Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Beverly held a coffee in one hand and her phone in the other as she got out of her car. With a jut of her hip, the door closed with a satisfying thunk. Will usually drove them to work, but he never came home last night.

She checked her phone once more for good measure. The only notifications she had were for ten unread emails; no texts from Will, her soon-to-be ex-husband.

She shoved her phone in her pocket, locked her car, and walked to the lab. Brian and Jimmy were standing in front of a computer. She assumed they were examining the dental recorders of John Doe stored in what Brian called the "lockers."

“Any luck with an ID?” she asked, taking a sip of her coffee and trying to peer over their shoulders. 

Brian startled, seeming not to have heard her approach, but Jimmy just turned, gesturing at the body with a satisfied smile. 

“Meet David Aldwin. Thirty-eight, unwed, and a history teacher at a high school in–“ he cut himself off suddenly, looking confused, “Where’s Will?”

“Why does it matter?” Brian asked.

At the same time, Beverly shrugged and replied, “That’s none of my business anymore.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Jimmy suddenly looked concerned, “Are you two fighting? What happened?”

“Why does it matter?” Brian complained, “Can we get back to Aldwin? His murder isn’t going to solve itself.”

“Especially not without Will,” Jimmy agreed, “So why do you not know where he is?”

Beverly held up her left hand in answer. Brian and Jimmy both stared for a minute. 

“I don’t get it,” Brian muttered. 

Jimmy finally noticed that her ring finger was bare. “You divorced?” He sounded as upset as if it were his parents divorcing and not his coworkers. 

Brian looked shocked. “Wait. You two were actually legally married? I thought that was a joke.”

Jimmy blinked rapidly, turning to Brian with nothing short of horror. "You thought it was a joke? Did you not get an invitation?"

"There were invitations?" Brian asked, continuing the line of accusatory stares as he looked at Beverly.

"It was a beautiful ceremony," Jimmy added, using his coat sleeve to dab at imaginary tears.

Beverly moved her finger across her throat, signaling to Jimmy to stop while he was ahead. She was smiling, despite the basis of the conversation.

This made Brian press a palm over his heart. "Wow. What the fuck, Beverly? I thought we were friends."

Beverly dropped her bag into a nearby chair and took a sip of coffee. She had to wet her throat before her next line: "And I thought I was happily married. You have always been so rude to my husband–" a dramatic sniffle, looking off into the distance, "–mean my… ex-husband."

Jimmy backhanded Brian's shoulder. "Shit like that is why you weren't invited!"

Beverly sighed heavily, shaking her head. “Maybe if we had your support, things wouldn’t have ended like they did. 

Brian looked offended, “How am I supposed to support a marriage I didn’t even know was real until right now? Not to mention that it’s already over! You guys suck. I want new coworkers.”

Jimmy gasped, “I thought we were friends.”

“You went to their wedding without me!” 

“How was I supposed to know you didn’t get an invitation? I assumed you were going too until I noticed you didn’t show up!” Jimmy defended. 

Beverly had always felt like Price and Zeller bickered like an old married couple and it was extremely entertaining to watch. She was happy to let them carry on as she looked through the info the two of them had managed to find on the latest vic, letting their voices become background noise as she read the toxicology report. 

Her focus was pulled from the report at the sudden shift of Jimmy’s voice as he greeted Hannibal, who had just walked in, with a cheerful “Good morning, Doctor Lecter!”

Beverly looked up at the psychiatrist, raising an eyebrow and greeting him as well.  “Oh, well, if it isn’t Mr. Home Wrecker.”

Brian and Jimmy both gasped, but Hannibal barely reacted, save a slight upwards twitch at the corner of his mouth. 

“That would be Doctor Home Wrecker, Ms. Katz, and you and I both know I didn’t ‘wreck’ anything but your ‘arrangement for tax benefits’ as you once put it.”

"Oh my God," Jimmy whispered, bumping shoulders with Brian. Hannibal glanced at them, which made the other men recoil. Brian pulled Jimmy towards the autopsy table with him.

"How's our Will?" Beverly teased.

Hannibal tilted his chin up, pride radiating from his toothy grin. "He seems to be at ease this morning. He'll be in shortly."

Beverly tucked her tongue in her cheek. "Did you kiss him good morning for me?"

Jimmy frantically smacked Brian's hand in disbelief. Brian hissed, rubbing his hand where he'd struck him.

"You don't have to hit me!" Brian whispered. He pretended like he hadn't noticed the lesions across Aldwin's collarbones that curved to meet at the center of his throat.

"I gave him my undivided attention," Hannibal replied smoothly. "No room for any messages from anyone else, I'm afraid."

Will chose that moment to walk in. He adjusted his glasses with a disgruntled expression. "Why is everybody in here?"

"Good morning to you too, Special Agent Graham," Jimmy said, looking over his shoulder with a smirk.

Will shifted uncomfortably, glancing around and strongly disliking how everyone was staring at him. 

After a moment, Jimmy turned to whisper something to Brian, who immediately looked like he was struggling to hold back laughter.

“Is now not a good time? I can come back later.” He really hoped someone would say he could leave.

“You, uh, got a little something right–” Brian smirked, gesturing to Will’s neck, “–there.”

Will’s hand immediately flew to the collar of his flannel to pull it up, turning bright red. 

Brian and Jimmy burst into laughter and Beverly was poorly suppressing a smirk. 

Even Hannibal looked a bit smug.

“God, Will. We haven’t even finished signing the papers.” Beverly said.

Will looked like he was seconds away from ensuring at least one person in the room didn’t ever leave it again. Whether it was himself or someone else was hard to say for sure

"Poor Aldwin, even in death he can't avoid marriage disputes," Jimmy sighed.

"He was divorced?" Beverly asked, a disbelieving look on her face.

"Twice," Brian added, holding up two fingers.

"How unfortunate," Hannibal said. Humor was plastered into his faint smirk.

"Maybe his wives teamed up on him," Will grumbled, glancing between Beverly and Hannibal.

A sudden laugh erupted from Brian, who quickly stifled it with his hand. He'd never openly laughed at Will's jokes before.

Beverly shook her head, taking another sip of coffee. "Hopefully he had a good prenup."

Prenups were done when people felt like they had something to lose. It was done to protect property, or organize financial agreements, upon divorce or death. She and Will had never signed prenuptials. They hadn't planned on divorcing, so hadn't felt the need to legally hash out who would get what assets if they did.

"In some cases, prenuptials could be an indicator of distrust, which often leads to counseling," Hannibal added. His eyes burned into the mark on Will's neck. Beverly cut Hannibal an offended glance.

Will cupped a hand over the mark as he walked towards Brian and Jimmy. He decided they were the less tortuous group. "How long were his marriages? Anything in the paperwork raise concerns?" 

"I'm tempted to get you some earplugs," Jimmy said to Aldwin. 

Brian chuckled at his remark before he looked at Will. "His first marriage was five years, the second was only two."

"No mentions of any domestic abuse charges," Jimmy said.

Brian passed Will a clipboard. "Well, his liver was in bad shape. Something drove him to drink."

Jimmy crossed his arms. "He was a teacher, divorced twice, and someone wanted to do this to him."

"Divorce is also costly," Will added, trying to focus on his work. It was hard to start profiling when everyone was verbally sparring with him.

"A cruel reminder of losing tax benefits in the process," Hannibal said, walking past Beverly a little too close. Beverly wanted to punch him in the shoulder.

"Hannibal," Will warned without looking at him. Hannibal smiled politely, bowing his head.

"Apparently your tax benefits are competitive," Jimmy said. He was absolutely delighted by Hannibal's acquiescence to Will.

“I’m not sure it’s worth murdering someone over ending up getting a better tax return. There’s got to be something else here,” Will argued. 

“Maybe infidelity,” Beverly suggested, staring pointedly at Will, causing Brian and Jimmy to burst into a fit of laughter. 

Will looked torn between being offended and wanting to agree that they should look into it. 

“Infidelity is common in marriages that place emphasis on financial gain. It often comes from relationships that tend not to prioritize meeting emotional or physical needs,” Hannibal said, his tone was mild, but Will could see a glint in his eyes. He was definitely having fun with the conversation. 

Will ignored him. “Can we track down the exes and bring them in for interviews?”

“Maybe they can start a support group with Bev,” Brian snickered. 

“Alright, I’m leaving,” Will huffed, forcing the case file into Jimmy’s hands and walking out. 

“You’d better go after him, Dr. Lecter. I’m sure you’re looking forward to those assets,” Jimmy said in a teasing voice. 

If Hannibal were the type to roll his eyes, he surely would have at that. “I assure you, Will is good for much more than that.”

Once he had left the room, Brian turned to him. “Isn’t Dr. Lecter the rich one?”

Jimmy's eyes widened. "What? Of course he is."

Beverly grinned, dropping her empty coffee cup in the trash and walking to the whiteboard with various photos and sticky notes. "ASS-sets, Brian."

Brian shook his head, "I heard him the first time!"

"Oh, you poor thing," Jimmy sighed. "My humor is wasted."

"What are you talking about?" Brian's eyes narrowed. Jimmy and Beverly just stared at him. "Don't make me feel like the crazy one!"

"You're breaking my heart," Jimmy said, shaking his head.

Beverly interrupted them with a dramatic sigh. "Who wants to buy me a drink later? This divorce is so difficult for me, as you can see."

Jimmy bulldozed Brian's attempt to speak. "Brian would love to. It's the least he can do for being so insensitive about it."

Brian clicked his pen aggressively in Jimmy's direction. "Fine, but for the record, I hate you both."

Jimmy grinned, pretending to cover blush on his cheek at Brian's sass. "I love you too, babe."

Beverly looked shocked, “Wait. How long have you two been together? What the fuck? Brian I didn’t even know you were gay.”

Brian sighed, rolling his eyes. “We’re not together and I’m not gay.”

“Yeah, Bev. Of course Brian’s not gay. Some people are bisexual,” Jimmy scolded. 

Brian scowled, but he was blushing, “You’re an asshole. I’m not bi either.”

Beverly was trying to force a solemn expression, but it was ruined by a poorly suppressed grin., “Hey, just because I’ve accidentally perpetuated bi erasure doesn’t mean you have to too, Brian. Don’t invalidate your own identity.”

“Where’s Jack? I’m putting in my two week’s notice.” Brian threatened. 

Beverly and Jimmy just looked at each other, amused. Brian threatened to quit at least twice a month and never meant it. 

“Come on, Zeller! If you quit, how’re you going to afford to pay for our drinks later?” Beverly teased.

"I can also leave with no notice," Brian said like a threat. Beverly and Jimmy gasped. Brian caved in at that, smiling at his friends. "You think I'd really leave you guys? You're stuck with me."

"You're also stuck with us," Jimmy said. "Come hell or high water."

Beverly typed on the keyboard, looking for contact information for Aldwin's ex-wives. "Exactly. It's world-ending if we separate."

"Biblical blackmail," Brian retorted with an eye roll.

Beverly beamed. "Well, would you look at that, Brian does have a sense of humor."

"Fuck you," Brian said with another smile.

*

The trio met up at a bar Beverly went to every couple weeks. It was the exact opposite energy of the lab, dim overhead lighting and neon signs along the walls. 

