Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Will stared at the small card that Beverly had just handed to him, a puzzled expression on his face. "Open it!" she urged, evidently excited, telling by the tone of her voice. Will unfolded the card and his eyes widened as he read the words inside. "A wedding invitation? Are you getting married?" he asked,suddenly curious what this could be about.
Beverly shook her head, "What? No! It's from Alana and Margot. They want to know if you can come." Why didn't Alana ask him directly? "Why didn't Alana just ask me herself?" 
Beverly brushed off his comment, focusing on the main question at hand. "Well That's beside the point!, are you up for it or not?" she asked. 
Will hesitated, not really wanting to attend the wedding. Besides, who would he even go with? But Beverly's pleading eyes made it difficult for him to refuse. 

"I'll think about it," he finally replied, watching as a wide grin spread across her face. "Good! I'll let Alana know," Beverly exclaimed,excitedly. 
Will silently hoped that she wouldn't ask him any questions. Unfortunately, his wish didn't come true. 
"So, any special someone you're planning to bring?" "Do you have a girlfriend, or perhaps a boyfriend?" Will cringed at Beverly's interrogation of his dating life
.It had been over a year since his last relationship, but she didn't need to know that.
 "Yeahh, yeah of course," he replied, his voice cracking slightly. Beverly saw right through his lie. "Come on, Will." I can tell when you're lying. Your shoulders tense up and your voice gets higher at the end of your sentences," she pointed out, a knowing smile on her face.

Heat rushed to Will's cheeks, of course she knew. Why did he even bother with lying to her?

She was, after all, a detective."You know, I actually know someone who would be more than happy to go with you," Beverly stated,looking at him with a knowing look.
Will stared at her in disbelief. "Are you trying to set me up?
"Well, I guess you could call it that," she teased while rummaging through the pockets of her lab coat in search of a pen. "Do you happen to have any paper?" Will, still Dumbfounded, handed her a small notepad. Enthusiastically, she scribbled down a phone number and an address on the small paper square and handed it to him. "Wait, so you're suggesting that I should call this random stranger that I know nothing about and go : Hey, do you want to go to a wedding with me?" Will questioned, raising an eyebrow. “I don't really think it works like that” 
The black haired woman considered that for a moment before responding, "It's really up to you how you handle it. You don't even have to call if you don't want to. I'm just giving you the information,and you do what you want with it " "Well, thank you for your service then" Will folded the paper and slipped it into his pocket.

 Bev seemed satisfied with her attempt at matchmaking "You're welcome," she stated before being abruptly interrupted by a ringing phone. 
She picked it up and started hastily throwing her arms around, gesturing towards the door before quickly making her way to the autopsy lab. Moments later, Will's phone buzzed in his pocket.
*New message from Beverly Katz*
*Sorry for running off like that. Jack called me in.*
He didn't bother with responding since the reason she fled was made quite obvious by her improvised sign language. 

He left a note on his desk and decided to head home since his work for the day was done. The hour-long car ride back home felt never-ending. Once he arrived, he went about his usual routine. He fed his dogs and showered.A few hours later, he gathered the courage to call the number Beverly had given him.It wasn't something he would usually do, but he was willing to give it a shot for Bev's sake. After all, she seemed to know and like this person. What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter Text

The phone rang once, twice, interrupting the silence in the room.
Will was just about to hang up, assuming that no one would answer, when a deep, husky voice finally spoke on the other end.

"Doctor Hannibal Lecter's office, who am I speaking with?" the man questioned. His voice sent a shiver down Will's spine,
He hesitated for a moment, taken aback by the strange sensation in his stomach.
Will took a deep breath, trying to compose himself.
"This is Will Graham. I, uh, I got your number from Beverly Katz," he stammered.
The voice on the other end softened. "Ah, yes, Mr. Graham. May I ask why she gave you my number?" “Well, I had a little.. problem, but it's a rather odd request”
“I'm sure I have heard much odder, go ahead.”
" A colleague asked me to attend her wedding, but I didn't have a date. So Beverly tried to set me up with you," Will blurted out, Not realizing how quickly the words had escaped his mouth.
Will heard a chuckle on the other end of the line.
"Is that so?" Will confirmed, feeling his cheeks grow warm with embarrassment. "I understand if you're not interested or if it's too unusual of a request. I just thought I'd give it a shot," Will said, his voice filled with uncertainty. There was a thoughtful pause before the voice replied "Will, attending a wedding with someone you've never met is indeed quite unconventional. But I must admit, I'm intrigued," the other admitted.
The doctor's use of his first name made his cheeks heat. Why was he reacting like this?
"You are?" he asked, genuinely surprised. Beverly had mentioned that the man would behappy to go with him but Will had assumed she was just trying to make him feel better.
"Yes, I am," the man assured "I find it rather brave that you called, especially considering your... unusual request. Also, Beverly speaks highly of you, so I'm inclined to trust her judgment."
A sense of relief flooded through Will. "Thank you. I appreciate your openness to this... situation,"
"It's no bother at all. Perhaps we could meet for dinner beforehand?"
Wills excitement was going through the roof “that sounds perfect, Thank you”
"My pleasure," "I'll send you the details. Until then."

"Until then," Will echoed, he waited until the other hung up.

….

“Holy fuck.” Did he really just do this??? Yes, he did. Oh my god, he actually did it!

At that moment he lept up from the edge of the bed and performed some sort of victory dance. Curiosity lit up in Will like a flame and he decided to search the internet. Maybe he could find some pictures of this Doctor Lecter.

And find pictures he did. As he scrolled through the images of the handsome, visibly slightly older man, a smitten grin curled upon Will's lips. "Oh no, oh no, he's hot," he murmured to himself. After a while, he stumbled upon a Facebook profile. The man was ten years older than him But Will, who was almost 40, absolutely didn't care. Unfortunately, he found little more. However this motivated him to contact Beverly.
She picked up almost immediately. "Did you do it?" she asked eagerly, not giving him a chance to speak.

"Yes, I did!" Will replied, hearing Beverly's quiet shrieks of excitement through the phone. "Did I ever tell you how much I appreciate you as a friend?" "Also, thank you for not mentioning how extremely and I mean remarkably attractive he is, or else I might not have made that phone call."

Beverly chuckled. "What did he say?"

"He wants to go to dinner with me so we can get to know each other. He also mentioned that you “spoke highly of me” "What's that about huh bev?” He said jokingly.
“I confess I was also ranting to him about you several times.”
“Oh, really” Will said, acting insulted.
“I did also mention your good looks so you can’t blame me for ranting a little,” Beverly replied, mockingly.

"I guess I can't," Will conceded. "Well, anyway, I need to get back to work, Will. Text me if anything happens." "I will," Will assured her before ending the call.

A few moments later, a notification appeared on his phone screen.
*Are you free tomorrow at 6pm?*
Will quickly typed in his answer. "Yes, that's perfect."

Relieved, he placed his phone back on the bedside table.