Allegro con fuoco

II

"You. Guys. Need to talk, right now. Ian, tell him what you told me. Trust me. Tell him."

Ian's mouth opened once, twice, like a goldfish on a river bank. He shot a helpless look at Eddy, but he just pointed at Todd.
"Please." he said.
Todd sat down on the bed next to Ian and looked at him worriedly.
"Ian, I... mate, are you okay?"
For a moment Ian looked like he wanted to run out of the room, run to the airport, vanish, do pretty much anything to stop from having to say this. Then he took a deep, shuddering breath, looking fixedly down at his knees, and he slowly opened his mouth again.

"I like you. I'm so sorry. I do."

Todd looked so shocked that Eddy took a step forward in case he had to stop him from falling off the bed.
"You... what?" he breathed.
Ian just nodded.
"Ian, you like me? You like like me?"
"Yeah. I'm so sorry."
Todd sat, and stared, his eyes at once brimming with tears again. He shot an almost panicked look at Eddy.
"Jesus Christ, are you serious? Ian... oh mate."
"I'm so sorry, Todd. I tried so hard not to, but... I... Todd, can we... please, can we still be friends?" Ian's voice was raspy, his bottom lip quivering, and a tear glistened on his eyelid.
A seismic shock seemed to pull through the room as two guy's whole world started to shift. Todd put his hands on Ian's thighs and all at once a smile broke through the tears.
"Whoa. Ian..." he said, so softly, so gently as if he were talking to the most precious thing in the universe. "I... I can't believe you just said that. Actually... we can be a lot more than that, if... if you're really serious. Because I... well, I might as well tell you that I like you too. More than like you, in fact."
"What?"
Eddy could hardly imagine anyone being paler than Ian already was, but somehow Ian managed it now. Any colour pulled from his face and he turned as white as the sheet he was sitting on. "You... but you can't. Why would you?" he managed, his voice crescendoing from pianissimo to mezzoforte. "I'm just... and you're..."
Todd's head whirled around, and his moist, wide eyes were on Eddy on more time.
"Is this really happening?"
Eddy smiled.
"I think so, Todd."
"Ian." Todd said then. The tears had stopped, now, and something was changing in him. His posture was suddenly ever so subtly different and a hint of sexy, flirty Todd came in place of the little pile of misery he had been all day. "Hey. Ian. Why do you think I haven't dated?"
"I... I dunno. I figured you were busy with school and shit."
Todd shook his head. He was looking stronger by the second. 
"Nope. It was because I wanted you. But I couldn't have you, because you were my straight best friend."
Ian looked up at him through misty eyes and shook his head.
"I'm not straight, Todd. Not anymore. Haven't been for a while."
Todd shook his head incredulously.
"Oh my God. All this time... Jesus, Ian, it's been so hard to keep this from you. I... it's almost killed me."
"You really like me?" Ian asked again, even softer now, barely a breath's worth.
"No, Ian. I love you."

Now it was Ian's turn to have his mouth fall open. Something was changing in him too, some of the bleakness seemed to be leaving the room through the window and out to the mountains beyond, like he had a glimmer of hope of something more, something better. Eddy started thinking that maybe he should leave them to it now, let them talk in private, but he couldn't, not yet. He still had to make sure that they really were okay.
"Wow. I... I love you too."
Todd looked down at his hands on Ian's thighs for a moment. His eyes were lighting up, and his posture was getting straighter by the minute.
"I can't believe this." he said softly. "I wish I'd've known sooner."
"I can't believe it either."
Todd's shoulders seemed to be squaring, his demeanour now that that Eddy had seen, and maybe somewhat admired, many times. Todd was like a brother to him, of course, but he realised that Todd, when he was like this, was almost irrestistible to any other guy. The way his eyes would get all sexy, with his blonde hair mussed up like a beach bum, the way he would look at a guy like he was the whole world.
Maybe for the first time now, someone really was his whole world.
"We kissed, last night." Todd whispered to Ian, gently, like he was wooing him.
"Er... yeah."
"By accident. And I'd thought I'd fucked up big style. But... you liked it."
Ian looked more shy than Eddy had ever seen him, but his cheeks were getting the slightest hint of colour back.
"I did. I liked what you did next, too."
Todd smiled softly.
"Okay. That can all be arranged. You love me. I can't believe you love me. Come here."
He pulled Ian to him and he kissed him gently, sweetly.
"I will give you the world." he said between kisses. "The world."
"Oh." was all Ian managed before their kiss deepened, and that's when Eddy knew they were gone. His work here was done. He turned around and followed Brett as they quickly snuck out of the room.
"Oh, Eddy?" Todd called, just as they reached the door, in his lazy I'm-about-to-have-sex voice.
"Er, yeah?"
"Thanks."
Eddy smiled and waved.
"Yeah. Sure thing. Have fun."