100songs prompt: Goodbye My Friend
Title: Things Change
Word Count: 1850
Rating: R
Summary: Will and Peter realize that their friendship has changed because of Will's new relationship.
"Pete, we have a problem."
"We do?" Peter frowned at his friend. "What's the problem?"
"Actually, I have the problem."
Peter nodded. "Okay. Same question applies."
Will finished the sandwich he was making for his friend and handed it to him. "I think I'm obsessed."
Before taking a bite, Peter checked to make sure there was no mayo on the bread. "Okay," he said again, taking a bite. "What is it this time?"
"What do you mean 'this time'?" Will asked, taking out bread to start on his own sandwich.
"You always think you're obsessed. The last time it was that show about designers and Frank Sinatra."
Mustard-laden knife in hand, Will paused. "Huh?" he asked, confused. "There's no show about designers and Frank Sinatra."
Peter rolled his eyes. "No, idiot. You were obsessed with that runway show and Frank Sinatra."
Will picked up a baby carrot and beaned Peter in the head with it. "That's not how you said it."
Ignoring him, Peter took another bite of his sandwich. "What's your latest obession?"
"He's not a 'what,'" Will said, assembling his lunch.
"Oh jesus," Peter sighed and put down his sandwich. "It's not OB Juan, is it?"
"Don't call him that."
"Sorry," Peter smirked. "How about OBGYN?"
"How about calling him by his name, asshole?" Will slapped some ham on his bread and slammed another piece of bread on top of it. "I don't know why the hell I try to talk to you."
Peter immediately sobered and swallowed. "I'm sorry, Will," he said, contrite. "What makes you think you're obsessed?"
"Forget it," Will sighed, picking up his sandwich and walking out of the kitchen.
"Hey!" Peter got up and followed him out. "What's your problem?"
Will shrugged, making his way to the living room. "I don't know, what's yours? Why can't you let me talk about him without making some sarcastic comment?"
"I don't always do that."
"Yeah, you do," Will said, flopping down onto the couch and turning on the TV.
"Well, maybe it's because you're always talking about him." Peter sat down next to him.
Glancing at Peter, Will took an annoyed bite of his sandwich. "I thought you liked him."
"I do like him, but that doesn't mean I need to hear about every little thing he does that makes you happy."
Will chewed, swallowed, then put down his plate. "I thought you were my best friend. If you were in love with someone, I'd expect you to talk to me about him."
"How would I be able to get a word in edgewise?" Peter smirked. "You'd need to tell me how each individual hair on Orlando's head is even cuter and more precious than the last, then you'd move on to each teeny freckle on his sweet little face. I wouldn't get to say one word about my guy."
"You're an asshole, you know that? And I'm getting sick of this shit." Will stood up and headed back into the kitchen.
"What shit?" Peter called after him. "Will?" he said when there was no response. "What shit?"
When Will didn't reply, Peter got up and went into the kitchen. He saw Will at the kitchen table, head down on his folded arms.
"Will?" he said softly. "What's wrong?"
"Please, leave me alone, Pete." Will's voice was muffled.
"Are you crying?"
There was a sniff, then an angry, "No. I'm pissed off and I want you to leave."
"Look, I'm sorry if--"
"No, I don't think you are," Will said, raising his head and slowly wiping his eyes. "I think you like needling me about this."
Peter took a deep breath, then slowly raked a hand through his hair. "Will, can I tell you something?"
Will shrugged but wouldn't look at him. "Do whatever you want. It doesn't really matter what I say, does it?"
"Of course it does," Peter said, walking over to where Will was sitting and crouching down next to him. "Will," he said softly, putting his hand on Will's arm, "you're my best friend and I love you. I want to hear about what's going on in your life, but... I don't want to feel as if I'm not a part of it anymore."
"You're always going to be part of it, Pete," Will said, putting his hand over his friend's. "How could you not be?"
"You tell me. I swear, Will, all we ever talk about anymore is your relationship. And if we're not talking about that, we're talking about what the papers or television are saying about it. And," he continued, "if it's not that, it's about all the things you want to do with him or buy him or tell him or..." Sighing, he raised himself up and took a seat in a chair. "You get the idea."
