Chapter Text
“You two have some serious talking to do,” Rachel sighed, leaning forward against the island, dipping her head close to the two boys across from her. “I mean it. I’m leaving on a vacation with my family, and I’ll be gone for a month. You have that long to figure out whatever crap is going on between you two or I’m moving out. For good.”
Eric gulped, taking a sideways glance at his roommate. Jack wore a similar expression. Nervous, guilty, and the clear knowledge that Rachel was right. Ever since she moved in, there was an obvious rift between Eric and Jack. Not to say they didn’t love Rachel, but maybe that was the problem. Before her, they were inseparable despite still barely knowing each other; now all they do is argue and compete against one another for Rachel’s affection.
”You’re right,” Jack spoke first, fiddling with his rings. “We’ll talk. We’ll sort everything out and be cool when you come back. I promise.”
Rachel grinned, knowing Jack was sincere in his statement. Then her expression shifted as she looked at Eric. Her face seemed to say ‘Well? Come on Eric, you know what you have to do.’
“I promise, too.” Eric nodded at Rachel, then at Jack.
”Good,” Rachel pushed away from the island, sweeping her fiery hair from her eyes. “Well, I need to get going if I’m gonna catch my flight. You boys be good. And call me sometimes, I’m still your friend, you know. Not just female roommate.”
“Yes, yes, of course we’ll call,” Jack smiled, pulling Rachel into a hug. “Have so much fun, okay?”
“Tell us all about your trip,” Eric said into her shoulder as they hugged. “We’ll miss you!”
“Oh, I’ll miss you guys, too.” Rachel smiled, gathering her stuff.
Naturally, Eric and Jack took most of her luggage and piled into the elevator.
_________
The boys waved as Rachel drove off in her taxi, still out of breath from lugging her billions of suitcases up and down the elevator.
Man, girls pack so much.
Eric sighed deeply, setting his hands on his hips as the bright yellow car disappeared in the traffic of the evening. Jack mirrored him, silent but clearly working through something in his head.
“Wanna hit Chubby’s?” Eric asked, hiking his thumb in the direction of their favorite restaurant. “We could maybe talk for a bit there? Or we can just eat, that works too.”
Eric added that last part frantically when he noticed the slight tense in Jack’s shoulders. He should have known not to suggest talking just yet, he knew too well how much Jack hated hashing out problems in public.
“Let’s just eat, okay?” Jack wrung his sweater sleeve between his fingers and palm. “Then we’ll talk.”
“Then we’ll talk.” Eric confirmed, slapping a hand on Jack’s back as they walked.
On the way to Chubby’s, all Eric could think about all the times he had made things worse with Jack. Blowing him off for any chance to spend time with Rachel, making snide remarks under his breath, bugging him, teasing him, the list went on and on. Each memory weighed a little more on his shoulders as they walked. The urge to make it all better this instant was almost too much to bear, boiling over like a volcano about to erupt.
“Okay, Jack, I can’t wait ‘til we get home,” Eric grabbed Jack’s arm, pulling him aside right before they walked into the restaurant. “I gotta say somethin’ to ya and I need to say it now.”
“Eric,” Jack started, eyeing nervously at the bustling scene around them.
“No, Jack, just let me say this one thing.” Eric pulled him further, placing them under the shade of a large tree.
Jack sighed, but agreed, nodding his head softly.
“Look, before we go in, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. For everything. A-And I’m not just apologizing ‘cuz Rachel told us to. I really wanna fix this.”
It took a second for Jack to respond, words seemingly caught in his throat as he looked back at Eric.
“I wanna fix this too,” he whispered softly, his eyes darting between Eric and the ground. “You know I do.”
“I know you do.” Eric confirmed. “Now lets get our grub on, huh?”
Jack just laughed, slapping Eric’s back as the made their way through those familiar doors.
———
“And then I realized I wasn’t even in English! I was answering all of my math questions as ‘Shakespeare’ or ‘this question is grammatically incorrect’!” Eric laughed as he finished yet another of his amusing stories.
Jack leaned over his food in a full belly laugh, cheeks red and sore from all the other punch lines Eric has thrown at him.
“You’re too much man.” Eric’s friend wheezed.
“I actually think I’m just the right amount of much,” Eric announced, taking a sip of his coke. “You love it.”
Jack just laughed, taking a bit of his fry.
They fell into a comfortable silence, listening to the chatter around them, each focusing on their dinner. Eric normally would rather die than be quiet, but a part of him knew Jack needed it; to collect his thoughts, to put together whatever monologue he would release at home, and to just decompress.
Eric always thought Jack was too tightly wound. Too stressed, too nervous. But he supposed it rounded out their relationship nicely. If they were both like Eric, it would get old fast.
So maybe, in a way, they needed each other.
Not in a weird way though, right? Just a normal way friends need each other. The way a boy needed another boy.
Normal.
“Eric, Jack, what a coincidence!” the loud voice of Cory Matthews interrupted the boys’ silence and Eric’s inner thoughts.
“Hey, what’s up, Cor?” Eric smiled, looking at his brother, Shawn close behind.
”Shawnie and I were just out for the night. Topanga’s at an important school meeting or whatever, so we needed something to do.” Cory shoved his way into the booth next to Eric, Shawn doing the same to Jack.
”You guys on a date or what? Or just having a manly night out at Chubby’s?” Shawn teased, elbowing Jack.
