The wide grin on William’s face belies his excitement when he finds John waiting for him in the plane. In the past year, they had made twelve business trips together. That meant twenty-four flights with John. This trip to New York, would be trip thirteen and on the twenty-six flight together which is the return trip, John would accompany him in the cabin. He had butterflies in his stomach from the heady anticipation of having this much of John’s time. 

But William had never spent this much time alone with John before. What if John found him boring? Perhaps those butterflies were from nerves…

In his excitement or nervousness, William forgets to ask and just pulls out a bottle of champagne from the pantry and two glasses. It’s the first thing he does once they reach cruising height and it’s safe to walk around. Johnathan doesn’t say anything. 

“John, we’re celebrating!” he calls.

John watches him, calm and collected, but William knows better. John’s ears are red. He’s noticed it’s the key to reading the shy man and he pours them two half-glasses. William does not want to spill anything, though if he knew he had a chance of making it sexy, he might. Johnathan probably wouldn’t like that though. He’s so pristine that William sometimes wants to muss his hair or something. William handed John a flute of champagne. 

“Ever had champagne, John?” he asks. “Of course, you have. I’m sure you’ve been to parties with Henry or something,” he laughs.

“I have not,” John says seriously.

William's eyes widen in surprise. “No? Really? Alright, first time for everything then,” he smiles. “If you want, I mean.” No sense in pushing John to drink on their first sort-of date. That would be a dick move.

John takes two sips. William watches him for a reaction. He’s expecting John to comment on the taste and texture, like the kind of person who goes to wine tastings and know exactly what year the wine was distilled without having to check the label. What he isn’t expecting, is for John to flush a bright red, like the first time William had chugged a bottle of beer on an empty stomach. John’s colouration speaks of inexperience, which he was not expecting at all. When John had admitted to never having had champagne, he’d thought it meant that John just didn’t like champagne. Not that he’d never consumed a single drop of alcohol in his life. 

Hastily, William snatches the glass away. John’s eyes are already slightly glazed, and he looks down at his empty hand with some confusion. It’s too late. 

“Ah, John, that’s enough for you, I think.” William chuckles. To be fair, John is very adorable like this. He’s hit with the full force of John’s pout and William thinks his heart just skipped a beat.

John reaches for the champagne, but William swallows down both glasses quickly. “Stay here,” he tells John and goes to get water bottles. 

But when he turns back, John is standing right behind him. He almost drops the bottles.

“John! What are you doing?” John stares impassively at him. “Never mind,” he laughs awkwardly. “Drink some water.” William hands John an opened bottle, thinking that opening it might be too difficult for John’s champagne’s addled brain. John’s two sip champagne addled brain. This would be hilarious in hindsight. But they could laugh about it later after William got John sober again.

Apparently, drunk John had forgotten how to drink water as well, which was not something William had considered. John was just full of surprises today, wasn’t he? He only barely stopped John from upending the entire bottle over his head and guiding it to his mouth for him. 

John drank quietly, eyes on William. When he’d drunk half the bottle, William pulled it away. That was probably enough to dilute the alcohol. There were little rivulets of water dripping down his chin and William used a sleeve to pat him dry. “Good boy,” he said with an amused huff. 

Instantly, John looked pleased. William had to laugh. “Inside your cold, jade-like appearance, you’re just all soft inside, aren’t you?”

“Only with you,” John agreed solemnly.

William blushed hard. “What an unexpectedly sweet mouth you have, John,” He pushed weakly at John’s chest. John didn’t even sway. “Well, um,” He felt like his face was on fire; John had a really nice chest, and it was quite distracting. “Come on,” he says and tries to direct John back to his seat. 

Except that John has already fallen asleep standing up. He redirects to the bedroom instead, trying not to think about what an intimate setting it would be if John were awake and here of his own volition.

He settles John on the bed. Getting him under the blankets is too much effort, given that William chugged a glass of champagne in total and John is not exactly a small man. He gets a pillow under John’s head at least and gulps down the rest of the bottle that John drank from.

With John sleeping quietly, William can feel the excitement of having John all to himself waning. And since he doesn’t particularly feel like working, he crawls onto the bed next to John and lies there, watching the even inhale-exhale of John’s breathing.

~

Johnathan wakes up with a relatively mild headache and Will sleeping by his side. His ears flush red at how close Will is and how soft Will looks in his sleep. As much as he prefers not to ingest alcohol, he cannot bring himself to regret it this time. Even if he cannot remember anything beyond Will’s look of anticipation after he had taken two sips of the champagne.

Wanting nothing more than to hold Will in his arms, Johnathan settles for lying on his side and watching Will instead. Will’s face is relaxed and unguarded. Johnathan feels his chest ache. He lies there long enough for Will himself to wake up. 

Will blinks sleepily at him when he wakes and says “John” in the sweetest voice. Johnathan’s heart pounds in his chest. “John,” sighs Will again. “John, you’re my favourite person, did you know?” He smiles.

Johnathan did not know. He shakes his head minutely. Will laughs a small, breathy giggle. Johnathan is so in love. He can’t pretend he isn’t anymore. 

“You are so cute,” murmurs Will. He watches as Will reaches out to poke his cheek. 

