FicWad

"I think I've got the hang of this," Victoria says, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I don't understand it, but I'm finding him quietly."
"This is beautiful to watch," Gabe says quietly, a dreamy look on his face. "Like a... a brain surgeon, or a composer or something."
Victoria chews her lip. "Thank you, Gabe," she says, and William looks down at the ground.

The Knitting Factory is dark and packed full of people. Mikey doesn't know who the band on the stage are, but they're loud and energetic. Pete is next to him, jumping along with the crowd; if Mikey knows Pete, which he does, then he'll be in the pit any second.
They seriously don't have time for this. Mikey grabs Pete by the elbow and starts to drag him through the crowd towards the exit.
Pete tries to pull him back. "I wanna mosh!" he yells over the music.
"Pete, come on, we gotta go-"
"No, I wanna mosh-"
Mikey drags Pete towards the door, Pete fighting back against him. By the time they get there, they're out of time. Pete vanishes.

"I like watching you work, Victoria," Gabe says eagerly.
William holds in a sigh. "If you guys don't mind, I'm gonna get going. It seems like you've got this under control, Victoria."
"Yeah, sure," Victoria nods. "See you tomorrow, Bill."
"Bye," says Gabe with a smile. William smiles weakly back at him as he walks out the door.

They're standing on a crowded sidewalk behind a barricade, watching a parade. There are floats and marching bands and women in sequins atop huge grey elephants. One of the elephants trumpets as it marches past, and Pete laughs as Mikey trumpets back.
"I wanna be an elephant!" he says. "A big, giant, humongous elephant!"
Mikey laughs and wraps his arms around Pete. He stumbles forward and almost falls when Pete disappears.

Gabe is sitting cross-legged in the big armchair, watching Victoria's perfectly-manicured fingers clacking away at the keyboard. He bites his lip nervously before getting up and going to sit closer.
"I really admire the work you do, Victoria," he says earnestly. She pauses and looks up at him; he hopes to god he's not blushing. "I'm sorry for being so, uh, familiar... I just..."
"No, it's oka-"
She's cut off when Gabe leans over and kisses her.
He pulls away almost instantly and puts a hand over his mouth.
"Shit. Oh my god, I'm so sorry..."
She stares at him and he gets up and goes back to the armchair, his hand still over his mouth.
"I just really like you," he mumbles.
"Gabe," Victoria says, trying to be as gentle as possible. "You're a really great guy, but I... I have a boyfriend, you know I have a boyfriend."
"I know... I'm sorry..."
She gets up and walks over, pulling him up to his feet.
"We can't do this," she breathes. "Gabe..."
She pulls him into a kiss.

Outside on the sidewalk, William sighs heavily, staring up at Way's window, through which he can clearly see Gabe and Victoria. Scuffing his foot on the ground dejectly, he starts walking towards the van.
He halts in his tracks when a car comes along that he's sure he recognizes. It clicks into place when Victoria's boyfriend, Adam, climbs out.
"Hi, William," he says, his voice tight.
"Oh. Hey, Adam. What are you..."
He trails off as he follows Adam's gaze up to Way's window, where Victoria and Gabe are still going at it rather enthusiastically.
Adam laughs humourlessly and reaches into his car to press down on the horn. Gabe and Victoria break apart; her mouth drops open and she disappears from the window.
She comes running out the door less than a minute later. William averts his eyes as she approaches Adam.
"I'm sorry," she says breathlessly. "Adam, I'm so sorry. It was a mistake, it won't happen again-"
Adam gives her a brittle smile, climbing back into his car. "I knew it, Vicky. I fucking knew it."
"No, it's not like that! I came here to work, I swear-"
Gabe comes running out of the building and screeches to a stop next to her. "It's not her fault! It was me! I just, I have a stupid crush, I practically forced her into it-'
Adam raises his eyebrows. "Don't be a monster, Vicky, tell the poor guy."
Gabe blinks. "Tell me what?" he asks in confusion.
Victoria looks down at the ground guiltily.
With a sigh, Adam puts the car in gear. "You can have her," he says. "You did."
He drives off, leaving Gabe staring at Victoria. "What does he mean...?"
She looks up, but doesn't look him in the eye. "You... you wanted it done," she says helplessly. "The procedure. You thought it would help you get past... well... me."
Gabe takes a step backward, his eyes wide. She reaches out a hand to him, but he shakes his head and she drops it.
"I'm sorry," she says softly, and turns back towards the building. "We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"
He stares down at the ground as she goes back inside. William takes a deep breath and walks over to him.
"Let me drive you home."
Gabe shakes his head. He glances up at William and smiles weakly before haltingly walking away down the road. William sighs heavily and goes back inside.