Chapter Text
"I…" Will searches the eyes of his lover, nervous to speak. He's never said this out loud, never told anyone before. It's embarrassing but Hannibal has proven his lack of judgment toward him. He's fully accepted everything Will has brought up. It's safe here, he can say it. "… I've never been knotted."
Hannibal sits at the head of the table, nearly choking on the coffee he was sipping. He had made them an elaborate brunch; spicy maple sausage, German chocolate chip pancakes, homemade whipped cream and butter, fluffy cheesy eggs made with an aged cheddar, freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee brewed moments before the breakfast was done. He stares, long enough to watch Will's eyebrows stitch together and turn upward. He blinks rapidly, trying to understand. "What? You mean…? How?"
"I told you about my ex," Will reminds him. "And how my heats are irregular. He said he didn't want to claim me like that if I couldn't get pregnant. He wouldn't even mark me… Called me defective…"
"Why did you stay with him as long as you did?" Hannibal's voice is coated with sadness. He can't imagine someone else not wanting to share that with Will. And how Will must feel as an omega who hasn't experienced being knotted before.
"I don't know.. I guess, I felt that if I was defective, I should thank my lucky stars that at least someone wanted me…" Will looks down at his food, pushing it around with his fork, suddenly getting emotional.
"Sweetheart…" Hannibal puts his hand on Will's, brushing his thumb against his knuckles.
Will forces a smile and clears his throat. "I'm telling you this because I can feel that my heat is coming soon. It'll be the first one since we've been together and I want…" Why is it so hard to say out loud?
Hannibal breathes out, a sigh riddled with excitement. He knows exactly what Will is too nervous to speak out loud. "You want me to claim you, mark you… Knot you."
Will immediately tries to give Hannibal an out. "I know it's soon. We haven't even been together a full two months, it's just… I need it, I want it… and I want it with you."
"My beloved," Hannibal brings the back of Will's hand to his lips. "I would love to experience that with you… Would you like to spend the weekend with me? I can cook for you, pamper you through this next heat."
Hannibal can see Will physically relax. His shoulders drop and he breathes out of his nose. He closes his eyes and leans his head back. After a moment, his eyes flutter open and he smiles softly. "I would love to."
-
Hannibal had made the perfect weekend. Will came on Friday night, tired from a long day of teaching. His muscles were sore, he was grumpy. He could feel his heat creeping up on him. Hannibal embraced him in a hug when he walked through the door, the two of them deeply inhaling each others scent. Hannibal had prepared one of Will's favorite dishes; a honey garlic salmon with sticky, white rice and roasted broccoli. Healthy, simple, filling. Once they were done, Hannibal brought them into the living room. He made Will sit on the couch before scurrying away and coming back with homemade triple chocolate gelato. Will damn near fell out. Hannibal let him lay out on the couch, coming to Will's feet and giving him a foot rub while he ate his treat. Will felt positively spoiled.
It was now afternoon on Saturday. Hannibal had Will sitting between his legs with his shirt off. Hannibal let his hands roam all over Will's body, pressing and rubbing against his back muscles. Will sighed and moaned breathlessly at his touch. Hannibal's hands so cool against Will's warm skin. It was enough to make him feel like Jell-o and lull him to sleep. Hannibal was laid behind him, spooning him and holding him close as he snored gently.
It had been about two hours since Will fell asleep. Starting to stir awake, Will suddenly felt very warm. Will's eyes flutter open slowly and he exhales. He begins to feel shaky, trembling slightly against the sheets. He swallows, biting his lower lip as he feels the blood rush to his crotch. He can feel Hannibal behind him, fiddling the with elastic on his boxers. He hears Hannibal inhale deeply against his scent gland.
"Honey?" Hannibal asks softly. "Are you awake?"
"Yes," Will says, mouth dry.
"Your heat is here, isn't it?" Hannibal nudges his nose against Will's neck. "You smell divine," The last word comes out as a growl.
Will exhales and instinctively pushes his hips back, rubbing his ass against Hannibal's crotch. Hannibal kisses the back of his neck, licking his scent gland while he's at it. Will whines, grinding his ass back. "Please," He murmurs, grabbing Hannibal's wrist as his hip.
"You…" Hannibal begins. He glides his hand across Will's thigh, pulling his leg up to his chest. He brings his hand back to Will's boxers, dipping past them. Hannibal keeps his tongue between his teeth and takes two fingers to Will's hole, slowly, gently pushing them inside him. Will inhales sharply, clenching his jaw. "… are perfect…"
Hannibal begins pushing his fingers in and out of Will, stretching him out. It's easy since Will is so slick. He presses his fingers deep inside him, massaging and pressing down hard against Will's slick glands. He rubs them with great pressure, getting him even wetter, making Will throw his head back, gasping, "Ah, ah, ah, ah!" Will starts twitching and humping against the mattress. Will feels him add a third finger, curling them deep inside him. Hannibal kneads into the younger man, his fingers covered in slick. Will presses his face into the pillow, his moans muffled by the fabric.
