"Prisoned in glass beneath my seals of red."
― Charles Baudelaire
Friday – 16 Sep 2022 – 10.12 PM
Everyone decided after dessert, which had been mulled wine poached pears with toasted almonds and one more glass of wine to end off a delicious meal, that they would all be turning in early with an agreement to take advantage in the morning, of the beautiful weather and the stunning pool.
Isa and Adoncia had offered to clear the table and load the dishwasher when everyone was done and Will had given Hannibal a look that said 'say fucking yes' to which the man had conceded, graciously thanking them instead of insisting he'd do it himself.
It was just after ten PM when Hannibal finished taking a shower and Will, who had gone before him, was lying in bed and waiting for him, shirtless and wearing a pair of pajama bottoms. He was lying partially leaning against the pillows and headboard, watching as Hannibal walked around the room naked as he usually did at home, dabbing his skin dry with a towel while allowing the air to do the rest as he went about brushing his teeth and urinating.
When Hannibal finally got into bed after pulling on a pair of dark red pajama pants, Will seriously considered sucking him off again, just because dark red colors always looked so good on him. But Hannibal was probably tired after spending those few hours cooking and they'd had a long day, so Will didn't want to start something that would more than likely end up as sex, he was already pretty sleepy himself anyway.
They did kiss though, just kissing. They almost always did before going to sleep and Will thought it was the most perfect fucking thing to do, because he'd never done it with Molly or anyone he'd been with briefly before, had never wanted to, not beyond a peck on the lips and a muttered goodnight. It had always been kiss, sex and sleep, but never, kiss, kiss some more and sleep.
But making out with Hannibal before bed made him feel content.
Presently, Hannibal's hands did drift beneath Will's pajamas -and underwear- a few times, and Will's did the same, but it was nothing inciting of sex, just pleasant intimate touches shared as they kissed with Hannibal lying halfway on top of Will, their legs entangled as much as their tongues were.
After a while Hannibal drew back and pressed moist kisses to Will's lips, sucking and nibbling and licking. His eyes were low-lidded and his one hand was buried in Will's hair, dark brown curls coiling around his long fingers. Will breathed softly through his parted lips as Hannibal tasted, teased and nipped at his mouth, puckering his reddened lips only when Hannibal's passed over them for a proper kiss. Otherwise, he was only too happy to lie there and just let Hannibal enjoy him however the older man pleased, because Will enjoyed it too.
When Hannibal started to kiss a trail down his neck, Will's partially hard cock twitched, and while he still didn't think they'd fuck, he'd be damned if kissing Hannibal never turned him on like they might anyway.
There was something carnal and provocative and empowering about having Hannibal's unholy and dangerous cannibal mouth, full of sharp flesh eating teeth, lavishing him with nothing but sweet attention, leaving empty threats in the wake of harmlessly scraping teeth which travelled over Will's vulnerable skin, skin that could be so easily torn into.
Will swallowed with a soft click, his Adams apple shifting under Hannibal's mouth and tongue as the man kissed widely over the front of his throat…and thinking of throats and the danger of Hannibal and his own racing pulse, Will remembered when he'd cut Bedelia's throat and then remembered what he'd wanted to ask Hannibal earlier,
"What did you do with Bedelia's body?" and yes, his words were spoken throatily, practically a moan, since he was downright turned on, even asking such a macabre question.
Hannibal nipped at the skin of his neck and pressed another kiss there, before speaking lowly,
"I'll tell you, if you'll first tell me why you called her a wounded bird…" his voice slipped into a whisper as he brought his lips to Will's and settled there, just about touching, their breaths mingling "…she looked so very angry and yet terrified when she heard those words from you." he sounded reverent, his voice thick with restrained desire as he brushed the backs of his knuckles over Will's temple.
Will grinned in his uniquely unhinged way,
"Oh, that…" he said with a little huff of laughter, his hands sliding through Hannibal's hair as he looked up into the man's dark eyes, "…well, as my substitute psychiatrist while you were…indisposed, Doctor Du Maurier asked me what my instinct would be if I came across a wounded bird lying in grass." he raised his eyebrows, looking sleepy as he arched his body up briefly to make firmer contact with Hannibal's, "I answered…that I'd want to help the bird, and she…" Will shrugged facially, "…she said she'd want to crush it." he wet his lips slowly, his tongue grazing Hannibal's lips as well, "And then, she suggested that the next time I had the instinct to help, I should consider crushing instead." he whispered with a grin.
And he laughed softly, light and genuine, when Hannibal grinned down at him in understanding, his smile all sharp teeth and handsome lines. Will settled his laughter after a moment, feigning being confused and disappointed, but still smiling just a bit when he added, "I was so sure she'd understand, because I was just; reacting to my primal rejection of her weakness." he said the last part with a glazed expression as he'd imitated her cadence and Hannibal chuckled quietly, amused. Will smirked then and moved his head on the pillow in a coy tilt, his dark curls shifting, "But I don't think she appreciated that I took her advice." he finished, his tone softly wicked as he raked his blunt nails lightly over Hannibal's scalp, smooth and damp silver-brown hair wisping through his fingers.
Hannibal returned his dark grin, looking very pleased,
"You are such a malevolent boy." he said in a purring tone and Will leaned up into the kiss that followed those words, a slow, wide mouthed sliding of their tongues. Hannibal sucked at Will's lips and on the tip of Will's tongue, bit at the corners of Will's mouth and licked over the edges of Will's teeth, pressed Will's head back into the soft pillow as he dragged his deep and shallow kisses from angle to angle against Will's pliant mouth, and in the wake, left wetness and tenderness and a satiated smile on Will's face.
When the mouth sex ended, Will hummed throatily, opened his drowsy eyes and kept smiling as he responded,
"Yeah, and she was a vindictive bitch, so…"
Hannibal looked at him intensely then, nuances of emotion seeping into the way he swallowed tightly and parted the seam of his lips just so, as if in silent wonderment, tracking his eyes over Will's face slowly as if memorizing him in great detail. It was a look that revealed just how deep his feelings for Will ran without him actually vocalizing them.
