Chapter Text
'Will?'
The Omega in question opened his eyes and winced as bright morning light flooded in. He groaned and smacked an arm over his face to cut off the light.
'It’s time to get up. We both have work to do.'
Will rolled onto his stomach and hid his head in the sheets. A clear rebuke.
'Will.' The tone was gently reproachful.
Silence.
'Will. Jack’s on the way. Apparently there’s a break in your case.'
The Omega rolled over reluctantly and cracked open an eye. 'I suppose this is what I wanted.'
Hannibal was already fully dressed in one of his suits. 'They say be careful what you wish for, Mr. Graham. I’ll be downstairs, finishing off breakfast.'
'And making coffee?'
'And making coffee,' he affirmed.
'Thank you—I have a feeling I’m going to need it.'
By the time Jack had come and gone with his papers of death and madness, Hannibal had managed to clean the kitchen, answer his emails, and organise the return of 2 of his patients. He meditated on the matter of scheduling an appointment with Bedelia and decided to put it off. Torturing Bedelia had been a favourite pastime, but with Will in the picture, it had lost some shine.
Speaking of Will, he had left the study unsteady. When he’d approached him, the Omega had retreated into his room and shut the door. Perhaps it had all been too much too soon.
He left him for an hour before reluctantly breaking the silence of the house with a brief, cursory knock.
'Will?'
There was the sound of shuffling before the tired eyes of Graham appeared.
'I’ve made lunch. Would you like to join me?'
He nodded and stepped through, shutting the door behind him, but not before giving Hannibal a quick glimpse of the latest round of crime scenes. Photos scattered across the floor like fallen leaves. Blood on plastic. Streetlights turning the mundane into holy.
'More victims?'
Will nodded and made his way down the hallway, Hannibal trailing curiously.
'They’re calling him the angel maker. He doesn’t see people how everyone else sees them. He can tell if you’re naughty or nice. Or he thinks he can. Seems like he likes to play God.'
He swallowed a smile. 'Don’t we all?'
Will ignored him, mind still tracking the movements of the case. 'I’ve been trying to reconstruct his thinking, find his patterns. He knew every victim had committed a crime.'
'Real or perceived?'
Will looked up from the bottom of the steps. 'Does it matter which one?' he sighed and scrubbed his face. 'I’m not supposed to talk about this with you. Not yet.'
'I’ve almost completed the paperwork. I’m planning to give it to Jack next time he drops by.'
'Is it worth it?' Will asked softly.
He looked at the Omega, hoping that he would turn around and face the issue head-on.
Will continued his walk to the kitchen, confident Hannibal would stay with him. Hannibal followed, loyal to a fault.
'Will?'
'I don’t know, Hannibal. I’m hoping you can ease my concerns here. You’re the shrink, not me. You tell me that uprooting your life for me to fumble my way into the minds of killers is worth it.'
Hannibal found a kitchen stool and sat. 'Is your only concern the security clearance?'
'Is there any coffee left, or did Jack drink it all?'
The Alpha let him deflect for a moment. 'I’m afraid it was finished and washed up.'
Will thumped into a stool next to him. 'I don’t know what you’re thinking. And I don’t know if I’ll like what I’ll find if I look.' A quiet confession.
'Perception is a tool pointed at both ends. I imagine what you see and learn touches everything else in your mind. Your values and decency are present yet shocked at your associations, appalled at your dreams. No forts in the bone arena of your skull for things you love. It can’t be easy to allow blood to seep into the cracks of your mind once more.'
Will ignored the offered comfort. 'I can sense your darkness, Hannibal. I always have. I see it, and something in me wants to rise to meet it.'
He put his head in his hands.
When he spoke again, it was muffled. 'I don’t know how I feel about that yet. Whether I want to fight against it or move with the tides that shift within me.'
'Are you asking me to tell you what I think?'
Will nodded without looking at him.
Hannibal thought for a moment. ‘I think returning to your old occupation is something all will have to play carefully. A partner who could tell me exactly what the FBI’s next strategies are to catch the Chesapeake Ripper is utterly invaluable. A partner who would hunt with me and create false leads whilst working on the case to trap me would be even better. But we are a long way from that yet. Let yourself become accustomed to running on Jack’s lead, then you can join me in the hunt. But I’m worried, Will. I’m worried the knowledge gained could cost losing you, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for such a Faustian pact.’
Aloud he said, 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Do not concern yourself with the FBI’s eyes on me. Jack has a good reason to let that security clearance slip through the net of all-seeing eyes. He’s interviewed me multiple times and returned you to my guardianship. Those are not the actions taken by a man who distrusts me. And if returning to the life of the profiler is not something you wish to pursue after this case, that is also acceptable.'
Will narrowed his eyes slightly, watching his face closely. 'And then what?'
'Whatever you wish, mielasis. I won’t chain you to a decision.'
The Omega winced, suddenly overcome with the feeling of being tied under that house once again. There had been, however small, an illusion of choice there too. Play by the rules and you wouldn’t get hurt. That’s what they had told him. It hadn’t stopped Samson from beating the shit out of him for no reason though.
Shaking his head to extricate the unwanted memory, he forced himself to focus on the present. Hannibal would give him the ability to choose what he wished to do. He would give him the control of his life back. Hannibal hadn’t let him choose much in the past, but things were different now, weren’t they?
'I know, Hannibal.'