Work Text:
The room was silent except for the occasional rustling of papers and the distinctive ticking of the clock. You sit grading the latest test of the newest trainees. You were definitely seeing improvement as you circle the 92 on the newly graded paper, placing it aside to grab another student’s work.
You look up to the clock on the wall and sigh; 10:25pm. You’ve been doing this for 2 hours now.
Being an assistant teacher and an agent was tough on you, but, in the end, if it took some pressure off of Will, you were willing to do it.
Whether it’s due to you just wanting to make his life easier because he deserves it or the fact you had a huge crush on the man, it’s hard to say.
You shake your head at that thought. You shouldn’t even have a crush on him to begin with! He was your partner for God’s sake. You were supposed to be a professional and just do your job.
Falling in love was not on your agenda, but somehow, Will Graham had wiggled his way into your heart. Though, you should’ve known this would’ve happened the second you felt your heart skip when he made eye contact with you at the Cassie Boyle scene. A horrible place to make new acquaintances but that is your job.
The more you spent time with the man, the deeper you fell. While you both didn’t speak much, every little thing he said had you on the edge of your seat. More than words, you liked to watch him. While you admit it is a bit creepy, that’s how you learned so much more about Will.
The way his eyes softened when he saw a dog on the street, the way he spoke to Abigail after the incident, the way he confidently led the classroom with a lecture, it was all the things most people wouldn’t notice. But you did, and how thankful you were of that.
Tenderness fills you as the memories of all his and your interactions sweep through. But right on it’s heels are moments of not so sweet thought. Not only did you care for who Will was, you were attracted to how he looked. Like honestly, how could you not let your mind wonder?
The times where he rolled up his sleeves when the room was too warm, or the way he would smirk from across the room, or even the way he once caught you as you tripped. The way his hands lingered on your hips sent your head in a spin.
Unfortunately, happy thoughts don’t come without consequences. A worse thought floods your mind; ‘it’s not like he’d even like me anyways’.
In your head, you try to make up any reasons as to why Will wouldn’t be into you. The way you looked, the way you talked, the way you just existed were some of your top choices. You can never seem to see a way how the special agent would ever look at you more than a colleague.
You scowl down at the paper for having to re-read the same sentence for the 5th time. Before your mind swallows you down into a much darker pool of self-loathing, a light knocking pulls you back up. Will stands in the doorway, coat thrown over one arm with the other still resting on the side of the doorframe.
“Do I even want to know what they wrote?” There’s a hint of a laugh behind it, but in your state of daydreaming, it goes right over your head.
“What?”
“Oh...um. I was referring to how you were…...looking at the...paper.” Will trails off softly, discouraged that the joke didn’t land as well he thought it would. It’s times like this he wished that for just a moment, he had proper social skills.
However, he noticed how words always seemed to fail when he was near you. The first time you’d met he was at a literal loss for them. Something about how you moved, how you looked, how you breathed seemed to halt Will in his tracks. Jack had to snap him out of it so he could actually do his job. He had completely forgotten that they were at a crime scene.
It’s been months and he still barely has the ability to have a conversation with you for more than 10 minutes. But the ones you did have, he cherishes them deeply. From quick witted jokes to discussing the blood spatter range of using an axe, Will keeps them close to his heart.
And through time, he managed to fall head over heels for his partner.
That part terrified him. To love someone, especially with how he is, Will thinks it’s all a moment away from a downward spiral.
When his mind sneakily slips away and begins to daydream of the pretty assistant sitting in the corner of the room while he teaches, he quickly reels it in as fast as possible. He reminds himself how someone like you: kind, intelligent, and oh so wonderful, could never love him.
He thought he was too damaged, too...unstable to be able to keep someone like you happy with him.
“Oh! Sorry, I was just in my head about something.” You lightly touch the paper to your face to hide the small flood of warmth to your cheeks. Slightly embarrassed by being caught you remove the paper from your forehead and return it to its spot on the pile. “No, the papers are actually really good this time around. Your students are getting better.”
