August 10, 2018

After his run-in with Sonny, Will marched all the way back to the penthouse, filled to the brim with emotions.

Will walked into the penthouse, tossed his key down, and faceplanted on the couch next to Marlena.

Marlena put down her book, looking at Will with alarm sprinkled with fond amusement.

Will, face in a couch cushion, let out a loud, muffled scream.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Marlena asked, rubbing up and down Will's back.

Will flipped over; twisting and turning so he could put his head in Marlena's lap.

Without him needing to ask, Marlena ran her fingers in his hair, scratching his scalp.

"I hate Salem," Will complained with his lower lip sticking out.

He saw the Giants pillow pet he brought home the other day on the couch and squeezed it hard to his chest.

"Why?" Marlena asked, smiling.

"Too many people," Will grunted.

John, engrossed in his IPad, walked into the room and paused when he saw Will and Marlena. He waited out of sight to give them their privacy.

"Too many people?" Marlena repeated. "Or too much of one person?"

"Both," Will answered, closing his eyes. "I can't do anything here without someone breathing down my neck, questioning me."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm here for you and Grandpa. I want to see you get married and be here and spend time with you. I love you both and there's nothing I wouldn't do to finally see you get married. But everyone else is driving me crazy. Our family won't leave me alone and Paul is messing with my head and I hate Sonny, Grandma. I hate him."

John lifted one brow, paying closer attention.

"What happened?" Marlena asked, stroking through Will's hair.

She knew Will. The best thing for him at times like this was to listen and let him know she cared.

"I can't help the way I feel about Paul," Will whispered.

It caused John to take a step closer to hear.

"He's, you know, everything anyone would ever want. He's wasted on Sonny. I don't even know if Paul realizes the things he does around me. He was telling me about this giant fight he had with Sonny, about me. About our baseball trip and I get it. If I was Sonny I'd freak out too. But Paul wasn't trying to impress me or seduce me or whatever Sonny thinks. I told Paul I wanted to experience baseball with him and Paul delivered.

"And then Paul said how he told Sonny he wasn't gonna stop seeing me. He told me he liked that Sonny understood how he finally felt about Brian. And I don't know what to do with that. I don't know what to do about any of this. Then I made the mistake of talking to Nicole and she told Eric and Brady. And Mom and EJ know how I feel. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they all get together and plot to ruin my life."

Marlena smiled, scratching Will's scalp and listening to him rant.

"And I ran into that Brian guy and we were talking and laughing. He seems nice. He invited me to hang out with him and his friends again. And today's his birthday and we were joking around and Sonny saw us. Which led to this big confrontation and I don't know if I should tell Paul or not."

"Tell Paul what? That you and Sonny fought?"

"No," Will looked up at Marlena. "Sonny was bringing Brian a birthday present."

Marlena winced while John frowned.

"I don't want Paul to think I'm telling him to break him and Sonny up. Because I'm not. Or I don't think I am. But, if I don't tell Paul that's just as bad. And what if Sonny's going to tell him? I mean, I told him he needed to treat Paul right. Maybe I got through to him?"

Will scrambled to sit up. He looked at Marlena with wide, trusting eyes.

"Grandma, what should I do?"

"I think you should tell-," Marlena started to say.

"Not tell Paul," John interrupted.

He walked over to officially join them, sitting on Will's other side.

"I know my son, kid," John said, hand on Will's shoulder. "I know all about his history with Sonny. And Paul's happy, now. He's waited a long time for this new opportunity with Sonny. We need to let them work things out for themselves."

Marlena flashed him a stern look and a frown marred her pretty face.

"So, leave it alone?" Will asked.

"Right," John nodded. "They don't need any outside forces barreling down on them. But, trust me, Paul's happy and in love. He and Sonny will work through their problems. So, don't worry about this."

"Okay," Will let out a deep sigh. "Right, okay."

Will stood up and put his pillow pet back on the couch.

"I'm gonna relax some before I meet Dad for dinner," Will said. He flashed a half smile at John and Marlena. "Thanks for listening and helping."

"Anytime, kid," John answered.

Marlena smiled until Will left the room. Then she rounded on John and smacked his arm.

"What was that for?" John asked, rubbing his aching bicep.

"Why did you tell him that?" Marlena demanded. "Paul needs to know the truth."

"Well, he doesn't need to hear it from Will."

At Marlena's affronted expression, he quickly added, "you know I love Will. I'd do anything for him. But Paul is happy. He's got Sonny back. They're settling in together."

"Is he happy?" Marlena asked. "Because I've seen him with Will and Paul's never smiled as large or laughed as deep with anyone else."

Marlena stood up, grabbing Will's pillow pet.

"So, maybe you should take a better look before you try to convince Will to do something stupid."

John grunted when the pillow pet hit him in the face.

Will met his dad around seven o'clock at a sports-themed diner Will had never been to before. While cozy, the place seemed nice. Several giant TVs every few feet with different sports teams on each screen. Plus, plenty of cheap drinks and greasy food.

