AN-OH SHIT! I BET YOU DIDN'T EXPECT THIS!
BAM! THERE YOU GO! MERMAN WILL! KEEPING THE LOVE ALIVE.
DON'T SAY I NEVER GAVE YOU ANYTHING

OoOoO

Instead of a cappuccino, Hannibal's mornings now began with a kiss.

As soon as the chef entered his kitchen, the merman would come out of his tank to sit on the opening's edge, leaning over and down to press a salty wet good morning to Hannibal's mouth.

"You're dressed up. What's the occasion?" Will observed as he drew away, taking in Hannibal's ensemble. The human was wearing his full three piece suit instead of his normal nightwear with a dressing gown through over it or his kitchen wear of dark slacks, white dress shirt, and apron.

Mornings were usually languid things between them, Hannibal taking his time making breakfast and coffee for the both of them. Sometimes accompanied by classical music to harmonize seamlessly with it or acapella, Will would often sing for Hannibal while some sort of delicacy was being prepared, soft lilting music never heard by any human or out of the ocean's depths. The effects of it made Hannibal's skin tingle and his body feel fresh like he had just been a scalding hot shower without the burning sensation of it.

"Early business, I'm afraid. I'm expecting a shipment from one of my hunters. They have come a very long way to deliver it. I would like to welcome them properly." Hannibal said. The Hobbs were driving in from Minnesota to Maryland with some very rare cargo. The father/daughter duo had apparently been able to track down and capture a hippogriff. They were bringing it alive to Hannibal, the chef already having made an appointment with his butcher. Francis Dolarhyde was a great brute of a man who seemed to live for killing thing, but he was quick, efficient, and didn't ask question so he got Hannibal's business.

Though Hannibal usually preferred to deal directly with the ingredients for his unique dishes, butchering some supernatural creatures came at a steep price. The death of creatures such as unicorns, kirin, and most good fairies were a delicate matter, the act of murder upon them marking or cursing their killer. It was a risk, one that Hannibal had no wish to tempt fate on so hence the employ of a middleman.

The Hobbs were stopping by so that Hannibal could verify the validity of his purchase and look over the quality of it before the meat was taken to its final destination in life. Dolarhyde would do what he did best then, the cruel man with the scarred face giving Hannibal a call when he was done and ready for pickup and payment. If the Hobbs arrived on time, Hannibal could have his new ingredients by tonight, the chef already making a shopping list in his head of other things he might need for his event. He got paid ridiculous amounts of money for doing something he loved but Hannibal still enjoyed challenging himself and refused to rest on his laurels.

"Would you like some plants in there with you?" Hannibal asked, nodding his head at the tank. He did so carefully, well aware of Will's barbed fingertips carding lightly through his silvery ashen hair. It was tempting to reprimand the merman about ruining his careful styling, but the merman seemed to take great pleasure from grooming Hannibal's hair as he saw fit. It was common merfolk behavior, and if Hannibal let him, Will would happily comb the man's hair for hours until his lock shone like satin.

The enormous tank, Will's permanent living space, was still barren with nothing to distract from its singular occupant. The merman had never asked for anything though to cushion the bottom he slept on or brighten the environment his very nature imprisoned him in. Hannibal was considering the idea of converting his backyard into an outdoor saltwater aquarium. He could afford to do it, but it would mean a greater risk of discovery. That and he would miss the merman's company in his kitchen.

"I am not your pet." Will growled softly against Hannibal's temple, his lips scraping against the thin skin there as the human and merman scented each other.

"I've never thought of you as one. I was inquiring because I wished to make your limited environment more pleasurable to live in." Hannibal told him, which was partially true. He also couldn't stand a blank space. "I can pick some up later while I am out."

"Oh…..no. No, thank you." Will said softly, sounding mollified. He endeavored to stay in good graces, knowing that Hannibal liked manners. "Sorry….I just feel…."

