At any other time the utter bewilderment that stained Hannibal's face might have caused Will to laugh, but in this moment Will just let it sit. He wasn't sure what else to say despite the fact that now the entire dictionary was open to him. The silence wore on and Will grew antsy, his hands wanting to fill the quiet for him, take back everything.

"Say something?" It jumped from his mouth. "Anything?"

Will froze and could only blink as fingers caressed over his lips and eyes took him in as if trying to label every inch of his body. "Your voice," Hannibal finally uttered, doing nothing to ease Will from the predicament he had put them in. "It's so much more charming than I thought it would be."

Will snorted out his laughter. "Charming?" he asked.

"And your accent," Hannibal continued on, fingers unable to stay put. They roamed over Will's face and down his throat, tracing where his voice came from. "It's lovely."

"You can blame the southern drawl on Alabama." Will snatched up Hannibal's hands and kissed them once more. "You don't seem upset."

"I'm furious," Hannibal assured with a nod. "But I had my suspicions."

"When?"

"You do tend to react to stimuli around you. It was faint, but tonight proved my theory correct. You jumped when I turned on the shower and when Beverly yelled. You also had your eyes closed through most of Beverly signing to you."

Will's breath was stolen from him at a kiss that caused him to tumble backwards onto the couch. He groaned in pain as his head spun and Hannibal swiftly adjusted himself so he wasn't atop of Will and more to the side. He checked Will over swiftly before their lips met once more. Will allowed himself to be kissed until he was dizzy and his nose was red hot with pain.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Will got out between kisses.

"I was curious how long you would keep it up," Hannibal admitted, finally pulling back. "Was curious if I would have to wait until our wedding day for you to say your vows."

"Wedding?" Will shook his head, smile bright. "You're getting ahead of yourself, I think."

"You did just tell me you loved me."

Will bit his lip. "I did, didn't I?" Will's thumb caressed over Hannibal's cheek and he let out a deep breath. "We can pretend I didn't. Go back to how we were. Happily silent."

"I don't think I could live a moment without your voice in my life now that I know what it sounds like," Hannibal said, fingers tangling up in Will's curls and being so incredibly gentle that Will worried Hannibal was afraid to hurt him. "I don't think I can go back to pretending."

Will understood. It would be difficult. But if Beverly and him were able to pull it off, then it would be easy with Hannibal. If Matthew... Will let out a huff of air. Matthew was the problem.

"What's wrong?" Hannibal questioned, nudging at Will's nose softly with his own.

"Matthew knows." Will pulled from the awkward slouch he was in and sat up full on the couch. Hannibal followed with an understanding hum. "That was what happened. He was drunk, chased me down. He wanted me to admit I didn't need to sign."

"I see." Hannibal sighed deeply. " Tada tai gali būti problema. " (Then it could be a problem.) Will straightened up and looked over Hannibal for a long moment. Will searched back through all the blurriness of the night before, looking for anything similar to the language that had just come from Hannibal. Had he heard it before? He was certain he had. "What?" Hannibal questioned.

"You-You said something in the bathroom. I thought it was made up," Will explained, a hand going to his pounding head. "What did you say?"

Hannibal shrugged. "I said a lot of things in the bathroom. I was rather upset."

"What language is that?"

"Lithuanian." The word was spoken as if it should have been obvious and Will wondered if there was more missing from his jumbled up head. Hannibal sat up as well. "I told you I'm from Lithuania."

"Right," Will agreed, a smile coming to his lips. "You've just never spoken aloud in another language before. Is this what you felt like when you figured out I could speak?" Will reached out to caress Hannibal's cheek.

"I don't think that's quite the same."

"Say something else," Will instructed, excitement rushing through him. He faced Hannibal head on and received a slight airy chuckle from Hannibal who shook his head. "Please. It was lovely."

"In Lithuanian or another language?"

Will's mind stopped and he laughed, scooting closer to Hannibal on the couch until he was almost in Hannibal's lap, their legs overlapping. "How many more do you know?"

"Enough."

"But that's not fair!"

"You have no room to speak at the moment."

"Hannibal!" Will scolded, leaning over to kiss the man. There was a low moan from Hannibal and Will was pulled closer. Will winced as fingers touched the back of his head that was still tender, but Will didn't care. He didn't want Hannibal to stop.

