A/N: So, this ended up being pretty long as well. Sorry.
- Not beta read, sorry for any mistakes.
There is no sweeter pleasure than to surprise a man by giving him more than he hopes for.
-Charles Baudelaire
Italy, Grosseto - Friday – 23 Sep 2022 – 5.59 AM
It turned out that Chiyoh had taken Morgan away at the time when Will had seen the Renault leaving. Hannibal had only told Alana that he'd killed Morgan after the boy had already been out of the church, because apparently Morgan's second sedation had been near the point where it would have gradually slipped into normal sleep, and Alana's sobbing voice and shouts would have definitely woken him.
Hannibal hadn't wanted to sedate the boy again, so he'd told Chiyoh to leave with him and go home to Livorno.
Will had been concerned about how Chiyoh would deal with the boy waking up confused and distressed, looking for his parents, but Hannibal had just assured him that it was under control. And Hannibal was nothing if not always in control, so he trusted the older man's words, as he always did, and he and Hannibal had proceeded to carry Alana's body from the church, along with the clothes she'd been wearing, out to the grave where Margot's body was.
Hannibal hadn't had a problem with there being just one grave, and after he'd pushed Alana's body into it and then tossed in her clothes after, Will had sat by and watched Hannibal shovel in the sand to fill the hole.
As he'd watched Hannibal bury the bodies, Will made another mental note –yet again- to find out what Hannibal had done with Bedelia's body, had he buried it? Something told Will it was unlikely.
As it was, Hannibal had told him –while he'd been filling in the grave- that burying the Verger couple had been the quickest and least hassling method of getting rid of them. He'd apparently had no interest in eating Margot or Alana at all, the former because Hannibal had actually been fond of her and had felt she deserved to die whole –or at least mostly considering what Mason had done to her-. And Alana, because despite the fact that Hannibal no longer saw her as anything but a pig –especially after her uncouth behavior that night- Hannibal's reasoning had been; "She'll undoubtedly taste awful, she's been marinating in her bitterness and misery for too many years. Even I would not be able to salvage that in my kitchen."
Will had laughed and Hannibal had smiled…and then he'd stopped shoveling to go over and kiss Will's smile with his own. A while later, after the grave was filled in and they'd patted the sand down, he and Hannibal stomped over it for a while and then grabbed some grass and weeds and fallen branches and pieces of stone and together they'd made it look as inconspicuous as possible. But with time, nature would settle it properly.
The entire cleanup, including making sure there was no evidence of them having ever been inside the church, took about two hours, and then finally it was done and they could head home. They'd both been exhausted, and Will had been grateful when Hannibal had retrieved a six pack of Red Bulls from the backseat floor of the Mercedes. It had been intended for the drive back, which wouldn't be too long, a little under two hours, but being as tired as they were it was definitely needed.
After they'd downed two Red Bulls each –Will taking another two Tramadol with his-, they kept a third can each for the road. And taking a moment in the aftermath of a long day, the newly engaged couple shared a few more kisses, some smiling and sweet, and some heated and deep as they stood together in the churchyard, Hannibal leaning against the car and Will leaning against him. When they finally drew apart a few minutes later, Will sighed an I love you and Hannibal smiled tenderly and asked him to drive carefully before they parted ways, Will taking the SUV and Hannibal the Mercedes.
It was about twenty something minutes into the drive home, with Hannibal's car visible in the distance via the rearview mirror, while Will had been replaying the evening's events in his mind, that he finally clicked, Hannibal's design regarding Morgan almost subconsciously sliding into place, and it was so obvious to him then.
Hannibal had told Alana that Morgan was dead for two reasons;
Firstly, because by telling Alana that, he'd have essentially made her believe she had nothing left to lose, and in her desperate fury she would have revealed whether or not she had been telling the truth about not alerting any kind of authorities about Hannibal.
And secondly…secondly, the actual test Hannibal had put in place for him, was to see whether Will would be inclined to help Alana when she had been at her most broken, crawling around on the floor distraught and naked.
It'd been a test of his feelings for Alana, be it the platonic sort or not, and that was nothing, Will would have passed that test like a cake walk. But the 'Morgan being dead' thing had tripped him up something awful…and yet still, he'd shocked himself and Hannibal by saying yes anyway to the older man's proposal, even while believing Hannibal had killed Morgan.
Will felt warmth in his chest just thinking about the revelation regarding the extent of his love for Hannibal, he'd known it was real, had known he needed and wanted and loved the man, but now he knew just how deeply he felt it. He glanced at the ring on his finger where both of his hands were on the steering wheel as he drove along the straight countryside road, and he smiled, feeling a wave of giddiness pass through him at finally being engaged, his expression settling on an exhausted smile that he just couldn't help.
The things Hannibal had awoken in him had always been scary to face, but he could see now that there was still so much he had to learn about himself, there was so much more to his darkness and capabilities.
And regardless of how long it took or what he had to go through to learn all of those things, there was one thing he knew for certain, something that was now fortified by the ring on his finger, and it was that Hannibal would be right there beside him in the dark, no matter what.
They'd only arrived back at the villa in Livorno after 7 AM that morning, and after Chiyoh had let them know that Morgan was fine –Will had been too exhausted to ask for more details-, he and Hannibal had gone up to their bedroom, taken turns showering and by the time Hannibal had come out of the bathroom, Will had been fast asleep and dead to the world.
Italy, Livorno - Friday – 23 Sep 2022 – 5.19 PM
So when he woke up groggy as hell and stiff in every muscle, aching in every joint and wincing at his more personal pains, Will reached out to the bedside blindly to grab his cellphone, and after bringing it to eye level and lighting up the locked screen, he checked the time with blurry vision and wasn't really surprised to see that it was already close to being early evening and that he'd slept all day.
He groaned softly as he dropped his phone back onto the nightstand and then shifted under the blankets, rolling over onto his stomach with his sleep sandy eyes still half closed and reaching to the left side of the bed for Hannibal who, predictably, was not there. Will almost always woke up alone since Hannibal seemed incapable of sleeping late, but he still checked because sometimes he'd get lucky and Hannibal would be there. Will sighed sleepily and rubbed his face into his pillow, which hurt his bruised mouth, and then he opened his eyes properly, blinking a few times to clear his vision…and the first thing he spotted on his outstretched hand was his engagement ring settled perfectly on his finger.
Will was smiling before he even realized it.
He was engaged. And it had actually happened sooner than he'd expected.
Feeling suddenly refreshed with excitement, Will sorely dragged himself out of bed and decided that the quickest way to ease the stiff aching of his muscles and to ease his other pains, was to take a nice hot shower.
So he did, soaking under the hot spray of water for fifteen minutes before getting out and while he was brushing his teeth afterward, Will's stomach growled and he realized one of his many pains was coming from his empty stomach. But it wasn't surprising, since he hadn't eaten in over 24 hours.
Once he was done brushing his teeth, Will pulled on underwear, a pair of dark blue jeans and a white T-shirt, over which he wore a dark gray warm sweater since it was raining again outside and the weather was chilly. And after giving his hair a thorough rub dry with the towel, he left the bedroom barefoot and with his hair a mess of curls, choosing to skip the painkillers and ointment for right then since he was feeling pretty good after the shower, and instead he made his way downstairs to seek out his fiancé.
Honestly, all that he had on his mind as he reached the bottom of the stairs and padded into the lounge area, was Hannibal and food, in that order, so to say that he was startled back into the full scope of reality by the sight of Morgan Verger sitting beside Hannibal on one of the sofas, was a gross understatement.
Will's mouth fell open and stayed that way as he stared.
