A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please feel free to leave me a comment/ review. I appreciate it all.
"If I saw you every day forever, Will, I would remember this time."
Will allows himself a smile. The movement feels strange and unfamiliar, but still pleasant. He glances over at Hannibal's sketchbook and sees a few faces he recognizes. His is in prominence. Hannibal drew him like an angel. Perfect. Without the scratches from the latest incident off the back of a train. Without the bags under his eyes from too many late nightstand nightmares sealed with blood. Without the fever induced craze around his eyes and mouth.
Will had imagined this moment since he woke up in the hospital. He'd fantasized that, when he opened his eyes, Hannibal would be sitting the chair next to his bed reading a book. Beyond every dark doorway in the basement of the cathedral, his heart pounded in his chest and ears expecting to see Hannibal's careful detached expression. He knew he'd been close. He swore he could hear Hannibal breathing. He hadn't known what to say. Thought so much about getting there he didn't think much past the moment. "I forgive you" he said into the stillness. And he did. But what now? What form does the forgiveness take?
There are means of influence other than violence.
But like Will, Hannibal seemed to only understand violence. Will had a knife in his pocket. He wasn't sure he even wanted to kill Hannibal. It felt obligatory. It was his turn. Could they survive separation? Surely not both of them.
After a brief conversation, they exit the museum. It shocks Will when Hannibal turns his back on him. Did he trust him that much? Will hold the knife loosely in his hand. Like a child begging to be caught with a stolen candy bar at a gas station.
He hears the bullet before he feels it, but when he feels the pain, it it blinding. Hannibal reaches out for him before he hits the ground, drapes Will's arm around his shoulder and wraps his arm around his waist and leads him through alleyways to his apartment. Hannibal drops Will into an armchair and kneels down beside him.
"This is going to hurt. The bullet is still inside." Hannibal removes Will's jacket by pulling it down roughly, lurching him forward into Hannibal's chest. Will buries his face in Hannibal's shoulder and neck. Hannibal places a protective hand on the back of Will's neck before pursing his lips together to keep from smirking. Hannibal unbuttons the first few buttons on Will's shirt to expose the gunshot wound.
"Why is it that every time we are together, I am covered in blood?" Will couldn't meet his eyes. Afraid of what he would see. The knife's silver blade glints on the table next to them. "At least it is just mine this time." He winces as Hannibal ran his fingers over the wound.
"Would you prefer it to be mine, Will?" Hannibal asks as he reaches for a black medical bag. Will chances a look at his face only to find his trademark detachment. Hannibal begins to disinfect the wound.
"No. Yes. I'm not sure anymore. Like I said. We have blurred." Will hisses in pain lurching forward slightly. Hannibal pushes him back into the chair with his other hand. Will looks at Hannibal waiting to speak until he met his eyes. "I hear your voice in my head. I see your face behind my eyes. My head feels crowded with and without you."
Hannibal pauses for a moment. Staring back at Will until Will can no longer handle the eye contact and looks away. "This is also going to hurt." Before Will can process the words, Hannibal is digging the bullet out of his shoulder. Once the bullet is out, blood pours out of the wound. The smell makes Will's head spin. After a moment, he can feel the gentle tug as Hannibal starts stitching up the hole the bullet left behind.
"Do you have anything in that bag for the pain?"
"Yes." Hannibal responds continuing to stitch up the wound without anesthetic. Will nods. He deserves this. When Hannibal finishes stitching, the bleeding stopped, and a white gauze pad covering the wound, Will fidgets. He looks at Hannibal as he puts one of his blood covered fingers to his lips, and after a moment of hesitation,he slips the finger into his mouth closing his eyes. When he removes the finger, no blood remains. Will tries to look away, but he can't.
"You forgive like God forgives, Will," Hannibal says taking a second finger into his mouth to remove the blood.
Will clears his throat and averts his eyes. "Chiyoh thinks I only understand violence." He shrugs and then winces. "Maybe that's true."
Hannibal moves towards the bar cart in the corner of the room. He pours two glasses of whiskey and brings one of them to Will who sits up straighter in his seat as Hannibal sits down in a chair across from his. They could be back in his office discussions teacups and the way meat becomes bitter when the animal is afraid at the time of death.
"Chiyoh has been family for a long time. She understands what motivates the people around her as well as the brutality and elegance of violence. Maybe she is right. However, I would like to test that theory." Hannibal takes another sip of whiskey tilting his head to the side. Waiting for Will to respond. Will grips his glass a little tighter. His stomach does a little flip at the look Hannibal burns into him. He arches his eyebrow and relaxes his grip on the glass, taking a deep breath before setting it on the table next to the knife. His fingers twitching towards the handle.
Hannibal clicks his tongue.