”Cut it out, man, we’re just grabbing dinner, okay?” Jack frowned. “Rachel left on a trip today and helping her pack was pretty exhausting.” His face looked pretty flushed.
“Oh did she?” Shawn raised his eyebrows, glancing at Cory with a sly smile.
”What?” Eric asked, mouth full of burger.
Lord knows what that little look meant.
”Oh nothing, Shawn and I just had a little bet going,” Cory slung his arm around Eric. “About how long poor Rachel would last in that apartment before she got sick of the two of you.” He patted Eric’s chest.
“Come on guys, we’re really not that bad,” Jack threw up his arms. “We’re clean, we’re nice, what else would anyone need?”
”Yeah, and we’re fun, not boring duds or anything.” Eric added.
Cory and Shawn just laughed with each other.
“It’s just some harmless fun, boys, no need to get heated,” Shawn held up his arms in defense. “Besides, with Rachel gone, that means we can finally throw a dude party at the apartment!”
“A dude party?” Jack repeated, skeptical.
“Come on Jackie, a DUDE party! No chicks, no drama, just men, some good tunes, and plenty of beer.” Eric stated proudly, giving Shawn a fist bump from across the table.
“I don’t know if-” Jack started.
”Nope. No arguing, we’re having one this weekend and that’s final!” Cory crossed his arms with a smug grin.
Eric laughed, watching his friends all laugh and argue.
A dude party was just the thing he and Jack needed to clear things up. Now this was gonna be fun.
“See you later guys!” Eric called, waving at his brother and friend.
“Don’t be dumb!” Jack called after Shawn, probably half joking, half serious.
Eric sighed again, this time a lighter and happier sigh. The two boys made their way back to the apartment, walking in the warm but breezy night. They strolled side by side up the sidewalk, listening to the quiet chatter of the nighttime, accompanied by the distant buzz of crickets far in the distance.
“So you really wanna have this… ‘dude party’?” Jack asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.
”I think it would be fun, don’t you?” Eric looked at his roommate, a little worried, Jack seemed off,
”No, I do!” Jack perked up. “I just wanted to see if you really did and weren’t just going along with my stupid brother.”
Eric laughed shaking his head. “I think it’ll be a nice distraction.”
“Distraction?” Jack looked at him, confused. “Distraction from what?”
Shit. That came out wrong.
”No, not like that,” Eric waved his hands frantically. “I just meant from like school and work and stuff.”’
”Oh yeah, I guess you’re right.” Jack nodded, a small smile pulling at his skin.
“See? You’re so stressed, you don’t even think it’s unusual.” Eric shoved his roomate’s shoulder.
“Or maybe I’m just responsible enough to realize that I’m gonna be fine and that I can cope with it normally.”
“Okay big shot,” Eric rolled his eyes with a chuckle.
They walked back to the apartment in a happy silence.
———
Tension was probably the right way to describe what happened when the two boys got home.
Eric thought it was totally normal to want to go to bed after an evening out.
Jack disagreed.
“So we’re not gonna talk about it.” Jack leaned onto the doorway of the bathroom.
Eric shook his head, spitting out his toothpaste. “Jack, don’t be like that. Of course I want to talk about it.”
The truth was, Eric really didn’t want to talk about it. He meant everything he had said about wanting to fix things with Jack, but he didn’t really want to talk about the root of the problem. Any idiot could tell that the real issue was never fighting over Rachel. It was something else. Something much more complicated. He didn’t want to talk about it because he didn’t want to make a fool of himself. He didn’t want things to fall apart. To be… one sided.
“Then why haven’t we?” Jack pushed, crossing his arms.
“Don’t blame it all on me, Jack,” Eric felt his cheeks grow hot. “It’s not like you’ve brought it up either.”
“Well maybe I just don’t know what to say!” He spat back.
”And what, magically I’m supposed to know what to say?” Eric slammed his toothbrush into the cup on the counter. “I’m not a therapist. I need time to put my thoughts together, to think, to… to-”
”To what? Ignore me?” Jack pushed away from the door, throwing his hands out.
”Bullshit, Jack!” Eric shoved Jack out of the way, storming to his room. “I’m not ignoring you! I told you I wanted to fix it, why can’t you just believe me?”
“Believe you? Eric, you made all this fuss at Chubby’s about how you couldn’t wait a second longer to tell me how much you wanted to make things right, and then you go radio silent on me!”
“I can’t do this with you right now, Jack,” Eric sighed. “You’re being difficult right now. You know what, your’re being more than difficult- you’re a huge pain in the ass!”
“Oh that’s rich!” Jack yelled back.
”Just like your daddy?”
“Exuse me?”
”You heard me, Jack. Let me go to bed and we’ll talk in the morning. Maybe by then you’ll have grown up a bit.”
“Go to hell!” Jack yelled as Eric slammed the door on him.
“I’ll see you there!” He yelled back behind his closed door.
Eric launched onto his bed, curling on top of the sheets. Why the hell did Jack just blow up like that? Why was he trying to make him the bad guy? He tightened the grip on his sheets in frustration, willing the tears forming in his eyes not to fall. The pit in his stomach only grew as he thought about Jack’s hurt expression. He never wanted to hurt Jack. But he doesn’t want Jack to hurt him. Would he do that? Is that the type of person he was?
As sleep took Eric, his last thoughts were of his roommate, and how he had no idea just how deep this problem ran.
This was going to be harder than he thought.