The One Where They Fall in Love (A Chandler x Joey Fanfic)

Congratulations

Joey had had it up to here. They were at just brunch, for gods sake.  It wasn't like he had ASKED his coworker to offer up his massive apartment.

"Can we drop this? I am not interested in the guy's apartment," he snapped.

His counterpart scoffed. "Oh please, I saw the way you were checking out his mouldings," he seethed. "You want it."

"Why would I want another apartment, huh?" Joey said as he turned to face Chandler. "I've already got an apartment that I love!"

"Well it wouldn't kill you to say it once in a while," Chandler muttered, crossing his arms and looking down.

"Alright, you want the truth? I'm thinkin' about it."

Chandler felt all his insides tense up. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I'm 28 years old, I've never lived alone, and I'm finally at a place where I've got enough money that I don't need a roommate anymore," Joey explained, exhaling slowly after.

Chandler threw his hands up defensively. "Woah, woah, woah. I don't need a roommate either, OK? I can afford to live here by myself." That was mostly true. "Ya know, I may have to bring in somebody once a week to lick the silverware."

"What're you gettin' so bent out of shape for, huh?" He prompted.  "It's not like we agreed to live together forever. We're not Bert and Ernie."

Chandler tensed up. "Look, you know what? If this is the way you feel, then maybe you should take it."

"Well that's how I feel," Joey responded with little hesitation.

"Well then maybe you should take it."

"Well then maybe I will."

"Fine with me."

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The actor returned later with an apology.

"Yeah me too," Chandler responded, relieved.

"I know. Yeah."

"Yeah." He looked over. "So do we need to hug here or..."

Joey chuckled quietly.  "No, we're alright." Please.

Chandler revealed what he had been holding. "So I got ya something," he said before he tossed Joey a bag of plastic spoons.

He grinned, catching it. "Plastic spoons. Great."

"Lick away, my man," he teased.

"These'll go great in my new place," Joey said. "You know, 'till I get real ones."

??!! "What?"

Joey held up the bag with a playful expression. "Well, I can't use these forever. I mean, let's face it, they're no friend to the environment."

His roommate shook his head slightly. "No-no, I mean what, what's this about your new place?"

"I'm movin' out like we talked about."

"Well I didn't think that was serious." Chandler snatched the spoons back. "Ya know, I thought that was just a fight."

"Well, it was a fight. . . based on serious stuff, remember?" He reminded him. "About how I never lived alone or anything. I just think it would be good for me, ya know, help me to grow or..." he thought for a moment before finishing with a quiet "...whatever."

Of course then Chandler had to pretend all was well and that Joey moving out wasn't the slightest bit devastating. Sadness? No sir!

"I'll just turn your, uh, bedroom into a game room or somethin', you know, put the foosball table in there," Chandler tried to joke.

"Woah." Joey blinked, pulling back. "Why do you get to keep the table?"

"I did pay for half of it," he said, in a tone that almost felt superior.

"Yeah. And uh, I paid for the other half," Joey countered.

A small smirk grew on Chandler's face. "Alright, I'll tell you what, I'll play you for it."

Joey's face seemed to light up in the same way. "Alright, you're on. I can take two minutes out of my day to kick your ass."

A good half hour later....

"Get out of the corner," Joey lectured his players. "Pass it, pass it!"

"Stop talkin' to your men," Chandler teased. This felt right. This felt comfortable. This felt like how it was supposed to be, with them alternating between playing foosball, watching tv for hours on end with a couple beers, and making a storm in the tiny kitchen as they tried to not burn the place down. This little moment was his, and it was perfect.

At least it was, before Joey scored and punched his fists in the air victoriously.

"Yes! And the table is mine," he crowed.

Right. That. "Congratulations." Chandler turned and walked right out.

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Later that day the gang were all at the apartment, helping Joey pack. Phoebe was the first to confess how much she was going to miss Joey, despite him only moving uptown.

"I know, how can you not be across the hall anymore?" Monica chimed in.

Rachel nodded, tossing things into a box. "Yeah, who's gonna eat all our food, and tie up our phone lines, and-" she paused, holding up a pink brassiere with an expression of surprise. "-is that my bra? What the hell you doin' with my bra?"

Joey shook his head quickly, chuckling a little. "Oh no-no, it's uh, it's not what you think," he said quickly. "We uh, we used it to, you know, fling water balloons off the roof. Remember that, those junior high kids couldn't even get theirs accross the street," he said, looking over to Chandler.

Chandler nodded slowly. "Yeah, I remember," he said quietly, the memory feeling tainted now that Joey wasn't going to be here anymore.

After Ross had left with the girls to carry the boxes down to the moving van, Chandler turned to Joey and the foosball table, the last two things to go.

"So, uhh, em, you want me to uh, give you a hand with the foosball table?" He tried, hoping he sounded at least a little positive.

Joey shook his head. "Nah, you keep it, you need the practice." Really, it just wouldn't feel the same playing without Chandler.

"Thanks."

Joey shifted on his feet. "So, I guess this is it."

"Yeah," he muttered before speaking louder. "Right, yeah, I guess so." Is this it?

Joey walked to the door. Then he stopped and turned around. "Listen, uh, I don't know when I'm gonna see you again."

Chandler did a small half smile. Dumbass. "Well, I'm guessing uh, tonight at the coffee house," he reminded playfully.

Joey cringed slightly at himself. "Right, yeah. OK. Um, take care."

"Yeah."

Joey stopped halfway down the hall, feeling an cavity in his chest like something was missing. He came rushing back in the apartment, wrapping Chandler in a tight hug.

Chandler didn't even have time to process before Joey left for good.