Delicate (mxm)

Chapter Twenty Two.

Caleb was feeding ducks, as usual. But this time, he wasn't alone. He was barely alone anymore.

"That one is glaring at me." Eddie said, pointing at a duck. Caleb raised an eyebrow, looking at the cute duck.

"I didn't know ducks could glare." He said blankly and Eddie rolled his eyes.

"That one is clearly doing it." He said, getting away from it.

"If you say-" Caleb looked at how the duck stepped foward as Eddie stepped backwards. "-so"

"It's chasing me, right?" Eddie asked. "Right?"

Caleb observed the other ducks joining the glaring one. Eddie started walking faster.

"Caleb!"

"They're chasing you." He confirmed.

"AHHH!"

Eddie started running.

"WAIT!" Caleb ran after him and threw himself to Eddie. "Run! RUN!"

Eddie adjusted Caleb on his back and ran away. They both started laughing like crazy men and once they lost the ducks Eddie let Caleb go and collapsed into the floor, laughing. Caleb smiled and layed on the floor too.

"Never in the three years I've been coming to feed the ducks, they had followed me."

Eddie smiled at him. "I guess ducks don't like me."

"Or you like them way too much." Caleb smirked and winked and Eddie chuckled.

"It was scary." He said with one of his usual bright smiles, the one that made Caleb forget about all the bad things in the world. "I had never been chased by animals."

"Oh, I have." Caleb said, giggling when he remembered it.

He told Eddie about the time he had went to his Aunt's farm and a cow started chasing him. Eddie listened and laughed.

"What are you doing to me?" Caleb whispered when he felt his heart beating faster at Eddie's laughter. He was feeling so many things.

"What?"

Caleb looked away and to the sky with a frown. "Nothing."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." He said honestly. 

Eddie smiled softly.

"That cloud looks like a duck." Caleb said, pointing at it. Eddie chuckled.

"I think I'm scared of ducks now."

"They just chased you." Caleb giggled.

"It was enough to develope a trauma."

Caleb shook his head with a vague smile. "You're stupid."

"But you like it. You like me." Eddie said with a teasing smile.

"Pfft." Caleb breathed out and looked out. "I never said that."

"You don't like me? It didn't seem like it last night."

"I wouldn't be dating you if I didn't like you." Caleb said, his heart beating faster. He knew he was lying. He didn't like Eddie. No, that was a little word. Too little for Eddie. "But I never said I liked you being stupid."

"Oh, but I know you love it."

Love. Now that was a fragile word. Too fragile for Eddie. Too vulnerable for Caleb. He wouldn't lay himself bare in front of Eddie, he wouldn't show love to Eddie, he would not feel love. Not openly. It was too risky. Too vulnerable, too fragile.