Chapter Text
Hannibal’s late night walks only mean one thing. He’s either looking for meat or he’s staying at the Palazzo studying. And when he goes out, he didn’t have to tell her. Most of the time when he’s out, she stays awake in her own bed and can’t help but think who the victim will be this time. It’s not that she’s still unfamiliar with his habits..she’s just worried that he’s drawing them to where they are.
But this night is unusual. He’s not dressed for a hunting trip.
He noticed her looking at him with a questioning eyes.
“The other curators have invited me for a discussion..and some drinks”. He told her.
“I see”. She said in return.
“Is there anything you want that I can bring home?” He asked while fixing his tie.
“Nothing that I can think of at the moment”. She lied. She’s running out of bottles and she’s down to the last bottle tonight.
And he knows she is lying. But he doesn’t bring it up. He’ll just buy her favorite wine downtown and restock their cellar tonight when he gets home.
“I shall go then. Goodnight, Bedelia.” He looks at her and bids her goodbye with a slight smile on his face.
“Goodbye…” Her eyes following him until the door shuts.
She grabs her bottle upstairs to finish it while she relaxes in her bathtub. Tonight will be a peaceful night. She doesn’t have to worry about anyone getting killed and she can sleep peacefully.
A loud noise from downstairs awakened her in the middle of her sleep. She looks at her clock on her nightstand and realizes its almost 2 in the morning. Hannibal must have had a good night out that he exceeded his usual hours of going home.
She doesn’t get up cause she’s sure its him.. it wasn’t long until she hears his seemingly heavier than usual footsteps. She knows exactly if he’s about to enter his room and it bothered her that the footsteps seems to be getting closer to her own room.
She doesn’t get up when he opened her door. She pretended that she’s still asleep but when she realized he was going straight to her bed, she tried to calling his name.
“Hanniba---“ and his heavy body collapsed at her bed, almost crashing on her body. His arms fell on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. His dead tired and drowned in what seems to be beer. This never happened before. He’s usually in control of his alcohol intake and never mistake s her room with his own.
She tries to shake him to wake him up.“Hannibal wake up.. This isn’t your room”.
He must be really really tired to be doing this.
She succeeded in removing his heavy arms on her and still shaking him to wake up.
“Hannibal”. His eyes opened a little and looks at her, looking right above him.
“Bedelia”. His slurred voice.
“Get up Hannibal!”. Still no movement from him. She realizes she’d have to deal with this for tonight because apparently, he can’t get up now.
She noticed his shirt is drenched with beer and she has to remove it on her own, opening the buttons. She can’t help but look at the sight of him, up close and naked. The chest hair, the abs and his muscular arms really are perfect. She wanted to touch them and feel them. But of course she won’t. Even if she finds him extremely hard to resist.
She has to wipe his face atleast. So she went to the bathroom to get some wet cloth.
She sits close to him on the bed and with all the strength she has, she turned him to his side to completely remove his shirt and turn him on his back again. She brushes his messy hair back so she could wipe his face clean. She stares at him for a second.
And thought she could run away now and take advantage of the vulnerable state he is in. But part of her pities the man on her bed. And god knows what else is making her stay with him. But she can’t go now. Not like this.
So she proceeded to wipe his face gently not to wake him up. Her other hand on the side of his face to steady him.
He must’ve felt the cold cloth and woke him up.
Instinctively taking her hands off of him. She didn’t think beforehand how dangerous drunken murderer could do in his half-conscious state. He could snap her neck in an instant right now if it crossed his mind.
But instead,
“Bedelia…” he grabbed her arm and pulled her to his chest.
Her weight fell on him as she was taken off-guard by his sudden movements.
Her head would have hit his face if she didn’t move fast enough to stop the crashing with her hands on his chest.
They didn’t move for a few seconds.
Their faces are just a few centimeters away. She’s feeling the way his heart beats and his breathing loud. He’ looking at her eyes as if he can see through her soul. Their uncomfortable position is making it harder for her to breath.
“Hannibal I can’t b—“ Before she could get away, he pulled her closer to him and crashed his mouth with hers, with all the strength left in his body he held her tight in his arms, not letting her go.
Her lips are the sweetest he’s ever tasted He can’t get enough of it now. The hint of her taste from their first kiss in front of the priest has left him more wanting than ever. He simply cannot forget how sweet they are from the moment their lips first touched.
The more she squirms and protests, the tighter his embrace gets. And the more it’s tiring her. She’s almost out of breath. It’s suffocates her but his mouth feels so warm and intoxicating her. Her mind tells her to get up but her body betrays her like this and unable to resist.
He feels her need for air so he loosened his hold on her. She was gasping after and was going to get up from his chest when he once again pulled her close, but this time to tell her the words he can’t say confidently when he’s sober.. that he’s falling for her.
“Bedelia, I…I think I love you. I don’t think I can ever be away from you again. “
She can’t believe what she’s hearing right now. As much as she wants to believe him, it hurts her so much that he can only say those words when he’s drunk. She can’t fall for this. It’s the alcohol that’s making him say this. He will regret saying those in the morning when he wakes up. And she needs to go now before he says more stupid things.
She gets up.
“You’re just drunk, Hannibal. You’re saying things you don’t mean—
“I mean it. I’m completely aware of what I’m saying.” Suddenly the seriousness fills the room. “I’ve been wanting to tell you ever since. I was going to tell you back in Baltimore but you left. And you came back. You came back because of your curiosity. But I couldn’t tell you then how much I’ve missed you and how much I wanted to hold you because I wasn’t sure if you feel the same way too.”
“And now I’m telling you that I have feelings for you and I can’t hide it anymore. I can give you the world if you ask for it..even your freedom, if that’s what you want..If that will make you happy. I’ll accept all the loss this may give me.”
There was silence between them.
“Please say something..Bedelia” His tone filled with sadness and hurt.
“When you wake up, you can take it all back and just apologize. To believe you now will only pain me if you regret saying those in the morning. So let’s just stop here.”
She walks out of her room and went to the guest room instead to lay down.
Tears falling to her ears as she takes it all in.
Her feelings for him are much more clear now. The hurt she’s feeling now wouldn’t be there if she doesn’t feel anything for him in the first place. She left him before because she was scared. She’s scared that she might be falling for someone like him and he wouldnt be there to catch her.
What does tomorrow bring? How are they gonna face each other in the morning?