Chapter 11

It had been a few hours already since Neil dropped Sonny of at the cabin, and so far things were going well. Much better, at least, than Will pictured things going. Will was putting another log on the fire, hoping to keep Sonny warm as he was shivering on the couch even through is many layers.

"Are you okay? Maybe you should put something else on…or go take a hot shower or something." Will was worried about Sonny and his constant shivering.

"No. Will, I'm f-fine. Promise. It's ju-just…I'm not used to this sort of environment is all." Will questioned Sonny's words in his head. Would this sort of "environment" really have this effect on someone? Even Will had to admit that it was cold in the cabin, but even the fire was helping to warm him up and all he had on was an extra sweater. Will sat down next to Sonny for a few seconds before moving to stand.

"I'll go look for some tea, or coffee or something. Get something warm in your system. You hungry? I could make you something to eat…you must be hungry, you haven't eaten since you got here." Will was rambling, before he could move too far away from the couch, Sonny grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down to sit next to him.

"Just…sit with me, okay? I'm not hungry. I'm not thirsty. I just…I just want to sit here with you, okay?" Will swallowed nervously, knowing that nothing was going to happen, yet secretly wishing that tonight would be the night that they could kiss for the first time. Will was kidding himself though, Sonny was still technically "with" Brian, and Will didn't want to push anything onto Sonny when he was vulnerable and hurt, which he clearly was. Will pushed all of his thoughts aside, just focusing on the man next to him. He laid an arm across the back of the couch, and Sonny moved to snuggle against Will's side. He brought his feet up onto the couch next to him and he wrapped his arms around Will's middle. Will heard Sonny sigh into his chest. Will wrapped his arm around Sonny instead of just laying it on the couch, hoping that things weren't getting to be too much for Sonny; hoping that Sonny would tell him to back off if this became too much for him. Even with the light touches, Will feared that Brian had taken a large toll on Sonny's well-being, on his mental health, to the point where even this closeness would soon become too much of a reminder of the things that Brian had done to him. Will never wanted Sonny to feel scared or like he was going to be hurt while he was with Will. Will just wanted what was best for Sonny. How could Brian not have wanted that? How could he have not seen the amazing person that was right in front of him? After a few minutes of silence, Sonny's shivering ceased for the most part.

"I'm not…I wasn't cold, Will. I was…what if Brian finds us here? What if he kills you? I couldn't live with myself if he killed you." Will pulled away from Sonny so he could look down at him.

"He won't find you. E.J. will make sure of that. Hardly anyone but the Horton family knows about this place. He. Won't. Find. You." Just then a pounding on the door startled them. Sonny grabbed tightly to Will, trying to hide himself in the man's chest. Will ran his fingers through Sonny's hair, trying to soothe him quickly. "I should go see who that is, Sonny." Sonny shook his head against Will's body, making Will sigh. "If it is Brian…I want you in the bathroom. If it is…I'll handle him, okay? Just…go wait in the bathroom." Will stood up, bringing Sonny with him. Going to the bathroom, Will tried to leave Sonny there, but he wouldn't let go of Will's arm.

"Please, Sonny. Please let go. If Brian is here…I want you safe. I need you safe." Sonny could hear the desperation in Will's voice, could see the desperation in Will's eyes, and finally complied. Will smiled at him slightly before closing the bathroom door. He turned around and made his way to the pounding still going on at the front door. Will prayed that it wasn't Brian, but was fearful that it was him. He took a deep breath before swinging the door open, seeing none other than his mother standing in front of him.

"William Horton." Sami was angry, but Will wasn't sure why. She had known about the plan, hadn't she? She was there when him and E.J. had first discussed it.

"Mom! What the fuck?" Sami glared at him for his foul language. "Sorry. But Jesus, you almost gave us heart attacks here. What are you doing here?" Will waited for Sami to answer before allowing her to move into the cabin.

"I'm here to make sure that you don't do anything stupid to hurt that dear boy that we are trying to protect." Will was confused. Sami knew that Will would never hurt Sonny…didn't she? Couldn't she tell how much Sonny meant to him? Even in the short amount of time that he'd known him…

"Mom…I'd never hurt Sonny." His mom sighed, coming over to hug him.

"I know that, sweetie. That's not really what I meant to say. I know you'd never hurt him. I got worried when I hadn't heard from you, neither had E.J. Weren't you supposed to contact someone when you got here and when Sonny got here all safe and sound?" Will pulled away from his mom and smacked his hand against his forehead.

"Shit. I knew I was forgetting something. I was a little preoccupied, Mom." Will blushed when Sami gave him a knowing look. Will just shook his head quickly. "Mom! Nothing like that. Get your mind out of the gutter." Sami laughed at Will's tone of voice and his embarrassment.

"Hey, nothing to be embarrassed about." Will groaned.

"Is there a reason why you couldn't have just called me instead of banging on the door at…" Will looked at the clock, seeing that it was nearly 4:30 in the morning. "…This early hour of the morning? Geez, Mom, it's 4:30 in the morning!"

"I just needed to see you…to make sure everything is okay with you and Sonny. Where is Sonny, by the way?" Sami looked around the room without moving an inch. She was currently seated in front of the fireplace where he and Sonny had been sitting less than 10 minutes ago. Will walked over to the bathroom door and knocked softly.

