Again a one-shot and again I'm too confused with how this one came to be. It's getting ridiculous as I'm actually disliking the current storyline and am fearing more and more it'll turn into a cheating storyline. Not a scenario I like or even want to think about. I'm more than ready for Will to stop acting like a spoiled teenager and sweep Sonny of his feet yet again.
Having said that, this one came to me today and I couldn't help but write and publish it. Yet again, I'm sorry for grammatical errors and such. I swear that these stories come to me in a way I just need to sit down and start typing, letting the story unfold the way it's apparently supposed to. Ironically with both one-shots that ended up being in a different way than I envisioned before. Somehow when I write Will and Sonny-conflict, I end up writing down different things than I had in my mind when I first envision it.
Hope you'll enjoy this one. Once again, I love each and every single review I get! So good to know my writing is appreciated!
All I want for Christmas
(Just to be clear: normal lines are current time, italics are flashbacks)
Sonny thoughtfully walked up the steps towards the front door, automatically pausing a second before he dared to press the doorbell. He knew he was invited, but it felt more than awkward and actually hesitated to come by. He took another breath to gather up some extra courage, when the door swung open itself and he was greeted with a warm smile. 'I already thought I heard something' Abigail greeted him with a warm smile, 'So happy you could make it Sonny'
Sonny felt himself being pulled into a hug and forced himself to smile back. Before he realized it, he was pulled into another hug when Jennifer joined them in the foyer.
'Sonny, so glad you're here' she spoke just as warmly, 'We'll probably start in a minute, almost everyone is here now'
Abby noticed how he nervously shuffled his feet and didn't follow Jennifer at once and kindly took his hand in support, 'He's in there already' she said carefully, 'Do you need an extra minute?'
Sonny looked up surprised and let himself be pulled into another hug, 'Ben told me you've been working hard'
'Well, things have been busy' Sonny casually answered like he had told all others before, 'and it's my place'
Abby just nodded and bit her lip, 'You're ready?'
Sonny took a final breath and smiled flatly, 'As ready as I'll ever be'
Abby linked their arms and together they finally entered the living room, where the rest of the family and a half-empty Christmas tree was waiting. He saw how people looked up and immediately felt the room tense as people caught their breath. For a moment, he felt how Abby guided him to the left and followed her, before he spotted the two blondes he was aching for.
Sonny knocked on the closed door with a slight hesitation. It had been an impulse decision to fly out, but ever since he spoke to his mum he couldn't help but feel it was the only thing left to do. He felt he should make the big gesture, trying to show Will where he's at and he wanted to support him, but couldn't help but fear Will wouldn't see his good intention. They phone conversation they had a few days ago was still etched in his mind, along with all the added stress their families brought to the table. And then Paul came along and complicated things even more. Hence why he was now here, to talk to Will face to face and to finally hear, feel and smell all those things he had missed so much. He was pulled out of his daydream abruptly when he heard a voice calling him in. He took a quick breath and opened the door, only to be met with some blond hair peeking out from behind a laptop. He scraped his throat and finally met those familiar blue eyes he loved so much, who instantly widened in shock.
'Son' Will exclaimed, 'You're here'
Sonny smiled slightly, 'I'm here' he unnecessarily confirmed, before catching Will who had jumped up and almost launched himself into his arms.
'I missed you' Will muttered against his neck while his hands found their way in Sonny's hair, 'You have no idea'
Sonny couldn't help but feel relieved with the response and kissed the side of Will's head repeatedly in response, 'I think I do' he started lightly. They couldn't help but hold on to each other for several minutes, until Sonny was the first to lighten the grip. He nudged Will towards the empty couch behind them and they quickly sat down. Sonny stole another kiss, before Will asked why he was here. Sonny told him about the club, apologized for his family and informed about both the script and of course Ari, before he told Will how he'd missed them and how he couldn't help but fly out to see them for a bit. He loved how Will stayed as close to him as possible, taking every opportunity for a touch or kiss, but also started to notice how little he told about himself. He couldn't help but worry Will still felt like Sonny didn't appreciate and support his dreams, but he reassured himself in the many loving gestures he got. After a few minutes, Sonny bit his lip as Will asked if he'd miss anything in Salem and scraped his throat,
'Well there's something I guess I should tell you before you hear it from someone else and get the wrong idea, but my ex turned up in town last week'
He felt Will stiffen up beside him and closed his eyes for a second, when he heard Will take a breath, 'Someone I know?'