And being barefoot meant he hadn't made a sound when he entered the lounge, and while he knew Hannibal could probably smell him or something, Morgan was clueless to his presence just a few feet away, standing just outside of the boy's peripheral. The fact that he was unseen gave him the opportunity to observe the boy, who was dressed in black jeans and a blue long sleeve sweater, probably his own clothes from his runaway luggage, and he seemed calm and relaxed and, well…Morgan just seemed bizarrely…fine.
Will frowned, having subconsciously been expecting to meet a distraught and confused little boy at some point. Curious and fascinated by the situation, he remained where he was and watched Hannibal as he interacted with the boy, completely comfortable as he sat on one end of the double couch, his body turned more or less facing Morgan. And Morgan was sitting completely on the couch, with his little legs folded Indian style as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, listening to Hannibal…who was telling him some story or other in fluent Italian.
'Oh shit, yeah…he's lived in Italy for the last couple of years.' Will was reminded and felt a sudden regret that he only barely understood Italian, able even less to speak it.
Hannibal looked at him then and the affection that filled the older man's gaze was enough to make Will's ears a little warm, and then Morgan turned around and looked at him with gray-blue eyes…eyes that were the shape and color similar to Alana's. And while it was a little eerie, it was probably for the best, because she'd always had pretty eyes, and it at least softened the boy's more prominent Mason-like features, just enough that he actually managed to look innocent, as a child should. Will also noticed as the boy stared at him –specifically at his bruised mouth- that Morgan also appeared a little sleepy…and his pupils were slightly dilated.
Will forced himself not to grimace as the realization hit him that Morgan was probably still drugged in some way.
"Morgan, dire buona sera a Ethan." (Morgan, say good evening to Ethan.) Hannibal said in a kind tone, sensibly using Will's fake name. Will looked at Hannibal briefly, watching as the older man idly touched his fingers along his jaw, amusement in his eyes as he glanced between Will and the boy. Morgan's mouth curled up into a rather honest smile, making him appear even less Mason-like, and he raised a hand and waved lightly while scratching at his knee with his other hand,
"Buonasera." (Good evening.) he said politely in a mostly typical little boy's voice, the word sounding natural on his tongue.
Will raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled at him,
"Buonasera, Morgan." (Good evening, Morgan.) he said with his best Italian pronunciation, raising his hand to return the slight wave.
When Morgan turned back to face Hannibal, the older man smiled at him, a distinctive softness in his face and a gentle set to his body language,
"Ethan è sveglio. Quindi è ora di cena. Si prega di andare a recuperare Heleen, Morgan." (Ethan is awake. So it's time for dinner. Please go to retrieve Heleen, Morgan.) he said to the boy, and Will just assumed he was sending Morgan to Chiyoh for some reason, barely understanding the sentence.
"OK." Morgan said the word slightly accented and then he bounced off the couch, loping out of the lounge and passing Will before he rushed up the stairs with the zest of a child. Even a drugged one.
When he was out of earshot, Will raised an eyebrow, sliding his eyes from the stairs to Hannibal before asking,
"Does he speak English?" he walked further into the lounge, approaching the older man who adjusted his position on the couch so that Will could sit down right beside him, so that their thighs and hips were touching and their bodies leaned toward one another. Will leaned in to kiss Hannibal's jaw a few times as he settled, and then he pressed a moist kiss to Hannibal's lips as the older man's arm along the back of the couch curled around his shoulders to draw him closer and deepen the kiss.
After some –slightly inappropriate- tonging into one another's mouths, Hannibal brought his other hand up and brushed his fingers through Will's lightly damp curls as he drew back and opened his eyes, staring straight into Will's half-lidded gaze. Hannibal honestly looked as though he was completely content right there and then, and Will could totally relate to the feeling.
"Brokenly." Hannibal answered when Will had almost forgotten he'd even asked a question.
They sat for long seconds in silence, breathing close, looking at one another, enjoying the safe and quiet moment, comforted by each other's presence in the aftermath of their dangerous undertaking and subsequent engagement. Hannibal was caressing his long fingers through Will's hair and Will was idly fingering the soft material of Hannibal's dark red, silk button down shirt when the older man ended the silence,
"How are you feeling?" Hannibal asked as he grazed his knuckles along Will's jaw line.
"Hmm, I'm okay." stiff and sore and trying not to sit flat on his ass, but yeah, he felt fine.
"Good…" Hannibal smiled and after they shared another soft lip to lip kiss, Will found he needed to know,
"Is he drugged?" he asked very quietly.
"Mildly…" Hannibal licked his lips slowly, savoring their mixed taste and they shared another smile and kiss before Hannibal added, "…but we will discuss it later, after we've eaten." and another kiss to Will's lips then, just a second before they heard footfalls on the stairs.
They'd separated and had both stood up when Chiyoh and Morgan came around the corner from the stairs and Hannibal, easy in any situation no matter how bizarre or awkward, gestured in the direction of the kitchen with a pleasant smile,
"If everyone will have a seat, I'll serve dinner." he looked at Morgan then, "Si prega di prendere un posto al tavolo da pranzo." (Please take a seat at the dining table.) he added for the boy, who nodded and ran ahead of everyone into the kitchen, followed by Chiyoh and then himself and Hannibal.
All through dinner Will watched Morgan with discreet fascination.
The boy ate politely, he put a napkin over his lap when he sat down, he knew his cutlery, he chewed with his mouth closed –mostly-, he swallowed his mouthfuls before he sipped his juice and before talking when prompted to and he sat with admirable posture for his age, even as he swung his legs restlessly under the table. He spoke to and responded very politely to Hannibal, who was the only one who could hold any sort of fluent conversation with him, and even though his eyes were a little glazed and his attention wandered, he overall seemed like he was sure enough of his surroundings, perhaps not of exactly where he was or who with, but he didn't seem bothered by the unfamiliarity and strangers around him in the least.
Will was having trouble believing it. Where was the distress, the tears, the endless questions about his parents?
By the time everyone was finished eating, Will felt somewhere between paternal and ill at ease. It was unsettling to see the child so unconcerned with his situation and Will drank a little more wine than he'd intended trying to calm his nerves, worried that eventually the boy would burst into hysterics. He didn't drink to get drunk though, or even tipsy, he just had enough so that he felt relaxed and less stressed. He really wanted to know what the plan was for the Verger boy though, or he knew he'd worry himself into an ulcer.
Hannibal rose to clear the table then and declined help, so Will and Chiyoh remained seated, both of them watching as Morgan sat back in his chair and looked distractedly around the kitchen. His head and shoulders were only just visible over the top of the table and he kept swinging his legs, gray-blue eyes tracking the wooden beams on the ceiling and then the cabinets and walls, but he didn't seem to be really focusing on anything.
Will and Chiyoh exchanged a glance after a while, it was meaningless, but she did seem minutely less hostile toward him. And Will got a weird and misplaced sense of family as he sat at the table, having just had a comfortable supper with his fiancé and 'sister-in-law', and a polite little boy.
Warmth bloomed in his chest at the thought and he panicked quietly, disliking that his thoughts were going in a sappy, overly attached direction. He sat forward then and reached for the wine bottle still set on the table and his gaze lingered on his engagement ring as he poured some of the deep red liquid into his empty glass.
Ignoring another bloom of warmth in his chest, Will offered to pour more wine for Chiyoh, but she declined and just then Hannibal came back to the table, so Will gestured to the older man's near-empty glass, and Hannibal nodded as he proceeded to set out simply prepared dessert bowls of fresh fruit and ice-cream for everyone.
