Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Baltimore, 1850.

Will was running late. He had washed up and changed into one of his usual outfits - a matching bralette and panties set in a creamish off-white that he liked to think looked demure. He threw a light robe over the top and rushed along the hallway, he didn’t stop at the parlour - didn’t need to as Miss Alana huffed and called out after him, “room three.”

This was one of the finest brothels in the city. The parlour was welcoming and the rooms were luxurious. The prostitutes even had their own, not quite as glamorous, rooms in the back of the building - a separate space just for them. A rarity, Will had discovered through gossip and tales.

Will waved his thanks to Miss Alana and then slowed as he reached the door, he fluffed his short curls and tried to catch his breath. He took a moment and then opened the door, slinking into the doorway to stand seductively in the frame, letting the robe fall open.

“Hello,” he drawled, Southern lilt ringing clear.

“Good evening, Will.”

Will’s smile grew and he felt a warmth run through him at the soft, strong voice that he knew so well.

“Oh, it’s you,” Will replied with a grin. He closed the door quickly and dropped all pretence. “Thank god, I’m exhausted.” Will sauntered across the room and dropped down onto the bed, sprawling across the lap of the man sitting there.

The alpha chuckled and pushed curls back from Will’s face, “Happy to see you too.”

Will hummed and relaxed.

He shouldn't complain. There were worse places he could have ended up when he ran away from home before his dad had chance to sell him. He knew that the only reason he’d ended up in such a nice, high class place - as far as brothels went - was because he was a male omega. And more especially, one that lived up to the reputation of being lithe and beautiful. Though not so much on being demure. At least not when he was being himself.

And if he’d learned anything over the last few years, it was that his favourite patron - Doctor Hannibal Lecter - liked it most when he was being himself.

That wasn’t the only reason he liked Doctor Lecter. The alpha was over twenty years older than he was, and it felt like he’d seen and done everything. Will had been in this place for the last four years, since he was seventeen and by that age Lecter had lived all over the world. He had studied, travelled. He was now an alpha of standing, who had absolutely no need to come to this place, regardless of how high class it was - he could find a willing omega with no trouble, Will was sure. Will loved hearing his stories of New York and Boston, or even Europe. Places Will knew he would never go.

For a while, he had brought Will books about these places, but in the end Will had asked him to stop. He said it was because it got him in trouble with the mistress. But the truth was, it hurt too much to read more and discover more about these wonderful places he would never visit.

Will knew the fate that awaited him, from others he worked with and the ones who had come before them. By the time Will was in a position to leave this place there would be nothing he would be good for, so, like many others, he’d end up staying until he was completely used up and no longer wanted by the patrons. After that? He dreaded to think.

Will certainly didn’t want to think about such things when he was with Doctor Lecter. Instead, he wanted to make the most of the one alpha who came here that didn’t want to use him. Which wasn’t to say they hadn’t been having sex since their first meeting, but that it always felt so loving, so caring. He knew that if he was tired or sore, he only need say and the Doctor wouldn’t seek pleasure at all.

“Hold me,” Will asked, moving slightly so that the Doctor could scoop him up into his arms. The alpha moved so that he was sitting with his back against the headboard, Will in his lap, practically curled in a ball. It was his favourite place to be - held and safe in this alpha’s lap.

He wished it made him feel as comforted as it usually did. But not this time, not now.

“Will?”

He hadn’t realised he’d started to shed silent tears until one had landed on the alpha’s arm.

“Sorry,” Will said, perking up his voice as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, pulled on a smile.

“What is it? Has someone hurt you?” Doctor Lecter’s words came out in a growl that made Will feel like, just for that moment, everything would be alright.

“No, no, I’m fine. I…” He looked at the alpha - his soft red-brown eyes, his concerned expression, his open arms. If there was anyone he could confide his sorrows in, it was this man.

“I turn twenty-one in a few months, which means my adolescent contract comes to an end.” Will might have turned away Lecter’s books, but he had read many others, often donated to the brothel. He had read as much as he could on omega laws, they all did. He knew what awaited him.

“You will be able to leave…” Lecter said, his body stiffening in a way that made Will sad. He wasn’t going to ask Lecter to take him in if that’s what he thought. He knew no alpha would want that, especially not one of such consequence.

But sadly, it wasn’t even a possibility.

Will shook his head.

“I can’t leave. I owe the mistress too much money. I have to sign an adult contract and then, perhaps in a few years, I will be able to pay her back.” Will tried to sound positive, but it really was a viscous cycle that had trapped many of the girls there.

“For what?” The alpha’s tone was hard and he sounded annoyed. Perhaps he didn’t want to discuss this.

“For the under twenty-ones, she provides us with extra healthcare, some schooling. Clothes, things we may need that what we earn doesn’t cover and… I owe her so much.”

