Chapter Text
The man was curled in on himself, making him look smaller and more fragile. His eyes were wide, and they stared at the table in front of him, but they were unfocused and clearly he was not seeing the room he was in.
Jack watched through the two way mirror for a few minutes.
He had been doing his research about this man and his powerful companion. He had been trying to find any reason to bring him in for questioning, and he had finally caught a break.
Jack walked in, dropping his file down onto the table and making the man flinch. He blinked, and his eyes cleared and focused on the file as Jack took his seat across from him. The man rocked lightly in his seat, looking for all the world like what his psychiatric evaluation had labeled him as when he had been in college.
Borderline autistic, antisocial tendencies, extremely intelligent.
“Will Graham,” Jack stated, “Popular companion to Doctor Hannibal Lecter. Do you know why you’re here?”
Will glanced up, but his eyes only met Jack’s for a split second. He played with the cuffs of his expensive looking suit and his eyes flitted around like he was a spooked animal.
“Partner, actually,” Will corrected, “Hannibal and I decided we like the term partner better than anything those tacky tabloids have come up with to call me. That’s not what you asked, I know, but I thought it prudent to get that out of the way sooner than later. I assume I’m here because you think I am involved in something of questionable legality. Since you’re FBI, I’m guessing it’s something big too.”
Jack watched the younger man as he fidgeted, but spoke with a tone of perfect confidence and surety. He was terribly odd for someone in his position.
Will Graham had appeared at Lecter’s side a few years before, and had never left. The two were inseparable, and one was rarely seen without the other. In every paper, and every article that spoke about the people or business Lecter dealt with, Will Graham was there too. Any picture of one was bound to have the other, and Jack was starting to think they couldn’t exist in a space where the other wasn’t.
But here was Will Graham. Alone. Apart from Lecter, and open for questioning.
“I would have thought you had already heard of the death of Marius Garcia. He was a prominent figure, and competitor for Lecter’s practice. I hear you follow his career closely, being his partner.”
Will’s lips twitched into an aborted smile at Jack’s use of the proper term. He nodded lightly, his eyes now locked on the file between them on the table.
Jack had been trying to get Will in for questioning, because he was sure the man had something to do with the deaths of several people. They had all been threats to Lecter’s business, and that was the only link Jack could find. Jack was sure someone close to Lecter had to be the killer, and no one was closer than Graham. He had to know something .
“So, you think I know something about how he died. You think he was taken out in order to keep Hannibal’s business afloat, and you think I want that enough to be in on any plan to ensure it. You have probably been waiting for something to point to me, and now you have it. You want to interrogate me, because you think you finally have something.”
Jack watched Will fidget, but he wasn’t giving any indications of guilt. His mannerisms were not changing from what they had been before Jack had entered and started talking to him.
The man was either telling the truth, or he was ingeniously hiding any tells behind nervous tics.
“I think,” Jack offered gently, “that if anyone knew about a plan to do something like this, you would.”
Will nodded, wetting his lips in a gesture that would typically show nervousness. On this man, it could have been a well planned action to throw Jack off the scent. Will took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the air out through his nose.
“Then, since I didn’t know anything about any plan, that shows there wasn’t one. You can let me go now.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. The man spoke with clear surety, but acted like he was one wrong word away from a panic attack. It was beginning to infuriate Jack. If he became angry, Will would be able to claim it was not justified, and by any account, it wouldn’t be. Jack wanted to get a reaction out of the man, but he couldn’t risk making him upset.
He had powerful friends, after all.
“Would you be willing to submit to a polygraph? You were the last one reported to be seen with Garcia while he was alive,” Jack said, knowing full well that polygraph results wouldn’t be admissible in court. He hoped it would give him reason to continue his investigation into the man, at least.
Will glanced up again, his eyes flashing brighter green than they had been before. He didn’t make eye contact, but he looked at all the features of Jack’s face before looking back down and shrugging.
“I feel like my general anxiety might skew the results a bit, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to prove I’m telling the truth.”
Jack felt his fingers clench tighter into his fists. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Graham was covering every single base by choosing his words and actions carefully. By mentioning his anxiety, he was effectively annulling the results of the test before even touching the machine.
“Thank you,” Jack said, knowing he could not justifiably show his anger.
---
“I assume my client is free to go now?”
