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Title: Calming His Fears
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will Graham/Aiden Gillan
Fandom: Hannibal/Blood and Chocolate
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,472
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 or Lee Fallon, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Aiden raised his hands in front of his face, as though to protect himself. He turned, ready to dash back outside, but Will held on to his arm, keeping him rooted to the spot.

"Get them away!" Aiden screamed, shrinking back from the dogs. Will couldn't understand why he was so afraid, but maybe he had a good reason.

"Aiden, it's okay," he said softly. "They're just my dogs. They won't hurt you."

He wondered if Aiden would bolt out of the door and run away if he let go of him, so he didn't want to relinquish his grip on the younger man's shirt. But he knew that he'd have to.

Taking a deep breath, Will let Aiden go. The younger man still looked uncertain, but he stood there, not moving, just staring at the six dogs ranged around him.

Fortunately, the dogs were just sitting there, looking up at Aiden with puzzled expressions on their faces, as though they couldn't understand why this person should be afraid of them. Buster was the first to break the little tableau; he went to Aiden's feet, sitting down and cocking his head as he looked up.

Will could see a small smile tugging at Aiden's lips as the young man slowly bent down to pet the little dog, then picked Buster up. And laughed when the small dog licked his face and yapped.

"It was silly of me to be so scared of them, wasn't it?" Aiden asked, sighing softly. "I'm sorry. I should have realized that they're just dogs, not ...." His words trailed off into silence.

Will wanted to ask what he was going to say, but he refrained from doing so.

Instead, he decided on a direct question. "Did you have a bad experience with dogs at some point?" he asked, keeping his voice steady and gentle. "Is that why you're afraid of them?"

"I'm not afraid of dogs," Aiden told him, petting Buster before setting him down. "It's not dogs that I'm scared of. It's ...." He trailed off again before he added, in a whisper, "It's wolves."

"I can understand why you'd be afraid of wolves," Will told him. "Most people are. They can be savage when they're hungry, or when they feel cornered." Much as people could, he thought to himself, but didn't say the words aloud. "I'm guessing that you might have been chased by wolves."

Aiden knelt down to pet the other dogs, and Will was sure that he was holding something back, something that he didn't want to say. So his guess was probably correct.

Why wouldn't Aiden want to talk about the experience? he asked himself, his brow furrowing. Most people who had been chased by wolves would babble about what had happened.

Well, he'd try to get Aiden to talk about it later, once he had been able to clean up. He was obviously shaken up, and in need of a shower and some food. Will didn't want him to pass out again. At least he had the young man in the house, and he seemed to have calmed down.

He had no idea where Aiden lived, or if he was even from around here. There was a lot that he needed to learn about this young man, and he hoped that he could get answers.

First things first, he told himself firmly. He needed to offer Aiden food and a shower, and some clean clothes. Aiden looked to be about his size; he was sure that his clothes would fit.

"Would you like to take a shower?" he asked, still keeping his voice soft.

Aiden looked up at him from where he still knelt on the floor, a small, hesitant smile curving his lips. "Would you mind?" he asked, his voice just as soft as Will's. "I feel .... pretty grungy."

Will smiled in return, glad that Aiden wasn't afraid of him. He wanted to help this young man; he felt obligated to find out what his story was, and get him any help that might be needed.

"I have some clothes that would probably fit you," he said softly. "There are two bathrooms. One's down here, one's upstairs. I'm guessing you'd rather use the one on this floor. It seemed like you were having a little trouble walking." He didn't want to phrase the words as a question.

Aiden nodded, somewhat reluctantly, it seemed to Will. "Yeah. I was .... beaten up pretty badly." He got to his feet, one brow arching in question. "Just point me towards the shower."

Will led Aiden down the short hallway to the bathroom, frowning as he made his way back to the living room. He was fairly certain that he could guess what had happened to Aiden.

He thought that the young man had been set upon by more than wolves.

From what he could guess, Aiden had been assaulted, then brought to the woods and left there. He didn't doubt that Aiden might have been chased by wolves at some point.

There were wolves in the northern Virginia woods; he knew that for a fact. He hadn't thought that there were any around here, but he wouldn't have been surprised to find out that there were. But it wasn't wolves that he was worried about at the moment.

What bothered him was the fact that people had obviously set upon Aiden, and done more to him than simply beating him up. Aiden hadn't said so, but Will was sure of that fact.

He'd have to get the young man to open up and talk to him.

Will sighed softly as he went upstairs to hunt for boxers, sweatpants, and a t-shirt that he thought would fit Aiden. When he did, he took them back to the bathroom, opening the door quietly.

He picked up Aiden's clothes, intending to take them to the laundry room and wash them after Aiden had finished with his shower. He was sure that the young man would want to change back into them tomorrow, as they were his clothes and not some that were borrowed from a stranger.

He caught his breath as he turned the fabric over in his hands, knowing that his guess had been right. There was blood on Aiden's boxers. He hadn't just been chased and beaten.

Will was sure that he'd been raped, as well.

Closing his eyes, he leaned against the washing machine, leaving Aiden's clothes lying on top of it. He wanted to get Aiden to talk, but how was he supposed to do that?

He'd just have to find a way to approach the subject, and hope that Aiden would trust him enough to tell him what had happened, and give him enough details to search for his assailants. It might not be easy, but he would find a way to get Aiden to talk to him.

He would catch the people who had hurt Aiden, and put them behind bars. He had no intention of letting anyone get away with such a heinous crime.

Will's hands clenched into fists at his sides at the thought.

Whoever had done this would pay for it. He would make sure that they were caught, tried, and prosecuted, and that they never hurt anyone else again.

He was already feeling protective towards Aiden, though he didn't know quite why. But somehow, it felt right -- and he wasn't going to question that feeling. At least, not yet.

Somehow, he had to calm Aiden's fears and get him to talk. He would find a way.

He didn't blame Aiden for being afraid. If he was in the other man's place, he would be, too. Being chased by wolves, beaten, possibly raped .... it was too much for one person to take. But Aiden had survived, and that was the important thing. He had made it through the nightmare.

Calming those fears might not be easy, but he knew that he had to try.

Sighing softly, Will turned towards the living room, not wanting to wash Aiden's clothes until he had talked with the young man. He would have to ask some probing questions.

The water in the shower was turned off, and he took a deep breath. He would have to try to get Aiden to talk to him, and something told him that it might be an uphill battle.

This would be easier if only he didn't feel so completely inadequate to the task.

***