Chapter Text
When the knock arrived at their door, Hannibal was straightening Will’s vest and Will was still trying to calm his heart. He’d swallowed down everything Hannibal had given him and the taste lingered in his mouth. Both their eyes cut to the door at the sound of the knock, neither enjoying the idea of outside company, but Will leaned in to kiss Hannibal enthusiastically on the mouth, and then strode to the door.
As he’d anticipated, Katz was standing in the hallway, and her face lit up when she saw Hannibal tucking in his shirt behind Will. “Fucking finally,” she said through her smirk, and then her face became more serious. “Alana sent for us. Apparently Margot found something interesting in the palace dungeons.” She arched an eyebrow. “You two ready?”
Hannibal walked up and settled his hands on Will’s hips. “Are you ready, Will?” he asked.
Will tried to ignore the press of Hannibal’s crotch against his ass as he replied, “Yes,”
And the three companions walked together to the room where Margot was staying.
Alana opened the door upon their arrival, and let them in with a sweep of her hand. Will noticed the blush of her cheeks and the exceptional glint in her eyes, and when she turned to walk to Margot’s side, he noticed the imperfection of her usually sleek locks, like a hand had grasped her and pulled her in for a kiss.
But Alana and Margot were not the only ones in the room. A woman was standing at attention, beside the Queen and her apostate. Slim and tall, with dark hair pulled back from her face and an unmistakable griffin etched into her rough leather armor. When Katz and Will entered the room, she stepped forward and bowed. When she spoke, her voice was precise, and her accent was foreign.
“Grey Wardens,” she said, lifting her elegant chin to appraise them.
Will and Katz exchanged surprised looks, and Margot cleared the air. “After the Landsmeet, I had my men sweep the dungeons. My brother had…an eclectic collection of prisoners. Chiyoh was among them.”
Chiyoh nodded solemnly. “I came from Orlais weeks ago, as soon as word spread what had happened to the Ferelden Grey Wardens. I tried to reach you, but was apprehended by the Teyrn of Denerim’s men shortly after crossing the border.”
“You’re an Orlesian Grey Warden?” Katz asked. “Oh, thank the Maker. I thought we were on our own.”
“Unfortunately, you still are,” Chiyoh replied. “Orlais only sent a single Warden to scout the situation when we heard rumors of the Blight and the battle at Ostagar. I have only just now been able to send word to my Orlesian brothers and sisters, but I fear they will not arrive quickly enough to help.”
The small flicker of hope in Will’s chest died.
“But I am here,” Chiyoh continued, “and I will help as I can.” She was silent for a moment as she looked at the two young Ferelden Wardens, and then she kept on, in tones far graver than before. “I wonder if either of you knows your true purpose.”
“To kill darkspawn,” Katz answered. “To stop Blights.”
“But do you know why it is only a Grey Warden who can do this?” Chiyoh asked.
Katz sighed, shoulders slightly slumping, and Will knew she didn’t know. Katz had barely been through her Joining before Will, and there was so much Jack had never told them, so much they’d never been taught of their own Order.
Chiyoh understood, and all in the room listened closely as she explained. “We are connected to the darkspawn hive through the taint we take in during the Joining. This lets us know when they are nearby, and it gives us insights into the archdemon’s movements. I, too, have had the visions these last days, as the threat grows stronger. We are skilled in fighting the darkspawn and immune to the toxicity of their blood, because it is a part of us. But there is a reason why only Grey Wardens can end a Blight. It is because we are the only ones who can kill the archdemon.” She waited a moment, let her words sink in, and then kept on. “An archdemon is not an ordinary darkspawn. It is a dragon containing the soul of an ancient god, controlling the darkspawn and commanding them to destroy en masse. When a Warden kills this creature, the Warden absorbs the god’s soul. Our taint destroys the soul and in doing so, ends the Blight. But there is a price. Absorbing an archdemon’s soul also kills the Warden.”
Silence.
Hannibal’s fingers wrapped tightly over Will’s wrist, and he pulled him closer to his side. Katz just stared at Chiyoh. Chiyoh stared back.
“There is a reason why so much of our Order is kept a secret,” she said. “To be a Grey Warden is to be a sacrifice. But I want you to listen to me. I am older than both of you, and I will be the one to kill this archdemon. It would be my honor.”
“But,” Katz stammered weakly, “but no one should have to die. It’s not fair.”
