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Will breathed in the scent of Hannibal’s hair against the pillow. He was laying on his side, facing away from Will; the warm rays of the late morning sun striking his face so a yellowy glow bled from his skin.
He slipped his arm under Hannibal’s and let his hand fall over his chest, the soft beating of his heart under Will’s fingers.
The heat of his skin, the roughness of his cheek as Will slid closer to him and laid his head to rest over his shoulder, it all felt like home.
“I know you’re awake,” he whispered into Hannibal’s ear. “You can ignore me, but I can feel it.”
It was a game Hannibal liked to play and Will knew it: he would lay there as still as if he were still asleep, just to see what Will would do, to see how he acted when Hannibal wasn’t there.
Fine, Will thought, lets see how long you can keep your eyes shut.
He circled a finger over Hannibal’s chest, knowing the softness, the tenderness of his touch, made Hannibal delirious.
Hannibal did well to stay so passive, but the tension in his body betrayed him as Will, ever so slowly, let his finger trail down onto his stomach. Lower and lower and Will could swear he saw a smile flicker across Hannibal’s face, as he reached the hem of his underwear.
He wouldn’t let Hannibal lure him into that just yet however, and his hand moved to Hannibal’s thigh instead. He sighed; his mouth against Hannibal’s neck, wanting to make him shiver, groan. Nothing. Hannibal made no movement and impatience took over Will; he seized Hannibal’s shoulder and kissed him roughly on the neck.
Will gasped as a hand gripped his wrist and Hannibal, unable to contain himself any longer, pulled himself around to face him. He lifted Will easily on top of him and Will fell against his chest.
Hannibal smiled at Will laying against his body and slid a hand gently through his hair, catching a few locks and twirling them between his fingers.
“Hey, don’t open your eyes now.” Will whispered.
“But I always want to see you, Will.”
Will reached up and lightly touched Hannibal’s eyelids and despite himself, Hannibal shut them. Then Will lifted himself to Hannibal’s level, so close their noses touched and he kissed him with such tenderness their lips barely even grazed against each other.
Hannibal’s hand found its way to the back of Will’s neck but he didn’t push him for more, and after a moment, Will’s lips were on Hannibal’s again, the taste of Hannibal’s tongue only fuelling him to kiss him deeper this time.
Both hands cupped around Hannibal’s cheeks, his heart fluttering like the wings of a butterfly; he wanted the moment to last forever.
He kissed him harder and passion ran like a current between them. The kiss became frantic: a desperate attempt to savour every second of the moment.
They were a flurry of hands and intertwining limbs, heels over head as Hannibal rolled on top of Will. Tangled in the sheets beneath them already, Will threw the covers of their heads so they were plunged into darkness and enveloped in their own little cave of sweetness.
Hannibal lifted himself from Will, slipping his arms under Will’s so he could rest on his elbows over him. They breathed in each other’s air, cocooned in the duvet, and their eyes searched every inch of each other’s faces in plain appreciation, each locking it away to memory.
There was no deflection, no denial, no hiding; every unexpressed feeling, every averted compliment was forgotten in that moment, as all was told as they gazed into the eyes of the other.
“What would I ever have to do to lose you?” asked Will, as he traced a line across Hannibal’s cheekbone.
“If you’re trying to get rid of me, Will, you needn’t make it that obvious,”
Will smiled, but persisted. “I’m serious, Hannibal.”
There was a long silence and though Will could see Hannibal was deep in thought, he couldn’t help but brush the curls out of Will’s face and ruffle his hair absentmindedly.
“If you ever told me I wasn’t good enough for you,” Hannibal said finally. “Because I’d believe you.”
Will swallowed and it must have been the shock and such sudden overwhelm of emotion that made his eyes prick with tears. He couldn’t imagine an answer he would ever want more and he wanted Hannibal to say it again; and again; and again and keep saying it forever. He couldn’t find a way to express such a feeling to Hannibal in words however, so he said the only thing he knew how to in that moment.
“My God, I love you so much.”
“I don’t know what I’d do if you didn’t, Will.”
Their fingers intertwined and Will squeezed Hannibal’s hand as tight as he could, never wanting to let him go.
“I’d die for you, Hannibal.” Will said, and his eyes were only filled with honesty.
“But I don’t want you to die.”
“Everyone has to die.”
“Let’s die together, Will. When we’ve done all we want to, let’s die hand in hand.” He squeezed Will’s hand back.
“If we were to die, I wouldn’t be sad. I’d smile and kiss you in the burning fires of hell.”
“Would you not rather sit at God’s right hand in heaven?”
“I don’t need heaven, if I die beside you.”