Will Graham had an expensive lawyer. Harriet Mendar had come in, and had abrasively stated that Graham would not be answering any more questions without being arrested for a crime. She had seemed to know there was nothing Jack could use to get a warrant, and there was nothing he could do but accept it.
Luckily or not, Will had already agreed to take the polygraph, and he stuck to it. The lawyer had allowed it, but she had kept her unhappy gaze fixed on Jack through all the proceedings.
“Yes. Will Graham is free to go, but I will be in touch with you both. Thank you for your cooperation,” Jack answered curtly, unable to hide his own unhappiness as he once again found himself engaged in a staring contest with Mendar.
Will Graham was still standing with a slouch, curled in on himself and keeping his eyes down away from the people he was with. Jack still had the sneaking suspicion the man was simply the most talented actor he had ever seen, and was capable of fooling anyone he chose to. It was even possible Hannibal Lecter himself was unaware who his partner really was. Jack was sure he was hiding something.
After a moment, Mendar smiled and turned sharply away, walking with clipped steps to the door. Will trailed after her like a lost puppy, his steps light and quiet. Jack watched the dark head of curls disappear through the doors with the sinking feeling that he had just let a killer escape.
Jack sighed and headed back to his office, sure he was missing something. He just had to find it, and then he would be able to catch the killer, whether it was Graham or not. He would go over the results of the polygraph with the technician, but he had little hope they would reveal anything worth his time.
---
“Good evening, dear,” Hannibal Lecter said, pulling away from his desk and leaning back in his chair, “have you had a very unpleasant day?”
Will sighed, shedding a layer of clothes as he approached Hannibal. He pulled off his tie and tossed it onto the desk with his cufflinks as he slid into the other man’s lap.
“Absolutely dreadful,” he replied, wrapping his arms around Hannibal’s neck and kissing him, “An agent from the FBI questioned me. He is very suspicious, and he was not happy with me at all. I was nearly bored to tears by the time Harriet showed up.”
Hannibal hummed, shifting in his chair to properly wrap his arms around Will’s lithe frame. He ran his hands over Will’s back and sides, nuzzling against his neck as he considered what Will had said.
“Was she acceptable?” He murmured, pressing a kiss to Will’s jaw.
“She was perfect. You have impeccable taste in people, Doctor Lecter. I think the agent was more afraid of her than of me by the time we left.”
Hannibal chuckled softly. The sound rumbled in his chest, and Will could feel it against his own skin. He loved it when he could feel Hannibal’s sounds like this. Almost as if they were his own.
“A clear oversight on his part,” Hannibal noted.
Will hummed, nipping at Hannibal’s ear.
“He’s still suspicious of me,” he warned, “and he says he’ll be in touch. He’s not going to let this go. I’m not sure he was fooled by the show, either. He’d be the first, but sometimes the good agents get gut feelings, and I don’t have a defense against those.”
Hannibal’s hands moved as if he was determined to learn every curve of Will’s body, and he breathed in the man’s scent to add to his memory palace. He would keep every piece of Will in cases and bottles, filling shelves and rooms with nothing but the man. Will had listened as Hannibal described these rooms for hours on end. Every now and then, Hannibal would tell him again, and there was always something new to be told. Will loved it.
“We will deal with him if it comes to that,” Hannibal promised, “unless you wish for us to act now. I wouldn’t want you to be unhappy with me, love.”
Will grinned, biting along Hannibal’s neck softly enough not to leave any marks.
“I think I want to play around with him a bit, darling. As long as that’s alright with you.”
Hannibal began undoing the buttons of Will’s shirt, smiling as Will shifted to straddle his lap and do the same for him.
“I do so enjoy watching you play with people, Mangusteli. The agent can stay as long as he entertains you, then. You must point him out to me when he inevitably shows himself.”
Will kissed Hannibal deeply, tangling his fingers into Hannibal’s hair and humming in satisfaction.
“He will,” Will stated, breaths gasping, “he’s too curious to let this go. No matter what we do.”
Hannibal bit Will’s shoulder gently, licking over the light indentations he left there and smiling.
“A dangerous thing for him to be,” Hannibal noted, “though I share his fault. Did you very much enjoy killing Marius?”
Will laughed softly as Hannibal stood and started leading them both to the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothing items in their wake.
“Nothing in this life became him like the leaving of it,” Will replied.
Hannibal grinned, and it was a predator’s grin.