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Title: A Very Perplexed Dog
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Sequel to "A Pleasant Evening."
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.

***

So far, the evening had been lovely.

Will sat on the couch next to Hannibal, his legs drawn up under him as they watched one of the old black-and-white film noir movies that Hannibal enjoyed.

He had to admit, he himself had grown to like these sorts of films since Hannibal had introduced them to him. They were much better than modern movies.

And it was nice just to be able to sit here next to his boyfriend, to enjoy Hannibal's nearness, to feel that they were sharing something special between them. Will doubted that Hannibal invited anyone else over to his house for movie nights, or visited anyone else to do the same.

He was the only person that Hannibal shared this with, and he was glad of that. He had to admit that he burned with jealousy at the thought of anyone else sharing this with his lover.

The dogs were, as usual, well-behaved -- even Max, for a change. He still growled at Hannibal, but other than that, there had been no overt hostilities.

He still wondered why the dog behaved the way he did.

The other dogs were all at their ease with Hannibal. He petted them and spoke to them, even though Will had to admit that he was still a little reticent around animals.

Still, the other dogs all accepted his boyfriend and seemed to have nothing against him. Max, on the other hand, was obviously on guard against Hannibal.

He was sure that the animal was confused by his own behavior. Max apparently saw Hannibal as an enemy, as someone to guard against -- and here was Will, sitting next to him, actually cuddled up against him, treating him as though he was an honored guest in the house.

Max was obviously a very perplexed dog, WIll thought with a smile as he looked over at the dog. Max stared back at him, his large brown eyes unblinking.

He wished he knew just why his newest dog didn't like his boyfriend.

What was it about Hannibal that Max objected to? Of course, Hannibal wasn't really a dog person, but Will didn't think that was the problem. Hannibal was friendly enough to Max. It wasn't as though his boyfriend was mean or abusive towards the animal.

No, there was something about him that Max simply didn't like, and Will wished that he could figure out just what it was before Hannibal got really angry about it.

He knew that his boyfriend was already irritated, and he didn't want that to go on. He knew that Hannibal might lose his temper if Max kept this up.

One thing that he definitely wasn't going to do was give the dog away, though. He and Max had already formed a bond; it wasn't as strong as the bond he seemed to have with Winston, but it was close. The dog was protective of him, and Will appreciated that.

He'd had few enough people in his life who felt the same way.

He doubted that even Hannibal, despite the emotions they shared, felt as protective of him as Max did. He didn't know why that was; it was just a feeling he had.

The dog looked very unhappy now; his eyes were sorrowful as he fixed his gaze on Will and didn't look away. He was sure that Max was one very perplexed puppy at the moment; he probably didn't understand why Will was so close to Hannibal, nearly cuddling with him.

In Max's eyes, Hannibal was obviously someone to beware of, though Will didn't know why he felt that way. He couldn't understand why Will didn't see things as he did.

If only he could speak to Max and explain to him just why Hannibal was no threat, then they would both probably feel a lot better, and more at ease.

At the moment, Will felt that he was existing in a powder keg.

He had no idea what was going to happen next -- whether Hannibal would get annoyed with Max and demand that the dog be gone, or Max would attack Hannibal.

If Hannibal demanded that he get rid of Max, he would say no. And that, he thought glumly, would probably lead directly to the end of their relationship.

He would just have to think of some way to get Max to be more amenable to Hannibal, Will told himself firmly. He wasn't going to make a choice between his boyfriend and a beloved pet, an animal that needed his help. Max had a right to a loving home.

But didn't Hannibal have a right to be able to expect to come here and not have to be on his guard against an animal that obviously didn't like him?

Will sighed, looking over at Max again. The dog put his head on his paws and whined, his gaze still on Will, as though he was begging his master to understand him.

If only he could! But he didn't speak canine.

Whatever it was that Max had against Hannibal, he would just have to get over it and learn to get along with him, Will told himself. There was no other choice in the matter.

He hated to make Max feel as though he was turning against him, at least in this matter, but he had to placate the man he was involved with, as well.

Will just wished that the two of them could learn to coexist and get along with each other. Maybe he should think about taking Max to obedience lessons, he thought, his heart lifting. That might help. Then he would be around other people, and maybe learn to tolerate Hannibal.

But no, his obedience wasn't the problem. In all other matters but this one, he was a good dog. He just didn't like Hannibal, for some strange reason.

Will wondered if he would ever know why his dog didn't like his lover. Was Max jealous of his closeness to Hannibal? Could that possibly be the reason?

No, that didn't seem right, either. It was more than that.

Well, whatever it was, Max would just have to get over it, and learn to live peaceably with Hannibal. Because WIll didn't intend to give up either of them.

Max raised his head from his paws, then lowered it again, still looking confused. Will looked away, sighing softly, wishing that he could talk to the dog.

If only he could make Max understand the he had no reason to dislike Hannibal.

But unfortunately, he wasn't a dog whisperer. All he could do was hope that Max would eventually get over his dislike of the other man, and that they would be friends.

Will looked away from Max, feeling more than a little guilty. He felt as though he was somehow choosing his boyfriend over his dog, and that it wasn't the right choice.

He pushed the thought aside, closing his eyes and sighing.

Whatever Max had against Hannibal, he would just have to learn how to deal with it and make friends. The dog didn't really have a choice, and it would make Will's life much easier.

Though how he was going to convince the dog to do that, he didn't know. He supposed that he'd just have to take it one step at a time, and hope things worked out for the best.

***