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Title: Insight
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Table: 1drabble
Prompt: 25, Darkness
Author's Note: Sequel to "Lifting the Mask."
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.

***

There was nothing but darkness behind Hannibal's eyes.

Will had to suppress a shudder when his gaze met Hannibal's; he didn't want to know what was hidden behind those eyes, didn't want to see into that darkness.

There was something hidden in the depths of those eyes that terrified him. Will was sure that if he were to come face to face with what Hannibal kept hidden, he would be struck speechless, unable to voice the silent scream that would be stuck in his throat.

There was something about Hannibal's eyes that promised so much, yet he was afraid to reach out for what that candid gaze offered.

Whatever it was, it was tantalizingly out of his reach.

Did he really want to know what Hannibal could offer him? Was it something that he would be able to embrace, to make a part of who he was?

Or was it something that he would back away from with a shudder of repulsion, then turn and run as fast as he could? Will couldn't help thinking that it was the latter; nothing that Hannibal could offer him would be easy for him to accept.

But yet, the thought of finding out just what was hidden behind that enigmatic gaze was so alluring, so tempting. A part of him wanted to rip that mask away.

If he did, then he had the feeling that he'd be faced with something he wasn't ready to see, something that he couldn't fathom as being quite real.

And he couldn't quite figure out just what Hannibal wanted him to do. Did Hannibal want him to rip away the mask he habitually wore, and see what lay beneath? Or did he want to keep that secret hidden, so close and yet still so far away from Will's grasp?

He didn't know what the other man was thinking, and that bothered him. He wanted to have more insight into Hannibal than he did.

After all, Hannibal seemed to have no problem seeing into him.

Was there some kind of corresponding darkness in him that Hannibal could discern, something that he himself wasn't aware of?

The thought chilled Will and made him shudder involuntarily. Oh, he knew that every person had a light and a dark side; he didn't doubt that for a moment. But he didn't want to think that his dark side was so near the surface that someone else could see it clearly.

Though he was sure that if anyone could see that darkness in him, it would be Hannibal. He didn't know why, but he was more sure of that than he was of anything.

Will didn't know if that thought felt comforting -- or terrifying.

***