The Becoming of Will Graham

Wiping The Slate

     Love stories are tricky, everyone knows that. The problem with truly understanding the dynamic of a love story is that there isn't just one. There are infinite ways two people can fall in love and be in love, and Will had been learning this every passing second since he and Hannibal had shared their first moments. Their story had been set up to be a tragedy, everything falling into pieces around the two of them until they reached their inevitable end. The cliff. As the universe would have it, the cliff was only the end to the first volume of their story. The next one started with this, Will feeling relief when Hannibal reached over and snapped the neck of the innocent driver that had picked them up on the side of the road.
     Hannibal reached over and pulled the handle for the driver's side door, pushing the limp body out on to the pavement and climbing out to drag it into some nearby trees as Will moved up to sit in the passenger's seat.
     "It feels like such a shame to just waste him like that, but I doubt the airport security would miss our carrion carry-on in the routine checks," Hannibal mused, smiling a bit at Will as he got back in the car and started it up, driving them to the airport.
     The convenient part about being thought dead by the FBI but not quite processed as being dead in any sort of records was that Hannibal and Will were able to book a flight undisturbed after Hannibal had picked up a pre-made travel pack from a hidden location that Will had never known about before. It was complete with IDs, passports, and credit cards so they didn't have any delays. Will thought about how Hannibal had this kit with three sets of materials. The last was supposed to be Abigail's, when they were all supposed to run away together. The idea saddened him, but he quickly pushed the thoughts away even though he could see Hannibal wasting an extra few seconds to examine the third set. This was their new start, they couldn't afford to be caught up on the past.
     The flight was about 13 hours with two stops for switching planes, one in Toronto and one in Copenhagen, before they finally reached Palanga on the coast of Lithuania. Both Hannibal and Will took most of the time to get as much rest as they could, Hannibal explaining to Will that they would have a lot to do once they got there. New clothes and shoes, new cell phones, and a whole lot of regular house-shopping was in store for the duo before they would be able to begin their new life as Lithuanians. As well as a new pair of glasses and some contacts for Will.
     The first thing Hannibal and Will did when they arrived in Lithuania was take a taxi, or taksi as all of the similar-looking vehicles with black and yellow checkering on the sides read, to the nearest shopping outlet. Will could only pick out words here and there that he recognized so he was thankful that Hannibal was a native and fluent in Lithuanian and therefore able to lead Will around the shops, grabbing what they needed. Will was learning that Hannibal had a massive amount of money saved up for this precise reason and he had to admit he was impressed with how well everything had gone. Hannibal's articulate planning had quite literally made it possible for them to live, to start their lives over in a sense.
     Clothes and groceries were one thing, but Will had not expected their next stop to be the car dealership. He supposed he really should've guessed that, being the people they were and doing the things that they did, they couldn't take the taksis everywhere. The thing was that they had to go all the way to Vilnius still, but at least it was on the way.
     Hannibal was more than eager to get home. He smooth talked his way into a car fairly quickly, something that had plenty of room. He thought about how he was going to need to teach Will Lithuanian if they were going to be living there, and about how he would be able to help Will learn where everything was nearby them. They would have to go to browse the market or fishing in the river for food for the next few days, but after that Hannibal knew that he would be ready enough to take Will hunting, and they could kill together as he'd fantasied for so long and as they'd done with the dragon just one day before. Once they'd packed up their new vehicle, Hannibal opened the passenger door for Will and went around to the other, both of them climbing in. He passed a glance to Will and smiled just a bit.
     "I think we will be very happy here," Hannibal mentioned.
     "Hopefully," Will replied, his voice soft. "This is all going to be very new to me. I'm moving forward into the unknown, you're going back to your roots."
     "In some ways I'm moving forward just as much as you. We'll move forward together, I'm more than happy to help you adjust."
     Will sighed and closed his eyes, resting his head back against the seat of the car, thinking about all the new things he was going to need to learn. All of it was better than playing Janus between Jack and Hannibal, knowing what he wanted but not being able to act on it, Hannibal's absence tainting every piece of his life. They belonged together, like this, he knew it, he felt soothed by the idea.
     In about two hours they arrived at the massive gates of Lecter Castle, nestled into the woods of Aukštaitija. Hannibal got out and pushed them open so he could drive through them and up the overgrown driveway. Will looked around and reminisced on the imaginary conversation he'd had with Hannibal in the woods here.
     "I'm going to make some calls tomorrow to get this place restored. Mostly landscaping, we'll see if any repairs are needed when we get inside," Hannibal said once they were parked in front of the massive building. He'd honestly forgotten how large it was, it had been a long time. "It'll do in the meantime. I never got the utilities cut off, so really the only improvements needed will be aesthetic ones."
     Will didn't do much more than nod at Hannibal's words, helping him move everything from the car to inside. He wasn't surprised that Hannibal had multiple safe houses up and running at all times, one of them being his childhood home, but he still felt like all of the circumstances surrounding them were so surreal, like they'd actually died in the ocean but they didn't quite know they were dead yet. He figured if that were the case he certainly wouldn't feel the most alive he'd ever felt, but then again he didn't really know much about being dead, either. He only snapped out of his temporary existential crisis when he heard Hannibal say something to him.