"I can't help it." Will frowned. "I can't think about anything else, Pete. Like, the other day, I saw some comment by some asshole saying Orli tossed his wife and child aside for a piece of ass. I wanted to find this guy and punch him because he doesn't know anything about it. It's not his business. And... They're so wrong about him, Pete, but all they do is judge. I wish I could handle it as well as he is, but I can't ignore it when they say such hurtful things about him. It's really bad when they say he doesn't care his baby died. I can't forgive that."
"Baby," Peter whispered, taking Will's hand, "you had to expect this when--"
"No," Will said, a warning tone to his voice. "I am not going to say that either of us made any mistakes by getting together. It sucks that everything had to happen the way it did, but when are we going to get to enjoy what we have together? When does he get to stop being a target?"
"Your mom's worried about you, Will. She said that she's been trying to appease you so you don't get upset with her for having an opinion, but I think you're being a dick and I'm going to say it."
Will looked at him and blinked a few times before leaning closer. "What?"
"You're being a dick. You're not the first guy to want to hook up with someone you shouldn't, and you're definitely not the first guy to let a good fuck affect your judgment."
"We haven't fucked, Pete."
"You told me--"
"I said that we've gotten close to it and we've done some other things, but we haven't done that. He wants to wait. I love him, so I'm going to wait until he's ready."
"Semantics, babe. Sorry. You've gotten naked and made each other come. That's fucking. You're confusing getting off with being in love and I think it's sad."
Eyes wide, Will stared at Peter, then slowly shook his head. "How could you say that to me? After what happened between us after Kory died, how the fuck could you say that to me?"
"Christ, Will, that was different. We were both in low places in our lives. You were in a miserable marriage, I was mourning Kory. We were reunited after more than a decade of estrangement and it was as if we were meant to find each other at that moment. When you and I finally made love, it showed me that you'd finally let go of everything that had been stopping you from living your life; your real life. Everything we did before that was us getting comfortable with each other. It felt good, sure, but..." He stopped when he noticed the strange way Will was looking at him. "What?"
"Are you listening to what you're saying?" Will gave him a pained smile and rubbed at his eyes. "Pete, you're describing what's going on with me and Orli. Fine, maybe he and I didn't have the history you and I did when we hooked up, but after 12 years of not having you in my life, you were practically a stranger to me. But once we did get together, it was incredible. And you know damn well that there was a difference between us just 'getting off' and actually making love."
Peter let go of Will's hand, silent for a few long minutes after Will finished. "I can't believe it, Will."
"Believe what?"
"I can't believe you really love him." Peter looked at Will, his eyes sad. "You do, don't you? You love him the way you loved me. I knew that we... When you were with Kevin, you didn't give up having sex with me. You told me that anyone who came into your life would have to understand that I'd come first. I was the one you loved most. But... That's all changed. You really love Orlando, don't you? You love him most." He laughed ruefully and pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes. "Jesus, Will, you're not obsessed. You're in love. For real. Probably for the first time ever."
"But I was in love with you," Will said, not sounding too sure about that.
"You love me as a friend," Peter said, lowering his hands and managing a flash of a real smile. "But what we had was just a continuation of what I started before you got married. Orlando's the first man you've wanted to be with since coming out."
"What about Kevin?"
Peter shook his head. "That wasn't like this. Kevin was a... place holder and nothing more. He kept you company and filled a void in your life that you used to fill with me. But... I've been replaced. I'm... Jesus, Will, I'm trying really hard not to be jealous, but I love you and now I can't have you."
Will didn't know what to say to that. Peter was always going to be his best friend, but he couldn't argue with the fact that he had stopped thinking of Peter as a lover. There was only one man in his life who could claim that title now, and Will knew that what he felt for Orlando was deeper and richer than anything he'd felt for anyone before. If he let himself think about it too much, it would be overwhelming and even a little frightening. But there it was. While he'd loved his best friend with all his heart, he couldn't imagine ever telling Orli that he'd have to be second to Pete.
