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“Now let me tape on those wings of yours darling,” Hannibal’s hands smoothed across Will’s shoulders as the older man grabbed two white angel wings that were covered in feathers. Will did his best to stand still as Hannibal gently pushed the wings into his back. After a moment of silence where the two held their breath, they both heard the sound of the tape attached to the wings slowly ripping from the fabric of Will’s shirt, and before either could speak in disappointment, the cheap wings fell to the floor unimpressively. Hannibal looked up at Will.
“This is the last time I let you get the costumes,” Hannibal smirked as he bent down and grabbed the wings.
“You wanted costumes that didn’t draw attention,” Will replied as Hannibal peeled off the useless tape from the feathers. “Cheap ones typically do the trick at being forgettable. Besides you got to pick our real costumes this year.”
Will was referring to the night prior, Mischief Night, where he and Hannibal had hosted a masquerade dinner at their estate.
“Well, if this tape doesn’t work, I guess I’ll have to safety pin them into your back,” Hannibal hummed as he pressed the wings harder against Will’s back with a new barrage of tape.
The wings didn’t even last a few seconds this time, sliding off the fabric and hitting the ground with the same shallow thud.
“I’m left with no choice but the pins,” Hannibal sighed and began to move toward the kitchen. Will whirled around and gently caught him, chuckling.
“Hey, I’d prefer to not have my back prodded in Mason Verger fashion if you don’t mind,” he nuzzled into Hannibal’s neck, placing a light kiss on the older man’s throat. “Besides, I have another idea.”
“Trick or treat!”
The group of four ten year old children stood excitedly at Will and Hannibal’s doorstep; of this group there was a pirate, an elf, an astronaut, and a mummy. While the porch light was on, it was also fairly easy to see the costumes in the light of the full moon.
“Impressive costumes,” Will smiled as he handed out large candy bars to each of them.
“Thanks, yours are great too!” the pirate said, her high voice shrill with excitement. Will and Hannibal quickly recognized her as Elliana Golar, who lived down the street from them in the sprawling, expensive neighborhood with her parents and two younger sisters. As far as rich elitists went, the Golar’s weren’t too terrible in Will’s eyes, and were rather polite in Hannibal’s.
“Always a pleasure to see you Elliana,” Hannibal smiled at her compliment. “Are there friends from school?”
“Yes!” Elliana beamed.
“You’re very nice for a devil,” the elf pointed out. Will giggled at this. To contrast with his wings and wire halo that sat over his head, Hannibal was wearing devil horns, a red cape and tail, and had a pitchfork in his hand. At this, Hannibal leaned in close to the boy.
“I’m very nice to children who are polite, I eat the ones that are not so polite,” Hannibal’s voice remained teasing, but he added an ending harshness to the last phrase that made the elf jump and the rest of the group of laugh.
“You’re such a scaredy cat Preston,” Elliana rolled her eyes. “Have a Happy Halloween Mr. and Mr. Patrocles!”
“Enjoy the night!” Will called out as the group of kids left and two parents with their toddler came to the door. As they came closer, Will recognized them as well as the McClains, they were from the other side of the neighborhood. They were fairly new but had made a point of coming to say hi, which had impressed both Will and Hannibal who had been here for a few years now.
“Martin and Theo, how are you doing?” Theresa McClain smiled at them. “Busy night so far?”
“Nothing too out of the ordinary,” Hannibal smiled, looking down at the toddler with them. “This must be Alexander. He’s looking healthy.”
“Great to hear that coming from you as a doctor,” Bryan McClain replied, his eyes focusing as he looked at Will’s costume for a moment before looking down and blushing. Will registered the look and knew Bryan recognized the type of rope he and Hannibal had ended up using for holding his wings in place. While the kids probably thought nothing of it, it was amusing to see which parents recognized shibari when they saw it.
“Alright Alexander, just take one piece,” Theresa stabilized Alexander as he reached for one giddily, smiling at Will oblivious to his costume accessory.
Not practicing much shibari with her, are you Bryan?
