Will Schofield stares out the window of his apartment and at the trees, the spring sunshine flooding into the room. He'd turned the television on earlier, but it was just there for background noise. Relishing in the sunshine and warmth outside would be nice, Will thought. As luck would have it, Will found himself restricted to his apartment with his boyfriend while the world burned. Pandemics, right? Not being able to leave the house was fine for him, an introvert, but even Will had a breaking point. The only silver lining he could see was the fact that there wasn't anyone else he would rather get stuck at home with than Tom. Tom, who was busying himself in the kitchen baking. Will smiles, remembering the first time they met. As a student, Will frequented coffee shops and cafes for his usual caffeine fix. While it probably wasn't good for his health, university is The Worst, yet worth the eight years (or four, or two) in the end. Meeting Tom was no exception; Will walked into his usual spot, and there was Tom at the counter with two coworkers. Will tried not to, but he couldn't deny the other man's attractive qualities; dark brown curls and brown eyes, chubby cheeks and a smile that put his heart aflame. He ordered, got his drink, and sat at a booth to work. Will spent more and more of his money and time at the little store when Tom worked within the following few months. He was almost glad for all the school work. "You again? The usual, yeah?" Will blushed at the other man's words but nodded. He was silently kicking himself; Will had tried to be elusive about his little crush, but it wasn't easy. "Yes, please," He said and stood off to the side to wait. When Will looked at the cup this time, there was a number scrawled on it in messy, uneven writing. He locked eyes with Tom, who turned tomato red, but nodded. Will smiled before returning to his work, but he could hardly focus. It was difficult when all that was on his mind was Tom, his phone number, and would they go on a date or something? It was hard to tell.
The next time they saw each other was on their first date. Will had been a nervous wreck, but enjoyed himself all the same. Later that night, after catching a movie and sharing popcorn and candy and a Coke, Tom walked Will to his apartment door. And Will kissed him, gently at first, on the lips; he tasted like cherries and youth and oh god, why hadn't they kissed before? It felt right for Will to kiss Tom, like that's what he was meant to do. They pulled away, lips red and puffy, after a few little kisses. Tom smiled at Will, goofy and lovestruck, then turned around and left with a quick goodbye. Will smiled to himself and unlocked the door to his flat. He spent the rest of the night, warm in bed, wondering when he would be able to kiss Tom again, to feel his soft lips on his own again and make him as flustered as the first time.
A year later and a half later, Will and Tom moved in together; well, Tom moved into Will's flat. He'd spent so much time there by then, anyway, so what would be the point in getting a new place? Exactly. It took Tom, Will, and Tom's brother Joe half a day to get Tom's things into the flat, though Will wasn't sure why Joe had to be there. Moral support, perhaps? That night, after Joe left and Tom goaded Will into cooking dinner, they lay in bed together in the quiet of the night. It would've been completely quiet, if not for the sounds of the city outside.
"Tom?"
"Yeah?" He turned all the way around, now facing Will instead of the window.
"I love you." "I love you, too," Tom leaned a bit to reach, and kissed Will on the mouth, gentle yet firm, one hand on Will's upper arm. Will's hand cupped Tom's cheek, thumb caressing it. Their lips met again in a languid, slow kiss. Will wanted to savour the feel of Tom's lips on his, soft as ever. Will figured he must use some kind of chapstick. Tom pulled away a bit and rested his head on Will's chest, listening to the other man's heartbeat against his ear. His arms snaked around Will's waist, while Will's hands found their way around Tom's neck. They fell asleep that way the first night, in each other's arms.
Will snapped out of his reverie, brought slowly back to the present. He turned away from the window to face his lover. Tom had come out of the kitchen and sat next to him, letting whatever daydream Will had gotten stuck in run its course.
"I didn't see you come over," Will says, ready to apologize.
"No, it's alright," Tom moves closer, grin playing on his lips, "What were you thinking about?" Will sighed, gaze meeting the other's.
"Our first date and the first night we slept together. Not that way, but you know what I mean,"
"Oh, I do, do I?" Will rolls his eyes, pressing a few kisses to Tom's cheeks, then his lips. Lips he would kiss forever, if he could; it often felt as though Will had known Tom his whole life. That was untrue, of course, but one could dream. One could dream when one is young and in love.
"I'm going crazy cooped up like this," Tom whines when they pull apart, "The pie in the oven now is my third this week. Damn you, corona."
"Poor baby," Will coos almost mockingly in response, taking Tom's hands in his, "We're doing the best we can for ourselves and the people we care about, remember? I'd go crazy if it weren't you with me." The other man blushes, the skin of his cheeks turning red. How cute.
"I love you."
"Love you too," Tom's lips meet Will's once more, slow and soft. He breathes in through his nose, hands coming to rest on his companion's waist. Will's find their way to Tom's cheeks, cupping them gently. Will loves being with Tom like this, kissing him, drinking him in. Just being near his darling is enough.
And then his phone started ringing. Will sighed, picking the device up from where it lay on the coffee table. Tom had the audacity to laugh at him. Will caught the date from the little screen; 6th April, the day he met Tom. Today marked two years since then; it warmed Will's heart to think of it again.
"Mum?" Oh, come on. "Yeah, I have a minute." Will looks over at Tom, not laughing anymore but still grinning, and smiles himself. He stays on the phone with his mother for a bit, if only to pacify her. She's about as stir crazy as they are, what with Will's dad and their cat, Snuffles. Will is glad he and Tom don't have a cat. From what he knows, Tom's family having two dogs was bad enough. "Okay, I'll talk to you later. Love you, too. Bye." Will puts his phone back on the table. Tom meets his eyes and holds his gaze for a moment.
"Where were we?" Tom kisses him gently. The oven beeps. Damn.
"Honestly," Tom groans and gets off the couch to walk to the kitchen. His pie should be done by now; Will follows him in. He was right and now there's a pie cooling on their counter. Will wraps his arms around Tom's waist from behind and gently kisses spots on his neck, his ear.
"Will," His voice is breathless, almost needy, but Will doesn't give in. He turns his lover around so he can see his face. Their gazes meet again; Will smiles Tom, so soft and in love.
"Later, love," His lips are on Tom's again, hands coming to rest around his waist, like earlier. There truly is no better feeling than the feeling of being loved. Tom smiles into the kiss and pulls away.
"I love you." Will flashes a grin; he would never grow tired of hearing those words. Why would he? All was right in the world as long as Will has Tom, and vice versa.
"I love you, too. Always." When Tom smiles back at him, Will thinks that maybe being stuck at home isn't so bad after all.