Finally, Will moved to put his arms around Peter's shoulders and kissed his cheek. "You haven't been replaced," he said into Peter's ear. "I'll always need my best friend. Don't be jealous, baby. Try to be happy for me."
Peter swallowed, then shook his head. "Give me some time, okay?"
That's when Will's heart broke a little. He knew that no matter how much time Peter took to get used to the shift in dynamics, he would never really want Will to talk to him about his relationship. His friend would no longer be interested in the most important things in his life.
"Okay," Will said, slowly letting go.
Goodbye My Friend
No no no no, no no no no, no no no no,
Listen little child, there will come a day
When you will be able, able to say
Never mind the pain, or the aggravation
You know there's a better way, for you and me to be
Look for a rainbow in every storm
Fly like an angel, heaven sent to me
Goodbye my friend (I know you're gone, you said you're gone,
but I can still feel you here)
It's not the end (gotta keep it strong before the pain
turns into fear)
So glad we made it, time will never change it - no no no
No no no no
Just a little girl, big imagination
Never letting no-one take it away
Went into the world, what a revelation
She found there's a better way for you and me to be
Look for a rainbow in every storm
Find out for certain, love's gonna be there for you
You'll always be someone's baby
Goodbye my friend (I know you're gone, you said you're gone,
but I can still feel you here)
It's not the end (gotta keep it strong before the pain
turns into fear)
So glad we made it, time will never change it
No no no no
You know it's time to say goodbye
No no no no
(bridge)
The times when we would play about
The way we used to scream and shout
We never dreamt you'd go your own sweet way
Look for a rainbow in every storm
Find out for certain love's gonna be there for you
You'll always be someone's baby
Goodbye my friend (I know your gone, you said you're gone,
but I can still feel you here)
It's not the end (you gotta keep it strong before the
pain turns into fear)
So glad we made it time will never never change it
No no no no
you know it's time to say goodbye
No no no no
and don't forget you can rely
No no no no
you know it's time to say goodbye
No no no no
and don't forget on me you can rely
No no no no
I will help, help you on your way
No no no no
I will be with you every day
no no no no
Word Count: 1850
Rating: R
Summary: Will and Peter realize that their friendship has changed because of Will's new relationship.
"Pete, we have a problem."
"We do?" Peter frowned at his friend. "What's the problem?"
"Actually, I have the problem."
Peter nodded. "Okay. Same question applies."
Will finished the sandwich he was making for his friend and handed it to him. "I think I'm obsessed."
Before taking a bite, Peter checked to make sure there was no mayo on the bread. "Okay," he said again, taking a bite. "What is it this time?"
"What do you mean 'this time'?" Will asked, taking out bread to start on his own sandwich.
"You always think you're obsessed. The last time it was that show about designers and Frank Sinatra."
Mustard-laden knife in hand, Will paused. "Huh?" he asked, confused. "There's no show about designers and Frank Sinatra."
Peter rolled his eyes. "No, idiot. You were obsessed with that runway show and Frank Sinatra."
Will picked up a baby carrot and beaned Peter in the head with it. "That's not how you said it."
Ignoring him, Peter took another bite of his sandwich. "What's your latest obession?"
"He's not a 'what,'" Will said, assembling his lunch.
"Oh jesus," Peter sighed and put down his sandwich. "It's not OB Juan, is it?"
"Don't call him that."
"Sorry," Peter smirked. "How about OBGYN?"
"How about calling him by his name, asshole?" Will slapped some ham on his bread and slammed another piece of bread on top of it. "I don't know why the hell I try to talk to you."
Peter immediately sobered and swallowed. "I'm sorry, Will," he said, contrite. "What makes you think you're obsessed?"
"Forget it," Will sighed, picking up his sandwich and walking out of the kitchen.
"Hey!" Peter got up and followed him out. "What's your problem?"
Will shrugged, making his way to the living room. "I don't know, what's yours? Why can't you let me talk about him without making some sarcastic comment?"
"I don't always do that."
"Yeah, you do," Will said, flopping down onto the couch and turning on the TV.
"Well, maybe it's because you're always talking about him." Peter sat down next to him.
