A/N: This chapter has been censored as future chapters will be in order to adhere to FF dot nets content rules. For the uncensored version (inclusive of images) you can visit my AO3 account.

"A multitude of small delights constitute happiness."
― Charles Baudelaire

Tuesday – 13 Sep 2022 – 6.05 PM

By five past six, Will had completed the cooking, fed the dogs, taken a shower and brushed the sugar and toffee thoroughly from his mouth. He'd forced himself not to go down to the cellar to take one last look at the ring for the night, because he needed to leave it alone and let it happen when it happened, and instead he spent the remaining time setting two places at the small dining table in the kitchen, because he and Hannibal only ever ate at the main table with guests.

He was barefoot, wearing a comfortable dark gray loose linen pants with a white T shirt, his dark curls were mostly dry and sort of neat after he'd haphazardly run a comb through his hair to get rid of any knots after he'd showered.

Remy and Heller were asleep in the den near the back of the house, it was a room that was pretty much designated for them since he and Hannibal never used it. The rest of the house was quiet, save for the CD Will had set to play earlier in the living room, and the classical music filtered at a nice volume and with crisp clarity throughout the house because of the open layout and high ceilings.

He was enjoying the Mendelssohn's, Violin Concerto in E minor op.64 that was currently playing, having become very familiar and rather fond of Hannibal's taste in music. Will never really cared for music when he'd been alone and so he hadn't had any particular taste himself, aside from the music he'd listened to as a teenager, which wasn't something he found himself interested in anymore.

Will had just placed two wine glasses on the island counter when he heard the front door open and close. His heart rate went up a few beats and his stomach flipped over, which was unexpected since that was something that didn't happen any other time when Hannibal came home. But Will knew it was just because he was subconsciously excited about the engagement ring and it was messing with his composure.

He took a quick, deep breath and stepped from the counter to the fridge, opening it and retrieving the wine he'd put in there earlier. He could hear Hannibal's leather oxfords on the wooden floors and as he shut the fridge and turned around, Hannibal had just walked into the kitchen. He was dressed in beige and black, a formal pants and fine cotton button down shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves and undone at the collar. He'd been wearing the beige suit jacket when he'd left that morning and Will assumed it was probably hung in the foyer closet because Hannibal was sans the jacket.

His mouth curved into an affectionate smile the moment he saw Will,

"Evening, Will." And while he'd never kicked the habit of addressing Will with formal words, because that was just his way of speaking, there were nuances in his expression and in his timber that had over time become warmer and smoother and softer, so even as he said it that way, Will recognized tender sentiment in it.

He'd changed Hannibal just as much as Hannibal had changed him in the end.

"Hey." Will greeted with equal warmth in his voice and a lover's smile, he had long since lost interest in formalities.

He'd stopped being formal with Hannibal not long before he and Hannibal had kissed for the first time.

They'd been sharing a hotel suit –with separate bedrooms- in Portugal just three months after leaving the States, it had been a stop on their way to Spain, and Will had been aware the entire time through their dinner and wine out on the balcony that Hannibal had been watching him with an intensity that went beyond the usual kind and that he'd been behaving differently too. Hannibal had always been urbane, but that night he'd seemed intentionally suave with regards to Will, so cleverly and with such finesse, he'd laced flirtatious jest into their conversations along with subtly evocative looks. He'd also been watching Will's mouth rather obviously as they talked, especially when Will would genuinely smile at him –a rare sight, Hannibal had pointed out- and the older man had been giving off all the telling vibes of that particular type of interest. Will could not have missed the hints if he'd tried.

His choices had been to clam up, all guards raised, or to accept what Hannibal was putting out there.

It was a choice he'd had to make that would define their relationship going forward. He'd had to answer the unspoken question from Hannibal of; Are we to remain platonic or can there be more between us?

