It was 8 pm, right after dinner...

LXXXIII

"It's about time I show the world, and you, that you're mine."

You're mine.

These words again. They were repeating themselves in Brett's mind while they were skating in circles, avoiding bumping into people left and right. It had gotten easier, standing steadily on those skates and actually being able to slide a few meters without falling over immediately and becoming the laughing stock of the stadium. And it would have been quite fun (at least Eddy looked like he was enjoying himself a lot) if Brett wasn't so preoccupied with what Eddy had said after driving that tall guy away.
"Hey", Eddy said next to him, "you okay? You're mind up in space?"
"Kinda...", Brett answered honestly and made way for a line of kids holding each other by their shoulders. It looked outright suicidal in Brett's eyes.
"Why? Something bothering you?"

Yeah, you and your fucking teases! Brett thought, but said instead: "Nothing big. Don't worry. You having fun?" He shook his head slightly in order to come back to the present. To actually enjoy this outing with Eddy on the day before Christmas.
"Of course! It's actually quite intuitive when you get the hang of it."
"True."

They skated a few rounds and even tried their luck with a pirouette, but gave up when they deemed the danger of tumbling while standing and swirling on one foot for too big.
"Wanna grab a tea or something?", Eddy asked and pointed at the cafeteria above the ice rink.
"Sure!"

It was funny to take off those skates and walk around normally after being on slippery ground for an hour. Eddy ordered them two Christmas special teas and they found themselves a table right at the window, where they could observe the people on ice making their rounds.

"Kinda feels like a date, doesn't it?", Eddy suddenly remarked out of nowhere. Brett shot up from his tea and almost spilled the beverage.
"What? A date?"
Eddy winked at him. "Doesn't it?"
Brett's heart doubled in speed. He hadn't thought about it. It was kind of like always when they were hanging out and did something together.
But now that Eddy had mentioned that cheesy phrase, which was probably mandantory to include in every brainless romcom...

"...Maybe... But how is it different from when we normally do stuff?", Brett voiced his thoughts.
"We never go ice skating."
Brett laughed.
"Just because we do something we never do it's suddenly a date?"
"Hmmm", Eddy made, "so it's not date like enough for you then?"
"I guess there are elements missing", Brett said quietly just for Eddy's ears.
Eddy's sharp intake of breath didn't go unnoticed. Brett smirked upon seeing Eddy's cheeks colouring. 
"What elements?", Eddy asked with a grin after he'd regained his composure.
"We're not dating! So I'm not telling."
"Oh, come on!"
"Nah!"

Eddy's pout was way too cute and Brett had to finish his tea quickly and drag them back on ice before he'd show Eddy what things were on his mind regarding parts of a date that were missing right now.

They somehow managed another hour on ice, but were absolutely beat afterwards. Brett felt sore muscles in places he didn't even know he had any and while Eddy was tired, but still quite upbeat and even a bit energized from the physical activity, Brett had definitely exceeded his limits.

"Bro, I'm so sorry!", Eddy said as they waited at a corner for their uber. Brett was sitting on the floor. Not his first choice of seating, but there was nothing around to rest his exhausted body on.
"Don't be! It was actually very fun. And I should have stopped earlier myself."
"I should have seen it coming. There is no way you can do hours of ice skating in your condition!"
"Again, not your fault. I'm a grown man, capable of taking care of myself."

...Which was proven wrong when Brett tried to get into their ride and almost tripped and half somersaulted onto the backseat. At least the drive home gave him some time to recover, so Eddy didn't have to carry him from the front door to their apartment.

"I'm just gonna lie down for a minute.", Brett mumbled as soon as they stepped into their flat.
"'Course! Let me help you."
Eddy took Brett's jacket and made sure he was comfortably tucked in, before he said: "Sleep a bit. You look like you need it."
It also FELT like he needed it. Brett nodded, put his glasses on the nightstand and was already closing his eyes when Eddy quietly shut the door behind him.

It was getting dark when Brett woke up, the sky over Singapore coloured in dark golden rays of the last sunlight kissing the top of the city's skyscrapers. He blinked, his eyes only half open.

It was unusually quiet in the apartment. No violin playing, no typing somewhere faint out in the living room, no anime blasting japanese swear words or high pitched female voices through their place.

Brett furrowed his brows slightly, sat up and put on his glasses. Did Eddy take a nap too and crashed out in his bedroom? He went to look for him with that thought in mind, but his search was without any result. Eddy wasn't in his room nor in any other place in their flat.

"Eddy?", Brett tried, despite knowing he wasn't gonna get an answer.
Odd. Where would Eddy be off to on Christmas Eve by himself? Brett's heart slowly but surely started to pick up the pace. He went back to his room, picked up his phone, and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

There was a notification for new messages blinking. Brett unlocked his phone and scrolled through the generic Christmas wishes from various people until his eyes caught the one and only name he'd been looking for: Eddy.

He tapped on the notification and opened the message. It contained a link. Brett opened it and saw a familiar frame of a jungle like scenery with a few young boys in blue-ish skirts dancing around a board. The exact set up like his "Go practice Brett!"-Christmas present. When they sat down and one of them started to point on it, Brett saw and heard the message written on there:

"Go to the hill!"