And The Tea Cup Shattered

“You choose your words carefully, cautiously. I’m glad to see you’re one of the smart ones.” Hannibal bowed his head in appreciation of that fact. He was sated for now and although this Hunter’s blood smelled quite alluring, Hannibal had no interest in devouring him just yet. He dropped his front so easily, almost coming back to the small part of him that was still human. “You know these woods better than I, my friend. I’ve only known them for a month, maybe more. I wasn’t always like the way I am now. I used to be human. But perhaps that’s a tale for another time.” He stated. “You know it better than I, but careful where you tread, my friend, I would hate to make a meal out of you so soon.” Quicker than a shadow, he disappeared from the clearing, taking the stag with him in the blink of an eye.

                                                  Careful where you tread…                                    Wilhelm’s ears keep ringing,  the warning goes louder than his heartbeats.

          RED,  RED,  RED    as the apple taken by the maiden;   her blood spilled on snow as white as her skin;    her heart within confines of the wolf’s teeth…    There hasn’t been a second wasted that Wilhelm whistles and moves to get the hell out of here,   as if the Morningstar himself is on his heels.   He runs with his pack,   skillfully navigating the forest floors as if it were his palace.   Seeing only flashes of   RED   flowing on the   THREAT’s   chin that sends Wilhelm to a state of controlled panic;   tight reins holding   TOO MUCH SIGHT   burns his eyes that flit here and there to secure his steps left alone by anything.

            Crossing and manipulating fleeting marks he made across the mosses and the ferns,   in hopes of deterring any undesirable Other to find his abode.    Defiant that he is though not adequate to offend the unkind & ungodly forces of nature,   his house has the necessary protections and charms in case but usually,   his door is open to small creatures that mean no harm.

             He hasn’t had a moment to shake the snow off his coat nor even hang it as soon as Wilhelm reached his destination,   immediately   BOLTING   his locks in and  finding a corner of his room to collect himself.   As the man curls up with eyes shut and breathing erratic,   Wilhelm feels the bile rise up his throat as the dogs are still wired up in opposite of their companion.

              […RED,  RED,  RED    as the apple [he] refused ‘pon offer;   [his] blood spilled on snow as white as [his] paled face;    [his] heart within confines of the Visitor’s teeth…]    …That creature is neither small nor not meaning harm;   it’s   DANGEROUS.     

                                                          I would hate to make a meal out of you so soon.

            Wilhelm would   hate   to be neither a friend nor a meal.   He’d very much like to be   LEFT ALONE   as he had been and always will be.

    ❝     …I just need to be careful.   More careful.     ❞        Persuasion proceeds to conquer   FEAR   in his chest,   his arms tightly wrap around himself or else he do something idiotic.   The dogs bark louder,   as the man hushes them with soothing sounds and hands skimming through fur.   Once they’re as settled as he is,   he stands to continue his routines albeit shaken  and  thoughts escape his lips,      ❝     Hunting trips need to be reset…  to be think on.  Thrice.  Restocking supplies can wait a few days…  Have to check the parameters…   twice,  thrice a day …?     ❞

           Fingers drum against his forearms right after he dons his coat and ponder on lines needed to be tread cautiously whilst the visitor,   threat,   enjoys itself in approximate of Wilhelm’s known territories in the woods.   Not per say they belong to him,   though he has exchanged few gifts with some Others to let him pass or use some areas for his purposes and safety reasons.

Hannibal couldn’t fight this burning hunger that had come upon him. His normally pristine clothes were tattered and destroyed well beyond repair, dirt and forest grime covering every inch of his body. He had preyed upon the animals and inhabitants of the forest, trying to quench his unending thirst. He was right in the middle of his latest meal when he sensed someone had noticed him in the small clearing where he had felled his prey. He turned from the large stag to look at the hunter before him. “Why do you stay still when you should flee, little wolf? I see you are a hunter, as am I, but you are woefully over-powered.” He bared his teeth in something barely akin to a smile, teeth perfectly white compared to the filth of his dress. “What brings you to this area, my friend?”

@empcthis

            Winter had hit hard this year,   that supplies often ran low and his hounds were restless more than before.   Every once in a while,   Wilhelm would scout with his dogs for food,   wood  and  occasional trips to the village to see restocks or trade.   A few pennies for a living   ( if he can call it this way of life )   doesn’t harm though he doesn’t really have much use of them unless they’re iron or blessed to repel some spirits lingering around him or his house. 

            He does make sure that his blade can repel anyone,   at that matter.

            Decisions flick between   fight  or  flight …   since the Fae do not take kindly to disrespect as anyone naturally would   ( though the Fae takes it more personally ).   But this creature is not of the Fae,   not of the Wolves,   something akin to Demons…  and the man’s stillness is mistaken for fear,  perhaps,   that Will takes his sweet time between terror and indifference. 

