Chapter Text
And nothing can stop me now
There is nothing to fear…
When Will awoke, it was from a deep, restful sleep, so it was a slow process, but also a pleasant one.
He woke with a deep inhale, lying on his front on the bed, the length of his body flat out against the smooth sheet, cheek pressed into a soft full pillow surrounded by several others. It was fresh in the stateroom, a cool breeze entering and ventilating the space, ruffling Will's dried and very unruly curls against the pillow…and also bringing to his attention, from air ghosting over his personal places, that he was completely naked and not covered even an inch by the duvet bundled up at the foot of the bed.
Will didn't move to cover himself, unconcerned, he only smiled and brought his arm, the one at his side, up to join the other underneath the pillow he was lying on, folding his arms together underneath in order to bunch it up as he turned to rub his face into it, feeling giddy and relaxed…and free.
There was not a single worry on his mind that morning. He didn't have to worry about Maryland or Virginia, Jack or reporters like Freddy Lounds, police or enemies, he didn't have to stress about the size of Europe and where in it Hannibal might be, he didn't have to worry about maps and hotels and money and hisfuture, no more wondering where he'd end up if he'd never found Hannibal.
The only thing he had to wonder about right then was where they'd stop next for supplies, where they were ultimately headed and having to learn how to properly assist in managing the yacht.
They weren't concerns, just things on his agenda.
He'd found Hannibal and so there was nothing else he needed outside of that.
After about five minutes of enjoying the breeze on his naked body and waking up properly, enjoying the peace and quiet, the noise of the water lapping lightly against the yacht, he finally opened his eyes and decided to get up, rolling from his front onto his back.
Will groaned around a smile when the movement hurt in several places, intimate areas as well as unused muscles. He huffed a laugh at the pleasant ache before he stretched his body out against the sheet, long and satisfying. Afterwards he sighed, feeling happy, which was an unusual thing for him. Will rubbed his hands over his face and up into his hair before he looked up at his reflection, seeing a few red marks against his fair skin in various places on his body and noticing how comfortable he looked there, in Hannibal's bed…in their bed.
Will's smile lingered as he looked around the room, taking in the sight of it in daylight.
After a moment, he pushed himself to sit up, wincing as he did, and ran a hand back through his messy curls again. He noticed then that the breeze was coming in through the open door of the stateroom, filtering in from where the galley, salon lounge and the open glass doors were. He couldn't see Hannibal through the doorway but he wasn't concerned, he'd always assumed the man was an early riser and Will knew he was somewhere on the yacht.
He looked over himself and the bed then, they were collectively rumpled and in need of being cleaned and the thought only made him smile that much wider. Will couldn't remember the last time he'd woken up feeling that good, after sex or just in general. He licked his lips and absently ran his fingers along the inside of his thigh over a hikkie there, thinking over whether he should find Hannibal or shower first.
After a minute of deliberation, he decided Hannibal would appreciate him showering and being fresh, the man had such a sensitive nose after all, and Will knew –after sniffing himself- that he smelled of stale sweat and sex -Hannibal would probably be able to smell the semen on him too- and he didn't want to offend Hannibal's nose.
So he got off the bed, swinging his legs over on the left side and then he made his way into the en-suite.
Will relieved his bladder and then he took a fifteen minute shower, slightly longer than usual due to having to clean himself in a new way and then waiting for his semi-erection to go down. He'd been unable to help being turned on, when once he'd been vertical long enough, Hannibal's come had started to leave his body, slipping down his thighs obscenely.
After he washed himself thoroughly under comfortably hot water, Will exited the shower and lightly dried his hair and upper body with a clean towel –the bathroom having been freshly tidied while he was asleep- and then he wrapped it low on his waist before he picked up the toothbrush he'd used the previous night and he brushed his teeth.
As Will cleaned his teeth and brushed the back of his tongue, the thought of having performed oral sex on Hannibal the night before flashed in his mind, making him blush as he spat out toothpaste and smiled awkwardly to himself with foamy lips, shaking his head in mild disbelief that at the same time the previous day, he'd still been uncertain of whether he'd ever find Hannibal.