“Nothing about being a Grey Warden is fair,” Chiyoh said. “I will try to kill the archdemon. But you should both be prepared, should I fail. Because if the archdemon doesn’t die, it will destroy Ferelden, and then it will come for the rest of the world, until all of Thedas is burning.”
Will turned his head from Chiyoh to Katz. She looked afraid, and he, too, felt a shiver rushing beneath his skin. If Hannibal had not had such a firm hand upon him, his whole frame might have shaken. Will’s head was spinning. One of them would have to die. If Chiyoh didn’t do it, it would be up to Katz and Will. And Will knew that he wouldn’t let it be Katz.
Margot spoke next. Will had nearly forgotten she and Alana were in the room. “You said the Blight was coming, that it would be upon us soon.”
Chiyoh nodded. “The archdemon is ready to take out Ferelden’s final safeguards. I can feel it.”
“We shouldn’t wait for the darkspawn to make the first move,” Margot declared. “We should bring the fight to them.”
Alana’s hand was holding Margot’s. “I think that would be wise,” she agreed.
Will felt his head nodding and saw Katz commit to a similar gesture in his peripheral. Their allies had already gathered at the Arl’s estate and were waiting to be called on. It was only a matter of sounding the charge. And then it would be happening. “How long do we have?” he asked Chiyoh.
“I would not wait longer than dawn to launch our attack. The darkspawn army is close,” she answered. “We should all try to rest until then. There are some few hours left to spend at peace.”
With forlorn faces, they parted. Will mumbled a goodnight to Katz and Chiyoh, Alana and Margot, and then he let Hannibal guide him back toward the guest chamber. “Will,” Hannibal said, opening the door and steering Will inside. “I must leave you for a few minutes. I need to collect my weapons and armor from my room.” He kissed him softly. “I will not tarry long from you.”
“It’s fine,” Will lied. He fixed a kiss to Hannibal’s lips and let him pull away. When the templar had disappeared around the corner, Will walked, heavy-footed and heavy-hearted, until he was plopped on the plush couch before the fireplace. With a wave of his hand before the hearth, it leapt to life with crackling flame, and a warm glow filled the space. Will sat back and thought, feeling his heart slowly breaking. If Chiyoh couldn’t kill the archdemon, Will would do it. He just knew. He knew, and he would have to leave Hannibal. Forever. When he’d only just found him. Like Katz had said, it wasn’t fair. Will ran his fingers through his hair and scolded himself for ever believing, even for a moment, that he would be allowed to have that kind of happiness. Stupid. Childish.
“Will,” said Alana.
He looked up, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, and saw her leaning in his open doorway.
“Can I come in?” she asked, and he nodded. She walked, hips swaying in their usual, uninhibited manner, until she was standing in front of him, the light of the fire making her silhouette shine radiant.
“What is it, Alana?” Will asked.
She shifted her weight to one hip. “I need to tell you why I wanted to come with you.”
He frowned up at her. “What do you mean?”
“There’s a reason why I volunteered to leave the Korcari Wilds to help your cause, Will,” she sighed.
“But,” Will said slowly, apprehension dawning on him and making him squirm uncomfortably against the cushions, “you said you wanted to help save Ferelden. Isn’t that enough reason?”
“I’m older than I look, Will,” Alana said. She sat down beside him, and he twisted, pulling up his knee so he could face her fully. “There are things I know, things I’ve learned. About Blights, about Grey Wardens, and about the spirits of ancient gods.”
“Alana, I don’t understand.”
“I knew this would happen,” she said. “I knew the only way to kill an archdemon was for a Warden to die. It’s the real reason I came. I wanted to help. But I also wanted to make a deal.”
He leaned slightly away from her. “A deal?”
“What if I told you that no one has to die tomorrow?”
“I’d probably tell you I’ve always admired your can-do attitude, but then I’d remind you that it’s impossible.”
“Will,” she said. She reached out her hand as if to touch him, but then settled it in her lap instead. “There are things apostates know that Circle Mages never learn. There is a spell. With your permission, I’d like to use it to save your lives. And to get something in return.”
“You know a spell that can save us?” Will asked, thoroughly confused. “What kind of spell? How?”
“You might not like it,” she cautioned, and the twitch of her lips made him terribly suspicious.
“Tell me,” he insisted.
She took a deep breath and settled further into the cushions, resting her elbow across the back of the couch. “It’s a spell of transference,” she began. “So when the archdemon is killed, instead of its soul being pulled inside of a Grey Warden, it would be pulled into me. I would have no taint to kill it, and with the help of the spell it would grow inside of me. Safe. An ancient spirit in the body of a harmless human.”
