Title: The Taste of Innocence
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Table: 8, 50ficlets
Prompt: 25, Innocence
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.
***
For what felt like a very long time, Hannibal simply sat there on the couch, a glass of wine in one hand, his other arm around Will's waist, holding him close.He had never felt so at peace, as though all was right the world and everything in it. He was amazed by how just being in Will's presence could soothe his soul, could make him feel as if he had everything he'd ever wanted or needed within his grasp.
He had never felt so comfortable, so at ease. Will relaxed him; when he was with this young man, he looked at the world in an entirely different way.
How could he not have fallen in love?
He looked down at the young man curled against him, his eyes straying to the dark curls at the nape of Will's neck as he bent his head to take a sip of wine. He looked so innocent, so vulnerable; all Hannibal wanted to do was protect him and keep him safe.
He wanted to do that for the rest of Will's life. He wanted to always be here for him, to be his lover in every sense of the word.
Will was vulnerable in so many ways, Hannibal reflected. He saw so many horrific things on a daily basis, and they had to stick in his mind, darkening his perception of the world. His innocence was battered with every new case he took on.
Yet somehow, he still retained an aura of innocence.
Will was .... pure. He was a good person, in every sense of the word. Yes, he had his dark side, as everyone did. But the good in him far outweighed the darkness; Will would always manage to conquer that darkness within, always stay on the side of good.
His innocence might be darkened at times, but it would never disappear. That innocence would always be a protection for him, keeping his soul safe.
Hannibal raised a hand to run his fingers gently through Will's tousled dark curls, enjoying the feel of their silken dampness on his skin. He didn't mind that Will's hair was still a bit wet; it gave him the excuse to fluff out those curls to help them dry.
He would take any excuse that he could get to touch Will.
His love was so vulnerable, so innocent in some ways, yet so worldly in others. Will saw things on a daily basis that would make most people cringe, but he dealt with them. He had a core of strength that Hannibal knew he didn't give himself credit for.
But even so, there was still an innocence about Will, a part of him that would still see the world as being a place full of joy and wonder, despite all the ugliness that he was forced to delve into. There was a part of him that would never be sullied by that ugliness.
Though Hannibal loved Will in every way, it was that innocence that he loved the most. The part of Will that he knew would always remain untouched.
He smiled at that thought. Well, untouched by the world, at least.
He was the only person who was going to touch Will in any kind of an intimate way. No one else ever had, and no one else ever would. It was gratifying to know that he was the first, that Will's innocence had remained intact for him.
Not that he was foolish enough to think that Will had waited for him. No, it was an accident of fate that they had found each other. Will hadn't known that Hannibal would come into his life. It had simply happened, and now that it had, they would take advantage of that fact.
He himself had no innocence left. It had been taken from him long ago, and really, he hadn't been sorry to see it go. It hadn't been a comfortable fit.
But he could gorge himself on Will's innocence to his heart's content.
And he intended to do just that. He intended to inundate himself with Will, to breathe him in, to join them together for the rest of their lives. Will was more than just a lover to him. Will was his heart, his soul, his everything. Will was all that he had ever wanted.
He could never have his own innocence back, but he could revel in Will's. And he could make sure that he kept that innocence protected to the best of his ability.
Hannibal couldn't stop himself from lowering his head to press a kiss to the nape of Will's neck; the young man sighed softly and moaned his name. leaning more heavily against him. Hannibal closed his eyes, reveling in the sound of that moan, the feeling of Will's body in his arms.
There was nowhere else that he wanted to be, no one else he wanted to be with. Ever.
He raised a hand to take Will's wineglass from his hand and set it on the table, then turned the young man's face towards his for a kiss.
The taste of innocence was on those lips, an innocence that he would never betray. He would never let his own darkness touch Will; he would keep it as far away from his love as possible, and with any luck, that darkness would never have to be revealed.
***
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