Jimmy was smiling up at the walls, "Will you be offended if I say this is exactly what I expected?"

"Nope," Beverly smirked.

Brian, on the other hand, was distracted and not really listening. A beautiful hostess approached the table. She had tattoo sleeves down both arms and another large piece peaking over the top of her tube top.

Beverly propped an elbow on the table and leaned on her fist. Brian and Jimmy might as well be a world away. "Hey," she said fondly.

"Hey yourself," she replied, her eyes reflecting the neon lights nearby. "What can I get you all?”

“Is Francine working the bar tonight?” Beverly asked. 

Jimmy and Brian shared a look. Beverly apparently came here often enough that she not only had some sort of flirty thing going on with the hostess, but also knew several employees by name. 

“No, thank god,” the hostess laughed, “They quit. We’ve got a new guy. He’s way better. A little heavy-handed, but that’s a good thing if you ask most people.” 

“Ugh, finally. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve stopped coming here with how badly Francine fucked up my drink every time. I mean, it’s three ingredients. I don’t know how it was always wrong when they made it,” Beverly lamented.

“I’ll make sure Mitch goes easy on the grenadine. Francine threw it into everything like it was the garlic of alcohol,” the hostess rolled her eyes, but her gaze softened as she looked back at Beverly. “So, a Tequila Sunrise for you. And how about you two? I’m Jackie by the way.”

“I’m Jimmy. This is Brian.” Jimmy seemed to be the first to recover from the sudden break of what has started to feel like an intimate moment that they were intruding on. He ordered a Sex on the Beach and subtly elbowed Brian, who was not-so-subtly gawking at Beverly, who was currently avoiding eye contact. 

Brian awkwardly cleared his throat and picked up a drink menu, clearly picking the first drink his eyes landed on. “I’ll have a Cuba Libre.”

Jackie jot their orders down in her server’s book and smiled at them, “Alright! I’ll get those started for you.”

Her gaze flickered to Beverly for a split second as she left, her smile turning more genuine. 

Beverly watched her until she was out of sight and then turned to look at Jimmy and Brian. She sighed at their expressions. “Alright. Get it all out.”

“You’re a fucking hypocrite, Katz,” Brian exclaimed, “How can you be giving Will shit for being into Hannibal when you’ve got the hots for someone else too!”

Beverly raised an eyebrow, “You’re strangely invested in the details of the ending of a marriage that you didn’t even think was real until a few hours ago.”

“You two would be so cute together,” Jimmy sighed, “Bev, if you don’t ask her out tonight, I’m giving her your phone number for you.”

Beverly decided it was a great time to check her phone, avoiding eye contact still. "Jeez, is it that obvious?"

Of course, the one time she wasn't expecting it, a text from Will was waiting for her. Something about him being at the house that night.

"It's borderline explicit," Jimmy smirked. "You might as well have locked lips the moment you looked at each other."

"I agree that you two would look great together," Brian said, the words sounding shockingly genuine.

"Wow, Zeller, way to be an ally," Beverly said, rolling her eyes.

"It feels very...hetero man supporting lesbians," Jimmy agreed with a grimace.

Brian was flushed, but the lights were distracting enough to hide it. "You know what I mean! You guys have chemistry to the point where I hope nobody lights a cigarette."

"Cigarettes?" Jackie echoed with a smile. She shifted her weight to one side as she balanced their drinks. "You smoking, Bev?"

She'd approached from behind Beverly, causing her to wince and hit her leg on the table. The underlying flirtation, however, was taken with grace.

"Nah, you won't catch me smoking cigs. I know what kind of damage they do," she said, leaning back on her side of the booth. She'd seen enough lungs too, but she'd rather not dampen the conversation.

"I'd hate for them to scratch up that voice of yours anyhow," Jackie grinned. She smiled politely at Brian and Zeller before scanning Beverly once more. "Enjoy the Sunrise. Shout if you need me."

"Oh, she needs you," Jimmy remarked when Jackie was out of earshot.

"I feel like this is more saucy than Will's lovebite," Brian agreed.

"Lovebite? That was a mauling as far as I could tell," Beverly chimed in.

They all shared a laugh, sipping their drinks.

"You know, this is pretty good," Brian said, shifting his glass so the ice clicked on the sides.

"You know what Cuba Libre is, right?" Jimmy asked him with a mischievous smile.

"No, should I?"

"It's a rum and coke," Beverly explained, "Just a fancy name for it."

Brian sighed before he smiled at his drink. "And here I was thinking I tried something new for once."

"That's how he felt when I came out," Jimmy said with an overly sympathetic nod. "Nobody was surprised."

Beverly laughed, holding her stomach. She wouldn't have admitted that she'd felt sour earlier in the day, but these two always managed to make her feel better. She struggled to remember what her life was like before she'd met them.

Beverly signaled for Jackie a few minutes later, asking for refills. The request won her a wink and fingers brushing against the back of her hand. She felt like she was breaking into a sweat.

"You have to ask her for her number," Brian said. "It's going to kill us if you don't."

" And you have to do it before you get buzzed," Jimmy tacked on to Brian's statement.

"You guys aren't even wingman--" She gestured to both of them pointedly, "--wing men ing me!"

"You do not need our help," Brian said with a firm shake of his head.

"Next round," Beverly said, her eyes drifting to the bar to watch Jackie tie her hair up in a ponytail. She nearly choked on her drink.

Jimmy crossed his legs under the table and swirled the straw in his drink. "Damn, girl, are you going to need an Uber? Is it that type of night?"

"No," Beverly smiled. Her face was warm from the drink already and this was only making it worse. They each got halfway through their refills before Jimmy lightly hit his hand on the table. The others braced for what was, undoubtedly, a gossip session.

"Is Jack actually oblivious about  Will and Hannibal?" he asked. The question had been eating him alive.

"He's either oblivious or doesn't care," Beverly shrugged.

"He just wants Will knee-deep in traumatizing sludge," Brian said like the words tasted bad in his mouth. "As long as we're doing our jobs, I think we could get anyway with anything."

"Definitely not anything," Jimmy chuckled, "but I agree with the sentiment."

Their glasses were nearly empty again and Jackie sauntered over. Beverly gave her another smile, more genuine than the last.

"Hey, Jacks. Another round, please." Jimmy and Brian watched as Beverly combed her hair back over her shoulder. "Also, I have a question."

"What 'cha need?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I wondered if I could get your number? I realize it might not be on tap though."

Jackie laughed, it was a warm sound that made Beverly's heart race. She grabbed a piece of paper from her apron around her waist and scribbled it down for her. "It's a secret menu item. Made to order."

"You're the best," Beverly said with a sultry slow blink of her eyes. She took the paper with a wink.

"I'll be back with those drinks," Jackie said, clearing the table of their empty glasses. "Anything else you guys need?"

They all shook their heads.

As Jackie walked away, Beverly added her as a contact to her phone, grinning like an idiot. She sent a quick text just so Jackie had her number as well and then decided to fully read the message from Will.

hey bev. i’m going to be at the house tonight to finish up the last of my packing. i should be done moving out tomorrow unless it turns out i missed something

Even though they had been going through the process of their divorce for weeks, it hadn’t quite hit her that this was it. Their marriage had never been romantic and their intimacy had never been physical, but it was still the deepest connection with someone she had ever had. 

Will had been her best friend for years. She really did love him, even if it wasn’t the kind of love she knew he was going to find with Hannibal. And she was so happy for him, that he would be getting that love, because he deserved it. But, god, she was going to fucking miss him. 

She decided she should probably be done drinking for the night. 

When Jackie came back, Beverly very purposefully brushed their hands together as she took her drink. Between the new certainty in her interest being returned and the two drinks she had had, she was feeling quite a bit bolder than earlier. 

“I think we’re going to have to close our tab and head out after this round,” she said regretfully. 

Brian took the hint, “It’s on me,” he sighed, pulling his card out of his wallet and handing it to Jackie, who looked just a little disappointed, but quickly forced a smile and said she’d be right back with the check. 

Beverly slid her drink in front of Brian, “I’m done for the night. Finish that for me?”

Brian raised an eyebrow, but accepted the drink without an argument. 

“How did Will and Hannibal end up actually getting together?” Jimmy asked. 

“Oh, god it was such a mess ,” Beverly groaned, “Will took forever to even realize he had feelings for him and he wouldn’t ever entertain the idea of telling him. I swear, I was thinking about getting them stuck in an elevator together or something.”

Brian snorted, “Yeah. Only thinking about it. So I guess you had nothing to do with the fact that the elevator to the lab was down all day last month? I had to take the stairs, Bev. It’s four fucking floors.”

“You can’t prove I had anything to do with that,” Beverly said, looking pointedly out the window. 

“So Hannibal made the first move then?” Jimmy pressed. 

“I’m not really sure. Will was very “I don’t kiss and tell” about it.” Beverly drummed her fingers on the table, thinking about it, then shrugged, “I’ll get it out of him eventually. He’s happy though. Really happy.”

Jimmy sighed, obviously disappointed at the lack of details. 

“I lied earlier,” Brian blurted out.

Beverly and Jimmy both turned to him. He was staring at the mostly empty glass in his hands.

Before either of them could ask what he was talking about, Jackie reappeared. 

“Sorry it took so long! We’re hitting the point of the night where the restaurants around here start closing, so people head over here and we get crazy busy,” she set Brian’s card and the receipt down in front of him, but she never took her eyes off of Beverly, “I wanted to say before you left, I have next weekend off and, if you have any time, I’d like to see you.”

Beverly had to force herself not to sound too eager, “Yeah, I’d like that too.”

“Anything but drinks. I’m actually sober,” Jackie confessed, “Don’t tell any of the other regulars.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Beverly promised, “If you like coffee, there’s a cafe by me that has their new seasonal drinks out and they’re incredible. We can work out the details through text?”

“That sounds good,” Jackie smiled softly at her, “I’ll talk to you soon then.”

As cliche as it sounded, the only way Beverly could describe what she felt was that it was like butterflies in her stomach. 

Jimmy cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to him and Brian. 

“What did you lie about, Brian?” She asked. 

“When I said I wasn’t bi… that might not have been entirely truthful.” 

Beverly almost burst out laughing at Jimmy’s expression. He looked like he was about to burst into song. She didn’t think he was quite that drunk though. 

“Thank you for telling us, Brian,” she gave Jimmy a meaningful look as she slowly stood and said, “I’m going to go to the bathroom before we leave. I’ll be right back.”

She glanced back at her friends as she headed to the restroom and grinned to herself as she watched the two of them lean a bit closer towards each other.

Beverly lingered by the mirror as she washed her hands, sighing to herself before someone else came into the room. Her mind was comfortably hazy before, but it was quickly sharpening into focus as she realized she had a date with Jackie. Once the soap was washed away, she ran cold water over her hands and pressed them to her face for good measure.

"Why did you lie?" Jimmy asked Brian. It wasn't a teasing question. "I know we give you shit, but you can tell us anything."

"You could call it compulsive, I guess," Brian said, taking a sip of Beverly's drink. He immediately made a face like he bit a lemon slice. He took another sip to get used to the flavor, since he knew what to expect now.

"It was a little hostile this morning," Jimmy said with a smile. "I'm glad you came clean."

