Oneshots (every ship I can think of)

Word By Word (Gabilliam)

A/N: Originally posted on my AO3 (intherearrview) under the same title. Enjoy!

Title's taken from Bombay Bicycle Club's song by the same name.

Summary: William and Gabe have a fight, then make up.

---

They've had a fight. Those aren't rare, but they're not common, either. Gabe's learned to deal wit them- sort of- but when they get this serious... Well, he can't help but feel like shit.

He's not even angry anymore. It's been like a week, and he's had time to think and look at the situation from different angles. The whole thing wasn't technically all William's fault- of course he had a bit of participation there. But Gabe is too proud to accept it, and William's too proud to try and explain, and so they haven't talked for a week. But Gabe isn't angry- to be honest, he just feels exhausted.

"You're doing it again," Gabe hears Vicky say from the kitchen. He turns his head towards the direction of the voice. Vicky's looking at him with worry and just a hint of exasperation.

"Sorry," Gabe murmurs, flashing a forced apologetic smile when he realizes he was staring into nothing again.

Vicky sighs, and walks over to the couch where his friend is sitting.

"Gabe," she says, taking a hold of his hand. "Just talk to him. It's killing you both. You can fix this easily. If you don't, then you just enjoy being miserable."

Gabe looks at her with a deadpan expression. "Maybe I do."

Vicky smiles emotionlessly and pats the back of his hand, then stands up. "No, you don't."

***

Okay, so maybe Gabe hasn't talked to William because he's scared. Because, like, what if he doesn't pick up? Or hangs up on him? Or doesn't hear what Gabe has to say? So Gabe decides to avoid all those possibilities and goes straight for William's apartment without calling.

Which turns out to be a waste of time, because he isn't home.

"You know when he'll be back?" Gabe asks Sisky, who's looking at him with both pity and anger at the same time.

"Dunno. But he won't take much longer, I don't think..." He hesitates, as if debating to whether he should let Gabe in or not, and finally gives in. "You can wait here if you want, I guess." He opens the door, and Gabe goes in hesitantly.

"You want a beer or something?" Sisky asks, leaning against the kitchen counter, while Gabe sits on one of the isle chairs.

"I'm okay," he replies, looking down at his intertwined hands. He can feel Sisky's intense gaze on him.

"He hasn't been good, you know," he finally says, and Gabe looks up at him. He really doesn't wanna know. Sisky's eyes are glinting with contempt and disappointment. "He pretends he's fine, but I can hear him at night. He's not good."

And Gabe knows, can picture William smiling at Sisky before going to bed, waiting until he thinks his roommate is asleep, slipping under the covers, breaking down. He can hear the sniffles, the muffled sobs against the pillow, the muffled screams, can feel the wet fabric against sticky skin.

He knows, because he's been hearing his own sobs, feeling his own tear-stained pillowcase against his sticky face all week.

He looks down at his hands, and Sisky sighs.

"Listen, I have to go and run some errands. You can wait here, Will won't be long. Just..." He pauses on his way to the door. "Just remember you're dealing with William. He's not porcelain, but he's not iron either."

Gabe stares for a few seconds, then nods. Sisky takes a deep breath and leaves.

***

Ten minutes later, Gabe's heart threatens to jump out of his chest when he hears the keys in the lock. He tries to position himself where William will see him and not have a heart attack, so he sits on the living room couch, looking at the door.

When William opens the door, his eyes take a while to fall on Gabe. When they do, his expression turns blank, and he closes the door behind him, now purposely avoiding Gabe's gaze.

"What are you doing here?" He asks in a monotone, takin off his coat and his scarf. Gabe opens his mouth, then closes it again. William looks at him, irritation clear in his face now. "Well?"

"I-um.," Gabe starts, then shuts up. God, this isn't what he had planned. He doesn't even know what he had planned. He never even had a plan. He rubs his face tiredly with one hand before speaking up again. "I'm sorry, Bill. About, like, everything. I'm so sorry."

William looks at him, arms crossed as he leans against the doorframe. "What makes you think I want your apologies?" He asks, eyes glinting dangerously. Gabe coils in on himself a bit, just a bit.

"I don't. But I'm still sorry."

William looks at him levelly, and Gabe doesn't know why he hadn't noticed earlier, but his lower lip is trebling slightly, and his eyes suddenly look shinier. He lets his hands fall to his side, then raise them to make an exasperated gesture.

"I just." He takes a deep breath. "You had no right to do that. To just blame the whole thing on me, as if I had been the one to cheat on Jon. I get that Tom did wrong I get it, but he's my friend you can't just expect me to stop talking to him just because he fucked up! I was not taking sides, I wasn't justifying Tom. I had a go at him the day it happened, told him he had to get his shit together, told him there was no way he'd go back with Jon after that. I made him feel more like shit than he already did. But I wasn't going to abandon him, because as much as it was his fault, he was still going through a fucking break up! And you of all people should've got that!" William is breathing hard now, his eyes shinning with unshed tears, his cheeks flushed.

Gabe opens his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing comes out.

"You had no right to get mad at me," William says, his voice low, deflated. "I won't apologize for anything, I have no reason to. So if that's what you're expecting..."

Gabe stands up from the couch, walks until he is just a few feet away from William. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "I'm sorry."

William looks up, and Gabe's heart twists at the sight of his boy's cheeks stained with tears, face slightly scrunched up, as if he were in physical pain. Gabe feels heat prickling at the back of his own eyelids, but pushes it back. He takes slow steps towards William, pulls him hesitantly to him once he reaches him, slightly worried William will pull away.

William, however, throws his arms around Gabe as soon as Gabe touches him, buries his face in Gabe's neck, and stands there, shaking with silent sobs.

"My Bilvy," Gabe chokes out, pressing a hand against the back of William's head, the other around William's lower back, and burying his face in William's hair.

When he pulls back, he wipes the tears away from his boyfriend's face, willing his own to stop from falling. He smiles painfully. "No tears, my boy. Remember? We said no tears when it comes to fights," Gabe says, running the back of his hand over William's cheek softly.

William looks up at him, his eyelids fluttering. He lets out a tiny huff of a laugh, and nods. Gabe pulls him into a hug again.

"I love you, baby. I'm sorry," he mumbles, lips pressed to William's scalp.

"Just don't get mad at me for shit again," William replies in a whisper, then pulls back. "Wanna watch a movie, now that you're here? I'm in the mood for a rom-com."

Gabe pouts. "What, no make-up sex?"

William swats his arm, but smiles sweetly at Gabe. Then makes his way to the tv. "Not today."