Title: Needing Love
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will Graham/Sherlock Holmes
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Table: 50ficlets
Prompt: 48, Tenderness
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.
***
Will awakened slowly, memories of the night before flooding his senses.
He and Sherlock had made love last night -- and it had been the most incredible experience he had ever known. Nothing had ever come close to what he'd felt.
It seemed impossible that he could have felt such things -- but he had. And it was all due to the man he loved. Sherlock had given him more than he'd dreamed of.
Will couldn't hold back a smile as he thought of his lover, opening his eyes to gaze at the man sleeping beside him. He was here, with Sherlock, and they had beaten their adversary. Hannibal would never bother them again. He was dead and gone. He would never menace anyone else.
That almost didn't seem possible, either, but it was true. The dark cloud that had been hanging over him was now gone; the skies were clear for as far as he could see.
And that was due to Sherlock, too.
They would have come here if Sherlock hadn't insisted that they do so; it had been due to him that they'd had the final confrontation with Hannibal, and come out on top.
What would he have done if Hannibal had managed to defeat Sherlock? Will closed his eyes again, a shudder going through his slender body. He didn't want to think about that; and anyway, it hadn't happened. Sherlock had battled with Hannibal, and he'd been victorious.
He couldn't have done that; if he'd been the one who had to go up against their enemy, he doubted that he would have come out on the winning side.
Oh, he'd have put up a good fight, but he didn't think that he could have beaten Hannibal. Sherlock was more of a physical fighter than he was; he had more experience with that side of things.
Sherlock had saved his life, and given them a future.
He felt a wave of tenderness wash through him towards this man who had given him so much more than he felt he could ever repay, more than he'd ever deserved.
He didn't feel that he'd really given Sherlock much of anything. He'd made the other man worry, given him sleepless nights, and so many complications in his life. And in return, Sherlock had given him love and security, a new life, and had defeated the worst enemy that he'd ever had.
This man was a hero, Will thought, reaching out to stroke a gentle hand down Sherlock's jaw. A knight in shining armor that he would always be grateful for.
He was the luckiest man in the world to have Sherlock's love and devotion.
Who else did he know who could say that they had a knight in shining armor who was willing to walk through fire for them? he asked himself with a soft smile.
No one. Nobody he knew had someone at their side who was willing to lay down their lives for them. So he would do all that he could to deserve having that knight in his corner.
Even if he wasn't exactly the picture of a damsel in distress.
Will had to smile at that thought. Himself, a damsel in distress? He hardly thought so. He'd always felt that he was able to take care of himself when he had to.
After all, he'd done that before, hadn't he? He had defended himself against Hannibal in the past -- even though he hadn't seemed to do that great of a job at it. Maybe he did need someone on his side, someone who always had his back, someone who would fight for him.
He'd never thought that he could have such a person in his life. He'd thought that a relationship wasn't for him, that giving his heart would only make him weak.
But Sherlock had changed all that. He knew now that he needed love.
Another wave of tenderness went through him that was even stronger than the first one, an emotion so strong that he almost cried out aloud.
He had never known that he could feel like this before he met Sherlock. He would never have dreamed that he could harbor such strength of feeling; he'd though that he kept his emotions tamped down, closed off, well hidden. He had always considered himself to be in control.
Now, he knew that he wasn't. This wild sweet love that Sherlock had drawn to the surface was unlike anything he'd ever felt before -- and he reveled in it.
He didn't need to have a definition for this love. It was enough that it existed.
All he needed to know was that he needed this love in his life, this tenderness, this ache in his heart and soul every time he looked at his lover.
He and Sherlock had both always thought that love would distract them from their purpose in life, but they'd both been so wrong about that.
Love didn't make either of them weaker -- it bonded them, drew them together, and made them stronger. Love was a driving force, one that he'd never realized could be so acute. Love gave him power; it didn't distract him at all. Rather, it only made him more determined and resolute.
He needed the tenderness that he felt whenever he looked at Sherlock. He needed that tenderness to ease his heart and soul, to heal the wounds he'd carried for all of his life.
If anyone could do that, it was the man he loved, Will thought with a soft smile as he closed his eyes, relaxing into the softness of the pillows.
Within moments, he was asleep again, one hand resting on Sherlock's chest.
***
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