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Awsten drapes himself over Geoff’s shoulders, and Geoff doesn’t think anything of it. It happens sometimes - Awsten is clingy as hell. Moreso with Otto, but he’s happy to climb all over Geoff too. He’s too focused on not fucking up the pre-chorus of Fuck About It, looking down at his guitar rather than out of the audience or behind him at Awsten.
Generally, what Awsten does on stage is not Geoff’s business. Sometimes he’ll look up and Awsten is doing dumb shit. As long as he doesn’t hurt himself, it’s whatever. Awsten lets Geoff spin like a maniac with no complaints, even when he starts walking into microphone stands.
The chorus starts, and Geoff intends to step off of the raised part at the front of the stage and hang out closer to Otto’s drum kit. That way, all the attention can be on Awsten. But Awsten hasn’t let go of him, and Geoff isn’t about to shrug him off. He can feel the phone cameras from the crowd on them. This will end up on Twitter, or wherever it is the kids are posting videos like that these days.
Geoff is so wrapped up in getting the chorus right that he barely registers when Awsten’s arm moves. Awsten touches his shoulder, then grabs him by the side of the head. He assumes that Awsten is going to whisper something to him and lets himself be dragged sideways until Awsten’s lips connect with his cheek.
Oh. Alright then. Unexpected but certainly not bad. Geoff is glad the show’s lighting hides his blush.
Before he can quite register what has happened, Awsten has sprinted off to the other end of the stage. The crowd screams their heads off, and Geoff grins as he jumps off the platform and spins on his way across the stage. That will
definitely
end up on Twitter.
It isn’t weird, and Geoff doesn’t think much of it. Awsten is just like that. He likes showing off for a crowd, and he’s damn good at it. If Geoff gets a little kiss in the process, that’s fine by him.
The rest of the show goes well. Geoff is exhausted but happy with how everything went. He hands his guitar to a technician and tries to remember the way to the green room in this venue. Otto is somewhere behind him, but Geoff can’t see Awsten anywhere until he passes a dark corridor in the labyrinth and hears Jawn and Awsten talking inside.
“He’s
going
to figure you out, bro.” Jawn whispers, sounding somewhere between annoyed and concerned. “Geoff isn’t actually stupid, that’s why we all like him.”
“He hasn’t figured me out so far, he probably never will.” Awsten insists. Geoff can just about see him in the half light, reflecting off of his sweat-soaked skin.
“What am I not figuring out?” Geoff asks, taking a step into the corridor.
Awsten jumps at his seemingly sudden appearance. “Jesus! Can’t you mind your business?”
Jawn lets out a long suffering sigh. “Awsten has a crush-” He gets cut off by Awsten smacking him around the back of the head. “Ow, dude!”
“A crush on who?” Geoff asks sceptically.
He hates when Awsten has a crush. It always ends with him getting his heart broken, and somehow Geoff is always the one dealing with it. Why does Awsten always come running to him? Well, Otto is dating Awsten’s ex-girlfriend and Jawn isn’t exactly the pinnacle of good relationship advice, so he doesn’t have a lot of choice.
Geoff always feels weird when Awsten is in a relationship, or seeing someone, or just talking about someone he might like to see. Probably because of Awsten’s track record with getting himself hurt. There can’t be any other reason.
“That’s not your business.” Awsten waves him off.
“Is it someone I’d be mad about?” Geoff racks his brain. Why else wouldn’t Awsten tell him? “Oh, God, it’s not one of my cousins is it?”
“No! Ew!” Awsten insists. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
Geoff raises his eyebrows at Jawn, who just shrugs. “I don’t wanna get hit again, dude. I’m more scared of him than I am of you.”
“Alright, fine, I’ll ask Otto.” Geoff turns and walks off before Awsten can stop him.
Despite what some people think, Otto and Geoff are actually very good friends. Being the two of the trio who still live in Houston, they spend quite a bit of time together. They tell each other stuff. Usually, Awsten tells Geoff everything too, but apparently not this time.
Geoff isn’t offended as much as he is confused. Why wouldn’t Awsten tell him about a girl? They trust each other with everything. There isn’t anything different about this.
“Otto.” Geoff finds him sitting alone on the worn couch in the greenroom. “Who’s the girl Awsten has a crush on?”
Otto looks up from his phone, confused. “Girl? I don’t know about any girl.”
“He hasn’t told you anything?” Geoff asks.
That’s weird. Awsten tells Geoff everything, but he tells Otto
everything
. If Otto doesn’t know, then, what - was Jawn lying? Are they hiding something else from him? The more he thinks about it, the more anxious he gets.
“Not about a
girl.”
Otto shrugs. “Why, what did he say?”
Geoff explains what he stumbled into. Otto just shrugs again. He has a look on his face like he’s trying not to laugh, though. It puts Geoff on edge.
“No, I wouldn’t know anything about that.” Otto shakes his head.
“I feel like I’m being fucked with.” Geoff says suspiciously. He folds his arms, a little annoyed. There’s something going on here that he’s not in on, and he doesn’t like it. They’re supposed to be
friends
.
“You would be better off asking Awsten.” Otto says pointedly.
At that moment, Jawn walks in without Awsten. He sees Otto sitting on the couch with pursed lips and Geoff standing over him with his arms crossed, and turns to leave again.
“Where’s Awsten?” Geoff demands. He is going to get to the bottom of this.
