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They had left Yorkshire in a hurry briefly returning to the three storey weavers cottage they had shared to dry off, pack what meagre belongings they had and head to Scotland. Hannibal took first driving shift promising Will he would wake him two hours into their journey. Of course he didn't and after a good seven hours sleep the veteran insomniac wakes to find himself tucked up in a blanket and still sat in the passenger seat.
Will stretches one arm out, it hits the roof of the small car, then his left leg impacts the glove compartment. He huffs. His hand finds his nose and he gives the tip of it a good rub, he peels an eye open and quickly closes it, a set of white teeth are smiling at him. Oh, God, its the Cheshire cat, thinks Will, before remembering the pearly whites belong to his cannibal. His nose needs scratching again, he picks some crust out of his eye, fills his lungs with air and opens the other eye, yep the smile is still there, Who the fuck has the energy to smile like that at this time in the morning.
“Good afternoon Will, a pleasant sleep I trust.”
He remembers something about singing and a lamppost – Oh, he starts, that wasn’t a dream.
“Hmm, what time is it?” Will asks rubbing his eyes, they sting a bit.
“Past noon.”
What? He thinks. “I asked...” says Will coughing on a dry throat.
On cue Hannibal unscrews a blue cap on a bottle of water and hands it to him, “Yes, but I am energised and don’t require much sleep.”
Will takes a swig, hopes he packed a tooth brush then shifts himself so he is fully upright in the seat, his neck is a bit cricked. Travelling with a man who claims to only need three hours sleep a night, is irritating he is always clean, impeccably groomed and smiling, at least for Will, no matter the place or the time.
“Where are we?”
“Loch Ness.”
Well, Will has to admit, the cannibal can still surprise him. When Hannibal had said Scotland he’d thought Edinburgh lots of galleries, a famous castle and nice places to eat but Loch Ness, he’d never thought that. “Nessie? Do we have binoculars?”
Hannibal gives him one of those looks, of course they have binoculars. Does he not remember who they are, they just don’t normally use them for spying on monsters of the mythical variety. Will just shrugs, he’s not quite awake.
“Yes, Nessie. I thought we could walk up to Urquhart Castle later on.” Hannibal points to a little ruined structure in the far distance.
“OK,” Will knew there would have to be some culture somewhere, but a walk would do him good.
“Would you like to sit on the edge of the loch first, have something to eat?”
“That sounds good.”
Will drags himself out of the car, the muscles in his lower back pinch from sleeping in the seat, he yawns, stretching his mouth and body at the same time. He wanders over to the side of the loch, God, its beautiful here. A blanket is placed on his shoulders, Will is not yet used to the way his serial killer ... friend...boyfriend?... Will tries the word on for fit, he’s not sure, although he suspects Hannibal is sure, just appears by his side without warning, “Your exhausted Will, you don’t want to catch a chill.” Two arms wrap around him pulling him against a broad chest, if Will had any doubts that the cannibal wouldn’t allow him to leave, this moment would have dispelled that. He doesn’t shrug the arms off immediately, they do feel nice, but he does need some time to think, it would be easy to get caught up by Hannibal’s romantic nature, “I’m gonna buy you a ‘I’ve seen Nessie,’ cap later,” he says laughing. “Now, where are those binoculars?”
They sit eating their Bacon sandwiches, where Hannibal got them from Will doesn’t know but they are surprisingly good. He’s just going to have to get used to being with, ugh, ‘being with’ whatever that means, a man who can apparently magic things, umbrella’s and bacon sandwiches, out of thin air.
“Look, look, look” Will jabs his fingers into the distance, “over there, there.”
Hannibal grabs his own set of binoculars, “Will, that is just a log,” he says with a tut and a shake of his head.
Will could swear he hears disappointment in Hannibal’s voice, “Maybe next time,” he says giving the older man a peck on the cheek.