You smile wearily as the weight of time finally rests on your aching bones. You were tired, but the small stack to your left beckoned for you to finish them. Deciding to push aside your need to get them done as quickly as possible, you place down your pen and give Will your full attention, welcoming his distraction.
“Ah, I see...” He starts. “It’s pretty late, you should get home. I can finish up the papers in the morning.” Stepping through the threshold of the classroom to cross the room to where you sat at his desk. As he gets closer he can’t help but notice how good you look sitting at his desk. Before he can start wondering how you look on top of it, you interrupt his thoughts.
Your pointer finger coming up in an accusatory manner. “I should say the same to you, Graham. You can’t keep pulling late nights like this.” Your hand falls back down onto the desk. “And no, I said I would finish them, so I am. You have too much to worry about than grading tests.”
Will walks around and leans himself on the desk next to your seat. “As do you. Did you forget that you are my partner? I can’t do all the profiling by myself, ya’ know?” He gives a small smile as he picks up and examines one of the papers.
“Yes you can and you know it.” You huff and lightly snatch the paper out of his hand and place it back down. You pick up an unmarked test and your pen and attempt to grade it.
“But what if I don’t want to?” The question throws you off guard. “What if I like having someone to work with?” He turns his head away from you in order to hide the light dusting of red on his cheeks. Luckily for him, you don’t see because your eyes are locked on the paper below you, acting as if it was your lifeline.
Unknown to you, he had turned back to gauge your reaction. While the silence in the room was awkward and unnerving, he took the time to just look at you.
He looked at your hair and how it looked under the fluorescent lights. How it shimmered and almost begged to be petted. He looked at your profile, following the beautiful lines of your face, tracing them in his mind. He often wondered how soft you were.
In some grand bound of courage, Will had this essential need to just tell you what he’s thinking.
You hear Will inhale sharply, then another moment of silence. “...Do you know French?”
Your head whips his direction at breakneck speed. It’s such a random question you actually laugh. “Excuse me?”
“Do you know French?” he repeats, making eye contact with your shocked state.
“No, I studied Spanish in high school. Why?” You question him with curiosity. If this was his way to make things less awkward, it was working.
Will once again took an inhale, but one much larger this time. He stands straight up and turns his whole body to you. In reaction, you spin the chair to face him. He takes it further by actually leaning down and securely placing both his arms on the armrests, seemingly trapping you.
“Will?” You’re confused. He has never been this close to you, so close that you can feel his breath softly against you. What really makes your heart stop is when his eyes pierce directly through yours, right into your heart.
“Tu es la plus belle créature sur laquelle j'ai jamais posé les yeux.” The words roll off his tongue in such elegance, it rivals Hannibal’s when he talks about a dish. “Mon Dieu, je veux t'embrasser.” You notice his eyes flutter down to your lips and the thought makes blood rush to the north and south of your body.
“Je veux que tu sois à moi de toutes les manières possibles.” Will’s eyebrows scrunch together like he’s in pain. “Tu me laisserais même faire?” You know it’s a question by the way he said it, but you have absolutely no idea what it all means. You only know how much you like it.
Unconsciously, you both are leaning in. Closer and closer together until the last syllable Will speaks. Only then do you both realize how close you are. If anymore words were to be spoken, your lips would graze.
You notice his eyes flicker back and forth between your eyes and your lips, like he was silently begging to lean in that last centimeter. Who were you to deny him, let alone yourself? With one shaky breath, you begin to lean in. That is until Will pulls back, face completely red. That momentary confidence fizzled out of him like a sparkler. Out of his own embarrassment he turns, snatches up his coat, and retreats back to the door like he was a thief about to be busted by the cops.
After pulling yourself out of your daze you call out to him. “You’re gonna teach me some French now, right? I wanna know what you said.” You giggle at the way he slams into a halt by the door.
“...Maybe.” He returns quietly, refusing to look at you. With that, he scurries out the door.
You stare out to where he just stood, raising your fingertips to your bottom lip, grazing them across it. You smile wide and shake your head. That man was going to be the death of you. In that moment, you found peace in knowing that Will Graham felt exactly the way you do.
All there’s left to do is find a French Dictionary.