When they were all seated again, eating their desserts in comfortable silence, Will was pleasantly surprised when Hannibal, who was sitting beside him at the table, slid a warm hand over his own and loosely linked their fingers.
Will felt ten kinds of euphoric at the light but personal touch, and when he turned to smile at Hannibal, even though he kept it close-lipped, it was expressed with more emotion and affection than he would ever have been able to hold back even if he'd tried, and his chest filled with warmth again as he thought of family...
Chiyoh noticed their linked hands, but she didn't look annoyed by it, her eyes only lingered on his engagement ring briefly before she focused on her dessert and ate another spoonful of ice cream. Morgan glanced at their hands as well, briefly and barely giving notice to it before he continued to eat his dessert, spooning some ice cream and chocolate sauce into his mouth which was messed slightly at the corners…because even with all of his manners, he was just a little boy earnestly enjoying his ice cream.
There was a further five minutes of silent eating before Morgan spoke up,
"Posso si prega di essere scusato, devo andare in bagno?" (May I please be excused, I have to go to the bathroom?) he said, looking at Hannibal and licking his sticky mouth.
Hannibal raised his eyebrows, Will seeing that new softness to his demeanor coming to the surface again,
"Sì, naturalmente." (Yes of course.) Hannibal smiled at him, "Vuoi qualcuno di andare con te?" (Do you want someone to go with you?)
Will glanced from Hannibal to Morgan, and after a moment the boy nodded and Hannibal inclined his head before turning to look at Chiyoh,
"Would you please accompany him to the restroom?" he asked her.
She nodded and pushed her chair out, standing up and Morgan instinctively followed her lead, pushing his chair out and bouncing off ahead of her in his slip on canvas sneakers, the pair of them disappearing inside.
Will didn't wait a moment too long to ask,
"What's going to happen to him, Hannibal?" he turned slightly in his seat to look at the older man and absently squeezed his fingers between Hannibal's long, slender digits. The older man adjusted their hands so that he was holding Will's in his own, Hannibal's fingers curled into his palm and thumb stroking his wrist as he brought Will's hand up, his fingers to his lips, and kissed them firmly before he spoke against the skin there,
"That depends on you."
Will was a bit caught up in the affectionate touching, because while Hannibal had always been affectionate enough before, now he seemed to be twice as much…and Will assumed the constant need to touch and kiss and caress and show his feelings openly was all part of that worship Hannibal mentioned.
It kind of overwhelmed Will actually, even in such small doses, and his words came out a bit raspy when he spoke,
"How do you…I mean, I don't…I don't understand," he swallowed lightly, shifting his fingers against Hannibal's warm lips and licking his own, "how does it depend on me?"
Hannibal inhaled through his nose and keeping his eyes focused on a point on the table, he brushed his lips against Will's knuckles lightly before speaking,
"Morgan is an orphan now, a boy with no one left in the world. He hasn't any family to return to even if that were an option, he has been reduced to a mere statistic." he paused, caressed Will's fingers, "But he is not a typical case of an orphan, for he has not had a typical life." Hannibal glanced at him and Will raised his eyebrows expectantly, waiting for Hannibal to go on.
And Hannibal did, his voice slipping into professional shrink mode,
"It is apparent that Morgan is very used to unfamiliar adults in an immediate home environment, he is used to being around a designated group of people who were not his parents, but were in place to watch over him and attend to his needs. He was very sheltered by the adults in his life and was raised well in terms of standard etiquette and manners, so he is very polite and accommodating to make things as easy as possible." Will watched as Hannibal wet his lips before continuing, "He is also very impressionable due to all of the excessive sheltering, very accepting of being told exactly what to do and when to do it, always following rules that were probably meant to keep him safe but really only left him vulnerable and at a great disadvantage in an uncontrolled environment. And while Morgan wouldn't know any different since he has no concept of anything outside of his bubble, he is starved, Will," the older man turned his head to look at him, "starved for the world, for new things, for real life, real color…and even for affection, besides that of his overprotective, neurotic mothers." Hannibal said the last part in an amused tone as he looked at Will, who was listening, listening carefully to every word, "He has been cosseted to the point where it's somewhat damaging and in so being, he has not been able to grow and develop mentally outside of those orchestrated circumstances. The boy is only a version of himself, one that he has been molded into most likely by Alana."
Will pursed his lips briefly and frowned as he looked away from Hannibal, staring at the table top and absently fingering the spoon lying in his empty dessert bowl,
"You're saying that his behavior is…artificial?" he asked trying to grasp what the psychiatrist version of Hannibal was telling him. Hannibal tipped his head slightly, vaguely affirming Will's idea,
"Not artificial so much as habitual. Morgan is simply doing what he has likely done around strangers in an environment he perceives as safe for the better part of his life, be it bodyguards, nannies, household employees, teachers, parents of his approved friends…he's probably been told to listen to them specifically, to go to them if he has a problem, to respect them and so on." Hannibal shifted their hands again so he could observe the engagement ring.
"So, no outside strangers can be trusted, but inside ones can?" Will sighed, finding that reasoning rather extreme.
Hannibal shook his head lightly,
"Stranger for Morgan is a foreign term, Will," he said quietly and seriously, "I doubt the boy has ever been allowed to be around an actual complete stranger, so there is no way he could know what that is."
And Will understood that to mean,
"Alana and Margot controlled every single person that Morgan ever came into contact with, that's what you're saying?" he raised his eyebrows, somewhat amazed. Hannibal shrugged facially,
"At his age it wouldn't be hard to do, as he became older they'd have had trouble keeping it that way, certainly, but at five years old he was completely under their guidance and control, making no choices of his own, so yes, that would be my guess."
Will almost couldn't believe it, but if Hannibal was right –which he probably was since he'd likely spent the entire day talking to and learning about Morgan- then that would mean Morgan would have no idea of what it was to be abducted, because he would have no concept of what it meant to be taken away by strangers.
"All that aside though," Hannibal went on and Will looked at him again, blinking out of his thoughts, "from speaking with him at length, it's become clear that he is quite like a sponge. He's intelligent and seems to enjoy learning and sharing information. He and I spent a lot of time discussing the things he's been allowed to watch on television, read about in books or has learned in school, and I've found that he is enthusiastically open to new knowledge." Hannibal smiled slightly at that, "Morgan is a bright young mind, a boy desperately in need of input, and if the censorship is removed so that he may absorb knowledge and culture and life, I believe that he will quickly develop a sense of self."
There was a moment of silence then as Will let the information sink in, still trying to figure out how Morgan's fate depended on him, but when the older man smiled wider, apparently thinking about something amusing, Will was distracted and cocked a curious eyebrow at him,
"What's funny?" he asked softly as he reached for his wine glass, feeling tired and stressed but quietly comforted by Hannibal's thumb stroking the ring on his finger. Hannibal looked at him when he answered,
"This morning, when I first encountered Morgan at breakfast, I asked him to tell me his name, and he only answered with 'Morgan', nothing else. I asked him then specifically what his last name was and he became uncomfortable, so next, I asked if he knew what his last name was, and he said yes," Will frowned at the strange exchange and Hannibal continued to look amused as he went on, "but he wouldn't tell it to me himself. It was only once I'd told him that I already knew it, and had said it back to him, that he confirmed it was correct."
Will huffed out a laugh as it dawned on him what the implication behind that was,
"He's been instructed not to reveal his last name?" he posed it as a question but expected he was right, and when Hannibal chuckled and nodded once, Will raised his eyebrows and sipped his wine, realizing that Alana and Margot had really gone all out to keep the kid a secret.
