AN: No I didn't abandon my other fic! This was a request and I felt really obligated to do it. This is for the user doctorfetish. I hope she likes it. For everyone else, reviews are greatly appreciated and I hope you enjoy it.
After about thirty minutes of waiting, Hannibal knew something was off. Even though it wasn't uncommon for Will to complain about their sessions, he had always come despite that. Only one time he hadn't and that was because of a case, and Will had also called Hannibal to tell him that he couldn't make it.
Though he thought about it, Hannibal didn't cancel any of his appointments and after the last one left at five, he decided to make his way to Will's house. As he pulled up in front of the house, he saw that despite the gathering darkness, there weren't any lights on that he could see.
Hannibal went up to the door and knocked several times. He waited, wondering if anyone would finally answer. He was getting ready to knock again when there came a response.
"Go away."
Even though he couldn't see him, Hannibal imagined that Will was quite sick, simply from his voice.
"You missed our session today Will."
"Oh well."
"That's not very like you," Hannibal replied. "Let me come in."
"No," came the muffled response, followed by Will blowing his nose.
"Really Will, you're going to leave me standing out on the open porch?"
"Yes."
"William, you're obviously sick. Let me come in."
"I don't want to."
"You're acting like a child. You do know this don't you?" asked Hannibal.
"So what?" Will shot back.
Hannibal made an extremely audible sigh as he heard some whimpers and sniffing on the other side of the door. He wasn't entirely sure if the noise was coming from Will or his dogs. "You sound horribly sick. At least let me take a look at you."
"Just leave me alone!" yelled Will, his voice slightly hoarse.
"I will not simply leave you here while you're clearly sick."
"Dr. Lecter, I don't need you here! If I did I would've asked for you. If I had wanted you to know I was sick, I also would've called you as well. Now please just . . . just . . ." Will's voice faded away and then a thud came from the other side along with worried barking.
"Will?" called Hannibal. His pulse still remained the same he wasn't sweating or panicking, but a small bit of worry was growing in his chest. Hannibal hadn't felt worried in quite some time, but that was mainly because he hadn't had a reason to. "Will," he said again, this time louder but still not yelling.
He tried the door handle but it wouldn't budge. He thought about trying to break the door down but if Will had fainted then he'd be right in front of it and he didn't want to hurt him. Hannibal then tried the window and was pleased to find it unlocked.
With little difficulty, he climbed into the dark house and found the light switch by the door. Once on, he saw Will out cold, his group of dogs surrounding him. However, as Hannibal moved closer, the dogs backed away.
Except for one which growled softly. Hannibal ignored the dog though and the animal eventually moved away.
Will was pale and covered in sweat. Hannibal checked his pulse which was slow but not dangerously and then felt his forehead. He had a high fever that definitely needed taking care of. He could simple take Will to the hospital but what was the point in that if Hannibal could just as easily take care of him at home?
The doctor could already imagine Will's shocked face upon finding himself in Hannibal's house and it made a slight smirk to appear on his face.
Hannibal lifted Will easily from the ground and set him in a chair. He quickly grabbed some spare cloths, unsure of how long Will might be there. He also made sure there was plenty of food out for the dogs. He did this not because he cared about the stupid mutts but because he knew Will would probably panic if he let his dogs starve.
Afterwards, he put Will in the back, gently laying him down. Hannibal quickly drove to back to his home. Several times Will stirred but he never fully awoke. Once at his place, Hannibal set a towel onto his bed and lay Will on top of it, placing the spare cloths in an empty drawer in a dresser.
Hannibal put a blanket over Will and got a cool wash cloth to press onto his forehead. Glancing down at him, he decided that he would probably remain asleep for a while. He should have enough time to get someone for dinner.
When Hannibal was back, he began preparing a new dish. He was currently frying up the vegetables and meat together. As he worked, he heard the door behind him open but he didn't turn around, curious of what Will would say.
"Uh . . . Hannibal, what happened?" Will finally asked. His voice was soft and still hoarse.
Hannibal finally stopped what he was doing and sighed upon seeing Will. "You shouldn't be out of bed."
