Alex woke the next morning with a gross taste in his mouth He kicked the maid out of his hotel after he finished using her. They were together long enough to get off and didn't even make it to the bed.

Alex rolled off of her and the couch and demanded she leave. He couldn't stand her presence any longer.

While inside her, Alex didn't have to think. He focused on the task at hand. As soon as it was over his brain wouldn't shut off.

He couldn't get the look on Will's face off his mind when he saw Alex with that girl. Alex knew what he was doing. He wanted to hurt Will, scare him off. He wanted to prove to Will, to himself that Will didn't mean anything. Instead, Alex did the opposite.

As soon as the girl left, Alex hit the mini-bar. He drank everything in sight and smoked the last of his cigarettes. Cursed Will Horton and his stupid face and stupid smile and the stupid butterflies that only erupted for him.

Alex passed out spread eagle across the bed. The hotel maid service changed the sheets while he was at dinner. There wasn't even a tiny lingering scent of Will left behind to lure Alex to sleep.

The next morning, Alex's head throbbed and his mouth tasted like an ashtray. A shower and some breakfast later, Alex felt somewhat human again.

It didn't alleviate the anxious feeling in his stomach, though. The fear that he might have lost both Will and his friendship. Alex didn't like it but he knew he had to fix it. He just had to figure out how.

Will checked his appearance one last time before sighing. He knew he looked nice. If one thing stayed with Will after his night with Alex it was that. He didn't have to worry about feeling attractive.

Vaguely, Will wondered how backward it was that he slept with a guy before going on a date with one, though.

And with my date's brother too.

Will wanted to go out with Sonny, he did. It was just a lot to deal with at once. He couldn't tell Sonny about his concerns either. He knew how disastrous that would be. Sonny and Alex had enough problems of their own without Will adding to them.

All because of a mistake too. Alex never wanted more. That was all on me. If I had stayed at Common Grounds I would have heard Sonny stand up for me. None of this would have happened.

Will couldn't find it in him to regret it, though. Before he made a mess of things, Will loved his time with Alex. Alex made Will feel safe and wanted. Will didn't want to change that only what happened after.

Besides, it was all in my head anyway. Alex never said he wanted more. That was just wishful thinking.

"You look nice," Sami said as Will walked into the kitchen.

"Thanks," Will muttered, slumping at the kitchen counter.

"Thanks? That's all you have to say? No enthusiasm for your first date?" Sami wondered, bustling about the kitchen.

"I am excited," Will told her. "I just don't want to get my hopes up."

"You know," Sami said, head in the refrigerator, "EJ said the weirdest thing last night."

"When doesn't he say something weird?" Will asked even though he didn't expect an answer.

"He said you liked Alex, not Sonny," Sami laughed. "And that Alex liked you back. That EJ noticed it the first time he met Alex."

Will didn't reply, eyes locked on the counter.

"Will?" Sami tilted her head, eyes narrowed.

"Alex doesn't like me," Will reassured her after a deep breath. "Trust me. He even ditched me for a girl last night."

"Oh," Sami stared at Will for a few moments longer, "if you say so."

"I want to go out with Sonny," Will said, voice a little shaky. "And Sonny wants to go out with me. I'm with the right brother."

Sami shook her head and laughed. "You remind me of me more every day."

Will made an exaggerated face and hopped off the counter stool. "Why you gotta say things like that?"

"Hey, do me a favor?" Sami asked after she smacked Will's arm. "Go to the Kiriakis mansion. There should be baseball tickets for Johnny there."

"Yeah, sure," Will said. He knew the chances of running into Alex there were slim.

Will took the baseball tickets from Henderson with a forced smile. All he could hear were Adrienne's words ringing through his head.

Not good enough. Not good enough.

While waiting for the tickets, Will overheard Adrienne confiding in Justin. Explaining how Will was a horrible choice for Sonny. That Sonny could do so much better. That Will wasn't good enough.

