An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
It’s not easy growing up as Will Graham. It’s almost as hard being his father.
The words circle around him, over and over, sing-song in pitch, demanding his attention.
His back’s pressed to the schoolyard wall, his knees drawn tight against his chest, his eyes scrunched shut to keep them out. It doesn’t help. It never does. In his head, he can see the letters stretch and flex, dancing to the rhythm of the chant with gleeful grins. The light through his eyelid dims as the figure leans closer, blocking the sun. The words are louder now, warbled almost at his ear, crowding him, close and personal.
He opens his eyes, clenches his fingers into a fist and punches upwards, smashing his hand into the face above his own.
Many thanks to @crystalusagi for all her beta work and advice, and to @iesika for checking on the details of the US southern vernacular 😊
So, sorry for taking forever to write this. Hopefully it turned out okay. @today-in-fic
Prompt: “Are you drunk?”
… . .
“Mommy, mommy!”
Scully grunted as the force of a sixty-pound child launched itself against her petite frame like a meteor hitting the earth. Will’s elbow jammed sharply into her ribs and she coughed in response as her arms wrapped around her lanky son.
He was crying, pressing his face into her blue cotton pajama top. Her seven year old clung to her for dear life causing her motherly instinct to return the gesture instantly. She smoothed his unruly brown hair that came from his father. She kissed his neck and rocked her baby. “What is it, Will?”
“Dad.”
“What about dad?”
“Dad is dead.”
“What?”
“Daddy’s dead. He won’t wake up.”
She stilled her son’s wild actions by cupping his tear-streaked face. “Ssshhh, baby,” She whispered. “What do you mean?”
“I went downstairs to get a glass of water and I saw dad dead on the couch,” he hiccupped.
She frowned. Mulder told her he would be home late, or not all, depending on the circumstances. “Go back to bed, Will, I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“But what if he is dead?”
“Well, it’s a good thing your mom’s a doctor.”
“You cut up dead people.” His cherub face contorted into a grimace before a new horror dawned on him. “Are you going to cut up dad?”
“No, no!” She sighed and carried her seven year old awkwardly back to his bedroom. “You’re getting too big for me to carry you, Will.”
“Hmph.” She eased him back onto the bed and he crawled back under the covers. “Are you sure dad isn’t dead?”
“Yes. He probably bumped his head is all.” She kissed his moppy brown locks. “Good night, sweetie.”
“Night,” he replied hesitantly. “Mom?”
“Yes, William?”
“Are you sure dad isn’t dead?”
“Positive. Make him take you to the Nationals game tomorrow if he isn’t and spend the entire day with you.”
“I’d like that,” he mumbled.
Scully tucked her son back in and pushed the wispy strands before shutting her son’s door behind her. She paused, listening for any noise downstairs until she heard a mighty loud snort followed by a snore. She relaxed and ventured down the stairs to their living room and saw Mulder passed out on the couch. She kneeled over him, gently stroking his short hair. “Mulder,” she whispered.
“Hmph.”
He twisted on the couch and Scully smiled, kissing behind his ear. “Mulder, come on, let’s go to bed,” she urged. She grabbed his arms and shifted him upright. “Come on.”
Mulder shifted upright and smiled goofily. “You know what, Scully, you’re my favorite Scully.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Are you drunk?”
“Still drunk,” he corrected.
“Were things with my brothers that bad?” she asked.
“Oh, no. Bill loves me now, you know. No more Sorry Son of a Bitch Mulder, no ma'am. He finally likes me, Scully. And Charlie. I like Charlie. But I still got the best Scully, Dana Scully that is.” He pulled her down onto his lap and hugged her against him. “Dr. Dana Katherine Scully is the best Scully in the world.”
She chuckled and patted his hands. He reeked of beer and she was glad things finally went well between him and her brothers. “Where are my brothers?”
“Oh? Hm. I took a cab.” He paused in thought before nodding in confirmation. “Yeah, I took a cab. Charlie passed out on your mom’s couch. Bill said something about going torpedo hunting with Tara. Your mother was…I think asleep. I don’t know. But I don’t do torpedo hunting. We like to hunt for the truth.” He lowered his voice conspiratorially. “The truth is in you, Scully…”
She kept herself from laughing out loud so she would not wake William. “Our son thought you were dead. Came crying to me and everything.”
