Will groaned, sliding shaky fingers through his already ravaged blonde hair. He couldn't really be a suspect for murder, could he? The things he'd done lately, the way he'd acted... Sure, the change in him was obvious, but he wasn't a murderer. His parents knew that, his grandma Marlena knew it, God, even EJ knew it. Yet here he sat. In a jail cell. Alone.

He was glad Stefano Dimera was dead, but there were many, many people who felt the exact same. And who had stronger reasons for it too. Excluding, of course, Kate, and those unfortunate enough to have the same blood running through their veins. His loved ones. EJ. Lexie. Chad. Johnny. The list was surprisingly long for someone so apparently evil.

Will closed his eyes, breathing in through his nose and keeping his mouth clamped tight. There was something about the tight space that made him feel like screaming. He yearned for the freedom he'd had only just hours before, when he could wander the town to clear his head or grab a quick coffee at Common Grounds if he wanted, seeking a pick-me-up of sorts that had absolutely nothing to do with the caffeine. The corner of his lips tilted up involuntarily just thinking about it. It was the only place he found any peace anymore and he, like many other loyal customers, didn't return for the free drinks.

Sonny Kiriakis. Will sighed, shaking his head at himself again. Sonny was something else. Kind, loyal, and understanding as a friend; confident, ambitious, and headstrong as a person. He was Will's opposite - laidback and always composed, where Will was a ticking time bomb just waiting to erupt. Will had yet to see him really lose it, to see what lay beneath the wall of calm Sonny had built so carefully around him; part of him wanted to push him and prod him till he broke and all hell let loose. He wanted to see him vulnerable, just once. It was a selfish thought and yet...

Yet in some ways they fit together more smoothly than anyone he'd ever known. Sonny had swooped in one hot summer day, offering a kind smile and a firm handshake and had never backed down since. He'd stuck with Will through it all, through all of the drama he'd brought upon himself, through the meltdowns and the manipulations. He'd stuck through everything (and would again, Will was sure) and they were so much better for it now. Until, of course, Will had screwed it all up and landed himself in here.

Jail. He, William Horton, the good boy, was sitting in a jail cell, arrested for a murder he was almost positive he hadn't committed. That was the thing about solitary. It fucked with your senses, like a constant pressure on your head until your mind caved in and you suddenly weren't sure of anything anymore. Maybe he had shot Stefano that night. He remembered firing the gun, but it's target was a vague image in his mind and he couldn't - couldn't remember. Why couldn't he remember?

Frustrated, he ground his heels into his eyes, using enough pressure to cause alarm. He knew he looked a mess and if his mother came to visit soon like he somehow knew she would (despite his conviction that she was the worst mother ever, period), her belief in his innocence might have even wavered a bit. Bulging, blood-shot eyes and wild hair, he was a sight better left unseen but he still craved his mother's companionship. Or anyone's, really. This cell was depressing. And tiny. And only succeeded in reminding him of how far he'd fallen from the time of his and Gabi's break-up. If only he could go back - not just to that night, but all those months ago. He could figure it out and do things right this time, not hurting Gabi in the process (if he could help it) and certainly never falling into the Dimera trap like he had done.

He regretted so much, and it was killing him to be left with his thoughts like this. He couldn't stand it, the silence. Too much room to think, not enough for action. He needed to be constantly in motion, because being left with his thoughts was a torture too cruel to contemplate. "Get me out of here," he spoke into his hands, voice coming out muffled, inaudible.

The soft but distinct sound of footsteps down the hall made him leap to his feet. His grandfather wasn't abandoning him after all (!) Roman was coming back to fix this, of course he was. But it wasn't his grandpa's frowning face rounding the corner.

"Sonny?"

The question echoed about the still room and Sonny offered a tight smile as he sauntered over to Will's cell without explanation or invitation. He gripped the heavy bars with slim fingers, the grin melting away almost immediately. "Hey," he said by way of greeting and Will just arched an eyebrow at him in response. Sonny sighed, leaning his forehead against the cool metal and looking at his shoes. The silence held new meaning now as Sonny left it hanging between them and Will found that this kind of quiet was much, much worse. "I just needed to know. Well, I mean, I had to ask. You know, if-"

Will stared for a moment, letting his best friend ramble on. Unconsciously, he stepped back until he was pressed up against the far wall. He suddenly wanted to be anywhere but near another person, but there was nowhere to go in the small space. So he leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest and fixing Sonny's downturned face with a cool look. "Wanted to know what?" he said, enunciating his words sharply. He was being cruel now, he knew it. But for Sonny, of all people, to come here and - why would he even have to ask? After all, Will had pledged his innocence to Sonny just moments before his arrest, had he not?

