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Today was one of the first truly warm days of spring and finding himself with a rare weekend off Hannibal decided to get some work done outside to get the garden ready for summer. Hannibal actually liked digging up the flower beds and even mowing the lawn. Of course he would take the culinary arts over lawn art any day, but that was beside the point. The point was that it relaxed him. Especially after a long day in the office with some of the most annoying patience. But he was a gentleman, a man of manners, and would never dwell or express these thoughts out loud. So here he would be in his yard taking his frustration out of soil (and the rude) instead of his patients. His garden might look less like a glossy magazine cover but the plants were sturdy enough to survive his regular absence, and it was all his. Just another thing that he could own, and he could keep control of.
Looking up, Hannibal heard an expressive whine coming from the house to his left. Since about a week earlier there had been a bold lettered SOLD taped over the for sale sign next door and now there was a rental van full of boxes parked in the driveway. Hannibal didn't want to pry but decided to keep an eye out for his new neighbors. Old habits, caution and all that.
He met the new inhabitants sooner than he expected. At least the four legged ones.
Carrying a bunch of flowers through the gate, he was quickly surrounded by three excited bundles of fluffy fur in various shades of colors and sizes. Brown, gold, big, small.
"Well, hello there." Hannibal set down his load and was turning towards the hedge to pet the dogs, when a slender young man with a stock of long, dark, wavy hair and glasses in front of expressive eyes appeared there. He looked intriguing, and Hannibal couldn't resist smiling at the young man.
“Winston, Buster, and Isaac, where did you three vanish to?” Even scolding the man's voice was melodious.
He schooled his features to answer, “It would seem that they have crossed under the fence.” Hannibal politely smiled over the fencing.
“Oh, hi. Pardon me, I'm so sorry about that. The real estate agent assured me the property was fenced in so I put the dogs in the garden to not have them underfoot while unloading the boxes and suddenly they were gone. Trust them to find even the smallest gap and get through," The stern look he threw the little dogs was kind of adorable but did lead to some apologetic body language on side of the dogs. Slowly, one by one, the dogs made their way back over to their new home. “Ehm, I'm your new neighbor, by the way. Will Graham.” He gave Hannibal an awkward but endearing little wave, although his eyes didn't quite reach his own, Hannibal could tell that the man was trying.
The older man whipped his dirt covered hand on his apron until it was mostly clean, or the best one could do with a apron, and stuck his hand over the fence, "Dr. Hannibal Lecter, It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Graham."
Will hesitantly took the offered hand and gave it a less-than-firm shake.
"Ah, please, just Will."
"Will." Hannibal smiled as the named rolled off of his tongue. He could see the boy blush and he enjoyed more (than he should) how the exquisite man ducked his head to try to hide his brushed cheeks. All Hannibal could think about in that moment was pushing the long hair behind the younger man's ear and lifting his chin to make eye contact.
Realizing he still had the young man's hand in his own, he released it without much fuss to make it seem natural, like he purposely meant to hang on a moment too long.
"Well I should get back to unpacking," Will started to move from the fence then abruptly stopped and turned back around, "I'm sorry abut the disturbance. I'll have the fencing fixed or a new one installed as soon as possible."
"Oh it's no problem, in fact I may enjoy the company from time to time. I'll be in the garden for a few hours at least so I don't mind if they are over today. This way you can focus on getting your boxes inside.” He hesitated but then decided to make the offer anyway. “Call for me if you need any help, though I'll likely be full of dirt, I have to get those plants into the ground.”
“Thanks, but I'm used to moving on my own. But if the three little mischief makers could stay with you for a while, that would be really helpful.”
Will didn't exactly look like he was a physical powerhouse, so moving alone seemed an odd choice, but Hannibal tried really hard not to read any more into that. Of course he couldn't quite keep his curiosity at bay. I was his profession after all.
"Of course." Hannibal smiled politely and opened the fence door between the houses so that the pups wouldn't have to crawl back under and risk hurting themselves.
They each went to their respective tasks at hand and worked the day away. When the sun came down and the air grew chilly, Will came over to collect his tired but happy dogs. Will looked more achy and pleased with a good day's work, just like Hannibal himself felt.
“Thank you again for taking them today. I'll look into the fence tomorrow and make some phone calls on Monday.”
“They were easy to have around. If they end up in my yard again it's no issue as the other sides are all securely fenced in. You're free to come over and collect them should I not be in.”
Will chuckled, "Thank you. It's a very kind offer."
"Well let's see if I can make a better one," Hannibal stated as he started to walk towards his back door. "Could I interest you in staying for dinner?"
Will looked towards his own home and took a moment to think. Coming to an internal decision he looked up to the man who was patiently waiting by his back door, "Sure, what are you having?"
Pleased, Hannibal smiled and hummed, "It's a surprise."
Will followed the older man into the large house. The moon was just rising and with a glance to his watch, Will saw that it was almost 9:30. He sighed, he didn't even realize that he had worked himself all day. The room he found himself in was one of the most beautiful (from what he had so far seen) in the house. The kitchen was large and very open. It had a huge stainless steel island in the middle, along with other stainless steel appliances. There was a comfortable looking chair in the corner of the room next to a table that had a bowl of fresh fruit on in. No doubt for company, Will thought.