So Will had made his choice, and after they'd had dessert that night, he'd been the one to stand closer than necessary to Hannibal while they'd been looking out over the balcony at the view of the city. Will had purposely given Hannibal the in he'd been waiting for by using body language - smiling in a slightly arch way, wetting his lips, making lingering eye contact, slowly rubbing his neck and his shoulder beneath his shirt, running a hand through his hair, leaning his back against the balcony balustrade, his front stretched and relaxed- and all the while returning the glances to Hannibal's mouth as they spoke and keeping his tone lower and more personal.

Will was no Casanova, but he knew well enough how to drop hints that he was interested, and it hadn't even been about being straight or gay in that moment, it had purely been about whether he would be completely with Hannibal or not from then on, it had been about being as close as possible. And Hannibal had noticed the change in Will almost immediately, having only managed to restrain himself for all of a minute before he'd seized the given opportunity by pressing Will up against the balustrade, trapped in the bracket of his arms and kissed him, Frenched him actually, without any preliminaries whatsoever. And a few minutes thereafter, Will had come away short on breath and flushed, with swollen lips and the taste of Hannibal on his tongue and at the back of his mouth…and he'd smiled.

Presently Will was smiling at Hannibal as the older man walked up to him and gave him light lip to lip kisses, the usual two or three firm pecks of their lips to say hello, sometimes with a hint of tongue and other times not.

But this time, when Hannibal drew back, Will placed his hand on Hannibal's side and curled his fingers into the older man's shirt to keep him near so he could get another kiss, a deeper kiss. Hannibal's smile widened a fraction as he kissed Will again, one slow press of lips before Will parted his mouth and Hannibal licked his way inside, his arms coming up so one was around Will's shoulders and the other was holding the side of Will's neck, his thumb caressing the underside of Will's upturned jaw.

Will placed his arm around Hannibal's waist as he absently reached out and set the wine bottle down on the island counter beside them, his fingers brushing down the bottle and catching on the counter edge to make sure it wouldn't fall before he wrapped his other now available arm around Hannibal as well. He pressed into the kiss, tilting his head and sliding his tongue against Hannibal's.

They kissed for a long minute, filling their immediate space with the soft wet sounds of it and their breathing, the falsetto notes of the violin music filling the rest of the space and they only separated when Heller and Remy came trotting in, rubbing up against their legs in greeting to Hannibal and leaving fur on the older man's expensive tailored pants. Hannibal glanced down at them with a fond sigh and Will watched him with a small smile and tingling lips, his eyes tracking over Hannibal's side profile until the older man looked at him again and gave him a few more lingering pecks on his lips before turning his attention to the wine bottle on the counter.

He slid one hand down Will's arm before he picked the bottle up, his other hand he moved from the side of Will's neck and placed it on Will's waist,

"Your favorite wine," he commented as he read the label and Will immediately thought of the new bottle of wine in cellar and kept his calm. Hannibal looked at him again, smiling, "and dinner smells delicious." He observed, looking over Will's face with tender appreciation as the music went silent for a moment,

"Seared beef with smoked tomato drizzle, it's the first simple thing I found that I could make quickly and relatively easy amongst your collection of recipes." Will explained, enjoying the scent of Hannibal's day worn skin mingling with his cologne as well as the firm line of his body where it was pressed against Will's.

"Is there an occasion?" Hannibal asked, looking vaguely amused and all Will could think was; engagement dinner.

He raised his eyebrows briefly as the music started up again –Will recognized Mozart- and then he frowned and shook his head to Hannibal's question,

"Ah, no…no occasion…" he was starting to blush, didn't manage to stop thinking about Hannibal proposing to him, "…just, you were going to be late, so I…made dinner, I've done that before." He pointed out, leaning in and kissing Hannibal's jaw, feeling the first bristles of his stubble for the day, smelling his aftershave, aware of Hannibal's hand sliding around to his lower back.

