23 Teddy Bear

Meanwhile, Richie was searching for his guitars, finding them in a corner, still in their case.
"Hey dude, those aren't supposed to be out." David said when he noticed someone fiddling with Richie's guitars.
"I'm sure I can play my own guitars." Richie straightened up and smiled as he turned to look at David.
"Oh. What are you doing here? Thought you were missing a leg or something." David asked him.
Richie laughed. "Damn near." He hugged David as a greeting. "What? Not allowed to visit my friends when they're around?" He asked back.
David hugged him back. "Sure you are, just didn't know you were gonne be here, are you staying?"
"Doctor says I’m not allowed to be on stage and play yet. Only got my stitches out the other day. Doesn’t want me to over do it and re-open the wound." Richie explained, still sad he couldn't play.
"That sucks, what about watching the show then?"
"That I’m allowed to do, so that’s what got me here. That and I hadn’t seen the rest of you guys since I left." Richie said.
"Aw I missed you too." David smiled at him.
Richie laughed and want back to play with his guitars. "So you say, but you didn’t come visit me at home." He pretended to put but wasn't really put out at all since he had Jon.
"Jon wasn’t at the hotel, we assumed he was doing icky stuff with you." David said straightforward.
An abashed look appeared on Richie's face. "Does everyone know about us... That?"
"I don’t know. But now I know that’s what you did. Hmmmm, this is good stuff." David grinned happily, having successfully tricked his friend.
"Please keep it to yourself. He hasn’t decided what he wants yet."
"But you’ve done stuff, right? The gay stuff? Did you do that?" David wondered.
"Not all of it. He’s not ready for that. And he still doesn’t know if I’m what he wants, or what he already has is what he wants." Richie still felt guilty about how everything had happened.
"That's shitty of him."
Richie shrugged. "Can't really blame him. I should've just kept it to myself."
"It’s just shitty of him to play with your emotions and stuff, he’s treating you like something he can buy, try and then send back if he’s not satisfied. That’s not right."
"It’s not his fault I threw this on him. But I think... I think he’s more likely to accept me and be with me. If he wasn’t, I don’t think he would be even trying any at all you know? It’s not like him." Richie hoped he was right about that.
"Threw it on him or not, it’s not fair what he’s doing, playing you like this. He needs to make up his mind first. What are you gonna do when he goes home and says he doesn’t think he’s gay and only tried it to try it?" David asked. He couldn't believe how Jon was treating his best friend right now.
He shrugged halfheartedly again. "Go back to the way things were? Try to forget. Try to let go. Probably fail." he looked back down at his guitar, "I don’t know. Maybe see if I can find out whatever happened to Danny."
"Ah Danny." David said as if he knew Danny.
Richie looked up at him, pretty sure nobody knew anything about Danny. "An old friend."
"And you're gonna look him up again? It's been ages, hasn't it?" David continued to act.
"Yeah, it's been a really long time."
"Thought so, maybe you should contact him, find out what happened, maybe it wasn't his fault or your fault."
"I’m not going to if this works out with Jon. Yeah, I’ve always wanted to know why he never came back, but I’m more afraid of the answers. If I have Jon, then I’m better off not finding Danny again." Richie didn't want to think about the pain that Danny had caused him.
"What if it doesn’t work out?" David asked.
"Then I’ll still probably not find him. Say Jon and I don’t work out, and I find Danny. What if he found someone else? What if he’s happy? It’s been a long time. He probably has. I don’t think I could see that and not hate myself."
"Oh Danny was that kind of friend." David said, now understanding everything.
"He was. I haven’t seen him since he said he needed a break and left. That was in ‘87."
"So he was your boyfriend?"
 "Yeah. We were together for a year, then Slippery happened, another year went by and then he was gone." Richie explained it all.
"Oh... That's shitty of him too."
"Shit happens. And by the time I was starting to recover a little, Jon got married."
"You should have fallen in love with me, nobody ever gets gay crushes on me." David pouted.
Richie laughed. "Danny thought you were cute. I didn’t disagree. Sorry though Lemma, maybe next time I’ll fall in love with you." He was glad David was able to joke about this.
"Come on, I’m not that far from Jon in the looks department, at least I don’t need to dye my hair blond and I wouldn’t use somebody or just dump them without an explanation." David tried.
"Do you think he is? Using me?" Richie asked worried.