Hannibal comes to his ear and coos, "You belong to me, beloved. I'm going to make you all mine." Hannibal gently removes his fingers from Will's hole and pulls his boxers down and off of him. Hannibal was only in boxer himself so he undresses with ease. He grabs Will by the waist and pulls him down, closer to him. He's pressed up against Will's back, licking and sucking at Will's scent gland as he fingers him again.
"Fuuuck me…" Will groans, grinding against Hannibal's fingers.
Hannibal slips his fingers out once more, bringing the hand to the back of Will's knee and making sure his leg is pushed up to his chest. He pulls Will's hips to his crotch, lines his cock up with his hole and pushes in with ease. He pushes himself all the way until he hits the base of his cock, making Will's breath catch in his throat over and over. Hannibal wraps his arms around him, splaying his hands across Will's chest and stomach. He slowly begins to rock his hips in and out. He nips at Will's ear, sighing contently at the feel of his cock in Will's tight, warm, wet hole. The hand on Will's chest rubs his pec and twists his nipple, while the hand on his stomach travels south and massages Will's balls.
Will can't help the lustful noises spilling from his lips. His Alpha surrounds him, cages him in and makes him feel like he's the only other man in the world. He feels wanted, not just needed, for the first time in his life. His heats have been unbearable for years. After he finally left his piece of shit ex, he stayed alone for a very long time. It was a nightmare to fall into a heat and become desperate to be knotted. Will often wished he had the gumption for a one night stand, just so he could feel someone inside him. He always talked himself out of it though, aching for his next partner to be the one. It hadn't been too long since he had started seeing Hannibal but he knew. He knew this was his mate for life.
"More," Will whispers breathlessly.
Hannibal, who would give him the world if asked, obeys and pushes his hips forward, faster and harder. He feels so attached, so close to the younger man he's clinging to. He never wants a moment away from him. He is completely and utterly bewitched. He grunts near Will's ear, panting, "You are mine. All mine." His words come out violent and needy. His hand digs into Will's hip, holding him steady as his thrusts even deeper.
"Uh, uh, uh, uh… Alpha…" Will whines noisily, fisting the sheets underneath him. "Yes! Yes! Don't stop, don't stop!"
Hannibal lets out a deep, guttural snarl. He bares his sharp teeth, opening his mouth wide. He comes to Will's neck and pierces his skin with his canines, officially marking him for the first time in his life. He wails loudly, throwing his head back as his dick throbs, leaking precum. "Fuck!" Tears begin to well in Will's eyes. Hannibal rams into him, forcing out pathetic cries of pleasure; desperate, aching noises of an aroused animal. Will feels unhinged; as he starts barking loud noises of satisfaction. They haven't even gotten to the best part yet.
Hannibal grunts lowly. He needs to make sure Will really wants this. "You still want me to kn-"
Will is too far gone to let him finish. "Knot me! Fuck! Knot me, Hannibal!" He howls.
Hannibal pushes Will onto his stomach, laying him against the bed. He pounds into him and groans as he releases his knot. He's harder than he's ever been as his cock begins to swell inside the younger man. His hips have a mind of their own as he pumps Will full of his cum.
Will sobs against the mattress, tears rolls down his cheeks, goosebumps and heat prickling his skin. He feels so full, so stretched out. The pressure builds and builds inside him until it's too much and it's so, so fucking good. He cums hard, untouched, against the mattress and these little words that mean so much fall from his lips, "I love you.."
Hannibal envelops him, still rocking his hips and cumming. He kisses Will's cheek over and over. He can't believe what he just heard. He wonders if he made it up. "Did you just…?"
Will looks behind him, gazing into Hannibal's big, brown eyes. He looks so innocent, struck with wonder and amazement. The older man kisses the top of Will's shoulder, awaiting an answer. "Yes… Is it too soon?"
"No," Hannibal swoons, brushing Will's messy curls out of his face. "I love you too…" His face suddenly twists as his hips buck forward without him really intending to. He kisses Will's temple. "Are you comfortable? We may be here for some time…"
Will smiles warmly, beyond satisfied with Hannibal's work and his current situation. "Nowhere else I'd rather be," He closes his eyes as Hannibal comes in for a kiss.
The first knot lasts 45 minutes. Hannibal knots him four more times that night.
-
2 weeks later.