Will closed his eyes as his chest ached with the thrum of emotions building there and he again remembered Isa's words to him, Estás tan enamorado. He hadn't understood it then but he did now. She'd said to him: You are so in love. And it was so, so, true. He was so very in love with Hannibal Lecter.

And he was more than ready to say yes to a proposal.

"While that is true, usually you err more on the side of simple cooking and not gourmet." Hannibal pointed out as he placed the wine bottle back on the counter and dipped his head to catch Will's lips in another short but open mouthed kiss before he brushed their noses together, making Will's stomach feel as if gravity no longer occupied the space there as Hannibal spoke against his lips, "So if you'll forgive my curiosity." He added with a touch of husk to his tone.

Will swallowed thickly, sliding his hands over Hannibal's flanks in a caress, and he was blushing –that damn fucking engagement ring was making him hormonal- as he smiled against Hannibal's mouth and answered,

"I guess…because I, I love you…so I just felt like it." He said softly, his voice just about carrying under the sound of piano keys, and there was a light tremor in his voice that he couldn't disguise when he was being so completely honest with Hannibal.

Will used the words I love you often enough, and he was comfortable with how deeply he meant it whenever he said it and while Hannibal had never said those words back, Will was strangely comfortable with that too.

"Of all the possible reasons, that will always be my favorite." Hannibal responded quietly and after a moment of looking intently into Will's face with clear affection, Hannibal gave him one last slow kiss and then he parted from Will and picked the wine bottle up again before walking over to the drawer where he'd find a cork screw, "I'm eager to taste what you've prepared, you've learned a great deal in the time we've been cooking together." He was saying as started to uncork the wine.

Will had to take a steadying breath, feeling all over the place mentally and emotionally after his discovery that afternoon and from Hannibal's kisses just then. He busied himself with picking up the empty wine glasses and carrying them over to the table, setting them beside the two set places opposite one another.

Hannibal came around to the table and poured the wine while Will retrieved the food, bringing the dishes to the table and setting them down,

"My presentation is sorely lacking, just so you know." he pointed out as he took a seat opposite Hannibal's just a moment before Hannibal sat down as well.

"The accurate and knowledgeable preparation of a meal is accountable for its taste and quality, the presentation is simply a choice to embellish." Hannibal spoke as he placed his napkin over his lap, Will doing likewise.

Will reached for his glass and sipped his wine first, licking his lips afterward and watching as Hannibal used his knife and fork to bring a few slices of the finely sliced meat from the ceramic dish between them, onto his plate.

Will waited as Hannibal added some of the cucumber and olive salad that Will had made in the time he'd had to spare, to his plate before he drizzled some of the sauce over the meat and finally cut into it. He knew Will was waiting to hear his opinion, and Hannibal waited until he'd properly tasted the meat after a few chews before he smiled at Will and nodded,

"As delicious as it smells." He complimented as he cut another piece, swallowing his mouthful.

Will's lips twitched into a grateful smile as he brought meat and salad onto his own plate,

"Just as long as it's edible." he joked.

"Entirely." Hannibal reassured, "You've done an excellent job of taking such a tasteless and foul young specimen and making her into something one is able to stomach." He smirked, picking up his wine and sipping from it.

Will laughed and raised his eyebrows,

"As did you, especially when you made that sweet pomegranate meat dish," Will chewed on a bite of the meat, finding it did taste good, "that was amazing." He finished.

Hannibal inclined his head in thanks to the compliment, smiling as he chewed.

And for a few minutes they ate in silence, the music changing again and maintaining a soothing atmosphere.

Remy trotted by the kitchen area after a while and distracted Will from watching Hannibal's mouth and hands as they ate, which made him realize the older man was almost done with his food and he remembered,

"I didn't make dessert, so if you're alright with slumming it," he smirked against the rim of his wine glass, "we can just eat some ordinary vanilla ice cream out of ordinary bowls." It was expensive ice cream, but plain ice cream nevertheless.