“Hmmm.” He sobered slightly. “Sorry.”
“Just make sure you tell him your head is okay. You need to take him to a baseball game tomorrow.”
“Do you know how hard it is to get tickets?” he whined, nuzzling her neck sleepily. He let out a deep breath as he got comfortable and prepared to sleep sitting up with Scully in his laps. “Hm. You’re comfortable.”
“Mulder, not here. Let’s go to bed. Come on.”
She pulled his lanky form up and he wrapped his arm around her sloppily and smiled. “You’re still my favorite Scully, Scully.” He kissed the top of her head. “Dr. Dana Katherine Scully, best Scully in the world.”
“Just don’t go around telling my brothers, you’ll make them jealous.”
“There isn’t enough of Foxy Fox Mulder to go around to share, sorry.”
“I’m glad you did this tonight, Mulder,” she whispered as they went up the stairs. “It means a lot to me.”
“Anything for you, Scully. I may regret the hangover in the morning though.”
She chuckled softly as she guided her drunken Mulder back to bed with her.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapter Summary: Will recalls a quiet day on an empty country road, a day that would set the course of his life and undo the first latch on a locked and lethal door, and Hannibal wakes up on the wrong side of the bed.
Story Summary: Hannibal and Will are dispatched to a sleepy beach town in south Georgia where a killer shark is terrorizing the citizens. Smelling blood in the water, Hannibal sees an opportunity to draw Will further into his world, but he’ll need the right bait to catch the luckless FBI agent
Beta’ed by @wolftrapqueen27.
New to the story? Start at the beginning here.
Chapter 17: The Things We Covet
A chorus of cicadas chittered in the trees singing harmony to the gravel crunch beneath the Chevy’s worn tires as it bounced down an old logging road. Will lay at the bottom of the truck bed clutching his knees to his chest dreading the moment when the truck would roll to a stop deep in the heart of Bayou. Two choices lay before him, both alike in dreadfulness, so Will did what he always did in these cases and retreated inside himself. Safe within the replayed memories of happier times—long days at the library, Sundays with Dad at the boat yards (when he was sober), fishing...well, maybe not fishing. Not today and perhaps not ever again after what had happened.
Will felt the truck shift gears and slow as his dad pulled the vehicle into a thick copse of trees; he clutched his knees tighter. ‘Run!' Common sense told him when the truck came to a complete stop. ‘Run now before it’s too late!’ But there was that other voice urging him to stay. Its reasons were logical too: ‘your dad will beat you if you run; where would you even go; child services will lock you up for what you did (or didn’t do); you can't escape...not ever, not you,’ but Will knew they were only excuses. He had another reason for staying, simple curiosity, and it weighed on him heavier than all the rest. Was Dennis going to die?
‘Of course he was going to die, stupid!’
There had been blood all over the beach, so much blood. Dennis needed a doctor, but there were obviously no doctors out here. Yeah, Dennis was sharkbait.
What happened to people when they died? At nine years old, Will had only seen fish die, but fish weren't people. Would it be different? Feel different? Suddenly, Will needed to know more than he needed to be safe. Slowly he uncurled his body, and like a little garden snake, slithered up to the cabin window as quietly as he could manage.
There was a post going around yesterday about Will Graham's childhood and his relationship with his father. So I woke up with this morning with a head full of thoughts about kid!Will. Now I have to decide whether to write it and get it out of the way because it will be short, or finish my current WIP first (not to mention the Murder Family fic I called a halt on when I started writing for Ravage).
Except it's never really a choice, is it? I've already written the start, and the end, and bits of the middle.
The words circle around him, over and over, sing-song in pitch, demanding attention.
His back’s pressed to the schoolyard wall, his knees drawn tight against his chest, his eyes scrunched shut to keep them out.
It doesn’t help. It never does. In his head, he can see the letters stretch and flex, dancing to the beat with gleeful grins.
The light through his eyelid dims as the figure leans closer, blocking the sun. The words are louder now, chanted almost at his ear, crowding him, close and personal.
