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After Will and Hannibal fell, Hannibal woke first. Dragging him with all the strength he had to the boat inconspicuously docked beneath the cliff.
Will slept for a while after and Hannibal let him. Will needed rest and rest he got, when Will woke up he woke up in some of Hannibal's pants and a surprisingly comfy button up. Noticing Hannibal had bandaged him from the feeling of gauze holding his stomach in one.
Will would walk up to Hannibal, hugging him from behind with the one arm that he could still move properly as Hannibal steered the boat. It didn't really seem as if he needed to ask for permission or as if it was weird to touch each other like that.
Because they loved each other.
May have never directly said it, though a million times indirectly, may have never touched each other in places lovers would or had kissed. But both of them knew they loved each other. It didn't have to be said to be true.
"How long was I out?" Will asked, closing his eyes to shield himself from the orange sun hitting his face at such an hour, 5:26 AM.
"Around ten hours, dear," Hannibal answered, relishing in Will's touch.
"Jesus..." Will muttered.
"How are you feeling?" Hannibal asked.
"Slight headache, thanks for bandaging me by the way."
"I figured I should do it while you're unconscious, so the antiseptic wouldn't sting you."
Will pressed his closer to Hannibal, not wanting to hear him properly considering he thought that was complete bullshit. So he closed his eyes and all before resting his head flush against Hannibal's neck. Close enough to kiss it but he just didn't have the energy to do so.
"Don't try and make yourself seem kind right now, Dr. Lecter," Will grumbled.
"Just call me Hannibal, we're far past professional titles and I highly doubt I still have my medical licence."
"Thank God that it's most likely revoked, Hannibal ."
"I think 100% revoked considering they think I am dead."
"Yeah, well, I think it's a miracle we survived," Will mentioned, standing up more normally with a chuckle of disbelief. He could be heard a lot clearer now.
"a miracle indeed, God is showing mercy towards us. He finds us entertaining."
"Don't go on about God, I don't have the energy for your religious rants currently."
Hannibal would chuckle, pulling Will's head to rest properly on the crook of his neck as he turned the boat to head slightly more north. He was heading for Europe.
Will and Hannibal stayed like that for a bit, essentially cuddling while standing there. Neither of them had a problem with it though.
"You smell like seawater and sweat,"
Hannibal mused after a while of Will using him as a support beam and pillow. It seemed as if Will could just fall asleep right there, now Hannibal was doubting what he said on the cliff about it being all he ever wanted for Will, for them. Because this was good, if not better. Steering a boat with Will behind him, talking about small things like how they were feeling or how he smelled. He then heard a soft laugh, it vibrated from Will's chest to Hannibal's back and from it came a few words;
"Still smelling me I see."
"Still difficult to avoid."
"Yeah, but I don't see why I'd smell like anything but it. I just dived into seawater off a cliff then spent 10 hours under a blanket in these clothes."
Hannibal turned his head, not too much that it would disturb Will considering he was resting on his head on his shoulder but just enough to catch a glimpse of his tired lover clinging to him before he'd remark;
"It does correlate correctly, we should wash up"
"I can go take a shower now."
"No, that won't do. You might get yourself hurt or have trouble with your broken arm. You should bathe with me."
"You're upfront."
"I'm not letting you endanger yourself while bathing."
"Fine, I'll take a bath with you then."
"Very satisfied with that."
They didn't speak much after that. They didn't need to. Will went to the area where there was the bed and noticed the bedside tables were mini fridges, he took out some cut fruit Hannibal had cut the day before leaving. He planned it out, faking their deaths. But didn't envision Will in his clothes, gauze and nothing else and him standing on a boat while the sun was almost done rising eating fruit. It was a welcome experience though.
Hannibal would anchor the boat before climbing into the cramped below where there was a bath in the shape of a triangle. He'd begin to draw the bath, checking the temperature often to see if it'd be too hot for his lover's scars. He settled the water at 38°C, it was warm but not hot.
"Will!" Hannibal called once the bath had been drawn.
Will came down, having to crouch considering how small the space was. He'd sit by the bath, unsure of how to act. Hannibal had surely seen him shirtless, he might've seen him unclothed from the bottom considering he had changed him into the other clothes but he definitely hadn't seen him completely naked. He felt ashamed.
But as soon as Will came down Hannibal was already taking off his sweater, after he did he looked over at Will with a look that said "Why?"
"Sorry, it's just-" Will spoke, interrupting himself with silence rather than trailing off.
"Are you ashamed of yourself?" Hannibal inquired, blunt as ever.
