They had always been close, as close as two monsters could be anyway.

After the death of their parents and the brutal murder of their beloved Mischa, it had just been the twins left to fend for themselves. The boys had been the one constant in each other's lives after everything else had been lost. They bore witness to tragedy that rendered them silent for a time and to horrors, the kind of which that changed them forever from frightened children to what they were today.

Despite their very different personalities and motivations, they maintained a bond between them. Fate, vengeance, and fury in all its forms had forged very binding links, the kind of which that were stronger than blood and not easily broken. It was by the will of those three things that Hannibal had even seen Nigel willingly indulge in cannibalism with the same enthusiasm as he did, at least for a time. Together they had tracked down all the pigs parading around as men, and avenged their darling Mischa, carving out pound by pound all the flesh that had been greedily taken from her bones.

Even after life had pulled them in very different directions, they had remained in contact through all means of communication and when they could manage it, bi-yearly visits. They were as close as any two killers could be, such things needing space and a certain trust, and yet, they were bonded on a deeper level beyond such mundane concepts as family and brotherhood.

Witnessing for the second time Nigel claim what was his, Hannibal began to wonder what his brother's flesh might taste like sautéed in a red wine reduction. Betrayal was leaving his mouth bitter, anger souring it even further. It was distasteful.

Sanguine eyes watched the slow rocking of Nigel's body as he buried his cock deep into Will's yielding flesh. The quiet shaking was noted in Will as he took his brother to the hilt. Hannibal scrutinize how Will arched further into his twin, taking him in deeper. What made it worse in a way was how Will was smiling, the rare expression coming naturally to the man in Nigel's presence. Relaxed and soft, Will looked as radiant as a full moon slipping out from under cloud cover to surprise the world below with silvery light.

Envy was not something Hannibal was used to feeling, having only seen the dark side of that moon. He found he wanted to bask in its light as well, made malleable and surreal from it. It was the first time in his life, Hannibal longed to see the liquid scarlet of his own twin stain the life lines of his hands. A thought he had never believed would cross his mind, but the longer he stood in the darkness watching Nigel bring Will closer and closer to his peak, the stronger that blood lust borne of rage became.

Taking a deep breath to reclaim some control, for this was not the time or the place for such things, Hannibal found he couldn't stop the scowl that broke through his mask. He stayed to watch Will reach orgasm, clinging with desperation to his brother as pleasure consumed him. All too soon to, Nigel followed him, holding Will closer than he had any right to while lost in his own throes of passion, marking Will with his seed and open mouthed kisses upon Will's lips.

It was enough to drive Hannibal to blood.

"Patience," Hannibal quietly schooled himself, turning away from the spectacle to begin the long walk back to his car. He had left the Bentley closer to the main road than Will's house, not wanting to alert anyone of his presence in the event he was suddenly inspired to restock his freezer.

"Patience."

OoOoO

It wasn't until the sun threatened to peek over the horizon, all bright morning blues receding night purples, that Nigel returned to Baltimore, returning to Hannibal's to rest his weary head. Instead of sleeping, he had watched over Will while the man slumbered, scaring away the nightmares with his kisses and presence alone.

When he was in Will's presence, Nigel decided that he had never felt so good in all his life, so complete. He found himself living for the sight of Will's eyes lighting up from within from laughter, mirth changing their color to more blue than grey, and his small smile tugging at the corners of his lips, an awkward thing made cautious from lack of use.

All the little things that Will did to protect himself from other people and all the little hurts that wounded made Nigel want to shield him. The very bad man from Bucharest felt a strange need, almost like a calling, to keep Will safe so that timid smile could have a chance to grow into something bolder and better.

Tapping a smoke from his soft pack of Camels, Nigel lit up and strode into the house, letting the satisfying taste of nicotine ghost over his tongue as he pulled in a long slow drag. He smelled like smoke anyway so what was a little more.

