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Title: Optimistic Outlook
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Sequel to "The Word Definitely Applies."
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.

***

Was it weird for him to be so happy?

Yes, Will thought as he stepped out of the shower and reached for the thick, fluffy towel that he'd taken out of the linen closet to dry himself off with. It was definitely weird.

He'd never thought of himself as being a happy person. He didn't think that he'd been truly happy since he was a child, before he'd discovered his empathy.

He was content with his life, of course. He'd made a place for himself, and he felt that he was fitting into that little niche fairly well. He might not have a lot of friends, but he had his dogs, his home, and a job that he was fulfilled in. He did a lot of good for a lot pf people, and that was enough for him.

But he had never considered himself happy. There had always been a space in him that had never been filled, even though he'd tried to pretend that it didn't matter.

Now, he was happy. He felt more optimistic about his future than he had in a long time, and it was all due to the man he'd become involved with.

Was Hannibal as happy with this situation as he was?

Hannibal seemed happy, from what he could tell. But was he only looking at this as a temporary thing, or did he intend for this relationship to keep developing?

Will slowly lowered the towel after drying his hair, looking at himself in the bathroom mirror. Hannibal wanted him; that was obvious. But what was it about him that drew the other man to him? He wasn't bad-looking, not at all, but was it more his physical attributes that intrigued Hannibal, or his mind?

Or was it both of those things that made some kind of irresistible combination for the other man? He didn't want to simply ask Hannibal that question; somehow, it seemed rude, intrusive.

Still, he wanted to know. He had to know.

If he found out that Hannibal didn't intend for this relationship to be more than a simple fling, then his optimistic outlook would quickly fade away. He didn't want that.

He wanted to hold on to this newfound happiness, and to let it keep growing. It had taken this situation to make him realize that he was tired of being alone, tired of always feeling that he was on the outside looking in, tired of feeling that relationships were for other people, but never for him.

He wanted to belong. He wanted to have someone in his life that he could share things with, someone to love. Someone who would love him back in the same way.

Did Hannibal love him? Now, that was a question he really couldn't ask. It was far too soon in their relationship to expect a definitive answer to that one.

He wanted to be loved. He'd come to realize that fact in the brief time that he'd been involved with Hannibal. It was the missing piece that he'd been searching for, even though he'd refused to let himself admit it. But his relationship with Hannibal had brought that to the forefront of his mind.

Maybe it was what he'd always needed, even though he had never wanted to let himself admit that he actually needed someone in his life.

He'd always thought that he was just fine on his own.

No, he'd never really thought that, Will told himself, drying off slowly and knotting the towel around his slender waist. He'd just fooled himself into believe it.

This new optimistic outlook of his proved to him that love what what had been missing from his life. He had to admit that he was falling in love with Hannibal, whether the other man returned his feelings or not. it was a scary thought, but it wasn't something he could turn away from.

The idea of being in love, of being that vulnerable emotionally, of opening himself up completely to someone else had always utterly terrified him.

Yet here he was, doing just that, even though it was still frightening.

He wanted to hold onto this new optimistic outlook, to believe that he was going to keep falling in love, that whatever this was that he'd started with Hannibal would come to fruition.

Will wasn't used to being optimistic, especially about relationships; he'd long ago told himself that for him, they could only lead to inevitable heartbreak and misery.

But this time would be different, he told himself firmly as he opened the bathroom door and walked down the hallway back to the bedroom to get dressed. Pain wasn't the inevitable end. Maybe it had been in the past, but then, he'd never known anyone quite like Hannibal before.

And no one else had ever made him feel this way. No one else had ever made love to him, brought him to the heights of ecstasy that Hannibal had introduced him to.

He had never allowed anyone to touch him in the ways that Hannibal had, both emotionally and physically. And he never would. Hannibal would be his first, and his only.

Hannibal was the only person he wanted. Ever.

Maybe it was old-fashioned of him to believe in loyalty, but he did. And he couldn't imagine ever wanting to be with anyone but Hannibal, for the rest of his life.

Of course, being loyal to Hannibal meant that he expected this to be a continuing relationship, one that would keep on growing and developing. And he didn't know yet if that was what Hannibal wanted. Will sighed softly, running a hand through his unruly curls.

Well, he would find out shortly. Because he was going to figure out a way to ask Hannibal what he wanted, even if he had to come out and just put the question to him bluntly.

He was nervous about the answer he might get, but he had to know.

If he wanted to hold on to this optimistic outlook he had at the moment, he had to know that they had a future, and that he had something to keep looking forward to.

Well, he would find out in just a short while. Will took a deep breath and headed towards the stairs, knowing that his lover would have already started making breakfast for the two of them.

***