Chapter Summary: Will and Jack go out, and the aftermath brings on a change of heart in Will. R&R!

If I told you a secret
You won't tell a soul
Will you hold it and keep it alive
Cause it's burning a hole
And I can't get to sleep
And I can't live alone in this lie

It was Friday morning, and Will was late for class.

Not just late, but so incredibly, unbelievably late, that he wasn't entirely sure he would make it for the class at all. He remembered waking up and looking at the wall clock above his bed, and it glowed and screamed at him through the dim room, "WAKE UP, TRUMAN. FIFTEEN MINUTES UNTIL CLASS IS OVER."

Normally, he wouldn't be bothered with it. It was a fairly easy class, and he could just get the notes and homework from another person in the class. Then it would be all right and he wouldn't have to worry.

But it wasn't just a regular class then.

Will ran through the campus, a self-created breeze whistling through his ears as he rushed to the south building, nearly knocking over several people in the attempt. He lifted his legs high, trying to step through the snow and slush covering the grass. His pants were soaked around his ankles, he was red in the face, and he was huffing like a wolf trying to blow a house down, but finally, he made it.

His professor was waiting for him at the door, not looking too happy. A strict frown was fixed on his face, and he held a red sheet of paper in his hand that made Will hang his head.

"You're late, Truman," he spoke, holding out the piece of paper to Will and crossing his arms. "The exam is over. Looks like you'll have to take the class over next semester."

A dejected look passed through Will's eyes, and he started babbling worthless excuses. "Professor, I swear, I overslept! I had no idea I was going to be this late, and I would have called, but I just ran ten minutes straight just to get over here, and I'm all ready for it, please? Can we reschedule or something? Is there anything I can do? I need to pass this class! I can't do it another semester, I have to get my credits for this year…"

"Sorry, William," the teacher said, with a specially cruel gleam in his eyes, like he was enjoying this.

"Fuck", he muttered under his breath, walking across the crisp slush covering the ground, making his way back to the dorm. It was no use trying to argue. Will would never win. He would just have to take the class over again next semester, and hope that his alarm didn't suddenly decide to stop working again.

Jack hadn't been in the room when he woke up, though he heard the familiar sounds of water droplets hitting the shower floor. There had been some other sounds, ones he was also familiar with but didn't want to think about. He really didn't imagine that Jack would bring home a random guy around him, so that left only one other option, and he willed himself to stop thinking about it.

Couples were scattered around the campus, walking through the sunlight bathed streets around the university grounds. Some of them Will recognized, and gladly waved to, his spirits uplifting just a bit.

"Will!"

He turned around to a whirlwind of toxicated laughs and hugs. Joe and Larry had spotted and ambushed him, and took turns jumping around, making hooting noises that reverberated through the air. Will let out a groan.

"Not now, you guys. It's way too early," he warned, rubbing his forehead jadedly and realizing just how tired he was. Joe and Larry were a couple, and two of the biggest partiers at Columbia. Will had trouble thinking of a way that they both managed to get top grades while being out all night, enjoying the clubs and the collage hook-up parties. They had offered to share their secrets, like reading their notes while pounding each other senseless in their dorm, but Will had perceptibly passed.

"What are you guys even doing up?" he asked, starting to walk to move things along. Sometimes they could get a little bit riled up, and he was definitely too dejected to handle them at the moment.

"Where the hell have you been? We haven't seen you for-fucking-ever. Things with the little woman going wrong?" Larry asked, taking a sip of the beverage in his hand.

Will was thinking twice about telling them about Jack. After all, he had almost killed the kid. But he figured that nothing bad would come out of telling them, so he explained everything. Boy meets boy, boy almost kills boy, boy offers his dorm as his apology, boy won't leave boy the hell alone, but other boy doesn't really mind as much anymore.

"I think he likes you," Joe responds, being strangely observant for the first time. Larry laughed in agreement, running a hand through his hair and snaking an arm around Joe's shoulder. "You should take him out to dinner."

"What?" Will exclaimed, looking somewhat bewildered. That suggestion seemed to come out of nowhere. Joe and Larry were usually all about partying, and not really all about the big romantic gestures.

Romantic, that voice in Will's head snorted. He's just a friend. There's no use in getting all romantic about a friend, especially a male one who you have absolutely no feelings for whatsoever.

Joe continued, "You almost killed the kid. I think you at least owe him a meal."

"He's already living in my dorm. I think that's enough, or at least it should be."

It was Larry's turn to laugh. "Will, the way to a lady's heart is the stomach. Take him out to dinner, and he won't owe you a fucking thing. Trust us on this."

"Yeah, well, it's a pretty stupid idea."

Larry snorted. "Well, you go back to the kid then. We're going to go get laid. Come on, Joe."

With that, they were gone. Will shook his head and laughed. Those two were certainly something else. And he did have a point. Will knew more than anyone from Grace that food was definitely the way to get rid of a problem.

"Well, I guess we're going out to dinner tonight." He decided, walking up the steps to tell Jack the news and to get ready.

It wasn't usual that Will would be struck breathless. It had actually never happened to him before. It seemed like a bad romance novel, about tasteless housewives sitting out on a terrace, gasping and drawing a hand to their chests as they saw a handsome man, shirtless and gorgeous with their bulging muscles smothered in baby oil.

