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It all happens so fast.
Billy thinks he's moving before the words even finish coming out of EJ's mouth on the other side of the glass, but afterward, he wonders if that's just because he's the only one who can move in the stunned silence that follows the bitter accusation.
The only reason you're here is because Dom wanted to get in your pants.
It's still echoing - fucking reverbing - around the room and Orlando's barely had time to flinch from the verbal slap when Billy's through the door and smacking up against EJ, shoving him against the wall of the recording booth, caging him with his body, fists on either side of him. They were just taking the piss out of the kid, but something's gone suddenly wrong, something's gone ugly, and Billy's going to shut it down before it goes any further. This has been brewing, and it's more than the tension and irritation of a difficult studio session.
"You want to shut up," he says, tone deliberately cheerful, ignoring Sean's exclamation. EJ's a tough little fucker, and he can take a bit of rough-and-tumble without breaking. "You want to shut up now. All of us are goin' to be happier if you do."
He allows EJ to shrug him off and throw down the headset, allows him to storm out of the studio. Ranged behind the soundboard, Max looks uncomfortable and Dom looks pissed and Orlando looks hurt. Billy's not sure how to explain to Orlando that it's not about him, not really - not without making it worse.
EJ loves Orlando, he really does, but he's never quite forgiven Dom for Orlando. And that's not really about Orlando, either.
EJ has to get over it, has to stop treating Orlando like the replacement he was and start treating him like the member of the group he's become.
Billy waves a hand at Sean, warning him off as he heads after EJ. He can sense the inner turmoil in Sean, knows the other man wants to be there to keep an eye on things but understands that it would be as good as saying he doesn't trust Billy. If it was anyone else, anyone who wasn't one of them, Billy already would be flat on his ass, after his manhandling in the booth, and he takes advantage of Sean's indecision to slip into the corridor, where EJ stands with his arms wrapped around himself, curled into the wall.
"Hey," he says, and puts a hand on EJ's shoulder. "Orlando's not going anywhere, you know."
"I'm not asking you guys to get rid of him ..." EJ begins angrily, head up now.
"I'm not sayin' that," Billy interrupts, moving to hem him in again. "Stop acting the ass so you won't cry. I'd rather deal with that, I don't care how old you are. I'm just sayin' ... He's not Stuart. He's not goin' to be fucking off and leaving us. So you can stop trying to drive him off."
"That's not it ..." EJ begins, but he breaks off before he can finish the thought, looking down and scrubbing at his eyes, hair brushing Billy's cheek. "Never mind."
"So, what is it, then?"
EJ shakes his head, looking up at Billy. He's got that pinched look he gets when he's tired or worried.
"What?" Billy insists, pulling his ear, tugging his hair, poking him in the side until EJ shoves at him and finally wraps an arm around him to make him hold still. They lean together, Billy pressed against EJ who's pressed against the wall, and Billy, ever stoic, sets himself to wait it out.
"Orlando and Dom are fucking," EJ finally says, and he won't meet Billy's eyes. "Again."
"Don't make it sound ugly," Billy says warningly.
"I'm not a kid," EJ bursts out. "But they don't see ... they won't let me ..."
And, no, Billy reflects, EJ's not a kid, that's something they're all learning too well, but he's not an adult, either, not quite. There's a reason everyone's suddenly wary when he's too much in their personal space.
"They know that," he tells EJ, cupping his cheek, and it all happens so fast.
Billy's just a little too slow this time, because EJ looks up at him, all big blue eyes, and oh fuck, Billy has time to think, and then EJ's kissing him, soft lips and slick tongue and just a little bit charmingly over-eager.