- THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS CONTENT THAT CERTAIN READERS MAY FIND UPSETTING. Please refer to the tags (on A03) Sensitive readers tread lightly.
- This chapter and the next to be posted are both long, just a heads up.
- This is not beta'd, my apologies for any mistakes.
Everything that is beautiful and noble is the product of reason and calculation.
-Charles Baudelaire
Thursday – 22 Sep 2022 – 2.03 AM
Many hours later, Will found he couldn't sleep.
He was too wired, his mind too busy processing.
The plan seemed fairly simple, straightforward too, but whether it worked out hinged a lot on his and Hannibal's previous relationships with Alana and Margot and the dynamic they had all once had. The mental manipulations and mind games they'd all played once upon a time, the influences and wounds they'd dealt each other, it would all factor in…and little Morgan Verger was unfortunately just caught in the crossfire.
That was the only detail of the plan that Hannibal hadn't elaborated on much; was what would become of Morgan once his parents were dead. And Will doubted Hannibal cared, because why would he? It made Will sick to think about, but he knew Morgan's immediate future would consist of some form of brainwashing, memory wiping so he'd have no idea who he was or who his parents had been. And thereafter Hannibal likely planned to leave the boy some place far outside of Italy, maybe even outside of Europe, in an orphanage or something, where he'd be nameless and lost, abandoned…and from there, whatever became of the sole surviving Verger would not be Hannibal's, or rather, his and Hannibal's problem.
It was horrible and beyond cruel, and something that Will would probably take a few years to let go of –if he ever could-, but there was no other way to deal with the child aside from killing him too. And Will knew sparing Alana and Margot was not an option, he knew that if he even so much as suggested it, it would be the equivalent of him driving a knife into Hannibal's back and twisting. He could not go back on his word or his choice, and he didn't even want to. If only Morgan hadn't been in the picture, Will knew he wouldn't be losing sleep right then, but Morgan was an issue, and Hannibal would kill the boy's parents…
…and again, Will was reminded of the man he'd chosen to be with, of the monster he'd fallen in love with, and again…Will knew he didn't regret his choice for a second.
So he'd have to settle for Morgan Verger at least living through it, because it would be some small consolation.
Will was afraid for him in that too though, because he was only five years old and while Will could hope he'd end up in a good home, there was always the chance that he wouldn't, and that whoever would be appointed his guardian would end up neglecting somehow, or worse, abusing him, and if not physically, then emotionally or mentally. And maybe it'd break him, but maybe it wouldn't…after all, being born with the genes of Mason Verger was a potentially very bad thing and without the right guidance, with suffering and cruelty, if Morgan was a psychopath, his pathological tendencies would be unintentionally sublimated through mistreatment.
Will took a deep breath and closed his burning, sandy eyes so he could take a break from staring at the slanting wooden beamed ceiling through the moderate dark of the room.
'Maybe once Alana and Margot are taken care of, I'll talk to him about options for Morgan…there has to be another way...' Will thought with a pinch of desperation, and then he swallowed lightly and frowned when it occurred to him that, '…maybe it won't even come to that, maybe something goes wrong and I get arrested tomorrow, or gunned down…' his eyes fluttered open and his breath quickened as that very real possibility sunk in.
Because Hannibal's plan had been altered to involve Will far more than it had before, and while Will knew it was because Hannibal was extending him the trust he wanted, he realized just then that he was being put at risk...something which Hannibal had curiously avoided bringing up, not at all, even when they'd been alone, which struck Will as odd. And surely Hannibal realized that detail, it was so fucking obvious, how could he not? So why hadn't he said anything, unless…maybe it was his intention…?
It was entirely possible -with Hannibal anything was possible- that the new plan was also a test of Will's loyalty, because aside from being at risk, the plan would also put Will in the perfect position to either run away from, or to betray Hannibal. And of course Will would do neither of those things, but Hannibal didn't fully believe that.
Frowning deeper and seeing no reason why he shouldn't just ask, Will parted his dry lips,
"Hannibal?" he said in a quiet but audible voice.
There was a beat of silence before Hannibal, who was asleep and facing away from Will, shifted and turned his head slightly off his pillow,
"Will?" he questioned, his voice laced with the depth of sleep. He'd probably subconsciously heard Will say his name and was checking to see if Will had actually said it. He was a light sleeper that way.
Will sighed,
"Sorry to wake you." he said sincerely, after all, Hannibal hadn't had nearly as much sleep as he had.
Hannibal inhaled sleepily and then rolled onto his back, glancing at Will,
"It's fine," he mumbled gruffly and then sniffed idly, pressing his fingers into his eyes briefly, "are you alright?"
Will swallowed softly and continued to stare up at the ceiling as he spoke,
"We never talked about…what happens if I, if something goes wrong…and I get apprehended."
There was silence for a whole minute before he heard Hannibal shift, turning his head against the pillow so that he was looking at Will, and Will heard his throat click as he swallowed tensely.
"You won't-…"
"I might." Will said realistically, voice soft. He wasn't looking to upset Hannibal, he just needed to know the older man's reasoning, his intentions, his expectations.
They were both silent for a long time then, at least five minutes, before Hannibal shifted again, moving nearer to Will on the bed so he was lying on his side and he rested his weight on his elbow at the side of Will's head, settling that way and looking down at Will. He looked up at Hannibal then, meeting his gaze and holding it with a slight frown on his face. Hannibal wet his lips and he stalled, taking a breath before he spoke with a surprisingly distinct vulnerability in his voice,
"I didn't want to think of that as being a possibility."
Will stopped breathing for a second at those honest words, and he managed a wavy smile as he took a slow breath, feeling relief and understanding wash over him.
Obviously Hannibal knew it was a risk for Will, he knew what could happen, that they could end up separated or that Will could end up dead. And while the monster in Hannibal would take the chance to achieve his end goal, the man was afraid to face what he was risking by sending Will into harms way. So the responsibility fell to Will to force Hannibal to face reality, because Will needed to know how to proceed if things went bad.
Hannibal needed to guide him in this.
He looked up into Hannibal's shadowed-black eyes and swallowed tensely before he spoke,
"You should know better, Hannibal." he breathed out, taking a second to think of the best way to get through to the older man, before settling on something sorely familiar that would evoke the right reaction, "You can't let fear…and denial…" Will's smile faded as he raised a hand and trailed his fingers over the front of Hannibal's neck, "…nor love," he chose to use the word 'love' that time on purpose because it would hold the most weight, "keep you from thinking."
He immediately saw just how his words, so similar and yet different to the words Hannibal had once spoken to him in front of the Primavera, affected the older man. Hannibal's guard came down briefly, and in those few close seconds, several deep emotions of light and dark and darkest, of love and violence and danger, flashed in his liquid dark eyes. Will watched raptly, as he witnessed the monster battling the man to make that final decision of what action to take...of just what he would do about the possibility of Will being taken into police custody.
Hannibal probably hadn't expected Will to remind him that sometimes…he needed to think like a monster.
And Will's words had struck just the right cord to bring the monster to the surface, because Hannibal's eyes darkened and his gaze turned calculating for several quiet breaths between them before the older man settled on a decision, his expression hardening, jaw ticking. And when he snatched Will's wrist in a harsh grip, removing Will's hand from his neck slowly and squeezing so tightly that Will clenched his teeth and hissed softly, Hannibal's eyes were shark-like, his expression darkly resolute.
Will didn't understand right away, he knew Hannibal was giving him his answer, but he couldn't guess what it was. With his fingertips quickly going numb, Will looked at Hannibal with a calm expression, and a slight frown in silent question as to what he was doing.
It became even more confusing, when to contradict the hand bruising Will's wrist and the absence of soul in the older man's eyes, Hannibal's next words were still laced with warmth and vulnerability when he spoke,
"Then you will play the victim." he said almost lovingly and Will frowned deeply,
"What?" he breathed out quietly. But his pulse quickened, because even as he asked for clarification, the empathic part of him was already beginning to realize, to understand the barely there emotions of anxiety and remorse bleeding through Hannibal's outer resolve.
Hannibal moved surely then, forcing Will's arm down and pinning his hand at the side of his head as the older man reared up and again contradictorily, he gently shifted to settle himself between Will's legs, which Will parted for the older man even as he stared up at Hannibal with only fragments of understanding and quickened breaths of uncertainty.
Hannibal had shut him out completely now, he wouldn't find an explanation with his empathy.
Hannibal needed to speak. Will wanted to understand.