That's what Will was when it came down to it, not good enough. He wasn't enough for Sonny. He wasn't enough for Alex. He wasn't enough for his dad or Sonny's friends. Will wasn't enough for anyone.

Will didn't know why he tried, why he believed in things. This had to be the universe's way of telling him how wrong he was. It was what he got for messing things up with Alex.

Adrienne was right. Will wasn't good enough. He was going to keep a secret from Sonny, had been keeping a secret from Sonny. Will shared so many intimate moments with Alex before last night and hadn't told Sonny.

Will didn't know why either. He didn't know why he never told anyone. Maybe it was because no one in Alex's family knew about his sexuality. Maybe it was because Will didn't want to hurt Sonny's feelings. Maybe because Will knew if Sonny found out he would never have a chance with him. Maybe it was for all those reasons or none of them.

I still kept it a secret. I was going to keep an even bigger secret. Adrienne's right. No mother would want me to date their child.

I can't go out with Sonny now or ever.

Will pulled out his phone, ready to cancel on Sonny.

Will should have known Sonny wouldn't accept his flimsy excuses. Should have known and yet it still took Will by surprise. Sonny had more options, better options than Will. Why would Sonny go out of his way to find Will now?

The day had been lonely. Even talking with Marlena didn't help the way it would before. Will suspected it was because Marlena wasn't the one he wanted comforting him. Will didn't want Marlena's gentle words and actions. Will wanted Alex.

He wanted to hear Alex telling him to get over it. Wanted to hear Alex tell him he should have told Adrienne off. Wanted to hear Alex tell him in his gruff but honest manner that Will was enough. That it was everyone else that had a problem.

Alex had a way of cutting through Will's insecurities, obliterating them with just a few simple words.

Will knew how inappropriate that would be now, though. Knew there was little chance it would happen anyway.

Will wasn't even sure what he was most upset about either—Adrienne's words, his canceled date, or what happened with Alex. All three together didn't give Will much hope. Will didn't know how he was holding it together as it was.

Will's head was a mess and that was when Sonny found him inside the Brady Pub. Sonny with his understanding words. Sonny that almost always seemed to know what was wrong before Will even told him. Sonny who wanted to judge Will for himself and not let anyone else influence his decision.

How could Will turn that down? Not when Sonny was so patient and understanding. Not when Sonny was so cute and his brown eyes glittered in the sunlight. Not when Will met Sonny first. Became Sonny's friend first. Not when Sonny was offering Will everything he didn't know he wanted.

This time when Sonny's lips pressed into his, Will was ready. It was a little awkward, lips tentative. Will's big dumb smile getting in the way. Unsure hands and head tilts made it all so much more real.

It wasn't picturesque and there weren't fireworks. It was nice and left Will giddy, though. Left Will wanting more.

Kissing Sonny was like a serene trip to a carnival. Eating cotton candy, riding the carousel round and around until he felt dizzy. A sense of happiness and laughter, carefree and easy. Whereas kissing Alex felt like getting on a Ferris wheel. It always seemed like a good idea at the time until Will got to the top and looked down.

Will should have known better with Alex. He always had been terrified of heights.

Will and Sonny didn't get far on their date. There was a stirrer emergency at Common Grounds and Sonny needed to deal with it. Will wasn't sure why they didn't just put out extra spoons but then again he wasn't the business owner. Or even why Chad couldn't take care of the problem. Stirrers were more serious than he imagined.

Sitting at a table alone while watching Sonny work wasn't an ideal first date. It seemed fitting, though. Will and Sonny had each done a lot of waiting for the other. Besides, Will wanted something pressure-free today. Something to ease him into this.

There was still too much that could go wrong.

It took Alex all day to work up the nerve to leave his hotel room. He needed to talk to Will and still wasn't sure how to. Alex wasn't big on apologizing but he knew he acted like a dick the night before.

