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Title: Shaking All Over
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,371
Author's Note: Sequel to "A Change Would Do You Good."
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Hannibal Lecter or Will Graham, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Will took a deep breath as he studied himself in the mirror.

Did he look good enough to go out to a restaurant with Hannibal, or did he simply look like someone who was dressed in clothes that they weren't comfortable wearing?

He definitely wasn't comfortable in a suit, he thought, wincing as he ran a hand through his tumbled curls. He had never been overly fond of "dressing up."

But Hannibal had told him that they were going to an upper-class restaurant, and he'd specifically requested that Will wear a suit and tie. He'd said that it was expected at the place that they would be going to, and those words had made Will extremely nervous.

It wasn't as though he didnt know how to behave in an upper-crust sort of place. He'd been to them before, so he had some experience of what it would be like.

But that didn't mean that he felt comfortable in those places. He felt that he was putting on an act, that he couldn't simply relax and be himself while he was there.

He wasn't the kind of person who was used to high-class places.

Oh, he could handle himself perfectly well in that sort of company. He could smile and nod, and pretend that he was completely at ease. he could put on a good act.

But that's all that it would ever be -- and act. And Hannibal knew that. Hannibal knew his insecurities; he knew that Will wouldn't feel at home tonight.

What kind of game was he playing? Will asked himself, feeling anxiety rise up within him like bile at the back of his throat. What did Hannibal hope to accomplish by taking him somewhere that he wouldn't feel at home in, to a place where he would feel out of step with everyone?

For all he knew, it wasn't a game at all. Hannibal might just be trying to get him used to being in places like that, making him more comfortable with the rarefied atmosphere.

If that was his intention, it was going to take more than one dinner out at a nice restaurant to achieve his goal, Will thought wryly. It would probably never happen.

He didn't think he'd ever feel comfortable with the "society" crowd.

Hannibal, of course, moved through that crowd as easily as a yacht cut through sparkling blue water. He fit in. He was someone who belonged.

He always would belong, Will thought wistfully. There was a huge gap between who he was and who Hannibal was. He'd known that ever since they'd first met.

Yet, for some reason, Hannibal wanted to integrate him into that crowd of people. He wanted Will to become more comfortable with them, to feel that he could move amongst them and converse with them easily. He wanted Will to feel that he was their equal.

Will doubted that he would ever feel that way, but he had to admire Hannibal for trying to get him used to being with that crowd of people.

Hannibal wanted him to play a more intimate part in his life; Will knew that. But there was still a wall between them, one that he was unsure about climbing over.

Could that wall ever come down? he asked himself, frowning at his reflection in the mirror. The truth was, he and Hannibal were far too different as people to ever have an easy relationship. He knew that a part of him would always be wary of the other man.

Yes, there was something developing between them that he couldn't deny, something that he also wasn't sure about. Did he want this to go into the realm of a relationship?

The thought of being involved with Hannibal was both exhilarating and terrifying. The proof of that was the fact that he was already shaking all over just thinking about it.

Will uttered a short, sharp bark of a laugh. Was he really this nervous about going out with Hannibal tonight -- or was he nervous for an entirely different reason?

It wasn't what would happen while they were out that scared him.

It was what could possibly happen when they went back to Hannibal's house after dinner, when they were alone together with no one else around.

Just the thought made Will's heart race and his hands shake. He had to close his eyes and take several deep breaths, pressing a hand against his chest.

What was it about the mere thought of being alone with Hannibal after they'd just been out on a date that could make him feel as though he should run for his life? He'd been alone with the other man countless times before. Why should this feel any different?

He knew the answer to that even as he asked himself the question. It was because they would have been out on a date, an actual date, and their heretofore safe relationship was changing.

What did Hannibal want from him? And more importantly, what did he himself want out of this? Where was it going? And was it something that he should pursue?

He didn't have the answers. And he doubted that tonight would give him any.

Maybe he would get some answers to those questions tonight, Will thought to himself. Maybe he would finally be able to decide just how he felt about what was happening.

He hadn't been comfortable with the turn that their relationship was taking, but maybe after tonight, he would feel more settled, more able to cope with it.

He couldn't help feeling that he was a specimen under a microscope, that he was somehow being used as a kind of experiment. There were times when Hannibal looked at him in a way that was almost calculating, a way that frightened him and made him want to run and hide.

Was that why he was still shaking all over at the very thought of being alone with Hannibal in his home after a date? Or was it for some other reason entirely?

Was that shaking, that inner fear that he didn't want to fully acknowledge, coming from a place deep within him that wanted, above all else, to be more than a friend to Hannibal?

Will pushed that thought away. He wasn't ready to deal with it. Not yet.

But he would have to sooner or later, he thought with a soft sigh. After all, this was a date. There was no way that he could deny the fact.

Tonight was going to be much more than a simple dinner between friends. It would probably set the tone for where their odd relationship was going.

And even though a part of him was terrified of what might happen tonight, another part of him yearned to find out just what Hannibal expected of him. He wanted to prove that he could slip into Hannibal's world, that he could be a part of it -- that being with him wouldn't be a mistake.

Another deep breath. And another. The shaking had finally stopped; it was down to mere tremors now, but the doubt was still there inside him, stealing his breath away.

What would he do if Hannibal discovered that Will wasn't what he wanted, that this relationship wasn't going anywhere? Would he be relieved -- or terribly disappointed?

And would Hannibal feel the same way that he himself did?

Resolutely, Will pushed those thoughts away. He didn't have time to dwell on them now. He had to make the long drive to Hannibal's house in Baltimore.

He took one last deep breath, straightening his tie as he headed out of his bedroom and down the stairs. This was going to be a night that would either open up some doors -- or a Pandora's box.

***