"No! It's just, well, a big step. We haven't even kissed or anything and you want me to strip," Will explained as he looked away from Hannibal and to his hands which he was gesturing with as he spoke.
"I don't see how kissing has anything to do with bathing."
"I'm used to nudity being something intimate, not just this."
"This is intimate," the ex-psychiatrist stated matter-of-factly, annoyingly so.
"Well, I meant more physical intimacy. Sex."
"Human bodies are more than intercourse, Will. You shouldn't be afraid to show yours."
"Yes, yeah, mhm, just a little new. Unknown, if you will."
Hannibal stepped a few steps forward towards Will before kneeling in front of him to ask him;
"Would you like I'd help or would you do it yourself?"
Will hesitated, looking down at Hannibal and Hannibal's hands and staring for a bit with teeth biting down on the inside of his cheek before nodding slowly to Hannibal's question and stating a rule; "Only if you don't say anything."
"I won't-" Hannibal rested his hands on Will's chest gently and continued, "May I?"
"You may," Will consented.
Hannibal moved his hands to the buttons. Carefully unbuttoning his shirt, then folding it neatly onto the floor. Leaning his head forward and pressing a closed-mouth kiss, more of a prolonged peck, onto Will's chest and right after he muttered;
"Gorgeous..."
"You said you wouldn't say anything," Will countered while smiling light as a cloud. Heavy but seemed light.
"It feels like a sin to not voice my approval for you," Hannibal smiled up at him.
"Shut up."
Hannibal would continue to undress Will, not a word leaving his mouth under Will's request. Then undressing himself and climbing into the water and gesturing for Will to follow.
Will would slowly and carefully enter the water, it stung his scars more than it did Hannibal's considering Will had fallen into the shallow part of the water and Hannibal into the deep end. His scars were deeper so when he tried to sit down in the water he had to stifle a groan from the stinging sensation he got on a particularly deep cut on his abdomen.
"Shh, shh..." Hannibal shushed him even though Will had barely said anything, grabbing him right under his chest and just over his hips to pull him into the water slowly enough to have the stinging lessen. He couldn't have Will hurting.
"Thanks.." Will shifted in the water when the stinging had disappeared, very stiff. Hannibal took notice of it, raising a hand to his shoulder and pressing lightly down. Noticing Will was very tense he'd say;
"Turn around," Hannibal instructed.
"Why?" Will countered.
"You're incredibly tense, dear."
Will didn't argue past that, knowing Hannibal he'd just argue until he could massage it away anyways so he didn't want to waste his energy on arguing. Turning away from Hannibal and Hannibal pulled Will close to him and started to work on his shoulder. Will let out a soft, deep moan as he did so.
Hannibal spent a considerable amount of time paying attention to Will's shoulders before cupping water in his hands and tilting Will's head back to pour it on him and wet his hair. Grabbing the shampoo from the side of the tub and pouring some into his hands to massage it into Will's currently unruly curls.
"You know, I thought I'd wash you too. Not you only to me," Will told Hannibal, opening his eyes a little.
"I am capable of washing myself, dear boy," Hannibal stated.
"So am I."
"Yes, you are. But you are simply exhausted, let me care for you."
It was weird being cared for by Hannibal, the man who had gutted him, worsened his condition, manipulated him, convinced him to kill, framed him, sent someone to kill him, in a bath with him. Washing his hair and tending to his tense muscles. The worst part was that Will liked it, worst part was that Will didn't hate himself for liking it, worst part was that Will-
"I love you."
The words hung in the air, Will was unsure whether or not to regret them. He'd just broken the unspoken pact of never saying the statement out loud. It felt weird but it had been done now. Said.
"You're in a state of depersonalization," Hannibal pointed out after a few seconds of silence, ignoring the statement and scooping water into Will's hair to wash out the shampoo.
"Yeah, probably, falling off a cliff and all," Will agreed. No energy to be pissed at the psychoanalysis.
It'd be silent for a while, Hannibal still washing him. Tension in the air but Will had trouble caring.
Once Hannibal had conditioned his hair and washed it out, he pulled Will's back to his chest. Placing a kiss to the back of his neck before telling Will;
"I love you too, mylimasis," beloved. Beloved in Lithuanian.
No one can be fully aware of another human being unless we love them. By that love we see potential in our beloved. Through that love we allow our beloved to see their potential. Expressing that love, our beloved's potential comes true.
I love you, Will.
"Yeah, I can't tell if that's good or bad," Will muttered.
The bottom line was Hannibal loved Will, Will loved Hannibal. They were lovers. Not boyfriends, not fiancés, not husbands. More and less than all of those. Lovers.
Or if you were Freddie Lounds, they were murder husbands, but that's the same.