Hannibal nodded with a smirk,

"Perhaps." He said before crunching on some of the salad.

Will found himself wondering if Hannibal wasn't all that hungry, since he usually ate more than just once helping of dinner, and it reminded him of Hannibal coming home late,

"So, what was your social call about?" Will leaned back in his chair holding his wine glass, watching Hannibal and absently pondering how much better it'd be to call him his husband and not his romantic partner or lover or boyfriend. Ugh. That last one was the worst by far, it sounded so cheap, so understated.

Hannibal swirled his wine lightly and then sipped it,

"Juan introduced me to a new colleague of his. A fellow doctor he is planning to go into business with. We had a drink at La Bahía and discussed their prospects."

Will recognized the restaurant Hannibal mentioned, it was on the beachfront not far from where he worked,

"Juan's starting his own practice?"

Hannibal nodded,

"It's something he's wanted to do for a while, I'm certain he'll be quite successful." He sipped his wine again as he stared outside through the large windows at the side gardens of the house, a thoughtful expression on his face. The sun was no longer visible but the sky was tinged purple-orange hues.

Will thought he knew what Hannibal was thinking about,

"Do you miss having your own practice?" he fingered the stem of his glass as he set it down on the table, watching the older man. Hannibal's eyes slid to him and a slight smile settled on his face,

"I had thought I did," he paused for a moment before he reached across the table for Will's hand, curling his fingers under Will's and leaning forward as he brought Will's knuckles to his lips and pressed a kiss there, looking at Will, "but then I consider all that I have now and I find I'm too content to miss anything from my prior life." He said quietly, stroking his thumb over Will's fingers.

It was Will's left hand that he held and while Hannibal didn't place any emphasis on Will's ring finger, it was all Will could focus on with Hannibal holding his hand that way and saying words like that. His brain was firing off feelings and thoughts rapidly, his heart racing all over again, he was nervous, thinking maybe the proposal would happen right then, or later that night, or the next night.

"Are you alright, Will?" Hannibal frowned, sliding his fingers to Will's wrist to check his pulse with a light grip, "Do you feel unwell?" he asked evenly.

Will blinked a few times and ran his other hand back through his hair as he extracted his wrist from Hannibal's warm hand as casually as he could,

"I'm fine, why…why wouldn't I be?" he shook his head, telling himself for the umpteenth time to get his shit together.

Hannibal sat back, a slight crease in his brow as he considered Will with mild concern,

"Your heart rate has been elevated several times since I've arrived home and you're also florid in your neck and face presently." Hannibal pointed out and Will knew he just became even more florid by having his floridity pointed out. "I had first suspected you were simply feeling amative, since I was able to smell your arousal since before you kissed me," Will closed his eyes and rubbed a hand over his bright red face, "but I can also detect anxiety, so I'm not so sure I understand how you're feeling at this moment."

Will wondered what his anxiety smelled like to Hannibal. He knew his arousal smelled metallic and spicy to the older man, he'd asked that question before, but he didn't want to ask about his stress smells, he actually just wanted to stop acting so hormonal all together.

He sighed with a tilted smile,

"Well, I…don't feel unwell…" he picked his wine up and took a drink from it to stall, realizing he had to make up some excuse for being stressed and acting so weird, "…it's…maybe, maybe it's just because I had a long day, a few new students who I needed to go over the language basics with after my class, so it ran a half hour later than usual." He sipped more wine, shaking his head lightly, "And it's ridiculous because my job is not nearly as difficult as yours is, nor do I work for as many hours as you, so I shouldn't be complaining." He pointed out.

Hannibal had crossed his knife and fork to the side of plate, a sign that he was done eating and he wiped at his lips with his napkin before he spoke,

"I'd rather you tell me when something is bothering or upsetting you, no matter of how little consequence you think it is or whether you don't feel that it's important, Will, please." He paused and regarded his near empty wine glass, "And while my work is technically more complicated than what you do, let us not forget that I am not affected by my occupation, not mentally, physically or socially."

