Work Text
Since Will and Hannibal had married in Argentina three years ago, currently settled down in Venice, Italy, married life had become maddeningly polite. At first, they were thrilled. They found pleasure in many things they shared together, were happy as they could finally indulge in each other but as the first wave of euphoria had gone, dull routine replaced the excitement of their first months as a married couple. Distance started settling in and then shared the same fate with all couples married for quite a while. It came unnoticed, creeping in like a shadow, influencing their way of life, corrupting passion day by day. It became bland and dreary living together. Even in the bedroom, sex became less passionate, day by day until they barely hadn’t any sex at all. Just once per week as a mere fulfilment of duty.The only thing that kept them together was Hannibal’s refined art of cooking. They exchanged conversations about superficial topic during dinner, trying to hold on to their life they shared as they had promised to each other, knowing what would happen if they didn’t.One evening when Hannibal returned from his daily stroll through the beautiful city with the marvellous narrow street and the beautiful canals, he planned to go to the opera again. There was a spectacular piece about to be performed and he wouldn’t miss it.Will who has just returned from a nap on the couch having worked and spent some time at the local swimming pool during the day, asked as he lingered at the door angle of the kitchen, not daring to enter his room without permission, trying to get closer to him and break the silence: “Are you going to the opera again this evening?”Hannibal didn’t turn to face Will while he continued to prepare dinner for both of them. “Yes,” Hannibal answered tartly. “Mind if I joined you?” Will asked in his warm voice, slightly frowning at the cold shoulder he received. He had enough of their silence, enough of the distance between them and wanted the man back he had married. Hannibal reluctantly turned around in astonishment, putting the knife and the ingredients aside, eyebrows raised while saying coolly: “I thought you hated going to the opera? Why the interest all of a sudden?”“Because lately we haven’t spent much time together and I thought I’d join you again tonight.” Will said, a little bit incredulous at that cool and closed off attitude. He remembered how Hannibal had been so warm and caring after they married and he missed that person. The version that stood before him was kind of cold, detached, wearing a person suit and not showing the kindness in him Will had sparked in him some time ago.“I do not want you to suffer for me, Will.” Hannibal answered, picking up the knife again. “I am aware of how you react to crowds and noisy places and this is going to be a really long opera performance tonight. Maybe another time.” He continued to cut the vegetables.Will felt anger and disappointment rising up in him being rejected another time. Besides, the point he made was not entirely true anymore. He had adjusted to the crowded city though it took some time. He felt it was a cheap excuse. “Okay, I got you. You simply don’t want me as your company. It’s a shame, now that we are married. I expected more of you.” Will snarled.Hannibal’s face hardened but he said nothing to the harsh remark. Will went to fetch his tailored suit Hannibal gifted to him some time ago. “Fine then. I’m going out, too.” He spat out on the way back from his bedroom.“But dinner is soon ready, Will.” Lucky for Will he couldn’t see the dangerously glinting eyes of Hannibal who clearly disapproved of leaving before dinner, feeling offended. “And haven’t you had enough exercise for today? I thought you were tired.”“So what?” Will said in a harsh tone. “I’m not hungry by the way. And I’m not your puppet.” He stopped before he finally said: “Have fun with your socialite friends at the opera tonight!”After leaving these unfriendly words hanging in the room, he left the apartment, slamming the door behind him. Hannibal was clearly annoyed and angry with Will, nearly cutting himself which usually never happened.Will had an excellent idea as he roamed through the charming side streets of Venice, crossing the Rialto bridge, taking turns here and there. He lied to Hannibal and actually he was hungry. But he felt like he wanted to escape the perfect food of Hannibal and the silent prison he found himself caged him for a while. After roaming around in the labyrinthine alleys, he found a little restaurant - not refined, not to Hannibal’s taste at all. In fact, the cuisine couldn’t have been simpler even for Italian standards. It reminded him of Pizza Hut in the US and for him it was just fine. It served Will well enough. He ordered a pizza topped with French fries and he sat near the kitchen to make sure his suit was drenched with the smell of all kinds of scents that Hannibal hated - the smell of greasy food. Will was still shaking with anger and hurt at being cut out from the life of Hannibal like he wouldn’t matter to him