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Will doesn’t remember his mother. All he knows is that she left a couple of years after he was born. When father and son moved to Baltimore, Will’s father remarried and Will had a step-mother and a sister. Will and Alana were inseparable as kids. They were always together; at school, at the park, even holding each other’s hands if they were at the mall. Things changed when Alana began high school. She was a year older than Will, and yet it seemed like she was light years ahead of Will. They didn’t hang out so much after that. In fact, Will and Alana grew distant. Alana started hanging out with the popular kids; Will, who’d always had problems socialising, was mostly alone. Well, not always alone thanks to one Beverly Katz (his neighbour’s niece). While Alana climbed the social ladder (as it were) Beverly became Will’s new best friend. Eventually Alana graduated and got into med school. Will came out to his dad and step-mum, who surprisingly took the news well.
When he graduated high school, Will didn’t really know what he wanted to with his life. He and Beverly tried to get into the police academy. Beverly made it, Will didn’t. He tried all sorts of things after that. Will ended up taking drama classes and later joined the local theatre, while bussing tables at a restaurant near his new place; he and Beverly moved out of their home around the same time and ended up sharing an apartment. Once Beverly became a full-fledged policewoman, Will was the first she had called to break the good news. Will was happy for her, truly. He wondered if Alana would ever call him when she finally became a doctor. Yeah, they had really drifted apart. The only time Will gets news about his sister is when he calls home. He wondered how someone he was once close to in his childhood ended up a total stranger now.
As far as relationships were concerned, Will dated a few guys. They never lasted long, and Will didn’t really mind. Beverly tried to set him up with someone from work once. Matt was a rather shy forensics guy. He and Will got along fine, but there was no chemistry. They parted as friends. Last Will heard, Matt was being promoted to NYPD’s CSI team. Will then met Francis, who was the nephew of Will’s boss at the restaurant he worked at. Francis was tall, dark and handsome – Will’s type, as Beverly would tease him – and after a few stilted conversations, they thought of giving it a shot. Francis seemed like a truly gentle giant (he literally towered over Will) and he made Will feel safe. About a year into the relationship, Francis’ true colours began to show. They’d moved in together and Will had just been cast in the leading role in a modern-day production of Macbeth. With Will spending more time at the theatre and less time with his boyfriend, Francis wasn’t too happy about it.
They began to argue about small, silly things (wet towels on the floor, unwashed dishes, expired milk or juice, who’s turn it was to do the laundry). Then one day Francis came to the theatre to watch Will rehearse. That should have been a sign something was up, since Francis never really cared about Will’s love for acting. As soon as they got home, he began to interrogate Will about all the other actors, particularly the one who played Will’s stage-wife.
Molly Foster? Oh she’s really good, Francis…she managed to memorise her lines faster than the rest of us. She wanted to become a ballerina once, but she broke her ankle falling off a ladder…
Do you enjoy kissing her off-stage, William?
Another sign Will should have noticed – no one ever called him William, not even his dad. Will’s naïve response was to laugh and tease Francis about being jealous. In return, Francis broke a few plates while accusing Will of cheating on him. Will kept denying it, because really…Molly was married with a son (and another on the way), and he never thought of her as a potential lover. They had quite a screaming match and Francis slammed the door on his way out. Will didn’t see him for two days. They made-up again when Francis returned, apologising and saying that he was just scared Will would leave him. Will assured his boyfriend that he would never leave him. Things didn’t get any better after that. A week or so later, they had yet another fight. A month after that first argument was the first time Francis hit Will. Will was too shocked to defend himself at first. Francis later begged an apology and Will forgave him.
It went on from time to time, until that one night when Francis started choking him. Will began to fight back. He scratched and clawed at Francis’ strong arms. He’d managed to kick himself free and lock himself in the bedroom. Francis kept banging on the door, screaming profanities, calling Will a ‘whore’. Will’s shaking fingers dialled 911. It felt like eternity before Will heard the front door burst open. Will slowly opened the bedroom door just in time to see two policemen drag Francis out (who was still shouting). Beverly was there too, coincidentally she was patrolling the area with her new rookie partner. She hugged Will as soon as he came out.
Oh my god! Are you ok? Will? Hey, tell me…I’ll make sure he rots in a cell without windows!
Will coughed out a response. He was too shaken up to say or do anything. He let Beverly guide him into the squad car and she drove him to the ER. Once he was checked out, Will cried in Beverly’s arms while he gave his statement. Will vowed to never get into another relationship again. But it all changed when he met one Hannibal Lecter, MD. He was the epitome of a Roman God. Tall, dark, handsome barely described him. His European accent did funny things to Will’s insides. He was gentle, kind, an amazing cook, (rich)…and he was dating Will’s sister Alana. Damn did the universe really hate Will Graham that much?
