Disclaimer: I wish!

Chapter Two

The Olive Garden. Seven p.m. sharp. Will smiled when he saw the familiar form stepping out of a nearby taxi just as his own drove away. He was remembering something Jack had said once – something about how Will and Michael were both 'real bitches' for punctuality. And it was true. Had they always been so alike, so in tune with each other? Will rather thought they had.

Michael turned around and met Will's eyes, as if he'd known he was there from the moment the cab pulled up. He smiled his cool, confident smile, and Will was reminded of the way he used to feel about this man.

"Hi, Will," Michael said, and his cool grin became a little shy. "It's good to see you again."

"Yeah," Will agreed. Quickly, without really knowing what he was doing, he kissed Michael's cheek. He expected Michael to look confused or angry – but the other man's smile was sunnier than ever.

"C'mon," he said, "Let's go find our table."

Twenty minutes later, after they had been seated and had ordered their meals, Will thought the suspense was going to kill him, or at least make him behave in a way that would probably result in six months' involuntary commitment. He was on the verge of asking Michael what the important matter he had spoken of on the phone actually was. As usual, Michael beat him to the mark.

"Will," he said, "Remember on the phone I said there was something important I wanted to talk to you about tonight?"

Will nodded, and sipped his wine in an attempt to hide the fact that it was all he had thought about since their earlier conversation.

Michael looked down at his hands, as if unsure as to how he was going to continue. Eventually, he said, "Remember when we broke up?"

Whatever Will had been expecting, it wasn't that. Trying to sound cool and calm, he said, "Do you really think it's the kind of thing I'm likely to forget?"

Michael lowered his head. He looked like a small child being reprimanded. "I know," he muttered. "I treated you unfairly. I made some accusations that were mostly groundless paranoia on my part – "

Will, remembering the nature of those accusations, nodded in agreement.

" – When really you'd never done anything but be a wonderful partner to me. And the other day I was sitting alone in my apartment watching a movie and I suddenly realised," Michael paused.

"What?" Will asked, after it became apparent that Michael wouldn't go on until he'd said something.

"I realised that I haven't had one real relationship since I left you," Michael said. "And I got to wondering if you had."

Will was about to say that he'd had no less than three, but then stopped to think about it for a moment. There had been Matt – that had lasted what, all of five weeks? Barry – who'd dated Jack and Will at the same time and been out of both of their lives within two months. He had been with Vince for half a year… But look how quickly that had gone from an exciting, romantic relationship to one that Will had been desperate to get out of.

"Define 'real'," he said eventually.

"You see what I mean?" Michael asked. "Will – I spent seven years of my life with you, and I've lived the same amount of time again without you. And I sure know which I liked best."

To Will everything felt suddenly surreal. "Are you asking me to take you back?" he asked uncertainly.

"No," Michael said, "I'm not asking. I'm begging you."

Will looked down at his own hands and realised he was twisting a paper napkin back and forth until the lint started to flake and crumble. He ordered his restless hands to stay still and stop betraying his agitation.

"Will," Michael said softly, when it became obvious that Will couldn't think of a reply, "Have you ever thought that maybe there's a reason we can't make it work with anyone but each other? Like, maybe it's just meant to be between us?"

Will closed his eyes briefly, trying to clear his head. He knew that what Michael was saying was all over-romanticised Hollywood nonsense, but the idea of giving things a second try with the man who'd given him the longest relationship in his life just seemed like such a good idea…

He opened his eyes quickly. Michael was looking worriedly at him and – were his eyes a little watery? Will thought so.

"What movie could you possibly have been watching to bring all this on?" Will asked, for lack of something better to say to express his feelings.

"When Harry Met Sally," Michael replied, smiling in spite of the tears in his eyes. "Watching all those old couples, telling the stories of how they met and then were separated but just kept coming back to the same place because that was how it was destined to be for them… And I know we're both sensible guys, we're not into horoscopes or fate or any of that mystical crap, but then I realised…" he paused mid-sentence in this dramatic speech, blinking back tears and looking uncannily like Billy Crystal in the dim atmospheric lighting, "I realised that I'd just turned on the TV to some random channel which just happened to be showing that movie," he said.

Will nodded. He had the odd feeling that Michael had intended this to be some kind of revelation which had been completely lost on him, but he didn't want to spoil the moment.

"All the movies it could have been showing," Michael murmured, "And it was your favourite." A single tear, perfectly timed with the end of his monologue, escaped his brimming right eye.

Will, his decision made for him, picked up the remains of his napkin and dabbed tenderly at Michael's face. "It's okay, honey," he whispered, dropping the now-useless tatters of tissue to the tablecloth and taking Michael's hand.

Michael sniffed and smiled weakly. "So… I take it you're giving me a second chance?" he asked hopefully.

"Hey," Will grinned, "It's still easier than teaching someone new my laundry rotation system."

They both laughed.

"Just – no more suspicions, okay?" Will asked.

"Of course not," Michael replied earnestly. He lifted Will's hand and kissed it, before looking at the other man quizzically. "Am I allowed – ?"

"Yeah," Will said. "You're allowed."

Michael smiled and leaned across the table, kissing Will fully on the lips.

Will kissed him back, so touched by Michael's unabashed displays of emotion that he didn't have the heart to remind him that his favourite movie was, in fact, Pretty Woman.