Carter's Vanguard - 3. Chapter 3

"Ever have the urge to reach across and snap someone's suspenders?" Andrew asked mopping up a stray bit of egg yoke with a piece of toast.

Denny's was crowded, as it often was, with the breakfast crowd, the waitresses rushing between the tables with huge plates piled high with pancakes, eggs and bacon. It was the Mecca of anyone searching for a decent breakfast, the hearty sort that made people feel good and turned even the most docile of men into a carnivore. Andrew loved it.

Will was his usual distracted self, holding onto a cup of coffee and staring thoughtfully out of the window at Innes Road and the traffic whisking along it. Andrew always found that side of Will fascinating: what went through that mind when he stared off into space? 'The consummate dreamer' as one of his professors had stated when describing one of the great poets, Andrew couldn't remember which one. The description seemed oddly fitting for Will who always seemed lost to his own thoughts.

"So I got up this morning and discovered my mother had turned green," Andrew casually stated as he reached across to steal Will's last remaining sausage; again Will didn't react.

"Well, I was a little worried, but then I realized we're French... well, half-French, so supposed to be green..." He began to laugh as Will nodded at him absently.

Will started, "Huh?" He blinked as his mind processed the last few statements Andrew had made, "Green? French?"

"I was kidding," Andrew said, finishing off the abducted sausage and grinning when Will realized Andrew hadn't ordered any sausages.

He gave Andrew one of those accusing looks as he flashed him that shy smile of his and Andrew grinned back, daring him to say something.

Will shrugged, returning to his coffee and pushing the plate of untouched hash-browns into the center of the table for Andrew to finish them off. "You're going to get fat," he said with a satisfied grin.

Andrew shook his head, "I exercise too much. So that was your infamous grandmother, was it?"

Will shuddered. "There is a reason they call her 'The Indomitable Mrs. Carter,' he said, catching the waitress as she went past and asking her for a refill on his coffee.

"So that's where you get it from," Andrew said, grinning. Teasing Will was a favourite pastime shared by all of Will's close friends. "I always wondered, because you certainly don't take after the Major."

Will shrugged. "We're more alike than either of us would care to admit," he replied setting his mug down. "But my gran is a force of nature; do you know she once berated the mayor of my home town for an hour when he proposed building a new bypass too close to her house? I swear the poor man was cowering when she laid into him." He chuckled at the memory.

"Did they build the bypass in the end?" Andrew asked, finishing off Will's hash-browns and eyeing his untouched toast hungrily.

"Did they heck," Will replied, sliding the toast over the table as well, shaking his head; it always amazed him how much Andrew could pack away without ever gaining a pound. Will knew that Lisa was highly jealous of that, even though she would never admit it.

"That's cool," Andrew said, suddenly giving Will a strange look.

"What?" Will said in confusion, looking around.

"I've really missed you," Andrew said, his eyes softening and enveloping Will in a warm feeling.

Will blushed, "I... err... missed you too." He always got so self-conscious when Andrew looked at him like that. It was like he was the center of the world, still; after all this time Andrew loved him.

Andrew gestured with his bit of toast to the tie and suspenders Will was wearing, "What's with the get-up on a Saturday?"

Will set his mug down on the table. "I thought you liked the tie," he said, trying his best to sound hurt, despite the fact that he was grinning.

Andrew wasn't buying that act. "You're trying to seduce me," he observed as the waitress refilling Will's coffee started. He looked up at her and shrugged, "I'm going to let him, I think."

Will gave Andrew a scandalized look. "You just love shocking people," he accused as the waitress beat a hasty retreat from their table. He stirred some sugar into his mug and shook his head, "I think you're an exhibitionist."

Andrew responded with a scandalized look of his own, "I am not. Besides, I don't want other people looking at you, is that so wrong?"

Will took a long breath and exhaled, "You know, one of these days you're going to get me into trouble."

"That's because you're such a goodie-two-shoes." Andrew reached out to tussle Will's hair, "You like dangerous men."

"Dangerous?" Will blinked looking at Andrew, "You're about as dangerous as a bunny rabbit with its buck teeth removed."

"I can be dangerous," Andrew protested, knowing full well Will was right. He decided to change the subject before Will zinged him again, "How's the teaching going?"

Will stretched. "Can we get out of here first?" he asked as he looked around. "It's a beautiful day and I want to go into the city."

Andrew nodded, "Sure, just let me settle up."

Will shook his head, "No, it's okay, I got it..."

Andrew turned back to Will and gave him a look, "I invited you out, I'm paying."

Will crossed his arms defiantly, "No, that's fine, I'll get it."

Andrew nodded his head, "If you think I am going to let you pay for a breakfast you hardly touched..." He chuckled, "Fine, how about you pay for supper?"

Will considered the compromise and nodded back, "Done, but no MacDonald's; I'm taking you to a real restaurant."

"You've become quite stubborn," Andrew said as he paid the bill and the two of them were walking out to his car.

"I had the best teacher," Will replied, hopping into the Mustang's passenger seat, relaxing into the seat. The Mustang was an old friend and so typically Andrew that Will sighed in contentment as he grinned over at Andrew, "You know I love this car."

Andrew gave him a suspicious look, "I'm not teaching you how to drive."

Will suddenly broke out into a grin, and Andrew groaned inwardly; if he had just kept his mouth shut Will wouldn't have thought anymore about it. But in his rush to say no he had reinforced the idea bouncing around in Will's overactive mind.

