Title: The Word Definitely Applies
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Table: Big Bang Inspirations, tv_universe
Prompt: Happy
Author's Note: Sequel to "His Greatest Wish."
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.
***
He was happy, perhaps for the first time in his life.Hannibal smiled at his reflection in the mirror as he dressed, feeling lighter and more satisfied than he had in a very long time. He felt .... optimistic. Yes, that was the word.
No, it wasn't, he told himself a moment later. That word wasn't nearly strong enough to describe how he was feeling. The only proper word was happy.
And it was all due to Will, and the night that they had just spent together. He glanced towards the hallway, knowing that Will was in the shower and almost wishing that he had joined his young lover there. But no, things like that would come later in their burgeoning relationship.
For now, he was willing to simply take what they had, savor it, and let the future come as it would. He didn't want to make plans, not with this.
It was better to let what was happening between himself and Will develop naturally. There was no need to hurry; they had all the time in the world to discover each other.
That discovery was off to a good start.
What had already happened between the two of them felt natural, as though it had been coming ever since the day they had met and looked into each other's eyes.
He had wanted Will from that very first meeting, of course. But he hadn't thought that Will's desire had matched his own, and he had told himself that he would hold back.
For a while, he had admonished himself that Will wasn't for him, and that the attraction he felt would die a quick death. But it hadn't; it had only grown stronger as the two of them had gotten to know each other, and finally, he hadn't been able to hold back his feelings any longer.
He was glad that he hadn't held back, of course. If he had, then he wouldn't be feeling this incredible happiness now -- and Will wouldn't be his.
And Will was his. He didn't doubt that fact for even a moment. Will had proven that, and he could tell that his young lover was just as happy as he himself was.
He didn't need to be told that Will was happy; he could see it in the smile that the young man had given him when they had awakened that morning. There had been happiness in the depths of those blue eyes, happiness in Will's smile and in his voice when he'd wished Hannibal a good morning.
His own happiness was leaping within him, and he was having a hard time keeping the smile from his features. He hadn't felt this happy in .... well, he had never felt this happy.
Was it love that was making him feel this way? Did he dare to use that simple, four-letter word to describe this kind of happiness? Was it the appropriate word?
Something within him told him that the word definitely did apply.
Yes, he was in love -- and what was more, he was happy about being in love. He would never have thought that of himself just a few short months ago.
But Will had changed everything about his life, about his way of thinking. He had even nearly stopped his .... well, his excursions, as he called them.
He had felt no need for them in the past few weeks, and he was actually glad of the fact. If he kept up those killings, he would eventually be caught -- after all, his Will was no fool. And then he would not only be put behind bars and possibly be on death row, but he would also lose Will.
He couldn't let that happen. He had to either completely stop doing something that was an integral part of him, or find a way to do it with much more care and discretion.
Hannibal knew that he wouldn't be able to keep his secret predilections hidden from Will forever. If he loved Will, then he would eventually have to be completely honest with him.
It was a thought that gave him pause, that made his happiness waver.
Resolutely, he pushed the thought away. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. It was still early days in their relationship to worry about that now.
His relationship with Will was just beginning; he had plenty of time to worry about what he needed to conceal from his young lover in the future. For the moment, he was sure that Will had no clue about his secret life -- and he was going to keep it that way. What Will didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
He heard the shower water being turned off as he left his bedroom to make his way downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast for the two of them, and he smiled -- a genuinely happy smile.
This was going to work out. He would make sure that it did.
***
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