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Will Graham is no stranger to medication. In fact, he’s very familiar with it, and welcomes it like an old friend.
When Will was stabbed during his time on the police force, he was put on Morphine during his time in the hospital. After Jack shot him in the Hobbs’ kitchen he was given both Hydrocodone and Acetaminophen.
So he may be familiar with coping with high strength opioids himself, but caring for someone who is unfamiliar with painkillers is a different monster.
Hannibal Lecter has been exposed to a wide variety of traumas in his life, but not once had he succumbed to the urge to administer pain killing medication. Hypothermia, multiple stab wounds, severe burns from being branded; the list goes on. He’s given opioids to countless numbers of people, with his time as a surgeon… But not once had he taken the painkillers himself.
Will reacted kindly to the administration of painkillers after he and Hannibal’s fall. It started with morphine injections, and slowly moved towards an oral prescription of a cocktail of opioids once he could swallow again after the mutilation of his cheek improved.
Hannibal resisted Will’s attempts at convincing him to administer a crutch in the form of drugs for almost an entire week after the Dragon’s attack. Hannibal has suffered much more extensive injuries in the fall since he’d taken the brunt of the impact.
The majority of the time, Hannibal was unconscious. His body could not stand the pain of being awake, so it would force sleep to attempt healing. But he would wake up panting and moaning, in so much pain that Will could feel it even when he was outside of the house.
This empathy he has is a two way street, and for once he can use it to his advantage. He’ll come to Hannibal’s side and use it to try to ease his suffering.
Will knows that Chiyoh cannot always administer constant care, so what little energy he has left over during his own healing, he uses to try to help Hannibal. There’s no doubt that Hannibal will be bedridden for many months, and Will is prepared to do his best to make it as easy for the doctor as he can.
During one of Hannibal’s conscious moments, he had yet again refused painkillers. Even as he was so exhausted to be able to even lift his head to look at Will, he refused.
Watching Hannibal cry out in agony multiple times a day was fun at first, but now it makes Will’s stomach twist and turn. It was nice to see Hannibal in pain after all the pain he had caused him, but there was a point that Will had decided they’d become ‘even-steven’, and watching him suffer was no longer joyful.
That’s why he won’t apologize for drugging Hannibal against his consent. It was easy to find one of Hannibal's veins and inject Morphine after doing it so many times to himself.
The next time Hannibal awoke, he was not screaming. There was a fogginess to his eyes, and it was clear that the medication was kicking Hannibal’s ass.
Will just knelt beside Hannibal’s bedside and pulled his hand to his uninjured cheek. He muttered his apologies into Hannibal’s palm, but his guilt was not there. Hannibal had given him so many drugs without his consent, it’s only fair to do the same… without malicious intent.
“What have you given me?” Hannibal croaks out, his voice weak and strained from all his pained screams. He is groggier than normal, more distant from the present.
“Morphine,” Will admits into Hannibal’s palm.
“Thank you,” Hannibal sighs. He has to admit that his body feels better, even if he feels undeniably faint and dizzy.
Will is shocked by this reaction. He’d expected Hannibal to be angry after how strongly he’d resisted Will’s pleas to allow him to administer Morphine.
“What have you been taking?” Hannibal asks, closing his eyes to stop the room spinning. He moves his fingers over Will’s stubble softly.
“Morphine injections at first, but now there’s a little bit of everything as far as oral medication goes.” Will tries to ignore the familiar feeling of Hannibal caressing his cheek. He tries to stifle the panic that it brews within him.
The panic dissipates when Will realizes that Hannibal is completely harmless in this state. He’s nearly paralyzed from the groin down.
“So you’re recovering well?” Hannibal asks, clearing his throat that is all too dry.
Will notices this and stands to retrieve the water cup from the bedside table. He uses his good arm to hold it up to Hannibal’s lips, encouraging him to take a sip.