He was losing feeling in his pinned hand when Hannibal seized his other wrist and pinned that hand as well,
"Induced cognitive impairment." Hannibal said quietly then, his tone was tender as he pinned both of Will's wrists painfully underneath one of his own and then yanked the pillow out from under Will's head with the other. Will let out a short, tight breath as his head fell back onto the mattress and Hannibal added softly, "Mental coercion and duress."
Will kept his clear green-blue eyes on Hannibal's inky black as the older man's free hand slid gently over the front of his neck, "Any and all maladaptive treatments, mental and emotional…" Hannibal whispered as he tightened his hand around Will's throat, but mostly just dug his fingers in, as if his intent was to leave bruises while not really choking, "…physical." he then pressed harder and shifted his hand against the front of Will's throat tightly, to chafe, undoubtedly to leave a hint of reddened strangulation burns.
Will made a strained breathing sound turned choked cough from the sudden and uncomfortable restriction against his windpipe and he grimaced at the burn that followed…and then Hannibal removed his hand completely and leaned down to kiss over his neck. Will gasped shortly for air, followed by a broken groan as he pressed his head back into the mattress to accommodate Hannibal's sensual mouthing at his throat. He was still somewhat confused, but was slowly becoming aroused even in his uncertainty of Hannibal's touches.
He turned his face into Hannibal's hair as the older man sucked softly at his neck and he said Hannibal's name very quietly, because he didn't understand and because he couldn't feel his fingers. Hannibal just went on,
"Stockholm…syndrome," he said against Will's skin gruffly, "drug induced…hazes, psychic…driving." he was sucking more aggressively at Will's neck between words, leaving marks, as his free hand wound into Will's hair and Hannibal pressed his hips lightly between Will's legs.
Will became aware then that Hannibal was not aroused…and he felt tension he hadn't been aware he'd been experiencing uncoil throughout his body. He hadn't been sure before, but Hannibal's flaccidity was proof that the older man did not derive pleasure from hurting him. Even though Will would allow it, would probably even enjoy it on some fucked up level, he knew now that Hannibal wouldn't, not when it was just for the sake of hurting to hurt, like right then…
…when Hannibal was doing it to make Will a victim.
And with the confusion of whether Hannibal wanted sex for pleasure removed from the equation, Will saw it clearly now, exactly what Hannibal was saying, exactly what he intended to do…and he resigned himself to it.
Hannibal released Will's wrists, the bruises starkly made and throbbing sore, skin tender…and then Hannibal ducked his face against the side of Will's and went on to make them elsewhere, in all the questionable places, all the intimate places. And his touch was distinctively rough and forceful in what followed, his hands gripping and pressing and pinching sorely over Will's body with marking purpose, leaving what would be dark ugly bruises, nail marks and blood clots on Will's forearms, shoulders, chest, sides, stomach, his hips and thighs and ankles.
And Will struggled between biting back groans and curses of pain and keeping his moans to pleasured hitches in his breathing, as the 'abusive' touches were actively contradicted by the slow buildup of sexual tension and arousal where Hannibal had long begun rolling his hips into Will's to create pleasurable friction between them…also with purpose.
And some time later, after long minutes of painful touches and enjoyable friction, when they were both fully erect inside their pajamas and Will had purple-blue and red marks blossoming all over his body, only then did Hannibal turn his attention to Will's mouth. But it wasn't to kiss, instead Hannibal immediately went to work on leaving sucking and teeth point bruises on Will's soft parted lips, and then even on Will's chin and jaw, Hannibal's mouth relentless in his intent to blemish.
Will flinched and hissed softly, frowning at the ache and sting of it, tasting the metallic tang of blood in his mouth when Hannibal's sharp teeth cut the inside of his top lip. Will remained as quiet as he could though, through all of it he managed his noises as he held onto Hannibal, his shaking hands clutching at the older man's upper arms. But even as it hurt, he was hard sure as sin between his legs, his body running hot everywhere Hannibal had bruised, sweat sheening his skin in the closest places where their bodies touched.
When Hannibal ended his assault on Will's mouth, he looked down into Will's face and stilled, breathing deeply and tensely. He was tracking his stygian eyes over Will's face, and Will remained still and pliant beneath him, just as Hannibal needed him to, letting his hands slip from Hannibal's arms to settle at the sides of his head as his neck remained bared and his legs parted wide. But where his body was completely submissive, his eyes were clear with acceptance and understanding.
Hannibal swallowed tensely and his eyes remained lightless while his voice wavered ever so slightly,
"You will present to them with a mélange of psychological and physical traumas, so that they will see you as being broken in mind…and body." his voice lowered, becoming strained and Will clenched his jaw against the indignity he felt at the lies he might have to tell, "Let them believe that I forced you in every way, that I threatened you and used you, demeaned you and fostered your dependency on me…make them believe I abused you, Will, in mind and body." he said quietly and then kissed Will's lips lightly before he drew back and asked with visible discomfort, "Permit me?"
Will wet his lips slowly as Hannibal's words sunk in, and at the older man's request for permission, he swallowed tensely and drew his legs up at Hannibal's sides, kicking the duvet off their bodies before he nodded, consenting to what Hannibal was asking to do.
Abuse of the mind would be Will's duty to fake…but abuse of the body would require physical evidence.
Hannibal stared down at him for a moment and then he nodded and Will accommodated Hannibal as the older man shifted so he could push Will's pajama pants and underwear off his narrow hips and down the length of his legs. And when Will was bare, he raised his legs again, bent at the knees and spread.
He was already sore from the last few days and he knew what Hannibal was going to do would hurt. But the intention behind it was for more than just a cover story. In Hannibal's very first words about Will playing the victim, Hannibal –monster and man- had made the decision to give Will a chance at being free in the end. So that if Hannibal was caught, Will wouldn't be locked up as well, or if only Will was caught, then he would be let off his charges and be given freedom.
Freedom he'd use, either way, in order to be with Hannibal again.
That was the design, and it was Will's choice to accept it…to bear the creation of it.
And it was just in case, but there was no room for taking chances.
Hannibal leaned his weight on his left forearm at the side of Will's head and after a brief and gentle kiss, the older man shifted above Will, reaching down between them. Hannibal pushed his own pajama pants down and then brought his hand up and Will watched as he spat into his palm before lowering his hand between their bodies again. Hannibal took himself in hand then and after a moment, in which Will knew Hannibal was making himself cursorily wet with the spit, he aligned himself to penetrate Will…and Will leaned up and kissed him, dreading what was to come.
Hannibal pressed into the kiss and kept their mouths sealed together in order to muffle the sharp, pained sound Will made when he rocked his hips forward and forced himself inside…
It didn't last very long.
Hannibal had pushed into him roughly and then he'd stilled tensely, had separated from the kiss with a shaken exhale before he'd whispered something in Lithuanian against Will's lips, something that had sounded desperate and apologetic and emotional.
Will had swallowed a whimper, his eyes clenched tightly shut.
Hannibal had then braced himself on his arm beside Will's head and had spoken in a strained whisper, asking him to 'try not to scream', right before he'd covered Will's mouth firmly with his other hand.
Will had breathed shakily and harshly through his nose, opened his eyes to look at Hannibal and after a beat of tension he'd nodded jerkily, and then Hannibal had closed his eyes and ducked his head.
Following that, Hannibal had thrust in seven –Will had counted- times, each one excruciating, searing, abrupt and forceful. And Will had made terrible, barely controlled, broken and muffled cries of pain against the warm palm of Hannibal's hand, while Hannibal had shuddered bodily above him, breathing rigidly and strained…
…until he'd just stopped and pulled out, his body taut with anxiety.
Will sensed anger and revulsion and remorse. And Will felt pain, pain, pain.
There would be blood on the sheets…of that Will had no doubt.
Thursday – 22 Sep 2022 – 2.31 AM
Will had tears lining his eyes, his breathing harsh and uneven, when Hannibal's hand slipped away from his mouth and the older man proceeded to kiss the white and red indents he'd left over Will's face. Hannibal was breathing heavily as well and yes, he was still shaking, and Will noticed then that Hannibal's penis was limp between them. Will too, had gone flaccid immediately after the first thrust.
It had been a terrible thing for both of them to experience, for different reasons, but still.
Carefully, Hannibal shifted and then adjusted their bodies so that they were on their sides and facing each other. He held Will close…he didn't seem to want to let go. And Will was fine with that because he was trembling quite badly himself and was in a substantial amount of pain, and he wanted Hannibal to hold him through it, until the involuntary quaking stopped and his breathing settled and his eyes dried up.
