#seeking a little vengeance lolllll

[zipegs]

will & beverly // 774 words, g, western au // ao3 written for day 1 of fad's au challenge: cowboy

The midday sun was so strong that Will could hear it. Sweat dripped insistently down his back and chest, and his and Beverly's horses kicked up a dry cloud of grit with every step. The dust misted his face like sea spray, sticking to his perspiration and coating him in a layer of dirt.

Normally, Will would relish every aspect of the ride—the gentle rocking of his hips, Winston's strength beneath him, the heat pressed in on him from all sides.

Riding out across the flat fields, far out of reach of the civilized world... It was really the only time he felt safe.

Now, though, it was hard to concentrate on his surroundings. He kept losing himself in his mind, slipping back into the roaring river of his thoughts. Hannibal staring at him through the cell bars. Alana stained red and cradling Abigail's broken-puppet body. The sharp heat of Hannibal's knife in his belly.

A fat droplet of sweat slid into Will's stinging eye. He came back to himself and blinked past the sudden flare of pain. When he glanced to his side, he found that Beverly was already watching him, her face lined hard with somber concern. Will forced an unsteady smile, and she looked away. "There's a stream up ahead," she said, gesturing with her chin. "Think we should stop for a while."

Will knew her better than to argue. Beverly had always been the stubborn sort, whip-smart and headstrong, and she wasn't one for compromise.

They rode on in silence as the terrain blossomed with dry grasses & clusters of brittle shrubs—life, but a hardened, serrated form of it.

Will could relate.

The stream, when they reached it, was low for this time of year, not much more than a trickle over slick, jagged rocks. He led Winston to drink and Beverly did the same, standing at the water's edge with her hands planted on her hips. Will lowered himself to kneel and dipped his grimy hands beneath the surface, collecting cold water in his palms. It stung pleasantly when he splashed it over his face, and he scooped a handful onto the back of his neck before running his hands through his sweat-damp hair.

"How's your stomach?" Beverly asked. Her gaze darted to Will as she rinsed her bandana in the stream.

He frowned, bringing a protective hand to his lower belly. Beverly raised her brows as she wiped herself down with the cool cloth, and Will cleared his throat. "It's fine."

"Bullshit." Beverly rinsed the bandana again and hung it around her neck,  leaning back on the sun-warmed grass. "We should've waited another week."

Will exhaled a frustrated sigh. "I'm tired of waiting, Bev."

"I know."

He stared out over the stream, feeling her gaze on him. It was at least another day until they reached the village where Hannibal had been sighted. Between the time it took for the news to reach Will in the first place and the time it took for him and Beverly to travel there, there was no way of knowing if they'd find him. If they didn't—if Hannibal had moved on... Will didn't know what he'd do.

He reached into his pocket and ran his thumb over the engraved surface of Hannibal's pocket watch, the metal body-warm. A pang of longing seized him, followed by the brutal ache of betrayal. Will closed his fist around the watch and squeezed until the metal bit into his palm.

"Will."

Will closed his eyes. He released the pocket watch and set his palms on the ground, focusing on the sharp, stubbly blades of grass beneath his skin. He could hear Beverly shifting beside him. "When we get there," Beverly said slowly, picking her words with care, "when we find him—"

"If we find him," Will jumped in.

"If we find him." She paused.

Will didn't open his eyes. In his mind, he could see Hannibal leaning over him, his eyes shining with tears as he carved apart Will's life.

Beverly spoke again, just as slow and quiet as before. "What are you going to do?"

Will's pistol was heavy in his holster. His throat ached, and he could feel the soft press of Hannibal's lips against his.

The truth of it was this: Will didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't think he would know, not until Hannibal was standing there in front of him, real and solid.

The possibilities spun out before him, as open and endless as the lands that separated them.

"Will?"

Will opened his eyes and said nothing—just stared out across the sunlit stream.

#hannibal #will graham #beverly katz #will graham & beverly katz #besties in every universe #anyway yeah i just think it's so sexy to picture them #out on horseback together #seeking a little vengeance lolllll #anyway #fadserver #mine #mine: writing #hannibal fanfiction