Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

 Will could already tell that this town didn’t like outsiders, and though Will was used to being an outsider he could tell this was different. He was used to the worst thing being his peers ignoring, or taunting him, and the occasional adult wanting to pin the blame on the ‘strange kid’ because it was easier than having to deal with the intricacies of small town politics, and actually having to punish the sheriffs or even the mayor's kid. But even still, this felt different.

 It felt like the whole town knew something he didn’t, and because he wasn’t a part of the in-group, they didn’t need to tell him. They all eyed him with a level of suspicion he felt was odd for the frail mop headed 7 year old he was, but still they seemed to speak in hushed tones when they knew he was near. They seemed to trust Dad enough to let them work on their boats motors though, or maybe they were just desperate enough. And with work came an empty house. Dad couldn’t rely on the ‘it takes a village’ method of just getting the neighbor to keep an eye on him while he was at work. No matter how many times he said he could take care of himself, Dad still insisted on a sitter.

 It's not like the sitter actually did anything. She'd let him come and go from the house as he pleased, maybe acknowledge him with a glance or two, few words had actually been exchanged between the two of them. She just sat on the couch watching their small TV with a shoddy signal, and was bitter that there was no money left for pizza.

 Until one day, when he went out, he started heading for the thick woods that seemed to encroach on the whole town. It was the one place he had not explored yet. Since he tended to just go to the library the moment his dad left house, and the sitter settled into the spot she had made for herself on their couch, but its been getting harder to get there and back and actually have the time to enjoy himself before his dad got home to find a house with only the sitter in it.

 The trees that made it up were tall, casting a long looming shadow over all that stood before them. Will's house, no matter the time of day, had always stood right out of its reach. He ventured forth into that shade. He hadn’t even made it that close to the forest's edge before he heard a loud shrill cry that almost made him jump out of his shoes. Will turned towards the source of the noise, and saw his babysitter making her way to him with a terrified look on her face. She clutched his wrist with a force that gave him the same fear she must've felt, and dragged him directly back into the house. When they entered, she seemed almost surprised with herself that she had just done that, yet sat him down and told him with a seriousness he never expected from her “You can’t go in the woods.” her voice was shaking a little.

 When he tried to ask why he could feel the irritation radiating off of her. She just re-stated the simple rule with growing frustration, “Just!“ she took a moment to collect herself, taking a deep breath in and slowly releasing it ”Just don’t go in the woods OK?” She didn’t like the uncooperative look he was giving her, but what did she expect? He was just as irritated. “ You have to promise me,” she said, forcing eye contact between them. While Will was still frustrated, he saw she was just trying to help, and promised her he wouldn’t.

 Everyday since he tried to look at the woods with suspicion, but they didn't feel as ominous as he thought they should feel. They almost felt welcoming. He could hear the soft bird calls coming from it, and saw the occasional squirrel leave the forest looking for a special place to hide their nuts for the winter that was fast approaching. But he kept his promise to her...well, at least he tried to.

 There was a stray, Will had earned the trust of it through patience and slices of his lunch meat. Salami seemed to be his favorite, and it was Will's least so it worked out perfectly for the two. And he had earned his love through hours of petting and belly rubs. He named him Buster. He didn't know if the dog even knew that, but he always rushed over to the sound of his voice whenever he called for him.

 One late autumn day, on his walk home from school, sounds of cheering and jeering not too far from him shook him from the reverie he let himself fall into. He noticed it was few of the older kids from his school, just a few grades above him. They often tried to rile him up, but he knew they were doing it to get the attention they weren’t getting at home. He knew this the way he always knew things: micro expressions, from the way they looked at him, always trying to gauge his response after they’d ask what they thought would cut him most. Usually something about the state of his clothes, and why couldn't his mom patch them up for him, knowing full well why. He never gave them the response they wanted, so they gave up. And instead, emptied the full contents of his book bag into the trash every other lunch time.

 He strained his eye to see the source of their enjoyment; one had a rock in his hand, which he bounced a little before tossing it with a moderate force behind it. His eyes followed the trajectory of it as it landed right in front of its target: a cornered, cowering Buster. Will rushed from the sidewalk almost stumbling down the knoll to where they were, right by the forest's edge. He got to them just as another was picking up another sharper jagged rock. Will tried to throw all his weight onto him, but that wasn’t much, and he found himself being easily shrugged off. The third boy shoved him to the ground. The soil was softer than expected, but the kick to his stomach hurt as much as he'd anticipated. Will watched on, helplessly as the rock collided with the mutt’s head. The resulting yelp echoed through the clearing, bringing forth a furious wail from Will. Buster dragged himself to his feet and limped into the woods. Will didn't even think about it; he didn’t have to think about it, because his best friend was hurt and if he was in the “forbidden woods'', so was he. Will took a second to collect himself then took off running into the woods, hearing the kids laughing as he pushed on forward.

