Chapter Text
x-x-x-x
The first time Will saw him, it was from his favorite spot in the fields.
The day had been surprisingly pleasant so far and he had been lazing around in the sun, basking in the bright rays as he carefully nibbled on a clover. He had many others clutched within his hand – hiding them away from the rest of the flock, just in case – and he had been so happy to have them all to himself. It was not often that he had the chance to indulge; there were usually no clovers to be found elsewhere around this time.
No one else liked to share, especially not with him.
He was usually ignored by the rest of the herd and although at first it had pained him when he had been but just a lamb, he had quickly grown used to the neglect. He had always gotten many stares - both fascinated and appalled – but he had also grown accustomed to those although it was sometimes difficult to overlook the intensity and harshness of it when it was paired with whispered conversations and mumbled insults.
He was the only sheep in the herd whose fleece was not white as snow.
In fact, his was dark and black as the night. Small patches of wool, cuffs around his wrists and feet and even his small tail, shone so bright that light reflected back off of it. While the rest of the herd had blond hair and green eyes, Will’s hair was a mess of dark curls and his blue eyes were framed by dark long eyelashes that matched. Even his horns and ears – which slightly stuck out of from his hair - small as they were, were rich ebony. All the darkness that he embodied stood out even more remarkably against the paleness of his skin.
He was smaller than most of the rams and even some of the ewes were slightly larger than him. He was only four years old and yet, he had not grown much at all since he had turned two. Will disliked being drastically different to the others, all he had ever wanted was to fit in but not even the ewe whom had birthed him had wanted to be near him afterwards. He was instead taken care of by the farmer, fed milk by the bottle until he was old enough to eat grain and grass.
Afterwards, he had kept to himself - always shyly standing away at a distance. He ate by himself and entertained himself, only venturing out from his solitude when it was absolutely necessary. The only other animals that kept him company were the sheep dogs that roamed around happily, keeping track of the rest of the flock. He often liked to pet them, slim fingers curled into their shaggy fur and he liked to hold and nuzzle them against his face, enjoying the softness against his cheeks. He would sigh contently, breathing in their familiar scent of dirt, grass, and sun.
It was because of them that he had found what was now his favorite spot; they had nudged him forwards one night with their cold and wet noses until he had arrived at an empty area, completely unknown to the others. The land that hosted the herd was a decent size but somehow, everyone had missed the special spot behind the trees where there were many clovers and delicious dandelions. He had been ecstatic and his eyes had watered at the significance of such an action. The sheep dogs cared for him, even if he was not one of their own. They cared more for him than his own herd and they didn’t judge him like everyone else did; they accepted him unconditionally despite his apparent flaws.
It was these same dogs that had raced towards him later that afternoon as he sat quietly, hidden behind the trees. The wind that blew through lightly ruffled his hair and he enjoyed the feel of the cool grass beneath his bare bottom, tail twitching in tune with the breeze.
He laughed in surprise as a light brown dog with a black speckled muzzle burrowed into his side.
“Winston!” The dog excitedly lapped at his face with his flat tongue, tail wagging happily behind him. As much as Will loved the dogs, the slobber was too much at times, so after a few more minutes, he gently pushed Winston away. He wiped the slobber off his face with a grin and gave the dog a scratch behind his ear, expecting the dog to go back to his usual duties. When Winston remained in the same spot, looking up at him with anxious eyes, Will’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Winston and the rest of the dogs didn’t usually bother him during the day, unless it was to fetch him for something important. Will peeked out from behind the tree, eyes narrowed as he looked towards where the flock usually rested, talking and sharing amongst themselves.
His head tilted to the side when instead of the usual sight, he saw them clustered around together behind the fence that faced the barn. In front of them stood a man and even though Will couldn’t see him clearly from where he was hidden, he could tell that the man stood tall and proud; he stood out starkly against the quaint backdrop of the rest of the pasture. It was not often that they had guests, especially not one that looked so sophisticated and completely out of place.
Will glanced back questioningly at Winston and the dog softly nudged his side. Will sighed and completely stood up, toes curling in the dirt as he hesitated. He knew now that Winston was here to lead him back towards the flock but it didn’t make facing the fact any easier. He was more nervous around strangers than he was around his own flock.
Every now and then, someone would come by, waving money in the air, demanding to be allowed to buy one or two of them. Their greedy eyes would roam over them, carefully inspecting every inch of pale skin and fleece, hands stroking beautifully smooth horns.
