Will still hadn't gotten the hang of cooking quite yet. He wasn't terrible by any means. He knew how to follow a recipe. He didn't have the magic touch that made everything come together. For the most part, Will stuck to prepackaged meals he only had to add some water to and cook on the stove. Or frozen meals he could stick in the oven. If he felt adventurous, Will would try something in the crockpot.

Tonight was not an adventurous day. Will put a frozen lasagna in the oven and some ready-made garlic bread he got at a bakery. It wasn't a culinary masterpiece but it was quick and easy. Sure, Sonny would complain one way or the other. But, Will was used to that.

There hadn't been a single meal Will made Sonny couldn't fault.

Will opened a bag of ready-mixed Cesar salad and poured it in a large bowl. Ari helped him toss it all together. Sitting on the countertop next to him, giggling and laughing between giving him a rundown of her day.

For once, Will was home early. After his meeting with Isak, he made a quick pit stop at the office before going home. The apartment was still tidy from when he cleaned it that morning. All Will had to do was write until Ari got home.

After a snack and some homework, Ari was free to play. With such an easy dinner, Will got in some more writing. Tonight, he might actually get to bed at a decent time.

The circles under his eyes were getting as bad as Isak's.

Will needed to stop thinking about that man. He needed to stop meeting him and talking to him.

He already spent his days pining over Paul. He didn't need to add another man to the mix.

Will fantasized about it sometimes, though. What would happen between him and Isak if Sonny wasn't in the picture? Will wouldn't have any reason to reject him. Sonny was the only thing holding him back.

Every now and again, Will thought about what life would be like if he broke things off with Sonny. He could deal with the judgments and the told you so from Brady and John. He could deal with the quiet disapproval from Marlena for breaking Paul's heart for nothing. Roman would shake his head at Will and say something gruff and inaudible. Adrienne would blame Will, like always.

Will could even handle Sonny. The arguments it would cause, the yelling it would bring. On particularly bad days, Will fantasized about it. Boxing up all Sonny's things one by one until he was out of Will's life completely.

Unfortunately, Will couldn't do that to Ari. Ari loved Sonny and she should. He's been there all Ari's life, minus a few stretches of months when he ran off to Paris. Ari told Will over and over how happy she was living with both her fathers' again.

How could Will take that away?

(he tried once. A few weeks after Sonny moved himself in. Will packed a bag for him and Ari, intent on getting away. Sonny saw the bags before Will could get out. It led to their worst fight. Sonny yelling and screaming, telling Will he wasn't going anywhere, ever. The harder Will fought Sonny, fought his words, the harder his nose bled. Will stopped trying to leave after that.)

With Ari giggling up a storm and Will shoveling spilled parmesan cheese back into the bowl, Will promised himself. No more Isak Larsson. He had to keep Ari happy. He had to.

He'd put more effort into his relationship with Sonny. He'd stop living in the past, stop wishing every moment he was still with Paul. If Will started fresh with a bright, positive attitude, things would get better.

Starting tonight

Since Will had some free time, he made more of an effort presenting dinner. The apartment didn't have a designated dining area. The kitchen had a peninsula with a counter overhang perfect for all three of them to eat.

Most of the time, Will would shove Ari's toys aside enough to fit a plate and call it a day. But today, Will got Ari to put away all her toys from the counter. Well, she dumped them on the couch but it was a start. He wiped the whole counter clean and even pulled out a set of unused placemats Sami sent him when he moved in.

Will even arranged the loaf of garlic bread on the nicest platter her had. Folded actual napkins instead of using paper towels. Poured Ari grape juice in a wine glass so her cup would match Will and Sonny's glasses. He used individual bowls for their salad instead of shoving everything on the same plate.

Will even put some of the flower arrangements Isak gave him in a vase and used it as a centerpiece. He divided the flowers up at the office. Letting some of his coworkers take whatever they wanted of it. Will brought some home as well. Most went into Ari's bedroom which made her day.

Will felt good about dinner. It wouldn't win any awards but he felt accomplished. Something he didn't feel often about anything but his writing.

