ᴄʟᴏsᴇʀ ʜᴀɴɴɪʙᴀʟ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ (Discontinued)

Chapter 7: Dinner

Play the song if you don't want to

Hannibal was no liar. It was almost as soon as you had managed to gather your sorts about you that you heard the sound of the doorbell and Will was led into the dining room. You felt your mood change when you both made eye contact. You were no longer flustered trying to make sure you were presentable, in fact, you felt the warmth between your legs return. Now that you thought about it, you wouldn't mind having both Hannibal and Will at the same time. You could see Will's beautiful face blushing down at you while you sucked him off and Hannibal took you from behind. Will seemed so sure of everything except himself most of the time and you knew you could put his mind to rest.

You and Will sat across from each other as Hannibal returned to the kitchen to finish those appetizers that he had abandoned to pay you more attention. Will was quiet and his eyes glanced around the room, refusing to look at you. Dear god, he was too precious. You knew he was feeling some bout of anxiety being here alone with you. You two never saw each other outside of work. You knew that Jack, Hannibal, and even Alana Bloom visited him often, but you never had the opportunity. But it didn't stop you from thinking about what it would be like. You imagined that you both might sit outside on your porch in the sunlight, enjoying tea. You weren't sure you even liked tea, but if it was what Will liked, then you would definitely try it. He had your number, but he never contacted you.

"So," Will started, clearing his throat a bit. He must've grown tired of the silence between you two. "Somehow Hannibal has managed to get all of us into the same room with the intention of keeping us for more than two minutes. I can only imagine what he wants to discuss."

You shrugged, maintaining a sweet smile and lifted your wine to take a small drink from it. "Do you think it's that bad, Will? I'm sure Hannibal thinks we could be the best of friends if he was so adamant about us having dinner together."

"Or he could just be trying to pick our brains apart at the same time since we're both coworkers." Will's tone sounded as if he would rather be anywhere else than here. And there was something in the way that he said "coworkers" that made something stir in you. It was slight anger. But you made sure that your face conveyed nothing but a smile still and shrugged once more.

"It could be worse." You replied. Hannibal was now walking into the room with the appetizer. When he lifted the steel top, you were greeted with the smell of roasted meat. You were amazed by how handsomely decorated the entire tray was. The meat was surrounded by greens and was so pleasantly presented that it could win hundreds of awards based on its looks alone. You heard Hannibal say the name of the dish, but it was French and you waited for him to translate it into English.

"These are lamb kidneys." He explained, serving you first and pouring you more wine. You had never had lamb before, let alone kidneys. Let alone the kidneys of lambs. But you knew better than to turn down such food from Hannibal Lecter. He would never steer anyone wrong with such fancy foods. At least you didn't think he would. "Fear not, (Y/N). Will has had my cooking before. I'm sure he could vouch for the food." You heard Will chuckle in sarcasm as Hannibal moved to serve him next. Then Hannibal served himself and you all began to eat.

You had never eaten anything as exquisite before. "This is so good." Was all you managed to say, trying not to talk with your mouth full. "Compliments to the chef." You winked at Hannibal. You looked back to Will, who was eating almost cautiously.

"I must say," Hannibal looked quite pleased with himself as he twirled his glass of wine just beyond his nose to smell it, then taking a small sip. "I do enjoy having the two of you in my company. Will tells me a great deal about the murders you are both trying to solve. One dealing with the Chesapeake Ripper and the other dealing with someone unknown." He looked to you, face stoic. You glanced over to Will, who was looking at Hannibal. It was a triangle of stares. You knew what Hannibal was doing, this was another game.

"Yeah..." You swallowed more wine. "It's not very easy with this other killer, especially since they haven't done anything since the last murder."

"I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they strike again." Will added. "Now that the Chesapeake Ripper has sent out a message, I'm sure the other one will respond soon." This reminded you that Will had no idea that who sat in front of him. And if Hannibal was actually the Chesapeake Ripper as you believed him to be at this point, then Will was conversing with the two people he was looking for.

"Be patient, Will." Hannibal was always so calm and comforting. "I am certain that your culprit will reveal themselves eventually. I'm even more certain that you're closer to them than you think." You sat silently and took another bite off of your plate.

You stayed behind to clean up the table with Hannibal after Will decided to take his leave. "You play too many games, Hannibal. It's as if you want to sell me out." You were drying some of the dishes as the man next to you washed them delicately. Why was everything he did perfect?

Hannibal hummed slightly, having a small smile. "I have no intention of doing such a thing, (Y/N). You should know that if I wanted to, I would do it without hesitation. But I prefer just to watch you squirm a bit." His dark eyes moved from the soapy dish to you. "There is a level of entertainment to it. Even you know this." And you did. You've done the same to other people. You did it to him when you both met.

"Are you the Chesapeake Ripper?" You brought yourself to boldly ask. Hannibal looked like he was in deep thought for a moment, trying to determine whether or not to tell you a truth or a lie. You sat the dish in your hands down into the dish rack and moved closer to him. "What you've said to me already and what you've done... I deserve to know who you really are."

"I would say that you already know the answer to your own question."

You touched his hand which was clenched in a fist as if somewhere within him he also felt the same threat that you did when he outed you. But his expression still held nothing but the same tranquility as it always did. "It's nice to meet you." You stood further onto your toes to place a kiss on his cheek. You had one final question for him, which had been pressing to everyone who had been investing the Chesapeake Ripper murders. "What do you do with the organs you take?"

You saw that devilish look appear in his eyes again. "I'm very careful about how I treat my body and what I put into it. I only take what I know will serve me best. You are among the many that enjoy what I serve as well."

"So," You paused briefly in order to find the words. "Those weren't lamb kidneys..." He waited for your reaction to be of something of disgust or at least discomfort at the very idea that you had consumed someone tonight. You ate the kidneys of the man he murdered as a gift to you. You took one of his meat cutting knives out from the strainer and held it firmly in your hand. Hannibal watched you intently and his face still read nothing to you. Without a word, you cut your hand open and pressed your finger into the blood before placing it to Hannibal's lips, smearing it. He smirked and took the finger into his mouth. "If you'll allow it, I want to hunt them for you. With you. Anything to be more than what I am."

Hannibal took your bloody hand and pressed his lips to the wound, whispering familiar words. "I will never forsake you." Your heart swelled. "But you must understand one thing." Hannibal's expression was more serious now, his lips and chin covered in blood. "You are not to bring harm to Will Graham. You may aid me in his manipulation, but he is ultimately mine."

"I would never dream of hurting him." You smiled and made your vow. All you wanted was for him to adore you, just as Hannibal adored him. How Hannibal might adore you