Will allowed himself the small deduction before waving at Theresa and Bryan as they walked away with Alexander.
“I believe that’s nine now,” Hannibal purred in his ear. They had been keeping a tally of those who recognized all night. It was an interesting exercise to see who of the residents in the neighborhood had dark little secrets. Will leaned back into Hannibal’s touch, and Hannibal began gently massaging his shoulder.
“We could call it early,” Will murmured between deep breaths.
Their moment was interrupted by grunts nearby, and the two turned to see several children on the sidewalk in front of their house. There seemed to be a lull in activity at the moment as it was only these children; a group of three around the age of ten and a duo of girls, one looking ten and the other five. The five year old was clinging to the ten year old’s leg fearfully as the older girl stared down the other three, body tensed in a fighting position. The girl across from her, dressed as Snow White, laughed, and Hannibal and Will immediately recognized her from her obnoxious voice. She was Lucy Rosewood, second daughter of the obnoxious Rosewood’s, who were one of the richest families in the neighborhood and the whole town.
“You shouldn’t even be allowed to trick or treat here,” Lucy sneered at the two girls. The older one stayed silent as the younger sniffled, still clinging to her leg.
“I bet they have to Lucy so they have something to eat,” one of the girls that was with Lucy teased. “Is your mom working overtime again Ida? Not enough food at the house?”
“That house should belong to someone else,” Lucy crossed her arms, stepping closer to the two. Her friends followed her, but Ida held her ground, glaring at them all. “It was stupid of your mom not to sell it when your grandma died. She doesn’t make enough money to pay for it. That’s what my Papa says. Your mom is stupid, stupid stupid!”
As if a rubber band had snapped, Ida suddenly sprang without a second’s hesitation and wrapped her hand around Lucy’s tiny wrist, snapping her arm back. Lucy howled out in pain and the other two kids went to tackle Ida to the ground. As they pushed her into the dirt and began kicking at her, the five year old that had been clinging to her got pushed back, before quickly springing back up and biting one of the older girls on the arm.
“Ow, get off you freak!” the bit one screamed.
“Hey, all of you stop!” Will was running down now, and all of the kids stopped as they watched him approach quickly with Hannibal sauntering behind. The two kids holding down Ida got up and nervously looked at Will. Lucy on the other hand was glaring at him indignantly.
“She attacked me! She’s a freak!” she screeched, pointing at Ida, who was panting and holding her side where she had just been kicked.
“Ms. Rosewood,” Hannibal’s voice projected across the yard even from how far back he was standing. All of the children and even Will stood up straighter as he spoke. They all watched quietly as he came up on the group, eyes staring at Lucy.
“It is quite disrespectful to speak on other’s family in such a way,” Hannibal chided her as he knelt down and slowly reached out for her arm. Lucy tried to move away but Hannibal tilted his head and she stopped.
“I used to be a doctor,” he continued as he gently checked her arm. After a moment, he stood up. “It is just a light over extension, nothing that an ice pack and rest won’t resolve.” He spoke. “I suggest you all head home before we call your parents. I’d hate for the evening to be ruined by whispers of your behavior.”
Lucy and her two friends looked at each other before pouting and running off. Meanwhile, Ida had walked away from Will and Hannibal and was checking the smaller girl in a manner not too different from what Hannibal had just done.
“Are you alright Sammy?” Ida’s voice was rather gentle despite her recent outburst of violence. The five year old nodded as she sniffled again.
“They hurt you,” Sammy whimpered. Her eyes suddenly darted past Ida and watched as Will walked up to the two of them. Crouching down, Will tried to match Ida’s soft tones.
“Would you allow my husband to check you both for injuries?” he asked, not getting too close. However at this distance, he could see the two of them were shivering. It figured, what they had for costumes were rather simple and the cloth was thin. “We could go inside the house where it’s less cold,” he added.
Ida turned around and protectively placed herself in front of Sammy who watched quietly. Hannibal walked up next to Will, watching Ida stay in front of Sammy and do her best to stay upright, even as he could tell she was experiencing decent pain from the kicks. The two duos looked at each other silently for a moment before movement near the front of the house caused them all of look.