anymore.The waiter came and served him his coke and later his atrocious order. Even the waiter in that shoddy little restaurant, had to wrinkle his nose at the atrocity Will committed in Italy and wondered why that man didn’t choose another restaurant worthy of a visit.Oh damn, the pizza was so good. Will’s mood lightened up while he imagined Hannibal’s face in disgust and contempt at the daring nerve of Will. He savoured every bite of it at the mere idea of his wrinkled noise. On purpose he ruined his suit as well.It was nearly sunset as Will finished his meal and left the restaurant and he made his way through the crowds of tourists, walking along the port, ignoring the beautiful sky and the atmosphere at this hour. Tonight, he felt like watching a bad movie - something that Hannibal hated, too. Knowing the city way too well already, he went to a cinema called Multisala Astra and looked at the programme. A B-side splatter movie was shown today. He had to grin. Well, to be honest he was currently really glad to miss out on the opera. He entered the building, making way to the box office then grabbed himself some popcorn before he followed the chatting people into the cinema hall.***He returned to the apartment with lifted spirits. Will was already looking forward to seeing Hannibal ‘s face at the horrible smell and the stains coming from his suit. Will turned on the light. No one was here, apparently Hannibal was still at the opera. In the meantime, he made himself comfortable on the soft brown leather couch in the living room. Guessing that the smell would disappear from the clothes he didn’t sit outside on the balcony but remained seated in the living room, drinking a glass of Scotch. Few minutes later he heard Hannibal‘s steps behind him as he opened the door.“How was the opera? “Will asked him, turning around to see Hannibal enter and remove his jacket.“It was a remarkable and outstanding performance.” Hannibal said shortly while removing his shoes, switching them for slippers. “And your evening? What did you do? “He seemed to ask rather automatically than in actual interest. “Have you calmed down? “Will shrugged his shoulders, gazing at Hannibal and sipped from his whiskey glass. It was his second one. He knew that Hannibal hated it when he drank too much whiskey - especially in his presence, so he did it on purpose. “It was alright.” His voice was smug.Hannibal lingered in the middle of the room, closed his eyes and smelt the appalling scents before he opened his eyes again, his face twitching in irritation and annoyance.“I thought you weren’t hungry when you left.” Hannibal’s voice was calm yet slightly angry at the discovery of Will cheating on,him, dismissing his cooking in such a disrespectful way.Will took another nonchalant sip before he answered. “Well, I got hungry along the way. Sorry.” He looked up at Hannibal teasingly and self-satisfied whose face grew blank at the sight of the stained suit, the smell of popcorn, fat and grease in his nose.He approached Will, his pace quick, threatingly and full of anger, coming to a halt before him sitting on the couch, struggling to keep composure.“So, you cheated on me.” Hannibal’s eyes couldn’t conceal the anger and hurt anymore.“For God’s sake, Hannibal, I just had dinner outside for one fucking time.” Will got up, pretending to act irritated. Inwardly he felt so satisfied at the reaction he evoked. Mission accomplished.For a moment the air was filled with electricity and silent threat. Will expected Hannibal to lash out at him. Strangle him or stab his heart before dismembering him.But nothing of that sort happened. His husband regained his calm and controlled composure.“Fine “, Hannibal just said, his voice and face expressionless, turning around and heading for the bathroom. ***Hannibal was disappointed at Will’s childish behaviour. He felt it was not his entire fault that their marriage went the way it did at the moment and that his husband was to blame as well. It was hard not to lash out at him after Will had dismissed his food just like he did in the past a few times. But he never ignored his efforts, his management of their household like this. No, Will went a tad too far according to his taste. He wanted to fix their marital problems, in fact he had a plan but a part of him also wanted to punish him.He ignored Will as he entered the bedroom and did not look at him as he crawled under the duvet. Both didn’t speak a single word and turned away from each other. An icy silence accompanied them. Hannibal turned the lights out.The next day, Hannibal returned to his old polite manner and prepared breakfast for him and Will, showing no sign he would still hold a grudge about what happened yesterday. He knew when Will would leave for his daily exercise at the swimming pool in the morning, for work and now long, he would need until he was back.Reviewing the visit of the opera the night before, Hannibal was currently giving thoughts to a younger woman with black curly hair, a pale face and red lips whom he had been chatting with now and then after