"Say it again," Hannibal breathed between them. "My name."

Will bit his bottom lip, eyes looking between Hannibal's that were shining in the dim lamplight. Will's chest tightened as something hot snaked around each and every one of his ribs. He thought his heart might explode with how hard it was beating. Hannibal had to be able to hear it in the stillness of the room.

"Hannibal."

Will was kissed again, all tongue and teeth. His arms wrapped around Hannibal tightly and he was pulled fully onto Hannibal's lap. Hannibal's heat burned his body as those hands wandered over him.

"Fuck," Hannibal gasped out before biting Will's lip. Will groaned, eyes rolling back involuntarily. "If you weren't injured I'd eat you."

"Eat me," Will whispered against Hannibal's lips. He didn't care if he was in pain, he didn't care if it would make his wounds worse, made his head permanently spin. Hannibal could do whatever he wanted to Will and Will wouldn't complain.

"Please don't," a drowsy voice groaned from beside them on the couch. The kiss broke and Will chuckled, leaning his head against Hannibal and not having to look behind him to hear Beverly shifting on the couch. "I don't want to clean it up or take him to the hospital. We can't afford it."

"That's why you called me," Hannibal shot at her over Will's shoulder as his hands continued to caress Will's back and hips. "Free labor."

"You know it."

Will rested against Hannibal, turning his body so his back was against the man's chest. He wanted to be able to see his friend without leaving Hannibal's lap. Hannibal's arms wrapped around him and a kiss was pressed to Will's temple. Will smiled lightly and met Beverly's gaze whose expression was relieved.

"You look so much better," she said, moving closer to him on the couch, her hands taking his face and pulling it this way and that to look over it. "God, he fucked up your nose good."

"Is it that bad?" Will pulled himself free from her grip and a hand went to his nose, feeling along the length of it. It was swollen, but he didn't think it was broken. Hannibal wouldn't have been stupid enough to kiss him if it had been.

"We should probably ice it," Hannibal informed, voice warm by Will's ear. "Bev, would you mind?"

She sighed and shook her head, getting to her feet, grumbling under her voice, "I wish I had a boyfriend to order people around." Will smiled at the comment, leaning back into Hannibal's chest again. "Will has feet too, you know!"

"He should be resting, not moving."

"He should be resting," Beverly mocked in a high pitched voice as she dug through the freezer for an ice pack. "Not sucking face."

Will burst out in laughter. "Bev." Her complaining wasn't what was funny to him. Will was counting down the seconds it took for everything to finally snap into place for her. Maybe she was still tired, because she had come back to the living room with the ice pack and thrown it at Will before Will decided to give her a hint. "You know, you want to be a crime scene investigator, but you have a hard time seeing what's in front of you."

She grumbled as she collapsed back onto the couch, pulling the blanket up and around her. "The fuck you on about, William Graham?"

Hannibal laughed, the rumble against Will's back bright and the sound warm. It felt good to not have to pretend that he didn't hear it anymore. "I love your laugh," he whispered to Hannibal, receiving himself another kiss before Hannibal guided the ice pack to Will's nose.

It was like Beverly had turned into a zombie from an old horror movie. She sat up slowly without any help from any muscles other than her core and she met Will's gaze head on. She opened her mouth and closed it several times over before she began to buzz like a bee, bouncing on the couch.

"He knows," she said.

Will snickered. "I know he knows," he answered, voice muffled from the pack that was giving his nose a soothing burn.

"You know!" The words were directed at Hannibal.

"Yes," he agreed, voice slow. "Is she normally like this?"

"Oh yeah." Will nodded, smiling behind the ice. "She'll come down in a moment."

"Tell me!" she demanded, the blanket thrown aside so she could nearly climb into Will's lap where he still sat in Hannibal's. "What happened? How did he-" her attention flew to Hannibal, "-how did you figure it out?"

"I told him," Will explained with a shrug, pushing Beverly back just a bit so he wasn't crushing Hannibal behind him.

"I already knew," Hannibal corrected. Will sat up and turned to argue, but Hannibal pressed on before he could get a single sound out. "I love you too, Will."

