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Will had never thought of himself as having any sort of kink or fetish. He was just the weird guy who kept to himself for the most part. He had never had a relationship that had allowed for that kind of exploration.
Not that this was a relationship of any kind. Much less that kind.
But the first time Hannibal had really smiled, flashing his teeth at Will, Will had fallen down a rabbit hole he could not find his way out of.
Hannibal’s teeth were unique. The canines were just a bit crooked, but not in any way that made him look silly or juvenile. It was almost like they were accentuated in order to signify that the man was a predator.
At first, Will hadn’t realized he had fixated on them. He had made a mental observation that he would have quite the bite pattern if it were ever relevant. Those things sometimes happened around there. A murder being able to be solved based on a single bite mark of a man with a snaggletooth or something of the like.
So it was perfectly normal that Will would take notice of someone’s unique set of teeth.
That’s what he told himself.
Then, Will had been invited to Hannibal’s for dinner, and he couldn’t so easily explain away his fascination with the man’s teeth in that setting.
Will caught himself staring a few times, as Hannibal gently pulled the food from his fork, his teeth only almost grazing the tines of his utensil. Will hadn’t fully processed what it was they were eating, having found himself distracted by the way Hannibal’s canines poked out of his mouth just a bit before the rest of his teeth.
They looked sharp. Will didn’t think anything so silly as that they were a bit too sharp, or liken him to a vampire, but he did admire how efficient they would be as weapons if the man ever deemed it necessary.
And that was when the idea first made itself fully known to Will.
Will wanted Hannibal to bite him.
It was an absurd, ridiculous, not to mention inappropriate, thought to have about someone. Someone Will had both a professional and personal relationship with. Someone he had confided in when his thoughts turned too dark. Someone who had shown nothing but kindness to him since they first met, despite his immediate abrasiveness.
But the desire remained. It burned, low in Will’s gut, pulling at his insides as if he would never be satisfied again until he really knew what those teeth felt like in his flesh.
This was beyond not good. Will didn’t need this.
Hannibal met Will’s eyes over the table and raised a curious eyebrow. Will ducked his head, feeling his face heat with a blush. Like a damn teenager.
It wasn’t as if Will hadn’t realized he might just be interested in Hannibal in some more intimate way. It was just so sudden to have a thought about something so… bizarre. He had never thought that about anyone else, no matter how attracted he had felt toward them.
Everything about Hannibal was different, and Will guessed that would have to be the reason behind it. Hannibal wasn’t someone who pitied him, or was soft around him for fear of breaking him. Hannibal treated him like an equal, even sometimes going so far as to say something as if Will were superior to him or others. Hannibal was tall, and strong, and confident, and Will was definitely analyzing everything way too much.
Why did it matter why he felt the sudden desire to feel Hannibal’s hot mouth and sharp teeth on his skin? All that should matter is that he did. He wanted it desperately.
But that wasn’t exactly something you ask your not-therapist for. That would be insane.
“You are very quiet tonight, Will,” Hannibal noted calmly, unaware of the storm brewing in Will’s head, “is there something on your mind?”
Will glanced up, catching another glimpse of Hannibal’s teeth as the man lifted his wine glass to take a sip. Will had to swallow against the urge to confess everything and see where it got him.
“Yeah, something like that,” Will mumbled, taking a bite and trying not to let it sound too terribly interesting.
Hannibal nodded, though he didn’t look away from Will for a moment. His warm gaze settled over Will like sunlight in the early morning, and he looked open and unjudging. So unassuming.
“If there is anything I can do to ease your distraction or worry, please, do not hesitate to ask, Will,” Hannibal said, his voice curling from his lips like so much sweet smelling smoke.
Will offered a smile, though he felt like it probably came off as awkward rather than grateful.
“I do hope it is not anything to do with a recent case,” Hannibal prodded, apparently more intent on helping than Will had hoped.
Will swallowed and tipped his head back and forth, trying to think of if there was anything in a recent case he could blame his distraction on.
“I was just thinking, all the victims have perfect teeth,” he said, almost jumping at his own voice. He hadn’t really intended to say that, though it was true, now that he thought about it.
Hannibal tipped his head, intrigued.
“Is that so?” he asked.
Will nodded, taking a sip of wine.