Glancing at Peter, Will took an annoyed bite of his sandwich. "I thought you liked him."
"I do like him, but that doesn't mean I need to hear about every little thing he does that makes you happy."
Will chewed, swallowed, then put down his plate. "I thought you were my best friend. If you were in love with someone, I'd expect you to talk to me about him."
"How would I be able to get a word in edgewise?" Peter smirked. "You'd need to tell me how each individual hair on Orlando's head is even cuter and more precious than the last, then you'd move on to each teeny freckle on his sweet little face. I wouldn't get to say one word about my guy."
"You're an asshole, you know that? And I'm getting sick of this shit." Will stood up and headed back into the kitchen.
"What shit?" Peter called after him. "Will?" he said when there was no response. "What shit?"
When Will didn't reply, Peter got up and went into the kitchen. He saw Will at the kitchen table, head down on his folded arms.
"Will?" he said softly. "What's wrong?"
"Please, leave me alone, Pete." Will's voice was muffled.
"Are you crying?"
There was a sniff, then an angry, "No. I'm pissed off and I want you to leave."
"Look, I'm sorry if--"
"No, I don't think you are," Will said, raising his head and slowly wiping his eyes. "I think you like needling me about this."
Peter took a deep breath, then slowly raked a hand through his hair. "Will, can I tell you something?"
Will shrugged but wouldn't look at him. "Do whatever you want. It doesn't really matter what I say, does it?"
"Of course it does," Peter said, walking over to where Will was sitting and crouching down next to him. "Will," he said softly, putting his hand on Will's arm, "you're my best friend and I love you. I want to hear about what's going on in your life, but... I don't want to feel as if I'm not a part of it anymore."
"You're always going to be part of it, Pete," Will said, putting his hand over his friend's. "How could you not be?"
"You tell me. I swear, Will, all we ever talk about anymore is your relationship. And if we're not talking about that, we're talking about what the papers or television are saying about it. And," he continued, "if it's not that, it's about all the things you want to do with him or buy him or tell him or..." Sighing, he raised himself up and took a seat in a chair. "You get the idea."
"I can't help it." Will frowned. "I can't think about anything else, Pete. Like, the other day, I saw some comment by some asshole saying Orli tossed his wife and child aside for a piece of ass. I wanted to find this guy and punch him because he doesn't know anything about it. It's not his business. And... They're so wrong about him, Pete, but all they do is judge. I wish I could handle it as well as he is, but I can't ignore it when they say such hurtful things about him. It's really bad when they say he doesn't care his baby died. I can't forgive that."
"Baby," Peter whispered, taking Will's hand, "you had to expect this when--"
"No," Will said, a warning tone to his voice. "I am not going to say that either of us made any mistakes by getting together. It sucks that everything had to happen the way it did, but when are we going to get to enjoy what we have together? When does he get to stop being a target?"
"Your mom's worried about you, Will. She said that she's been trying to appease you so you don't get upset with her for having an opinion, but I think you're being a dick and I'm going to say it."
Will looked at him and blinked a few times before leaning closer. "What?"
"You're being a dick. You're not the first guy to want to hook up with someone you shouldn't, and you're definitely not the first guy to let a good fuck affect your judgment."
"We haven't fucked, Pete."
"You told me--"
"I said that we've gotten close to it and we've done some other things, but we haven't done that. He wants to wait. I love him, so I'm going to wait until he's ready."
"Semantics, babe. Sorry. You've gotten naked and made each other come. That's fucking. You're confusing getting off with being in love and I think it's sad."
Eyes wide, Will stared at Peter, then slowly shook his head. "How could you say that to me? After what happened between us after Kory died, how the fuck could you say that to me?"
"Christ, Will, that was different. We were both in low places in our lives. You were in a miserable marriage, I was mourning Kory. We were reunited after more than a decade of estrangement and it was as if we were meant to find each other at that moment. When you and I finally made love, it showed me that you'd finally let go of everything that had been stopping you from living your life; your real life. Everything we did before that was us getting comfortable with each other. It felt good, sure, but..." He stopped when he noticed the strange way Will was looking at him. "What?"