“Dog!” Sammy exclaimed gleefully, a wide smile crossing her face. Before Ida could react, Sammy went bounding toward Hannibal and Will’s golden retriever Pudge that was happily frolicking toward them. Ida went to follow her, but after taking a step winced and had to stop.
Will and Hannibal exchanged a look, before Will gently jogged behind Sammy who had made it to Pudge. “Doggy!” she exclaimed gleefully. Will smiled widely at this.
“Here Pudge,” he said, and the dog quickly walked past Sammy and sat next to Will. Sammy watched with wide eyes and wandered over to Will and Pudge, looking between the two.
“Would you like to pet him?” Will asked, crouching down in front of Sammy, who stared at him with wide, observant eyes and nodded.
“Go ahead,” Will rubbed his hand through Pudge’s fur a few times to show Sammy how, and Sammy quickly followed suit and ran her hands through the dog’s fluffy fur.
Meanwhile, Hannibal had walked closer to Ida who was breathing heavily as she watched the interaction.
“I’d like to look at you inside Miss Ida,” he spoke calmly. “You’re hurt.” Ida looked at him, still wary. Hannibal offered a hand.
“It would be easier to be checked out here than having to go to the emergency room,” he continued. Realizing her options, Ida sighed and took Hannibal’s hand, leaning on him heavily as he walked her as gently as possible up the front yard to the door. As they got up to the threshold, Ida paused, her small body tensing up and her hand squeezing Hannibal’s tightly.
“You are right to be nervous about entering a stranger’s home,” Hannibal validated. “I am happy to leave the door open and to let you call your mother. Whatever helps you feel comfortable.”
Ida looked up at Hannibal, her eyes trying to discern his intentions. Whatever she found seemed to satisfy her, and she stepped across the threshold. Hannibal directed her to the dining room table, and she hopped up on one of the chairs.
“I’m going to squeeze your stomach and shoulders to check for pain,” Hannibal spoke as he knelt down. “If at any point you feel pain or want me to stop, just tell me.” Ida nodded silently and Hannibal slowly began to check her abdomen.
“You were very brave protecting Sammy like that,” he spoke as he worked. “She’s your sister correct?”
“Yeah,” Ida spoke, wincing as Hannibal squeezed her side. “She’s five.”
“And how old are you?” Hannibal pressed his thumb slightly into her side and watched Ida’s reaction. She hissed through her teeth but didn’t say anything.
“Eleven,” she finally answered. Hannibal nodded at this and continued to check her silently. While he worked, he could see Ida’s cautious transforming into something more akin to curiousity.
“You’re Mr. Patrocles.”
It was more of a statement than a question, but Hannibal nodded to affirm it for Ida. As he rose to fetch some Tylenol from the kitchen drawer, Ida watched him.
“I see you and the other Mr. Patrocles walking your dog sometimes,” she spoke.
“You should have come said hello,” Hannibal replied as he cut a tablet in half. “We don’t bite, I assure you.”
“Most people in the neighborhood don’t like us,” Ida’s voice adopted a sadness now, a shame that indicated a systematic scorn from most of the well-off families around the area.
“My husband and I are no such people,” Hannibal returned with the half pill and a glass of water. “This should help with the pain, but nothing is broken, just bruised.” Ida nodded, taking the pill and rinsing it down without complaints. She trusted his insight, even as she was sitting her pain had begun to subside.
“You should be mindful not to treat every encounter with bullies with violence,” Hannibal explained as he now wiped off some of the dirt from her neck and face with a warm washcloth. “Particularly when you’re outnumbered.”
“I don’t like when people talk about my mom,” Ida replied. “She works really hard so we can live here and go to school like everyone else, but people always talk badly about her.”
“I’ve found words can be just as stinging as blows,” Hannibal offered. “You seem like a smart, capable girl. Sharpen the daggers in your mind.” This statement seemed to go a little over Ida’s head but she nodded along.
