"Please, let me at least plan the party afterwards."
"No, Sonny, you are the godfather, you should be part of the celebration not responsible for it." Will is adamant about Sonny's involvement as an active participant in Arianna's christening.
"Please? C'mon. I'll shut down the coffee house for the afternoon, I'll keep it simple, but you have to admit, it's a good centralized gathering spot...there are already tables set up and lots of coffee. Please let me do this for you both and Arianna. I really want to, okay?" Sonny is being just as stubborn as Will, plus he's really adorable when he begs. Will is having a hard time resisting.
"Sonny, no..." Gabi chimes in, "you do so much already..."
"Yeah, Son, you do." Will concurs and looks to Sonny, who is standing in the same spot, arms crossed in front of him, clearly not about to change his mind.
Gabi takes a breath and is going to say something when Will holds up a finger, silently asking her to stay quiet. "You aren't gonna to drop this until we say 'yes', are you?"
Sonny can't hide a little smirk. Will knows him well. "No, not really." He responds matter-of-factly.
"And you'll keep it simple? It'll just be a brief gathering after Arianna's christening, right? No fancy decorations or catered food. AG will be plenty tired, so I want something more casual and comfortable. That's the only way I'll agree to letting you do this, understood?"
Sonny loves it when Will tries to be tough with him. He finds it adorable and terribly sexy. Running his thumb across his bottom lip, he catches Will staring at him as he does this. He grins widely when their eyes meet, and they share a look that holds unspoken promises for later.
"Yes, sir." Sonny responds militantly and tips his head to both Will and Gabi. "Simple, celebratory but comfortable and easygoing. I can do that."
"You are impossible, you know that Sonny?" Gabi shakes her head and glances at the couple. "Will, I always thought you were the most stubborn of them all, but I think Sonny's got you beat this time."
"No way!" Will's not ready to relinquish that title just yet. "He's learned everything he knows about stubbornness from me, let's just make that clear."
"Really?" Sonny laughs openly and can't help but give in. Will's stubbornness about being the most stubborn is proof enough that he's a formidable partner. "Fine. The stubborn king you shall remain. But let it be known that I'm giving you a run for your money. At some point every king is overthrown."
"You two are BOTH impossible. And perfect for each other." Gabi isn't sure whether she should be annoyed or envious. Maybe she's a bit of both.
"Awww! Did you hear that Son? Impossible and perfect. Gabi, you are too sweet!" Will teases her.
"No," she clarifies, "I said impossible and perfect for each other...not just perfect on it's own. Two very different things."
"Oh, I see. So, I'm not perfect? Because I think I'm pretty darn close..." Sonny tries to add seriously. Will places a simple peck on Sonny's cheek, and the three chuckle.
"Ugh. I am going to go now. Have fun with Ari today. And don't forget her baby tylenol...I really do think she has a tooth coming in."
"Really? It seems early for that?"
"I know, Will, but the pediatrician says it can start as early as 4 months." Gabi shrugs her shoulders.
"Yep, I read that online, too. Cutting teeth can start as early as 4 months and as late as 24 months. I even read that like one in about 3,000 babies are actually born with a tooth in already." Sonny nods his head in agreement. Gabi and Will stare openly at him.
"Maybe he is perfect, Will," Gabi whispers conspiratorially.
"Hmmm...I admit he's good, but perfect? That's a little extreme."
"Hey now! I am standing right here, you know?" Sonny interjects pouting.
"Okay guys, I'm off. See you tomorrow." Gabi waves to them both as she closes the front door.
"Perfect is too extreme, hah?" Sonny questions Will teasingly as soon as Gabi is gone.
"At least I said you were close."
"Well, you know who is perfect? Our little AG. And I am going to plan the most perfect christening party, er, gathering," he quickly edits when Will glares at him, "for the most perfect little girl."
"I love you, my almost perfect boyfriend." Will can't resist putting his arms around Sonny.
"And I love you, my lucky-to-be-with-an-almost-perfect-boyfriend-boyfr iend," he jokes back, hugging Will closer to him. Will reaches down to pinch Sonny in the butt, pretending to be offended.
"What do you say to a nap while our perfect little girl is enjoying one herself?" Will raises his eyebrows enticingly. Sonny isn't even slightly interested.
