Chapter Text
“I want you to want me
I need you to need me
I'd love you to love me
I'm beggin' you to beg me”
- ‘I Want You To Want Me’, Cheap Trick
Basking at having the full attention of the younger man who was still allowing Hannibal to clasp his hand, the smitten psychiatrist chose to divert Will’s thoughts onto a happier topic.
“I hope it doesn’t bother you,” he began to say whilst reaching for his phone using his free hand. “When your godparents informed me that you had moved in with them, I asked if I could visit your pack...”, he trailed off and turned his phone towards Will to display one of the photographs Hannibal had taken of the dogs the day before to send to Abigail.
Will’s face lit up with pure joy, and Hannibal momentarily seemed to forget how to breathe. I think I would do anything to put that look on his face again, he realised, telling himself he’d worry about the implications of such a revelation later.
“You saw my dogs!”, he delightedly exclaimed as he released Hannibal’s hand to take hold of the phone to look closer at the picture (the other man too distracted by the beauty of Will’s reaction to maintain his gentle grasp), using his thumb and forefinger to zoom in on each canine as if checking for injuries or changes in their appearances. Hannibal, in the meantime, was stoically mourning the loss of Will’s touch and silently cursing himself for introducing a subject (and evidence!) which moved the younger man’s focus from him.
“Yes, and despite your absence they continue to behave impeccably,” assured Hannibal with an indulgent smile. “You may send the picture to your own phone, if you would like,” he offered, wishing to avoid having to ask for Will’s new number outright. Imagine the embarrassment of having to request it from Abigail? As the patient gave a happy sound of agreement and began to tap at the screen to key in his phone number, Hannibal decided to explain his having a photograph of Will’s dogs in the first place. “I felt Abigail was in need of something to lift her spirits and thought that her seeing a picture of your animals would help achieve that goal, especially as she recalled you once mentioning you had some.”
The younger man looked up and only replied, “She’s got this picture too? That’s great! I can tell her who’s who! If you haven’t already,” he asked with a raised eyebrow. It wasn’t a challenge of any kind, but Hannibal felt as though he were having to admit defeat in having not yet memorised which dog matched the names he knew.
"I have not,” he answered whilst edging closer to Will and directing his attention to the phone still in the other man’s hand, a silent request for each pet to be pointed out and named.
His darling boy gave an amused snort and adjusted the angle of Hannibal’s phone so he could see the photo too as Will indicated and named each pack member:
“This one’s Harley – short-haired, brown coat with white down the front of his neck and chest. Max is the fluffy one that’s mostly black and has white on his muzzle and chest, as well as brown marks that kinda look like eyebrows. The mostly white one with pointy ears but one ear’s brown – that's Jack,” at this name Will looked to ensure Hannibal was still paying attention. “That’s a complete coincidence, I assure you. He’s become quite taken with Mack, actually,” he chuckled before continuing.
“This here is Zoe with the underbite, who has herself decided that Odette is her favourite person. This is Ellie with the slightly wavy coat and long ears. Buster is the brown and white terrier who sometimes tries to fight things bigger than him. And this fella with what looks like dark spotting on his fur is Winston,” he finished proudly before handing the phone back to Hannibal, then checking his own handset to ensure the picture had been successfully received.
“Thank you for indulging me, Will,” answered Hannibal as he reluctantly leaned back in his chair, having lost his excuse for invading the other’s personal space. “I felt somewhat guilty at being unable to address each of your pack by name, although this will be remedied the next time I see them,” he added with a smile, already planning to incorporate his mongoose’s love for the dogs into Hannibal’s courtship campaign.
Will opened his mouth as if to respond but was interrupted by the door opening to reveal his godparents. Amidst cries of, “Mon petit chou, you’re awake!” and “Hey, son! Ya had us scared for awhile”, Hannibal quietly stood to surrender his seat to Odette and fetch a second chair for Mack as the couple were hugging a conscious and improved Will. As he had noticed Odette carrying a colourful bunch of what looked like hand-picked flowers, he left the hospital room to enquire at the nurse’s station whether another vase was available to borrow. He returned in time to witness Odette gesturing to the bouquet and telling Will they were from a ‘Brigid and Rebecca’ (who? Who were these people?, demanded the possessive beast within Hannibal) before the woman noticed Hannibal waiting to take the arrangement and put them into water.
“Thank ya, cher,” she beamed, astonishing her godson as he watched her reach up to pat his friend on the cheek whilst handing Hannibal the flowers. The psychiatrist and socialite had just allowed himself to be patted on the cheek like a child being rewarded for good behaviour. Furthermore, the older man appears to be genuinely pleased at the gesture as he replies, “À votre service, mademoiselle Odette”.
Wait... Hannibal speaks French? Hold on - of course he does.
Wait... just how well have Hannibal and his godparents been getting to know each other whilst Will’s been unconscious?
He hasn’t the opportunity to give this more consideration as Hannibal takes his leave, telling Will he’ll see him tomorrow and briefly touching the shoulders of the older couple as he says his goodbyes. Before Will can query his godparents about them seeming to be so comfortable with Hannibal, Mack distracts him with a video recording on his phone of Harley and Max playing ‘tug-of-war' with a tree branch whilst Buster's jaws are clamped around the middle of it, leaving the terrier stubbornly dangling between his larger siblings.
