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They had always been together.
They first met in elementary. Since young, Aesop was already the loner type but Eli’s bright personality succeeded in breaking the wall around the boy and that was how they started to play with each other and become friends.
Their bond only strengthened with time and as they got into the same middle school, everyone knew about the pair. You would never see Eli without Aesop nor Aesop without Eli. The two boys were always stuck to each other, they had a few other friends but no one could deny the fact that they were inseparable.
However, things suddenly took another turn for them when they entered high school. Their minds and their hearts weren’t the same anymore. It couldn’t be seen by the eye but it could be felt. Maybe they didn’t realize it yet but their friendship somehow changed and it was mostly an impact for Aesop.
Eli started to date a girl.
Her name was Gertrude and she was one of the prettiest girls in the school so it wasn’t surprising that someone as handsome as Eli was dating her. Both of them looked like they were made for each other and Aesop could only stand there and wish for his best friend to be happy with the one he loved.
During those few years in high school, Eli and Aesop grew apart a bit. But again, it wasn’t that noticeable.
Eli simply spent more time with his girlfriend while Aesop was either hanging out with their other friends or busy studying to get into the course he wanted for college. They still talked to each other through text or calls, sometimes studied together for an exam and those were the times Aesop liked the most even if he wouldn’t admit it, even if he was also suffering at the same time.
And then, they graduated and got into the same college and even the same dorm and room. Both felt very happy and Eli even hugged the other tightly due to the flow of positive emotions, Aesop still remembered how hard he blushed at that moment but he fortunately convinced the brunet that it was simply because the weather was a bit hot.
However, Gertrude was there too of course.
“Do you wanna hang out with Naib and the others later?”
“Ah-! Sorry ‘Sop, I already promised Gertrude that I would go with her to a certain shop!”
“Mhm, I understand no worries. We can always do that another day.”
“You’re the best ‘Sop!” he said with a bright smile.
Aesop walked beside him with a faint smile. Of course Eli didn’t have time for him nor their friends. It wasn’t like he was jealous but-
Maybe he did feel some pain.
“Is something wrong, Eli? You keep playing with your food.”
The brunet’s eyes went wide for a second, probably unaware that he was zoning out since the beginning. The man looked a bit concerned and he simply moved his fork sometimes so as not to stand still.
“Ah, Aesop. Sorry.”
“You don’t have any reason to apologize to me,” apart from all those times he made his heart clench maybe. “You can talk to me if anything is bothering you, aren’t we childhood friends?”
Friends. This word sounded even more disgusting coming from his lips.
Eli kept silent for a moment, frowning slightly before sighing and putting his fork down.
“I broke up with Gertrude.”
Now Aesop was the one who was silent. Eli… broke up with her?
“May… I ask why?”
“We just realized that we were better as friends, we’re on good terms now.”
“I see… Well, as long as both of you are fine with it I guess everything is fine. I’m sure you’ll find the one someday.”
“Thank you, ‘Sop.”
The tense atmosphere finally disappeared after the talk and they ate in peace while exchanging small chatter. After being done, Aesop’s gray eyes wandered from his plate to the other’s face and he was surprised to see that Eli was also looking straight at him.
“Is there something on my face?”
“Mhm. I was just thinking… I’m glad to have you by my side, Aesop.”
What now? Why was he doing this to him? Aesop bit his lower lip with frustration. It was always the same. He tried as best as he could to refrain his feelings and stay in his role as Eli’s best friend but it was really hard to do so when the man looked at him like that and spoke such words. It was too much.
“Aesop?”
“Sorry, I suddenly have a slight headache. Can you take care of the dishes tonight, I’ll take your turn another day.”
“Ah sure, I think there’s some meds in the drawer. Let me handle this and go take some rest.” he said with a smile.
“Thank you.”
Eli nodded and Aesop got up from his chair to go to his room, he didn’t check the drawer as the brunet told him though. He didn’t even have a headache. He just needed to get out of there. He simply felt like a mess right now. His heart was aching.