"Nope, sorry, babe. I've got the perfect christening gathering to plan. So, I'm going to head into the coffee house and jot down some ideas. I need to get started since this is happening in just two weeks!" And before Will can respond, Sonny is out the door.
::one week later::
"So, how are you coming along with the plans for next Sunday, you know the christening gathering?" Will attempts to sound casual and flashes Sonny an adorably sweet smile. Though he trusts Sonny implicitly, he's still quite curious and once again tries to coax information out of him.
"Will, my love," Sonny looks across the bar at his blue-eyed boyfriend, "no matter how cute you are, you're not getting anything out of me."
They've been at the coffee house for most of the afternoon that Sunday, and it's stayed relatively busy. Will has studied mostly while Sonny runs the shop, managing inventory and receipts on his iPad. Will also knows that somewhere on that very iPad are the specifics for Arianna's celebration. Several times, very unsuccessfully, he has maneuvered himself close enough to Sonny to get a peek at what he's working on, but Sonny always catches him and quickly shifts to another application. Once, when Sonny went into the storeroom to get some more coffee cups, Will ran around the counter and turned on the iPad. When the "unlock passcode" prompt came up, Will growled audibly, frustrated with Sonny's cleverness. Just as he rounded the corner back to his stool in front of the bar, Sonny walked out front and knew right away what Will had been up to. He couldn't help but smile imagining the look on Will's face once he realized that Sonny had it password protected.
Coming up behind Will, Sonny settles a hand on his shoulder and kisses him on the cheek. "Spying again are you?" He teases Will and stacks the cups behind the bar.
"C'mon, Son," Will whines no longer trying to be sneaky, "please! I can't even be privy to my own daughter's christening celebration?"
"I see how it is," Sonny feigns irritation, "you are going to play the 'daughter' card now. Well, I don't care. She's my goddaughter - or at least she will be one week from today - so I'm playing the 'godfather' card right back attcha. Take that."
"Brat." Will pouts and glares at Sonny. "How about a hint? Just one small clue?" He's begging now, and it's not pretty.
"You are pathetic, you know?" Sonny laughs out loud at Will's obvious frustration. "Suffice it to say that I have everything handled, and it is going to be the most perfect celebration for the most perfect little girl. Okay?"
"Fine. You win." Will finally stops the inquisition. "You know that I trust you, right? That's not why I keep bugging you."
Sonny smiles at Will and reaches across the bar to grab hold of his hands. Rubbing his thumbs against Will's, he feels that familiar warmth that always courses through his body whenever they touch. "So, you bug me just for fun?"
"Kind of, well, sort of like that. I don't do well with surprises, Sonny, you know that. And I'm just anxious and feel like if I know a little, then I won't be so worried about everything. It's just me being paranoid and insecure." Will meets Sonny's gaze intensely and as Sonny's eyes soften, Will thinks he just might have him.
"Okay, Will...but just a hint and that's it!" Sonny exhales heavily as he decides what piece of information to disclose. "So, I've ordered dozens of flowers, pink roses, which will be in a vase on every table and those will be covered with pink silk cloths. I've had curtains specially tailored for the windows, and they have 'Congratulations Arianna' embroidered across the top. The cake is only 5 tiers and has some of the pink rose petals incorporated into the design. The shop will be filled with twinkling lights and the staff will wear tux shirts with pink bow ties." He pauses to glance at Will, who is now turning a bit peaked and looks like he just might faint.
Sonny pretends to be hurt by his reaction. "Oh no, babe. You don't like it do you." He looks at the floor, trying to hide a devious smile.
"Um, uh..." Will stammers, blushing profusely as he struggles to find the right words. "I-it just sounds a little, um, fancy, don't you think? We talked about simple, Sonny. Pink rose petals everywhere and a 5-tiered cake don't sound simple to me."
"Okay," Sonny says quickly, "I'll just have to start my plans all over, I guess."
"No, no, no, Sonny, maybe just, uhh, tweak the plans a little?" Will is trying so hard to protect his feelings that Sonny can't keep the facade up any longer.
"My dearest Will," he leans across the counter to kiss his lips, which are puckered together in confusion. "I'm messing with you. Don't worry...no rose petals or specially made curtains or pink silk tablecloths. And the cake will only have 3 tiers, so don't worry about me going overboard."