"Hey," Will greeted, slipping into a booth across from Lucas. "I'm not late, am I?"

"No, no, definitely not," Lucas said. He wrapped his hands around a glass of Dr. Pepper and smiled at Will.

"Cheryl and Allie in the bathroom or something?" Will asked, glancing at a happy hour menu.

"No, the girls stayed home. Cheryl wanted to give us time to ourselves."

"Nice of her but she could have come. I love spending time with both of them."

He meant it too. For once in his life, Will actually liked and approved of his parents' partners. The majority of his life, Will wanted his parents together. He did whatever his little child and preteen mind could scheme up to make it happen. For so long, he never understood why they didn't work. They loved each other and they loved Will. So, why couldn't they all be happy together?

Now that he's older, Will got it a little bit better. His mother was all blunt edges, hiding all her vulnerable parts behind sharp smiles. She was cutthroat, obstinate, and needed someone to compliment her hard exterior. Whereas his father was strong but kindhearted and wore his heart on his sleeve. He needed someone softer, someone who enjoyed the simpler things in life.

A part of Will would always want his parents together. He'd always cherish those few happy years they had. But, a part of Will also suspected his parents' lives would have been easier without Will in them. Something he confirmed as true since Sami and Lucas seemed to blossom as soon as Will moved to Zurich.

Still, Will loved Cheryl. She was sweet but stubborn in all the right ways. She'd text him photos from her and Lucas' lives in Salem. They'd recommend books or movies for the other. Cheryl was even the first person to hug Will after he graduated from university, beating out his parents and Carrie and Austin. Hell, Will suspected she cried more than his parents did that day too.

And EJ, well, no one could ever confuse EJ for a good person. But, for the most part, they worked through their differences. Will no longer felt a searing anger in his belly every time he saw EJ. After a few confusing teenage years, he no longer felt a strange fluttering in his chest every time he saw EJ either. He was a good parent to Johnny and even Allie. A surprisingly decent husband, so far, to Sami. Will loved him. In so much as a person can love the step-father they once tried to kill and had a disturbing number of wet dreams over.

Will was happy for his parents and their respective partner.

It was a new feeling, a good feeling.

Will quite liked it.

"Well," Lucas grinned at Will, "Cheryl loves you too, bud. But, you've been so busy since you got here. We haven't had much father-son time."

"Are you okay with it being here?" Will asked, eyeing a large tray of alcoholic drinks float past their table.

"Yep," Lucas nodded. He gestured to his bubbling soda. "I am all set. So, what have you been getting up to?"

Will gave his father an abridged version of his time in Salem. As easy as things were in their relationship now, Will didn't want to bring up his newfound feelings for Paul.

"Spending time with everyone," Will divulged, "especially Grandma. Well, Marlena, that is. I haven't spent much time with Grandma Kate."

"Don't blame you there," Lucas said under his breath.

Will rolled his eyes, causing Lucas to laugh.

"I've worked a little bit here and there, you know. Met some guys at a club. I'm gonna hang out with them again soon. So, that'll be fun."

"And Paul?" Lucas asked with a sly look.

A little too sly.

"What about him?" Will countered, already on edge.

"You tell me," Lucas shrugged. "Sami mentioned something about the two of you hanging out together."

"Oh, yeah," Will let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Grandma asked him to show me around Salem. Give me a feel for the place again. He's really cool."

"Cool, huh?" Lucas gave Will a knowing look.

"…yes," Will said, looking at Lucas out of the corner of his eye. "Why?"

"Nothing," Lucas said. "I mean, he did some modeling for the company a while back. Just a few charity events but he's a decent looking guy. Pretty nice, too. And you're obviously young and attractive."

"And?"

"And nothing," Lucas replied with a smile. "Pointing out facts."

"Yeah, I bet you are," Will responded. "Did Mom put you up to this?"

"No," Lucas said a little too fast. "I'm your father. I'm curious about these things."

"Uh-huh, sure. Can we talk about something else now?"

"If you want," Lucas smiled.

"Yeah, I want," Will said before clearing his throat. "Tell me about that new project for work."

Will and Lucas stayed out until well past eleven o'clock. Talking, stuffing their faces with pizza and wings, and laughing.

Will made it to the penthouse and wished Marlena and John a goodnight. He took out his contacts and was ready to strip down and bathe when his phone distracted him. A near constant buzzing overwhelmed his phone as he received text after text.

One from almost every friend he had back in Zurich. All with a variation of the same message: a lot of laughing emojis, a quip about him being famous, and a link.

With a growing sense of unease, Will opened a Buzzfeed post. A post dedicated to his baseball trip with Paul. All the pictures and videos Will posted served as evidence of "Paul Narita's sexy new boyfriend".

At least they didn't drop Will's name.

For the most part, the post was complimentary. The author spent the whole time squealing over how adorable they were. How comfortable they looked together. How sweet it was Paul rented an entire suite for them and introduced him to his former team.

It was a shame it wasn't true.

Against his better judgment, Will read the comments.