“Back on the bus.” Jawn keeps backing away slowly. “I’ve been threatened with violence again, you aren’t getting anything more out of me.”
“Is that why you won’t tell me anything?” Geoff asks Otto.
Otto scoffs. “I’m not scared of Awsten. I could take him in a fight.”
“So you can tell me what the hell is going on, then?”
“I… didn’t say that.” Otto glances at Jawn. The look they share is inscrutable to Geoff.
“I hate both of you.” Geoff huffs, frustrated, although it comes out weakly. He doesn’t mean it and they both know it, but Jawn has the decency to look offended anyway.
Geoff hurries off outside, to the bus. He needs to figure out what Awsten is hiding from him. Awsten keeping secrets is
always
a bad sign. Maybe he’s mad at Geoff. Oh, God, that would be awful. What if Awsten wants him out of the band?
That does not explain his behaviour on stage, though. Awsten was all over him tonight. Now
that
is normal Awsten behaviour. Not whatever this is.
By the time he gets to the bus, Geoff is on the verge of a panic attack. He has convinced himself that Awsten either hates him, is about to do something incredibly stupid, or both. When he steps into the bus, he finds Awsten sitting on the floor in between Geoff and Otto’s bunks, his head against the cold metal of the wall as he scrolls through Twitter.
“Oh, hey.” Awsten smiles as he looks up. “What are you doing here?”
“Came to check on you.” Geoff sits down across from him. They sit in silence for a moment. “Are you… mad at me?”
“What? No, of course not. Why would I be mad at you?” Awsten asks, genuinely puzzled.
“You’re keeping a secret from me. You never do that. Like, you even told me about my surprise birthday party last year.” Geoff says. “Everyone was
so
mad at you.”
“In my defence-” Awsten begins with a smile, but sees the serious look on Geoff’s face and stops. “I, uh… I don’t think you want to know.”
“Of course I want to know. We’re best friends. I tell
you
everything.” Geoff says. Awsten stays silent. “Come on. Whoever it is you’ve got a crush on, I’m sure I’ve heard worse.”
Awsten laughs a little, nervous. “I, uh, don’t think you have.”
“Do I know them?”
“Yes.”
Something clicks in Geoff’s head, the way Otto was talking earlier. “It’s not a girl, is it.”
“Nope.” Awsten picks at his nails.
He has never actually come out to Geoff, but like Jawn said, he isn’t stupid. He has picked up on all of Awsten’s dropped hints. The little admissions that he insists are jokes as soon as anyone interrogates him about it. Geoff doesn’t care, he’s still the same Awsten. If he doesn’t want to tell him that part of his life, he doesn’t have to.
“Okay, then who?” Geoff asks. Awsten doesn’t reply. “Is it one of our friends? Are the Awtto shippers right?”
Awsten laughs, for real this time. “No, no. I love Otto, but not like that.”
“Then… I’m running out of ideas. It can’t be Jawn.” Geoff holds his hand out to Awsten, who takes it. “You know I won’t be mad.”
“You
don’t
know that.” Awsten mumbles.
“Hey, come on. How long have we been friends for? Have I ever genuinely been mad at you?” Geoff asks. Getting the truth out of Awsten has never been this much like pulling teeth.
“I guess not.”
Awsten shuffles closer to Geoff until their knees are touching. Geoff squeezes his hand in encouragement and Awsten takes a deep breath. He leans in and kisses Geoff, whose brain immediately shuts off. Of all the things he was expecting, this wasn’t one of them.
Before Geoff has a chance to turn his senses on and kiss back, Awsten pulls away. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”
“You’re all good.” Geoff says stupidly. Several puzzle pieces are going together in his head. Jawn getting mad at Awsten after he kissed Geoff on stage. Otto avoiding the question entirely. Awsten avoiding
him
. “Hold on, I’m not mad at you. I’m just processing.”
“Okay.” Awsten giggles. “Can you process it a little faster?”
“So… me?” Geoff points to himself. “You have a crush on
me.”
“Well done, Sherlock.” Awsten teases.
“Hey, I’m dealing with a lot here.” Geoff pokes him in the side.
Including the fact that the way he feels about Awsten suddenly makes a lot more sense. He has always loved Awsten more than his other friends, but he never thought it was romantic. God, he’s stupid. They’re both stupid. Geoff decides to make it simpler for them both, and tackles Awsten to the floor.
Awsten shrieks in surprise and wraps his arms around Geoff. They both land on the floor laughing, legs tangled together. Awsten kisses him again, then buries his face into Geoff’s chest.
The door to the bus opens, and Jawn pokes his head in. When he sees them together on the floor, he shouts back outside, “We’re all good, boys, they’re still fully clothed.”
Awsten grabs the pillow from Otto’s bunk and launches it at Jawn. He ducks, and it hits Lucas in the face instead. Geoff laughs so hard he thinks he might explode, Awsten hiding behind him when Lucas glares at him.
“You two better not start making out in public. I’m not dealing with the PR nightmare that would be.” Lucas says.
“We won’t, promise.” Geoff says as Awsten starts mouthing at his neck.
Otto gags, and Awsten throws another pillow at him. He dodges and grins. “I’m glad you two finally figured it out.”
They haven’t actually figured anything out yet, but that can wait until they’re not on tour. For now, Geoff is happy with the knowledge that Awsten loves him too.