Will kisses back and bites Sonny's bottom lip in an attempt at punishment for his misdeeds. "Shithead," Will murmurs against Sonny's mouth.
"Gullible pushover," Sonny murmurs right back. They continue to kiss for a few seconds, the lip biting turning Sonny on more than inflicting the intended injury. He runs his tongue lightly just inside Will's upper lip, which solicits an uncontrollable whimper from the blonde.
"I love you, you know," Will declares once they break apart.
"I know," Sonny responds simply.
"The celebration will be perfect because you planned it."
"I know that, too."
"Well, then, are you almost done here so we can go home and spend a little quality time together before Gabi and the baby get back?" Will raises his eyebrows at him and runs his fingers up Sonny's arm.
"Is this just another one of your ploys to try to get information out of me? Because it won't work."
"Not even if I do that thing you like, you know, with my mouth on your..."
"Stop, Will, jeez!" Sonny interrupts looking around quickly to see if anyone heard them. "And no. Not even if you do that. I'm telling you, my lips are sealed." He mimes locking his mouth and throwing away the key.
"Okay, so your lips are sealed, I get the message. But, are other things, you know, sealed, off limits?" Will is purposely being suggestive because he knows it's the one way he can get Sonny to do just about anything...maybe even share his secret plans.
Sonny groans at the thought of Will's explorations and shakes his head adamantly, "no, not everything is off limits. So, are you ready to go then?" Sonny is starting to get a little aroused and wants to get his sexy partner back to their place immediately.
"Sure," Will says with a knowing smirk. "I'm ready if you are."
Sonny practically runs around the counter and heads for the door when he realizes he's forgotten his iPad.
"Need this?" Will is holding it up, "with your super-duper special secret plans for my daughter's christening celebration on it?"
"Yes," and Sonny swipes it from Will's hands. "You know I'm not going to tell you anything, right? No matter what you do. No details. That's a promise."
"Fine. No details. What about maybe clue for figuring out your password?" Will winks and grabs Sonny's hand in his own.
Pulling him to the door and to the car at a record pace, Sonny continues to assure Will the whole way home of the confidential nature of his plans for next weekend.
Will instead focuses on Sonny's password, convinced he can deduce at least that. "Is it 'Halloween'? Our favorite holiday? Or maybe it's 111412, the date we first made love, or I know, is it Wilson...the nickname we love most?" Will presses on as Sonny just listens and chuckles at his feeble attempts. "I will figure it out," Will claims confidently.
"You might. But by the time you do, I'll have changed it again."
"Ugh! You are so infuriating!" Will shouts playfully.
"And you are adorable and persistent and pretty darn hot when you're angry."
"Are we there yet?" Will asks as they turn the corner near their apartment building.
"Yes, we are."
"Good." Will waits until the car stops and when it does, he immediately bolts from it calling to Sonny behind him, "last one there changes dirty diapers for the next week..."
Sonny walks casually across the parking lot and up the stairs to their apartment. Will is waiting quite impatiently, panting slightly outside their front door.
"You've got the key," he says breathlessly.
"Oh, look at that, I do." Sonny winks at Will and unlocks the door.
"I won, you know. You're on dirty diaper duty for the week." Will is a sore loser and an obnoxious winner.
"You won this time, my love. You're lucky I was tired from work and didn't feel like running."
"Lucky? Hah! I beat you fair and square."
"Speaking of lucky, if you a want to, you know, get lucky, you best get yourself to our bedroom and undressed pronto. All of this fighting is wasting precious time..."
Without another word, Will starts walking backwards, unbuttoning his shirt, while motioning seductively to his brown-eyed boyfriend. "You don't have to tell me twice."
"Good. Because I don't want to talk anymore about the christening or my password..."
"Shut up, Sonny. The only talking I want to hear from you is when you are explaining where you are going to touch me next..." and Will's pants and boxers drop to the floor.
"Perfect plan." Sonny reaches for Will and shuts their bedroom door behind him.
