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Title: The Stars We Are
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Sequel to "Believing in Happiness."
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 gazed up a stars, a smile curving his lips.

He felt calm and relaxed tonight. They'd gotten the wedding invitations all sent out, finally, and he wasn't nearly as stressed as he had been.

Of course, there was still a lot for them to do -- they had to pick out the music, the flowers, get their tuxes fitted, and what seemed like a million other things before their wedding day was here. But sending out the invitations was a huge burden out of the way.

Now, he felt that they owed themselves a bit of reprieve from all the work of finalizing the wedding plans. He laughed softly, shaking his head.

Finalizing? Who was he kidding?

It would be a long time before everything was finalized. They'd set the date for August, before Will's classes had started, so they could have a two-week honeymoon.

That was really all they'd done so far, other than sending out the invitations, and making sure that the church where they planned to get married, as well as the reception hall, was booked for the day. But other than that, they hadn't even made a dent.

There was still so much to do, so many plans to put into motion. They would have to talk a lot before those plans were finalized and everything was on its way.

But they would get there. He knew it. And before long, the eve of their wedding would be upon them -- and then they would be a married couple.

Hannibal came to stand behind him, his arms moving around Will's waist, his chin resting on the younger man's shoulder. "The stars are beautiful tonight," he said, his voice very soft in Will's ear. "I was just looking at them from the kitchen and realised where you would be."

Will turned his head to smile at the man he loved; he should have known that Hannibal had guessed he'd be out here on the back porch watching the night sky.

"I was just thinking about our wedding plans," he murmured. "So many things to do." A sudden thought blazed through his mind, making him catch his breath.

What if they just ran off, eloped, and came back married?

For a moment, just a few seconds, the idea appealed to him.

He liked the idea of being able to run off with Hannibal, just forgetting the idea of having a big wedding and dealing with all of this interminable planning.

Then the idea dissipated, and he knew that he couldn't do that to his lover. Hannibal was enjoying the wedding planning; he was in his element.

He couldn't take that joy away from his partner. He loved seeing the light in Hannibal's eyes when he talked about the reception, or how beautiful the church would look when the ceremony was conducted, or how he couldn't wait to see Will standing at the altar beside him.

And really, he couldn't wait to see those things, either. He couldn't bring himself to suggest that they elope, to cheat them both out of a beautiful wedding day.

He wanted to marry Hannibal in front of all the people they knew, to shout to the rooftops that he loved this man and wanted to become his in front of the world.

Marrying Hannibal was all that he'd ever wanted from the moment he'd met this man. He knew that the moment he looked into those dark eyes and said "I do," he would be transported to the stars; he would be the happiest man in the universe.

He couldn't cheat himself out of that. He wanted to stand in that beautiful church, with candles blazing all around them, and pledge himself to Hannibal.

The other man was gazing up at the stars again, a soft smile on his lips.

"We are there with the stars, Will," Hannibal said, so softly that Will could barely hear him. "They are a part of us. They exist within our hearts and souls."

Will could feel his heart filling with love -- and desire. "How is it that you always know the right thing to say?" he asked his fiancé smiling at the thought. "You always have the perfect words. The most romantic words. I can't even begin to compete with that."

Hannibal looked at him with love in those eyes, the eyes that Will loved to gaze into. The eyes that he knew would regard with love for all of their lives.

He could lose himself in those eyes, drown in them.

"This isn't a competition," Hannibal murmured. "I know that you love me, Will. You do not always have to express it in words. I can feel it in your gaze. Your touch."

His heart was melting in his chest; he was sure that if Hannibal wasn't holding on to him, he would become a puddle on the ground at his lover's feet.

"The stars we are reside in our hearts, Will," Hannibal continued, his voice very low and soft. "I never need to be told that you love me. I can simply feel it. Your touch tells me so. Your eyes when you look at me. Your smile. The tone of your voice. I just know."

Will nodded, blinking back tears. It was the same way that he himself knew of Hannibal's feelings for him. He didn't need to hear the words aloud.

He knew what his lover felt for him. He could hear it, feel it, sense it. And knowing that Hannibal loved him lifted him to the stars.

When they made love, he was amongst the stars.

Will let himself relax into Hannibal's embrace, looking up at the stars above them again. Somehow, he felt that he was a part of those stars, basking in their glow.

Those stars brought him a happiness and a contentment, just to be able to stand here wrapped in Hannibal's arms and look at them. "We are the stars," he said softly, not taking his gaze from the indigo of the sky and the silver stars that glittered there. "We're a part of them."

"Yes, we are, my love," Hannibal whispered before his mouth came down on Will's. The kiss they shared was long and deep, full of promises for the future.

Hannibal was the only star that would ever be in his sky.

***