"I was thinking something more…intimate." He places his glass on the table brushing Will's fingers with his own. He stands up and walks towards Will. He places a hand on his right shoulder and gives it a squeeze, enjoying the hiss that escapes Will's lips as the man unconsciously leans towards Hannibal's touch.
Will slowly raises his hand, brushing his fingers along the inside of Hannibal's wrist before gripping it tighter until Hannibal's fingers spasm on his shoulder loosening their grip enough he can get free. He stands to face Hannibal.
Both men are worse for wear and can barely stand up straight. They stare at each other, flexing their hands, Will makes the first move, lunging at Hannibal with his good shoulder bashing him into a cabinet. Will hears the heavy thud of falling books and the the tinkling of broken glass. Hannibal takes an elbow to Will's back and knees him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
"Oh, William. Your police training is showing." Will tries to stagger back, still doubled over. Hannibal slides his hand from Will's back to the back of his head and raises his knee catching Will in the face. He keeps his hand on the back of Will's head,running his fingers through his curls as Will catches his breath. "You are holding back, Will. Finding comfort in familiar movements and techniques written and demonstrated by others. I want to see you. Show me your design." Hannibal lets Will up this time. Blood pours from his face. Will reaches up to feel his nose. It is crooked and his fingers come away covered in blood.
Something in his mind snaps. He looks over at Hannibal, pupils blown wide. Hannibal gives Will a slight nod. "There you are. There is my beautiful boy." Hannibal has a shard of glass from the cabinet in his hand, excited to draw more blood from Will.
Will makes a swipe at Hannibal baiting him to swing the arm holding the glass wide.
"Nuh uh uh." He punches Hannibal in the stomach causing the man to double over. Will uses the doctor's move on him and hits him in the back, but this time uses enough force to knock him to the floor. Will steps on the hand holding the shard. He kneels beside Hannibal. "I thought you wanted something more intimate." Will raises his foot off of Hannibal who rolls onto his back, looking up at Will. Will's face is slowly dripping blood. Curls plastered to his forehead from sweat. His chest is heaving from pain and exertion. He is beautiful. None of the shyness from their first meeting in Jack Crawford's office. Will meets Hannibal's eyes. Hannibal reaches up and puts his hand on Will's face and he is pulled back to his kitchen in Baltimore. He had planned a different ending for that night, but the beginning was the same.
Will closes his eyes as Hannibal leans in and presses his lips against Will's. Hannibal slides his fingers into his dark curls, crushing Will's face into his own. Will gasps and it gives Hannibal the opening to grab Will's bottom lip between his teeth. He bites down so hard fresh blood trickles from the cut. Hannibal sucks his bleeding lip into his mouth and rolls them over. Will stretches his arm up, hand open, to reach around Hannibal's throat. He squeezes and feels the man's steady heartbeat. Hannibal pulls away from Will's mouth with a slight "pop" sound.
"I can continue to give you violence, Will. I prefer the sight of you covered in blood. Yours, mine, or otherwise." His eyes run over Will's heaving chest half exposed from tending to his wound earlier. His skin is covered with red sticky blood and sweat. "I would, as you say, delight in it, but I see another way." He stops talking. Letting the unspoken offer hang in the air. He feels the grip around his throat loosen slightly as he leans down to kiss Will again. This time, Will is more sure of his actions and closes the space between them. He releases Hannibal's neck to wrap his arms around him and pull him down so their chests are touching.
Will breaks the kiss to plant another on Hannibal's neck. He turns the kiss into a bite and feels the rush of air by his ear and Hannibal makes a sound between and moan and a groan. Hannibal starts removing what remains of his tattered and torn shirt. He runs his nails down the exposed skin of Will's sides. Will feels his pants grow tight and is sure Hannibal can feel it as well. Hannibal catches his eye and cocks his eyebrows as he grinds his hips painfully into Will's growing erection. Will moans and pushes Hannibal off of him with enough force Will has time to get to his feet. He sees a look trouble Hannibal's features that he has never seen on his face before. Hannibal straightens up against the wall and looks unsure for a moment. Will crosses the distance and shoves Hannibal into the wall again eliciting a groan. This time, the only thing Will struggles with is the buttons on Hannibal's jacket and waistcoat. Hannibal kisses Will's slack lips. All focus in his fingers as he struggles to undress him. "Why do you wear so many layers?" Will says exasperated around Hannibal's lips.
"Let me help you with that." Hannibal slides his hand down Will's body to rest on the button giving him so much trouble only to feel the sting of a smack on the back of his hand.