"Probably not," Will agreed softly. He looked a bit clammy and still had the blanket around him. His face was pale and Hannibal wondered if he'd faint again. "I'm sorry I passed out."
"No need to apologize dear Will. Do you think you could stomach something?"
"Not really though I am thirsty."
"Well there is plenty here so I can save you some for later. Go back to bed Will. I'll bring some water in a little bit."
"But—"
"No arguing. To bed," Hannibal replied and that was final.
About a minute later, Hannibal went back to his bedroom to find Will back under the blanket, looking much like a terrified dog. He looked up at Hannibal and said, "Please tell me this isn't your bed."
"Who else's would it be?" replied Hannibal as he placed the glass on the bedside table.
"Don't you have a guest bedroom?"
"No. I'm not very fond of guests."
"But I can't just—"
"Before you even ask," said Hannibal as he pressed Will back into bed, "I am not taking you home right now. You don't know how to take care of yourself Will."
"Yes I do!" Will replied back, then going into a fit of coughing.
"Of course you do," Hannibal said dryly. "So well in fact that you even managed to dehydrate yourself and faint. You are most certainly not going home until you are better."
"I'm perfectly fine right now."
"Uh huh," murmured Hannibal and pulled the blanket back up around Will's neck.
"What about my dogs?"
"I fed them Will. They'll be fine for a few days. Go to bed now. You need to rest."
Will looked like he wanted to argue but he was extremely exhausted. His eyes finally closed and he drifted into uneasy sleep. Hannibal ate his dinner and then started on some work. Deciding that Will was already uncomfortable enough, Hannibal slept on his couch.
The next morning, Will woke up soaked in sweat again. He was breathing heavily, the rush and fear caused by the dream still fresh on his mind. He started to pull off his shirt when he realized that he was still in Hannibal's house.
Biting his lip and feeling even more self-conscious than usual, he looked around the room for a clock. There was an antique one on the wall that read a little after five in the morning.
Will got up from the bed and was shocked by the cool air that hit him. He couldn't tell if it was actually cold or if it was because he was still sick. He still felt like he had a fever and the runny nose was still there but at least it didn't appear he'd faint again.
Out of courtesy, Will picked up the soaked blanket and towels. He was about to go look for some type of laundry room when a set of arms came in front of him and took the load in his hands.
"You can take a shower now. I'll take care of this," said Hannibal.
"Wait, are you sure?"
"Completely," Hannibal replied. "I brought some cloths of yours over. They're in the top drawer to the left over there."
Will nodded in understanding, looking down at the ground. He wondered if Hannibal had slept at all and when he'd gotten a new change of clothes. Instead of the suit he had on yesterday, he wore one of those sweater vests with the light jacket over it and the button down shirt underneath it all. Maybe it was cold in the room and it wasn't just Will.
He opened his mouth to say thank you when he suddenly realized that he was now alone in the room. Letting out a sigh, Will went over to where Hannibal had gestured and found his cloths. His face went red when he saw that there was also some underwear there as well. He didn't really like the idea of Hannibal going through those drawers, not that he liked that the doctor had gone through any of them period.
Will grabbed what he needed and then went to the bathroom which seemed just as spotless as the rest of the place. It almost looked like it had never been used before. Mindful of what he put where so he didn't dirty the place to much, Will took his shower.
The cool water flowed over him, calming his nerves somewhat as he washed off the sweat. During it, he felt a lot better but the moment he got out his stomach began to turn. However, he ignored it, drying himself off.
He was about to put his cloths on when the unease hit his stomach again. Despite having practically nothing in it, Will could feel the stomach acid move up his throat and he rushed to the toilet, pushing the lid open as the contents of his stomach left his mouth.
Shaking like a twig, Will tried to keep himself upright when he suddenly felt a hand against his back, keeping him where he was. Once it was over and he was sure he was done throwing up, Will remembered that he still didn't have any cloths on yet.
The realization made him freeze in fright and embarrassment as Hannibal said, "Are you alright now Will?"
