Hannibal as Niall's and Ruben's therapist. Neither Niall or Ruben know the other is seeing the same therapist. Niall is there willingly. Ruben by court order as a part of his parole.
Hannibal thinks they are rather boring clients at first. An anxious closeted homosexual. An angry closeted bisexual. Both suffering from toxic masculinity and struggling to find their feet in the world. Ruben's rage is a little interesting, but other than that, niether men fascinate Hannibal like some of his other more murderous clients do.
And then Niall and Ruben start talking about each other. Their love and resentment for each other. How they feel addicted to each other. How their relationship is marked by sexual violence and mental/emotional humiliation. That Ruben's assault on Niall are rooted in masculine shame and lust, and Niall endures by both fearing and lusting after Ruben.
That Ruben recreated the violence his dad did to him on Niall.
It then becomes Hannibal's goal to get these men to confess their love, fuck, and kill each other in a tragic way.
He'd probably sew their corpses together so they can be one man together.
