Chapter Text
Hannibal was beginning to become quite obsessed with a certain twitchy, anti-social special agent. During his sessions with other clients he would find himself tuning them out to a much higher degree than normal, spending more time in his mind palace. He would construct whole rooms for the man, some for his true dark nature, others for more intimate reasons. He had started forming a plan, one that winds Will up so he can watch him go. Hannibal has noticed that Will has been dealing with a particularly difficult case as of late. The meticulous planning has come to a precipice, now it's time to set it into motion.
Hannibal found himself impatiently waiting for 7:30 to roll around, sipping on wine and pondering on the demons Will would discuss with him this time. Ever since he smelled the sweet yet sickly scent of Encephalitis on Will's skin, he’s been bordering on desperate for a chance to poke and prod it until it worsens. The results he was seeing was the man's slow decent into psychosis. It brought out his darkness, and Hannibal wanted to stroke the flame every time it ignited.
Glancing down at his watch to note the time, it was 7:28. He rises from his desk, setting his glass down at the sound of rustling in the waiting room. With a quick stride, he reaches the door, opening up to Will's disheveled form. “Good evening Will” Hannibal hums, shifting to the side to let him into the office. Books, sweat, and a low quality cologne waft from the man's form as he enters. He must have come straight here from Quantico.
Will strips his coat off, hanging it up before going to take a seat. Hannibal can sense his tension, whether that be from Jack's demands or an incessant killer clinging to his mind was bound to come to light shortly. “This week has been a goddamn mess” Will groans, calloused hands rising to rub strong circles into his temples. Hannibal quite enjoys the more pathetic side to Will. He was like a tiger in a circus, a predator waiting for a reason to snap. Will clearly had the power to command, yet he forced himself to be a powerless creature. It was quite interesting to see this mask wax and wane. Hannibal felt warmth in his body at the notion of tearing it down.
“Well, let us discuss. Your eyebags betray a certain level of exhaustion” Hannibal starts, making his way to his seat across from Will. The other shoots him a look, his eyebrows pulled low to his eyes. There it was, the look Hannibal craved. Dark eyes that flash repressed rage, begging for a chance to appear.
“Oh wow thank you Dr. Lecter, for pointing that out” Will scoffs, he looks offended but Hannibal can tell it's a surface level reaction. Recollection passes over Will's expression as he recalls his day. “Jack barking orders as usual, a difficult killer that sticks around too long,” he pauses to crease his eyes closed, hinting at a headache towards his predicament, “It's been especially hard on my mind lately. I feel tired, like I'm in the Twilight Zone 24/7” Will mentions with a despondent look on his face.
While these stressful states entice Hannibal, sympathy pulls at him. It is quite beautiful to see Will suffer, though it shouldn't be at the hands of Jack Crawford. Jack is a demanding man, it's certainly why he’s tailored their relationship to strictly professional aquatintenses. “You seem tense. I'm sure that affects how well you're able to go into those killers minds” Hannibal presumes, he lifts a leg over his knee and leans against the arm of the chair.
“It's not quite ‘how well’. More like how much” Will seems frustrated with himself, Hannibal wishes he could be more kind to that aspect of himself. In reality his ‘condition’ was nothing bad, in fact it could make him powerful, it was his true form. Hannibal wished he could know that.
“Have you been getting lost? Do you struggle differentiating between reality and your empathy?” Hannibal navigates their conversation with poise, Will has made his distaste towards psychoanalysis very clear. He needs to keep him under the assumption that these are nearly conversations between friends, conversations that happen to dig into the man's mind from time to time.
Will didn't look reserved yet, he wore a contemplative face. “It's hard to be present after I enter their minds. The things I see, what I feel like I'm doing. When I leave a scene, I'm beginning to struggle separating myself and the killer, ” Will says while leaning forward against his knees and fiddling with his fingers. “I feel this innate fear, and it grows when I…” his face is pointed toward the ground, scruffy brown hair obscuring his expression. Hannibal cocks his head, he lets silence settle around them. He wants Will to know he has the space to be open. “When I realize that I'm more scared of what I'll become, not of the killer themselves” Will whispers, continuing to let his head hang low.
A thought crosses Hannibal's mind. He is a man that takes great care in constructing the image of his life. This meant avoiding certain impulses that enter his mind. Something about Will challenged this necessity. He wanted to take a risk, frankly he’d deal with the consequences as they arrived. “I may know of a relaxation technique that could help you” Hannibal says with a smile, struggling to hold back his true intentions.
Will finally looks up, a curious look plastered across his face. “What might that be?” Loosening up a bit at his statement, Will leans back into the chair. This was good, Will seemed interested in having some peace in his roaring mind. Hannibal was eager to give him that.
“I must preface that it is quite…unorthodox.” Hannibal places the lure, interested to see if Will takes the bait.
“Is anything we are doing here orthodox? We practically have a child and you're my therapist slash not therapist. I think I'll take a chance” Will seems resolute in his choice, which pleases Hannibal.
“Tell me Will, have you heard of a type of therapy called Sensate Focus?” Hannibal begins, relishing the slight widening of Will's eyes. “It is typically done in sex therapy, I believe it can help you feel more present as well as relieve your stress.” he continues, taking note of Will's small expression changes.