 The adrenaline rush he had running in was long gone by now. Each step taking a little more effort than the last, keenly aware of the crunch of twigs and the rocks under his all too worn soles. He knows he’s been walking for hours, but still making no progress as he watched over time as the sun got lower in the sky, 'till he couldn’t see them behind the trees. None of this seemed right. He’s never had to doubt his memory before, but it seemed every 12 feet was just a repeat of the last 12 the smallest changes each time, but familiar landmarks popped up almost mocking him. Even when he tried to back track, he kept recognizing the exact same moss covered rock, and same gnarled tree, that ridiculously large, and intricate spider web - remembering that one well, as he had also ran directly into it one of these loops. And that boy- wait. That one was new.

 The boy stood confident before him, encircled by the same elegant white mushrooms that he saw more and more in each loop. He had well combed dirty blonde hair, almost matching the color of the dead grass they both stood on. He wore a navy blue suit with matching shorts, and had long black socks almost meeting his knees. Still, it seemed terrible for the chilled weather they were in, and startlingly clean brown oxfords without a scuff and speck in sight. Will didn’t meet his eyes, though he felt the weight of the others on him, he instead chose to keep his gaze on the gaudy floral tie wrapped perfectly around his neck.

The stranger opened his mouth to speak, but not before Will could help his own words from spilling out “You shouldn’t be here!” This halted the blonde in whatever he was planning to say.
The brunette wouldn’t say he looked shocked, but he did seem like he was reassessing Will - which Will admittedly didn’t know how to feel about. He couldn't get a read on him like he usually could with others, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything.
After a tick or two, the other finally spoke with an accented voice Will hadn’t expected and couldn’t place “And why’s that, if I might ask?” a slightly mocking tone.
Will, who honestly really wanted to know the answer to that himself, too, responded lamely with.
“ I was told not to come here. I assumed because it’s dangerous...so I guess I assumed it’d be dangerous for you, too?”

 The boy looked amused as he asked “But you're here too, are you not?”
Will, embarrassed but wanting to defend himself, almost yelped “Well I only came looking for my dog! He was hurt and-” Will began to realize he’s been searching in these woods for a long time. While Buster was still on his own, bleeding and probably scared. What if Buster was already-? He felt hot tears hit his frigid cheeks, and the strange boy watched as he shook a little. Looking less amused by the second, and seemed almost frozen in his eye-wide panic.

 The blond quickly regained his composure,
“We can look for him together if you’d like?” he looked at the other, who had extended him a warm smile and an outstretched hand. Will hesitated, but when he took it, the hand was even warmer than the smile.

As they walked together, everything actually started to look new. Unlike the repeating maze from before, but before he could think on that more, the boy pointed to a lump of messy fur close by. Will gasped, letting go of the boy's hand and running to the small mutt.

 He dropped to his knees, hands shaking as they slowly reached for the softly breathing dog. Buster was cold, and barely acknowledged Will's touch, but he was there. And he was alive. The strange boy caught up, offering to look at the dog himself.
Will was hesitant, but the confidence the other held in his eyes let him pass Buster over to him. The boy took it gently, pulling a handkerchief from his breast pocket, and tenderly dabbing at the dog's wounds. He then took something else from an inner pocket in his blazer - a small metal tin on which he opened. There was a salve inside that he quickly, and expertly, applied to the wounds.
“There.” the boy said simply.

Buster was already starting to seem better, and though that didn’t seem quite right, Will was too happy to actually question it.

 Although he seemed better, Will wasn’t taking any chances; he picked him up and held the stray close to his chest. He didn’t want him having to walk anymore. He turned to the other boy, really looking him in the eyes for the first time. His eyes were almost golden, even in this dim light, and so very intense Will almost wanted to look away - but he needed the boy to know how sincere he really was. “Thank you. Thank you for everything, really” the boy simply held up his hand in a modest move, which almost felt it should be beyond his years “It was truly nothing," the other replied “Just the polite thing to do."
It’d been a while since someone had been this nice to Will. He felt so overwhelmed he pulled the other into a hug- and with the dog, it was more of a group hug. It took a second, or two, but the boy hugged back. Will noticed the red hue that blossomed on the other's cheeks, spreading quickly to his ears, but politely chalked it up the dropping temperature.

 The forest was getting colder, starting to take on a bluer tone. The trees were just one uniform black silhouette surrounding them, and it was clear the sun had finally set. Will knew his Dad would be getting back soon, if he wasn’t already home, and so he reluctantly turned to the other boy, who without words having to be exchanged between them, understood him completely, taking the lead to guide Will back to the forest's edge.

