"Don't move just yet." Sonny mumbles. He feels so hollowed out, like an empty husk that cold easily be blown away with a puff of air.

"No need."

Will's lips are on the side of his throat, the movement bringing him a very unique tenderness to it. Like a rainbow after a flood.

"Would you believe me if I said I actually came to talk to you?"

"Nope."

"Well, I did. Figured we get around to this afterwards. Plans change. I owe you a shirt and some boxers."

"I have plenty more."

Sonny's recovered just enough to prop himself up on his elbows, looking right at Will as he leans on his right side.

Will's cheeks are flushed and glowing, damp blonde hair clinging to his forehead as he looks right back at him.

He wants nothing more than to swallow him up like frozen yogurt.

"Making you mad got me all hot and bothered." He tells Will.

"Same. Looks like. I wasn't planning on doing this again."

"You weren't?"

"Nope." Will takes Sonny's hand, amazed by his own tenderness as he lets Sonny kiss it.

"I'd already made up my mind. Then you show up in my pub, all hot and sexy, drag me back in. You keep messing me up. You just keep unmaking up my mind, over and over."

"You're all I've ever wanted."

"Which is nothing good for you, Go." Will shoves Sonny's shoulder. "Get off. We're a sweaty mess."

"Let's take a shower, then we can talk. Actually talk." Sony repeats when Will raises an eyebrow at him. "Cross my heart." he criss crosses across his chest.

"I need to get back to work."

"William."

"Fine!" Will waves him off. He knows by now it's pointless to argue with him. God knows why he still finds that stubborn streak so intriguing. "Clean yourself up. I'm just gonna call the pub and make sure everything's covered for the time I won't be there."

Will finally steps into the shower just as Sonny's getting out. Sonny's pretty sure Will timed it that way, to avoid any potential intimacy. Giving him room, Sonny goes to the kitchen, finding the expected pitcher of lemonade, and pouring two glasses.

When Will joins him, wearing those same short shorts and a different shirts, Sonny offers him a glass.

Will takes it into the living room.

In the past few days, Will had resigned himself to how things had to be. The entire time, a part of him had in fact pined for Sonny. And every time he'd caught himself glancing towards the bar's entrance, hoping he'd walk through, or waking up in the middle of the night reaching for him, he'd chastised himself for being so pathetic.

Then he'd looked towards the door, and there he was. His own soaring delight, his boundless calm, had pissed him off before Will had even had his pride wounded by Sonny dragging him right out of the pub.

"Sonny." Will starts. "I wasn't being completely fair to you the other day. I wasn't in a fair mood."

"Save the apologies. I wanted to piss you off. I'll take you angry over sad anyday. She does both."

"I guess so. But I just hate how she's out there with Marlena, knowing she's gonna hurt her again. I can't do anything to stop or fix it, either. That's the worst part. But I never should;ve dragged you into it."

"You didn't. It just happened." Sonny angles his head. "Stop me if I'm wrong here. You seem to be under the impression that because of who and where I come from, I can't handle the messed up, more difficult, aspects of life. In this case, yours."

"I'm not saying you're too soft. But this particular part of my life is above your pay grade. You could never understand a woman like her."

"Because I was so sheltered." Sonny nods. "She showed up at the mansion today."

The rosy flush from sex and heat in Will's cheeks suddenly drains. "What?!"

"Kristen DiMera showed up around noon. I wondered whether or not I should tell you, before deciding I wasn't going to lie to you, or keep secrets. Not even to spare you the hurt. She showed up and invited herself in for a drink. And tried to seduce me."

"I'm so sorry." Will's lips feel stiff and cold as he says it. His throat burns like he's just swallowed battery acid. "That will not happen again. I promise."

"Dude, shut up. When have I ever needed protection? And you're gonna want to save that anger for after I'm finished." Sonny tells him. "When she reached for my fly, I told her she was embarrassing herself. And then she stepped up her game and threw herself on the table and sob her little heart out."

Sonny eases down on the arm of Will's couch. "Didn't squeeze out a lot of crocodile tears, but she put on a pretty good show. Whole story about how all these bad men were after her. They'd come after her, you, and Marlena if she didn't give them 5 grand. Where's she supposed to go, what's she supposed to do?"

The color returns to Will's cheeks, riding high on his cheekbones. "You paid her? How can you believe--."

"First a sheltered mama's boy, now an idiot." Sonny gives an exaggerated sigh, sipping his lemonade. "Really bruising my ego, Will. I didn't give her one red cent, and I made it abundantly clear that I wasn't buying into her crap. Which pissed her off enough to threaten to go to my family. Apparently she asked around about me and got a pretty good idea. Figured they'd be shocked and humiliated by the idea of their golden boy falling into your trap. And just to add insult to injury, she'd also say I fucked her too."

"She'd do it." It's more than the chill now. The sickness rolls in his stomach. "Sonny, he's more than capable of--."

"I told you to save it." Sonny's tone doesn't sting, it's just adamant. "She doubled her price to ten grand for the blackmail. I don't think she was too happy with my response. Then I kicked her out. And that's it. You can still be pissed if you want. Please don't cry." Sonny speaks pleadingly when he sees Will's eyes water. "She's not worth a single tear from you."

"I'm completely humiliated. Do you not get that?"

"I do. But we're also both smart enough to know it had absolutely nothing to do with you. I completely get it. And I'm sorry it had to happen, sorry I made it worse."

"It's not about you. It's never been about you." Will wipes a tear from his eyes before it can fall. "That's what I've been trying to get through your thick skull from the very beginning."

"It's not about you either, Will. It's never been about you. I got a really good look at her, long and hard, and I know for certain there's absolutely nothing about her that has anything to do with you, blood or no blood. Family doesn't start with blood, Will. What you do with your life, because of or despite that, that's where the real heart and soul is."

"I'm never going to be rid of her. Not completely. Nothing I do will ever change that."

"No, you're not."

"I'm sorry. No, goddamnit, I'm gonna say it." Will snaps when Sonny's face goes tight.

"I'm sorry she showed up at your house. I'm sorry she tried to go after your family. But I really, really, need you to not say anything to my grandma."

"Why would I do that?"

WIll nods, then gets up, wandering around the room.

He loves this place because he'd made it all up himself. He respects the life he's made for the same reasons. Now, because he just had to go and start caring for and respecting the man that is so determined to be in his life, he'll explain.

All of it.