intoxicating and right there, but all the same, Hannibal leaned his weight just a little more against Will, obliging his unspoken needs…always obliging Will in every way that he could.
Will clutched Hannibal's sweater tighter,
"Would you prefer somewhere colder?" he asked curiously with a raised eyebrow, remembering the bitter winters of Maryland and Virginia with a skeptical look.
"No…" Hannibal's smile lingered as he shook his head, "…no, Will, I meant, would you be fine with giving up our lives and our home in Spain?"
And while that was the question voiced, it was not the underlying one actually asked.
Will knew Hannibal wasn't concerned with whether he would give up Spain for him, the real question, the next test, was whether Will was willing to give that all up…in order for Hannibal to kill Alana.
Will raised his eyebrows, choosing to give his answer in the simplest way possible,
"Well, I would like to keep my dogs, but otherwise…" he shrugged, because really, as long as he was with Hannibal, Will was fine with living anywhere. He loved it in Spain, they'd had three great years there, just as they would go on to have several great years somewhere, anywhere else, together.
Hannibal's gaze was rich with affection by that point and Will watched him swallow slowly, his adams apple bobbing, his throat clicking softly. Whatever emotions he felt in whatever way he felt them were surfacing enough that Will could feel them, and they were a heady mixture of danger and desire and awe and desperation and happiness…
Will was absolutely affected by it and he smiled tremulously, a lump of convoluted and overwhelming emotions, need and happiness and rightness, all for Hannibal forming sorely in his throat. Will raised one hand to Hannibal's face, caressing it slowly over Hannibal's cheek and into his soft hair, before he held the back of the older man's head and pulled him into a slow, open-mouthed kiss, both of them exhaling shakily in between the gentle parting and closing motions of their warm mouths and lapping tongues.
Hannibal pressed deeper into the kiss as his hand slid from Will's face to the front of his throat, not squeezing but settling firmly there as Hannibal arrested control of the kiss from him, turning it less tender and more possessive. Will didn't mind at all and he curled his fingers into a tight fist in Hannibal's hair, obligingly parting his mouth wide and accommodatingly for each jaw clicking kiss Hannibal sought from him.
Will's jeans were just starting to feel too constricting when they heard the sound of the front door opening and closing, but there was no rush to end the kiss. Hannibal drew back slowly from sucking on Will's tongue, and he pressed a sweet follow up kiss to the corner of Will's swollen mouth before inhaling deeply. Will's eyes were still closed, his breathing still unsteady when Hannibal said quietly,
"It may not come to that…" and Will frowned then - because how could it not?-, "…but should it, I promise you that Remy and Heller will be with us wherever in the world we decide to settle." his voice was low and intimate and sincere.
Will opened his eyes and looked into Hannibal's, a smile stealing across his face at the promise made, but before he could ask or say anything, Chiyoh interrupted from the kitchen archway,
"You have a room." she informed them blandly, looking oddly normal in a pair of blue jeans, white Lacoste sneakers and a loose fitting gray crepe blouse, with her long hair pulled back into a ponytail. She looked like a soccer mom. Will figured it was probably her incognito look…and decided that it definitely creeped him out.
She spared them a once over where they still stood close together against her kitchen counter, and Hannibal smiled at her like an older brother would when intentionally trying to annoy his sister. Chiyoh did not look impressed with him for it, she appeared very annoyed…much like a fed up sister would mind you. Will could almost swear she wanted to roll her eyes, but she ultimately refrained, simply raising the thin A4 envelope she was carrying for them to see,
"We should talk." she was looking at Hannibal when she spoke.
Hannibal stepped back then but remained close beside Will as he nodded to her,
"Certainly, after dinner."
Well, of course.
Wednesday – 21 Sep 2022 – 7.47 PM
After a three course dinner followed by dessert which, for a fruit salad, was far too delicious, the table was cleared. But they returned to it afterward so they could discuss the plan. Hannibal and Chiyoh were drinking more wine, Will a double shot of whiskey, and Chiyoh and Will sat across from one another while Hannibal sat at the head of the table.
Chiyoh had certainly enjoyed the dinner and dessert, which had all been made with her –and Will- in mind and it looked pretty weird when she'd smiled at Hannibal in appreciation. Honestly, more weird than pretty. She'd thanked Hannibal for his consideration in her own way, meaning it had been a wordless exchange between the two of them. But still, Will got the gist of it.
Presently, Hannibal had just opened the envelope Chiyoh had brought back with her and he was removing several sheets of paper from inside. Some of the pages had handwritten information on them in a mostly legible scrawl.
Chiyoh explained when Will frowned at the pages skeptically,
"The source you had me contact, told me that the information you needed was very difficult to obtain, so he did not have time to type the majority of it out. He did say that the official medical documents are printed."
Hannibal nodded, seemingly fine with that as his eyes skimmed over whatever was written on the first few pages,
"He was duly compensated for the risk." he mumbled absently.
"More than." Chiyoh sounded displeased about whatever amount of money had been forked out.
Will glanced between them as she and Hannibal exchanged a look, and then Hannibal set the papers down and picked his wine glass up to take a sip. He licked the red liquid from his lips afterward and then explained seriously,
"This information is necessary," he looked down at the papers, "it changes mine's and Will's circumstances in this matter completely."
Will and Chiyoh spoke at the same time,
"It does?" Will.
"How?" Chiyoh.
"Firstly…" Hannibal looked at Chiyoh, "…you are absolutely confident you will be able to efficiently take Morgan Verger from the school without being seen?"
She nodded,
"Yes."
"Can you do it as close as possible to the time when the boy's school will be let out?"
Chiyoh took a moment to consider, glancing at Will, at Hannibal and then at her wine glass before she nodded again,
"Yes, that should be fine."
"Good, secondly, do you have disposable phones?"
She shook her head,
"No, it is difficult to acquire such a thing in Italy. But I have one phone that we will use for any calls that need to be made. I had the number made untraceable a while ago." she informed them, speaking in her slow, accented yet articulate way. Hannibal accepted that with a nod and went on,
"You have an untraceable vehicle?"
"Yes."
"And have you secured the locations I requested?"
"Yes."
Will sighed shortly, wondering when the fuck Hannibal and Chiyoh had talked about all that extra stuff, but he said nothing and just sipped his whiskey.
Hannibal looked at him for a moment then, before he took a breath and leaned back in his chair,
"With this new information, there will be a change in plans…this is how we will proceed tomorrow…"