Will gawked. When she only stared back at him with unblinking blue eyes, he asked, voice tight with tension, “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I could safely absorb the archdemon’s soul, and nine months later give birth to a baby,” she replied far too calmly.
He sort of…just gasped at her for a few moments, trying to work his head around what she’d said. “And how would this spell work?” he finally ventured after a long, discomfited pause.
“You would have to lay down with me.”
He quirked up a confused eyebrow. “Lay down. With you. For sleep?”
“For sex.”
“For sex?”
“Yes. For the spell to work, I have to take in the ‘spirit of the Warden.’ That would be your semen.”
“Right.”
“So?”
“So.”
“Are you interested in performing the spell?” Alana asked, and Will stood up from the couch to pace before the fireplace.
“I’m sorry, Alana, it’s been a long month. Let me see if I understood you correctly,” he said, weaving his fingers through a knot of curls atop his head. “You want to take in my ‘spirit of the Warden’ so when the archdemon is killed, you get pregnant with an old god baby?”
“And no Grey Wardens have to die, that’s right,” Alana confirmed with a nod of her head, as if nothing he’d just repeated sounded unusual.
“And you’ve been planning this the whole time?!” he asked, perplexed. “Why did you never mention this to me?”
“Well, Will, it’s a bit of an awkward conversation starter,” she said slyly. “I barely knew you.”
A strange squeak left his throat and he stopped pacing, opting to wring his hands together instead. “And it has to be me? That does the…the sex part? With you?”
“Katz doesn’t produce semen. I need to be inseminated with ‘spirit of the Warden.’”
Will dragged both hands over his face.
Alana stood up and crossed to him. “You’ll get to live. You’ll get to be with Hannibal. Margot and I will raise the baby. You won’t need to have anything to do with it. Will, I know this is uncomfortable, but isn’t it worth it?”
Will sighed as he continued trying to de-boggle his mind. “Of course it’s worth it. It’s just, erm, a lot to take in.”
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “If it makes you feel any better, I’d much rather have sex with Margot than with you.”
“That…doesn’t make me feel better, actually.” And then Will remembered. “Hannibal,” he said. “I have to talk to Hannibal about this.”
Alana smiled at him, and for a second, it felt like a normal point in a normal conversation between normal friends.
“Of course. Come see me in Margot’s room when you’ve spoken. If this is happening, it needs to happen soon.” She squeezed his shoulder and walked from the room, passing Hannibal on his re-entrance through the door. She winked at him and then departed from view.
“Will,” Hannibal said, setting his gear down at the door and striding to Will’s side, “I believe Alana just winked at me.” After glancing at the expression on Will’s face, Hannibal took his hands in his. “What is it? Why was she here? You are quite pale.”
As hands came up to gently pat Will’s cheeks in an endearing check for heightened temperature, Will clasped his fingers over Hannibal’s wrists. Will led him to the couch and pushed at him to sit. He studied his demon templar for a moment, how strange and handsome his face was in the fire glow, and then he climbed into his lap. Hannibal was quick to accommodate, hooking an arm around Will’s back to steady him, and smoothing his other hand down the legs Will’s rested on the cushions. Propped and steadied, there was no more avoiding the conversation that needed having. Later in Will’s life, he would think on this scene by the fire and laugh, and it wouldn’t seem like such a big deal at all, but for now, it felt an enormous undertaking, and he was as nervous as he’d ever been.
Hannibal sensed it, of course, his eyes finding Will’s as he said in a voice, low and exquisite, “Do not hide from me, my sweet boy. Any burden you have, I will gladly share or take unto myself completely, if I am able.”
Will nodded. He knew it was true. It was why asking what he was about to ask was so difficult. “Alana was in here, because she knows a spell that can save us. The Grey Wardens, I mean.”
Hannibal’s eyes flashed with interest. “I wondered if she might. Tell me.”
“It involves a lot of elements, not all of which I understood.”
“Magic can be complicated,” Hannibal said, his hands constantly smoothing comfortingly over Will’s body. His hand, hot and large, pushed up beneath Will’s shirt to press against his bare back. Will shuddered, writhing on the lap that was slowly growing with hardness. “I would have to think that any spell, no matter the cost, would be worth it, if it meant sparing your life, Will.”
“I thought you might say that,” Will breathed, trying to resist grinding down on Hannibal. Now wasn’t the time. Now really, really, wasn’t the time.