Will has had an upset stomach all week. It's peak flu season so he's sure he got it, even though he got his winter shots. He's puttering around his home, stomach growling loudly at him. He spent the morning in the bathroom, doubled over the toilet. Nothing sounds good though. He opens his fridge and stares blankly inside. Normally his fridge consisted of the bare minimum; milk, eggs, bread, jelly. But since he's been with Hannibal, his fridge has been stocked full of meal prep. There was a weeks worth of protein scramble, a special pasta Will had never tried before, an entire rotisserie chicken. And all of it sounded dreadful. It made him feel bad to not want his boyfriends cooking.
Will squats down and digs through the middle shelf. Past the turkey bacon and the goat cheese, he sees something that instantly piques his interest. A decent sized jar of kosher dill pickles; the fancy, expensive kind that Hannibal picked out. His mouth waters as he reaches for them. He brings the jar over to the counter, unscrews the lid, and grabs a fork. His tongue peaks out of his mouth as he looks for the biggest one. He stabs it with his utensil and pulls it out of the juice. Pinching it between his fingers, he brings it to his mouth and bites into it. It's alright; has a really good crisp crunch to it… but… something… something is missing.
Will leans against the counter, picking his brain as to what could make this snack better. Wait! Oh! He holds the pickle between his teeth as he walks toward his pantry. "Where are you?" He asks himself, muffled. He spots a jar of natural crunchy peanut butter. "Jackpot." He takes the jar and brings it to the counter. Grabbing a butter knife, he dips into the jar, scooping up a small serving and smears it onto the fermented cucumber. He takes a big bite. Yes. Even better. It's crunchy, it's sour, it's salty… Ooh…salt…sour…hmm… Will gets an idea.
Now, Will knows this combo is weird but gosh, it just sounds so good. He pulls a bottle of dijon mustard out of the fridge. He comes back to the counter and sets everything up. One pickle, covered in crunchy peanut butter, topped with a squirt of dijon mustard. His face twists in disgust as he looks at his abomination. The scent of it hits his nose though, and when it does, his stomach makes the dumbest sound and his mouth floods with saliva. He brings the treat to his lips and takes a big bite.
Holy shit.
Will drops his head, exhaling, and gentling banging on the counter with his fist. This may be one of the best things he's ever eaten. He takes a bite, and then another, and then another and comes down to his last nibble. A smile forms on his face. He thinks he's actually heard of this combination before. Oh yeah… "Funny…" He smiles, taking his last bite. He remembers his mother telling him about the pickle-peanut butter-mustard creation. It was her favorite snack when she was pregnant with him. She ate it all the time.
…
Will freezes, swallowing the last bit of his food.
What? No… No way. There's just… There's no possible way.
Will searches his mind for clues, for answers. Shit. His heat was two weeks ago. The timeline works out. Oh fuck. Was this the flu? There's a chance but… The flu doesn't make you eat… whatever the hell that was. His mood had been up lately. But even that was weird for him, as grumpy as he normally is.
Will immediately starts to feel anxious, thoughts swirling in his mind. Could he really be pregnant? With his irregular heats, he just assumed he wasn't able to carry children. He didn't think it was possible for him. He feels overwhelmed and shaky, nervous beyond all belief.
Call Hannibal. He'll be the voice of reason. He'll talk him down.
Will walks to his bed and picks up his phone. He sits down on the mattress and dials Hannibal's number, bringing the phone to his ear. It only rings twice before Hannibal picks up.
"And what did I do to deserve a call in the middle of the day from my sweetheart?" His voice is bright.
Will can't get the words out. Instead, he lets out a sad, choked out sob.
"Hey! Hey, hey… My dearest, what is troubling you?" Hannibal's tone is coated with concern.
"I just… I need to come over, I need to see you," Will sniffles.
"I will cancel my appointments for the rest of the day. You head this way. There'll be food waiting for you," Hannibal reassures him.
Will cries even harder. It's so, so sweet of him but it won't help. He doesn't want to clue Hannibal in though, not over the phone. He sighs, clearing his throat. "Thank you. I'll be there soon."
-
Hannibal opens the door to his home to see a disheartened, slumped over Will at his doorstep. Will walks in and immediately throws himself against the taller man. He lays his head on Hannibal's chest, appreciating his firmness. He inhales through his nose and gets a whiff of Hannibal's scent. Just smelling him is enough to make him feel better. Hannibal wraps his arms around the omega, kissing the top of his head. He smells Will too and notices something different. He's sweeter; like his normal sandalwoody type of smell but it's richer, fuller.
"You smell different," He comments. Will looks up at him, eyes pulpy and shaky. "Wonderful, as always," He catches himself. "But… different… Are you feeling alright, my love?"