So they pressed close and lay uncovered, Will all wrapped up in Hannibal's arms and legs, the only difference from the usual being that Hannibal's face was pressed against the front of Will's throat. The older man was painfully tense, radiating apology and regret that was saturating Will's empathy and making his throat and chest sore with the added emotions.
It was an unexpected way through which he gleaned just that much more of what Hannibal actually felt for him.
Hannibal wasn't a man of regret. But in this…he'd been hurt deeply just by hurting Will, and he regretted it.
Will was absently caressing circles on Hannibal's back with his fingers, and he was startled lightly from his thoughts when the older man spoke against his neck,
"I wanted to avoid this course of action…" Hannibal said quietly, "…it's why I didn't want you to go with Chiyoh." his voice was strained and his tone inundated with a wealth of remorse that Will felt through his empathic acuity.
His words also revealed to Will that Hannibal had been considering what might happen if Will was apprehended, and what they'd just done had obviously been the best countermeasure, as it was something that would probably be believed easily with sufficient evidence, even if not expected.
Will would be deemed the victim of a psychopathic, serial killer, sadist, cannibal who liked to torture people's minds and bodies. And in that context, the sexual abuse angle was not an unlikely leap for a psychopath, especially considering Hannibal and Will's well-known complicated, amorphous quasi-romantic beginnings.
Yeah, people would eat it up. They'd fall for it hook, line and sinker…and Hannibal would be considered a rapist on top of everything else.
Will grimaced bitterly at the thought, and even though his bruised lips hurt, he tilted his head slightly to press a kiss to Hannibal's temple,
"I'm fine." he whispered and then added with raw honesty, "I'm doing this for us. If they get me, I'll make them believe it…" he waited as Hannibal shifted, raising his head so they were looking at one another and Will lied his head on the pillow so his curls fell over one another as he managed a smile for Hannibal, "…and when they let me go, I'll come right back to you, I swear." he said with a fresh sheen of wetness in his eyes.
They were not tears of sadness then, and nor was the wetness gathering in Hannibal's eyes.
The older man swallowed with a soft click and parted his lips,
"Where shall I wait for you?" he asked.
Will raised his eyebrows, sighing sleepily,
"How about…at the Vila Galé Hotel in Lagos?" he suggested, because that was the hotel they'd been staying in the first night Will had let Hannibal kiss him.
Hannibal nodded, smiling very slightly and when he parted his lips again to speak he tracked his eyes over Will's face,
"Gražus berniukas, can you forgive me?" he raised a hand, bringing it close to Will's hair and hesitating a moment before sinking his fingers into the soft, damp curls. Will's eyes slid closed under the caress of Hannibal's hand and he curled down a little closer to the older man, pressing his face against Hannibal's throat as he usually did and taking in a sleepy breath,
"There's nothing to forgive." he whispered.
And despite the pain he was in, he fell asleep within minutes.
Thursday – 22 Sep 2022 – 9.26 AM
Will knew Hannibal probably hadn't thought it was best, but he'd left Will to sleep anyway.
And when morning came and Will found himself sore enough –all over- that it made him whimper pathetically when he moved, breath hitching as he grimaced and tried to sit up in bed, Hannibal was right there, prepared to deal with the aftermath and quietly instructing him to lie down.
Hannibal had been waiting for him to wake up and after handing Will two Tramadol tablets and a glass of water, having procured his personal medical bag beforehand, Hannibal set it on the bed and rather clinically, he asked Will to allow him first, before he proceeded to examine the worst of the damage.
Will was leaning back low against the pillows and he sat quietly, blushing just slightly throughout the process and when Hannibal was done and the room was filled with the scent of antiseptic, Hannibal disposed of the cleaning gauze and used swab sticks and then he removed his latex gloves with a snap.
When he started packing his bag up and didn't say anything, Will prompted quietly,
"And?" he drew his legs together with a wince, closing and lowering them before pulling the folded back comforter up to cover himself.
Hannibal's jaw worked,
"It'll do." he said sounding displeased, obviously still unhappy with himself over the whole thing.
Will pursed his lips and frowned,
"What does that mean?"
"That the damage is sufficiently convincing." Hannibal answered shortly, tensely.
Will sighed softly, tracking his eyes over Hannibal's obviously tense form. He figured the older man didn't want to talk about it, but while Will hadn't wanted to look at the damage himself, he did want to know.
"Hannibal." he said quietly and when the older man looked at him, he raised his eyebrows slightly.
Hannibal paused in packing his bag up and swallowed thickly before he answered properly,
"The majority of the injuries are external. There is considerable surface bruising from the…applied force," he clenched his jaw, taking a breath before continuing in a quieter voice, "as well as tearing, but…internally there is mostly just swelling." he finished.
Will was certain that the explanation could have been far more comprehensive than that, but he wouldn't insist that Hannibal went into detail, instead he softly admitted,
"I guess it feels much worse than it is."
Hannibal paused after clipping his bag shut and he closed his eyes briefly, opening them again as he spoke gruffly,
"I kept my movements concise but as forceful as possible, with the intention of leaving visible but shallow damage. However, the pain was unavoidable." he said as steadily as he could with apology and shame radiating off of him.
Will backed off then, unused to seeing Hannibal so emotionally upset about anything. He just remained relaxed and silent as Hannibal moved around, setting his medical case on the dresser and retrieving something he'd set there earlier before he came back over to Will and stopped at the bedside, holding a small box and a pill container.
"You will have to apply the ointment after you've showered, there is a box of latex gloves on the dresser, or if you'd prefer, I will do it for you." Hannibal explained clinically as he set a box of antibiotic ointment on the nightstand, "And the Tramadol can be taken every six to seven hours, two tablets." he set the pill container down next and tapped it once before he looked at Will.
Will had been watching him the entire time and he smiled sorely when Hannibal's eyes met his own,
"Thank you." Will said sincerely and he reached out for Hannibal's nearest hand, taking it in his own. Hannibal squeezed his hand lightly, his eyes lingering on Will's bruised wrist and forearm before he leaned down. Will was hoping for a proper kiss as the older man leaned over him, but Hannibal only pressed a gentle touch of his lips to the side of Will's bruised mouth before he stood up straight again and walked away,
"I'll bring you breakfast shortly." was all he said before he left the bedroom.
Will just frowned and stared at the door after him.
Twenty minutes later, Hannibal returned with a strong cup of coffee and breakfast on a tray for Will.
Hannibal let him know there was no rush to get ready since they would all be leaving later in the day, because Morgan's school only let out at 2 PM. So Will ate breakfast in bed, the Tramadol already taking effect and enabling him to sit up against the pillows while he ate. Hannibal sat on the chair beside the balcony doors, looking somber and unrested as he sipped from his own coffee. They didn't speak and it made Will feel anxious.
By the time Will was done eating, the medication had numbed the worst of the pain and he felt much better. Hannibal suggested a shower then, and since the older man hadn't showered yet for the day, Will asked Hannibal to join him. Hannibal agreed to, but sent Will ahead first so he could take the dishes downstairs and change the bedding first.
After Hannibal left the bedroom with the tray, Will stripped off his T-shirt –which was all he'd been wearing- and he intentionally avoided looking at his naked reflection in any of the mirrors as he went into the bathroom and started the water running.
He was in the shower for ten minutes, having been soaking under the hot water, when Hannibal finally joined him. And the twenty five minutes that followed was both comforting and emotional for them, because even though Hannibal had reeled in the excess of his emotions, Will could still read the subtle hints that slipped through, visible in his eyes, felt in his tender and hesitant touches, and it all affected Will's own feelings.
And one thing was absolutely obvious to Will as Hannibal stood under the running, comfortably hot water with him, slowly and so very carefully trailing his soap silky hands and a loofah over the expanse of Will's blemished skin, was that looking at the damage he'd done upset him deeply. And as a result, he could barely keep his hands from shaking –in anger?- as he washed Will's smooth skin and caressed the white soap lather over his well-muscled upper body and his narrow hips, along and in between his lean legs.
Hannibal kept his eyes averted the entire time and Will hated it, because he didn't know how to help Hannibal feel better, and there was no painkiller for the kind of hurt Hannibal was experiencing, but Will wished there was.
All he could think to do was stay close to the older man and allow Hannibal to dote on him as they showered. Will leaned into his touches and hummed softly in appreciation as Hannibal washed his body, and then his hair, as he massaged Will's scalp slowly and relaxingly, molding his curls with long, slender fingers.