The noise that came from Beverly's throat was the same sound that Will's heart made and maybe if he had been alone with Beverly he would have been jumping to his feet and freaking out with her. He couldn't quite grasp at the way that she had always seen Will's life as her own little television show and he knew that this might as well have been the season finale for her. He appreciated the cheerleader always in his corner though.

"Fuck yes!" she said through her teeth, bouncing on the balls of her feet and causing Will to blush from second hand embarrassment. "Will!"

"Shut up," Will hissed.

Hannibal must have found it endearing though because he simply smiled. "We'll have a lot of that to look forward to, won't we?"

"Fuck yeah you will!" Beverly agreed as she did some sort of dance that involved punching the air, her voice loud enough to cause Will to wince and he set the ice pack aside and hid his nose, pressing into Hannibal's neck. Hannibal jolted at the cold, but Will felt a hand brush against his curls soothingly. "Will, this is-"

"Beverly," Hannibal interrupted, his voice kind. "Too loud."

"Oh. Sorry." The energy around Beverly fizzed out immediately, though the warmth of the situation was still bright as she settled back onto the couch. Will could feel her hand gently rub his thigh in apology and he smiled against Hannibal. He was lucky to know them, to have them in his life. He wasn't sure what he did to get this lucky, but he wasn't going to take it for granted. "So does this mean we still need to sign in public?"

Will didn't want to think about that. He didn't want to even begin to unpack everything that was bound to happen. He still had the weekend to use as a buffer to avoid all of it, but once Monday hit he was as good as dead.

Will opened his eyes and sat up fully. He sighed, a hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. "I don't know, Bev," he replied in a quiet tone. But he couldn't seem to make it louder. It didn't fit the space or the conversation. "I had to tell Matthew."

"Oh." Beverly's face dropped in understanding.

"He was drunk, so I don't know if he remembers or not, but-"

"He'll be telling the whole school if he does," Beverly finished the sentence for him with a nod. "Yeah, we're up shit's creek here."

"We'll hope for the best," Hannibal offered, calling both Will and Beverly's gazes to him. "If it comes down to it, I will take care of things."

Will scoffed. "What do you mean take care of things?"

"Will, if there is somehow proof that you are not deaf you could very well be expelled." Hannibal's words caused Will's heart to sink. He hadn't even thought that far yet. He would be marked for the rest of his life for this. "I'm sure the school has gone to great lengths to help accommodate your needs to the best of their abilities. If they find out-"

"You don't need to rub it in," Will grumbled, hand going to his head. He did his best to swallow his anxiety.

"And how will you take care of it?" Beverly asked, voicing the words that Will couldn't bring himself to say.

"Let's say that money speaks louder than words."

Will pulled himself from Hannibal's lap, setting himself between Hannibal and Beverly on the couch, knees too weak to lift him more than that. "No." He shook his head, looking over Hannibal's face fully and only finding sincerity there. "Absolutely not, Hannibal. You're not bribing school officials to cover up my lies."

"It might not even come to that, Will. But that is an option," Hannibal tried to assure, but Will's whole body felt like it was trapped in sinking sand. It was tugging him under and he couldn't breathe. "Matthew very well might not remember. I'm just-"

"I don't like charity handouts," Will argued.

"That hasn't stopped you before," Hannibal shot back. It wasn't said maliciously, but it cut all the same. The room plunged into heavy quiet and Will licked his lips. He didn't know what to say, didn't know how to feel as the guilt swallowed him whole.

Hannibal was right. His whole life he had taken advantage of help that was never meant for him. It wasn't designed for someone as fucked up as him. He took the handouts like his life depended on it, happy to do anything to not have to open his mouth. Why had he opened his mouth?

His expression must have been enough or maybe Beverly said something that Will was too numb to hear because Hannibal rose to his feet the same time Beverly did. "I'm sorry. Beverly. He can sleep, but wake him up every few hours to make sure he's alright. Ask him simple questions. If he can't answer them, gets confused about where he is or starts throwing up, take him to the ER."

The door slamming shut made Will jump and he blinked, looking up at Beverly who was breathing hard, anger on her features and hands on her hips.

"We'll figure this out, Will," she assured. "But for now you should get some more sleep. It's late."