They'd been that paranoid and afraid that the wrong person would hear Verger and take it straight to the papers or something. Alana and Margot had worked hard to hide themselves, to hide Morgan…from Hannibal. No wonder the man was amused.
Hannibal reached for Will's wine glass, since his own and the bottle were empty and Will –always loving it when the older man was relaxed enough to lower his decorum- handed it to him with a brush of their fingers,
"The boy is socially stunted in certain ways," Hannibal spoke after taking the glass, "emotionally as well, and when he is uncertain of how to behave, he mimics, especially when someone exhibits behavior he is unfamiliar with or hasn't experienced before." Hannibal took a sip, licked his lips after, shifted their hands so their fingers were linked again and Will tried not to sigh like a lovesick little girl, "He was quiet and withdrawn with me when I first started speaking to him, because I was behaving as I usually would when dealing with a patient. And he only became comfortable when I altered my approach, when I gave him something to adapt to by displaying a form of personality, as it were." he didn't say the word sarcastically, but Will took it that way, "He's obviously been taught to blend in as much as possible so as not to draw attention to himself."
Will felt irritated at hearing that,
"Is that what Alana instilled in him? Is that what he's doing here, mimicking and blending?" he asked, shocked on some paternal level he'd thought was long lost, but it was coming to the forefront the more they discussed Morgan. He couldn't believe that Margot, and Alana especially, hadn't realized what they'd been doing to the boy. They'd been so blinded by their fear of Hannibal that they'd molded their child into a kind of puppet.
Will squeezed Hannibal's hand, reassured by the touch everyone else so feared…it made him feel powerful, and safe and he smiled softly, watching as the former Chesapeake Ripper took another sip of wine.
Hannibal set the glass down on the table then and fingered the stem,
"I assume so, after all, Alana did deal with child patients a lot in the past, so she would have used her knowledge to her advantage, believing she was doing what was best." he said blandly and then took a moment before speaking again, "Chiyoh says that when Morgan awoke early hours of the morning, before we'd returned, he just sat quietly on the couch, accepted without hesitation when she offered him tea, even asked politely for her to make it sweet…but he didn't ask after his parents…and he still hasn't."
"Fear?" Will frowned, unable to think of another reason why the boy would be so passive.
Hannibal wet his lips, pursed them thoughtfully and then took a quiet breath,
"I would assume some sort of pre-conditioning." he offered, but it was clear he was speculating and not totally certain, "Alana had changed in many ways since she'd learned who I was, and during my time under her lock and key, I saw that she'd grown to be officious and pedantic, a bad combination in anyone. I wouldn't be surprised if those developed traits coupled with her paranoia might have caused her to drill it into him to be hyperaware of his behavior at all times, not to antagonize, to be careful of what he says or asks…" Hannibal raised an eyebrow, "…a 'be good, stay alive' sort of mentality, which makes him weak and vulnerable in his excessively good behavior and politeness." he shook his head with an amused smile, "A careless, narrow minded misuse of her psychiatric talents."
Hearing the words narrow minded and seeing how amused Hannibal was, Will realized something,
"Politeness…" he raised his eyebrows, disbelieving, "…Hannibal, do you think that Alana raised him so politely specifically in case he ever encountered you?" and it seemed ridiculous and yet also plausible.
Hannibal smirked then and looked out through the windows at the drizzling rain,
"Perhaps…we will never know."
Will blinked, amazed by the influence of Hannibal's presence even in the lives of people from their past, and then he smiled and huffed out a quiet laugh as he shook his head and reached for the quarter full wine glass,
"No, I suppose we won't." he said quietly and took a sip.
There was a beat of silence before Hannibal continued,
"Regardless of Alana's reasons for raising him as she has, it is certainly convenient in many ways," he was speaking quietly, tone far more serious, "Morgan is so removed from normalcy that he has not yet even developed much of a personality. But with the way that he is, if someone were to show him freedom, were to introduce him to all the things in the world that a child could see and learn and experience…" Hannibal looked at Will again, "…if someone were to take him out of the fragile little box that Alana and Margot put him in, he would flourish. In many ways, Morgan is a blank canvas, and he is only in need of some color and fine art."
Will inhaled and exhaled deeply as Hannibal's words sunk in, and he took another sip of wine as he leaned back in his chair, willing himself to stay relaxed and focusing on the feeling of Hannibal's fingers still interlocked with his own. Despite Hannibal saying 'someone', Will knew what Hannibal was suggesting, who Hannibal was suggesting, and subconsciously some part of him had already considered it, but he hadn't thought it was an option.
Up until right then, when suddenly it was.
He stared at their joined hands, at his engagement ring, as he asked,
"Do you think…that he's like Mason?" he had to know Hannibal's opinion.
Hannibal breathed evenly, completely unperturbed by the weight of the topic being discussed,
"I can't be certain. Under normal circumstances, he might have already presented by now if he had any tendencies toward violence or cruelty."
"But his circumstances aren't normal." Will set the wine glass down, rubbed his hand over the side of his face.
"No," Hannibal agreed, "so if he does have any such proclivities they will likely only come to light once he's been allowed to develop with some independence," Will watched as the older man scratched his thumbnail over his fine eyebrow, "and proper guidance would benefit him greatly." Hannibal added very unsubtly.
And Will really didn't know how he felt about that. If he understood Hannibal correctly, the man was saying that he wanted to raise Morgan to be like them…a murderer. He was saying that he wanted to raise Morgan…together.
Will swallowed tensely and turned to look at Hannibal, deciding to just speak plainly,
"You're asking me if I want to raise Morgan with you…as our son?" he asked quietly, looking directly into auburn eyes. Hannibal brought Will's hand to his mouth and pressed his lips to his knuckles again,
"Yes." he answered just as quietly, seriously, sincerely.
Will's stomach was simultaneously shaken and fluttering at the sentimental tone of Hannibal's voice, and he knew it was no small thing, no small offering being made. It was raising a child together. It was significant…and scary.
"Hannibal-…"
"You can take your time to think about it, Will. We have time…" Hannibal cut him off softly, likely having heard the uncertainty and fear in Will's quiet utterance of his name. He frowned as he watched Hannibal close his eyes before he sighed, "…I am aware of how difficult a decision this will be for you. In a way, you have already lost three children…" and when he said it Will felt hurt for the mentioned losses, but it was a distant ache, an accepted and forgiven pain of their violent past, "…and while I cannot give any of them back to you, I can offer you this opportunity to be the father you've always wanted to be, and I will make a promise to you, Will…" his voice lowered into a whisper, "…that I will never again be the one to take a child away from you."
Will stared at Hannibal for a quiet minute, the man kept his eyes closed, his lips pressed to Will's knuckles and after another tense swallow, after he'd finally gotten his overturning stomach under control, Will dared to ask,
"Will he have to be drugged?" because how else were they supposed to keep him?
The boy would remember his parents, would probably work up the nerve to ask about them at some point…
"For a time, yes…" Hannibal reopened his eyes and lowered their hands to the table, squeezing once firmly before slipping his fingers away. He flexed his hand before reaching for the near-empty wine glass, "…only during the period in which I would need to…make alterations to his mental state." his words weren't tactful, but aware of the sensitive subject, he used a kinder tone.
"Like with Abigail?" Will wanted to understand, and was surprised when Hannibal chuckled softly,
"No, no, nothing like Abigail. Morgan is still young…moldable, adrift, accepting and honest, able to have his morals, ethics, ideas of trust and loyalty and love and hate completely redefined. Abigail…she was mostly driven by fear."
"Fear of you?" he asked quietly.
