It was 8 pm, right after dinner...

CV

After the very encouraging phone call with Belle, Brett and Eddy decided to make use of their new gained high regarding the subject "Telling People" and went home for the more nerve wracking conversations with their respective parents.

Brett let Eddy go first. After all, his sister knew already. Might as well inform the whole clan.

"Ohhh my God... Jesus... I'm dying, Brett."
It was kind of weird to experience Eddy in this nervous state after all those grand love declarations Brett had received, but he got it. Brett was as sure of his love for Eddy as he knew he'd always love Hilary Hahn's playing, if the comparison made sense. But the thought of him having to tell his folks still scared the shit out of him.
"It's gonna be fine!", Brett tried to ensure Eddy, but also himself.
"All right! Puh... I'm going for it!!!"
"Eddy, wait!" He grabbed Eddy's shoulders again, similar to about an hour ago, before Eddy had called his sister. However this time, he placed a firm kiss on his boyfriend's lips. "I love you, no matter how the world reacts. Okay?"
The storm in Eddy's eyes vanished, as he looked at Brett. "Okay."

Waiting for the receiver to pick up was the worst. Those rings were like a countdown to their doom. Brett gulped, but never let go of Eddy's hand.
"Hello?"
"媽, 你好! 新年快樂!!! (Mum, hi! Happy new year!)", Eddy rasped. Smart, Brett thought, going for Mandarin to get his mum into a good mood. Eddy's mother replied in English this time though. Maybe she sensed Eddy's unease somehow and tried to set a lighter atmosphere? Either way, Brett wasn't so sure if she'd be as considerate after hearing what they had to tell her.
"Eddy, hello! Happy new year to you too! How are you doing?"
"Fine."
"Good, good. How is Brett?"
"He's better...", Eddy croaked, all his salivary glands seemingly clogged up. Brett gave the hand in his palm a gentle, reaffirming squeeze.
"Good. Are you guys eating enough? You need to look after yourself too, Eddy, you know?"
"I know, ma..."
"Good. You know, aunt..."
"Mum...", Eddy interrupted her, before she could go on about some distant relative and probably their wonderous New Year's Eve dinner she'd had the pleasure to join.
"Yes?", Mrs. Chen said, her voice a tad more tense than it had been a second ago.
Eddy nodded to himself and to Brett. Brett gave a nod back and put on a what he hoped not too forced smile.
"We have something we want to tell you."
"We, who? Brett and you?"
"Yes." Eddy swallowed hard.

There was a short silence on the other end of the line before she calmly said: "I'm listening."
Calmly was good, right?
"I...", Eddy breathed. Brett was certain his heart was going to break through his ribcage in the next minute or so.
"Brett and I, we are together now."
"What together? I know, you live in the same flat, right?"
Brett would have laughed at her comment if he wasn't so busy with not dying right this instant.
"No", Eddy shook his head and took a deep breath. Brett couldn't help but marvel at his boyfriend's courage, when he declared: "Brett is my boyfriend. We are a couple now."

The silence that followed was deafening. The ringing in Brett's ears drowned out everything and he held Eddy's hand so hard it almost hurt as they waited for her verdict.

"You... and Brett...", Eddy's mum made.
"Yes. We are together." Eddy's voice was calm now, like what he just said had taken away all his fear.
They heard a deep sigh. "Eddy, I gotta admit. This is not what I've wished for you."
At least she isn't crying, was Brett's thought while Eddy nodded once. "I know."
"And I also have to admit that I need some time to process this."
"Of course! I understand."
Another sigh.
"But I also know, that I can't tell you who you should be with. Is Brett here, son?"
Son. She still called Eddy son!
"Yes, I am", Brett rasped, his wild eyes seeking Eddy, who was miraculously still able to smile at him.
"Brett, dear... I'm sorry if it is difficult for me to picture you as Eddy's... boyfriend."
"It's okay." Was it really? Brett wasn't sure, but what else was there to say?
"But do you love my son?", she asked, audibly moved.
"Yes! Very much so. I've never loved anyone more than him", Brett's voice stated, stronger than Brett felt.
And the way Eddy's face lit up was all Brett needed right now.
"Then, can I ask you to take good care of him? I'm not in his life as much as I like to be with you guys traveling so much, but if you promise me to treasure him, it would ease my worries."
"Of course!" It took all Brett had to not choke up. If that was all he had to promise, he was very happy to do so. "I do everything I can to make sure Eddy's happy."
The way Eddy squeezed Brett's hand did hurt. Yet, it was so comforting it paradoxically didn't help with keeping those tears in check.
"Good. Thank you."
Mrs. Chen thanked him! Was that really happening? Both Brett and Eddy's eyes widened in surprise as they stared at each other.
"Mum... Thank you for the way you're reacting!" Eddy wasn't sobbing yet, but it was a close thing. Brett felt his own eyes watering for real now and rubbed his love's shoulder.
"As I said, it's not like that I've wished that for you. But I kind of always thought it was odd that your girlfriends never stayed long enough for your relationships to get really serious. And Brett... well, he's always been there for you. Always. I start to think this is how it was supposed to be."
"Oh, Mum..." Eddy's tears were falling freely now. And so did Brett's. "It means the world to me, to us! Thank you!"
"There is nothing you have to thank me for, son. You are smart. I trust your judgement. So if this is the path you choose, I will support you."
They could hear a small sniffle on the other end and Brett knew, Mrs. Chen meant every word she said.
"Mrs. Chen, I can't express how grateful I am for everything you've just said", Brett managed while Eddy's shoulders trembled. Brett intensified his strokes.
"It's alright, Brett. I wish you a quick recovery and well... I hope to see you both soon."
"We'll come visit as soon as we're in Brissy again", Brett said, taking over the conversation, because the taller one had now hidden his face in the crook of Brett's neck.
He could hear Mrs. Chen smile when she said: "I'm looking forward to seeing both of you. Take care, all right?"
"We will. Thank you so much."

Brett had to hold Eddy for a solid fifteen minutes while the other cried and cried and cried after they'd ended the phone call. There was a seemingly endless stream of tears. Good tears, tears of relief, Brett knew, and he was immensily grateful for that.
"Love, it's all right. That went really well, didn't it?", he asked carefully when he noticed Eddy calming down a bit.
"It did...", Eddy sniffed, "I can't believe it did! All this years, I thought my mum would kill me if she'd knew."
Yeah, years... Eddy had known for years he liked Brett. And all this time he had been alone with this, thinking his family, or at least his mum, would disapprove of his feelings.
"That must have been so tough", Brett whispered, stroking Eddy's back, "I'm so sorry... You must have been so lonely."
Eddy lifted his tearstained face. "No Brett... you were always there, you know. Yeah I could never tell anyone, but even though you didn't know, you being around helped with so many things."
Brett softly brushed those tears of years of uncertainty away with his thumb, before bringing his lips to meet his love's.
"But what she said... it's amazing, isn't it?"
"Yeah...", Eddy agreed, "She was so understanding... I never thought she'd be like this."
"I'm real glad for you! For us really."
Eddy smiled, his eyes shiny. "Yeah, bless her soul! Me too!" He picked up his phone and handed it to Brett.

"Your turn?"