DiMera Mansion
March 2019
From the veranda, Sonny watches the day spring to life. The dawn blushes like a bride over the sky, with purple hints, like dark circles under the eyes. The air is warm. Sonny's felt it almost every day. It's already March, and winter has bowed out gracefully.
The gardens that had been a complete abomination a month ago, are now showing bits and pieces of themselves in their former glory. Choking vines, suffocating weeds, deadwood and broken branches had been taken away, revealing bit by bit the leading paths, the shrubs, even bulbs and plants too stubborn to just up and die.
A wooden arbor has a flower called wisteria wrapped all over it, with an island of larkspurs showing the start of new buds.
He has lilies, magnolia, chrysanthemum, and wild chamomile. He's written down everything he could remember his workers rattling off in their bored voices. When he'd described the vine in his imagination, the one decorating the belvedere, they'd told him he was after morning glory.
He liked the name immediately. What are mornings after all, if not glorious?
He thinks his body might be adjusting to the 5-6 hour sleep schedule he's able to stick to. Or maybe it's just the nerves.
Something's pushing him, guiding him step after step through the transformation of his mansion. And yet, it's not just his mansion.
If it was Alice hovering over him, she's nothing if not elusive. There's times he's completely content, relaxed. But there's other times when he feels a chill at the back of his neck. Times when he just knows in his gut that someone is watching him.
Stalking him.
Well, what do you expect from a ghost, anyway, Sonny thinks, sipping his first coffee of the morning. Nothing one second, weeping the next.
Even as that thought passes through his head, he sees Will step out of the trees.
Sonny doesn't hesitate, just sets his coffee down and starts for the stairs.
Will had noticed Sonny long before Sonny had noticed him. From the cover of the trees and morning mist, he'd stood to study the house. Study Sonny.
What the hell is it about this stupid mansion and the guy that bought it that keeps pulling him in? Will wonders.
There's quite a number of other mansions here, all over Salem, in Chicago. And God knows there's no shortage of good-looking single gay men, if another gay guy was looking.
But it's this mansion that keeps his interest, spurs his imagination. And now it looks like this guy, the same one that's currently rushing down the stairs in a ratty shirt and jeans, face rough with some stubble, is doing the exact same thing.
Will really doesn't like wanting. It gets in the way. And when wanting involves a guy, well, it's almost a guarantee it'll screw everything up.
He'd built his whole life from the ground up, and he likes it that way. A guy, regardless of how friendly he is, would only serve to put a flaw in the design, at best. At worst, he'd just up and burn the whole thing to the ground.
He'd distanced himself from Sonny since the night they'd slept together. Just to prove it was possible.
But Will's smiling for him now, a very slow, ready to pounce smile, as Sonny closes the distance.
This guy has too much appeal to be healthy for anyone.
Especially himself.
Sonny strides up and, cupping his hands under Will's elbows, and there's only an instant where Will blinks in surprise right before Sonny covers Will's mouth with his, taking him down.
"Morning." Sonny says as he releases Will. "How are you?"
"Phew." Will has to give him credit for both the verbal greeting and the kiss, straightening out his hair. "How are you?" he replies, before reaching up and rubbing a hand on his slightly rough cheek. "You're gonna need a shave pretty soon."
"If I'd known you were stopping by, I would've fixed that first thing."
"I wasn't stopping by." Will picks up the baseball he hadn't realized he'd even dropped, casually tossing it in the pond. "Just doing some errands for my grandma."
"Is she okay? You mentioned staying with her when she's not 100%."
"She just gets depressed now and again, that's all." And dammit, godfuckingdamnit, that immediate concern gets under Will's skin. "Missing John. She was in her thirties when they got married the first time, and 67 when he died. Three whole decades to build a whole life together."
"Think she'd like it if I stopped by later?"
"She likes you." Because he didn't want to just stand there, Will retrieves the ball and tosses it in again.
"Refresh my memory. Does she have any family?"
"One sister, still living."
"Kids?"
Will's face falls. "Just me now. Did you ever go into the city to party?"
Touchy subject, Sonny decided. He lets it go for now. "No, not yet. Thought about going in tonight. Are you working?"
"All the way till midnight on St Patty's. People like drinking on a holiday that serves green beer."
"Late hours, huh. You look exhausted."
"I don't really like being up this early, but my grandma Marlena is an early riser. Once she's awake, so is everyone else." WIll lifts his arms up to stretch. "So are you, apparently. You an early bird too?"
"Nowadays I am. Come inside with me, have some coffee, take a look at what I've been doing since we can't be together."
"I was busy."
"You said that."
Will knits his eyebrows, annoyed. "I don't say anything I don't mean."
"I never said you did. But I'm obviously putting you on edge. I'm okay with that, Will." Sonny reaches out a hand to touch Will's face, amused when he sees Will's temper flare up. "But I'm not okay with you thinking one night is all I was after."
"If you have a night with me, it's because I want it, and exactly where I want it."
"And I'm not okay with that." Sonny goes on mildly, though the hand gripping Will's arm before Will can pull away is strong. "I'm very much not okay with you thinking all I care about is banging and leaving."
"Nobody touches me unless I say they can." Will shoves at Sonny's hand.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?" His fingers have an iron grip, to match his hard tone. "You need to calm down. Starting a fight isn't gonna scare me away. You wanted to take it slow this week, and that's fine. I'm a patient guy, Will, but I am not a booty call. Don't you dare go thinking you can just wash your hands of me like I never existed."
Getting angry, Will realizes, isn't how he needs to handle Sonny. There's not a doubt in his mind he could chip away at his self control and get him all riled up into shouting at him or full on fighting. That would definitely be interesting, entertaining even. But there's also the 50% chance he has of losing the fight.
Will knows better than to play with those kind of odds, so instead, Will strokes a hand on Sonny's cheek. "Aw come on, Sonny." His voice is dripping with honey. "What're you getting so upset about? You just irritated me, is all. I'm not my usual chipper self this early in the morning, and here you are all rough and rugged. I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings."
Will closes the distance and kisses Sonny's cheek.
"Then what exactly were you trying to do, William?"
Something about how Sonny uses his full name makes him back up. It was a warning. "Listen, Sonny, I like you just fine. I really do. And the other night, you really blew my mind. Our first time was perfect, wasn't it? But please don't kid yourself into thinking it was more than it actually was."
"So what was it, then?"
Will shrugs. "A very good night for us both. Can we please just be friends and leave it at that?"
"We could do that. Here's my counter offer."
Sonny pulls Will to him, devouring his mouth. Not even bothering with patience this time around, no reason to, no perfect touching of the lips.
Sonny's literally marking him, and they both know it.
Will lets out a small growl as he struggles to pull away. Even when it turns into a full on snarl, Sonny ignores it. Sonny fists a hand at the back of Will's head, pulling it back, taking them deeper. Anger, hurt and desperation rage inside him as he applies them to the kiss.
Will can't find it in him to resist, not when all those emotions hit his system, freeing whatever needs he was hoping to keep in check. With a silently uttered promise, Will wraps his arms around Sonny's neck to meet the severity in that kiss.
With a whine, Will settles down to ride the rest of the kiss out.
"We're not even close to being done with each other." Sonny runs his hands down Will's arms.
"Possibly."
"I'll come in to Doug's tonight, take you out after closing time. After things have quieted down, I'd love it if you came out here. We can have dinner."
Will manages a smile. "You cooking?"
Sonny smiles back, kisses his forehead. "I'm gonna surprise you."
"Don't you always?" Will retorts, as Sonny walks back inside.
