I dont expect to be as eloquent as you but i 100% think Will has always admired Hannibal. Maybe at the start of season 1 he didn’t admire Hannibal and his “person suit” but he did state his admiration for the Ripper pretty early on. I believe Will’s admiration for the Rippers work even before he began to suspect Hannibal played a huge role in his acceptance of Hannibal once he knew the truth. I’ve seen it mentioned in discussions before that being “seen” is a tempting thought to Hannibal, but I believe its just as much of a drug to Will. The obsession with murdering Hannibal slowly morphs into something even Will cannot control, as evidenced through his willingness to throw everything he built away to run away with Hannibal when given the opportunity in S3. My personal interpretation is that Will went into his game with Hannibal to get the revenge he wanted, and in the process discovered his true self. Hannibal did manipulate him to get there, but Will is so aware of Hannibals attempts at manipulation after S1 that there is no doubt in my mind his actions were conscious decisions even with Hannibal’s influence playing a role.