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Title: Savor the Sweetness
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Table: 8, 50ficlets
Prompt: 42, Sweet
Author's Note: This is a 50-ficlet AU series for Will/Hannibal. In this universe, the two of them are deeply in love with each other, though neither knows quite how to bring that love out into the open.
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. s

***

Hannibal leaned his head back, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He loved the feeling of having Will in his arms, loved being able to hold him and breathe in his unique scent, slightly musky and with just a hint of a cinnamon tang.

There was something very .... comforting about having Will here tonight. It had been a delightful, if unexpected, surprise for him.

He'd never felt this relaxed, he realized. He had never felt that he could let his guard down around another person the way he could around Will. It was as though Will understood him without words; there was a deep, primal bond between the two of them.

He'd never had that with anyone else. Never.

He had never really wanted that kind of a close bond with another person, Hannibal thought with an inward sigh. He'd always pushed people away, kept them at arm's length, never trusting them. Before Will, he'd never had a reason to trust.

Of course, before Will, he'd never been in love. He had always thought that love was something for other people, something that would always pass him by.

And he'd always told himself that he didn't want love -- even though he'd known it wasn't true. He had longed for love, spent a great deal of time wishing that he could find someone who would understand and accept him, but had never thought he would.

And now, by some miracle, he'd found just that.

This was the sweetest feeling he could ever hope to know, to feel Will in his arms, relaxed comfortably against him, to know that Will wanted to be here with him. He would savor this sweetness for the rest of his life, or at least for as long as he could.

Hannibal swallowed hard, looking down at the young man whose head was resting so trustingly against his shoulder, wondering why he should think that at this moment.

Why would he think that he and Will wouldn't have the rest of their lives together? Why would he let himself believe for even one second that he couldn't savor this sweetness for always, have it in his life for the rest of his days and beyond?

He shouldn't think that way. Not ever. It wasn't worthy of Will.

Will wasn't the kind of person who gave himself easily -- whether his heart, his soul, or his body. When Will said that he was in love, he meant it. He didn't take their relationship lightly; he hadn't entered into this without a great deal of thought.

Will had intimacy issues. Hannibal knew that. If he was willing to give himself over to these feelings, then the least Hannibal could do was to trust him.

He had to believe that Will would always be in his life, that they would always be lovers, and that this sweet contentment that he was feeling now would always be here. If he didn't believe that, it meant that he didn't trust Will. And he wanted to trust.

He had no reason not to. None whatsoever.

He trusted Will with his heart -- and with his life. He would trust Will to protect him, just as Will trusted him to do the same. He knew that he had Will's heart, and he knew that the young man's heart was more loving and generous than any other he'd ever known.

Will would love him until the end of time. There was no doubt in his mind of that. And he would love Will just as fiercely, savoring his sweetness for all of their lives.

The sweetness between them wasn't something that would fade away. He was more sure of that then he'd ever been of anything. The two of them would go on and on, and they would only grow stronger with the passage of time. Nothing would ever tear them apart.

"What are you thinking about?" Will's sleepy voice broke into his thoughts.

"I was thinking about us," Hannibal answered honestly. "About how much I love you, Will, and about how sweet it feels to have you here with me tonight. About how I want that sweetness to go on forever, to never end, and to always be a part of my life."

"It will be," Will told him. He sounded confident, even though his voice was thick with fatigue. "I'm not going anywhere, Hannibal. It took me too long to find you. I'm not going to leave."

"I never doubted that for a moment," Hannibal murmured, bowing his head to brush a gentle kiss across the younger man's dark curls. "And now, I think it's time that the two of us made our way to bed, my sleepy angel. You can barely keep your eyes open."

"Bed?" Will looked up at him, his blue eyes widening.

"Yes, bed," Hannibal told him with a soft chuckle. "Unless you intend for the two of us to fall asleep here on the couch, which I don't think would be too comfortable."

As he got to his feet and helped Will to rise, Hannibal couldn't help but wonder just how this night would progress. Could he sleep in the same bed with Will and not be tempted to take things further than he should? It seemed that they were going to find out.

***