Title: Peppermint and Hazelnut
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Once more,I own nothing. I did not create the characters used in this fictional story nor do I wish to make profit from their use.
Summary: Sonny lets his mind drift while watching Will in the darkness...
Author's Note(s): Wanted to write something a little light and short that became something a little more along the way. The scene is the night before Sonny gives Will the key to his apartment and asks him to move in. I apologize for not replying to the wonderful comments on my last story; been a bit busy celebrating my birthday and doing work-related things but I wanted to have a new story out to bide the time. Hopefully you enjoy and comment but if not, I'm glad you took the time to read.
The wind is whispering outside, speaking quietly through the night. The LED lights of the alarm clock on a the nightstand mean nothing; just numbers: 1:52 AM. The air is light, airy, and it's just that right concentrated scent of hazelnut from that coffee unfinished on the counter and the peppermint from the mouthwash still on the tip of his tongue. The room is barely lit, candle sitting on the desk near the door, flame dancing like a premium ballerina mid-flight in the air. His feet are peeking from beneath the end of the comforter that's rumpled and barely covering his waist. Soft breathing draws attention, attentive brown eyes on blonde hair and closed eyes. Fingers settle on that head that's resting on a pillow beside him, tiptoe through that hair. Eyes trace over soft skin he can remember kissing earlier, raking his teeth over to leave unnoticeable marks before gently kissing away redness. This love is like a guitar solo in the midst of a Queen song: loud and proud and smile-inducing.
He grins, lofty and unapologetic, as that sleeping body shifts, blindly reaches for something to cling to and his body is the first thing available. It's a slow dance, the way he scoops an arm underneath the other man's body, pulling him him until a nose is pressed to his bare chest and legs tangle together. Nothing about this is graceful, the way their bodies fit together, but he doesn't mind it at all. He kisses the top of the blonde's head and shifts into a comfortable position.
"Shh Will," he hushes, snickers at mumbled words tickling his chest. He smooths his palm over Will's shoulder, invisible freckles shifting under his touch. He rests his chin on Will's forehead, patient with his fingers as they scale down Will's spine.
"You're not sleeping Sonny," Will mutters, eyes still tightly shut.
"Overstating the obvious," Sonny laughs out quietly, embracing Will a little tighter. He feels Will's feet ease over his, cold like icicles but he only shivers a little bit. He shifts his fingers over the small of Will's back, fingers running like a Sharpie over paper to trace unreadable declarations of love.
Sonny pulls back a little to admire Will. He looks beneath the surface, beyond this quietness that's wrapped in off-centered sleep. He'd give up a ticket to the world to read those thoughts that he's almost certain Will keeps them locked with a silver key. He'd sell it all, his life and soul, to be this one man's everything. And maybe he is but doesn't recognize it? He sometimes fears that: not knowing love when it's presented in its most unrecognizable form.
His fingers run just behind Will's ear, catching locks of blonde hair before shifting down his neck. That skin, warm vanilla and soft, calls to him as he careful massages it. Will's own fingers press against his sides, just beneath his ribcage, Will's breathing finding that steady syncopation he had earlier. He smiles, watching those eyebrows soften and his lips part a little. He takes his thumb and grazes it over that red bottom lip, sideways smirk settling on his own lips. Those lips, tastes of apple-flavored chapstick some days, some days that sting of black coffee, might be his favorite feature. He can't help touching them, kissing them, tasting them, watching them as Will speaks.
"Mmm, you're thinking out loud," Will says, eyes slowly batting open. Those blue eyes, bright like titanium and soft like the airiness of cotton candy, pull him in instantly. Will's eyelids are heavy but Sonny knows he's too stubborn to fall back asleep even if he told Will to.
Will snuggles to him for a moment, hot skin sliding against Sonny's so elegantly. The soft, blonde hair on Will's legs runs against his legs and he giggles. His hand whispers down Will's skin, over that hipbone to gray sweats he could tug off without little fanfare. Will's tangling his own fingers in Sonny's shorter hair, grinning with words behind those lips but they're clinging to this quietness happily.
"You need to sleep. Big wedding tomorrow. Best man stuff and all that greatness," Sonny remarks, his voice deep and laden with the sleep he knows he himself needs.
"Oh yeah. Big day. I wish you could see my excitement because, really, it's uncontainable right now," Will remarks and Sonny can almost taste the sarcasm on Will's tongue. "Not that I'm not completely happy for Gabi because, you know, she's marrying my cousin and they're going to have a baby but, honestly, this is the last thing that I'm thinking about right now."
Sonny's nodding, head tilted and resting on his knuckles. His arm is propped, Will's delicate fingers running over the contour of his muscles as he merely takes it all in. He admires the contrast in skin complexion, the way Will's fingers are the right shade of buttercream frosting to his almost olive hued skin. Will slips in closer and Sonny can taste Will's kisses before the younger man presses them to his lips. It's like those lemon bars his mother bakes every time one of his brother's comes home to visit: the aroma and flavor so unforgettable. He smiles into a petite kiss, Will's hand slipping down his chest. There's nothing empty about Will's kisses, the way they can be so childlike and gentle while remaining purposeful and promising.