"Confined?" Hannibal filled in for him. Will shrugged in answer, seeming more intent on messing up Hannibal's hair further. The doorbell's chime intruded upon their morning ritual, cutting off Will before the merman could reply or confirm.

"It would appear that they are earlier than excepted. You'll have to be patient, Will. I'll make us breakfast when I am done." Hannibal sighed. He was always in favor of punctuality, but found he could have had some rare forgiveness for delay on the Hobbs' part so that he could have enjoyed his morning with Will.

Nodding, Will leaned back and up as he used the tank's edge as leverage, slipping underneath the water's surface without a sound. He knew his existence was best kept secret from other humans. If they didn't fear him and wish the merman immediately dead, they would covet him either as a pet or part of a collection. Others might try their hand as testing the mystery of merfolk flesh, whether it brought death or immortality. In either case, dead or alive, Will was aware that he would be hidden away as a trophy of some sort instead of being allowed to exist in this limited yet pleasant space of Hannibal's kitchen.

Curling up on the bottom of the tank, tight enough that all his spines angled up protectively around him, Will went back to sleep with the taste of Hannibal still lingering in his mouth.

OoOoO

The Hobbs were an interesting pair to deal with. Having once in life been a simple plumber, Garrett Jacob Hobbs had given up that vocation to become a hunter of the supernatural full time, dragging his daughter along for the ride with him. Abigail looked old enough to be in college, but Hannibal could already tell there was some issues there residing in Hobbs about his beautiful, wind chafed daughter. The over attachment to her was obvious, his obsessive love for her a dangerous thing, and making him into a monster. A monster that would have to be put down for good sooner or later.

After they exchanged pleasantries and were well into haggling over the price of the hippogriff, Hannibal wondered idly to himself about how many girls had to die to keep Hobbs from killing his most prized possession. The psychiatrist turned chef could tell it was only a matter of time until he gave into the urge, but something about Abigail told Hannibal that she would not allow that to happen or make it that easy for her father. She had some iron in her spine and a cunning behind her eyes that her father lacked.

Getting product from numerous sources, Hannibal had heard some interesting rumors about Abigail from other hunters. Meeting her in person only confirmed that most of them were true. According to the Hobbs' associates, Abigail was not above tracking and killing another hunter's mark, or even going so far as to letting prey go if she thought the other hunter hadn't earned the right to the kill. Hunters who used traps to capture their quarry were especially suspicious of her. Things had the habit of escaping from their enclosures when she was in the area.

"Would it be alright if I used your bathroom?" Abigail asked during a lull in conversation, Hannibal and Hobbs finally coming to an agreement.

"But of course. I imagine you are quite fatigued after such a long drive and would like to freshen up. Please forgive me. I have been a terrible host. I should have offered you use of the facilities before we started talking." Hannibal said, directly the young women to the right door in question.

"Meet me outside, baby girl. I want to get back on the road as soon as possible. You know your mom will worry if we take too long." Hobbs called over his shoulder. Money hot in hand and with only one last stop before returning to Minnesota, Hobbs wanted to get the hell out of the city and back to his woods. Being in Hannibal's house didn't help either. Everything seemed to loom over him, somehow frightening in its décor and menacing in its color scheme. Instinctually, Hobbs could feel he was in a den of some kind, though Hannibal didn't look like any predator he had ever seen before.

His guests in the process of departing, Hannibal walked around his sitting room, collecting up nearly empty glasses of offered beverage. He paused in his task when he realized that he had not heard Abigail leave yet, the young woman taking far too long. Quickening his step, Hannibal found the bathroom empty of any occupant, which meant Abigail had gone somewhere she should not have. Either intentionally or by mistake, it was a grave error on both their parts that might have a very bad outcome for someone depending on where she had ended up.

The sound of angry clicking and hissing that could only be produced from one rare source came from the direction of his kitchen, making Hannibal curse low and fervent as he strode toward the noise.

OoOoO

Will woke up upon hearing someone enter the kitchen. He was caught off guard though when the merman unfurled from his sleeping position to find it was not Hannibal standing beside his tank. In the chef's place was a young human female with long auburn hair and large blue eyes that were staring at Will in open wonder.