He opens his eyes, clenches his fingers into a fist and punches upwards, smashing his hand into the face above his own.
The words are gone, instantly, and there are drawn-out seconds of silence as the blood rushes from Caleb Harris’ nose, smearing over his chin and dripping onto the grubby white of his T-shirt. And then his face scrunches up and he turns and runs, footsteps fading into the dirt, leaving Will to sit and enjoy the peace.
There are two drops of blood smeared across his knuckles. He lifts his hand into the sun, the colour leaping vivid as he twists it into the light. It’s the cleanest red he’s ever seen, a pure bright hue, untouched by the summer dust.
The moment’s there to replay in his head, the short, sharp impact of his hand that brought the quiet.
Seven year old Will Graham tilts his head back to the wall and he smiles.
Some AU where Scully and Mulder actually get to raise Will.
She hated to socialize with the other moms but it seemed almost a requirement of raising a seven-year-old. Especially summer pool birthday parties when both Scully and her son Will were both forced into it. Will had enough trouble making friends and fitting in at school, preferring spending time reading books. Who does that remind you of, Scully, Mulder would tease gently. She shook her head as Will looked up at his mom in dread. “Do we have to go, mom?” he whined, holding the small wrapped present in front of him like a shield.
She placed her hands on his shoulders, smoothing an errant piece of hair, before nodding. “Yes. It’s the polite thing to do,” she said.
She failed to mention that the birthday invitation almost came in the mail addressed to her with a small note. ‘Dana- I did not want to exclude Will, especially after how Jamie treated him last year. Maybe this will be a new start. - Julie Vernes’ and a child birthday invitation was enclosed. She brought it up to Mulder that night in bed.
… .
“Why,” he had said, “I don’t see what the problem is. It will be good for him.”
“This is the same Jamie who gave Will a black eye in December.”
“Well, Will defended himself.”
“By giving Jamie a black eye the following week after he got picked on again. Who taught him that?”
“Must have been his mom.” Mulder pulled down their comforter. Scully rolled her eyes and crawled into bed with him. “Look, it will be good for him. Will needs more friends besides his books. He is too much like us, Scully. He is a loner.”
“Since when are you all proactive dad?”
“We have to balance each other, Scully. I’ll pick up a present tomorrow, okay? It’s just for an afternoon.”
… .
“Dad put you up to it, didn’t he?” Will ask, his blue eyes searching his mothers. “That’s why he dropped us off, right?”
“You are too smart, you know that? You get that from me.”
Will gave a weak smile. “We could still leave.”
“We can at least stay for cake,” she soothed. “And then we’ll go to Barnes and Noble and we can pick you out a new book.”
“A chapter book?”
“Anything you want, little bullfrog,” she soothed. “Let’s get this over with, okay?”
He nodded and let his mom guide him into the pool clubhouse that was decked out in all sorts of X-Men decorations out to the pool deck. Mother and son saw the herd of mother’s by the table of presents and cake and all the boys in the pool roughhousing. “Mom, I don’t have my bathing suit,” he mumbled under his breath.
“I know, baby,” she whispered. “I’ll get it taken care of.”
“They’re going to make fun of me. Maybe I can hide in the bathroom.”
“Don’t worry, honey. We’re used to this.” She kissed the top of his moppy brown hair. “Why don’t you go say hi to the other boys and I’ll make a call.”
“We can still go to the bookstore.”
“Afterwards, I promise.”
She pushed him gently towards the other boys as she took the present and went to the other herd of moms. Introverts must have been a genetic trait between both of them. She was hardly the typical mother. Her and Mulder remained unmarried, and although, they talked about, still had yet to decide on anything. She was a doctor and FBI agent, Mulder still remained as an agent too, and they now both taught together at Quantico. They were hardly a normal family.
Slowing her pace, she drew out her phone and dialed a number she knew by memory.
“Mulder.”
“Mulder, it’s me.”
“What happened?”
“I forgot his swim trunks,” she whispered.
“I’ll be there in ten. Try not shoot anybody, Scully.”
“You’re staying too.”
“Scully, we both agreed…”
“You are not leaving me or your son to suffer,” she hissed in a whisper. “Besides, I might really shoot one of these…moms.”