Eli was perfect. He had some flaws like everyone else but in Aesop’s eyes, there was nothing to change. He loved him so much. He loved him so much he wanted to scream it and let everything out but he couldn’t.
After all, he was his best friend.
Fortunately, after that night, Eli didn’t question him too much. That was almost a miracle as the other tended to be over worried. Maybe he felt that Aesop needed some space. He had some kind of sixth sense for those things and it was quite scary sometimes.
Anyway, some time passed and the awkwardness between them disappeared too.
"Hey 'Sop!"
The male's gray eyes left the sheets scattered on his desk to look at his blue-eyed friend. The latter was leaning on the edge of his desk and wearing a big smile. Normally, Aesop would enjoy the sight of Eli's happy expression, but this time he had a weird bad feeling.
"What is it?"
"We're having a mixer today with some girls from other departments, do you want to come?"
A party... The kind of event to try to find a boyfriend or girlfriend, a one-night stand at worst.
"I don't know, you know that's not really my cup of tea."
"Haa! You need to meet more people, Aesop! You could make some new friends and then I'll be there too! At least an hour, we'll leave afterwards if you feel uncomfortable!"
Eli looked at him with so much hope that it was hard for him to refuse. An hour should be fine, he would just stand in the corner on his phone while the brunet handled the conversations.
"I guess that's okay..."
"You're the best, 'Sop! I love you!" he mused.
The male's heart missed a beat at those words and that was followed by his face turning hot as Eli suddenly leaned in to hug him. He hesitated for a moment before returning the hug, his mind relaxing as he smelled the cologne wafting up his nose. He knew Eli's words probably didn't mean much, but right now he could afford to enjoy the sweetness of this touch just for a bit.
And so, the night came and Eli took Aesop to what seemed to be a karaoke. They entered a room where he didn't recognize any faces, but considering the number of people already there, he figured they were probably the last ones expected. The music was quite loud and some people had already started to drink and sing.
Being the social butterfly that he was, Eli easily blended in with the masses while Aesop took a seat next to him and pulled out his phone to look at whatever might be on instagram. As he scrolled through his timeline, he noticed that an hour had already passed without him realizing it.
He turned off the screen of his smartphone and sat up, scanning the room for Eli. His eyes then landed on the familiar figure sitting on the opposite side of the room from him as well as one who he did not know, but the fact that the stranger was clinging to the dark-haired man irritated him slightly. Why wasn't Eli pushing her away? Then suddenly something happened that stopped his train of thought, a mental shock.
This rather bold girl had suddenly stuck to Eli to kiss him.
It was the drop of water that made the vase overflow for Aesop. He stood up suddenly, not caring about attracting attention, and left the room. He also left the building and started to walk without really knowing where to go. It was only after about ten minutes that he realized that he did not know where he was and that it was starting to rain.
A few drops turned into a downpour and he was soon soaked to the bones. But he didn't care. All that was imprinted in his mind was that scene of Eli kissing someone else. Aesop wasn't stupid, he suspected it was probably one-sided and that this person might have just had too much to drink. But there was also the possibility that it wasn't and that was why he had run away.
He didn't want to see what would happen next and how Eli would react.
To be honest, he was tired of this.
He was tired of these feelings, of this attachment to the brunet. He had been trying to distance himself but Eli always somehow managed to intrude into his heart and stir up trouble. All those times he called him by his name, smiled at him...
"Ae...sop-!"
Ah, had he finally gone crazy? He wasn't entirely sure because of the noise caused by the rain, but he almost thought Eli just called his name.
"Aesop!"
This time it was more clear and distinct. The young man turned around and widened his eyes when he was greeted by the vision of the brown-haired man running towards him.
"E...li-"
"Aesop! Why did you leave so suddenly!?"
The brunet didn't give him time to answer and placed his coat over his head to cover him from the rain. Ha. He had pissed him off and Eli even gave him his coat. He was really just causing him trouble.
"Sorry."
"You can apologize later, let's get out of here to shelter from the rain for now!"
