Tangled Lines: a tri-fic [inevitably incomplete]

Chapter 6: "Cracked"

Part 1: Eddie

It had been a few weeks since we had gotten back from PAX, and everything was slowly falling back into its regular rhythm. Aleks was finally eating again, even if his diet had a bit more alcohol in it than usual. Before, I was forcing him to have dinner! He's like a little kid sometimes, but I love him anyways.

Yeah, I love him. I had finally realized that I love Aleks, but like a brother. Definitely just like a brother. And even if it was more than that, Aleks was straight as a pole. There was no point dwelling on it, so I decided to focus on making sure he didn't accidentally off himself by not sleeping for three days in a row. Protective older brother was the kind of title I could live up to.

It was a Saturday, so I figured I'd make some omelettes or something for Aleks and I. The pan heated quickly and I whistled as I cracked half a dozen eggs into a bowl. Whisk flying, I blended them, adding some milk and butter as I went. The pan sizzled as the eggs fell into it. I grated some cheese while the eggs cooked a bit, then flipped the omelette over. After years of practice, I knew how to do it like a pro. The cheese melted right away and I folded up the omelette with ease. I cut it in half using my spatula and slid the pieces onto two plates.

Part 2: Aleks

"ALEEEEKS!"

"Huh....?" I grumbled before sitting up. "WHAT THE FUCK, EDDIE?!"

"BREAKFAST!"

"I--oh my fucking god--I JUST WOKE UP, GIVE ME A FUCKING MINUTE."

"ALEEEEEEEEEKSSS! EAT NOOOOW!" I heard him giggle from the kitchen. Well, I thought to myself, I'm already awake. So why the hell not.

I slouched into the kitchen and sighed, still in my pyjamas. Eddie had set the table with two omelettes and some toast, plus an array of jams I didn't even know we had, and coffee to top it off.

"Am I missing something...?" I yawned.

"Nope! I just wanted to make breakfast!" Eddie said before giggling again. I managed a half smile in my sleepy state, and sat down.

"What're we eating?" I said. I picked up my fork and knife and poked the omelette cautiously. Eddie wasn't the kind to cook a lot.

"Omelette du fromage," he replied in a shitty French accent. I stifled a laugh as I sliced into the eggs.

"Hey, this isn't half bad."

"Merciiii."

"I'll clean up, don't you worry about that!" Eddie said as we finished, a little too cheerfully in my opinion.

"Okay...?" I wasn't gonna say no, though. It was Saturday, and I wanted to relax as much as possible. I stood up and retreated to my bedroom. I could hear Eddie humming as he rinsed plates and cutlery. He was too good to me sometimes. I would have to make it up to him some day.

My phone buzzed as soon as I got into my room. James' name was on the screen, which prompted a sigh. He had barely talked to me since PAX unless it was work related.

"Hey, you free today?" the speech bubble asked.

"Not exactly," I replied. James wasn't gonna get me that easily.

"Seriously? It's Saturday. What could you be doing." the reply read.

"I'll have you know I'm spending some quality time with my bass."

"Can't you spare an hour for lil old me?"

I sighed. I didn't want to give in, but... "What do you want James"