Main Hannibal Fan Fiction page | new stories page | Will/Hannibal slash page | other pairings page | gen stories page

Title: First Date
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Table: 8, 50ficlets
Prompt: 41, Date
Author's Note: This is a 50-ficlet AU series for Will/Hannibal. In this universe, the two of them are deeply in love with each other, though neither knows quite how to bring that love out into the open.
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. soar

***

Will watched Hannibal as the other man got out of the car and walked to his side to open the door; Hannibal had asked him to wait before he got out, and now he knew why.

This was something completely new and different for him -- going out on a date with someone who catered to him. He had always been expected to be the one going out of his way to make the other person comfortable whenever he'd done this before.

But then, being out with Hannibal was a new experience.

Not that he had much to compare it to, Will thought wryly. He could count the number of times he'd been out on a date on his fingers. He had never been one for being social -- and dating made him feel even more awkward and tongue-tied than usual.

He hoped that this would be different. He wanted it to be different. He wanted his date with this man to feel easy and smooth, uncomplicated.

Of course, that wasn't going to be possible. His feelings for Hannibal would make things complicated right from the start; if he hadn't been going into this with any kind of expectations, then it might have been easier. As it was, he was more nervous than he'd ever been in his life.

Did that nervousness show? He hoped not. He wanted Hannibal to think that he was just as calm and cool about this first date as Hannibal seemed to be. He couldn't believe that the other man didn't seem more nervous, but Hannibal had barely blinked an eyelash.

Of course he wouldn't be nervous. Hannibal was never prey to nerves.

Besides, he was the one who had instigated this. He had asked Will out, not the other way around. Hannibal had no reason to be nervous.

Will had ten thousand reasons to be nervous -- maybe more. In a sense, he almost felt that Hannibal was auditioning him -- that this was a test to see if he wanted to go out with Will again, a test to see if they were compatible as more than just friends.

Wasn't that what any date was about? Will asked himself, trying to calm his nerves. All dates were really just a trial run for a relationship, trying to find out about the other person, to see if there was something more there than just a physical attraction.

With the two of them, there was something more, he told himself firmly. He had known that from the beginning. Now was the time to prove it.

Hannibal opened the car door with a smile, ushering him out.

When Will stepped out onto the pavement in front of the restaurant, he almost gaped at what he saw around him. He'd heard of this place before, but he'd never been here. It had a far too expensive price tag for his tastes, even if he'd been dating anyone.

The Petit Louis was somewhere that he'd always thought he would like to go, but there was never anyone in his life who was special enough to warrant being taken there.

Now he was the one who was being taken out to dinner here. He couldn't keep back a blush; he felt, somehow, cherished and precious, just because Hannibal had chosen to bring him to an intimate place like this on their first date.

"This is really nice," he said softly, his gaze on Hannibal's face. "I've never been here before, but I've heard a lot about it. I've always thought it was the kind of place that anyone would want to take .... someone they felt was special to them."

There. He had more or less thrown down the conversational gauntlet.

"Which is exactly why I chose to bring you here, Will," Hannibal told him, his voice very soft. "You are extremely special to me. I wanted to take you to a romantic place."

Will's heart leapt in his chest at those words. Romantic? Yes, he supposed the Petit Louis was a romantic restaurant -- weren't all French restaurants considered romantic? From all he'd heard about it, the place was pretty opulent.

And Hannibal had chosen to bring him here, to a place that he described as "romantic." Well, that could only bode well for the rest of the evening.

Will cautioned himself not to move too far ahead; this was only the beginning of the evening. But he felt that they were moving forward at a rapid pace, one that almost scared him. He couldn't keep up; everything was spinning around him at a dizzying speed.

Taking a deep breath, he slipped his hand into Hannibal's.

"I think it's going to be a terrific night," he said softly, trying to convince himself of the truth of his words. He had to get through dinner in a high-class restaurant, a place that made him feel a little uncomfortable and out of place. But he could do it.

Then, hopefully, the two of them would go back to Hannibal's place, have a nightcap, and spend some time alone. That would be the perfect way to end their date.

End? Will asked himself as Hannibal handed the car keys to a valet, and led him to the front door of the restaurant. This was only the beginning of their first date. He didn't want it to end. He wanted it to go on and on, into eternity, as long as it meant that he could be with Hannibal.

***