“It is perfect timing, perhaps,” Hannibal continued. “I know how much you wish to stay and finish this battle, but if Chiyoh was correct and your death is unambiguously on the line, I am prepared to throw you over my shoulder and carry you off, some place safe. With our without your permission.”
“Oh,” Will said, feeling small and vulnerable and, frankly, exceptionally aroused in Hannibal’s lap. “Good thing Alana knows about this spell then.”
“Good thing,” Hannibal agreed. “But you have not told me what troubles you. I assume the spell does not include blood magic.”
“No,” Will said. “But there is another, erm, physical element that I’m not…that I don’t want to…”
“Look at me, please,” Hannibal demanded sweetly, for Will’s eyes had strayed again in his fluster.
Will made himself look, took a deep breath, and then said it. “I have to sleep with Alana, for the spell to work. I imbibe her with the ‘spirit of the Warden,’ and she sucks in the archdemon soul when it gets ganked. Apparently, she can carry it safely in her womb or something. Hannibal, it’s all very weird, and I…I don’t want to do it, but I…”
“Shhh.” Hannibal’s hands cupped Will’s panicking face, and he brought their lips together in a kiss, first gentle, and then decidedly less: harder, rougher, wonderful. When he finally released Will from the kiss, his eyes were on fire, and Will thought there was a good chance his were, too. “You must, Will.”
Will knew it. “I know. But I hate to, Hannibal, when you and I haven’t even…yet. I mean, we did in the Fade, and we have, here, been building up to that, sort of at a rampant pace, but I’ve never…and I wanted you. Just you.” Will could feel the blush in his cheeks, just as he could feel the arousal still stiff between Hannibal’s legs.
“You and I will share a lifetime,” Hannibal told him, as he slowly leaned in to suck a wet kiss against Will’s neck. “But only if you share a night with Alana.” He bit into Will’s skin, not too hard, not enough to draw blood, but enough to leave a noticeable mark. Will sighed, wanting more, but Hannibal eventually pulled away, kissing the bruise that now matched the one Will had given him earlier. “Though, my offer stands to throw you over my shoulder.”
Will considered it. He considered every offer Hannibal had ever presented him with, even the offer to bond their souls with blood magic. But the constant compass of his mind kept him steady, kept him on mission. He’d gone as far as he had without blood magic and without running away. He couldn’t give up now, and Hannibal knew it as well as Will did. He patted Will’s thigh with a light slap, jarring him from drowning in his thoughts.
“Come, then. Let us get this over with so you can rest before tomorrow.”
Will was halfway out of Hannibal’s lap before he paused, looking the templar over with a quizzical brow. “Let us get this over with? You and me?”
Hannibal tilted his head, the way he was wont to do, and said, “You did not think I would send you into a witch’s den unaccompanied?” He stood, grabbing Will by the waist and pressing against him so Will could feel the rigid outline of his cock. “I fully intend to watch.”
Will swallowed, hard, and followed Hannibal out of the room, holding tight to his hand.
--
The night before battling a Blight, with the fate of the whole world on his shoulders, it was typical that the thing Will was most afraid of was having sex. He clung to Hannibal’s arm, letting his demon be the one who knocked on Margot’s door.
Alana opened it, and looked both unsurprised and unbothered by Hannibal’s presence.
“Good evening, Alana,” Hannibal said with a curt nod.
“Good evening, Hannibal. Will,” she greeted hospitably, opening the door to let them inside.
When they entered the Queen’s bedchambers, Margot herself was revealed to be sitting comfortably on a velvet settee with a glass of wine. Will stifled a groan. What was his life?
“Have you decided?” Alana asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Will found himself stalled for a response, standing there blank faced, unsure of what to do. It was Hannibal who swept it, as per usual, and filled in Will’s empty spaces.
“Will has agreed to participate in your generous offer, Alana,” Hannibal said amiably, but, of course, Will could feel the man’s fingers digging possessively into his side. Not that Will minded. He was still half-mast from the threat of being thrown over Hannibal’s shoulder. Maker, would he have to ride out this whole, awkward affair on that imagery? He could do it. It would just – was this really happening?
“Hannibal,” Margot called, “come and have a glass of wine with me.” She motioned to the jug before her on the glass table, and the gold-dusted goblet awaiting him.
Hannibal moved slightly, as if to make for Margot and her wine, but Will found himself clinging to him and holding him in place. When he realized his childish course of action, he immediately dropped his hands, folding his arms over his chest so as not to be tempted to grab at the templar again as he walked for the wine.
