Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay, school is getting rather hectic (midterms next week and working two jobs), but I promise I will try and keep posting updates regularly!

I hope you enjoy the new chapter, especially since it's from a new POV

Disclamir: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING

They don't get to talk until Abigail Hobbs is in her hospital room, cords and tubes attached to her frail body. Hannibal thinks she's like a wounded wolf, wrapped up tightly in her sheep's wool. Though they haven't spoken yet, he does indulge himself in languishing in the thought of his soulmate. The way he looked, splattered in blood, eyes steady, the harsh bite of his words lapsed into the gentle tones of those four words he whispered.

Has Will known what he was all this time or did Will just know that his soulmate had rather questionable hobbies? He also wondered if Will had always seen his work as beautiful, and was that not what Hannibal had always wanted. Someone to see him and understand him?It would be interesting to hear what his cunning boy had to say on the subject.

It was late in the evening the night after the Minnesota Shrike case had ended, that Hannibal heard a knock on his door. He put down the knife he was using to chop the tomatoes with. While he understood that it could be anyone, he hoped it would be Will. Walking calmly to the door, he took a second to gather his wits. His normally put together mind-frame was a bit scatter and while he was disgruntled by the sudden disorder, he found it to be an interesting change. When he opened the door, he felt his lips stretch into a soft small.

"It's good to see you, Hannibal," Will said quietly. The man's whole demeanor was quiet, he did not wish to stand out in a crowd. But there were things that would make people stare if they bothered to look hard enough. A strong jaw, as if carved by Michelangelo himself, covered in a dusting of a beard. Lips, a delicate rose color that pulled away to reveal teeth that the man wasn't afraid to use. And of course, his eyes. The eyes of raging storms and calm seas, an intricate juxtaposition that combined to form the perfect complement to Will himself.

"Hello, dear Will," Hannibal said, gesturing with his arm to enter the house, "do come in."

Will walked calmly into his house and Hannibal was slightly amazed with how calmly Will allowed himself to walk into the lion's den so to say. He led Will into his dining room and pulled out the chair for the man who accepted it with a raised eyebrow.

"Would you like something to eat?" Hannibal asked.

Will barked out a laugh and gave him an amused look. "Don't you mean someone?" he asked, mirth licking at his words.

Hannibal smiled at his soulmate and a pleased feeling quelled the beast in him. "If you are sure it isn't in bad manners to serve you someone on the first date."

"Far be it for me to tell you what to do," Will said, relaxing in his chair. "You are the expert in the rude."

Hannibal nodded his head and excused himself from the room to finish preparing dinner. It was exciting to be able to present his work and a meal in front of his soulmate willingly. He quickly finished cutting up the tomatoes and removed the meat from the oven that had been cooking for the past thirty minutes. He made sure he artistically plated the food for both of them before carrying the food back into the dining room where Will was still patiently waiting, looking at the decorations on the walls.

"Pork tenderloin alla Napoli," Hannibal said as he placed the food in front of Will, "the robust flavors of the olives, tomatoes, and rosemary complement the flavors of this particular meat."

Will flashed a smile at Hannibal. "I'm sure this one was particularly lackadaisical," he offered, digging into his meal.

They ate in pleasant silence, offering only small comments about the food and décor of the room. When the two were finished and the dishes were cleaned, it was time to talk. Guiding Will to the living room, he opted to sit in the armchair as opposed to the couch that Will sat himself in.

"Where do we start?" Will asked, making himself comfortable on the couch.

"Should not you decide where we begin this conversation, I admit you do seem to have the advantage here," Hannibal said, leaning back in his chair.

"Perhaps that is the case," Will conceded, "then how about we start with the elephant in the room, how has no one figured you out yet? You don't exactly hide very well."

"You forget, dear Will, that oftentimes hiding in plain sight is the best hiding spot." Will gave a small smile at that. "What I wish to know in return is why you are not concerned about this."

Will sighed and ran a hand through his hair, disrupting the semblance of order that he had mostly likely struggled to tame. "I saw your first murder, or glimpses of it," Will admitted, "I was scared at first, you were so angry and then so at peace. But I hoped that if I came to accept your faults, then you would accept mine. It isn't that I approve of your more illicit activities, it's just that I don't care as long as I get to keep you."

Hannibal felt awe settle over him. This remarkable creature only cared that he got to keep him. But he had to be sure that he understood what Will was saying. "Would you like me chained to you? A cage masquerading as a loving embrace?"

"How about a light across the water," Will suggested, calmly staring into Hannibal's eyes. "Something you have to return to, even if it takes you a while. I don't condone cages, and I hate the idea of chaining you to me like some beast. I trust you to come back to me, and your secrets lie at the bottom of the sea."

Allowing himself to process what Will was saying, he stood up and walked over to the couch. "What a remarkable boy you are, Will," he whispered, sitting himself beside Will on the couch. "Had it been anyone else, they would have run from me, turned me in, cast me aside and caged me. But you, you are not as such."

"We are all chipped tea cups, some even broken and we become each other's kintsugi," Will said lightly, seeming to not be bothered by the sudden change in proximity.

"The idea that when something has suffered damage and has a history, it becomes more beautiful. Are we the golden lacquer for each other, Will?" Hannibal asked.

"I have no problem with it, but you must know I come with seven dogs," Will replied, turning to face him.

Hannibal smiled at his soulmate and leaned in slightly. "I'll have to designate rooms that they can go in, if that's alright with you," he said smoothly. It wasn't as if Will was expecting him to deal with the dogs, just that they were part of the deal to get Will.

"Then I suppose we'll have to tell Jack that I need a new psychologist," Will said, letting a grin light up his face.

"Ol' Jack will be quite cross," Hannibal said.

No more words were needed as the two leaned in slowly. Their mouths met in a chaste passing, before they let themselves reacquaint their mouths with their soulmates'. It was everything that Hannibal had ever wanted and he would do everything in his power to keep it that way.

If you have time, please leave a review on your way out *gives you all a plate of cookies and a glass of milk*