Chapter Text
The engine of the Bentley rumbles as Hannibal drives to his home in Baltimore. Will sits by his side, looking outside the window as they pass by yellowed street lights.
The silence is companionable between them and much needed after their conversation at the clinic, but another curiosity nags at Hannibal’s mind. He asks, “Is there anyone else who knows about the three of you? Other than myself, of course.”
Will turns to him and raises a brow. “Are you worried about rivals, Dr. Lecter?”
“Perhaps,” he says, the lines along his eyes creased with amusement. “Indulge me, beloved. And know that I can see through your attempts at stalling.”
Will huffs out a laugh as he settles back on his seat, staring at the road before them as he thinks. Remembers. “Excluding you, just two people. The first is our father and was more of a slip-up than anything. I don’t even remember why but Adam was fronting at the time.”
“That’s true. We were ten when dad found out,” Adam admits as he combs through Winston’s fur. He kneels on the carpeted floor while Hannibal sits on the couch. “Will and dad went fishing but they ended up staying until nighttime and the sky was so clear. I asked Will if I could front and he let me.” He takes the clumps of brown fur and gathers them into a pile to be vacuumed later. “When we were heading home, dad called me Will so I told him, ‘My name is Adam.’ I didn’t understand it at the time, but now I know that I shouldn’t have said anything. He was really confused.”
“He didn’t understand, of course, and he got worried,” Will adds. “We couldn’t afford a psychiatrist, we weren’t even aware that it was something that can be diagnosed, so nothing happened. But ever since then, Adam and I made sure to keep our lives as separate as we could. We never brought it up with anyone else.” He grins, both fond and chiding at the same time. “Bobby though? Bobby thought differently.”
Bobby grimaces. “It wasn’t my brightest moment, I admit. But there was this girl— Don’t fucking look at me like that. It wasn’t the first love kind of bullshit, okay? I’ve had a couple of hookups by then and I didn’t mention Will or Adam, not even once, but—” He groans, dragging a hand across his face. “We were still starting out as a cop then, all young and stupid, and Will— Will loved her, adored her, and I really thought it would work out, you know? They dated and after a few weeks, I stepped in and told her about us three.”
They lay side by side in bed, the room hazy with smoke and fragrant with earthy and sweet tones. Hannibal breathes deeply. “And how did she take it?”
Will tenses, his lips pressed into a tight line. “It was fine at first. She was excited to see how different we were from each other, and we were okay with that. But then—”
“Then she thought it’d spice up the bedroom,” Bobby says, frowning as he blows out another puff of smoke. “She grew demanding, and it felt more like we were just some fuck toys than actual human beings.”
“She kept on mixing up our names too,” Adam says, his brows furrowed, his voice louder as he vacuums the carpet. “I didn’t mind it at first but then she started ruining our routines as well. She kept on asking me to go out to a party even when I told her that I didn’t want to. She knew Bobby’s the only one who goes out. She knew but she didn’t care.”
“Worse is how she keeps on comparing us,” Bobby sighs. “Will could feel it when she’s disappointed in him or when she prefers me and—” He gestures vaguely in the air, creating swirls of smoke with the joint in his hand. “You’ve seen what happened.”
Hannibal recalls how desperately Will wanted to be told about their relationship, and how he pulled away when he suggested that he preferred Bobby over him. He exhales deeply through his nose, remembering the bitter scent of Will’s envy and fear. It’s the one thing he regrets.
“Yes, I have. I was wondering where it stemmed from.”
Bobby shrugs. “Well, now you know.”
“She always asked for Bobby. She didn’t understand that switching takes work, especially for me,” Adam says, the words tumbling right out of his mouth as he paces around the living room. “Sometimes it’s easy and sometimes we need to rehearse. It didn’t matter how many times I told her, she just wouldn’t listen. It was—”
“It was dehumanizing,” Will spits out. “I tried to be happy for Bobby, I really did, but I don't appreciate being made to feel that I'm second best in my own body. And you know what’s funny? It feels so familiar and so recent that I can’t help but wonder why. Oh, right!” Will turns to him sharply, eyes burning, and if Hannibal was a lesser man, he would’ve turned to ash.
“It was just like that time when you were fucking him behind my back.”
“You were on thin ice, let me tell you that,” Bobby chuckles, nipping at his jaw while his hands stroke Hannibal’s bare chest. “I would’ve dumped your ass if it wasn’t so fucking obvious that you liked Will more.”