 When they got to the edge, the blonde pointedly took no step further. Halting Will too from passing over the invisible line, and a short silence was shared between them, Will breaking it with a question that has been plaguing him from the start “You never did tell me what you were doing in the woods?”
The amber eyed boy smiled “This land is actually my family's. That's probably why you were told not to trespass, but know that you are always welcomed back dear friend.” Will felt his cheeks heat and muttered a thanks, finally crossing the imaginary barrier, yet finding himself turning around reluctant to end the moment just like that. He saw that the boy hadn't moved an inch, content in just watching him. He didn’t know why he was hesitating so much, but shouted out to the blonde
“Will!”
The boy seemed a little confused, until Will quickly clarified. “I forgot to say... My name's Will."
The boy smiled wide, his uneven teeth showing “Hannibal.”

 Will mirrored him smiling just as wide.

Chapter Text

  As he approached his home on overworked legs, the weight of the day finally came down on him. He saw the silhouette of his dad's pick-up, some of the metal catching the light of the moon that found its place in the sky not just a moment ago. The sight made his already shaky legs start to buckle a now on the uneven gravel driveway for a different reason, he pushed forward ignoring the cramping and unease starting to fester in his stomach and he clutched Buster closer to his chest willing his heart beat to match the one of content pup’s. He made his way up the cracked wooden steps that creaked softly under his feet. He had to maneuver the dog into what he knew was an awkward position for the both of them, but he needed to get a free hand to open the door.  Just putting the dog down didn’t even cross his mind. 

   He closed the front door quietly behind him, shifting the dog now to the where it nuzzled its face into the crook of his neck. He took a moment to just feel the soft breaths tickle the hairs on his neck. He steeled himself entering the living room that had a stale stillness to it, he felt no peace with the confrontation being stalled when he could hear the desperate murmurings coming from the kitchen. He quietly kicked his sneakers off and trudged towards the kitchen avoiding the creaks in the wood he’s become familiar with, he stood awkwardly half in the doorway,  before him his dad sat at the table head in his hands, shaky fingers gripping his unkempt hair. Cast in the flickering yellow light from the hanging light above the table.

“- I can’t call anyone, they might call...and it might start up an investigation with home inspections and I- 

Will could see his Dad was spiraling and felt himself being dragged in with the panic, so he quickly spoke up with a soft

 “ Dad ?”

  The small sound was followed by a loud screech as his dad to bolted from his chair almost knocking it over in his bid to get to his son as soon as he possibly could, he got on his knees  and proceeded to crush the boy in his arms, Buster caught stuck in the middle again begun squirm between the two, when he released his son he kept his hands on Wills shoulders 

“Where have you been!?” The shout only made Will shrink further in on himself. He saw his dad force himself to calm down and now he spoke with a softer tone “I was worried about you bud.”

 Will always found it hard to feel his own feelings in situations like this, he could feel the fear his dad was trying to find, he found the words caught in his throat so he simply presented the fur ball to his befuddled father who immediately got his nose licked once in licking distance.

 His dad seemed to need a second to process that, then a second more when the pup remained in front of moreover remained in his house and wasn’t just a

“Oh, huh….Have you eaten yet?” 

Will silently shook his head 

His dad got to his feet and tousled his hair

“Well let's get something in you kiddo, you gotta be hungry”

Dad stood by the stove as the water started to boil, opening a box of the instant mac they had a few boxes of left over. Will sat at the table with Buster snoring at his feet 

“I got a call from Sidney while I was at work, saying you never even came home, that was at 4 , Were you chasing that pup all afternoon?” 

 The feeling returned to his gut and he looked down guilty at the messy plastic placemat on the table in front of him, eyes tracing the scratches etching it rather than meeting the eyes of his father, he wasn’t sure he was hungry anymore.

“Do-Do I have to let Buster go?” letting all his desperation bleed into his words

Will knew the emotions were already running high but he wasn’t above using that to keep his only- well maybe not his only friend now .

“I’m sure…’ Buster’ here has a family he has to get back to” 

“I’ve seen Buster around since we got here, he sleeps in an alley!” 

His dad looked at him clearly unsure but he looked back at him with unrelenting puppy dogs eyes that rivaled the actual dog who just happily panted, loving the warmth and affection he was receiving now

 “Fff fudge ” his dad ‘cursed’ under his breath ”Alright you can keep the dog! But taking care of a dog is a lot of work and a big responsibility, you have to-” he couldn't finish before he found himself again in a group hug with a dog that was now getting used to being squished out of love

 “When I get off work tomorrow we’ll go over the rules of taking care of Buster and how long you’re gonna be grounded- Don’t give me that look even though I’m letting you keep the dog you're still in big trouble mister. It's getting late though and I'm guessing you still haven't done your homework, or am I wrong?”