"Somewhat, but mostly fear of facing consequences for the murders she helped her father commit." Hannibal said apathetically and finished the wine left in the glass. Will frowned as he tracked his eyes over Hannibal's face,
"So Morgan wouldn't be afraid?"
Hannibal set the glass down and looked at him,
"No, Morgan would live blissfully ignorant through the formative years of his life, with the belief that his parents died and he has been adopted by us. He would take the last name of Gerard or Kask, whichever you'd prefer, and he would only know us as Ethan and Hannes." he smiled slightly, "Essentially Will, he will live as normally as a young boy should, completely unaffected by who we truly are for as long as need be."
Will took a breath and lowered his gaze to Hannibal's shoulder, realizing that yeah, he kind of really liked the way that sounded. He could already picture Morgan running around their large yard in Benidorm, playing with Remy and Heller, or swimming in the pool with himself there to supervise, or even sitting around playing videogames –because Will would buy him videogames-, or watching movies in the living room, maybe anime or American cartoons dubbed in Spanish or Italian, while snacking on whatever Hannibal considered to be healthy treats for children.
He could imagine himself preparing and packing lunches for when Morgan went to school, just as he'd done for Walter some mornings. He could imagine camping trips in land, going on the water and teaching Morgan to fish, or if he wanted to learn to surf or something else, Will would go to his lessons with him at their nearest beach front. He could see himself encouraging Morgan to make friends, to have sleepovers, to play sports and be competitive in school, to excel…he could see himself tucking Morgan into bed at night, letting him know that he was safe…that no monster could get him.
Because as his fathers, they would be the real monsters…protecting him.
And maybe, maybe one day, Morgan would become a monster too, but only if he wanted to.
It sounded crazy. It was crazy and he felt like he was being completely ridiculous.
"Is that even possible…?" Will breathed out, his chest tightening warmly at the idea of it all; in love, engaged –soon to be married- and with a son, while still being a murderer, a monster, all at the same time, could he really have all that? It sounded too good to be true…
"It would take some time for him to readjust, probably not very long though, since he is young. Still, I would be thorough in his reconditioning…but yes, Will, it is entirely possible." Hannibal answered sincerely.
Will glanced to the archway of the kitchen when he heard voices in the lounge, and he lowered his voice,
"But how could you be sure he'd never mention Alana or Margot to outsiders, never mention his real last name, how could we know that he'd understand his new life, that he'd just accept that we would be his parents?" Will needed to feel reassured, he wanted Hannibal to make it sound like the best idea ever.
And Hannibal's quiet answer, while being terrifying, was also terribly comforting,
"In the same way that I was certain Miriam Lass would never identify me as the Chesapeake Ripper, and in the same way I knew Abigail had bound herself to me…Bedelia, Chiyoh, Randal, Gideon."
"Me too, and countless others I'm sure." Will managed a crooked smile when Hannibal glanced at him, thinking of how many other people Hannibal had probably brought over to the 'dark side' in his life.
But Hannibal shook his head once lightly, his eyes tracking over Will's face slowly,
"No, not you, Will, you were the exception." he sounded fond just to say it and Will wanted to kiss him for it. Hannibal returned to the point then, "You needn't worry, I have never had a problem breeding absolute loyalty in subjects of my interest. So while the method and intent for Morgan will be different, as it has been with every other person, the outcome of this undertaking would be the same." and he was so confident about it too.
Will was unsurprised, and also felt the need to say,
"You have my absolute loyalty."
Hannibal smiled then, slowly, a subtle curve of his mouth,
"Indeed, but I'd like to think that it isn't the result of psychological conditioning and coercive persuasion."
Will snorted and slipped his fingers between Hannibal's again, leaning a little closer,
"Hardly," he glanced briefly at the older man's mouth, "while you did royally mind-fuck me at one point, at every other turn after that you were brutally honest with me," he smiled softly, "so no, no psychological conditioning or coercion…just a staggering epiphany of who I really am…and also the fact that I'm in love with you." he added the last part very quietly, with distinctive notes of intimacy and sentiment in his tone.
"Still the best reason…" Hannibal said softly, still smiling and clearly pleased and Will could tell that the older man wanted to kiss him right then.
Will wished he would…but they were not in the appropriate place for it.
Another beat of silence passed as he took Hannibal's offer to heart, and then he smiled softly,
"I'll think about it." and he would, because it would be really amazing to have a son and to raise him with Hannibal.
It'd be hard getting used to always being called Ethan or always having to call Hannibal, Hannes, but it was a small thing to sacrifice to have a family.
Especially in the kind of life and world and reality where Will had believed it would never be possible.
Friday – 23 Sep 2022 – 6.38 PM
After dinner, the atmosphere of the evening took on a strange but very pleasant, weird and warm vibe.
Chiyoh left not long after he and Hannibal had taken care of the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. Leaving the care of Morgan to them, she told Hannibal that she had to tie up some loose ends and Will figured it had to do with cleaning the cars and getting rid of the Verger's belongings and such, so he hadn't asked.
And so it was just the three of them left together for the evening and Will was nervous about having to watch over Morgan, not sure what to expect, but he was also secretly pleased about getting to spend time alone as a pseudo-family, the situation feeling like sort of an impromptu trial run.
With everything taken care of in the house for the night, Hannibal made Morgan hot cocoa, even though it wasn't that cold, his own and Hannibal's drinks were coffee and wine respectively, and then they all settled in the lounge together like a bizarre, but very real rendition of a family. And Will watched as Hannibal handled the situation as if he'd had a child as a charge all his life, and not just when he'd been very young looking after Mischa. It was fascinating and heartwarming and intense in its own way, seeing how easily and naturally Hannibal took to being parent-like, settling Morgan down on the sofa with his beverage handed to him afterward carefully, asking him if he had eaten enough and then saying something in Italian that made the little boy smile and nod.
Will had decided to step in then too, wanting to get a feel of his own for the situation, wanting to know if he could comfortably take on the role of being a dad to Morgan. So while Hannibal was busy situating Morgan, Will looked through Chiyoh's Blu-ray collection in one of her cabinet dividers and selected a few films he thought a kid might enjoy and that were mostly age appropriate. And once Hannibal had settled on the double sofa's end by himself, Will went over and sat down next to Morgan, asking him what he wanted to watch and showing the boy the selected DVD's.
If Morgan had been allowed to watch fictional movies before, he gave no indication, but he did look pretty pleased to be able to select whatever he wanted. After he chose a film, Will put it on for him, setting it to the Italian dub, and taking a seat on the far end of the long sofa, he watched as Morgan huddled up against the armrest nearest to the television and sat quietly to watch his chosen movie.
Will had a moment of imagining taking Morgan shopping and letting him pick whatever selection of movies he wanted whenever he saw something he liked, so that one day he'd have his own collection.
The mental image was startlingly vivid.
For a half an hour Will sat contentedly watching, sometimes Morgan and sometimes the comedy film. He'd never been a fan of films, a classic here and there maybe, documentaries sure, but his music and movie situation was about the same, he'd given up interest in that sort of media early on in his life. So while he could appreciate some of the humor, it was mostly uninteresting to him…watching Morgan though, made it worth observing.
Seeing him laughing, reserved but genuinely, whenever the people in the movie did something stupid, or smiling or frowning at other situations….mimicking what he was seeing too maybe, and fidgeting as children often did, made the paternal part of him want to see more, he wanted to see the boy grow bolder and comfortable as he became familiar, he wanted to encourage and talk to Morgan, learn about him, raise him.
