Heronstairs: A Fluff Collection

Prompt 27- "Bad Timing and Good Coffee"

It was three in the morning when Will stepped off the plane into the bustling crowds of London's airport, and he missed his boyfriend with every fiber of his being. Grabbing his suitcase off the luggage carousel, he stepped outside and leaned against the wall, hood up and sunglasses still on despite the night sky above.

He was tired. Three weeks of meet-ups, shows, conventions, and collab video shoots had left him completely drained. YouTube could be life-consuming at times. Jem lovingly called it his "demanding mistress." He'd dismissed that joke with a laugh originally, but now he was starting to feel that way.

It was good to be back in London. The plan was to hail a cab and go home to Jem for a few days before the next unexpected event came up.

Lost in his own head, Will hadn't heard someone come up beside him until they spoke.

"H-Hi. Are... Are you Will Herondale?"

He turned in surprise, forcing his face into a pleasant expression and removing the sunglasses. There was a teenage girl standing there, hands fiddling nervously with the cap of a Sharpie pen, her eyes wide and hopeful.

"That's me," he said, grinning widely. "What can I do for you?"

"W-would you please sign this? And c-could we take a picture together?" She was blushing slightly, hands still fiddling with her pen, flicking her dark hair back over her shoulder.

"Of course, yeah!" He quickly signed her notebook's cover, grinning to himself at the photo of he and Jem taped to the inside. Jem made occasional video appearances, and many of his fans referred to Jem as "their baby" or "sunshine" after he'd (jokingly) called him that in a video. This, naturally, had led to merciless teasing at home.

He posed quickly for a photo with her, smiling and then kissing her cheek. She flushed to the roots of her hair, and mumbled something very quickly. It didn't sound like English to Will, and he hesitated. It sounded familiar, with the quick and quiet mumbling. It suddenly struck him as one of Jem's habits when he didn't think Will was listening, and Will was reminded of how much he had missed him. Shaking his head, he forced himself back to the present.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that last bit."

"O-oh! I'm sorry. W-We speak Chinese at home, so sometimes if I'm... Really excited, I-I... Um, I forget the English I'm looking for..." She fumbled so badly putting her phone in her pocket that she nearly dropped it.

Will laughed lightly. "No worries, Jem does it too. Does that mean you know what he's saying in the videos when he won't tell me what he means?"

She grinned and nodded.

"Spill," Will demanded, grateful to see her relax a bit.

She shrugged. "Usually he's telling you he loves you. Although once he threatened to put a duck in your suitcase. But it's usually that he loves you."

Will sighed happily, heart twisting a little with a fresh wave of longing to be home. "Guess he can't keep secrets anymore."

She smiled. From a ways down the street, someone called and beckoned. "Well, I have to go," she said brightly. "Thanks so much! Have a safe trip home!"

"You too," he said cheerfully, waving as she walked away. When she was quite a ways down the street, he relaxed and leaned against the wall. He loved the support and the fans, he really did, but it got exhausting after a while. Every time he and Jem went out, there was always one or two people coming up to Will. Jem, as usual, was patient and kind and forgiving, but Will couldn't help feeling bad. They should be able to go to dinner when Will was home without being reminded of why they hadn't seen each other in weeks or months.