Once they were both finally discharged, Will and Frederick rode home together in the back of Alana's small, red car. They held each other hands, happy for the physical contact they'd been mostly deprived of in the hospital, though Will happened to sneak a few kisses when they were left alone in their room. He was mobile long before Frederick had been, though they both were told to go to physical therapy once out on their own.

When she pulled up to Will's house, Will stepped out of the car first, moving swiftly around so he could grab Frederick's arm and be his stability as he maneuvered himself out onto his own two feet. Will held onto his arm and waist as he guided Frederick up the porch and into the house where he helped him to sit down on the bed. He'd happily taken on the job of caretaker, willing to watch over Frederick as he continued to heal, and Frederick reluctantly agreed. He preferred to be self-sufficient but even he understood his own limits.

"Do you need anything?" Will asked as he shut the front door.

"You know, I could use a new kidney," Frederick said, wincing a little as he stretched out his legs.

"You still have one, no need to be so greedy," Will said, shooting him a look of mock exasperation. "There are people out there with no kidneys."

"Yeah, they're called dead," Frederick agreed. "So I'm halfway there."

Will grabbed a blue throw pillow off a nearby armchair and tossed it at Frederick, hitting him in the shoulder. Frederick picked it up and weakly retaliated, hitting Will in his lower back as he walked into the kitchen. Will laughed, sweeping his foot back so that he kicked the pillow back into the living room. He hadn't needed to ask if Frederick wanted or needed anything, the words just spilled out of his mouth out of habit. Ever since their reconciliation in the hospital, they'd both opened their minds more to each other, an act of trust, allowing each other to sense more complex feelings such as thirst and hunger.

He grabbed a glass from his cabinet and filled it with water, handing it to Frederick when he returned to the room. "I'll go shopping later today for some vegetarian foods," Will said as he sat down next to him on the bed.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Frederick groaned after a long drink from the water. "It's like living in some sort of horror film."

"Attack of the Animal Proteins?" Will said with a laugh. "I think you've experienced a lot worse than being on a restrictive diet. Besides, you won't be going through it alone."

Frederick sighed dramatically. "I suppose," he said as he held Will's hand, lacing their fingers together. "I don't know why you'd torture yourself, though."

"After finding out about Hannibal, I lost my taste for meat," Will said with a grimace.

Frederick nodded, giving him a look of sympathy as he squeezed his hand. Will reached out with his other hand, turning Frederick's face toward him so he could lean in for a kiss. Easy, gentle, and loving since too much movement still caused Frederick pain. Frederick hummed into the kiss as their minds met in a dull haze of affection. He pulled away, grazing his teeth along Frederick's bottom lip as though reluctant to let go, before he rested his forehead against Frederick's. He planned to kiss him again but a pair of paws on his lap startled him from it.

"Hey, Buster," Will said, petting the dog as he wagged his tail excitedly. "I guess they need to go out. I'll be back soon, just rest."

He kissed Frederick on the temple before standing up and walking out with the dogs so he could keep an eye on them. He knew rationally the dogs would've been safe without him, but he hadn't been able to feel completely safe since the moment he heard Frederick's voice in his head, the product of Hannibal's manipulation. He stole a few deep breaths of fresh air, trying to remind himself that the source of all his problems would be imprisoned for a long time. He concentrated so heavily on that one thought that a crashing sound inside the house nearly gave him a heart attack.

He clutched his chest, feeling his heart beat so hard that it hurt. It required a moment for him to register what the sound meant, prompting him to turn around and run into the house and search for the source. He found Frederick on the floor in the kitchen, broken glass scattered around him, and he rushed to his side.

"Frederick, this isn't resting. Quite the opposite," Will said as he knelt down beside him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure," he said, feeling stunned.

Will held Frederick's hands and helped him to his feet, supporting him by holding him around the waist. "You can't be walking around without support like that, not until you're ready. That cane you ordered should be here in a few days."

He could feel Frederick's frustration and he held him a little tighter as he guided him back to the bed. Once he sat down, Will removed his jacket to make sure he hadn't been injured by the glass shards. Will knelt down in front of him, seeing the defeated look on his face, and he felt a pang of empathy. He reached up and held Frederick's face, softly kissing the spot between his eyebrows.