"You up, Hanni?" Nigel called out as he passed through the dining room, moving toward the kitchen. He didn't doubt his entrance had roused his brother from sleep. Like himself, the man was a true predator, able to rise at the slightest out of place sound or movement, alert and ready for blood. Some instincts never died and they were the kind of men to seek them out and hone such methods of survival to a fine point. Once prey evolved to that of predator, there was no real going back. Some swords once forged were meant to remain so.

It was those sort of instincts, made keen by a such unique lifetime, that had Nigel reeling to the side in time and moving with enough speed to let the steel blade of a kitchen knife embed in the wood next to his head instead of in it.

"And good morning to you too, Hanni. Is there a fucking problem?" Nigel said calmly as he gripped the blade by its stainless steel handle, wrenching it free of the molding, "Something you'd like to discuss perhaps over coffee?" He meet his brother's rage filled eyes with his identical own, narrowing identical maroon in challenge as he watched his twin select another blade from his knife block.

"You have overstayed your welcome, Nigel." Hannibal answered with the same placid tone as though they were speaking of the weather. "For your own good, I think it's time you were returning to Bucharest."

Nigel pursed his lips as though in consideration as he let the heavy weight of the blade flip and weave between his fingers, making lazy turns with practiced ease. His gun could put a pin in this knife fight, but such an ending was inelegant. They both deserved far more than that kind of death. If they were going to kill each other, it was going to be like this.

"No, I don't think I'll be leaving." Nigel told him. He had already decided that the risk and the price was worth it. He could have walked away, returning to foreign lands, and Hannibal might have let him. Instead, he met Hannibal's narrowing eyes with a level look of his own. "I only just delayed the departure date of my ticket. I have another five months now to figure out my green card."

Nigel watched the slight pull of skin around his brother's jaw, the tight clench of teeth that gave everything away about the wealth of anger so few knew existed within the monster poising as a charming man. "But if I am no longer welcome under your roof while I sort out particulars, I know someone who'd be more than happy to take me in. He was pretty fucking reluctant to let me go this morning." Nigel grinned, slow and wicked as he drove the final coffin nail home. "I can still taste him on my tongue, smell him in my skin."

"You are playing a very dangerous game, Nigel. Will Graham is not yours to keep." Hannibal seethed. It was his last warning, and it was met with a snarl, his generosity thrown back in his face.

"You don't own him, Hannibal." Nigel growled, rolling his shoulders to loosen up as he settled the knife in his palm. His grip tightened as he readied himself for the inevitable. "You're only trying to because you know which one of us my darling prefers. He begged me to stay. Begged. Has he ever done that with you?"

To his credit, Hannibal's mask stayed in place, the perfect cover to keep him hidden from the rest of the world. It might have fooled anyone else. Nigel knew his brother well enough to see through it though, to recognize the monster peeking back at him with claws out and teeth bared. He answered it with his own version.

"Tomorrow when I see Will and he asks where you've gone, I will tell him you have returned to your wife in Bucharest while we dine on the cooling meat of your carcass. When he cries, it will be on my shoulder, and when he craves to be touched, the need will be sated by my hands." Hannibal said, taking the first step forward as Nigel mirrored him, taking one back. "When he begs for release-"

"He'll still be calling my fucking name, not yours." Nigel cut in, throwing his knife before he charged. The knife was for all flash and show, the momentary distraction of it making Hannibal dodge. It gave Nigel enough time to tackle his brother to kitchen tile, bringing them both down hard.

They struggled magnificently against one another, bodies honed and methods of murder perfected from years of practice. It all came down to quickness and strength though, as they grappled for the knife still in Hannibal's hand.

A soft life had not done Hannibal any favors. Even big fish in little ponds get eaten if they get too fat with complacency. With a knee to the gut that painfully knocked all the air from Hannibal's lungs, Nigel pried the sharpened steel from his brother's hands. Knowing that he would have to be quick to end this, Nigel lifted the blade to make its final descent into Hannibal's heart. He realized belated that he should have been watching Hannibal's other hand better when he suddenly felt weak. Vision swimming already, Nigel watched in stunned disbelief as his fingers grew numb, enough so to drop the knife with a loud clatter.