Lightly, Hannibal ran a thumb over his bottom lip, fanning his fingers out over Will's cheek, deeply engrossed as he thought about whatever it was Will inspired in his grotesquely beautiful mind, and Will just watched him too, silently basking in his resonant gaze.
Will couldn't help thinking that right then would be a perfect moment for a proposal, ring or no ring.
His gaze lowered to Hannibal's lips as he imagined the words 'marry me?' being whispered against his mouth…
…it didn't happen though. Instead, Hannibal leaned in and kissed him for many more long minutes, stopping only when Will was having trouble keeping his eyes open.
They finally went to sleep then, close and touching.
And Will had forgotten again about getting an answer to his question about Bedelia, and also, he forgot all about the awkward moment he'd had because of Adoncia that afternoon…
…until the following morning came.
Saturday – 17 Sep 2022 – 10.36 AM
Hannibal had been up first out of everyone as far as Will assumed, because the man was a ridiculously early riser. It was obviously a predator thing. You know, because Hannibal couldn't exactly be at the top of the food chain if he wasn't at the top of his game and one step ahead of everyone else at all times and whatnot.
Anyway, so by the time Will had been awake, washed up and dressed -wearing a white button down shirt and a pair of light blue jeans with light gray slip on canvas sneakers- and had made his way downstairs, everyone except for Isa was up and tucking into breakfast at the table outside on the patio. He'd joined them, walking over first and foremost to where Hannibal sat and pecking him on the lips with a smile and a quietly spoken 'good morning', before taking his seat at the opposite end of the table and digging into the breakfast spread which was served much the same way the dinner had been.
A minute later Hannibal had excused himself and gone inside and another minute later Isa came out to join them, complaining about a headache as she sipped on orange juice and wore sunglasses to shield her eyes from the sun. Will avoided the various fruit juices set on the table and realized after a glance around that there was no coffee anywhere, which was just distressing, because it was the only thing he drank in the morning.
He picked his fork up and poked at his breakfast, deciding to attempt to eat despite the lack of caffeine.
But he should have known better, because Hannibal knew he needed coffee in the morning and Hannibal always made him coffee, so while Will wasn't exactly surprised when Hannibal came back outside and set down a cup of coffee beside his hand, brewed precisely the way Will liked it, it didn't stop Will from giving Hannibal a deeply grateful and loving look of thanks for it.
And despite how meticulously Hannibal prepared coffee and what a process it was, he was always polite, so he asked if anyone else wanted coffee. And Will found there was something incredibly satisfying in the way everyone quickly and politely declined, glancing from Will to Hannibal as if they wouldn't dare to think he would make coffee for them as he'd just done for Will.
So everything had been really good for the first hour of Will's morning, that was…until the topic of swimming came up.
Juan wasn't shy, he was the first to discard his shirt over the back of his chair after he'd eaten, leaving him in colorful swimming trunks, and he'd leapt right into the relatively deep infinity pool, making everyone smile in surprise. Isa then glanced at Adoncia and the two of them followed Juan's lead, Isa taking off her long black sarong which left her in a modest one piece halter-neck, indigo bathing suit, and she carefully walked over to the pool and sat down on the edge, slipping neatly into the water, trying not to get her hair wet and keeping her sunglasses on.
And then there was Adoncia.
She removed her white kaftan over her head like a showy sorority girl on spring break, which left her in a far from modest, tiny white strapless bikini top and matching low rise bottom. The bikini just, just, covered her perky breasts and her pert ass, leaving all the rest of her smooth skin on show.
And Will stared at her, at her curves and the subtle bounce of her breasts as she walked quickly over to the side of the pool and slipped into the water just as Isa had. Eurico was watching her too, his gaze was openly admiring -pervy if you asked Will- who noticed how the old man watched his young wife only when he'd finally looked away from Adoncia himself.
In a bit of a confused daze from the involuntary and sudden shift in his attention, Will rubbed a hand over his face and inhaled quietly before he turned to look at Hannibal…and he stopped breathing when their eyes met dead on. Hannibal's eyes were glinting a light maroon color in the sunlight, and he was looking at Will with an expression that was unreadable, which was rare for Will.
But Hannibal's face was a picture of calm, and that was more concerning than anything else.
Because Hannibal had obviously seen Will looking at Adoncia, again, and how could he not have when Will had been so openly staring, and now-…
"Ethan!" Isa's voice startled him and he whipped his head around to look at her, "Come and swim." she said it like a command, waving him over with an elegant, spindly hand.
Will had never had any intention of swimming, hence the lack of swimwear, so he abruptly shook his head,
"No, no, I'm not going in the water." he only ever really swam in their pool at home. He didn't even go to the beach to swim.
Isa leaned on the inner ledge of the pool, right beside Adoncia who smiled at Will encouragingly, her long hair was tied back in a loose bun so only a few pieces of it touched the water.
"Oh come on, Ethan, don't be so spoiled." Isa teased, smiling as Juan floated up behind her and pulled her away from the ledge, the couple paddling further into the pool toward the open edge overlooking the balcony drop off.
Eurico's phone went off in his pocket just then and the man excused himself, going inside to take his call.
Will noticed then that Hannibal was gathering plates and he didn't look at Will as he left to go inside as well.
Will was about to follow him when Isa demanded again, followed by Juan, that he get in the water. He didn't want to tell them off even as he clenched his jaw in irritation, because they weren't even being unreasonable, it was a retreat where he was meant to do things like relax and swim and socialize.
He considered whether following after Hannibal and trying to talk about his awkward inappropriate behavior would be the best idea right then, and after a tense swallow, he decided Hannibal wouldn't appreciate the issue being discussed when everyone was around. So he resigned himself to dealing with it later. Sliding his chair back and then slipping his sneakers off, Will leaned over and rolled the bottoms of his pants legs up to his knees before he got up from his chair, glancing uncertainly in the direction of the villa before he walked to the edge of the pool and sat down with a tense sigh.
He sat down near the pool ladder, a good few feet from where Adoncia was floating, placing the lower half of his legs into the water so that the crystal blue liquid was just short of touching his pants and getting them wet.
