By the time Will got home from the hospital, took a shower with his left hand high in the air to avoid the water, and got to Marlena's, everyone else had already eaten. Will allowed Marlena and Belle to baby him when they saw his injury. Letting them make him a plate, cut his food, and insist on getting him anything he needed.

True to his word, Will went on and on about the wonderful doctor that treated him. How he did such a fantastic job on the stitches, how he distracted Will the whole time, and he didn't feel a thing. How knowledgeable and kind and he went a little overboard on the handsome bit if the twin smiles on Marlena and Belle's faces were anything to go on.

When he got back home, though, Will couldn't stop the sigh that puffed out of him when he came into an empty house. His home wasn't huge but without Ari around to fill it with sound, it was rather lonely.

Needing a distraction, Will looked up a new recipe to try, Brian at the forefront of his mind.

Will knew the two had never gotten along before. Brian was a little too condescending in his confidence and Will a little too defensive in his insecurities. Sonny didn't help matters any, seeming to relish pitting the two against one another.

Will had never had a single civil conversation with Brian after their initial meeting. Thinking about it caused Will to roll his eyes. To think he introduced Sonny and Brian, proud of himself for making a new friend, which started the whole mess.

Then again, Brian was child's play compared to the next few years of their lives. Which brought Will's mood down again.

How sad was Will? A chance encounter with a man that used to hate him was the most companionship Will had had outside of his family in months.

After finding a recipe he had all the ingredients for, and with nothing better to do, Will got to work.

It took longer than usual, what with the lack of two fully functioning hands, but Will finished. With a glance at the clock, Will grabbed a coat and his dessert. Brian's shift couldn't be over yet.

Will thanked the nurse walking with him again as she led him to a lounge on the fourth floor of the hospital. Being a Brady and a Horton had its privileges. One flash of a smile and a name drop and everyone flocked to help him.

He paused inside the doorway when he saw Brian on the couch, phone held in front of him, facetiming someone. Will took a few seconds to admire Brian's long legs stretched out in front of him before shaking his head.

Will adjusted his grip on his pie tin, injured finger throbbing, ready to knock when he overheard Brian's conversation.

"Yeah, Mom, I told you. I'm fine working on Thanksgiving. Of course, I miss you and Jacob and everyone else. Mom, I promise. Look, why would I want today off when there are so many others that have family's they want to be with? Yes, I want to be with you. You know that wasn't what I meant. Mom, Mom, come on. And no, I'm not looking for a boyfriend. I just settled here again. I promise I'll reach out to some old friends but I'm not in the market for – Mom, please."

Will stifled a laugh as his impulsive nature took over. With sudden confidence, Will waltzed into the room, put his pie on the side table next to the couch, and said in a loud, clear voice, "Bri-Bri, there you are!"

Brian startled when Will threw himself at his side, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"I know you said to wait until you got off shift but I couldn't wait any longer. I missed you too much."

"Uh…" Brian replied with a frown when his mother started squawking from his phone.

"Brian, who is this?" the woman asked.

"Uh…"

"Oh my goodness, I'm so, so sorry," Will gushed, practically sitting in Brian's lap and turning to face the phone. "I didn't want us to meet this way."

"Meet?" an attractive, dark-haired woman in her 50's asked. She blinked a few times before breaking into a blinding grin. "Brian, is this the reason you've been hedging all my questions about going out and meeting men?"

"Uh…"

"Yes," Will answered, snuggling close to Brian's side. "I'm Brian's boyfriend, Will Horton. Pleasure to meet you, Ma'am."

"Oh, well, aren't you charming," the woman gushed. She looked over her shoulder, yelling, "Jacob, you'll never believe it! Brian has a boyfriend!"

The woman looked at Will again before cooing, "and he's so handsome. Brian, how could you keep him hidden from me?"

"Uh…" Brian snapped out of his shock, putting his arm around Will's shoulders, "I wanted to surprise you when you visited for Christmas."