Will choked the words out. Most of the adolescent workers were at least nineteen or twenty. They might stand a slim chance of getting out at twenty-one. But Will had been here so long, Miss Alana had invested so much - as she said. It would take years to pay her back, and he’d read enough to know he needed to resign himself to that fact.

“I’m sorry,” the Doctor said, smoothing a hand down Will’s back. “Let’s think of more pleasant things.”

Will held in his sigh at the obvious change of conversation and nodded.

“Here,” Lecter positioned him on the bed, laying him out in a relaxing pose before going to the barred sash windows and pushing them up. Immediately a cool breeze and the sounds of the street below filled the room and then the alpha lay next to him. He lay on his side against Will, gently stroking his curls.

“Close your eyes,” the alpha said gently, and Will did. “It is a hot day, the only relief is the cool breeze. You can hear the shopkeepers and artisans below. You are resting after a day under the Florentine sun.”

Will hummed and smiled. A smile that was quickly kissed from his lips.

It was all too easy to get absorbed in these fantasies when Doctor Lecter was with him. Describing these places and transporting him there.

It wasn’t until the alpha settled between his legs and moved the panties aside to press into him, that the emotions of the moment caught up with him. He didn’t want to imagine this accomplished man had taken him to Europe and was making love to him in a beautiful hotel suite. What had seemed fun in the past now made him feel sick - knowing that he would be trapped here forever, much less ever have - or deserve - an alpha like this.

“My beautiful darling,” Lecter cooed against his neck as he slowly and gently made love to him. Unlike any other alpha Will had taken, Lecter ignored his knot, focusing on bringing Will pleasure even if it meant not knotting him at all. The alpha’s hand slipped between them and he wrapped it around Will’s panty-wrapped cocklet, squeezing and stroking until Will cried out and came between them. Only then did he knot Will, at the same moment as Will could no longer hold back the tears he then hid.

Part of him imagined himself in love with this alpha. A dangerous and impossible thing that, in fact, was likely more to do with the way he was treated by him. But he was hit with the realisation in that moment - with all these years ahead of him in this place, he knew seeing this alpha would make it harder. It would deepen his despair rather than relieve it as it had in the past.

As he lay in the alpha’s arms enjoying the crush of his body and the hot feeling of his come pumping inside him, Will made up his mind to never see Doctor Lecter again.

*

“He asked for you again,” Miss Alana’s words were harsh and his only relief was that she made it a rule never to force any of them to be with patrons they didn’t want to see. It didn’t stop her being annoyed and punishing him in other ways. His meals of late had been a lot more basic, and he often found at least one patron a day to be a little more handsey than the ones he was usually assigned.

When Will didn’t reply, as he stood in the communal changing room to derobe from his working clothes at the end of the day, she continued.

“You’re losing me business. He won’t take anyone else so he doesn’t stay. He’s a high payer, Will. If this keeps on I will have to add the loss onto your debt.”

Will stifled an anguished gasp, not wanting to give away his emotions on the matter one way or another. But, deep within, the thought of having more debt, of being even less likely to escape, made his chest hurt.

He didn’t hate this job, he never had. An early bloomer, he had already had his first heat by the time he got to this place. He had suffered it alone and by the time he had his second, he welcomed the company. He found he enjoyed sex, he enjoyed the attention and the way some alphas wanted to all but worship him. Male omegas were not very common, and he was the only one in this brothel. Miss Alana could charge more for him than many of the female omegas combined. He wasn’t so naive not to realise that she would be hard pressed to let him go. But usually she treated him kindly, as with any of them. Helped educate them, mothered them to an extent, kept them safe. But for Will, even at his young age, running from an uncaring family, he had known he didn’t want this forever, he would pay himself out and start a new life, eventually.

In some ways, he hated doing this to Alana, hated impeding her business, but he just couldn’t see Hannibal.

He couldn’t have the alpha filling his mind with fantasies of what it would be like to finally be free. Because, he knew, when it eventually did happen, the reality would be so different. He would be old and used up and unrecognisable from the young man he was becoming.

Alana huffed and walked from the room, leaving Will on the verge of apathy towards the whole thing - maybe he should just stay here forever then he’d have nothing to fret over.

*

“Will?”

At the sound of the alpha’s voice, he froze. He was passing the double archway that connected the parlour to the hallway of rooms, on his way to wash the stench of an alpha off of him before meeting with another, and Hannibal was there.

“Doctor,” Alana spoke firmly and stepped into the archway blocking the parlour from the hallway Will had been walking through. “You don’t have an appointment.”

Will took a fortifying breath and scurried onwards, hearing Miss Alana’s stern voice behind him - “Our omegas are free to decide on their clientele.”