It was at those times that a piece of the flock would leave, never to be seen again.
Will didn’t know what happened to those chosen few after that; nobody did. No news ever reached them and they never came back. That never stopped Will from trying to imagine all the possibilities though. He knew that his breed was very rare and very much in demand; Will just couldn’t understand why.
He had heard soft whispered conversations that terrified him and often gave him nightmares. The others said that maybe some were taken away to be slaughtered and feasted upon. There were rumors about mutilating them and harvesting their skin, their wool, their organs, and their bones. Will couldn’t even begin to fathom why anyone would ever want to do that; it was horrifying and absolutely evil.
He was glad that nobody ever wanted to buy him, even if it did hurt to admit to himself that it was only because he was hideous in other peoples’ eyes. He had been alive for four years and nobody had ever showed an ounce of interest in him his whole life.
Perhaps he was destined to die in these pastures; the thought was not as reassuring as he had once thought it was but Will had accepted it a long time ago.
He didn’t even know why he would want anyone to choose him. He would never be able to see the dogs again and it was the not knowing what would happen to him that terrified him. At least here, there was familiarity and security, even if it was at the cost of the scorn and rejection he faced on a daily basis.
With a sigh, Will put an uncertain foot in front of the other and continued on, Winston following along behind him. He only had to endure whatever this man wanted until he had chosen to his heart’s content and then Will could return back to his spot, trying to fill the gnawing disappointment in his stomach with dandelions.
When Will had reached the cluster of chattering sheep, each one talking over the other as they tried to catch the man’s attention, he stood apart from the others, nervously wringing his hands together.
The man’s dark eyes, which had been clinically studying the sheep in front of him, moved over to him. Will gulped as they lighted up in interest as they landed on his form. The man raised his hand and curled a finger, gently beckoning him forward.
Will shook his head defiantly – despite his heart wanting to beat out of his chest in fear - and refused to move from his spot.
There was a hush that fell upon the flock and Will could almost feel their shock. Will didn’t blame them; this was the first time that anyone had ever expressed a bit of interest in him. Nobody ever wanted the outcast black sheep, not when there were far more beautiful ones than him available.
Instead of being upset, the man simply smiled.
“Come here, little one. Do not fear me, I will not hurt you.”
Will’s knees shook and despite the reassuring words from the man, he could not find the strength within him to move. He was paralyzed and although he wanted to urge his feet forward, he found that he just couldn’t. Finally, a rough hand shoved him towards the man and Will hit the post of the fence, wincing in pain.
A gentle hand lifted his chin and brown eyes looked into his, trailing down to the curve of his lips, his neck, his chest, and everything else below that.
Will blushed at the intense scrutinizing and tried pushing the hand away but it held on tightly. The hand moved his head from side to side, and the man leaned in closer to examine the pale expanse of his throat. Soft hands stroked his skin, applying pressure at certain points as he went along.
Will had never been paid this much attention before and it wasn’t until now that he realized that prolonged skin contact made him extremely uncomfortable. He wanted to yell at the strange man to unhand him and he wanted to run away and seek comfort in his solitude.
“My, you are quite different, aren’t you?” the man murmured under his breath and Will was turned to face the man once again.
He hadn’t noticed before, due to his anxiety, that the man was more intimidating than he had perceived at first. It wasn’t anything outright in his features; the man was aesthetically pleasing to the eye, sharp cheekbones, thin lips and a strong Greek nose. His eyes were a dark brown that appeared almost maroon in a certain light and they were framed by ash blond lashes.
Physical wise, there was nothing obviously unnerving about the man other than being extremely attractive. However, his honed instincts alerted him that there was a predator nearby. It was the same feeling Will usually got when a wolf circled too close to the fields, sniffing around where they were not welcome.
The hand holding his chin let go with a last stroke to his flushed cheek and the man backed away, head turned to the farmer; Will hadn’t noticed his arrival and he quickly leaned towards the farmer, eyes pleading.
He didn’t want the man to take him.
Maybe the farmer could try to convince the stranger that Will was not for sale, he was after all, a mutant amongst his flock. Perhaps the farmer could try to convince him to buy a less faulty sheep, one who wasn’t awkward, jittery, and peculiar.