At this point, Julie, Jamie’s mom spotted her and raised a hand with a wine glass to her in greeting.
“And their drinking, Mulder. What mother drinks at her son’s birthday–”
“I’ll be there in five, Scully.”
She hung up the phone and forced a smile she used to have when she would question suspects. “Dana! Hi,” Julie said, smiling.
“Hi,” she forced the smile.
Julie grabbed Scully’s arm and dragged her to the rest of the other moms. “Everyone, this is Dana, Will’s mom.”
“Oh,” they all cried. “Hi.”
Jesus, Scully thought, this is worse than Arcadia.
A brunette, also with a wine glass smiled. “So, Dana. You’re Will’s mom? What do you do for a living? I heard you’re very busy.”
“I am an FBI agent,” she began hesitantly, her eyes scanning the pool to see Will sitting by himself. Her heart broke.“I teach pathology at Quantico.”
“An FBI agent,” someone said. “What does your husband say about that? If you ask me, a woman has no purpose carrying a gun.”
Jesus, shoot her now. Scully was tired of hearing the same thing after fifteen years. “Well,” she began hesitantly, “I’m not married. Will’s father…he’s an FBI agent as well. We work and live together.”
“So you never married?”
“We didn’t. No.”
“How come?”
“I’ve been waiting for the right moment to ask her.”
Mulder’s voice filtered like a wave of relief. She felt herself relax when he placed that familiar hand on the small of her back and kissed her sensually. She pulled back slightly and smiled at him. Mulder turned to gaze at all the moms. “Sorry. Little emergency. Scully, where’s our son?”
She nodded to the pool area and Mulder kissed her soundly before seeking out their son.
A blonde woman, at least a foot taller than Scully raised an eyebrow. “That’s Will’s father? That is your…”
“My partner,” she smiled, suddenly finding the courage to smile and feel smug.
“Hm.” She licked her lips. “Does he have a brother?”
Mulder overheard the last comment and glanced at Scully regain the confident attitude she had all those years of the x-files with him. His eyes found his son. “Will,” he called softly.
Will looked up in surprise at his father.
“What, Wet Willy? Your daddy have to come rescue you?” one of the boys called.
Mulder said nothing but held his hand out to his son. “I got what you forgot,” he said softly. He passed a small grocery bag to Will. He kneeled in front of his son. “Give 'em hell.”
“Mom would punch you if she heard you talking like that.”
“Will, remember all those stories that I told you of me and mom that I am not supposed to? Chasing monster, saving the world, and me getting the girl?” William nodded. “Well, you are the son of to kick butt FBI agents. Don’t forget that.”
“They don’t care.”
“Will, brag,” he whispered to his son affectionately. “What else have I told you?”
“Fake till you make it,” he whispered.
Mulder nodded. “Except you don’t have to fake it. You’re our son. Go get changed and give 'em hell, William. I have to rescue mom from all those other moms.”
He smiled and ran to change, despite the lifeguard’s whistle. Mulder stood up, gazing at the flock of woman surround his Scully. He strolled casually, pushing his way through the throng of mothers to reclaim his partner and securing her safely at his side. She gazed at him quickly and he quirked a small smile, telling her everything she needs to know. "So, Fox, Dana tells us you both teach at the FBI Academy,“ one mother said.
"Yes. I can’t she can’t seem to keep me out of trouble and she insists having me close,” he teased. Mulder nuzzled her hair, nudging her to look at their son as he continued with the conversation with the herd of moms.
Scully smiled, seeing Will dressed in his swimming trunks and jumping into the pool with a resounding cannonball. She strained to hear the conversation. “Wait. Your parents are FBI agents, Will? That’s so cool.”
Scully looked at Mulder and he smiled, kissing her quickly. “You think this is crazy, wait until I tell you how we met.”
… .
Will was soaked, drenched from the pool with a large beach towel engulfing him as he struggled with his seatbelt. “I had such a great time! Mom, you should talk about the monsters more often! I didn’t know you saved dad so many times!”
“I didn’t really.”
“Scully, you did.”
“Okay. Maybe once or twice.”