Her attention was so intent upon him, Will wondered if she even noticed the tendrils of water the merman was forming above her overhead. Armed chains made of water that could pierce her flesh as easily as any blade or wrap themselves about her to drag the human into the tank with Will where he would make short work of her. It would be like similar in effect to throwing a guppy in a blender.

Toying with the idea of killing her, Will stared back in the manner of fish, dull and dead eyed. She was obviously one the hunters Hannibal had delayed his breakfast to speak with so Will knew his human would be upset if he killed her. The fact that she was here alone in the kitchen did not sit well with Will though, the merman vividly remembering the Tobias Budge incident.

"Hello? Can you understand me?" the young woman asked, tapping the glass of Will's tank. The merman bit back a wince, the vibration of action concentrated by the water to make his sensitive ear ring. He had forgotten that humans liked to do that for some reason. Hannibal hadn't done such a thing since their first meeting, the human instantly noticing that it caused Will pain.

Ignoring her questions, Will found that the fact that she was here alone in the kitchen without Hannibal did not sit well with him, the merman vividly remembering the Tobias Budge incident. Upon leaning about his partner Franklin's death at the hands of the merman, the fae hunter had tried to kill Hannibal in his own kitchen. Will had still been too weak from the surrounding exposed iron of his cage and starvation at the time to intervene so he'd had to watch Hannibal defend himself and ultimately kill the other man with his bare hands. It had been a close call and Hannibal had been left limping from weeks from a stab wound to his leg.

The thought of Hannibal possibly injured by these visiting hunters angered Will who was powerful enough now to take some sort of action about it. The sudden flare in temper made Will move, rearing up with the speed and grace of eels to spread himself out wide as he fell into a fighting form. It caused the young woman to back away from his tank with a gasp, the idea of escape further enforced when Will started to chant at her. When he was done with the spell, he would have total control over every drop of water in her body. He would make her tell him where Hannibal was or he would tear her apart slowly from the inside out by making her organs relocate themselves.

"Will, please stop that. It's rather grating on the ear." came the cool calm voice of control that Will desired to hear. The merman stopped his casting accordingly, letting the magic of it dissipate enough so that he could let it die as he gathered the soul of water back up into himself.

"What are you doing in here?" was directed at Abigail, Hannibal looking less than amused about her presence here or how agitated Will appeared to be.

"I got lost." Abigail offered weakly to receive a stern look from Hannibal.

"Oh Abigail, I'm disappointed. You can do so much better than that." Hannibal tutted as he walked over to Will, the merman still looking ready to main and kill given the slightest provocation. Hannibal didn't want Abigail dead just yet, and there was still her father to deal with if they did end up killing her.

"You should be careful." Abigail said softly, like one would around a dangerous animal. Hannibal reasoned it was true in a way and appreciated the use of caution on her part. The young woman kept her eyes trained on Will, Hannibal joining her in observation though her warning hardly stopped him from approaching the tank. Will had never looked more beautiful in Hannibal's opinion and he wasn't about to pass up the chance to study the subtle changes in the merman's appearance up close.

The fins and the spines that grew out of Will's back, reminding Hannibal of a lion fish in that regard, were spread out as high and wide as his enclosure would permit. Glittering banners made from midnight studded with crushed opals streamed all around the merman who held his arms out at his sides, his barbed fingers rippling in the water. The effect of it made the merman look huge.

Blue grey shuttered away from sight, Will's eyes were an opaque black, something Hannibal could only assume was a third eyelid Will had kept hidden until now. It was probably only used when Will felt the need to fight or defend himself.

All in all, it was an impressive display, something that was touched by the surreal. Hannibal doubted that many humans had seen such a thing before or had lived long enough to tell anyone about it.

"He's presenting himself." Abigail broke the still spell between the three of them first.

"Is that bad?" Hannibal asked, already having a good idea why. He felt like testing Abigail though.