     "I'm sorry, what?" the empath inquired.
     "I said you seem a little lost," Hannibal replied, wrapping an arm around Will's shoulders and leading him to the living room. He pulled the plastic cover off of the couch and helped Will sit down on it. "It's been a long day, Will. Just take some time, I'll get everything set up. How does a glass of wine sound?"
     "That would be...nice. Thank you," Will curled up on the couch and watched as Hannibal left for the kitchen once more. He took the wine when it was handed to him and sipped it carefully.
     Hannibal got everything put away and started a fire in the fireplace before he joined Will on the couch with his own wine. They had a long way to go, but Hannibal thought of this as a nice start to their second journey together. Everything was out in the open now.
     "Do you think you'll start a practice back up here?" Will asked.
     "I think it's a possibility. There's plenty of space here, I'd be able to set up an office fairly easily," Hannibal replied, looking around and taking a sip of his wine. "I'd even be able to cut it off from the rest of the house."
     House, Will scoffed a little at the word. It was much too small, domestic, and homey for this place. Though Hannibal seemed to have plans for it, maybe Will would be able to see it as a house one day, too. He wanted for those days to come sooner if they were coming at all. He wondered how this was going to work, with his and Hannibal's differing tastes and styles, but they had more immediate things to take care of at the moment.
     "I can see you're worrying, Will, things are going to be fine. I will take care of it, of everything," Hannibal assured, brushing a hand over Will's cheek. "And yes, it will take time, but we will feel natural in no time at all, I'm sure of it," he added with a soft hum before letting his hand fall back to his side.
     "I'm sure we will, I trust you," Will gave a slight nod. Rather than being put off by Hannibal's touch, it calmed him a bit. Hannibal had always been more physical in his affections and it was something Will had grown accustomed to, even if they'd been separated for a few years he fell right back into it.
     The idea of Will trusting him made something light up in Hannibal and he wanted to do everything he could possibly do to maintain that trust. He and Will were one in the same, he'd known that for a long time, but trust in one another had to be  earned and maintained. He finished his wine and stood, turning to face Will.
     "We need to make a trip to the market. I need ingredients. I want to make you an authentic Lithuanian dinner to welcome you to the country," he offered with a smug smile, offering his hand.
     "Alright," Will took the hand that was offered to him and stood as well, he and Hannibal cleaning their glasses in the sink before heading out.
     The market was a large, active space with everything you could possibly need in terms of cooking. Various meats, vegetables, and fresh fruits garnished the stands. Hannibal wasn't settling for anything less than perfect in terms of food, especially their first night in, so he led Will around until he had a basket filled with every ingredient he needed for tonight's meal.
     Will watched on, lost, as Hannibal conversed with the locals about food, at least he thought they were talking about food. He was just relieved when they went back to the castle. Hannibal had Will help him cook, giving him specific instructions on what to do as he worked on other parts of the meal. When they were done, Hannibal sent Will to set the table as he made them both plates. He emerged and set Will's food down in front of him and sat down with his own in the seat adjacent at the small 4-person table that he used to eat at with his family.
     "Didžkukuliai or, more commonly, Cepelinai. A traditional Lithuanian dish. Potato dumplings with pork, beef, veal and egg, topped with bacon and sour cream gravy. The second name of them was earned by the potato dumplings' zeppelin-like shape. On top of all that: delicious," Hannibal explained as he set the plates down and poured a black currant wine for both of them. Being in his niche gave Hannibal a sense of comfort about his and Will's new home.
     "It looks great, but you never make anything sub-par so it feels almost redundant to say that," Will replied, loosening up from his first glass of wine and ready to start on his second. It helped with the nerves. Given everything that had happened, Will felt the most normal in that moment, sitting at a dinner table with Hannibal next to him. 
     They sat and ate their dinner happily and quietly, each passing a small glance to the other occasionally without either noticing, the looming question of "what's next for us?" hanging in the air like the blade of an invisible guillotine ready to decapitate them at any moment. It was only when Will was setting the dishes in the sink and felt arms slide around him paired with soft breathing on his neck that he knew the answer. His eyes fluttered closed and he focused on the sensations: Hannibal's fingers pressing into the fabric of his shirt, the tip of Hannibal's nose exploring just under his hairline behind his ear, the way Hannibal's chest felt against his shoulder blades. It was an intimate gesture, and from the outside it might've looked sexual, but Will new the difference. Hannibal was being affectionate, coaxing, and chaste.
     "My dear Will, I think it's about time for bed, wouldn't you agree?" Hannibal asked, his voice a low hum in Will's ear that the empath knew sped his heart rate up just a little.
     "Today has been...eventful, so yes, I can agree," Will gave a slight nod and moved his own hand down to take Hannibal's, going the extra step to experimentally lace their fingers.
     "Would you prefer sleeping in the guest room to sleeping with me?"
     "I feel the guest room might get a little big and lonely, being in a strange, new place. If it's all the same to you."
     Hannibal gave a nod and led Will to the master bedroom where they took turns getting their showers in the adjacent bathroom and changing into their new night clothes. Will climbed into the bed first once the plastic from the top of it was discarded, then he relaxed as he felt Hannibal move in beside him and wrap an arm around his waist. He laid his own arm carefully over Hannibal's and they fell asleep.