He couldn't help remembering that Margot, with her dying breathe, had asked him to look after Morgan…and before everything that had happened, years ago, she'd chosen him to be the father of her baby. So maybe, in some twisted way, him becoming an adoptive father to Morgan made sense. Margot had once trusted both himself and Hannibal with the secret of her having a baby, and maybe in death, she'd known Morgan would be safe with them…maybe he could get away with seeing it like that, so that he could more easily justify wanting to accept Hannibal's offer.
He looked over at Hannibal then, where the older man was sitting on the double sofa, his wine almost finished as he sat reading some German book of Chiyoh's. He was so relaxed, so comfortable, as if everything happening was just the natural procession of things, as if how it was right then was how it was meant to be.
And Hannibal tended to be pretty premeditated, so maybe everything happening was just a part of his grandest design for Will being in his life.
Because Hannibal really was, essentially, giving Will everything he wanted, the older man was slowly replacing the things he'd taken away, lovingly replacing them. Improving them.
Making Will's life whole where it had never been before.
Fifteen minutes later, Will noticed that Morgan had fallen asleep. The movie was still running, a soft, lulling drone in the background and he quietly got off the couch, careful not to move too much so that he didn't disturb the boy.
He went over to Hannibal then and sat down next to him, drawing one foot up onto the seat, knee to his chest as he leaned his head on Hannibal's shoulder.
The older man acknowledged him by lightly nosing his hair and pressing a kiss there before returning to his reading. Will sighed softly and smiled just so, feeling perfectly content right then…so much so that it seemed almost unreal.
But it was very, very real.
Friday – 23 Sep 2022 – 10.42 PM
After Chiyoh had returned, she and Hannibal talked for a while in the kitchen, quietly enough that Will only heard snippets as he sat on the sofa by himself beside Hannibal's facedown book, and from the little bits of the conversation he could overhear, it sounded like everything was fine. Morgan was still asleep on the other couch, the TV screen flashing over and over again through the DVD contents menu.
When they were done talking, Hannibal returned to the lounge and elected to carry Morgan up to bed. Will wanted to go along, but because of the clinical tone of the older man's voice, he immediately knew why Hannibal was not suggesting he do it in the first place…it was because Hannibal had to give Morgan whatever dose of drugs was needed and didn't want, or expected Will wouldn't want, to be present for that.
And he was right.
So Will just nodded, didn't make a move to follow and watched as Hannibal gently, yet efficiently, lifted the boy into his arms, carrying Morgan as if he'd done it a thousand times, so that the boy's limp body was facing inward, most of his weight rested against Hannibal's chest, his head on Hannibal's shoulder and his skinny arms and legs dangling in sleeping abandon.
Will couldn't help smiling adoringly at Hannibal's retreating form…but when Chiyoh walked into the lounge and saw him watching Hannibal and smiling like an idiot, he awkwardly averted his gaze. She looked amused at his reaction, and despising that he blushed, he opted to excuse himself from her presence as civilly as possible instead of letting himself become irritated with her. He followed Hannibal's lead upstairs then, making his way to the privacy of the guestroom he shared with the older man, where he'd wait for his fiancé to join him.
After switching on the bedside lamps, Will settled onto his side of the bed, sitting up against the headboard and pillows, mindful of his aches and pains, and once he was comfortable he extracted his phone from his pocket. He busied himself with searching news channels, pleased to see nothing had been reported on him and Hannibal or even on Margot and Alana, and once he'd appeased his worries, he then tapped into his messages from Isa and sent her a quick text saying that everything was okay and he thanked her for her concern.
She replied back a minute later with a smiley face and a message of well wishes for Hannibal's sister, and just then Hannibal entered the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind himself as he glanced at Will,
"Are you still tired?" he asked with a smirk at seeing Will comfortably lounging on the bed.
Will looked at Hannibal and idly fiddled with the cover of his phone as he spoke,
"No…not really…or maybe, I don't know." he shrugged against the pillows as he watched Hannibal's long, lean figure cross the room and disappear through the open door of the bathroom, "Is he asleep?" he asked then about Morgan and returned his gaze to his phone.
There was a moment of silence and then the sound of liquid hitting liquid, Hannibal was urinating,
"Yes, soundly." the older man answered audibly.
Will sighed quietly, feeling some relief at having gotten through the evening without a hitch. He placed his cellphone on the nightstand then, beside his glasses, before settling back comfortably and waiting for Hannibal to be done.
A minute later, following the flush of the toilet and the sound of running water, the older man emerged from the bathroom and came over to the bed, where he sat down on his side and bent over to remove his shoes.
Will watched the shift of his shoulder blades and back muscles beneath his red silk shirt as Hannibal moved, and after glancing at his ring adorned finger, he was once again assaulted with an influx of hormones, all of which were rapidly making him feel hot and horny, or rather, amorous - as Hannibal liked to say.
As arousal panged through his abdomen and settled between his legs, Will shifted, getting up onto his knees and moving over to where Hannibal sat, settling behind the older man with his legs bent, straddling Hannibal's hips closely, his chest to the older man's back. He squeezed his thighs lightly against the older man as he slipped his arms around Hannibal's torso, leaving a moist kiss against the skin of his neck and pressing closer before speaking softly,
"Are you doing okay?" he asked, inhaling the scent of Hannibal's cologne, his aftershave, his shampoo, everything that was distinctly Hannibal, filtering into Will's senses and inciting another spike of arousal..
"Certainly…" Hannibal responded in a low tone, letting his second shoe drop to the floor before leaning back into Will's hold, "…and you?"
Will kissed his neck again, slid his hands up first over Hannibal's chest and then down, lower, to caress them over the tops and then between the older man's thighs, muscle firm beneath the soft material of his expensive pants. He kissed Hannibal's earlobe next and then scraped his teeth over the soft flesh, bringing his hands to Hannibal's crotch, to his belt buckle, which he slowly started to undo,
"I'm horny." he said with a light rasp as he pressed his hips forward, lightly grinding his clothed semi-erection against the older man's lower back.
"I'm aware." Hannibal said with a smirk, his tone plainly affected, his voice rougher.
Will removed the pin from the leather belt and slid the strap through the buckle slowly,
"It's our engagement night, Hannibal, there should be sex, shouldn't there?" he spoke against Hannibal's ear, moving his fingers to the fastenings of the older man's pants, "Like…on principle or something." he licked his tongue shallowly into Hannibal's ear then, hyperaware of how much harder he was already and also of how much his ass still hurt, but regardless, he wanted Hannibal.
Hannibal hummed, sounding more contemplative than agreeable, and that was not a good sign. So Will drew the older man's zipper down and slid his hand into the folds of his pants and underneath the waistband of his briefs, to where his semi-hard cock was quickly filling out. And Will felt another rush of arousal pool in his groin as he took Hannibal's sizable length in his hand and he felt it throb, flesh hot and getting thicker under his touch.
He knew Hannibal would need a little push, some convincing to get over his hang up about hurting him, so withdrawing his hand again quickly, Will licked at his palm twice so it was a little wet and then slid his hand back inside Hannibal's pants and underwear immediately...
THIS SCENE HAS BEEN REMOVED , IT CONTAINS PARTIAL EMOTIONAL PLOT AND NC17 CONTENT, PLEASE VIEW ON AO3 UPLOAD.
...and he didn't doubt Hannibal was satisfied, since the older man had confessed a long time ago that he enjoyed giving Will oral sex of every kind, so, yeah, they'd both definitely enjoyed it.
Hannibal made a rumbling sound in his chest that was about as close as a person could possibly get to purring and it made Will shiver with delight. He slid his hands into Hannibal's messy hair then and tugged the older man's head up so that they were level, and the second their mouths came together, the subsequent kiss was hot and wet and uncoordinated, full of tongue and heavy breathing and feeling, making both of them feel pleasurably dazed.
