Author's Note: Ever since the first time I read The Grey King, I've wanted to write this little fic. The passage that prompted it, I feel, is the most telling scene of all as regards Bran and Will's feelings for each other. In the book, it simply seems incomplete . . . so I decided to add in what I thought was missing. I hope I did it justice; I certainly tried to! Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story; they belong to incredible Ms. Susan Cooper. I may have taken slight liberties with their personalities and/or appearances, and I mean no harm whatsoever by doing so. The first section of this story, up until the paragraph beginning with "But what wish . . . ", is taken directly from the text of pages 67 and 68 of The Grey King, Scholastic paperback edition, February 1990, New York, USA. No copyright infringement is intended and absolutely no money is being made by my writing this. That said, I hope you enjoy it!

The Wish
(by C. Adrien Cummings)

. . . a brilliant point of light, with a long curving tail, came blazing into view over half the inverted bowl of the sky, moving past in a long stately progress; and Will knew that he and Bran had survived their first ordeal.

He pressed Bran's arm briefly, and saw a flicker of reflected light as the white head turned.

"It is a comet!" Bran whispered.

Will said softly back, "Wait. There's more, if all is well."

The long flaring tail of the comet moved gradually out of sight, down over the horizon of their nameless world and time. Still in the black hemisphere the stars blazed and slowly wheeled; beneath them, Will felt so infinitesimally small that it seemed impossible he should even exist. Immensity pressed in on him, terrifying, threatening — and then, in a swift flash of movement like dance, like the glint of a leaping fish, came a flick of brightness in the sky from a shooting star. Then another, and another, here, there, all around. He heard Bran give a small chirrup of delight, a spark struck from the same bright sudden joy that filled his own being. Wish on a star, said a tiny voice in his head from some long-departed day of early childhood: Wish on a star — the cry of a pleasure and faith as ancient as the eyes of man.

"Wish on a falling star," said Bran soft in his ear. All around them the meteors briefly dived and vanished, as tiny points of stardust in the long travel of their cloud struck the aery halo of the earth, burned bright and were gone.

I wish, said Will fiercely in his mind: I wish . . . Oh, I wish . . . .

But what wish could Will make? There were so many things he wished right at that moment — with Bran standing so near, the feel of the boy's breath on his ear making him shiver with delight — yet none of them captured everything he wanted. I wish you'd hold my hand, he thought. I wish you'd hug me. I wish you'd kiss me. I wish . . . I wish . . . .

Will realised then that there was one wish that encompassed all the rest. He turned toward the boy standing beside him and looked deep into Bran's golden eyes. "I wish you were in love with me," he said softly. "That is my wish."

Bran's eyes widened . . . but he didn't look away, nor did he blink. He seemed to be hypnotized, staring into the eyes of his first true friend. And he realised as he stood there that he was in love with Will. He wondered that he had never realised it before, but he really and truly was. He felt jubilation well up inside him and could think of only one way to express it properly . . . he kissed Will right there and then.

Then Will felt the jubilation too . . . felt it coursing through every nerve in his body . . . a feeling of pure pleasure and joy. He opened his mouth to Bran's enquiring tongue and moaned at the feel of it against his own. The noise seemed to spur Bran on, if the boy's arms wrapping around him were any indication. Will hugged Bran back tightly and deepened the kiss further still. They stood there entwined like that for moments innumerable, just relishing the presence of the other there with them, drinking in every sensation they felt and giving as good as they got.

When they did break their embrace, both stood breathless, scant inches apart from one another. Will again looked deep into Bran's eyes and saw there the love that he so longed to see. Smiling wider than he had since his arrival in Wales, he said, "Shall we continue on, then?"

Bran returned his smile and nodded. As they turned to venture onward, Bran reached out and took Will's hand in his. He entwined their fingers and looked over at his . . . boyfriend? He supposed so. The thought excited him more than he ever would have expected. Before he met Will, he would have balked at the idea of ever having a boyfriend. He was quite different enough as it was, he felt, without society scoffing at him for being gay as well. But now he knew that it would not faze him at all, so long as he had Will at his side. His smile widened further and he saw it reflected on Will's face.

For his part, Will was happier than he had ever imagined he could be. In that one moment — one glorious moment watching the shooting stars with Bran and making the wish he had made — his life had changed immeasurably for the better. He had known for some time now what he was destined to do. This was the very first time, however, that he felt sure he would succeed. Or rather, that he and Bran would succeed.

And they would. Together.

fin