"Oh, this is perfect," the woman rambled, phone wobbling. "I have to tell everyone. Goodness, look how beautiful you two look together. I can't tell you how happy I am. This is amazing. I can't believe you didn't tell me, though. Letting me go on and on about you needing someone and you were hiding this gorgeous, young thing from me."

Will beamed at Brian, squishing their cheeks together.

"Oh, you are too precious," the woman sighed before saying her goodbyes.

"I think that got her off your back for a while," Will replied when Brian tossed his phone on the couch.

"Why did you do that?" Brian asked, dislodging Will's admittedly rather comfortable weight off him.

"You said she wouldn't stop bothering you," Will shrugged. "I figured this way you can make her happy."

"By lying to her?"

"It's not hurting anyone," Will defended. "Look how happy she was!"

"What's she going to do when she gets here next month?" Brian asked, running his hands through his hair and making a mess of it.

"Meet me," Will knocked Brian's hands aside and tamed his wild locks. "Look, she and your stepdad, Jacob I'm assuming, will meet me. We can fake a few smiles and keep her happy. She'll go back to Ohio and you can keep our fake relationship going for a while and, whenever you find someone for real, stage a fake breakup."

"You've given this an awful lot of thought," Brian responded with a frown.

"I watch a lot of Hallmark movies," Will shrugged.

"But, Will, what's going to happen if she wants to meet your family? Or we're out in public? How are we going to fake a relationship if no one in Salem thinks we're in a relationship?"

"So, we hang out a few times in public and tell people we're together. This is ideal for both of us. You're too busy to find a relationship. I'm a big loser that no one wants. You can get your mom off your back and my exes can think I'm not as pathetic as I am."

"What?" Brian asked, hand on Will's wrist. "What are talking about? Loser and pathetic, what is that?"

"I'm aware of my faults. You pointed them out to me a long time ago. But this is a good opportunity."

"Will, you're not a –,"

"We got along today, right? Surprising considering our past. This could work."

"So, you want to fake dating to keep my mom happy and to," Brian made a rolling motion with his hands, gesturing for Will to finish his thought.

"To make sure Sonny and Paul don't think I'm a pathetic loser, yes."

"Why would they think that?"

"Because they have these perfect, great relationships and I'm all alone. I don't want to sit by myself this holiday season watching all these perfectly happy couples."

"Okay, yeah," Brian nodded. "But how is this going to work. We're gonna have to deceive a lot of people."

"It's not deceiving," Will rolled his eyes, turning on the couch so his knee was touching Brian's. "We hang out together; other people will think they're dates. We don't correct them."

Brian rubbed his forehead, eyes closed.

"This is ridiculous."

"Yeah," Will nodded with a grin. "But, your mom won't bother you all the time, now."

"She did look happy. And she's never gotten off a call that fast before."

"So…?" Will asked, eyes wide and vibrant, leaning in close to Brian's face.

Brian's eyes lingered on Will, flickering to his pink lips several times, before sighing.

"So, will you be my fake boyfriend?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Will teased. The two smiled at one another before Will remembered. "Oh, wait, I made you something."

Will leaned over to get his beautifully decorated German chocolate pie.

"Ta-da," Will said as he brandished the pie in Brian's face.

"Oh, man, that looks good."

Will pulled out two forks.

"To the beginning of a beautiful fake relationship," Will said.

Brian clinked his fork against Will's before diving in.

Will was right. He did know how to bake.

The next day, around noon, Brian ambled up the walkway to Will's front door. He admired the mature shade trees, the colorful flowers near the front door, and even the collection of chalk drawings lining the driveway.

Brian rang the bell and less than ten seconds later Will answered the door.

"Hi," Will said, gesturing Brian inside.

Brian quirked a brow at Will holding a pair of bright pink socks in his hands.

"Oh, right," Will waved the socks in the air. "Come inside. You can hang your coat up in there."

Will gestured to a closet a few steps from the front door. Brian watched as Will walked another few steps to a laundry room and tossed the socks inside. In the coat closet, Brian smiled at several pink and purple jackets and coats hanging next to a few battered looking ones that must belong to Will.