"I'm not teaching you," Andrew repeated. "Not in my car, no way." Will's grin grew broader, "No, it ain't happening."

Andrew sighed, knowing full well if Will asked him he wouldn't be able to say no. That was the way it worked: he could say no as long as Will didn't ask him directly; but that was the problem, Andrew hadn't actually found a way to say no to Will when he really wanted something.

"You wanted to go downtown," Andrew said, hurriedly starting his precious car, turning out onto the road and heading towards the heart of the city.

Will chewed his lip considering if he should ask or not; there was that fearful look in Andrew's eye, the one that said he was imagining a horrible doom descending over his beloved Mustang in the form of a mad British driver-in-training. It was always fun to watch the normally unflappable Andrew Highmore sweat; it was so rare that he reacted like that.

"Where are we going in town?" Andrew asked, checking as he changed lanes.

"I just felt like taking a walk," Will replied. "Somewhere where we can do it without all the funny looks we normally get."

Andrew sighed, "You'd think they'd get used to it." He shook his head, "Nobody's giving you grief for it, are they?"

Will smiled. "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself you know," he replied. "I still get the odd snide comment; but since Todd Gadreau graduated, no one's really tried anything with me. I think they still remember the black eye I gave him."

"Slugger," Andrew said with a smirk as he saw a parking spot in the Byward Market and turned the car into it. The two young men climbed out and started to walk up towards the American Embassy. There was a nice little park back there where they held the Tulip Festival each year, and Andrew knew it was one of Will's favourite places to walk.

"I'm hardly a tough guy," Will said, his hands sliding into his pockets as he ambled along, nodding to little old ladies as he walked. A perfect young gentleman out for a walk on a sunny Saturday afternoon, and Andrew had this sudden urge to...

He grabbed Will by the arm and pulled the protesting Brit close against him. Try as hard as Will liked to look prim and proper, Andrew took malicious delight in making him blush. And after a moment's hesitation Will wrapped an arm around Andrew's waist as they both walked, Will's head resting against Andrew's shoulder.

They had earned themselves a few strange looks as they went, but nobody said anything-- why bother? The sound of laughter caused both young men to look up at the balcony of the infamous Lookout Pub. A group of men leaning on the rail of the gay bar catcalled and whistled at them; a young man with a strange white plume in his hair flashed them a thumbs-up, a broad grin at their open defiance of conventional society.

"I think they like you," Will said as they kept on.

"What's not to like?" Andrew replied. "I have the ultimate accessory, a hot boyfriend."

"Oh, stop that," Will complained, turning a shade of red. "Now you're just being sickening."

Andrew chuckled, "All right, I'll stop. You were going to tell me about teaching?"

Will nodded thoughtfully, "I like it; it's fun and challenging. I've been doing it since Christmas, part of the co-op program in school." He shrugged, "Good batch of students, though I wonder how much they are really listening to me."

He mused on that as they climbed the broad steps and crossed the road to enter the park. Andrew guided him towards a patch of green near a tree, where they both sat down. Will stretched out and laid his head instinctively on Andrew's stomach as Andrew laid an arm across his chest.

Will yawned loudly, "It's good to have you home."

Andrew absently played with Will's hair as he watched a group of teenagers playing with a Frisbee. "I'm just glad we made it through the year," he said after a pause.

"Why wouldn't we?" Will asked, leaning back to look up at him, trying to read those expressive blue eyes.

"It was a long year; I thought I was going to go insane when I couldn't come up for Spring break."

"You were studying," Will replied.

"Still, I made a decision this year that I don't want to do it again." Andrew sounded resolute, a stubborn man. Will knew when he decided something nothing would shift him.

"You're not giving up school..." Will sounded a little fearful.

"No," Andrew said squeezing Will reassuringly, "it's just I don't want to be that far away from you again. I applied to the University of Ottawa and got in."

Will lowered his eyes, "But you wanted so badly to get out of Ottawa. I don't want to hold you back..."

Andrew chuckled, "Will, I can study pre-law anywhere, and since you're here I want to be here with you. Besides, I was going to take law school here anyway, so why not?"

Will hid his sudden unease behind a mask of happiness. He didn't want to hold Andrew back, not at all. Andrew was doing this to be with him, he knew that, he should be grateful for the sacrifice. But all he could think about was that it was too much to give up for him.

Andrew nudged him. "Stop that," he admonished with a half smile.

"Stop what?" Will asked.

"Thinking you're not worth it," Andrew replied as he leaned down to kiss Will's forehead. "Ottawa's a better school anyway, and just think of how happy my mom'll be when she finds out."

Will shuddered, "Oh God, I bet she'll be over the moon."

"She's definitely going to take it better than you are," Andrew said, still smiling. He picked up the end of Will's tie and wrapped it once around his hand, "You know, I definitely like this..."

Will snatched the end of his tie back, turning bright red. "Stop that," he said, his cheeks burning. "It's not a toy."

Andrew just grinned, "By my watch it's been about five months, fourteen hours and...ohh, twenty-odd minutes."

Will shook his head, blushing a brighter shade of red, "We haven't had supper yet; hell, it's not even noon... Brody's back at mine, and unless you feel like explaining to your mom why you are trying to sneak me into your room, I think you should cool your jets."

Andrew's eyes sparkled.

"Bloody hell," Will said, feeling his resolve caving in.