::one more week later::
Sonny is at the coffee house the morning of Arianna's christening, finalizing details and his to-do list for the rest of the day. The tables are ready, some are pushed together in bigger groups and each one has a three-sided frame showing off just a few of the many pictures they already have of little Ari. In the middle is a candle, and those will all be lit right before everyone arrives. The buffet table is covered in a simple, cream colored cloth and the two employees Sonny retained for the day will set out all of the sandwiches, salads, fruits and veggies once guests start arriving. There's a table in the far corner of the shop with an 8x10 picture of Will, Sonny, Gabi, Abby and Arianna (parents, godparents & child) in black and white with a copy of the simple christening announcement and celebration invite Sonny printed from his computer. There's a basket for cards and room for presents, even though the invitation specifically stated 'no gifts please'. Sonny knows his family and Will's well enough and fully expects that their request will be completely ignored.
There are cream colored paper lanterns suspended from the ceiling randomly in groups of two and three throughout the shop. Sonny picked up the cake on his way in, and it does happen to have 3 beautiful tiers, alternating layers of lemon filled and plain vanilla cake covered with citrus flavored buttercream frosting. The smallest tier is topped with another black and white photo of Arianna, giving the camera her best, most adorable, toothless smile. He's got a separate pizza pan-sized chocolate chip cookie with "Congratulations Arianna!" written on it just for the kids who may not want cake.
Sonny surveys his work and silently pats himself on the back for doing just as Will and Gabi asked. He kept it simple and created a comfortable atmosphere for their family and friends to gather to celebrate their little girl. In addition to the obvious details, he has also programmed a lovely playlist on his iPad, which will play through the speakers softly. He also put together a short DVD with some Arianna and family moments for all the guests to take with them.
Standing at the door of the shop, he turns off the lights and makes sure the sign explaining that they are closed for a family event is prominently placed. He can't help but smile at the thought of Will seeing what he's done. He can't wait to see Arianna in her christening gown and Will in his suit and tie. He can't wait to celebrate the miracle of Arianna with the people he loves most.
"It's going to be perfect," Sonny says to himself happily. "The perfect celebration for the most perfect little girl." He locks the door behind him and heads home to get ready for the christening service.
Will and Sonny get to the coffee house first after the service is over. Sonny delights in watching Will's face as he takes in the simple decorations, especially the many pictures Sonny has used as his primary inspiration. The staff has turned on only some of the lights as directed, and the paper lanterns and candles add to the ambiance with their subtle glow. The buffet table is set, and the music is playing.
"It's perfect," Will says breathlessly and turns back to Sonny. "Thank you so much. This is absolutely perfect. And so are you." He nuzzles his nose with Sonny's and kisses him tenderly on the lips.
"I love you babe," Sonny replies, "I'm so glad you like it. It did turn out nicely, didn't it?" He can't help but smile widely at the beautiful scene before him.
"Yes, Sonny, it did. And it is perfect...just as you promised...the perfect gathering for our perfect little girl." They enter the shop together and soon after their friends and family start to arrive.
Sonny is able to sit back and enjoy the party for the most part, having done most of the work ahead of time and leaving the rest to Luke and Anna, two of his best employees he hired for the day. He occasionally checks on everything and finally heads to the buffet table to fix himself a plate.
"Will, have you eaten, hon?"
"No. If you fix a plate, I'll share it with you." Will smiles at him as his daughter is passed from Sami to Marlena for about the 10th time.
Sonny grabs a few sandwiches, veggies, deviled eggs, which he knows are Will's favorite, and looks for the fruit salad. "Anna, where is the fruit salad? Are we out already?"
"No, Sonny, there wasn't fruit salad in the box with the other food. I didn't realize you ordered one. I'm sorry." Anna looks at him apologetically.
"No worries, Anna. It's okay. Maybe I forgot to order it...who knows. Thanks." It's not that there isn't plenty of other food. He's probably over-ordered, but he'd rather have too much and have leftovers than run out. As he makes his way to the end of the table, he sees that the cake and cookie have yet to be cut. Sonny grabs the knife, makes the first cut into the cake and puts several pieces on plates. He intends to do the same with the cookie, however, he has to look at it a few times before noticing that Arianna's name is spelled incorrectly. Instead of "Arianna (i before a) they have written Arainna (i after a), making it a totally different name entirely. He's staring at the cookie, shaking his head, when Will comes up behind him.
"Everything okay babe?" Will asks with a look of concern.
"Yeah, it's just...nothing."
"No, it's something and you're clearly a little upset by it."