He also felt excited for Sonny to come home and see. Something he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

Will could do this. He would start over with Sonny and life would get better and easier. Sonny would hopefully get the job he wanted which would take some of the pressure off Will. Less pressure, less work, less stress, happier Will.

It wouldn't be what they once had and Sonny would never be Paul, but Will could survive.

Will was just setting the food on the counter when Sonny walked in the door.

"Hey," Will greeted with a wide smile. Quite a different welcome than Will got in the habit of giving him. "Ari, babe, hands."

Will helped Ari wash her hands at the kitchen sink before carrying her over to a bar stool, making her laugh when he spun her around and around.

"Hi," Sonny muttered, confused and a little pale.

"How was your interview? That was today, right?"

"Yeah," Sonny cleared this throat, heading over to the counter.

"So, how was it?" Will asked, sitting down. "Did they say anything? When do you find out if you got the job?"

"They've gotta think on it," Sonny said, pulling out his chair and sitting.

He saw the glass of wine in front of his plate and swallowed it all in one gulp.

Will watched him but didn't say anything. He simply moved the wine bottle closer to Sonny.

"Anyway," Will said, passing out slices of bread. "Ari, I need to finalize some details about your birthday party. I sent out the invites for your friends and our family. But, is there anything else you want to add?"

Ari rambled on and on about needing a LOL Doll piñata. Will hadn't seen one in any of the party stores but he could special order it, maybe. He didn't think Chuck E Cheese, the location of the party, would want over a dozen five and six-year-olds swinging a big stick around their building, though.

But, Will had a hard time denying Ari anything. She'd already dealt with too much in her short life. Will felt even worse about it all since Gabi wasn't around anymore.

"That's what I want," Ari insisted around a mouthful of lasagna.

"Oh," Will frowned and made a face. "Well, if that's what you want. It's your birthday."

Will nudged Sonny with his elbow.

"Right, Sonny?"

Sonny didn't say anything. He stirred his food around on his plate, staring into space.

"Sonny?"

"Dad?"

"Huh?" Sonny said after a few moments, eyes flickering between Will and Ari. He answered without knowing the questions. "Oh, yeah, sure, whatever."

"Are you okay?" Will wondered after he swallowed down a bite of salad. "You're acting weird."

"Since when do you even notice?" Sonny mumbled under his breath.

Will rolled his eyes but didn't comment.

Starting over. New opportunity.

He couldn't begin that with an argument. Nor did he want a nosebleed right now.

Will took a swallow of his wine instead of answering. Sonny was in a mood, which probably meant he didn't get the job. If he did, Sonny would have broadcast it to the world.

Okay, that'll make starting over a little bit harder but not impossible. Will could still do this. Job or no job.

It made Will yearn for the nights he spent with Paul, though. The way he listened to Will, always. How his smile and kisses made everything better. How he treated Will like he was a person.

God, Will missed Paul so much and he still didn't know why he picked anyone over him, let alone Sonny. Because Will loved Paul. He loved Paul then and he loved Paul now and he'd love Paul until the day he died.

Will didn't want to leave him. Will didn't want Paul to go.

It wasn't his choice. It wasn't. It would never be his choice.

No, Will needed to stop thinking about Paul. He wasn't coming back and if he did he'd never want anything to do with Will anyway.

Even if his absence felt like a festering wound gnawing away at his insides little by little.

It was fine. Will would stop thinking about Paul and he would stop thinking about Isak. He would stop thinking about men that weren't his boyfriend and everything would be fine.

Somehow

After getting Ari to sleep, Will tentatively sat on the couch next to Sonny. Sonny was quiet all night. He didn't eat his dinner. Just went through several glasses of wine and poked at his food. He left everything on the counter and disappeared into the bedroom before Will and Ari finished.

Will was used to Sonny not caring for his meals or commenting on any effort he did around the house. He didn't need any praise or thanks but it would have been nice to hear every now and again.