Once he was settled, he raised his arms in defeat to Isa and Juan,
"There, I'm part-ways in the water, alright?" he smiled at them when they grinned and Isa splashed water at him with a laugh, but it thankfully fell quite short of wetting him.
The water was cool on his legs and the sun warm on his head, it was pleasant, neither temperature too extreme. Isa and Juan were still at the drop off end, having a moment between the two of them. Leaving them to some privacy, Will looked down at the clear blue water and he stared at it, his mind drifting to thoughts of Hannibal and wondering what the man was thinking about his weird behavior.
He was sighing inwardly when the rippling of water around his legs made him glance up and he realized Adoncia was coming closer, pulling herself along the edge of the pool until she was floating less than a foot away from him.
Will immediately felt self-conscious, uncomfortable and tense, keeping his eyes very specifically away from her, lest his gaze drift to the wet swell of her breasts as she treaded water gently.
"You don't like to swim?" she asked congenially and his eyes flitted briefly to look at her. Her face was dry, her makeup in natural tones, her lips glossy and she was smiling all sweet like.
Will stared at the water, shifting his legs idly,
"I, I do, I swim…at home." he tipped his head to the side slightly, bobbing his eyebrows once.
For whatever reason, she giggled,
"Are you afraid of germs or something?" she asked, smiling as she pulled herself closer to the ledge and leaned her forearms on the poolside tiles, looking up at him. Will shook his head, eyes on the water, he huffed out an insincere laugh coupled with an equally insincere twitching smile,
"No, that's…no, I'm not afraid of germs." he said a bit tightly and didn't offer a reason, especially not the real reason, being that he had too many scars that could not be explained away.
She nodded then, wisely dropping the subject and glancing at the patio doors before looking at Will again,
"Eurico won't swim because he doesn't like chlorine…and germs." she volunteered the information with an amused smile and when Will did little more than acknowledge her with another brief glance, she asked, "What about Hannes?"
Will felt twice as self-conscious at the idea of talking to her about Hannibal, so he answered shortly,
"Um, Hannes…he, he swims, but usually just for fitness." he admitted honestly, since Hannibal specifically went to a private membership gym so he could do laps in the olympic size pool there.
"Oh, is he a good swimmer?" she enquired, kicking her legs so she bobbed up in the water a bit.
Will immediately recalled the vivid memory of Hannibal bleeding out of a bullet wound in the side of abdomen and still managing to swim in the Atlantic ocean, in the pitch dark of night, while dragging a less than lucid Will along a short-ways down from the bluff to the beach, having saved their lives.
He found he could really only agree,
"Yes, an exceptional swimmer, actually." he corrected, staring at the water again.
She sounded thoughtful when she said,
"An exceptional man, yes?" and Will looked at her sharply, so she added quickly, "Isa says he is," she smiled kindly, blushing and shrinking back under the weight of Will's unexpected –for both of them- jealous glare, "and Juan says he's an exceptional doctor. I believe them both on their opinions of him," she was avoiding his eyes now, "and I hope he will join the practice Juan and I want to start up." she added more seriously.
Slowly, Will slid his gaze back to the water, only after he'd reeled in the sudden spike of possessiveness he'd felt. He didn't know if she was hoping that he'd put in a good word with Hannibal about the private business idea, but he wouldn't, because it would be Hannibal's decision to make and Will wouldn't interfere.
He just nodded vaguely in response to her comment as he raised his eyes to see Juan swimming over, much to Will's silent relief. Juan pulled himself up onto the pool ledge beside Will with the help of the ladder and when he sat down, some of the water from his wet person ran off onto the tiles and seeped over to wet Will's jeans, the light denim easily soaking it up. Will gave him a weak glare and he just grinned,
"I'm going to make us drinks," he looked from Will to, "Adoncia?"
"Hmmmm," she glanced at Isa with raised eyebrows, "what is Isa having?"
"A white wine sangria."
"Ah, I'll have the same, thanks." she decided and Juan then turned to Will, putting his –wet- arm around Will's shoulders, undoubtedly on purpose and Will groaned and elbowed the grinning man lightly in his ribs.
"And you Ethan?" he asked, unfazed.
Will raised his eyebrows, huffing lightly as he glanced from Juan to Isa, who was still leaning at the drop off but was facing them and smirking. He shrugged when he could think of nothing interesting,
"I guess…maybe, uh, how about a simple Jack and Coke?" he smiled at Juan hopefully.
Juan made an unimpressed face and then grinned as he got up swiftly,
"I will surprise and impress you, my friend, don't underestimate me." he announced as he headed inside.
Will glanced back at him and made a lazy hand gesture,
"Just as long as it has whiskey in it." he said after the older man, who gave him a quick thumbs up.
Isa laughed from across the pool,
"He used to mix drinks at cocktail parties when he was a young man, Ethan, he knows what he's doing." she informed and Will nodded,
"Then I look forward to my drink."
Adoncia was smiling along with them as she looked at Will again,
"You must be exceptional at something too, Ethan?" it was a question but it sounded more like a statement, she sounded sure. Will raised his eyebrows, thinking of the only things he'd ever excelled at…which was fixing boat motors and catching killers.
And that second thing hadn't really worked out so well.
Or it had, if he considered it in the sense that he'd caught himself a serial killer.
It wasn't a suitable answer though.
So, smiling a bit like a dork at his own lame thoughts, he stepped around the question,
"I can tell you what I'm not exceptional at, swimming, mixing drinks and cooking…" and then he looked down at Adoncia and smiled wryly, redirecting the conversation, "…I could however, drink any one of you under the table." And that was a fact, Will's alcohol tolerance was impressive.
"Is that so!?" Adoncia looked thrilled to hear it, "maybe we should do shots later!" she suggested.
And Will thought it was ridiculous that someone so lightweight would want to play drinking games. He would have laughed, but right then Adoncia put one of her hands in a pat on Will's thigh, just above his knee, and he jerked abruptly away from the touch.
Isa and Adoncia noticed, obviously. Will cringed inwardly at the attention he'd drawn to himself and he cleared his throat, looking away from both women so he didn't have to see their faces.