“Please, might I just talk with him for a few moments,” Hannibal sounded cool and collected, polite, but Will knew well enough that slight pitchiness that betrayed his distress. It was how he sounded so often when Will had shared his own woes. His chest was tight, sure that it was the alpha’s ego that was hurting, not his heart.

Will hurried into the dressing room and closed the door, unable to hear the rest of the conversation. He felt a sick sort of swirl in his gut, a longing for the alpha that he was sure would never get better.

He should never have let him so close. But it had happened before he’d even realised it. That first time, when Will was eighteen, Hannibal had been so gentle, so reverent - as some alphas were - but more than that. He treated Will like a muse and even brought him some portraits he had drawn later from memory - ones that made Will look like a Grecian concubine or a goddess - something in between. It hadn’t been wooing, that was easy to spot and put a stop to. It had been a connection that they couldn’t deny. A shared sense of humour, an intellect that would be equal if Will’s education had been better. A slight darkness that ran through both of those. Will had never before met anyone - childhood friends, fellow prostitutes or any of the patrons - with whom he had such a connection.

He missed it so terribly, but he missed the future he could never have more. He needed Hannibal to understand that, the closer they had grown the more Will dreamed of a future that could never be and that he already mourned.

Will derobed and went to the bathroom. He washed himself down with warm water, making sure to rid himself of the alpha’s scent as he mentally prepared himself for the next one. He would be busy today, but he resolved to write a letter to Hannibal and ask Miss Alana to send it, once he was back in his own chambers.

*

Dear Doctor Lecter

I wish to thank you for your years of kind patronage, and I apologise that I ended our arrangement so abruptly and without proper explanation. I realise that was not acceptable, and write now to explain.

As you are aware, I have many years of indenturement ahead of me, and whilst I have enjoyed your company, I find it difficult to hear tales of your travels and the world beyond my own, one which I will never reach. So, again, whilst I appreciate your patronage so much, I am no longer able to continue our business relationship as I realise now how inappropriate our discussions have been.

Please do not reply, we have nothing further to address between us, and I have instructed Miss Alana to destroy any letters received from you.

I wish you every joy for your future, and hope you can wish the same for me.

Will

*

Will felt like an automaton, moving from room to room, washing, fucking, sleeping, fucking, washing. He no longer read books. He missed it, but he found himself unable to focus and unwilling to read about anything beyond his life in this house. It was too painful.

Most nights he dreamed of Hannibal and woke in anguish. Dreaming of a life with him, in a nice house or in places Will had only seen pictures of. He dreamed of dressing in Grecian robes whilst Hannibal fed him grapes and sketched him. In dreams, he found himself in the paintings of Botticelli that Hannibal had described - he was each and all of the Graces in the Primavera - forever full of youthful beauty.

The dreams were filled with so much joy that on waking he felt all the more saddened. It became more and more of an effort to smile for the alphas.

He was washing in the dressing room at the end of the day when Miss Alana entered. The girls had all been quick about their business and had retired to the part of the building that was their home. But Will was slow - lethargic. He took his time sponging himself even as the water grew cooler.

“Come,” Alana snapped at him. She threw a robe that landed next to him on the floor as he flinched at her tone. “Get that on, I want to see you in my chambers. I need you to eat, I need you to smile.” She cut herself off there but clearly had more to say.

Instead she stomped through the back door of the room and Will towelled himself off before donning the robe and following.

At her rooms he knocked and was allowed in. She had a sitting room, with several doors around it, one of which was her bedroom, but none of them were allowed further than the sitting room. This was Miss Alana’s home. And, Will wondered, maybe this was what he should be striving for. He’d given up on ever escaping this life now, so perhaps he should set his sights on this instead - on one day running his own brothel. Maybe that was achievable, once he was too old and used up for alphas to want.

“Sit,” Alana instructed, pointing at an overstuffed armchair next to which sat a side table with a plate of food.

Alana didn’t sit herself but came to stand over him.

“Eat.”

Will blinked and then did as instructed, picking up a piece of buttered bread and taking a small bite. It was fluffy bread, thick with butter - a treat.

“This can’t continue, Will. You have been nothing short of a brilliant investment since you arrived, until these last few months. You were our highest earner, alphas travelled for miles to see you, one of the few male omegas they could access, and one who was always pleasant, sweet, loving. But now…” She shook her head. “You barely eat, you are getting thin, not the cute plumpness that makes alpha’s desire to breed you. You are sullen, going through the motions, no longer making patrons feel special.”

She sighed and then stepped back, pacing for a moment before taking a seat on the matching two-seater opposite him.

“I like to think we are all family here, and I have treated you well. But it is still a business and you are still an employee. I tolerated it when you requested to no longer service your most high paying, long standing patron, because I knew that it would be easy to replace him in your calendar with another alpha who wished to use you.”