"It depends. He's telling us…..telling me that you're his mate or at least he considers you to be someone worthy of his protection." Abigail answered as she made a small show of stepping away from Hannibal to put some space between them. Will's display lowered a touch in direct response though his head swiveled to track her movement, his shark like teeth still bared.

"It makes him dangerous." Abigail continued, keeping her voice low and calm. This was a person who did not scare easily. Even more so, she was one who recognized a predator when she saw one as the young woman backed further away, making her way toward the door. Hannibal approved even as he sent her a sharp look that stopped her in her tracks.

"He's already dangerous." Hannibal's voice held smile in it, enough so that Abigail risked looking over at him even as she trembled in place.

"He's beautiful." Abigail breathed out. There was fear but there was awe there too.

"That as well." Hannibal nodded as he moved to put himself between the two. It made both relax but for very different reasons. A part of Hannibal wallowed in the power he held simultaneously over the girl and merman, the rich thickness of it like chocolate slowly melting on his tongue.

Ignoring Abigail and feeling light from the fact he could do so with Will so intent on her, Hannibal moved to stand in front of the tank to break the merman's line of sight with his prey. Instantly, Will became noticeable calmer, his spines and body relaxing.

"He's meant to live in this world. To be a part of it." Abigail said, sounding almost poignant about it.

"We are not?" Hannibal inquired as he placed his hand to the glass, letting the coolness of it seep into his skin. Will moved up to the open palm to peer back at him, the human watching intently as the merman's third eyelid slid back to reveal normalcy of a sort.

"No. Humans are more like a cancer. We don't care, not like they do. We just consume. Ruin everything….." Abigail trialed off. Hannibal looked over at her to find that they were being studied by the young woman with hard blue eyes. "Are you going to kill him?"

"Merfolk flesh is poisonous." Hannibal answered simply, wanting to see where Abigail would go with that sort of non-answer.

"Everyone knows that. You didn't answer my question." Abigail pointed out with a loaded tone and a glare.

"I considered it." Hannibal smiled slow, pleased with her response. The young woman had a potential her father did not. She deserved to live for now if she were clever enough to make it out of this kitchen alive.

"Past tense. You're not anymore." Abigail pointed out without hesitation on her part, a little too brash for Hannibal's tastes but forgivable considering her age. "A lot of people wouldn't be happy to know that you're keeping a merman alive or as a….pet."

"The same people would frown upon you sneaking out to hunt by yourself…" Hannibal pointed out. "…or should I say opening traps and releasing other hunter's game."

"You'll keep my secret and I'll keep yours." Abigail didn't bother to even make it a question or ask how Hannibal possibly knew that about her as the strange chef smiled in promise, thin and deadly in agreement. Will wasn't the only predator in the room. The young woman paled at Hannibal's expression, giving a hasty nod back before retreating entirely from the cook's and merman's presence. The slam of the front door signaled that she had left Hannibal's domain for good, though he winced for his woodwork. He didn't have to worry about reentry or further intrusion, the front door programmed to lock automatically.

"I don't like her." Will grumbled, making Hannibal looking up to find the merman sitting on top of his tank. He easily swung himself up and over to the chair beside his enclosure, the only piece of plastic furniture Hannibal would ever deign to own. Metal was too abrasive for the merman to sit in, and it made Will apprehensive, merfolk not one for metals even if they were iron free. Wood, even with it treated, would eventually mold and warp. Plastic was the only viable option really, the material easy to dry off and replace if need be. It was a small sacrifice of aesthetics for Will's comfort, but well worth it to have the merman sit out with him instead of perching on his cage or floating around in his tank. Though it weakened him to do so, Will could only stay out for a little while before he completely dried out.

"You don't know her well enough to state that." Hannibal gently chided the merman, deciding it was time to eat as the chef put together a plate of food for them. What he chose was indulgent and inappropriate for breakfast, but Hannibal was pleased by the day's events as unexpected as they had been. He soon returned with a plate of pate and fruit balanced in hand.

