A/N: Don't let the title fool you, this is very much a McHart fic from Kurt's pov, but it is indeed about Will. I know it's confusing, so just read it and let me know what you think in the end ;)
Will
"What about Will?" he tried to sound as if this question only popped into his head that very moment, while it had been there for too long already, long enough for it to finally want to burst out.
He had seen them together, he had heard her talk about him on several occasions, he had been observant, tried to find answers on his own, but had only found questions instead. Questions that needed to be answered and could only be answered by her. And this was the time.
"What do you mean?" he saw in her eyes that she was not prepared for this.
"Since we're already talking about things, I think we should talk about him as well," he was patient, gentle. He wanted her to talk about it willingly, not because he made her do so. She had to want it as well.
"Why do you think there's something to talk about?" of course the lawyer in her could never really rest and he wasn't surprised that she thought there was nothing to talk about. But he knew there were plenty of things about her and Will that he could never understand, even though he wanted to.
"I have a sort of feeling," he couldn't find a more suitable word. Intuition, suspicion, whatever he might call it, it was there, and it didn't want to leave his mind.
"What feeling?" her typical reaction could have made him smile if it hadn't been a serious conversation to begin with.
"I don't know, you and Will…you seem…close," that was the best word he could think of when describing their special relationship. It was something that was still missing from theirs, that closeness Diane shared with her law firm partner, that he wanted to share with her as well, but wasn't sure how.
"Are you jealous?" her smile was adorable and for a second he was actually tempted to stop right there, leave this talk for another time, take her in his arms and tell her that he wanted her all for himself, starting this very moment. But his curiosity and his determination to finally remove the weight of this feeling from his thoughts held him back.
"Should I be jealous?" he believed he knew the answer to this question on his own, but he had to ask nevertheless and her eyes were talking for themselves when they never left his as she replied without hesitation.
"No, I am with you," he loved hearing her words and that she understood the importance of an honest answer to his honest question. Jealous was definitely not the right word for his feelings, he knew that he could trust her to be faithful.
"Have you ever been with Will?" this didn't come out the right way, he knew it before he heard her chuckle, but he didn't want to take it back nevertheless. It was one important question about the two of them that he wanted to get an answer to.
"What kind of a question is that?" she gave voice to her amusement, trying to change the seriousness of the conversation, but they were too deep in it already, he couldn't let her do it.
"The kind that sometimes needs to be asked," he insisted and her eyes started wondering around, trying to hide from his gaze.
"I'm not sure I want to answer," she said quickly before she finally looked in his eyes again.
"Does this mean you have something to hide?" it was the natural conclusion on his side, still she managed to question him again and he wasn't even surprised.
"Why would you think that?" she was asking a question to a question to gain some time and he understood, he was ready to give her all the time she needed.
"Because you don't want to answer a simple question," he suspected that the answer to this question was not necessarily simple, and even though he feared her answer, he wanted to know the truth. To know it and make peace with it for their sake.
"That question is anything but simple," she voiced his concern, not avoiding his gaze anymore. He knew she was willing to share it with him now, he'd chosen the right time to ask and the right words.
"I would still like to get a reply," he used the most patient voice possible, it wasn't urging, it wasn't demanding, it was loving and caring.
"About me and Will?" she tried to clear it one last time, probably wishing for a final opportunity to escape, but he couldn't give it to her.
"Yes," he confirmed it once more, the word accompanied by a small encouraging smile.
"All right," she finally gave in completely, taking a deep breath, "I met Will Gardner eight years ago."
"You don't have to tell me everything," he almost regretted interrupting her right away, but he wanted to make sure she knew he only wanted to know what she was ready to share.
"If you want to understand it, you need to know everything. Are you in a hurry or something?" she added playfully, almost endangering their moment of honesty with the question.
"No, I have all the time in the world," he reassured her and promised himself not to interrupt her again, not until he heard the whole story.
"Then let's start with the day I met Will Gardner."
o-o-o
"Thank you for telling me all this," he replied when he was sure she had nothing more to say.
"Did I have a choice?" her playfulness was back again at once. He knew it had been hard for her to open up to him like that and he appreciated it more than he could show.
She had been right. The story she had told him was anything but simple. It was a complicated mixture of feelings, memories, unfulfilled wishes, but mostly it was a story of two people who had been through so much together that made them who they were now.
"Well technically you did, but…"
"But you can be pretty persuasive," she smiled and her face showed that she didn't mind getting all this off her chest, finally letting him in that way.
"If I want to," he smiled as well, showing his gratitude the only way he could at that moment, since there was still something that needed to be said.
"Are you satisfied?" he could see the hope in her eyes and only then did he feel like giving her the explanation behind all this questioning.
"I found that magazine in your bedside cabinet," it had happened about a week ago and even thought it probably meant nothing, it had led him think about what part did Will actually play in Diane's life.
"What magazine?" she obviously had no clue, which he chose to take as a good sign.
"Will Gardner, bachelor number 16."
The laughter that left Diane's throat was probably worth going through all this trouble for. He'd never heard her laugh that way ever before.
"Was it all about that stupid article?" she asked when she finally managed to calm down a little.
"That you're hiding beside your bed," he emphasized, but by then he realized that he might have overreacted this whole thing just a little.
"He is my business partner," Diane said, looking straight into his eyes, but somehow he still wasn't entirely satisfied.
"You've just told me that he's more than that," he reminded her of the things she'd just told him. In comparison to that the magazine-accusation did sound a little ridiculous, but otherwise he might never have gotten to know the whole truth.
"Maybe you don't understand it yet, but I hope you will some day," she sounded sincere and even though he didn't dare to say it out loud he silently started to hope that some day she would have such strong feelings for him as she did for Will.