After Will cleaned up the kitchen and Ari played for a while, Will drew her bath. The two splished and splashed before it was bedtime. Sonny emerged from the bedroom when Ari screamed his name to tell him goodnight.

Three stories later, Ari was asleep and Will and Sonny were sitting on the couch in awkward silence.

Will tapped his fingers against the arm of the couch before saying, "you wanna watch CSI reruns on Hulu?"

Sonny didn't answer.

Will rolled his eyes and turned on his TV. If nothing else, they could sit awkwardly with one of Will's favorite shows on. And if Will didn't pick something first, Sonny would choose something Will hated.

They made it through half an episode before Sonny grabbed the remote and paused it.

"Hey," Will complained, turning to look at Sonny.

"I need to talk to you about something," Sonny admitted. He adjusted his body on the couch so he was entirely facing Will.

"Okay, about what?" Will wondered only vaguely interested. He was too focused on trying to remember how the CSI team cracked the case in the episode.

"About my interview, well, interviews. They went well, really well. Today, I was pretty nervous but I think I know where I stand with the company."

"That's awesome," Will responded. Still not sure where this was going or what was so important.

"And I saw you there, inside the building."

"You did?" Will thought back. He didn't remember seeing Sonny anywhere.

"Right before my final interview. It was pretty distracting, actually. All I could think about was you during it all. Then when I finally got to meet Mr. Larsson he mentioned you."

"He did?" Will frowned.

He could imagine what Isak would say about him. But he couldn't imagine why he would come up at all.

"Yeah," Sonny cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "We were talking about my qualifications and why I wanted the job. I said it was because of you and Ari. That I wanted to support my family – boyfriend and daughter. I admitted how rough things have been on you lately. How you've had to shoulder all the responsibility yourself and that you never complained. That you let me wait for my absolute dream job and working for him was it.

"He asked who my boyfriend was and I said it was you. Mr. Larsson had nothing but good things to say about you. Mentioned how kind you were to him when you met. How you were there that afternoon to go over a few things."

"Oh?" Will asked, feeling guilty. He complained about Sonny all the time, even if it was only to himself. Complained and resented and he was absolutely not there to see Isak to go over some work.

"He made a joke; well, I think it was a joke. We were talking about my resume and the likelihood of getting the job. He said something along the lines of you being the only one to convince him I deserve it. And to tell you what he said. But, obviously, that's a joke. The two of you barely know each other, right? And he's much too professional for something like that."

Will froze.

Professional? Barely knew each other?

Will could almost hear the words coming out of Isak's mouth. Could hear his accent wrap around each word, could hear the inflection. Could see the look in his eyes as he suggest to Will's own boyfriend that Will could convince him to get Sonny a job.

Will didn't even know what to feel.

Did he believe Isak would joke about Will "convincing" him to get his boyfriend a job? Yeah, of course. But, it was also as likely that Isak was serious. That the joke was giving Will the message through Sonny.

Will didn't tell Isak that Sonny was his boyfriend. He didn't have to, Sonny volunteered the info himself. But Isak knew how much Will needed his boyfriend to get a job. He knew how hard Will worked. He was always commenting on how Will's boyfriend didn't treat Will right, didn't buy him pretty things. And Isak had flirted with Will, propositioned him over and over. Telling Will how he didn't care if he had a boyfriend. That he'd treat Will better than his boyfriend. He bought Will extravagant flowers and gifts and sent things to Will's daughter. All in the hopes Will would sleep with him. Because that's what it came down to.

Isak Larsson read that Will once slept with Paul while he was interviewing him. Isak liked what he saw when he met Will and hoped for it all to culminate in them sleeping together. Something he hadn't given up on almost a week into knowing Will. Something he tried that very afternoon, in his office, where apparently, Sonny saw them.

Saw Will flirting. Because that's what Will was doing. He flirted with Isak any chance he could get. Flirted and smiled and teased and he liked it. It made Will feel good. Having someone rich and powerful and attractive with his attention entirely focused on Will.