the opera together with her husband, when recognizing her from his times in Baltimore. Luckily, she was friendly with Hannibal and would not betray him. After some conversations with both in between the breaks he made a discovery that could change the life of both Will and Hannibal. Besides, she would make a good bait to avenge himself on Will. He was also curious what would happen to see how Will would react when he was angry. A little payback for his behaviour yesterday.He hoped to see both again to pursue his plans so he would ask his friends and acquaintances who had attended the opera, who knew where she lived as he had been surprised to find them currently living here in Venice. In the evening after having dined with Will in silence, he left to meet her at her apartment and rang at the door. She was surprised at his visit but invited him in and he had quite a pleasant talk with her and her husband.Satisfied with what he had planned for Will, he returned to the museum the next day where he had assumed a post as a curator but luckily for him his working hours were quite flexible. Today he was grateful to have a task he could immerse himself into to get ahead of his schedule and to avoid his husband who would only work part-time fixing car motors in a garage somewhere outside the city.A week later it all had been set. In the morning when Will left for his training and work, the doorbell rang and the mysterious woman entered. A smile curled around his mouth. After a few more conversations, small talk and laughter they came to an agreement.***Will returned from his training at the swimming pool and the car shop. As soon as he entered the apartment, dropping his shoes and his stuff to the floor, he knew something was wrong. A heavy perfume hung in the air, spreading throughout the rooms. But it was most intense when he entered the bedroom. It must have been be one of a woman. What have you done, Hannibal? He clenched his hands into fists as he saw the messy sheets.Hannibal was sitting on the balcony with the wonderful view over Venice, drawing precise charcoal sketches, relaxed and smiling at the theatre play that was about to begin. He was looking forward to his small revenge and heard the younger man drawing near, smelling the sour and acidic smell of anger on him.“What’s the matter, Will? Did you have a bad day?” Hannibal asked smoothly while continuing to draw.“You better tell me!” The younger man hissed through gritted teeth, positioning himself in front of Hannibal in such a way he blocked the view at the houses of Venice, forcing him to stop drawing.“What should I tell you?” Hannibal asked him with an impassive face. Poor Will was bursting with jealousy. How cute.“That a woman had been here?”, Will answered, his blue eyes glinting dangerously.“Okay, what I did might have been wrong, Hannibal. But cheating is something I’d never do.” Will said, his voice bursting with anger.Hannibal looked up to him from his chair, acting as innocently as he could while gloating over Will’s anger just like Will took pleasure in his hurt the week before.“So, you accuse me of cheating, Will after you did the same last week?” Hannibal eyed him amusedly, taking a sip from his glass of white wine. “Do you have proof for your accusations?”Will hesitated a moment, realizing something, taking a breath to maintain the last bit of dignity before saying: "No, but I'm going to find it. You better prepare yourself."Hannibal smiled smugly at his remark and replied: “I have faith in you, Will."His husband gave him a nasty glance and made his way into the bedroom, checking each and every corner of the room for hints of infidelity. The smell of the perfume made him nauseous. He lifted the sheets, checked the floor for any hints or traces. He had been an analyst even though it’s been years since he worked in the field and was experienced enough. Will took a deep breath. He couldn’t find anything wrong. It seemed as if it had been planned as a ruse to make him angry.Jesus. The nerve his cursed husband had.As his eyes wandered along the spaces between the mattresses, he noticed that something was stuck in between. Will pulled it out. It was a black lace panty. Disgust graced his face as he grabbed it with two fingers, careful not to touch it. Anger rose up in him again as he left the bedroom as menacing as possible. Hannibal was going to pay for this.The younger man returned to Hannibal who continued his sketches, not even moving a little bit in his chair as Will stormed towards him and blocked the view again."I found something." Will said to him loudly and threateningly."Well, given your former professional background it would have been disappointing if you didn’t." Hannibal commented nonchalantly, turning around for the first time to scrutinise him with raised eyebrows, clearly amused."I found a lace panty." Will hissed and threw his evidence on the table.Will's face darkened as he lost his patience at the demeanour of Hannibal and he spoke in a loud and angry voice while pointing wildly with his left arm at him: “Okay. I’m done with you. I’m done with your bullshit. You ignoring me all the time, cutting me out of your life and sleeping with somebody else while the only thing I did was to have dinner outside to return the favour of how you treated me in the last months. I’m just over it , Hannibal.” With a dramatic gesture he removed the wedding ring from his finger and put it on the table before he stormed into the bedroom.The elder man, despite expecting him to get enraged was shocked at this gesture. “Will, wait...” Hannibal called, following him into the bedroom where Will furiously packed some clothes into a bag.