"I don’t know, I just don’t think it’s fair... You don’t like my gorgeous blond curls? I was fishing for a compliment there, you know." He said, faking annoyance. He was glad to be able to joke around with his friend. Jon had been way too grumpy the last few weeks to appreciate a joke.
"You’re beautiful Dave, don’t you worry about that." Richie shrugged. "Life’s not fair though is it?"
"Why thank you, you're gorgeous too." David smiled, then turned a little bit more serious. "Not really no."
"I mean, I tell Jon how I feel, and nearly have my dick cut off. Really isn’t fair at all."
"Nope it’s not. He could have stayed calm, but he never does, does he? Always needs to freak out about stuff."
"A bit anyway." Richie shrugged again. "Not much I can do but hope though is there?"
"Not really, no, sorry."
"‘s not your fault I’m an idiot sometimes."
"Wow, what? Who said you're an idiot?" David asked quickly.
"Me."
"Well don't."
"Can’t help it sometimes. Because I didn’t keep to myself, I’m either going to pull apart a family, or have my heart broken. Seems like something an idiot would put themselves in to me." Richie said.
"You couldn’t keep it to yourself, don’t blame yourself for that. Although, you could have just fallen in love with me, that might have helped." David suggested.
Richie shook his head and chuckled. "Maybe. It's not my fault I didn't."
"No it’s not. It’s alright. I got a wife, I’ll just continue loving her. She’s nice you know." David said.
"I know, I’ve met her a time or two. Nice woman, lucky to have you. and you her." Richie smiled, knowing David had found the perfect partner.
"Yeah, I know. If Jon dumps you, I'm gonna set you up with someone."
"Should I be worried?" Richie asked. "Wait, this is you, I am worried."
"Well you shouldn't."
"And why not?"
"Because I’ve known you for 30 years, I pretty much know everything about you so who better to find someone for you than someone you’ve known for that long and so well?"
"True as that is, which side would you choose from?" Richie wondered.
"I don’t know but at least someone that is as good looking as me, likes music but independent enough to miss you a few months, someone that’s busy with their own lives and job. And if it’s a woman, that’s a plus cause you could have more kids, have a son, name him Davey or something." David shrugged casually.
Richie laughed. "If that ever happened you’d just have me name my son after you or what?"
"As a thank you for me finding a girl for you."
"And if she didn't agree with it?"
"Then you just explain it all, or a middle name, I’m fine with a middle name." David suggested a plan B.
Richie shook his head. "Hopefully it won’t even come to that." He glanced down in the direction of Jon's dressing room.
"Maybe not, but you’re not gonna have kids with Jon."
"I know that, but I know what I want." Richie said.
"Jon or kids, one or the other."
"Although, with Jon, his kids become my step-kids." Richie said.
"That's not the same thing." David pointed out.
"No, but it's better than nothing. At least I know those kids already love me."
"That’s it, you already know those kids, you’re their uncle."
"Yeah, but it’s not too much of a difference between the two. The last thing I’d want to do would be to have them think I’m trying to replace their mother."
"Well that won’t happen. Unless... You don’t want a sex change right?" David asked carefully even though he knew the answer, he was only joking.
"Good god no. Like I’d give up what I’ve got."
"I've heard about it."
"It's worth hearing about." Richie smirked smugly.
"Not really. Not for me."
"I wasn't going to offer."
"Good, I don't need that vision for nightmares." David shuddered.
Richie laughed. "Gee thanks Dave, love you too."
"I knew it! You love me!!!"
"Who doesn't love you?"
"I dunno, people." David shrugged.
"They’re wrong, whoever they are." Richie smiled, happy that David was nice enough to talk to him about the serious stuff, then keep joking too.
"As long as you love me." David hugged him.
"You know I do." Richie hugged him back. "Thanks for that.
David didn't pull out of the hug. "I've always known you love me. Doesn't it feel better now that you've told me?"

Neither of them noticed Jon walking out of the dressing room and up to them.

"Too bad for you that you're just my little brother."
"No!" David said. "You love me."
"What the fuck?!"

Richie jumped when Jon raised his voice, but still laughed. "Easy boys, Dave man, I'm so sorry, my heart is elsewhere." He looked at Jon with half a smile.
David picked up his acting skills again and turned very disappointed. "Really."
"You already knew that. Besides you said you’d have nightmares from that mental image." Richie reminded him.
"Right, I did, oh well then, staying with Lexi then. See you on stage. When’s sound check?" He turned his question to Jon.
"Thirty minutes."
"Plenty of time then." Richie said.
"Yeah, see ya." David left them alone.

Jon waited to make sure David really had left.

"What the fuck was that about?" He asked angrily.