“So, you're saying I need to get laid?” Will says unseriously, Hannibal feels a possessive tug in his heart but he ignores it. The other man looks quite humored by this conversation now, leaning back in his seat casually. Little does he know how serious Hannibal is being.
“Not quite, I can assist in certain meditation practices. Sexual release is a powerful way of stress relief. I believe it might assist in clearing your mind, allow you to be more present in this moment” Hannibal chooses his words carefully, not wanting to come on too strong and frighten the man.
Will’s lips purse, he looks as though he is truly contemplating this idea. He seemed to be taking it much better than Hannibal had planned. “Elaborate on ‘assist’, Doctor” Will was testing him, what he meant by his phrasing. Hannibal was eager to continue.
Hannibal did not give much thought to sexual pleasure. It wasn't necessary to him, not that he didn't enjoy it when he partook but he did not actively seek it out. This was something new Will brought out in him, a unique sexual desire for another person. A desire not rooted in maintaining his power, it was a special, more human desire for another. “It is typically done between partners, it involves ritual touching to help each other be present during sex” Hannibal took a leap of faith with his rather crude wording. Will was the type of man to show immediately whether he liked or disliked something.
Will surprised him with a rather unexpected response, he looked lost in thought, genuinely thinking over his proposition. “Let me get this straight, you think that touching me sexually will make me stop thinking about killers?” Will stated matter-of-factly. He didn't seem disgusted at the idea, rather curious to see if Hannibal was being serious.
“I wouldn't put it in that crude of a way, but if it makes it easier for you to understand then yes” Hannibal was becoming bold, but it was so enticing, he loved seeing Will's mind try to construct what Hannibal was implying.
Will let a huff of laughter escape his mouth. “You did say something unorthodox. It's not at all what I was expecting” there was a pause before he started again. “You…are attracted to men?” Will said carefully, his pitch rising ever so slightly at the end of his question.
Hannibal smiles, let a chuckle flow through his nose. “It's not about sex, Will. It's about release, although to answer your question I don't have a preference for any one gender” Hannibals twists his words, trying to seem disconnected from the idea that they would be sexual partners for Will’s sake. “Are you?” his words are light, casual even.
“I've never given much thought to sex, I wouldn't be against it, I've just never been with a man before” Will then gestures between the two, “Would that not… compromise the nature of our relationship?” There is a hesitation in his voice as he voices his concern, it is quite delicious to hear. Hannibal smells the anxiety beginning to form in Will's scent as the conversation continues.
“As I have stated before, you are not my client. We simply have conversations. My intentions with these practices are purely to help you relax” Hannibal lets a white lie slip, this would partially be for his own pleasure. “We don't need to start today. Think on it and give me your answer on our next session” He finishes to allow Will the time to ponder.
Will’s lips purse as he thinks over the idea, Hannibal wishes he could be inside his mind, to see the cogs spin at his proposal. He comes back into himself, but he does not voice whether he is interested in the therapy or not. “I need to think about it. I've never considered any sort of sexual therapy but you are the expert here” Will's voice is contemplative, but he maintains eye contact with the doctor.
“There is no rush. I simply want to assist you in lowering your stress levels. What you experience now is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. What I am proposing may give you an anchor to reality” Hannibal comments, pleased that Will was not immediately turned off by his suggestion.
As Hannibal was about to continue, Will's phone rings out through the office. “Ah shit, I'm sorry. I forgot to put my phone on silent before I came in” Will seems embarrassed at the interruption. Hannibal bows his head in understanding as Will pulls his phone out. The man stands, walking to the window as his face distorts into an unpleasant expression at the caller. Hannibal presumes it is Jack, calling to whisk Will away to another crime scene.
Will's voice is laced with frustration as he talks to Jack. Hannibal thinks it's likely that Will thought he was done for the evening. Unfortunately, murder does not rest, and Jack is a very persuasive man. A minute or two later, Will hangs up, drudging over to the coat rack to grab his jacket. “I'm sorry Hannibal, it's so rude of me to cut our session short but Jack called. Says he was called to a grizzly scene and needs me there ASAP” Will starts as he flings his jacket over his arms.
“It is no problem, Will. I understand that duty calls” Hannibal says lightly, standing from his seat and walking over to the door. Will shoots him an appreciative look as he grabs the door handle and starts on his way. Before he can fully exit, Hannibal grabs his wrist with some force. Will looks back with shock peeking through a neutral expression. “Let this crime scene be a test in whether you want to take part in my suggestion” Hannibal lets out in a low tone, he can almost see the hairs on Will's neck stand at the statement. He gives him a curt nod and Hannibal lets go of his wrist. He watches as he disappears into the night, and continues to stand in the doorway as he hears his engine start and fade away.
It wasn't like Hannibal to allow rude behavior, but Will was beginning to change that. Instead of feeling his typical murderous intent rise at the impolite exit Will had just made, he sees it as an opportunity to begin creating a plan for Will's “therapy”. Hannibal goes to his desk, taking a seat and pulling out a leather bound notebook. He grabs his nearly empty glass of wine and goes to finish it while opening the book to an empty page. He begins to brainstorm all the things he wanted to do to Will, all the things he wanted Will to do to him. A cat-like grin grows across his face at the possibilities.