Title: Five Christmas Gifts Will Graham Has Received
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: 4 gen - Will Graham & 1 Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Table: Holiday Traditions, tv_universe
Prompt: Five best (or worst) holiday gifts
Author's Note: Stand-alone fic.
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Will Graham, unfortunately, just borrowing him for a while. Please do not sue.
***
1. Will saw the puppy by the side of the road, illuminated by the headlights of his car.He was used to picking up stray dogs; it was how he'd ended up with the five that he had at home. One more couldn't hurt, he told himself. Besides, he couldn't just abandon an animal in need.
"What are you doing here, little one? Are you lost?" he asked as he got out of the car, holding out his hand to the little dog. She looked like some kind of spaniel, with big dark eyes and floppy ears.
And she also looked cold and hungry. Well, it was Christmas, wasn't it? Will asked himself, squinting up at what to his eyes appeared to be a lone star in the cold night sky. This was the time to do unto others -- and it was also the time for gifts. It looked like he'd gotten a gift a day early.
No collar, even though she didn't appear to be in bad shape. He didn't think she was someone's pet. If she was, then she wouldn't be wandering around alone this far out in the country.
"What am I going to call you?" he asked the puppy when she jumped up to lick his face. "You look like a Lucy to me. Yeah. Lucy. That fits you pretty well, doesn't it?"
Will laughed as the puppy barked and gamboled around him; she wasn't afraid of him, and she wasn't injured in any way. He'd take her to the vet the day after Christmas and have her checked out.
"Hey, little girl, it looks like you're my first Christmas present this year," he said softly as he picked up the puppy and put her on the passenger seat of his car. She curled up there, looking up at him with her tongue lolling out as though she was smiling and agreeing with him.
He couldn't stop himself from smiling as he got into the car and drove the rest of the way home with the little dog sitting quietly beside him.
When he got to the house, he stopped the car, sitting there and looking at Lucy. He had to smile when she yapped at him, then raised a paw as though to shake his hand in greeting.
"How about going to see your new home and meet all your new brothers and sisters, hmmm?" he asked, and the puppy yapped again, obviously eager to get on with it.
Will couldn't help feeling that this was one of the best gifts he'd ever get.
2. Will gazed into the mirror, his eyes meeting Hannibal's as the other man held up the silver and black leather collar that he'd gotten Will for Christmas.
Will wasn't sure that he was ready for this, or if he would ever be.
But he had given himself to Hannibal, hadn't he? He'd told this man that he wanted them to be master and slave, that he was willing to make himself subservient to Hannibal's will.
He'd said that, even though he hadn't been completely sure about it at the time. And now it was time for him to follow through on those words. The moment of truth had come. Hannibal had given him enough chances to back out; now it was time for him to put up or shut up.
He closed his eyes as the black leather touched his neck; Hannibal tightened it slightly, until the coolness was encircling his throat snugly, but not enough to be uncomfortable.
He was scared of this, yes .... but it was also just a little thrilling.
"Merry Christmas, Will," Hannibal, bowing his head to brush a kiss against his lover's cheek. "I hope that this coming year will bring us both all that we want .... and need." His voice was warm, even loving, and Will couldn't help but close his eyes and let himself sink into that mellifluous sound.
"Merry Christmas, Hannibal," he murmured, turning and leaning into the other man's embrace. The gift still felt strange on his skin, but he was sure that he'd get used to it in time.
3. "Thanks, Jack." Will took the small package Jack handed him with a smile.
He was almost sure he could already tell what it was. Would Jack have given him something so innocuous, something that he and Hannibal had joked about?
It would be funny if that was indeed what was in this box. He would have a hard time holding back his laughter if it did indeed contain what he thought it did. It would prove that he'd been right when he'd told Hannibal that people never seemed to know what to give him for Christmas.
"Open it," Jack encouraged him, looking a little embarrassed. "I wasn't sure what to get you, so I went with something that I'm pretty sure is tried and true."
He had already opened Will's gift to him, the newest book by an author that he knew Jack enjoyed reading. "I'm sure that I'll like whatever it is, Jack."
Somehow, he wanted to avoid opening this gift. He couldn't keep from feeling that Jack was a little embarrassed by it, and he didn't want the other man to feel badly. But he had to open it, and his fingers were already working at the ribbon, then peeling back the brightly colored wrapping.
Will had to hold back his laughter when he saw the bottle with the ship printed on it. Old Spice cologne, just as Hannibal had mentioned in that conversation.
"Just what I needed," he said, laughing at Jack's relieved expression.
