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Hannibal is the boss and chef of the most highly-rated restaurant in Baltimore. A rare five-star according to Google maps. It is not because the service and cuisine of his restaurant only deserves a five, but because the highest rating a restaurant can ever get is a five. Though his restaurant has been so famous that in most cases, only the rich and upper class can have a seat in the dinners, and of course they’ll leave good reviews, Hannibal always wants to improve his own skills as a chef, as well as to find new ideas and challenges.
This afternoon, when the busy dinner time of the restaurant is about to start, Jimmy and Brian, two of his employees, are whispering at the kitchen corner, sharing a phone screen.
“May I ask what are you two looking at? While the raspberry jam for dessert is suffering in the heating pot?” all the jams should be self-made from fresh ingredients, is one of the basic principals of a high-standard restaurant.
“I don’t want to be fired. You tell him.” Jimmy steps back and throws the phone to Brian.
“Well... Your cooking is definitely the best in the world, boss. I don’t want to upset you but...” is Brian shaking?
“Never mind.” Hannibal grabs the phone and then anger climbs up from his thin lips to cheekbones. He is shocked.
[
User ID: Winston the cutest
Rating: 4.5/5.0 (three days ago)
Review: Only worth a four point five. The dishes were just too fancy. Was I hunting in the woods for a small piece of meat? The chef was talking too much and I was starving. Come on! Who wanted to know which farm the veal actually came from?
Picture: A blurred photo of decorate green plants by the restaurant door.
]
"I need five more minutes before I know everything about this rude 'Winston'. Such an ungrateful guest doesn't deserve to breath in the same air as we do." Hannibal grasps Brian’s phone and leaves the kitchen. Now the overall rating of his restaurant has dropped to 4.99, which is not acceptable at all.
This is not the challenge he wants.
This is a punch in his face.
A “Ding-dong” sound of new email received interrupts Will’s train of thought. It’s been four days since he went to that restaurant and left it a low rating on Google. He assumes that the chef is the Chesapeake Ripper. The Ripper killed 3 people last month and at least 10 this year, as far as the FBI has discovered. There’s no way to hide all the bodies. Unless he’s consuming them in a unique way. He’s consuming them with others. Will tested the food he had in Hannibal’s restaurant but, veal was just veal. He doesn’t understand. And now Jack, his head in the FBI, are mad at him for not able to find anything in that expensive dinner.
Then how can the poor agent Will Graham, get a second chance to meet with the famous chef? A perfectionist?
Frustrated, he opens the inbox and sees that email. Hannibal is inviting him to a private dinner this Friday at 10 p.m. As private as one guest only. Will takes a cold breath.
The fish’s on hook. It’s time to pull back the fishing rod.
Will hesitates when he sees the “close” board hung on the restaurant door. He tries to look through the curtains but the light inside is too dim. It makes him nervous. He’s not planning to accuse Hannibal as the Ripper tonight. The key task of this dinner is to get the solid evidence that he didn’t get last time.
Just as Will is checking his email to reassure he hasn’t made any mistake, two voices break through from the inside.
“This is so exhausted. Who the hell gave that rating! It'll take us forever to go back to five-star.” Jimmy waves his fists as Brian opens the door.
“Forget about it. The extra training in this week is already killing me. Don’t say as if we can make it to the next week.” Brian sighs and then they both stop when seeing Will in his finest suit, waiting at the door.
“Whoa. Sir. Do you have a girlfriend? I mean, have you ever thought about having a boy...” Jimmy suddenly feels a chill in the back. No. Two chills.
“Please stop.” Hannibal says behind his two employees.
“Shut up!” Brian says with a sense of hurt in eyes.
Will doesn’t know what to say. He clears his throat. “I guess I have a reservation tonight? I hope I’m not late.”
“Of course you’re not. Just in time. Please follow me this way, Mr. Graham.” Hannibal throws a cold stare to Jimmy and Brian. The two employees wisely speed up their departure from wandering to fleeing.
As they reach the kitchen and Hannibal guides Will to a seat next to the counter, the chef secretly takes a breath from Will and licks his lips.
“There’s no need to be this formal.” Hannibal speaks while giving his little performance of dishing up.
“As you wish.” Will takes off his suit jacket and loosens the first and second buttons of his shirt. The silence between them in the large kitchen is a bit embarrassing. He has nothing to do but watch Hannibal’s movements carefully. And he finds the chef charming. Somehow.
“Please have a try.” Hannibal places two plates in front them and sits next to Will. And Will is apparently confused about how to enjoy his dinner.
“Is that a bird? I mean, I’ve never seen any dish like this.” Will shrugs to shoulder off his discomfiture.
“I thought you don’t like talks before your meals? Winston the cutest? That’s a cute name.” Hannibal grins unconsciously. Though hate to admit that , he hasn’t seen a man who can blush that beautifully before. A rude man that rates down his restaurant to 4.99.
Here it is. Will is invited for a reason. A good one. “I’m sorry I must have lost my mind.” he swallows in nervous. He didn’t know Hannibal is so straightforward and he can feel the tension between them. But he has to continue the game. “I was drunk that night and I didn’t mean to...”
“Ssh...We’re missing the best time to taste it. Follow me, Will.” the FBI agent was not drunk. Hannibal remembers the guest in front of him. During the dinner that night, Will’s eyes were fixed on him every time he was out of the kitchen, introducing the dishes. Will was almost acting like a man who falls in love with the chef, strangely. And he didn’t seem to know about the other guests at table. Hannibal soon confirmed that Will is a FBI agent. He had thought that the FBI discovered something and he changed the veal for the night. That was also why Hannibal could figure out who “Winston the cutest” is so quickly.
