Beverly is the wingman bestie in fic, in the show, I found her to be quite skeptical, pragmatic, and guarded. Pair that with how incredibly private Will is, in my mind, these 2 were always “almost friends”. She pointedly never opens up even as she lends Will her shoulder (though she does offer him the potential of friendship!!!!), and Will’s problems are the kind only Hannibal Lecter can accept the burden of. I mean, Will was saying “I’m fine” to everyone while simultaneously telling Hannibal how he felt like he was killing these victims whose murders he was investigating. The points at which they intersect, I think, are: 1. They actually like each other 2. They both get tunnel vision when they’re looking for the truth (the killer) and 3. They find each other capable and are good colleagues.

I really like how aspects of their personality kind of cockblock their friendship, yet their natural compatibility allows them to have this great vibe of acceptance. I’m really not sure Beverly would have ever been able to digest the fact that Will feels drawn to someone like Hannibal like Alana did. That would have gotten real ugly.