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**I***
Will and Hannibal were not thrilled with the idea of a sleepover but finally agreed to one on Hanni’s eighth birthday. Daddy helped the kids build a snowman and then destroy it before starting a snow ball fight. Papa made them hot chocolate when they returned and didn’t say a word about the slush they dragged inside. He helped them make their own personal pizzas, encouraging them to try new ingredients but was not surprised when the children didn’t venture beyond peperoni and a few vegetables.
For Hanni, the best part was when his parents finally left them alone. He had invited four boys and two girls from his class and his fathers had allowed them to camp out in the family room. The furniture had been moved around and with the help of the two men, they had been able to build a large fort in the middle of the room. The children huddled together with their sleeping bags and flashlights, sharing scary stories.
The kids stayed up long past their bedtime. Will had to come in twice, first time asking them to get ready for bed and the second time to knock off the screaming and go to sleep. They lowered their voices and covered their mouths when they giggled, completely convinced that the adults in the house didn’t know they were still up. As hard as they tried, one by one, they started falling asleep not long after midnight despite their boasts to stay up all night.
It was around that time when Hanni felt someone touch his shoulder.
“Junior? Are you sleeping?” Sammy, one the girls, asked.
“No,” Hanni mumbled in denial, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “I wasn’t sleeping.”
“I’m thirsty,” she whispered.
“The kitchen is through the dining room,” Hanni told her, going as far as to point at the entrance of their fort.
In the light of the scattered, still lit flashlights he saw her glance in the direction he had pointed to and then back at him. “Can you go with me?”
He quickly got up, remembering what his papa told him about being a good host, and lead the way through the house. His parents had left the lights on in the hallways for bathroom emergencies and incase their imagination got the best of them after all the scary stories.
Hanni was a bit surprised when he saw the kitchen light on but was too tired to give it any thought. Inside he saw his daddy pinning Papa against the refrigerator, kissing him. It wasn’t the small kisses they exchanged throughout the day, but the kinds that only happened when he wasn’t in the room since they were always pulling apart once they were aware of his presence.
It took a split second for the two men to notice and for Will to jerk back quickly. He blushed and tried to cover it up with a forced smile. “Its late guys, what are you two doing sneaking around?”
“We’re not,” Hanni said, frowning at his parents. He was upset with them without knowing exactly why. “Sammy was thirsty.”
“Well, we must fix that at once.” Hannibal said, opening the refrigerator with a flourish. “There is milk, juice, some very refreshing water.” He looked away from the door and gave her a playful wink. “Wine, madam?”
She giggled while Hanni huffed, the annoyance only growing at their behavior. “Do you have soda?”
“I’m sorry, we don’t,” Hannibal said, having stood firm when it came to deciding on beverages for the party.
After a cup of milk, and a sleepy yawn from Hanni, they wished his parents a good night went back. Both fathers knew better than to demand a kiss while any of the boy’s friends were around. The glares had not gone unnoticed by them but they did not take it too personally. He was getting to that age where everything his fathers did was uncool and embarrassing, at least when other people were around to witness it.
“Do they always do that?” Sammy asked him as they walked down the hallway.
“What? Kiss?”
“Yeah,” she glanced over her shoulder to make sure his parents weren’t around. “Like that.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Hanni shrugged, the irritation quickly fading. “Grown-ups kiss all the time when no one is looking.”
“Eww.” Sammy scrunched up her face. “No, my parents don’t do that.”
“They do.” Hanni insisted. “Daddy said kissing is personal but sometimes it can’t be helped when you’re in love.”
“No,” She shook her head. “My parents never ever kissed like that, not even a little. Your parents are strange.”
“They aren’t!”
Sammy instantly regretted what she said when she saw Hanni’s face turn red. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”
The boy shrugged, looking away as he made his way into the darkened room but she grabbed his hand before they could go into the fort.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I really like your daddy and papa. They’re really nice.”
“It’s okay,” Hanni told her, though she could tell by his voice he was still upset. It was one thing for him to think his parents were lame but that didn’t give anyone else the right to pass judgment on them.
She wasn’t sure what else she could say to make him feel better so she didn’t say anything else, hoping that by morning he would forget and no longer be mad at her.
Hanni curled up in his sleeping bag as he thought about what happened. He fell asleep convinced that his parents were the worst at hiding their kisses and everyone else’s parents must have figured it out.