Will wandered into his class, the one he had been dreading all weekend. So far nothing had been said against him, but he was waiting for the ball to drop. He took his normal seat at the front of the room, knee bouncing under the table and his hand, clicking away nervously at a pen he held firmly in his grip. Beverly joined him a few minutes later, sitting beside him and taking his hand. She rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand in a soothing pattern, but it did nothing to ease the knot in Will's stomach. It only got worse when Hannibal stepped into the classroom.

Will hadn't heard from Hannibal the rest of the weekend. He had been too afraid to reach out, too afraid of what would be said. He had let the silence go on and on hoping that Hannibal would be the one to break it. Hoping that Hannibal wasn't upset with him or with Beverly.

Maroon graced him and flickered over his face. Will could feel where Hannibal's attention lingered on his nose and on the fingerprint bruises on his skin. Beverly had offered to try to cover them with makeup, but they were nowhere near the same shade and so Will just figured he'd let them be. He didn't have to answer anyone who asked. He couldn't hear them after all.

Will's mouth turned bitter when Matthew followed behind Hannibal, the two of them having obviously been holding a conversation before they entered the room because Matthew was continuing it and Hannibal turned to answer whatever was being said. It was all mush to Will's ears, a garbled mess.

Matthew's brown eyes rested on Will and Beverly's grip tightened on Will's hand only causing his anxiety to spike. Will couldn't detect anything new in Matthew's expression. Nothing that indicated any sort of anger towards him. Well, nothing more than what normally sat there. In fact, Matthew looked a touch surprised by how beaten up Will was.

Hannibal took Matthew's arm and tugged Matthew to the back of the class and Will let out a breath that had been trapped for far too long. Tears blurred his vision and he lowered his head into his free hand. Beverly rubbed at his back though it did nothing.

He was alright. His lie was still in place for now. The world he had built up around him could finally stop crumbling and piece itself back together. There was a sense of relief in the wrongfulness and Will hated himself for the way his chest immediately felt lighter.

"Is he alright?" a voice asked and Will placed it as the teacher's.

"I'm not sure," Beverly answered for him, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention. Will looked up, doing his best to stop his chin from quivering as Beverly signed to him. Through the blur Will could make out her asking if he wanted to stay in class or go home.

Home, Will answered with a shaky exhale.

"Here are the notes for class. If he-"

Will didn't hear the rest. He snatched up the typed up notes and signed thank you before rushing past Beverly's chair and out of the room. He was part way down the hallway when there were footsteps chasing after him. They were heavy and fast sending him into a panic as similar pursuing footsteps had chased him down the street.

Will did his best to ignore them as they grew closer. He ditched his idea of taking the elevator and bolted for the stairs. His hand took the railing to help spur him forward and he nearly tripped down them. When he hit the first landing, the momentum sent him into the wall. He tried to push himself off of it, but hands slammed themselves on either side of him and Will could hear heavy breathing behind him. The heat of it blew at his curls and tickled the back of his neck.

"Will," was whispered through the pants and Will slowly turned to find Hannibal enclosing him against the wall instead of Matthew. A hand slipped across his cheek and a thumb wiped at the tears that Will had noticed had been freely falling, hot and angry against his cheeks. "It's ok, mano meilė ." Will didn't understand the words, but the sentiment was there. Hannibal's forehead pressed against Will's as both of them continued to breathe hard from their sprint. "You're alright."

Will wanted to sink into Hannibal's touch, but there was something that caused a lump to form in his throat. He used his forearms to push against Hannibal's chest, creating enough space to break for the rest of the stairs. He could make the three flights. He could escape. He had to. He was going to combust if he didn't run.

"Will!" was called after him. It bounced off the walls as did the following footsteps.

Will begged his legs to move faster, but the more stairs he took the more jelly like they felt. The tears were bitter now and he couldn't stop them despite how badly he wanted them to. He was better than this, stronger than this. He jumped the last remaining ones, his knees nearly giving out at the assault. He stumbled, trying to catch his balance and ended up pushing through a group of people speaking in a circle, sending books, papers and pens scattering across the floor. There were angry shouts after him, but he didn't look back. Instead he shoved open the door to the outside world that was a raging storm. The outside reflected the swirling inside of him and thunder cracked as rain splattered across his face.