After some time, Hannibal hummed huskily and left off from the kiss to nuzzle against Will's face and neck and hair, as if he were a big cat loving up on some potent catnip, and it was absolutely seductive and fantastic and Will melted into it, clinging to Hannibal with his arms around the man's back and naked legs bracketing his hips, Will mouthing kisses over Hannibal's neck, his ear and the older man's mouth when he managed to meet it.
They were both smiling against one another's lips when Hannibal spoke,
"I'm going to draw us a bath, would you like me to fetch champagne before?" he asked softly, and Will was made even happier by just the offer of engagement night romance, but the idea of Hannibal leaving his immediate space right then was unacceptable, so,
"No…no champagne…just the bath." he kissed Hannibal's mouth, sucked on his lower lip, smiled some more and then they spent a little more time engrossed in languid, deep kissing before they eventually drew apart again, Hannibal getting up and off the bed first and stripping his clothes off, before taking Will's hand and pulling him up as well.
They made their way into the en-suite then, Hannibal getting the water running in the corner drop-in bathtub as Will went to the toilet and relieved himself. When he was done, he joined Hannibal where the man stood at the basin gargling mouthwash and Will washed his hands before rinsing his mouth out as well.
The running water was switched off soon after and Hannibal stepped into the tub and settled down first, Will following after and hissing softly as he slipped into the nearly-too-hot water.
He'd only just sat down between Hannibal's legs, his back facing the older man, when Hannibal's hot, wet hands smoothed up over his back either side of his spine and then settled into a massaging motion at his shoulders and neck.
"Aah…wow…" Will sighed, feeling previously unnoticed tension easing away in increments from his muscles, "…I had no idea I was so tense." he mumbled, leaning back into Hannibal's skilled hands. The older man rubbed his neck, shoulders and back for a while longer until eventually his hands just started to wonder over the smooth planes of Will's skin.
When Hannibal's arms finally slipped around his waist, slowly easing him back to lean against the older man's chest, Will felt completely relaxed and impossibly content. The water was deep enough that it lapped at his collar bone as he settled back against the older man's body and stretched his legs out as much as he could, lying with his head rested in the center of Hannibal's chest.
Will stretched his arms out with a sleepy sigh as he got comfortable, placing his forearms on Hannibal's bent knees either side of him, his hand's hanging limply as water dripped from his fingertips…
…and he noticed that his engagement ring appeared shiny with the many diamonds and clinging moisture, glinting softly under the bathroom's bright LED lighting.
Hannibal noticed it too, and he raised his equally wet hand to slide it over Will's wrist and then into his hand until Hannibal's fingers were splaying Will's own and the older man was observing the ring,
"Does it fit properly?" Hannibal asked quietly into his hair.
Will was looking at the ring and he smiled, stretching his fingers over Hannibal's just that much more,
"Perfectly." he said quietly.
"And do you like it?" Will felt Hannibal press a light kiss to the top of his head.
"Yes, I do." he answered sincerely, tilting his head back and to the side slightly to look at Hannibal before he pushed himself up and turned his upper body just enough so that he could kiss the older man.
Hannibal took the sweet kiss as an invitation to lick his way passed Will's lips, tasting the back of his mouth a few times before Hannibal drew back. And with a content, kiss-dazed smile on his face, Will turned around again and rested back against Hannibal with his back to the older man's chest and his head on Hannibal's shoulder.
They sat in steamy silence for a while, the mist of heat swirling around them, shifting lightly when affected by their breaths and every little movement of their bodies. Hannibal was running his hot, damp hands through Will's hair, wetting his curls gradually and Will was so relaxed that he'd almost dozed off when Hannibal asked,
"Would you like to have a wedding?" against the shell of his ear.
Will inhaled sleepily and frowned,
"I don't know…" he said softly, not having had any time to think about it, he'd been so focused on the getting engaged part that he hadn't considered much else. But it was something he intended to give proper thought to. Being that as it was, the decision wasn't his alone, "…what about you?"
Hannibal hummed softly as he kissed Will's ear and jawline, his neck, ran his hands through messy curls, constantly kissing and touching and nuzzling. Hannibal was being so much more tactile than usual and it was making Will feel dizzy with affection. The older man sniffed idly then,
"I'll be fine with whatever you choose." he answered distractedly, and Will wanted to insist, but then he figured maybe Hannibal really didn't mind leaving it up to him. Still,
"Are you sure?" he just wanted to double check.
"Absolutely." he sounded sure.
Will smiled, turning his head to the side and kissing Hannibal's jawline as the older man trailed a hand down his chest and abdomen. Will arched lightly into the touch and he hummed softly when Hannibal teasingly caressed his mildly firm penis.
The touch was not meant to be sexually rousing, it was just intended to be pleasant and intimate. Much the same as it was for Hannibal when Will pressed back against him lightly, trapping the older man's sex between them so that it rubbed against the skin of Will's lower back sensually. The closeness between them was usually quite heady, but it was even more so right then, everything felt heightened.
Will was still smiling as a thought occurred to him,
"So if I wanted the whole shebang, with like…" he vaguely gestured with the wet fingers of his right hand, "…fancy invitations, lots of guests, flower arrangements," and slid his left hand fingers easily between Hannibal's, "you and I wearing complimenting suits…reciting vows that we'd written, driving away after the ceremony in a car with 'Just Married' tagged on the back window." he laughed softly at his own words and absently licked steamed moisture from his lips, "We'd have the first dance at the reception, and we'd have a six course meal served and a five tier cake…that you'd probably plan out and prepare yourself, because well, you're you…" he trailed off and then still grinning, he raised an eyebrow, "…all that?"
Without missing a beat and with a smile in his voice, Hannibal said,
"Anything." in an amused tone, his lips brushing against Will's ear.
Will snorted,
"No way."
"Way."
He couldn't help laughing at hearing Hannibal respond that way, his smile bright and his skin tinted pink in places from the heat of the water and a faint blush of happiness,
"You're unbelievable." he mumbled out, trying to control his grin.
"But you do believe me…don't you?" Hannibal asked seductively, and Will melted just a little more, his stomach feeling as though a kaleidoscope of butterflies were fluttering around enthusiastically,
"…yeah, I believe you." he answered quietly and pressed back against the older man, finding Hannibal's other hand with his own and easily linking their fingers there as well, "It's a good thing I don't want any of that." he added with a smirk. Hannibal chuckled,
"Yes, it most certainly is."
Will laughed quietly at the expected response as he absently shifted a naked leg against Hannibal's,
"If we do…uh, have a wedding I mean, it should be small, private." he said honestly, because he'd prefer a small affair if they did have something. Hannibal kissed his neck and brushed his nose against the skin he'd kissed, and Will took that as his wordless agreement.
A few moments of silence passed before Will's thoughts of their future prospects eventually drifted to the issue of Morgan, and so he picked up from where their conversation had left off earlier that evening,
"It depends though…" he mumbled quietly, but the words sounded loud in the large bathroom.
"On what?" Hannibal had unlinked one pair of their hands so that he could run his fingers through Will's hair again.
Will swallowed lightly, enjoying the sensation as he spoke,
"What would happen if we…adopted Morgan?" he posed a question in place of an answer, using the word adopted because itseemed like the nicest way of putting it.