Some were predictable. People complaining about them being two males or biracial. People praising Paul for coming out and showing back up on the scene with a man on his arm. People complaining Paul disappeared from the showbiz world. That he wasn't doing more to promote acceptance and tolerance in sports.

Some were downright filthy, causing Will to blush or overheat from their wild imaginations.

After responding to his friends, assuring them he wouldn't date anyone famous without telling them, Will called Paul.

He could have texted or waited until morning. After reading the post, though, Will wanted to hear Paul's voice.

It made his life only half as pathetic he kept looking at the post over and over, wishing it was true.

Also, Will didn't think Paul would answer.

He was wrong.

"Hey," Paul answered after only two rings. "It's late. Are you okay?"

"Hey," Will replied, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just had a question for you. Wait, I didn't wake you up or anything did I?"

"No," Paul said.

Will could hear the smile in his voice.

"I couldn't sleep," Paul added. "It's kind of embarrassing, actually."

"Why?" Will wondered.

"I've been watching K-Pop videos for hours," Paul admitted. He continued over Will's laughter. "I watched one on YouTube which led to another which led to another. And here I am."

"Don't tell my sister," Will warned. "She's obsessed with that BTS group."

When Paul didn't say anything for a long moment, Will laughed again.

"You were so watching them, weren't you?"

"Maybe," Paul said after a loud sigh. When Will wouldn't stop laughing, he cleared his throat. "You had something to ask me, I believe?"

"Right," Will let out another few chuckles before sobering up. "Well, I have two questions. First, do you ever go on Buzzfeed?"

"I try not to, why?"

Will ignored him.

"Second, do you still have a publicist?"

"…No, why?"

"You might wanna look into one," Will said.

"Again, why?"

"Well," Will took a deep breath. "There's a post about you. Well, about us, really."

"A post?"

"It seems like the type of thing a publicist would be needed for to clarify things."

"Clarify things?"

"Are you gonna repeat everything I say?"

"Will," Paul complained.

"It's all the pictures and videos I took from the baseball trip," Will divulged. "And I guess most people assumed we were not just friends."

"So, they thought we were a couple?"

"Essentially, yes," Will sighed. He flopped backward on his bed and pulled his glasses off. "Are you mad?"

"No, of course, not," Paul said. "It's not your fault."

"It kind of is," Will pointed out.

"You were playing around," Paul dismissed.

He got up from his bed and wandered to his desk and laptop. It felt narcissistic to google his own name but Paul wanted to see everything for himself.

While they were at the game, Paul didn't look at anything Will took. And despite his initial complaints, he thought it was cute Will documented everything.

He looked at everything when he got home, though. Watched all the Instagram stories. Liked all their pictures together. He was even working up his courage to ask Will to forward copies of them all so he could keep them.

But, looking at the pictures and videos spread out, Paul understood why they assumed he and Will were a couple.

No one was there to see why Will was wearing a jersey with his name and number on it. No one understood the two of them singing Why Don't We Do It in the Road was for laughs and not a suggestion.

No one knew Paul went all out, introducing him to teammates and coaches because he knew Will would appreciate it. Because Will cared that Paul left baseball behind and never looked back. Because Will reminded Paul there was more to baseball than being a star.

Of course, people wouldn't understand all that and believe he and Will were just friends. And they were.

Just friends

No matter what Paul felt.

Only friends

Looking at a picture of himself with an arm around Will's neck, gazing at him with stars in his eyes didn't make that too convincing, though.

He also better understood why Sonny flipped out over the pictures. And he dreaded seeing Sonny's reaction to this if he found out.

"Maybe a publicist isn't too bad of an idea," Paul told Will.

"It would clear up some of the confusion over us," Will agreed. "Or make it worse."

"True," Paul replied with a frown. "Sort of a damned if I do, damned if I don't, though. I don't care if everyone thinks we're a couple but Sonny'll flip. But if I say we're just friends then people will still speculate and everyone will wonder who I am dating. Then they'll wonder if I'm dating Sonny why was I with you. I don't know."

"Yeah, about Sonny," Will bit his lower lip.

He knew John told him not to tell Paul about the present. A part of Will understood why. He'd already made a mess of things for Sonny and Paul. In all likelihood, he'd make more of a mess before his trip was up too.

Will wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Paul what he saw because it was the right thing to do. Or if he wanted to do it because it would cause a lot of drama for Paul and Sonny.

Until he figured that out, he probably shouldn't say anything.

"Hmm?" Paul asked around a yawn.

"I saw him earlier," Will said, revealing a half-truth. "And I don't think he'll appreciate seeing this at all. And I don't blame him. If you were my boyfriend I would want everyone to know."

Will covered his eyes with his palm.

"You know what I mean," Will added, clearing his throat.

"Yeah," Paul whispered. "I do."

If Will was his boyfriend, he'd want –

No

No, just friends.

They're just friends.

Friends

"Thanks for giving me a heads up," Paul said. "But I need to go to bed. Do some thinking about how to handle this."

"Yeah, sure," Will replied. "Goodnight, Paul."

"Night, Will."

They both went to bed that night with the other on their mind.