       ❝     This clearing is not marked.     ❞        Breath expels as slowly as Will walks out of the treeline and bushes,   arms open not in showing surrender but to hold back his companions;   teeth release as the visitor has,   unwelcoming growls rumbling from their throats.   The Others do not take kindly to ignorance as well so he chooses his words carefully.      ❝     My hounds are bustling with energy and this…  is a good place for their roaming.  Spring is around the corner that I…  Well,   we searched for a spot like this.  and never did I plan to trespass on your….   activity.   If you owned this land,   I would know.     ❞

            By pride or whatnot,   he refuses to apologise for something he cannot predict on his part.   There is a general rule for all dwellers of the woods that base ‘pon respect and boundaries,   and Will senses peculiarity from the newcomer;   [he] is not of here.   Nevertheless,   INDIFFERENCE   wins for the craving of openness and wilderness on the clearings overrule his sense of preservation.   

“ I guess you can say I was atempting meditation. ”

Still with some steam in him, Will went upstairs to try and calm down, he could still hear the words “brushes with death” echoing in his mind and thought about how accurate they were. This is what they did: they danced.

Send ❤️ to just grab my muse and kiss the HELL ouf of them

Hannibal would rarely initiate any type of physical contact that did not include caring for Will’s health or daily needs and Will could understand why. There were many reasons behind it: the lack of trust, he hurt between them, the uncertainty about limits when it came to Will’s sexuality – after all, they were mentally conjoined, but physical contact was a rarity. During the few times when they had sex, Will was drunk, tired or too long without sex to care. The next day, he would usually pretend like nothing happened.

Sometimes Will was gentle, he initiated caresses to let Hannibal know he was permitted to indulge. When he was feeling particularly kind, they made out for hours – but only when Will could not handle his own feelings for Hannibal and the loneliness and frustration of not allowing himself the pleasure to touch was starting to slowly kill him, because the ache never stopped. He was just good at hiding it.

LATE NIGHT SENTENCE STARTERS

           If it wasn’t for Hannibal, Will wouldn’t have noticed. He’d been daydreaming for what seemed to be an eternity. He’d barely noticed that the sun was gone and, there he sat, staring at the trees of their backyard as the temperature continued to drop.

                “I forgot to put on a coat.” finally, he made eye contact “Is dinner ready?”

Hannibal was finding it harder to keep control of his desire, how quickly he was coming undone beneath Will’s fingers. Hannibal let out a ragged breath when Will stroked his thigh, the look in Will’s eyes. His own were dark and lustful, burning with ardent need. Perhaps on some level, they both knew exactly what the other wanted, needed, desired, but it was simply a matter of enacting on it now. 

How wonderful Will’s hand felt against his back, comforting, grounding, and electric all at once. The subtle nip of Will’s teeth on his lips drew forth a soft moan from his mouth, pulling him closer, stirring the blood in his veins. As Will’s lips moved down his neck, Hannibal desperately craved the closer intimacy that they hadn’t shared in so long. He was starved for it, wanting to feel every inch of Will pressed against him and feel as if they were one.

Will allowed himself to be pulled closer, appreciating the fact that his advances were welcome, for he could not help feeling apprehensive of it at the beginning. He was aware of Hannibal’s desire since long before, but it always pleased him to see it flourish like that. The moan did not go unnoticed and he took it as permission to go further with the kisses until Will had himself panting against Hannibal’s neck. He nuzzled the spot and lowered a hand to stroke Hannibal’s thigh with firm, greedy fingers. 

Hannibal smiled, Will wanted him closer, to stay with him. How sweet his Will could be when he wished to be, and it made something in Hannibal grow fonder with his presence. “For you, Will, always.” He murmured, kissing him a little deeper, feeling as if they might join permanently. Normally he was so well controlled with his emotions and feelings, but there was something about will that brought his heart out for the man to see, lying open and bare, praying for acceptance and love.

Hannibal let a silent moment pass between them, simply enjoying their being and the closeness they shared. He leaned in, one hand sliding up to caress Will’s cheek, moving with ease and comfort. He moved in even closer, kissing Will with a gentle passion, it had the potential to become something now, but Hannibal would restrain himself for now.

Hours went by, working in semi-silence next to one another. They got a large majority of the shelves done by the time Hannibal declared dinner should be started. “I want you to go wash up while I prepare dinner. Your work is done for the night, go relax.” He instructed. While his tone was warm and kind, it didn’t allow for any kind of argument. He ran a hand through Will’s hair, gently caressing his cheek before grabbing up the buckets and pails to dispose of the dirty water and refuse.

“Don’t worry yourself with the time, mylimasis.” He murmured, gently brushing Will’s hair out of his eyes. “You must have gotten quite a workout today.” Hannibal noted, “I appreciate the fish in the freezer, I shall make quite the spectacular dish with them.”

“What time is it?” groggy eyes blinked at Hannibal from behind his messy curls. He was growing them again, but not for long “Fuck, everything hurts. I think I’m getting old.”