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Title: A Deliberate Attack
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Table: 1drabble
Prompt: 35, Bite
Author's Note: Sequel to "Sooner Rather Than Later."
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Hannibal Lecter or Will Graham, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"Max, what's gotten into you?" Will asked, exasperated.

Max wagged his tail, letting out one single bark and tilting his head to the side, for all the world as though he was studying Will and wondering what to say.

"Hannibal doesn't want to come here any more because of how you've been acting," Will told the dog, his voice sharp. He knew that Max didn't understand why he was annoyed, but he was upset, and he couldn't keep that sharp edge from his tone.

He and Hannibal had gone for a walk in the woods, down to the lake, and had a picnic lunch. And when they'd gotten back and entered the house, they'd encountered a spectacle.

Hannibal had left, tight-lipped and annoyed, and Will had felt helpless.

Max had managed to knock over a framed picture of Hannibal that Will kept on one of the side tables by his couch, broken the frame, and ripped the picture to shreds.

It was only a picture, he told himself. He could replace it. He shouldn't be upset. After all, dogs chewed things, and clawed them to bits at times. It was in the animal's nature. But somehow, given how Max had been acting lately, it seemed like a deliberate attack on Hannibal.

And that was the way his boyfriend had viewed it, too. Will was sure of that. Hannibal hadn't said as much, but his expression and his body language had made that clear.

He didn't blame Hannibal for being upset, Will told himself with a sigh. He was, too. But at least Max hadn't tried to take a literal bite out of Hannibal.

That would have been infinitely worse -- and that would have forced him to make a decision about finding Max a new home, which he really didn't want to do. He was already fond of the dog, and Max got along so well with his other pets. This was his home now.

Besides, there was something about Max's attitude that almost seemed like it was a .... well, a warning of some sort, though Will couldn't figure out what it was.

He had no idea why the dog was behaving this way.

"If only you could talk, buddy," he told Max with a sigh, shaking his head. "But at least you didn't bite Hannibal. That would have been the beginning of the end."

He knew that he would have to talk to Hannibal again soon, and that Max would be the crux of the conversation. He would have to convince Hannibal that he could make the dog behave, that this animosity wouldn't continue. Though, of course, he couldn't promise anything.

"I hope you learn how to behave more sensibly around my boyfriend," Will said to the dog, a frown on his face. "Because something's got to give here. And it won't be Hannibal."

Max only stared back at him, barking and looking bemused.

***