“The guys were so amazed. Today was awesome.”
Scully took Mulder’s hand from the center console and held it. “I’d say,” Scully replied, gazing at Mulder.
“We’re still going to Barnes and Noble, right?”
“Anything you want, bud,” Mulder smiled, squeezing Scully’s hand.
A/N: Born out of the X-Files Rewatch chat tonight. I actually rewatched Bill Nye on Netflix for the first time in forever to get in the mood. Fluff AU with Scully helping Will with his science homework. Tagging @today-in-fic and @fictober
Scully sat at the kitchen table with her seven-year-old son with a pencil in her hand, slowly pointing at each word as he sounded it out. "Mag...magnet is a rock," William spoke slowly, unsure, "mag...mag..."
"Magnetism," she corrected slowly.
"Magnetism is the fo...fo..."
"Sound it out, Will," she encouraged.
"Magnetism is the for..force that comes from magnets." She rubbed his back soothingly as he leaned forward, focusing on the sentence. "It can attract or..re...repel. Mom, what's repel?"
"To push away."
"This is dumb," he huffed. "I can't get it."
"Magnetism is important," Scully began. "The Earth has too magnetic fields at the north and south poles. That is what a compass reads when you're lost."
"You could just use a GPS like grandma has."
"Well, it is still important. Science is important."
"Science is dumb. I don't get it." He kicked his legs angrily. "Can I watch TV?"
"Not until we get this homework done," she said. "Do you want to take a break and stretch your legs?"
"I can watch TV?"
"No," she sighed. "Go out to the backyard, walk around a bit. It'll help clear your head."
Will slid off the chair and mumbled, "I wanna watch TV instead."
Scully pinched her nose. Her and Mulder had an agreement. He helped with the English and history homework, she helped with science and math. Unfortunately, their son lacked any interest in homework and preferred to keep his face buried in books or watching 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' over and over again. She got up, heeding her own advice and walked across the living room, and knocked on Mulder's office door lightly. She opened it without preamble.
"How goes the science homework?" he asked, spinning around in his chair.
Scully rolled her eyes. "You didn't hear?"
Mulder smiled softly at her. "He doesn't have his mom's love for science, does he?"
"I can't get him interested. It's like pulling teeth. He would rather just watch TV."
Mulder moved his chair side to side in thought and shrugged. "Let him watch TV then. PBS? Remember the Magic School Bus and Bill Nye the Science Guy? They still do reruns."
"William will not watch that," she sighed. "Anything that involves science he won't come near with unless he has a cross and stake."
"Gets that from me," Mulder grinned.
"Shut up."
"Bill Nye is on in a half hour, Scully. Let him watch it."
"Mulder..." she began. "How do you even know what time a kid's show is on?"
He shrugged. "I get bored with you at the hospital all day. What do you have to lose?" She arched her eyebrow quizzically and licked her lips in thought. "Scully, don't tempt me, especially with the little guy still awake."
"It wasn't my intention," she defended herself, "maybe tonight, after he goes to bed..."
"When you admit I am right?"
"Shut up, Mulder."
"Mom," they heard their son yell, "I'm back!"
"Try it, Scully. If not, you just rot his little brain a little more with television."
She took a deep breath and called, "Will, let's watch some tv. There's this awesome show I want you to watch."
Mulder smiled to himself and went back to his writing as Scully shut the door behind her. She saw her son arch an eyebrow, identical to hers, suspiciously. "Why?"
"Because maybe we could use the break. What do you say? We can make some PBJs and watch it together?" She smiled, doing her best to cajole her son.
"Dad's more convincing when he wants me to do something," he said with a shrug. "But I want Sprite with my PBJ."
"Deal," she sighed. Sometimes she forgot how much Will was the best and worst of both of them.
An hour later, cuddled together on the couch, Will watched in fascination with his mother as the zany theme music ended Bill Nye the Science Guy on PBS. "That is science," he asked her, looking up in disbelief. "Electrons are really everywhere? Even on me right now?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "But physics is a little far advanced for you right now."
He shook his head like he had heard the most absurd thing. "Is all science like this?" He looked to Scully as she nodded slightly. "So, if we got magnets off the fridge right now, I could make them push each other away?"