Now that he was out and about, Alex didn't know where to find Will. He checked Will's condo and no one was home. He checked the library and nothing. Will wasn't at the gym either. Alex knew he didn't work today.

There were only a few other places Will could be and Alex put them off last.

Alex walked into the Brady Pub with a cursory glance. No Will.

"Alex!" a voice from the corner of the room yelled.

Alex sighed when he spotted his father and Adrienne. He saw them yesterday. He didn't need to see them again so soon.

Reluctant, Alex trudged over to their booth. "What?"

"Now you sound more like yourself," Justin commented. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere," Alex evaded, arms crossed.

"Alright, don't tell us," Justin replied. "You could sit down and eat with us, though."

"No, I couldn't," Alex said keeping his eyes locked on his father and away from Adrienne.

"Don't push, Justin," Adrienne rubbed her temples. "I'm not going to win over any of our children today."

Alex opened his mouth, snarl at the ready only for Justin to speak before he could.

"Maybe now you'll learn to keep out of your children's love lives," Justin retorted, giving Adrienne a pointed look.

"Well, I wouldn't have to if they made better choices," Adrienne huffed. She gestured to Alex, "this one sleeps with any female that blinks at him and Sonny wants to date a-,"

"A nice, sweet boy," Justin stated. "If Sonny wants to date Will it's none of our concern. He's a good kid."

"If Sonny wants to what?" Alex spat out, pulse racing in his ears.

"Sonny and Will had a date today," Justin explained. "One that Adrienne, here, almost ruined. Will overheard her talking about him and canceled on Sonny. Sonny salvaged it, though. They should still be together now."

"Sonny's on a date with Will?" Alex clarified, face blank, tone expressionless.

"Yes," Adrienne sniffed, exhaling through her nose. "I still think this is a mistake. Will is in no way good enou-,"

"Oh, fuck off!" Alex spat, glaring at Adrienne before turning around and stomping out.

Adrienne held her hand to her chest, opening and closing her mouth.

"Excuse me," Justin said, tossing his napkin on the tabletop and following after Alex.

It took a bit of jogging but Justin grabbed Alex's arm. "Alex, wait up."

"What?" Alex turned around, chest heaving.

Justin looked at Alex, really looked. He thought back to the evening before, how strange Alex seemed. Justin recalled Alex saying he spent the day with Will. Recalled how often he had seen Alex with Will.

Justin took a step back, eyebrows lifting, comprehension washing over him. "Oh, oh, Alex."

"What?" Alex repeated, closing his eyes and running his hands through his messy hair.

"I didn't even realize but you must-I mean-I should have seen," Justin said in a low voice so as not to spook Alex. "That has to be it, doesn't it?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Alex demanded.

"Will," Justin said, "you like Wi-,"

"Shut up!" Alex hissed. "No, I don't."

"Alex, son, it's okay," Justin said even though it wasn't. "I mean-I can't say this doesn't complicate things but…"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Alex insisted. "Horton and I are friends. That's it."

"You sure about that?" Justin asked. "I know you've been spending time together. It's understandable."

"You're insane," Alex mumbled, looking away.

"Okay, answer me one question," Justin requested. "If you don't like Will, why do you care if he goes out with Sonny?"

"I don't," Alex grumbled.

"Could have fooled me," Justin responded. "Look, you're both my sons and I love you. Will means a great deal to you both and that's fine. Will's a nice kid. I like him. But Sonny wants to date him, wants Will to be his boyfriend. You can't even tell your father if you like Will or not.

"Just think about what that means and what you want. Because this could turn real ugly real fast and I'm not taking sides."

Alex watched his father walked away without another word.

Will dipped his head in for a kiss, arms going around Sonny's neck.

"Mmm," Sonny said as he pressed his lips against Will's one, two more times before pulling away. "I need to get back to work."

"Yeah, you said," Will nodded, unable to stop smiling. "So, I better go."

"I'll call you," Sonny promised, grinning just as wide.