Right…because Hannibal was a psychopath and all.

Will smiled, a queer twisting of his lips as he regarded Hannibal,

"I guess it's a good thing," he inhaled quietly, "that I'm able to forget what you are sometimes," he added. It was a good thing, because it made Hannibal seem just a little more human when Will didn't think of him in terms of how many of his emotions were fabricated on a daily basis, but he wouldn't say all that, "I think it means we're close enough that it…just doesn't matter anymore, I don't ever really think about it." He said instead, lowering his eyes to the table.

Hannibal didn't comment on that, he just continued the conversation in a different direction,

"You've much experience dealing with students though, so I'm curious as to what about today would have stressed you out?" he enquired, and Will should have expected it.

He hadn't been lying though, he had had new students and his class had dragged on a bit, hence the reason he'd rushed around to buy his candy, but he hadn't been stressed about them, they'd been an inconvenience at worst.

Will figured it could work as an excuse though,

"They're young and curious…" he half rolled his eyes as he shook his head, " and I'm…Americano, guapo and soltero," he nearly choked on that last word because of the thought of that engagement ring, just waiting to be put on Will's finger so he would be decidedly not mistaken for single anymore. He bobbed his eyebrows and glanced outside at the darkening sky, "as far as they know at least." He finished his wine and shrugged, "So they ask too many personal questions and make assumptions and want to know where in the world I've travelled…" Will blinked, "…some of them flirt with me." He mumbled, unsure of why he'd said that last bit.

But he guessed maybe he was subconsciously trying to provoke Hannibal to do something about his assumed availability, letting Hannibal know there was interest. But he felt guilty and nauseous right after he'd said it because Will knew Hannibal probably had plenty of women –and men- too who'd be interested in him.

Far more than Will, surely.

And it wasn't a damn competition anyway.

Hannibal smiled, very slight, as he licked wine from his lips and pushed his chair back evenly, standing as gracefully as ever,

"Beautiful Spanish women flirting with you cannot be all that distressing, I'm sure." He sounded unaffected, amused even and Will didn't know whether to be relieved or irritated by that, "But I can see how their curiosity about you personally would be bothersome." He added, gathering dishes to clear the table.

Will wiped his mouth with his napkin as he watched Hannibal take his plate,

"I'm fine, I…deflect…casually, change the subject to their mispronunciations or properly used English words." He mumbled, his chest feeling sore, Will wished he'd hadn't mentioned the flirting.

Hannibal wouldn't understand why he was being so touchy in the first place and Will didn't want him to take anything said or mentioned the wrong way. It was just that damn ring…burning a hole in Will's brain.

"That is the best you can do," Hannibal said from where he stood at the sink, "in an informal setting such as your classes, catering to adults specifically, there are bound to be those who will attempt to be friendly and personable, it's unfortunate but unavoidable." He said reasonably, switching on the garbage disposal and rinsing the scraps off the plates.

The dogs wandered back into the kitchen then, looking restless even as the noise drowned out their soft whining. Their tails were wagging and they looked expectant, Will knew they wanted some play time with him and when Remy barked, Will pushed his chair out and stood up,

"Alright…" he smiled at them, a second bark making Hannibal glance over as he switched off the garbage disposal, "…no need to get fussy, let's go." Will stood up, petting the dogs and walking to the sliding glass doors in the kitchen. Will unlatched them before pushing them open and the pair of dogs darted outside onto the grass excitedly, immediately sniffing and running and beginning to play, barking and whining at Will to follow.

Hannibal had cleared the food from the plates and was loading the dishwasher, Will glanced at him, considering saying something, but then decided against it, choosing rather to go outside and spend some time with the dogs.

