Chapter Text
Will had been out of the BSHCI less than twenty-four hours and he had had enough.
Alana's stubborn arguments about Hannibal. Jack's texting him about a crime scene he wanted Will to look at, as if he hadn't just been locked up in that godforsaken hospital for months… Will was through.
He quit his job and put his dogs up for adoption, keeping only Winston, and packed up what few things he felt like keeping.
He didn't tell any of them where he was going, he saw no point, none of them would really care anyways.
He ended up on the other side of the country, in Montana. He found a nice cabin there, a lake for fishing, and a forest to hunt in. He would stay up there, fix motors, maybe write some papers. He didn't want to ever think about the BSU, the FBI, or Hannibal fucking Lecter, ever again.
---
Duncan watched as the small moving truck pulled up across the lake. A new neighbor. Huh… He took a drag on his cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke. He wondered who his new neighbor would be. It was a small moving truck, so not a material person. Judging from the furniture he saw, it was a man.
He watched the truck get unloaded and leave. Then, maybe a half hour or so later, a truck pulled up and a brunet climbed out, followed by a brown and yellow dog. The man looked around and sighed, a cloud of air floating around his head before moving to the house, letting the dog in, and disappearing inside himself. Duncan wondered if he should try and do something neighborly to welcome him, but he wasn't sure what.
A few days later, he saw his neighbor outside again, chopping logs for his stove. After a few minutes, the man stopped, rolling his shoulder slightly as if trying to loosen a knot or something before he hung up the ax and went inside.
Duncan watched him, pondering this before he turned back to his rented movie.
---
Will drove into town the next day, picking up groceries and supplies for Winston's food. He asked at the store about wood delivery. He could cut some himself, but if his shoulder kept acting up when he did, he probably wouldn't have enough for winter.
The store wasn't very helpful on that front and he headed home, thinking he would have to grit and bear it or they wouldn't be warm enough. When he pulled up to his cabin, Will’s jaw dropped. There was a large stack of wood, split and piled under his deck. It took him a minute before he finally pulled himself together and got out to take the groceries in, taking note of the footprints in the snow leading to his neighbor's cabin…
It was another week before Will actually met his neighbor. He was getting ready to go hunt when Winston barked happily and dashed to the neighbors yard, sniffing at a sandy colored French bulldog.
"Winston!" Will called, hurrying over, just as his neighbor stepped out on the porch and lit a cigarette.
"S-sorry," Will calls, finally catching Winston's attention. Winston trotted back to Will, whining softly and leaning toward the unfamiliar dog. "He's used to having more dogs around, I guess he got…" Will's voice stuttered, finishing weakly as he finally got a good look at his neighbor, "lonely…"
It can't- he wouldn't- no… No. It's not him. Will felt like the gears of his mind were freezing, gunked up by the similarities between his new neighbor and Hannibal. The shape of the man's face- his high cheekbones and dark eyes- as well as his height and build… Similar, but not the same. The hair was darker, and almost more salt than pepper, not to mention the mustache and grey day-old scruff. And Hannibal wouldn't be caught dead smoking. It's not him.
"I don't mind," the man said gruffly, taking a pull on the cigarette before continuing, "Rusty could use the company."
Will got the distinct feeling that the man himself wasn't too thrilled about the company, but he could understand that all too well.
"S-so… this is Rusty?" Will asked, kneeling and offering his hand to the dog to let him sniff.
Will's neighbor hummed affirmatively. Rusty was excited, his little tail wagging wildly, and Winston saw Will's motion as an invitation to sniff the other dog again, his own tail wagging happily.
Will smiled as the dogs became acquainted, looking up at the near mirror image of his former friend, he saw the man's eyes dart away. He had been watching Will.
"Uh, I'm Will," he said, not sure that he should move forward to shake his hand. The man seemed almost like a coiled spring that could move in an instant.
"Duncan," his neighbor said, giving a slight nod. He made no move to come any closer, but his eyes traveled to Will again, lingering on the hunting rifle slung on his shoulder.
Will's hand went to the strap of the gun, as if only now remembering it was there. "I was gonna see if I couldn't find a deer. Or maybe some ducks that haven't migrated yet." He wasn't totally sure why he was explaining it to this total stranger but the way he looked at the gun...
Duncan nodded again.
Will shifted slightly before figuring he might as well. "Thank you… for the wood, I mean…" He sighed. "You didn't have to do that but… it sure helped."
Duncan took another drag on his cigarette, looking toward the perfectly stacked wood, safe and dry under Will's porch. "The recoil not gonna bother your shoulder?" he asked suddenly, surprising Will.
