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Title: Intimate Knowledge
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Table: narrative_x_10
Prompt: Story 10
Author's Note: Sequel to "From the Inside Out."
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. soar

***

Hannibal smiled as he glanced the clock, leaning back in his desk chair and letting himself relax. In less than an hour, Will should be here, seated in front of him and waiting for their session to begin. It would be another night of the games that Hannibal enjoyed.

He hadn't planned to take Will to bed tonight, but he was starting to feel that it would be a satisfactory ending to the evening. Just thinking of Will could ignite a fire in his belly, one that quickly spread over his body and swamped him with desire.

He had never wanted anyone in the way that he wanted Will Graham. That was both a blessing and a curse, both pleasurable and dangerous.

Wanting Will this badly could get him into trouble. It could make him let down his guard; it could cause him to make mistakes where he couldn't afford to let anything slip. But he was willing to take that risk. Having Will was worth facing a bit of danger.

Having Will was worth anything he might have to risk.

When he had first met the young man, he had been intrigued by Will's mannerisms; it had been completely obvious to him that Will was trying to hide himself away, that he didn't want anyone to notice him, much less get to know him.

But he had slipped behind those protective barriers that Will kept wrapped so tightly around himself. He had gotten into the young man's mind, and he intended to stay there. He was a part of Will now, a part of his psyche. He was figuratively inside Will.

Of course, he was inside the young man literally as well, at times. That thought made him smile; Hannibal closed his eyes, reliving the memory of the last time he and Will had been intimate. It had been glorious, more pleasurable than he could have ever dreamed.

Will Graham was perfect for him. The perfect lover, the perfect pawn. They had been meant to find each other, to come together physically and mentally.

Will was meant to be his. It wouldn't have been so easy for him to slip behind Will's barriers if they weren't meant for each other, meant to be together. Will might not realize that fact yet, but someday he would -- even if he had to be made to see it.

Hannibal knew just how to accomplish that.

He wouldn't let Will run away from the fact that they were destined for each other. Will might be afraid of that destiny; he might want to turn away from it, to pretend that it didn't exist. He didn't want anyone to know him, to be as close to him as Hannibal was.

But Will didn't have much of a choice in this, did he? Hannibal smiled again, a predatory expression on his features. No, this wasn't Will's decision to make. Will had no choice in this matter, no will of his own when it came to what Hannibal planned for him.

And in the end, Will would want this. Hannibal would make sure of that. He would want to be known, inside and out.

He was still working his way towards that point, but he would discover, sooner or later, that having someone know him intimately, inside and out, wasn't entirely a bad thing. And that was when Hannibal would have achieved the goal he had set for himself.

The goal of knowing Will Graham in every possible way, of getting inside his heart and soul. He wanted to know Will in a way that was soul deep, a way that bonded the two of them as nothing else could, a way that would make Will his forever.

He wouldn't rest until he had done just that.

Will had to be his. He had known that ever since he'd first laid eyes on the young man; his desire for Will had flared hot and high even at that first meeting. He had known then, from that precise moment when they had first looked into each other's eyes, just what he wanted.

He didn't merely want Will Graham in his bed. He wanted Will bonded to him, as a part of his life, a part of him that couldn't be excised.

That was a dangerous desire, and he'd acknowledged it as such from the very first. But no one had ever affected him in the way that Will did. No one had ever made his body burn in this particular way; no one had ever captured his imagination so thoroughly.

Had Will captured his heart as well? That was an interesting question, though he didn't really think so. He couldn't honestly say that he was in love with Will, though he was fond of the young man. Still, it was a question to ponder.

Was he capable of loving Will? He had never really put that question to himself. He would like to think that he was, but he wasn't sure. Hannibal didn't think that he had the capacity to love -- only to manipulate. But with Will, perhaps it was a different story.

Perhaps knowing Will was to love him.

At least knowing Will in the way that he did, he amended. Will wasn't easy to know; having the deeply intimate knowledge of his psyche that Hannibal did was something special. Perhaps simply knowing Will in that kind of capacity was a form of love.

Knowing Will from the inside out had come easily to him -- but thee was still one area he hadn't managed to conquer. He didn't know what was in Will's heart, and there were times when he doubted that he ever would -- or that he even wanted to.

If he knew what was hidden in the confines of those chambers, he might discover that Will didn't think as highly of him as Hannibal wanted him to -- and that would never do.

In some ways, he didn't want to know what Will's deepest thoughts of him were. It was enough for him to know that Will was mesmerized by him, that Will wanted to be with him. He didn't need to know whether or not Will fancied himself in love with him.

Or did he? Hannibal's brow creased at the thought. Did he want to take that step? Did he want to go even more deeply into Will Graham's psyche, to find out exactly what this young man's feelings for him were? Did he want to take on that responsibility?

Being loved could be a burden. One that he didn't want.

He didn't want Will to love him -- and he definitely didn't want Will to know him with that same intimate knowledge. If Will knew his secrets, then his life would be forfeit. Maybe not in the near future, but at some point that Hannibal couldn't see yet.

He didn't want that. He didn't want to lose Will, not when he had so recently found him. He wanted this to last for as long as it possibly could, until he knew that there was nothing left for them and that it was time for Will to exit the stage.

That would be unfortunate, but Hannibal didn't doubt that it had to happen at some point. His soul deep knowledge of Will told him that the young man would never be able to accept him, as either a friend or a lover, once his secrets were known.

But that would be a long time in coming, Hannibal told himself, another smile curving his lips. For now, he was free to enjoy Will, in so many different ways.

And tonight, he would come to know the young man even more intimately.

***