Tuesday – 13 Sep 2022 – 8.21 PM

Twenty minutes later Will went back inside the now silent house, the music no longer playing. The dogs were still enjoying the cool evening weather so he left the kitchen doors open and headed inside by himself. He was also enjoying the breeze that moved through the house from outside, cooling his warm skin and ruffling his hair.

The cross breeze he was feeling meant that Hannibal had opened another set of doors somewhere in the house and after making a detour into the downstairs bathroom to urinate and wash his hands, Will went in search of the older man. He assumed Hannibal would be in the main living room at the front of the house and he was right. Will walked in and his eyes fell on Hannibal, who was sitting in his usual seat on the low white leather sectional sofa, facing the large sliding glass door.

He had his tablet out and was leaning back with his legs crossed, probably checking emails or reading foreign news, as was the norm for him after dinner most days. Will's norm was that he would usually sit on the other length of the sofa nearer to the sliding door, where'd he be facing the flat screen TV, and he'd switch it on and watch the news or whatever else he found interesting.

They had something of a routine, and it was comfortable and domestic and Will liked it.

Will walked across the living room, taking a step up into the contemporary home bar built into the back. Will browsed the right wall shelf and picked up the open bottle of Lagavulin scotch whiskey he favored, proceeding to pour two shots into a pair of tumblers, one a double shot for himself, and for Hannibal, only a single.

He sealed the bottle and placed it back on the wall shelf, picking up the glasses and walking over to Hannibal, who glanced up when Will rounded the sofa before reaching out to take the proffered glass,

"Thank you." He said distractedly, his eyes sliding back to whatever he was reading.

Will took a few steps to his usual spot on the other end of the couch, picking the remote up from the black reflective coffee table and switching on the TV before sitting down and starting to flick through the channels.

They sat that way for a long while, Hannibal finishing his drink before Will and setting his glass down on the table between then, returning to his reading and occasionally tapping at the screen. Will wasn't really watching the television, his focus was more on Hannibal.

Hannibal had been right about Will feeling 'amative', although Will opted to call himself horny rather. The engagement ring had set his libido rolling and it hadn't settled yet, so Will was having trouble focusing on anything besides the older man. He kept glancing over, having long since developed a proper physical attraction to Hannibal, he'd come to appreciate Hannibal's long lean muscled body, his slender sinewy hands, the line of his broad shoulders and the exotic sharpness of his facial features.

The cool air moving through the room did nothing to appease the heat on his skin and Will eventually just gave up on trying to quell his hormones. That fucking ring and its implication had turned him all the way on and he needed to do something about at least that, if he could do nothing else.

So he stood up and set his glass down on the table, crossing the short distance and coming to stand in front of the older man, bumping Hannibal's knee with his own.

Will didn't want to be rude and just take Hannibal's tablet from him, so he gave some forewarning,

"Remember how you pointed out earlier that I'm horny…" he smiled down at Hannibal, who looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and a slowly broadening smile. Will reached for the tablet as Hannibal uncrossed his legs and Will closed the leather cover over the screen before he set it down next to them on the sofa.

With that out of the way, Will climbed onto the couch with his legs astride Hannibal's lap, bent at the knees and his thighs pressed against either side of the older man legs and he leaned in with his hands on Hannibal's shoulders, kissing him soundly, lips first before Will opened his mouth to Hannibal's tongue.

Hannibal smiled into the kiss, no objections whatsoever to being interrupted as he slid his tongue against Will's, their mouths opening and closing against one another's as they kissed slowly and deeply. Will wrapped his arms around Hannibal's neck, leaning his forearms on the low back of the sofa as he got comfortable. Hannibal's hands firmly caressed over Will's thighs, sliding up to his waist before moving underneath Will's shirt and caressing his back and sides, skin to skin.

Will inhaled deeply and then sighed into Hannibal's mouth, feeling contented as he brought one of his hands to slide down over Hannibal's chest, feeling the buttons of the shirt and the firmness of Hannibal's upper body before going lower and pressing his hand against the older man's crotch, palming at Hannibal's stiffening cock through his pants.