Brian fidgeted with the receipt in his hands. "Yeah, me too."

Jimmy's humor subsided into cautious curiosity. He passed a glance towards the bathroom and hoped she and Jackie would end up talking again before she got back to the table.

He looked back to Brian, "Anything else you wanna tell me?"

Brian looked focused as he crinkled the receipt in a fist. He made a really cute face when he thought really hard about something. His nose scrunched a little. "Being around couples can be a cruel reminder that you're single."

Jimmy nodded in silent understanding. He wondered if Brian ever realized how often he'd flirted with him. "Yeah. You're drunk, huh?"

"A little," Brian smiled.

"Can I drive you home?" Jimmy asked.

"That would be nice," Brian said, blinking at the half-finished drink in front of him. "Thanks."

Beverly did, in fact, run into Jackie once more as they got close to the door to leave.

"Got your text. See you next week?" Jackie beamed.

"Next week," Beverly smiled back. "I can't wait."

She forced herself between Brian and Jimmy and squeezed their shoulders. "Thanks for the drinks and shit talking."

"We always talk shit," Brian said with a buzzed grin.

"That's beside the point," Beverly chuckled and dropped her arms. She b-lined for her car. "See you two bright and early."

"I can't promise he'll be either of those things," Jimmy grinned back at her.

Brian partially drug his feet as he walked towards Jimmy's car and ungracefully sank into the passenger seat. "Sometimes I forget how hard it hits when you stand up," he mumbled.

"Oh yeah, she'll sneak up on you."

"Or he," Brian replied, pointing at him.

"Damn, now I'm homophobic and sexist."

Brian laughed, leaning back in the chair and stretching himself out. He closed his eyes as the car started to move. "Yeah, shame on you. Do better."

"Shush. Put your address in my phone," Jimmy said.

The car was silent for a few minutes. Jimmy assumed Brian was falling asleep so he focused on the road and the gentle scroll of the map on his phone screen as they traveled further into town.

“It was weird to admit it,” Brian said so quietly that Jimmy almost didn’t hear him. “I don’t- I‘ve never talked about it.”

“What made you tell us tonight?” 

Brian sighed, sinking even lower in the seat, “Everything with Will getting together with Lecter and Bev having her thing with Jackie just… made me realize I’m tired. Of being ashamed.”

Jimmy hummed. “You were raised religious, weren’t you?”

Brian breathed out a laugh, “That obvious?”

“I’m incredible at recognizing Catholic guilt,” Jimmy shrugged, switching lanes to make a left turn. 

“I wouldn’t have guessed. You seem so comfortable with yourself.” 

“It took a long time,” Jimmy admitted, “It helped that one of my aunts came out when I was a teenager. She and my mom had always been close and it made her reevaluate her relationship with God and how she could continue being a religious woman while still being supportive. My parents switched churches to one that was more LGBT friendly and suddenly I was surrounded by people who believed that gays weren’t condemned. By the time I went to college, I had accepted it and knew my parents would too and came out.”

“I don’t think my parents would take it well,” Brian said, then added, “But I guess they don’t ever have to know. I’ve never dated a guy. I probably never will at this point, so it’s not like I would ever end up bringing a man home for the holidays. I mean, I’m sure no one our age would want to date someone who only came out in their late 30’s.”

Jimmy didn’t think before he said, “I would.”

He could feel Brian’s stare the second the words left his mouth. 

“Would…?”

“Date a man who only came out in his late 30’s,” He hesitated for a second before deciding to throw all his cards on the table, “I would date you.”

Brian was silent for a minute and Jimmy quickly said, “If that makes things weird, we can blame it on the alcohol and never talk about this again.”

“It doesn’t.” Brian said. Jimmy chanced a quick glance at him, and was relieved to see he looked not at all freaked out. “And I do want to talk about it. Just maybe when I’m not drunk.”

Jimmy nodded, unsure of what to say in his state of disbelief. He’d been attracted to Brian for a long time but it had never been anything he’d ever intended to act on. He had never even dared to hope. 

He didn’t realize he had pulled onto Brian’s street until the GPS announced their destination was “on the right” and Brian pointed to his building. 

“If you wake up tomorrow and you’ve changed your mind, it’s okay,” Jimmy told him as he pulled into a parking spot, still not sure he should let himself hope. 

“I’m not going to change my mind,” Brian said, unbuckling his seatbelt, but not getting out of the car just yet. He sat there for a second, staring at the center console, then took a deep breath and leaned over, pressing a kiss to Jimmy’s cheek, “Thank you for driving me home. We’ll talk more in the morning?”

Jimmy somehow managed to keep his voice even as he replied, “Yeah, I’d like that. Sleep well.”

Brian smiled brightly at him as he got out of the car, “Goodnight, Jimmy. Get home safe.”

“Of course.” 

He watched Brian as he went into his apartment and then sat in his car, staring out the window for a few minutes, trying to process what had just happened.

*

Will finished building a small tower of boxes in the corner of the living room. He massaged his sore shoulder as he looked around for the sharpie he needed. If Beverly were there, she would know where he'd left it. She'd make it appear behind his ear like a magic trick.

His pockets were empty, so he surveyed the room with a sigh. It wasn't on the armchair, the sofa, or the coffee table. He went to grab his empty glass on the mantle and found the marker was next to it.

He uncapped the sharpie with a scoff and wrote "bedroom" on one box and "office" on another. He admired his lazily written letters and wondered if Hannibal would be fond of the vague labels, or if he would try to reorganize things himself.

The front door opened and Beverly strolled into the house. "Honey, I'm home," she said with exaggerated enthusiasm. 

Will arched a brow and smiled, leaning against his boxes. "Someone had a good night."

"You didn't?" she asked, shrugging off her coat and walking into the living room.

"Packing is thrilling," he grumbled.

"You said that should be the last of it?" Beverly asked, letting her eyes linger on the cardboard.

"Should be," Will said, finding it hard to look at her all of a sudden.

"Got all your faded jeans and fishing gear?" she asked in a final attempt to lighten the mood.

"Yeah," he chuckled lightly before he ran his thumb along the edge of his glass. "Look, I know you wanted to help me drop things off tomorrow, but you don't have to if it's...challenging."

Beverly loosely crossed her arms and looked at the rug under them. Soon, she'd be packing up her things too. "I only do things I want to do. Plus, I'd like to be there since it's a one-way trip."

Saying it outloud made them both go quiet for a moment.

"It is, isn't it?" Will said, looking at the rug now too. He was confronted with the fact that this part of his life was coming to an end. He was going to miss it in his own way, even though Hannibal made him happier than he'd ever felt before. His heart raced at the thought of what the future held for them.

"I'm excited for you," she said, forcing herself to look at him. She felt a small hitch in her voice as she said it. "I mean it. It's like everything is effortless between you, like you were always meant to meet and knew each other immediately."

Will's expression shifted before he settled on something akin to grief. His breathing was shaky. "I've never known myself as well as I know myself, when I'm with him."

"I can tell," she replied with a brief smile.

"I wish I could tell you what that feels like," he said, his voice straining.

“I hope I find out someday. Until then, I’ll have to live vicariously through you,” she attempted to lighten the mood, adding, “As your best friend, obviously I’m meant to be privy to all the details of your relationship.”

Will rolled his eyes, “Yeah, right. We both know you’re a gossip. If I were to tell you a secret about our relationship, next thing I know everyone in the BAU would know and Hannibal would kill me.”

“Hannibal likes you too much to kill you. If anything, he would kill me.”

Will rolled his eyes again, but he was smiling. Then, his expression turned serious, “You are my best friend though. That’s not going to change just because of this.” 

It was a reassurance she had needed, but hadn’t wanted to ask for. 

“Hey, come here,” Will said as he noticed her starting to tear up, holding out his arms for a hug. Neither of them had ever really been huggers, but she accepted it immediately. 

They both pretended they couldn’t tell the other was crying, even though they were both red-eyed and blotchy-faced when they stepped back. 

“Don’t remarry too soon, okay? It’ll look bad for Hannibal’s reputation, even if he technically was the other woman.” Beverly joked. 

“God, you two are just as bad as each other,” Will complained, “Hannibal keeps making jokes about Francesca and Paolo. As if he needed another excuse to reference Dante. I swear, he must have The Divine Comedy memorized.”

“I can’t tell if him comparing you two to adulterous lovers who end up in eternal damnation is incredibly romantic or incredibly morbid.”

Will sighed, “I can’t either.”

“You think it’s hot though,” Beverly smirked, “I’ve seen you two at crime scenes. You look like you want to jump his bones everytime he says any of that pretentious shit. He’ll start quoting some philosopher and I get worried you’re going to forget we’re trying to solve a murder and drop to your knees in the middle of the investigation.”

“You’re the worst wife ever,” Will groaned, his face was bright red. 

“ Ex -wife. And I love you too.”

Will cleared his throat and walked to the kitchen to set his glass in the sink. "I don't actually look like I want to climb him at work, right?"

"I'm biased, but you two might as well be fucking on your desk between lectures."

"Bev!" Will was laughing.

"It's not obvious unless someone is really paying attention, which I do." She leaned in the doorway. "I have one question, then I'll drop it."

"For the night," Will teased, leaning on the wall nearby. "I won't answer it if I don't want to."

"Fair enough. Did you also fit Lecter with one of those marks?" she asked, biting her tongue in a smile.

Will instinctively covered his neck for a second. He smiled wide. "I did."

Beverly let out an excited shout as he quickly slid out of the kitchen. "I knew you were a kinky bitch!" 

"I refuse to feed that fire," he replied. She couldn't see his face but his neck was red.

"Wow, look at you adding to the verbal sparring!"

"Goodnight Beverly," Will said, his voice echoing down the hall before he closed his bedroom door.

*

The next morning, Beverly followed Will to Hannibal's house. She unloaded the few boxes they'd stored in her trunk.

"Will, why didn't you say he lives in a castle?" Hannibal's house was comparable to the size of an apartment building.

"It's not a castle," Will said through a grunt as he picked up two boxes of books.

"Okay, mansion then."

They walked up the steps to the porch and Will motioned towards the door with his head. "If you don't mind," Will smiled.

"Dear Will," Hannibal said, already groomed and dressed in a suit before 10AM.

"Hey darlin'," Will replied. Hannibal smiled, quickly stepping to the side so they could come in. As Will passed, Hannibal leaned in close and pressed his lips behind Will's ear.

"Hey Doctor Lecter," Beverly smiled as she wiped her shoes on the welcome mat.

Hannibal regarded her with a nod, apparently pleased at the courtesy. "Good morning Ms. Katz."

She heard the title name change and shot him a knowing glance. He offered to take the box with a grin. "I'll take this into the study while you two bring in the rest."

“I thought moving in together this quickly was only a lesbian thing,” Beverly said when Will joined her back at her car. 

“We’re not u-hauling, Bev. It’s just until my new place is ready. A week, maybe two.”

“Ooh look at you with your lesbian lingo knowledge!” 

Will looked a little offended at her surprise, “You know, after living with a lesbian for a few years, you do pick up on some of it.”

“Be honest with yourself, Will. Most of your stuff is going to stay here and you’ll almost never be at your actual apartment. You’re u-hauling.”

