Main Hannibal Fan Fiction page | new stories page | Will/Hannibal slash page | other pairings page | gen stories page

Title: Heart of Darkness
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Table: writers_choice
Prompt: #245, Grace
Author's Note: Sequel to "Sitting Duck."
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.

***

He loved watching Will move.

Hannibal could hardly take his eyes off Will as the young man paced back and forth across his living room. He was so utterly graceful, so beautiful to Hannibal's eyes. It was hard not to stare ad him, and to imagine that grace and beauty in his bed.

He could close his eyes and imagine Will sprawled across the dark sheets of his bed, that pale skin glowing, those blue eyes hazy with desire ....

"There was somebody out there, Hannibal," Will told him, his voice rising slightly. "In the woods outside my house, watching me. I'm not just imagining this, and I'm not making it up. I know somebody was out there. And it's freaking me out."

"You think that whoever was out there watching your house is the killer who's been doing away with all of these men who look like you," Hannibal said, leaning back.

Of course there was someone watching Will's house. He had been rather uncomfortable last night; it had been colder than he'd anticipated, but he'd stayed out in the woods for quite a while, even though he risked catching a cold from doing so.

He wanted to keep Will agitated, off balance, even frightened.

He still hadn't chosen the person who he intended to take the fall for his own crimes; he'd been too busy with trying to keep Will in a state of near-panic.

But he would have to find that person soon, Hannibal thought with a slight frown. He would have to divert all suspicion towards them, and then continue the killings. He would have to be more and more discreet than ever; he didn't want any breath of doubt to arise.

Everyone would have to believe that his chosen fall guy was the killer, and that they had an accomplice who they wouldn't give up to the authorities.

Of course, that man would never know who the real killer was, or why he had been targeted and framed. He would more than likely go to his death, or spend the rest of his life in prison, never knowing what had been done, or why he had been chosen.

No one would ever know, Hannibal thought with satisfaction. And he would continue to rid the world of men who marred Will's uniqueness.

That was simply the way things had to be.

"Will, you need to calm down," he told the young man, gratified when Will collapsed into a chair and ran a hand over his face. Yes, he was definitely agitated.

This was how he wanted Will -- unsure, off balance, and needy. This was what he needed from the young man; he needed to be able to step in and comfort Will, to reassure him, to make sure that Will feel further under his control.

If he could control Will fully, then he would be able to move the young man along the path that he wanted him to take. A path that led directly into the heart of darkness.

Hannibal was surprised when Will got up and began pacing again only seconds after he had sat down; it was as though he couldn't stay still.

But watching Will pace was fascinating, he had to admit. He loved the grace of the young man's body; his movements were only all the more alluring for his agitation, for the way that his pacing was so fluid, back and forth, back and forth.

It had been easy to get Will to this point, Hannibal mused. Now the question was seeing how long he could keep the young man teetering on the edge of panic.

He was sure that he could manage it for quite a while.

Leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, he observed Will, taking in the young man's agitation, feeling proud to have caused it.

Will wasn't the type of person who would lose control easily. He didn't panic over nothing. He would usually keep his head in dangerous situations; he didn't fall apart at the slightest sign of adversity. it was something of an accomplishment to have caused his current state.

Perhaps it was nothing to be proud of, but Hannibal couldn't help congratulating himself for achieving just the state that he wanted Will to be in.

Will had no idea that he was being manipulated; he didn't know that the person behind what he was dealing with now was his own lover. Hannibal had to congratulate himself on that, too. He'd been very careful, and so far,everything had gone according to plan.

He didn't doubt that those plans would be carried out to the end. He wasn't going to slip up now, even if he had to take a few slight detours.

No, he was far too astute to be tripped up or caught off guard.

But Will wasn't, despite the guards he tried to keep in place. And he was proving that now; the pacing was becoming more frantic, his gestures as he spoke less controlled. Hannibal could see that he was giving himself over to his fears, just as he wanted.

But maybe it was time to calm Will down a bit, in spite of the pleasing picture his graceful movements and unsettled demeanor presented.

"Calm down," he said again, getting to his feet and going to the young man, taking Will's hands in his own. "I know that this is difficult to deal with, Will. But we will find the person who's causing all of this, and he will end up behind bars, where he belongs."

There. That had the desired effect, calming Will and making him take a deep breath and close his eyes. When he opened them again, the blue depths were calmer.

With another graceful movement, he reached out to touch Hannibal's cheek. "Can you take me upstairs?" he asked, his voice very soft. "I need you tonight, Hannibal. I need to get all of this out of my mind. I need to enjoy a night with you."

Hannibal smiled and nodded, all too ready to comply with such a request.

***