"The cookie, Will, they misspelled Arianna's name. And the store didn't include the fruit salad I ordered. At first I thought I maybe I forgot it, but I've thought about it and I know I ordered it because I asked for extra grapes and less watermelon."
"That's sweet. I love grapes," Will smiles at him.
"And you don't like watermelon," Sonny finishes.
"Sonny, you are the only one who notices this stuff, honey. Stop worrying over such little details. Everything is amazing."
"Really?" Sonny asks, needing Will's reassurance.
"Yes, it is. And it's not just me that says so, everyone else agrees, too. This is really perfect, Sonny."
"Thanks." Sonny looks around and sees that Will is right. All of their friends and family are laughing, having a great time, enjoying food and conversation. Arianna is sleeping in her car seat, having been held by just about everyone in attendance. Gabi is chatting with Rafe and Kate, and when Gabi sees him looking around, she winks at him. Sonny knows that despite all of their past difficulties, she is appreciative of what he's done for her and the baby. He takes his plate and finds Will laughing with Chad and Abigail at one of the far tables.
Just as he's about to thank everyone for coming and encourage them to take cake or cookie, there is a bright flash of light followed by a loud crack of thunder. He and Will and Gabi first look to Arianna, who doesn't seem to be bothered by the commotion and is still sleeping peacefully. Then as he attempts to say something one more time, there's a quick blink of the shop's lights and then everything goes dark. The candles keep the room somewhat illuminated, but the absence of music is now filled with the consistent beeping from the coffee house's alarm system. Sonny rushes to the alarm panel and pulls the battery, leaving them all in complete silence.
"Wow, that storm came up fast," he comments looking around the room. No one else seems too worried and they resume their conversation with those around them. The candles in the room will do for now, thinks Sonny, but if the power stays out, they won't be able to brew fresh coffee to have with cake. How can you have cake without coffee? He's kicking himself now for not investing in the generator he and Chad talked about having for back-up power. A coffee house can only really survive if it's able to serve that wonderfully caffeinated beverage, and right now he's hearing those famous words from the planner echo in his brain.
"Honey, come and sit down and eat with me," Will is suddenly beside him once again, pulling him over to a table.
"I'm sorry, Will," Sonny is once again feeling like he disappointed Will. He just wanted this day to be perfect, and now there seems to be one thing after another going wrong.
"Sonny," Will takes his hand and kisses the top, "stop apologizing. I've heard enough. These little things are beyond your control and like I said before, no one notices but you!"
"Okay, okay...it's just..."
"I said stop, and I'm not going to ask again. I mean it, Sonny. Everything is wonderful and everyone is having a fantastic time. Plus, I kind of like the lights off; it's romantic." He winks at Sonny and brushes their lips together.
"Enough, you two," Gabi appears at their table and pulls up a chair next to the couple.
"Yeah, yeah," Will teases her, "shouldn't you be used to us by now? You have lived with us for the past 3 months after all."
"Ewww, so much PDA! Jeez. Don't you ever get enough?" This time it's Chad and soon most of the room has something to say.
"I think it's sweet that they can't keep their hands off of each other," Abigail remarks, looking wistful.
"Sweet, sure, but maybe save it for the privacy of their own home?" EJ adds winking at her.
"Okay, okay, people, let them be," Marlena interjects protecting her favorite grandson and his partner.
"Yeah," Caroline chimes in, "there's nothing wrong with being yourself with the one you love."
"Enough from the peanut gallery!" Sonny raises his voice above everyone else's. "It's my place of business, and I'll act as I please. And that includes kissing my amazing boyfriend whenever I like."
The group erupts with laughter and a few people chide him, "you're going to play that way, hah?" and "you had to go there," and "I'm the owner, blah, blah, blah". Sonny ignores them all and leans in to kiss Will once more, lingering even longer than the last time.
As the group cheers and applauds, the lights pop back on and the chorus of celebration gets even louder.
"See?" Will mouths to Sonny.
"I love you." Sonny mouths back. Now that the power is back on it's time to serve cake and get fresh pots of coffee brewing. Walking to the counter, he asks Luke and Anna to get the French Roast going and refill the half and half and sugar while it's brewing.
After it's done, they wander from table to table offering coffee to everyone. It's not until Sonny's dad asks for decaf that he remembers that he should have had them make of pot of that, too. It's fairly unusual for folks to drink decaf, but his dad is watching his blood pressure and likes to limit his caffeine consumption after noon.