He was really grateful when Juan came back with a tray of drinks five minutes of silence later.
In the time that passed before lunch came around, everyone busied themselves with doing something.
Isa stayed in the water for a while, eventually migrating to a pool chair to suntan after Juan applied sunscreen for her. Following that, Hannibal, Juan, Eurico and Adoncia –who'd finally put her kaftan back on- went to sit inside and discuss the business venture.
Will decided to take the second Vieux Carre cocktail that Juan made for him –impressive in taste as promised-, upstairs to the bedroom he was sharing with Hannibal, where he reclined on the bed and switched on the flat screen TV.
He occupied himself with watching a Spanish drama film until noon came around, at which time Juan took on the responsibility of lunch, deciding to take the reins from Hannibal for one meal so he could make his apparently well-loved Paella. Hannibal actually seemed to be looking forward to trying it -which surprised Will- and he offered to make Mejillones Relleñadas, which translated as stuffed mussels, to go along with the Paella.
Will was once again able to see why Hannibal enjoyed Juan's company, since the two men spent over an hour together in the kitchen cooking together. Occasionally they could be heard laughing, Juan had a boisterous laugh while Hannibal's was a refined and baritone chuckle.
Isa had moved from her pool chair to sit under one of the large outdoor daybeds with a canopy, where she was reading a book. And Will joined her, reclining back and browsing world news on his phone while they waited for lunch.
It had long since become a habit of his to make sure he and Hannibal were not being reported on in the news for any reason.
Adoncia and Eurico were upstairs, doing whatever.
It'd be gross to imagine them doing anything besides talking, so Will just didn't.
Lunch was ready eventually and it was delicious. The Paella was really good and Hannibal's dish of muscles did in fact compliment it very nicely, and along with all the cocktails Juan made for everyone, including –for a change- one for Hannibal, a boulevardier, it turned out to be a great meal.
And as conversation drew on around the table, the air filled with the sounds of cutlery tinking against glassware, the running water of the infinity pool, the occasional bout of laughter, Will was momentarily struck with the realization of how easily Hannibal was able to blend in, to have conversations and make friends, to just be 'normal'. His lies were effortless in every person suit he wore or pretense he paraded...including the friendly, kindly smiling affectation of Hannes Kask…
…and there was a part of Will that decidedly did not like it.
He was glad it was only a lie.
Saturday – 17 Sep 2022 – 4.06 PM
Adoncia's shooters suggestion came up again a while after lunch and while Juan did make shots for everyone, no one got into any drinking games. Rather, everyone just enjoyed watching Juan show off his drinks making talent as they all sat around in the lounge area relaxing.
Will sat beside Hannibal at the end of one of the loveseats, close enough that their sides were touching, their legs crossed in opposite directions and Hannibal's one arm was up behind Will's head, rested along the sofa back while his other was on the armrest, and Will's arms were loosely crossed over his chest. Adoncia sat beside her husband on the other loveseat, not unlike how Will and Hannibal were sitting, except that Eurico's arm was around and hanging over her shoulder, and she was sitting turned inward toward him while he sat facing forward.
Isa was sitting on the canapé sofa next to the empty spot that Juan would sit down in in between making shots for everyone. Currently he was behind the bar, putting together the fifth round of shots as he explained to everyone why certain alcohols blended better for taste than others.
Hannibal spoke up when Juan had finished,
"Are your intentions to have us all inebriated this evening, Juan?" he asked with a slight smile.
Will glanced at Hannibal –who, like himself, was completely sober- and then at everyone else, and true enough, Adoncia was tipsy and so was Isa, even Eurico looked a little on the glazed side.
Too many cocktails at lunch on top of too many dubious shooters would do that.
Will had been careful about drinking water in between all the alcohol, because having big secrets meant there was no room for loose lips. And Hannibal, well, Will didn't even know what a drunk Hannibal Lecter would look like.
Juan wasn't tipsy either, but Will had noticed he'd also been watering down his own alcohol intake with juices and snacks and water throughout the day. That was yet another reason why Hannibal probably liked him, he was responsible, reasonable and self-aware.
Juan finished making the new round of shots and with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, eyes squinted against the smoke, he came around the bar toward everyone with a tray of shot glasses which he set down on the small coffee table and suggested,
"Let's make this the last for the night then, huh?"
"Yes, and then, the Jacuzzi!" Adoncia announced and Isa, unsurprisingly, seconded that motion.
Will wanted to protest against anymore activities that required being in a state of undress, but Hannibal seemed unconcerned, nodding as he extended his hand to take the shot glass that Juan was holding out to him. Will's was handed to him next and as Juan handed everyone else their shots, Hannibal sniffed his and Will looked at him, waiting for the verdict,
"This is a sweet one," Hannibal announced, having been amusing everyone with his exceptional sense of smell, "Amaretto," he took another sniff and made a slight face of distaste, "a coffee liqueur…" he pursed his lips and Will took a sniff of his own just out of curiosity but to him it did in fact just smell sweet.
Juan nodded to confirm Hannibal was right about those two guesses as he sat down with his own shot in hand,
"And one more." He glanced around and Adoncia sniffed hers too, coming up with nothing just as Will had.
"Yes, yes, what else is in it, Juan?" Isa prompted impatiently, wanting to drink it.
Juan rolled his eyes at his wife good naturedly,
"Bueno, bueno, it's Irish cream liqueur." he told everyone and Hannibal's mouth turned down at the corners just that much more.
He'd only drank the first two of the shooters so far, which had been a Jäger Bomb and Three Wise Men, in which there'd been nothing creamy and sweet like the present one and the last two they'd had - a Buttery Nipple and a Nutty Irishman. Hannibal didn't favor those types of alcohols, so he'd handed the third one off to Isa, the fourth to Adoncia and now he handed the fifth one to Will.
Will took it, he'd drink it to spare Hannibal.
"Oh come on, Hannes." Isa whined and Juan laughed, amused apparently.