“You took the majority of the impact from our fall. I may not be in good shape, but you’re in much worse,” Will forces a laugh, and he hates the way that the confession pulls at his heart. Hannibal sips gently from the straw and instantly starts to cough. Will is patient, because this is a common occurrence any time he tries to give Hannibal any liquids.
The second attempt and swallowing the water goes much better, and Hannibal sighs gratefully. Will is gentle when he pulls back the sheet they’ve been using as covers, and sets down the water cup so he can use both hands.
He doesn’t bother to wonder if he’ll need to change Hannibal’s dressings… because they’re already soaked through with blood.
Will reaches for the thermometer, and brings it to Hannibal’s mouth. Just as Will had expected, Hannibal’s fever still hasn’t broken. It’s been a week since he’d been shot, and the fever still hasn’t lessened.
Will removes the soaked bandages and prepares new ones to replace them. The wound looks red and infected, so Will does his best to clean it. Chiyoh is no doctor, but she was a quick and independent learner when it came to getting Will and Hannibal stitched up.
Thankfully, the bullet went entirely through Hannibal’s body. Though, the full extent of damage is not yet clear.
Hannibal’s paralysis could be caused by an injury to the spine, or the nasty breakages in his thighs. Or at least that’s what they assume is going on in Hannibal’s legs. The entirety of his thighs are painted with black and blue bruises, but he cannot feel them.
He’s not receiving pain signals, and has no control over his movements. Will is just thankful that the paralysis hadn’t extended any higher than the top point of his bruising. He still has sensation and control over everything but his legs.
Will has been in charge of looking after Hannibal while Chiyoh is out or asleep, but she always carries word back about how Hannibal will panic if not assured that Will is safe. For some reason, Hannibal’s pain dazed brain cannot piece together the events of the fall quite yet, so he can’t remember if Will lived or died.
There have been a few times that Hannibal has cried during this recovery, and the very first time was the time Will was there to greet him when he awoke. Will wiped away his tears and tried to calm him; the heaving of his stomach would certainly jostle his gunshot wound.
Seeing Hannibal cry was a grounding experience, one that made Will realize just how much Hannibal loves him.
He’s known that fact for only a short time, but it’s undeniable. Hannibal is in love with him, to the highest capacity that he could possibly love someone.
Will isn’t sure how he feels.
The connection they have is strong, and being around Hannibal doesn’t cause him distress like it used to. Instead, he feels nervous, almost like a teen boy trying to sum up the courage to pass a note to his crush.
Will has never had a man openly show how he loves him, and it’s a strange experience. He’s never once considered that he may like anything else but women… and Hannibal seems to be other.
Will moves swiftly when he applies medication to Hannibal’s gunshot wound, and redresses it with new bandages. Hannibal observes him closely, and tries not to wince when the brunette jostles his body just slightly to change the other sets of bandages on his back where the bullet exited his body.
Now that the dressings are changed, it’s time to try to get some nourishment into Hannibal. Chiyoh had cooked lots of stew to feed to the two recovering men, and they’ve been reheating it since she made it.
Will exits the room and returns only a minute or two later with a small bowl of stew. “Chiyoh said she used your recipe, just modified it.”
‘To contain less long pig’ went unsaid.
Hannibal turns his face towards Will and braces himself for the embarrassment of being hand fed. Usually, it’s Chiyoh who feeds him during the night, because most times Will is sleeping.
Will dips the spoon into the stew and lets it collect liquid into it, and then he brings it up to his mouth to blow on it. He’s remembering the time that Hannibal had hand fed him while he was high off his mind and injured, and going through the same motions.
He turns the spoon towards Hannibal, and holds it steady as the doctor opens his mouth for access. The stew is very good, and Chiyoh had used one of Hannibal’s medicinal recipes that will hopefully help with healing.
“The soup you gave me during my time in the hospital…” Will starts, and pauses to blow on another spoonful of stew, “It was hurting me more than helping, surely you knew that.”