"Nice place," Brian said once he closed the closet door and stepped closer to Will.

"Thanks," Will nodded, rolling forward and back on the balls of his feet.

"It wasn't exactly what I pictured when you invited me to your place."

"No?"

"I was thinking more of a swanky, modern apartment or something. Not an actual house that looks so…"

"Old?" Will guessed with a rueful grin.

"No," Brian shook his head. "Loved."

"Oh, thanks," Will beamed. "You want a tour?"

Will didn't wait for Brian to answer. It was rare Will got to show anyone around besides family member's or parents of Ari's friends.

Brian indulged Will, enjoying the proud, confident lilt to Will's tone as he explained each room.

Will's house wasn't huge, by any means, a little over 1500 square feet. There were three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen with just enough space, a dining room, an open living space, and a small den Will utilized as Ari's toy room. Complete with a laundry room, a two car garage, and a small screened in back porch.

Will was only able to afford it because it was on the outskirts of Salem and was in desperate need of updates. Everything was from the mid-90s and while still in working order, weren't exactly attractive. But, as Brian said, it looked loved and lived in. Will kept everything tidy and even though most of the furniture was second-hand, they were all clean.

"It took some getting used to, not being able to walk everywhere in a few minutes," Will said to Brian as they came in from the backyard (a small rectangular shape with a tree, some rose bushes, and enough grass for Ari to tire herself out in).

"But, it's Salem," Brian added, closing the back door behind him. "You can get anywhere in twenty minutes."

"Yep," Will agreed. "Plus, I've never lived in the suburbs before and it was still close enough for Ari to take the bus to school."

"I like it," Brian admitted and he actually did. While he was more a fan of modern and elegant, Will's house felt like a home.

"Well, you're about the first," Will laughed, going into the kitchen with Brian following. "My family thought I was crazy for buying it. They all wanted me to save up for something 'nicer'. Of course, by nicer, they meant something three times as much. And I don't make that much money. The down payment for this did come from a trust fund my stepdad made up for me during his first marriage to my mom. But, you know, I like it here. I can update over time."

"Will," Brian said, cutting him off with an amused tone of voice. "I'm agreeing with you. You can stop justifying it."

"Oh," Will let out a chuckle. "Sorry, like I said, I'm used to everyone thinking I'm nuts."

Will gave Brian an appraising glance before adding, "actually, the house is one of the reasons I struggled so much with coming out."

"What do you mean?"

"Growing up, I never got this," Will waved his hand around him. "A home. I had plenty of places I lived, apartments, condos, hell, even a few mansions. But, they didn't last long. I moved constantly, house to house, parent to parent, continent to continent. Normal kids fantasized about, I don't know, having every toy in the world. I liked to pretend I lived with my parents in a nice little house on a quiet street with a white picket fence and stability. When I realized that was never going to happen, I wanted it for myself. Wife, kids, picket fence, the whole clichéd thing. All my life I wanted to be normal and I couldn't reconcile wanting men with that."

Will shrugged, scratching at his bandaged fingers and giving Brian a cheeky smile.

"Of course, now, I've got the house and the kid and there are some days where I feel like I'm going to lose my mind if I don't gag on someone's dick, so I guess I figured it out in the end."

Brian let out a bark of surprised laughter as Will changed the subject.

"Can I get you something to drink before we get started? Water? Juice? Coffee? I can make a fancy one."

"Fancy one?" Brian wondered.

"Yeah," Will gestured to an espresso machine in the corner of the kitchen. "Paying for grownup things like a mortgage and insurance and all that crap is expensive. I save a lot of money making my own lattes and cappuccinos. You want one?"

"Sure, I'll take a latte," Brian answered, watching as Will hustled and bustled about the kitchen.

It was reminiscent of when Brian would spend hours at Common Grounds with Sonny. Except even then, Sonny always seemed calm and collected. Will, not so much, even now. His eyes took on a panicky sheen and he moved this way and that, body constantly in motion and fidgety. Not relaxing until he poured a heavy dollop of froth in a mug and placed it in front of Brian.