"Frederick, I know you're frustrated, but you're going to get better with time. You're not going to be dependent on me forever. You're also not as broken as you think you are," Will said, holding his hands as he looked into his eyes. "There are some scrapes and chips to the fine china that is you, but that doesn't make you any less than what you are. You're not useless, you just need some time to be repaired."

Frederick's expression softened as Will spoke until he drew him into a hug, his arms wrapped around Will's neck as Will gingerly held his waist. "Thank you," he said at Will's ear.

"You're welcome," he said, kissing Frederick's cheek before stepping away. "I'm going to clean up the glass before letting the dogs back in. I'll be right back."

He grabbed a broom and dustpan from the kitchen closet and swept up all the glass on the floor, taking care to make sure he pick up all of it, before disposing of it in a trashcan. After he put the broom back, he let the dogs back in and the pack bounded into the house, tracking in some dirt and grass before settling down in the living room. Will followed them in, walking over to Frederick where he slipped one arm under his knees and one around his back, under his arms, and lifted him up. He moved him up about a foot and set him back down so that he was lying down on the bed.

"Will, what are you doing?" Frederick said, looking at him as though he were crazy, but Will just smiled at him as he kicked off his shoes and climbed on the bed.

Will moved over him so that he was straddling his thighs and he reached up to Frederick's shirt, untucking it.

Frederick groaned, grabbing the end of his shirt to hold it down. "Will, please."

"I've seen it once and you've seen mine several times," Will said, placing his hands over Frederick's. "There's nothing wrong with it."

With a sigh, Frederick moved his hands away, allowing Will to pull the shirt up, exposing the scar left over from Abel Gideon's attack. Frederick flinched a little as Will reached up, tracing his finger along the straight pink line.

"It's hideous," Frederick said, looking up at the ceiling to avoid seeing it.

"It's beautiful," Will said almost reverently. "Because it's a part of you, and you're beautiful."

Frederick looked into Will's eyes, a flush blooming on his cheeks as Will leaned down to press his lips to the scar. He entangled his hands in Will's hair as he continued to kiss his way up until he reached Frederick's neck. Will took care to make sure no part of him was leaning on Frederick's body, not wanting to cause him any pain. He moved up to kiss him softly on the lips before he rolled over to lie beside Frederick.

"I think the most frustrating part of this is that we can't do anything more than kiss for a few weeks," Frederick huffed as Will could feel the heat in his own body.

"It would normally be a rule I'd be happy to break but that doctor looked me right in the eye when he said it," Will said, remembering his cold stare. "He didn't even look at you. He was talking about you and was deadlocked with me. It was unsettling."

Frederick put a hand over his face to muffle his laughter. "Don't be so dramatic."

"It's not funny, Frederick. It was a warning," Will said, seriously as he turned his head to look at him. "That man is very concerned about your chastity."

Will's words only caused Frederick to laugh harder. He held his stomach with one arm, trying to prevent it from shaking too much. Will turned over onto his side, staring at Frederick's red cheeks and tear-filled eyes with a smirk on his face. Frederick calmed down after a minute, taking deep breaths until he could breathe normally again.

"I don't know how I would cope without you," Frederick said, turning his head to look at Will. "This would all be so much bleaker."

"I could easily say the same. But we do have each other and that's what matters."

Will wrapped an arm around Frederick's shoulder, his hand settling at his waist as Frederick gently shifted onto his side, moving closer to Will. Frederick set his hand on Will's stomach and Will knew he could feel the raised line of his own scar just underneath the fabric of his shirt. They laid like that for a long while, content to listen to each other breathe, to feel each other's warm feelings, until Frederick drifted off to sleep, resting as he was supposed to.

The deep, even breaths had a calming effect on Will as he kissed the top of Frederick head, burying his nose in his hair so that he caught the scent of his sweet-smelling, expensive shampoo. He knew there would be a lot of compromises to make in the near future and long, rocky roads ahead, but he was happy to go through all of it with Frederick at his side.