"You have got to be kidding me!"
Will looked at Sonny as if the nightclub owner had lost his mind.
"There is no way in HELL I'm wearing that thing!"
"Will..."
"No, Sonny! I do have a little bit of pride and self-preservation. If I put that ridiculous costume on, I will be the laughing stock of Salem...And that's saying something! T would never let me live it down, not to mention Gabi, Abigail, Mom, EJ, even Grandma Marlena!"
"Will,you're overreacting. I think you'd be adorable! And just think of all the kids you'd make happy."
"Yeah, it's easy for you to stand there and say that. You're not the one being asked make a complete fool out of himself on his daughter's first Christmas. What will Ari think of her daddy if I wear that?"
"She'll think her daddy is willing to do anything Sonny asks hin, especially if it's for a good cause," Sonny smirked. "She'll also think her daddy is very cute and loves Christmas so much he even dresses the part."
"Or she'll be embarrassed for life, start avoiding me, staying out late, hanging out with the wrong crowd, doing things she shouldn't, and eventually end up in juvenile detention. I can't wear it if I love my daughter! I would ruin her life!"
Sonny tried and failed to stifle the snort that escaped his lips. "Will, sweetheart, don't you think you're overreacting just a little bit? She's not even a year old yet, and she won't even remember! And I still say you would be adorable! Besides, I'll be there with you the whole time, wearing a costume of my own!"
"Yeah, but your costume isn't as ridiculous as mine. I'm not doing it, Sonny!"
"Please!" Sonny begged, jutting out his bottom lip and turning his sad eyes to lock with Will's. "I promise I'll make it worth your while."
Will rolled his eyes in fond exasperation. He knew that Sonny was well aware of Will's total inability to deny Sonny anything when he turned on the charm, and that he didn't hesitate to use that knowledge to his advantage.
"And just how do you plan to do that?" he asked with a grin.
"Remember the afternoon you came back from Berkeley?" Sonny asked. "Gabi left us alone for the whole afternoon and Ari was asleep. Remember all that experimenting we did?"
Will felt the heat rise in his neck and face as he blushed from the memory, swallowing hard.
"Yeah."
"Well, as I recall, we both enjoyed that a whole lot, but we've never gotten around to doing it again. If you're a good boy and wear the costume for me, I'll make sure we have plenty of alone time and we'll do it all again. Even if we have to check into a hotel. It will be one of your Christmas presents."
Will didn't even have to think about it. Still blushing furiously, he flashed a huge smile. "Deal!"
On the day of the event, Sonny and Will were in their bedroom, getting dressed for the Christmas party at the hospital. Even with the promise of some bedroom fun, Will still wasn't too sure about his costume.
"I look so stupid!" he whined as he stood in front of their mirror. "Everybody is going to take one look at me and fall over laughing!"
Sonny couldn't help but grin at his adorable partner, then leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
"Nobody is going to laugh. You look great and the children are going to love you! Not nearly as much as I do, but still..."
"Yeah, you'd better love me since I'm willing to make a fool out of myself for you!" Will griped. "Why can't we trade costumes? I'll wear that one and you wear this?"
"Oh no, you don't! Aunt Maggie specifically asked me to wear this one, and you aren't going to talk me into changing things now! Besides, we don't have time. We still have to do your makeup, and if we don't leave soon, we'll be late."
"Would that be so bad?" Will asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Sonny chose to ignore him and continued to get dressed.
The hospital staff had gathered all the children into the play room for the party. In addition to the pediatric patients and their families, there were also quite a few of the Salem elite.
Maggie was nearly bouncing as the time approached for their "special guests" to arrive. As soon as she received the signal, she clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.
"Boys and girls, I've just been informed that two very special people have arrived all the way from the North Pole! Let's hear it for Santa and his favorite elf, Jingles!"
Everyone looked up to see jolly old Saint Nick enter the room, followed by a very reluctant elf.
Sonny was dressed as Santa. He'd had to use quite a bit of padding in order to get the costume to fit. Victor had worn it the year before, and Sonny was a lot smaller than his uncle, but the end result was fantastic. His eyes sparkled with life, and it was evident just how much he was enjoying himself.
Will, on the other hand, was mortified to be dressed as Jingles. Even more so when he looked at his friends and family and noticed that they were fighting hard to bite back their laughter. T was taking picture after picture with his phone, and Will had a feeling the images would be used against him at some point.
He was dressed in emerald green leotard pants, the fabric stretched tightly over his legs, waist, and hips. His top was made out of the same fabric and was trimmed in bright red fringe. On his head was a red and green joker's cap, adorned with small silver bells that jingled every time he moved his head, and the whole look was finished off with red and green slippers which were pointed at the toe and had silver bells attached to the cuffs.
Sonny had also taken great pleasure in borrowing some of Abigail's makeup and giving his partner bright red cheeks and lips, along with darker eyebrows, all of which served to make the whole look just a little more dramatic.
Sonny knew that Will was still self-conscious about his costume, so he gave him a reassuring smile which seemed to calm Will down. The thought of his upcoming reward helped as well.
Sonny made his way over to the chair that had been set up for Santa to sit in, and Will began to lead the kids up, one at a time. He made sure each child, even those who were in wheelchairs, got to sit in Santa's lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas.
Both men were heartbroken over the suffering of such innocents, especially at Christmas, and it didn't take long for their eyes to fill with tears. They couldn't help but think about Ari. They were thankful that their little girl was healthy and happy, not a care in the world as long as she had bottles, pacifiers, her stuffed animals, and clean diapers.
By the end of the party, they were both glad they had agreed to participate, and both were planning to do it again the next year.
"I have to admit, I forgot how ridiculous I looked," Will said. "The kids had a blast, and so did I. That's all that matters."
"You boys did a great job!" Maggie praised. "You gave some very sick children a happy memory that they can carry with them when times get tough."
"We got a great memory as well," Sonny told her, hugging her tightly.
He reached and grabbed Will's hand. "What do you say, Jingles? Are you ready to go home? I happen to know that Gabi and Ari are staying over at Abigail's tonight for a girl's night out. Why don't I give you one of your Christmas presents early?"
Will couldn't stop the excited squeak as he nodded his head in agreement.
"I can't wait," he said.