He nuzzled and kissed Hannibal's shoulder and neck when they were facing one another, pressed close and smoothed his hands down Hannibal's wet, muscled back. And he whispered a vulnerable 'I love you' when Hannibal washed him intimately, receiving a lingering kiss to his forehead in response. And when Hannibal shut the water off and retrieved a towel for Will, using it to gently dab Will's skin dry, he smiled and mumbled his thanks, before Hannibal let him wrap the towel around his waist.
Will left the shower then, while Hannibal returned to it, and after brushing his teeth he left the bathroom altogether. In the bedroom, he did as directed with a latex glove and the ointment before disposing of the glove the way he'd seen Hannibal do, and then he began dressing. As he was fastening his jeans on his –bruised- hips, Will glanced toward the bathroom because he heard a muffled noise, but when nothing further followed the sound, he dismissed it and continued getting dressed. He chose to wear dark colors that day, a pair of black jeans and a charcoal gray long sleeve Henley shirt, since the weather was fairly cool, and he'd wear his black leather chukka boots with it.
He was fully dressed, sitting at the foot of the bed and pulling his socks on, when Hannibal exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped low on his waist. Will glanced at him as the older man walked to the wardrobe that they'd unpacked their clothes into, and he saw the tension that remained in Hannibal's shoulders.
Will knew it wouldn't be easily resolved, because Hannibal hated what he'd had to do and it was tripping him up.
While he was a monster and a very unique kind of killer, Hannibal was not the type of evil who sexually abused people…and Will imagined it was worse for the older man because of how Hannibal felt for him.
Hannibal had feelings for Will that no psychopath should have been able to genuinely experience. But then, Hannibal was not an ordinary psychopath, or even a psychopath at all, hell, sometimes he barely even seemed human. And maybe that meant that the range of certain emotions he felt -that Will didn't even fully understand- were heightened over the ones Hannibal lacked? Whatever the case, Hannibal was contending with remorse and self-contempt on some seriously shitty levels right then, at least as far as Will could tell.
He really wished he knew how to stop it, because he was fine, mentally and emotionally and with the painkillers in his system, he felt physically good as well, barely able to remember he was injured save for a flash of a bruise on his skin or a twinge when he sat down. Really, he was okay, he just wanted Hannibal to be as well.
Will curled his toes inside his socks on the wooden floor and he ran a hand through his damp curls at the nape of his neck as he watched Hannibal select his clothes, dark colors as well.
Will frowned when he noticed the hard set of Hannibal's jaw,
"I'll heal, Hannibal…it's mostly superficial, you said so…" he pursed his lips, looking over the older man as he tried to think of what he could say to comfort him, "…I can't even feel anything right-wait…shit, Hannibal, what did you do!?" he got up quickly and rushed over to Hannibal the second he spotted the bloody, cut up state of his right hand knuckles.
Will grabbed the hanger and shirt Hannibal was holding and tossed it back into the wardrobe before he grabbed the older man's right hand in both of his own and inspected the deep cuts.
"I'll bandage it before I dress." Hannibal said with no inflection in his voice and Will looked sharply at him then, angry, but unable to think of anything to say besides,
"I forgive you, Hannibal…" he breathed out and Hannibal's gaze immediately dropped to their joined hands, his adams apple bobbing as he swallowed, "…for every single bruise, for every drop of blood, for…whatever, I forgive you." he looked at Hannibal's hand again and slid his thumbs through the fresh blood slowly slipping down over the older man's fingers. Will smeared the thick red liquid into the skin and then looked into Hannibal's face again, "Let's get through this day, alright? And if everything goes as planned, then we can be home by tomorrow night with all of this behind us." he pleaded quietly.
Hannibal nodded, but still didn't look at him.
Will pursed his lips, frowning slightly before he dipped his head and leaned closer, inhaling the scent of bergamot, rich cocoa and toothpaste mint on Hannibal and enjoying it, craving it, loving Hannibal and wishing his tension and guilt would ease,
"Kiss me." he squeezed Hannibal's hand, his voice tight and quiet.
Hannibal looked at him then, eyes first before he slowly raised his head and leaned closer, not hesitating to touch their lips together carefully, all too mindful of Will's badly bruised mouth.
Will leaned forward, attempting to deepen the kiss but Hannibal drew back and met his eyes before lowering them to look at Will's mouth, remorse creasing his brows and Will then chose to force the issue,
"I said kiss me." he demanded quietly, his tone insistent.
Hannibal clenched his jaw, narrowing his eyes at Will, who just glared at him expectantly until Hannibal gave in and raised his left hand to slide it into Will's damp hair as the older man drew him forward into a firmer kiss. And although the pressure to his mouth stung vaguely, Will didn't care, all that he focused on right then was parting his lips against Hannibal's as a request for more. And it was slow and hesitant at first, Hannibal still kissing him carefully, but Will just hummed softly into it, placing his free hand on Hannibal's bare side as he interlocked the fingers of their joined hands and squeezed, encouraging him.
And when their tongues touched, all it took was a soft content moan from Will before whatever had been holding Hannibal back broke, and then he was kissing Will like he always did, delving his tongue into Will's mouth and kissing him as if the taste of Will's mouth was the finest delicacy to have ever graced his refined palate.
The kiss had been necessary for both of them, Will only realized it when having Hannibal kissing him properly for the first time that day made him feel dizzy with relief. And in the end Hannibal had needed to be forgiven and had needed Will to make it alright for him to let go, because at some point…Will had become the most precious thing he had.
The empathetic awareness of it came over Will like fevered heat and intense rapture, and Will saw it clearly then, felt it as if he'd been winded as his empathy greedily latched onto the feelings that Hannibal was putting out, because Hannibal's guard was completely down…
…and God…oh God...was it really true that Hannibal needed him that much…?
Thursday – 22 Sep 2022 – 11.12 AM
Will had helped Hannibal bandage his knuckles after the older man had cleaned the deep cuts, and then Will had finished dressing while Hannibal did the same. The casualties of Hannibal's ire were two cracked ceramic shower tiles that Chiyoh would have to have replaced, and considering the severity of the cuts on Hannibal's hand and the fact that the tiles were quite damaged, Will shuddered to think of the force with which the older man must have hit the wall…just how angry he must have been.
He was fully dressed when he left the bedroom and made his way downstairs, his hair towel dried and combed through, wearing his contact lenses and not his spectacles, and the Tramadol was in full swing so he was numb to any pain. Will was ready to leave and eager to get it over with, so they could be done with Alana once and for all.
He walked through the lounge and into the kitchen, heading to the fridge to grab a bottle of water for himself and as he was retrieving one, he spotted Chiyoh outside on the side patio attached to the kitchen, and as a gesture for a temporary truce between them, since they had to work together that day, he also grabbed a bottle for her.
Will stepped through the glass patio doors and walked over to the garden table Chiyoh was standing at. There was an assortment of gear set out on the table and she was in the process of loading the magazine of a handgun. She was also dressed darkly –because it just seemed practical for the task ahead- in a slim fitting, three quarter sleeve, black button down shirt, a pair of black jeans, medium heeled slip on leather boots and she wore her hair pinned up in a bun.
When he stopped and stood across from her, Will extended the bottle of water and Chiyoh glanced up at him. And while her glance was at first the usual dismissive type, when she did a double take, her eyes widened slightly at him and Will was amused to find that she looked genuinely alarmed and concerned at his appearance.
He'd honestly only expected shock from her, because considering what he looked like, anyone would be shocked. After he'd been fully dressed he'd decided to take a look at his face in the mirror, and so he knew that his mouth and his right cheek were darkly bruised in bluish-purple patches in several places, and there were dark fingerprint marks on his neck as well as reddened raised skin. Also, he had the long sleeves of his shirt pushed up to his elbows, so the bruises on his wrists and forearms were visible.
And as her eyes took it all in, darting over the various marked points on his skin, Will could see that Chiyoh knew the difference between the dark love bite he'd had on his neck the night before and the bruises marring his skin presently.
When her eyes finally locked onto his again, Will raised his eyebrows and wiggled the proffered water bottle.
His nonchalance made her frown, but she took the bottle and then asked,
"What happened?" and she sounded reluctant, as if she didn't really want to know the answer.
Will took a good look at her then and he saw it, he saw her dread and distrust, her disbelief in the possibility that Hannibal was capable of sexually assaulting someone in the way Will appeared so obviously to have been.
