Hannibal and Will have their first conversation. Hannibal is not mine. I do not own. You may recognize some of the dialogue from the pilot and second episode. I love playing around with it.
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Hannibal made it a point to pull Will into his own personal bathroom first, which taking all things into consideration would be 'their' bathroom from now on, to make the Omega sit down on the edge of the immense marble tub there so that Hannibal could assess his new mate's wounds. The alpha part of his personality didn't like seeing the damage Will had taken. The serial killer part of his personality was already making a list of how to find those people who had dared to lay a finger on his mate and what to do with them afterward. He hadn't hosted a dinner party in a long while for he believed a feast must present itself. Now seemed like the opportune time though, the meat practically lining up for it. Plus a celebration was in order and Hannibal couldn't wait to show off for his mate, at least in one aspect.
Removing the shift that was Will's only piece of clothing proved more difficult than Hannibal would have thought. As soon as Will felt the sheer material begin to leave his body, he fought, coming off the lip of the tub to flail his arms and legs about with a precise intent that suggested training of some kind. Will was quick and vicious in his attacks, obviously not holding back.
Intrigued, Hannibal avoided the blindly aimed strikes with ease, the Alpha stepping back and away until Will tired himself out, ending his offensive measures when it proved futile by backing himself a wall. Effective measure to protect one's back and Hannibal approved. It might have even been somewhat effective if Will weren't still wearing his mask. Striking when an opening presented itself from the side when Will turned his head, Hannibal's hand snaked behind the omega's head so that he could tightly grasp the back of Will's neck. His long fingers curled into the damp skin there, making Will go limp and dead limbed as he exerted pressure, the Omega pressure point hardwired into his body.
"I am merely cleaning your wounds and checking to see if there are any more that needed my attention. I have extensive medical training so please calm yourself." Hannibal spoke softly into Will's ear who whimpered in reply, the Alpha taking the opportunity to get close while he had a valid reason, safely so. The scent of rain struck peaches drowning in bourbon was still present and as tantalizing as when Hannibal first noticed it at the Auction. This close he could smell the rest of Will, his real bodily scents underneath all the pheromones, the sour of his sweat that was overly ripe with fear and stress paired with the more metallic odors of old blood, dried and flaking off of his unwashed skin. There was also the hints of what could only the remnants of strong aftershave, potent and cheap. More than likely something that came in a bottle with a ship on it.
Giving Will a warning shake, Hannibal let him go to finish undressing the omega who let him though in his considerable experience, Hannibal had to admit he had stripped more cooperative corpses. The bruising was worse on Will's torso, like he had been struck repeatedly along his shoulders and back, giving Hannibal the impression the omega had stubbornly refused to go down. Given his reactions thus far, Will probably fought till the bitter end with his captors and then some. The marks from restraints were around his ankles and wrist as well, the skin there rubbed raw and puffy, already scabbing. Being thorough, Hannibal disinfected all the lacerations and abrasions, keeping his touches on Will's body as brief and professional as possible.
Despite his best efforts, Will still tried to curl away from him, the omega hunching his shoulders while ducking his head, his hands clenching into tight fists at his sides. To his credit, Will didn't not whimper, complain, or tremble under his touch, the Omega clutching at his dignity like it would cover his nudity. Genetically defiant as he was in personality, Will was not much shorter than Hannibal, the Alpha having only about an inch on the Omega. While his body still retained the hairlessness that was found in male omegas, Will was neither slight or delicate in form and figure. He had a leanness that came from being underfed, but he was muscular and fit more in the way a beta was than the standards of his gender.
Hannibal was beginning to understand how Will evaded discovery for so long. Male omegas tended to be asexual in appearance, running naturally thin, their built slight, more matched to their female counterpart with softer curves and angles, but lacking their reproductive organs and the notable feature of breasts. With heat suppressants and applying that vile aftershave, Hannibal could see in his mind's eye Will using his empathic ability to ape Alpha's like tendencies and personality traits. It was beautiful idea, hiding out in the open like that. People tended to see what they wanted to. If it hadn't been for a bad batch of illegally acquired heat suppressants, Will could have kept up his ruse indefinitely. Hannibal was grateful to the little twists in fate that had delivered the Omega to him. It was also a good reminder that the Devil was in the details.
When he was done and satisfied with his administrations, Hannibal retrieved a robe upon noticing Will's skin start to goose pimple, placing the garment over the omega's shoulders. The slightly smaller man put his arms through the holes of it instinctually to pull the buttery soft dark red silk around himself tight like makeshift armor, though Hannibal mentally winced at the treatment as he watched him roughly knot the robe shut.