"You…" Nigel slurred, falling to his side as the cool sting of a needle slipped out from under his skin. The plunger of it was all the way down, his system flooded with a cocktail of Hannibal's creation. His twin was already pushing him off and away, Hannibal picking himself off of the floor to straighten his suit, looking as if nothing had happened. "You…cheating…fuck…"

As his vision shifted and faded to black, the last thing Nigel saw was a smile that reached all the way to dancing maroon eyes, the point of red within them alight with fire. He knew from experience that Hannibal only smiled like that when he had won.

"You should have stayed in Bucharest."

OoOoO

"He what?"

Will tried to keep the hurt out of his voice and failed. It was a difficult, very different kind of pain than what he was used to. While it consumed him from the inside out, Will tried to swallow the information being fed to him, tried to wrap his brain around it.

Turning from what Will could only guess to be a stew of some kind that probably had some intricate name and distant origin, Will saw that Hannibal regarded him with an air of mild confusion, his noble brow pinched in thought.

"Nigel will not be joining us this evening. He has unfortunately returned to Bucharest sooner than expected. Apparently, his wife has experienced some sort of difficulty there. He didn't go into detail about it, but he had to catch an immediate flight home." Hannibal ever so kindly reiterated the lie for Will to drive it home. Inclining his head to denote concern, Hannibal allowed his mask to change from confusion to open worry. "Is something the matter, Will?"

"…there is no force on this fucking earth strong enough to take me away from you, not unless you send me, and even then you're fucked. I'll always find you, no matter where you go….."

That's what Nigel had said, had dared to tell Will. Part of him had wanted to believe it so badly, even a little bit, and perhaps he just might have. In that safe haven Will created for himself on earth and in his mind with dogs, fishing, and nature, Nigel had resided there too, if only for a moment. He hadn't been perfect, far from it, but he had been there. That was a hell of a lot more than Will could say about most people. Part of Will realized just how foolish that had been to let someone like Nigel in that far, to touch him that deeply. Like a house in mourning, Will covered certain mirrors in his mind. He simply couldn't bear the sight of them. If he dared remember anything good, the reflection of it would make him weep.

"No…" Will lied, closing his eyes like he had a headache to fend off the burn of tears. A whole new kind of agony enveloped him, leaving him weary, his own mind murdering him over and over again with notions and words sharp with the shattering of his heart. He should have known better, should never have allowed himself to become attached, to develop expectations that would only lead to disappointment.

Realization took its own toll as well. What would happen when Hannibal found out that Will had slept with Nigel again? Especially after so very clearly telling Will his feelings upon the matter. Nigel might have been a lying, cheating piece of shit, but Hannibal would be well within his rights to end any sort of relationship with Will. The thought of being left by both men devastated the last of Will's control. He wouldn't lie to Hannibal, even if it felt like he was carving out his own heart with blunt words as blades.

Bowing his head as a new kind of fresh hell began to consume him, Will couldn't stop his shoulders from shaking, sudden emptiness and loss too heavy for him to bear. He had been lied to and abandoned, and now he was about to confess and have it happen all over again.

"Will?" The soft concern in Hannibal's voice made Will physically ill, the man wondering how he was going to survive this. He watched as Hannibal moved the pot away from the heat, turning off the range as he did so. Before Will knew it or could stop him, Hannibal was standing before him and taking Will into his arms to hold him close. Will couldn't stop the quaking of his shoulders or the tears turning his eyes from blue to silvery grey.

"Will." Hannibal sighed, taking on the other man's weight as he made Will lean against him for support. Too far gone in his grief, Will let him, looking sorrowfully up at Hannibal. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea you'd become so attached."

Giving in, Will dropped his forehead to Hannibal's shoulder, aware that his regret was soaking the older man's shirt. He couldn't bring himself to care though, Hannibal's long fingers stroking through his curls in a calming manner.