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Although Hannibal was disappointed his time with Will was cut short (he wouldn’t dream of imposing on time together with his godparents), he decided to return to his hotel to make dinner and message Abigail to let her know that her other guardian would be in touch to help her put names to the furry faces in the photo he had sent her.
Whilst idly researching suitable solutions to allow for dogs to remain comfortable in the heat, Hannibal opened another tab on his tablet’s browser regarding weather at the other end of the spectrum and found a company specialising in heated and insulated luxury dog cabins. Several customisations later to accommodate Will’s pack (with additional space for another two, just in case), Hannibal placed the order and sent an email to the construction foreman extending Will’s kitchen to let him know that a company would be installing the unit in the backyard and to ensure its placement wouldn’t interfere with the new floor and garden plans.
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In the morning before visiting Will, Hannibal attended appointments at high-end stores he had found in Charleston which seemed to suit his sartorial tastes. He was shown the apparel on offer and measured for any necessary adjustments to the outfits chosen, before deciding to also select some clothing and footwear for Will. He gave staff the measurements of the younger man and appreciated that another benefit to having so much time to observe him as he slept was to confirm Hannibal’s previous estimates were correct. Requesting that the items requiring alteration be delivered to his hotel suite once ready, he paid for his purchases at each store and left bearing discreetly branded bags containing the garments that could be worn immediately (or perhaps after careful hand-washing to guarantee cleanliness).
Hannibal was met with a chorus of chirpy ‘good morning, Doctor!’s from the nurses on the ward which he returned with warmth before knocking politely on the door to Will’s room, waiting until hearing a muffled ‘c’mon in!’, before entering. The sunshine streaming through the window illuminated Will’s curls like a halo and Hannibal found his breath caught. Would it be too much to commission a stained-glass piece of the sketch I’m going to do of this stunning boy – this utter vision – sitting before me?, he wondered.
Will glanced up from reading the copy of Thoreau’s ‘Walden’ Hannibal had left him, and greeted him happily, (thankfully not noticing the older man’s momentary inability to breathe or speak).
“Good morning to you too, Will,” he recovered quickly. “I feel very empty-handed at the moment but unfortunately there may need to be some slight amendments to your diet during recovery. Your neurologist will likely speak to you about it and perhaps provide literature, but I can say for certain that caffeine and alcohol are off the menu for the next few weeks,” he said by way of explanation for not bringing food.
“Aww, wut? Ya mean I can’t Irish up ma coffee in the mornin’?”, drawled Will with a smirk.
“Certainly not while you’re receiving treatments and medication,” Hannibal confirmed, wearing a mock stern look on his face which just prompted the younger man to laugh and Hannibal to grin in response.
“I don’t think I’ve actually thanked you yet.. for finding me, and to tell the doctors I was sick, and make sure I got treated. So, uh... thank you,” Will laughed nervously.
“Will, please believe me when I say no thanks are needed,” Hannibal replied, admiring the slight pink tinge that bloomed on the other’s cheeks.
“I’ll probably be allowed home with Mack and Odette in the next day or two, and you’ve got patients and your life back in Baltimore. So please don’t feel like you have to stick around for me, I’m going to be fine,” insisted Will, words somewhat betrayed by a slight strain in his voice.
Hannibal frowned internally at the notion of leaving without Will or – worse - being sent away by the capricious boy. No. That must not be allowed to happen. Clearly, Will did not fully remember or was not yet convinced of how deep Hannibal’s feelings were for him. Allowing his eyes to soften and his adoration to become more apparent, Hannibal slowly leaned forward and gently cupped Will’s cheek much like he had that first night at the hospital.
“Will,” he breathed, “my dear boy, I am afraid that unless you instruct me to leave and never contact you again, I have no intention of going anywhere. I only came here for you,” Hannibal said quietly, watching as the younger man’s eyes darted around Hannibal’s face as if searching for a lie.
“What else did you come here for?”, he asked, knowing he had been told the truth but that there was something more complex beneath the simple answer he had been given.
What a cunning boy you are, thought Hannibal. Softly – just barely – moving his thumb to stroke Will’s cheek, he focused on the blue-green eyes of the other man and waited for them to connect with his own. “I came here for you and to get you medical treatment,” he elaborated. “I also came here hoping I would be able to bring you back home with me. When I discovered that you had left, I confess I experienced a sort of epiphany. I grieved the loss of you, experienced an indescribable ache. I missed you. I even missed your dogs,” he huffed out a laugh at the absurdity of it. He rested his forehead against Will’s own and closed his eyes as he continued to speak, “Then I came to realise that my feelings for you ran a lot deeper than I had thought. I seem to have fallen for you, Will. And I admit I was rather hoping to make my intentions known and that you would allow me the opportunity to court you - so that you may determine whether you find yourself feeling the same way I do.”
Hannibal felt the heat rising to Will’s cheeks beneath his palm and gently withdrew his head and hand from his intended’s face. He took pleasure at the effect his confession had on the younger man but decided to give him a little time as well as privacy to decide how to respond to the other’s declaration. He said as much to Will, after carefully taking hold of the boy’s hand and raising it to his lips to bestow a gentle kiss upon the palm before leaving with a promise to return that evening.