“And as a doctor,” Hannibal added, “I’m obliged to tell you that bending an arm that way will only at best cause a sprain. I learned in medical school that to break a bone, you must use a hard surface like your own forearm or a wall and apply fast movement.” He leaned in toward Ida, still smiling.
“I tell you this naturally, in case you also want to attend medical school someday, and absolutely not in the very rare instance you find yourself evenly matched against a rude opponent.”
This statement Ida grasped immediately, and she let out a small chuckle that caused Hannibal’s grin to grow wider. For a moment the two enjoyed their private joke before a flurry of movement darted past them.
“Sammy!” Will yelled as he darted behind the five year old that was running with impressive speed across the house. “Slow down, you’re going to slip!” Sammy however did not slow down, heading toward a room close to the stairs. Will finally managed to catch up to her as she pushed open the door, revealing a room of controlled chaos. There were luxurious seats and cherry wood cabinets like the rest of the house, but while the rest of the house was clean and tidy, most of the flat surfaces in this room were covered with a variety of crafting equipment. Sammy’s eyes widened as she looked up at a brightly covered orange feather with beads around it on the desk in front of her, and she started to stand on her tip toes to touch it.
“Easy,” Will said as picked up the feather before she could touch it. She turned to him with a pout on her face before he knelt down next to her again holding it. As he held it out for her to inspect, she saw that beneath the feather was what appeared to be metal, curved backwards and pointy.
“It’s a fishing lure,” Will peeled the feathers back further so she could more easily see the hook.
“Fishin’ loor,” Sammy repeated, still staring at it, almost entranced.
“It can be sharp to touch this part,” Will gestured to the hook. “But you can feel the feather if you want.” Sammy nodded, her eyes wide as she felt the feather up and down.
“Have you ever fished before?” Will asked as he watched her. When Sammy shook her head, he slowly stood up and grabbed a glass case from the bookshelf on the wall. He brought it down and Sammy’s eyes lit up as she stared at the case filled with feathers and beads of a variety of colors.
“Pretty!” she exclaimed, beaming up at Will, who returned her smile. His heart thudded in his chest; the sight of someone looking at him with such simple awe made him melt much more than he realized.
“I make these and then I take them fishing,” Will explained. “I collect fish and bring them back and my husband cooks them for us to eat.” At the word “eat”, Sammy’s head shot up, and Will was beside himself to see her smile had gone away and she looked disappointed.
“We were gonna eat candy,” Sammy sighed. Will felt the sadness rolling off of her in waves and his heart nearly broke for the small bundle of energy in front of him.
“Did it get stolen by the other kids?” he asked, and Sammy nodded, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
“Hey, don’t cry,” Will hesitated and then said what he was thinking. “We’ll go trick or treating with you.”
“You will?” this voice came from behind Will, and he turned to see Ida beaming at him as well as Hannibal standing behind her and regarding Will with a we will? expression.
“Yes,” Will nodded. Sammy and Ida squealed as they hugged each other. Will looked at Hannibal with pleading eyes, but the older man’s expression remained quizzical for only a moment longer before it melted into a warm smile.
With all my knowledge and intrusion, I could never entirely predict you.
“What’s Mr. Patcles doin?” Sammy asked Will who was standing by Ida. The older sister was clutching Will’s cell phone to her ear as it rang.
“He’s getting you some new costumes,” Will whispered. “Now we have to be quiet Sammy, your sister is talking to your mom.” After a few more moments, Ida spoke.
“Hi mom!” she said warmly. After listening for a few seconds she continued. “This is Theo Patrocles phone,” she looked at Will as she talked, remembering what he had suggested she say to ease her mom’s potential fears about her calling from an unknown number. “Sammy and I got into a fight in front of their house and they brought us in to check on us.”
Another moment of silence as Ida listened, her face casted downward in slight shame. Will suspected her mom was likely upset with her about fighting, but he didn’t hear yelling from the other side of the line which was reassuring.
