*casually writes a shitty fic for @dancey94 ‘s birthday* HAPPY VERY EARLY BIRTHDAY i haven’t written anything Hannibalesque in like 2 years i’m sorry this is terrible i hope you have an amazing day
Already halfway to his car, Will turned around, alerted by Hannibal’s voice. He was running towards him. He seemed to have left the kitchen in a rush, still wearing an apron and no sign of a coat, no matter how cold the wind was in the night. He finally joined Will who hadn’t moved, and took a minute to catch his breath, hands on knees.
Hannibal looked up. “I insist. You should stay.”
“What?” Will asked, confused. He frowned. “You crossed your entire front yard to say this? I already told you, I don’t think I’d be good company. And I’m sure you have enough guests to take care of already.”
“I had second thoughts. I’d really appreciate if you stayed. We could enjoy your wine together.”
Will gripped his keys in his hands harder, disconcerted by the words. “I—”
“I can ask my guests to leave, if they make you uncomfortable.”
‘That’s not— What? You have more than ten people in there —”
“—And you hired waiters and chefs.”
“They already have been paid, they’ll be more than glad to leave earlier than planned.”
Will stayed silent. He could sense that Hannibal would never let it go. And he also could see his lips losing their colors, and the man shivered. “You’re going to get pneumonia if you stay outside.”
“Come with me inside, then.”
It made Will smirk, and he shook his head. “Why are you so persistent tonight?”
“I should have been more persistent before. I wanted to be. It would have been less confusing for you. For both of us.”
“I…,” Will swallowed dry. “I really can’t stay.”
His heart missed a beat. He wasn’t expecting this from the doctor. “I… can come back,” he tried. “In a couple of hours. I need to get gas and—” He cleared his throat. He knew Hannibal would never believe his lies. “Hopefully most of your guests would be gone by then.”
This whole conversation was surreal.
“Ok,” Will said in a small voice.
They both stayed silent for a few, long seconds. Hannibal was still smiling while he was observing Will’s eyes, who couldn’t just avoid eye contact right now.
The freezing wind hit Will’s face. It made him shudder. “You should get back inside.”
The said man took a step forward, bodies now so close Will could feel his warmth all around him. “I probably should,” he almost whispered.
They gazed at each other for a moment. Will couldn’t help but notice the doctor licking his now dry lips. He couldn’t look away, lost in this sight, until he felt a cold hand pressing against his cheek.
The sharp keys in Will’s hand were now hurting his palm.
“Don’t make me wait, Will,” Hannibal said in an even lower voice. He softly brushed his skin with his thumb, before finally letting go. “I’ll see you soon.”
He crossed his arms and turned away, quickly making his way to the warmth of his home.
Only when Hannibal closed the door Will remembered how to move.
As he was getting into his car, he thought the evening would be interesting.