“Let me explain, Will”, Hannibal tried to say but Will wouldn’t listen.“There’s nothing to explain, Dr Lecter”, Will snarled coldly, hurt and fury in his eyes.“You don’t want me anymore? Fine. But please tell me next time. And get out of my way. “Hannibal was blocking the door.“No, I won’t go.” Hannibal said decisively.“Please sit down and listen to me. “He grabbed Will by the shoulders. Will was not going to sit down as being told but he was listening attentively.“I must say I was really displeased with your rude behaviour, Will. So, I wanted to punish you a little bit.” He paused. “But I did not cheat you.“Hannibal said, his voice and face all serious."What about the panty? Someone had been here, Hannibal." Will hissed through gritted teeth.Hannibal had to smile. "Have you considered checking the label of the panty?" He asksd with his raised eyebrows.Will said nothing. "It was actually your size. I can’t believe you didn’t see this. "Will stared at him in disbelief,then snorted: " Jesus, Hannibal. What were you up to then if you didn’t cheat me?"Hannibal first lowered his gaze for some minutes before taking up his speech again:“I wanted to surprise you but now I see the timing was poor. ““Please continue “, Will gave back coldly.“Well, I was thinking about having a baby and engaging a surrogate mother. Mrs Carlton and I were just discussing possible arrangements this morning.”Will was completely taken aback but his heart made a leap. Yet he was still annoyed with him and remained unfriendly.“Wait, what? You can’t be fucking serious. This is illegal in Europe. How is this supposed to work? And isn’t it a bit risky for us? We‘re fugitives, god damn."Hannibal sighed at his use of language before giving him an elaborated answer.“I have known Mr and Mrs Carlton for quite some time from my time as psychiatrist back in Baltimore and remembered that his wife had been holding an important position at a surrogacy clinic.As luck would have it, I met her at the opera again last week. She is currently spending her holidays here in Italy. But do not worry – they are not going to betray us. They are good and reliable acquaintances as I have helped them out in the past. She ownes me a favour. ” He paused, waiting for a reaction of Will who showed none, still too awestruck and aghast.“I wanted to tease and surprise you, see?” Hannibal added softly.Will frowned at the revelation,the risk of exposure, not knowing what to think anymore. This was bizarre, touching and grotesque. But he should have known Hannibal for acting in such a weird way to face or end conflicts between them.“I’m sorry, Will. I truly am. We should have talked about all of this. About the way our marriage was going before I came up with that idea. I thought a child could bring us closer together but I never really knew how to approach the topic because of our silence. It was partly my fault. But remember, you cut me out of your life as well.”Will contemplated on his remark for a moment before coming to terms with what Hannibal had said. It was true that his behaviour hadn’t been the best either. Both could not play the victim here. His face, first full of anger and hurt at the idea of being cheated,softened to a tender expression. He dropped his bag to the floor, looking decisively into the maroon eyes of his husband.“Yes, I think we definitely need to talk about how to fix our marriage. Our communication is kind of...non-existing.” Will finally admitted in defeat, blushing in embarrassment and biting on his bottom lip."It seems we have a lot of work ahead of us", Hannibal replied calmly, making some slow steps towards Will until he was only inches apart from him and felt the heat of Will's previous anger and excitement radiating from his body.“And we need to solve this surrogate birth issue.” Will added warmly, his blue eyes glowing softly at the prospect of founding a family with Hannibal."Easy now. All good to those who wait." Hannibal chuckled and smiled at him. This time it was a rare, candid and sincere one which he had hidden away in the last few months.“I guess we need what most people do. Couple therapy.“ Hannibal added, watching his partner fondly who snorted out loud but agreed with him."Seems like we can’t evade it ", Will sighed.The tension in the air disappeared all of a sudden just like a thunderstorm would cleanse the air in summer.“Fuck, I love and hate you, Hannibal “, Will said to him before pulling him into an embrace and a fierce kiss.