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CXIII

Love

Had Eddy really just called him that? 
Love.
Brett had never been called love by anyone, ever. And he hadn’t known, hell, would have never anticipated it would make him feel this way. 
Like he suddenly became glistening mist in the early morning, greeting and being flooded by sunlight, warmed from the very core of his being. Like a young eagle being set free to fly over the majestic alps for the first time, weightless, carried by the wind, the whole world to its feet. Like a flower being given water after a long period of drought, soaking up every molecule and opening its petals, growing towards the sun.

Was it an accident? Intentional? Eddy hadn’t flinched, hadn’t bat an eye when he’d said the magical word and now, his playing was as clear and flowy as ever. It was Brett who missed a note here and there and sometimes came in a tad late, his head somewhere in the stratosphere, enjoying the eagle’s-eye view.

Love! Eddy had said love, despite the undiscussed topics and their yet undefined relationship…
Brett’s next line was a bit too sweet for the fast passage they were currently playing and he had to hold back a chuckle when he caught Eddy’s surprised side-eye.

“Interesting interpretation you chose there”, the taller commented and pointed at the section in question with the tip of his bow. However, Brett didn’t miss the mischievous glint in his eye.
“How is it my fault when you… you know…”
The glint got brighter, matching the widening grin on his features. “When I what?”
Brett undid his bow and put the violin in his case. “You know exactly what.”
Eddy’s laughter was bright, freeing. “Alright, wanna come get coffee with me?”
Brett was already on his feet, probably lifted up by little words like “with” and “me”. What was it with Eddy and his masterful, hypnotizing use of the English language this morning?
“Let’s go!”

“So, you talked to Cole?”, Eddy asked on their way to the cafeteria, their steps hollowing through the hall.
Brett huffed. “Cutting right to the case, huh.”
“No time to waste”, he winked, the back of his hand subtly brushing against Brett’s, releasing tingles all over his body. He took a deep breath and hoped he could slow down his heart rate to a more normal pace, maybe.
“Not like we can talk this through in a fifteen minute break, but okay.” 
They reached the cafeteria where Brett placed their orders, two flat whites, at the counter and turned around, his lower back leaning against the metal bars of the tray holders. “He said we should do what we’ve been doing till now, basically.”
Eddy’s brows creased and Brett sniggered. 
“Huh?”
“I mean, what have we been doing?”
“Brett, please! I had to wait the whole night!”
“Didn’t you say you slept peacefully? Wasn’t that bad then, was it?”
Eddy groaned. “I swear! If you keep this up, I’m gonna have to tickle you.”
His long fingers threateningly wiggled closer towards Brett who yelped loudly. “Nah!!! Stay away, man! Remember the freaking fall over incident? We’ll get banned from the cafeteria! Nah! Stop!”
“Then. You. Tell. Me. Now!”, Eddy commanded and poked Brett’s sides with every syllable.
“Okay, okay! Wait… let me…” Brett pulled out his wallet and paid for both of them before Eddy had the chance to protest, all the while successfully ignoring the cafeteria worker’s skeptical glares.

“You really gotta stop doing that”, Eddy shook his head as they looked for a place to sit further away from other students. 
“You wanna hear it or not?”
“Brett Yang, you sly bastard...”
Brett laughed. They sat down opposite of each other at a table by the window where an outside tree provided protection from the mid-morning sun.
“I told him about our doubts and questions. You know, the whole long distance thing and stuff.”
Eddy nodded, his features pensive and attentive while he took a sip from his cup. How could he look this freaking adorable just sitting there, expectantly looking at Brett it took Brett’s breath away? He cleared his throat and continued, trying to focus on the task at hand.
“He said it’s understandable that we’re unsure and then he meant, we should just do what other people do to get to know each other better.”
Eddy’s gaze displayed question marks and Brett saw his own features just twelve hours ago in his hotel room reflected in the other.
“Spend time with each other, talk, eat… you know…”
“Go on dates!”, Eddy exclaimed way too loudly, making Brett jump and duck his head at the same time.
“Dude…”
“Sorry”, Eddy whispered, his hands shooting forward and grabbing both of Brett’s, “But God, yeah, he’s freaking right! Let’s do that! Go on dates!”
Brett blinked and was suddenly very aware of his hands being in Eddy’s. “You seem very happy.”
“Of course I am! Being able to go on dates with you?”
It made Brett’s heart flutter, leaving his body, joining his eagle-alter-ego in the clouds. 
“You seem happy too”, Eddy meant bashfully, looking at Brett through his eyelashes.
Brett’s gaze fell on their hands. “I like spending time with you, so yeah, I’m very happy. I’m happy you’re happy.”
“And then we go from there. See where it takes us.”
Brett bobbed his head. “One step at a time.”