"Could you take this thing off me?" Will asked quietly, surprising Hannibal, the Omega's first words to him sounding harshly spoken against the leather of the mask. Articulate but on edge, the Omega's words just holding the barest hint of an accent, something Southern Hannibal believed. Will's head was turned down and away from him, though Hannibal knew the omega was aware of where he was standing and had been since their meeting at the Auction, his ability to hone in on Hannibal's positioning uncanny. His body language told Hannibal that he didn't expect him to acquiesce.
"Of course. I was hoping for a more peaceful setting to do so in. I didn't wish to startle you." Hannibal said, making no move toward that intention as he studied the Omega's reaction, Will's head swinging back in his direction like a homing missile. Hannibal could feel the heat of the Will's glare even through the layers of glossy leather.
"I've been 'startled' for the last couple of days. One more won't kill me. Plus I'd like to see the guy who owns me now." was said rather bitterly. Hannibal considered leaving the mask on, the appeal of having Will rely on him tempting, but there were other things to consider. Hannibal still had no idea what his mate looked like. The key was found readily enough in his suit pocket, Will bowing his head forward to give Hannibal better access to the back of his neck when Omega heard the jingle of metal. Hannibal approved, liking that while Will was stubborn, he wasn't stupid or made dumb from pride. The Omega knew opportunity when it presented itself.
The leather parted readily enough and Will was revealed, the Omega blinking at the sudden return of light and vision. Letting the mask fall out of his hands, Hannibal looked down into large tired eyes that retreated quickly away, the elusive gaze a spectacular shade of azure with flecks of light gray and brown speckled throughout them, accentuated by the long dark lashes shadowed them. Their gaze never directly met Hannibal's own, coming to rest as far up as his lips and chin, resolutely staying there.
That world weary look was set in a face that was meant more for the art of Renaissance angels and the legend of long dead romantic poets. A short beard that was more forgotten scruff than intentional growth covered a finely made jaw line and sharp chin. Lips, chapped from habitual biting and dehydration, were gracefully formed and held an alluring fullness to them, naturally shaded a kiss swollen pink. Will Graham was lovely but not in the typical asexual way other male omegas tended to be. Whether it was due to the fact he was pure or not, Will held a wildness about him, something untamed that growled silently in warning at Hannibal. It only made Hannibal want to tether Will down more.
Own him.
Render him.
Ruin him.
"Disappointed already? Get used to that feeling. I almost feel sorry for you." Will grimaced, rubbing his face with his hands as if to wipe away the feel of the mask entirely from it.
"Why do you say that?" Hannibal ventured, amused and surprised by the fact he was. Generally, he couldn't abide rudeness, barely tolerating it in other people. The contents of his freezers were proof enough of that.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you bought damaged goods. I hope you like crazy because I am at least seven messy buckets of it." Will grinned unapologetically up at Hannibal, the expression more a baring of teeth than friendly gesture.
"As it so happens, I do. It so happens that my profession thrives on it." Hannibal smiled back, equally more fang than friendly. His pleasure only grew upon seeing Will unimpressed and more so, unaffected by the menace and underlying threat of it, the Omega going so far to glower openly at him.
"Oh god, you're a physiatrist. Fuck my life." Will groaned into his palms where his head came to rest in them like a prayer.
"Better me than Chilton." Hannibal said, watching with interest as Will looked up in surprised revulsion, paling at the mention of the other doctor. He obviously recognized the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane administrator's name if his sickly pallor was anything to go by.
"And who are you?" Will asked, warily peeking out between his finger at Hannibal who realized belated that they had not been formally introduced.
"Doctor Hannibal Lecter." Hannibal introduced himself almost apologetically. Strange circumstances aside, he was usually not so remiss in polite educate. Will was proving himself to be a distraction, the best possible kind in this case.
"You wrote a paper for The Journal of Clinical Psychology. It was called Evolutionary Origins of Social Exclusion, I believe. Very interesting take on it from what I remember." Will said much to Hannibal's surprise, the Alpha taking a moment to preen though it sounded more like an accusation from Will rather than a compliment.
"It seems we are more well acquainted with one another through our writing. I believe you wrote the standard monograph on time of death by insect activity for the FBI. It was fascinating read, very informative." Hannibal said feeling magnanimous and very pleased that Will already knew of him, even if it was in passing.
