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Will kicked himself for acting this way. He’d been staring at the phone for almost and hour. A constant game of “to call or not to call”. He was sitting at the kitchen table when Winston nosed at his leg, begging for attention. Will obliged and petted him gently then Winston climbed up on his hind legs and rested his head in Will’s lap.
“Hey buddy, what do you think I should do? Should I call?”
Winston made a small sound that resembled a muffled bark.
“I guess you’re right. If I don’t call, I’ll never get an answer. You’re so smart Winston,” Will said before he gave the dog a gentle scratch behind the ear. The dog stepped down from Will’s lap and went to lay in some sunlight pouring in from a window. Will looked back at the telephone and sighed. He reached for it and dialed the number. It rang three times before someone on the other end picked up.
“Hello?”
Will perked up when he heard the familiar accent.
“Hello Dr. Lecter. It’s Will and I was just calling to see if you were free next Saturday?”
“I am. Why do you ask?”
Will cleared his throat. “I was wondering if you...if you would like to accompany me to my friend’s wedding. There’s going to be a lot of people there, which will require me to be sociable, and I need someone to save me from making ‘small talk’ with people who I haven’t spoken to in years.”
“Will-”
“Wait, that sounded like I’m trying to use you as some emotional human shield. I don’t just want you there so you can whisk me away from awkward conversations. I want you there because I prefer your company to some strangers’, plus with you there, I could possibly have a shot at having a good time.”
Hannibal smiled on the other end and felt pleased that Will felt a sort of comfort around him. “Will, I would love to accompany you. I can pick you up and we can go together.”
“That sounds great, the ceremony starts at two, so you should probably head out around noon to give you some leeway on time.”
“Excellent. I will see you then. Goodbye Will.”
“Bye Hannibal.”
Will hung up and dialed another number.
“Hey Ethan, it’s Will again. I just want to tell you that you can put me down for a plus one.”
***
It was a quarter until two when the dogs started barking and crowding near the front door. Will whistled at them and they moved away from the entrance. He grabbed the doorknob and swung open the door. He watched as Hannibal’s long legs stepped out of the Bentley, pulling the rest of his body out of the vehicle. Hannibal was wearing a cream colored windowpane suit with a light pink shirt and deep rose paisley tie accompanied with a matching paisley pocket square. Wearing three-piece suits was common for the doctor, so seeing him “dressed up” wasn’t as big a shock as it was for Hannibal seeing Will in something other than that banal sports jacket and the flannel of the day. Will was also wearing a cream colored suit, not three-piece nor windowpane, but still elegant. Underneath he wore a pastel blue shirt. Will was holding a grey tie in his hand when he opened the door.
“Hello Dr. Lecter. Please, come in. I just have to put on my tie and we’ll be ready to go.” Will left the door open for Hannibal to walk in and Hannibal closed it behind him. Will had walked a few steps to the hallway mirror and flipped up his collar before placing the grey fabric around his neck. He tied the fabric into his usual four-in-hand knot and turned to the doctor.
“How do I look?”
Hannibal made face. “You look good, but...” he trailed off.
Will arched a brow, “What?”
Hannibal squinted his eyes slightly and stepped closer toward Will. “May I?” he asked as he gestured to Will’s tie.
Will nodded.
Hannibal pulled at the fabric hanging around Will’s neck, loosening the knot and unravelling it so that the two strands lay abreast, but he tugged on the larger end, making them asymmetrical. “For a wedding,” Hannibal began, his fingers flipping and folding the fabric. “A full windsor is most appropriate; however, with a tie like this plus your smaller stature, a half-windsor looks much better.” When Hannibal was finished, he tightened the tie to Will’s collar and gave Will a deep stare that should’ve been illegal. With Hannibal this close, Will could take in his scent. He’d used a different cologne, something more floral. Hannibal then smiled at the young man before looking down to view his work. “Perfect.”
Will could have melted from that stare alone, but he swallowed instead. “We should get going.”
Hannibal nodded once and they headed for the car.
***
The car ride was comfortably silent. Hannibal played some Vivaldi on low volume while they drove to the church. When they arrived, many other guests were making their way into the church or chatting in the parking lot. Hannibal parked the Bentley in an empty spot and they made their way to the entrance. The groom was greeting people at the door and his eyes lit up when he saw Will.
“Will fucking Graham. Is that you?” He greeted with gusto.
Will walked ahead of Hannibal and reached out a hand for a handshake, but Ethan playfully pushed his hand away and pulled Will in for a big hug. When they pulled away, Will went back to stand next to Hannibal.
“What’s it been? Seven, eight years? Damn...You look good man! Haven’t aged a bit. I’m so glad you came” Ethan said before looking over at Hannibal. “And you brought a friend!”
“Oh yes! Hannibal, this is Ethan - Ethan, this is my friend Hannibal.”
Ethan reached for Hannibal’s hand and gave it a good shake. “Pleased to meet you Hannibal.”
“Likewise.”