The look of absolute delight on Will's face when Brian said it was good shouldn't have warmed Brian's insides better than the latte.

But it did.

After Will made his own drink and sat next to Brian, they finally got down to the reason behind Brian's visit.

"So, fake dating," Brian said, hands wrapped around his Peppa Pig mug. "How is this going to work?"

"Well, for it to work we have to actually make people think we're a couple," Will pointed out. He took a sip out of his own Fancy Nancy mug. "So, things like going out in public, telling people we work with that we're seeing someone, that type of thing."

"Okay," Brian nodded. He knew some nosy nurses that would spread the news like wildfire.

"If we go to the Brady Pub together, I'm pretty sure all of Salem will know within a few hours," Will conceded. "Or, they'll at least know I was with a guy. That's pretty big news itself nowadays."

"Right," Brian almost forgot Will knew pretty much everyone in Salem. While looking down at his mug, and trying to figure out what a Peppa pig was, Brian asked, "what about your daughter? What are you gonna tell her?"

"Oh, yeah," Will deflated a bit, resting his chin on the top of his bandaged left hand. "Well, I don't want to lie to her but she also can't keep a secret to save her life."

"Kind of like you?" Brian teased, earning him a sharp glare.

"Yes," Will sniffed with no small amount of reluctance. "If anyone is going to blow this it's me or the mini-me. The one trait of my mother's I didn't inherit had to be her penchant for lying."

"How is this going to work if either one of you are going to accidentally give it away?"

"Look, I don't want her lying or figuring out schemes of her own. I have enough trouble with her mother's genes floating around her body let alone mine."

"Alright, so we tell her we're special friends or something. And we don't talk about the lie in front of her. If anyone asks her, she won't lie and we won't be lying either."

"But everyone knows, if I had a boyfriend, they'd have to be close to Ari."

"I can hang out with kids, you know?" Brian said with an eye roll. "I mean, I want to specialize in pediatrics. This'll give me a chance to practice interacting with children."

"Really? You do?"

"Yeah," Brian said a bit defensively. "I like kids and part of the reason I wanted to become a doctor was to make a difference in people's lives. Who better than children?"

Will stared at Brian for a few moments.

"What?" Brian asked defensively.

"Nothing," Will shook his head, face buried in his mug. Brian almost didn't hear his mumbled, "it just makes you even more attractive, is all."

Brian couldn't hold in a wide grin as he took a sip of his latte.

"Oh!" Will yelled out, head popping up. "I almost forgot, I made these for us."

He hopped off his stool and hurried into the kitchen. He returned with a plate of chocolate dipped biscotti, homemade and slightly rustic.

"Oh man," Brian groaned around a mouthful. "That's not even fair."

Will bounced up and down in place, pleased by the response. Brian was really the only person outside of Ari to ever taste his baking.

"You like?"

"Are you kidding?" Brian grabbed the whole plate and pulled them closer. "I don't know what you're planning on eating but these are mine, now."

After finishing one biscotti and starting another, swirling it in his latte, Brian asked, "seriously, you're really good at this. Why aren't you pursuing it?"

"What? Baking?"

"Yeah."

"I wouldn't even know how. I'm not formally trained or even have any clue what I'm doing. I just follow recipes."

"So? Everything you've given me has been so much better than anything I've had in any coffee shop or bakery."

"I just do it so I'm not bored," Will hedged, sitting back down.

"Well, you should think about it. I think you'd do awesome."

"Thanks," Will replied. "But I've been told several times I don't have a head for business. Or planning."

Brian scowled. He could imagine who would tell him something like that which reminded him.

"I think we might have a problem outside of you or your daughter opening your big mouths."

"What?"

"Sonny," Brian pointed out, swallowing another large bite of cookie.

"Oh, right, him," Will rolled his eyes and swiped a cookie, taking a huge bite out of it and chewing loudly.

Every now and again Will would forget Brian once hated him and wanted Sonny. He almost forgot how resentful and jealous he was of Brian once too.