He wasn’t. 

 Will gave an exaggerated sigh, which his dad had a good chuckle at as he poured the macaroni into the colander in the sink.

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The frigid grass tickled between his toes, the earth was hard but crumbled and compacted under his feet, every step sinking in almost tripping him as he trudged forward. It was black as pitch, it made little difference if his eyes were open but he felt a pull telling him to go forward and he trusted it, he began to recognize where he was as his feet hit dead leaves. He was heading into the woods, he trusted or rather hoped the pull would guide his steps to not crash into a tree. The pull faded rather quickly and he stopped uncertain and a little lost on what he should do. He stood there cold surrounded by trees he couldn't even see, maybe he could turn back and feel his way back home if that is even where he started from. He started to kick himself for following a “gut feeling” because now that he has to explain the situation to even just himself it felt silly to believe - then he started to make something out. A body. A body hung from the branches in front of him, blood dripped slowly down the tree it reminded him of sap. Will quickly backed away turning around only to see another body hanging. From the corner of his eye he saw some light and knew the same could be said about the tree to his left. The lighting was something unnatural, it had no sense of a source yet perfectly highlighting each of the bodies where they hung, proud little displays . 

Were they displayed for him? He something caught his eye and nervously got closer and saw even though they were stung by the branches they had been impaled by...what looked to be antlers. And from each wound he could make out something small growing from them. he had to get even closer to make out from the holes little white mushrooms were sprouting from the holes which didn’t seem  right  but before he could think more on it he hear hoofbeats approaching startling him so much he started to struggled against his...blankets? He was in his room. The blue glow of the winter sunrise filled his room as he caught his breath 

 He woke up before his alarm...again.   

—————-

The morning felt normal, he happily munched his over sugary cereal at the table as his dad packed both their lunches already in his work clothes, a dark blue jumpsuit with a white stitched in name tag, “Beau” embroidered into it. but today there was a pan on the stove cooking up some scrambled eggs for the excited pup that sat “patiently” by his dad pawing at his work boots every few minutes 

His dad slipped his sack lunch into his book bag as Will placed his bowl in the sink

“Don’t know if it's smart to leave a dog you just got in an empty house, buuut I’m not sure I could afford Sidney to full time it as a pet sitter too. especially now with the added expenses'' He thought he had whispered that quietly enough but when he saw Will looked down almost guiltily he quickly added

“But I did see that dog food was on sale at the market in the circulars this morning! You can join me at the market tomorrow if you wake up early enough.”

“You know I always get up early!”

“Yeah what’s up with that, you're a kid you really should relax more on your weekends.”

“I’m getting mixed messages here.”

 They piled themselves into the pick-up, Will huffed as his dad buckled him into the booster seat, he actually preferred the walk to school even with the length, the path he took meant he actually got to see trees even for a short time, the ones just bordering the town, dad took him on his way to work a route which roads took them a way that pretty much blocked everything with the buildings. The closer you got to the center of the town the more barren of any vegetation it got, Well besides the neatly trimmed grass but that was all dead now. It felt like his town was in a war against nature and couldn’t see a clear winner right now. At a stoplight Will tried to ignore the roadkill, a squirrel and its nut crushed almost too finely beside it.

 They pulled up to the front of the school, his dad cut the engine but made no other move letting an awkward silence settle between them. He broke it soon enough though “I- When you get home don’t forget to call the shop, I’ll work something out with the boss man” he said with a stilted smile

Will muttered an okay as Beau helped him out of his car seat and kissed him on top of the head and gave him a hug he seemed hesitant to end but Will reminded him he had work to get to as well.

 He entered the building through the lunch room doors, this is where all the kids waited until their teachers came to take them up to bring them to their classrooms when class began. As Will made his way to his usual table he couldn’t help but notice the lunch aides that watched them all. First noticed how distracted they were while still trying to keep an eye on the children, but their gaze never lasting in one place long and always ending up downwards. Then the shuddering shoulders and a few wet eyes, their poorly concealed grief leaching into the atmosphere burning his eyes, making him share a few tears with them. The other kids, completely obvious to it all, were just shrieking and laughing, getting away with a bit more than they usually would have had the aids had any motivation this morning. So he took a solid breath and let the commotion of his classmates form into one loud noise he could ignore, pushed aside the sour feeling in his gut and took out his book to escape what he knew would be inevitable.