He sighed, grabbing another box to continue making stacks to make it easier to carry more than one at once, “Is it what my current plan is? No. But we’re both really intense people–“

“Understatement of the century,” Beverly muttered. 

“–and even though it’s not what I intend to have happen, I’m aware it’s entirely possible that that’s what will end up happening,” Will admitted as he started walking back to the front door. Beverly followed him, carrying her own stack of boxes. 

It only took them another two trips to get the rest of the boxes into the house. Will didn’t actually own that much. Besides clothing, it was almost exclusively books and fishing gear.

 Now that she was thinking about it, Beverly was pretty sure all their kitchenware had been hers. She debated for half a second if she should have forced him to take some, but then realized Hannibal almost definitely had everything he would need and better quality than either she or Will would want to bother spending the money on. 

Even if Will ended up spending enough time at his new place to need to eat there, she had seen the lunches Hannibal had been bringing in for him once they started seeing each other. Will probably wouldn’t have to cook for himself for the rest of his life if he didn’t want to. 

“I guess I should head out then,” She said when the last box was set down. 

“Nonsense,” Hannibal said, startling her as she hadn’t noticed he had come back to the foyer, “I was about to start preparing lunch and there will certainly be enough for you to join us.”

"I'd hate to interfere with any plans," Beverly said, suddenly feeling like she wasn't supposed to be there.

Will grabbed her by her arm and arched a brow. "Are you about to refuse food from Hannibal?"

Beverly pulled free from his loose grip. "Well I was going to let you celebrate, but now I sound like an asshole if I say no."

"So, you'll join us?" Hannibal asked with an uncertain smile.

She nodded, making the pair smile in unison. "Yeah, I'd love to. Thank you."

"What did you have planned?" Will asked as Hannibal walked down the hall in front of them. Beverly would call it a prance compared to his measured strolls of the lab.

"Nothing too scandalous," Hannibal said, getting a laugh out of them.

"As if anything you make is reprehensible," Will replied. That won him a smile from Hannibal.

"Salade Lyonnaise, or frisée salad," Hannibal said.

In the kitchen, Hannibal started to crisp a sliced baguette in the oven for croutons, poached eggs, and started cooking thin slices of pancetta in a skillet. As he started plating everything, he removed the vinaigrette from the fridge he made the night before.

Will marveled at Hannibal's techniques. Beverly took a seat and watched with just as much enthusiasm.

Hannibal ripped the lettuce leaves from the head by hand rather than using a knife. Hannibal told them it preserved the beautiful curls of the leaves but distinctly looked at Will's hair when he said it.

He portioned out the croutons and bacon before drizzling the vinaigrette. Each egg was placed delicately on top of each serving. Beverly thought it was all extremely unexpected but couldn't deny how hungry she was looking at it.

Hannibal encouraged them into the dining room and placed their bowls in front of them. Will caught Hannibal's hand before he moved away, placing a kiss on the back of his hand.

"C'est merveilleux," Will told him. Hannibal smiled as if it was a secret for only him to know.

Not only had Will never spoken French to her, she hadn't known he could speak it at all.

"Please, enjoy," Hannibal replied. He kissed Will's temple before sitting across from Beverly.

Beverly sliced into the egg and watched the yolk mix with the rest of the food. She quickly took a bite and was shocked at the fresh and savory flavors. It was easily the best salad she'd ever had.

"This is delicious," she said after taking a sip of water. "Only you could make a salad feel like a religious experience."

After lunch finished, Beverly knew that although Hannibal would be too kind to ask her to leave or to let Will ask her to, they both wanted to spend the rest of the day alone. 

“I think I have to head home. I’ve got to get started on packing my stuff now that Will’s all moved out. Thank you for lunch though, Doctor Lecter. It was wonderful.”

“Of course, Ms. Katz,” Hannibal smiled at her, “My kitchen is always open to friends. May I walk you out?”

Beverly nodded in agreement. Before she could even fully turn towards the door, Will was pulling her into a hug. 

“Why is it that we’ve been hugging more this week than we did during the entire time we were married?” She laughed. 

“I may have taken for granted the fact that I got to see my best friend every day,” Will said as they stepped apart. 

“You’re a sap,” Beverly replied fondly, “I’ll see you at work.”

Hannibal went with her to the door, but surprised her by following her out. 

“I’m aware that the changes in your and Will’s relationship have been a lot to adjust to,” Hannibal said in a low voice, making eye contact that was almost too intense, but managed not to be, “And I would just like to reassure you that I will not ever be your replacement. I’m not so egotistical as to believe that I should be the only person in his life. I know you two care very deeply for each other and I care much too deeply for him to not make sure you know you are always welcome in our home.”

Beverly’s chest felt tight, “Thank you. And thank you for being so good for Will. I’ve never seen him this happy.”

“His happiness has become my happiness,” Hannibal said simply. 

“That was so sweet that I genuinely think I might be sick,” Beverly laughed, “You know, if anyone had to break up my marriage, I’m glad it was you. Take care of him, okay?”

“Until the day I die,” Hannibal promised, “Don’t be a stranger, Ms. Katz.”

The sadness Beverly had expected to hit on the drive home never came. She had known how Will felt about Hannibal, but to be able to watch them together away from work and to truly feel how much Hannibal cared about Will had calmed a worry she hadn’t known she had had. It was all going to be okay. 

And she had totally called it. They were definitely u-hauling.

Hannibal went back inside and heard the sound of running water from the kitchen. He found Will with his sleeves rolled up, washing all of the dishes from their meal.

"You told me you were going to rest," Hannibal said with a faint curl of his lip. He admired the way Will focused on the task at hand, but the domesticity of it made his heart beat steadily.

"This won't take long," Will said, setting the bowls on a drying rack and plunging the skillet into the warm water. "I can't expect you to cook and clean."

Hannibal silently walked across the kitchen and stood behind him, resting a hand on his arms. Will didn't startle, continuing his task as if he'd been there all along. Hannibal felt Will's arms shift under his palms and looked over his shoulder into the sink.

"I would not mind," Hannibal said. "Rest after this, mylimasis." His tone might as well have been paired with him batting his lashes.

Suds spread up Will's forearms as he worked at a faster pace. "Wait for me in the living room?" he suggested.

"As you wish," Hannibal replied, kissing the back of his neck before slipping away.

Will's cheeks were pleasantly pink as they stole a glance at each other. He knew it would be a struggle to convince himself to go to work.

*

Jimmy was already in the lab when Brian arrived. He was staring at a computer screen as he ran print kits.

"Jack has you working already?" Brian asked him. He had grabbed breakfast on his way over and remembered Jimmy had asked him to bring him some next time. He revealed the sandwich he brought for Jimmy and offered it to him in consolation.

Jimmy rubbed his eyes. "Yep, apparently interviewing these spouses takes precedence over our sleep schedules." 

"You have a schedule? Must be nice," Brian said with a smile. He pointedly offered the sandwich again; Jimmy took it.

"How sweet," Jimmy replied, the humor fading from his voice immediately. "Thanks, Brian."

Brian smiled and started to blush. "Not a problem. Also, good morning."

"Good morning," Jimmy echoed. He unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. It was still warm. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm going to need you to finish this up, I need to give this sandwich my undivided attention."

"Well then, scoot over," Brian joked, gently bumping their shoulders so he could get in front of the computer.

Ex-wife number one was easy to track down. She had remained in the same state and gone back to her maiden name, which was uncommon enough for her to not have any “name twins.” Brian had passed her contact info to Jimmy and they had scheduled for an interview for the next day within an hour. 

Ex-wife number two was proving more difficult to track down. He couldn’t find anyone with her married last name or maiden name. He also couldn’t find court records of her re-marrying or of a legal name change.

“It’s gotta be her,” Brian turned to Jimmy, “I’ve never seen anyone who was this much of a ghost. Unless she’s in witness protection for some reason, there’s no non-suspicious reason for her to be this untraceable.”

Jimmy sighed, “The case might be out of our jurisdiction then. Jack’s gonna be pissed.”

“He can be pissed all he wants. I can’t track a woman down if she, for all intents and purposes, doesn’t exist,” Brian shrugged. “On the bright side, since we don’t have any other open cases right now, we don’t have anything else to do until another body drops. So, do you wanna get out of here?”

There was a barely detectable nervousness to Brian’s voice, which made what he was indirectly asking obvious. 

Jimmy didn’t even bother trying to hold back his smile. “Are you asking me on a date, Zeller?”

Beverly, of course, chose that moment to walk in. She smelled like gunpowder from her scheduled shooting practice. 

“You’d better say yes, Price, or I’ll have to have a second session of target practice today.”

Jimmy laughed, “No need to threaten me, Bev. I was going to anyway.”

“I know this place sets the bar for coffee pretty low, but there’s a great cafe a few blocks away. It’s right by the park and the weather is really nice if you wanted to take a walk there,” Even though Jimmy had already agreed to the date, Brian still seemed uncertain. It was terribly endearing. 

“That sounds perfect,” Jimmy said, daring to grab Brian’s hand to lead him out and feeling incredibly pleased when it made him blush.

“You two have fun! Don’t do anything I would do!” Beverly called after them.

She paced the lab, skimming the notes they'd left behind. 

"Katz, where are Price and Zeller?" Jack's voice boomed into the room. Other forensic personnel jumped at the sound, a scalpel was dropped on the floor somewhere else.

Beverly collected the papers and secured them to a clipboard. She walked over and passed them to him. "Gone. They left these for you."

Jack furrowed his brows and lifted up the pages, scanning the reports like they were a stain that wouldn't come out with bleach. "Unless Aldwin was a recluse, there will be someone who can connect us with her! His neighbors, a friend…hell, even a postal worker if they lived together! Tell them to get back here!"

"I can handle it," Beverly said with a grin. "I found that commandeered ambulance, remember?"

"At least someone does their job around here," Jack said, giving her a nod. "Speaking of which, where is Will Graham?" His voice slowly rose again as he spoke to the rest of the room.

No one had an answer. Katz smiled when he looked back at her. "He's not under my jurisdiction."

Jack sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, you two might need to compare notes today. Maybe he has an inkling of where the killer went after her topography practice."

When Jack left the room, Beverly went back over to the table. Something about what Jack said made her want to look at the carvings again. The lesions on his throat hatched over his jugulars, undoubtedly leading to a coppery drowning.

The symbol on his chest was determined to be done post-mortem. The lines were cleanly cut over his sternum and they were nothing short of specific: a mandala edge around a circle with two intersecting triangles in the center. The triangles overlap to form a six-point star, and in the center of them was a symbol she couldn't decipher.

She decided to interrupt Price and Zeller's date with a photo of the symbol in their group chat.

This is too symmetrical to be accidental. Help me out here...if you aren't too lost in each other's eyes.

How romantic , Jimmy replied. I'm sure the location is significant.

I'd love to be lost in anything other than work , Brian replied. He sent a follow-up. Jack?

Another text from Jimmy. Let us at least finish our lattes.

Beverly perched at her computer and started searching. Once Jimmy and Brian returned, she told them how many other contacts Jack wanted to look for. Brian gave her a solemn nod before he walked away. Jimmy watched him leave with a smile.

"So, what are we looking at?" Jimmy asked her.