It felt beyond good. It felt amazing and Will couldn't deny he felt tempted. Couldn't deny he wondered, fantasized about the possibilities.

Cheating was not something Will ever planned to do again. Not to his relationship, not to his daughter, and, most importantly, not to himself. Will went down that road once. It was one of the worst periods of his life. He wasn't doing that to his daughter, not again. He also refused to turn into that terrible, awful shell of himself again. Someone so riddled with guilt and self-loathing and anger and hurt and terror and panic and Will wouldn't. He couldn't.

"It was a joke, right?" Sonny asked, putting his hand over Will's knee. "But, I mean, I almost wish it wasn't. I've been waiting for an opportunity like this for so long. You've been waiting so long. All the sacrifice and support you've given me. You've earned this. I hoped this opportunity could give us a new chance. For things to go the way they should for us, finally, after so long. It could be like the old days, you know? You writing at home with Ari and me at the club. Of course, I would be at the office instead of a club but you know. This is how I envisioned our life together. And I'd give anything to know it would come true."

Will smiled weakly when Sonny kissed him on the side of his mouth.

Will would give anything to turn back the clock and go back to the days when all he needed to be happy was Sonny. When it was just Will, Sonny, and Ari and their first apartment. When Paul Narita was just a baseball star on the TV. Back when Will didn't know all the terrible things he'd do. Back before he fell out of love with Sonny and in love with someone else. When he was forced to go back to Sonny and nothing was the same. Will wasn't the same. Sonny wasn't the same. Nothing would ever be the same.

"Hell," Sonny said with a squeeze to Will's knee. "I wish you could convince Mr. Larsson to give me this job. It would make me feel better about waiting for the news knowing I had a chance."

"Would you?" Will asked when Sonny stood up.

"Would I what?"

"Would you want me to convince him?" Will grabbed Sonny's hand before he could walk away. "If I could, would you want me to?"

"Well, yeah, of course."

"Even if I had to," Will paused to swallow, "ask really, really nicely?"

"Will, babe, if you had to get on your knees and beg, I want you to do anything to get me that job."

Sonny gave Will a slightly strained smile, kissed the top of Will's head, and walked away.

"Get on my knees, huh?" Will whispered to himself. "Why do I get the feeling that's where I'm gonna end up?"

Will sat still on the couch. He didn't want to move. Tonight, he was home early and he wanted to go to bed at a decent time. He didn't want to do anything. But Sonny said the words, "I want you to do anything to get me that job."

He told Will what to do and Will wasn't doing it.

Will's nose itched. He could feel blood pooling the back of it. Recognized the coppery scent and the texture, knew it was only a matter of time before his nose started bleeding.

When it came down to it, it only happened when Will didn't follow directions.

Will thought long and hard about this ridiculous situation as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Isak Larsson was attractive and ridiculous. It wouldn't surprise Will in the slightest that he manipulated the situation to get Will to sleep with him.

Sonny was important to Will. Another father to Will's daughter. A friend, if nothing else. Will's once husband and current boyfriend and things were strained, yes. But, they would get better if Sonny had a job. Not just any job but his dream job.

The dream job at Isak's company. The dream job that Isak could give Sonny if only Will asked nicely.

A type of nice that Will, ashamed as he was to admit it, would willingly give to Isak over and over and over again. If Will was single, though, not by cheating.

Although, Sonny did say he would give anything for that job. That he wanted Will to do whatever he could. He didn't specifically say Will should sleep with Isak but he said he'd want Will to do anything.

Want

It'd been months since Will did something Sonny didn't want. Whenever he tried it ended in blood-spattered clothes and Will so tired and bloody he had no choice but to agree.

Will needed Sonny to get this job. Or else he would go crazy and Will couldn't handle it, not anymore.

No matter what it took.

Will scrambled to find his phone in the couch cushions.

Once he had it, Will opened up Whatsapp and sent a message.

-What kind of convincing do I have to do?

-ah, Raring, I thought you'd never ask

After he sent a reply, Will's nose stopped tingling. It wasn't going to bleed anymore.