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 And it was inevitable, hadn’t gotten more than a paragraph before he saw the principal walk through the lunch room doors, the other kids now seeming to catch on to the uneasiness around them with this unusual appearance.  She stood before them waiting for a lull her presence earned and then started with the standard “1, 2, 3, eyes on me” and all eyes were on her “This morning we heard the tragic news that 3 of your classmates: Greg Miller, James Holt, and David Thompson died last night. Their loss will be always be felt-” 

 The more she spoke the more the room filled with grief and despair feelings he had no choice but to share even as they conflicted with his own feeling he had as he recognized those names. The boys from yesterday.

 But he knew by now it’s better to mourn with them no matter the personal storm raging within him right now, anything other than sadness would other him so he did his best to keep his head down as the rest had their turn down in a moment of silence. But still he swore he still felt eyes of suspicion on him, he tried not to squirm at the feeling he knew he had the right expression on, so why did he still feel eyes boring into him?

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 The day went by in a bit of a blur, The teacher tried to go about as normal with the lesson plan but kids often had to leave the room. Will tried to ignore the biggest changes for him that day, the fact he wasn’t looking over his shoulder in the hall waiting for something and he was able to just eat his lunch. He tried to ignore that this is the most peaceful day he's had since they moved here.

 Apprehension only began to kick in when he realized as the day was ending he’d be taking the same way home  he always did, knowing he'd find himself back there not just the place but the moment. After all that's happened today he didn't know if he could handle it, so when it was time to leave he let his feet drag. But dragging feet still got to the destination, dragging it on only gave himself more time to strew in the anxiety and when he found he had finally reached the spot on the sidewalk it was on shaking legs. He told himself not to look down the hill to the woods but he did and he wasn’t faced with just memories. There was blood.

What looked to be police tape was haphazardly strung about in front of the forest but none were wrapped around the actual trees almost like it wouldn't dare to. it was all supported on metal stakes pounded into the dirt

Will knew he should look away but he felt himself being dragged in. Was it the pull he felt from the dream last night or was it the usual pull he felt when he saw things he knew he should look away from but still to draw him in asking to see . To understand. But what was there to understand with this one, his dream right was it -

 as he was thinking he found that his eyes met with those of a stag, that strode proudly between the bloodied trees. It stopped in the center of the gory foliage, it stood staring at Will, he’d never had a hard time meeting the eyes of animals but this somehow felt different. His mind took that moment to helpfully remind him he needs to call his dad so he knows he’s safe . So he’d better get himself home safe , so that means breaking eye contact with the large beast. The large beast seemed to expect something from him, Will was curious as to what that could possibly be but the fear that has stayed with him since his head left the pillow won out and Will found himself running down the sidewalk.

He hadn’t stopped running until he got to the steps to his house, he tried to collect himself and catch his breath before opening the door to see Sydney, he’ll be honest dad saying her name last night was the only reason he knew it now. She’d made no effort before to talk or even introduce herself and today she seemed to make herself even more scarce, not even a nod today. The moment she saw that he got in the house she made her way to the kitchen. Like her job was done, fine by him.

 Will made his way to the land line in the living room and dialed his dad’s work number. After waiting a while for him to pick up his dad sounded oddly relieved to hear him.

 Dad asked him how his day was and he keeps it to simple answers, not really wanting to get into it. Whether or not it's because his dad can sense this or if his boss is asking him to wrap it up he doesn't know, but the call ends soon after. Will knew when he got home they'd have a lengthy discussion about his actual punishment, but he pushed that thought aside as the perfect distraction from all the worries of his day came toddling into the room, tail wagging so hard he thought it would fall off. He found a ball in his room and Buster yapped in excitement.

They played catch in the house him being mindful not to throw the ball at anything and buster being a dog who cared about no such things but his small stature just meant whatever he crashed into won. He hoped it wasn’t being too annoying for Sydney but she made no complaint or really any comments.

Will had been lazily stroking up and down Busters belly when he heard the door open and then he found himself being scooped up into a bear hug 

While his dad almost  squeezed the life out of him he spoke with shakey word “You're grounded for 1000 years, you're not allowed out of my sight again even for even a second.” 

Chapter Text

  It had been about a week now since his dad had grounded him, and true to his word he hasn’t been out of the man’s sight.  His dad even took time off from work to do so, even though  he objected at first; he’s never taken off work for more than a day before, he knew work was important and he’s gotten more than used to birthdays being celebrated a day late and Christmas coming when the paycheck did, but when he explained this to his dad that only seemed to make him more resolute in his decision.

    It was pretty nice though (especially since he’s supposed to be grounded). His dad decided it was time to teach him how to make lures, first came gathering the materials for them, the feathers for the hooks; searching for them in the backyard was an activity of its own, they’d go out together and sift through the blades. Will quickly found a red one and found a few more with some not so sly guiding from his dad rubbing under his nose in a gesture directly pointing to one more than a few times. 