Hannibal drew back from the kiss for a few seconds to suck and bite at Will's lips and jaw before sliding his tongue back into Will's mouth and moving his hands to settle on Will's ass, where he squeezed and Will rolled his hips down and forward in an abrupt grind as a response. Will moaned as Hannibal continued to touch him and the older man kissed Will hungrily as his other hand slid up into Will's hair to pull him closer, tilting and angling his head so he could kiss Will that much deeper.

They kissed – or if you asked Will, he'd say made out- for a long while.

Hannibal eventually drew back and after placing a kiss to the corner of Will's open mouth, he licked his lips and wearing a slanting smiling he asked quietly,

"May I ask what has inspired your mood this evening?" the breeze caught and tousled their hair as the wind kicked up again outside. Will pressed another kiss to Hannibal's mouth, loving the fact that he could just sit around and make out with Hannibal Lecter - they didn't need to hurry, they could take all night if they wanted, they'd get to the sex eventually- and he hummed softly before he answered in a half truth,
"Earlier, while I was making dinner, I was thinking about the first dinner we had with Juan and Isa…" he kissed Hannibal again, swiping his tongue deeply into Hannibal's mouth just once, "…and I remembered what a hard time I had keeping my hands off you that night." He grinned as Hannibal left a trail of moist kisses along his jaw.

Their mouths came together again for a few long, wet kisses and when it ended again, Hannibal hummed softly and ran his hands down the tops of Will's thighs and then back up to settled on his waist again. Will noticed the moment when Hannibal's mind drifted, his gaze becoming distant and it was clear something was on his mind.

Will licked his kiss swollen lips and sat back on Hannibal's thighs, beginning to undo the buttons of Hannibal's shirt,

"What's wrong?" he asked as he popped open button after button.

Hannibal inhaled lightly and glanced at Will's busy hands before looking at his face again,

"You mentioning Juan and Isa has reminded me of something he said this afternoon."

Will undid the last two buttons and opened the flaps of Hannibal's shirt before pressing his hands to the older man's chest, running his palms over the silvery-brown hair there and up unto Hannibal's shoulders under the shirt,

"And?" he prompted when Hannibal didn't go on, just sat watching Will's face.

He raised an eyebrow and lightly clenched his fingers into Will's shirt when Will slid his hands down to unbuckle Hannibal's belt,

"And I wasn't sure I should bring it up."

"Well, you have now," Will left Hannibal's belt undone and placed his hands on his chest again, "so…?" he slid his hands up and massaged the front of Hannibal's shoulders.

Hannibal inhaled deeply and slid his hands back down over Will's thighs as he spoke,

"Juan, and Isa as well, have asked us to join them…" he lips quirked downward, "…on a…couples retreat."

Will paused with his hands on Hannibal's collarbone and he blinked,

"A…couples retreat." He repeated, except unlike Hannibal, who looked miffed, Will wanted to smile.

"Yes." Hannibal confirmed dully, "He's also invited his new colleague and her husband."

Will slid his hands down to Hannibal's abdomen as he absorbed the information and then he raised his eyebrows,

"So…three couples, on a couples retreat." Will was interested in hearing more, if only because it seemed like a place where something like a marriage proposal might ideally take place, "Where exactly…would this be?" because where was important. While they'd been presumed dead after a year of their bodies not turning up, it didn't mean they wouldn't be recognized in places frequented by people from North America and parts of Europe. As it was they wore dark sunglasses whenever they went out as a general precaution.

Hannibal noticed that Will didn't seem adverse to the idea, even if he was himself,

"Right here in Spain, a private resort in Costa del Sol."

Will smiled slightly then, leaning forward and placing his hands on either side of Hannibal's neck as he kissed the older man again. Slow kisses, light kisses, shallow kisses with hints of tongue and teeth, minutes ticking by before he drew back again and looked into Hannibal's half-mast gaze,

"Do you think it'd be safe?" he asked against Hannibal's mouth.