"Bye," Will said, walking without looking where he was going and bumping into another table. He put his hands out to steady himself and apologize to the people sitting there. "Oops, sorry. Sorry."

He could hear Sonny chuckling behind him.

Smooth, Will, real smooth.

Will made it to the door and saw his father. "Hi, Dad. Bye, Dad."

"Will," Lucas looked like he wanted to say more but nodded. "See you."

Will walked with his hands in the pockets of his black blazer. His head was in the clouds. It had been a strange 72-hours for him.

As he entered the town square, Will noticed Alex right away. Sitting on a bench, head in his hands, Alex almost blended into the background. Will shouldn't have even recognized him all tucked away in a corner. But he did. Will did notice Alex and couldn't ignore him.

Alex wasn't one to let his emotions show especially not in public. Will walked over to Alex before he even made the decision to do so. He never could stand it when someone he cared about seemed in pain.

Besides, what happened the day before was his fault. Will got too attached, expected too much from someone that didn't do that kind of thing. Will got his hopes up. It was unfair to blame Alex no matter how much he wanted to.

Swallowing down his pain, Will sat down next to Alex on the bench. "Hey."

Alex didn't have to look up. He knew who it was. Not only did he recognize Will's voice but he also knew Will was one of the few that would bother to check up on him.

The two sat there, Will not sure if his presence was wanted and Alex at a loss about what to say.

"Look," Alex said after a long time, "I-uh-last night-I didn't-,"

"You don't have to explain," Will told Alex. "It was my fault."

"No, it wasn't," Alex said, finally looking at Will. "Look, you didn't need to-,"

"Alex," Will interrupted, "You don't owe me anything. I knew what the situation was before we started anything. It was my fault for getting upset."

"Would you shut up?" Alex growled. "I'm trying to fucking apologize here."

"And I'm saying you don't have to," Will said. "You don't owe me anything."

"Just shut it," Alex demanded. "I shouldn't have talked to you like that. Or about you like that. You're more than that. So, just, you know if I could take it back I would."

"Thanks," Will said with a small smile. "But you didn't have to say anything."

"I did," Alex mumbled.

"So-um-where did you meet that girl anyway?" Will asked, trying to alleviate the tension between them. "She looked familiar."

"She works at Victor's mansion," Alex said in a dry voice. "She was there and I-,"

"You don't have to explain," Will said, something unpleasant churning in his stomach.

"She didn't stay long," Alex said. He had to get Will to understand. "Just long enough. She didn't stay, not like you. I didn't want her to stay."

"Oh," Will pressed his lips together. He didn't know what that meant.

Silence engulfed them before Alex sighed. He did this to himself. He might as well suffer the consequences.

"You went on a date with Sonny," Alex stated.

"How did you know that?" Will asked, turning to stare at Alex.

"My dad," Alex responded. "I heard what Adrienne said too. I hope you told her off."

Will's lips quirked. Alex's response was everything he imagined. "I didn't."

"Did Sonny?" Alex wondered.

"I don't know. I know he talked to her," Will said. "He didn't tell me about what, though."

"Well, did he tell you what a bitch she was at least?" Alex pressed.

"Not in so many words," Will bit his lower lip.

"What did he tell you then?" Alex asked, getting annoyed.

"That I didn't have to worry about what she thought," Will recalled. "That he would judge me for himself."

"That's it?" Alex frowned. "Adrienne said all that crap about you and he didn't even reassure you?"

"Well, that's not how Sonny is," Will shifted on the bench refusing to meet Alex's eyes. "He made me feel alright about it all."

"So, he made you feel like Adrienne was wrong?" Alex said. "Because she is. You're more than good enough for anyone. No matter what I said yesterday about you."

Will didn't know what to say.

"I thought you were mad at Sonny anyway," Alex said, rolling his eyes.

"Sonny explained it all to me. It was a misunderstanding," Will told Alex. "We talked about it."