He didn't mean to steal his sister's boyfriend, but Will had always found Hannibal attractive. He even caught Hannibal looking at him suggestively numerous times. Then something happened: he knew this was wrong, but he couldn't help himself. And neither could his lover. From the first time they kissed, there was always something brewing between them; and that first kiss seemed to have ignited a smouldering passion. It was late one evening when Will was driving back to his apartment. He happened to see Hannibal standing by his stalled car on the side of the road. It was pouring buckets, and Hannibal seemed to be trying, unsuccessfully, to hitch a ride. Will slowed to a stop and rolled down his window a little. He honked and waved to Hannibal, who immediately got into the car.
They went back to Will's apartment. Will coaxed Hannibal into taking a hot shower, while he rummaged through his closet for some dry clothes. Will found some in a box, which belonged to his ex-boyfriend Francis. After that night, Will had boxed up all of his ex’s stuff and given them away; he must have missed a box. Will remembered Francis all too vividly; his possessive nature, his temper especially when he tried to hit Will one time too many. Shaking his head to clear the unpleasant memories, Will grabbed a shirt and a pair of jeans, and left it by the sink while Hannibal showered. Thru the shower curtain, Will glanced at Hannibal’s naked silhouette and almost choked. Mentally scolding himself, he rushed out of the bathroom. He then busied himself in the kitchen making both of them something warm to drink. Hot cocoa was always a go-to pleasure, especially on cold days.
Once Will was done, he turned around...only to walk right into Hannibal. Time seemed to stop right then. They stared at each other; Hannibal with his damp hair falling over his eyes, Will blushing deeply at the sight of Hannibal in Francis' clothes. No one knows who moved first then all at once they were in each other's arms, kissing frantically. Eventually, Will and Hannibal ended up naked and sweaty in Will's bed. Suffice to say, this became a frequent occurrence since that day. Will knew he should feel guilty about lying to his sister, but he'd fallen in love with Hannibal – ever since he met Hannibal last Christmas. Will had come home for the holiday season and Alana brought her boyfriend to meet the family. Will was smitten, yet he suffered much angst at the thought of never being with someone like Hannibal.
Alana found out. Will knew it would happen one day. He was in Hannibal’s house, lounging on the sofa by the fireplace. Hannibal was leaning over him and they were exchanging lazy kisses after a round of incredibly hot sex. A gasp followed by a shout broke them apart. Hannibal quickly stood up, tying the tails of his robe securely. Will covered himself with the quilt.
What the hell is going on here?
Alana! I…let me explain…
Hannibal’s words were cut short by a slap across his face. Will buried his head in his hands, willing this to be a bad dream which he would eventually wake up from. He heard them both argue outside the room, but didn’t really pay attention to what was being said. He then heard the clicking of Alana’s heels as she marched up to the front door (which was then slammed with great force). When Will looked up again, Hannibal walked back into the room with a sheepish grin.
I don’t suppose you’d like to stay for dinner, Will.
Will laughed so hard, he thought he’d just piss himself. Once he recovered, he joined Hannibal in the shower and then stayed for dinner (and of course stayed the rest of the night too). Will didn’t really care. All that mattered to him now was being in the arms of someone who loved him. When he first realised he was in love with Hannibal, he’d called Beverly. He panicked and he desperately wanted someone to talk to. Beverly listened, admonished him for being so foolish, but all the same asked him if he was happy and if this was what he wanted. She then told him that he had to come clean with Alana. Will procrastinated, naturally. It’s not that he didn’t want Alana to know. It’s just that…it had been so long since they really talked. Back when they were growing up, they barely spoke even when they attended the same school. Alana was now busy at the hospital anyway; Will’s last theatrical performance garnered rave reviews, so now he was sought after by quite a few directors. So yeah, there was never really a chance for Will to say anything.
Fast forward to now, Will doesn’t know what to say or do once he reaches his family home. It was Christmas Eve and this time Will was bringing a date for the family dinner. He doesn’t know if Alana would be there, or if she would even talk to him. He doesn’t know if his dad and step-mother know about Hannibal. They may have met him a few times, but Will wondered if Alana told them about everything else. He glanced at Hannibal, who slowed down just as they reached the once familiar street. When the car stopped, Hannibal gripped Will’s hand and brought it up to his lips.
Don’t worry, Will. I’ll be right beside you.
And this gave Will the confidence to get out of the car to greet his family…