"Y-y-yes," Will finally said. "Um could you get me some water? Please?"
Will had hoped that Hannibal would leave the room so that he could get some cloths on but instead he simple got up and grabbed a small plastic cup in the medicine cabinet and filled it with water. Still, it gave Will enough time to grab the towel he had used and wrap it around himself.
"I do believe you have the flu," said Hannibal as he handed the cup over and Will washed the taste back down. "Do you ache anywhere in your body?"
"Yeah, but I've never gotten the flu in my life."
"There is a first time for everything William," replied Hannibal and just the way he said it made Will wonder if there was a hidden meaning behind those words.
Will didn't question this though, saying, "Dr. Lecter could you . . . would you please leave so I could get changed."
"Of course. I'll be in my office if you need me."
"Thank you," murmured Will and then waited until Hannibal had closed the door behind him before he moved.
This time moving much slower than before, Will finally got dressed and cleaned up as best he could in the bathroom. He went back into the bedroom to find it once again completely clean. Hannibal must have cleaned it up while he was taking a shower.
Moving out of the bedroom, Will made his way through the house and to Hannibal's office. He was in the corner where he kept all of his drawings, working on a new one. As Will walked up, Hannibal didn't turn around but did acknowledge Will, saying, "You have every right to stay in bed. If you do have the flu, and I am sure that you do, then you shouldn't tire yourself out."
"I don't want to impose on you anymore than I have to. I should just go home," Will said, rubbing his nose.
"You're not going anywhere William," Hannibal replied, finally turning around. Will couldn't help but feel like an antelope caught in the gaze of a lion. "A few days of rest and then you can go home."
"But . . . but what about my dogs?" asked Will weakly, trying to come up with some argument that would make it so he could leave.
"I'll take care of it," replied Hannibal though what he was really thinking of doing was calling Dr. Bloom. Yes, have her deal with the dogs. That would be better.
Will bit his lip, seeing that he was stuck here at least for a few days. If he was going to be though, he might as well try to find something to do. "Dr. Lecter—"
"We are not at a session. We've known each other for some time now, and I already call you Will. You may call me Hannibal."
Something about Hannibal made Will reluctant and excited all at once to call him by his first name. He nodded and said, "Hannibal, may I look at your books?"
"The ones down here are mostly psychiatry texts but you might find something interesting on the balcony. Do you need help getting up there?"
"I'm sick, not a damsel in distress," replied Will.
Hannibal let the corners of his mouth twitch upward as he said, "Alright. I don't have any patients today or any other plans so I'll be lunching at one. If you get hungry before then just tell me."
Will nodded and then made his way to the wooden stairs and climbed upward. He went all around the room, fingers skimming the book covers and grabbing at the ones that looked interesting. With five books in his hands, all varying sizes and covers, Will climbed down the stairs again.
As he got down, he looked around uncertainly but before he could make it to awkward, Hannibal said, "You can either go back to the bedroom or stay and read in here. I do not mind."
"Thank you," murmured Will and he went to sit in one of the black chairs.
He began to leaf through the pages but he couldn't fully concentrate because of how cold he was. However, Will didn't want to impose on Hannibal anymore though so he kept quite. Nevertheless, he eventually felt the softness of a blanket carefully put over his shoulders.
"Keeping silent will help no one. If you are cold, simply ask," said Hannibal, his voice right besides Will's ear and causing him to jump.
"I was fine."
"Yes, I could tell that from your shivering," Hannibal replied.
Will bit back a response, turning to the book and trying to ignore the eyes that he felt on the back of his skull.
Hannibal watched Will from the other side of the table as they ate their lunch. He couldn't help but smile as Will was clearly not trying to shove all the food down his throat. He was starving but he didn't want to repeat what had happened that morning.
If it had been anybody else that had fainted, Hannibal probably would've left them there or called someone else but with Will it was different. He fascinated him, being attracted to him intellectually and physically. Will was the first person that could understand him, and Hannibal believed in a way he already did.
Will had so much potential. Hannibal just had to show him it to him but slowly. To quickly and everything would be ruined.