***II***
“You should ask Carrie to dance,” Will said, coming up behind Hanni and making him jump.
“Dad!” he looked around to make sure that no one saw or heard them. “No! I… I don’t want to dance.”
“Right,” Will said, unconvinced and resisted the urge to reach out and fix Hanni’s bowtie. “Let’s just stand here and stare at her. Good plan.”
He thought his son looked incredible adorable with his dark red shirt, black vast and shy, nervous fidgeting. As much as the night was out of his comfort zone, full of loud cliques, teenage awkwardness and mothers who weren’t shy about leering at him, he was glad he volunteered. He still believed an eighth grade dance was unnecessary but it would all be worth it if he got to watch his son have his first dance.
“Shouldn’t you be passing out drinks?” Hanni grumbled at him.
“Papa took over,” Will said, glancing at the refreshment stand to shot his husband a smile. “It’s the end of the year, what’s the worst thing that could happen?”
“She might say no,” Hanni whispered back, still refusing to look at his father.
“You’re handsome, you’re a good dancer,” Will gave in and adjusted the bowtie, smiling at how the boy squirmed. “There’s no reason for her to say no, and if she does, it’s her loss.”
“You’re supposed to say that, you’re my dad.”
“Listen up,” Will said, the firm voice making Hanni’s head snap up. “The things you will always regret most in life are missed opportune not the failures.”
“Daddy,” Hanni rolled his eyes but his smile took the bite out of it. “I’m not going to war.”
Will laughed. “Go, or I’ll hug you.”
Hanni shot him a murderous look as he started to walk away, only to be caught by the arm.
“Compliment her.”
“Dad,” Hanni growled, and pulled away without looking back.
He made it across the room with a confident stride only to falter when he was a few feet away. He might have turned back if she hadn’t noticed him and smiled, pulling away from her group of friends.
“Hey,” Hanni said, rubbing the back of his head nervously as he searched for something to say. “That’s a nice dress.” He winced a little. “I mean you look nice in the dress.”
She blushed, glancing down at it and then smiling at him again. “Thanks. I don’t usually wear dresses but I ….” She shrugged just as nervous as he was. “I like your bowtie. It’s really cool.”
Hanni smiled tensely, unsure of what to say next. He glanced over at his father without meaning to and got a pointed look and head tilt towards the dancefloor. He felt himself blush as he looked back at her.
“Want to dance?”
She shot her friends a smile before nodding and walked with him to the dance floor. The awkwardness quickly eased and they danced together for a few songs.
When a slow song started to play, Hanni hesitated.
“Do you want to sit this one out?” She asked when he didn’t move. “We can get some punch.”
“No, I think I rather keep dancing,” Hanni told her, shyly.
“Good.” She took a step closer and put her arms around his neck. “So do I.”
Hanni put his hands around his waist, keeping them a respectable distance from her hips. He was entertaining the thought of kissing her when she giggled.
“Your parents are so cute!”
Hanni’s head jerked in the direction she was looking and was horrified to see them slow dancing. It wasn’t proactive in any way, keeping a safe distance but still intimate as they swayed to the music, eyes locked on each other.
“Oh my god,” Hanni groaned. “I can’t believe they’re doing that.”
“What’s the big deal?” Carrie asked, still smiling. “Did you see Rebecca’s parents dance to that Timberlake song? She’s going to have to move and change her name. Maybe get a sex change operation. It was that bad.”
“Everything but that last part,” he told her, glancing back over at his parents so he could glare at them. “I can change my name to John.”
“Stop,” she laughed, “They’re really sweet. They must really like each other.”
“Yeah, a bit too much.”
He was hoping they would look over at him so he could glare at them and hopefully make them stop but they seemed to have forgotten anyone else existed.
Carrie shrugged. “It could always be worse.”
“How?”
“You could be dancing with one of them instead of with me.”
Hanni laughed, finally focusing back on her. “No, that might actually be the worst thing ever.”
Her smile was still shy but she pulled him just a bit closer. “I’m glad you asked me to dance.”
“Yeah, me too,” he told her, wishing the slow dance would continue for the rest of the night so he didn’t have to let go.
***III***
Hanni pulled on his tie and looked around the room for his parents. It was Bev’s wedding and though the invitations made it clear that it was an adult event, the fourteen year old was the exception. As much as he loved Beverly, he wished that hadn’t been the case. While it made him feel mature, he was also bored since it left him with only his dad’s coworkers for company.