He was soaked in an instant, but he couldn't bring himself to care. All he wanted was to be free of everything. It was too close, too consuming. The grass was muddy and squashed beneath his shoes as he trudged through it. He wasn't sure where he was going or why he was still clutching the ruined notes and pen in his fist, but his feet kept moving, pushing him forward.

"Will!" It was muffled through the pounding of the rain. "William! Po perkūnais !" (God damn it.) Will's arm was snatched up and he was turned around forcefully. His curls were plastered against his face and made it hard to see through the rain as he stared up at a sopping wet Hannibal. "Will you stop for just a moment, please?"

"You left!" Will shouted, shoving Hannibal away once more. He didn't know where the words were coming from, but they felt like they were pulled from deep inside of his person. Like they had been a big lead ball in his gut for days and now he was finally able to dispel it. "You left!"

The rain around them roared and the curtain of white was near impossible to see through. The only two people who existed were them in the middle of the downpour. Lightning spat savagely across the sky and the thunder that followed was deafening and made Will flinch.

"Beverly didn't want me to stay," Hannibal explained once the grumbling had died down enough to be heard again. "But you didn't exactly fight for me to stay either!"

"I couldn't speak."

"You could have signed, you impossible boy!" Hannibal groaned and tipped his head back in the rain, his breath floating away as heat met cold. It wasn't until that moment that Will noticed he was shivering in clothes that were far too heavy and shoes that were sinking into the mud. "I would have stayed if you asked. You only ever have to ask."

"Fine!" Will huffed out a breath and pointed back the way they had come though he couldn't see the building anymore, completely white washed by the tempest. "Why were you with him?"

Hannibal looked taken aback at the inquiry. "With Matthew?"

"Good fuck!" It was screamed and Will threw the mess of pulpy notes and pen to the ground so that his hands could go to his head that he was certain was going to split in half if Hannibal didn't start working with him right this very second. "Yes Matthew! Who the fuck else would I fucking be talking about?" Hannibal opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't get anything out. "He did this to me, Hannibal!" Will motioned to his face, the only noticeable injuries, the rest hidden under his clothing. "He attacked me and you were with him!"

"You're smart, Will." Hannibal's tone was annoyed, his arms going wide as he used them to speak, so much louder than any signing had been. "Why would I be speaking to Matthew again?"

"Don't fucking do this to me, Hannibal. Don't-"

"Think, you asinine thing."

Will's jaw clenched at the insult, hands fists at his side, but his mind obeyed before he could stop it and stew further in his emotions. It was running over all of the possibilities. Maybe Hannibal had been playing him from the beginning. Maybe it was to get back at Will for not moving the first day of class. He hoped it wasn't something as elementary school as that. Or maybe Matthew had told Hannibal of his suspicions that first day and Hannibal had agreed to help him figure it all out.

It could have been that now that Will and him weren't talking that Matthew was the only person he had and if that were the case, Will felt sad for Hannibal. Or maybe he had been meaning to make good on his threats from that night. Threats to take his anger out on Matthew. Hannibal could be sensing out Matthew, trying to figure out how much Matthew really did remember and helping with damage control. The list went on and on, but that one was the most likely. It had to be.

"You were making sure he didn't remember," Will finally stated aloud, earning him a nod from Hannibal. "You were trying to-"

"Keep your secret," Hannibal finished for him. "Threaten him, pay him off if necessary. Luckily, neither is. He was far too drunk."

Relief rushed through Will, stronger now than it had been in the classroom. So it really was over. Everything was in place where it needed to be. He was safe. He could keep going to school, he could keep up his lies.

It was tiring. How had he never noticed before how much effort it took? It was mentally twisted how long he had kept this going and he didn't know if he could keep it up, even after everything had been secured. After all of the work Hannibal had done to make sure Will could keep himself in his silly little silent world.

There was another louder growl from the sky, threatening that it was only bound to get worse. Lightning danced about and the rain grew steadily harder. Will's arm was taken up in a firm grip by Hannibal and he was steered towards the left. He didn't know how Hannibal knew where they were going exactly. It took nearly stumbling into buildings for Will to be able to see them.