Huh, seemed a pattern for Will, getting closer to men he once hated who wanted Sonny.

"I might have said some less than favorable things about you in the past," Brian admitted in a low voice. "I don't know if Sonny will believe we're a couple when he sees us, if he sees us."

"I don't know," Will sighed. "I have a tendency to sleep with men who loved Sonny first. He might believe it. I talk about it with my therapist all the time."

"I wasn't in love with Sonny," Brian said, ignoring the rest of Will's statement. At Will's look, Brian added, "I liked him. I liked his confidence and how he started his own business without his family's help. I liked him but love? Please, we never even got past a few kisses. I definitely wasn't in love with him."

"A few kisses?" Will sat up straighter and glared at him. "You told me you slept with him!"

"I implied," Brian admitted with a shrug. "Even with all your lying you were still all he wanted and I had to do something to make you doubt everything. It worked out in your favor in the end, didn't it?"

"That's debatable," Will said. After a few seconds he added, "and Sonny doesn't have his own business anymore. He works for his uncle like a good little lapdog."

"Really?" Brian frowned. "That doesn't sound anything like the Sonny I once knew."

"He's nothing like the Sonny you knew. Now, he works for Titan, wears suits all day, and is dating a prostitute. And not even like a romantic Pretty Woman type story. Just a middle-aged prostitute who Sonny thought he killed and then blackmailed him into being with him and fell in love along the way."

"…what?"

"Hey, I told you he's nothing like you remember."

"No kidding," Brian scoffed.

"But, yeah, he's still going to throw a fit when he finds out we're together. Even if we aren't really together, you know?"

"I can imagine, yeah. But, if Sonny's happy with his 'middle-aged prostitute' than he shouldn't care who you're dating."

"Right," Will acknowledged. Then he thought for a moment. "I can think of one other problem we might encounter."

"What?"

"We – okay, I – made your mom think we'd been together a lot longer than everyone in Salem is going to think."

"Right," Brian rubbed his forehead. "Well, I guess we try not to say when we got together. Your finger will be healed by Christmas. We can tell everyone we met again when I stitched you up. We just won't tell my mom when that was."

"Okay, makes sense," Will nodded. "I kind of helped my case yesterday with Grandma Marlena. I might have gone a little overboard talking you up. Your face might have been mentioned a few too many times."

Will flashed Brian a sheepish smile.

"My face?"

"Don't start with me."

"I didn't say anything."

Will reached over to nudge Brian in the side only he deflected it. The two mock fought for a few seconds before Will got the upper hand. He gave Brian a sharp pinch to the side. It didn't do much since Brian didn't have any extra skin to grab, just miles of abdominal muscles.

Brian laughed, smug smirk on his face.

"Okay, so we met at the hospital, we connected, now, we're together. Anything else we need to agree to?"

"Who asked who out?" Will wondered. "We have to keep our stories straight. That's something that never works out in Hallmark movies. They trip up on the details."

Brian gave it some thought before deciding.

"You brought me dessert late after I stitched you up and I asked you out."

"How did you ask me out?" Will asked with his brows quirked and his lips pressed together.

"I'd say something about how you bringing me the best pie I've ever had in the middle of the night, on a holiday most people spend with their families and you knew I'd spend alone, was the sweetest gesture anyone's ever done for me. And I'd ask if I could see you again."

"And what did I say?" Will wondered, cheeks rosy.

"You said yes and kissed my cheek," Brian decided. "And then you couldn't wait to bake for me again. So, here I am."

"Here you are," Will agreed. Secretly wishing the story was true.

The two ate the cookies in silence, the only sound the crunch of their chewing and the occasional slurp when Will took a drink.

"Can I ask you something?" Will wondered as Brian started in on his third biscotti.

"Hmm?" Brian responded, focused on dipping his cookie in his coffee for the perfect amount of time.

"Why don't you have a boyfriend?" At Brian's quirked brow, Will explained, "if your mom's worried about it so much, why don't you find one? Or, a real one, I mean, it's not like you need a fake boyfriend. You're a doctor who looks like a model. I'm sure you have your pick of men."