“I know I’m not supposed to,” Ida mumbled. “But they were being mean again. Anyway,” she perked up a bit in tone, obviously trying to change the subject. “Mr. and Mr. Patrocles said they would take us trick or treating if we wanted to, but that we had to ask your permission first.”
This time the silence was rather quick, and Ida hoisted the phone in front of Will’s face. “She wants to talk with you.” Will took the phone.
“Hello Caroline,” Will answered, recounting the name of the girls’ mother they had told him minutes before. “I’m Theo Patrocles. I apologize if this was a startling call, I know you’re busy at the hospital with work.”
“Hi Theo,” Caroline’s tone was short, but Will could tell it was from exhaustion and not ill will toward him. “I wanted to apologize for any trouble the girls have caused tonight, and to thank you for looking after them. It was impossible to find a sitter for tonight and Ida assured me she could handle trick or treating while I was working.”
“No problem,” Will replied. “My husband Martin and I would be happy to watch them for the evening, and you’re free to call my number throughout the night if you want any updates.”
“Finished,” Hannibal’s voice rang out across the room, and the other three turned to see him holding numerous bundles in his hand. He had removed the devil costume and was wearing an impeccable white suit, with a baby blue tie. Excited, Ida looked back to Will with the phone.
“Mom we have to go now, love you!” she called before she raced over to Hannibal with Sammy following her.
“Ah, alright, please let me know if any issues come up,” Caroline said.
“Of course, you’re welcome to come by when you’re done to pick them up,” Will added. Caroline gave several more thanks before they both hung up and Will made his way over to where Sammy and Ida were laying out clothes.
“You’ll have to forgive us, we don’t have any clothes your size,” Hannibal explained. “But you both need warmer sweaters for trick or treating in this weather. There’s a bathroom over there if you want to change, or my husband and I can leave-
The girls were already giggling and racing over to where the bathroom was, closing the door behind them and laughing. In the moment of peace, Will came up to Hannibal and wrapped his arms around the doctor’s waist.
“I had to use two of your sweaters for the bulk of their clothes dear,” Hannibal murmured, gently pushing one of Will’s curls across his face. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all darling,” Will pressed a kiss into Hannibal’s neck. “Thank you for agreeing to this.”
“To make you happy and quell these two little monsters, anything” Hannibal intertwined his fingers with Will’s and kissed the shorter man on the lips before reaching over and grabbing at a bulk of clothes.
“You actually have to change as well,” Hannibal explained as he handed Will the clothes and slowly untied his skillful knots across Will’s chest. It only took a few moments before the rope came down gracefully. Hannibal then gently plucked the headband holding up Will’s halo from his head and placed it on himself.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Will rolled his eyes and smirked at the sight of angelic Hannibal. He would have been lying though if he said his husband didn’t look divine. Looking down at the clothes in his hands, Will raised an eyebrow as he saw what appeared to be normal clothes; one of his looser flannels, jeans, boots, and a beanie.
“This is a costume?” Will asked. Hannibal smiled at him. “I drew upon your fashion tastes when we first met dear. Go change while I grab the last part of your new costume.”
Will went and changed into the getup quickly in one of the other bathrooms in their large expanse of a house, and as he came back out, he saw Ida and Sammy returning as well. Ida now wore the devil horns and tail that Hannibal had been wearing and was wielding the pitchfork like she was ready to take down the whole neighborhood. Sammy’s costume was simpler, with less accessories for the child to break. Hannibal had cut his red cloak from the devil costume to a length that she wouldn’t trip on, and had managed to bundle up the fabric to create a hood Sammy could use. Besides the costume accessories, they indeed were wearing two of Will’s most form fitting sweaters, that on them appeared as sweater dresses but were infinitely warmer than what they had been wearing.
“You both look ready to trick or treat!” Will smiled as he walked over to them.
“Who are you supposed to be?” Ida asked before they turned and saw Hannibal walking over with an axe that he placed in Will’s hand.
“As I am the compliment to your costume, Will is the compliment to Sammy’s,” Hannibal explained.
“Compleement?” Sammy repeated the word, confusion apparent.