The streets were beginning to flood and Will's shoes were filled with water the moment he stepped out across the roadway. Hannibal stopped him as a car passed, the light barely making a dent in the waterfall. The windshield wipers were working overtime and didn't seem to be doing much to help the driver at all.

He was guided towards a tall shape and found himself soon enough at the door to the suites. It was the newest and most expensive dorm on campus. Of course Hannibal lived here. Will rolled his eyes at the sight of the building. Why would Hannibal live anywhere else? Will's apartment must have looked like a run down junk yard compared to this place.

Hannibal swiped a keycard across a pad and the red light turned green, indicating that the door was unlocked. Will was pulled through the door, slipping on the stone floor that might as well have been a swimming pool with how much water was gathering across it. Hannibal caught him easily and helped steady him.

The main floor looked like a five star hotel and Will wondered how much the man trying to desperately mop the floor was being paid. Not enough, if he had to guess. But he didn't have long to focus on it as he was led past a ping pong table and towards a set of elevators.

There was laughter behind him as more people stumbled in from the rain and wet footsteps filled the lobby. The elevator door dinged as it opened and Will squished in with other drowned and dripping students.

"Crazy, right?" someone asked.

"I couldn't see anything," another said.

Will stumbled slightly as he was pushed into Hannibal and Hannibal's arms wrapped around him to keep him upright. Will didn't move, being smushed closer to Hannibal's chest as more people piled in.

"Do you think the power will go out?"

"I'm surprised it hasn't already."

Will closed his eyes with a calming exhale. He didn't want to get stuck in an elevator with all of these people. He dreaded even being stuck in here with just Hannibal. He wasn't sure he could take being alone with the man at the moment. There was still so much to say and Will wasn't sure how to say it. Wasn't sure if he could even sign it, curious if he knew Lithuanian if it would be easier.

"Hey," a chipper voice said. "You're the deaf kid, huh?" Will nearly wanted to roll his eyes at the question. Of course he couldn't fucking answer if he was deaf. Instead, Hannibal's head nodded towards the girl who had been speaking and Will took the que to turn his attention in that direction. There was a pretty girl with long dark hair that was flattened to her face. Her coat was clinging to her and had become so heavy it had opened up enough to reveal an oddly patterned dress beneath it. "I'm Alana," she said. Her fingers were slow, but they spelled out her name. She had a blush on her cheeks and she laughed a bit. "Sorry." Her fist rubbed at her chest. "I'm learning."

"You're doing well," Hannibal complimented with a kind smile. "He'd answer, but I think his hands are a bit trapped." Will blinked, just now noticing how he was pressed so tightly against Hannibal's chest that his hands were indeed captured up so that he had no chance to sign, but he gave Alana a warm smile.

"That's ok," Alana assured with a shrug. "It's nice to meet you." That sentence was signed to Will and Will nodded. "We should hang out." Her voice was excited but her smile fell with a laugh. "I don't remember how to say that." Her efforts were sweet as she signed a rather broken no remember . "Maybe you could help me learn."

"I'll let him know when we get off," Hannibal assured.

The elevator came to a halt and the door sounded as it finally opened. The group funneled out and a girl with insanely red curly hair that didn't seem to have taken much damage from the rain and remained as spring-like as if it were dry, pulled Alana out.

"Bye!" Alana called and signed before the door shut, leaving Hannibal and Will alone.

It took Will a moment or two to finally come to his senses and he pushed himself away from Hannibal. Cold rushed across his body that was no longer flushed to Hannibal's and Will shivered. His clothes were dripping, adding to the water that had gathered at the bottom of the elevator.

The next floor finally came and when the doors opened, Hannibal motioned Will out into the long hallway. They walked down the hall and Will did his best to ignore the way his shoes squished with each step, sending water up between his toes.

Hannibal stopped at one of the many doors that lined the hall and swiped his card across another key pad. It turned green just like before and he pushed open the door, revealing a kitchen first and foremost.

Will stepped into the dorm. It was smaller than Will's apartment, but much nicer. The floors weren't yellowing with age or pulling up at the edges where they met the carpet of the living room. There was a new fridge, microwave, oven and dishwasher. In the corner was a circular dining table with four chairs and someone sitting at it, typing away on a laptop.

"Hey Zeller," Hannibal greeted. The man with insanely gelled back dark curls looked up from his work and pulled his earphones from his ears with a laugh.

