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Title: Glass Half Full
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will Graham/Lee Fallon
Fandom: Hannibal/The Big C
Rating: PG-13
Table: 20 in 20 Challenge, tv_universe
Prompt: 7, White
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Will Graham or Lee Fallon, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***


"You don't look sick," Will murmured, unwilling to believe the truth of what Lee was telling him. This beautiful man couldn't have cancer. He couldn't be dying. Will couldn't face having to lose him, when they had only just met.

But it had to be true. Lee didn't seem like the type of person who would lie, and certainly not about something like this.

He was dying. Will had lost him before they had even begun.

Lee shrugged, a small smile curving his lips. "I've been sick for a long time," he said softly, the words tinged with regret. "I've been through a lot of clinic trials, hoping that the next one will work. But none of them do. Still, I'm not ready to give up yet."

"You shouldn't." Will reached out to place his hand over Lee's, not sure why he was doing so. He barely knew this man; who was he to offer comfort?

But at the same time, how could he not? Just knowing the situation that Lee was in made him want to take this man in his arms, to hold him and tell him that everything was going to be all right, even though he knew it wasn't. But he had to offer hope.

If there was anything he could do, anything at all, he would do it.

"There are good and bad days," Lee said softly, looking into Will's eyes. "Some days are black, with no shades of grey. And some days are more white -- the glass is half full instead of half empty, y'know? Those are the days I try to live for."

"I'd like to be able to make your days stay in the white," Will told him, surprised to hear those words coming out of his mouth.

What was he saying? Was he offering to twist his own heart into some convoluted shape that would only break when Lee died? If his cancer was terminal, then he could only forestall the inevitable. He couldn't stop it. That would take a miracle.

But what if this trial he was taking part in worked?

If it did, then he and Lee could have a chance at a future together. The cancer might always be lurking in the background somewhere, but if the treatments that Lee was here in DC for had the desired effect, then he could have a long life ahead of him.

A life spent with Will. A life that they could share. He could already see their future -- coming home to Lee every night, the two of them curled up on the couch together watching television, doing the dishes in the kitchen, going to bed and making love.

He could see it so clearly, as though it was actually happening.

"I'd like that, too," Lee said softly, surprising Will by curling those long fingers around his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "But you've got to know that there might not be a future there, Will. You've got to be prepared for it."

"Let's not think about that," Will said firmly, shaking his head. "Let's think about this trial working, and you getting better. There's no reason to believe it won't happen."

"You're already doing a lot to keep this day in the white," Lee told him with a soft laugh, squeezing his hand again before letting it go. "Funny, I didn't come here to meet anybody. I'd given up on that part of my life. But here I am, contemplating a future with a guy I don't even know."

Will already had an answer for that.

"Well, then you should get to know me," he said, keeping his voice bright and optimistic. "If you're not doing anything tonight, I'd like to take you out to dinner. Or ...." He took a deep breath, wondering what Lee would say to his next suggestion. "I could cook for you at my house."

Lee raised a brow, but his smile told Will all he needed to know. Lee wasn't at all averse to the idea of the two of them spending time alone at Will's home.

"I'd love to," Lee told him, smiling again as he picked up his coffee cup. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to spend some time with you. I'm not a bad cook myself, so maybe we can both whip up something in the kitchen, if you're up for some help."

Will couldn't hold back his own smile at those words.

"That'd be great," he said, quickly writing his cell number down on a napkin. He had to laugh when he saw that Lee was doing the same thing. "Great minds think alike, huh?" he murmured as they exchanged napkins. "I'll give you a call when I get off work."

"Why don't I meet you here?" Lee suggested. "I'm staying at a hospice right now, and I'd rather you not get too caught up there."

Will nodded reluctantly, his brow creasing in a frown. "Why don't you stay with me?" he asked, not stopping to weigh the possibilities of his words. "That is, if you don't mind having to drive into town every day. I live way out in Wolf Trap."

Lee appeared to be weighing the invitation, then he smiled and nodded.

"That sounds great," he murmured, raising his gaze to Will's. "If you're sure you don't mind. I mean, I don't want to cause you any trouble." He looked uncertain for a moment. "But it'd be nice not to have to stay at the hospice. It's .... a little crowded there."

"You're staying with me," Will said firmly. "I know there are doctors at the hospice and all that, but if you need to see one, I can get you to town quickly."

"Will ...." Lee reached for his hand again, twining their fingers together. "I know we just met, but I feel like this is going somewhere. It's like you're this bright incandescent white light that's burning through my life, one that I never expected. And I like it."

"So do I," Will whispered, unable to look away.

He more than liked it. He felt the same as Lee, as if there was some kind of burning incandescence that surrounded them, locking the rest of the world out.

This wasn't going to end before it began. The treatments Lee was here for would work, and they would have a long and happy future together. The glass was indeed half full, and Will wanted the two of them to be able to fill it to overflowing.

***