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Title: Where the Heart Belongs
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Table: 8, 50ficlets
Prompt: 33, Heart
Author's Note: This is a 50-ficlet AU series for Will/Hannibal. In this universe, the two of them are deeply in love with each other, though neither knows quite how to bring that love out into the open.
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.

***

Will sighed as he studied himself in the mirror in the bathroom, running a hand through his hair. It had been a few days since Hannibal had come to visit him, and he was missing having the other man's presence here in his home.

Of course, Hannibal didn't live here; he had to go back to his own home in Baltimore. He couldn't expect his lover to stay with him all the time.

But it would be nice if Hannibal felt that he could stay here overnight at some point, Will thought wistfully. Just to have him here for one night, that was all he wanted. To have Hannibal sleep beside him, holding him in those strong arms ....

He quickly tore his mind away from those thoughts. They were .... dangerous.

Thoughts like that would make him want to get in his car and drive to Baltimore, to show up at Hannibal's front door, even though it was nearly ten o'clock at night. Hannibal was more than likely already settling down for bed with a good book.

He himself would more than likely spend another sleepless night, though he would try to think up excuses to stay up and not have to turn out the lights.

They'd seen each other in the last few days; he had gone to Baltimore twice, once for a session, and once just to see Hannibal. He couldn't help but smile at the memory of how the other man's face had seemed to light up when he'd opened the front door.

It was as though seeing Will had made his day.

And for all Will knew, maybe it had. Now that they were a couple, he felt more comfortable going to the other man's house; he felt more as though he was walking into ... well, a home, rather than a place that he'd always thought of as Hannibal's office.

The house had taken on a character that he'd never seen in it before. He noticed small things, little bits and pieces of Hannibal's life spread around the house.

He had never really stopped to think about the fact that Hannibal actually lived in that large house. By hismelf. His heart constricted at the thought that Hannibal might be lonely, living alone, sleeping alone .... just as he himself was. Lonely and alone.

Not alone any more, he reminded himself. Never alone.

Neither of them would ever have to be alone again. They had each other now; even though they lived in their own separate homes, and those homes were far apart, they were never alone. Hannibal was always in his heart, and he was sure that he had a firm place in Hannibal's.

Still, he was starting to wish that they lived closer to each other; just knowing that Hannibal was an hour away at the moment made his heart ache.

Did Hannibal feel the same? He wondered about that; he was sure that Hannibal thought about him when they weren't together, but did he feel this aching within him, this almost irresistible urge to come to Will just so they could be in each other's presence?

Did Hannibal feel that way? Or was it only him?

Of course Hannibal felt the same way. He had to. Hannibal loved and wanted him; his heart had to ache when they were apart, too. But Will didn't see any way around that problem; neither of them would be willing to give up their homes and move.

Hannibal really couldn't do that; he had his practice in Baltimore, and he couldn't very well live out here in Wolf Trap and commute that far every day.

Other people did it all the time, though, a little voice argued in the back of Will's mind. Some people drove even further than that to go to work on a daily basis. And wouldn't it be more comfortable for Hannibal to live out here, to be able to get away from the city?

He had to smile at that thought. Hannibal would never want to live here.

His lover was far too cosmopolitan to want to live out here in the country. He might like coming out here for a weekend, but living here on a permanent basis? The very thought would make Hannibal back away. It wasn't something that was in the cards.

So, if they were going to be together on a more regular basis, it would be Will who had to move. And he knew that he couldn't bring himself to do that.

He loved Hannibal, and wanted to be closer to him. But this was only the beginning of their relationship. He didn't have to think about them moving in together, or even about himself moving closer to Hannibal, just yet. Things could stay as they were. For now.

But eventually, they'd have their future to think about.

For now, it was enough that they were a couple. They were still taking small steps forward, feeling their way along into this relationship, even though their hearts were already firmly engaged. There was no reason to think so far ahead as living together.

Will sighed softly, pushing those thoughts firmly to the back of his mind and locking them away. He had more than enough to think about already.

He didn't have to worry about where his heart belonged. It was Hannibal's, and if that meant that he would eventually have to give up living in Wolf Trap to be closer to the man he loved, then so be it. But that time wasn't now.

Their hearts would tell them what to do when the time came.

***