Not used to silverware or liking the feel of it in hand(and Hannibal wasn't about to invest in plastic ware of any sort), Will was more often than not hand fed by Hannibal who found, much to his surprise, that he greatly enjoyed it.

Pressing a chilled piece of foie gras to the merman's lips, Hannibal delighted at the sight of Will carefully taking the offering between his jagged teeth. It held a certain thrill about it, much like hand feeding a shark pieces of chum. Intimacy at its finest was achieved when Will took Hannibal by his wrist, the merman keeping the cook still by wrapping his barbed fingers around in a deadly weave of fingers.

"I don't care." Will muttering into Hannibal's palm, his dark tongue chasing after the lingering taste of the ground up grocer on the cook's skin. The merman's tongue was pointed and textured rough, almost like a cat's own. "I'm going to eat her if she steps foot in your kitchen again."

"What is this? What did you just feed me?" Will sighed out in pleasure as he nuzzled Hannibal's thoroughly cleaned hand, making warmth collect in the man's lower abdomen.

"Fattened liver blended with spices. It's typically made from geese or ducks." Hannibal informed him as he leaned back to cross his legs, ignoring the slight swell of flesh between his legs.

"Typically?" Will mused. "Is it normal for a human to eat their own kind?"

"No. Does it bother you?" Hannibal answered.

"Given half the chance, the female gender of my kind would eat me out of sheer boredom, so no. It's doesn't bother me." Will grinned crookedly in memory. A merman's life was fraught with danger, especially when dealing with his own kind. "Mermaids can be cruel when the mood strikes them."

"Is that why you do not care for Abigail?" Hannibal asked.

"She smells like you do, in a way." Will said easily, catching Hannibal by surprise. It wasn't often someone besides himself gathering information in the olfactory sense so keenly.

"How so?" Hannibal pressed, wanting further confirmation to a growing suspicion.

"She eats the same type of meat you prefer to dine on." Will told him. "I thought you said that wasn't normal."

"It's not. What a pleasant surprise." Hannibal loved gaining an advantage over a person of interest. "So your reaction…you were trying to protect me because you were worried about me? How do you see me?"

"As a big fish in a small pond eating all the other little fishes." Will said bluntly. "But you should remember something about that….."

"What?"

"That there is always something bigger and better that can eat you." Will whispered. For a human, Hannibal's reactions were hair triggered things, refined through years of practice and conditioning. They were nothing compared to the supernatural though, Hannibal finding himself pulled forward by his lapels and wrapped up in Will's scaly coils, deadly spines mere inches from breaching his skin. Poison posed at every turn, Hannibal chose to remain very still, waiting to see what would happen.

"You're so fragile. I could kill you without even really trying." Will mused, leaning in the brush his lips against Hannibal's throat, trailing the kisses he had so newly learned to do and do well upward to the human's ear.

"Are you?" Hannibal asked, more curious than frightened. He was beginning to wonder if he could even experience the latter emotion anymore. When the thought of your imminent death at the hands and teeth of a monster didn't even frighten you, what left was there in the world to do so?

Will only smiled in the answer, the expression as deep and fathomless as the ocean the creature was stolen from. Pressing a kiss to Hannibal's lips, the merman's sighed, knowing that what he was capable of doing, what all his kind lived to do. Nothing tasted sweeter than desperation mingled with fear. Nothing was more tender than drowned meat.

Except for the warmth coming off of Hannibal's skin, and the press of his plaint flesh against Will's scaled own, the merman kissing the captured human slow, sweet, and deep.

Pearls, pure white and flawless, fell onto Hannibal's suit to get caught in the creases and crevices of it as Will wept into the kiss. Tears were a rare thing from his kind, but merman's heart was an even rarer thing to lay claim to. Hannibal had done so though, and all Will could do was kiss in answer and cry from the terrible knowledge of it.

The merman knew he would never see the ocean again, or feel the bliss of real salt water upon his skin other than from his own eyes before it solidified.

OoOoO

TBC