Brian shrugged while chewing. He took a large swallow before answering.

"It's not that I can't find one. I just can't find one that understands my schedule. I just started my residency after years of hard work. My shifts are insane. I don't get out much on my days off. The only people I interact with are my coworkers. It's hard to find anyone willing to put up with all of that. And I guess I haven't found anyone that makes me want to make an effort to start a relationship.

"Which my mother doesn't understand at all. She got remarried a few years ago and now she's obsessed with finding someone who makes me as happy as my stepdad makes her."

"Oh," Will nodded. "Makes sense."

He couldn't imagine someone like Brian struggling to find a man, after all. It didn't sound like Brian struggled at all. He just hadn't found anyone worthwhile.

"What about you?" Brian asked once Will grew quiet. "Why don't you have a boyfriend?"

Will snorted, picking up his mug and holding it close to his face.

"Sort of the opposite of you, I guess. All I seem to find are men that want to sleep with me and have no interest in anything else. I mean, I'm kind of a horrible boyfriend anyway. My track record is – well – terrible. But, if I could find someone who didn't just want in my pants, I'd be all over that."

"That's –," Brian struggled to find the right words. "Surprising."

After seeing the expression on Will's face, Brian added, "Surprising that you're struggling at all. You're young and hot. You haven't even irritated me and we've been chatting for a while. Considering how annoying you used to be, this is either some Twilight Zone bullshit or you've grown up. And I bet you're not that bad of a boyfriend."

"Brian," Will said with a self-deprecating smile, "I've had two serious relationships and I cheated on them both. Trust me, I'm awful. Even if I wasn't, I've got a lot of baggage no one wants to deal with. It's fine. I think spending all this time out of a relationship has been good for me. But, I don't need anyone else seeing how pathetic I am during the holidays."

"Right," Brian nodded. He wasn't sure if he believed Will or not, though. Deep down, Brian was certain Will was self-sabotaging, seeing what he wanted to see in men, and wasn't actually out of options.

"If you want," Will offered a few moments later, "you can stay for dinner. Ari's supposed to be home soon. I was gonna order a pizza while we baked."

"What are you baking?"

"We're starting a gingerbread house," Will explained. "I'm pretty nervous. It might be the most challenging thing I've done yet. But Ari's really excited and she loves helping me in the kitchen."

"If you want me to stay, I'll stay," Brian offered.

"You don't have to," Will said. "I mean, we're only fake dating. You probably don't want to spend your day off with us anyway. You can leave after meeting Ari and it'll be –,"

"Will," Brian said loud and firm, "shut up."

Will held Brian's gaze, the two simply staring at one another for several long moments. Trying to decipher what hidden emotions were behind the other's eye.

Ding dong

The doorbell startled them both.

"That's probably Sonny with Ari," Will explained, standing up and tugging at the bottom of his shirt. "I don't know if you want to stay here or answer the door with me. I mean, Leo will be leaning against their car with this stupid smirk on his face. Not that that's important. I just meant that –,"

"Will," Brian stood up and covered Will's mouth with one finger. "Shut up."

"Right," Will said, shaking his head and walking toward the door. "You know, I'm not gonna let you get away with that for long."

"Hmm," Brian mused as he followed Will but headed toward the front window. He opened the curtain enough to look outside.

Sure enough, a middle-aged man was leaning against an expensive car with the world's most satisfied smirk on his face.

Brian didn't see the appeal, especially over Will.

Ding dong

"I'm right here," Will grumbled when he opened the door. "You couldn't have waited a few more seconds?"

"We're on a tight schedule," Sonny sniffed, shoving Ari's stuffed animal in Will's arms as Ari wound her arms around Will's waist.

"Daddy! I missed you and," Ari gasped. "You have an owie!"

"Oh, yeah," Will looked down at his bandaged fingers. "I had to get some stitches but I'm okay. In fact, I think it's the best trip I've ever had at the hospital."

Will glanced over his shoulder and winked at Brian.