Will chewed slowly, but flinched at the word use and swallowed hard. Hannibal had never used him, it had never felt that way.

“But patron after patron have complained. You are not as sweet and amiable as you once were. You lie there like a dead fish, one said. Today I had to refund some of the coin a patron spent on you to calm him.” Her tone was angry already but then she raised her voice, “This cannot go on!”

Will sniffled, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. He jutted his jaw despite his ever increasing sadness, and tried to brave her reprimand.

“I’m going to give you a chance. I am going to give you two weeks to come back to your old self. I want no more complaints, I want more repeat custom from patrons who can’t possibly go another week without seeing you. And if not…” Alana sighed, and shook her head. “If not, I will have to make up for my loss. You will force me to do something I have thankfully never done before, I will have to auction you. You might end up in another brothel, it might even be as nice as this one, but I cannot guarantee anything. It will be out of my hands.”

Will didn’t react at all, he said nothing, didn’t move. That was his fate then, he knew. He wasn’t sure how he could ever go back to how he had been. Even trying to fake it seemed impossible with how down he felt. Perhaps being somewhere else would be better?

A worse brothel with less discerning patrons. Less safe, less money. They wouldn’t complain if he lay there like a dead fish.

His twenty-first birthday was two weeks away, and as it approached he had lost his youthful optimism that a different life would eventually unfold before him. Instead, he would be auctioned to whatever fate that would be, and Alana would make back all the money she had invested in him. He’d be free of her, but not of whoever then bought his debt and to whom he would become indentured.

*

“Hannibal!” Will sat bolt upright in bed as he woke. His sheets were covered in sweat. The dawn light was breaking through the window and the dream he’d been trapped in was slowly receding even if the feelings of dread within it were not.

He had dreamed he was following the alpha, looking for him, trying to get his attention, but Hannibal couldn’t see him, or was ignoring him. Both possibilities broke his heart.

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he tried to catch his breath. This was the real fear, he realised. Not of going somewhere worse, not of never escaping this life, but of being sent somewhere that Hannibal would no longer be able to find him. He should have tried harder to stay for that reason alone, but it had been impossible.

It was long minutes before Will rose from the bed. He washed with cold water left from the day before, dressed in the clothes Miss Alana had given him - a simple shirt and britches - the kind with the flared material at the waist that was common for male omegas, almost a mimicry of a bustle. A plain, cloth collar, hiding the throat that should not be exposed in public. So different from when Will had arrived as a child in rags. These clothes were cheap but well made and adequate, but they felt strange against flesh that was used to little more than underwear and robes.

He tamed down his curls, packed his few belongings in a satchel Alana had also gifted him and donned the thin but woollen coat one of the girls had insisted he have.

He was ready to go to auction in body if not in mind.

Chapter Text

Will had never been to a prison, but he was sure that they must be like this.

He sat in a room with four female omegas, seated on uncomfortable wooden benches against the walls, the one door made of metal bars and locked with a thunk.

They were in the basement of the auction house, all silent, though Will had drawn his own conclusions for each of them. Two were dressed in a way similar to himself, but didn’t look like they had had a good meal in a long time, so rather than being downgraded from an upper class brothel like himself, he thought it more likely that they had indebted themselves to improve their lot or that of their families.

The one sat opposite Will was painfully thin, her eyes sunken and dark. She was perhaps ill or had an addiction, but either way he feared that if she hoped to survive through being indentured, it would be to some of the lesser reputable brothels some of Miss Alana’s girls had warned him of.

The final girl was dressed in fine, if mismatched clothes, and had hair that shined and fell in defined curls. A runaway, Will wondered. He had been the same, though his background had been less extravagant. He wished her well, and hoped, if she were able to go home, she might do that instead.

One by one a heavy set beta with a ring of large keys would come and unlock the door and then take one of them away.

Hours passed and the room cooled more than Will’s coat could bear, until he was finally the only one there. He sat alone waiting, listening. Several times people would pass the room - the cell - but didn't come in. He had an increasing sense of dread, worried that he had been forgotten and would not be found until morning. Or that he was not worth selling and would have to work off his debt some other way. He wondered whether the poorhouses were so worse than the brothel as some of his colleagues had said.

Another hour and Will moved to a corner of the room. He sank to the floor and pulled his coat tight around him, trying to make himself as small as possible in order to retain what little heat he could.

Finally, as he had begun to slip in and out of a sleep that he couldn’t fight, the key thunked in the lock and the door opened.

Will scrambled to his feet, disoriented by the broken sleep and bones aching, but desperate to leave the cold room.

“Will Graham,” the beta read his name from a list and then looked at him. He was a head taller than Will and seemed to be made of muscle. Will felt so weak from lack of food and sleep that he felt more intimidated by this beta than he had of any alpha who had ever paid for him.

