Chapter Text
“You already gave me a Christmas present. Too many Christmas presents” Will said flatly.
“This is not a Christmas present” Hannibal told him.
“What is it, a New Year’s Eve present?” Will backed himself against the wall trying to get away from the box in Hannibal’s hands, “I can’t let you get me any new clothes. This is ridiculous” he flattened himself against the wall.
“You didn’t like the coat, scarf, and gloves?” Hannibal sounded vaguely hurt.
“No, I, of course I did. They’re wonderful. But I can’t accept any more clothes from you. You’d already gotten me the suit” Will was imagining a plaid suit exactly like Hannibal’s in the box, tailored to his measurements. Hannibal could pull off that kind of thing without looking gaudy. Will couldn’t.
“It isn’t clothes” Hannibal assured him. Will hesitated.
“I’m not sure if that’s better or worse” Hannibal held the box out to him, and he was forced to take it. He opened it cautiously, “A..........blanket?” he took some of the material into his hand, “Oh” he said softly.
“When I was at your house, I noticed you didn’t have any soft blankets. I thought it was a shame. It’s one of those indispensable Omegan comforts” Hannibal told him, but Will was rubbing the soft, plush material between his fingers, fascinated. It was so soft. Softer than the inside of the jacket. Softer than anything he’d ever felt.
“Oh” he said in a small voice, then remembered where he was, turning red and trying to stuff the blanket back in the box, “I can’t accept this” he said without conviction, “First the suit, then the coat and stuff. This is excessive” clearly Hannibal had located his weakness. He couldn’t help but smile.
“You deserve nice things” he said, and Will turned redder.
“No I don’t” he shook his head, still trapped against the wall.
“Yes you do” Hannibal was still smiling, and he stepped back, giving Will plenty of space, “I would have given you the blanket for Christmas instead of the clothes if I had thought of it, but it entirely slipped my mind” he added a vaguely disappointed note to his voice. Will realized he’d started touching the blanket again and couldn’t bring himself to stop.
“No more presents” he said.
“I can’t promise that” Hannibal smiled as Will stared at the blanket, stroking it with his hands.
“No more presents” he repeated, looking back up, setting his mouth stubbornly. Hannibal made an acquiescent gesture, but the look in his eye told Will that he had no intention of stopping. Alphas.
“Oh my God” Will’s dogs watched him curiously as he rolled around on his bed in the blanket, entirely naked, “Oh my God” he moaned, rolling himself up in the plush, downy blanket. It felt amazing. He’d never felt anything more amazing. He’d been told his entire life that having an Alpha was the most wonderful thing in the world, but nothing could possibly be better than this. He rolled around a few more times and snuggled down into the blanket, dozing off that way.
His dogs whining woke him up, and he groaned, making himself crawl out of the plush paradise and stagger around, putting on a pair of shorts. Christ it was cold. He reached towards his drawers to get a shirt, opening the second one and sticking his hand in. He stopped. Oh. His cheeks turned red. He’d forgotten he had that. He pulled out the thick, red collar and looked at it. It was a little nicer than the ones he put on his dogs. He turned it over in his hands. He looked over his shoulder, seeing only the dogs, staring expectantly at him with adoring eyes. He looked back at the collar.
Hesitantly, he unclasped it, slowly sliding it around his neck. His breath hitched once, and he clasped it around his neck. He closed his eyes, letting out a long breath. He tilted his head back, moving it around, enjoying experiencing the feeling of the collar around his neck.
He turned and looked at his dogs, who thumped their tails on the floor. He stepped over and looked in the mirror. A nervous, doe-eyed, collared Omega stared back at him. He flinched back at the sight and his reflection did the same. His still-smooth cheeks only added to the illusion, lending him a soft, youthful appearance that he tried to avoid. He took a few steps closer, staring at the soft, unfamiliar creature in the mirror with trepidation and morbid fascination. He reached up and touched the collar. It felt amazing. He shuddered, taking it off and tossing it back into the drawer, grabbing a shirt and tugging it on, not looking at his reflection. He grabbed some pants and his new coat, and went to feed the closest thing he had to a family.
