Title: No Longer Alone
Author: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will Graham/Sherlock Holmes
Fandoms: Hannibal/Sherlock
Rating: PG-13
Table: 9, 50ficlets
Prompt: 36, Trust
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Will Graham or Sherlock Holmes, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Sherlock looked down at the man sleeping in his arms, feeling his heart clutch in his chest.

Will trusted him so much, depended on him so much. How could he be sure that he wouldn't let this man down in some way?

He wanted so much to live up to the expectations that Will had of him, and he hoped desperately that he could. But in some ways, he couldn't help feeling that Will had put him up on a pedestal, and Sherlock knew that it would be a long fall to the bottom.

How could he be sure that he wouldn't take some wrong turn, that he wouldn't make a wrong move that could completely change Will's image of him?

He sighed softly, closing his eyes and leaning his head back on the pillow.

Will loved him. He wasn't going to turn away simply because Sherlock might make a mistake; Will knew that he was only human, that he wasn't perfect.

He'd never felt that he had to live up to anyone's expectations before. Even when John had been working with him, he had never felt the need to be more than he was, to live up to anything that his colleague might expect him to be.

With Will, it was different. This man placed such trust in him; Will might not expect him to be some kind of Superman, but he wanted to be.

He wanted to be everything that Will could ever possibly want or need, and more. He wanted to live up to every dream, every expectation that Will could ever have, to be worthy of the trust that his boyfriend had so obviously placed in him.

He'd always felt that trust was a tenuous thing, easily broken, but not as easily given. trust was so hard to come by; many people found it difficult to give their trust.

He certainly did. He'd done so very rarely in his life.

Will seemed completely capable of giving that trust, even though Sherlock knew that it must be difficult for him, too, especially after all that he'd been through.

Yet Will was handing him that trust on a silver platter, making it clear that he knew Sherlock would protect him, that he felt safe. Had anyone ever told him that before? That they felt safe with him? He didn't think so. No one had ever trusted him that much.

He wanted to be worthy of Will's trust, to live up to it. He wanted to protect this man, to keep him safe and happy for the rest of their lives.

He wanted to be worthy of this man's love, the love that had been given to him so freely and openly. He wanted to know that he had earned that love.

Maybe he already had, by getting Will out of prison and bringing him here, by giving him a new life. But it didn't feel like nearly enough. He wanted to do so much more; he wanted to pledge himself to Will for the rest of their lives, and even beyond.

For the rest of their lives. The thought made Sherlock's eyes widened; he hadn't realized until that precise moment just what he had been thinking of.

Marriage. A legal bond. Lives spent together. Eternity spent together.

Yes, that was what he wanted. A lifetime with Will, all the days and nights of their future. Not only Will's trust, but his everlasting love.

Sherlock closed his eyes as the realization rocketed through him. He'd known that he was in love with Will, of course; he had known that from the very first kiss. But he hadn't realized the depth of his love until this moment, until he'd really contemplated their future.

He wanted to have this each and every night of his life -- Will falling asleep in his arms, holding his love as he fell asleep, knowing that they would wake next to each other.

If Will had given him his trust, then he had done the same. Before he'd met this man, he would never have trusted anyone to sleep by his side, in his arms -- he would never have let anyone dare to get this close to him, either physically or emotionally.

But Will had broken down all those walls that he'd built around himself. Will held his heart in those beautiful hands of his, and Sherlock knew that he would never let it break.

Will had his trust. His complete trust. And his love.

It almost felt odd to realize that he was utterly, completely in love -- but at the same time, it made him feel whole, complete in a way that he never had before.

So this was what it was like to love. This was what it was like to give one's heart, one's complete trust, to the person you loved. It was an entirely new feeling for him, and one that he welcomed. For the first time, Sherlock felt as though he'd joined the rest of the world.

No longer was he marching out of step, different from everyone else. He had found his love, his partner, the one he trusted with his heart, his soul, his very life.

He was no longer alone.

That thought filled him with a greater joy than he could ever have thought existed. He never had to fear loneliness again.

He would never have to be alone again, Sherlock told himself, smiling as he lay down beside Will, taking the young man into his arms. He had Will's love and trust, and they would always be his. And Will would have the same from him, in equal measure.

He would love Will for all of his life, and long after. And he knew that Will would love him just as much -- and that their trust in each other would never fade.

He fell asleep with a smile on his lips, dreaming of their future.

***