"Oh, uh… no," Will said, shifting the gun and feeling strangely exposed. "One or two shots won't bother it too much. It's the repetitive motion that caused me trouble, is all."
Duncan nodded in understanding but didn't reply.
Will seemed to sense the conversation was at its close. He clicked his tongue for Winston, who came rather reluctantly. He turned to go before turning back again at a thought. "Can I… say thanks?"
Duncan raised his eyebrows at him. "Did you not?"
Will shrugged. "I've got whiskey at my place, if you ever wanted to join me for a drink…" Will was shocked at himself. What if he thinks I'm coming onto him?
Will watched as Duncan tensed. It was almost imperceptible- a slight tightening of his jaw, a twitch at the corner of his eye- but Will saw more than most.
"I'll think about it," Duncan said, eyes lingering on the gun again. He pointed into the trees. “There were some deer through there… few days ago, now.”
Will nodded, smiling in thanks. "Alright," he bent and gave Rusty a goodbye scratch before whistling to Winston and moving off again into the trees Duncan had indicated.
---
Duncan watched as his new neighbor, "Will", disappeared into the trees before he whistled for Rusty and stomped out his cigarette.
Once inside, he grabbed his laptop. He was connected to the Damocles system, so he did a bit of research. The man knew his way around a gun, that much was obvious to Duncan. There was an ease in the way the man carried the gun, not the careless ease of one who didn’t understand the dangers of firearms, but the ease of one familiar enough with the weapon in his hands.
The car’s license plate was from Virginia…
Up popped several news articles about the "Chesapeake Ripper"? As well as a "Special Agent Will Graham”…
A gunshot interrupted his thoughts, he looked out the window and watched Will drag home his prize, his dog happily following.
Duncan nodded slightly and sat back. Alright… maybe he could get to know his neighbor.
---
They danced around each other for the next few weeks, talking in passing or coincidentally bumping into each other at the diner in town, before Duncan knocked on Will’s door. When Will opened it, Duncan held up an amber bottle sealed with red wax.
Will's eyes widened slightly. "Thanks," he said, carefully taking the bottle. "Come on in." He stepped back, holding the door open wider.
"You said you had some whiskey," Duncan said, stepping inside and looking around, "but I never got you a housewarming gift, so…"
The cabin was neat and orderly, not unlike Duncan’s own, though Will had a bit more in the way of comfort than he did.
“Do you… wanna take off your coat?” Will offered. “I’ve got a spare peg,” he added, motioning to the rack by the door where his own coat hung along with his fishing hat.
“Thank you,” Duncan said, shedding his coat and hanging it up, trying to track the snow in as little as possible.
Will smiled. He moved over, putting another log on the fire and grabbing two glasses. "Sit wherever you like," he said.
Duncan looked around again, nodded, and sat on the couch by the fire.
Will sat with him, leaving enough distance that Duncan could be comfortable and smiling weakly, holding out a poured glass for him.
Duncan took it with a soft, “Thanks.” He held it in his hands, studying the glass for a while.
Will raised his own slightly before taking a sip and sighing. "What made you change your mind?"
Duncan looked to him curiously. “I didn’t change it,” he said, “it just took a while to make it up.”
Will chuckled. "When I first asked, you looked like I'd invited you to a trip to the dentist."
Duncan shrugged slightly. “I don’t mind the dentist,” he said, finally taking a sip of his drink.
Will shrugged. "Caution isn't a bad thing, and I probably was a little forward, but I'm glad you came."
Duncan nodded, looking around the room again. His eyes fell on the table under the window, covered in fishing lures. “You like to fish?” he asked, remembering the hat on the coat peg, too.
Will nodded. "Yeah, used to do it all the time. Kinda my safe space, you know?" He smiled reminiscently. "I had a stream near my old home… it was the best fishing spot…"
“What made you want to leave it behind?” Duncan asked, taking another, longer, drink.
Will looked at his drink for a long moment before saying softly, "I was betrayed…"
Duncan nodded. “That’ll do it.”
Will scoffed softly. "It's a bit more complicated than that but… yeah…"
Duncan nodded, looking to Will again. "You… want to talk about it?" he offered.
"Have you… heard of the Chesapeake Ripper?" He asked softly.
Duncan nodded. "I think I read something about it. They arrested someone, but turned out to be the wrong guy."
Will flinched slightly, but nodded. "I… know who he really is…"
"Probably lucky to be alive," Duncan said. "He knows you know?"