Sonny's head snapped up, giving him an apologetic half-smile. "I just have to know if maybe...there was a possibility...that you'd done something that night that you regret?" Sonny hedged, skirting around the topic like the coward Will knew he wasn't. People were letting him down all around lately.

"I didn't do anything I regret that night, Sonny," Will said darkly, wanting to feel glad when Sonny flinched at his words but he just couldn't.

"Will-" Sonny began, sounding desperate. But Will cut him off.

"Just say it, Sonny. Ask me if I was the one who killed Stefano. Go ahead," he said, practically shouting through the bars now. He couldn't quite help himself. He was Sami Brady's son, after all.

Sonny gave him a dejected look, before dropping his head down again to rest against the bars that separated them. "I'm trying," he whispered, so thinly that Will had to step closer to hear. He did so reluctantly, face expressionless. "I'm trying so freaking hard, Will, I swear. To believe what you say and that you really are innocent, but I just - I don't know. I don't know, okay? One minute, I think I know exactly who you are and the next you're working for the guy you've always said you despise, doing God knows what. You're just..all over the place. And I thought, maybe, that you'd leave me out of it and that I could still be your friend and just be there for you and I'd ignore it, but then you-" And he laughed now, a soft, bitter sound that twisted at Will's stomach and clutched at his heart, suffocating him. Just enough. "-you lie to me. And you use me. And I don't know what to think anymore."

It was then that he looked up, through heavy brown eyes, brimming with barely-concealed emotion (vulnerable) and Will thought maybe, just maybe he was close to breaking Sonny. Just like he'd secretly always wanted.

Sick. He was so sick. For wanting any harm to come to such an amazing friend, an amazing person. He belonged in here. Innocent or not, he belonged in here, just for putting that look he saw in Sonny's eyes.

"S-" he choked on the name, not quite able to form the simple word with the guilt hanging between them.

"N-," Sonny began, then sighed, dragging his head up all the way in a false show. "You don't have to say anything. Don't apologize. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come."

Will's guilt hit a peak and he slumped back down to the floor, pushing with his heels until his back fell against the wall. He seemed to crumple in on himself, letting his head fall forward and wrapping his arms tightly around his knees. He thumped his head repeatedly on his knees as he rocked slightly, trying to stuff out the sound and the silence and the light and the dark all at once... "I didn't do it, Sonny, I swear I didn't kill him..." he said pleadingly, although he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince anymore.

"Okay," Sonny said, all the hurt and accusing hints gone from his voice, replaced by concern for his best friend that sounded oh so familiar. "Come on, Will, look at me."

Will couldn't. He didn't want to see that look again. The same look he saw everywhere he went. He'd come to realize that he disappointed people. He ruined things, and he let people down and he couldn't stand to see the evidence of that anymore. Especially on someone who was so uniquely special to him.

"I believe you, honestly. I do. I just - needed to hear you say it, to be sure," Sonny said, and Will could tell he meant what he said. "I'm sorry."

Will shook his head, his whole body trembling now as the tears overflowed. He hadn't even noticed the moisture gathering in his eyes until they spilled, they were that common nowadays. "Don't," he said, then snorted. He sounded so...like his mother. He laughed to himself, letting his head fall back to rest against the wall behind him.

Sonny watched uncertainly. "Are you alright?" he spoke softly, then scoffed at himself before Will could reply. "No, of course you're not alright, you're in jail, for God's sake!"

Will laughed out loud at Sonny's outburst, looking back up at his friend again, unable to contain himself. Perhaps jail really was making him crazy. He kept laughing though, and eventually Sonny joined in, just a little. It was enough, anyway.

"Will," Sonny sighed, bringing them both down with just one word. "Will, how did you get here?"

Will opened his mouth, before realizing he had no idea how to respond. Did Sonny still believe him guilty? Who wouldn't, after that?

"Tell me what's going on."

Sonny stared determinedly into Will's eyes. His usual blue was darkened almost to cold hard black and it was hard to find something of his friend's to hold on to. But damn him if he didn't try.

Will sucked in a ragged breath, staring back. It was always hard to meet Sonny's gaze - never-judging, always attentive - and it was the hardest it's ever been this time. Again, he felt that warmth spread through him and his breath seemed to be sucked right back out of him. He wondered, not for the first time, if Sonny felt it too. And if so, what was it that was always holding him back? "I screwed up," he managed to gasp out. "I screwed up so bad, I know, but I didn't kill him. You know me, Sonny, you know I'm not capable of this. I've been crazy lately but I would never - I - I-" He couldn't go on, losing oxygen quickly. Somebody had to believe him, he had to make Sonny understand.