Will lets out a soft yawn, scrubbing his fingers through his flaxen hair as he drops his head to one of the fluffy pillows on Sonny's bed. Their legs are still tangled beneath the sheets, Will's toes wiggling against his calf. Sonny paints castles and smiley faces along Will's shoulder with his fingers. He lets Will drape an arm over his hip and smiles warmly. Will smiles loftily; it's like trains on a track, that symphony of metal against metal so memorable. He etches his thumb over the edge of Will's nose, delicate and quiet touches shared between them that Sonny knows feels like home.
"Close your eyes," Sonny whispers, molding his fingers over Will's cheek.
"So you can take advantage of me?"
"You wish," Sonny laughs out, giving Will a playful shove.
"Actually, I kind of do," Will teases, his nose scrunching as he snickers. He's wiggling those eyebrows and Sonny rolls his eyes mockingly.
Everything is lopsided when Sonny drags Will closer, laying on his back with Will's head resting on his shoulder. Their fingers interlock over Sonny's chest and Will's legs are wrapped around one of Sonny's beneath all of that linen. Sonny's lips are pressed to Will's temple, eyes closed for a moment. This one man, always fighting the odds with a willingness or with tears in his eyes, captures Sonny more than any other man has. This one young man who's dying to stay in the light, to avoid the realism of the darkness he's always known. The one who never knows who's on his side though Sonny's certain Will's mom is, unavoidable as it may be. And Will's father has come around, even more so to Sonny than anyone else. EJ, Gabi, his cousin Abigail, Marlena and Kate, Chad, even on a few occasions T, have all created this circle, this untouchable chain that Will fears will rust and break. He can see those invisible bruises against Will's skin, those unhealed wounds from having to come out before he was ready. Those scratches from betrayal he's certain Will has yet to understand. Scars from a childhood he can never escape though he's trying to grow out of it. He wonders sometimes will this one man ever be able to sleep without having one eye open?
Will's quiet in his arms for a brief second and Sonny peeks down to see his blue eyes still open, staring at the dimness of the room. He molds off-sided kisses to Will's temple, plays Elton John in the back of his head: I hope you don't mind that I've put down in words how wonderful life is while you're in the world.
There's a flutter in his heart, beating out of rhythm, when Will turns his head a little to press a few open mouthed kisses to his bare chest. He strings his fingers through Will's hair, something he's noticed Will is good at, and tips his head down to smile at Will. The other man is still quiet, chin resting on one of Sonny's nipples with bright blue eyes that flutter like feet treading on water. Will's fingers have left his, sliding down Sonny's stomach. They stop at the edge of Sonny's boxers, playing with the waistband before circling his navel. There's a tipping darkness behind those eyes and, again, Sonny wishes he could read Will's thoughts, carry those burdens Will does so unceremoniously.
Will's eyes are heavy again and he's a child waiting on someone to plug in his night light and read him a story. Sonny weaves his fingers through the hair on the back of Will's head, cradling his head. Those lips, red like smeared strawberry jam, are slightly puckered and long lashes are fluttering as Will tries to keep his eyes open. Caution rising when Sonny peels away a little but it's just to fluff one of the pillows behind Will's head before Sonny is folding an arm around Will's shoulders once more.
"Come closer," Sonny whispers, ducking his head some.
Will follows instructions, connecting the dots behind his eyes, and Sonny loves the way Will's nose crinkles a little when Sonny licks his lips. Kisses draw like a mural over Will's lips, carefully painted and brushed with Sonny's own lips. Slow licks at Will's bottom lip, billowy moan from Will swallowed by Sonny and there's an ache just behind Sonny's veins when Will cups the back of his head to make the kiss shiver on. Sonny's playing with the lobe of Will's ear, eyes blinking open to watch Will's closed ones. Fields of glimmering gold and Will's angelic without trying to be. Sonny's embraces that innocence, knows that this is all Will is, try or not.
There's a thinness to his sleep as Will rests in his arm later. His eyes are half-open, looking over the dying flame from the candle. He can smell that hazelnut, heady now, but there's cinnamon in the air from Will's fading cologne. Softness from Will's skin sliding away from his, the younger man moaning and mumbling as he fluffs a pillow and turns to lay onto his stomach. Sonny grins, kisses the back of Will's shoulder while slipping the comforter up his cool skin. He thinks to pull away but, somewhere in the exchange, Will has grabbed his hand and is holding it beneath the sheets.
Sonny sighs contently, falling back into his former position on the bed. He glances to the nightstand, neon lights in the dark: 3:43 AM. He thinks about opening the nightstand drawer, taking a quick look at that golden key secured behind a small silver box. He wants to trace the ridges, imprint the indentations into the pad of his thumb but it's just like his key; except it's Will's key. It's Will's invitation. It's Will's piece of Sonny, the one that's physical unlike that large piece of Sonny's heart Will became the owner of months ago.