If one more person asked him about school or being an FBI agent when he grew up, he was going to lose it.
“Can we go?” Hanni asked his dad as soon as the man set down.
Beverly had managed to convince him to dance with her, but thankfully she lost track of him after a minute. He had no problem dancing, but he preferred if it was Hannibal taking the lead. Brides tended to be at the center of the chaos as guests waited for their turn with her and he had used it to his advantage, slipping away towards the bar.
“Go?” Will asked, raising his voice over the louder than usual wedding music. “It’s not even ten. We can go take some of those funny pictures. I’ll make Papa put on a cowboy hat.”
Hanni only pouted, leaning against his father’s shoulder. “That’s for little kids and drunk guys. I’m bored and the food tastes microwaved.”
“Don’t be rude,” Will warned, smacking the boy’s thigh lightly. “And don’t let Beverly hear you say that.”
“Sorry,” He offered softy.
“All right, I’ll go find Papa. Do you want to come with me or wait here?”
Hanni shook his head, not in the mood to follow along as people tried to stop his father and pull him into the same brief, uncomfortable conversations until someone made a vague promise to contact the other person. If he had met them before they would coo at him about how big he’s gotten and marvel at his age as if he grew at an exceptional rate and if this was the first time they were introduced, he was sure to hear how they met his dad that one time in the field, years ago.
“All right, remember what we said. No alcohol, not even champagne unless it’s from one of us.”
Hanni rolled his eyes. “You do realize we’re in a room full of federal agents, right?”
Will shook his head, smiling as he got up, squeezing Hanni’s shoulder as went.
The teen took out his phone and slipped on his headphones as he waited for his parents to return. He hadn’t been on it long before one his ear buds were pulled out.
“You are such a teenager,” Beverly teased. “Come dance with me.”
“Or you can sit down and watch ‘Rick and Morty’ with me,” Hanni offered, kicking out a chair for her.
“Seen it,” she told him but took the vacant seat, exhausted but still full of adrenaline. “Not having fun, are you?”
Hanni winced, feeling guilty. “No, I am.”
“It’s okay,” Beverly said, giving him a wink. “These things are more fun when you’re old enough to drink.”
Hanni snorted. “Dad said not to take alcohol from anyone.”
“He would.” She laughed before narrowing her eyes on him. “But seriously, don’t.”
“I wouldn’t.” He smiled. “Unless it was from you.”
Beverly was the one to snort this time before looking around the room. “Where is he?”
“Looking for Papa so we can go.”
“Oh good,” she laughed, when he frowned. “I want you gone before we get to the garter part.”
“Gross,” Hanni said, making a face but laughing as well before pausing. “Wait, what are the chances one of your bridesmaids will catch it.”
“So gross,” She said, shaking her head. “It seems like just yesterday you were running around the yard in a pink tutu and now you’re thinking about feeling up my bridesmaids.”
“It was purple!” Hanni tried to glare, but couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “Papa said there’s nothing wrong with boys wearing tutus.”
“Yeah, take fashion advice from him.” she winked, and got up. “He was on the balcony the last time I saw him. You’re probably better off grabbing him and then circling back.”
“Wow, you really want to get rid of me,” Hanni said, getting up as well. “Maybe I should stay.”
“You don’t have the battery life for that,” she called his bluff with a head nod towards his phone.
“You win this round,” he told her as he reached over to give her a hug, holding on tightly. “Best of luck to you and super Special Agent Harris. Bring me back something cool from your honeymoon.”
The balcony was large enough for a few couples to have some pricey as they took in the city. Hanni found both of his fathers over to one corner, his dad on the railing and Papa between his legs. They weren’t kissing but their faces were close as they spoke to each other softly, Hannibal’s hands on Will’s cheek, while Will held on tightly to his jacket, keeping him close.
“Seriously? This is what you guys are doing?” Hanni’s voice was loud enough to cause others to look over as he came to stand by them.
“Who do you think you’re talking to?” Will asked, turning to glare at the teen.
Hannibal’s hands slid to cover Will’s and he gave them a squeeze. “Is something wrong?”
“Daddy said he was going to find you and that we can go home,” Hanni said, somewhere between being upset and uneasy, not fond of the look on his father’s face.
“That does not give you the right to talk to us like that,” Will told him, his voice remaining firm.