The day before almost seemed ridiculous right then…Bucharest of all places, Hannibal's high-end gangster person-suit, red haired Gabriella and a stupid damn video tape, the likes of which Will had no idea where it ended up, but he assumed Hannibal had probably tossed it overboard at some point, or he would if he hadn't yet, never to be seen again.
His smile fell away as he rinsed his mouth and when he placed his toothbrush back into the holder and shut off the tap, Will paused, water collecting in the seam of his closed lips and dripping off his chin as a crease formed between his eyebrows. Thinking of Gabriella made him angry, but not because she'd been Nigel's wife, that was the past now, Nigel was gone for good, but simply because his empathy had run rampant around her and it had all been bad vibes.
Her ill intentions had been so poorly concealed, it had been easy for Will to intuit that the likeliness of her betraying Nigel had been unsettlingly high. So obvious in fact that he didn't know how Hannibal wouldn't have seen it himself, or if he had seen it, how he had been able to let her get away with it.
He stood up straight and wiped the majority of the water from his mouth with his hand, his eyes distant as he considered that maybe Hannibal –Nigel- had known her intentions, or at least suspected, but hadn't been concerned about her getting it right. Or maybe he'd believed he could change her mind? But no, Hannibal wouldn't have been so foolish…
Will honestly had no idea, and he'd never know unless Hannibal told him.
But Will wanted Nigel to remain a closed book, he didn't want to bring it up ever again.
Will sighed, shaking his head and deciding that it really didn't matter anymore. He was with Hannibal now and nothing would separate them again, save for death.
This was it. Will wanted the happiness and the freedom to be his true self.
He'd wanted Hannibal and now he had him.
He and Hannibal had consummated their relationship the night before and it had been perfect.
Whatever pain Will had felt along with all the pleasure, even the fear and the overwhelming moments of it, all of it had been better than he could have imagined.
Nigel was forgotten by the time he left the stateroom, and wearing only the black towel around his waist –because what need did he have for modesty or shyness after what he and Hannibal had done the night before- he made his way up the few steps into the galley.
Will glanced around, noticing yet again how stunning the interior of the yacht was before he made his over to the expensive designer express coffee machine that looked like something a barista would use. It was nothing like the fancy old-style vacuum coffee maker Hannibal had used in his kitchen back in Baltimore, but in its own way, it was typically Hannibal. Set just in front of the machine was a glass-steel coffee mug already filled with steaming hot coffee –which meant Hannibal had probably heard Will in the shower and had made it for him- and next to the mug was a matching sugar container and spoon. There was no milk or cream laid out, but then, Hannibal knew Will never took either in his coffee.
Will stirred in two sugars before lifting the mug to his lips and sipping the heavenly liquid, because of course Hannibal had the best coffee ever, he always had.
Will set the spoon into one side of the empty double sink as he glanced around the empty salon lounge, taking another sip of coffee before walking through the lounge and out through the glass doors to the back of the yacht. Will closed his eyes and inhaled deeply as the ocean breeze passed over him, catching at the water in his hair and the droplets clinging to his skin. The sun was shining down on him, but he didn't feel hot, in fact, the weather felt just right.
He reopened his eyes after a moment, sipping his coffee again as he noted that they weren't moving. He glanced out at the water then and saw that they were floating a few miles out from the shore of a city along the coast. The water was dark blue under the sunny, cloudless skies, but it got lighter, shallower, in the distance nearer to the land where Will could see buildings and a beach front and much further down the coast was a large marina.
He brought the cup to his lips again, about to sip his coffee when Will heard the sound of disturbed water and frowning, he stepped out further to look over the back of the yacht, down at the swim platform. He smiled then, against the rim of his cup as his eyes fell on Hannibal, who had just pulled himself out of the water.
Will lowered the mug as he looked over the length of Hannibal, who wore nothing but a pair of black swimming trunks that were now clinging to his wet body. Water ran over his skin from his hair and shorts as he stood up straight and slicked his wet hair back from his face with both of his hands. At that point, he saw Will and a small smile stole across his face, one that spoke of a quiet but deep happiness much like the sort Will was experiencing.