He freezes. Johnathan doesn’t mean to, but he does. And the slight movement doesn’t go unnoticed. The soft glaze of sleep in Will’s eyes is swiftly replaced by sharp awareness.

Will sits up. “I was just kidding,” he backtracks self-consciously and pulls away. John instantly decides that he hates it. Hates seeing Will feel uncomfortable and unwanted around him. 

Johnathan reaches out. Will looks at him wide-eyed when he grasps the hand that came to poke his cheek. “Will,” he says quietly. “Do you like me?” It is Will’s turn to freeze. He turns his face away, cheeks red, even as Johnathan watches him steadily. “Will?” he calls gently. 

Long moments pass and Will doesn’t answer. Johnathan lets go first. He doesn’t want to address the disappointment in his heart, but he must be honest. Will deserves that.

“I apologise,” he says, swallowing around the lump in his throat. “I misunderstood your affections.” Johnathan’s eyes are cast downwards on the bed covers as he says this. “I will not make that mistake again.” He dips his head in an approximation of a bow. It is inadequate because he is sitting on a bed, but Johnathan cannot bring himself to stand up and walk away just yet.

“Wait,” Will calls. Johnathan stills. “What did you misunderstand?” He looks at Will again. There is a glimmer of something that looks like hope and wary caution in Will’s eyes. Johnathan feels his heart beating faster.

“Will,” he says helplessly. “There are many who choose to avoid me because of my personality. But you were nice and friendly, and you left me gifts, I assumed and hoped that it was because you regarded me with romantic affections. I see now that I was wrong, and I am sorry. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable.” He tries to leave again. He wants to leave before the tears that threaten to spill over actually do.

A hand on his wrist stops him. “Wait,” Will says again. “John.” Will’s eyes give away his vulnerability. “Do you like me?” 

Truthfully, Johnathan is surprised. He thought that Will already knew. Johnathan did not handle deceit well. He was a bad liar and there was hardly ever any reason to. He had not expected Will to be this oblivious. 

Johnathan nodded, feeling shy. Such a blatant admission made his ears burn. Will was still holding his hand. He didn’t pull away in case Will never wanted to hold it again. 

“John, are you sure?” asked Will. 

Johnathan frowned. Why would he lie about this? “Yes,” he answered. 

Will dropped his hand. Johnathan stared at the bedding again, blinking back tears. He looked up in surprise when Will shrieked. “John,” Will whined into his hands. Was Will in distress? “You—I don’t—You can’t just—Argh!” 

He watched Will with much concern. “Will?” Will does not answer. Johnathan doesn’t know what to do, but he doesn’t want Will to misunderstand. “If you do not believe me, you may feel my heartbeat and know I am not lying.”

Will muffles another scream into his hands. Johnathan reaches for one. He presses Will’s palm flat on his chest above his heart. His heart is racing steadily, but he holds the hand there and waits for Will to listen. 

When Will pulls away, he is wide-eyed and flushed. But he takes Johnathan’s hand in return and presses it to his own heart. “John, I…I really like you too.”

Johnathan’s heart soars like the plane they are in. Possibly higher. “Will,” he whispers, overcome with emotion.

“I like you so much, John. I don’t think there is anyone else for me. I like you too much,” Will confesses with a watery smile and both hands holding Johnathan’s palm against his chest.

“I like you too. Just you,” he admits. 

Will drops his hands from Johnathan’s and cups his cheeks. They are so warm. “I want to kiss you,” he says reverently like Johnathan is something to be worshipped. It is how Johnathan feels about Will. But he is notoriously bad at words, so he leans forward to close the distance.

Kissing Will is nothing like he’s ever felt. Part of it is because no one has ever kissed him, except his mother on his cheeks when he was much younger, that obviously doesn’t count. But Johnathan is sure that if he kissed anyone else, it simply would not feel the same as kissing Will does. Will’s lips are pressed softly to his, moving lightly against his own. Johnathan has no experience, so he tries to copy Will. He hopes Will feels as good as he does, if not better. 

Johnathan puts his hands at Will’s waist. It is deliciously small, and he gets an urge to look at how small Will is in his hands. Will makes a small noise and Johnathan tentatively touches his tongue to Will’s parted lips. He has never kissed anyone before, let alone with tongue, but Will makes him want to try everything.

It is such a heady experience to kiss Will that it doesn’t take long for them to end up horizontal on the bed. Johnathan lies flat on his back with Will on top of him. His arms have circled Will’s back to hold him closer. Johnathan feels as if he has ascended to a higher plane. 

Will seems to like it when Johnathan touches him, and he can’t quite stop himself from running his hands up and down Will’s torso either. It is by accident that his hands stray lower than Will’s waistline, subconsciously reaching for more. Only, Will tenses and Johnathan responds by stilling his hands. 

He blushes hotly when he realises that his hand is almost over the curve of Will’s ass, but he doesn’t move it away. Will stares at him with a flushed face and doesn’t say anything. Johnathan watches carefully for his reaction when he shifts his hand a little lower. Will bites his lower lip nervously, but it doesn’t look like a good kind of nervousness.

Immediately, he moves his hand away. “Do you want to stop?” he asks Will.