Will nodded at his name, though it was unnecessary, being the only one there.

“Follow me,” the beta said before turning on his heel. Will had half expected to be put in chains, but he was not a criminal - not unless he tried to abscond before his debt was taken care of.

Will followed, having to walk at a quick pace to keep up with the beta’s long strides.

“Is it my turn?” Will asked, curious as to the process. Would they feed him first? Would he have to change? Or maybe strip down entirely? He had no idea how this would work and that unsettled him.

The beta huffed a grunt before he replied, “No. You’re not going to auction.”

Will’s blood ran cold and he blinked, his pace slowing. “What do you mean?”

“Your debt has already been purchased. An offer in excess of the anticipated sale price. It happens sometimes.”

Will quickened his pace again, could another brothel want him that much?

“Who bought me?” Will asked, curiosity mixed with trepidation. He’d been prepared for the auction. He’d been told enough by Alana’s girls to know how it worked. He would have known who bought his debt - which brothel had raised a paddle to bid. He had not anticipated this.

“Don’t know and can’t tell you if I did. All I know is they have sent a carriage and I’m to put you in it. It’s just arrived.”

Will said nothing, clutching his bag to him as he walked towards an entirely unknown fate.

*

Will knew he had been in the cell for a long time, but it was clear once outside that the whole day had passed. It was dusk and the street lamps had been lit. The beta from the auction house had a loose grip on his arm as he guided him towards the carriage sitting outside. The door was already open, and looking up inside he saw a man was already seated.

“Mr Graham?” He asked. When Will nodded, he stepped down from the coach. “Any luggage?”

Will shook his head and held his bag tighter to him, stripped of every other familiarity in his life.

“Oh, well the quicker we can be away then,” the man said with a smile. “That will be all.” He directed that at the beta who hesitated for a moment before letting go of Will’s arm.

His hand was replaced by the man - also a beta - who then guided him up into the carriage.

Within moments they were seated and the carriage was moving - a slow pace over the cobbled stones that had them swaying gently.

“Apologies for the long wait, I was tasked to travel quite some distance. But you’ll be glad to hear you’ll not be going so far.”

Will said nothing, giving no response at all. He had never felt so powerless.

As a child he’d been wilful, he’d had to be to survive his family and then strike out on his own. When he’d sold himself into the brothel he hadn’t been naive. He had understood what he was doing and he had capitalised on the rarity of male omegas to ensure he could orchestrate the most advantageous position for himself. In all these things, and with every patron, he had held the power.

Now he had none. He had allowed his foolish heart to bring him low and now his debt had been claimed by he knew not who and he was going he knew not where.

After a few minutes, the sway of the carriage casting a spell of sleep over him, Will startled himself awake. He spoke, in part to know more, but also to stop himself being lulled into sleep with this stranger in the night.

“Where am I going?” Will asked.

The beta cocked his head and hummed before replying. “Apologies, I thought that the auction house would have given you some information. How frightfully rude I’ve been. I assumed you might just prefer to sleep.”

Will shook his head and the man smiled kindly before continuing.

“My name is Sutcliffe, I’m a doctor. I have been charged with collecting you and bringing you to an apartment at the edge of the city that has been furnished for you. I am to give you a check up and ensure your good health over the next few days. Help you settle in and make sure you have everything you need.”

“Need for what?” Will asked, before a more pressing question - “Did you acquire my debt.”

“Ah,” Sutcliffe’s smile was slightly pitying. “I feel I am explaining very poorly, which isn’t much help. But no, I did not. An acquaintance of mine acquired your debt with the sole purpose of removing the weight of it from you. You are no longer indentured, and have an apartment at your disposal, along with an adequate allowance-”

“I don’t understand,” Will interrupted, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. “This is a very cruel deceit.”

“I agree!” Sutcliffe enthused, “if it were a deceit, but I assure you it is not. The apartment is at your disposal as long as you wish it. It was purchased for your use.”

“Purchased…” Will tasted the word in his mouth and it sat wrong. “Who would do that for me?”

Sutcliffe sat back, a slight wince playing across his expression. “I’m afraid I have been sworn to silence. It is my greatest wish to tell you, believe me, but alas I cannot break trust with a friend.”

Will nodded, not wanting to accept the words, but knowing now was not the time to press. Perhaps all would be revealed in the morning.

As he thought this the carriage pulled to a halt. It ceased swaying and the horse hooves stopped their clacking. There was a knock on the roof and Sutcliffe went to the door.

“Here we are then.”

He stepped down from the coach and offered Will his arm. Will took it, to battle his tiredness if nothing else, and was guided up some steps.

