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Title: Not For You
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will Graham/Everett Hobbs (Original Character)
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Everett's face is Benedict Cumberbatch.
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.

***

There had to be some way to prove that Hannibal Lecter had tried to frame Will.

Everett was fairly sure that Jack Crawford was beginning to suspect Hannibal, but suspicion wasn't enough. He had to have absolute proof of Lecter's evil before he went to the FBI.

The problem was that Lecter had always been too good at hiding what he truly was, he reflected as he pushed the grocery cart slowly around the store, picking up a loaf of bread and putting it into the cart. Lecter was good at wearing a mask, at dissembling and outright lying.

Will wasn't good at those things, not at all. And he needed to be, if he wanted to counter Lecter's lies and evil. Everett sighed, knowing that his boyfriend wouldn't go for that.

Will wanted to defeat Lecter and see him pay for his crimes, just as Everett did. But he wanted to do it honestly and openly -- and really, Everett wanted the same. He just knew that Lecter wasn't going to play by the rules, and he wished that Will didn't have to, either.

He took a box of oatmeal off the shelf, putting it next to the gallon milk in the cart. He'd offered to get groceries for Will, ostensibly to take his mind off of Lecter, but it didn't seem to be working.

That monster took up far too much of his thoughts.

Everett wished that he could just think about Will and their time together, and let himself enjoy being with his boyfriend without their problems all crowding into his mind.

But that was impossible, at least at this point. It might seem as though their problems had diminished now that Will was out of jail and had been proven innocent, but Everett was sure that the proof had come from Lecter, just as the so-called "evidence" that framed him had done.

Lecter was playing some kind of game with them, and Everett didn't doubt that it would prove to be deadly. And he knew that the brunt of Lecter's enmity was directed at him.

The man was jealous of him for being with Will.

He'd seen that jealousy in Lecter's eyes the one time they had met, and he still hadn't forgotten the words that had been spoken. He knew that he was considered the enemy.

He had good reason to be jealous, didn't he? Everett asked himself. After all, he was the one who had captured Will's heart. If he was Lecter, he'd been ragingly jealous, too.

That jealousy would put Lecter off balance, make him do things that he normally wouldn't. And maybe, just maybe, he'd let himself get sloppy -- and they would be able to prove just what he was. That was Everett's hope, at any rate, though he wasn't entirely sure if it was justified.

After all, Lecter had been killing for a very long time. He was used to it; it was probably second nature to him by now. It wouldn't be easy to get him to slip up.

But they would, Everett told himself firmly. He would agitate the other man if he had to; he'd do nearly anything to get that monster to overstep his boundaries.

The one thing he most decidedly would not do was place Will in any kind of danger, he told himself firmly. No matter what he had to do to ensure his boyfriend's safety, he would make sure it was done. He would protect Will with his life, if need be. Nothing would happen to the man he loved.

The best thing to do would be to get Will out of Wolf Trap for good, he told himself, frowning as he stared unseeingly at the boxes on the shelf. But Will didn't want to leave.

Will had a life here, and he had to respect that. He couldn't expect his boyfriend to simply pack everything up and leave, even though Everett thought that would be the best thing he could do.

"Hello, Mr. Hobbs. I hardly expected to see you here."

Everett's head jerked up, his eyes widening as the smooth voice registered in his brain. Of all the people he might have run into here, this was the last one he'd thought he would see.

"Hello, Mr. Lecter." He wasn't going to give this bastard the courtesy of using his title. Calling him "Doctor" when he was nothing but a murderer went against all of Everett's ethics.

"I expect you're grocery shopping for yourself and Will?" Hannibal asked, raising his brows and indicating Everett's cart. "He really should start eating more balanced meals. I've tried to get him to do so, but, unfortunately, he still seems to view Chinese takeout as fine cuisine."

"Different tastes," Everett said, his voice cold. He didn't want to talk to this man, didn't want to be around him. He hated even being in Hannibal's presence; he felt as though the evil might rub off on him.

"You know, I don't remember you, Mr. Hobbs," Hannibal told him, his voice controlled. "But I'm sure that you are a part of my past. Sooner or later, I will bring that memory to the surface."

Everett only stared at him, his eyes narrowing.

He wanted to tell this bastard that he should remember what he'd done, but he wasn't going to let Hannibal rattle him. He was going to keep his composure, and stay quiet.

"Do not think to take Will away from me," Hannibal continued, his voice still quiet, but with a hint of menace in his tone now. "He has a place and a purpose here, Hobbs. He is not for you, no matter what he may think at the moment. He is mine, and I do not give up what belongs to me easily."

At those words, Everett felt something within him snap. He had to clench his fists at his sides to keep himself from striking out at this reptilian monster in human form.

Will did not "belong" to anyone, least of all to this snake.

"Will belongs to himself," he gritted out through clenched teeth. "Not to me, and certainly not to you. I know what you tried to do to him, and I'll fight to keep him safe."

Hannibal took a step back, but his features didn't lose their stony impassiveness. "Do not think that you can challenge me and win, Mr. Hobbs," he said, his voice colder than ice. "I always get what I want in the end. If I want Will, then I will have him, and there is nothing you can do to stop that from happening."

With those words, he turned and walked away. Everett watched him walk out of the grocery store; only when Hannibal was gone did he allow himself to relax.

The bastard had apparently seen him come in here, and had followed him simply to force them to have that unpleasant little confrontation. Everett raised a hand to his face, surprised to find that he was shaking -- though it was with anger, not the fear that Hannibal had probably hoped to engender.

He'd practically made a threat against Will, and Everett wasn't going to take that lightly. He would do all that he could to protect his love, even if that meant resorting to violence.

He wasn't going to sit back and let that monster wreak havoc in their lives.

It was a good thing he'd gotten all of the groceries that were on their list, he told himself, taking a deep breath as he headed towards the checkouts. He couldn't think about such a mundane thing now.

He needed to get out of here, and get back to the house in Wolf Trap. For all he knew, Lecter could be headed there, to confront Will in some way -- or to harm him. Suddenly, all he wanted to do was run out of here, jump into his car, and get home as quickly as he could.

Instead, he forced himself to put the groceries on the counter and wait as they were totaled and bagged, then put back into the cart for him to stow in the car.

It all seemed to take forever, but finally, he was on his way home.

He would be there in fifteen minutes, he told himself. He didn't need to call Will. He would be able to tell when he pulled up in front of the house whether Lecter was there or not.

Everett pressed his foot to the gas pedal, feeling as though his heart was in his throat. If Lecter was anywhere near Will, there would be a confrontation -- and it was one that he intended to win.

***