"He was my best friend…" Will said softly, then, before he knew it, he was telling his neighbor everything.
Duncan was an incredible listener, mostly quiet, nodding enough to show he was listening but not so much that Will felt like he was talking to a bobblehead. When he did speak, it was only to ask for clarification or reassure Will that he could go on or not, whatever he wanted.
Will took a swig from his whiskey, sighing. “And so I left.” He felt like he had sand in his throat. After going over a month with talking to no one but Winston, it was nice to get it all off his chest, but he’d been talking for what felt like hours without much stopping. Part of him was worried he’d bore Duncan, but his neighbor only nodded slowly, looking into his own glass as he processed all Will had told him.
“I’m being forced to retire on my fiftieth birthday,” Duncan finally said, once again surprising Will. “Company policy or some bull shit.” Despite them becoming friendly, Duncan still hadn’t told Will much about his life. Maybe after everything Will had said, Duncan felt like he had to reciprocate.
Will felt his curiosity grow, despite himself. “And… what exactly did you do?”
Duncan looked up from his glass slowly, his dark eyes boring into Will. “I… was in the funeral business,” he said, his eyes slipping away again. The hesitation was enough for Will to know there was more to it than that. Years of dealing with Hannibal’s innuendos and hidden jokes… he knew a cover story when he heard it.
After some thought, Will looked up from his own glass. "You're an assassin… right?" he asked softly.
Duncan sighed softly. “You see that?” he asked. Will had said he’d seen things others in his field had not. He wondered just how much of an open book he was to this man.
Will nodded slightly, looking at his drink again.
"You don’t mind?" Duncan asked, most people found his job rather… well…
Will shook his head. "No… I don't."
"You worked for the FBI, catching killers," Duncan pointed out.
"And they arrested me as one of those killers." Will sighed. "My moral alignment has always been in the more gray spectrum… Besides, when you get thrown to the wolves by people who are supposed to have your back, your perspectives can shift." He looked at Duncan. "I mean, what would you do if your co-workers tried to kill you for no reason?"
Duncan met his gaze levely and spoke without hesitation. "Kill them first." That said, he looked down again. "When we first met, I could tell you knew how to handle your gun. Perhaps not your weapon of choice, but you were clearly capable with it. Thought you might be in my line of work, here for me. Then I saw your FBI history." He glanced at Will and away again, a tiny smile tugged at his lips, exaggerated by his mustache. "Still thought you might be here for me."
Will scoffed softly. "All I was doing was running from all my problems… but at least I got to meet you…"
That got a smile out of Duncan.
Soon, that became their ritual, every Friday, they would get together, share drinks and talk. Will always tried not to think about what he was like when he'd drank too much. Duncan seemed not to mind it, though. Some Fridays they would stay up into the wee hours of the morning, still drinking and talking, and Will would find himself snuggling in, getting too close… but Duncan never pushed him away. In fact, once Will had initiated the cuddling for the night, Duncan would wrap an arm around Will, leaving the other free to hold his glass. The second time it happened, he even ran his fingers through Will’s dark curls as they chatted. He never pushed for more, but he never seemed bothered by the direction Will led them in.
"You should talk more," Will said suddenly on one of these nights. He was curled against Duncan’s warm side and tracing the lines on his shirt idly. "You have a nice voice."
Duncan chuckled at that. “Maybe I just don’t have much to say.”
Will pouted. "Well, I think your voice is nice...you should use it."
Duncan chuckled again, shaking his head. “My voice is old and rough,” he countered. “You only like it because you’re American.”
Will sat up slightly. "What do you mean?"
“Americans love ‘forigne’ accents,” Duncan said. “Not a bad thing, really.”
"I think your voice is still nice." Will snuggled down again. "It's soothing…"
Duncan chuckled again. “If I ever think of something to say, I’ll say it.”
"I'll think of something." Will said, smiling slightly, "Maybe I'll buy you a book of poetry."
Duncan rolled his eyes. “I didn’t figure you for a sap.”
Will snorted. "I'm not, but the thought of you reading Robert Frost isn't unappealing."
Duncan nodded, finishing off his glass and setting it aside. “Fire And Ice or the one about the yellow wood?” he asked, chuckling.
"I'm more of a Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening type," Will said with a chuckle, "but I'd take any you wanted to recite."
Duncan chuckled. “You get the book, and I’ll read it.”
"No you won't," Will said, smiling.
"I might," Duncan said.
Will chuckled, snuggling down again and humming softly.