Looking up, Will could see it was a beautiful white building with a large door for which Sutcliffe produced a key.

“Your apartment is one flight up, thankfully,” Sutcliffe guided Will upwards, their feet padding on marble floors.

He allowed himself to be led through another door that Sutcliffe unlocked and into a suite that was larger than the entirety of Will’s childhood home. They walked into an exquisitely decorated living room that felt light and airy - like the Italian rooms that had been described to him what felt so long ago.

“Bathroom,” Sutcliffe indicated to an open door, beyond which Will could see a large claw foot tub. “Master bedroom,” Sutcliffe said as he took Will into the sumptuous room full of reds and oranges, velvets and silks, he could imagine it to be straight from a Maharaja’s palace.

“Here,” Sutcliffe pulled back the bed covers and guided Will down, too exhausted to resist even to undress. He pulled the covers over him and stepped back. “I will stay in the guest room for the next few days to settle you in.”

Will barely heard the words or the beta leaving the room as sleep overtook him in a bed so comfortable he felt he was sleeping in the clouds.

*

Days passed in a way that was like nothing Will had ever known.

That first morning, Sutcliffe had been as true as his word and checked Will’s health. He declared him healthy aside from his thinness, for which Sutcliffe prescribed a very strict diet to fill him back out again.

He met the housekeeper who was to come by every day, clean and cook meals. And Sutcliffe took him shopping for clothing, with a promise to return to acquire some tailored clothes once Will had regained his true weight. Will was to write to him at such a time, an address well outside of the city, and Will decided that was when he would press for more information on this secret benefactor.

When Sutcliffe left, Will felt a little bereft. He hadn’t been alone in a very long time and the silence of it was crushing. He managed it as best he could, but in those dark, quiet hours his mind went to Hannibal and his dreams filled with him.

The dreams had him waking with an ache between his legs that he serviced whilst imagining Hannibal there with him. As much as he craved more, he couldn’t find it within himself to seek out a sexual companion, as easy as it might be for a male omega.

With his housekeeper coming and going, Will’s life formed a new normality. He left the apartment as much as he could, exploring the city and using his allowance to buy books or attend matinees. He frequented a nearby tea house enough to sit and read that he grew acquainted with some of his neighbours - omega women and the occasional alpha that nodded politely and kept a respectful distance despite the desire he could see in their eyes. Although Sutcliffe had replaced his basic cloth collar with leather - something more fitting his new attire, Will began to wear one with a small lock that signified he was mated. After that the desire turned to disappointment but it worked for Will. For his quiet, solitary life.

It was after the second month that Will decided to start saving his allowance in order to buy a ticket to travel. He wasn’t entirely sure where at first. His heart was drawing him towards Florence, but he didn’t know if he would be able to survive it without Hannibal with him.

It did occur to him more than once that it might have been Hannibal who bought his debt, but then where was he? Why not reveal himself? He could have swept Will off his feet and he’d have allowed it. He would have relished the chance to explore what they could be together outside of the brothel, whether there was something between them that could survive and thrive in the larger world.

It was this recurring thought that brought him to Alana’s door.

It had been three months since his departure when the door opened into a parlour he had only ever seen from the other side.

“Will!” Alana’s face lit up when she saw him and she welcomed him in, appraising him. “Look at you.”

She came forward, clutching his shoulders and pulling him in to plant a kiss on his cheek.

“You’re beautiful. But then, you always were.”

Will blushed and looked down, suddenly unsure how to navigate this relationship. She was no longer his employer, he no longer needed her to keep him safe.

“You came to ask about Doctor Lecter,” Alana said, before Will could get any words out. He nodded.

“Yes. I… I want to see him. I don’t know where to find him.”

“I would be a terrible madam if I gave out details for any of our patrons,” the words were stern but had a teasing edge to them. “I have not seen him in person since just after you sent that letter. He came by, not to see you, not deliver his own. He seemed upset but happy to abide by the restrictions you had given him. He simply wanted to charge me with keeping you safe and well, at which I failed terribly.”

Alana looked down then, before squeezing Will’s shoulders hard. “But I knew you needed something you could no longer get here. I hope you can believe it wasn’t just about the money. It was killing you being here and I could think of no other way to save you than sending you away. Giving you a fresh start.”

Will nodded, wondering if Alana could ever have foreseen him falling into the life he now had.

“I need to see him,” Will muttered, the words escaping.

Alana sighed heavily.

“Sadly, there isn’t much I can tell you. We don’t hold many details and those we do will not help here. When he came by that last time, he said… oh god.” Alana shook her head.

“What?” Will asked, pained.

“I wish things hadn’t been so complicated. But there were contracts, you hadn’t turned twenty-one. I wish now, I wish… I could see what was happening. I should have stopped him seeing you sooner. Or… I should have let him take you. I should never have stood in between what was growing between you.”