“I would like him,” the man gestured to Will and even though he had been expecting it, it still didn’t stop Will’s mouth from opening up to begin protesting.
The farmer quickly gave Will a glare and Will reluctantly shut his mouth.
“Are you sure, Dr. Lecter? He’s a bit of a freak, that one, and I don’t just mean his coloring, though that’s a huge part of it too, I suppose.”
Will tried not to be too offended because this was exactly what he had wanted the farmer to do but he still huffed, annoyed at the rude description.
“I am sure. I will take no other; you can either accept my offer or accept nothing at all.” The man’s smile became tight and strained as the farmer tried to dissuade him from his choice.
“It’s just…that one ain’t gonna do nothing for you, sir,” the farmer raised an arm to point to the various other sheep who perked up at the motion,” these here on the other hand, they’re normal, won’t cause no trouble for you.”
Will’s tail swayed, a flutter of hope rising in his chest. Maybe the man could be convinced to change his mind.
“I will double my offer.”
The flutter of hope then swiftly died as the farmer’s face became slack with surprise. Will could already see the money signs in the farmer’s eyes, hungrily counting the money he would make if he sold Will off now. The farmer licked his lips, practically salivating at the thought.
“Well, if you want him so bad, then he’s all yours. If you find that you don’t like him no more, that won’t be my problem, Dr. Lecter. I don’t do trades and I don’t do returns,” he walked up to the fence and opened the gate,” come Will, it’s your lucky day, this man here actually wants to buy you.”
Will whimpered in distress, backing away as he prepared to run. However, he was stopped by a crowd of bodies standing behind him, forming a wall. Unseen hands pushed at him until he was unable to go anywhere else but forward. He dug his heels in but it was impossible to fight against the strength majority of his flock. Will wanted to cry, he wanted to throw himself to the ground and refuse to go anywhere until the man grew impatient and decided to take back his offer.
Soon enough, he found himself at the opening of the gate and the farmer grabbed him, pulling him out. Will stood trembling as the stranger walked up to him, slipping his overcoat off. He placed it on Will’s shoulders; the length of the coat managed to cover the rest of his nude body – sans calves and bare feet - and it protected him against the cool afternoon wind.
The man gave him a small smile and reached into one of the pockets of the coat, hand lingering and hot even through the thick fabric. He pulled out a leather checkbook, eyes still on Will until Will couldn’t stand the eye contact any longer and turned his head away, looking at the ground instead.
He heard an amused chuckle and Will flushed at the deep and raspy sound. There was the sound of a pen against paper and a tear and then a warm arm was wrapped around Will’s shoulders, pulling him along at the man’s pace as they walked towards the back of the barn.
Will briefly wondered whether he’d be strong enough to tear the man’s hold off of him but as if the man had already known what he had been thinking, the arm tightened its hold on him, quickly cutting off that particular train of thought.
Will turned his head, eyes briefly landing on his flock – the open mouthed stares and disbelieving eyes – and then wandered towards the small group of dogs sitting obediently at the gate, whining as they watched him go.
Will turned back, blinking back his tears, even though all he wanted to do right now was cry openly along with them. Except, that he could only mourn their loss and accept the inevitable happenings, regardless of how uncertain his future now was.
x-x-x-x
After he had been strapped into – such strange devices; he had never seen anything like it, they were fearsomely restrictive and he didn’t understand how humans could use them constantly – the “car”, they were on the move. Looking out of the window made Will feel dizzy and nauseous so he opted for closing his eyes, resting his head against the pane.
The silence was heavy and no words had been exchanged since the transaction had been finished.
Maybe the man was now questioning his choice?
He had paid what he assumed was an exorbitant price for him, although Will really couldn’t understand why he had done it. There was nothing special about him, other than being a “freak”.
“…why?” Will’s voice cracked from disuse.
There was a long pause and there was no answer. Will thought that maybe the man just didn’t want to talk to him and he pursed his lips to stop himself from shouting at him.
Finally,” You are…different. You stand out amongst normality and you are shunned for it. People fear what they do not understand and you are impossible to understand. There is a delicate balance between what is beautiful and what is unpleasant.”
Will opened his eyes and he turned to face the man, curiosity shining in his eyes.
“And where do I fall in that?”
Dark eyes flickered to him and a smile tugged at thin lips,” You are beyond what I had expected. I was not planning on making a purchase but you have managed to change my mind. I cannot say that I regret the choice I have made.”