 While searching Will saw an odd number of feathers heading a certain direction, they were long and black but had a certain shine to them. He started to follow them picking up the trail as he went, caught up in the wonder of it, but when he abruptly felt a hand on his shoulder he noticed he was at the forest's edge.

 “We have enough for now, let's head in.” His dad tried to casually mutter, gently guiding him back to the house. Will let himself be led while he focused on the new feathers; now that they were further from the shade of the tree line, he could finally see the iridescence. They really caught the light, he’d have to use these for something special.

 When he asked what else could be used in lures his dad started drolly listing the usual material: Thread, cork and animal hair; as the last one was listed both their eyes slowly widened as it dawned on them. Soon their lures became heavily padded with the plentiful resource that Buster passively supplied all over their furniture. After a demonstration and a few corrected slip ups along the way, Will really took to it; he found it relaxing and rewarding, and to make it even better dad promised he’d take him fishing when the weather got warmer. 

 With spending more time together, came dad asking more questions about “ stuff. ” It shouldn’t feel awkward but the tone always shifted, his dad giving him his undivided attention as he just asked ‘how he's feeling’, now asking if he has any friends. He hasn’t mentioned Hannibal yet to him because… Even though he considers Hannibal to be his friend right now, what if Hannibal won’t want to be friends when they see each other again, when he actually gets to know him. He just doesn’t want to explain to his dad he’s lost another friend. So really it’s for the best if Hannibal stays his little secret for now.

 His Dad also wanted to know what he did for fun, knowing now that he apparently hadn’t just gone home after school and had wandered about enough to know the daily life of a stray dog; he was honest and said he liked the town’s library, and in yet another strange turn, his grounding found his dad and himself with plans to go there the next day.

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 They entered the cozy little library, Beau taking in a quick scope of the place before fully proceeding, Will tailing close behind. Will had already been excitedly planning to show off to his dad the next book in the series he was in the middle of; he’d been reading up on the local flora and fauna, the last one was on the areas’ flowers and the next was on the fish in their rivers, which would be perfect with their ‘come spring’ plans. He started tugging his dad by his shirt in the direction of where he knew the collection rested on the oak shelves across the room, but as he tugged his dad had no give, he stood firmly where he was and when he looked up to him, confused, he saw that his old man’s focus was plainly on something else.

 He looked stone faced but Will knew better, he could see the worry in the way his eyebrow skewed ever so slightly and the way the muscle in his arms tensed, the chords tightened and his fingers twitched just so. Will gripped his dad's shirt tighter and pulled himself closer to his dad’s leg and cautiously followed his line of sight to find dark eyes staring right at him with utter disdain; the man, who looked older than his dad with a severe hair cut, was seated towards the back of the place but it was frighteningly obvious Will was the subject of his ire.

  He felt somehow cold yet somehow sweaty, an unpleasant turn in his gut as his nerves rose. Then he felt his dad place a firm hand on his back and start pushing him in the opposite direction, towards a gentleman at the front desk who Will easily recognized from seeing almost daily.

 “Why don't you go on over there and ask the librarian about what he’s reading?” Will looked at his Dad who had returned his attention to the man across the room, seeing his once twitching fingers now in fists. Will didn’t argue and made his way to where the librarian sat.

 Will hovered by the man who had not yet noticed him. He did nothing to try to gain his notice, hoping maybe his dad would think wiser and leave that other man alone,  then scoop him up and they could leave and come back later, but a general awareness on the other’s part of his surroundings foiled Will’s plans as the man looked up and saw him, recognition surprisingly spread over his face.

 “Oh hey there! It’s been a while since I've seen you here.” He closed and put aside the book he was reading and laid his elbows on the desk.

 Will must have shown a little of how surprised he was because he quickly continued with:  “Although we may not have made formal introductions, would you not expect me to remember the kid who makes himself at home on the same leather seat over there, who stacks books on stacks of books that he reads for hours without actually checking a single one of them out?”

Will hadn’t realized he’d actually made an impression, he didn’t always get the chance to be a ‘regular’’ anywhere, he didn’t think he was anything to make note of but it appears he had. 

“Also helps that we don’t get a lot of new faces ‘round here, but hey let me finally introduce myself, I’m Mr. Bennett,” the librarian spoke with a genuine smile.

“ Will. ” He was a tad embarrassed with his shyness.

“Now Will, is there something you need help with?”

Will’s nerves returned and considered explaining what he truly needed help with but he settled on: “Um, what are you reading?”

 This seemed to surprise Bennett who quickly looked around. Will curiously followed suit and saw that his dad and the other man were nowhere to be seen. Before Will had time to fully think on it, it was clear that's what Bennett was hoping to see and he proudly presented his book. It looked old, from the worn edges and the looseness of the spine struggling to keep the pages all together, but the cover even with age was beautiful with intricate golden leafing on a sage green background and strangely no title, which must have been on the long gone sleeve the book once had. 

