Will looked at his father's casket, wondering why he was feeling so calm inside. He had dreaded this moment, having to face his hurt in front of other people, some he didn't even know, but somehow, the funeral did its trick, giving him closure. It allowed him to focus on his sister, who was gripping hard at his hand even though they were both seated. Syd and Johnny were still at their own father's, they would come back the next day. Will missed them horribly. He wanted their laugh in the morning, to replace the silence that was permeating their house. Even one of their fights would do.

The sun was making Allie's hair shine brightly, as well as Sami's. They looked so much alike, as if Lucas had been an afterthought in making her. It was the same for him, he knew. Would Sonny have wanted him if he had looked like his virile father more? He turned to look at his boyfriend. Sonny was quiet and thoughtful like he rarely was. He had only met Lucas once and it hadn't gone well. Will wished, for a fleeting moment, that he had a more normal family to present to him. Then he caught Sonny's eyes and gentle smile and let the feeling go away. He was who he was.

Allie was like a flower, opening her petals for the spring, while busy little birdies flew around. Syd and Johnny were excited to be back, eager to include her in their games. They barely looked at him, though. He wondered why. Rafe came in the evening to spend time with them and Sami kicked Will out, telling him to go have fun.

He found himself in front of a coffee cup, in Sonny's kitchen, listening to his man's horrible attempts at singing something from the Sound of Music in the bathroom. He shouldn't be there. Looking after the children, making Allie smile, was something he had to do, all the time, now. And yet, he had been replaced, by his other siblings but also by his mother's boyfriend.

Sonny came into view, his hair glistening and unkempt. Will smiled and whispered:

"I like it when you haven't styled it, you know. It makes you look young, younger than me, even."

Sonny paused, his eyes opening wide. With his pajamas shorts and his T-shirt with a Teddy beard on it, he indeed looked like a child. He passed a hand in his hair, ruffling it. Will took a few steps and hugged him.

They lay in bed, kissing softly and laughing when Will felt it. The pang of deep arousal, the one that made him forget everything else that wasn't sex. It had been so long, since his mother's phone call after the accident. Sonny had waited, patiently but Will was sure it must have been difficult.

He was the one taking of the cute pajamas, the one kissing Sonny deep in the mouth, the one moving around, looking for ways to seduce him. Sonny was like a doll, smiling lazily, letting Will take charge. At one point, he held his hand to open the old bed table and grab the bottle. He let Will prepare him, climb him and sink down. It was exhilarating to be on top, as if he was an eagle flying over a gorgeous landscape. Sonny was moaning, getting harder inside of Will, but still let him do all the work.

Will lay panting over Sonny, feeling the pulse beating under the condom, not wanting to separate, just yet. He felt different and wanted to share that with Sonny for a little longer. He heard him whisper:

"Will..."

"Yeah...?"

"Can I ask you again?"

"What?"

Sonny didn't answer. His eyes rolled around the room. Will sighed of contentment and dislodged himself. He walked to the bathroom, contemplating. He knew what Sonny had implied and it felt way less frightening than before. In his mother's home, he had been the other adult, one without which things wouldn't work. But even Allie had proved more resilient than he would have thought. And Sami had relied heavily on Rafe these last weeks, Will had heard her on the phone many times. Rafe wasn't Burt and there was no way of knowing if he would cheat or not. Will felt ready to leave the nest.

But the conversation turned complex. Will didn't know if he should live on his own or move in with Sonny:

"You won't be able to afford something in the neighborhood, love. Here, you can visit your siblings all the time. And you'll have more time to study if you don't need a job.

- Why wouldn't I need one? How about the bills that we would split up?

- The coffee-house is a success. I don't need you to pay anything."

He felt Sonny put a finger over his own forehead, smoothing down the lines. He didn't like not paying but Sonny had a point. It was the main reason he had stayed home.

- I would feel like a child, then. You're already older than I. What kind of relationship would that be?

- One practical? You know, this isn't the Ritz here. I would love better furniture and I wouldn't mind traveling abroad again, with you this time. But it would mean we would never have time together so what's the point? One day, you'll have a paying job and no more studying to do but right now... I would call this an investment on our future.

- But what if..." Will paused. He knew Sonny didn't like it when he expressed his insecurities but now was the time to do it anyway. "... What if we break up one day? For whatever reason? I'd feel indebted to you and I doubt I could just reimburse you."

Sonny sighed, moving just a little to let Will's head lay on his chest. His heartbeat was just a little fast but his voice was tranquil:

- When I was abroad, I stayed for a year in Spain. I studied at the University there but I couldn't find a dorm room. Campuses are different there. I met this family that let me live with them. I didn't pay for anything and they rarely asked me to babysit. They were just happy I was around." He kissed Will's hair and went on: "This would be me giving back on the universe. It's my turn to help and it's not even as selfless. Your presence would mean the world to me. But I understand your reservations too. If you don't want it, I'll support you. You know that."

Will did. He asked for a few days of reflection. He needed to talk to Sami anyway.

The next day, there was a blanket fort in the living-room with Rafe and Johnny playing underneath. Sami looked at Will and nodded.

He brought his new bed over. And his bookshelf and his desk. They rearranged everything. Sonny took him shopping to buy new curtains and posters:

"It is our place now, we need to match both our taste.

- But you said you got the cheapest things when you came here. So how was it to your taste?

- It wasn't. That's the point. I have a little more money now, but I never got around to changing things. You have great taste and I want to feel that it's a new beginning for the both of us, you know?"

Will smiled and pointed to a red curtain.

Chad helped a lot. At one point, Mel came with a small present but didn't stay long. She was leaving for the east coast soon so Will hugged her and made her promise to write.

Sonny looked at Will's sad expression and said:

"How about we plan our housewarming party? Who do you want here?"

Will shook himself out of his thoughts and sat down on Sonny's lap. He had done it. He had left his childhood home and now he was in full charge of his life.