Will blinked, puzzled. The statement could mean a plethora of things. It could be threatening to even…soothing. The words felt genuine, with no trace of dishonesty. Will had heard enough lies to at least notice when he was being lied to and this was not one of those moments. Whether this was only a ploy to get him to lower his guard or whether it was actually sincere, there was no absolute sure way to tell.
He leaned back, pulling at the strap against his chest in thought.
He turned back to the window, concentrating on the uneven bumps of the road. Will’s fingers curled in the soft, warm fabric of the coat and he pulled it up at the collar, sniffing at it cautiously. The scent he found there was musky and sweet and Will found his eyes closing involuntarily.
Will soon fell asleep.
x-x-x-x
He was carefully ushered out of the car two hours later and Will righted himself, still feeling sleepy and dazed when he came to face a house.
“Um…mister –“
“Call me Hannibal, Will. There shall be neither titles nor formalities between us.”
“Hannibal. Is this your home?” An arm wrapped around his waist and led him to the door, where Hannibal fished out his keys from the coat Will was still wearing.
“Yes. This is also where you will be living from now on.”
For a second, Will had thought that he had heard Hannibal wrong. He had never slept indoors, had never even been allowed to enter the barn back at the fields. He didn’t mind, he could sleep peacefully while looking up at the bright stars in the night sky. The dogs would often huddle up with him and they provided all the warmth he needed on cold nights.
But to be told that he would be living indoors?
He had expected to be led towards the yard or a small opening outside at least, where Will would’ve had to get used to his new living quarters.
He hadn’t expected to be led into the warm home of his new owner. He hadn’t expected to even be allowed to set foot into the impeccable interior of such finery. Will was afraid to even step anywhere for fear that he would bump into something with his small horns.
Everything looked unbelievably fragile.
Wide blue eyes stared at everything; it all looked so bizarre from his perspective. He had no idea what most of all the items were used for but he had never seen anything so beautiful.
Hannibal tugged him onto the couch, held up a finger and walked into another room. When he emerged once again after a few minutes, he had a long white shirt in his hands. The coat Will had been wearing was unfastened and Will parted reluctantly with it, already missing its warmth.
His arms were pulled through the arm holes of the shirt, the long sleeves slipped past his wrists and the cuffs covered his hands. When Will stood back up, the ends of the shirt only reached mid-thigh and there was a slight draft between his legs. Fingers deftly buttoned up the rest of the shirt although the top few buttons were left undone.
“We will have to buy you more appropriate clothing but this will have to do for now.” Hannibal nodded, satisfied as he looked him over.
“…clothes?”
Will had never worn clothes either. It wasn’t something sheep did. Their bodies usually remained unclothed because the wool that covered certain parts of their body kept them warm enough. Will had never considered covering himself up, he had always thought that the garments appeared restrictive.
There were already so many new rules put into place and they were all something Will had never expected. Nothing that he had ever heard of hinted at something like this.
He had heard horror stories and urban legends of what happened to the sheep that were bought. Nobody had ever mentioned that the horror came in the form of clothing.
“Yes, clothing, for when there are guests. I understand that clothing will feel restrictive to you for now, so I will not force you to wear them when it is just the two of us. However, I do expect them to be present whenever we dine.”
Will wrinkled his nose but offered no complaints.
Hannibal chuckled and softly stroked his cheek, his other hand reaching up to stroke an ear with interest. Will twitched at the sudden contact and the hand stopped its stroking.
“I apologize. Does it make you uncomfortable?”
“Not…exactly. It’s just really sensitive.” There was also the fact that nobody had ever stroked him in such a gentle way.
Nobody ever willingly touched him, actually.
Will found that he liked Hannibal’s touch and he leaned into his hand as the petting resumed. He whined when it stopped again.
“First, we need to wash you up. Then, we shall have dinner.”
Will gulped.
He never liked baths much but at least he was in familiar territory now.
x-x-x-x
After his bath – which resulted in chaos and with water all over the bathroom floor – Will sheepishly sat down on the chair Hannibal had directed him towards.
Surprisingly, the man had not gotten mad at Will’s uneasiness with water and instead had been amused with Will’s constant squirming.
However, Hannibal’s cleaning had been extremely thorough, so thorough that Will felt as if the man had washed away years of dirt and grime. Soapy hands scrubbed him down – although many times they…lingered on certain body parts, which made Will very flustered – and Hannibal had only let him out of the tub when he had deemed the cleaning a success.