But he found himself almost speechless at the sight in front of him. He felt all the air in his lungs slowly seep away from him, and his mouth dropped open slightly.

"What?" Jack asked obliviously, running a hand through his still-damp hair. He had just emerged from the bathroom after his shower. He was dressed in the suit Will laid out for him, since the restaurant they were going to was nicer than most.

Will couldn't believe his eyes. The most dressed up he had seen Jack was in the clothes he was in when they first met, tight-ish jeans and a cream-colored sweater over a white long sleeved shirt. But this was nothing like that. He looked stunning. The suit fit spectacularly on him, and he had combed his hair. There wasn't gel in his hair, but something cleaner—a type of grooming cream Will was unaware of.

"Oh. My…wow. You look…um, good."

Jack smiled, posing a little. "struck speechless, aren't you?"

He didn't know how right he was. Will couldn't quite keep his eyes off of Jack. "Umm, come on. The cab is outside, we don't want to keep it waiting."

A weird look crossed Jack's face. "A cab? What's the occasion?"

"We're celebrating the fact that I have a deranged lunatic living with me in my dorm room."

"Ha ha," Jack fake laughed, sticking his tongue out at Will and taking one last glance in the mirror. "But really," he said almost seriously, "You're a collage student. You live on collage student wages. Yet you're taking me out to a nice restaurant and hailing me a cab. You're not proposing, are you?" he gasped, holding a hand to his mouth.

Will rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing. Would you like daises or roses as your bouquet? Just remember, I'm not paying for your dress. That you have to work for yourself".

"Right. I think I'll skip on your wedding fantasies, Truman. Just take your girl to dinner."

"Sorry, my girl is in Schenectady. But I'd be happy to take the loud, slutty girl in the corner out for tonight instead."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "You're in a particularly snippy mood tonight. What's the problem? Your 'girl' found out about your boyfriend on the side?"

"And I suppose that boyfriend you are speaking of, who doesn't exist, is you?"

"Jesus William, stop drooling all over me," Jack shot back, pushing him slightly out of his way and over to the door. "If this goes any further I just might have to get a restraining order."

"Well, your in luck. I'm studying to become a lawyer. I'd be happy to put that into effect. I can do it immediately if you'd like."

"Just shut up and take me to dinner," Jack smiled over his shoulder, grabbing Will's hand and guiding him towards the door. Will followed, hardly reluctantly, smiling as they moved together in the direction of the cab.

It was late, and the dorm was dark. It didn't help all that much that the two boys were drunk and the room hadn't been clean since last week. They fumbled through the shadows together, holding hands as they simultaneously searched the walls for the light switch. The search ended abruptly when Jack's fingers hit it vigorously, scaring Will to the floor.

"Found it!" he squealed, the lights turning on and Will clamoring onto the ground with a thump, causing Jack to burst into giggles and fall beside him.

"What are you doing down here?"

Will tried his hardest to transform his face into a frown, but the alcohol and all the fun they had that night was too much, and the smile remained there, set firm and unwavering. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm testing the durability of the carpet. It's not soft enough."

They laughed for what seemed like hours, when the inevitable exhaustion finally set in. After changing in front of each other, with no discomfort they settled into their normal positions, Jack on the couch and Will in his bed, and began what had become known as their nightly ritual.

"Good night, Will."

"Good night, Jack."

Will closed his eyes with a smile on his face. The dinner had gone better than he ever could have expected it to go. Jack was well-behaved and didn't act like a jerk. He had even skipped on dessert because he didn't want Will to pay so much for him. The cab ride home had been full of jokes and stories and laughter, and it was absolutely perfect. Will couldn't think of anything that could make the evening more perfect.

He found himself more and more interested in Jack's life. What he did, what he wanted to do, how he grew up, where he was going to go from here. It was more than just him being the kid that had almost gotten killed because of him and now they were stuck together. They did everything together, finished each others sentences—Just like him and Grace, only they were both i guys /i . it was so much different, and so much more fun.

And unlike him and his other few guy friends, the two of them could touch, and nothing would be said afterwards, with the few exceptions where Jack wriggled away and made a joke. They were comfortable, and with a few moments where it sometimes got a little personal, it was nice. It felt like home.

Then there was that feeling. That unknown, inexplicable feeling they got around each other. Will could feel it in his stomach even when they were apart, even when he was just thinking about Jack. He didn't know what it was, hell, it could just be friendship, but he loved and hated that feeling at the same time.

A nudge of the bed caused Will's eyes to snap open and lose his train of thought. Looking up into the dim light cast by the moon looking over the windowsill, Will could see Jack there, a blanket clutched in his hand and a hopeful expression on his face.

"Jack…what is it?"

He didn't say anything, but simply moved his head a fraction to the left, motioning for Will to move over.

A silence enveloped the room as Jack awaited Will's reaction. After a brief moment, Will slid over, opening the corner of the sheets, allowing Jack to slip in next to him. They lay next to each other, side by side. Will fell asleep that night to the sound of Jack's breathing and his heartbeat against his arm.