This continued for another week or two, drinking and cuddling, until finally, Will asked.
"Where are you putting it anyways?" Will grumbled. Duncan never showed effects of getting drunk besides maybe a reddening of his cheekbones.
“Putting what?” Duncan asked, chuckling.
Will frowned again, he was determined to get to the bottom of this. He climbed closer, not realizing he was now straddling Duncan’s legs, and began patting him down. "Are you stashing it in a bag or something?"
That got a reaction out of him. Duncan, always in control of himself, flushed a deep red. “Will, what are you looking for?” he asked, holding very still as the younger man searched him.
Will looked up at him. "How come you don't get drunk?"
Duncan raised his eyebrows at that. “I am drunk.”
Will shook his head. "Then how come you don't- y-you…" He slowed to a stop, seeming to realize where he was and blushing himself.
“Everyone gets affected differently, Will,” Duncan said, his voice low. He still wasn’t hardly moving, but Will also realized he hadn’t pushed him away, either.
Will looked up, making eye contact and holding it. Duncan met his eyes, his breathing shallow and his heart racing. Slowly, carefully, Duncan reached up to brush some of Will’s curls back. They’d grown longer, wild, and often fell in his eyes. Duncan swallowed, nervous, and wet his lips, the tip of his tongue just visible as it darted quickly over his thin lips.
Will was still a moment longer before reaching out slowly and tracing Duncan’s cheek bone with his fingers. Duncan’s lips parted slightly, taking in a sharp breath as he tried to calm himself down.
“Will,” Duncan murmured. Will realized they were closer together, and he couldn’t quite remember which of them had moved.
Will’s eyes darted up to Duncan’s again, asking, questioning. Does he want this, too?
Duncan’s pupils were wide as he met Will’s eyes. Before Will could decide if it was desire or the dim light causing it, Duncan had closed the distance, his lips brushing against Will’s gently. Will’s breath hitched slightly, releasing in a soft moan as they separated. Will looked up at Duncan again, eyes wide.
Neither of them could ever tell you who moved first after that, all there was was the heated kiss as they pressed close together, their drinks forgotten in favor of fingers threading through hair and pulling each other closer.
Eventually, too soon in both their opinions, they had to part to breathe.
Duncan, still breathing hard, had his lips on Will's jaw, trailing down his neck, and tickling him with his mustache. Will shivered, moaning softly. He tilted his head to give him more room as his eyes closed, enjoying the feeling. Will shivered as Duncan’s lips traced over the sensitive skin at the base of his neck, the hand in Duncan’s hair tightening as he moaned.
Duncan’s teeth grazed over Will’s pulse, letting out a low groan. His fingers tightened in Will’s curls, his other hand sliding down Will’s back to pull him closer, his hips rutting up against the friction. Will shivered, moaning Duncan’s name.
In a whirl of movement, Duncan stood, carrying Will over to the bed, still kissing at his neck. Will gasped softly, gripping at Duncan’s neck for fear of falling.
Duncan sat Will down on the bed, his hands moving from his hips- where he’d held him up- sliding up under Will’s shirt. His hands were rough, calloused and work worn, against Will’s stomach and sides, gentle yet firm and eager.
Will moaned, quickly pulling his shirt up and off, leaning up to kiss Duncan again. Duncan’s hands roamed over Will’s exposed skin, kissing him back eagerly. Will pressed closer, his fingers tangling in Duncan’s hair as he kissed him just as eagerly.
Duncan carefully pushed Will back, forcing him down onto the pillows. He kissed down along Will’s neck again, pausing to graze his teeth over the soft spot at the base of his neck, barely resisting the urge to sink his teeth in before kissing on along Will’s collar bone. All the while, his hands roamed up Will’s sides, over his shoulders and chest, and down again.
Will shivered, moaning softly as he tried to pull Duncan’s sweater off.
Duncan pulled back, placing his hand over Will’s. “Wait…” he said.
Will pulled back, looking worried.
“What if you don’t like what you see?” Duncan asked softly.
Will shook his head. "It's alright… if you don't want to…"
Duncan hesitated a moment, then pulled back, pulling his sweater off and dropping it aside.
Will’s eyes widened slightly, reaching up, his fingers ghosted over the scars gently. "You've survived so much…"
Duncan shivered, his eyes slipping closed. “You have, too,” he murmured.
Will’s hand stopped at the large scar on his side. "Does it hurt?" he asked softly.
Duncan peeked down at him. “Nah,” he said. “Bit of metal still in there… but I don’t really notice it, usually.”