Will made a non committal sound at the compliment, shrugging it off. "I hope you enjoy sleeping with someone who sweats heavily, has night terrors, and screams in their sleep which is a rare thing for me thanks to insomnia. Oh, and when I do manage it, I sleepwalk. Have fun with that." he smiled ruefully crooked, like the joke was on Hannibal who quietly absorbed the information, cataloguing it as Will took his silence as permission to continue rambling on about his short comings, something he seemed to have in abundance if Will was to be believed.
"Everything you have mentioned can be fixed or eased to manageable levels given enough time, patience, and effort, all of which I have in abundance." Hannibal said when Will took pause long enough for breathing.
"But why bother? I'm old and set in my ways. I can't even give you children." Will pointed out, looking hopeful, probably about his prospect of leaving.
"I have no need or want for children, and I believe the saying "even old dogs can learn new tricks' applies here." Hannibal countered, watching hope die on Will's face to be replaced by something more raw and desperate. "Are you stating all of your faults to me in rapid succession for any particular reason?"
"Alana Bloom and Jack Crawford can pay you back your money. I know they were there at the Auction." Will said with the air of a man throwing his pocketed ace on the table in hopes of a winning hand.
"No, they can't, and even if they could, I have no intention of selling you to them." Hannibal was as practical as he was merciless. He could keep this flame of hope alive and as amusing as that might be, Hannibal wanted and needed Will to know that he was his in this moment.
"Why?" Will said at a loss, his eyes darting wildly about, never really meeting Hannibal's own.
"Not fond of eye contact are you?" Hannibal asked, already knowing the answer. Fuel needed to be added to the fire of their conversation though. He could tell that Will was the type that needed stimuli to be forthcoming and flourish.
"Eyes are distracting," Will answered, resolutely avoiding the maroon that sought out his blue. "You see too much. You don't see enough."
"I suspect it is the former notion in your case." Hannibal said, reaching out to cup Will's jaw. Keeping him still with minimal effort, the omega froze under the alpha's firm touch, instinctually responding to some biological cue despite his best efforts.
"Don't…..." Will said quietly, already knowing what Hannibal intended to do.
"I imagine what you see and learn touches everything else in your mind." Hannibal said just as quiet, not making Will look him in the eye but kept his hand in place to keep the Omega still as he searched his face. "What do you dream about, Will? What makes you scream at night?"
"Please don't psychoanalyze me. You wouldn't like me when I'm psychoanalyzed. No one does." Will said, trying to make his words sound light, but failing. The joke ended up sounding kind of wearily sad, like Will had been proven right in that area too many times by others.
"Let me be the judge of that." Hannibal said, keeping his tone and face placid. Elementally speaking, he equated Will to fire and air, all unfettered movement and heat. To gain balance, Hannibal knew to would have to make himself a counterpoint made from water and earth, a spot of solidarity that Will could touch down upon. That would ultimately be Will's downfall in the end though. Quicksand was brought about from the combination of Hannibal's two chosen elements.
"I-I can't do this…." Will sighed, trying to pull away and looking murderous about it when he found out that Hannibal wouldn't let go of his face. It didn't help that the Alpha was being an utterly calm bastard about it as well, his fingers digging into Will's cheek and chin just this side of bruising.
"Do what?" Hannibal asked, his being the singularity of a reflection pond upon Will.
"Be in this ….be your mate….It won't work. I don't work." Will seethed from his spot, his steam running out with his self deprecation. "I don't work well with others. I'm better off by myself."
"I disagree and no intention of leaving you in the dark with only the horrors trapped in the bone cage of your skull to keep you company." Hannibal told the omega, enjoying the confusion Will was trying to hide from him at the admittance. "So tell me your thoughts."
"My thoughts…..are not meant for another's consumption. My thoughts are often not tasty." Will was trying to rile his defenses. It was a wasted effort on his part. The entire time of the exchange, Hannibal had been incrementally lightening his grip upon Will, the omega unbeknownst following his hand, leaning into his touch even as it tried to recede. Will wasn't as unaffected by Hannibal as he would have liked him to believe, the alpha wondering how he smelled to the omega.
"Nor mine so you are in good company." Hannibal said, using this game of push and pull to draw Will in nearer to him, his hand sliding up to just touch the soft edge of dark chocolate curls.