And maybe she was expecting some bizarre hint or implication that he liked to be fucked rough until he was all bruised up, because when he shrugged and said,
"I needed a story." Chiyoh's expression was almost comically confused. It made Will smirk as he gestured to his face, "These marks may be the difference between prison and freedom for me. Should things go wrong and I get taken in by the police, I'd need a good story for my defense." he elaborated, and when he saw how torn she was between understanding and disapproval, Will added somberly, "Trust me, neither he nor I enjoyed the process behind it."
She lowered her eyes then, but only briefly before she looked at him again,
"Will you be okay?" her tone was all business again, obviously she just wanted to know if Will would be able to carry out his part of their tasks ahead. Will just nodded, breaking the seal on his water,
"I'm fine." and he was, so long as he had the painkillers, he was A-OK.
She stared at him for a moment before a light frown softened her severe countenance,
"Is Hannibal okay?" and in that question, there was clear concern.
Will swallowed his mouthful of water, inhaling lightly as he raised his eyebrows and looked away from her,
"I think so." he said honestly and she narrowed her already slim eyes at him in irritation and mistrust.
Yes, Will knew she didn't like him, and he understood why far clearer now that he'd gotten a better gauge of just how Hannibal felt for him. Chiyoh was very protective of Hannibal and she was apparently aware of the fact that Will was Hannibal's Achilles heel. And with their past so checkered with betrayal and violence, he supposed she had a right to despise him, just as he had a right to dislike her.
Chiyoh placed the water bottle aside then and continued to load the firearm magazine, effectively ignoring him.
Will was fine with that, and he occupied himself with looking over the gear on the table. His eyes fell on the two other handguns that needed loading and after taking another sip of water, he set the bottle down and reached for one gun and it's already ejected, empty magazine, and he began to load it using the open box of bullets Chiyoh had out on the table.
All three of the handguns were Beretta M9's, but they weren't the only guns on the table. Besides the three pistols, also laid out was a MSG90 sniper rifle –that Will was closely acquainted with- and a tranquilizer gun. In addition to the guns, there were two hypodermic needle darts, two tactical knives, two sets of black leather gloves in two different sizes, an old basic Nokia phone –that looked like it was at least five or six years old-, two pairs of black plasticuffs, a set of car keys and another separately set hypodermic needle filled with a small amount of liquid.
Will settled his gaze on the single needle and he frowned, immediately knowing it was meant for Morgan Verger.
"Is that safe to inject a five year old with?" he asked pointlessly, because Hannibal had prepared all of the needles the night before and the man knew exactly what he was doing when it came to drugs. Chiyoh didn't even spare him a glance as she clipped in the mag, set the gun down and picked up the third one to load it,
"Yes." was all she said.
"It's Chloral hydrate." Hannibal stated as he walked out onto the patio dressed in black from head to toe, wearing a long sleeve, fitted crewneck shirt, jeans and leather Chelsea boots. Will watched him as he approached the table, "And the dose is completely safe. As you know, among the information Chiyoh collected for me yesterday were Morgan Verger's medical records, obtained specifically so that I could plan accordingly for his sedation." he explained, coming to stand beside Will so their arms were just about touching. Hannibal looked at him, "I know you do not wish any harm to come to him, so I took measures to assure he'd be safe wherever I could."
Will's eyelids didn't flutter exactly, but he did blink more rapidly than usual under the weight of Hannibal's sincere gaze. When his brief lapse in faculties ceased, Will nodded at the older man and smiled slightly,
"Thank you." he mumbled and Hannibal nodded once before he turned to look over the contents on the table,
"Do you have everything?" he asked Chiyoh just as she clipped the second loaded magazine into the gun.
Will was reminded then that he held the other gun and he quickly continued to load it.
Chiyoh looked at Hannibal and nodded, before she leaned down to retrieve a medium sized black duffle bag from under the table, which she held up over the table for Hannibal to take from her,
"Everything you requested is in there," she stated and after Hannibal took the bag, she flipped the gun she held over in her other hand and extended the grip of it out to him, "and this."
Hannibal raised his eyebrows at the firearm she was holding out to him,
"You're well aware that I don't use guns, Chiyoh."
"Bet visi kiti valia." (But everyone else will.) Chiyoh said stiffly and Will's eyebrows shot up at the sudden change, stunned at hearing her speak another language all of a sudden. The dialect sounded stilted and uncomfortable coming out of her mouth, but she seemed confident of her words, which suggested she was fluent in whatever language it was, "Policija, jūsų priešai..." (The police, your enemies...) she kept her eyes steadily on Hannibal who did the same to her, "…ir jūsų meilužis." (...and your lover.)
The only word she'd said that Will sort of understood was what had sounded like police, but he was distracted from picking it apart any further when he saw Hannibal's mouth twitch, his eyes darkening as he looked at Chiyoh.
"Jūs patikėti, kad jis išduos mus?" (You believe he will betray us?) Hannibal responded, and Will immediately knew then that it was Lithuanian because of how natural it sounded on the older man's tongue.
Will felt a bit anxious as they started to converse in a language he had no hope of understanding, and what was worse, was that he suspected it was because they were discussing him, or else there would have been no reason to switch from English. But neither of them even so much as glanced at him as they went on.
"Nemanau užtikrintai tikime, kad jis nebus." (I do not believe confidently that he will not.) Chiyoh responded, something in her tone suggested that she was treading carefully in the conversation, and that just confirmed for Will that she was talking about him.
Hannibal swallowed lightly and wet his lips as Will silently seethed beside him,
"Ar jis ką nors pasakyti?" (Did he say something?) the older man touched the table surface idly, dragging his fingers lightly over the wood, his eyes downcast. Chiyoh was unreadable, giving nothing away to Will as she stared at Hannibal,
"Ne, aš mačiau nieko, bet atsidavimo." (No , I 've seen nothing but devotion.) she paused and Will clicked the magazine into place loudly, but neither of them looked at him, "Tačiau nei daro ranka, kuris maitina, kol dalykas, kad valgo nusprendžia įkąsti." (But neither does the hand that feeds until the thing that eats decides to bite.) she said quietly. And whatever had come out of her mouth made Hannibal smile slightly and raise his eyes to look at her, but she wasn't finished and Will was getting fed up, "Ypač dabar, kad jums davė jam priemones, kad būtų nemokama." (Especially now that you gave him the means to be free.)
Hannibal's smile faded then, a shadow of remorse passing over his face and Will sensed the same thing he had upstairs from the older man, and so he knew they were talking about the marks on him.
"Aš vieną kartą davė jums reiškia būti nemokama, ir jūs nusprendė pasilikti." (I once gave you the means to be free, and you decided to stay.) Hannibal rattled off, Will unable to even make out the beginning of one word from the end of the next.
Chiyoh had no such trouble,
"Mes šeima." (We are family.) she said quietly and Will heard the first inflection of emotion in her voice.
"Mes visi esame šeima." (We are all family.) Hannibal responded and there was a hint of emotion in his voice as well.
Will watched Chiyoh swallow lightly, her features softening,
"Jis išdavė jums praeityje." (He betrayed you in the past.) she said quietly and slowly, looking at Hannibal intently, "Ir aš nerimauti, nes aš tave myliu." (And I worry because I love you.)
Her last words distracted Will from interrupting their conversation, because whatever she'd said sounded familiar. He'd heard Hannibal say something like that…was it…yes, yes, it had been the night before, when he'd said something in Lithuanian during the mess of everything, and it had sounded so similar to what Chiyoh had just said.
Will was frowning when Hannibal answered Chiyoh with finality in his tone,
"Jūsų rūpestis yra nereikalingas." (Your concern is unnecessary.)
She lowered her eyes at that and after a beat of silence, she nodded in acquiescence of whatever he'd stated.
And just like that, the conversation was over.
Will was really tempted to point out how fucking rude the two of them had just been, but there was a tension in the air between them that was very personal, and Will was reminded that Hannibal and Chiyoh were something like siblings, and that they had a right to a certain amount of personal discussions.
By that point, Chiyoh had lowered her hand in which she held the gun, because Hannibal was clearly not going to take it from her, or at least, Will had thought he hadn't been. Hannibal surprised him though, and Will watched with misplaced jealously as Hannibal walked around the table carrying the bag she'd given him, looking as if he were going to go back inside, but then he slowed and turned, walking over to Chiyoh, who turned her head to look at him when he stepped up to her.
They looked at one another for a moment before Hannibal lowered his eyes and with his free hand he reached for the gun she held. Will saw the relief in her face, however subtle it was, as she relinquished hold of the gun to him.
