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Title: For the Future
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will Graham/John Reese
Fandom: Hannibal/Person of Interest
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 775
Author's Note: Sequel to "Say A Little Prayer."
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 John Reese, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

His attitude toward everything he did was changing.

John sighed softly as he walked along the pavement, dodging people walking dogs, sidestepping shoppers and other pedestrians, looking down at his feet as he moved.

He didn't want to listen to what Harold had to say. He didn't want to be made to feel that his emotions concerning Will were wrong. He wanted to believe that there could be a future for the two of them -- well, as soon as he managed to get Hannibal Lecter out of Will's life.

He knew that wasn't going to be easy. He'd had to deal with people before who were hard to kill, but something told him that Lecter would be the toughest nut he'd yet tried to crack.

But he would do it. For Will. For himself. For their future.

Of course, he didn't know for certain if Will also wanted that future, but he had to believe that the other man felt the same way that he did. He had seen it in Will's eyes.

He wanted to change his life, John told himself firmly. He wanted to take control of his life, and not just let himself be blown by the wind. That was how Harold had found him, and he was grateful for all that his friend had done for him. But now .... now it was time to live his own life.

He couldn't honestly say that he enjoyed what he did. Yes, he helped people. He liked that part of it. But he was tired of putting his life on the line every day, of risking himself.

John had to smile wryly at that thought; he really hadn't minded risking his life on a daily basis until he had met Will. Now, he had a future to look forward to, a future that he desperately wanted.

That future didn't involved putting his life in jeopardy for people he didn't know. There were other people who could do this, who would be just as involved in it as he had once been. But they would be people who didn't have someone in their lives who they wanted to go home to every night.

He wanted another life now. He wanted a life where he was free to love, to be himself, and not have to look over his shoulder every moment of every day.

He wanted to change his life for the better. He had to.

It wouldnt be easy. He knew that. He would have to find a job, and given his backgrond, it wasn't as though he had a lot of experience at anything but putting himself in danger.

And even though he wanted a life with Will, there was a part of himself that didn't want to let Harold down. A part that still felt an exhilaration when he brought down a criminal, when he helped a person who needed it. That would be hard to walk away from. But he would do it. He really had no choice.

He couldn't ask Will to plan a future with someone who was in danger every day of his life. That wouldn't be fair to him. So he had to make a change. And really, he was ready for that.

The only question was if the other people in his life were ready for it as well.

John sighed softly, looking up and realizing that he was approaching the bookshop Will worked in. A small smile played arond the corners of his lips. He should have known that he would end up here.

He was drawn to Will, in ways that he could never begin to explain. Or maybe he could explain them, and just didn't want to use certain words yet. Words like "love." He wasn't sure that he was ready for that one yet. At least, not aloud. He had to be more sure of the future before he could say it.

His eyes widened as he realized that was the biggest change that meeting Will had wrought in his life. The fact that he was contemplating saying that word aloud to someone again.

That was a change he could see as being a step in the right direction.

***