With mirth in his voice: “This is a book on-” 

And then he stopped, made a big show of looking around once more, leaned in towards Will and whispered   “ The fae of these here woods ” 

 Will's amazement turned to confusion which turned quickly to annoyance; but when he looked back at Mr. Bennett, searching his face for even the slightest sense of humor like when other adults would make fun of him, thinking him gullible, like with the boogeyman, he didn’t see anything of the sort. Bennet just continued with an earnest warmth in  his voice clear with excitement like he was happy to finally be able to talk on this subject and even with Will’s misgivings, it was hard not to return that excitement just from how palpably eager Mr. Bennett was to continue.

“The fae?” he pressed gingerly.

Bennett’s smile widened and he clapped his hands together. “Yes! You might know them as fairies … though that’s not an entirely accurate way to refer to them, I think , it's complicated.”

 He bit his thumb and started to mumble something about latin roots, gaelic, and ‘sidhe’. Then, he suddenly stopped his mutterings to gauge the young boy's interest and saw wide attentive eyes. “W-well, to get more to the point, the fae are as you know magical creatures; whimsical, mischievous, but above all dangerous. They are people of the forest, though some believe they have their own realm.” 

 “Now it’s said,” he worried his finger along the book’s edge, “that when our towns was first founded they cleared a nice spot for the town, surprised that such a lush place seemingly hadn’t been touched by man; after settling, some would see these others on the town ’ s edge, people that no one could recognize and that's when people started to ‘ go missing’. ”

“Now the founders' response to this was to make it so that the forest's edge wouldn’t even touch the town. The town grew though, finding itself nearing the edge once more. But this time the town couldn't just tear the forest they found themselves meeting once more, all those who had cut a tree were found dea-”

Bennett stopped abruptly, looking down at Will with a funny face.

 He coughed a little and instead of continuing where he left off, much to Will’s bemusement, he continued instead with: “Now fae aren’t all bad , they’ve been known to help others too!  Favors, if you do something for them they will consider themselves indebted to you until they feel it's been repaid; you can even leave some offerings to earn a small bit of a favor from them: Cream, honey, fruit, and any types of cake; I myself have left out a couple of the croissants that were just going to be thrown out at the end of the day from the cafe inside here.”  

While Will listened in awe, his father rounded a corner behind a row of bookshelves oddly nearby and this seemed to surprise Bennett, who Will supposed thought they were alone.

And then the man from before stepped out and Bennett looked just like how the man made Will feel earlier, terrified. Will wanted to ask Bennett if he was alright, he wanted to ask so many questions but his father grabbed his hand and practically dragged him out of the place.

When they got into the car, neither said anything the whole drive home.

---------------

It had been a fun few days, but it was time for his dad to go back to work. As much fun as he was having with his dad, he could tell his dad was all but telling him to stay out of the woods. And because he never strictly forbade him he was going to use that little loophole. He was going to see Hannibal again!

---------------

 Will always thought of himself as ‘a man of reason.’ While the tale the librarian had spun was neat, the idea of actual fae was rather silly and childish, but if it was real… Well, it’d be scientific to do his own research. He grabbed the bottle they had in the back of the cabinet, wondering if the fae would find their offering enclosed in a bear shaped container endearing or… not. He gripped the bottle as confidently as he could anyways, and slipped past Sydney, which wasn’t really hard when it felt like she was pointedly ignoring him.

  Stepping out into the backyard, he looked down into the woods. Would right here be okay to find Hannibal again?  He really doesn't know where Hannibal lives, where he found himself wandering for hours, but that was also where Will met Hannibal and he couldn’t remember seeing a house, by then it had been getting rather dark. Maybe it was just beyond where he could see? So maybe he should go back track over to where he first entered? 

But he couldn't, that's where he saw the- maybe his dad was right, maybe he shouldn't go into the woods. A twig snapped, and it sounded close, Will’s eyes shot up, frantically searching the treeline;  he saw a blur of movement and he stumbled back. He kept his eyes on his feet. Would he have to make a run for it? Would that matter?

The  leaves crinkled, sounding so much closer. Will steeled himself with what courage he still had and looked up, and there before him stood… A baby deer looking up at him with shining eyes as it let out the soft bleat. 

 His defenses quickly fell and his curiosity rose as the fawn got even closer.  He kept still as it approached him. ‘No sudden movements’, treating it just as he did Buster and to his wonder it got right up and began to sniff at his hand. A smile split his face, and he wanted to let out a giggle because it tickled as it started licking his fingers, the fawn really was like Buster!

