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an average friday night
it was just an average friday night for you, joe and ben. since the beginning of filming bohemian rhapsody, the three of you decided friday nights were pub nights; a way for you all to relax after a long week of working. out of the four boys, you had gotten closest to ben and joe, seeing them as your older and younger brother. the bond you three had together was something that you'd never had before in a friendship group - you never wanted it to be ruined.
the night went quickly; many drinks were consumed and many little comments were made which set the three of you into little fits of giggles. topics of conversation were changed quickly to new ones as ideas and thoughts of the previous subject were drowned by drinks and speech.
you knew ben had had too much to drink when his words began to slur and the topics he brought up were too serious for any of you to deal with when you had alcohol racing through your bodies. his little hiccups (both with his words and actual hiccups) happened too often for your's and joe's liking. before anything could happen, you grabbed ben's forearm, ready to push him out of the booth and out of the pub.
"don't touch me like that, (y/n)," ben hiccuped, "i don't think joey would like that." his beer clapped hand raised a finger to point at joe who was across from him.
"and why's that, benny?" you giggled at his silliness.
"joe's in love with you," he said very matter-of-factly. "duhhhh."
"just ignore ben," joe chuckled, turning towards you to see the damage ben's comment had done. "he's only-"
"joe, is it true?" you interrupted him.
"i'm gonna leave you alone." ben spoke in a low tone before slipping out of the booth, leaving only you and joe to yourselves. you stayed still, your hand began to clasp the base of your glass as some type of support system. joe's head was faced downwards, his hands shuffling awkwardly in his lap.
"joe. is is true?" you asked once again, wanting to know.
"y-yes," he choked out, his voice low and quiet. "yes, what ben said is true. i do like you like that."
"oh, god." a sigh escaped your lips as your hand left your glass, both hands going to cup the sides of your face. joe sat in the same position, not daring to move. he wished ben had just kept his mouth shut, just for one night. because now, all joe could feel was that the woman he loved didn't love him back.
"(y/n)," he started. "talk to me, please." the silence that had fallen between you two was one of uncomfort and sadness. joe's sadness being that he would lose you as a friend, yours being that you would break his heart, which you didn't want to do and never thought you would have to do.
"i don't feel the same way. i'm sorry, joey, it's just..." you could hear his heart breaking. the high-pitched sound of glass breaking seemed to ring in your ears as you could only imagine what those six words were doing to him inside. "i don't see you as anything but a brother. i'm so sorry, joey."
as an act of comfort, you shuffled closer to joe, grabbing his hands with yours. his head stayed looking downwards, watching as your hands intertwined together; he would never have this again with you.
"it's fine. i'm sorry. i'm sorry for ever feeling like that towards you and i'm sorry for telling ben without knowing that his stupid ass would get drunk and tell you. i'm sorry for making you feel guilty for not feeling the same way and i'm sorry for making you feel any kind of sympathy for me. i don't need it, i don't even want it. it's my stupid fault for loving you in the first place. please don't ever apologise for not feeling a certain way. i couldn't live with myself if it was because of me."
"joey. please don't apologise; you can't help feeling the way you do. and i cant help but feel some sympathy for not loving you back in that way," one hand left joe's to grab his chin, pushing it upwards so you could look into his eyes. they were almost bloodshot, definitely red. "i'm not sorry for not feeling the same way, but i am sorry for making you feel so crap that you're apologising for your feelings. i love you, joey, just not in that way."
"yeh," he chuckled lightly, looking back down at his lap. "it's always that: 'i love you, but'. it's always that with me."
"don't let this get you down. please. you're worth the world, joey. you'll make someone so happy one day. i can see you now; the perfect boyfriend, the perfect husband, the perfect father. you're gonna have someone who loves you as much as you love them, and you'll have a family to care for and look after. there will be nothing you wouldn't do for your family, i know that even now. you're so amazing, joe, in every way, and i'm so happy that i can call you my best friend. i don't want to lose that, and you, over this," once again, your hand grabbed his chin, pushing it up so his eyes met yours. like before, his eyes were red. but this time, his hazel orbs were glossed over. "you're my best friend, joe. i can't lose you over this."
"you won't." he managed a small, but sincere, smile, sniffling a little, too.
"you promise? with all your heart?"
"yeh. i promise." he nodded slightly, giving you his word.
"come on, then. let's go find ben and get you home." both of you smiled and giggled at each other, the thought of having to haul a drunken ben home filling your heads. you slid out of the booth at opposite sides, meeting each other's sides afterwards in search of ben.
the first place you checked was outside. usually after drinking, ben would step outside for a cigarette, which is exactly what you found him doing.
"ah!" he exclaimed when he saw you two, his arms raising above his head in celebration. "it's the happy couple."
"ben," you shook your head. "don't." he instantly got the message, lowering his arms to his sides and moving closer to you and joe.
"let's get you home, mate." joe wrapped his arm around ben's shoulder as he pulled him towards the taxi port of the pub, a black cab ready for the three of you to get into.
———
the next week when you organised your outing with the boys, joe declined, saying he was busy and had something to tend to. you let it slide, knowing joe wouldn't lie to you about his whereabouts and what he was doing. that night, you and ben enjoyed sometime together, chatting away about anything and everything.
the week after that, joe, once again, declined your offer of a drink, saying he wasn't feeling too well and wanted to get better for filming on monday. you let it slide, knowing how important joe's role was to him and how he needed to be well. that night, you and ben enjoyed some more time together, chatting away, but both missing your friend.
on the third week, joe declined your offer again, saying he had an emergency bass practice with his teacher for a scene on monday. you let it slide, knowing that you had lost your best friend.
on the fourth week, you didn't offer joe a drink, knowing he would decline instantly. that night, joe waited by his phone, ready to decline your offer with another lame excuse. he had the perfect one to use, but you never offered him the chance.
