Chapter Text
You were a new writer in town. You had just moved into the area and had met Jack Crawford. A very blunt man who you secretly admired. Though he pushed people a little too far sometimes, you could see his good intent. It’s what led you to visit the BAU. You always brought something with you, whether it be drinks, snacks, or lunch. You also helped the best you can while writing articles on the team and sometimes a singular person. So far, you had done Jack, Bev, Brian, Alana, and Jimmy. The last two that needed to be written were Hannibal Lector and Will Graham.
You had been putting off on writing these two, following Jack’s orders. You may be new to writing, but you wanted their permission first. You didn’t want to write anything that could harm them or damage their reputation. It’s one of the many reasons why you always asked before you wrote about them, and always made sure to skip over topics that they didn’t want to answer.
After a while, you decided to work up the courage to ask Will, not only about himself but also Hannibal. Hannibal slightly intimidated you, so you always tried your best to be polite and avoid him. You bring the last cup of hot chocolate to Will, hoping he’ll like it. Everyone else had already gotten theirs, minus you since you didn’t buy yourself one. You didn’t have enough money to get one for yourself, but that didn’t matter. As long as the others got something and were happy, then you didn’t care.
“Hello, Will,” You say as you set his cup of hot chocolate beside him. “Mind if I take a seat?” Will’s head shakes slightly as he goes over the words on the most recent killer. “I would like to ask you a few questions. I’m sure you know that I’ve been writing everyone here on the team. If there are any questions you feel are too personal, you can tell me and I’ll skip them.” You pause, waiting for Will to say anything. He looks up and gives you a nod to continue. “If you don’t want me to write about you now or ever, just say so and I’ll leave you be.”
“I’ve seen your work. It’s much better than Freddie Lounds. You don’t write anything incorrect and always wait for permission to write on any topics. You’re a very good write and considerate of others.” He stops for a second, searching your eyes before he continues. “I wouldn’t mind you writing about me. As long as it’s nothing incriminating or damages my reputation, then I’m okay with it.”
“Okay!” You say, your eyes brightening up. “If you don’t mind, I’d also like to Talk About Hannibal Lector with you. I’d talk to him myself but he’s quite… intimidating.” You hold your smile, despite it being slightly shaky with nervousness. “I’m not sure if we can, but if not, that’s fine. I’ll work up the courage to ask him myself at some point.” You let out a nervous chuckle at that. Will gives his usual smile and nods.
“I doubt we can talk about him, but fire away with your questions. I need a distraction from the case for a bit anyway.” You nod enthusiastically and start to ask him question after question. You write down notes as you ask and receive answers. When it comes to sensitive topics, you keep a smile on your face and reassure Will that you’ll only put what he wants to be answered in the papers and that he doesn’t have to answer any questions he doesn’t want to.
“You’re are much better than Freddie, she likes to hound people for answers and you just skip over the questions I didn’t feel comfortable answering. Thank you, for that.” You let out a small laugh and pat Will’s shoulder in reassurance.
“I pride myself in not being Freddie. I don’t want people to feel uncomfortable talking with me. I also don’t like it when others hound people for answers when they know it’s insensitive.” You tell him. You nearly jump out of your skin when you feel a hand land on your shoulder.
“You can’t have said it better than I, [Redacted],” Hannibal says, removing his hand from your shoulder. “And apologies, that was quite rude of me to not announce my presence.”
“No, no, it’s fine. I don’t ever pay attention to my surroundings.” You say, brushing it off.
“May I ask what you are doing, [Redacted]?” Hannibal asks, you making you nod slightly.
“I was just writing about Will here. He, besides you, was the only one I haven’t written about,” You explain, flipping your notes to a different page. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions? We can skip over any you don’t wish to answer.” You ask him, making sure to keep your nervousness hidden.
“I can spare a few, as long as you don’t mind me sitting down with you two.” You smile and gesture him to take a seat. As soon as he sits down, your face levels out and you go into questioning mode, making sure to write down his responses. After a while of questioning and a few jokes shared, you close your notebook.
“Thank you. You two were the last I needed to write. Now that I have what I need, I can get to writing.” You say, putting away your notebook in your messenger bag. As you started to sort everything in your messenger bag, you missed the looks both Will and Hannibal were giving each other and you. After sorting through everything, you stand up and push in your chair. “I’d stay longer, but I’d rather get all this typed out and published before I get behind. I’ll you both tomorrow, I presume?” I ask, adjusting your strap.
“Yes, we’ll both be here. We’re hoping to get the most recent case solved tomorrow,” Hannibal says, sitting straight. You give him a nod, taking in his words.
“I’ll be around noon,” You tell them, shifting your weight to one of your feet. “I have some appointments in the morning that I can’t miss.”
“What kind, if you don’t mind me asking?” Will asks, making small talk.
“Doctor appointments. My doctor believes I may need to go on some new medication since the one I have hasn’t been working as it should.” You tell them, making sure to not give anything away. You’ve been taking anxiety meds to help you with your severe anxiety. They haven’t been working as they should have. With the information in hand, you bid them goodbye before leaving.