'No, the closeted one that still hasn't dared to come out yet' Sonny answered honestly. Will stayed silent for a second before he dared to look up, sporting a look Sonny didn't immediately recognize, 'Did something happen?'
Sonny bit his lip, 'He kissed me' he found himself answering honestly, 'When we first saw each other again. It scared the crap out of me, but it didn't mean anything and I told him I was married and not interested afterwards'
Sonny couldn't help but stare at his hands and waited for Will to respond. He knew it was best to be honest, but it scared him to not know the response.
'Okay, thanks for telling me that' Will suddenly spoke casually, too casually. Sonny's head shot up and he couldn't help but be surprised, 'that's all you've got to say?' he wondered, 'You're not mad?'
He saw Will bite his lip for a second and he instantly hated how he couldn't read him like he used to anymore. He felt like something changed, something was different and he hated not knowing what it was or how he could fix it. He suddenly saw how Will was biting his lip, a nervous habit he did recognize, and frowned, 'What is it Will?' he wondered, 'Please tell me you're not mad for coming to see you, see Ari. You have no idea how much I've missed you'
That apparently hit home as Will all of a sudden started crying and dropped his head in his head, 'I'm sorry, Son, I'm so sorry' he muttered. Sonny was too stunned to respond to his husband and felt how his heartbeat increased and his stomach twisted. When finally Will dared look up with bloodshot eyes he muttered a soft, 'I didn't mean to', Sonny almost literally felt his heart break in his chest. He just stared blankly, while Will apparently found his voice again and raspy told him what had happened. How he had just gone for a drink after work that day. He just needed some distraction after their phone conversation, after their fight and ended up at this club. He stopped for a minute when he apparently saw a tear sliding down Sonny's cheek. He raised his hand to wipe it, but caught himself and sighed. 'I don't know what happened but there was this guy, I don't even know his name, that I started talking to. We were just talking and then decided to take some more drinks. And then some more. And before I knew it, he suddenly kissed me and I kissed him back. I didn't even realize what I was doing, too far gone, but he..'
Will's voice cracked as he finally saw some fire ignite in Sonny's eyes, 'not that that's any excuse of course, but it's a little blurry in memory. All I know if somehow we ended up in the bathroom and he got on his knees and.'
Sonny put up his hand to let him know he didn't want to know while he couldn't find his voice and Will immediately stopped talking. 'It meant nothing, Son, I swear' Will added, looking at his now crying husband with pleading eyes, 'I love you'
Sonny looked him in the eye for the first time and shattered Will's heart instantly, 'I don't want to know, Will, I really don't ', he finally spoke before getting up and walking out of the office.
The first person to meet up with Sonny was Lucas. He pulled him into a hug, which caught Sonny by surprise. 'I'm so happy you decided to join us' he spoke warmly and let his arm rest around his shoulder, when finally Sonny dared to look up at Will and Ari who were now right in front of him. Will's eyes were big and careful, but Ari's eyes immediately brightened when she spotted Sonny and she started wiggling her way out of Will's lap. Will kindly lifted her up and Sonny automatically met him halfway to take Ari in his eager arms.
'Hi baby girl, how are you?' he spoke lovingly while bouncing her on his hip, 'Did you miss me last week as much as I missed you?'