"I don't…. I didn't mean it that way. I just….I really doubt your nightmares involve murder like mine do." Will muttered, turning his head so that long fingers could dig through his hair, a strong hand cupping the back of his head, the touch of it bringing an odd sense of security with it. A part of Will pointed out that it was all biological, that an omega had those certain pressure points and sensitive areas on their body that naturally responded to an Alpha. Nothing more, nothing less to it.
"Do you die often in your dreams?" could have been floated down from up on high for all Will cared at the moment. He hadn't slept in days, insomnia combined with the stress of capture, imprisonment, and his entire life going to shit making such a feat impossible. The silk he was wearing combined with Hannibal's nearness was beginning to bliss Will out, his body unused to such soft handling.
"No, no…I…" Will tried to answer because he knew something was expected of him. This felt nice, another large hand coming to rest on his shoulder, grounding him. Will hazily wondered if he could let himself feel nice for a moment, could afford that much. For the first time in what felt like forever, no one was yelling at him, threatening him, or trying to hurt him, forcing him to submit. The prominent baking spice smell that had first caught and held Will's attention at the Auction now blanketed him, creating a state of calm within him that was foreign to Will. The damn analytical part of his brain kept telling him that the sensations were false, that it was all from chemicals and pheromones being dumped into his head, aided by the withdrawal of the heat suppressants leaving his system.
"Ah, I see. You are the murderer in your own head. How does that make you feel?" and then Hannibal had to go and say something stupid like that, shattering that sense of safety, making Will realize how vulnerable he was and was being. Ire woke Will out of his stupor, the omega suddenly feeling very trapped against the Alpha he was being held by. It didn't help matters either that he was practically leaning against Hannibal for support.
"How does that make you feel, doctor? The idea of sleeping beside someone who thinks about killing for a living? Of being in a bond with a man who just might actually enjoy what he imagines from time to time, just a little too much?" Will snapped, forcing himself to meet the Alpha eye to eye to make him back off. It had worked in the past, held eye contact important with Alphas. Sanguine eyes of a strange reddish brown met his own calmly though, giving away nothing try as Will might to find something to use against Hannibal. It was like staring into a void, near hypnotizing in its blank depth. Most would have found it unsettling but after a lifetime of peeking in through the windows of the soul, it was refreshing to find a blank wall there. For all he knew, Hannibal could be thinking about gutting him or redecorating his ridiculously big bathroom. Seriously, what would a single man who lived alone need two sinks for or do with a tub that was bigger than some cars?
"It's an uncomfortable gift, your empathy. You can assume anyone's point of view, even the ones that scare you. That kind of perception is a tool that is pointed at both ends. Your values and decency are present yet shocked at your associations, appalled at your dreams." Hannibal laid Will bare, at least mentally and wasn't that worse in some ways. It was disconcerting to be solved so easily, taken apart to be put back together with just a few words.
Closing his eyes, Will could only nod weakly in answer, the Omega looking exhausted as life seemed to drain from him. "I would apologize for my analytical ambush but I know I will soon be apologizing again. Observing is what we do. I can't shut mine off any more than you can shut yours off." Hannibal said soothingly, his fingers playing with curls, damp and sticky with fresh sweat.
"Just keep it professional." Will grumbled before realizing how ridiculous that sounded, especially when his forehead was resting against Hannibal's chest, the two practically in an embrace if Will ever chose to join in. He resolutely kept his hands by his side, fingers curling into the crimson silk in small defiance. Some part of himself could enjoy this, might even need it at some level, but he was not going to encourage it. At least that was what he kept telling himself.
"Or we could socialize like adults. God forbid we become friendly." Hannibal mused, Will opening his eyes to look up at him again at the implications. It was odd to Will to find that he could. Hannibal's face could have been carved from stone for all it emoted. Even the man's micro expressions were fleeting and hard to follow. Will decided that Hannibal would be like a language he would have to learn if he wanted to ever really understand the man. There was a mask in place, one crafted from a lifetime of experience. Will could tell that much, damnable curiosity borne from an overactive imagination making him want to peek behind it and what he might find there in the dark.
"I don't find you that interesting." Will told him defiantly and didn't Hannibal love him even more for it. Plaint was for other lazy Alphas. Hannibal didn't do nice and easy. He wanted, needed someone with a weapon already in hand, a mate who would bite him back. Passion kept things interesting after all, kept the blood flowing, even is that passion was one of resistance and obstinacy.