“We just needed some air,” Hannibal explained before the boy could mutter an apology. “Were you not enjoying yourself?”
Hanni shrugged. It might have been more fun if there were others his age or if he could have monopolized all of Beverly’s time. It seemed like the agents that he had known since he was a little kid could no longer talk with him like they used to, their conversations became more forced as they ran through the routine questions.
“My apologues, I should not have left the two of you,” Hannibal told him, throwing an arm around his shoulder and pulling him closer. “How can I make it up to you?”
“Taco Bell,” Will quickly said, and his smile only grew when his husband glared at him.
“It seems the fresh air did very little to sober you up.”
“Please, Papa?” Hanni begged, leaning against the man, his head on his father’s shoulder. “Please? We never have it and I’m starving.”
When Hannibal shook his head it was more in defeat than a decline.
***I***
Hanni Lecter looked around the park for his parents and finally spotted them not too far from a tree, his dad’s head in Papa’s lap. They were on a picnic blanket with a basket beside them, and seemed to be enjoying the last warm days of autumn before the weather could drop any further.
He had been planning to surprise them for weeks. Hanni was in his freshman year of college and lived just far enough that he didn’t have time to visit every weekend but close enough that he got to see them when he was in a need for a home cooked meal, help with his laundry, and other home comforts that he had taken for granted over the years.
People seemed genuinely surprised when he looked forwarded to going home for the weekend and came back without horror stories of being smothered and annoyed by his parents. He felt lucky for the relationship he had with his fathers. If he could be half as patient as his papa, half as understanding as his daddy and with just a bit of their brilliance, he could be the kind of man they would be proud of.
None of those things were present when he heard a man sneer a derogatory term while looking in their direction. He couldn’t help responding even though he was aware that the man was not speaking to anyone in particular.
“What did you say?”
The middle aged man glanced at Hanni, looked him up and down before sneering. “You heard me. Fucking queers. I don’t give a shit what they’re at home but I don’t want to see it.” He must have realized how weak his argument was because after a pause he added; “And there are children here.”
“Picnics? Are picnics going to be the final downfall of our great country?”
“Oh, you’re one of those.” The man rolled his eyes. “Hey, it’s not like I was going to go beat on them so I think I’m showing a shit ton of tolerance here.”
“Fuck off,” Hanni growled, closing the distance between them and finding himself in the man’s personal space. “Because if my fathers catch even a glimpse of you or hear your self-righteous monologue, I will burn you and make sure there isn’t even a trace of you for your family to bury.”
“They’re yours?” The guy asked as he glanced back at them. He tensed but did not backing off.
“They are,” Hanni said, giving him the most sinister smile he could muster. “And I showed a shit ton of tolerance here, don’t you think?”
The man grumbled something that might have been a passive aggressive apology, used to muttering things under his breath and never facing anyone those words were aimed at. He backed off and Hanni made sure to track his movements until he was out of sight.
He was positive his parents would be mortified and disappointed by his behavior. While there were words he could still not get away with at eighteen, neither of his parents thought words, like options, ought to be banned, no matter how offensive they were. It took him a while to learn to ignore slurs when they were intended for him but he couldn’t help being protective when it came to his parents.
He slowly made his way over, humoring himself with the idea of scaring them. He was about a few yards away, when he saw his papa’s shoulders tensed. He turned his head, and in the split second before Hanni was recognized, he saw flash of something cold. It was quickly gone and he brushed it off as his papa being cautious of strangers.
Will set up to see what got his husband’s attention and was on his feet a moment later, lifting the teen practically off his feet in a powerful bear hug.
“What are you doing here? Why didn’t you call?” Will asked without letting go. He pulled back just enough to see Hanni smile and then hugged him again.
“I wanted to surprise you,” Hanni told him, happy with his decision to come for the weekend.
“You’ve certainly succeeded,” Hannibal told him when he was finally allowed to hug the boy. He kissed the side of his son’s head before pulling back. “A very wonderful surprise indeed.”
“How did you know where we were?” Will asked shooting Hannibal a suspicious look.
“He didn’t know,” Hanni told him, taking a seat on the blanket. “He just told me you were going for a picnic and since you signed up for those two three hour lectures on Fridays in attempt to avoid having
to go in more than twice a week, I figured you’d stay close.”
“I’m also not fond of office hours, clever boy,” Will said as he handed over the picnic basket. “Are you hungry?”