“It was the reason I chose the recipe,” Hannibal tries to smile but gives up when the contortion of his face feels forced.
The entire bowl of stew took a while to get through, but Hannibal somehow managed it. Will is just waiting anxiously for the stew to come hurling back up, but Hannibal falls back asleep before that time ever comes.
***
Surgery had gone very well, but the benefits of the procedure have not shown themselves yet.
Hannibal should be able to walk once his recovery time is over, but time will only tell.
Precisely, three more months.
There’s been nearly two months since the fall, and once it became increasingly obvious that Hannibal’s condition was not going to improve… they made sure to find a surgeon that would not ask too many questions.
The first two weeks of surgery recovery, Hannibal was given twice the amount of painkillers as he had been taking; and Will was shocked it never caused an overdose.
Sensation came back to Hannibal’s legs around week four, and he could wiggle his toes soon thereafter. His progress was finally starting, and Will was eternally grateful for it.
Caring for a bedridden Hannibal is a full time job split between Will and Chiyoh, and seeing some progress is so rewarding. The surgeon warned that Hannibal may not be fully healed until five years out of the surgery date, and they must be patient.
Mobility aids will become a necessity once Hannibal can put weight on his healing legs. But for three more months, he’ll still be fully reliant on Chiyoh and Will.
***
In the beginning he was wobbly, clinging onto Will with one hand and his cane with the other. He’s completely relearning how to walk, and it’s a difficult experience to say the least.
Most of his weight is over towards Will, using his physical being in favor of the literal crutch he has. The cane is much more sturdy than Will, but the cane is not nearly as trustworthy.
After only a short walk up and down the hall, Hannibal has broken a sweat and his legs shake too much to even consider going another lap. Will helps him sit down on the couch, and they say goodbye to Chiyoh as she dismisses herself through the front door.
“How did that feel?” Will questions, looking down to where Hannibal’s hands are shaking slightly against where they rest on his thighs.
Hannibal lets out a shaky exhale and licks his lips before he responds, “My back hurts.”
Will doesn’t like when Hannibal complains of pain, because when he does, it’s some sort of crippling pain… nothing minor.
“Lay down,” Will stands so the whole couch is free, and Hannibal can lay down to hopefully relieve some of the pain.
They have a routine for this, and Hannibal knows it very well. First, he strips his shirt and folds it up. Next, he hands it to Will and allows Will to help him remove his trousers. Finally, he lays down in only his boxers.
Will squirts the vitamin E lotion that lives next to their TV into his palm and rubs his hands together before leaning down to lather Hannibal’s thighs in lotion. He uses the massaging motions he learned in Hannibal’s physical therapy around the scarred mess of Hannibal’s legs.
He uses firm pressure and makes sure to not miss a single inch. Hannibal’s body is lean even after all his time bedridden… but it can’t be nearly like what it used to be. Will remembers the night that Hannibal escaped from prison, and when they showered at the cliff house.
Hannibal came out of the shower with just a towel pressed to his face. His lean body was dripping wet, and Will could not tear his eyes away. The honey smoothness of Hannibal’s skin shone in the dim lighting in a way that Will could never forget.
Will has only had an interest in women for all his life, but Hannibal pushes to test that boundary. It’s not only his body, but his mind too. Hannibal is conventionally attractive, everyone can see that… but to be attracted to the monster within is another story.
Will spreads his fingers as he works up towards the bullet wound on the front of Hannibal’s stomach. The scarred skin is indented identically to how Will’s bullet wounds have healed. His fingers circle the tender flesh, and Hannibal winces with a small groan; his abdomen clenching in protest.
He lets out a shuddering breath when Will looks to him to see if he can continue, “Just sore,” Hannibal swallows and licks his lips. He spreads out his legs and readjusts his hips to a more comfortable position.