"Sure, Dad! I forgot to brew decaf. We can do that now." Sonny looks to Anna, "could you?"
"Absolutely, Sonny. I'll get some from the back. A pot should be brewing in no time, Mr. Kiriakis!" And Anna is off to the storeroom.
A minute later, Sonny is being summoned to the back. "What's up, Anna?"
"Um, I opened this case of decaf, since it's the only one we have left, and it's not actually decaf. It's Sumatra - full strength. They must have labeled the box incorrectly." She shows Sonny the contents of the open box.
"Really?" Sonny can't believe his luck. Just as circumstances were turning around, now he's out of decaf and has nothing to serve to his dad. "Can I not catch a break?" he says more to himself than Anna, but she responds kindly, "I know Sonny. I'm sorry."
Heading back out into the shop, Sonny breaks the news to his dad. "I'm out of decaf, Dad, I'm so sorry."
"Sonny, I'm fine. Don't worry. I'll treat myself to some regular then this afternoon." And once again, the party goes on. Sonny is of course scolding himself for not ordering more, but it's too late now. The damage is done.
After all the guests have left, the food is cleared and Luke and Anna have finished cleaning up, Will and Sonny finally have a moment of peace together to reflect on the day. Will is sitting on the couch, his back leg bent and resting against the back cushion; Sonny is between his legs, his own stretched out the length of the sofa, and he's laying on Will's chest with his head resting on his shoulder. Will's arms are wrapped around Sonny, and he's playing with the tie Sonny has loosened around his neck. Sonny is the first to break the silence.
"That went okay, don't you think? Did you have a good time?" he asks Will tentatively.
"Okay? Son, were you not at the same place I've been all afternoon? The shop is gorgeous, the decorations were incredible and so very sweet, the food was amazing, exactly what I wanted, the cake was fantastic, the idea to have a cookie for the kids was brilliant and your special touches, like the DVD for everyone to take home, was absolutely perfect! Sonny, I cannot thank you enough for what you did to make this day so special. You amaze me day after day, and I feel so lucky that Arianna and I have you in our lives." Will's voice cracks a little with emotion.
"But, it wasn't perfect, Will. I messed up the fruit salad order, they misspelled Ari's name on the cookie, we lost power and had I invested in a generator like we talked about, it wouldn't have been an issue, and then to top it all off, I had no decaf coffee for our guests. I feel so badly about all of that, Will. How can you say it was absolutely perfect? I have a hard time seeing that." Sonny sounds defeated, afraid he's let Will and both of their families down.
Will sits up and forces Sonny's gaze from his hands to meet Will's eyes. "Sonny, these issues, are simply little, petty things that mean nothing. So what we had no fruit salad? We had so many sandwiches and veggies that no one noticed anything was missing. And the cookie? You think Johnny or Ciara noticed the i in Ari's name was after the a on the cookie? I doubt it. The power going out was the storm's fault, not yours." Before Sonny can interject something about the generator, Will puts two fingers on his lips, silencing him. "The coffee was the distributor's fault, not yours. How were you to know that they mistakenly put regular coffee in the decaf coffee box? Sonny, these were insignificant little things that in no way caused anyone here to have less of a good time. Our families LOVED it. This was by far one of the most amazing days of my life, celebrating my daughter with family and friends. I couldn't have asked for more."
"Really? You mean it Will? Because I wanted everything to be so perfect..."
"It was, Sonny, trust me. The celebration was perfect and so are you." He says those words with such tenderness and honesty that Sonny can't help but smile.
"Well, not quite perfect, but I'll take almost-perfect." Sonny jokes as he reaches up to caress Will's cheek.
"Okay, almost perfect." Will ponders for a moment. "I know. It was perfectly imperfect. The gathering, you...both perfectly imperfect. And I'd have it no other way."
Sonny meets Will half way and they share a gentle kiss that quickly turns into something more intense.
"Should we get out of here?" Sonny asks, reading Will's mind.
"Yes, I think so." Will stands and they gather their stuff before heading to the door. Sonny sets the alarm, turns off the lights and locks the deadbolt.
"Perfectly imperfect, hah?" Sonny remarks as they make their way to the car. "I kind of like that."