"So long as they are facing the same polar ends," she reminded.
William had already slid off the couch and dashing into the kitchen. "Dad! You gotta check this out!"
Mulder emerged from his office, spying Scully still sitting on the couch with a smug smile on her face. He matched her grin. "Coming, Will." He paused to look at his partner and chuckled. "Great, now those two scientists in the family."
"Not always a bad thing, Mulder," she replied, getting up. She took his arm. "Let's go see our newest junior scientist."
He laughed as they trailed into the kitchen to see Will perform his magnetic experiments.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 10/?
Fandom: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter, Alana Bloom/Will Graham, Will Graham/Beverly Katz, Will Graham/OC, Hannibal Lecter/OC, Alana Bloom & Margot Verger
Characters: Will Graham, Will Graham's Dogs, Alana Bloom, sassy science team - Character, Jack Crawford, Helen OC, Hannibal Lecter, Franklyn Froideveaux, Margot Verger, mrs komeda, Tobias Budge, Lucian Graham!OC
Additional Tags: kid!AU, Gothic!AU, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Kid!Will, adult!Will, adult!Hannibal, Paternal Feelings, Gaslighting, Emotional Manipulation, Manipulation, Amusement Parks, fun house, Crime Scenes, Nightmares, Sickness, maternal feeling, Jealousy, poessivness, crazy shit in general, Creepy Fluff, stuffed animals, daddy kink?, kid!oc, opera - Freeform, horror opera, Murder, Hauntings, verger estate, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Male Homosexuality, Adoption
Excerpt:
Time slowed to where the physical paused and sound shifted as Will’s eyes focused on Helen. He blinked slowly as a single thought was in the forefront of his mind- evil was stalking Will Graham. Mesmerised by Helen’s hand as it reaches up from the photograph and gripped his wrists with a strength no child or adult possessed pulled him into the scene. Will’s shocked expression was reflected by Matthew as he grabbed Will’s shoulder, anchoring him to the car. Will winced and pulled his arm back as Helen continued to tug Will in toward Helen. Frustration contorted her face as Matthew hissed for her to let Will go. Will knew his arm was going to be dislocated if this continued. He glanced toward the front seat. Lucian’s attention was focused on the road ahead.
Will whimpered when he was thrown off balance as the car suddenly turned sharply around a corner. It dislodged Helen’s grip. Lucian paled and grabbed the handle above his seat with a “Christ woman! This ain’t Nascar!” Will took the opportunity to roll down the window and to throw the photograph out. Will rubbed his arm. His attention was drawn to Matthew who looked every bit the scared boy that he truly was underneath the smug teenager he projected to the world.
Will jolted from his thoughts when the car came to a sudden stop at a gate. Mrs. Komeda rolled down her window and spoke with the man inside the office. He smiled and opened the gate to let the car through. She glanced at Lucian.
“I thought we would have lunch at my house. I have a very good cook, and I know how picky Hannibal is about his diet and Will’s I assume as well.”
Lucian grunted in response. Will smiled in spite of himself. It was his Dad’s standard reply when he couldn’t bring himself to be polite. He imagined Lucian had a running commentary in his head with several expletives about what he thought of Hannibal’s pretentious diet.
They pulled into a garage and Matty darted out of the car before the motor was even turned off. He stopped to pull Will with him. Mrs. Komeda scolded him for not waiting and to “let that poor child undo his seat belt before you hurt him, Matthew!” though Will managed to unbuckle himself without his arm being pulled out of his socket.
“Sorry, Will. Hurry up! We can go to my room!”
“You mean that disaster area you call a room,” scoffed Mrs. Komeda.
Matthew rolled his eyes, grabbing Will once again to run toward his room. Will heard a voice yelling not to run but it did not affect their actions. Matthew banged the door open as he kicked his way into the room. Mrs. Komeda was not exaggerating. There were piles of clothes on the floor and toys strewn everywhere. Matthew was kicking some into a pile for a path to his computer area.
“You could hide a body in here.” Will mumbled.
“Yea, but the smell would give it away.”
“Are you sure about that?” Will scrunched his nose as Matthew laughed.