Will nodded slowly before moving forward and kissing each scar he could find gently, whispering against each, "Survived." Duncan shivered at each kiss, threading his fingers in Will’s curls when he could reach him. Once Will had finished, he moved up to Duncan’s face again, meeting his eyes. "Now, survive for me," he murmured softly, leaning in and kissing him.
Duncan moaned into the kiss, pulling Will close against him. Will moaned, tangling his hands in Duncan’s hair again.
After they kissed until needing air, Duncan gently pushed Will back onto the pillows, kissing along his jaw and down his neck and across his shoulders, kissing gently at Will's bullet scar from "Uncle Jack" as he went. Will shivered, gasping softly for breath as he watched Duncan as he started trailing his kisses southward.
Will gasped softly, trying to sit up, to protest. Sure, he had done this a bit in college but… was this really happening?
Duncan stopped, pulling back to meet Will’s eyes. “You don’t want to?”
"I do," Will said quickly. "God, yes I want to but-" He looked away, biting his lip slightly. "It's been a… long time…"
Duncan reached up, gently caressing Will’s cheek, his thumb coming to tease Will’s lip out from between his teeth. “We don’t have to do it all tonight… We have time. We can go as fast or as slow as you like.” His thumb traced over Will’s lower lip, as if trying to smooth away the marks left by his teeth. “It’s probably best we get certain things before we go that far, anyways. Condoms, lube…” He nodded, clearly already making a shopping list in his mind. “In the meantime,” he leaned in to kiss Will again, “if you’ll let me,” another kiss, “I’d like to make you feel very good,” and another.
"Yes…" Will managed softly, "yes… please."
Duncan smiled, his hands trailing down Will’s chest and stomach, going straight for the fastenings of his jeans. He began his trail of kisses downward as his hands pulled Will’s pants down a bit, his fingers playing at the hem of his boxers.
Will moaned softly, his fingers tangling in Duncan’s hair. It had been a long time since this had happened to him, since someone had wanted to pleasure him. Duncan moaned softly in appreciation, clearly liking Will’s hands in his hair. He nosed gently at the elastic of the boxers.
Will shivered slightly, moaning. Duncan mouthed his bulge through the boxers, humming happily when he felt him twitch and grow harder. He pulled the boxers down, taking a moment to take in the sight, his hands cradling his cock and cupping his balls like some kind of treasure, before slowly taking him into his mouth.
Will gasped softly, his hand tightened in Duncan’s hair as he tried to keep his hips from bucking up, "God- Duncan!"
Duncan chuckled softly, humming as he slowly took him all the way before swallowing around him. Will cried out, his back arching into the feeling, grabbing at the sheets tightly as he gripped Duncan’s hair. Duncan’s eyes slipped closed, bobbing his head. One hand toyed with Will’s balls while the other ran soothingly over Will’s thigh.
Will quivered under him, moaning softly, his breath already picking up as he tried to loosen his grip on Duncan’s hair. Duncan looked up at him, watching Will’s face as he raised up, his tongue flicking across the slit of Will’s tip before dropping again to swallow around all of him.
Will yelped, arching up at the feeling. Yep… definitely been a long time.
Duncan chuckled softly before pulling back slowly, sucking as he went.
Will shivered, his hand tightening in Duncan’s hair as he moaned.
Duncan pulled back, blowing gently down Will’s wet cock and making him whimper.
Will gripped at Duncan’s hair, pulling him up into a deep kiss.
Will should have known Duncan would be experienced, he probably used it for cover on jobs and such, but damn, Will felt like a bumbling newbie, and honestly he kinda was, but Duncan seemed to leave Will breathless and quivering with every touch.
"D-Duncan…" Will gasped out, after what felt like hours of sweet torture.
"Hmm?" Duncan questioned, making Will jump and moan again with the vibrations through his cock.
"I'm getting close!" Will cried.
Duncan nodded, his eyes soft and encouraging as he pressed down again, sucking deeply.
Will came with a shout, gasping and quivering through the first orgasm he had had in ages.
Duncan slowly pulled off, rubbing Will’s thighs gently and talking to Will softly until Will’s brain drifted back to conscious thought.
Duncan then got a warm wash cloth and wiped Will clean before climbing under the blankets with him and pulling him close.
Will sighed softly, snuggling as close as he could, Duncan was strong, but not as lean as Hannibal, giving him a nice tummy to cuddle.
Will yawned widely and smiled sleepily at the assassin.
Duncan smiled back, stroking Will's curls gently until he fell asleep.