Will follows the movements with his eyes, and he tries to tell himself that he’s just ensuring that Hannibal isn’t having any difficulty with moving. But really, he’s admiring the way Hannibal’s thighs flex, and his legs splay out to reveal more of his barely covered body. Will swears he can make out the exact shape of Hannibal’s flaccid genitals in his boxers.
He averts his eyes, but they both know that Will was staring. Hannibal’s lips quirk up but neither of them say a thing. Will just continues working out the tough scar covered flesh all over Hannibal’s lower body.
On a few deeper pushes, Hannibal lets out soft moans… and the blush that forms on Will’s face points far from hetero. The blush is one thing, but when Will notices Hannibal’s relaxed and pleasured face, he hates to admit that his body reacts favorably.
Will hasn’t had the opportunity for sexual release in a very, very long time… despite the multitude of boners that he’s sprung while washing Hannibal. It’s been distressing having to admit that all those erections were caused by Hannibal’s body. Hannibal is no feminine man, and there’s no playing them off as flukes with how often they arise.
He’s even had wet dreams about Hannibal that left him feeling like an embarrassed teenager who had to run down to the washer before anyone saw his mess. The dreams were so vivid thanks to his overactive imagination. He can still remember the way dream Hannibal thread his fingers through his curly hair and praised how well he was taking the rough pounding.
Will just plays this off as his sexually neglected brain trying to supply his body with the fuel he needs to get off… nothing actually real that could mean a single thing.
But if that was the case, why doesn’t his mind supply him with dreams about Chiyoh? Or maybe Alana or Molly… for god’s sake he was married to Molly!
Will clears his throat roughly as he climbs off of Hannibal’s lap to direct him, “Turn over now.”
Hannibal needs more time to turn over than most other people would, and Will is half convinced that this is because he was trying to prolong it so he could get a good look at his physical being.
His face is obviously flushed, but his sweatpants and thin white t-shirt do absolutely nothing to hide his other bodily reactions. Just at one glance down, he can tell his nipples are peeking through his pajama shirt, and his erection is dramatically tenting his gray sweatpants.
Will wants to hide from Hannibal in this moment, but he knows that only ends in disaster. There’s no controlling his body once it’s already in this state, and Hannibal would certainly smell it on him if he took a short break to relieve himself.
Hannibal doesn’t even spare Will by burying his face in the couch, no, instead he rests his head on the seat and looks over his shoulder to watch Will.
With a shuddering breath Will grabs some more lotion, and rubs it between his hands as he closes his eyes and tries to imagine he’s anywhere but here.
That would be the reason why the touch startled him so much. It’s just a gentle brush of fingertips against his hip, but it causes his body to recoil, and his slippery hand to snap down to grab the fingers that are trying to seek him out.
Will looks down towards Hannibal to observe the mischievous glint in his eye, and immediately Will thinks that he would do absolutely anything for this man. It’s extremely dangerous. That playful look makes his knees weak, and his guard drops just slightly. He knows Hannibal… he had changed him, there’s absolutely no reason to hide from him.
The place where Will’s thumb is grabbing onto Hannibal’s arm is right over his pulse point, and he can feel Hannibal’s heartbeat.
It’s quickened.
“Your heartbeat never rose above eighty when you were Ripping,” Will recalls, feeling the rapid heartbeat under his fingers, “So why now are you at one-ten?”
Hannibal’s lips part slightly, and Will can see his sharp incisors peeking out between the plush pink lips. “Ripping doesn’t excite me like you do,” Hannibal mutters like he’s just discussing the weather with Will.
Will can see the way Hannibal’s pupils dilate, and he’s sure his eyes are following in a similar pattern. He’s not sure if he’s ever been so lucid and in control while so aroused ever in his life before.
Whenever he’s slept with women, he’s been under a fog, dazed and only half present. Will just thought that’s how arousal is always supposed to feel, but obviously not.
They stare at one another for just another moment, until Will is able to pull himself away from Hannibal’s pulling gaze. He releases Hannibal’s arm and moves to straddle Hannibal’s legs just below his ass.
