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It’s almost painful how gentle Hannibal is being.
They’ve been living in seclusion for almost a month, a property Hannibal had bought a decade ago and not put into use until now- but it’s still a shock whenever he’s met with gentle touches that aren’t the grazing of a knife.
Will has never been good with physical touch. He and Molly never held each other in bed the way many married couples supposedly did and whenever one of his coworkers would casually touch him, it felt like a shock going through his body.
But something is different with Hannibal.
He finds himself not only relaxing into the touches, but craving them.
Their first night together in their new home, Will couldn’t fall asleep.
He laid there for hours, eyes shifting from the ceiling to sleeping Hannibal beside him, but his body refuses to relax.
Will knew what he wanted, he just didn’t know what to ask. But as he slowly inched into Hannibal’s side and pulled Hannibal’s arm around his stomach, he felt himself calming and smiled as he buried his face into the pillow they now shared.
And as they woke up the next morning, limbs intertwined, Hannibal didn’t say anything. He didn’t ask questions or poke fun, just settled into the embrace that next night and placed gentle kisses on the back of Will's neck until he felt him fall asleep.
With the silent agreement to continue that routine, they both continued to get used to the casual touching.
The brush of their fingers whenever Will hands Hannibal his coffee in the mornings. The casual cheek kisses whenever Will says something to Make Hannibal laugh. The ticklish kisses whenever they’re a bit delirious in the morning.
Will discovers he loves the way Hannibal’s genuine, unfiltered laugh sounds and finds himself softly tickling at his sides whenever he wants to hear it.
Hannibal discovers he loves the way Will relaxes in his embrace and makes a point to wrap his arms around him on a frequent basis; he stands behind him and holds him the same way he holds him in bed until Will stills and turns around to kiss him.
it’s still new and exciting and Will relishes in the way his fingertips light up with electricity whenever he goes to fix Hannibal’s collar or brush down his cheek whenever they kiss.
He loves the way Hannibal will run his fingers through wills hair as he reads to him, mumbling “It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another” as Will struggles to hold his eyes open and instead just focuses on the feeling of Hannibal’s hands being so gentle.
Will leans up to kiss Hannibal’s jaw before resting his head on his stomach. “I love the way you sound when you read,” he mumbles.
Without thinking, he finds himself pushing up Hannibal’s shirt to place a gentle kiss on the curve of his belly and smiles, sheepish and tired.
Hannibal lies the book down on the table and grins.
“Let’s get you to sleep,” he whispers and Will nods, sitting up.
As they walk into their bedroom, Will naturally leans into Hannibal’s side; who responds by wrapping his arm around wills waist and guiding him into their bedroom.
Hannibal helps Will take off his clothing, fingers lingering on his chest and legs, before crawling into bed together.
Will's head automatically goes to Hannibal’s chest and Will feels him smiling as he places a kiss into his hair.
It’s good. It’s really good.