"No. I think I finally found a use for this that meets your expectations." Will reaches over to the table and grabs the knife and slips the blade between the buttons of Hannibal's many layers. Over and over until only Hannibal's bare chest remains. Hannibal's eyes never leave Will's as the man has the knife so close to his skin. He removes the layers completely watching as Will takes a moment to admire Hannibal's body. He runs his fingers over all the scars that mar the tan skin. Hannibal closes his eyes at the sensation. Feeling Will touch him with his hand, his breath. Will leans in and whispers into Hannibal's ear. "I think it is only fair." He says pulling back to lock eyes with Hannibal as he pushes the blade of the knife into the man's skin on the right side of his chest, just enough to draw blood. He slides the knife across, making the cut a few inches long. Hannibal doesn't flinch. "Fair?" He asks, the amusement he saves for Will in evidence in his tone and the curve of his swollen lips.
"Yes. If I am going to be covered in blood, I would like for some of it to be yours. And I didn't think you would appreciate me breaking your nose." Will says tossing the knife to the ground. He slides his fingers across the cut. Hannibal sighs at the feeling. Will takes his hand away and places his blood covered fingers in his mouth. A low growl starts in Hannibal's throat. He kisses Will again pushing his tongue through his lips so he taste the blood as well. Their tongues tangle together as their hands reach towards each other's pants. They strip them off. Will's eyes catch on a still bloody wound on Hannibal's ankle.
"That was a present from Uncle Jack. He is in town and decided to pay me a visit." Hannibal puts his finger under Will's chin and draws his mouth back to his. Will's hands are in Hannibal's hair as he takes the time to turn them so Will is the one against the wall. Hannibal is in his comfort zone now. He continues to kiss Will and reaches down a hand between them to stroke Will's length. Will moans into Hannibal's mouth. "So responsive," he purrs as he continues stroking. Will is no longer able to kiss Hannibal back. He moans against his lips. Fingers digging into Hannibal's back. When his body starts to twitch his pushes Hannibal's hand away.
"Not like that. That's not how I want this to be."
"How do you want this to be, dear Will." Hannibal kisses Will's throat feeling as the man swallows hard. Trying to get the courage to ask for what he desires. He runs his lips over to the side of his neck feeling his heart pounding at his pulse point. "All you need to do is say the words."
Will can't wrap his mind around how he can cut Hannibal with such confidence, but finds his tongue immobilized when faced with asking for what his body burns for. "I want you inside of me. It already feels like you are in my head. I want to feel you everywhere."
Hannibal thought he would be ready for Will's attempt to voice his wants, but hearing the words from his lips is his undoing. Hannibal draws Will away from the wall of the sitting room, down the hallway, and into the master bedroom kissing the entire way. He pushes Will down onto the bed letting the man climb onto the bed and lay his head down on the pillows before joining him. He straddles the man's hips, using just enough weight to pin him in place. He kisses Will's neck, sucking on his pulse point until he knew there would be a mark. Will sighs and runs his hands down Hannibal's muscled shoulders and back, wrapping them around his hips and pushing down. Craving the friction. Needing it. "I haven't forgotten your need. However I want to savor this particular meal." He places his hands on Will's wrists, gripping them tightly and pinning them above his hand using one of his own. "I will not be rushed. I want to commit every inch of you to my memory palace. In the most exquisite room."
He lets go of Will's wrists, trusting he will behave this time. Will breath is ragged and labored. Hannibal kisses down Will's body stopping when he reaches the horizontal scar he had given him so many months ago. It has begun to fade but is still slightly pink. He places a kiss at the center of it feeling Will's breath hitch as he does so. He runs his fingers over it.
"I already forgave you," Will reminds him, lacing a hand through Hannibal's hair.
"I know, but it does not mean that I have forgiven myself." Hannibal continues his journey down Will's body stopping when he comes to the place Will wants him the most. Will tries to stop himself from bucking his hips. Hannibal looks up at him and places a deliberate hand on his hip. "Patience," he hums as he licks his lips and takes Will into his mouth.
Will gasps and throws his head back into the pillows as Hannibal starts bobbing his head to a steady rhythm. Will holds onto Hannibal's shoulders for dear life as stars dot his vision. Spit starts to run down his length. Hannibal strokes Will as he continues sucking him, gathering some of the wetness on his hand and fingers. He reaches under Will and runs a single finger around his entrance. Will takes in a deep breath and tenses for a moment. Hannibal looks up from between his legs, silently asking for permission. He receives it when Will takes a deep breath and Hannibal feels his muscles begin to relax again. Hannibal continues pleasuring him with his mouth, but slows down his speed. Using the feel of his wet mouth as a distraction from the momentary discomfort that comes from stretching and readying him to take Hannibal.
He gathers more wetness and runs the single finger over Will's entrance again. This time, Will is ready and remains relaxed. Hannibal times the moment he enters Will with his finger on a particularly deep bob of his head. Will moans in pleasure mixed with pain from the burning of the stretch. Hannibal continues moving his finger in and out and, when he feels Will is ready, adds another and then another. When Hannibal feels Will is appropriately stretched,he removes his fingers and mouth from Will.
