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"Okay, but you're best friends. This is just a stupid argument that'll blow over," Steve said as he rubbed Eddie's back in bed. "He's just mad and you're just stubborn."
"But he's never yelled at me like that," Eddie whined.
"You've never yelled at him like that either, baby," Steve kissed the top of his head. "Just talk to him in the morning."
Easier said than done.
He barely slept, running the argument through his head.
It started out silly, pushing each other around and joking about Gareth striking out with another girl. But something shifted quickly, and suddenly Gareth was holding him against the wall and calling him an asshole and meaning it.
He'd never meant it before.
He'd never walked away from Eddie, red-faced and fists clenched, telling Jeff to keep him away from him.
He'd never gone to bed without saying goodnight.
When Steve finally woke up the next morning, Eddie sat up and took a deep breath.
"I think I have to say I'm sorry," he said.
Steve's brows raised and he barely held back a smile. "I think you do."
Eddie stood up, still shirtless and wearing only his boxers. "I'm going, I'm going."
He walked out of the hotel room and walked down the hall to room 804. Gareth had his own room tonight, a rarity, but something they could afford when it was cheaper hotels.
He knocked.
No answer.
"He's still mad at you," Jeff said from the doorway of 806.
"I'm gonna fix it," Eddie said, knocking again.
Gareth swung the door open, still in his clothes from the night before, hair greasy, and bags under his eyes. He clearly hadn't slept either.
"Gare, I'm sorry."
"Do you even know why you're sorry?"
"I pushed you too far."
Jeff was still standing in the doorway watching, and Eddie could hear Frankie whispering to him as he joined him.
"You don't have to rub it in that you've got a boyfriend and I can't even get a girl to come back to my room," Gareth crossed his arms over his chest. "It sucks being alone every night."
Eddie pulled him into a hug, hating the way his voice broke at the end of his sentence, wishing he could change it. Gareth was a catch, and any person who didn't see that was an idiot.
"You're my best friend, you know that?" Eddie whispered. "I didn't mean anything by it. You'll find someone who deserves your time, okay?"
"Yeah, maybe."
"You will. I'll help."
Gareth groaned. "Please don't."
"Maybe you should try to find a guy," Eddie suggested.
"I'm not opposed. Just less options, not as safe. You know that," Gareth pulled away and smiled.
Steve was standing by Jeff and Frankie, smiling at them. "We can find a safer place for you to try if you really want. It's not a bad idea."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Next stop's Boston. Plenty of places we can find there."
Eddie and Gareth both took a nap, and when they woke up, they were on their way to a new city, and a new chance for Gareth to find someone to warm his bed while they were on tour.