"Sonny, it's Will. It was just my mom at the door. She wanted to come and make sure we were both okay. I forgot to call her and E.J. when you got here." A few seconds later, the bathroom door opened, and Sonny stepped out and into Will's arms. He hugged Will around the middle, almost squeezing the life out of him. "It's okay. Brian's not coming here. It's just my mom. You're fine. You're safe here." Will massaged circles into Sonny's back while speaking softly in his ear. Will knew that Sonny must still be scared. Especially after everything that's happened. Will wouldn't blame him if he was scared for the rest of his life. Will just hoped that he'd be able to help in some way. Sami was looking at the two men tangled together in front of the bathroom door. She smiled, seeing how Sonny was relaxed in Will's arms and how Will was being so considerate and gentle with the other man. This is something that Sami was proud of. She was more proud of her son that she ever has been in her entire life. She could tell that both men were safe and sound: together. She stood up and made herself known to the men before bidding them ado.

"I'll see you boys later. If you need anything…either of you, just call me, okay?" Will nodded, still clutching onto Sonny who wouldn't let go once again. Sami smiled again at them before leaving.

The two men stayed huddled together for many minutes after Sami left. When Will felt the need to pull away, trying to move toward the kitchen to grab something to eat, Sonny stayed attached to him. Will felt worried as Sonny was attaching himself to him multiple times tonight. Only days ago Sonny tried to stay as far from Will as possible. And now? Now he couldn't stay away. Not that Will minded, but he was curious as to why Sonny all of a sudden couldn't distance himself even a foot.

"You can let go you know?" Will tried to laugh it off, hoping Sonny wouldn't get upset, but he did. Sonny let go instantly, moving away from Will and toward the bathroom. But not before Will saw the look of fear and panic in Sonny's brown eyes. Will walked over to the now locked bathroom door. He knocked a few times without any sounds on the other side. His forehead hit the wooden surface standing between him and the man that he just hurt. He said he would never do that, but he did. Honestly, Will wasn't exactly sure what he had done…But Sonny's face said it all. Sonny was hurt and Will needed to fix it.

"Sonny" Will talked through the door. He couldn't hear anything on the other side, and prayed that Sonny wasn't doing anything that he would regret later. "Sonny!" Will yelled, getting increasingly worried after minutes passed with still no sound from Sonny. "Sonny, please tell me that you are okay in there! I didn't mean to hurt you. Please make some sort of noise to tell me you're okay." Still nothing came from the bathroom. "I swear to god I will break this door down if you don't let me know that you're okay in there!" Will knew that this tactic probably wasn't very smart. But he was going out of his mind. Only minutes ago things were fine between them, and now Sonny was locked in the bathroom because of something that Will said. This wasn't going well. Only a couple seconds later and the door unlocked and creaked open slightly. The small gap gave Will the incentive to push the door open further to walk into the bathroom. Sonny wasn't anywhere to be seen. Will heard a small cough and knew that Sonny was in the bathtub, surrounded by the shower curtain. Will smiled to himself, knowing that would be the place he would go if he was upset, too. He walked over and slid the curtain back to see Sonny curled into a ball, arms wound around his legs. Sonny didn't look up, but started talking hurriedly to Will.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything. That's just what…Brian liked me to be around like, all the time, and to be in almost constant contact with him. If I didn't, he'd…" Will stopped him from continuing.

"Sonny. I was in no way uncomfortable. I was just…confused is all." Will put his hand out, trying to get Sonny to leave the bathtub. Sonny wouldn't look up though, so he climbed in the tub with him. Sonny's eyes widened as they landed on Will's blue orbs. "Sorry. I can get out…" Will moved to stand again, but Sonny's legs stretched out to tangle with Will's.

"Don't." A smile made its way to both of their faces. Will situated himself again, hands dropping to his lap, one of them dangling and touching one of Sonny's legs. Will's fingers absentmindedly started to gently caress Sonny's thigh before he started talking again.

"You okay?" Sonny nodded at him, head tilted to one side. "I didn't mean to sound like I was flipping out about you being so…close. I just…A few days ago, you couldn't stand to be near me. And now…it was just a surprise." Sonny nodded again, eyes slipping closed, head banging into the shower wall as he laid his head down. The movements of Will's fingers were doing wonders on his body. He knew that he shouldn't be feeling this way…At least, not right now. But Sonny couldn't help but feel like this was how things were supposed to be. They were sitting in a bathtub for crying out loud. Just talking. Well, Will was talking, trying to make sure he was all right, but it was nice all the same. They stayed silent for long minutes, seemingly forever. Sonny's eyes stayed closed, and Will's fingers continued to stroke the sweatpants-covered thigh that was closest to him. Will looked down at his hands, suddenly nervous, realizing that he was caressing Sonny's leg and stopped his movements.

"Don't stop. Please?" Sonny asked him. This was never how he had been treated. Brian had been rough, never gentle. Not like this. Will's gentle fingers rubbing circles and other patterns was the best feeling he's had in a long time. With Brian, things were heated at first, Sonny felt the arousal, but once the roughness started, that arousal disappeared. It was replaced by fear. Every time Brian would come near him, his body would tense and his mind would race. He was afraid of the things that Brian could do to him. He never realized how far things could really go. Not until the night that Sonny met Will for the first time. His morning had been perfect. Will had been an adorable guy that he met and enjoyed talking to. But then he showed up for lunch with Neil and that day suddenly turned to shit. Brian had been becoming rougher with him over the few weeks previous to his meeting Will, yet things had never gone further than Sonny was really comfortable with. After quickly speaking with Will in the men's room that day, where Brian so happened to barge in at the same moment, things took a turn for the worse. That was the night things went further than Sonny could handle. The night things went further than Sonny would ever be comfortable doing, at least with Brian that is.

To be continued…