Will couldn't help smiling as well, grinning actually and blushing too, so he looked away for a moment and tried to cool himself down. Seeing a folded towel lying on the deck sofa, Will picked it up and when he looked back at Hannibal, the older man had opened the small gate and stepped up from the platform to where Will was standing.
"Good morning." Will said, as he held the towel out to Hannibal, taking another sip of his coffee.
"Just about…" Hannibal responded, taking the towel with a nod of thanks and letting it fall open before dabbing it over his face and neck, "…it's nearly noon." he informed, running the towel over his hair and then dropping it back onto the seat.
Will raised his eyebrows and shook his head, glancing down at his coffee,
"Wow, really…" he sighed, "…sorry about that." He mumbled and ran his free hand back through his slowly drying curls.
But Hannibal remedied that by stepping closer, into Will's personal space and Will immediately looked at him, his head titled back just so to compensate for their slight height difference. Will swallowed lightly as Hannibal placed his hand at the side of Will's neck, his cool hand contrasting Will's warm skin, and he leaned in…but then he paused, his lips inches from Will's.
Will nearly asked why he'd stopped, but then he thought better of it, deciding rather to take the initiative. So he leaned in the rest of the way and pressed his lips to Hannibal's, placing his free hand on Hannibal's side, on his bare skin still cool from the ocean water. Appeased, Hannibal took control of the kiss and licked his way into Will's mouth and for the next minute he lavished Will's mouth with attention, his nearest hand sliding into Will's hair to entangle in his curls –Hannibal seemed to enjoy doing that- and the other settled on Will's lower back, pulling Will closer as he teased his fingers along the low waist of Will's towel.
When the kiss came to a natural end, their lips still touching and breaths mingling, Hannibal swallowed and moved his hands so they were both settled on Will's waist,
"No need for apologies, I was perfectly content to let you sleep." he said quietly, sincerely.
Will didn't know what to say so he chose to press another kiss to Hannibal's lips, a sweeter kiss, and Hannibal responded accordingly, not looking for anything more than what Will offered, a slow, soft press of their lips before parting again.
Will cleared his throat then, feeling heat rise all along his chest and up to his ears as he idly moved his fingers against the skin of Hannibal's side, trying to –once again- cool himself down.
Will wasn't used to having such strong emotional reactions to anyone, least of all those of a romantic kind, but Hannibal had always been an exception and this new territory in their relationship was no different.
"So, uh, where are we?" he gestured to the shoreline with his coffee cup, which he'd been holding to the side.
Hannibal stepped back then and turned around to observe the distant beach,
"That would be Mangalia." and Will found he was both relieved and disappointed by the given space, the casual closeness was overwhelming but not in a bad way, he knew he just needed to get used to it and he really wanted to, "It is the last major city we will pass on Romania's coast before we begin sailing the coastline of Bulgaria." he explained, standing beside Will, their bare shoulders almost touching.
Will raised his eyebrows, sipping from his nearly finished coffee before speaking again,
"Are we going ashore?" he turned to look at Hannibal, noticing the water that had collected in the shallow hollow of his clavicle,
"For some supplies, yes, but also…" he looked at Will, who looked at him and stopped staring distractedly at his wet skin –Hannibal's skin that had always been so covered up in suits-, "…I had hoped we could eat. Mangalia has many beautiful beaches and several seaside restaurants, and at this time, there is little else but coffee on board." He informed, smiling slightly, "I can prepare dinner for us tonight once we've purchased provisions, but perhaps you would be amenable to a traditional Romanian lunch?"
Will wasn't sure why Hannibal was even asking him, he was fine with practically anything, but he nodded anyway,
"Of course…" he laughed lightly after finishing his coffee, "…I'll let you order though, I don't know anything about what's good in Romanian cuisine." He admitted.
Hannibal didn't seem surprised, just amused, because it was still countryside Virginia-Will after all.
Another fresh breeze moved over them in their moment of silence, unsettling Will's hair and Hannibal seemed to get caught up watching him before he leaned nearer and nuzzled his nose into Will's hair, his lips pressed lightly against Will's temple.
Will swallowed and exhaled shortly, trying to manage his oversensitive reactions to Hannibal's light touches, but Hannibal was bound to notice,
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" he asked quietly against Will's temple, a note of dismay in his quiet tone.
