Will looked at his boyfriend with a shy smile, a blush covering his cheeks as he looked back down at the plate which had the dinner that the pair had cooked on it; a chicken and chorizo pasta with some garlic bread
As usual Connor was met with silence, all that he got from his younger lover was a shake of his head and a smile; Will had been attacked on his way home three months ago, beaten to a pulp by some random teenagers and then robbed of his phone and wallet.
It had been a rainy night and Will doesn't remember much about what happened, but he does remember his brother in law, Mouse coming and falling by his head and telling him that he needed to keep his eyes open. It went blank after that, he woke up four days later in the ICU and hadn't muttered a word since.
His injuries had mostly been bruises and a few cuts, but he had been traumatised by three young men; they'd jumped him from behind and just rained abuse down on him. Connor hadn't left his side the whole time he was in the hospital, holding him when he woke up in silent tears from nightmares and helping him understand what had happened.
Mouse had also stayed nearby, only slipping away when his husband, Jay Halstead turned up worried about his little brother but also in a fit of rage wanting to know what had happened. It had taken both Mouse and Connor to calm the older Halstead down; both of them explaining that his anger would not help the situation.
"Oh baby" Connor whispered, rubbing Will's smooth hand softly as the younger man's shoulders started to shake from his harsh yet silent sobs
Connor stepped round the table, sitting in the seat beside Will and pulling the upset man into his chest; Will's arms coming to wrap themselves tightly around Connor and his head falling into the crook of the older mans neck.
"I've got you baby boy" Connor whispered, letting one hand rest on Will's back with the other holding his lovers head
The sobbing intensified slightly as a sudden crack of thunder broke the silence, the younger man squeezing Connor tightly, his breathing becoming harsher as he began to panic even more.
"Little love, you need to breath, it's just thunder" Connor soothed, looking up as he heard soft footsteps
"He ok?" Jay asked quietly, watching his little brother sob harshly into his partners chest
"Thunder scared him, where's Mouse?" Connor asked, shushing Will gently
"He's just on the phone with IT department, we're trying to catch this guy who's way to skilled in the IT department" Jay sighed, running a hand through his hair
"Mouse can't figure it out?" Connor asked
"He can but everytime he gets one step forward, another firewall turns up" Jay said, walking to the fridge, opening it to grab the food which Connor had made for them
"Evening fellas" Mouse whispered, walking into the room, kissing Jay softly and taking the tupperware from the older man
"We're going to turn in for the night, see you in the morning" Connor smiled, helping Will stand and guiding his quiet boyfriend out of the kitchen
Will shuffled quietly beside Connor, holding on to the older mans hand, breathing still faster than usual, he freezed as a sudden loud roll of thunder sounded through the house. The red headed Halstead couldn't help the cry let left his lips as he threw himself into Connors arms.
"It's ok baby boy, just breathe, I've got you" Connor soothed, opening the bedroom door and guiding him towards the bed
"Do you guys need anything?" Mouse asked from the doorway, surprising Connor who jumped slightly
"Can you get us some bottled water please?" Connor asked, sitting Will on the end of the bed with a kiss to his boyfriends forhead
"Of course" Mouse smiled, he missed the loud Will he had known, the pair had been a nightmare together, always getting into mischief and always filling the house with laughter
Connor smiled, crouching in front of Will and gently pulling him to stand, he undid the draw string if the sweats he was wearing, pulling then down and helping the younger man step out of them. Will watched silently, eyes watching his boyfriend gently take care of him, undressing him slowly.
"Under the covers beautiful boy" Connor whispered, helping Will to get under the duvet and softly running a hand through the red hair he loved dearly
"Connor" Will whispered, his voice rough from not being used for so long
"Hi baby boy" Connor whispered, smiling at his smaller boyfriend
"Hold me" Will sniffled, and Connor obliged, climbing under the covers and pulling Will's trembling body close
"I've got you little love, close those beautiful eyes, let yourself go to sleep, I've got you" Connor whispered, letting Will curl into his chest and just holding him tightly
"Love you" Will yawned, his head coming to hide in the older mans neck
Connor felt the smaller man's body relax, little breaths hitting his neck and he looked down to see Will's eyes were closed. A soft knock on the door made Connor look up, a soft smile appearing on his face as he saw Jay standing in the doorway.
"Mouse said you wanted water" Jay spoke, his voice soft
"Yes, thanks Jay" Connor whispered, not moving so that he wouldn't awaken Will who was sleeping lightly but his grip had not gotten any looser since falling asleep
"He'll be ok, won't he?" Jay asked timidly
"He will be, just needs time" Connor sighed, watching Jay place the bottled waters on the bedside table
"I'll leave you guys be, just shout if you need anything" Jay said, kissing Connor's forhead and running a hand through his little brother's hair
"Night Jay" Connor smiled
Connor soon felt himself slip off to sleep, his arms never leaving from where they were resting against Wills hips. The small thunderstorm that had started building before they went ti bed continued to grow, and a sudden loud crack of thunder brought Will back to reality.
"CONNOR" Will yelled, ripping his body from Connor's arms and threw himself into the corner of the room
"Will, baby, oh baby" Connor soothed, trying to get close to Will but the man cried out again as another crack of thunder sounded
"They keep touching me, make them stop, please make them stop" Will yelled, hands scratching at his arms as he fought the ghost feeling of his attackers
"They aren't here baby boy, you're in our bedroom, it's just a thunder storm" Connor whispered, pulling Will's trembling body close and holding him tightly
"Connor, please" Will cried, trying to get his body closer to the older mans
"I've got you baby boy, breathe, it's ok" Connor whispered, he could slowly feel Will calmimg down and continued to whisper sweet nothings in to the mans ear
"Connor" Will sniffled
"Shush baby boy, close those eyes, take deep breaths" Connor shushed, holding Will close and adding a small rock as he held the man on his lap