"I wanted to tell you in person, not over the phone…" Will looks up at him, searching his expression. Hannibal shows no signs of nerves, like always. "I've been sick all week. Throwing up every morning. I haven't been able to keep much down. I've been in a wonderful mood despite all of that, despite my usual funky disposition. And… I ate one of those fancy pickles you got me… with peanut butter and mustard on it."
Hannibal smirks briefly at Will's last comment. He goes over the list Will just gave him in his head. Vomiting, mood changes, weird cravings. Oh, and a different scent.
Oh.
Oh.
Hannibal stares at Will, mouth open, eyes not blinking.
"Please say something," Will whines, anxious as can be.
Hannibal closes his mouth and blinks a few times. He glides his hands down Will's biceps and holds him in front of him. "You are going to stay here tonight. I will send someone out for a pregnancy test and whatever food you want. I will hold you, we will talk through this, okay? Let's get some rest and we'll take the test first thing in the morning."
"Okay."
-
Will snaps the cap back on the pregnancy test and puts it on the bathroom sink, lying face down. Hannibal sits on the toilet, watching his every move. Will turns around, leaning against the counter, folding his arms against his chest.
"If it is positive… I support whatever you want to do. If you want to get rid of it, I-"
"Don't even suggest that, Hannibal," Will snaps as a warning. "Everyone has the right to choose and that would never be my choice."
Hannibal quickly goes to his other point. "Keeping it then… Will… We've known each other a while now. I know we've only actually been dating for two months but…" He grabs Will's elbows. "I love you. You ask for the moon and I'm on a rocket the next day. Anything you want or need, I'll give it to you. You're mine and I'm yours. If you are with child, I'm with you every single step of the way. I will be the best partner and the best father you could ever dream of."
Will's bottom lip quivers and a tear rolls down his cheek. He cannot fathom that he's in this situation. Ten years ago, he was trapped in a toxic relationship with someone who didn't give him a second thought. Now, he was with someone who matched him on every level; intelligence, humor, interests. He felt so lucky. Hannibal wipes his tear away and cups his cheek.
"I love you so much," Will tells him. "You've been wonderful since I told you about all of this yesterday."
"Oh, only since yesterday I've been wonderful?" Hannibal teases. He leans down, wrapping his arms around Will's waist and pushing his nose into Will's neck. He breathes him in, addicted to his new smell.
Will throws his arms over Hannibal's shoulders. "Shut up," He laughs. He nudges his nose against Hannibal's scent gland. He smells warm, musky, and like the safest place in the world. They stay wrapped up in each other for a few minutes, inhaling the other to calm themselves down. They both want to stay like this forever but they know they can't. Will is the first one to pull away. He swallows, "Will you read it?"
Hannibal nods. He takes the pregnancy test and sits back down on the toilet. He lets out a puff of air and flips it over, reading the result. His expression gives nothing away. Will stands in front of him, hand over his mouth.
"Well? What does it say?" Will isn't sure if he really wants to know.
"It's negative," Hannibal tells him.
Will feels his blood pressure drop and a pit form in his stomach. "Oh…" It's all he can muster up to say. He looks down at his feet. The most intense wave of disappointment washes over him and he begins to get choked up. He tries to reason with himself. "I guess that's good, right? I mean.. we just started dating. We're so busy with work. We couldn't deal with a baby right now…" He tries to laugh it off but it quickly turns into tears. Hannibal reaches a supportive hand out to him and Will takes it. The tears flow from his eyes, down his cheeks. He can't believe how emotional he's getting. "I really thought… I didn't realize how bad I actually wanted this, you know? How could I be so upset over something I never had?" Hannibal brushes his thumb over Will's knuckles. He wipes his tears with his free hand and rubs the back of his neck. "It's really negative?"
"No, it's positive."
Will stares at him, blinking rapidly. "What?"
"I lied. It's positive," Hannibal turns the pregnancy test around to show Will. Will leans down and sees the digital screen marked with the word pregnant. Hannibal flashes a big grin. "Now you know how you really feel about it."
Will scoffs but is unable to keep himself from frowning. He hits Hannibal on the chest. "That is a fucked up little game you played, Hannibal," He snatches the pregnancy test from Hannibal and turns away from him, staring at the object in his hands.
Hannibal stands up and comes up behind Will. He embraces him in a big hug and kisses his neck. "We're gonna have a baby," Hannibal swoons, squeezing Will tight.
Will bites his lower lip, crying again but happy tears now. He covers his mouth with his hand and closes his eyes. He presses himself against Hannibal. A million thoughts run through his head. He wonders how he will handle work, he wonders what pregnancy will be like for him, he wonders if his kid will even like him. So many unanswered thoughts and ideas but he knows one thing for certain.
There's absolutely no other person on the planet he'd rather do this with than Hannibal.