As Hannibal held him, as Will clung to him, the only sure thing left in his life, Hannibal found that he wasn't satisfied. Instead of feeling any sense of fulfillment, Hannibal only felt more rage. This should have been a victory, taking Will back for good from Nigel. Even as he rubbed slow calming circles into Will's back. Hannibal realized that Nigel had still won. Will was still his. He was comforting Will of his lost because he still wanted Nigel.

Fury filled Hannibal, froze his blood in his veins.

This simply would not do. This sort of yearning could not be allowed to exist within Will, Hannibal decided, leaning back to make Will look up. Cupping the man's cheek to tilt it where he wanted it, Hannibal took his time kissing Will who went still under the touch of his lips. Hannibal could smell the shock like fresh mint coming off of Will. It was the only warning he got before desperate fingers tangled in the fine fabric of his dress shirt and frantic arms wrapped themselves around broad shoulders.

"You shouldn't have done that….I-I don't deserve it…" Will stammered out nonsense words against his mouth, all while holding Hannibal there in place. He stood leave and never come back. He should be the one to let Hannibal go, be strong enough to do so. It was his own personal tragedy that he couldn't.

"Why not? I thought that I made my intentions toward you clear." Hannibal feigned ignorance. Will had to admit what he had done to him. It was all part of the ties that would bind Will to him.

"No. No, it's not that. I…" Will's words were trudging, the herd slow to gather. Hannibal was patient, as well as greedy for their stampede. "I slept with Nigel again."

"Oh Will….." and with those two words alone tainted with just enough disappointment , Hannibal grievously wounded Will with ease, the man flinching as if physically struck.

"Saying sorry seemed so trite, insulting even. Words fail me at the moment so I have nothing better to offer you except for my absence and my avoidance. I'll understand if you never want to see me again." Will said the words, but his hands were still upon Hannibal with a tight grip. His fingers seemed locked in place, unable to give up what he wanted.

It was obvious that Will had been expecting abandonment on his part. Another time and another place and with another person, Hannibal would have played upon that fear to the hilt. Feeling Will cling to him as the last stable thing in his life made Hannibal choose another course of action. He would replace that desire for his brother, tear it from Will's mind and body until all that was left of Nigel was a gaping wound and a bad memory.

"Shhhhhh." Hannibal hushed as he stroked away salty trails from flushed cheeks with the pad of his thumb. "I already know about your transgression. Nigel informed me in detail before he left, but I do appreciate your honesty and your bravery. Your virtues have saved you. I am not angry with you, and I forgive you your trespasses against me."

"Thank you." Will's disbelief made him fumble his gratitude, but he looked so indebted, so relieved Hannibal could pardon the lack of decorum on his part.

"Come Will. It's time for you to make amends." Hannibal said. Like a master with a marionette, Hannibal guided Will with gentle hands from the kitchen, walking him up the stairs and past the guest rooms that made his footing pause and shoulders quake, to the master bedroom at the hallway's end.

He was going to fill that void until Will knew nothing but Hannibal.

OoOoO

It was just a spark, the barest hint of waking up in a strange place and in an even stranger position. Little slivers of conscious thought passed behind the dark of his eyelids like starlight, but it was enough. Nigel followed those strange constellations of his own making as he navigated his way back to the world of the living

Maroon eyes, tinted more red than brown with a crazed slow burn that eat up the earth in them, opened and regarded the space he existed in. He was surrounded by darkness, though not the kind he had been expecting. Instead of the overbearing press of chemicals and disinfectant or graveyard dirt, the smell of expensive cotton, silk, cologne, and leather about him brought an answer to his current location.

As much as he hated using his oversensitive olfactory sense, it was the only real source of input left to him at the moment. While Hannibal reveled in the unique abilities their noses, it was the reason Nigel chain smoked, but not even a lifetime of cigarettes seemed to dull it, only give him a reprieve. Headache aside from all the over information, Nigel was able to deduce that he was in Hannibal's closet. It was a curious place for his brother to store him, considering Nigel expected to wake up on a steel slab in his twin's basement, buried alive, or not at all.