Her grip on his shoulders was now painful, then she released them and let her hands drop to her sides, defeated.

“He said he was going away. To the continent. Italy, I think. He said he couldn’t stay if he couldn’t see you.”

Will swallowed hard, his throat dry and a lump forming.

“Did he buy my debt?” Will asked, his voice trembling.

“I don’t know. Once you left here it was all arranged via the auction house. I don’t know where the money came from. I know that… He has ways, means. I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew enough to know that you would be at auction. Beyond that, I cannot say.”

Tears rolled down Will’s cheeks and he fell into Alana’s arms. She held him, her thumb wiping tears away even as more fell.

“How complicated life always becomes,” she muttered into his hair. “How foolish I was not to untangle some of it.”

 

One Year Later

Will stepped off the train at the Maria Antonia station in Florence and breathed in the heated air. It had grown increasingly warmer since he’d disembarked from the boat after weeks at sea and alighted his first train.

As he’d watched the towns and countryside go by, his heart had swelled at being free, at having the kind of freedom that allowed him to see the world as he could now. Thanks to Hannibal, he was sure. And it was that thought that tempered his heart - that he was seeing all this alone.

He hoped not for long.

Will looked down at the letter in his hand, instructions that Sutcliffe had written down for him. The man would not betray Hannibal’s confidence in him, but when Will had asked for a list of the sights Hannibal might show him in Florence, he obliged. He had helped Will navigate the booking for his travel and hotels. In fact Will was met at the train station and driven to his hotel before the train had left to continue its journey.

Will slept well that night but his dreams were crowded. The bed was comfortable and the light breeze through the window was calming after the long and exhausting journey. So whilst he slept deeply, his dreams were of Hannibal. Meeting him at the station or at the hotel. Being with him in this bed just as he had imagined what felt so long ago now.

When he woke, Will felt more bereft than ever. He had spent the last year saving his allowance to afford this trip, focusing on little else. And now he was potentially closer to Hannibal, he had never felt farther away.

Will took a breath and got out of bed. He opened the window further to let in the noise of the street below coming to life. Today he would start his quest, he would visit every place Sutcliffe had listed for him and hope to find the man he was so indebted to.

*

At the end of his fifth week, Will was dour. He had learned some Italian in the last year but it wasn’t good enough to make any in depth queries, though from what he was able to understand Hannibal was far from the only foreigner who lived in Florence. There were several men described to him that might have been Hannibal, and all Will could do was return again and again to the cafe or bar that had suggested he might be a regular.

Despite the beauty of the city, Will had found himself quickly slipping into a mood that made it difficult to enjoy. He was falling into those same thoughts and feelings that had led to his auction, as distant as that now seemed.

He was a young man of adequate means now. And whilst being an unescorted omega scandalised or titillated some, his maleness compensated and made his solo travel acceptable. But he clearly puzzled people, and those who were too quick to help raised his suspicions with their overfamiliarity. In all it was not the trip he had anticipated.

He knew he wouldn’t find Hannibal immediately, but that hadn’t stopped his heart fooling him with the promise of a quick reunion. And the longer time went on the more Will doubted. Perhaps Hannibal had moved on from Florence? Perhaps he had moved here to be with a lover or mate? He certainly wouldn’t have been the only of Will’s patrons to have a family awaiting him at home.

Glum, Will wandered into the cafe he had come to enjoy most. A small, beautiful place with wonderful coffee and attentive staff, it sat just off from the Piazza della Signoria, near some of the finer galleries Will had perused.

“Signore!” Will looked over at the waiter who called out as soon as he entered the cafe. This one was Alberto, a friendly, older alpha who Will felt had grown a fatherly fondness towards him during his visits.

“Alberto?” Will asked, surprised by the animated man, grinning as he walked towards Will who had not even had chance to be given a table.

“Signore, this alpha you have been looking for. Il dottore, the one you spoke of. I have seen such a man. An hour ago he walked by, as you described.” Alberto mimed the strong cheekbones and fine clothes. “I was serving, I was not in time to stop him.”

“Which… Which way?” Will asked, his breath catching even as he dared not hope it was Hannibal.

“That way,” Alberto pointed across the piazza, “Towards the Uffizi.”

Will sucked in a breath. It was a place he had enjoyed going. He loved the neo-Classical art and had spent hours sitting in front of the Primavera. It was that painting that called to him now, the one that reminded him of the pictures Hannibal painted for him in his mind.

“Thank you, um, grazie,” Will mumbled the words as he turned and hurried from the cafe. The streets were a little crowded, but not so much to hinder him as he rushed towards the Uffizi Gallery. It was enough to turn heads though, the sight of a handsome young omega male rushing through the streets, even in Florence, wasn’t a common thing.