Hannibal just shook his head once lightly,
"I'm very particular about what I put into my body." he glanced at Will as if to say 'and yours too' but he wouldn't tell Will what he should and should not do, the look said enough though. Will grinned wryly,
"I'll be fine, it's been a while since and it'll be a while before it happens again." he reassured Hannibal, who accepted that response with silence. The domesticity of the moment was not lost on Will and it re-inspired those frolicking butterflies to make an uproar in his stomach again.
"What is this one called?" Eurico asked, looking warily at the pale creamy colored shot.
Juan grinned,
"An Orgasm." he informed with a naughty grin.
Eurico managed a small smile since he was a little less refined after all the alcohol and Adoncia giggled and blushed. Isa however took the name of the drink in her stride and winked at Hannibal and Will,
"Well, never mind then, Hannes will have one of those later anyway." and she proceeded to knock back the shot, swallowing it with not even so much as a flinch. And afterward she aimed a raised eyebrow at Hannibal and Will, challenging them with a look as they both sat staring at her. Adoncia was trying to hide a blushing smile behind her hand and Eurico looked uncomfortable again.
Hannibal was surprisingly unbothered by her quip, simply glancing at Will with an amused smirk. And Will, who was not about to be a prude and saw no bad reaction from Hannibal, he played along. With everyone watching him, he smirked and then raised one shooter glass he held in concession of the statement made before he downed the pale liquid.
Isa, who just loved to build Will up in confidence, looked delighted to have achieved her goal.
"Should we wear ear plugs tonight, Ethan?" she enquired, her implication in that statement not even subtle.
Eurico had drunk his shooter and he cleared his throat abruptly while Adoncia giggled gleefully and Juan just shook his head with a smile.
Isa was a bad influence because Will was getting way too confident,
"Probably, I can get pretty noisy." he commented very boldly and as he went to bring the second shooter to his lips, Hannibal plucked it from his fingers,
"Perhaps you have had enough, Ethan." he commented in an even voice, still wearing a small smile but Will knew that Hannibal knew he wasn't anywhere near drunk, so that particular domestic display was a compete act. It was Hannibal's way of letting Will know he was crossing a certain line in terms of their personal business that Hannibal didn't like, and that he should shut up.
So Will let him take the drink and he looked at Hannibal apologetically, a bit surprised to find Hannibal still looking honestly amused. Will had thought he'd be annoyed, at least under the surface, but no, he just looked humored.
Juan was the one to take the edge off the awkwardness that time by looking at Isa and smiling suggestively at her,
"Maybe everyone should wear ear plugs tonight for us, Isa, you are usually very loud yourself." he teased her and Isa burst out laughing, her cheeks flushing suddenly. She fell into Juan, hiding her face in his neck as they both laughed. Adoncia was giggling all over again and in the context of heterosexual sex, Eurico looked decidedly more amused.
When their laughter tapered off, Isa made a show of fanning herself and then made a much needed subject change,
"Jacuzzi?" she suggested and Adoncia immediately agreed.
Hannibal leaned forward to place the shooter glass in the tray on the table,
"I'll make a quick dinner, and then I shall join you all." he announced and Will blinked rapidly, realizing that Hannibal actually intended to get in the fucking Jacuzzi? Or at least that's how it sounded.
"We'll eat after?" Juan asked to the room at large and everyone seemed agreeable, even Hannibal, who stood up with graceful ease and extended his hand to Will,
"Ethan, help me with dinner." it wasn't a question but it was posed warmly enough to not sound like a demand.
"Of course." Will said quickly and took his hand, standing up.
He followed Hannibal into the kitchen, taking note that everyone else made their way outside to the Jacuzzi, and once they were alone in the kitchen Will focused on Hannibal, who went immediately to switch the stove on.
Doing a quick mental breakdown of how often he'd fucked up so far, Will sighed and leaned his hands on the island counter, deciding to acknowledge his most recent transgression first,
"I'm sorry…about that. I'm obviously getting a little too comfortable," he pursed his lips briefly, "I'll dial it down." he added quietly and then he turned and walked over to the sink to wash his hands, preparing to help with whatever Hannibal needed.
He was in the process of rinsing dish soap off his hands under the stream of water when he felt arms slip around his waist. Hannibal had come to stand behind him, pressing the firm length of his body against Will's back and placing a kiss to the side of his neck. Will instantly melted into the embrace in relief, his eyes falling half shut as he blindly reached out and shut the water off, leaning back against Hannibal.
"It wasn't my intention to make you feel reprimanded." his voice was soft, his lips sensual against Will's neck, but his words were serious,"I'm merely concerned that when this strange behavior of yours has passed, you will be left regretting your uncharacteristically bold actions and words." he pointed out reasonably, speaking as a man who knew Will Graham very well and confirming for Will that Hannibal knew something was way off.
Will knew it too and he wasn't managing it very well.
He was being audaciously bold about his relationship with Hannibal and yet still feeling insecure about it at the same time. It was exhausting and those feelings mixing with the consistent threat of headaches he wasn't supposed to be having anymore, was also making him behave unlike himself.
He didn't respond to Hannibal's words though, because he didn't exactly have anything to say that would make sense without backtracking to Tuesday afternoon and him finding the engagement ring. So instead he changed the subject, speaking softly too but also seriously,
"We can't get in the Jacuzzi with them." he said surely, looking down at his wet hands.
"No, we can't." Hannibal agreed, and if he were annoyed by Will's continued avoidance, he said nothing as he nuzzled his nose into Will's curls just behind his ear.
Will tilted his head to the side to give Hannibal better access,
"So how are we going to get out of getting in?" he asked quietly, letting his eyes fall closed.
"Once they're in the water with fresh drinks, they will not be overly concerned with us choosing to remain out of it…especially if we say we'd like them to hurry so we can slip away after dinner, implying that we'd like some time alone." Hannibal's tone was awfully suggestive, and Will loved it. He easily went along with it, matching the tone,
"Well, there is the matter of that orgasm…" he smirked, glancing over his shoulder.
Hannibal hummed against Will's ear and then scraped his teeth –those cannibal teeth- over the sensitive shell, sliding his hands to settle on Will's waist for a firm squeeze before he stepped back altogether and went back across the kitchen to do what he'd been doing before, except he had a small smirk on his face, which made Will feel much better.