Hannibal turned and walked away then, the gun and bag in either of his hands and once he was out of sight, Chiyoh was immediately composed again, immediately unpleasant and stoic as per the usual,
"We will leave soon, I still have one more thing I have to pick up before it is time." she informed him, setting the safety on the other gun and then sliding it into the back of her jeans underneath her shirt.
Will glanced from her to the patio doors, thinking of the conversation he would likely never be privy to the content of…and then all at once, he decided that he honestly didn't care what they'd talked about.
'Just get this shit over with.' he sighed quietly and then set his own firearm onto safety, placing it in the back of his jeans and not bothering to respond to Chiyoh, instead he just grabbed his water bottle and walked away.
She could pack her shit up on her own.
Ten minutes later they were all standing outside together in the front yard of the villa under the lukewarm sun, having gone over the plan a final time, they were now ready to head out.
Chiyoh had packed her rifle, the tranquillizer gun and the plasticuffs under a false bottom in the back of her SUV, the keys to which Will had in the pocket of his black leather jacket.
They were all wearing leather jackets actually, Will's and Hannibal's both classic cuts while Chiyoh's was a feminine, moto-cut, and while she and Hannibal were used to wearing leather jackets, Will felt a bit odd in his.
He also felt kind of badass…and it made him feel both giddy and like an idiot for feeling giddy over something so ridiculous. Honestly, they were about to kidnap a five year old boy and then kill his parents, there was really no reason to be feeling so impressed with himself. But yeah…he kind of was anyway.
Presently, Chiyoh handed him a pair of black leather gloves and he stuffed them into his pocket, while she was already wearing hers. Hannibal stood 'at rest', a sight Will had become familiar with in recent years. He knew that when Hannibal was genuinely relaxed, his posture was not quite so rigid and he was fond of having one or both of his hands in his pockets, as they were right then, in the pockets of his jacket, since his jean's pockets were occupied by his cell phone in one and the Nokia in the other.
Chiyoh absently jingled the keys she held to the car she'd had hidden under a tarp in the back of the villa's yard. It was a silver Renault Clio, a really old car model that was probably beyond servicing, but it looked to be in fair condition and was obviously meant to be the kind of car that no one would look at twice. She would be driving the Renault and Hannibal would be driving the rented Mercedes, since he wasn't going to be going anywhere near Florence.
They all looked at one another in the silence and then Chiyoh raised an eyebrow at Will,
"Ten minutes to two." she stated plainly, and he nodded at her in confirmation. Will was actually just really eager for her to be out of his hair for at least a little while, just until they'd meet up again later.
Chiyoh put her sunglasses on then, hiding her eyes behind them before she said,
"Be careful." and while it could have been directed at both of them, all three of them knew it was only intended for Hannibal. When Hannibal inclined his head to her and Will did his best not to roll his eyes, she turned and walked away to the Renault parked off to the side of the driveway and she got in, shutting the door and starting the car up without looking back. Will waited until she'd driven down the driveway and out of the open gate before he sighed and rubbed his hand over his cheek, his closely trimmed beard rasping softly as the slight breeze shifted his curls atop his head.
They had quite a day ahead of them, and it was only just beginning.
When he turned to face Hannibal, Chiyoh's car out of sight and so she was out of his mind, he found the older man was watching him…and yes, okay, Hannibal looked really gorgeous dressed like that. Will hadn't had a chance to appreciate it after what had happened that morning, but Hannibal; in all black, wearing a leather jacket, sunglasses on his head, pushing back his freely styled multi-tonal hair, all lean and tall and handsome, was a sight well-worth ogling.
Will absently wet his lips and reached out, grasping one open flap end of Hannibal's jacket and stepping in as he tugged Hannibal closer to him,
"I kind of wish we could fuck right now." Will said bluntly, smiling at Hannibal in the way he knew the older man thought was sexy, one part coy, two parts dirty. It was the smile that usually made Hannibal impatient to get Will naked, and that's how shirt buttons sometimes went flying or things got knocked off of surfaces.
Right then though, there would be no sex for various reasons, the most prevalent being that they had to leave.
Hannibal's mouth curved into a slinky smile, followed by a slip of his tongue between his lips,
"Had we only the time…" he trailed off, the desire for so much more than just sex reflecting in his near maroon eyes. He brought his hand up and lightly traced his fingertips along the underside of Will's jaw, the long black sleeves of his shirt and open hems of his jacket making his slender hands seem longer and paler.
"We'll have the time when this is all over…" Will said surely, and then Hannibal was kissing him, no longer holding back because of the bruising on Will's mouth, he kissed with promise and desire and possession, and Will's hands gripped the leather of his jacket, and then the shirt beneath as he pressed his body to Hannibal's and eagerly kissed back.
When they drew apart their breathing was slightly uneven and Will's eyes lingered on Hannibal's lips, until his attention was redirected to the sound of pills tic-tacking around inside a plastic bottle. Will stepped back slightly to look at the small bottle of pills Hannibal was holding up between them.
He frowned and licked traces of their mixed saliva from his lips,
"Shouldn't the Tramadol last me for a few hours still." he looked questioningly at the older man.
"These are not for you to take, Will…not unless you have to." Hannibal said, and it was enough of an explanation despite him not really saying anything much.
Will swallowed lightly and nodded unevenly as he held out his hand for the slim pill container, not bothering to read the fake label printed on the half-filled bottle of pills,
"What is it?"
"Ketazolam."
Will frowned briefly and then he smiled crookedly at Hannibal,
"Aw, I don't get my own cocktail, just a plain old downer?" he joked.
Hannibal showed a few teeth in his smile at that comment,
"I'm afraid so. The cocktail may have worked as an excuse for Bedelia, but I doubt it would carry much weight if you claimed to be drugged into submission." he said seriously.
Will agreed with a nod, curling his hand around the pill container,
"No…no, it wouldn't, not with our history." he admitted quietly.
"No…" Hannibal echoed, "…they are however, likely to believe that I kept you close and dependent with psychological manipulation, corrupt influence and that I dealt violence, forced isolation and used a touch of medication here and there…"
"…because that's pretty much exactly how it was before." Will said evenly and the statement hung in the air between them for a moment, Hannibal eventually inclining his head in acknowledgment of it. Will didn't care about all of that though, and his hand still clutching the side of Hannibal's shirt tightened, "And the sexual abuse?" he tilted his head, his brow pinching slightly.
Hannibal kissed him then, and they lightly tonged and licked into each other's mouths before the older man drew back and answered softly,
"It will inspire immense guilt and sympathy for you, judge and juror alike will take your side, and they will be convinced by the recounts of our history that there was always the potential for it in me, towards you."
Will understood with painful clarity,
"Because you couldn't eat me and keep me alive at the same time…but still wanted to taste me and consume me…" Will closed his eyes and leaned forward, pressing his face against the front of Hannibal's neck, "…because I wouldn't just submit to you or accept you and you needed to force your way into me, but not just into my head." he exhaled shakily and frowned, "Hannibal, I…I'm not sure I can tell the world that you've been…raping me. I don't think…" he was surprised by the lump that lodged in his throat, surprised by the distress he felt at the possibility of having to tell such a disgusting lie.
Hannibal wrapped his arms around Will and inhaled against his hair as he nuzzled the mess of curls,
"But you will, because it will mean your freedom…you will tell them anything they want to hear." Will felt Hannibal's adams apple bob against his lips, "And I will deny none of it."
Will started violently when he heard that and he shoved Hannibal back to look at him, but didn't let go of him,
"What? No, no you won't, Hannibal, what are you talking about!?" he said loudly, "This entire plan is centered around the strict point that you will be nowhere near Florence or anywhere where the authorities could find you, are you…Jesus, Hannibal…I'll fucking…don't you, don't you dare drive to-…"
"Will." Hannibal said firmly and he took a tense breath as the older man held his face in his bandaged hand and looked him right in the eye, "I am not going to divert from the plan," Will narrowed his eyes, not trusting Hannibal not to lie to him, not after the extent and wealth of feelings he'd felt in the older man just that morning, "I promise." he said firmly, "I'm sorry to have upset you, I just mentioned it as a side measure, an 'in case', if you will."
"I won't." Will said sternly and pulled Hannibal close again, kissing him roughly, hurting his own mouth in the process and then he breathed close and deeply against Hannibal's lips, his hands clinging to the older man's shirt, "I swear to whatever twisted fucking God you believe in Hannibal Lecter, if you get yourself arrested again I will never ever forgive you." his voice broke with emotion then, fear and anger, at the end…and Hannibal smiled at him, all sharp, dangerous teeth, before he chuckled darkly…
…and then proceeded to kiss the breath from Will's lungs.