Beverly opened up one of the thirty tabs she had open and pointed at the perfect symbol match. "Heart chakra. Someone is being petty."

“Aren’t chakras a good thing?” Jimmy asked. 

“Steph, can you explain it again?” Beverly called to the tech who had been the one who had finally recognized the symbol, saving her from spending who-knows-how-long trying to describe the symbol well enough to a search engine for it to find a match. 

“Sure thing!” Stephanie replied, smiling. She was their newest and youngest team member and, thankfully, happened to be very into yoga, “I’d say that chakras themselves are pretty neutral. It’s an idea that was originally a part of Hinduism but the concept has gotten more widespread. Everyone’s got seven chakras, each corresponding with different aspects of your energy. The goal is to have them all aligned, so that your energy is balanced and you can reach your full spiritual potential. The heart chakra is the source of love, compassion, and your ability to connect with others. If I had to guess, I’d say that Aldwin’s ex emphasized the heart chakra to say he didn’t have any of the qualities of one that was balanced and that’s why their marriage failed.”

“Are there any signs that point towards infidelity? Or spousal abuse?” Jimmy asked. 

“We’ve got to look further into it. There were never any police reports, but I’m hoping one of their old neighbors may have noticed something, although it won’t help unless we can figure out where she is. You can’t arrest someone you can’t find.” Beverly was trying to hide her disappointment. Even if they found a solid motive, this killer was likely to get away. It had happened a few times over the years, but it never got any easier. 

The idea of balanced energy was interesting to her. Having different parts of your life align in a way that made you become your best self. Once she had found the contact information for as many people as she could think of, she read a bit more. Even though she wasn’t sure how literally she took the idea, it was comforting to think about how even when things became unbalanced, you could always find a way to fix it. No matter how much things changed, you could find your way back to happiness and stability.

The thoughts lingered in her mind for the rest of the day. There was something fulfilling about the fact that Will confirmed that Steph had said. No one told him about the chakras before his dissection of the killer's mental state.

"She was broadcasting his flaws as a partner," Will said, eyeing the mark. "Whatever this symbol is, it's something that she needed from him. Lines like these take...hours. She took her time."

"It looks like she's done this before," Brian added. "The cleanliness of the lines is concerning, they're smooth like she was carving out a linocut."

"I would wager that it's not the first, but it is the first she wanted to be found," Will said.

"It's the symbol of the heart chakra," Beverly told Will. "It's all about connection, compatibility..."

"Well, clearly they weren't compatible," Will huffed, smoothing his pants with his palms. He looked at her and let his exhaustion show.

"What do you think about the other marks?" Jimmy asked him.

"Aesthetics. Balance. An attempt to align him visually if it wasn't possible otherwise."

"That almost sounds romantic," Beverly said. "A parting gift?"

Will sighed. "She likes to think so. She was a mixture of love and rage. Can't carve symbols that clean when you're only seeing red."

"Oh, I'm sure she was seeing plenty of if," Jimmy said and broke into a smile. The joke was too easy to make. Brian made eye contact with him and shook his head.

Chapter Text

Beverly was still getting used to the emptier house around her. Will's old bedroom door was always closed, his whiskey was gone from the bar, and the fridge no longer smelled like fish.

Her boxes dotted the living room as she packed away winter clothes and mementos from over the years. She opened the box now and found a card from Will after their wedding. She'd completely forgotten about it.

The cover had letters tangled in fishing wire: You're a catch!

She opened it and found a few words scribbled in his handwriting.

The best wife a gay man could ask for.

She smiled at the sentimentality as well as the ridiculousness of the card. It was tucked back into the box and she taped it shut. No more temptation to peek into the past.

She grabbed her wallet and keys and drove to the café. It was nearly time for her date with Jackie. She wanted to be early. The front half was all glass, the sunlight making the place glow from within. She leaned back against her car when she got out, scanning the parking lot before checking her phone.

"Bev!" Jackie called from her left.

Beverly smiled and looked up. Jackie was wearing a halter top, revealing her full sleeves of tattoos with pride. Her jeans had a few rips, and wherever the denim gapped, fishnets peeked into view.

"Hey, Jackie," Beverly said, her voice coming out smoother than she expected. She was wearing leggings, a white top, and an open leather jacket over it. "I love the outfit."

"Thanks," Jackie said, immediately blushing and looking down at herself. "You look great."

"Thanks," Beverly smiled before sweeping her arm towards the building. "Ready for some coffee?"

"I was worried you'd never ask," Jackie grinned and took her hand, pulling Beverly along behind her.

Coffee collected and seats claimed, they fell into an easy conversation. 

“It’s so surreal seeing you in daylight,” Jackie laughed, “The lighting in the bar doesn’t do you justice.”

Beverly felt herself blushing, “I guess we’ll just have to make this a regular occurrence.”

“I’d love that,” Jackie replied, smiling brightly at her. It was unsurprising to Beverly that the fluttery feelings she got around Jackie were just as strong without alcohol, “So, you know what I do for work, it’s only fair if I get to know what you do. You said something about a crime scene once? So something in law enforcement, I’m assuming?”

Beverly took a sip of her coffee, suddenly a bit nervous. Telling people that she spent most of her day in a morgue was usually met with disappointment at best or disgust at worst. 

“I’m a crime scene investigator and forensics expert for the FBI.”

“Oh, no way! My brother is a medical examiner! He works in a pretty small town so it’s mostly older people who’ve passed from natural causes or car accidents, but he’s had to testify in court a couple of times. I think it’s a little too soon to ask you to meet my family, but I bet you two would get along really well. How long have you been doing it?”

Beverly was almost in shock from how well that had gone over, “A little over a decade. I got recruited right after I finished my Master’s.”

“Damn, Bev. I knew you were smart, but working for the FBI fresh out of college is really impressive,” Jackie said, and she did genuinely look impressed. 

Beverly felt herself blushing again. “What got you working at the bar?”

“It’s actually kind of a side gig,” Jackie admitted, “Well, it’s definitely most of my income, but that’s just because copyediting doesn’t pay very well, which is kind of my fault. I work with a lot of independent authors and I definitely undercharge them. The publishing fees are bad enough.”

“Do you write too?” 

Jackie’s eyes lit up, “I do! I’m not supposed to tell anyone, but one of my first clients ended up getting signed with a major publishing company a few years ago and put in a good word for me and they just reached out to negotiate a contract for a series I’ve been working on for the past five or so years.”

Beverly couldn’t help but smile at how excited she was.

"Please, tell me more," Beverly said. She gave Jackie her full attention, settling in her chair. She didn't mind if her coffee cooled and separated a little. She stretched her legs out before crossing them at the knee.

Jackie was blushing now. "Oh, I could talk for ages. You might have to be more specific."

"Let's start with genre," Beverly said, smiling at her.

"Oh, it's fantasy! No dragons or anything like that," Jackie shifted in her seat, "but it's about a group of knights crusading to bring natural magic to towns that outlawed it. The world and magic-wielders create this mana flow, and even people who can't use magic see that the world is fracturing and the connection needs to be rebuilt."

"So the knights are magic-wielders?" Beverly asked before sipping her drink. Jackie grinned and took a sip of her drink too, to avoid answering.

“I guess I'll have to read to find out, huh?” Beverly smiled.

"I can't spoil all the fun," Jackie replied and licked her bottom lip for a fraction of a second. "What do you do outside of work, besides come see me?"

"Oh, I'm going to sound so boring," Beverly laughed. "I just read on my Kindle and watch trash TV."

"What do you read?" Jackie was still smiling. Things were going well.

"I read crime novels when I need to be cheered up," Beverly admitted. "It's fun to see how people don't understand what I do as my job."

"Some people don't do the research," Jackie said with a sympathetic nod. "Is it ever satisfying to read, knowing that the right people will get caught?"

Beverly set down her drink and felt more feelings bubble up. She gave her a fond smile. "Yeah, actually. It helps after a rough case."

"That's good," Jackie said, leaning forward with her arms crossed on the table. "What trashy TV does Beverly watch?"

Beverly matched her pose. This was almost as close as when Beverly sat at the bar and Jackie had to lean in to get her order on concert nights. "All those dating ones, I can't stomach it, but it's so bad it's good."

"Right?" Jackie said with a laugh.

"Yeah, me and Will–," Beverly caught herself and chuckled, letting her shoulders fall. She hadn't meant to talk about him at all.

"Who's Will?" Jackie asked with widened eyes. She was intrigued.

"Okay, so this is going to sound crazy, so bear with me." Beverly pressed her hands together and tilted them towards Jackie like an arrow.

Jackie raised one hand off the table and rested her face in it. She scanned Beverly's expression thoughtfully. "I'm listening."

"So, Will is my best friend. He's gay, and so am I, but we decided it was a good idea to get married." Jackie's face changed to one of disbelief, so Beverly wrapped it up quickly. "We're now in the throes of divorce. Everything is fine between us. He found a wonderful guy he wants to have a life with. I told him to go for it."

To Beverly's surprise and delight, Jackie started to laugh.

“You’re in an honest-to-god lavender marriage?”

“I’m leaving one,” Beverly corrected, smiling, “But, technically, yes. Us divorcing is what actually made me decide to ask you out. Even if it wasn’t ‘real’, it didn’t feel right to date while married.”

“You’ve got to be the most interesting person I’ve ever met. I’m glad Will met some guy to sweep him off his feet. I might have to get the guy flowers as a thank you.”

Beverly couldn’t decide if Hannibal would love receiving flowers or be pretentious about what type they were. He seemed like he would know more than most people about floral design.

“If you want to meet him, I’m sure he’ll throw a party to celebrate Will moving in. From what I’ve heard, he’s always looking for an excuse to have people over for dinner. I’m sure if I asked, he would love for you to come too.”

Jackie raised an eyebrow, “Will’s moving in already? You two aren’t even done getting divorced yet. That’s some lesbian behavior right there.”

“That’s what I said!” 

The two of them burst into laughter that took them a solid minute to calm down from, then Jackie composed herself, “But, yes, I would love to meet your soon-to-be ex-husband’s lover. God, this all sounds like a soap opera. I hope someone at dinner announces they have a secret twin or something.”

*

Hannibal sat on the edge of his bed. He crossed one leg over his lap and thumbed at his black leather oxfords. He thought he saw a scuff, but it was just a speck of dirt.

"Was your closet always half-empty?" Will asked, reappearing in the doorway of the walk-in closet.

"No," Hannibal replied with a smoky tone. "Also, I would consider it half-full." He looked up to find Will giving him a disapproving stare.

"What did you do with your other clothes?" Will slowly walked back to the bed, digging clothes out from the box on the mattress near him.

"They were relocated, or I retired them," Hannibal replied simply. "There were more important things taking their place."

Referring to cheap flannels and T-shirts as more important than thousands in suits made Will pause. He met Hannibal's eyes with his own and felt heat rush to his face.

"Well, you'll only have to temporarily look at a clashing closet," Will teased.

"I shiver at the thought of its impermanence," Hannibal said with a frown. He took one of the pieces Will was holding and smoothed the thin fabric between his fingers.

"You mean that," Will said, failing to make it a question.

Hannibal handed it back to him with a faint smile. Will went to playfully pull it from his hand, but Hannibal kept his hold. "I enjoy how you leave my home in your wake. Now, there are signs that you will return. You are no longer here for fleeting moments."