“Devil and angel,” Hannibal went over and stood next to Ida. He then gestured to Will. “Little red riding hood and the lumberjack that saves her from the big bad wolf.”
“Oh!” Sammy squealed and walked over to Will who threw the axe over his shoulder and knelt down as if she were royalty.
“Here to protect you ma’am,” he let his southern drawl from his early years in Louisiana spill out slightly, and Ida and Sammy giggled while Hannibal watched with a sparkle in his eye. While he and Will had been blessed with much in their new life since the fall, such play with other people was rarely afforded to them. They lived in shadow and metaphor which suited them exquisitely, but it was lovely to step out for a moment to the simple and warm glow of life.
“Alright so,” Ida spoke up now, her tone taking on almost a business-like affect as she grabbed the two pillowcases Hannibal had lent them for holding the candy. “We only have a few hours left before Halloween ends. I propose for maximum candy collecting, we follow my route and are quick between houses.”
“Can we go by the gardens?” Sammy asked, likely referring to the flower gardens in the park within the middle of the neighborhood.
“No time for that,” Ida retorted, and Sammy pouted.
“But I wanna go!”
“We can’t waste time!” Ida replied. “My way will get us the most candy.”
“I’m happy to take you by the gardens Sammy,” Will replied. “We could split off from you both for a moment if you two want to keep trick or treating,” he gestured to Hannibal and Ida.
“Fine but any candy we get while you’re off looking at flowers we keep,” Ida crossed her arms and planted her feet. Behind her Hannibal let one of his sly smiles creep onto his face. Sammy gasped.
“Well…any candy we get we keep,” she mimicked her sister and stood by Will, also crossing her arms. The two stared at each other for a moment before Hannibal spoke.
“A race then perhaps,” he smiled as he said the words looking at Will.
“Is this a competition?” Will raised an eyebrow, and Hannibal’s smile only grew wider.
“Candy race!” Sammy exclaimed gleefully.
“Two hours, the duo who gets the most candy gets to keep all of the candy,” Hannibal grinned. “No repeating houses, and we have to be back here at the end of two hours otherwise we’re disqualified. We’ll weigh each candy haul when we return to see who’s is the biggest.” Will met his gaze with a sly smile of his own before kneeling down with his back to Sammy.
“Do you like piggy-back rides?” he whispered. Sammy nodded gleefully.
“Well then,” Will skillfully swooped Sammy up and placed her sitting on his shoulders before darting from the living room, through the front hall and out the door. “The race starts now!”
“That’s cheating!” Ida called out after before turning to Hannibal. “Let’s go!”
“Quickly now Ida,” Hannibal held Ida’s hand as they crossed the road together, an impressively heavy sack of candy slung over his shoulder. Their methodical approach had yielded much candy and allowed them to hit nearly every house in the neighborhood so far. It was close to the end of their two hours, approaching eleven, but with Ida’s direction and Hannibal keeping pace, they would finish with time to spare.
“I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when they see how much candy we have,” Ida spoke, competitiveness seeping into her tone.
“It will be an impressive victory,” Hannibal nodded along, eyes scanning for any sight of Will and Sammy. They had seen the two darting around like chickens a few times, and Sammy at one point was holding flowers, so they had indeed made their way to the gardens.
In fact, Will and Sammy were just finishing up at a house nearby out of sight from Hannibal and Ida, both using impressive puppy dog eyes to score an extra candy bar.
“Thank you miss, Happy Hallween!” Sammy beamed up at her before Will scooped up Sammy and the bag. They had received a few strange looks given Will looking after her, but Sammy had done an excellent job disarming anyone of their concern with her huge smile and wide eyes. Will was about to round the corner when he saw Hannibal and Ida in the distance and doubled back. From the looks of things, their candy haul was significantly larger than their own.
“They have a lot,” Sammy said from his shoulders. She must have seen them too.
“They do have a lot,” Will agreed. “But I have a plan.”
With five minutes left to eleven, Hannibal and Ida had successfully reached every house and were now walking up back toward home base.
“That was so fun!” Ida beamed at Hannibal, who returned her smile.