He had donned the shirt he had on before and Hannibal had told him to wait while he made them dinner.
Will wondered what the man would make for him; he wondered whether he even knew what sheep ate.
He hoped he did. He didn’t want to have to ruin what comfort they had built up in the last few hours.
Admittedly, Hannibal was not what Will had been expecting. The whole situation itself had not been expected at all, actually. Will worried whether he was quickly falling into a sense of false security. There were animal traps in the wild that lured their prey by offering them the kindness of nourishment.
He didn’t want to become one of them.
Will fidgeted in his chair, straightening up, inquisitive eyes falling upon Hannibal who was carrying two plates in his hands. Hannibal winked at him as he laid a plate down before Will and Will gasped at the array of vegetables decorating the plate.
The dandelions and grass he had nibbled on earlier were nothing compared to this. Blue eyes roamed hungrily over the pieces of lettuce and carrots.
Silver sticks were placed beside the plate and Will looked up questioningly at Hannibal.
“These are called utensils. I will have to teach you how to use them correctly but for now, you should at least get used to the feeling of them in your hands. Eating with your hands is improper and I will not allow it.” Hannibal took his own seat beside him and waited for him to pick one up. It was long and thin and it widened at the top where it split into four separate pieces. The device looked so bizarre to him and he looked at it. already feeling hopeless.
With clumsy fingers wrapped around it, he looked to Hannibal who had been waiting for him. Hannibal nodded at him approvingly and picked his own utensil up, his own fingers wrapped around it more confidently.
“This is a fork. It is used to pierce into the food so that it will be easier to bring towards your mouth.” The man demonstrated, picking up a piece of his own salad and he bit into it.
Will thought that eating with his hands would be far easier, but he huffed and tried to copy the move anyway as he brought a piece of lettuce to his mouth.
He moaned as water flooded his mouth. He resisted the urge to shove the rest into his mouth and forced himself to savor it slowly, just as Hannibal was doing.
The smile of appreciation that Hannibal gave him made it completely worth it.
x-x-x-x
After dinner, Will sighed contently as Hannibal walked away with their used plates and with a muttered promise of “dessert”.
So far, everything had gone well. Hannibal continued to surprise him and Will was growing used to the man’s presence the longer he was around him.
Maybe…maybe Will could actually be happy with Hannibal. There were worse ways to live and Hannibal was making everything so pleasant for him, there was no reason for why Will should have any complaints.
He had never imagined that he would ever get chosen. He thought that nobody would ever want him; he had thought that he was too different, too odd and that he would die alone, without having anyone around to care.
Hannibal was a lot better than the other buyers that came around, he hadn’t leered at him or insulted him. He had made sure that he was comfortable enough afterwards, even though it hadn’t been necessary. Will now belonged to Hannibal and there was no obligation for him to take care of Will in any way and yet, he had done so without any expectations.
Will was startled out of his thoughts as Hannibal reentered the room – which Hannibal had informed him earlier, was called “the dining room” – and his eyes narrowed at a bottle of something the color of amber; it looked viscous.
Hannibal said nothing and placed the bottle down on the table. He gestured for Will to come closer and Will stood up from his chair, standing beside the man, awaiting further instruction.
Hannibal remained quiet as he placed his hands on Will’s waist and Will squeaked when he was suddenly picked up and placed on top of the table.. He grew nervous at the man’s continued silence and only became more so when nimble fingers unbuttoned the rest of the shirt he was wearing.
“Hanni –“
A finger pressed against his lips and with wide eyes, Will stopped talking.
It wasn’t because he now had nothing to say.
But because there were another pair of lips on his face that definitely did not belong to him.
Hannibal’s lips pressed against his brow, warm and dry and Will’s face turned red. His words had left him and he made an incoherent noise in the back of his throat as Hannibal’s lips trailed down to kiss his nose and finally, met his lips.
Will’s heart was beating fast against his ribcage and he didn’t know what to do. The light pressure against his lips was surprisingly pleasant but the contact didn’t last long and soon the lips lowered to his neck, mouthing over the skin. Will gasped and grabbed onto Hannibal as a hot tongue laved at the skin, teeth lightly nipping their way down to his collarbone.
Will closed his eyes, breath hitching at the odd sensation.
