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Title: Pushing the Fear Away
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will Graham/Aiden Gillan
Fandom: Hannibal/Blood and Chocolate
Rating: PG-13
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.

***

It was so hard not to be scared.

But giving in to fear would only give the monsters what they wanted, Aiden told himself resolutely as he stared around him at the woods surrounding Will's house.

They fed on fear, on adrenaline. If his fear ruled him, they would smell it on him, and it would only bring out the beasts that hid under the human facades.

He couldn't risk that. He had to tamp down on his fear, push it aside and slam an inner door shut on it. Yes, in a way, fear would keep him alive -- and he had a lot to be afraid of. But it could also cripple him, and at this point, he had to face those fears down.

He'd discovered just how brutal and ruthless the werewolves could be. He knew from firsthand experience what they could do if they lost control.

Twice now, he had come close to being killed -- both here and in Romania. He wasn't going to go through that again. This time, he would bring them to an end.

This time, he wasn't alone. Will had his back.

He could trust Will. The other man wasn't going to turn and run, and he wouldn't turn to the other side if he thought that they had no chance of being on the winning side.

Will was the bravest person he'd ever met. He wouldn't back down; he would fight to the end, which amazed Aiden, considering that Will didn't even know him very well. There weren't many people who would put their lives on the line for a virtual stranger. He didn't think anyone would.

Yet .... it didn't feel as though they were strangers. There was something about Will that drew him close, that made him want to get to know the other man better.

Much, much better. In very intimate ways.

Aiden could feel the hot flush of color rush up his neck and into his cheeks at the thought; it was a good thing that Will wasn't standing here with him to see it.

He didn't doubt that Will would ask him why he was blushing, and he didn't want to reveal his thoughts to the other man .Not yet. This wasn't the time for that.

He just hoped that there would be a time when they could talk about such things.

It startled Aiden to realize that he wanted a future with Will. After what had been done to him, he wouldn't have thought that he wanted anything to do with any man.

But Will was different. He knew instinctively that Will would never harm him, that he would never have anything to fear from this man. He could give Will his body, his heart, and his soul, and trust that they would be held and cherished and taken good care of.

This was what he'd been looking for all of his life, and never thought that he would find. He'd thought that he had found it once before, but he had been so wrong.

Aiden hoped that he hadn't found his heart's desire too late.

He felt a rush of fear spread through his body -- fear that he and Will wouldn't have a future, that they wouldn't win the battle that lay ahead of them.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He couldn't let himself think like that. He had to keep a positive attitude; if he didn't, then they were halfway to being defeated already.

And anyway, for all he knew, Will wasn't even interested in him in that way. He couldn't be sure, even though he had the feeling that Will was attracted to men, just as he was. It was something that they would have to talk about -- but it would have to wait until after they had endured a trial by fire.

What would their future be like, if Will was indeed interested in him? Aiden smiled at the thought, letting himself drift off into a daydream of being with Will.

He could see himself living here, the two of them being happy together. It was really all that he wanted. Being here with Will, making a life with the other man, seemed like a dream come true.

It was a dream that he could happily fall into and immerse himself in.

But first, they had to deal with what was going to happen -- and he didn't doubt for one moment that the werewolves would come after them. After him.

It was a terrifying thought, and one that made the fear rise within him again. What if he and Will couldn't withstand the pack? What if they lost this battle? How many more people would be hurt, unsuspecting victims of the monsters that he had all too much personal knowledge of?

Aiden took another deep breath, pushing the fear away. He couldn't let it control him; he couldn't give in to it. If he did, then they'd lost before they had even begun to fight.

He was going to face this -- and they were going to win.

They were going to defeat the werewolves, kill them and make sure that no more would take their place. He didn't know just how they'd manage it, but they would find a way.

After all, two heads trying to figure this out were better than one. With Will on his side, they would come up with a plan that could say the day.

Well, he hoped they would, anyway. They had to.

If they didn't, the alternative wasn't something he wanted to contemplate.

***