Hannibal tilts his head up, giving Bobby more room to bite and kiss and mark. “Did it bother you?”
“Yes, but not because I was jealous,” Adam says when he finally settles by Hannibal’s side, resting his head on his shoulder. “I was worried that you’d be just like her.”
“You wanted to be careful. I understand.”
Adam nods. “I didn’t like how she made me feel before. I didn’t like how she keeps on saying that I talk too much or that I’m always up on the roof or that I keep on watching documentaries. I liked all of those things and I liked sharing them with people I care about. But she didn’t want to be a part of it, and I— I didn’t understand why. I didn’t like it.”
He sinks deeper into the couch when Hannibal wraps an arm around his shoulders, idly petting dark curls. When Adam speaks again, it’s a whispered secret. “I didn’t like how she made Will feel too. When she left, he drifted away, and it was just Bobby and me for weeks. I don’t want to feel that ever again.”
Hannibal kisses his forehead and murmurs an apology on the space between his brows. “I’m sorry, darling.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” he says softly.
A comfortable silence envelops them both. For a moment, Hannibal wonders if Adam has fallen asleep when he stirs.
“Hey, Hannibal?”
“Yes, dearest?”
“Please promise that you’ll keep Will happy.”
Hannibal’s heart aches with love. He pulls Adam closer, his lips pressed on the crown of his head. There, he places a vow on his skin. “I promise.”
“It’s strange,” Hannibal muses.
“Hm? What’d you mean?”
“I’ve noticed Will’s envy before, especially with relationships, but I’ve never seen it present in you or Adam.”
“I mean, we always knew Will’s the host,” Bobby says. “Adam’s always been okay with it. He likes the idea of having someone to talk and cuddle with, but he doesn’t seek it out, I guess. As long as we have our routine and as long as Will’s happy, he’s fine with anything.”
“And you? Did you have any qualms with it?”
“With not being the host? Maybe at first when I wanted more control, sure, but it was never about relationships. Will’s the one who wants emotional connections, and as long as there’s good sex, I don’t care either way.”
“Ah. Hence,” Hannibal begins, kissing his neck, “our arrangement.”
He can’t see but he’s certain that Bobby is beaming at him. “Pretty arrogant, are you, Lecter? Think you’re that much of a good fuck?”
“We wouldn’t be in bed if I wasn’t,” he rumbles, reaching between Bobby’s legs to rub his fingers over his sloppy hole, come and lube leaking out of him. Bobby lets out a shuddery sigh.
“You say you aren’t a romantic yet I’m curious. Did you tell me your little secret hoping I was the ‘one’ then?”
“Shut the fuck up,” Bobby laughs. He sets the joint aside and turns over on his belly, legs spread apart as he shoots him a grin. “Listen, I only hooked up with you ‘cause of your dick. And maybe ‘cause I knew I couldn’t lie my way out of it.”
“Is that so?” Hannibal asks. He fondles Bobby’s ass with one hand while he pumps himself to full hardness with the other. “Nothing else that makes me special?”
He clicks his tongue in mock contemplation. “Well, maybe Will has been crushing on you for the longest fucking time and I was getting tired of waiting.”
“I admit, that isn’t exactly the answer I was looking for,” Hannibal says, relishing how Bobby gasps when his cockhead slides past his sensitive rim. “But I will gladly take it.”
Will flushes red. “Excuse me, I wasn’t pining.”
“I was,” Hannibal admits easily as he parks into the driveway. “I told you before, darling. I have loved you since the moment we met.”
Will scoffs, his cheeks flushing deeper. Then quietly, he says, “I did like you, ever since you brought me breakfast. I didn’t expect anything would come out of it though, so I kept my distance.” He unbuckles his seatbelt and opens the door, ready to step out only to change his mind. He closes it again, turning to Hannibal. “Would it have been better if we dated much earlier?”
Hannibal considers how it could’ve gone.
He could’ve asked Will to join him for dinner shortly after the Minnesota Shrike case. Will would’ve been vulnerable at the time, in desperate need of an anchor, and Hannibal could’ve been there for him. But then he might never know about Bobby or Adam; he might not even reconsider his plans regarding the encephalitis, and where would they be now?
“Frankly, I wouldn’t change anything. Other than telling you about Bobby much sooner, of course.”
Will’s brows furrow slightly. “But if we started earlier, we would’ve had more time together.”
“Oh, beloved,” Hannibal says fondly, taking his hand and kissing his knuckles. “We have all the time in the world.”