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Title: The Very First Time
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: One-shot.
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.

***

"Do you remember the first time we met, Will?"

Will smiled at Hannibal's words; he did indeed remember that first time. Every moment of it was etched into his memory, as crystal-clear as though it had only happened yesterday.

He hadn't been sure that he even liked Hannibal at first, but there had been something about this man that had drawn him in. Something that he hadn't been able to resist.

He still couldn't put his finger on just what the attraction between them was, but he had stopped trying to figure it out. And he had stopped trying to keep himself from falling in love with Hannibal. That would have been impossible; loving the man was an inevitability in his life.

Oh, he'd tried to hold that love back. He'd tried to tell himself that it was wrong, that it shouldn't happen, that such an emotion had no place in their friendship.

But he hadn't been able to keep that love from shining through. And wonder of wonders, Hannibal felt the same way about him. He'd said it often enough.

He'd said those three words himself, more times than he could count.

"I remember every second of it," he said softly, glancing at his boyfriend. He reached out to take Hannibal's hand, feeling happier than he'd ever thought he could be.

Whenever he'd been walking in these woods surrounding his house before, he'd always been alone. This had been the place that he'd come to think, to meditate.

The place seemed transformed now that he was walking through it with someone he loved. The colors of the leaves on the trees seemed brighter; the animals scurrying through the underbrush were livelier. Everything around him felt as though it was bursting with life, hope, promise.

For the first time since he'd joined the FBI, he felt as though he had a purpose in life. Not just in his professional life, but in his private life, as well.

Was this how everyone felt when they fell in love? he wondered. Did every person who succumbed to that emotion feel that everything in their life had finally fallen into place?

He knew that it wasn't going to be easy to carve out a future with Hannibal. There were still so many blank space in what he knew about the man he loved, so much that Hannibal had never told him. And there were things about himself that he'd never told Hannibal, either.

Still, he was confident that over time, the two of them would open up to each other even more. After all, they'd already said those all-important three little words many times over.

If they could be open and honest enough with each other to say those words, then they could come to trust each other with anything, including the dark parts of their pasts.

At least, he hoped that would be the case.

"Who would have known that our first meeting would lead to this?" Will murmured, squeezing his lover's hand gently. "I never would have guessed back then that I'd fall in love with you."

Hannibal shook his head, a soft smile curving his lips. He stopped walking, turning to Will and sliding both arms around his young lover's waist, pulling him close.

"I knew, Will," he said, his voice very soft and husky. "I knew when I first looked at you that I would fall in love with you. I knew, the very first time you smiled at me, that you would capture my heart. I knew that I was destined for you, and that you would become my entire life."

Will blinked back the tears that rushed unbidden to his eyes. He hadn't expected such a romantic declaration, not from Hannibal. The words floored him; he had nothing to say in response.

What could he say to such a beautiful expression of love? All that he could do was lean closer to Hannibal, his blue gaze locked with the other man's.

When their lips met, the kiss expressed all that each of them felt.

He should have known from their very first meeting that he would feel this way, Will told himself. He should have had some inkling, some premonition of what his emotions would grow into.

But he hadn't, and that was all right, really. Because getting here had been a wondrous journey, and he didn't doubt that they would still have years, even decades, of journeys ahead of them. The road might not always be easy to navigate, but with Hannibal by his side, that journey would always be an interesting one.

From the very first time their eyes had met, it had all been leading up to this, to falling in love, to giving his heart away, to this passionate kiss here in the privacy of the woods.

His grip tightened on Hannibal's shoulders as the kiss grew more intense.

Oh, yes, he should have known how he would feel from that first glance, Will thought, his senses swirling, love and desire all bundled into one glorious feeling.

The future was a mystery, but Will was sure that together, he and Hannibal could make their way through it -- even if they might have to face some obstacles along the way.

***