"I see you're feeling better," remarked Hannibal.
"Yeah, but I'm still frozen and I think I still have a fever. Are you sure it's not, like, negative degrees below?" asked Will, the blanket still around his shoulders.
"I'm positive. Don't worry, the chill will go away once you start to get better," Hannibal said as a he took another carefully cut bite.
"Can I go home tomorrow?"
"It depends on if your well tomorrow."
Will frowned, rubbing his arms to try and get them warmer. "Believe me, I'm grateful for all you've done but I'm not a child. You don't have to nurse me back to health or anything."
"I'd rather not risk you fainting again though. Besides, I don't mind this. I haven't had company over in quite some time." Not living anyway. "And before you even say it, you're not imposing."
Sighing, Will said, "Alright. There isn't a case I'm working on with Jack either so I suppose that's good too."
Hannibal nodded in agreement and they finished their lunch. After that, he convinced Will to go back to bed, if not to sleep then at least to rest. During that time, Hannibal's cell phone rang and he wasn't surprised to see it was Dr. Bloom.
"Dr. Lecter, have you seen Will?" she asked, calm but with a twinge of worry in her voice. "I've been trying to call his phone but he won't answer and I'm at his house right now but—"
"There's no need to worry. I'm afraid William has fallen ill and is currently staying with me."
"Should I come—"
"No, I'm afraid it would be better if there wasn't any visitors," Hannibal replied. It wasn't necessarily forceful but it was obvious that he wouldn't budge from his statement. "You said you're at his house right now?"
"Um . . . yes I am."
"Then it would be wonderful if you could feed the dogs," he said. "I was thinking of going down there now but since you're already there, well it just makes since for you to do it."
"Of course, I wouldn't mind at all," she replied. "Uh, just tell Will I said I hope he feels better soon. I'll tell Jack."
"Excellent, I'll speak to you later Dr. Bloom."
"Good-bye."
Hannibal ended the call and started on some work once more. Throughout the evening, Will seemed to feel better and better. However, the next day, Hannibal found Will's fever to have spiked and he currently seemed to be having hallucinations.
That day was spent mostly taking care of Will as he slipped in and out of conciseness. Hannibal cancelled the appointments he had that day and made sure to call the FBI Academy to tell them that Will wouldn't be able to make it today or even the day after that. Nevertheless, Hannibal found something very interesting about Will as he was shifting in the bed, rolling back and forth.
"Hannibal," he whimpered, eyes shut tight as he curled in on himself. "Hannibal."
Hannibal sat beside him, running his fingers through Will's messy hair. "I'm right here Will. There is no need to worry."
"Please . . . please don't leave," Will whispered, making it seem that he was actually hallucinating at the moment, not even realizing that Hannibal was right beside him. "Don't leave."
"I won't leave you Will. I never would."
"Don't leave me here. I'll tell you the truth." His voice shook as he spoke, his mind still not breaking from the illusion.
Hannibal curiously looked down at Will, wondering what this truth was.
"I . . . I do care about you. I do trust you. I do love you," Will finally said, his eyes open now but it was obvious he wasn't seeing what was right in front of him. "Just . . . don't leave me now."
Hannibal hummed to himself quietly as he thought about what Will had just said. Interesting, very interesting. He continued to run his fingers through Will's hair, the other eventually falling asleep again.
Not minding at all, and this not being the first time he hadn't slept, Hannibal stayed up all night. As time passed, Will got better and better. His fever went down, he stopped hallucinating, and he finally fell into a deep sleep. It seemed that for once, he didn't have nightmares.
Hannibal eventually left him in the morning to prepare some breakfast. At a little past eight, when he still hadn't heard anything from the bedroom and Will still hadn't appeared in the kitchen, he finally went back to see how he was doing.
"Will."
Will immediately opened his eyes the moment he heard the voice making it clear that he had been awake before then. "Hey."
"Have you been awake long?"
"Yeah but I didn't want to move. Do you—"
"Please refrain from asking if it's alright because I will let it be known if it is not. You do feel better though, do you not?"
