Archive of Our Own ^beta

Hannibal King liked a challenge.

He could get ridiculously competitive on the best of days, and he was aware of this particular trait, thanks to Abigail Whistler’s loving remarks. Sometimes simple banter, sparring, even a good fight could improve his mood, and he was comfortable with that.

Jokes and banter was something he usually gravitated towards, to keep his friends on their toes, but it was also an excellent way to distract whoever he was fighting. Joking and taunting usually led to his enemies dropping their guard, or getting annoyed to the point of making a stupid mistake that would sooner or later give Hannibal an advantage in a fight. It worked for Hannibal more often than not, and at this point it was a part of his charm, really. It was one of his more endearing qualities, in his opinion.

The thing was, Drake liked a challenge just as much as Hannibal did.

Their first meeting proved that rather quickly, but for some reason, it still took Hannibal by surprise. The Vampire King would give as good as he got every single time, and it was as infuriating as it was attractive. The bastard knew how Hannibal felt about it, too.

The thing was, getting Drake riled up was fun.

Drake seemed to be cool and collected most of the time, but if one knew which buttons to push, it was very easy to make him lose his mind, as it turned out. Finding those buttons quickly became one of Hannibal’s new favorite hobbies..

It was a constant push and pull, as both of them wanted to have the last word, and it was exhilarating in a way that not many other things were.

Sometimes something small would work, like what food to order, or even what to watch, because since Hannibal had started introducing Drake to the wonders of modern technology it turned out that Drake was surprisingly picky. However, something bigger, like dealing with rogue vampires or training Drake’s new warriors, proved to be a more entertaining way of keeping Drake on his toes.

Now that Hannibal was more familiar with Drake’s moods, he could tell when the vampire was looking for a challenge, and Hannibal providing that challenge usually ended up being fun for the both of them.

One of the days, Hannibal was in a mood to try something he hadn’t done before. He managed to talk Drake’s newly appointed right hand man, Cameron, into a sparring session, just to see what Drake’s reaction would be. He was not disappointed at all, even though he felt a little bit bad for poor Cameron, who had no idea what he got himself into.

As it turned out, Drake was not amused when he found Hannibal with his shirt off.

Cameron didn’t seem to care much about Hannibal’s state of undress, considering he himself was shirtless. The vampire’s gaze never travelled below Hannibal’s neck, but Drake still didn’t take kindly to seeing his lover sparring shirtless with another person.

Hannibal guessed Cameron was alive only because he fled the room as soon as Hannibal distracted Drake by wrapping his arms around the vampire’s neck and kissing him right then and there. He knew how to play Drake, after all.

He even managed to convince Drake not to kill Cameron.

“If you kill every person I spar with, you’ll run out of vamps all over again, you know,” Hannibal told the other man two hours later, as they laid in bed. The hunter was still trying to catch his breath, enjoying the feeling of cool air on his overheated skin.

“I should have ripped his head off,” Drake grumbled as he got out of bed, before walking up to the small cabinet where Drake kept drinks and glasses. Hannibal watched the other man pour two glasses of water, unashamedly admiring the vampire’s back and ass.

As Drake handed him a glass, he said:

“How else are they supposed to learn to fight properly, do you think? They’re strong, definitely, but while strength definitely has its advantages, they’re not the most skilled of fighters. I mean, I get that you haven’t had the time to properly test their fighting skills before turning them, but that just means you need to help them out a little bit, show them the ropes. I don’t mind helping with that.”

Drake glared at the hunter, who kept grinning at him.

“I know you did a background check on all five of them before approaching them, and I’m not saying you did a bad job or anything, but there are things we can improve on. I can train them for you. I’m good at it, just ask Abby. Not to brag, but I killed a lot of vamps in my time, so I know what their weak spots are. I could share all that knowledge with your bodyguards, and-”

Hannibal didn’t get to finish what he was saying, because Drake pounced on him, claiming his lips in a biting kiss. Drake pinned Hannibal’s wrists above his head with a low growl.

“I know what you are doing,” Drake started pressing kisses down Hannibal’s neck, never letting go of his hands. “Undermining my skills is your way of trying to get under my skin.”

“What? No, I would never.” Hannibal, still smirking, exhaled loudly as he felt Drake’s fangs grazing the skin of his neck. He never pierced the skin, knowing about Hannibal’s history with vampires, and how the hunter felt about being bitten without consent.

Drake snorted at that. “You know how to get a rise out of me, my hunter, but remember, I also know how to get a rise out of you.”

And he really did, as he proved a few more times that day.

Hannibal still found it mind-boggling that after everything that had happened to him, he ended up in a relationship with a vampire, and it was a relationship he’d entered knowingly. It had been his choice.

He and Drake still didn’t see eye to eye when it came to some issues, and they butted heads often enough, but it did keep him on his toes, which he liked.

Things were going well for him, and he couldn’t wait to see what the future held for him and Drake.