Will lets out a undignified moan and Hannibal tries to stifle a chuckle. "Are you ready?" He asks Will as he strokes his own length with his spit covered hand.
"Yes. Please." The ocean blue of Will's eyes are lost to the black of his pupils. He is throughly coming apart. Hannibal is pleased with himself.
"Turn on your side. I want to be able to see your face the first time I take you." Will rolls to his side, body tingling with anticipation and Hannibal pulls his leg up to give him enough room to place the head of his member at Will's entrance. "Big breath," he says and Will does as he asks. Hannibal pushes in past the tight ring of muscles that are only slightly looser from his efforts earlier.
Will throws his head back again letting out a moan that turns into a growl, eyes rolling back in his head. The animal Hannibal has only seen from Will when he is in the throws of violence makes its way onto his face. Will reaches out to Hannibal grabbing at any skin his hands can find. Hannibal continues his thrust forward until he is completely sheathed inside him. When Hannibal feels Will's warm tightness around him, it is all he can do not to pound will through the mattress, but from how Will has acted, it seems to be his first time being taken like this. He takes his own advice and finds Will starts to relax, getting used to the feeling, Hannibal begins to move inside him. Hannibal bends down so he can take Will's mouth again. Will answers back eagerly and takes Hannibal's lower lip into his mouth. On a particularly deep thrust, Will bites down, wrapping his arms around Hannibal's neck to keep him there. He kisses Hannibal like the only air he can breath is in Hannibal's lungs.
"Oh god. I feel… I feel…" Will's struggling to speak through gasps and moans. He continues to pull Hannibal closer to him. Their foreheads touching. Sharing a breath. Hannibal is not in any better shape. His hair is dangling in his eyes and his chest is heaving. The cut on his chest has stopped bleeding, but long drips of blood are now dried on his chest and stomach.
Hannibal pulls his face away from Will. "What do you feel, dear Will?" Hannibal thrusts deeper inside, hitting his prostrate. Will lets out another loud moan.
"So much. Like I may fly apart." When Hannibal opens his mouth to ask a question, Will answers it like he already heard him. His eyes fly open. "Don't you dare stop."
Hannibal continues sliding in and out of Will, reaching down to stroke Will in time to his thrusts. "Oh God. Yes, please. Like that." Will is reaching out blindly for Hannibal. Trying to touch as much of him as he can. "I'm… I'm…" and before he can say it, Will orgasms, his whole body seizing up. His hot seed spilling over Hannibal's hand as he continues to stroke him, wanting to milk every once of his orgasm. The after shocks ripping through Will's body causes his muscles to tighten around Hannibal and he feels his own orgasm following closely behind Will's. He stops stroking him and places his hands on either side of the bed as he spills himself deep inside Will. He closes his eyes and places his forehead against Will's as he slows his thrusts to ride out his entire orgasm. When it's racked through his body completely, Hannibal kisses Will again and Will returns the kiss. This one is different. It has a sweetness the others didn't.
Hannibal slides out of Will and collapses next to him. Will is still on his side. He lets out a soft groan as he rolls over to face Hannibal. He puts his hand on Hannibal's face, stroking his cheek. Hannibal leans into the touch opening his eyes to see Will looking at him the way he always hoped he would.
"You are beautiful. I could watch you come apart by my hand every day and it would not be enough," Hannibal says eliciting a slight blush from Will. Will removes his hand from his face and leans up to kiss Hannibal again. Hannibal returns the kiss. "I will be right back," Hannibal says as he pulls away from Will. He leaves the room and comes back wearing a pair of clean boxer briefs and bringing a wet towel and 2 glasses of water. He hands the towel to Will so he can clean himself up. Will pulls on his underwear as well and takes the glass of water. He tips his head back takes a deep drink. Hannibal admires all the delicious marks on Will's neck and shoulders. When Will is done with his water, he places the empty glass on the bedside table and looks up at Hannibal.
"Can we stay here, like this, for a little while. I'm not ready to be away from you yet." Hannibal doesn't say anything. He leans down and kisses Will's forehead with a sweet kiss. He gets underneath the covers and when Will is under them as well, he pulls the man close to his chest.
They stay like that for a while, not talking much, just enjoying the closeness and exchanging soft touches. When Will starts to doze off, Hannibal hears footsteps. They sound like they are right outside their door. Will's body tenses and he looks up opening his mouth to ask a question. Hannibal places a finger over Will's lips. "It sounds like we have unwanted guests. There is a strong possibility they are Mason's men. Get dressed. I will try to hold them off."
Will's eyes darken again. He removes Hannibal's finger from his mouth and whispers, "Not without me you won't." He reaches up to kiss Hannibal and rolls over and off the bed.
The two men dress quickly and walk out to the main sitting room to face whatever threat has come to call on them, together.