He had seen kisses among his flock but he had never actually experienced one. He had always wondered how it would feel but his imagination and his reality were nothing alike.
He was only confused as to why Hannibal was doing this. Out of all possible outcomes, he definitely hadn’t expected this. Perhaps he should’ve considered it but it had honestly never crossed his mind.
Will was slightly nervous because he was confused and he didn’t exactly know how to reciprocate.
Should he…kiss back?
But when Will tried to, Hannibal pushed him to lie fully on the table. The long white shirt he was wearing was hanging wide open and looking up at Hannibal, Will felt his stomach clench. Brown eyes had darkened to almost black and Hannibal’s own face was flushed as he looked down at Will.
Will’s mouth fell open and he swallowed nervously at the look. Hannibal looked absolutely ravenous.
Will started shaking when Hannibal picked up the forgotten bottle of amber liquid and flicked it open, turning the bottle upside down to drizzle the viscous substance onto the skin of Will’s chest.
Perhaps he had been wrong.
Because Hannibal looked like he wanted to eat Will and Will had nowhere to run to now. He was caught with his back to the hard wooden surface of the table and the hard body that belonged to Hannibal. He knew that the man wouldn’t budge, he looked stronger than Will and he probably also outmatched him in quickness.
The cool liquid felt thick and sticky and Will squirmed, trying to get away. He wondered whether Hannibal was going to eat his ribs first; perhaps he’d grill them. Maybe he’d nibble on the skin first, perhaps the liquid he had drizzled on was to make him taste better.
Will’s eyes squeezed shut as Hannibal leant in, tongue laving at the substance.
So he was going to nibble on his skin first, he knew it!
“Relax, I will not hurt you.”
“But you put something on me! You looked like you want to eat me!”
Will was becoming frantic now and he couldn’t breathe. He desperately wanted to get away from Hannibal; he couldn’t believe that he had thought he could trust the man. He had been planning on making him comfortable so he wouldn’t suspect until he had him out on the table, ready to serve as dessert.
Will couldn’t help the tears that now escaped from his eyes and he sniffled as he tried to push at Hannibal but it was futile, it was absolutely impossible to move him.
“Will. I will never hurt you. I frightened you, I apologize, I should have informed you first,” Hannibal sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
“But…you’re not…so you’re not going to eat me?” Will’s voice wavered.
“Will, I did not buy you so that you could be my dinner. I bought you because you are beautifully different; because you caught my eye since the first moment you appeared, trying to still hide behind the tree as you peeked around,” Hannibal gently wiped away Will’s tears,” I bought you because you did not run to me, you did not beg me to take you. You are strong and you are beautiful, even if you do not believe so.”
Will blinked up at Hannibal through watery eyes, eyelashes wetly clumping together.
“You…think I’m beautiful?”
The thought was enough to make him want to cry again; no one had ever called him beautiful. Everyone always called him out on his flaws, on his differences. He could never fit in, no matter how much he wanted to because he was never like anyone else.
But here he was with Hannibal looking down at him with warm eyes, fascination written plainly on his face just like when Will came upon a butterfly, so absolutely stunning and delicate.
Will threw his arms around Hannibal’s neck, hugging him tightly. He knew that the substance that was on him would probably get on Hannibal’s pristine shirt, but right now, he didn’t care.
For the first time in his life, he had been called beautiful by someone and they had meant it.
“Down to your ears, to your horns, to this wool,” hands lightly stroked said wool,” to even this little tail,” one of Hannibal’s hands traced Will’s lower back, softly stroking the place where his tail met against bone.
“And you won’t eat me?” Will narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“I would never. This substance is called honey and all I had planned to do, was slowly lick it,” sly lips kissed his chest,” off of you,” a slip of a wet tongue on his skin,” among other things.”
“Promise?” Will whispered.
“Promise. Perhaps we shall leave this idea for another day, when you are more comfortable.” Hannibal grabbed the bottle of honey with a pensive look on his face.
Will was disappointed. Before he had thought that Hannibal was going to eat him, he had enjoyed the feeling of Hannibal’s lips against his skin.
His disappointment must’ve been apparent on his face because Hannibal’s pensive look became smug.
“Perhaps…no honey this time?” Will muttered, cheeks red.
“No honey this time,” Hannibal agreed.
And then, Hannibal put away the honey, focusing more on the feast that lay in front of him.