[Joey x Chandler] COMPILATION OF SHORT STORIES FROM AO3

I'm Someone You Maybe Might Love

Summary:

In which Chandler is angsty and Joey is adorable.

Notes:

Title is from Melodrama because Lorde is a goddess. Takes place whenever honestly. Hope you like it!

Work Text:

Chandler didn't really think much about the future. This particular oversight on his part wasn't exactly a coincidence either. It was a product of his parents' divorce, like his commitment issues, and his use of humor as a shield and his... well, his everything. If Chandler thought back far enough he could pin point the inspiration for nearly every aspect of his personality to that one horrendous stage of his life when the world as he knew it came crashing down and the promises his parents made to each other and to him (promises of love and respect and a life together) splintered and shattered before his very eyes. And yeah, ok, phrasing it that way was a little overdramatic but Chandler had been a serious kid and the divorce had hit him hard. Thankfully, things had changed and Chandler liked to think that now, at the age of 26, there wasn't anything in the world he cared about enough to do him that kind of damage again. Sure he had friends and a job and a romantic life and he liked it all just fine but he was always careful to never take any of it too seriously. He appreciated it all gently and from a bit of a distance and if one day it came crashing down around him, well, the Chandler of today would probably just laugh.

~

Chandler was lying in bed awake. It was midnight on a Tuesday and he had work the next morning but he was awake because Joey was awake and he hated going to bed first. It made him feel uneasy. Joey, for his part, was lying next to Chandler rambling about some audition he thought he'd nailed the day before. Truthfully, as much as Chandler cared about the trajectory of Joey's career he was much too exhausted to be giving the other man's rant any real thought. Thankfully, Joey wasn't the kind of person who needed encouragement to keep talking.

They had started this thing a few weeks ago, three and a half to be exact. Chandler wasn't quite sure what he would call it if forced come up with a word. "Fling" sounded too casual, too simple but it wasn't as if they were boyfriends now. Not even close. Not even almost. Sure they kissed when the rest of the gang wasn't around and they slept in the same bed now and yeah Chandler had stopped calling that girl he'd been seeing but still. They'd never really talked about it and while Chandler was unsure of a lot of things in regards to what was going on between himself and his best friend lately he was positive that the nature of their feelings for each other was not something he wanted to discuss anytime soon.

Chandler's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Joey's voice, much closer to his ear now,

"Hey, you asleep?" Joey asked, swinging his arm around to rest on Chandler's chest.

"What would give you that idea?" Chandler asked grumpily

"Oh sorry, I didn't realize I was keeping you up." Joey laughed softly "We could go to bed now if you want. I'll shut up and everything."

Chandler smirked, "What a gentleman."

Joey mumbled something unintelligible into Chandler's neck and then, remarkably, stayed quiet. And yes, Joey was a little too close for Chandler's liking and the room was a little too hot to have someone touching him and it was still a little strange, getting used to Joey treating him so... lovingly, but overall Chandler would be lying if he said it wasn't nice.

~

"I love you, ya know."

Chandler had been standing over the stove flipping a pancake when Joey said it. His head snapped up and his mouth hung open and he just kinda stood there staring and blinking and not knowing what to say. For the king of playing it cool, this was definitely not one of his smoothest moments.

"I um... well, that's... that... I mean... I -" Chandler stumbled before Joey stopped him.

"It's alright. You don't gotta know now." Joey said, walking across the kitchen to give Chandler a quick kiss before moving toward the door. "I've got a few auditions but I should be back by dinner. And Chandler?"

"Yeah"

"Don't worry about it. Take all the time you need." And with that Joey was out the door and Chandler was left alone, standing dumbstruck in the middle of his kitchen over a pan. A pan with a pancake. Which was now burning.

"Oh shit!"

~

Chandler doesn't like to think about the future. But sometimes, when he looks in Joey's eyes he thinks he sees why most people do. It'd be nice to let himself imagine a life with Joey. Chandler hasn't really figured out exactly what that life would entail, or how they would tell their friends, or what he would say to his parents and honestly he doesn't want to think about any of that stuff. He doesn't want to make plans just to have them fall apart.

Sometimes, when he and Joey are kissing on the couch like two lovestruck teenagers he feels like that same kid from before the divorce. All emotional and serious, not a single joke in his head. And it scares him half to death to know that there's something out there that could fuck him up again. But then Joey will touch his face and he'll feel his breathing even out. Joey isn't going to mess him up. Chandler doesn't know how he knows this exactly, but he does and he repeats it to himself every day. Because Joey is kind and sweet and funny and so adorably dumb it makes Chandler's heart ache and so what if they still haven't told the gang? So what if they haven't defined what it is they're doing just yet? So what if their future is uncertain? So what if Chandler knows he wouldn't be able to laugh this one off if it ended? He'll take it all in stride and deal with everything, eventually. After all, Chandler Bing doesn't sweat the small stuff.