"I've had the meat marinating since about lunch time, so for the majority of the day. Which is plenty long enough for the dish I'm planning." Hannibal stated matter-of-factly. He looked amused at the expression on Will's handsome face. The younger man was silently admiring his home but didn't want to express his thought to save himself from being rude. It flattered the cannibal.
"Meat?" Will asked instead.
Hannibal chuckled to himself, "Yes, pork"
"Ah, pork is good. Personally I prefer fish, but that is more because it's all I can really catch. Although, I've not taken a hunting trip since my younger days my target precision probably hasn't gotten any better." Will laughed as he took to standing next to the large island.
Hannibal laughed as well and started to prepare the food and cook the "pork".
After dinner, the men sat in Hannibal's den, sipping wine and talking about what new friends do-people, pasts, and future plans.
When the grandfather clocked chimed the new hour, Will looked a it and saw that it was midnight. He sighed, he was enjoying himself with his new companion so much that he didn't even realize how much time had passed.
Taking the last sip of wine in his glass, he stood, "Well. Dr. Lecter, it has been a pleasure talking and dining with you. I feel very welcomed, but I need to be getting back if I want to wake up and get an early start tomorrow."
"The pleasure has been all mine, dear Will. And please, call me Hannibal." Hannibal smiled as he stood as well. He took the empty glass from Will's hand and briefly laced their fingers together to look like an accident. Hannibal mentally smirked at the small, but noticeable, intake of breath from his young companion.
"Well I will see you soon then, thank you for the dinner. It was splendid." With a final smile, Will quickly made his way out of the house and back to his own.
The next morning Hannibal rose with a new found excitement. He made his way through his home and started to fix a light breakfast. With the Spring weather he already had his windows open and could feel the cool air from the night before still lurking. Throwing on his silk robe, he made his way towards his screen, back door. It was only Sunday so he didn't have to go into work yet and none of his patients called to reschedule for the day. With this in mind, he could start to get to know his new neighbor better. As if by an unseen magic, he heard the young man's run outside as the door to the younger man' house opened. The sight that he was met with took his breath away. There was Will Graham in a white shirt and denim overalls making his way to his backyard.
The young man took a seat near a tree and his dogs automatically surrounded him. Hannibal moved a bit closer to the door to get a better look at the beautiful man. At the better angle he could see that the boy was barefoot and had a brown satchel with him. He continued to watch as the younger man took out a pad of paper, some charcoal, pencils, and even a bottle of fine wine out of the bag. Hannibal hadn't even noticed that the man had carried a wine glass out with him when he exited the house. He was too focused on how the boy's denim overalls clung to his nicely shaped a- Stop that thinking, Hannibal. He grimaced at the thoughts that ran through his mind.
As the younger man began to draw he seated himself in a more comfortable position with one leg bent and the other tucked under it he leaned on his bent leg for support. His unruly hair fall down the side of his face, making him tuck it behind his ear. Hannibal had to turn away as the beginnings of desire shot through him. He wanted nothing more than to run over and ravish the artful man. He, of course, would never do such a thing. Not without knowing where his new interest stood on the subject. Was he falling too quickly? He'd never felt like this before.
Hannibal turned back to the door to watch the boy for a while longer. He noticed that the man had poured some wine into his glass and had switched to charcoal. This was the time to make his presence known. He slipped on his slippers and made his way out the door to his freshly planted flowers. Acting like he hadn't seen the man was probably wasn't the best course of action but it got the other man's attention.
"Good morning, Hannibal!"
Hannibal smiled and turned towards the sweet voice. "Ah, good morning, William."
The boy smiled and waved from his spot on the ground. Hannibal made his way over to the fence and leaned against it.
"What are you up to out here, if you don't mind my asking?" Hannibal asked.
Will gracefully stood up and made his way towards the fence with a piece of paper in his hands. The three dogs followed closely behind him and jumped up on the fence so that Hannibal could pet them and give them treats (that he would not admit he ran out bought after the other man left his house last night) from his robe pocket.
Will handed over the picture to the older man. "I've been meaning to start back up on my art, but with the move and all that happened before the move I haven't found the time. After leaving your house last night I stayed up later than intended and finished putting the last of my boxed items away so I was able to start on my drawing this morning." Will explained looking down at the picture in the man's hands.
"It's beautiful, William." Hannibal praised.
The very detailed sketch was of the flowers Hannibal had planted yesterday with the three dogs laying around them. It was quite adorable in its own way. With a smile he passed the picture back to the man.
"I know it's silly, but I wanted to get a picture of them and I didn't know what to use as a background so I used your flowers." Will laughed and ducked his head again.
Hannibal reached across and tucked the hair behind the boy's ear. Will looked startled at first but soon calmed and smiled at the older man.
"I was just about to eat breakfast. Would you care to join me?" Hannibal asked.
"Actually yeah that would be really nice." Will replied and came through the gate, joining Hannibal.
The men ate their breakfast and talked more about what they saw for their futures. Their own and also the possibility of conjoining their futures. Everything was moving so quickly but the dogs that were playing in the backyard couldn't wait for time to move faster and for the men to accept what they had smelled from a mile away.
The beginning of a new adventure and a rare love.
~End