Eli grabbed Aesop's wrist but the latter did not move an inch.
"Why are you here? Shouldn't you go back? I was just going to go back to the dormitory because I was tired and I can handle myself."
Aesop was staring at the ground the whole time, afraid to look up and see Eli's displeasure directed at him. However, the brown-haired man's hands resting on his shoulders drew his attention to the blue-eyed one. Against all odds, Eli didn't look angry, on the contrary, he seemed concerned and even... hurt?
"Aesop, I've known you for years, I know something has been bothering you lately. We can talk about it if you want, but could we go somewhere else first or we might catch a cold."
He knew something was wrong. It was nothing surprising but how would he react when he learned the reason for his behavior? He was approaching a dead end. He knew Eli wouldn't let go until he told him what was bothering him. Maybe... Maybe this was all a setup. Maybe it was a sign to tell him to let go.
"Aesop?-"
The gray-eyed male took a step forward and grabbed the dark-haired man's face between his wet hands and then stood slightly on his toes and kissed the other man. He would apologize again later but just this once, if he could be forgiven for this act of selfishness to convey his feelings.
Their kiss lasted only a moment but that was all he needed. Their lips then parted but Aesop didn't pull away yet, still holding Eli's face inches from his.
"You're the cause of my problems, Clark."
"Aesop- I... I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner."
"I guess it's a good thing if you didn't notice."
"Since when...?"
"Maybe... middle school?" he said, letting out a weak laugh. "Anyway, I think I feel much freer now. I'm sorry I caused you to worry, you can forget about all that."
Aesop was about to pull his hands away but then Eli put an arm behind his waist and caught one of his hands in his own.
"How can you say that!?"
"Eli-?"
"You declare your feelings to me and you want me to forget?!"
"You don't feel the same way, there's no point in you-"
"Who said that..."
Aesop saw his vision darken but that was only because Eli had moved closer to kiss him again. What did that mean? Was he pitying him so as not to hurt his feelings? Aesop wanted to push him away, but Eli hugged him tighter and pressed his lips against his own harder.
Even when he pulled away to catch his breath, it lasted only a few seconds before his mouth met his again. The two men kissed in the rain, again and again, changing angles and exploring the mouth of the other with passion.
Then Aesop finally found the strength to push Eli back.
"Eli- I can't breathe-"
The brunet leaned in to kiss him one last time regardless, more gently, holding his face tenderly.
"Sorry, I got carried away."
Eli wrapped his arms around him and laid his face in the crook of Aesop's neck.
"No... It's okay..."
"Aesop, I'm sorry for everything you went through because of me but- The truth is... I love you too."
He...?
Aesop slid his hands down Eli's back and clutched his sweater.
"What- This isn't a joke I hope...?"
"Hey, that's mean." he replied with a chuckle. "But it's not. It really is the case... And I think it's been several years."
"How? You were dating Gertrude until recently."
"I know. There's one thing I didn't tell you though, Gertrude... She's the one who actually left me. She said... She told me that she liked me a lot but felt that someone else was in my heart. It wasn't until recently that I realized who she was talking about and I know it may seem hard to believe but..."
"Eli..."
"Aesop, I really do love you. Not just as a childhood friend but more than that. You may doubt me but I will do anything to earn your trust and show you that my feelings are genuine."
"Eli, I believe you so would you please let go of me...?"
The brunet hesitated for a moment but granted his request and withdrew his arms. However, he felt a sudden pressure on his face and his lips met Aesop's again. Eli widened his eyes but returned the kiss, feeling the other male grinning. Nevertheless he pulled away abruptly and turned his face the other way to sneeze and break the mood that had just been built. Aesop opened his eyes wide but was quick to burst out in laughter at the situation and returned his coat to Eli.
"S-Sorry..."
"What kind of crazy idea is that to stand in the rain without covering yourself."
"You're one to talk..."
The two men exchanged a laugh and Aesop grabbed Eli's hand to intertwine his fingers with his.
"Let's go home together."