After letting go of Hannibal’s hand, Ethan clapped. “Alrighty fellas, let’s get me married.”
***
The ceremony was nice and heartfelt. Although Will wasn’t very fond of religious ceremonies, he could recognize that Ethan and his now wife Bethany declared beautiful and genuine vows to each other. After the vows, they invited the guests to join them for the reception at a ballroom ten minutes down the road.
The car ride there was also silent but comfortable.
There was a cocktail hour before the actual reception started which left ample opportunity for people to make “small talk”. This was the moment Will was dreading. Hannibal sensed Will’s uneasiness and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder then whispered in his ear.
“Do you want to leave?”
Will shook his head. “No, Ethan is good people. I wouldn't want to disrespect him on such an important day for him and his wife. I'll have a go around the room so people can see my face and I'll try my best to not be a little shit.”
Hannibal smiled then squeezed Will's shoulder and gave him a friendly pat on the back before they separated and talked to the other guests.
Not long after, Will heard a familiar voice behind him.
“Well, well, well. If it isn't Will Graham!”
Will turned around and saw her standing there with a Shirley Temple in her hand and fake smile plastered on her face. He knew it was fake because her smile didn't reach her eyes and they had no reason to be friendly, not anymore at least.
“Miriam,” Will said, mimicking her faux expressions. “What a pleasure it is to see you again.”
“A pleasure indeed,” she said before taking a sip of her beverage. “What have you been up to since you left the force?”
“I’m teaching now. At Quantico.”
“That’s great.”
“Yes.”
Unlike the silences between Will and Hannibal, the silence between Miriam and Will was painfully awkward.
“...I moved back in town. So maybe we could go out for dinner and catch up?”
“And why would I want to do that? So I can look foolish once again?” Will’s voice was beginning to raise above the gentle murmur of the crowd and Hannibal made his way over to him.
When Hannibal arrived, he placed a possessive hand at the small of Will’s back. “There you are darling! They’re starting to seat people, so we should go see who we’re sitting next to.” Hannibal turned to Miriam. “Oh, pardon me. Am I interrupting something?”
A slow blush of red crept up her neck and spread across her cheeks. “No, Will and I were just finishing up. Bye Will, it was nice seeing you again.”
Will let out a sigh of relief, “Thanks.”
“An ex lover of yours?”
“Yes, she invited me to dinner thinking that it would make what she did in the past disappear.”
“What did she do?”
“She cheated on me.”
Hannibal’s upper lip twitched in an expression of anger and he suddenly was craving long pig .
“Well,” Hannibal began. “You are here with me, and we are going to have a swell time.”
A swell time they had indeed; the food was good and the waltz wasn’t all that bad. Will made it through the whole thing without stepping on anyone’s feet or looking down. Unfortunately, Hannibal and Will didn’t get to dance together. Ethan’s aunt Meryl snatched Will up onto the dancefloor before Hannibal could. It seemed like she had her eye on him from the time he walked in.
“You remind me of my late husband,” she said before pinching his buttcheek. “Except you have a cuter tush.”
Later on, Hannibal discovered that Will could moonwalk quite well after a few drinks and the driving base of Billie Jean .
Other than getting groped by Ethan’s aunt, the night was actually fun.
Hannibal didn't’ drink much and the all-you-can-eat buffet was more than enough to soak up the alcohol in his system so he was okay to drive. Will was a bit tipsy, but by the end of the night, he was far more sober than drunk.
When they arrived at Will’s home, they sat in the car for a moment. The nocturnal sounds of crickets chirping and owls hooting could be heard from the inside of the Hannibal’s Bentley.
“I had a great time Hannibal,” Will said, breaking the silence.
“Me too, Will. I’m pleased that you invited me.”
Before Will knew it, Hannibal was cupping a gentle hand at his face. “You are so beautiful Will.” Hannibal wet his lips before speaking again. “May I kiss you?”
Will could see the reflections of the stars in Hannibal’s eyes and the heat from Hannibal’s hand burned through his skin, cut through his muscle like butter, and seared his jaw bone yet he couldn’t help himself from pressing deeper into the touch.
“Yes,” he breathed.
Hannibal moved closer and pressed his lips against Will’s, and Will parted his lips, inviting Hannibal’s tongue, warm and wet. Will let out a tiny whimper, begging for more and he reached his hand to Hannibal’s face pulling him in closer. The doctor fisted Will’s curls, giving it a gentle tug. This earned a deep moan from Will’s throat.
Will had imagined this moment a thousand times in his mind, but he didn’t know that it would be so overwhelming. He didn’t know that Hannibal’s touch would burn in the best way. He didn’t know that the pleasure would pool inside him, threatening to spill over. He didn’t know it would feel so... real .
They pulled away, breathless. Their lips were pink and swollen.Will looked at the car’s clock. “It’s late and it’s a long drive back. You can stay the night if you’d like,” Will said arching an inquiring brow.
Hannibal’s eyes darkened with anticipation. “I would love to.”