Will panicked at hearing it, he didn't want to give Hannibal the impression he wasn't happy to be there, so he reacted quickly, shaking his head and turning to face Hannibal properly,
"No…no it isn't that..." he said firmly, looking up at Hannibal, "…it's the opposite in fact, but…I'm…" he sighed, "…I'm still not, I guess, I guess I need to get used to it…" he trailed off, lowering his head and staring at the space between them, "…I need to get used to…so badly…wanting you to touch me that it, well, i-it trips me up." He confessed quietly, feeling inarticulate and nonsensical.
Hannibal sighed then, but it wasn't with irritation like Will expected, it actually sounded like relief. Hannibal took Will's face in his hands then, and raised it so they could look at one another,
"If that is all, then we will be fine."
"We'll be more than fine." Will interjected quickly, his green-blue eyes fixed on Hannibal's day-lit brown eyes, his hand returning to touch Hannibal's side, just a bit lower on his waist so that Will could feel the clingy, thin material of his shorts.
Hannibal nodded once, satisfied with Will's answer, and his hands slid to settle on Will's shoulders,
"More than fine, indeed." He said quietly, and Will knew he heard sentimental emotion in Hannibal's voice that time.
Will didn't even know how to begin comprehending the nonviable feelings Hannibal seemed to have for him. So he decided to lighten the mood again and changed the subject,
"Do you have a plan for where we end up, or will we be living on this yacht for the foreseeable future?" he asked curiously. Hannibal glanced down to Will's hand before he took the empty coffee cup from him,
"While sailing is an excellent private mode of transportation, considering the distance we'd have to travel to get to where we need to, I would not advise it," He was saying as he went inside to the galley, "it would simply take too long. It would be easier to sail to Varna in Bulgaria and then catch a flight. I will have the yacht shipped to our final destination once we've settled." He had deposited the mug in the sink and was walking back toward Will.
"That sounds very expensive." Will commented, and Hannibal looked unimpressed. Apparently Will mentioning money wasn't something he approved of, so Will shrugged it off and rubbed the side of his face, "And where is our final destination?" he asked as he folded his arms across his bare chest, self-conscious again as Hannibal's eyes moved over the length of his body.
Hannibal once again met Will's awkwardness with bold contact, having been reassured that Will didn't mind, he moved confidently, walking over and standing behind Will, sliding his arms around Will's waist. And Will was forced to trample down his nervousness, because his body reacted with butterflies and warmth when he was pressed back against Hannibal's bare chest.
Hannibal was nosing at the hair behind Will's ear when he answered,
"Thessaloniki, in Greece. It's a beautiful city, reasonably modern, diverse people and interesting places. You'll find there is plenty to do in the way of entertainment, for my tastes and yours. We have a villa waiting for us in the south, removed enough from people so that we'll have privacy but within short driving distance of the city center."
Will's heartbeat picked up several paces at hearing Hannibal use the word 'we', but he tried not to overreact or point out that he felt like Hannibal was being too generous, he knew the man wouldn't appreciate it, so he kept it to himself while feeling quietly elated. He knew about Thessaloniki, it was massive and one of the more prominent places in Greece, it also had a healthy influx of tourists, while not strictly being a tourist city, and there was a lot of foreign student travelers as well, so people could go missing here and there, so long as Hannibal was careful –which he always was- and didn't leave any kind of serial killer signature –which Will would insist he didn't- it probably wouldn't stand out much.
Will raised an eyebrow, quite comfortable with his own train of thought concerning Hannibal's homicidal tendencies, and he felt even more comfortable the longer he was leaning back against Hannibal,
"It isn't exactly a place one would overlook on a map, Hannibal." He voiced his primary concern, because it had been a city on Will's list when he'd been looking for Hannibal, which meant if police were ever looking for them, it might come up.
"I find hiding in plain sight often works better than attempting to hide one's self away completely." He said surely, kissing Will's ear and making him shiver lightly as he placed a hand on one of Hannibal's forearms around his middle. Hannibal knew better than Will on the subject of evading authorities anyway, so he wouldn't argue, the man had been hiding in plain sight all his life after all.