Will looked down into the sink at the suds lingering around the drain hole and he clutched the counter edge.
He was already turned on several notches by the suggestion in all of the things Hannibal didn't say about all of the things he would do. Those little kisses and touches, that purring hum, were all really cruel promises in a way.
Mustering up his patience, Will took a deep breath as he stood there, having needed just a moment to clear his head before he turned around and reached for a dish cloth to dry his hands on as he walked over to Hannibal's side to await instruction.
Saturday – 17 Sep 2022 – 7.18 PM
There was an incident after the Jacuzzi, which Will and Hannibal successfully avoided getting into...the Jacuzzi that is. The incident on the other hand…
It was right after they'd all eaten.
Everyone was still sitting around the outdoor dining table and it became apparent to all present that Eurico was fed up with Adoncia's increasingly intoxicated state and the fact that she'd almost had a slip in front of everyone with her strapless bikini top in the Jacuzzi.
So the couple got into a bit of an argument at the table and when it started to escalate to yelling, they left to go inside, but only to the lounge, where they shouted at one another in –audible and crisp- Spanish while Will, Hannibal, Juan and Isa were all stuck sitting out on the patio, able to hear every word.
They all tried to mind their own business…that was, until everyone heard Eurico bring up the name 'Ethan'.
Will's face immediately twitched into a frown and he looked to the villa with narrowed eyes, looking in through the glass to the lounge area where the couple was still arguing loudly. And while Isa and Juan looked at him with twin frowns of confusion…Hannibal looked at no one. He remained outwardly unaffected, posture perfect with his eyes cast downward into the swirling red wine in his glass, which he inhaled lightly from before taking a delicate sip.
They'd all heard what Eurico had said, about how he didn't like the way Ethan kept looking at Adoncia's body and how she'd been showing off for him. And the first part of the statement was probably confusing for Juan and Isa, because as far as they knew, Will was a homosexual. Isa looked thoughtful though, having turned her gaze to stare out at the early evening sea view and Hannibal…Hannibal was closed off completely. Will's empathy was coming up with nothing, much like it had used to during the first few months he'd known Hannibal. It was like reaching into a bottomless chasm…Will could look forever, go deeper and deeper and never find anything but more cold, dark hollowness.
So he stopped reaching because it made him feel sick and sore and a little dizzy, not finding anything to grasp onto in his safest place made Will feel very uneasy. He had no idea what Hannibal felt about what had been overheard and it scared him. And the thing was, Will couldn't even deny that he had been looking at her, he just wasn't entirely sure why he had.
The argument went on in the background, Adoncia telling Eurico he was being ridiculous, that being jealous of a gay man was pathetic, saying he was behaving like a brute and embarrassing them and Eurico was telling her she needed to grow up and stop dressing so indecently.
It sounded like something a father would say to a daughter…and with how old he was…well…
The yelling ended when Adoncia stormed off upstairs and Eurico followed her right after.
And only once their voices were no longer audible at all, did Hannibal finish the last sip of his wine and then excuse himself evenly, standing up with his usual poise before walking away and inside without looking back at Will or anyone else.
Will watched him until he disappeared inside, out of sight and pain and panic settled heavily in his chest at not knowing what to do about the situation. It felt like someone was putting pressure on his lungs, like Hannibal did when he was preparing lung meat and had to apply weight and pressure in order to expel the remaining air trapped inside.
Will felt like he was suffocating slowly and he quickly excused himself as well, but his departure was abrupt and rude and he walked away fast, staying outside of the villa and going around to the far end of the balcony until he was out of sight of anyone. He found a low garden chair there and he dragged it toward him before he sat down with a shaken, tense exhale.
Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands as he tried to calm down, trying to stabilize his shaking stomach and racing pulse. He was swallowing convulsively against nausea that threatened he would be sick, and it was because he felt quietly terrified at having seen and felt Hannibal so closed off after so many years. He didn't know what it meant but it scared him, he felt like he'd betrayed Hannibal somehow by looking at a woman for a reason he had yet to decipher for himself. And also there was the fact that he felt as if he'd embarrassed Hannibal. Will wasn't sure which was worse of the two though, because he couldn't guess whether Hannibal would just be angry at him for his wandering eyes or if he would decide to kill everyone present over the embarrassment and insult caused.
Hannibal's priorities were very complicated.
Will felt a surge of anger when he heard the sound of sandals approaching, because he really wanted to be alone right then and someone was being very rude and intrusive.
Reining in his temper only just, Will dragged his hands over his face and said harshly,
"Go…away, really, just…leave…" he turned his head afterward to look at who it was, his eyes settling on Isa, the older woman stopping a few feet away with her hands on her hips. She seemed unperturbed by Will's warning tone, completely uninterested, but of course, she had no idea what Will was.
Will felt a familiar craving to inflict violence drive the blood in his veins to flow faster and in a flash of sepia and high contrasting greens and blues, he imagined himself grabbing Isa by her hair and throwing her on the ground to repeatedly slam her head into the brick tiles…until her skull cracked open and her brains seeped out from the trauma. He'd have his hand around her throat tightly so that she couldn't scream and he-…
"Ethan-…" she said his name like it was a perplexing riddle.
"Isa-…" Will cut her off sharply, starting to physically shake as he clenched his hands into tight fists, "…leav-…"
"Ethan." she said it more firmly that time, a demand, and Will's entire body tensed up with the effort of remaining where he sat, of keeping his violent urges in check.
Cluelessly, Isa approached with a sigh. Will was aware of her sitting down on another one of the low garden chairs, taking a long breath before she spoke,
"There's something you never told me." she was speaking quietly now and Will frowned down at the ground, not understanding her odd words.
His face and hands were twitching with restrained violence, and he specifically didn't look right at her because she would have seen the threat he posed if she had to look into his eyes.
"What?" he asked tightly, very quietly, before clenching his jaw.