The fawn soon stopped and started back towards the woods, the spell of the moment now broken. He let himself laugh and clap in excitement. The deer watched as he did that, staying where it was, and let out a soft bleat again.

It seemed they were at an odd stand still as Will tried to understand what the deer was trying to say to him. It let out what sounded like a more insistent bleat and moved a little further into the woods but kept its eyes on Will, did it want him to follow? 

 Will cautiously approached and the deer stayed in place until he reached it, sprinting a short burst ahead where it waited once more. It seemed it did want him to follow! Will now walked towards it at a normal pace which was met with the deer galloping up ahead but still waiting for him. Throwing all caution to the wind, he ran and the deer kept running but keeping his pace. He let out a giggle, he was frolicking with a deer.

 They ran deeper and deeper into the woods, the deer eventually breaking from their shared paces and running up ahead; and when Will finally reached the fawn once more he realized they had reached a clearing, there were trees but not as densely packed. With the trees scattered about,  it allowed for  a stream of sunlight to illuminate the place in a wash of gold, spotlighting the lush grass, and the white mushrooms almost lining the place. Will turned around and the forest behind him remained carpeted in dead leaves and barren trees. When he turned back he saw what else lay there was a herd of deer ideally grazing, and more importantly what laid on one of the deer. 

 There Hannibal was, using one as if it were a pillow, his head resting against the doe’s flank as she rested her head in his lap. He soon shifted in his sleep and sniffed up at the air, his eyes then shot open, the light shining through them and turning them golden as they pierced through Will. At first he seemed happy but quickly schooled himself  into a look of anger, it was subtle but his smile no longer reached his eyes as they narrowed just a smidge.

He got up, the doe taking the hint as he shifted, moving her head away but going right back to sleep after. 

“It’s nice to see you again.” The thinly veiled irritation caused Will to shrink back a bit, this wasn't how he expected their reunion to go… He felt a nudge to his hand and realized the fawn from before had never left his side. The deer pressed itself into his hand and Will stroked its head while he tried to find the right words.

“It’s good to see you too! Uh, sorry, I haven’t been able to make it back over here.”

Hannibal’s eyes narrowed just a bit more.

Will began to worry some of the deer's fur between his fingers anxiously. “Just, a lot’s been happening.”

“Oh?” Hannibal inquired like he was only half listening, even turning his attention somewhere in the far distance, as if something there interested him immensely. 

“Well because I came home late, the night we met, I’ve actually been grounded, up until practically right now.” No response came. 

“...Yeah um, and this part's kinda freaky? Some boys at my school died .” Hannibal’s face didn’t change at this reveal, still disinterested, still not facing him. “I think that made my grounding last a bit longer, it’s gotten people pretty scared, scared of the woods. ”

He was rambling and he knew it. In his discomfort he started to edge out of the clearing just to get some space from it all.  

Hannibal turned sharply, eyes burning with ire boring into him, and stormed up to Will.  “I don't like being ignored.” 

“I wasn't ignoring you! I just had no way of telling you I couldn’t come to the woods,” Will said defiantly. 

“Couldn’t or wouldn’t?”

“What does that even mean? Look, I didn’t come here to fight! I wanted to do something fun with you, I thought we could leave honey for the fairies together,” he almost sobbed.

Hannibal’s expression dropped in an unnervingly quick manner.

“You brought honey?” He spoke in a hushed tone with a hint of awe, staring at him now with a different kind of intensity to his eyes.

The tonal whiplash jarred Will. “Uh yeah.” From his jacket pocket he pulled out the honey bear, presenting it to Hannibal with a nervous smile

Golden eyes practically glowed when they saw ursine bottled ambrosia of the very same hue. 

“You live here right? Where would you say is the best place to leave the ‘offering’?”

Hannibal smiled. “I know just the place, now if you would just hand it over.” He held his hand out.

Will handed the honey over to eagerly accepting hands.

“Where did you hear about leaving offerings for the fae anyhow?”

“Oh! The librarian told me about it, he said he leaves them croissants.”

Hannibal wore an expression Will couldn’t place, but at this point he’d accepted that as just something Hannibal did.

“When it comes to offering, while any pastry would work, they tend to favor the sweeter. I’ve heard that the fae especially like cakes that are fluffy, moist, and come with the little fruits on top,” he said, his eyes closed like he was reliving the taste.

Will looked between Hannibal's blissed expression and the way he gripped the honey close to himself.

“Hannibal! The cakes aren’t for you, they’re for the fairies!” He smacked him playfully on the shoulder. 

Hannibal took on a mockingly serious tone. “I promise you, Will, only the fae will eat the offerings." 

“Alright, I believe you,” Will giggled, not believing him for a second. 

 Hannibal kept his promise.