Shifting in place, Nigel was not surprised to find that he was tied up rather tightly, bound and gagged. He was positioned to sit up with his hand behind his back with a rope around his neck to keep him upright and facing in a certain direction. Feeling out his bonds, Nigel tested out his fingers and toes to find that his limbs were still numb from whatever the hell Hannibal had given him. His fingers were barely able to twitch from the unhealthy combination of poor circulation from the ropes and the lingering drugs in his system.

Fighting against the weariness that threatened to overtake him again, Nigel focused on making his fingers move, sliding them along the rough rope he could barely feel as far as he could to figure out his reach and what knot Hannibal had used on him.

"What are you up to, Hannibal?" Nigel wondered, trying to figure out the reasoning behind his placement. Like an answer to his question from a higher power, a light flicked on to momentarily blind Nigel as he adjusted to the sudden intrusion from it, a crack in the door creating a strobe like effect upon him. The door's intentional spacing was just big enough to let him see out while preventing others from looking in on him. Nigel got to clearly watch as his twin walked Will over to the bed. The man's body was shaking underneath Hannibal's touch, and even from here, Nigel could scent Will's apprehension with an undertone of fear, even as he was sweetly kissed by Hannibal.

"Hannibal…I don't know if I can …" Will tried to say, his protest swallowed down by thin pouting lips. Lost and ashamed, Will looked so small next to Hannibal as he was overwhelmed by him.

"Wait for me, my darling." Nigel quietly worked the words into his gag. He couldn't risk letting Hannibal know that he was fully conscious though he probably was aware of it. It was his chemical blend of sedatives after all. Knowing Hannibal, he probably had it planned out all down to the minute.

"Will," Hannibal said, taking the man's chin firmly in hand. He made Will looked at him, meeting a long suffering gaze with his too solid own "Nigel is a selfish man with a hunger for flesh. I'm sorry that you were taken advantage of."

When Hannibal brought Will in close to press a slow kiss to his lips, Nigel focused on his breathing, making it deep and even. Oxygen in the blood would help push the drugs out of his system. His rapidly beating heart would help do the rest. All it took was focus. Adrenalin was a wonderful thing, especially in the body of someone who knew how to use it to his fullest advantage.

"Nigel may not have valued your affections, but I do." Hannibal mocked Nigel and promised Will all in one breathe. It was answered by a desperate sort of hope from Will, his blue eyes made more silvery grey with his sadness and dull acceptance of loss.

"I am going to fucking kill you…' Nigel vowed, tearing at the gag that silenced him with teeth sharp enough to draw blood. He fought for freedom with a new strength and determination that livened up his numb limbs. Nigel was only spurred on when his enraged sanguine eyes met the cool maroon of his brother's own, Hannibal knowing where to look as he took Will into his arms.

OoOoO

"I will never abandon you, Will. I would never be so callous to you." Hannibal said, pulling Will to him to capture his lips in a bruising kiss. Walking Will back so that the back of his knees hit the bed, it was simple matter of knocking the man over onto his back, Hannibal landing heavily on top to cage Will with his body. Having Will scrawled out beneath him was not something Hannibal thought he would ever tire of seeing.

"I will never let you go." was the darkly made promise that caused Will to tremble, the wording too close to something else he had heard before made by the same voice. Hannibal allowed nothing to be said though, sealing his lips over Will's as he tried to protest.

Will's body held too many conflicting marks upon it from the last few day under the twin's attention. It was like a stamped timeline made up of blues, blacks, and healing yellowish green. Hannibal wanted to add another notation to it.

Unbuttoning Will's shirt to push it off of adorned flesh, Hannibal worked quickly to make his renewed mark among so many. Capturing the sensitive flesh of an already puckering nipple, Hannibal dragged a ragged moan out of Will when he applied teeth along with his attention.