So Will conceded with a small nod and smiled,
"It sounds amazing, Hannibal." He sighed and shook his head lightly, "It sounds unreal too, actually."
"I assure you, Will, it's very, very real." Hannibal said in a low voice against Will's ear, his hands sliding to splay out on Will's bare stomach, "And if you find you aren't happy in Greece, you need only tell me and we will leave." He kissed Will's neck then and inhaled against his skin, and Will swallowed against the emotions rising in his chest and throat along with aroused heat as his body reacted to the touches, "Anything you want that is within my means to give you, you should consider it yours." Hannibal finished.
Will was reeling slightly, he certainly didn't feel as though he deserved anything he wanted. But again, saying that to Hannibal felt selfish somehow. For the longest time Hannibal had expressed wanting to run away and be with him and this was probably what he'd always meant, he wanted to give all of this to Will. So Will ignored his doubt about his own worthiness, knowing at least, that he would never take advantage of Hannibal, but that it would be wrong to turn his gifts down completely. He squeezed Hannibal's forearm then, feeling downy hair and muscle under his hand and he aimed to be funny when he said,
"What if I'd like a new pack of stray dogs?" he was smiling as he placed his hand over one of Hannibal's and for the second time, Hannibal linked their fingers, making Will inwardly giddy.
There was barely a beat between Will's comment and Hannibal's answer,
"Then it's a good thing that the villa is in the suburbs, with an enclosed property and plenty of yard space." And Hannibal said it so seriously that if he hadn't had his arms around Will, he might have fallen over.
Will couldn't help it then, he had to say something, Hannibal was being ridiculously accommodating,
"God, Hannibal, you can't jus-…"
"I can…" he cut Will off, kissing his neck again, squeezing their fingers together, "…and I intend to."
There was no room for argument in Hannibal's earnest words and Will huffed, smiling and defeated, as he turned around to face Hannibal, tossing any nervousness he'd been feeling aside and bringing his arms up around Hannibal's neck as he kissed the older man. It was sweet, just lips at first, but gradually it became heated, Will sliding his fingers through Hannibal's wet hair while Hannibal's hands stroked over his back and sides and waist. Will was really enjoying it too, kissing Hannibal so openly and not in the enclosed space of a room, because he could, because it would be his life now, he'd be living as Hannibal's romantic partner and he looked forward to it. He moaned softly when Hannibal's hands settled on his ass over the towel and he brought their hips together. Will could feel the older man's hardening cock between them and his own was just about the same.
Hannibal drew back from the kiss not long after that, taking in a deep breath,
"Perhaps we can continue this when we get back.…" he said in a raspy tone and Will was listening, still pressing kisses to Hannibal's neck, but listening, "...we still need to go ashore, we have a lot to do and it's getting later." He pointed out, his hands settling on Will's waist again.
Will groaned against Hannibal's neck and continued to hold onto him,
"I really shouldn't have slept so damn late…" he complained, inhaling the scent of saltwater on Hannibal's skin, "…I was just so exhausted." He admitted.
Hannibal hummed, and circled his arms around Will again, holding him tighter,
"Unfortunately I can't take all the credit for your exhaustion, we both had a long day." His voice became low and suggestive, "However, I'm certain that won't be the case in future, I will do better."
Will grinned against Hannibal's skin,
"I don't know…I feel really well done." He said with a crooked grin, knowing the cooking pun would amuse Hannibal.
And it did.
The cannibal in Hannibal laughed darkly, but the lover in Hannibal pressed a few slow kisses from Will's neck and up along the side of his face before he sighed, sounding just as content as Will felt.
His tone was disbelieving when he spoke against Will's forehead,
"Will…?" he said quietly, and it sounded like a question, one that Hannibal had asked many times and Will had always denied him the answer to.
It was the question Will had been uncertain of the answer to for the longest time.
But he wasn't anymore.
Will immediately thought;
I'm here to stay. This is real. We will be together.
I'm in love with you.
I need you.
I won't leave you.
Yes.
I'm yours…
And when Will closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Hannibal's lips, he responded with raw honesty, spoken with a tremor in his voice, he said the only thing that was a sufficient answer,
"Hannibal."
And everything I'd ever want
Is inside of here