“I’m glad you had a good time,” he replied, and looked around. “And I don’t see the other two anywhere. I think this win is for us.” Ida nodded in agreement, but just then a loud whistle rang out across the yard. The two turned to see Pudge running at them will full force, the dog leaping onto Hannibal, knocking him to the ground, and grabbing the bag while he was still stunned.
“Attaboy Pudge!” Will’s triumphant voice rang out over the yard, and Hannibal was hit with a wave of disbelief and then pride for his cunning as hell husband as Pudge sprinted around the yard with the candy bag in his mouth.
“Give it back!” Ida ran after the dog but it was to no avail, as he was much faster than the young girl. Hannibal sat up from the ground to see Will standing in the doorway with a smaller bag of candy in one hand and his lumberjack axe in the other, and Sammy giggling and squealing on his shoulders in her red cape.
After a few more moments, the clock from inside the house rang, indicating the time was over.
“We win! We win!” Sammy cried as Will scooped her up and laughed in celebration. Hannibal dusted off his suit and walked over to where Pudge was sitting outside the threshold with the candy bag in his mouth.
“No fair!” Ida came up to Will bristling with tiny rage. “You’re not allowed to guard the house!”
“Since when?” Will tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. “There was nothing in the rules about it.” Sammy sneered playfully as Will took the bag from Pudge and handed it to her. She quickly ran inside with the candy and Ida followed behind her, yelling about the rules.
“You are monstrous, Will Graham,” Hannibal smirked as he walked up and wrapped his arms around his husband. “Denying me and Ida our due victory.”
“All’s fair in love and war,” Will murmured, kissing Hannibal on the neck. “Sorry about the dirt on your suit. I had to take extreme measures to ensure the win.”
“You’ll receive adequate punishment later,” Hannibal nibbled Will’s ear and nipped at his neck quickly to inform Will of what he could expect. “It seems that rope will have multiple uses tonight.” Will shuddered at the thought and leaned into Hannibal.
“Easy with the dirty talk,” he teased. “There are children around you know.”
At this, Hannibal pulled Will close to him, wrapping an arm around his waist as they walked inside and up their main staircase. Quickly heading to the bedroom and changing into lounge clothes, the two then went back downstairs. The next hour was spent with Ida pleading her case to Sammy to let her share in their haul, while Will watched the debate unfold as he build a fire in the living room’s large fireplace and Hannibal made warm apple cider in the kitchen. After a while, Sammy finally caved and the two ate sweets in front of the fire, giggling and laughing. Will watched the scene, his body and heart warmed by the two girls enjoying each other's company and his own. He hadn’t imagined spending his Halloween like this when he woke up this morning but now he couldn’t imagine it any other way.
“For you,” Hannibal held out a large steaming mug that Will accepted gratefully. The older man walked over to where the girls were sitting and gave each of them a slightly smaller mug.
“Be careful, it’s hot,” Hannibal instructed. Sammy looked at the drink and gingerly sipped it, while Ida placed it on the ground. Hannibal was about to ask if she didn’t like cider when the girl walked right up to him and hugged as much of his chest she could reach while he was still leaning down from handing her the beverage. Letting out a content sigh, Hannibal knelt down further and wrapped his arms around her, completing the hug.
“Thank you,” Ida whispered.
“You’re quite welcome,” Hannibal returned. “Thank you for making this Halloween special for my husband and I.” The two backed up from the embrace to see Sammy hugging Will’s leg before returning and hugging Ida. The sisters returned to talking about a variety of important matters to them in front of the fire for a bit longer before they both laid down on an assortment of pillows Hannibal and Will placed down for them. As the two drifted off to sleep, Will himself laid down on the couch next to Hannibal and placed his head against the doctor’s chest.
“Happy Halloween darling,” he spoke.
“Happy Halloween, dear Will,” Hannibal replied, kissing his husband’s beautiful curls, and basking in the warmth that came from his husband’s body, the fire, and from stepping outside of shadow and metaphor, if only for one moonlit night.