"Hannibal..." Will gasped, gripping at powerful shoulders as more skin was captured and claimed, large hands descended downward in search to the end of Will's pants. Those were stripped from his body as well, leaving Will bare too soon for his liking, especially when he realized that Hannibal was still fully dressed. The power play was not lost on him, but Will accepted it. It was his place to after all.

It was intoxicating to hear his name part from Will's lips. The empath of his talents had a strange way of making it sound rich and alluring, his own name taking the place of his brother's in Will's pretty mouth. Casting another glace to the door, Hannibal was pleased by the thrill of power that ran through him, of making Nigel watch and Will beg for him.

Leaving Will there on his back, Hannibal left off long enough to retrieve a small bottle from his nightstand drawer, some proper lube to use on Will this time. "You're going to come for me, sweet William, and then I want you on your hands and knees." he told the man staring back at him wide eyed.

"But…b.." Will stammered, hating himself for how much he wanted this and didn't at the same time.

"Mine." Hannibal murmured in answer as he leaned in to press his face to the crook of Will's neck. Inhaling deeply to enjoy the bouquet of anticipation tinged with fear, Hannibal caught a surviving spot of creamy skin between his teeth to make Will yelp and move resistant against him. He stilled when Hannibal's hands already found their way between supple thighs. With a sigh, Will parted them for Hannibal to let the man search out his heat with nimble fingers. Hannibal took his time, stroking the cleft of Will's ass to tease his tight entrance. He ignored how it made Will shudder and cry out with growing need.

"No." Will gasped, feeling the cool touch of a finger slicked with oil push into him all the way up to the knuckle. The man above him tensed, stilling in his administrations as the slow slide of sanguine met stormy gray. Will finished his thought to avoid confusion. "No one owns me."

"You want to though…be owned." There was no hesitation residing in Hannibal's assessment of him. It irked Will, the ostentatious attitude that always rubbed him the wrong way like it had the first time they met in Jack's office. It hurt too because Hannibal was right to an extent. "You want someone to care for you. Did you want to belong to Nigel?

"No one." Will tried again, not ready to wave his white flag. "No one, not even him."

A mouth covered his own, the lines of it angry as it devoured his words in a bloody kiss, Hannibal's teeth cutting into his bottom lip. Hannibal stayed there, feeding off of his distress as two fingers turned to three. Their touch went from gentle to pounding, each thrust homing in on the ball of nerves that made up his prostate. Will could feel his orgasm being dragged out of him almost cruelly. Hannibal was angry with him. No, not angry.

Jealous.

"Would you welcome Nigel back into your life?" was hissed into Will's ear by Hannibal to nipped at the shell of it. It was the first time Will had heard a real contemptuous edge to the doctor's voice. Observations were left off for later though as fingers were driven into Will deeper. A particularly aggressive thrust to made Will scream down Hannibal's throat. He was being brought too fast and hard. "Even after the man has abandoned you?"

Will could only shake his head, unable to speak. And then, he was empty and cold, Hannibal lifting himself away from him entirely to start wiping his slick fingers off with his handkerchief. Disbelief and a bizarre growing terror started to creep in upon Will as he searched Hannibal's face to find nothing but indifference there.

"This was too sudden an undertaking. Perhaps I should give you some space and time to consider the choices you've made. You're obviously not ready for a relationship, and I will not force the idea of it where none is wanted." Hannibal stated calmly, looking like he had every intention of leaving this room and letting Will gather up his clothing and the shreds of his dignity all on his own.

"No!' Will yelped, scrambling up to grab at Hannibal even as he started to move away from him. He managed to capture him by the wrist, his fingers digging into the wool there. Part of him rejoiced at Hannibal coming to a standstill again, while others hated himself was wanting the man's attention so badly. It was obviously not good for him, that cold focus on him, but when had Will ever been smart about those kind of life choices? "No… please."

