𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙃𝙍𝙀𝙀
━━ † turned to dust
WILL LAID AWAKE ON THE BED, his eyes staring into the pit of darkness which he seemed to descend into like quick sand. Horrid thoughts and images flooded his mind as he fell, and fell, and—that's when he heard a faint knock on the door. He had to regain himself, glancing over in the dark to find June still asleep in her bed across the hotel room. He listened closely to see if he was just hearing things, but sure enough, another knock was heard.
Will shuffled out of bed, his feet hitting the wooden floor as he made his way over towards the door. He removed the door chain and unlocked it, opening it to reveal a familiar face; Dr. Lecter. "Good morning, Will," he greeted, "May I come in?"
Will knitted his eyebrows a bit, "Where's Crawford?"
"Deposed in court. The adventure will be yours and mine today." He smiled softly, his hazel eyes drifting behind Will to look inside the hotel room. Almost immediately, he spotted blonde hair peeking out from behind the covers, and he knew exactly who laid sound asleep there. June. "Or it will be the three of ours," he corrected himself, his gaze meeting Will's again, "May I come in?"
Eventually, Will nodded, giving him permission to come inside. Hannibal stepped in, turning to shut the door behind him, causing the room to go pitch black once more. Will moved to open the curtains, letting in the bright light which poured into the room. Hannibal's eyes then drifted towards June again, seeing just a smidgen of her face behind the covers. "June," Will called her name in an attempt to wake her up. She groaned softly in annoyance, not feeling like waking up.
Will grabbed his pillow and threw it at her head, and boy did that piss her off. "Will!" She shouted angrily, sitting up in bed and chucking the pillow back at him. Though, instead of hitting him, she hit Dr. Lecter. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at him, confused on why he was in their hotel room at the crack of dawn—but also embarrassed that she'd just let out her wrath upon him instead of Will.
"I am so sorry," June said sincerely, feeling like a complete dick, "I didn't mean for that to hit you." Hannibal felt his eyes uncontrollably wander over her body, taking in the sight of her short, thin pajamas. The black lace outlining the small top complimented the silky fabric, as well as her pale complexion. Her skin. So much of it was showing, he felt his breathing quicken at the mere thought of him being able to touch it, to feel it underneath his own skin.
"No need to apologize," Hannibal reassured her, his eyes trailing back up to her breathtaking baby blues, "Accidents happen." Her worried expression faded due to his response, honestly relieving her a great deal. "I brought breakfast if you're hungry." He pulled food containers out of his bag, setting them on the table perfectly, along with plates and silverware. He even brought his own coffee. "I'm very careful about what I put into my body, which means I end up preparing most meals myself. A little protein scramble to start the day—Some eggs, some sausage."
Will sat down at the table, scraping his food onto his plate. June stood from her bed, stretching whilst groaning at the same time. She trudged over towards the two who were at the table, glancing at the coffee as she sat down in the chair closest to Hannibal. "Some coffee, Ms. Faye?" He offered politely.
She nodded and yawned, "Yes, please." His eyes lingered on her face for a moment, taking in the sight of how adorable she looked when she yawned. Her hair was a bit messy, but...messy suited her well. Her skin seemed to glimmer in the sunshine, and her eyes were like blue tinted crystals, sparkling effortlessly. Hannibal poured her coffee into a mug, carefully handing it over to her.
"Careful. It's hot," he warned her. As she took the mug into her hands, her fingers just barely brushed against his. It was only for a split second, but there was this...surge of energy that sparked against her skin. She looked up, meeting his hazel eyes, wondering if he felt the same thing, or if she was just imagining it.
"Thanks." June carefully sipped her hot beverage, feeling warm and relaxed as it trailed down her throat. Hannibal was about to put some food on her plate, but she stopped him. "No, it's okay. I don't eat breakfast," she told him. Hannibal nodded lightly in understanding, setting the bowl back down on the table.
"Perhaps that is why you're so tiny," he deducted, his lip curling upwards the tiniest bit as he began eating his food. When she ate breakfast in the morning, it usually made her sick. Especially if it was earlier in the morning.
Will began eating too, "Mm, it's delicious. Thank you." Hannibal watched him eat for a second, as if he was in some sort of a trance.
"My pleasure," he replied, "I would apologize for my analytical ambush, but I know I will soon be apologizing again and you'll tire of that eventually, so I have to consider using apologies sparingly."
Will spoke up with his mouth still full, "Just keep it professional."
"Or we could socialize like adults," Hannibal suggested, "God forbid we become friendly." As he said that, he looked over to June, only to realize she was already looking at him.
"I don't find you that interesting," Will stated matter-of-factly.