Will uses his lotioned hands to massage out the adhesive scar tissue around Hannibal’s bullet wound. He keeps his eyes focused heavily on where his fingers are working into Hannibal’s flesh, and tries not to let in the pendulum that will invite Hannibal’s feelings into his mind.
Hannibal grunts when Will’s fingers slip and his nails dig into his back, following his instinct, he grabs Will’s thigh with a deathly grip. Will sits up and leans forward, accidentally smoothing over Hannibal’s Verger brand scarring his back.
Will curses softly and immediately lowers back down, removing his hands from Hannibal’s back entirely. Hannibal’s grip on his thigh goes from hostile to soft in a matter of seconds, and he does his best to spread his hand out along Will’s thigh to feel more of him. Will exhales on a shaky breath, and covers Hannibal’s hand with his own.
“You’re extremely touchy today, Hannibal.” Will keeps his hand on Hannibal’s so he can control the boundaries of where it goes. His other hand goes down towards Hannibal’s own thigh so he can continue their therapeutic massage.
“You get to touch me, surely I am allowed to touch you,” Hannibal argues with a glance back. His hand flexes as he grips onto Will’s thigh again.
Hannibal’s grip strength is no small thing, and Will gasps as his fingers dig into his muscles. The discomfort makes Will squirm forward, which, unfortunately, causes his erection to smooth along the plushness of Hannibal’s ass.
Will just wants to evaporate, maybe just dissipate into thin air. Hannibal definitely feels the pushing against his ass, and the fucking prick decides to push his ass back to make matters worse.
Of course, Will lets out a startled groan before he can hide it behind his grinding teeth. He hunches over and his hands land on each side of Hannibal’s head. It feels like he can’t control his fucking body, and he’s horrified when his hips push toward to grind into Hannibal’s ass.
He lets out a startled moan and Hannibal puts on his best mischievous smile to look over his shoulder with. Of course, Will has fallen straight into his trap.
“Finally, you’re embracing your nature,” Hannibal spreads his legs just enough to create a bigger gap between his cheeks, and Will’s grinding hips automatically find the canal. His dick falls into the trap and Will’s head falls between his shoulder as he full body shudders. “It’s not healthy to deny yourself the primal urges you feel for such long periods.”
Will doesn’t understand the words that are coming out of Hannibal’s mouth, and he can’t help the idiotic “W-What?” that escapes his parted lips.
“When was the last time you had sex?” Hannibal asks innocently, definitely not wiggling his hips just slightly against Will’s body.
“Surely that’s none of your business, Doctor,” Will laughs out and grips harder onto the arm of the couch. His nails are now digging into the plush, and he hopes he doesn’t rip it.
Hannibal trails his hand up from Will’s thigh to cup his ass the best he can with the awkward position. “It’s been a very long time for the both of us,” He points out the obvious. “But I haven’t been penetrated in decades… you’ll have to go slowly.”
“Penetrated?!” Will exclaims and his shock snaps him out of his horny grinding just enough to create some distance between their bodies. “I’ve been so conflicted about how I feel about you, I haven’t even considered fucking you.”
Hannibal seems confused by this, but not offended, “You’re in crisis, aren’t you?”
“What?” Will asks with furrowed brows.
“You know you’re in love with me, but as you said, you’re conflicted,” Hannibal pulls out his annoying therapy voice as he counsels, “Being in love is nothing new to you, but loving a man is something you’re unsure of. Having sex with a man is something you’re even more in crisis over.”
Will doesn’t want to admit that he’s right on the money, so he immediately denies everything. “I’m not in a crisis, I just haven’t known how to approach you. I’ve never flirted with a man before… especially not a man like you.”
“You’ve made significant progress today,” Hannibal lifts his arms up to cross them above his head, and he arches his back to truly put on a show for Will.