"And that Brian douche?" Alex wondered. "Is Sonny gonna see him?"

"They're friends," Will rubbed his right elbow up and down.

"Like we're friends?" Alex countered with a raised brow. "Are you gonna tell Sonny that?"

"I-no," Will said. "How could I? What would I even tell him? You know he'd freak out."

"So, you're gonna lie about it?" Alex said in a flat voice.

"No, I'm just, if Sonny asks I'll tell him I've been with someone," Will insisted. "I just won't tell him it was you, at first. I mean, it was one date. It's not like we're getting married."

"But you want it to be more?" Alex guessed, closing his eyes.

"I-I had fun," Will answered in a quiet voice. "We're gonna go out again."

Alex leaned his head back, eyes clenched shut. He didn't want to date Will. Or, at least, he thought he didn't. But knowing that Will was dating Sonny made Alex feel so many things he hated.

If it makes Will happy, though, Alex decided. It's not like I can give him what he wants anyway, what he deserves.

"Look, if he breaks your heart, I'm not gonna put up with it," Alex stated.

"What if I break his?" Will asked, smiling.

"He's my baby brother," Alex shrugged. "I wouldn't be happy about it. But you're you. I already told you, you're different."

"Aw," Will put his head on Alex's shoulder and squeezed his arm. Tension alleviated. "You're such a big softie."

"Off," Alex ordered. He could handle the clinginess in bed but not now. Not when Alex needed to establish a line the two were not allowed to cross anymore.

Alex stood up and said, "I gotta buy smokes. You coming or what?"

"I told you to quit," Will lectured as Alex rolled his eyes. "It's not healthy."

Will and Alex bickered all the way to the convenience shop on the other side of town. The only shop that sold Alex's particular brand of cigarettes. To get Will to shut up, Alex bought him a giant bag of peanut M&M's and a blue Slurpee.

Will slurped his drink, lips and tongue stained blue. When they left the store, Will recognized a guy heading inside.

"Nick!" Will yelled, waving his Slurpee around to get his attention. "Hey, what's up?"

Alex stopped when Will did, looking the lanky stranger up and down.

"Not much," Nick said, hands in his pockets.

Alex noticed the guy shied away from Will, eyes flitting around the area.

"Who's this?" Alex demanded, putting his hand on Will's lower back.

"This is Nick Fallon, my cousin," Will said. He wanted Nick to know he was on his side and supporting him. "He-uh-well he just got out of juvie and is turning his life around. We're all super proud of him."

"Distant cousin," Nick amended, eyes flashing to the placement of Alex's hand on Will. Nostrils flaring, pinched look on his face, Nick said, "Who are you?"

"Alex Kiriakis," Alex responded, standing a few inches higher than Nick's already considerable height. He made sure to keep his hand on Will.

"Right," Nick mumbled. "I'll see you around, I think. Maggie wants me to stay with her at the Kiriakis mansion."

"Then you'll never see me around," Alex snorted. "Not if I can help it."

"Alex," Will said, not sure who Alex was insulting there. Nor did he understand why Alex stepped so close to him.

"Let's go," Alex ordered, sensing something off about the guy. He grabbed Will's wrist and pulled.

"Bye," Will said to Nick over his shoulder. He huffed at Alex, "That was rude."

"He seems like a dick," Alex defended.

"He's troubled. There's a difference," Will said. "Besides, he paid his debt to society or whatever. He's turning over a new leaf."

"I doubt it," Alex replied. "Give me some M&Ms."

"You should have got your own," Will complained but gave over a few.

The two hung out for a while longer before Will yawned, needing to get some sleep. Alex walked Will home, the two falling into their old rhythm almost seamlessly.

Alex didn't notice that despite buying a brand new pack, he didn't smoke a single cigarette in Will's presence.

Author's note:

Things don't seem quite so dire for Will and Alex now, do they?

Thanks for reading and please let me know what you thought.