'Da!' Ari just exclaimed happily when her little fists found Sonny's hair and she automatically pulled in her excitement, 'Gee'
Will finally dared to stand up and approach the dark haired man, 'She missed you like crazy' he informed him , 'the apartment is pretty empty without you and you know how I do all those voices when I read her bedtime stories'
Sonny smiled instantly and pulled Ari a little closer to his chest, 'Yes, your voices suck' he agreed when he finally met Will's eyes and looked away again. He hated to see how they now missed that sparkle he loved so much and bit his lip, 'How is the script coming along?'
'Fine, just flying out next week to go over the second draft' he quickly spoke, 'How's the club?'
'Busy, very busy' Sonny answered casually, 'Pretty happy to get some days off for the holidays'
Ari found this a perfect moment to pull Sonny's hair yet again, making Sonny yelp out in pain. 'Be careful, baby girl' Will intervened automatically by putting his hand on Ari's back, 'You don't want to break your papa and make him reconsider taking you with him tonight'
Sonny quickly pressed a kiss on Ari's head and shook his, 'Impossible' he reassured her, 'I missed you way too much'
Sonny was quietly cleaning the bar, when he spotted Will in the door opening. He frowned his eyebrows for a second and continued his work without comment. He felt Will approach until he finally put his hands on the bar and waited for Sonny to look up. When he finally did, he was met with the same bloodshot eyes he'd left behind yesterday. Will didn't speak instantly, giving Sonny the chance to take him in. He looked disheveled, his hair was messed up and his clothes were wrinkled. Sonny fought the urge to pull him close and give him the hug he obviously needed and forced himself to shoot him an unimpressed look to cover up the burning pain he felt inside.
'I couldn't help but come back, come here' Will finally started, 'I need to know, to see.. How are you?'
'I am peachy' Sonny shot back through the hurt, 'How do you think I'm feeling?'
Will swallowed and closed his eyes for a second, 'I'm sorry, Son, I'm so..'
Sonny put up his hand to stop him from talking the words he didn't want to hear. The words that wouldn't fix anything. In all honesty, everything about Will showed Sonny how sorry he was. He probably looked as messed up as he was, but at the same time Sonny couldn't help but lash out..
'Why would you be? It's not like he forced you, not like you didn't want to..' he spoke and observed the words clearly having effect.
'I didn't want to!' Will exclaimed desperately, 'I wanted you! I wanted you so much and I was so close to giving up my dream and come back to have you close again. I wanted to give up everything I ever wanted for you and it scared me to death'
Sonny threw his tea towel on the bar in frustration, 'So it was all about YOUR dreams again?' he concluded in irony, 'they meant so much you had to shatter mine in the process?'
Will shut his eyes and shook his head, 'I know I made a mistake Sonny, I really do. I just couldn't handle it and messed it all up like I always do'
Sonny's eyes narrowed, 'Don't dare to compare this to anything you did before. This is nothing like anything you did before' he cleared, 'I just hope it was worth it'
Will didn't answer instantly, adding fuel to Sonny's fire, 'So was it?'
Will bit his lip, 'was it what?' he couldn't help but ask.
Sonny smiled flatly, 'Was it worth it?' he repeated, 'Did he give a good head? Or did he more than that? Did he take you hard against the stalls?'
Will's eyes watered instantly and he shook his head, 'He didn't, I swear he didn't' he immediately rambled through his tears, 'he just.. and it meant nothing'
Sonny almost had to force himself not to stop biting the words that were clearly cutting Will so deeply, but he couldn't risk pulling Will back into his arms and soothing him like he hadn't hurt him more than he could ever imagine. So he lashed out again, 'That's too bad' he bit out, 'that you threw away everything we had for something as flimsy as that'
Will shut his eyes for a second, but responded by shaking his head, 'I'm not' he spoke softly but determined, 'I'm not giving up on us'
Sonny tried to look unimpressed, but for the first time he saw a fire burning in Will's eyes as he continued. 'I informed the studio Ari and I are moving back to Salem. I'll be writing from here and flying to LA for the occasional meeting' he stated simply, 'and whilst I'm here, I'm going to work like hell to get you back, to deserve to get you back. I know I don't deserve anything from you at this point, but I'm determined to win you back. You're the love of my life, Sonny Kiriakis, and I don't want to imagine my life without you'
Sonny couldn't help but stare at Will, who felt a spark of hope ignite in his chest by that response. Just the one he needed to see this through, no matter how the outcome would be, 'So, I guess I should leave you alone for now' he continued as if they'd had a different conversation, 'I take it it's okay if I come by tomorrow to make up a schedule for Ari? I assume you'll want to see her as soon as possible?'