"I do, a lot better," Will replied. "I don't think I have a fever anymore and I don't hurt. My runny nose is gone too but I'm still cold and utterly exhausted."
Hannibal felt his forehead and found no fever. "Well, it's best if we don't risk it. You're staying in bed for today." Will opened his mouth to argue but Hannibal shook his head. "You're not getting out of this Will. Besides, I'm sure you want to get back home as soon as possible and that will come even quicker if you get completely well first."
"Of course," murmured Will.
"Would you like something to eat?"
"I'd rather not risk it."
"Then I'll get you a glass of water."
Will watched Hannibal leave the room and a few moments later he was back, the glass in his hands. As he gratefully took the glass, Will said, "Did I do or say anything odd yesterday?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like, anything out of the ordinary. Whatever I did say I probably didn't mean it and I'm going to say that I'm sorry in advance."
"So you do not keep your word, in sickness and in health?"
Will frowned, not fully understand his words. "I don't know what you mean. And did you just say in sickness and in health? That sounds almost like a proposal."
Hannibal smiled in response, seeming almost predatory. "You did give your own proposal last night."
"What did I say?" Will asked weakly, not sure he really wanted to hear it.
"Just a few interesting words. Really, I shouldn't even bother you with them," replied Hannibal as he began to leave the room.
"Hannibal, what did I say? Hannibal!" cried out Will but there was no response. He thought about jumping out of bed and following the older man but he pushed that thought aside and instead tried to think of what he might've spoken of.
A number of things came to mind, none of them good. He also hadn't liked the way Hannibal had smiled at him like he was a piece of meat to be eaten or a little doll that had said something amusing. It made Will shiver as his imagination went wild with some terrifying and some extremely dirty thoughts.
Nevertheless, he did as Hannibal had asked and remained in bed the rest of the day. Hannibal brought him books when he asked for them and though some were good, Will slightly wished Hannibal had a TV somewhere but he so far hadn't seen one period. Not there was anything good on television but the new distraction would've been welcomed.
He didn't eat lunch either but he did eat a bit of dinner and went to bed. His dreams were filled with blood and the sounds of gunfire but it wasn't nearly as bad as usual even though to most it would still be considered a terrifying dream.
That morning he took another shower but was dismayed to not be able to find any of his cloths. It would appear that all of the ones that Hannibal had brought over he had already worn and now he didn't know where they had gone to.
Will thought about wearing the cloths he already had on but they smelled terribly and what was the point in taking a shower if he was just going to get back into them? In response to this dilemma, Will tried to find Hannibal but it appeared that he had left the house that morning. He searched everywhere but there wasn't any sign of him and finally Will went back to the bedroom.
He stood there for about five minutes, trying to decide if he should borrow some of Hannibal's cloths. Will didn't want to do so without asking but he also did feel like walking around with the cloths he still had on. Neither was walking around in a towel an option either.
Finally, after letting out an extremely shaky breath of fear and doubt, Will grabbed the smallest shirt and pants that he could find. He was defiantly not borrowing boxers however and decided to deal with what he had on at the moment.
Taking his shower slowly, almost hoping Hannibal would knock on the door and say he had some clean clothes for him, Will finally finished and cleaned himself up. Once he had Hannibal's cloths on, he realized just how more broad shouldered Hannibal was and that the few extra inches he had made a real difference.
Will felt like a child in his parents' or older brother's cloths. Nevertheless, he had to admit that they were extremely comfortable and smelled lightly of whatever laundry detergent Hannibal used.
As he wondered around the house, still wondering where Hannibal could be, he finally realized that Hannibal had never gotten him shoes. He had been barefoot when he had fainted and shoes must've just not been something Hannibal had thought of to bring.
His stomach then growled but he ignored it, not wanting to have to rummage through someone else's kitchen as well. Instead, he settled down on Hannibal's blue sofa and started reading a different book when Hannibal finally came back.
The doctor smirked at the sight of Will in his own cloths. "You look much closer to the size of a mongoose now," Hannibal joked.
