The sun is shining and my best friend is pregnant.

Mike opened the door to William - it was becoming a habit - before walking in and locking the door. He checked it twice, just to be certain. He was about to have a discussion with William, and he knew it wasn't going to be fun. He thought about offering the boy coffee for a start, but then remembered that he still didn't have any. "So..." he started, nervous.

William knew what was going to happen. They were going to have to discuss this. It was inevitable. He looked at the ground again, tears starting to form at his eyes again. "I-I...," was all he was able to say before he brought his hand to his forehead and held it there, trying to keep calm but failing.

Mike felt incredibly bad. He couldn't understand how William felt because he'd never have this happening to him - thankfully. He gently stroked the boy's hair. "So you're pregnant. Big deal." He tried to smile. "You'll just have to watch what you eat and get more rest." It seemed surreal.

William started crying softly. He couldn't take this. "B-but it's RYland's child! And we're going to have to fight a war. Ryland won't leave me alone and now I'm fucking pregnant," he said as he turned to face Mike directly, a few tears streaming down his face.

"Exactly. It's Ryland's child. Their next leader. They can't harm you because you'll have Ryland's child." I know it's horrible, but it could turn into a blessing. Mike cupped William's cheek and caught a tear with his thumb. "I won't let that asshole take you away from here." From me. "I'll take care of you, and I'll help you with this. With the baby."

"But as soon as this child is born, they'll take it away and kill me. I'm not letting them anywhere near this child," William said as he looked down past Mike's hand and at his stomach again. "H-How am I going to do this?" he asked as more tears began flowing down his cheeks.

So he does want the child. "I'm going to kill Ryland," Mike announced seriously. "I'll hide you and the baby. Somehow." He didn't have a plan for this. It was beyond his means. "I'll find a way, I promise." He leaned forward and kissed William's cheek. He didn't know why, but it had seemed like the right thing to do.

William blushed a little, adding the finishing touches to his upset look. Crying a little harder, he moved his head and layed it on Mike's shoulder blade, searching for some form of comfort. "Wh-What if Ryland comes and tries to do something while I'm pregnant?" William whispered, shaking as his head still lay on Mike's shoulder.

Mike didn't move. "I won't let him. I'll hide you. I'll protect you. I'll do everything I can for your safety and the baby's."

"But I was supposed to help you. This wasn't supposed to happen," William whispered as his body shook with another round of fearful tears.

"This...this is somewhat bothersome. But now, well, I..." He took a deep breath. "I know what I want to fight for. This isn't about destiny or duty. I want to fight so that you and the baby can live."

William looked back up at Mike with tears falling from his eyes. "But why? Why do you care about me when everyone else wants me dead?" he said through gasping for air as his tears became more frquent.

"I feel better when you're there," Mike said slowly, simply stating facts as if he was trying to understand it himself. "I'm happy when you're smiling, I...I really connect with you. More than with the other guys." He was referring to his bandmates. "I don't feel like taking care of you is a burden. I want to do it. I want to be the one that's here to take care of you."

"B-but that's too much for one person. You have to take care of the city. A child and myself would be too much to worry about, " William said staring back up at Mike, the tears still flowing from his eyes. I can't be the one to put thsi much stress on him....

"You don't get it, Bill. I want to do this. I want to see you happy because..." Suddenly it was very clear in Mike's mind. Because I love you more than anything in this damn city. He decided not to say it out loud. "Because you look better with a smile on your face. Why won't you let me?"

"Because I don't want to put that stress on you. I don't want you getting hurt," William said as he stared Mike in the eyes, his sincerity shining through. "My child and I would put too much more danger into your life. I can't let myself be the reason for that..." William wanted so desperatley to add the 'because I love you' portion to his sentence, but refrained from doing so, because he didn't want to feel rejection.

"I already have Avians and vampires after me. It can't possibly be worse." Mike took William's shoulders. "Look, before you told me you were a vampire, before you told me what had happened to you, I was certain I'd always hate your kind. You proved me wrong. I never expected I'd trust one of your people again. Not after what they did to me." He had trouble speaking. He hated thinking about it. "But I trust you. You gave me back what they took away from me. I don't want to lose you."

"I-I don't want to lose you either," William said quietly, a few tears still falling from his eyes. "I-I...," his sentence trailed off as he held back what he wanted to say. I love you.

"Shh, it's okay. Both of us are going to be fine." Mike considered holding William closer, but remembered how protective the boy was of his baby. He didn't want to hurt him. "Once the war is over, if you want, I can try to help you raise the baby until you find a more competent guy. I don't want you to do this alone."

"I'd like that a lot," William whispered as he stared into the guitarist's eyes, only a few tears still remaining. Mike had managed once again to calm him down. He was a miracle in William's world of darkness. Something clicked inside William that finally gave him the courage to say what he had wanted to say. "Umm, Mike?" he began quietly, his eyes averting between Mike's face and the ground.

Mike tried to catch William's look. He seemed to be avoiding the man's eyes. "Yeah?"

William inhaled a deep breath, hoping that rejection wouldn't befall him as he spoke his heart out to the guitarist. "I-I love you," he said as he stared into Mike's eyes once again, the trembling starting again as he waited for a response.

Mike wanted to tell him. He really did - except he didn't say a word. You're a vampire, William. You're immortal, and you have a baby that needs to be taken care of. I'll die long before you do. You need to find someone who'll always be there. It's better that way. He smiled, but let go of William's shoulders. "You should rest a bit. Sit where you'd like, I'll bring you water."

William bit into his lip again, still trembling as he walked off into the living room and sat down on the couch, trying not to start crying again. Another mistake... He sat there and stared down at himself, trying to memroize how he looked at that moment, because he wouldn't look nearly the same during the next couple months.

Mike walked in the kitchen, instantly losing his fake smile. I'll watch him around pretty boys, eternally young like him, until he finds the good one. I'll see them ageless raising a child that could have been mine. I'll grow old without him. When I'll die he'll forget about me. He'll have someone else for centuries to come. How many humans like me has he forgotten over the years? He turned on the water and checked its temperature, getting a glass with his other hand. He accidentally knocked it off the counter, and watched it fall and break on the floor. "Is everything going against me or what?" He sighed. "I'm fine!" he called out just in case. He kneeled down to pick up the shards of broken glass. I should appreciate what I've got. I have an incredible friend. He looked at his hand, injured from when he had broken a car window. The cuts had almost completely faded. I'll never find someone like William. Who could love a guy like me?

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