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Title: Descent Into Madness
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Sequel to "His Weakness."
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.

***

"Close your eyes, Will. Close your eyes and let yourself relax."

Hannibal kept his voice soothing, soft and gentle. The last thing he needed was to make any sound that would pull Will out of the trance that he was being eased into.

Though he wouldn't call it a trance, exactly. Will had been drugged, of course, but it would take a while for that to kick in. Hannibal would have to guide him there.

He regretted the necessity of having to drug Will to accomplish what he wanted to do, but he knew that there was no other way. The young man would undoubtedly balk at what he wanted if he was in full possession of all his faculties; he had to cloud Will's senses to have his cooperation.

Yet, it was unethical. Yes, it was force, in a way. But it was for Will's own good, and he was sure that he could persuade the younger man that this had been the only way.

Will would probably even enjoy what was going to happen, he told himself, allowing a small smile to curve his lips as he thought of his plans for the night ahead.

He himself would certainly savour every moment.

They were already lovers. It wasn't as though he would be doing something that he hadn't done before by taking Will. His intention wasn't to harm, but to help.

He wanted to guide Will to some kind of understanding of what had been happening to him. And maybe, just maybe, it would help him to understand things, as well.

He himself had been having strange periods of not knowing what he had done, thinking that he was asleep in his own bed, but knowing that he couldn't have been. He had no idea what his body had been doing during the time that his mind had been asleep.

Apparently, he was developing Will's habit of sleepwalking.

Hannibal hadn't told anyone about this, least of all Will. He didn't want his lover to know that he was having problems along the same lines that Will was.

He was sure that if Will knew about it, something in their relationship would change. Will wouldn't trust him in the way that he did now. Doubts would be raised.

That was something he couldn't allow to happen.

Really, he needed this just as much as Will did, if not more, Hannibal told himself firmly. He had to exert some sort of control over the situation, and what better control could he have than by sending Will into a sleepwalking episode and urging him to remember just what had taken place?

It might not have worked when Will had seen Bedelia, but that had been a strange situation, with another person involved. This time, it would be just the two of them.

Will would be more relaxed, and he would be in in environment that he was familiar with. The two of them would be able to explore the unknown together.

This was what they should have done from the first.

Will's eyes were closing; he was obviously falling asleep, which was exactly what Hannibal wanted. He only hoped that he would induce a sleepwalking state.

If not, then this little experiment would be a failure, and he would have to try it again at a later date. But something told him that his plans would be successful.

"Will." He kept his voice soft, hoping that he didn't wake the other man to a state of consciousness, but rather, that Will would hear him and answer him in the dreamlike state that he had been lulled into. "Will, can you hear me?" He kept his voice soft, yet firm and almost commanding.

Will nodded slowly, answering in a very soft voice. "Yes, I can hear you," he said, his tone husky. His lashes fluttered slightly, but he didn't open his eyes, or awaken.

Good, Hannibal told himself. This was exactly the state that he needed Will to be in; he had several questions to ask the young man, and he hoped that the answers would be illuminating.

He needed clarity as much as Will did.

Maybe this would lead them both into some type of madness, a folie a deux that they could share. It might prove to forge yet another bond between them.

And it could also bring them both a clarity and understanding that they each desperately needed. This might be just what the situation called for, even if it was a bit unorthodox and not what anyone else would have done. But, Hannibal reminded himself, he wasn't anyone else.

He would never tell Will what had been done to him this night. And perhaps, if they were lucky, he would discover the answers that they both needed to bring out into the light.

If not, then he would have to try again at some future date.

"Will, show me what you did the night that you went walking in your sleep," he said, keeping his voice soft and steady. He hoped that this would trigger some reaction.

If not, then he'd have to try another tack. But his time was limited, and he knew it. There was only so much time to get some sort of reaction from the man in front of him. If Will didn't respond to a bit of gentle prompting, then he would have to give up for tonight.

But that wasn't going to happen, apparently. Hannibal held his breath as Will slowly got to his feet -- and, to his surprise, began to remove his clothing.

What? Will hadn't gone walking in the nude. He was sure of that.

Though if his young lover wanted to lead him upstairs to the bedroom, or to some other place where they would make love, he wouldn't argue with that action.

All right, so it might make him put aside his little experiment, at least for the time being. But being with Will when he was in this state would be a novelty.

Not ethical, of course. But an opportunity that he couldn't resist taking.

This was a descent into a sort of madness that would be worth experiencing. With a slight smirk curving his lips, Hannibal watched as Will divested himself of his clothes.

Then, surprisingly, the young man turned towards the back of the house, heading for the small enclosed garden there. Hannibal followed, curious as to what Will would do next. This was becoming more and more interesting, and he had to wonder just where this night would lead them.

Will opened the door and made his way out into the garden, then stood still.

Hannibal watched as Will began to walk slowly along the pathway through the garden, placing one foot slowly in front of the other, taking very deliberate steps.

Was he observing madness, or would there be some sort of revelation?

Whatever was going to happen, he hoped that it would give them both some answers.

Though a part of him wondered if either of them would like the answers they might discover.

***