“Only for a bit. I put down the deposit for my new place already,” Will protested weakly. 

“Then, allow me to pay you back. Will, I see no reason why you remaining here would not be the most logical solution.”

“Because logic is surely your only motivator here, right?” Will teased, “Are you sure you don’t think it’s too fast?” 

Hannibal reached for Will’s hand and gently pulled him towards himself, “There is no proper timeline for feelings. I’ve lived far too much of my life without you. I don’t want for us to be apart for any more time than we don’t have to be.”

“Some would call that concerningly codependent,” Will pointed out, but only moved closer. 

“Would you?”

Will sighed, “Maybe. But then I would have to admit that I’m concerningly codependent too.”

Hannibal smiled, reaching up to cup Will’s cheek, “Stay here then. I can take care of cancelling your lease.”

“You’re just going to pay the rent for the apartment and leave it empty, aren’t you?” 

“Most likely,” Hannibal admitted without a trace of guilt. 

“God, I love you,” Will chuckled, “Alright. I’ll stay.”

The smile Hannibal gave him was enough to quiet any remaining doubts he could’ve had.

The unpacked boxes were forgotten. There was no rush to continue it if Will was staying put. Will held Hannibal's calf as he leaned in and kissed him. Hannibal hummed in pleasant surprise as Will tilted his chin up for a better angle.

"I was certain you would need more persuading," Hannibal said when Will pulled away. His eyes were darker than ever. Pupils engulfed the rich brown around them.

Will held him tighter, brushing his lips against Hannibal's cheek. "Oh? And how would you persuade me, doctor?"

Hannibal tilted his head in chase of contact with Will's lips. He sighed, pulling at Will's clothes. "A few ways come to mind. Each one would be effective."

Will huffed out a breath as Hannibal's lips brushed against the pulse in his neck. "I'll be the judge of that."

In an instant, Hannibal pulled Will between his legs. One hooked behind Will to keep him in place while Hannibal anchored a hand in Will's curls. This immediately gained him Will's attention. 

Will leaned in but Hannibal pulled him back with a gentle tug. Will moaned into the room and immediately flushed. Will was full of surprises, and sometimes that included moments of surprising himself.

Hannibal wet his lips before flashing his teeth. "I look forward to the verdict."

An hour later, Will was left panting on the bed, fully exposed to the cool air. Hannibal remained fully dressed. Will would tease Hannibal for it if he could form a sentence.

"Persuaded?" Hannibal asked, planting a kiss on Will's hip.

Will groaned at the small static charge that coursed through him. He nodded his mess of curls to signal a yes.

"I assumed as such," Hannibal said with a smile.

*

Two months later, Beverly was lounging on the couch, barely listening to the beef between two people playing from the show she’d put on. Her phone buzzed in her hands, the screen changing to a zoomed in photo of Jimmy she’d taken on him. It made her laugh every time she saw it.

“Hey!” she said, a hint of laughter still in her tone.

“This is a distress call,” Jimmy said with a groan.

“Distress as in I need to get pants on, or you’re spiraling?”

Jimmy scoffed like he was offended.

“What’s wrong, girly?” Beverly chuckled. She grabbed the remote next to her and muted the TV.

“I’ve been thinking about Brian…”

“You’re always thinking about Brian,” she said, rolling her eyes as if he could see her.

“This is different!”

“Is everything okay?” Beverly adjusted herself to sit against the arm of the couch.

“Yeah,” Jimmy said quickly. “Yeah, everything is great.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

There was a brief silence before Jimmy sighed. “Is it too soon to tell him I love him?”

“No!” Beverly said more strongly than she intended. “No, not at all.” she quickly repeated with a softer tone.

“It’s just that it’s only been a few months…”

Beverly chuckled warmly. “Jimmy, you’ve worked with him for like ten years. You’ve been so close over the years, it’s not like you met on a blind date.”

“I feel like if we had I wouldn't be half as stressed as this.”

“You should tell him,” Beverly said. “I mean it. Trust your gut.”

“I want to. I just don’t know if I should.”

“What’s stopping you?”

“I don’t want to overwhelm him. Being out is still new to him and I know it's been hard for him working on getting comfortable with this part of himself. I don’t want to throw anything new at him right now, just in case it would be too much.”

“I don’t think you’ll scare him at all. Brian gets as much in his own head as you do. It'll be okay. One of you just has to say it first."

“I suppose…”

Beverly smiled and offered him some encouragement. “You could always remind him you said it first.”

Jimmy let out a delighted gasp. “Oh, I do like that thought.”

“And this is the most serious relationship he’s had since we’ve met him,” Beverly reminded him, “Not to mention his first relationship with a man. I can see how into you he is, but he’s never been the best with being vulnerable. I think he would appreciate it if you said it first, so he can be sure you love him like I can tell he loves you.”

“You’re the best, Bev. You know that, right?” She could practically hear Jimmy’s smile through the phone.

“Yeah, I know,” Beverly grinned.

*

Beverly drummed on top of the pizza box once she set it on the coffee table. This was Will’s payment for helping her pack for her upcoming move. Well, actually, he ended up not doing much more than keeping her company. He tried to pack one box, but Beverly quickly directed him to the sofa.

The pizza made Will realize how long it had been since he had fast food. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a slice of pizza that left a grease stain on the cardboard under it. He smiled as Beverly handed him two slices on a paper plate; Hannibal would be furious.

As soon as they started to eat, her phone rang.

Beverly raised an eyebrow, looking at Will in a silent question. He shrugged and nodded, indicating he was okay with her picking up the phone.

“What’s up, Jimmy?”

She could immediately tell from his voice that he was trying not to laugh. “So, I was showing Brian pictures of your and Will’s wedding, you know, since he wasn’t there. And, whaddya know, but the first thing he says when he sees the first picture of you two is, ‘Will looks good’.”

She could hear Brian in the background say, “Please shut up.”

She was holding back her own laughter now, “Oh?”

There was a rustling noise on Jimmy and Brian’s end. If she had to guess, she would assume Brian had made a grab for the phone.

“Right?” Jimmy continued gleefully, “And so I say, ‘You’re going to point Will out before Beverly? One of our best and dearest friends?’”

“Jimmy, I swear to god–” she could hear Brian complaining.

“Brian?” Beverly exchanged a look with Will, who was frozen with his slice of pizza halfway to his mouth. He looked shocked as he caught on to what Jimmy was saying, “Did you have a thing for Will?”

“I hate you both so much,” Brian’s voice was louder now. Either he had taken the phone or Jimmy had put them on speaker.

“Is that why you’re always such an asshole to him?” Beverly was absolutely never going to let him live this down.

“That’s what I said!” Jimmy laughed.

Will seemed to have gotten over his shock and now had a mischievous look on his face, “Wow, Brian,” he said dramatically, sounding like a scene straight from a soap opera, “I… never knew you felt that way.

There was a clattering sound, like Jimmy had dropped his phone.

“You could’ve mentioned you had company, Bev,” Jimmy muttered,

“I’m going to fucking kill myself. It’s been nice working with you all. None of you are invited to my funeral,” Brian said, then the call ended.

Brian glared at Jimmy as he handed him back his phone. It was a half-hearted glare though. He was more embarrassed than angry.

“Come on,” Jimmy nudged him gently, “It wasn’t that bad. It was kind of funny, even.”

“You’re so sleeping on the couch tonight,” Brian grumbled in response, turning so Jimmy couldn’t see his expression and tell he wasn’t actually that mad.

“Z, we don’t even live together. If you won’t let me sleep in your bed, I’ll just go home and sleep in my own bed.”

Brian sighed and turned around, wrapping his arms around Jimmy’s waist and tucking his face into the crook of his neck. If that had been Jimmy’s attempt at calling a bluff, he had been successful, “I don’t want you to go home.”

“You know, I never imagined you’d be the clingy type in a relationship,” Jimmy chuckled, a hand finding its way into Brian’s hair to run his fingers through it.

“Well don’t tell anybody. Our coworkers have already learned enough about me today,” Brian huffed, then admitted, “And I didn’t used to be the clingy type. I think it’s just with you.”

“I’m honored,” Jimmy replied. His face warmed from Brian’s confession. “I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” he added through a mumble.

Brian chuckled softly and held him tighter. Chills rippled down his neck as Jimmy continued to comb through his hair. He leaned back and kissed Jimmy as softly as he could manage.

Jimmy melted and Brian held him up with a grin. “Well, that’s good.”

“I love you,” Jimmy murmured against Brian’s lips as they kissed again.

Brian pulled back just enough to rest their foreheads together, “I love you too.”

*

When Beverly picked Jackie up for dinner with Will and Hannibal, she was only a little surprised that Jackie was holding a bouquet of flowers.

“I should’ve known you were serious about that,” She said fondly. It was an interesting mix of flowers. They looked good together, but she didn’t recognize half of them, “What are they all?”

Jackie smiled, seeming proud of herself, and pointed at each one as she named it, “Pink hydrangeas, yellow orchids, periwinkle, plum blossom, pink tulips, myrtle, yellow roses, agrimonia, and green carnations.”

“I’m assuming they mean something all together?” 

“They do! From what you’ve told me, I think Hannibal will get it.”

Beverly laughed, “Yeah, probably. Out of everyone I know, he’s the one most likely to know about flower language. He’s a nice guy, but god he has such pretentious hobbies. Will told me he plays the theremin. I didn’t even know what that was. I had to look it up.”

“Maybe we can ask him to play it for us,” Jackie suggested. 

“Be careful what you wish for because he totally would.”

The drive wasn’t short, but it seemed like it passed by quickly. The two of them had made their relationship official about two weeks ago. Beverly had never imagined she would click with someone as well as she had with Jackie. She was dying to introduce her and Will to each other. 

Jackie was hiding her nerves well, but as they parked a bit down the street from Hannibal and Will’s place, Beverly could still sense it. 

“It’s going to be okay,” She assured her.

“I know. It’s just– I know how much Will means to you and I really want him to like me.”

“He will,” Beverly told her, “For the same reasons I like Hannibal. I care about Will and Hannibal makes him happy. Will cares about me and you make me happy.” 

Jackie blushed, “You make me happy too,” Then she sighed and squared her shoulders, “Alright. Let’s head in. I feel like Hannibal’s not the type of guy who appreciates it when people are late.”

Beverly nodded, “Yeah, I don’t think he would.”

She grabbed Jackie’s hand as the two of them made their way to the front door, which seemed to help her relax a bit. Beverly knocked and a whole minute passed until the door opened, revealing Will, whose face was flushed and hair was noticeably ruffled. The buttons on his shirt were done up wrong. 

Beverly raised an eyebrow, “Did you forget you had company coming over?”

“We may have lost track of time,” He admitted, waving them in, “I’ll take you to the dining room. The table’s set and dinner’s finishing up in the oven. Hannibal will be down in a minute.”

“You might wanna–“ Beverly gestured towards Will’s shirt, “–fix that a bit.”

Will looked down, “Shit,” He muttered, “I’ll be right back.”

Beverly and Jackie shared an amused look as Will rushed out of the room. 