Hannibal took a sip of his coffee, "You will." June continued to drink her beverage, not being able to help but steal glances at Dr. Lector. He was just so...proper. He was well-dressed, well-spoken; everything about him seemed to be in perfect condition. "Agent Crawford tells me you have a knack for the monsters."
Will suddenly stopped eating, "I don't think the Shrike killed that girl in the field." A sudden chill crept up June's spine at the mention of the girl who'd been murdered in the field; impaled on antlers from a deer and left nude. Hannibal stopped eating as well, leaning forward a bit.
"The devil is in the details. What didn't your copycat do to the girl in the field? What gave it away?"
"Everything," Will answered, "It's like he had to show me a negative so that I could see the positive. That crime scene was practically gift-wrapped."
"The mathematics of human behavior, all those ugly variables," Hannibal exclaimed.
June suddenly spoke up, "This Shrike guy has plenty of ugly variables to go around." Hannibal glanced over towards her, his eyes trailing towards her pink lips, watching as she ran her tongue along them to lick the coffee off.
"What kind of problems does he have?" Hannibal asked her.
She snorted, "Enough to turn him into a psychotic killer." He listened to her words intently.
"Do you ever have any problems, Ms. Faye?"
"Yes. One of them is named Will," she answered, causing Will to shoot a look her way.
"Very funny," Will said, rolling his eyes out of annoyance. Hannibal smiled softly as he looked towards her.
"Well, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen," June suddenly began as she stood up, "I'm gonna go shower."
"Don't use all of the hot water," Will told her. She shrugged lightly as she turned around to make her way towards the bathroom.
"I'll think about it." Hannibal watched her go, his pulse rapidly increasing as his gaze fell upon her arse. The tight little shorts she had on were engraved with the words 'bite me' across the back, tempting him to do just that. The way she made him feel was something entirely different from anything he'd ever felt before. What an odd creature, she was. She was enticing, and he decided that he wanted her. And he was going to get her one way or another.
"Confident little thing, isn't she?" Hannibal said, forcefully removing his eyes from June's exposed skin to look towards Will.
Will scoffed, "More like annoying little pest." The two sat there and continued eating, hearing the bathroom door shut, then a few seconds later, they heard the shower turn on.
"You know, Will.." Hannibal began, "I think Uncle Jack sees you as a fragile little teacup. The finest china used for only special guests."
Will glanced up towards him, "How do you see me?" A moment of silence passed by as Hannibal's face remained expressionless.
"The mongoose I want under the house when the snakes slither by." Will furrowed his eyebrows slightly, not sure what the doctor's comment meant. Nevertheless, he brushed it aside and started to eat his breakfast again.
JUNE TURNED INTO THE CONSTRUCTION SITE, going over a pothole rather recklessly, causing Will to bounce all different directions in the backseat. "Could you please drive with a little more caution," Will spoke, irritation laced through his tone as he shot her a look through the rear-view mirror.
"I got us here in one piece, didn't I?" Will rolled his eyes in response, turning his head towards the window as he gazed outside. June parked the car, pulling the keys out of the ignition whilst stealing a glance at Hannibal. His lips were curled upwards the tiniest bit, sparking some curiosity within her. "What are you smiling at?" She asked him, a small, goofy smile of her own forming on her face.
"Peeking behind the curtain," Hannibal replied, his eyes grazing outside before landing on her, "I'm just curious how the FBI goes about it's business when it's not kicking in doors." He continued to look at her, which she gazed right back at him, her smile growing.
"You're lucky we're not doing house-to-house interviews," Will said whilst taking in a sharp breath, "We found a little piece of metal in Elise Nichols' clothes, a shred from a pipe threader."
Hannibal returned to gaze out of the front windshield, "Must be hundreds of construction sites all over Minnesota."
"It's a certain kind of metal, certain kind of pipe, certain kind of coating," Will began.
"—So we're checking all the construction sites that use that kind of pipe," June finished for him.
"What are we looking for?" Hannibal questioned.
"At this stage, anything really," Will said, unbuckling his seat belt and starting to hop out of the car, "But mostly, anything peculiar." As his door closed, June opened hers, her boots hitting the gravel as she stepped out. Her long hair blew over her shoulders due to a gush of wind. After a short moment, Hannibal got out of the car as well.
"THREE FELLAS FROM THE FBI," the woman spoke through the phone, her back facing them as she sat at the desk, "They're going through the drawers now. Mm-hmm. Putting papers in file boxes." June stood between Hannibal and Will, her eyes grazing over the different files she came across. "Yes, they are taking things," she continued, "No. Well, they didn't say — yes, they can." She suddenly stood up from her chair, turning around to face them, "What did you say your names were?"
