Heart Still Intact

11. The Corpses' Comfort

"What happened?" Will asked as Hannibal began washing the vegetables. While Will had an inkling what might have happened, he still wanted Hannibal to confirm it.

"I was thinking of making Ratatouille," Hannibal replied, making no move to answer Will's question. The profiler watched as Hannibal moved to one drawer and pulled out a knife. Part of Will didn't enjoy seeing Hannibal with weapons but he decided not to say anything. "Usually paired with meat but I shall abstain from that for your sake."

"You're injured." Will tried again.

Hannibal didn't feel like talking about the day's events. He knew Will must be curious. Instead of completely ignoring the question, Hannibal knew he should, by the very least, give some vague details. "I thought I could trust someone with a job but they ended up calling the FBI. I had to wait till they got rid of the roadblocks before I could head back."

Once Will heard this, he nodded. He hadn't expected Hannibal to answer seeing as how he tried to brush off the question. They had fallen into a comfortable silence. Hannibal proceeded to cut the vegetables while Will watched from where he sat. Usually, back when Will didn't know about Hannibal's 'activities', he helped Hannibal with chopping the vegetables. Will understood that this wasn't possible now. Hannibal probably didn't trust Will with a knife. Will couldn't trust himself with a knife as well.

"I'm going to trust you and leave you in the kitchen while I go clean up," Hannibal spoke as he was wiping his hands. This startled Will. They had been basking in silence for quite some time and if someone were to speak, Will never expected this. "Can I trust you?"

Will didn't know how to answer. While he wanted to leave and get back to his dogs, back to his normal life, there was a small part of him that desperately ached for Hannibal's company. The doctor provided something that no one else, not even his dogs, could offer. Not wanting to take too long to answer, Will simply nodded.

Hannibal lingered for a few seconds longer before walking out of the kitchen. Will could hear Hannibal walk up the stairs. The profiler was really tempted to run to the door and leave but he didn't. Instead, he got down from the chair and searched the cabinets for a glass. All that crying and attempts to break the chain left Will exhausted. While there were water bottles in the room, Will was prepared to die. Drinking water wasn't on his mind. Now that he was calm, his body kept signalling he is probably dehydrated.

Within a few minutes, Will had found the glasses, and he grabbed one of them. It was like the ones Hannibal had in his other house. Filling it up with the fancy-looking water filter, Will walked back to his chair and gulped the whole glass in one go. The house was quiet. The only sound came from the oven that emitted a soft hum.

Sitting there for a few more minutes, Will decided to place the glass in the sink. Just as he stood up, he felt the air shift behind him. Turning around, he stared directly into Hannibal's eyes. While Will tried not to show it, his heart nearly skipped a beat at the sudden appearance. Acting like nothing happened, Will continued towards the sink.

"You never cease to amaze me, Will," Hannibal spoke, a smile on his face as he walked towards the oven. Will merely acknowledged his words with a soft hum. "You had ample time to find a weapon and plan your escape but you didn't."

"I thought you didn't want me to resist," Will replied as he sat back in his seat.

"A little resistance now and then can be exciting," Hannibal answered. He was now wearing a black sweater, his face slightly bruised.

"Because what's life without a little excitement?" Will asked rhetorically but with Hannibal, no question is rhetoric.

"Bland."