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Eric led Gerald into the drawing room, immediately rounding on him with a fury only a drunken man could have.
"What the blazes, Gerald!"
"What?"
"How the bloody hell, can you be so... so casual about this!"
"Eric. You're smashed. Calm yourself." Gerald placed a tentative hand on Eric's arm.
Eric snarled, slapping his hand away, "Absolutely not! First of all, you cheated on my sister, and if that wasn't enough, you do it by exploiting that young woman?"
"That's hardly fair. I provided for her. She was happy for a while. Forgive me if that can be held to a better standard than using her and stealing from your father."
"I stole from my father to support her. Not all of us have the luxury of a convenient set of rooms to toss your old toys into. Even so, how can you feel no remorse? She's dead and all you care about is your reputation!"
"Of course I care. However I can't allow this to get out- imagine the scandal. I simply think that-"
"I don't care, what you think." Eric was glaring at Gerald with pure, scathing hatred, anger burning in his eyes, "the people that matter know. Sheila knows. And that isn't what I'm trying to tell you. A girl you had associations with ended her own life, and you don't care about her."
At the mention of his former fiancée, Gerald began to fiddle with the ring she had returned to him, "I care," he admitted, barely a whisper, "Daisy was... well, I didn't love her, but still-"
Eric's fury seemed to soften, though not by much, "it still happened. No amount of care or remorse will undo what you- what we did to her. All we can do is be better- and you can't even do that."
He poured himself a glass of whichever alcohol was on the drawing room's central table- he was far too drunk to mind- and downed it.
"I didn't love her either. I don't know if I even liked her." He mused, laying on the settee, "she was... a distraction. An escape."
Gerald said nothing, stood in the corner by the door, simply waited for the other man to finish his miserable sentiments.
Eric raised bloodshot eyes towards Gerald, pain written across his face, "I wish I could change it, Gerald. It shouldn't have happened. But it did, and now she's dead and my child is dead."
"It isn't your fault, Eric. She was entirely responsible for drinking that disinfectant."
Eric laughed, a hollow, bitter thing, "Goodness- you really didn't learn anything. Of course it was my fault. Yours too. And my mother's, and father's, and Sheila's, though I suspect she did the least harm. We all did this, and while I may be the only one to commit a crime, you are no better. You... conditioned her. Made her perfectly vulnerable so she couldn't possibly refuse to become your mistress."
"I- I suppose-" Gerald stammered.
"It just had to be my sister who was affected by the affair. And me, in a way."
Crinkling his brow, Gerald glanced at Eric, processing his last sentence, "How in the heavens does it affect you? It isn't as though we were engaged- gosh could you imagine-"
He was interrupted by another emotionless laugh from Eric, "Don't you see it, man. I'm crazy for you. Yes, Eva was a distraction from the drinking, from my father, but she was a distraction from you, and these thoughts. Haven't you realised?"
Confusion and panic overtook Gerald, as the confession ran through his mind, "Eric-"
Realising what he'd said, Eric sat up straight, the significance of his confession shaking him out of his drunken stupor, "Good lord- Gerald forget I said this- it doesn't mean a thing-"
"Eric-"
"It's ridiculous, of course I'm not in love with a man-"
"Eric."
"A slip of my mind, that was all, a joke-"
"There's a reason I courted Sheila, and not a better social match."
And Eric fell silent.
"Since we were first introduced, I've felt a... a fascination with you, that my parents would expect me to feel for women. And I knew I had to spend more time with you. Your sister was an obvious path to this."
"I-"
"Daisy was, I suppose, a distraction, like you say. I thought of you each night I was with her."
"Gerald-" and Eric leapt off the settee and ran to the corner he stood in. Their lips met and both men held the other like they were experiencing physical contact for the first time.
"Boys, you've had enough time, come on out-" the voice of Sybil Birling was cut short, as her eyes widened in horror, seeing her son engaging in illicit activity with her daughter's former fiancée