“That’s usually Papa’s first question,” Hanni told him, reaching for the basket with more excitement than he had anticipated. His parents were more than happy to pick up his grocery bill as long as his money didn’t go to fast food restaurants but while he was able to impress his friends and girlfriend with his cooking, nothing compared to his father’s meals. He glanced inside and raised a brow at the man. “Duck? Not a picnic food.”
“Pastrami-spiced duck breast,” Hannibal corrected. “It is meant to be eaten as an open faced sandwich.”
Hanni shrugged, reached for the rye bread and piled on the duck, giving a happy sigh just moments after biting into it. “Not bad.”
“You honor me,” Hannibal replied dryly, but with his usual warmth as he pulled Will back against his chest. “You will be staying the weekend.”
“That wasn’t a question, was it?” Hanni said, smiling around a mouthful of food.
“Afraid not,” Will told him. “If you would have told me you were coming I could have had someone cover my classes. We could have gone to Wolf Trap, do some fishing.”
“Do not encourage him to skip class,” Hannibal softly teased, laying a kiss in the curls. “Set a good example for our son.”
“We would have taken you with us.” Will rolled his head up to peck his cheek. “Aren’t you tired of playing bad cop?”
Hanni snorted, covering his mouth as he swallowed. “Wait – that would mean you were the good cop?”
“You better believe it!” Will said, pointing a finger at him. “Or else.”
The teen snickered as he laid down on his side, taking a big enough bite to keep from having to reply.
“How are your classes?” Hannibal asked, trying to sound casual.
“No, I haven’t picked a major yet,” Hanni replied, thinking that he might have been a bit generous when he told his friends his parents weren’t the annoying type.
“It is not something to be taken lightly,” his father repeated the same mantra the boy had heard since the start of his senior year of high school. “You’re obviously not limited to one career for the entirety of your life but when I was your age-”
Hanni groaned, looking at his dad. “Help!”
Will only laughed. “That sounds like something a good cop-dad would do.”
“I guess this conversation can wait,” Hannibal said with a sigh, his hand running over Will’s arm before giving it a squeeze. “I did pack some treats.”
Hanni pushed the basket closer to them after making himself another open faced sandwich. There would always be room for dessert, no point of wasting perfectly good food.
When it came time for Will to start his second lecture he stood but told them to stay. “I’ll try to keep this one short, about two hours if I don’t get lots of questions. How about we meet at up then?” He glanced at Hanni after a look at his watch. “Or do you have other plans?”
Hanni shook his head, checking his phone for the time and any texts. “I’m yours. For now.”
“Lucky us,” Will playfully huffed before kissing his husband. “Behave. Don’t talk about school.”
He left them, glancing over his shoulder as he walked away. Hanni was practically a man but all Will saw when he looked back was the curly haired little boy trying to get more snacks than was good for him.
“So what shall we talk about if the topic of your future is forbidden?” Hannibal asked as he poured his son another cup of coffee from the thermos.
“I’m going to figure it out,” Hanni told him with a sigh. “What if I want to work in a bank?”
Hannibal was silent for a beat before pouring coffee into his own cup. “Perhaps a different topic would be for the best.”
Hanni chuckled over his coffee, wrapping his hands around the cup and bring it close to his face. It had been warm when he left, a superhero shirt over long sleeves had been enough until the sun hid behind some clouds. “October isn’t really the best time for picnics, just so you know.”
“Your father enjoys watching the leaves change color and the cold never seemed to be an issue.” He pulled off his jacket, and placed it over his son’s shoulders, silencing the protests with a look.
Hanni slipped it on, inhaling the familiar scent. “Picnics? Is that the secret to a long and happy marriage?”
“I have yet to find a problem that I was not able to solve with a good meal,” Hannibal replied with a self-satisfied smirk.
“No, seriously,” Hanni grumbled at him, snatching another glazed scone from the basket.
“Oh,” his father’s brows furrowed slightly. “I see. I imagine that ‘communication and honesty’ are also not the answers you’re looking for.”
Hanni shrugged, breaking off a piece of the scone only to have something to focus on. He had not come to ask for advice but seeing them in park made him think about his own romantic relationship. He wasn’t sure this was a subject he wanted to discus with the older man, and on a scale of awkwardness it ranked pretty high.
“Are you and Lacy having problems?” Hannibal gently pried.