"Will, Will, Will," Sonny repeated quickly, trying to stop his sudden panic. He reached through the bars, not giving a damn about the rules, wrapping his hands around Will's wrists and holding them tight, giving a hard shake to snap him out of it.

Will just looked at him, wide-eyed. Stolen breaths forgotten.

He stood there, wrists enclosed securely in Sonny's always comforting hands. Funny. How they never ventured past a simple touch of the hand every once and again. Never invading one another's space, not even for a simple, fleeting goodbye hug, as even the most platonic friends do. And the one time they had hugged - the one time - it hadn't felt particularly friendly. It had sparked something between them and they had both decided to ignore it, for reasons not apparent to him. It could mean something, but for some reason Sonny wasn't willing to go there and Will wasn't about to push him into anything he didn't want. Not if it could ruin the one good thing - the one solid relationship he had going in his life.

He needed Sonny. He'd only just realized just how much, but it was true.

As usual, his eyes were an open book and Sonny must have read some of the thoughts tumbling through the mess in his head. He sure reacted as if he had. Sonny suddenly blinked, as if snapping out of a trance and released Will's hands like they'd shocked him. It was odd.

"You'll be okay, Will," Sonny promised after a curious pause. "You've got your grandfather on your side. And Rafe. And - well, all of Salem, really. No one thinks you're actually guilty." His words were kind, but foolish. It was all about how it appeared. Having a grandfather and ex-stepfather on the police force counted for little when you've got hard evidence stacked against you.

"Don't they?" Will said dubiously, smiling slightly as he slumped forward against the bars. He was exhausted.

"Of course not, they're your family and friends," Sonny said, frowning.

"I was also at the Dimera mansion that night. What do you think they're going to think about that part? Or the fact that I was carrying around a gun all night? Or that that same gun was confirmed as the murder weapon?" He let the questions hang there for a second, saw the crease forming between Sonny's brows. "It's hard to be so certain when there's that much evidence against me."

Sonny breathed out slowly, thinking this through. He shook his head, confidently. "They know you, Will, it won't matter."

Will looked back up at him through the bars, eyes shining. He wanted to believe Sonny but the truth was, whether he was released or not, there would always be those who thought him guilty. People would start to see him differently, no matter how hard they tried not to.

"What's going to happen to me, Sonny?" he whispered, suddenly frightened. He couldn't go to prison. He wouldn't survive in there, he was sure of it.

Sonny looked at him, lips pressed together, for once unsure of himself. It wasn't like him at all. Suddenly, Will wanted him to go back to being the Sonny he knew, the one who never backed down and always had the right advice to help him through. The one he could count on to be there for him. Always, like he'd promised.

"I don't know, Will," he replied softly, almost regretfully. Will could see it in his eyes, that he wanted so badly to tell his friend that everything would be just fine but he had no such guarantee. And he wouldn't sugar-coat things for him, there was no point.

Will hung his head, squeezing his eyes shut tight as he dragged his hand through his hair for the millionth time.

"But I do know that I'll be here for you, like I said," he continued on and Will peeked at him through his lashes, looking for some trace of doubt in Sonny's warm brown eyes. There was nothing. A nice sight. "I'm not going anywhere..."

Will swallowed loudly, studying Sonny's face for a long while. It calmed him. "Okay," he said softly, giving in. "Okay."

Carefully, Sonny reached a hand through the bars again to wrap around Will's wrist once again. He stared at the sight through eyes blurry with tears, and a smile threatened.

The door banged open and they both jumped back. As Sonny snatched his hand back (as gracefully as the situation called for), Will's face returned immediately to one of fear. His grandfather, Roman, stepped through. "Time's up, boys," he said in that deep, authoritive voice of his.

Sonny immediately jumped into action, not quite meeting Will's eyes as he said, "Anyway, I gotta get back to the shop. I left Chad in charge and he's hopeless when Mel's around. See you, Will." With that, he left. Nodding respectfully when he passed Roman on the way out.

Will swallowed hard, watching him go. All traces of the emotional, vulnerable Sonny that he'd seen just moments ago had gone the second that door had opened. Just a flick of his switch and everything was back to normal.

"Congratulations, Will," Roman said unexpectedly, and Will's head snapped up again. His grandfather was frowning. "You're being released on bail."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well then. Hi, sorry if this is bad. Haven't really posted - or written - anything proper in a while but I finally got over my writer's block and this sort of just came out. So that's good, I guess. It'll be a two-shot I think - next chapter'll be out as soon as I can. Promise :) Anyways, review if you liked it, even a little bit haha or even if you hated it, that's okay too - any feedback is good feedback! - xxo, Desiree