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Title: Speak
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Table: 1drabble
Prompt: 10, Weakness
Author's Note: Sequel to "Ripples on the Surface."
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.

***

"Talk to me, Will." Hannibal's voice was very soft, but it was a firm command.

This wasn't a request, Will realized. Hannibal expected him to talk, to get everything that he was feeling offh is chest. But he didn't know where to start.

"I don't know what to say," he finally managed to mutter, not looking at the other man. "There's a lot I could talk about, I guess, but you'd know whether or not it was just a lot of crap that doesn't really get at what I'm thinking and feeling. You know me pretty well that way."

Hannibal nodded, looking over at the younger man. "Yes, Will, I do," he said, his voice soft and quiet. "And I know you well enough to know that you need to speak about what's bothering you."

Will sighed, acknowledging Hannibal's words as the truth.

Yes, he did need to talk about everything that had been going on. If he didn't, then he'd drive himself crazy by thinking about it all, turning it over in his mind without ever coming to a satisfactory conclusion. The questions he had would never be answered if he didn't ask them.

But at the same time, he didn't want to talk about what had happened. He couldn't help thinking that it would only cast him in the unpalatable role of a victim, and he didn't want that.

Still, what good would silence do? It would only isolate him more, and make him feel even more alone than he already did. That wasn't the way to go, either.

if he could talk to anyone about this, it was Hannibal. He had the feeling that this man wouldn't judge him, or expect more from him than he was willing to give. Hannibal wasn't going to see him as a victim. No, Hannibal would merely see him as someone to be helped, someone who needed a shoulder to lean on.

Did that make him seem weak? And did that really matter at the moment?

What did it matter if the one person who could see inside him, who understood him in so many ways, thought he was weak about this one issue? Maybe it was a good thing.

He couldn't always present himself to Hannibal as being strong and capable -- that would make him seem as though he had no reason to have Hannibal in his life. It would make his boyfriend feel as though he had no place, and that was the last thing that WIll wanted.

Because the truth was, he needed Hannibal more than ever. His weakness could be Hannibal's strength; he could be bolstered by the man who was his lover, which was the way it should be.

His gaze met Hannibal's, and he realized that the other man was patiently waiting for him to speak.

***