It was the 'please' that undid Hannibal, the sweet broken look on Will face. The way his fingers curled around his wrist. "Are you mine then? Mine and mine alone?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yours." Will nodded weakly, feeling broken down to his foundations. He made himself let go of Hannibal so that he could lay back and spread his legs for him. Presenting himself got what he wanted though, Will feeling the return of fingers pushing into him, scissoring him as more were added to find his sweet spot again. His flagging erection was brought back to standing fullness in no time, the intrusion making Will squirm as he clenched down. He came soon enough, couldn't have stopped it even he had wanted to. Hannibal was far too skilled in what he did not to.

There was a need inside Will, one that only Hannibal could fill. He was left gasping at the sudden emptiness, Hannibal getting what he wanted. Will's belly was covered with his own seed, pooling and streaking his skin wetly.

He hadn't been stretched as much as he should be, prepared with only just enough lube and a quickness of fingers. Will read it in Hannibal's face that he wanted him to feel it. He wanted Will to know exactly who and what was inside of him, claiming him. This time Will was going to know he was owned, the concept working into the foundations of his being.

Facing the inevitable, Will turned onto his hands and knees, deceivingly gentle hands guiding him as he did so. They moved him ever so slightly into an angle. Unbeknownst to Will, it made him face a closet, the empath far too involved with the man stripping behind him to notice the particulars of his placement.

"You know you'll have to be punished for this? All of it. I forgive you, but it would be remiss to let you off so lightly. Lessons still need to be learned." Hannibal said low, watching the effect his voice had on Will, visible shivers running up and down the man's spine to make muscles twitch.

"I know. Just spare me the platitude of 'this is going to hurt you more than it's going to hurt me'." Will snapped, excited and yet terrified about what happening to him. A large hand placed to the back of Will's neck fit him like a collar, pinning the man in place against the mattress as a swollen cockhead was placed to his tender hole.

Pressing back, Will accepted the length, working its inches into his tight flesh. The pressure upon his neck, the pain and over stimulation of entry, and the pleasure of just being touched all grounded Will, made him focus in the moment.

He felt possessed.

He felt saved.

OoOoO

Nigel resisted the drugs with every fiber of his being as he urged his useless fingers to work for him. All his limbs wanted to do was fall limp and sleep these chemicals off. Nigel ignored their vote on the matter, forcing the edge of his nails between the layers of leather that made up his belt. Hannibal would have checked him over thoroughly, but Nigel was willing to bet he had missed a thing or two, especially if his twin had allowed him to keep his belt. It was an oversight that was going to cost Hannibal, Nigel knowing a few tricks that he didn't as he pried about the layers of leather, the cheap glue giving. Hissing around his gag in triumph, rough fingers caught on the sharp teeth of the modified jewelry saw he kept hidden inside, the thin piece of metal flexible and sharp.

Shifting his fingers so that he could slip unique steel into his hand, Nigel brought the blade up to his wrists, catching the rope that bound him. He did this all while watching Will be taken by his twin.

Refusing to look away, Nigel looked on as Hannibal drove himself into Will, his thrusts controlled yet harsh as he held the man in place to take each and every one. On his part, Will moaned and cried out with every over-stimulating movement, his fingers buried in the soft fabric of bedding.

Gripping Will roughly enough by his hips to leave behind a new pattern of bruising, Hannibal moved callously, ignoring Will's growing discomfort as he kept his searing gaze on the door. He was sheathed to his hilt in Will who knew nothing of the man watching them.

The first rope gave but not the intricate knotting itself. Nigel pulled, letting the rough binding burn into his skin as he wrenched his wrists free. Taking a moment to massage burning life back into his finger, Nigel started in on his neck, very carefully sliding the razor sharp metal against his noose. Finishing with his ankles, Nigel kept his eyes trained on Will, his body arching and bending to accept the domination upon him.

Even from here, Nigel could see it, Will's desperate need for something to anchor him, and Hannibal's guarded anger towards them both. Nigel freed himself entirely in time to witness Hannibal claim Will, growing still as he emptied his seed deep within the ,an who shivered in response to the pooling heat that collected inside. He whimpered as Hannibal's softened cock left him, sliding out wetly from his sex.