"Are you listening to what you're saying?" Will gave him a pained smile and rubbed at his eyes. "Pete, you're describing what's going on with me and Orli. Fine, maybe he and I didn't have the history you and I did when we hooked up, but after 12 years of not having you in my life, you were practically a stranger to me. But once we did get together, it was incredible. And you know damn well that there was a difference between us just 'getting off' and actually making love."
Peter let go of Will's hand, silent for a few long minutes after Will finished. "I can't believe it, Will."
"Believe what?"
"I can't believe you really love him." Peter looked at Will, his eyes sad. "You do, don't you? You love him the way you loved me. I knew that we... When you were with Kevin, you didn't give up having sex with me. You told me that anyone who came into your life would have to understand that I'd come first. I was the one you loved most. But... That's all changed. You really love Orlando, don't you? You love him most." He laughed ruefully and pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes. "Jesus, Will, you're not obsessed. You're in love. For real. Probably for the first time ever."
"But I was in love with you," Will said, not sounding too sure about that.
"You love me as a friend," Peter said, lowering his hands and managing a flash of a real smile. "But what we had was just a continuation of what I started before you got married. Orlando's the first man you've wanted to be with since coming out."
"What about Kevin?"
Peter shook his head. "That wasn't like this. Kevin was a... place holder and nothing more. He kept you company and filled a void in your life that you used to fill with me. But... I've been replaced. I'm... Jesus, Will, I'm trying really hard not to be jealous, but I love you and now I can't have you."
Will didn't know what to say to that. Peter was always going to be his best friend, but he couldn't argue with the fact that he had stopped thinking of Peter as a lover. There was only one man in his life who could claim that title now, and Will knew that what he felt for Orlando was deeper and richer than anything he'd felt for anyone before. If he let himself think about it too much, it would be overwhelming and even a little frightening. But there it was. While he'd loved his best friend with all his heart, he couldn't imagine ever telling Orli that he'd have to be second to Pete.
Finally, Will moved to put his arms around Peter's shoulders and kissed his cheek. "You haven't been replaced," he said into Peter's ear. "I'll always need my best friend. Don't be jealous, baby. Try to be happy for me."
Peter swallowed, then shook his head. "Give me some time, okay?"
That's when Will's heart broke a little. He knew that no matter how much time Peter took to get used to the shift in dynamics, he would never really want Will to talk to him about his relationship. His friend would no longer be interested in the most important things in his life.
"Okay," Will said, slowly letting go.
Goodbye My Friend
No no no no, no no no no, no no no no,
Listen little child, there will come a day
When you will be able, able to say
Never mind the pain, or the aggravation
You know there's a better way, for you and me to be
Look for a rainbow in every storm
Fly like an angel, heaven sent to me
Goodbye my friend (I know you're gone, you said you're gone,
but I can still feel you here)
It's not the end (gotta keep it strong before the pain
turns into fear)
So glad we made it, time will never change it - no no no
No no no no
Just a little girl, big imagination
Never letting no-one take it away
Went into the world, what a revelation
She found there's a better way for you and me to be
Look for a rainbow in every storm
Find out for certain, love's gonna be there for you
You'll always be someone's baby
Goodbye my friend (I know you're gone, you said you're gone,
but I can still feel you here)
It's not the end (gotta keep it strong before the pain
turns into fear)
So glad we made it, time will never change it
No no no no
You know it's time to say goodbye
No no no no
(bridge)
The times when we would play about
The way we used to scream and shout
We never dreamt you'd go your own sweet way
Look for a rainbow in every storm
Find out for certain love's gonna be there for you
You'll always be someone's baby
Goodbye my friend (I know your gone, you said you're gone,
but I can still feel you here)
It's not the end (you gotta keep it strong before the
pain turns into fear)
So glad we made it time will never never change it
No no no no
you know it's time to say goodbye
No no no no
and don't forget you can rely
No no no no
you know it's time to say goodbye
No no no no
and don't forget on me you can rely
No no no no
I will help, help you on your way
No no no no
I will be with you every day
no no no no