From Brian's position at the curtain, Sonny couldn't see him. But Leo could. Brian saw the exact moment Leo noticed him. His posture changed, deep lines creasing his forehead as he stared at Brian.

Sonny looked past Will's shoulder but all he could see was two mugs out on the kitchen counter. For a few moments, he gazed at the mugs before shaking his head.

"Leo and I have an important dinner to attend," Sonny said, straightening the lapel of his suit jacket.

"Uh-huh," Will blatantly rolled his eyes and made a shooing motion. "Ari, tell Sonny goodbye."

"Bye, Daddy," Ari said from her position clinging to Will's side.

Will closed the door on Sonny so they couldn't hear all of his response. Not that Ari seemed to care, she just spotted Brian.

"Daddy, who's that?" Ari asked, pointing right at Brian.

Brian peeled himself away from the window in time to watch Leo gesturing toward him and Sonny spinning on his heels.

"Ari, baby, this is Daddy's friend, Brian," Will explained, smoothing out her long hair and running his hands over her shoulders. "Brian, this is my daughter, Arianna."

"Hi," Ari said leaning into Will's forearm.

Brian got on one knee and held his hand out.

"Nice to meet you," Brian said when Ari put her tiny little hand in his. "You know, I used to know your dad before you were even born."

"Really?" Ari asked with wide eyes. She glanced up at Will for confirmation.

"Yep," Will said, the sight of his daughter holding Brian's hand doing strange things to his tummy. "Brian took care of my booboo last night."

"Did he kiss it better?" Ari wondered with all the naivety and innocence of six-year-old.

Brian let go of Ari's hand to grab Will's.

"Maybe we can do it together."

Ari nodded enthusiastically before her and Brian both kissed Will's left hand.

"All better," Will said, ignoring the wobble in his voice.

"Ari," Brian addressed her with a small smile. "Your dad here told me you were baking gingerbread, tonight. You know, that's my favorite thing about the holidays. And I was wondering if you'd let me help you?"

"Hmm," Ari tapped her chin, pretending to think. "I guess. But you have to wear an apron and promise to listen to Daddy. Or else we can't be in the kitchen."

"Deal," Brian promised, glancing up at Will with an amused smile.

Hours later, with flour in their hair, the smell of gingerbread wafting through the house, and their cheeks hurting from so much laughter, Brian and Will collapsed on the sofa, elbows brushing.

"I hope after all that effort, everything turns out," Will said with a soft sigh.

"It will. How could it not? That dough tasted amazing."

"Well, thanks, you and Ari did most of the work."

"We ate most of the batter, you mean," Brian pointed out.

That was one of his favorite parts of the evening. Will's indignant squawk every time he caught Ari or Brian with their hand in the mixing bowl, threatening them with a spatula, everyone knowing he'd never get near them.

"You know, now you have to come back tomorrow to assemble and decorate," Will told Brian.

Tonight they baked everything but they needed it to dry to truly make their house a masterpiece.

"I've got tomorrow off too," Brian admitted.

Even if he didn't, he'd find a way to make it. Tonight with Will and Ari was the most fun he'd had in a long, long time.

He even had the pictures to prove it.

"Actually," Brian pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened up his Instagram page. "You know what would really sell this whole fake relationship thing?"

"Hmm?" Will asked, moving even closer to Brian, so the two were pressed together.

"This," Brian said as he posted several photos of him, Will, and Ari throughout their night.

Pictures of Will with a shocked expression after Ari threw a handful of flour in his face. Several of Ari, gingerbread dough all around her lips and stuck in her gap-toothed smile. Even a selfie of him and Will, standing close and way too comfortable after only a day of re-acquaintance, matching grins, and the one proceeding it where Will dabbed some dough on Brian's cheek with a precious, too-innocent smile.

Brian posted them all, tagging Will in every single one. After following Brian, Will reposted them. There weren't any hashtags to go with them but the message seemed pretty clear. Anyone who followed either of them would get the hint, especially Brian's mom, Sonny, and Paul.