4. "I wanted to get you something I thought you'd really like," Beverly told Will, leading the way to her locker. "I didn't have time to wrap it, and it's kind of big, anyway."
"Big?" Will asked, startled by the word. "Beverly, I didn't expect you to get me anything that cost a lot. You shouldn't have done that."
Now he felt bad about only getting Beverly a book -- though it was one that she had said she wanted to read but hadn't wanted to pay an exorbitant hardcover price for. Still, she'd looked happy when he'd given her the book, so maybe he had made the right choice there.
"It's not big as in expensive," Beverly told him, shaking her head. "Just too big to wrap easily. I thought it'd just be better to give it to you without all the fancy wrapping."
Will nodded, curious now about what Beverly could possibly have gotten him. If it was too big to wrap, then he had no idea of what she could be talking about.
"Close your eyes," she told him as she put her hand on the locker door.
Will obeyed, taking a deep breath as he heard the locker door open. A moment later, something was being put into his hand, and he opened his eyes to look at it. He gasped, his eyes widening in surprise.
It was a fishing pole, slender and shining in his hands. Something that he would have gotten for himself, but he'd never quite been able to bring himself to buy a new one.
"I hope you like it," Beverly told him, smiling. "It just seemed like .... well, like you. And I figured since you love to fish, it was something you could use."
"I sure can," Will said, his voice full of gratitude. "Thanks, Bev. Merry Christmas," he added, his shining eyes telling his friends that she'd made a very good choice of a gift.
5. "I want to give you your Christmas gift now, Will, if you don't mind," Hannibal told him. "I know there are still four days until Christmas, but I don't feel that I can wait."
Will nodded, raising a brow, wondering just why Hannibal was in such a hurry.
"If you want to give me a gift now, that's fine with me," he said, wishing that he'd brought his own gift for Hannibal with him. "But yours is still at my place."
"That's quite all right, Will," Hannibal said, a small smile playing around the corners of his lips. "I don't mind waiting until Christmas Day for that. I just feel that you should have this gift now. It's quite important to me to give it to you, and I don't want to wait another moment."
"Then go right ahead," Will said softly, the earnest look on his boyfriend's face making him blink. Hannibal rarely ever got this emotional about anything.
The other man stood up, moving to stand in front of the chair that Will was sitting in. He hesitated a moment, then got down on one knee, gazing at Will before taking his hand.
Will's blue eyes widened in shock as it occurred to him what Hannibal was about to do.
This couldn't be happening, could it? He hadn't had any idea that his boyfriend intended something like this; he'd thought that they would keep going on as they were, since their relationship worked so well for both of them. He hadn't thought tht things might change and get more serious.
'Will ...." Hannibal sounded unsure at first, a bit breathless. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again and gazing at Will.
Will didn't speak; it took him a few moments to realize that he was holding his breath in anticipation. Slowly, he let out that breath, nodding for Hannibal to go on.
His lover pulled a small velvet box out of his jacket pocket, then took Will's hand. Will didn't have to ask what was in the box; he already knew.
"Will Graham .... will you marry me?" Hannibal's voice was low and husky, even slightly shaky.
He was nervous. Hannibal was nervous about popping the question. Will hadn't expected that; he'd thought that when Hannibal asked him something like this, he would be suave and debonair, completely in control of his emotions. He hadn't expected shyness and even uncertainty.
There was only one answer he could give, of course. "Yes," Will whispered, his voice barely audible. "Yes," he said again, the word gaining strength. "Yes, Hannibal, I'll marry you."
Hannibal smiled at him, the look in his eyes going directly to Will's heart. He could see love there, more love than he'd ever thought anyone would have for him.
Hannibal slid the ring onto Will's finger, and they both admired it for several long moments.
The diamonds winked and sparkled as Will turned his hand this way and that, admiring the setting. Onyx, silver, and diamonds -- this wasn't the kind of Christmas present he'd expected to get, but he was sure that it would always be the best gift he had ever received.
"I love you," Hannibal said softly, getting to his feet, then taking Will's hands in his own and pulling the younger man into his embrace. "Never forget that, Will."
"I won't," Will promised, burying his face against the shoulder of the man who was now his fiancé. "I love you too, Hannibal. I always will."
Those words were his gift to his lover, a gift that would never fade away.
He meant those words more than he'd ever meant anything in his life. They were words that he would say every day, a gift that he would give to the man he loved from his heart for all of their lives.
Will hoped that Hannibal felt they were just as much of a gift as the diamond ring on his finger.
***
- Main Hannibal Fan Fiction page
- new stories page
- Will/Hannibal slash page
- other pairings page
- gen stories page