"What the fuck happened to you two?"

"It was raining," Hannibal explained.

"No shit. I can see that." He looked between Will and Hannibal for a moment before he smiled at Will. "I'm Brian."

"This is Will," Hannibal introduced. He turned to face Will and signed Brian's name to him. Will's heart stuttered in his chest. Hannibal was going to keep this alive as long as Will allowed him to. Hannibal would keep this secret to the grave if Will so much as asked. No. He didn't even have to ask. Hannibal just would. "Brian says hi."

Will looked between Hannibal and Brian, licking his lips.

You don't have to do this, Will signed back, unsure exactly what he was supposed to do here. You don't have to lie to him.

"He says it's nice to meet you," Hannibal explained to Zeller. "He's the friend I've been telling you about."

"I can see that too." Brian sighed, finally looking towards the ground. "He's welcome to stay for dinner. Jimmy was gonna make some spaghetti. And clean up the water, will ya? We both know Jimmy will find it with his face if it's not taken care of."

"Sure."

Will's shoulders were taken up in Hannibal's hands and Will was led from the kitchen towards a set of doors. The one on the right was unlocked with a key and Will stepped into a bedroom. The walls were stark white and bare. There was nothing put up, not like the posters that Beverly had decorated their rooms with. The bed was pushed to the corner and folded so perfectly Will wondered if he could bounce a quarter off of it. There was a desk in the corner littered with stacks of books and notes as well as a laptop and an open closet showed rows of nicely hung clothes, nothing on the floor.

"My place is closer than yours," Hannibal explained in a dull voice as he shuffled over to the closet. He pulled some clothes from the built-in dresser and held them out to Will, who wasn't sure what else to do but take them. "I'll get you a towel to dry off." Hannibal pulled off his dripping jacket and brushed his hair from his face. "And I'll get your clothes in the dryer."

Hannibal left the room, closing the door behind him and Will stared at the wood of the door. He felt so out of place and he didn't know what to do. Eventually he decided on making sure he stopped dripping on the carpet and he pulled his clothes from his body.

There was a knock on the bedroom door and it opened a crack, a hand shoving a towel through it. Will couldn't help but smile slightly as he made his way over to it and took it. The door was shut and Will dried himself off before slipping into the clothes Hannibal had given him. A t-shirt and sweatpants that were far too big and hung off of him awkwardly. There was no way that he could keep the pants on, even when tightening the draw sting and tying it off.

It was a risk, but he didn't mind it. If he played innocent then maybe he would get away with it. He pulled the borrowed boxers up until they stayed decently and folded up the pants, putting them away in the drawer he had seen Hannibal fetch them from.

He used the towel to dry his curls and added it to the mess that were his wet clothes. They were gathered and he left the bedroom, finding his way back to the kitchen where Hannibal was now changed and cleaning up the mess on the floor that obviously hadn't been cleaned up fast enough because there was an annoyed looking man complaining loudly about how his socks were wet and Will had to agree that wet socks were one of the worst crimes on earth.

"Han," Brian called, pointing towards Will. Hannibal straightened himself up and took the wet clothes from Will, returning back the way Will had come and heading for the other door that hadn't been opened yet. Will could barely make out a laundry room when the light was turned on. "This is Will, Price," Brian introduced, and Will ignored them until his arm was patted by the new man. Will turned and gave the man a smile. "He's Hannibal's friend."

"Oh." The man, having completely forgotten about his socks, stepped closer, holding out his hand. Will took it in greeting. "How are you, Will?"

"He can't hear you, you dumbass," Brian scolded, before putting his earphones back in and typing away on his computer again.

"Oh! That friend," Price said in understanding, but it didn't seem to have quite seeped in the way it needed to because he simply kept speaking. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize-"

"Jimmy," Hannibal interrupted as he returned from the mud room that was now rumbling and alive with the dryer going. Hannibal's hand was warm as it grasped Will's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. "He can't hear you." If the situation had allowed for it, Will would have laughed at the way that Jimmy shrunk back in embarrassment. He rubbed the back of his neck with a nod. "But if you'd like I can translate for you. Just speak to him like a normal person. Not around him. It's offensive."