Sonny couldn't help but nod silently, too stunned to actually respond. Will bit his lip, forcing himself not to push anymore and pressed his lips together, 'Okay, see you tomorrow then' he concluded, 'I love you'
Sonny was dragged out of his daydream by another pull on his hair. Clearly Ari was demanding more attention. He quickly pressed another kiss to her head and noticed how Hope had just opened the annual Horton tree trimming, but couldn't help but think back at everything that happened since Will and Ari had moved back to Salem. Will had kept his word and came up with a schedule dividing the days they would have Ari, but went to greater lengths to win his man back. He was insistent in giving him space but did ask if he could come for a family dinner on Wednesday and a drink at TBD at Saturday. He made no excuses for what happened to the people around them and even manned up by facing both Sonny's parents and his uncle Vic in a private talk. Sonny was quite worried about those, not wanting Will to disappear mysteriously, but he was surprised to find out the conversations went well. They still clearly hated what he did and judged him for it, but at the same time stopped giving Sonny such a hard time in trying to make his family work. Even if it was just for Ari's sake, they were still her dads. After a few weeks, he noticed how the whispers had stopped a little and found himself happy for Will to not be judged so harshly anymore. And still, Will didn't press him and gave him all the space he needed and sometimes even more than he wanted. He proved himself to be a great listener when he had a business conflict with Chad, arranged with T he'd take some shifts in the club when things got really heavy and even wrote some articles about the club to send to various magazines. Sonny had to admit it felt good, to know someone was willing to go through such length to earn the right to be with him. It still hurt to know what caused all this, what they both had needed to get to this point, and still wished it had never happened. Suddenly, he noticed how everyone looked back and saw Will standing here with a box in his hands. He realized it must've been time for Ari's ornament and was instantly grateful Will had invited him to join in. Ari's eyes popped open at the sight of the big and shiny tree and she squealed in excitement as Will hung her ornament next to his. Sonny got ready to hand Ari over so he could show her, when Will got another ornament out of the box, before giving the now empty box to Abby.
'This year, I have another ornament for our family tree. Son, this one's for you. I know I'm not allowed to call you my husband again, but I am allowed to refer to you as the love of my life. Only for that reason, I'd think you'd deserve this one. But there's a bigger one and that's that little girl in your arms. She's a Horton too and she's your daughter. Which makes you family and that's why I'm offering this one for you tonight. Will you please hang it up?'
Sonny felt the eyes on him and immediately got the intention behind the question Will was asking. He didn't hesitate to reach out and take the bronze ball from Will's hands. Shifting Ari slightly, he hung it up on the other side of Ari's one. He quickly wiped the tear of his cheek before turning back and seeing all the warm smiles he was getting. For a moment, he just followed Will to make room for the next person to hang up their ornament, but reached out when he felt Will was planning on walking on. He stopped his movement and looked up at Sonny. Sonny couldn't help but smile at his hopeful face, 'Thank you for that, Will' he spoke sincerely, 'I really appreciate it'
'You deserve it' Will answered simply, 'Everything I said was true'
Sonny pressed his lips for a second, but when he noticed Will wanted to walk away again he stopped him again, this time by bumping his hand against Will's, 'Would you come by tomorrow?' he asked huskily, 'Spend Christmas with us?'
For a moment, Sonny saw how a twinkle in Will's eyes that he hadn't seen in the longest time returned, but the glimmer of hope disappeared quickly when Will nodded as casually as he could, 'I'd love to'
