Heart Still Intact

8. Cold, Cold Water.

Will dreaded the moment he would have to eat. While he may have evaded food before, Hannibal was going to persist with dinner and Will had the feeling that Hannibal would go so far as to shove the food down Will's throat if he resisted. Knowing Hannibal and his dinners, Will knew that there would be some sort of meat element. That also meant that there would be a salad of sorts. Will knew that he had to eat something at some point, Will decided to simply survive by eating the vegetarian components of the dinner.

Unfortunately for Will, dinner came too soon. Within no time, Hannibal walked into the room, more of a cage in Will's mind, a large tray in his hands. There were two plates, one for him and one for Hannibal. With a frown on his face, Will eyed the tray, his stomach giving mixed feelings. Sure, he was starving but his appetite was slowly decreasing. The profiler sat on the bed, legs crossed awkwardly, the chain restricting movement.

Hannibal slowly approached Will, his steps slow and reassuring. Sitting on the opposite side of the bed, Hannibal placed the tray in between them.

Will glanced at the plate, surprise overcoming his face. There was not a single piece of meat. Looking up at Hannibal, Will found an incomprehensible emotion in the doctor's eyes. For the first time, Will was confused about his feelings.

"After today's predicament, I thought it would be best to skip any meat and base the dish solely on something that you would be comfortable with," Hannibal spoke, cutting through the thick atmosphere. He continued to watch as Will tried to understand what was going on.

"Why?" Will managed to mutter, his eyes flitting from Hannibal's back to the plate.

"Is it so hard to believe my words when I say I do not want to see you in any discomfort?" Hannibal asked, indirectly mentioning his motives while asking a question. Of course, Hannibal would answer a question with a question of his own.

Confusion still etched on his face, Will tried his best to see if this was part of Hannibal's plan. After staring into Hannibal's eyes for a long time, Will decided that Hannibal seemed to be sincere. A part of Will knew that he had seen that sincerity before it could simply be Hannibal tricking Will.

Hannibal nudged the plate towards Will before he began eating. It was unusual for Hannibal to start before his guests but the circumstances were unusual as well. Watching for a few minutes, Will picked up the fork, stabbing the neatly chopped potato before taking a bite. As always, the food was immaculate yet Will couldn't help but feel an immense amount of guilt overcome him. After all this time, he had been enjoying the meat of the very people he was supposed to save.

Flashes of all the crime scenes that had been by the Ripper crossed Will's mind. The sudden urge to throw up also crossed Will's mind but the profiler controlled himself. He shut his eyes in an attempt to frown everything out.

After around thirty minutes, Hannibal had finished with his food but Will was far from over. Realising that he couldn't eat anymore, Will pushed the plate away from him, mentally bracing himself for Hannibal's comment.

Wordlessly, Hannibal picked up the plate, expertly juggling everything he brought into the room with his hands before walking out. Will was grateful that Hannibal knew better than to bring it up. Will took this moment to process what was happening. Everything was confusing. One minute, he was with a serial killer that showed no mercy to any soul, next thing you know, Hannibal's sacrificed his love for meat, human meat, so Will wouldn't feel uncomfortable. Now that Will thought about it, Hannibal hadn't demanded anything of Will. He didn't yell at him. Hell, so far, Will has been living lavishly more than he did before.

Before Will could spend more time thinking, the door opened once more. Hannibal walked in with a tray and a small bag in his hands. Placing the tray on the bed, Will found two small ramekins of pudding. Will wasn't sure. They looked like dessert.

"I brought you some clothes," Hannibal spoke as he gestured to the bag in his hands. Will could sense the hesitancy in his voice. Something others wouldn't have noticed but Will wasn't some random person. "I didn't have the chance to get your clothes."

Will knew what he was trying to say. He was going to have to wear Hannibal's clothes. Will didn't really have a problem with that. He was dying to get out of the clothes he was wearing. It had been days since he had changed out of them.

"Thank you," Will muttered as Hannibal placed the bag on the bed. It didn't escape Will how Hannibal kept his distance, not daring to come within 2 feet of Will.

"I truly apologise if that may make you uncomfortable. The moment I am able to, I will find something that will be more to your physique." Hannibal apologised, that sincere look on his face returning.

It angered Will. It confused him to the point he almost believed the look on the doctor's face. Almost.

Muttering a quick thanks, Will grabbed the bag before rushing into the bathroom. He knew it was rude to do so but he was desperate to get out of the clothes he was wearing. After the closing the door, Will stripped out of his clothes- there was some struggle because of the cuff but within a few minutes, he was under the shower. Instead of his usual scalding hot showers, Will stood under the icy cold water, hoping that it would shock some sense into him. Some primal part of him begged to accept Hannibal's affections. The doctor seemed sincere enough for Will to forget the horrible things Hannibal had done, yet, deep inside, this justice-seeking creature couldn't help but want to see Hannibal behind metal bars. As he moved, the metal chain clanged against the cabinet, reminding Will that he was a hostage. All he had to do was find his freedom. That's all that mattered.

After spending a satisfactory amount of time under the water, Will grabbed the towel that was hanging and began drying himself. Turns out, Hannibal wore clothes three times Wills size, leaving the pants he had hanging loosely around his waste. The fabric was quite soft- as expected of Hannibal's clothing. The t-shirt shrouded the profiler's body, hanging just above his knees. Will couldn't help but gawk at how small he looked in the doctor's clothes. He felt as if he was being wrapped in ridiculously soft blankets.

Gathering his wit and courage, Will placed his hand on the bathroom door, watching from the little gap to see if Hannibal was there. Luck didn't want to side with Will as he saw Hannibal seated on the bed, his nose buried in a book that Will had picked up from the study table. Usually, Will would annotate his books, filling the margins with whatever thoughts flitted across his mind as he read the words. Will didn't know if Hannibal would mind Will tarnishing the pages with his endless thoughts.

Walking out of the bathroom, he felt the doctor's gaze follow him as he walked towards the bed. In Will's hands were his old clothes. Hannibal would probably burn them. Can't leave evidence. Shame, Will always liked the shirt.

"I realise you haven't annotated this book," Hannibal spoke, his eyes glistening with curiosity. "I always enjoy reading the little bits of information you leave behind. Don't hesitate to write on any of the books here."

Will didn't answer. He didn't know how to. All he did was place his clothes on the bed before he crawled onto it. He could feel the exhaustion creeping up on him. The profiler didn't even do much work but then again, the constant fear and panic would cause even the mightiest warriors to be desperate for sleep. Laying back against the headboard, Will watched Hannibal. Neither of them said a word. They had nothing to say. Everything had already been said and done. Now, the only thing left to do is try and find out the reasoning behind their words and actions.

"Now what?" Will asked, eliciting a head tilt from the doctor. "You've fed me, given me a change of clothes. Now what?" Will repeated. Part of him was curious, begging to know what would lie next. Yet, he wished to remain ignorant. To avoid knowing his fate. To simply live in the present.

"We will stay here until everything calms down and then, we shall travel," Hannibal explained. There was still some secrecy to his words, leaving Will desperate for more clarification.

"Where?"

"Where do you want to go?" Hannibal asked, his body leaning towards Will.

That primal part of Will wanted to lean closer. To seek the warmth that emanated from the doctor, but, like always, he refrained from doing so. Will remained where he was, pressed against the headboard. Keeping as much distance from the doctor as possible. Will didn't even bother to answer. He simply watched as disappointment filled Hannibal's eyes. He also watched the mask of indifference replace the disappointment. After all, the doctor wasn't one to be easily disappointed.