I swallowed a knife
I hold it in.
And every single time I breathe,
I cut a bit of me.
And it leaves my heart open.

- Stephanie Dosen

Fire engulfed the building. Flames of different reds and oranges flicked their tendrils at the grey sky above. The world was burning around him, determined that he goes down with it. Their was distant barking, seemingly next to him but also miles away. The glass windows shattered behind him, flying in all directions and piercing Will in the arm. Blinking dully, he pulled it out with a loud sucking sound. The blood mesmerized him more than it should; entranced at the way it dripped and pooled around his bare legs and toes.

Will woke with a start, sweat drenching his bed. Blinking himself to reality, he heard the same barking outside the door. The clock on his bed side table said it was 3:18 in the morning.

With a grunt, he peeled the blankets off his wet body and flipped his legs off the side.

Something was wrong.

The little hairs on Will's neck and arms stood on end, sensing something off with his environment. A loud crack in the back of the house gave him his answers. Will puffed his cheeks out before hurriedly pulling the closest pants on, grabbing the first shirt abandoned on the wood floor. Forgetting his shoes, but thankfully having socks on still, he nearly broke the door down to get to his pack.

"Winston!" Will called out, shielding his eyes from the smoke. A whimper in the opposite corner of the room told him where his ex-strays were.

Dog whistling them over, he patted their eyes and backs as signs of comfort and trust.

Rubbing his sore eyes with the heels of his hands, he led his herd out the back door, still unscathed.

Letting them rest on a hill across the street, Will watched the fire department zoom by in a daze. Blinking, but not being able to come back to earth, he walked away with Winston and "everybody" trailing close behind. They were faithful; he did save them from dying on the streets.

Minutes, hours, days could have passed before his sanity came back to him.

Will found himself in front of Hannibal's house without having to think too hard about it. Sudden shyness came through him. He couldn't just... Walk in unannounced?

But Mr. Lecter has said before he was welcome to come back when he wanted. Maybe he could convince him that he came for a late night session.

As Will was raising his fist to rap against the door, Hannibal beat him by opening the door first.

"William?" Hannibal rose a delicate eyebrow, stepping back go let more light wash over the front steps. "What are you doing here?"

Winston pushed past Will and over the threshold, nuzzling against Hannibal's leg.

Now that Will got a good look at him, he realized Hannibal wasn't in his usual three-piece suit. Instead, he had a simple white t-shirt and black pajama pants. Even his hair was mussed up, instead of slicked back and proper. And, well, he looked damn good.

A faint blush crept across Will's cheeks, covered partly by the darkness behind him. Hannibal was no fool; he immediately picked up on this fact.

Deciding not to embarrass him further, Hannibal gestured with his hand to come in.

"You can leave your pets in the other room. Do you want anything to eat or drink?" Hannibal offered like the polite host he was.

Will scratched at his head, taking the bottle of aspirin from his pocket in habit. "Water, please?" Will croaked out while rubbing at his sore throat, following Hannibal to the kitchen.

Hannibal handed Will a mug of cold water from the fridge, taking a seat across from Will and just watching him. Will got the fleeting thought that was how serial killers looked at their pray before attacking.

Inhaling deeply from his diaphragm, Will took back just a few pills to kill his pain. He was so addicted, he knew, but he didn't care.

"Care to explain why you are here?"

Will broke out from his stupor, glancing under the glass.

"The house was on fire." He whispered, swishing the ice around.

Hannibal nodded, dropping the matter. "Please, make yourself at home."

Hannibal rose from his seat, placing a hand on Will's shoulder as he went. "The guest room is in that hall over there." William saw him point to the right from the corner of his eye.

Waiting until he walked away, he placed the dirty cup in the sink and went to look for his dogs.

"Winston?" William called into the dark. He felt a pair of ears brush against his leg, soft panting air after the movements. "Winston." Will confirmed.

Following blindly along the wall for the light switch, he had to walk the side before finally finding it. Light flooded the room, revealing tidy furniture and his dogs huddled on the first couch they saw.

"Come on, bed."

Holding his hand in front of him, Will groped along the sides of the hall for any doors.

Finally, his hand bumped into the brass foot handle. Creaking it open, he flicked the light switch to life and released a large, clean space. The bed looked to be a queen size; luckily he could fit some of his smaller dogs with him and still fit himself. The walls were a warm earthly color, seeming to match the paint in the kitchen. The floor was covered with bamboo flooring; making Will feel a bit uncomfortable.

'Oh well, just have to deal.' Will thought to himself.

Stripping himself to boxers and a t-shirt again, he crawled into the bed and under the silk sheets. They wrapped around him like a cocoon, making him feel both safe and uneasy. The bed seemed to mold to his shape, even the pillow adjusted to his weight.

Sighing, he brought the covers over his face and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to get some form of sleep.

William shot up about an hour later, shaking and sweating.

He knew he didn't have work that day, so maybe he could try sleeping later.

As for now, he was mentally shaken and depressed. The nightmare about the burning house came back, except this time more vivid and real.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he knew he had no other choice.

Sneaking out of his bedroom, he made his way to Hannibal's bedroom by memory. Some light poured in from the windows, making his walking easier.

It didn't take long for Will to find Hannibal's door.

'What are you doing? He'll kick you out!' Shaking his head physically, he decided to take the risk.

The door opened with a soft groan of protest, making Will flinch in fear.

Luckily, Hannibal was still asleep, blankets draped across his body like a painting.

Will bit his lip, deciding it was now or never. Creeping to the edge of the bed, Will lifted the edge of the blankets and scooted in.

Those movements seemed to have woken up Hannibal, as he quickly turned around with shocked, wide eyes.

"Will?" Hannibal called out calmly, not wanting to scare away his patient. "May I help you?"

Will turned beet red, not wanting to face Hannibal. His tongue suddenly felt like lead, unable to speak.

"Nightmare?"

Will nodded, shutting his eyes close.

Hannibal sighed, wrapping a protective arm around Will's waist and dragging him close to his chest. "Goodnight." Hannibal kissed Will's temple, then quickly dozed off again.

Will felt awkward at first, unused to this kind of physical contact from Hannibal- well, anyone really. Eventually, the warmth radiating off Hannibal's body got him to loosen up.

Rolling onto his left side, Will inched closer to Hannibal and inhaled his bed scent. His eyes fluttered close, exhaust washing over him. Something about the gentle side to Hannibal was comforting. It should be creepy, weird, even unwanted and he should have pushed him away and walked back to his bed. But... He couldn't. Years of bad sleep seemed to have caught up to him, weighing him down.

He fell asleep in Hannibal's arms, not waking up for hours.

And it was the best sleep he'd gotten in months.