Hannibal stepped past Will, hand leaving his shoulder. He dropped to his knees to clean at the mess that was still on the floor and Will stared as Hannibal worked. Will didn't know if the others had caught the way Hannibal's voice was pinched as if in pain. Something like agony there, the lie sitting heavy between them. And Hannibal knew so much, understood the etiquette, the way that the world was meant to work. He had actually belonged to the world. Maybe in another time and another place and another language, but he belonged there far more than Will ever had.

Will bit his lip and patted Jimmy's shoulder to get his attention.

Can I help at all?

Jimmy's face contorted into something of confusion and he nudged at Hannibal's leg with his wet sock. Hannibal stopped and looked up from his work, annoyance on his brow. Will couldn't recall that look ever being present on Hannibal's face before. Not even when Matthew had been rude at lunch a week or two prior.

"What's he saying?" Jimmy pointed to Will and Hannibal sighed, sitting back on his knees and turning to face Will. Will repeated the question and Hannibal shook his head, unspeaking, getting back to work. He had fucked up. He had fucked this up so badly. He had to fix this, but he didn't know how. Didn't know what would be the right thing to say. "Hey, I might have some pants that would fit you a bit better if you'd like to borrow them. I can get them."

That same put out slowness entered Hannibal's movements as he once more stopped his cleaning and turned to Will to sign what Will had been told and Will frowned, heart aching as he nodded in answer.

"Go ahead, Price," Hannibal informed, waving the man away.

"Be back in a moment." Jimmy raced away, leaving wet footprints behind.

Will stepped closer to Hannibal and reached out a hand to touch him, but before he could everything went dark. The dryer came to a rumbling halt and Will had to hold back a laugh at a loud crash and swearing from somewhere in another part of the dorm.

"I'm ok!" Jimmy assured, though the other two didn't seem at all concerned over their roommates' well being.

"Damn it. My laptop is almost dead." Brian closed the computer with a sign and pulled his earphones out once more. "At least I don't have to submit that assignment anymore. I'll get the candles." He got from the table and left in the same direction that Jimmy had.

Hannibal pushed himself up front the floor with the wet towel and stepped past Will and towards the mud room again and before Will could follow, Jimmy had reappeared with a pair of plaid pj pants in tow.

"Here!" he said, holding them out to Will with a grin. His hair was disheveled and he was breathing hard leaving Will guessing what the cause for the ruckus had been. Will took the pants with a nod of thanks. "I'm gonna start dinner here in a bit. You can stay if you'd like."

"He can't hear you!" Hannibal called from the mud room, still pushing that god damned fucking lie.

"And the power is out dipshit!" Brian scolded as well.

"It's a gas stove idiot!" Jimmy yelled back. He focused back on Will and gave a chuckle. "They're stupid."

"He still can't hear you!" Brian returned into the kitchen with several glass jars and a BBQ lighter in his hand. He let them all drop onto the kitchen table with a clatter and began to light them one by one, slowly illuminating the shared space.

Will's shoulder was once more taken in Hannibal's familiar grip and Will glanced back at the man who nodded his head towards his room. The spent expression was as roaring as the thunder and Will knew Hannibal was at his wits end. His patience was running thin and it was best to leave the roommates on their own to bicker about whatever they decided was fitting.

Will followed Hannibal into the bedroom and the door was closed, allowing the room to slip into something tense and noiseless. Hannibal stepped over to the window and pulled the blinds apart to look out at the storm. Once satisfied with whatever he was trying to find, Hannibal went to his desk and dug through the drawers in it until he produced his own candle and a box of matches.

Will could only watch, glued to the floor by the door. He didn't belong here. He was out of place and Hannibal was making it more than clear. He didn't need to speak for Will to get the message. He was only here because of the storm. If there had been any other situation, Will would be alone in his apartment or the library or wherever he would have hidden himself.

The candle was lit, sending a soft and dancing glow across the room and Hannibal sat in the desk chair, back to Will. Will let the fabric in his hands drop to the floor and he hesitantly walked towards the desk where Hannibal's back was to him, the man's head in his hands.

He cleared his throat, hoping to gain any reaction from Hannibal, but none came. He wished his voice was stronger when he spoke. It sounded deceptive. Weak.

"I'm sorry."