I love you (no homo)

Part Eight

A/N: Just wanted to quickly say sorry to anyone that has been waiting; I had a busy period in my life and had to focus only on things that were necessary. Anyway, thank you for reading!

A couple of days passed, which Brett spent on passively hating Daniel and going about his life in the usual way. Eddy didn't say what was going on in his relationship, and Brett didn't feel entitled to ask.

He was spending his free time listening to Janine Jansen, and at that wonderful moment, someone knocked and opened the door to his and Eddy's room. And that someone was none other than stupid Daniel. The boy looked around the room, obviously looking for somebody who wasn't there. Brett took off his headphones and looked at him questioningly.

"Do you know where Eddy is?" he asked with a worried face, and when Brett shook his head, he turned to leave, but paused in mid-step.

He turned back to him and took a few steps forward.

"By the way, Brett... You... You don't like me too much, do you?"

It stunned him for a moment. Well, he couldn't exactly reply: Yes, sometimes I fantasize about throwing you to the hungry wolves, right?

"Why do you think so?"

Daniel sighed and looked away.

"It's not like it matters now. Just... Could you tell Eddy that I miss him? And that I care?"

Brett absolutely didn't want to pass on any of this information.

"Why won't you tell him that yourself?"

"I'm trying, but he avoids me. Please, Brett... Just tell him I was looking for him."

"Alright..."

Daniel went out and left Brett with mixed feelings.

***

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Daniel was looking for you."

Eddy had just entered their room, still wearing his backpack and looking like he didn't want to know that information.

"He was here?"

Brett nodded and took a long moment to say the rest.

"I was supposed to tell you that he misses you. And that he cares."

Eddy sighed and took off his backpack.

"I don't know what to do with him."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's not much to talk about." Eddy stretched his arms behind his head, as if he wanted to show off Brett that he had been going to the gym lately. "I just want to break up with him but I can't."

Brett absolutely shouldn't have felt so happy about those words.

"What do you mean can't?"

Eddy turned to him expressively.

"Have you seen him? He already acts like the most sensitive person ever, and I'm going to kick him while he's down."

Brett couldn't help but laugh.

"Um, yeah, good analogy. So what now, is it over?"

Don't get your hopes up, don't get your hopes up, don't get your hopes up...

"I don't know."

Shit, he got his hopes up.

"The point is that ... It's not bad... Being with him. Sometimes it's good. And he's trying."

Brett had no idea why it hurt so much. He must have come to believe in those few days that maybe Eddy had had enough of his boyfriend. But apparently not.

***

They did not speak to each other until the night, each busy with his own duties. When Brett was going to sleep, Eddy was already in his bed, scrolling through something on his phone.

"Goodnight," Brett murmured as he got under the covers.

Drowsiness came to him almost immediately, so it was hard for him to concentrate when he realized Eddy wanted to have a conversation with him.

"Brett? Are you sleeping?"

"No," he mumbled with his eyes closed.

"Brett, I know it's a weird question and you don't know the situation at all, but... Do you think I should stay with Daniel?"

Brett opened his eyes wide.

"What?"

"Should I stay with him?"

What was that? What did Eddy expect him to say? It's not like he ever came to Brett with his love problems before. He had a hard time concentrating, but he tried anyway.

"As you said yourself, I don't know the situation between you two, so I can't answer that question. Do whatever you feel like."

He heard shuffling on the other side of the room.

"So let's put it differently," Eddy said. "Is... Is there any reason why I shouldn't?"

Brett knew that there might have probably been all sorts of reasons from a logical point of view, but at the moment he thought only of one very selfish one, and his heart skipped a beat. But he couldn't say it, could he? No, Eddy was hesitating, so Brett shouldn't mess with his mind. Maybe Eddy loved Daniel and Brett simply shouldn't stand in their way. Yes, that made sense. He should reassure him.

He swallowed hard, not fully understanding why it felt so wrong.

"There isn't," he half-whispered.

"So... So you think I should be with him?"

Brett wondered if the world was testing him. Maybe someone out there above wanted to see how good of a friend he really was.

"He wants to be with you. And you still care about him too, so... Yeah, why not?" He had the impression that it wasn't his voice that said those words, because he had never considered himself a masochist before.

"I see... Thanks," Eddy replied.

"No worries."

Brett hated himself at that moment, so he put a pillow over his face, hoping he'd suffocate during the night and not see the morning.