“Yeah. As a matter of fact, now that I really think about it, I think they have all had braces before. I should tell the team to look into that. If it’s true, that could be a connection.”
Will felt like he was rambling, running away from the real problem at hand.
That problem being that Hannibal had just run his tongue over his own teeth, visibly baring them, as if considering the differences between himself and the victims Will was talking about.
Will pulled out his phone and shot Beverly a text, knowing it was rude, but needing the distraction.
Looking back up, Will caught Hannibal with a deeply considering expression on his face. He almost looked… unsure of something.
“You alright?” Will asked, “I’m sorry. I know murder isn’t really an acceptable dinner conversation. In my defense, you’re the one who brought it up.”
Hannibal shook his head, waving down Will’s concern.
“Do not worry, Will,” he said, “I was merely contemplating my own teeth, as I hadn’t truly considered that type of connection in regards to your work before.”
Will blinked.
“Oh. Alright. What kind of things were you thinking about?”
What was he doing? That was the most stupid thing he could have done. Sure, he’s having sudden fantasies about the man’s teeth, but let’s encourage a discussion about just that. Right now.
“I admit I do not often consider the fact that I do not have what one would refer to as perfect teeth,” Hannibal said, though he sounded more curious than actually concerned.
Will was almost shocked. Sure, the man’s teeth weren’t exactly in line like everyone thought their own should be. Maybe people would think that was something to be ashamed of, but Will thought they were perfect in their own right.
“Well, if you ever bite anyone, it’ll be easy to identify you,” Will joked, immediately regretting it.
What on earth was that? Make fun of the man’s teeth now? Keep encouraging the conversation? Why?
Hannibal smiled a bit, his teeth flashing once more and throwing Will for an emotional loop again.
“I do suppose that can make your life easier at times,” he said, his tone amused, “though I don’t anticipate ever biting someone and having it be your concern.”
Oh God.
About a hundred potential replies flooded Will’s mind, though none of them were anywhere near appropriate. The man was not flirting with Will. That was probably true. Even if it wasn’t, how on earth was Will going to explain to him that one big draw was the man’s crooked little canines, and the way they might leave such a unique bruise in his skin that it would be like a signature. Like a brand.
No. Will couldn’t say any of those things he was thinking. He had to figure something else out.
“Well, if you ever do, I’ll know right away,” Will warned, staring down at his food to avoid staring at the man’s mouth for hopes of catching another glimpse of the dangerous teeth within.
“Would you,” Hannibal mused, his voice almost a purr at this point and making Will shiver involuntarily.
Will shrugged, trying to hide his reaction.
“Yeah. I mean, I notice things. It’s what I do. You have unique teeth, which would leave a unique bite pattern.”
Oh God. Was Will really saying that? It was so close to the dangerous truth he was trying to hide. Why was he letting it go further? Why hadn’t he changed the subject yet?
“Have you considered the pattern my bite would leave before?” Hannibal asked, sounding innocently curious.
Will cleared his throat, feeling a blush creep up his neck. He was royally doomed.
“Uh, I mean, yeah. I guess,” he stuttered, “I mean, I might just do that for everyone I meet who has unique teeth. I, uh, well, I have thought of it before.”
As Will had been speaking, his hand had crept up to his neck without his conscious knowledge, and it was now laying right over where he had imagined Hannibal biting him not more than ten minutes prior.
This was way past dangerous territory now. Will was in a minefield, with mines one step in any direction. There was no saving him.
“How many others have you filed away for potential future use?” Hannibal asked, almost sounding smug, as if he knew Will had been bluffing, “waiting for their specific bite mark to appear before you in the lab one day?”
Will was probably blushing in full, now, and he couldn’t meet Hannibal’s eyes.
“I don’t know,” he said, too weakly to truly sound defensive, “I can’t remember right now.”
Hannibal hummed pleasantly, standing to walk over and refill Will’s wine glass. It put him just over Will’s shoulder as he did, making Will hold his breath and bite his own lip.
“Your memory is one of the most impressive I have ever come to see,” Hannibal said softly, “and I find it hard to believe you are finding it difficult to remember something so trivial right now.”
Will could almost feel the words against his skin. They burned, almost accusingly, and he did his best to ignore the way his skin reacted to Hannibal’s proximity.