Like his strings had been cut, Will collapsed onto the bed as sanguine eyes watched milky essence leak from his hole. Nigel sneered at the satisfied smile Hannibal wore on his face, the man even going to far as to lean in, openly scenting Will. The man must have known what Hannibal was doing, Will curling up in on himself in response. Looking pleased, Hannibal left Will like that, disappearing into the bathroom with the obvious intent to clean himself up. It left Will cold on the bed with no aftercare, marked with his aloof lover's semen cooling between his thighs.

Tearing off the last of his bindings, Nigel spit out the gag from his aching jaw, quietly pushing open the door. Pride would be Hannibal's undoing, the sounds of showering the white noise that filled the room. It covered any noise, the little there was, of Nigel opening the door and padding his way across the room. If he heard him, Will didn't stir, probably lost too far in his own head to notice or react.

Every base instinct of his screamed at Nigel to either kill his twin or run for it. There should have been no in-between grey area in this matter for him. Hannibal was as vulnerable and defenseless while in shower as he was ever going to be, and there were so many impromptu weapons in this one room alone that Nigel could easily kill him with. The other alterative was to leave immediately and return to Bucharest, set firm feet back on his home turf. His escape and survival would have a more lasting, irking effect on his twin.

Despite all that, Nigel ignored every ingrained sense of survival and went to the man curled up on the bed.

"Will." Nigel whispered, moving to sit on the bed behind Will. He took the man by his shoulders to pull him up into his arms. He startled Will enough to have him push back at him.

"No, please no more, please." Will pleaded, knowing he couldn't handle another round. He felt too drained for another one of Hannibal's intense sessions, Will trying to twist away from the hands that sought him out. "I'm sorry…"

Grabbing the hand that moved to push him, Nigel pulled Will closer, capturing him in his arms. "Look at me, Will." Nigel ordered, grabbing the hand that tried to push him away. He captured it, using Will's body against him to pull him in closer. Will was made to face Nigel. "Darling, I said look at me. See me."

When Will went still against him, Nigel let a grin play out along his lips, letting out a slow shaky breath as he was recognized. Timid blue eyes met his own maroon, the colors searching each other out for the answers to unasked questions.

"I thought I told you to wait for me, darling." Nigel teased. Will answered by throwing himself at him, gripping at his hair like he feared he might disappear again if he dared let go.

"Hannibal said you left." Will murmured, his mind a soup of confusion. He let Nigel hold him in a full body embrace, felt better for it though his next words were harshly spoken. "Something to do with your wife."

"My wife is dead." Nigel hushed, stroking satin curls that were slightly damp with sweat as he pressed light kisses to Will's forehead to ease up the lines there. "I'm a widower."

"I'm missing something here. I've been given a jigsaw puzzle with no corners to work with." Will said slowly, his eyes narrowing as past conversations were relived in head and examined. He was not to be underestimated. Someone was lying to him, and his quick mind was making up corners of their own.

"Darling, you don't know the half of it." Nigel snorted. A slight movement in his peripheral reminded the very bad man from Bucharest that he had made a mistake. While pride was Hannibal's sin, desire was Nigel's. He had left his attention linger upon Will too long, realizing belated that he had never heard Hannibal turn off the tap.

Wondering if he had any time left to defend himself, Nigel turned with a snarl sounding from his lips, pushing Will behind him as he moved. This dispute had gone on long enough, and now it was time for one of them to die.

The attack that he had been excepting never came though, Hannibal watching them from the doorway like some freshly washed statue, skin still moist and smelling lightly of sandalwood and subtle orchids. The non reaction was enough to make Nigel stare down his twin, noticing something new about him.

Hannibal was hurt. Though his face remained an impassive mask, Nigel could see clear as day the pain that moved under his brother's skin as he watched Nigel connect so deeply with Will. Realization left Nigel stunned, considering something he had never thought possible. He weighed its merit against what he knew, and found the answer to all their problems.

"Oh for fuck's sake Hannibal, you miserable shit. You're in love with him too!"

OoOoO
TBC