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Title: Feeling A Spark
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will Graham/John Reese
Fandom: Hannibal/Person of Interest
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Sequel to "Strength, Not Weakness."
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.

***

John walked slowly, hands shoved into his pockets, head down.

He wanted to see Will again, but he was sure that it would seem like stalking if he went back to the bookshop too soon. He didn't want Will to be wary of him.

If he was brutally honest about it, what he really wanted was for Will to trust him completely, and to feel the same sort of attraction that he did. Though it was impossible to tell yet if he did feel that way, John was sure that there had been a spark between the two of them.

He hoped so, anyway. He wanted a spark to be there -- and he wanted that spark to become a roaring conflagration, one that could possibly consume them both.

That was a fire that he wouldn't mind being burned by.

But he couldn't allow himself to feel that way, he told himself with an inward sigh as he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and strode onwards. It was too dangerous.

He had known for too long that the work he'd always done was far too perilous to expose those who he loved to the dangers he faced every day. He wouldn't do that to Will. He wouldn't put someone he cared for at risk. He'd done it once, and he had lost everything that mattered most to him.

There were times when he could still feel the acute pain of losing all that had once meant so much to him, of having his life shatter and fall into smoldering ruins.

He couldn't live through that again. But somehow, he couldn't help feeling that this overwhelming attraction for Will meant that he might have been given a second chance.

If he let his emotions take over, then he would be putting Will directly in the path of danger -- when what he was supposed to be doing was protecting the other man from whatever danger was stalking him. That would be defeating the purpose that he and Will had been brought together for.

No, the best thing for him to do was the listen to Harold, do his job, and ignore the attraction he felt. There was really no other option. Not if he wanted what was best for Will.

The problem was that he didn't think he could do that. Not now.

Maybe he would be able to walk away if he hadn't felt that attraction tugging at him so strongly when he and Will had met face to face. Now, there was no turning back.

Harold didn't approve. He already knew that. But what did it matter what Harold thought? He didn't run John's life. He couldn't dictate how to feel. And John knew that there was no way these feelings he had for Will could be held back. They were like a rushing river in full flood.

It would be utterly impossible to hold back what he felt. And what was more, he didn't want to. He was tired of being alone. He wanted someone by his side. He wanted someone to hold.

He wanted someone to love. He wanted to love -- and to be loved.

He'd been alone for too long. And even in his line of work, love wasn't something that he wanted to go without for the rest of his life. He deserved more than that.

He had already given up so much in his life -- but now that he felt that spark with Will, he wasn't going to give this up, too. He wasn't going to walk away from these feelings. John knew that if he did so, he would regret it for the rest of his life -- and he had no more room for regrets.

Regrets choked him. His past was littered with them, and he didn't want to create any more. He was done with walking away from what he knew he truly wanted.

He had enough regrets already. Will wasn't going to become one of them.

It didn't matter what Harold thought, or what he wanted. What mattered was what he and Will wanted, and their feelings for each other. If Will shared his feelings, John reminded himself.

He couldn't help but think that the other man did indeed feel the same way he did. He was sure that he had seen the same spark he felt in his heart within the depths of those intense blue eyes. Will might try to hide what he felt, but he wasn't good at doing it. His every emotion showed on his face.

And he was good at reading people, John thought with a smile. He was sure that he hadn't read Will incorrectly. He was absolutely positive that his own feelings were reciprocated.

He lifted his head as his footsteps slowed, his eyes widening in surprise.

He'd told himself that he wasn't going to come back to the bookshop today -- and yet here he was, standing in front of it. His path had led him here without him realizing it.

That had to be a sign, John thought as he cleared his threat, then ran a hand through his hair and headed for the front door, his heart pounding at the thought of seeing Will again.

***