Will dodged her question as he spoke up, "Garret Jacob Hobbs..?" Hannibal stole glances at June, which of course she was oblivious to. He liked watching her focused state as she dug through files.
"He's one of our pipe threaders," the woman replied, "Those are all the resignation letters. Plumbers' Union requires 'em whenever members finish a job." She put the phone to her ear again, whispering out, "I'll call you back." She returned the phone back to it's rightful place before turning around once more.
"Uh, does Mr. Hobbs have a daughter?"
"Might have," she answered simply.
"18 or 19, wind-chafed, plain but pretty," Will listed the characteristics that first popped into his mind, "She'd have auburn hair, about this tall."
The woman shrugged lightly whilst shaking her head, "Maybe, I don't know. I don't keep company with these people."
"What is it about Garret Jacob Hobbs you find so peculiar?" Hannibal questioned, sounding as if he wasn't that interested, but in reality, he was.
"He left a phone number, no address." June peered over Will's shoulder to glance at the files he was holding.
Hannibal turned to look at them, "And therefore he has something to hide?"
Will sighed, "The others all left addresses. He also missed work for days at a time." He looked up towards the woman again, "Do you have an address for Mr. Hobbs?"
WILL PULLED INTO THE residence of the Hobbs' family home, coming to a stop a little ways away from the garage. June was the first to get out, shutting her door just as Will opened his. Hannibal stayed in the car for a few seconds longer, his eyes trailing over June before he too got out. Will walked next to June whilst Hannibal trailed behind them.
Everything looked normal, until suddenly, the front door opened, and out came Mr. Hobbs with his bleeding wife — who he shoved onto the ground before quickly closing the door back. June's eyes widened, her instincts immediately kicking in as she bolted towards Mrs. Hobbs, who was choking on her own blood that gushed like a fountain from her neck.
June fell onto her knees and swiftly took off her jacket, firmly placing it against the gash, trying her absolute best to stop the bleeding. Mrs. Hobbs grabbed at June's arms, desperately trying to hold onto something. Will rushed towards June's side, his eyes wide with horror. Hannibal stood still, watching as they struggled with the woman who was bleeding to death right before their very eyes.
He studied the terrified look that rested upon June's features. Her hands were covered in blood, as well as her jacket. But of course, she was too busy at the moment to notice Hannibal's absence. Mrs. Hobbs's arms began to grow limp, and eventually, her entire body did as well. Her eyes were still open, holding pure fright within them. That's how she died. Horrified.
Will suddenly stood up, pulling his gun out and busting in the front door. "Garret Jacob Hobbs! FBI!" June slowly let the firm grip she had on Mrs. Hobbs's neck fall, her eyes glancing up towards Hannibal. He stared back at her — and that's when she realized that she'd held her breath the entire time. She felt her hands tremble as she took in a sharp breath.
The sudden sound of gunshots startled her, and it wasn't just because of the loud noise — it was because multiple rounds went off. June immediately stood up and rushed into the house, leaving Hannibal behind. His face held a blank expression as he looked down at Mrs. Hobbs, stepping over her body with little to no remorse.
June emerged into the kitchen, the first thing she saw being Mr. Hobbs's dead body propped up against the cabinets, multiple gunshot wounds to his chest. She then looked towards Will, who frantically covered his hands over Abigail's wound on the side of her neck. Blood was everywhere, on Will's clothes, face, glasses — pooling onto the kitchen floor.
Wasting no more time, June raced over to him, placing her hands onto Abigail's gash as well, trying to help her cousin — who she knew was breaking on the inside. "No, no, no, no," Will repeated under his breath, his entire body shaking uncontrollably. June tried to take over, but honestly, she didn't know what the hell she was doing either.
Hannibal made his way into the kitchen, his hazel eyes landing on Mr. Hobbs, then averting to June and Will. His head tilted slightly as he watched June struggle yet again. She looked helpless, and that was a look that he decided he liked on her. Eventually, he walked over towards them, bending down and gently removing June's hands from Abigail's neck.
Shivers traveled throughout her body at his touch, her gaze shifting to look up at him. He cupped his hands over Abigail's neck to keep any more blood from spilling out, taking full control over the situation. But how was he so calm? Not once did he flinch, or even make any facial expressions on that matter.
June shook her thoughts to the back of her mind as she quickly took her phone out to call 911. Will was still shaking, his breathing being unsteady and his heart beating out of his chest.
He got too close.
𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚.
annnd here's another chapter!
i hope you guys enjoyed! 🥹❤️🫶