Will can’t stand the sight, and honestly it’s doing things to his head. He uses one hand to rip down Hannibal’s boxers to reveal his ass, and the other to lean back and pump way more lotion than necessary into his hand.
Hannibal realizes just how much influence he’s had when he feels the cold lotion against his hole, and the first of Will’s fingers plunge inside aggressively.
He’d seen this in the little bit of gay porn he’d watched in his teen years, how they would use lube and finger open the receiving party just like how prepping a woman always goes.
Will hunches over again, and this time he leans down enough to whisper into Hannibal’s ear, “Is this the progress you hoped for, Doctor?”
Hannibal lets out a shaky breath and he bites his lip as Will starts fucking him with his finger. Will swears he hears a whimper, but he simply can’t believe it.
Will is determined to pull as many sounds as he can out of Hannibal, so he adds a second finger much too early. Hannibal holds his breath for just a moment as the pain tingles up his spine, but he groans when Will wags both of his fingers inside of him and bumps into his prostate.
He may have only slept with women in the past, but by god it paid off because he sure can manipulate his fingers to make magic happen.
Hannibal has to remind himself to stay still, because moving too much could cause him some serious pain, and all this fun would come to a very very early end.
Will honestly has no idea what he’s doing, but he can tell that it’s causing Hannibal pleasure. His own cock is dripping, and he wants so desperately to touch it.
The third finger is the hardest to get in, but Hannibal takes it gracefully and keeps his sounds to a minimal.
He only fucks Hannibal with his fingers for maybe a minute more, until he just can’t stand to watch and observe any longer. Will pulls his fingers out and watches, completely mesmerized by the way Hannibal’s hole flutters and clenches as it searches for something to hold.
Will doesn’t even think to put lotion on his cock, he just lowers his sweatpants to reveal himself, strokes himself a few times, then brings himself down to line up with Hannibal’s hole.
Hannibal tries his hardest to push back against Will, but with Will almost laying completely on him, it’s hard to move much at all. Will holds Hannibal’s wrists together in one of his hands, and Hannibal’s hip in the other.
He’s gentle when he first penetrates Hannibal, and he almost loses his head to ecstasy when he feels just how hot and tight he is. Vaginas are pretty great, but not once has Will fucked something that has made him blank out the second he feels it.
With a shuddering breath, Will pushes in the rest of his cock. He really tries not to come at the sensation of Hannibal’s insides squeezing. Hannibal grunts in a sick satisfaction as he arches further, burying Will even deeper into his ass.
It’s obvious that neither of them are going to last like this, in this state, so they both decide to just enjoy it during the short while it lasts. Will uses slow grinding motions to fuck Hannibal, and his hips start to match with his breathing.
Rapid at times, and slow during the moments in between. He’s never felt so entirely connected to someone as he feels right now with Hannibal, making love to him in a way he never considered. He’s a fool to have never thought of it, really.
Hannibal becomes more vocal as time passes, and his cock trapped between himself and the couch gains more friction as his hips drop with his exhaustion. The words coming out of his mouth are not English, but Will can tell that they’re praising… and it’s flattering enough knowing that he’s fucked the ability to speak English out of Hannibal momentarily.
Will can feel how much tighter Hannibal’s walls are becoming around him as his entire body tenses with how close he is. It’s slow and steady thrusts fueled with force that make Hannibal finally orgasm.
Will gasps at the feeling, and he swears that if he pulls out more than just grinding down into Hannibal, that he’d be forced out with how tight the walls are closing around him.
He’s panting, and he can faintly hear Hannibal begging him to come in the back of his mind, and with only a few more thrusts, he finally satisfies that primal urge he’s kept down for so long.
He comes inside of Hannibal with a long groan, and somehow, he ends up digging his teeth into Hannibal’s shoulder harshly. It leaves a deep imprint that will surely scar, and he can’t wait until he can kiss it over and over again as the years pass by and the scar fades.
Just as it fades, Will will make sure to gift him with another one to wear with pride.
