Chapter Text
In his home office, Robert Lecter rubbed his face before he started to talk to his twin nephews, Nigel and Hannibal, who were sitting in their individual chairs. It was well known that Omegas needed to be set up with an Alpha before they hit the mid-twenties lest they start to exhibit rather unsavory even criminal behavior. However, both of them had been reluctant to be paired up and had already refused several suitors that he had considered suitable. “I have a candidate in mind.”
“Not interested,” said Nigel.
“I feel the same,” said Hannibal.
This was one of the few times they agreed on anything, outside of enjoying classical music. Nigel was the more casual dresser with a potty mouth and a hot temper. Hannibal was much more formally dressed, though not without a touch of flamboyance, with an obsessive insistence on politeness. I can’t believe these two share the same DNA, thought Robert. Robert gave each of them a write-up and a head shot of the man he had in mind.
Both young men looked at the picture of a striking man with dark, curly hair and blue eyes. Hannibal said, “I wouldn’t mind seeing him in person.”
“Nigel?” said Robert.
“He’s not bad looking,” said Nigel, trying to feign indifference.
“And the report?” said Robert.
After a few minutes, Hannibal raised an eyebrow. “He used to be a policeman but then became a profiler for the FBI. I find that rather remarkable.”
Nigel frowned. “He’s not typically the kind of guy you show us. You usually go for the high society types . . .”
“Ordinarily, I would have put him aside as a candidate. However, three factors played into my deciding that we should meet him.”
“What factors?” said Hannibal.
“If you look at the back of the report, the compatibility of your pheromones is the highest the matchmaking service has ever seen. He’s fully supportive of any and all educational aspirations either of you have, so you needn’t worry about that. And lastly, I hear he has a special talent for empathy.”
As Nigel and Hannibal took a closer look at the write-up, Robert mentally congratulated himself for exciting their curiosity. Occasionally, they reminded him of cats and he had finally found them a catnip mouse.
***
“If neither of you like him, I might ask him out,” said Mischa as she looked at the picture Robert had given her brothers. She was a Beta and younger by five years; therefore there was none of the urgency regarding her getting matched. She was lying on her stomach on her bed, reading the information her brothers had been given.
“Mischa!” scolded Hannibal. As much as Nigel would go out of his way to protect her, Hannibal was the one who enjoyed joking with her and having fun.
“His picture is very cute,” she noted. “He doesn’t look like a typical Alpha at all.”
Hannibal’s mouth quirked into a small smile. “He shows promise.” He envied her in that she had less pressure and more time to find a partner in life though he freely acknowledged that society also had expectations of her.
“Since he’s compatible with the both of you, does that mean he takes both of you? That might be too much to handle.”
“Legally, he could.”
Mischa pouted. “I’m not talking legally. I will warn him that you are a lot to handle singly and impossible as a team.”
“You will be there?”
“Of course, I want to see my potential future brother-in-law, after all. My opinion of him should be taken into account.”
“You didn’t show up at the previous ones.”
“The other candidates I either knew already or didn’t like. Besides, we’re going to my favorite restaurant.”
Hannibal sighed. “Of course.”
***
It was decided that they would meet outside a French bistro called Violet‘s. They had only a head shot to work from so it surprised them greatly when the man waiting for them was not only Nigel’s and Hannibal’s height and no taller but also had a slim and compact build. He was dressed in a salmon colored shirt and a nice pair of grey slacks. Over his arm was a grey wool jacket. “Hi, I’m Will Graham.”
“I am Robert Lecter.“ Robert sighed as he introduced his nephews. “The one properly dressed is Hannibal. The one who didn’t bother to style his hair and wearing the shirt with little dogs on them is Nigel.”
Will smiled. “I like the shirt. I happen to have half a dozen dogs.”
“Half a dozen?” said Mischa.
Nigel snorted but had to admit that he liked that the man seemed to be rolling with the punches.