The closer he got to the Gallery entrance, the more he tried to slow to a more proprietary gait, even as his hands shook and his heart pounded in his chest.

Will knew, again, he should not get his hopes up. It had been weeks and he had found nothing of Hannibal, and it was foolish of him to think he could find one person in amongst a whole city. But as he approached the entrance he slowed, a scent catching his breath.

It was faint, but he knew it above all the others that filled the air around the busy streets.

Will paid for his ticket and entered the gallery, he drifted along, knowing instinctively where to go. Knowing it would be the same place that he loved to sit and think and imagine what life would be like if they were here together.

And the closer he got to that specific gallery, the stronger the familiar scent grew until he was there.

Will stood in the doorway to the gallery, across on the wall, the huge and exquisite Botticelli, Primavera, hanging in its glory. And before it, on the low bench provided for visitors, sat a man.

“Hannibal…” Will muttered, the word barely a breath from his lips. He stepped forward, and with each step his confidence grew. He puffed out his chest to properly fill out the wonderful clothes his allowance had afforded him. He held his head high like a man of consequence, someone high class, someone Hannibal might be able to love. He moved through the room like someone who had used the start he had been given to every advantage, as was intended. Someone his benefactor could be proud of.

He sat next to Hannibal on the bench and looked across at him as the alpha turned and their eyes met.

Hannibal smiled.

“If I saw you everyday forever, Will, I would remember this time.”

Will beamed, and choked back a sob.

“I want it to be everyday,” Will said with deepest sincerity as he angled his body further towards Hannibal and, rather forwardly for being in public, took his hands and held them. “Hannibal, I can never thank you for what you have given me.”

“I asked Sutcliffe not to--” Hannibal started, though he didn’t seem angry, more frustrated, but Will cut him off, speaking as he shook his head.

“He didn’t tell me, but he did make a note of places he knew you liked to visit in Florence. And I…” Will looked down at their hands, “I hoped that he would be kind enough to tell me if this was a mistake. If I might find you here with a mate or family. Or if I would not be welcome because of my… of who I was.”

There was a rumble in Hannibal’s throat and he squeezed Will’s hands, making him look up.

“Will, I would have bought you at any time had it been allowed. I had planned to as soon as you turned twenty-one and the law allowed it, but you’d asked me to stay away.”

Hannibal looked away, frowning.

“I shouldn’t have stayed away,” he continued with a rough voice. “I was doing what you wanted but, I should have fought harder for you. Will,” he looked back to Will, deep into his eyes, searching them for something. “You were the only one I visited there, or anywhere. I caught your scent as I passed one day and I knew I had to know you. And… for years we grew so close, and I fell in love with you. But I am not fool enough to imagine you reciprocated these silly feelings. When I found out you were to be auctioned, I made a private arrangement and ensured you were taken care of, but I never wanted you to feel that you owed me anything in return.”

“I owe you my life, Hannibal. My future. The things I have done, the things I have seen in just this year, I would never have been able to without you.”

Will took a deep breath and slipped one of his hands free, only to move it to cup Hannibal’s cheek. “But that isn’t why I love you. I fell in love with you before I truly knew what it meant to be in love. I had to push you away, I could no longer pretend I could have the life that you made me dream of.”

“I’m a fool,” Hannibal raised his free hand to cover Will’s and hold it against his cheek as he turned into it, to kiss his palm and scent his wrist.

Will didn’t dare look around and break the connection they had, but he had to assume from the lack of indignation gasps, that they were alone in the gallery.

“I didn’t want to promise you anything until I was certain I could purchase your debt when the time came, that it would be for sale. But I should have made it clear when we lay together that I wished that future for us. Together.”

Will felt the sting of tears at the corner of his eyes. He had done his best to ignore the part of him that told him Hannibal merely felt responsible after all their time together. That he had truly moved away from Baltimore to be distant from Will to avoid him, not because Will himself had pushed him away. He had never truly let himself believe that his most prized patron might be in love with him.

“You know my past,” Will said quietly, then swallowed. “I came here because I want to be with you, as a mate, if you’ll have me. Not as a…” He didn’t feel any regret or shame over his past profession, but he wasn’t foolish to think that Hannibal would want a prostitute for a mate.

“The past doesn’t matter, only the future. But even so, how can I take issue with the very thing that brought us together? How can I hate the circumstances that allowed us to meet? All I ask is that I am your one and only alpha now.”

“Forever,” Will replied quickly.

He had barely issued the word when Hannibal’s mouth was on his. A press of lips, something delicate and still hardly acceptable in public, but the promise it held was enough for now.

Will closed his eyes and could see the future stretch out before them, as beautiful as a Botticelli and as warm as the Florentine sun.