"You will." Hannibal promised, leaning in to brush his lips dryly against Will's own, the Omega kept in place by the firm grip on the back of his head for the barely there kiss. " Alana mentioned to me that you teach at the FBI but I am starting to believe it is Jack Crawford that made you have a knack for the monsters. I think he sent you looking too long into dark places."
"At least I had a purpose." Will muttered bitterly, still tense under Hannibal's touch but not pulling away from it either.
"I will give you another." Hannibal promised, liking how torn Will looked about it. He was so expressive with his wealth of emotions, all left unchecked to run rampant through him.
Alphas were Will's nightmare, that much was obvious, and was just further proof of how much Jack had almost ruined something precious and rare, not knowing what he really had at hand. Hannibal knew the statistics in serial killers, the majority of them Alphas turned feral, wrong in the head. From dealing firsthand with the worst that life had to offer, all Will knew of Alphas was pain, blood, murder, manipulation, and humiliation. Was it any small wonder he continuously stunk of fear while around Hannibal, smelling sweetly sour with tangy notes of salt from pores and ducts to him?
Leaving off of his shoulder, Hannibal reached up for Will's face with his other hand, watching calmly as the omega flinched from him but managed to keep himself from moving back. Will was expecting pain from him. Whether emotional, physical, or spiritual, it didn't matter in what form, it was that Will expected it was what bothered Hannibal. He preferred his own methods of conditioning, far more subtle and graceful, though the challenge of untangling Will's fears and emotional turmoil being presented to him was interesting, and promised to be well worth all the time and effort.
In all fairness to Will, Hannibal could appreciate his survival instincts. He was the lion in the room after all, a danger and dangerous, though he had done nothing yet to merit such a reaction from Will. It irked him and Will read even that from his smooth expressionless face, gaining insight at the worst possible moments though Will was confused about the source of Hannibal's irritation. Even now while exhausted and stressed out, Will was beginning to learn things about him, absorbing Hannibal into his psyche. Pure empathy meant he was receiver and gave Will certain advantages, but it did not make him psychic. All the information was still left up to interpretation on his part. Will's vivid imagination and keen intellect could fill in a lot of blanks, even make considerable jumps when it had to. It was what made him so unique and an exceptional profiler but Will was not infallible or unbiased. His fear and the pieces of others he stored deep within his psyche tainted the edges of his reasoning.
So Hannibal touched Will gently, stroking his stumble covered cheek, something he wasn't expecting, drawing back when he was done to grip at the Omega's shoulders lightly. Perplexed, Will's eyes went wayward again, finally locked in on Hannibal's footwear. They were custom Italian leather and should be appreciated, but now was not the moment for celebrating fashion choices.
"Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?" Hannibal asked, intentionally keeping his voice soft and even, intent on watching how Will responded to him. Surprise was in the forefront of Will's expression. The Omega had not been expecting that sort of courtesy, the offer of sustenance. Hannibal could tell Will was not used to people being kind to him, making a mental note of it. The keys to Will's inner kingdom might lie in the way of honey instead of vinegar. The polite offer of food that Hannibal would have made to any guest, much less his own mate, was enough for Will's gaze to come upward to the height of Hannibal's collar by his volition, the Winsor knot of his bright blue paisley tie under intense scrutiny.
"I…I….Will stammered, caught off guard enough for his blue eyes to start darting from Hannibal's sharp cheekbones to thin lips in rapid repetition. The omega licked his chapped lips and shuffled his feet as if the cool marble tile beneath them were suddenly uneven. Will had the look of someone who had lived for too long on unhealthy amounts of caffeine, not enough sleep, and had only a passing nod with nutrition. He was unkept and unloved, and it showed in the pronouncement of his ribs and the sallow nature of his skin. The Omega had been someone's else tool for so long Will wasn't used to being treated as a human being with basic needs and desires.
Hannibal wondered how long it had been since anyone had asked Will that kind of question, asked him if he ever wanted anything. "I shall prepare something light then. Afterward, you will bathe and I'll find you something to wear after seeing to your wounds again. We will talk more about this arrangement between us when you are fed and fit to do so." Hannibal stated like Will had answered him intelligently and at length, taking matters into his own hands as he let go of Will's shoulders to start in the direction of his kitchen. He was giving Will what he least expected- a choice.
Not bothering to look back, Hannibal was pleased to hear Will follow him in his wake. Like a hesitant stray, his Omega padded after him, keeping his distance but definitely there. The collar, the material one for public show that remained in its box for now and the invisible one that would mark him better than any leather and steel ornament, would be placed around Will's neck by his own hands.
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TBC