“I guess it’s not something I consciously think about very often,” Will said, a half-truth, because he really didn’t think about bite patterns that much. Unless it was Hannibal’s.
Hannibal made a small sound of agreement and straightened to return to his seat. Will felt his shoulders sag in both relief and disappointment, and Hannibal seemed to notice. He paused, just a breath away from walking away from Will.
“Does my nearness cause you discomfort?” he asked.
Will startled a bit.
Hannibal had never asked that before. He had never worried about it before either. Will had always felt more comfortable near Hannibal than anyone else, and he had been fairly sure that had been obvious. Hannibal had been allowed to touch him in friendly gestures, even stand with their shoulders touching at times. That was far more than anyone else in Will’s life had been given, and he had thought the message had been clear.
“No,” Will said quickly, reaching for his wine in an attempt to gain some liquid courage, “no. Not usually. I’m just a bit jumpy at the moment, I guess. Sorry. I don’t want you to worry about that.”
Hannibal nodded curtly, smiling softly.
“Whatever might be making you nervous in my presence, Will?” he asked, stepping just a touch closer.
Oh, how Will longed to lean into his warmth. To pull Hannibal closer and learn the man’s skin the way Hannibal had learned Will’s mind by now.
“Just thoughts about bites,” Will confessed, the wine having done the trick and loosened his tongue more than he had intended to.
Hannibal tipped his head.
“Are you frightened that I may bite you?” he asked, though his tone betrayed that he knew that was ridiculous.
“No,” Will replied, taking another long sip of his wine, “just about the opposite, actually.”
Hannibal stepped closer, kneeling down beside Will so they were on the same eye level, though Will still didn’t turn to meet his eyes.
“Would you like me to?” Hannibal asked, his tone a touch lower than usual and his gaze burning more than warming against Will’s skin.
Will shuddered as the images flooded his head again.
“Yes,” he admitted, feeling as if the word tried to catch on his teeth on its way out.
Hannibal hummed again, leaning forward so his nose brushed along Will’s carotid artery. Will shivered and tilted his head to expose more of his neck to the man. The desire in Will’s gut burned hotter, coiling tight and threatening to break through something if it wasn’t satisfied.
At the first graze of Hannibal’s teeth over Will’s skin, it snapped and Will’s thoughts burned white hot. He turned and lunged at the man, toppling them both onto the floor as he growled low.
Hannibal stared up at Will, his lips parted slightly in his surprise, letting Will see those stupidly captivating teeth.
Will ducked his head and ran his own tongue over those teeth, paying special attention to the canines. He was pleased to find they really were sharp, and he wondered if he would be able to cut his tongue on them and make himself bleed.
That thought made his mind burn hotter, and he moaned unashamedly.
Hannibal bit at Will’s tongue lightly, making Will gasp. Hannibal’s hands were on Will’s hips. He didn’t know when they had ended up there, but Hannibal pulled him closer, their bodies flush against each other. Will’s own hands scrabbled at the floor, trying to find purchase as the reality of what he was doing started to dawn on him.
Hannibal’s teeth settled low on Will’s neck, and his realistic thoughts escaped him again.
Hannibal slowly applied pressure, and it was low enough that Will would be able to hide it if he buttoned his shirts all the way. A bit of consideration Will would notice later.
Will let out a string of curses when Hannibal’s teeth started to feel painful in his flesh, but he just moved his hands to Hannibal’s shoulders and held on for dear life. He felt as if he was burning up, but nothing had ever felt so right. It was as if this was one thing Will had been missing in his life until now.
Will suddenly felt his own teeth ache, and he chewed his lip a bit as he undid Hannibal’s tie. He needed to expose some flesh that would normally be hidden. Hannibal was too proper and put together for anything else.
Once Will had the man’s shirt open at the top, he bit directly at the junction between Hannibal’s neck and shoulder. Hannibal keened and gasped under Will, but didn’t ask for him to stop. Hannibal responded by simply undoing a few of Will’s buttons and biting his shoulder as well.
And nothing had ever been so perfect.
Will would be able to know all of this was real later, because he would have Hannibal’s signature on his skin. A unique marking that Will knew well enough by now only Hannibal could make.