“I swear, they haven’t been able to keep their hands off each other for months. They’re awful at work too. I’m surprised Jack hasn’t noticed yet. They keep showing up to crime scenes together and half of the time Will is wearing something that’s obviously Hannibal’s. The man’s got to be deliberately ignoring it at this point.”

“Uncle Jack is prone to turning a blind eye to anything that would inhibit him catching his killers,” Hannibal’s voice startled both of them. 

“Hannibal, for the love of god, please stop walking so quietly,” Beverly complained. 

“My apologies,” Hannibal said, obviously not at all feeling apologetic.

Beverly noticed a section of Hannibal's hair wasn't perfectly combed into place and grinned. To people who knew him, it might as well have been as obvious as Will's shirt mishap. "It's good to see you," she said.

"Likewise," Hannibal replied. His eyes trailed to Jackie, his face shifting to produce a polite smile. "I apologize for this subpar introduction, Jackie. Usually, I would have greeted you at the door."

"It's fine," Jackie said with a smile to show she meant it. "It's lovely to meet you, Dr. Lecter. I brought you these."

She extended the flowers towards him. Hannibal assessed the assortment of pastel petals. His eyes sparkled with recognition as he took them into his hands.

"This is quite the message," he said, charmed as he took the bouquet. "Did you select these yourself?"

"Mostly! The florist recommended the plum blossoms," Jackie admitted. She took the chance to hold Beverly's hand, giving her a tense smile as Hannibal assessed her work.

"I know just the place for them," Hannibal replied, smelling the flowers as he strode to the dining room table. He brushed his thumb over the orchids and carnations after he set the vase down. "Thank you, Jackie. It appears Beverly hasn't spoken too poorly of me, seeing how these flowers are nothing short of sentimental."

"I'm glad you like them. I hoped you would."

Will walked back into the room as he tugged at his tucked shirt. His hair was partially tamed with gel. "Okay, sorry–" he stopped short when he saw Hannibal looking at the flowers. It was a very similar expression to the one he’d had when he saw Will for the first time.

"Want a redo?" Beverly asked Will with a grin. She intertwined her fingers with Jackie's.

Will gave her a crooked smile. He strolled into the room more comfortably this time. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Will said to Jackie, "I'm glad you could join us for dinner. While I'm a loose cannon, Hannibal is an excellent host. I worry I tarnish his reputation."

"Nonsense," Hannibal interjected with a soft huff.

"I relate to you," Jackie told Will with a smirk. "If anything, I like being reassured that I can be myself. If this was too perfect, I'd be on edge."

"Oh, we're going to get along just fine then," Will smiled. "What can I get you to drink?"

"Water would be fine," Jackie replied.

"Sparkling?" Hannibal asked, his voice slightly pitched as if he already knew the answer.

Jackie chuckled. "That would be lovely."

Will nodded and went into the kitchen, Hannibal following him moments later to check on the food.

"Whatever he's cooking smells amazing," Jackie whispered. Beverly leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Just wait until you see it," Beverly said.

Will filled four glasses with sparkling water on the island. Hannibal took a pork roast out of the oven to rest before he checked on the sweet potatoes and vegetable medley.

Will saw him in his peripheral. He felt a wave of goosebumps up his arms, able to sense Hannibal's thoughts.

"Yes, Hannibal, you were right," Will mumbled.

Hannibal was suddenly across the kitchen and at his side. He spoke into his ear. "Due to this dinner, I was courteous. I much prefer to take my time with you, Will, but when you beg so beautifully, it's difficult to resist. Even with the knowledge we have company coming.”

Will closed his eyes and chewed on his lip. "Christ, Hannibal!" he hissed.

“Once they’ve left, I will do anything you wish.”

Will, dazed, turned to find Hannibal leaving the kitchen to serve the drinks. Will took that as his cue to start plating. He nearly forgot what drawer Hannibal kept the serving spoons in.

Hannibal took compliments with a polite smile as the guests tried the food. Will bragged about him, saying Hannibal "loved nothing more than preparing a meal like this."

"That's not entirely true," Hannibal replied, passing at glance at Will. His words snaked up Will's arm and curled into his hair, making him blush. Satisfied by the reaction, Hannibal smiled and looked back to the pair across from him.

He told Will about all of the flowers in the bouquet next to him, emphasizing how much consideration Jackie took when selecting them. Will smiled at Hannibal, listening to him talk.

"We might as well not even be here," Beverly said with a chuckle, leaning close to Jackie.

"And you said no one noticed this at work?" Jackie whispered with a grin. Her eyes noticeably flickered to Beverly's lips for a moment.

"They control themselves better...barely," Beverly said, trying not to laugh again. She pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.

Jackie and Hannibal talked about drinks once her bartending job came up. Will smiled, shaking his head.

"What?" Hannibal asked him with an arched brow.

"I'm just imagining you in a punk bar," Will replied. "Well, trying to."

"That does seem like a stretch," Jackie agreed with a smirk. "It doesn't seem like your scene."

"You might be testing the limits of Will's imagination," Beverly replied, quickly falling into a fit of laughter. Will laughed hard, and Hannibal smiled in return.

"I happen to own a leather jacket," Hannibal said before sipping his expensive wine.

"What?" Will and Beverly exclaimed in union.

Will started to laugh again, pressing a hand into his chest. "I think if you play the theremin wearing a leather jacket I'm going to have a stroke."

“I may even procure a motorcycle,” Hannibal jested.

Will smiled in disbelief. “As if you would ever get on one.”

Hannibal smiled pointedly at Beverly before looking at Will with pursed lips. “It’s been a long time, but I’m certain I would still be perfectly capable of riding one.”

Will’s smile faded as his eyes widened. He could picture it and it was enough to make him break out in a thin sweat.

The night ended with a short performance on the theremin per everyone's request. Will sat next to Hannibal, resting his head on his shoulder as Hannibal played. Jackie's excitement made Beverly feel butterflies the whole time. Hannibal was graceful in his playing.

Jackie snapped in appreciation instead of clapping and Beverly followed suit. Will beamed, quickly doing the same as he pressed a kiss to Hannibal's jaw.

They saw Beverly and Jackie out, waving at the door until the pair was out of the driveway. Will quickly pulled Hannibal up to bed, Hannibal chuckling as Will rubbed his body like he could be played like a thermain. The soft laughter made Will feel like he was floating.

At Beverly’s house, Beverly and Jackie laid in bed with their legs entangled. Jackie combed through Beverly's hair with her fingers. Beverly sighed into her neck before kissing every inch of skin she could reach. Jackie held her closer and Beverly felt like it was where she was always meant to be.

*

Jimmy had his head on Brian’s chest, who was tracing random patterns on his arm in a way that was so comforting that it was slowly lulling him to sleep. 

“I’ve been thinking,” Brian said, his voice quiet, “That I’d like to introduce you to my parents.”

His voice had been even, but Jimmy could hear his heart hammering in his chest. Even if he couldn’t, he knew Brian well enough to know this had been weighing on his mind for a while.

Jimmy shifted to look at him, “Z… Are you sure? I know this is a big deal for you.”

“It is,” Brian said, “But I love you. And I don’t want to hide that. You mean too much to me to hide.”

“Are you sure they’ll take it well?” 

Brian seemed like he had thought about it, but Jimmy was still hesitant. He’d been out and knew his family was okay with him before he had ever introduced a partner. Doing both at the same time without having any idea of how it would go was a whole other beast.

“I don’t know how much I care anymore,” Brian shrugged as much as he could without dislodging Jimmy from where he was lying, “If they don’t, it won’t change things for me. At least not in regards to how I feel about you. "If they don't approve, that's fine, but there's not going to be another person I'll want to introduce to them, so I figure I'll give them the chance to accept us." 

Jimmy could read between the lines and couldn’t help but smile, “Can your sister at least be there? She likes me already.”

“Definitely,” Brian chuckled, “And regardless of how my parents take it, we’ll at least get to be cool gay uncles to her kids, even if they have to keep asking her why we’re never at big family gatherings.”

Jimmy shifted so he could kiss Brian, “Alright. If the worst case scenario is being a cool gay uncle, I’m in.”

*

“Where’s the box for the bathroom?” Beverly asked Will, planting her hands on her hips.

He furrowed his brows at her. “How should I know? You wouldn’t let me touch anything.”

“Yeah, well, that’s because you suck at packing!” She replied, turning to look at Hannibal. “Back me up here, Han!”

Hannibal slowly shook his head. “I'm afraid I must abstain from commenting. I prefer sharing a bed with Will, even if he insists on sleep only being the secondary activity that takes place in it.”

Jackie smiled at Will. She was leaning on the stair railing next to Hannibal. “You can’t catch a break, can you?”

Will raised his arms above his head as he walked into a different room. “Thank you, Jackie!”

“Get back here,” Beverly laughed as she followed him. Their bickering faded as they walked further into the house.

“We sure know how to pick ‘em,” Jackie said, looking back at Hannibal.

“At least our days are never dull,” he concurred with a smirk.

“Can I ask you a question?” she asked, matching his grin.

“Of course,” he replied with a brief nod.

“How did you two end up together? Bev never told me. I’m curious.”

Hannibal smiled wider and looked towards the direction Will had walked in. “Well, I’m always one to encourage curiosity.”

“It’s also really refreshing too,” she added.

Hannibal hummed in agreement. “To answer your question, I was captivated by Will the moment I met him. When he informed me of his marriage, I thought it best to keep my feelings private and do my best to diffuse them. I never quite succeeded. It was the moment Will informed me their marriage wasn't based on romantic attraction that I decided to let myself be more transparent with him.”

“Beverly told me on our first date,” she told him with a faint chuckle. “I was really stressed at first, but learning about the…circumstances definitely made me open up more too.”

Beverly and Will reappeared in the room, each of them picking a box and sharing a box-cutter to open them.

“I’m sure she’s called me Doctor Home Wrecker around you?” Hannibal inquired with a laugh of his own.

“No!” Jackie laughed, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Seeing two people so in love really puts things into perspective,” Beverly retorted, shooting Hannibal a teasing look.

“So, when did things change for you?” Jackie asked him. 

“There was a day when I was attacked in my office. The perpetrator,” Hannibal paused, his eyes softening as he watched Will look up at him, “succeeded in hurting Will as well. It was when Will appeared in my doorway that I knew I needed to tell him how I felt.”

Jackie smiled softly. “What did he say?”

Hannibal didn’t break eye contact with Will. “He told me the love he held for me had been unexpected. I told him denying one's self of life's greatest pleasure was a pain he shouldn't endure. I told him I loved him then and there.”

Will smiled, tilting his head back with narrowed eyes. “He quoted Shakespeare. He pulled out all the tricks.”

Beverly rolled her eyes at Will. “And he liked it!”

Jackie laughed with Hannibal rather than at him. “What line won him over?”

“I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.”

Jackie smiled and pointed at Beverly. “Bev asked me out by asking if my number was on tap.”

Will’s jaw dropped, immediately laughing. “Bev! That’s horrible!” Beverly jabbed him lightly in the ribs, which only made him laugh harder.

“It worked!”

“I liked it,” Jackie beamed. She looked back at Hannibal who briefly pressed his fingers to his temple. Apparently, Hannibal also found the flirtation horrendous. “I’ve never been happier. I’ve never felt so loved and understood.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Hannibal replied with a chuckle. “You two make a wonderful pair.”