Their walk back was a silent one, both in their thoughts, slight, giddy smiles tingling their cheeks and their palms itching with the urge to reach over and close the few centimeters in-between. Shortly before they reached the hall, Eddy suddenly and finally took Brett’s hand and pulled him into a small, abandoned room slash broom closet slash storage thing and closed the door behind them, covering both of them in darkness. 
“Eddy! What the-”, a surprised, breathless Brett stammered and tried to make out the other’s face in the dark. 
“Remember how I asked if Cole’s advice included me kissing you?”, Eddy whispered and Brett’s eyes didn’t have to adjust to the little bit of light coming through the gap underneath the door to know that he was very, very close. 
“Uhm…”, he swallowed while his heart switched positions with his jugular.
“I… I’d like to do that now, if it’s okay with you? Because there’s probably no way for me to sit through another two hours of Mahler next to you without having finally kissed you.”
Oh, Eddy had no idea HOW okay it was in Brett’s book, so why was he nervous, palms getting sweaty and breaths coming in allegretto?
“We don’t have to, of course! Just if-”
Toes tipped him up and brought Brett’s minutely trembling lips to Eddy’s, shutting his uncertainty. And oh, how sweet, how musky and how incredibly intoxicating he was! Brett groaned involuntarily, his deep voice grumbling throughout the broom closet as he lapped up Eddy’s scent mixed with a hint of the coffee they both had. Eddy responded straight away and closed his arms around Brett’s smaller frame, drawing him closer and closer until they were pressed together, also courtesy of the tiny space available. Their lips started to move like they did the last time and it was as if they'd rehearsed their dance, their passion growing with every second they spent kissing the other, touching the other’s back, arm, neck and brushing through the other’s hair. Eddy’s “Hmmm…” drove Brett mad with… something! Something Brett had seldom if ever felt in his young life, making his insides do somersaults and backflips along with the swarms of butterflies flying aerobatics and prompting him to start, and there really wasn’t another word, pounding now.
“Br… hmm…”
“Mhmm”
“Brett… love…”
A miracle words could even be formed through lips busy exploring and another miracle how Brett’s something started to grow exponentially when he heard THAT word again. He opened his mouth with a grunt and let the tip of his tongue travel over Eddy’s upper lip and it took another millisecond for Eddy’s to meet Brett’s, the intensity of his scent exploding right then and there.
“Mhmm”, Brett moaned again, a bit too loudly and uncontrolled considering this being their fourth kiss.
“Oh… Brett… we need to…”, Eddy mumbled in-between kisses that were everything and it also took everything for Brett to finally let go.
“Wow”, he panted. Wow indeed. Wow in every parallel universe a Brett may or may not exist.
“Yeah…”, Eddy said and brought his hand to Brett’s certainly very flushed cheek, stroking it gently, “We might be late.”
“Totally inconspicuous if we come in late, catching our breaths and faces red”, Brett whispered and Eddy chuckled. 
“Gonna come up with an excuse, watch me.”
“Ready for Mahler now? Concertmaster?”
A small peck on already kissed lips. 
“With you as my deskie? Definitely!”