They lost about five minutes making out in Chiyoh's front yard, not including the time they'd spent talking, and Will gave not a single fuck.
He felt much better by the time he and Hannibal parted ways, Will sliding into the driver's seat of Chiyoh's SUV and leaving the property first, Hannibal following right after.
But a few miles in, they went separate ways on the road and Will's calm gradually dissipated.
He had to clutch the steering wheel tightly to keep himself from shaking with the anxiety of what was to come.
Honestly, sometimes he really wished he was a psychopath.
Italy - Florence -Thursday – 22 Sep 2022 – 1.32 PM
Hannibal hadn't been kidding when he said that the information he'd had Chiyoh pick up would change their circumstances. The new information had not only included Morgan Verger's medical records, but had also consisted of cell phone numbers and a landline number for the Verger's apartment and records of the Verger's exact residency in Florence. Additionally, the written information detailed the fact that Alana and Margot led extremely incognito lives, which made everything easier.
The Verger's didn't have any property listed in their name because they didn't purchase, specifically in order to avoid settling anywhere permanently. So they only rented, just in case they ever needed to leave a place in a hurry without any loose ends, in which case a landlord would likely just be paid off, just as they'd probably been paid for their discretion of who their tenants were in the first place. In that way, the Verger's could easily disappear in the night. Even the staff at the school Morgan attended were incredibly tight lipped about the Verger student, again, because they were paid to be. Apparently, Alana and Margot were even extremely careful about who and how many people they associated with, which meant that the small slip up with Morgan being put on Facebook was literally just pure fucking luck.
And with that being the case, Will knew Alana and Margot would be caught completely unawares, after all, there should have been no reason for them to be concerned about a small slip up like that. Because realistically, the possibility of Hannibal ever tracing them through such a thing was infinitesimal…and well, the whole situation was just another example of how entropy fucked people over.
Will smiled to himself as he sat in Chiyoh's car, watching the time in between paging through a boat magazine he'd purchased at a convenience store when he'd filled gas a half hour earlier. He was parked two blocks and a corner away from Morgan Verger's school, had been for the last ten minutes or so.
He'd taken the drive from Livorno to Florence at a decent speed, not rushing despite having been running late, because technically he hadn't been. Unless there had been some hold up or freak accident on his way, Will had been set to make it to where he presently was with plenty of time to spare…and he had. So far, things seemed to be going well, but it wasn't guaranteed to stay that way, not when so much of their plan relied heavily on Margot and Alana's perceived predictability.
If Will had to put a number to it, he estimated a 90 % success rate, which wasn't bad as far as odds went for them. He'd had a pretty good read on both women years ago, Alana more than Margot, and Will honestly doubted they'd changed much since Hannibal's big reveal and all of its circumstances and consequences. If anything, Alana's bitterness would have merged with her anxiety over worrying about Hannibal finding them, which would likely have left her as somewhat of a neurotic head case, and if that was the case, she'd be easily pushed to paranoia. And while coupled with her acrimony, anger and calculated intelligence, pushing her might not necessarily be the wisest gamble, Will was confident that Margot would tip the scales in their favor. And of course, Morgan would be the deal clincher.
Will sighed as he thought again about the boy's uncertain future. He was staring unseeing at the pages of the magazine he held, not looking at any of the people who went by on the sidewalk or at any cars that drove by in the street. He had the radio on but wasn't paying attention to whatever pop music they were streaming, he just kept his head down and occasionally glanced up to check the time on the dashboard.
1.39 PM.
Will closed his eyes and inhaled deeply as he closed the magazine and dropped it on the floor behind his seat, mentally reassuring himself that everything was going to be fine. And that when everything worked out fine, then he and Hannibal would return home to Spain and life would go on.
And hopefully, Hannibal would propose to him soon after.
Remembering the ring caused a lightweight feeling in his stomach, he hadn't had a chance to think about it much with everything that had been going on and it made him smile right then when he thought about how once Alana was out of the way, there'd be little left standing between him and that engagement ring. Soon.
1.43 PM
Will sat up straight in his seat after seeing the time and he picked his sunglasses up from the dashboard before sliding them onto his face. He started up the car then and carefully turned off from the curb after checking his mirrors, easing into the close traffic in the central part of Florence's busy city. He wasn't worried though, the flow was pretty steady and he estimated he'd make it on time to where he was supposed to pick Chiyoh up a few blocks down.
As he took the first corner and drove a block down, Will became aware of the sound of a fire alarm going off somewhere, and he frowned lightly when he realized it was becoming louder the closer he got to the school. His stomach knotted up and he instantly worried that something had gone wrong, because of all the details they'd hammered out, Chiyoh had refused to divulge how she was going to kidnap Morgan from the school.
Will eventually drove by the school's front gates, crawling along at the expected pace that cars were meant to pass a school at, and he glanced at all the –admittedly not that many- private primary school children that were being convened on the front lawn of the brick and wrought iron fenced school yard, while inside, the fire alarm was going off. Many parents had already been parked along the street outside the school, waiting to pick their kids up and as they all rushed toward the school gates to check on their children, the whole situation appeared quite chaotic.
He had to wonder where Chiyoh was in all the panic, but in the end, however she got into the school was not his problem, she'd made that abundantly clear the night before. His only concern was to drive to a street that was a block down from the school, to where he'd pick her up at a bus stop, along with the unconscious Verger boy.
That was it and it was simple…so simple…
He was internally panicking though, because assuming she had in fact managed to take Morgan, it would be the first point of real risk in their plan. Because if the next part, Hannibal's part, of the plan didn't work out, then there'd be sirens and cops swarming the streets as well as road blocks and car searches and a high profile amber alert would go out throughout Florence...
Will swallowed tensely, hearing himself breathing even over the sound of the radio music, as he turned the final corner into the designated street, and he drove along at an even pace, looking ahead for the bus stop that he'd driven by earlier just to make sure of exactly where it was...
…and holy shit, he was nearing it…and Chiyoh was there, carrying in her arms five year old Morgan Verger, who looked to be sound asleep with his head on her shoulder, and draped over his back was a plain black children's coat. That had been Chiyoh's extra errand; she'd needed to purchase a coat to hide the boy's school uniform under when she carried him from the school.
Will pulled up to the curb at the bus stop, and after turning around in his seat so he could open the passenger door behind him for Chiyoh, he faced forward again and sat as ordinarily still as anyone who was picking up a friend or a wife from a bus stop would.
Chiyoh first placed the little backpack she was carrying on the floor behind Will's seat and then she carefully leaned into the car, sitting the boy and then adjusting his sedated form so that he was lying comfortably on the wide back seat. She then got into the backseat halfway in order to tuck his legs and arms in comfortably, and once she'd settled him nicely on the seat, she got out and closed the passenger door as softly as possible.
Will was grateful for her carefulness.
As she started walking around the car to get in beside him, Will took a second to look at the backseat and into the deeply sleeping face of Morgan Verger. He honestly looked like Mason in more ways than anything else, everything from his pale complexion to the square-ish shape of his face, to the slight –still developing- sharpness of his young features. His hair was kept far too short as well, which Will found made him resemble Mason even more, and it also gave the boy a rather severe look.
Will thought back to the photograph of the little kids at the birthday party, in which one of them had been Morgan, and now that he was seeing the boy firsthand, he was easily able to recall him in the photo.
And Will frowned when he remembered how very blue and alike Mason and Morgan's eyes were.
The passenger door opened and Chiyoh got in, and the second she'd closed it again, Will pulled off the curb and drove back into traffic while Chiyoh took her cell phone out of her pocket and speed-dialed Hannibal's cell.
Will vaguely heard one ring before it was answered,
"It's me." Chiyoh said evenly.
Will just about made out Hannibal's instruction to 'go ahead'.
She only spoke two words next,
"It's done." before she hung up.
That was all they'd needed to let Hannibal know.
Will focused back on driving then, he was headed for the freeway and from there they would drive out to their next destination. In the meantime, Hannibal would take care of his part of the plan…and all Will could do was hope that no one reported Morgan Verger missing in the next ten minutes.
Italy - Tuscan Countryside - Thursday – 22 Sep 2022 – 2.54 PM
The drive to Siena was about two hours out of Florence, but Will and Chiyoh only needed to drive out half the distance to meet up with Hannibal at the rendezvous place.
The pair was silent throughout the drive, Chiyoh occasionally looking back to make sure the Verger boy was still breathing normally and was still out cold while Will was getting anxious to see Hannibal.
