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Title: Stability
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will Graham/Sherlock Holmes
Fandom: Hannibal/Sherlock
Rating: PG-13
Table: 9, 50ficlets
Prompt: 47, Ritual
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 looked around the living room of the flat, a small smile on his lips.

He had already grown to love this place, even though he'd only been here for a few days. It already felt like home; there was just something about it that was comfortable, and easy to slide into. He loved the feel of the place, the coziness of it.

He and Sherlock already had their small rituals, and he was becoming comfortable with the rhythm of being here. It wasn't as different as he'd feared.

London was a vast city, and there were times when he longed for the country, for the solitude and quiet that he had grown accustomed to. But he had to admit, he liked the convenience of having so much around him, of being right in the middle of everything.

He was getting used to the sounds, and even coming to like them.

At one time, things like cars driving down the street might have irritated him. But now, he found the noises soothing, a reminder that he wasn't alone.

It had become a ritual for him to listen to the traffic at night; he was at the point where it felt comfortable to know that there were people nearby, that he wasn't alone in case he needed help. But that was silly, Will told himself. Why should be feel that he wasn't safe?

Because he would never have felt safe again in Wolf Trap, he told himself with a sigh. He would have always been waiting for Hannibal's next move.

He was glad that he'd left Wolf Trap, Hannibal, the FBI, and all of his life in the States behind him. There was no reason for him to be afraid of anything here; no one here wanted him dead or in prison. No one here wanted to turn his mind inside out.

Nobody here was evil on the scale that Hannibal was. He didn't have to worry; he didn't have to look over his shoulder, or second-guess anyone he met.

For the first time in what felt like forever, he could feel safe.

All of the little rituals that he and Sherlock had started to develop, the routines that they'd already started to fall into, helped to make him feel safe and protected.

He was getting used to things like going out to walk Winston twice a day, and having lunch at the coffee shop only a couple of blocks away from the flat. Those were small things, but they kept him grounded, and gave him something to look forward to.

They gave him a stability that he had badly needed for a long time.

Once he started teaching, he supposed that his life would change yet again, but that was a change that he was eagerly anticipating.

Will was surprised to discover how much he missed teaching. He was ready to jump back into it, and the interview he'd had with Scotland Yard Academy was promising.

Again, that had given him something to hold on to, something to stabiliize himself with.

They seemed to be truly interested in him as a teacher, in what he could give to the students at the Yard, and not just in his lurid reputation. They didn't want him to talk about his empathic ability. They wanted him to talk about profiling, to impart his knowledge.

It felt good to be appreciated for that, instead of being looked at as being some kind of freak of nature who should be kept away from.

Again, he had Sherlock to thank for this change in his fortunes.

if it wasn't for Sherlock, his life would be a lot more depressing now -- if he even still had a life, Will thought with a shudder. He could very well be dead by now.

That was what Hannibal had wanted -- and it seemed that was what his former so-called "friends" had all wanted, as well, considering that they hadn't tried to prove his innocence at all. They'd just gone along with Hannibal's manufactured "evidence," and used it against him.

The thought made his hands curl into fists, the smile disappearing from his face. Because of them, he would have either died, or spent the rest of his life in prison.

But thanks to Sherlock, that hadn't happened. He pushed the disturbing thoughts and images away, not wanting to think about them any more, and instead brought a picture of the man he loved into his mind, the smile suddenly coming to life again.

All it took was thinking about Sherlock to make him smile. Just the thought of his boyfriend's face, his voice, his smile, was all he needed to make him happy.

All he needed in his life was Sherlock.

The little rituals that they took part in, the small things that they did every day, gave him a solid grounding, one that he'd never had when he lived alone. One that he was getting used to, and that he was coming to depend on more than he'd thought he would.

it felt good to be grounded. It felt good to have a life again, and a bright future ahead of him, both with his career and in his personal life.

And most of all, it felt good to love and be loved, Will thought, his smile growing. He'd never felt like this before, never thought that he could have this kind of love in his life. He would be grateful for it every day, and hold it close to him for all of his days.

Now that he'd found some stability in his life, he wasn't about to let it go.

***