Alana caught Will’s eyes and smiled. Will tried to return the smile, but he was distracted by Hannibal speaking in low tones to Margot. When Hannibal returned to Will’s side and handed him the wine, Will was grateful, and he sipped the drink eagerly, Hannibal’s fingers scratching lightly over the nape of his neck, watching.
“Will you be staying, Hannibal?” Alana asked.
“I must insist that I do,” Hannibal replied, and Will thought he could detect the hint of a chill in his voice.
“Margot is staying, too,” Alana said, and Will looked over at the Queen-to-be.
An audience of two. He finished the rest of his wine in a few gulps, and Hannibal took the goblet from his hand. He set it down on a side table and returned to Will, but instead of resuming his position and wrapping an arm around Will’s waist, he came to stand in front of him, his fingers spreading over Will’s chest and smoothing upward slowly, to the collar of Will’s shirt. His long, nimble fingers made quick work of the ties, and his hands caressed the hollow of Will’s throat and rested around his neck. Hannibal’s skin was hot and his hold was controlling and gentle at the same time. Will’s eyes fell shut, and he sighed, a little puff of air through his parted lips.
“Good, Will,” Hannibal whispered, and he leaned in to kiss Will’s lips as his hands spread back down Will’s body, to pull at the waist of his trousers.
The idea of protesting never occurred to Will. He didn’t think he’d ever protest anything that involved Hannibal’s mouth. Quite the opposite, in fact. Will deepened their kiss, parting Hannibal’s lips with his tongue. Eventually, Hannibal had to break away in order to slip Will’s trousers all the way to his ankles, but first he leaned forward, kissing Will’s ear and whispering into it, “Keep your eyes closed.”
Hannibal helped Will step out of his nug-leather trousers, and Will kept his eyes obediently shut while Hannibal continued to undress him. Will noticed with a twinge in his heart that his demon kept a hand on him at all times, never letting their skin lose contact. And before he could doubt any of his new reality, Will was standing naked in the Queen’s bedchamber with Alana and Hannibal and the Queen, eyes shut and body trembling. Hannibal rubbed his hands down Will’s sides, and then Will heard him as he turned to Alana and said, “This is how it will be.” It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t permission. It was Hannibal telling the Witch of the Wilds that he would be in charge of everything that was about to happen.
“Of course,” answered Alana. “Everything else has already been prepared for the spell. I only need the most important part.”
Will was compelled to open his eyes, but Hannibal had told him not to, so he kept them adamantly closed. It made Hannibal’s kiss all the more thrilling since he hadn’t seen it coming. Hannibal kissed him gently, but passionately, breathing with Will as their tongues slid together and his hands found their way around to Will’s ass cheeks, gripping each with a deep growl that had Will fully erect.
Will tried to stay focused on Hannibal’s lips, and that wasn’t a difficult thing to do, but he couldn’t help but hear the sounds of falling fabrics and rustling bed sheets, and then Hannibal’s hips were grinding against Will’s and Will was putty. He was a malleable, mewling mess of a man, with neither self control nor want for self control. He only wanted Hannibal to control him, and Hannibal was doing exactly what he wanted, every time he bucked his hips against Will and pressed their erections together. Will’s only complaint, in fact, was that Hannibal’s cock was hidden and restrained beneath his pants. Will wanted to touch him, wanted to rub their cocks together and then maybe get on his knees and – oh! Another set of hands ghosted over Will’s shoulders and he started.
“It’s okay, Will,” Alana said quietly. “We’re just going to walk you to the bed.”
He nodded breathlessly and allowed himself to be walked backwards with little trouble until the bend of his knees hit the mattress. He sat down and then warm, large hands, Hannibal’s hands, pushed him onto his back. Will could hear the glug-glug-glug of wine being poured and wondered what sort of expression Margot was wearing as she sipped her wine and watched the commencement of the strangest event yet to arrive in Will’s life, and then Hannibal was kissing him again and there was no space left in Will’s mind for anything other than Hannibal, Hannibal, Hannibal.
Oh, Maker. Hannibal.
Their lips pressed together perfectly, warm and open and perfect and Will gasped into Hannibal’s mouth when his hand reached down to cup Will’s balls. His fingers kneaded him gently and then ran up the underside of Will’s cock, before wrapping his hand over his entire length and rubbing his thumb across the head.