“And who is . . .” said Will as he turned towards Mischa.
“This is the resident troublemaker,” said Nigel, messing up her hair. “Our sister Mischa.”
“Stop, I just had it done!” said Mischa.
Robert cringed. He deeply missed his brother and his sister-in-law, especially at times like these.
The host of the restaurant approached them and said, “Your table is ready.”
After they sat down, they looked over their menus. “Let’s order before we get into any heavy discussion,” said Robert.
After they ordered, Robert said, “I heard that you are looking for an Omega.”
“Yes, I’ve finally become financially secure enough to settle down.”
“Are you in a hurry to have children?”
“I do want children but don’t mind waiting a reasonable amount of time. After all, I would like to have some time to get to know and be with my spouse before anything like that.”
“Do you want as many kids as you have dogs?” said Nigel.
“Nigel!” snapped Robert.
Will chuckled. “No, no. One or two, it doesn’t matter if they’re boys or girls.”
Robert wanted to desperately ask a question but knew that it would be rather rude. Though his nephews were very unusual themselves for being broad-shouldered and brawny for Omegas, he had found Will’s features to be unlike any Alpha that he knew of and wanted to know why.
“I know that you’re wondering why I am the way I am.”
“Well, yes, but I didn’t . . .” said Robert. They’re not kidding about the empathy, he thought.
“Don’t worry, everybody wants to know so I might as well explain it upfront.” Will seemed slightly deflated at having to do so. “I have a condition that makes my body resistant to the effects of Alpha hormones. I am still stronger than most people would expect but I don’t bulk up and I‘m not as tall as I otherwise would be. So if you want an Alpha that looks more like an Alpha . . . I’m not getting any bigger.”
“I think you’re the perfect size,” said Hannibal.
Nigel glanced at his twin and thought, Ah, shit, he’s not just being polite. He’s fucking smitten.
Will ducked his head and smiled. “Thanks.”
Nigel noticed Hannibal sniffing as if he had bought a new spice for one of his recipes and was enjoying its aroma. Nigel took a sniff and noticed something warm and slightly sweet like a mixture of cinnamon and cardamom. Damn, he does smell good. Nigel felt strangely calm and centered, a side effect that occurred when an Alpha's and Omega's pheromones matched perfectly. Poorly matched pheromones usually made an Omega feel smothered and on edge. As Robert was a Beta, he could not see that their previous refusals were not simply based on mercurial whim or contrariness but actual physical distress and irritation.
“I heard that you are going to medical school,” said Will to Hannibal.
“Yes, I am interested in being a surgeon.”
“What about you?” Will said, turning to Nigel.
Nigel shrugged. “I haven’t really decided. Business, maybe.”
Will turned to Mischa. “And you?”
Mischa laughed. “I’m not available.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I was just . . .” Will looked terribly flustered.
Robert said, “She’s still in high school. She still has time to decide though I have warned her to pick a practical major.”
“You’re by yourself,” said Mischa to Will.
“I don’t have any family,” said Will. “So you don’t have to worry about any in-laws. My mother left when I was a child and my father died a while back.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Mischa. “You must feel horribly outnumbered at this table.”
Will gave her a little smile. “If I am among friends, then it’s not so bad.”
“Other than that you have a pack of dogs and work with the FBI, we don’t know very much about you,” said Nigel. He knew that the man was thirty, never married, and childless. He also knew that his finances were stable and he had been a poor young boy who had been smart enough and industrious to get where he was without connections. However, those were the type of facts that didn’t make you feel like you really knew someone.
“I like to hike, go fishing, read, and look at nature. However, I do very poorly at parties. Anything requiring that kind of planning, I have to leave in other people‘s hands.”
“I’m actually good at the sort of thing,” said Hannibal. “If you are unable to escape certain obligations, I don’t mind . . .”
“Taking over . . .” said Will.
“With your permission, of course.”
The waitress came with a tray. “Who has the coq au vin?”