Part III

"Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow."

Will had no idea how long he'd been sitting on his balcony, trying to escape his thoughts and instead getting lost in them- it could have been minutes or hours. All he did know was that he'd just finished the last of his wine, and was currently trying to work up the energy to go get more.

With a long sigh, he set the glass aside. Drowning his—well, sorrows wasn't the term he would have chosen, but he supposed it fit well enough—probably wasn't the best way to handle the situation, though it certainly had the most appeal at the moment.

He winced slightly as he straightened from where he'd been leaning against the wall, knees aching dully from standing motionless for so long. Ignoring the reminder of just how old he was getting, he turned to head back inside, freezing mid-motion when he caught sight of a figure in the doorway.

"Jack?"

Jack's entrance into Will's apartment, like many of the entrances in his life, was made with a bang. This time, it happened to be a literal one- the nervous energy coursing through Jack's body had led him to open the door a little overzealously. Heart pounding, he glanced around the room quickly, expecting Will to come marching out of one of the rooms, demanding to know the source of the ruckus.

No one came.

"Will?" Jack called out cautiously. It was still too early for anyone to be in bed, even someone as boring as Will. He tried again, a little louder. "Will!"

Nothing.

Confused, Jack slowly wandered through the apartment. He checked both bedrooms and bathrooms- empty. Will's coat was still there, so he hadn't left the apartment. Jack spun in a slow circle, contemplating where else Will could be. He stopped short when he spotted the doors in the back of the apartment- the balcony. Suddenly torn between the desire to confront Will and run like hell, Jack forced himself forward, fighting the irrational urge to tiptoe as he made his way towards the balcony.

Once he got closer, he could see Will through the doors, leaning with his back against the wall and holding an almost empty class of wine. The setting sun cast odd shadows, obscuring Will's face and frustrating Jack. But, as if Will had sensed Jack's irritation, he shifted ever so slightly, freeing his face from shadows and exposing him to Jack's curious eyes. He'd known Will for years, and the only time he'd known his friend to spend time alone on the balcony was when something—or someone—was upsetting him.

Will certainly didn't look happy. There were no tear tracks on his cheeks and, from what Jack could tell, his eyes weren't red, so at least he hadn't been crying. But he did look…pensive. Sad. Almost miserable, Jack reflected as he watched Will absently drain the last of his wine from his glass.

Jack slowly, quietly opened the door. Will, apparently lost in thought as he stared sightlessly ahead, didn't hear the soft creak of the door hinges or notice the way Jack's body blocked the light coming from inside the apartment. Jack simply stood, silent, trying to think of what he would say to Will.

And then all thoughts fled his mind when Will turned and caught sight of him, surprise and something Jack thought might be fear flitting through his expression before pure shock replaced both. "Jack?"

For what was quite possibly the first time in his life, Jack found himself without a single word at his disposal. He merely nodded, taking in the warm glow that the dying sun gave to Will's skin and hoping that he wasn't about to screw everything up.

Will took a step closer, faltered. "Do you need something?" When Jack didn't respond, Will closed the rest of the distance between them, faint worry and concern taking the place of shock. "Are you okay?" he asked, placing a cautious hand on Jack's arm.

The warmth of Will's hand on his arm somehow shocked him out of whatever daze he'd been in. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. But," Jack swallowed, mouth painfully dry, "I need to ask you something."

"Okay." Will drew out the word, lengthening it into an unspoken question.

"Earlier, before Karen came in." Will immediately tensed at the reminder of earlier incidents. Jack continued, determined to ask his question. "Before she interrupted, you were about to say something. What was it?" Jack was proud and mildly shocked that he had been able to get the question out without his voice shaking.

Will quickly tried to brush the question aside with an offhanded, "I don't really remember Jack. Sorry."

"You've never been a good liar, William." Jack retorted. "So don't try starting now." He knew what Will had been about to say, knew it in his bones, but…he had to hear Will say it. Because, though Will might have been willing to confess in safety of the "honest moment" they'd declared, Jack didn't know it if the same would hold true out here, surrounded by fading light and shifting shadows.

Will withdrew his hand from Jack's arm and crossed his arms against his chest. "I really don't remember Jack." He retreated to his former place by the wall, trying to put some semblance of distance between himself and his interrogator.

Jack persisted, because something in the way Will wouldn't meet his eyes and the way his arms were folded almost defensively against his chest sparked a glimmer of something in Jack's chest, something unnamable and tremulous. He followed Will to the wall, purposefully invading Will's personal space.

"Will." Jack's voice was soft, but the hint of demand it carried travelled in the short distance between them.

Will finally, finally met his eyes, and Jack could see so many swirling emotions in the brown depths that it almost made him dizzy. "Jack.´ The word was barely a breath, but Will was so close that Jack could practically feel it against his lips, and in that one word Jack heard fear, desperation, and longing.

Suddenly, Jack was overcome with the burning need to know, to taste, and so he closed the few remaining inches between them, softly, softly pressing his lips to Will's in a barely-there kiss. Will tensed momentarily at the contact, but then Jack's hands, warm and reassuring, cupped his cheeks, the pads of his thumbs lightly stroking Will's cheekbones. After a long moment, Will uttered a quiet, broken sound of defeat and relaxed against Jack, eyes fluttering closed.

A/N: I know, it's a bit of an odd place to end, but I just couldn't find another way of setting it up that I liked. Again, please let me know what you think- favorite parts/lines, general comments, etc. It would be much appreciated!