“Dinner” Will said.
“Yes, dinner with me, in my home. I take great pleasure in having my friends for dinner” Hannibal told him.
“An Alpha making food for an Omega” Will said, a small smile curving at his lips. Hannibal smiled.
“A classic Alpha behavior to indicate his ability to provide for his Mate” the Alpha acknowledged.
“Are all of those Alpha tendencies starting to catch up with you, Dr. Lecter?” Will kept his tone teasing and light, still not sure how the Alpha would react to being teased. Some of them really didn’t appreciate it, but Lecter seemed much more laid back that most Alphas. The smile widened.
“Perhaps” he said, “Hopefully not all of them” their eyes met, “But I would enjoy if you had dinner with me, as my friend” Will knew all about Hannibal making dinner for his friends. Apparently it was a privilege to be invited to eat at his table. Will thought back on the protein scramble he’d unwillingly eaten during their second meeting. It had been very good, but he had been very aware that he was accepting food from an unMated Alpha. Alphas liked to use those kinds of things to control him.
“I.....I’d like that” Will said, voice steady, allowing himself a small smile. He didn’t always eat very well, so it would be a nice change. Hannibal seemed immeasurably pleased that he’d accepted the invitation. Alpha’s rarely wanted to spend time around him unless they had to. Even unMated ones quickly lost interest in him after his abrasive personality and rebellious behavior became apparent. It had been a long time since he’d met an Alpha actually interested in Mating him, although there were a few now and then that wanted to own him and break him in, beat him into submission. Any Alpha who showed interest in him just wanted to figure out a way to get him Mated and out of their way. The idea that an Alpha might want to have him as a friend was still so strange.
“Good. Have you been enjoying the blanket I gave you?” Hannibal leaned back. Will was instantly on guard.
“Yes” he said, looking away, “It’s very nice. It keeps me warm. I can’t always use it at night because I sweat so much” he could still see his collared reflection staring back at him with wide, nervous eyes.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it” he sounded like he really was, “I truly believe that allowing yourself safe outlets to satisfy your physical needs as an Omega will help you cope in your day to day life” Will shifted in his chair, “There are other resources I can provide you with, from a strictly therapy-related standpoint. Weighted blankets, the like” Will was glad Hannibal didn’t suspect the little fantasies he’d been having.
“Maybe” or maybe fulfilling those needs would make his body crave an Alpha even more. It had been over fifteen years since he’d last put a collar on himself to see what it felt like. He’d been young and vulnerable then. He’d spent years putting all of those things out of his mind. Now it was all starting to come back at once. He feared the blanket would make things harder, but he knew he could never bring himself to get rid of it, “I do appreciate the gifts. They’re very nice” but how did he get the point across that he didn’t want any more?
“I’m glad you like them. How is next Tuesday for dinner?” Hannibal kept his expression neutral but pleased. Will was progressing nicely.
“Tuesday sounds fine” it would give him a little time to mentally prepare himself. Maybe he’d buy a weak, over-the-counter suppressant to take before he went into an Alpha’s home. God, the whole place would smell like Hannibal. Even more so than his office.
“6:30?” Hannibal made a mental note to cancel his appointments that afternoon. Will smiled.
“6:30” he agreed.
“Shit” It was Monday, and his cellphone was ringing. Richmond Omega Clinic. Shit. He picked up, looking for his appointment card. The automated message told him that he had an appointment tomorrow at 10:30 A.M. “Shit” he said, thinking of the dinner, then of Dr. Heath’s smug face, “Fuck!!” he said loudly, hanging up. Omega Clinics didn’t like for unMated Omegas to postpone or put off their appointments for any reason, and the Bureau wouldn’t like it either. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking at the phone. There was no real reason to put off the dinner, as he’d be done in plenty of time to get ready for it. But he didn’t want Hannibal to see him in that anxious, stressed state again. Will gnawed his lip.
“Fuck” he said quietly. He’d just have to grit his teeth and bear it. All he had to do was keep his mouth shut and his head down, and Heath would mostly leave him alone. He just had to act like an Omega. That was all.