Hannibal's part of the plan was that he would call Margot's cell phone from the untraceable number of the Nokia that Chiyoh had given him, right after they'd secured Morgan. From there, Hannibal would explain the situation to her in that calm, controlled manner that he handled everything, letting her know they had her son and that if she wanted him to remain unharmed, she would do as he instructed. When she agreed, and she would agree, Hannibal would instruct her that when the school called her to inform her that Morgan was unaccounted for, she would calmly tell whoever called that she had picked him up, as per usual, and had rushed him home after the incident with the fire alarm.
Hannibal would also let her know that if she contacted the police, or if Alana contacted the police or any other authorities, if Hannibal even so much as heard a hint of a whisper that Morgan was being searched for or that his kidnapping had been made public, he'd kill the boy. That was the primary threat they would hold over Margot and Alana's heads throughout the plan, and Hannibal would use the leverage to its full worth. He would further tell Margot to immediately inform Alana of everything he'd told her, and he would stress that she would have to keep Alana in check. She would have to drive home the point for Alana that Hannibal Lecter had their son and would kill him if they breathed a word of his name or Morgan's disappearance to the police or anyone else.
Hannibal would go on to explain to Margot that he knew of her and Alana's secret evacuation failsafe, and instruct her that they were to initiate it, severing all ties and leaving no loose ends, especially on Alana's part. There were to be no tricks played, or any funny business, they would make their preplanned getaway cleanly.
And the recompense for their full cooperation through all of his instructions, was that if they did everything, down to the T as he said, and came to him quietly, then Hannibal would let their son live, even after they were gone.
And finally, when all was agreed upon, Hannibal would inform Margot that there was a car waiting for her and Alana, parked in the street below their apartment building, specifically the silver Renault Clio, and that the keys were hidden on the front right wheel under the fender.
He would then give Margot coordinates and a time for them to meet up with 'him'.
And therein laid the part of the plan that would put both Will and Chiyoh at risk, because once Hannibal hung up on Margot, there was no telling whether she and Alana would actually do exactly as he'd told them to. Sure, the plan was a bet on it, but it was still not guaranteed. And if Margot and Alana didn't fall in line, they would have the location coordinates of exactly where Will and Chiyoh would be waiting for them to show up to, and if they rode up with a cavalry, or a swat team or even just a few police officers in tow, that would be the plan gone to shit. And Will would have to let Hannibal know immediately that they'd gone against the agreement and brought police, at which time, Hannibal would undoubtedly kill Morgan Verger…and probably mail his body parts to Alana and Margot in a grisly display of his ire.
And Hannibal would indeed be furious, because the further consequences of Margot and Alana bringing the police, would either be Will getting gunned down or arrested. As for Chiyoh, he honestly believed she would just disappear in that creepy way she was so very capable of, because there was no way she didn't have her own fallback plan if things went bad.
Will was concerned about getting arrested more than he was about getting killed, because one outcome was final while the other was not. But still, his concern for himself was just one side of his stress, the other being the disturbing fact that he knew Hannibal would actually kill Morgan. Child or no, Hannibal did not discriminate. The man had cut the lungs out of a living, breathing sixteen year old girl, mounted another on antlers to bleed out and had coldly slit the throat of a third without even flinching, so there was no chance that he'd hesitate to kill a little boy who would just become an expendable piece of meat useful for revenge if Will were to be taken from him. No, there was no doubt in his mind that if it came down to that, Hannibal would kill Morgan, Will absolutely believed he would.
And the only good thing about that fact, was that Margot and Alana would also believe and know that Hannibal would do it, and that was what would hopefully keep them in line.
Everything from that point on would be very up in the air and very stressful…and Will was wound up really tight over it.
Presently, they were coming up to a countryside picnicking spot where they'd agreed to meet Hannibal, it was a scenic stop between the two cities that had benches, tables, trees for shade and a landscape view of farms for miles, and it wasn't a very busy place because the drive was so short between Florence and Sienna that most people didn't bother stopping on their way. But despite that and having passed a single toll gate on the Autostrade so far without a problem, Will was still nervous as he took the gravel and sand turn off and drove along the path to the almost empty grassy parking area, the only other car there being Hannibal's rental Mercedes.
Will parked a car space distance away to the left of Hannibal's car and then he killed the engine and he and Chiyoh got out of the car at the same time, shutting their doors after themselves. Chiyoh was on the side where Hannibal was parked, so Will had to go around the back of the car to join them.
Hannibal had stepped out of the Mercedes and was shutting his door just as Will walked up, and they wound up standing much as they had in the front yard of the villa hours earlier, looking over one another and taking stock of their situation, noting that so far, everything seemed to be working out.
"Did everything go fine with Margot?" Will asked Hannibal first, needing to know.
The older man nodded,
"She was marginally hysterical at first, understandable after hearing my voice and then hearing that I have Morgan in my possession, but I managed to talk her down and make her listen to me." because yeah, Hannibal could literally do that like it was so easy, especially to people he'd had a previous influence over, "And I do believe we are clear of any problems at this length of the plan." he said airily with a small smile, confident and pleased, "Alana and Margot shall be meeting you at the location we agreed on."
Will latched on to his relief in that moment, only because he couldn't latch on to Hannibal and cling to him.
Chiyoh nodded then, also looking slightly relieved,
"I'll fetch the boy." she said quietly and then turned and walked over to the SUV, pulling open the back passenger door to retrieve Morgan.
"Did everything go as planned on your side?" Hannibal asked him, and Will nodded, inhaling deeply as he rubbed his scarred cheek and then the side of his neck, feeling a little too warm in his leather jacket,
"Yeah, I'll say. There's been nothing reported on the radio, and we heard no police sirens on our way out of Florence…" he raised his eyebrows, "…it seems all good." Will confirmed.
"We're almost through..." Hannibal commented with that same pleased smile and then he stepped back and aside to open the back passenger door of the Mercedes when Chiyoh walked toward them carrying Morgan, "…once we're passed yours and Chiyoh's meeting with Alana and Margot, we shall be totally in the clear." he said in a more reassuring tone, obviously able to read into Will's anxious expression.
They both watched Chiyoh settle the boy into the backseat of the Mercedes and when she was done and she got out again, Hannibal shut the door and checked his wristwatch. Will waited as Hannibal looked between himself and Chiyoh and then the older man nodded and pulled the Nokia phone out of his jacket pocket to hand it to Will,
"I will see you both later." he said evenly as Will took the phone from him and pocketed it.
Chiyoh nodded before she turned and walked back to the SUV, but Will didn't follow immediately, he stayed where he was and swallowed tensely as he and Hannibal looked at one another seriously for a moment, both of them knowing that if something went wrong after they parted ways right then, they wouldn't see each other again, maybe not for months, or maybe never again. But Hannibal didn't seem worried, even though Will was.
And Hannibal didn't need to be prompted to step closer and press a lingering lip to lip kiss to Will's mouth, or to lightly caress a hand through Will's hair as he drew back, or to look him in the eye and quietly reassure him,
"We will see one another later." he said confidently, and really, all Will could do was nod.
He stepped back then, his hand briefly catching Hannibal's as it fell away from his face, before Will turned and walked back to the SUV, to the passenger side because Chiyoh had reclaimed the driver's seat of her car. And as Will got in, she started up the car and quickly they were pulling out of the parking area, Will watching in his side mirror as Hannibal got into the Mercedes and started the car up.
Will frowned lightly, unable to shake his concern that he wouldn't see Hannibal again, and also…Will acknowledged with some sadness that he was also worried about leaving Morgan with Hannibal. He didn't think Hannibal would hurt him, not unless it came down to it and Alana and Morgan didn't follow the rules laid out. But he worried that if Morgan woke up for any reason and he was confused and distraught, what would Hannibal do? Would he be annoyed and abrupt with the boy? Would he comfort him?
Jesus, Will couldn't even picture what that would look like.
As they drove off the gravel path and turned back onto the road, heading in the direction of Florence, Will glanced in the side mirror again and he watched as the black Mercedes turned onto the road not long after them, but drove away in the opposite direction…
…and only then, randomly, did Will think of Mischa, and how she had once been Hannibal's charge, his responsibility. And Will recalled the nuances and sentiments in Hannibal's voice and face whenever he'd mentioned her, all of the subtle tells that had made Will privy to how much Hannibal had loved his little sister.
Will smiled softly as he thought about it, feeling some of his tension bleed away…at least for the moment.
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