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They hadn’t found Wolfgang, the reason for Jonas’ betrayal was still a mystery, and something happened between Angelica, Whispers, and Croome, and if he could make the pounding in his head stop he might just be able to figure out what.
Will ran his hands though his hair and let out a defeated sigh. At least they had Whispers.
He took a seat on an armchair he’d moved in front of his Crazy Wall and continued to scrutinise the various pictures and connecting string, hoping the answer would jump out at him if he stared long enough. The pressure above his eye wasn’t helping things.
“You need to rest, Will” tan fingers lightly touched his face where the ache was coming from “the pain will only get worse if you don’t”
Will caught Kala’s hand before she completely moved away and bought it to the side of his face, closing his eyes, he muttered, “we need to take the blockers” but made no move to do so.
He’d never get used to this. The feeling of being in contact with his cluster-mates, no matter who it was the sensation always overwhelmed him a bit. Even now, the feeling of Kala’s palm resting against his cheek, cool against his flushed skin, rough stubble against soft palm, and the gentle movement of her thumb underneath his eye, it took a lot to not lose himself in it.
He opened his eyes to see Kala crouched in front of him, a softness in her eyes that eased his headache just by being there.
“Hey”
“Hi” she giggles, putting a smile on his face too “I know, it’s pretty amazing” she grins as Will lets out a chuckle.
She stands up, slipping her hand into his and pulling him along with her, leading them both into the kitchen.
Kala puts on the kettle and rummages around in the cupboards to find something soothing to drink as Will takes a seat on the island. She can’t stop the memories of home flooding her mind as she finds a box of chamomile tea; late nights spent studying for her finals and a familiar aching above her eye.
The smell of something sweet alerts her of her mother’s presence in her room.
“Ma, sorry for keeping you up, I’ll be done soon I promise”
“Have some tea, dear you’ve been working so hard” she picks up the cup of steaming liquid and sighs as the delicate blend of spices eases the tension in her head
“it’s good, what is it?”
“Chamomile, with a little twist” she adds with a laugh at her daughter’s sceptical look
“thank you, Ma, my head is killing me”
Priya smoothed a hand down her daughter’s hair “get some rest soon my dear, you don’t want it to get worse”
The kettle finishing bought Kala out of her daydream and she hurried to pour the water into two mugs. She moved to the island, placing one mug in front of Will before taking the seat beside him. She placed two pills on the table as Will took a tentative sip of the tea.
“It tastes nothing like your mum’s version” Will whispered, disappointed
Kala shrugged, “It’s close enough, we don’t have the ingredients and I don’t think I’d be able to pull it off anyway”
They continued to sip at their drinks in companionable silence, until the need for contact became too much. Kala’s shoulder rubbed against Will’s and they found themselves shuffling closer until their entire sides were pressed against each other. Will brought his arm to wrap around Kala, bringing her even closer so her head lay against the side of his neck and didn’t question whether the contentment he felt was his or hers. They sighed in sync then laughed at the absurdity of it all. The blockers were still on the table.
“We really should-“
“-take them” he sneaked a glance at Kala who had tilted her head to stare up at him in amusement, he held her gaze as he pecked her on the nose which sent her into another fit of giggles. The movement led them to separate as Kala adjusted herself on her seat and reached for a blocker.
They moved as one as they placed the pill on their tongues and washed it down with the remaining liquid in their mugs, leaning quickly back into each other’s arms to live in the sensation of being there before they’re disconnected again.
As the connection weakens a sense of fear and worry trickles along it leading Will to squeeze Kala closer towards him. He doesn’t need to be in her head to know what caused it.
“We’ll find him, don’t worry, we’re getting close” she shifts against him, bringing her arm around his middle and hides her face in the crook of his neck
“I know” her voice is muffled “I know we’re going to get him back, even if it’s the last thing I do." she paused to take a shaky breath, "No, it’s not being able to visit him or feel him, or know how he’s doing that’s driving me insane” Will rubs her back in response.
There isn’t anything he can say to make it better, so he rubs her back and holds her close until they are two separate bodies and his arms begins to feel a little stiff. As if she sensed this, she removes herself from his hold, standing up and moving their mugs to the sink in one move. He stares after her as she moves away, before standing to stretch his legs. The sun had begun to set while they’d sat together, and the apartment was bathed in a soft orange trickling in through the windows. Will stretched his arms above his head and felt several places along his spine pop, the relief sitting him back down on the stool.
Kala joined Will again, sending him a soft smile at the earnest look on his face. Unable to maintain eye contact, her eyed dropped to her hands twisted in front of her. Will took hold of her hands, bringing them to his lap, rubbing his thumb gently across her knuckles, silently urging her to look at him. When Kala met his gaze, he pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her middle and pressing a kiss to the side of her head.
“He’s strong, he’ll be okay”
Kala sighed as she pulled away, meeting Will’s eyes once more. She bought her hands to cup his face and lifting up onto her toes, pressed her lips to his forehead, before leaning hers against it.
“I know”
They stayed like that for a moment, gathering strength from each other before Kala left with a final peck to Will’s nose, eliciting an amused sigh, and a reminder to get some rest. Will moved away from the kitchen, the day finally catching up to him and made his way to the room he shared with Riley. She was already curled up against the blankets, so he quietly changed out of his clothes and crawled into bed beside her. As he adjusted his arms to wrap around her, she turned to face him
“Is Kala okay?”
“I thought you were asleep”
“I was waiting for you”
Will tightened his arms around her “She was worrying about Wolfgang, I was trying to comfort her”
“It worked” Riley smiled up at him, then pressed a kiss to his lips “How’s your head?”
Will sighed, adjusting his position as sleep began to overcome him “Better, can’t feel it anymore”.
Riley smiled and snuggled closer to his chest as Will pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
They may be missing a piece to the puzzle and BPO might still have one of their own, but they had the upper hand. They have each other now, the cluster will finally be together – nothing and no one will stand in the way of that.