Hannibal took a quiet breath, his tone also turning serious,
"Well, we could not return to Spain right away if we choose to do that, because we will need time with him." and Will knew Hannibal meant 'time to alter his mental state', to make him theirs, and he nodded to let the older man know he should go on. "I will have all the necessary papers forged, which will include a false identity and background for him as well as documents stating that he is our legally adopted son. And once we have those documents, we will leave for anywhere you'd like to go." Hannibal paused and lightly scraped his nails over Will's scalp, parting temporary lines in his dark hair, "You mentioned Argentina before, we could go there for a while…and once everything is in order, we will return home to Spain with Morgan." he sounded so sure, so confident it would all go off without a hitch.
Will wet his lips and pursed them, frowning lightly when he asked,
"What about our house?"
"Chiyoh will look after it," again, the older man didn't miss a beat, "as she shall Remy and Heller. She has already told me that she wouldn't mind living in Spain for a while." he explained. And it was news to Will, but then, Hannibal and Chiyoh had had plenty of time to talk while he'd been asleep all day.
Will took in a quiet breath and raised his eyebrows slightly,
"So, we'd live in Argentina, or wherever, for however long it'll take you to…" he paused to consider his next words, "…until you've had enough time with Morgan, and then we'd return home to Spain and carry on with our lives? Get married…raise a son?" he asked quietly, the whole thing sounding surreal.
Will had no idea when his life had become so bizarrely perfect.
Hannibal shifted their position slightly then, bringing his arms up around Will's shoulders, and Will closed his eyes as he relaxed back into the older man's hold, listening as Hannibal responded,
"Assuming nothing ever comes up pertaining to the Verger's disappearance, and that we do not ever need to go into hiding at any time," because that was always a possibility, "then yes, that is precisely what would happen." he affirmed, "And if you'd like, Will, we could always get married in Argentina?" the inflection in Hannibal's tone suggested it was a question.
And Will was shaking his head before he'd even realized it,
"No, we'll wait…I want to wait until we can get married at home." and home felt like Spain to him; their house in the city they'd chosen, their dogs, their beautiful view of the ocean.
"Then we'll wait." Hannibal agreed easily.
Will sighed as he nodded lightly, feeling appeased by everything Hannibal had told him, his concerns for the moment all melting away as he absently considered leaning forward and running more hot water. And he'd just decided that he was far too comfortable to move when Hannibal asked,
"Does that mean you've made a decision?"
Will's thoughts quickly returned to the point of their discussion and he blinked a few times as he considered his final answer. In his mind's eye he pictured Morgan, fast asleep as he'd been on the sofa earlier, innocent and orphaned. He then thought of Margot's last words to him and saw fleeting images of Margot and Alana's grave, then of himself teaching Morgan to fish, of Hannibal having carried the boy to bed with natural fatherly ease, of the words 'aš tave myliu' and of Hannibal proposing to him with love and adoration on his handsome face…
"Yes…" Will answered quietly, "…yes, Hannibal, I would like us to raise Morgan together." and after voicing his decision, he immediately felt emotion well up inside him over the fact that he would actually have a family in the future, a real one, one in which he would really be himself and not have to fake anything.
"Then we shall." Hannibal said in a tone that was nothing short of 'your wish is my command' and Will's head spun for a second at how much power and influence that tone implied he had over the dangerous man holding him. His pulse quickened as he was rushed with so many emotions all at once, not just his own, but Hannibal's as well as the man had briefly let his guard down when he'd said those words, and it was more than a little overwhelming.
Will felt too hot and a little high and Hannibal's naked skin against his own, Hannibal being so close right then, and hopefully always…it meant everything to him.
In an attempt to calm his racing heart and mind, Will forced himself to ignore his empathy as much as he could as he tried to think of something else to talk about. And like a reminder on his phone, a little blip went up in his mind with a note about Bedelia contained in it.
"Hey…" he frowned as he turned his head and looked at the side of Hannibal's face, "…you still haven't told me what you did with Bedelia's body."
Hannibal smirked, all sexy and mysterious and Will almost rolled his eyes,
"I do believe my question is more important."
And that caught Will off guard, making him frown,
"What question?" he asked confused, because Hannibal hadn't asked him anything.
The older man leaned forward then, and Will moved with him, the water shifting noisily around their bodies. Hannibal retrieved a bottle of shampoo from the corner edge of the tub and only after he'd poured a dollop of it into his palm, gathered water in his other and was massaging the soapy mixture into Will's damp hair, did he speak again,
"I wanted to know how long it was that you knew." he cupped some more water in his hand and massaged it into Will's hair, building up a thick lather, the foam thickening in his curls.
Enjoying the sensation of Hannibal washing his hair, Will distractedly asked,
"Knew what?"
Hannibal splayed his long fingers in Will's hair then, tilting Will's head back and to the side so that he could kiss the displayed wet and pale column of his neck before speaking with warm minty breath against damp skin,
"How long did you know about the engagement ring?"
Will's half lidded eyes widened as he tensed up, slowly turning his head to look at Hannibal, his green-blue meeting amused auburn closely, their lips inches apart. Will opened his mouth to deny it, but as Hannibal's fingers slipped from his hair and trailed silken with soap down his back in a tender caress, he felt compelled to just be honest,
"Not very long…a little over a week…" he said with a hint of an apology in his tone, lowering his eyes briefly.
"I see." Hannibal said softly, his expression mostly unreadable.
Will swallowed lightly, feeling guiltier as he asked,
"Did I ruin the surprise…because I didn't mean to find it…" he sighed shortly, "…are you disappointed?"
Hannibal smiled then, in that handsome, devilish way of his,
"Certainly not, in fact…I feel rather enlightened as to why you were behaving so strangely in Costa del Sol." he explained. Will felt like an idiot at remembering the trip and he huffed out a laugh and bobbed his eyebrows,
"Yeah…sorry about that too. I was kind of…uh, freaking out…"
"Hm…" Hannibal really didn't sound bothered by it, didn't look it either, and Will felt relieved. Licking his lips then, Will leaned in for a kiss, but before their mouths even touched he drew back and frowned,
"How did you know I knew about the ring?"
Hannibal continued to smile as he leaned forward and followed through on Will's aborted kiss, sealing their lips together sweetly for a few moist, warm seconds before the older man drew back and answered,
"The box."
Will blinked lazily, sort of just wanting to carry on kissing but also wanting to know,
"The ring box…?" Hannibal kissed his lips again in answer and Will half smiled in confusion, remembering that he'd wiped his fingerprints off of it, "How?"
Hannibal's hands were still trailing over his back and sides, making patterns with the soap,
"It smelled of caramel, peanuts, nougat and chocolate…" he answered, and when Will quickly and guilty glanced away, Hannibal grinned, "…I believe it's called a Snickers bar."
They fell quiet then and Hannibal, unperturbed, started to kiss his shoulder again, the older man's fingers continuing to trail and glide ticklishly over his skin. And while Will considered apologizing, he knew it really wasn't necessary because Hannibal wasn't upset. So instead of making it more of a serious issue that it was, he just owned what he'd done in the best way he could.
Will smirked then and brought his hand up to slide over the side of Hannibal's face and up into his smooth, damp hair as he slowly turned around in the older man's arms, their skin sliding together as he moved his body closer under the water. He hiked his eyebrow up cheekily when he spoke,
"Well, I guess in future I'll just have to hide my candy somewhere else…" he said unapologetically.
And Hannibal's only response was to grin even wider, all sharp teeth and mischief, and Will was perfectly content to press him back bodily as he leaned in to meet that smile with his own.
It took two weeks and three days for Hannibal to arrange all of the necessary documents for Morgan.
And within twenty four hours of having those papers, Hannibal, Will and Morgan left for Argentina.
Did I make up for all the angst and stress in the last chapter?