“We’re fine, it’s just not like….” Hanni hesitated, before sighing. “You and daddy… You two have been together for so long and ….” There was a tense silence during which the refused to look up. “…. You guys are still really ….”
“Passionate?” Hannibal helpfully supplied.
Hanni couldn’t stop the involuntary grimace. “Can I change my answer?”
His father ignored the question, looking concerned. “Are we talking about the lack of passion or ability to perform?”
“Papa!” Hanni blushed as he looked around.
“There is a distinction between the two, one treated with simple medication that allows blood-”
“All right,” Hanni hissed. “I’ll tell you if you stop talking about erectile dysfunction.” He paused, watching his father patiently wait for him to go on. There was a moment of regret but he shrugged it off. If Papa couldn’t help him, no one could. “In the beginning we were …. We couldn’t….” Hanni gave an embarrassed laugh. “Can you fill in the blanks?”
“I don’t have to,” Hannibal said, just a trace of a smile on his face. “If the two of you actually studied as much as you claimed to behind closed doors, at least one of you would have been valedictorian.”
“Were you upset that I wasn’t?” The teen asked softly.
“No, of course not,” Hannibal told him honestly. He might have wanted to see his son at the podium like every other parent but it would not have made him any prouder of his son and how he had turned
out. “Tell me about how things are between you and Lacy at the moment?”
“Fine,” Hanni shrugged. “I thought that because we finally get to actually spend the night with each other that it would be….” He made a helpless gesture with his hand.
“More active?”
The boy’s sigh was the only confirmation that Hannibal got before he laid down on the blanket. “So what’s your recommendation Dr. Lecter?”
“Have you tried experimenting with different positions or perhaps role playing?”
“I’m telling Daddy,” Hanni said, closing his eyes. “This conversation is over.”
“It would be differently phrased and with more hesitation, but I imagine he would tell you the same thing.”
“Over,” Hanni said slowly just in case his father didn’t understand it the first time.
“What you’re feeling is common in relationships,” Hannibal said, not at all deterred by the attitude. “Life is not a romance novel,” he paused, raising a brow. “Or an erotic movie. There is a flow to all relationships and the real question is whether you have become complacent with one another or if the two of you are going through a momentary decline.”
“How do I know which one it is?” His son asked softly, opening his eyes to focus on the clouds.
“In a youthful relationship such as yours, you have to remember that both of you are still maturing. Time will tell if you are growing closer together or apart.” There was a pause that made Hanni glance over. “What I mentioned earlier still stands. Honesty is important. You would be doing a disservice to both if you were not honest about your feelings. Relationships cannot survive on nostalgia alone.”
Hanni didn’t respond for a while. He had been fortunate to grow up in a very loving household and he did not want to settle for the mundane relationships he saw around him. He wanted to be caught up in a moment, forget the world existed. He wanted passion that could not be contained.
“What if I never find something like you and Daddy have?”
“Sweet boy,” Hannibal said softly, his hand running over the soft curls. “There is no reason a young man your age should not be in love with a different person every week.” He chuckled when his son snorted in response. “Keep in mind neither your daddy nor I were young men when we met nor were we looking for each other.”
“Well I’m glad you two met each other,” Hanni said, smiling up at him.
“As am I,” he replied, bending over to kiss his forehead. “Besides the lack of intimacy, how is your relationship.”
“Sometimes we barely talk for days because we’re both so busy and when we have time off she wants to hang out with all our friends rather than alone.” He sighed, thinking of the quiet dinners where they were both guilty of being on their phones while the TV provided background noise to their meals. “Maybe I prefer it that way too.”
“If I was your doctor, I would advise an attempt to rekindle what you once had and accept whatever comes of that.” He had loved watching his son grow more and more smitten with the girl since the summer before his senior year, but he didn’t want Hanni in a loveless relationship any more than he wanted the boy to miss out on a chance at love.
“And as my papa?”
“Go fishing with your dad tomorrow, cook whatever it is you catch with me.” He watched the boy, too young, in his opinion, to be asking such serious questions. “When you return to your dorm, you will see if the separation made the heart grow fonder.”
“That sounds fair.” Hanni smiled. “Papa?”
Hannibal hummed in response.
“I’m telling Daddy you told me to sleep around.”
“That really isn’t necessary.”
“I think it is,” he said and laughed at what he hoped was a playful growl.