“Thanks, Doc,” Jackie replied. “You wouldn’t believe how many people were assholes about my sobriety,” she sighed.

Hannibal frowned, his brows suddenly furrowing. “If anyone disrespects you, please let me know. I do not tolerate rudeness towards those I care about.”

*

Will was still recovering from jetlag as Hannibal directed him down the streets of Italy. Italy was still a familiar place to Hannibal despite being away for twenty years. They dined on amazing, fresh cuisine before they continued Will's personalized tour. It was their second anniversary and Will had no idea how to thank him for a trip like this.

Hannibal strolled them into the Uffizi Gallery with the confidence of walking into his own home. He briefly discussed art around them but it was clear he had an intended destination.

The next room was beyond an open archway, yellow-tinted walls bringing out the vibrancy of Botticelli's art inside. Will held Hannibal's arm as a sudden rush of emotion settled over him. A large painting spanned the wall in front of them.

"This is La Primavera," Hannibal said softly. "This work is very dear to me."

Hannibal guided him towards it to allow him a better look. He admired each figure in the piece. The ethereal artwork made him feel breathless.

"It's beautiful," Will whispered. He wished he could pluck one of the small flowers from the art and give it to Hannibal, so he could always have a part of it.

"Will," Hannibal said softly.

Will, worried he'd lost a little time, quickly turned to look at him. Hannibal was on one knee, a ring box in his hands. Will's heart immediately started to race. The wave of emotion he'd felt was from Hannibal and the thought made him immediately tear up.

"Hannibal," Will said as Hannibal took his hand.

"If I saw you every day forever, Will, I would remember this time.”

"I feel like I carry you with me everywhere I go," Will replied with a wavering voice. Hannibal was teary-eyed.

"You entered the foyer of my mind and stumbled down the hall of my beginnings. Where does the difference between past and future come from?"

"Mine?" Will asked, smiling as he sank to his knees in front of him. "Before you and after you."

"Will you marry me, Will?" Hannibal asked. Will brushed the tears away from his face as they fell. "I love you. This is all I ever wanted. For both of us."

"Yes," Will said as he cried. "I love you, Hannibal."

*

A year was apparently a fairly short amount of time for planning a wedding as extravagant as theirs, not that Will would truly know, he and Beverly had just gone to a courthouse, but Hannibal had pulled it off beautifully. 

He had managed to rent space at the Baltimore Museum of Art on what was apparently very short notice. 

Will didn’t want to know how much it had cost to pull that off.

Hannibal wore a dark maroon, satin suit. Beneath it, he wore a black suit vest and white button-up, and donned a navy tie as the final piece. The blazer hugged his shoulders and the color brought out the warmth of his eyes.

Will wore a stunning dark navy, satin suit. Sweeping up the torso of the blazer was an abstract scattering of maroon, orange and lighter blues. He wore a white button-up underneath and a maroon tie.

The first look left them both speechless. Hannibal could only think to kiss him.

“I knew you’d like it,” Will said, resting their foreheads together.

“You’re beautiful, mylimasis.”

*

The ceremony took place outside. Maybe he was biased, but Will didn’t think the weather could have been more perfect. The sun seemed brighter than usual and the grass and trees looked more green than he could remember ever seeing them. It was a warm day, but there was a light breeze that kept it from being overwhelmingly so. 

As much as he usually hated crowds and parties and too much attention, there was nothing about the day that he didn’t absolutely love.

There was nothing he couldn’t not love about the day he was marrying Hannibal.

He had never thought he would cry at his wedding, nor had he even really thought he would have a real wedding, but looking at Hannibal as they read their vows, he couldn’t help it. 

“Will,” Hannibal’s gaze was so loving that him just saying his name was enough for Will to start choking up, “Forgive me for not using my own words, but I have none that can express my feelings better than when the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio wrote Ti amo. Non ho nessun pensiero che non sia tuo.”

He paused. Apparently he had discussed this with their officiant, as the man began to translate. “I love you. I do not have any thought that is not yours.”

“Non ho nel sangue nessun desiderio che non sia per te.”

“I have no desire in the blood that is not for you.”

“Lo sai. Non vedo nella mia vita altra compagna, non vedo altra gioia.”

“You know. I do not see in my life another companion. I see no other joy.”

It took a moment, but Will managed to pull himself together. 

“When we first met, I told you I didn’t find you that interesting. All you said was ‘you will’, which pissed me off at the time, but you were right. You’re the most interesting person I’ve ever met. I’ve never wanted to know anyone more than I’ve wanted to know you and I’ve never felt like anyone was as capable of knowing me as you are. The fact that I get to spend the rest of my life learning to know you better is a rare gift, one I didn’t know I wanted when we met, but one I’ll never stop being grateful you’ve given me. In knowing you, I’ve also come to know myself in a way I never had when I wasn’t with you. I never thought I could have something this beautiful, but now that I do, I will never let it go.”

While Hannibal had always been the more expressive between the two of them, he rarely showed his emotions around others as openly as he did around Will. Will had seen him at his most vulnerable, but to most, he would have been considered fairly stoic. Not entirely unfeeling, but certainly not as open as he was right now. He hadn’t cried in front of anyone besides Will since he was a child, but he found himself so overwhelmed in that moment that he couldn’t help but shed a few tears. He couldn’t find it in himself to care that people were watching though. He could hardly even remember that they weren’t alone. He was too entranced by the man who had become his whole world, standing in front of him, saying things he had only ever dreamed of hearing.

Their rings were exchanged. It was the only time Will saw Hannibal’s hands tremble. Hannibal had been a surgeon for decades; he’d mastered the clean, straight edges of incisions and the steadiness it takes to close wounds. Will unraveled him. He was painfully aware of how long he’d been without him. It was as if he’d had a wound of his own that never healed until Will saw it and tended to it with care.

Will, his hands steady from tying lures and fixing motors, held onto Hannibal’s with a calming certainty. The ring slid on smoothly and Will felt his heart race as the ceremony continued. The metal glinted as bright as their smiles.

Will let Hannibal pull him close as their marriage was finalized. Hannibal leaned him back, dipping him as they lost themselves in the moment.

*

The indoor reception area was just as beautiful as their outdoor space, with high ceilings and marble pillars lining the room. Twinkling lights were hanging from the ceiling, giving the room a warm glow.

Each table honored a flower in the bouquet Jackie gifted them years ago. Hannibal called it “environmental storytelling.” Pressed flowers sat in front of each namecard and the entire place smelled like a garden in bloom.

Everyone found their seats and Will and Beverly met eyes across the table. She gave him a grin before standing to give her toast, as the head of his side of the wedding party.

“Most people are probably pretty angry when someone steals their husband, but when Hannibal stole mine, it may have been the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” She started, causing a murmur of confusion amongst the guests, most of whom were definitely not close enough to Will and Hannibal to know the full story of their courtship, “I got to watch my ex-husband fall in love and become the happiest I’ve ever seen him. Before we were husband and wife, Will and I were best friends, and we still are. I couldn’t have asked for more than someone showing that they care as much for him as I do. Will deserved to find the kind of love that we knew we would never have together and I can never thank Hannibal enough for being the one to give it to him. The two of them have shown me what loving someone and letting yourself be loved truly looks like and just how much it can change you and it helped me change in that way too.”

*

After dinner was over and everything was being set up for the first dance, Will approached her. 

“You made me cry, you asshole,” he said. 

“You’ve been blubbering all night, you big baby. You can’t just blame me,” She teased. 

Will laughed, “God, the guys from work are never going to let me live this down, are they?”

“I think you’ll be alright. Jimmy cries at weddings and he’ll probably keep Brian in check.”

“When should I expect an invite for your and Jackie’s wedding?”

Beverly slapped a hand over his mouth, “Jesus, Will. Say it a little louder, why don’t you? I haven’t even popped the question yet.”

Will swiped her arm away, rolling his eyes, “I get to be your Best Man, right?”

“Of course you do,” Beverly said, as if there would have been anyone else she would have asked.

Will’s smirk shifted to something more sentimental, “Hey, Bev? Thanks for divorcing me.”

Beverly reached out for a hug and he took it. He pressed her close to his chest and she held him tight.

"Thanks for divorcing me too," she chuckled. She settled into his shoulder for a brief moment and realized Will smelled like vanilla. She immediately knew Hannibal had picked out the cologne.

When she leaned back, she saw Hannibal walking in their direction. Despite all the excitement, he still cut through the crowds with grace. She smiled at Hannibal before looking back at Will.

"Hannibal's looking for you. It's time for you to show off those dance moves you've been practicing."

Will chuckled and narrowed his eyes at her. "We both know he just wants to show me off."

"May I cut in?" Hannibal asked. His eyes scanned Will over for the nth time that day.

"You may," Will replied, smiling at him.

Hannibal offered a hug to Beverly. She immediately took it and was surprised at how gentle it was.

"I've hardly been able to speak with you this evening. I'm so glad you were able to attend," Hannibal told her.

"Nothing would have stopped me," she insisted. She gave him a final squeeze before leaning back. The music started to swell and Will watched the lights dim.

"I am grateful nonetheless," Hannibal replied, taking Will's arm into his before pressing a kiss to his temple.

"We should probably get to the stage," Will told him with a smirk. Beverly expected a grimace to appear on his face but it never did. Will was just as eager to show off Hannibal.

"May the well of love for our partners never run dry, Ms. Katz," Hannibal said as Will guided them away.

After the newlyweds first dance, the dance floor opened to the guests. Beverly and Jackie danced together, swaying pointedly with the music, until they were giggling. The tulle over Jackie’s dress twinkled like stars and her smile was even brighter. She held Beverly's face in her hands and pulled her close, nearly making them stumble off the dance floor as they kissed.

Jimmy and Brian intentionally bumped into them before making their way back to a secluded corner of the floor. Brian held one of Jimmy’s hands in his to guide them around, his other hand placed on Jimmy’s waist. Jimmy held Brian’s shoulder and smiled up at him. Their hearts fluttered as they kept each other close. 

Hannibal and Will swayed in perfect tandem. Will leaned on Hannibal’s shoulder and Hannibal held his waist. They spoke softly to each other as Will teared up once again. Hannibal closed his eyes and rested his lips against Will’s hairline.

*

Over the next two years, Will and Hannibal received two wedding invitations.

“It seems you’ve inspired a few weddings, mylimasis,” Hannibal mused, looking over Will’s shoulder.

Will smiled, tracing the month on Brian and Jimmy’s Save the Date with his thumb. “It’s a shame we have so many mutual friends. All the guests will be comparing our ceremonies and no one else stands a chance when held up against anything you’ve planned.”

Hannibal took the time to look him over. “You’ll need a new suit.”

“I was just going to wear the one I got for Bev and Jackie’s,” Will replied with a shrug.

Hannibal frowned, “Absolutely not.”

“You just want an excuse to take me to your tailor,” Will rolled his eyes. He leaned back into Hannibal who wrapped him in his arms.

Hannibal spoke into his ear. “Can you blame me? I’ll take every opportunity to get you in a suit I can get.”

Will bit his bottom lip before smiling again. “We might have to make more friends to inspire more weddings then.”