When Will moaned, Hannibal kissed him harder. Will didn’t even notice the shifting of weight on the bed; he was too enraptured by the hand on his cock and the tongue thrusting into his mouth. Will’s leg instinctively moved, trying to hike up and over Hannibal’s hips, but Hannibal stopped Will’s encroaching, wanton thigh and eased it back down on the mattress.
“Keep as you are, sweet boy,” Hannibal whispered in his ear. Will nodded and bit his lip; it felt kiss-swollen and warm from the friction of Hannibal’s mouth. After a few skilled jerks, the hand around Will’s cock fell away, smoothing up Will’s chest instead and cupping his jaw. Hannibal kissed Will’s neck and said softly, “I am going to allow Alana to take what she needs now, Will. But I want you to know that I’m right here, and I won’t take my eyes off of you. Are you ready, my love?”
Will nodded, and his heart was beating fast. Hannibal murmured something to Alana he didn’t quite pick up, and then he was kissing him again, slowly, and his hands were framing Will’s face and brushing the hair from Will’s forehead, and Will definitely noticed the mattress shifting now. And he definitely noticed the soft, smooth thighs settling over his hips. Alana.
And when a small hand gripped the base of Will’s cock, he shivered and Hannibal kissed him harder. And when his tip was enveloped by a tight, wet heat, Will’s fingers clutched roughly into Hannibal’s hair and he moaned loudly.
The heat engulfed him utterly as Alana sank all the way down. Will kept his eyes shut, panting against Hannibal’s lips as she began to ride him. When she began to make small sounds as her breathing grew ragged, Hannibal broke away from Will’s lips to speak, soft and deep, at his ear, so low Will knew no one else could hear.
“You look so beautiful, Will. I wonder if you’ll look like that when I’m inside of you.”
The combination of Hannibal’s voice and the rhythmic gyration of Alana’s heat had Will close already, and his hips began to buck upward, harder into Alana.
“Perfect,” Hannibal whispered. He kissed Will’s neck. “You’re so good. You need not hold back. Come for me, sweet boy. I have you.”
Will did as he was told and came, and as soon as he had expelled his ‘spirit of Warden,’ Alana quickly rolled off of him. And then it was over, almost as quickly as it had begun. Will panted weakly on the bed for a moment before Hannibal scooped him up in his arms.
“Can I open my eyes now?” Will asked, feeling more than a little awkward. His contentment from orgasm was minimal. His body still felt strangely wired, and Hannibal wasn’t putting him down, keeping him swept up in his strong arms, taking the sheet from the bed and tucking it around Will’s naked body.
“Not yet, Will,” Hannibal said. “Alana? Margot? I trust that is all you needed?”
“Yes. We can speak again in the morning. Goodnight, you two,” Alana answered.
“Erm, yeah,” Will said blindly, pressing his head to Hannibal’s chest. “Goodnight.”
Hannibal said nothing by way of goodbyes, and he walked Will quickly down the hall and into the guest chambers. Hannibal did not let him go, not even as he closed the door behind them. He walked Will directly to the bed and lowered them both down to the mattress, where he was quick to wrap Will up in his arms and gather him against his chest. He only moved to settle the blanket across them both, and then both hands were firmly cemented to Will’s back, Hannibal’s fingers gliding over skin in barely there touches that had Will blissed, even in the wake of the peculiarity that had just occurred.
“I’d ask you to have me next, but I know you’re about to tell me to go to sleep,” Will whispered, settling his cheek in his favorite place, the nook of Hannibal’s arm.
“When I have you, it will not be a rushed joining on the tail of a witch’s spell,” Hannibal whispered in reply. Will smiled and nuzzled into the chest beneath him, but he could feel the moment Hannibal’s body succumbed to tension, and he readied himself for the proposition he always knew his demon would pose once more before the dawn. “We can still leave, Will. Tonight,” Hannibal said, finding Will’s face in the darkness and bringing their lips together in a tender kiss. “You have completed the spell for Alana. Katz and Chiyoh can kill the archdemon, and we can walk away from all of this.”
“Hannibal…” Will whispered, and his demon sighed against his lips. Will kissed him, carding his fingers through Hannibal’s hair. “I can’t. You know I can’t.”
Hannibal nosed against Will’s neck, inhaling him deeply as he clutched him tighter with fretful fingers. “I know. And you know I will not leave your side. Not for a moment.”
Will clung to his demon, his templar, his friend. “I know.”
And then there was nothing left to do but wait for the sun to rise.