Isa leaned forward,
"You are bisexual." she said surely and Will couldn't even laugh at the stupidity, the sheer fucking imbecility of such an observation right then. Air left his lungs in an unsteady and irritably exhaled rush as his mouth edged into a grimacing sneer,
"This is a very bad time, Isa, just-…"
"You have been looking at Adoncia, Ethan, I noticed it, I think we all did." she pointed out unhelpfully.
Will stood up abruptly and his chair scraped back loudly. He had to actually take a step back and turn away from her in order to stop himself from going for her instead. He really needed her to leave, his temper was only as controlled as the situation permitted. He was not Hannibal, he didn't have total self-command.
"But, no, it makes no sense," she went on, her tone very serious and thoughtful, "because you have been around many, many beautiful young women in the time I've known you. When we've walked our dogs together on the beachfront, they are parading around us half naked in their pequeñas tangas. And I've seen those same girls smile at you, show an open interest as you walk by them." she hummed, "And also, when we've gone out to lunch, there are waitresses and groups of young girls…girls, girls, girls, all over, everywhere." she waved a hand.
Will had been listening and he turned around slightly to look at her, blinking a few times with a frown as her words sunk in.
She tilted her head slowly when he looked at her –was she being smug?- and Will found himself actually wanting to listen to her, taking her words into serious consideration because…she was making sense.
"And your students too, I'm sure many of them are young and attractive and flirtatious, but you…" she pointed a finger at him and Will just stared at her, "…you have never noticed, or if you did, you either hid it very well or you never cared, never showed interested." she continued to make sense and Will clenched his hands and realized his shaking had subsided, he was frowning less and less too, "So now," she looked thoughtful again, "for this girl, this girl who is just another pretty face, to be this distracting to you, it means something's happened, something's bothering you, something is wrong, Ethan, and it has to do with Hannes, yes?" she raised an expectant eyebrow at him.
And she'd just hit the nail right on the head, she was right on the money.
Will turned properly to look at her fully, his darkness receding back into the tears in his person-suit as it all sealed itself back up with crooked stitching. He swallowed tensely, amazed at how she had been able to determine those details. She wasn't a shrink, Will knew that, but yet, she'd always been so perceptive…
Her expression softened when he was facing her properly,
"I know better than anyone, aside from you and Hannes of course, just how much you love that man, Ethan. I saw it in you the very first time I met you and I've seen it every time since." she had a fond look in her eyes now and Will felt all of his irritation drain away as she reassured him of what he already knew, "Adoncia in her little bikini, you looked at her, but you didn't really look." she squinted one eye, "I watched your eyes glaze over earlier today when she took her little body cover off, you looked more worried than interested in what you were seeing." she laughing softly, frowning a bit. She'd apparently been watching Will closely all day.
Stiffly at first, Will walked back to his chair, not taking his eyes off of Isa as he reached blindly for the armrest and once he gripped it, he sat down heavily and sighed, placing his forehead in his free hand and shaking his head,
"This…entire week has been a nightmare." he mumbled, hoping that confiding in Isa was something he could trust doing, because he really needed to talk to someone.
"So something did happen?" she asked, even quieter now and Will just nodded into his hand.
She was quiet for a moment before she spoke again, sadness laced into her voice,
"Has Hannes been unfaithful to you?"
Will lifted his head up then and looked at her with a frown, ready to say 'what' in disbelief, but when he looked into her eyes, he was able to see where she was coming from, he saw what she saw.
Will hadn't been well when they arrived and had been on and off since, yet he'd been acting uncharacteristically bold in terms of his and Hannes' sexual relationship, to the extent that it seemed like he was overcompensating. And finally, the fact that Will was looking at a woman when he hadn't ever before in the time he'd known Isa, as if he were just trying to spite Hannibal.
He could see why she'd think 'Hannes' had cheated, and then the assumption she'd make that 'Ethan' wasn't sure how to navigate through the betrayal in their relationship.
That wasn't the case though and Will shook his head,
"N-no, he hasn't been unfaithful…" he laughed humorlessly and rubbed his hand over his mouth, "…you're going to think I'm such…an idiot." he added.
Her eyes widened then and she leaned forward, sitting at the edge of her seat,
"Oh, no, Ethan, were you unfaithful to him?" she sounded a little angry now instead of sympathetic and it made Will's empathy perk up to the fact that she had probably been cheated on, but had never been the cheater.
He wondered briefly if Juan had ever cheated on her and then quickly dismissed the thought to set her straight,
"It's nothing like that, Isa, no one's cheated on anyone." he sighed, a false smile on his face and she relaxed somewhat as she leaned back in her seat again, glancing over at the corner leading to the villa to make sure no one was nearby or listening, before she looked at him again,
"So, what is it that's making you behave like an el tonto?" she raised an eyebrow.
Will swallowed tensely and moved, picking his chair up and bringing it closer, setting it down more or less next to her so he could lower his voice to a whisper,
"I found…I found an engagement ring."
Isa's eyes went wide for a second before she frowned, and then smiled and just generally looked confused and happy at the same time,
"You found it, where?" she leaned closer and then shook her head, "And why is that making you act so stupid?" she sounded like she wanted to smack him upside his head.
The situation felt less dire for the moment at least, even though Will still had to deal with Hannibal, but he figured that he'd feel better after talking it out with someone who had a helpful and subjective perspective. And with a clearer head he was confident he'd be able to come up with some plausible excuse for his shitty behavior.
"I found it in our cellar, hidden behind a bottle of stupidly expensive wine." Will ran his hands up and down his thighs and then leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, his hands interlocked.
"It was hidden?" Isa crossed her legs and leaned her forearms across her middle, getting comfortable.
"Yes," Will nodded, the wind ruffling some of his curls as he glanced at her, "probably put there with the wine for…for whenever he plans to propose." he exhaled shakily and pursed his lips, feeling his stomach wind up in knots all over again.
He wanted it so badly.
Isa looked as if she didn't know what to ask next and after a moment she settled on a frown,
"Wait, wait, okay…" she tucked one side of her bob cut hair behind her ear, "…so you found the ring, but you weren't supposed to?" Will nodded unsteadily and she smiled, "Okay, so that is literally the best news, Ethan," she brought a hand up to push his shoulder lightly, "why are you behaving so terribly when you know that Hannes wants to marry you?" she whispered the last part, giving him an incredulous glare.