Will remembered Hannibal's remark from when they'd first met and he glared in response, not saying anything.
"I hope you feel better."
"I feel fine now. I guess it's finally passed."
"Yes, I suppose it has," replied Hannibal and he began to leave the room but Will's words stopped him.
"Will you tell me what I said now?" asked Will worriedly. "I feel I have the right to know."
Hannibal gave another smile that sent chills down Will's back and walked up to him, slowly, every movement like a great cat ready to pounce. He leaned towards him and Will involuntarily leaned backwards, only to find the wall blocked his way. "Would you like to know? Really?"
"Y-yes," Will replied, his voice slightly shaking with uncertainty.
"Are you sure? Will you keep to your words then? In sickness and in health?"
"Hannibal I don't understand—"
"Simply answer yes or no."
Will was frozen where he was, trying to figure out what he should say. Finally he replied, "Yes."
"Then I will tell you." And now Hannibal was right by Will's ear, their cheeks brushing against the others. "You told me you cared about me. That you trusted and loved me. Will you try to take your words back now?"
Will's breathing all but stopped. Out of everything he could've said, why did it have to be that? Why? He wished it could've been a number of other things. He wished a hundred other things could've come from his mouth but instead it had been that. "I—"
But Will didn't continue. He just didn't know what to say in response and with Hannibal so close to him, he couldn't think of anything. It was actually pretty surprising that he wasn't panicking right now.
"Will you say anything Will? Or simply sit like a corpse sewn to this couch?" asked Hannibal softly, not having moved an inch.
"I'm-I'm sorry you had to hear that," Will finally said.
"And why should you be sorry?"
"Why should I not be?" he replied back, confused by Hannibal's words.
"You are fascinating Will. Really, you are," murmured Hannibal as he pulled back only enough so that he could be staring Will right in the face. "So intriguing, there is no reason for you to be sorry."
Will tried to look anywhere else but there wasn't any place he could look except into Hannibal's eyes. He still didn't fully understand Hannibal's words and what little he did scared him. Just looking it those dark orbs seemed to be pushing Will to the edge. But the edge of what?
He opened his mouth to say something but was instead stopped by Hannibal's lips. Automatically, he moaned upon contact and then immediately froze up because of his behavior. It was almost like his heart had stopped.
When Hannibal finally pulled away and Will had caught his breath back, he said, "You can't care about me."
"And why is that?" asked Hannibal simply.
"I'm broken. I'm unstable. I'm . . . I have a hundred other things that are wrong with me," Will replied. "All I'm good for is being the little dog that the FBI every once in a while need to use."
"There's nothing wrong with you Will."
"You're a psychiatrist. You know that I have just about everything wrong with me."
And for the first time, Will felt like he was finally getting a glimpse behind the curtain. He saw past Hannibal's calmness to see something far darker lying right there, right in front of him. Hannibal softly said, "On the contrary Will, I am a psychiatrist and you are perfect the way you are, just full of potential."
Then it was gone. The darkness that Will had seen had disappeared before he'd gotten a chance to analyze it at all but it frightened because he recognized that same darkness. It was scarily familiar to his own.
"So will you keep by your words then?" suddenly asked Hannibal.
"Yes," Will replied a little breathlessly. "You're one of the few people that . . . that I can really trust. I do . . . care about you to some degree and in some way I do love you. But I don't understand how you could even care about me."
"How could I not?" murmured Hannibal, still only inches away from Will's face. He moved forward, capturing Will's lips again. Then, softly saying it against his lips, Hannibal said, "Besides, we are the same."
As Will melted into the kiss, he felt like somehow his entire world had vanished. He began to really wish he hadn't gotten sick or that Hannibal at least hadn't been the one to find him. He felt that now there was no turning back.
He had fallen into a tunnel without a light at the other end. He was going blindly forward with only Hannibal to guide him through it.
And Will didn't see the gathering red that was growing around him. He didn't see anguish and death that was already seeping in as if by the kiss itself. Now that all that had to happen was for him to be made aware of this gathering evil.
He was Hannibal's from then on to forever. In sickness and in health.