Hannibal sniffed idly, his lips more obviously downturned,

"Juan said it was to a private resort, a getaway just for friends…but I suspect…" he brought a hand up to caress the side of Will's neck, "…that he wants to ask me to go into business with them as well, and is hoping to use this retreat as a way for me to get to know this other doctor."

That sounded less ideal, but Will was still curious,

"Who is…she?" he remembered Hannibal's reference to her as being a female.

"Doctor Adoncia De Villafranca." Hannibal provided.

"Your opinion after meeting her?" Will cocked an eyebrow and slid a hand up into Hannibal's soft hair.

"She's young, naïve and obviously new to being wealthy." He trailed his thumb over Will's adams apple, "Married into money, her husband is a doctor as well, a heart surgeon. His name is Eurico and his last name, De Villafranca, has a rich and notable ancestry." He sounded unimpressed all the same.

Will could hear it plainly in Hannibal's tone that he wasn't interested in the couples retreat, even if Will surprisingly was. But he wouldn't force the issue, if Hannibal didn't want to go then they wouldn't go,

"Any interest in doing business with them?" he changed the subject.

Hannibal shrugged facially, brushing his fingers over the scar on Will's right cheek that was mostly hidden by his neatly kept beard,

"Not presently."

"But you could be persuaded by Juan…or, do you want to eat missus nouveau riche, was she stereotypically rude and vapid?" Will had both of his hands in Hannibal's hair now, feeling the fine strands between his fingers, giving up on the idea of going altogether.

Hannibal looked over his face and into his eyes, holding the side of Will's neck as he brought him closer for a kiss, short and sweet, before he asked,

"Would you like to go, Will?"

Will knew immediately that Hannibal was seriously asking and he instinctively wanted to answer honestly, so he decided to do just that, and he looked into Hannibal's face as he spoke,

"It…I, I haven't…" he huffed awkwardly, "…it would, I guess, be a new experience and it sounds like it might be…I don't, nice…somehow." He rolled his eyes at himself and sat back on Hannibal thighs again, sighing, "Couple friends and couples retreats and private resorts in beautiful places along the coast of Spain…those are ideas that never crossed my mind in my previous life. I'd never even…fantasized about it, it seemed impossible. But now," Will rubbed his hand over the side of his face and shook his head, feeling uncomfortable, because there was one word that came to mind, one word that reminded him of the ring and getting engaged, that kept going around in his head and he didn't know how Hannibal would take it, "now those things are possible, n-no, more than possible," he managed a frowning smile, "they're at my fingertips, Hannibal. And I'd never have thought I could be interested in any of it…" he swiped one hand lightly through the air.

"But you are…" Hannibal said quietly and after pause, Will sighed again and nodded unevenly,

"…but, I am." Will swallowed tensely and decided to just come out and say the words, "Also…it sounds, I guess…r-romantic." He laughed, a short incredulous sound, immediately after he said it and shook his head, "Jesus, how much am I turning you off right now?" he wiped his hand over his mouth, knowing he had to take the focus off what he'd just said because he was turning red in his face and Hannibal was just staring at him…

…so Will leaned in and kissed him.

He kept Hannibal's mouth occupied for a while with his tongue and his teeth and soft suckles to his lips, pressing himself forward and down as much as he could to rub their bodies together. Eventually Will slipped a hand between them to feel that Hannibal was still hard and he felt a little less like the nonsense he'd been spouting earlier might have affected anything between them.

In between their next few kisses Hannibal told Will he wanted to take a shower, asked if he'd mind joining him.

Will agreed, glad to, despite having showered already and shortly after that they made their way upstairs, the conversation about couples retreats and romance simply over.

Will didn't mind, because Hannibal Lecter was who he'd chosen and that was who he had…and who he loved.