Will had asked himself that question a hundred times in the past week, until finally he'd come up with a theory for what was making the old, insecure Will Graham show his miserable face.
He decided to voice his thoughts and see what Isa had to say,
"I think…I mean, I…feel like…" Will clenched his jaw and placed his face in his hands, pressing his fingers into his eyes as he spoke, "…I feel like I'm not good enough, Isa." he just went ahead and said it, "I don't know why someone like him would want to marry someone like me." he added very quietly, pushing his hands up into his hair and hanging his head with his eyes closed.
Will still wasn't refined, would never completely be so. He didn't like all the finer things Hannibal did, but even if that could be overlooked, the most important thing was that next to Hannibal, Will was a sloppy killer. Hannibal had helped him, honed him, taught him and guided him, but Will still wasn't up to standard, he doubted very much he could get away with murder like Hannibal did if he were on his own. He always became too involved in the kill to be able to think clearly so soon after, and it made the aftermath of covering his tracks impossible, hence why Hannibal took care of that.
And Will never wanted to be on his own doing it anyway, he'd chosen Hannibal, he loved Hannibal.
The man was Will's everything, even after the facts; Hannibal having killed Katz, Hannibal having killed Abigail, Hannibal having had a hand in the death of Will's unborn son, Hannibal having gutted him once and then tried to eat his brains from his skull another time, Hannibal having sent Dolarhyde to kill Molly and Walter…after all that, Will still wanted him, still needed him.
Because somewhere in all the time they'd known one another, he'd fallen in love with Hannibal the monster and Hannibal the man and every day, for a long time without even realizing it, Will had already belonged to him.
Hannibal had known it all along, he'd just been waiting for Will to catch up.
And now…Will questioned whether or not he deserved to be with Hannibal.
And yes, he was aware of just how fucked up he was, but insanity was never black and white…and by Will's count, the last two betrayals between them had been his and so he had a lot to make up for.
And Will just didn't get it, that Hannibal would want him in the end, after how many times he'd let the man down.
But he knew that the lack of self-esteem and confidence he was feeling was all from his prior self, that sad, foolish man who'd wasted years playing games with Hannibal when they could have been happy, and he was interfering now again. Will just needed to fucking smother him.
He realized Isa wasn't saying anything so he looked at her, seeing that she was smiling at him.
He frowned,
"What?"
"That look…" she said quietly, smirking, "…you had it on your stupid face again." she tapped his cheek lightly with a manicured finger, almost touching his partially hidden scar, which as far as she knew was from a fishing accident.
They both sighed then with mild smiles, and Isa reached out to put her hand on Will's knee, and he didn't jump like he had earlier, because he wasn't supposed to be so pathetic anymore that a random touch would unsettle or startle him. That Will Graham was meant to be gone.
Dammit.
"Listen, Ethan, dulce, niño tonto," she squeezed his knee, "Hannes isn't the most expressive person, but you know what I think?" she smiled kindly, "Just me, not a psychiatrist or psychologist or therapist or whatever, just me, who has been married for years and has gone through my own problems and my children's problems and my friends problems," she paused and bumped her shoulder against Will's, "I think that it would not be possible for you to love any person as much as you love Hannes, if you didn't know that he loved you just as much…or even more." she finished quietly.
And her words were wise…and so true.
Because Hannibal had once intended to upend his life, to reveal himself and to kill Jack for Will. Hannibal had made a place for Will in the world with him, he'd intended to give Will a daughter and keep them both safe. He'd saved Will's life one time more than he'd tried to take it, one time more that really counted in the end. Hannibal had created human topiary just to show Will his bleeding heart, to show Will the depth of his love…and then after all that when Will had still rejected him, Hannibal had turned himself in, had spent three years of his life locked away with no privacy and little dignity, for Will.
His chest hurt right then just thinking about it all as he stared into Isa's sincere face.
"He loves you." she said it like it was so simple…and who knew, maybe it was.
Maybe for all of the complicated and twisted shit they'd been through, their relationship was just that contrastingly simple. Will loved Hannibal, in every way and Hannibal loved Will, in whatever way he could.
"Yeah…y-yeah…" he laughed breathily, rubbing his fingers into his eyes again and then sighing before talking into his hands, "…you are…you are so right, Isa, that…I think, you just…" he smiled and turned in his seat to face her more directly, "…thank you, for uncomplicating this entire thing for me." because essentially that's what she had done.
Will was so used to having to overthink everything, knowing that Hannibal's mind was so complex with several trains of uninterrupted, simultaneous thought all seamlessly happening, a constant, always keeping Will on his toes, making Will overanalyze everything said or done.
But here Isa had just summarized it, cut away the excess fat, trimmed all the weeds, broken it right down.
She was smiling back at him,
"Sometimes Ethan, simplicity is the hardest thing to achieve, but when you do…" she reached up and touched his chin lightly, "…then you can smile, just like you are now, guapo y feliz."
Will continued to smile at her and when they leaned in for a hug it came more naturally than Will ever remembered it being for him to just hug someone. But then, in his previous life, he'd been so constantly on his guard that being touched had always made him uncomfortable.
Except for when Hannibal had done it, however lightly and clinically, Will hadn't ever felt the need to pull away.
That was significant somehow to their history, probably a contributing factor to everything somehow.
But Will chose not to overthink it, because he didn't have to.
When the hug ended, Will took Isa's hands and squeezed them lightly in his own,
"Gracias, Isa." he mumbled.
She squeezed his hands too and then bounced in her seat once,
"Ethan, you're going to get engaged soon." she reminded him in a whisper and all Will could do was grin,
"Yes, I am." he agreed, looking more forward to it now than he had been all week.
He stood up then,
"I have to go and talk to Hannes, thank you again, Isa."
"Yes, yes, you're welcome, go now…" she shooed him away with a smile and Will returned it before he walked back to the villa to go and find Hannibal.