Hannibal stops himself from the recalling and moves away his thumb, which was put on Will’s delicate lips to smooth his nerve a few seconds ago. He gently takes the Ortolan Bunting, the songbird that was drowned alive in wine and roasted, and consumed it whole in a single mouthful. He stared at Will the whole time. He chews the bird in a blameless manner, though the delicacy has long been considered debauched.
Will is looking at him, absorbed in the performance, and slightly licks his own lips as the crispy bird is being smashed in Hannibal’s mouth. The chef almost gets shy by Will’s gaze and he feels his pants tighten. He thinks he has seen the familiar affection in Will’s eyes, same as that night. He’s sure there’s understanding and admiration in it.
Short after Hannibal swallows the bones and all, Will puts his thumb on Hannibal’s lips, just as the chef did, and he pauses. “Is it what you want to share with your guests? The power over life and death? To find novel ideas and challenges from different ingredients?”
Hannibal is absolutely shocked. Will Graham is not coming for the Ripper as a FBI agent. Will Graham is coming for him, representing himself. Will Graham falls in love with the Ripper and he’s been looking for the ripper. Of all the endings he had planned for tonight, Hannibal misses this one. Now his eyes must be watery.
“Please?” Will smiles and moves his head towards his plate. “Feed me.” Will decides not to mention the chef’s tears in eyes.
Hannibal picks up a bird from Will’s plate and leans closer to the agent. Will has to open his mouth real wide to let the bird in, and he closes his mouth when chewing it, tasting it. Hannibal uses all his self control to not kiss Will and force his mouth open again. Yet he can’t help touching Will’s thighs with hands and drawing circles around the inner part. Both of them are excited.
After each of them finish eating another bird, their legs have already intertwined. “Not a word?” Will’s face turns red because of the wine, he insists.
“Traditionally, it is said that we should place shrouds over our heads when eating the Ortolan Bunting, to....” Will bites on those thin lips and leaves kisses on Hannibal’s cheekbones.
The chef happily accepts Will’s invitation, and chases after Will’s lips in return. It’s glad to know that they’re both hard at this point, and they both want something more. Still in hunger.
“To hide from God? What’s the name of the birds?” Will says breathlessly as his hands swim under Hannibal’s shirt. And Hannibal is doing the same.
“Doesn’t matter now, I don’t hide now that I find you, Will. Actually, you found me, dear God. You’re so beautiful.” Hannibal is now trying to untying Will’s pants.
“I guess you don’t have a decent bed in your restaurant, chef?” Will is so submissive and he’s working on leaving some marks on the chef’s neck and nipples, moaning.
The heat inside of Hannibal makes his hands shake and the zipper of Will’s pants takes him forever to release Will. In rush, Hannibal gives up and sweeps off the plates and glasses on the kitchen counter and whatever there is within his reaches. He then puts Will on the counter, palms squeezing Will’s bottom, and touching with his lips from Will’s half-exposed chests to forehead.
Will’s hands against the back of Hannibal’s neck, pushing his lower body towards his chef, “After all these time, I found you, Hannibal.”
“Yes, dearest.” Hannibal puts Will’s strong legs around his waist and they both squeeze and push their genital to each other’s through pants. Their bucking of hips is speeding up, with the drawls turning into shouting.
Then Will’s phone rings. Luckily, it is one of the very few things that is left on the counter. Will picks it up but Hannibal wants to grab it and throw it away immediately. Will stops his chef’s angry hand and kisses on the skin above the blood vessels.
“Yes? Beverly? I’m fine.” Hannibal seizes the opportunity to rub Will’s cock, which almost breaks the agent’s voice, “No, nothing happens. Actually, I’m about to leave, yes. Don’t worry. Bye.”
“No one’s leaving.” Hannibal kisses Will violently after the call is over. “Why’s the call? Should I suspect you and run for my life?” and they pick up the movements.
“Just protection. I might have left if you’re not this good.” Will hisses with some hard strikes. Now they’re all wet. Clothes destroyed. They hug and smell each other’s back neck in satisfaction.
“I’m thinking about putting a bed in my office room here.” Hannibal nuzzles Will’s ear, his voice rumbling in Will’s heart.
“Even so, I won’t change my review on Google.” Will laughs when Hannibal raises his head from his shoulder, curling his lips.
“That’s the price. Nice deal.” He steals a deep kiss and stops Will’s laughter.
It’s been a month since Hannibal’s restaurant was rated 4.99. Jimmy and Brian are surprised that their boss hasn’t done anything to save the rating.
“I remember he was so angry and swore to kill that person!” Jimmy whispers to Brian. They’re packing up before the end of a day’s work.
“Just forget about it. Focus! The boss has been fussy about you for a while.” Brian notices Hannibal is walking into the kitchen.
“I know you’ve been working hard these days. You don't have to work for the upcoming weekend.” Hannibal announces to all the staff. But he’s staring at Jimmy with watchful eyes.
“No way, Brian. He’s looking at me. Am I fired?” Jimmy’s voice cracks when he sees Hannibal walking out of the kitchen and then the restaurant.
“Maybe we should ask him. This kind of thing never happens before.” Brian sighs. Then he thinks of the new bed in Hannibal’s office room. And the extra messes that the staff sometimes discovered when they start their work in the afternoon. Things are not that simple.
And then they see a beautiful man putting his luggage in the back trunk of Hannibal’s Bentley. He’s wearing a fancy beach shirt with puppy patterns, with a pair of sunglasses on his head.
“Boss! I want to...” Jimmy is about to ask afar. “Brian!!! Is that a kiss? Our boss is kissing that beautiful young...! He’s the one...!”
“Shut up! You idiot!” Brian breathes a sigh of relief. “You’ll not be fired!”