The Blue Eyed Visitor

The Way You Make My Heart Ache

Breakfast was usually a quiet time for both Ethan and Tyler, but not today. Whether this was due to all the happy hugs or the way that Aremis was inhaling all of the toast and pancakes that got near him, all three men were having a splendid time.

“These bread circles are delightful!” the Amare sighed.

Ethan snorted and nearly choked on his orange juice, earning a concerned look from Tyler while Aremis poured more syrup on his pancakes. Ethan wiped his lips and sat his cup down, smiling despite the new soreness in his throat.

“They're called pancakes silly, and they're made out of batter.” Tyler rolled his eyes at the conversation, grabbing another strip of bacon before the alien could see and try to eat it. Which would have ended badly with his dislike of meats.

Aremis just tilted his head in confusion at the name, and Ethan chuckled again as he watched the slender lips of the Amare mouth the word “pancakes” again and again. There was even more amazement in the blue eyes when syrup was introduced.

“Aremis, for heaven’s sake,” Ethan yelped. “Slow down!”

Tyler sighed as he placed another couple of fluffy pancakes on Aremis’ empty plate. He ignored the glare from his boyfriend. If Aremis wanted to eat himself into a food coma, that was his choice, right?

The Amare immediately began digging in once again, and though the thought was tempting, Tyler decided he wouldn't tell him about powdered sugar or whipped cream quite yet. After a minute Ethan gave up his one sided glaring contest and focused on his food, giving Tyler the perfect opportunity for some morning shenanigans.

“Hey, babe?” Ethan lifted his head and turned towards him, his mouth full of food muffling his sound of surprise when Tyler swept a syrup covered finger across his lips, the sticky maple condiment dripping down his chin.

“Mmmmh!”

The two men kiss and both are sticky lipped and giggling madly. Aremis cooed at the sight, and then takes a couple more bites of what was left of the pancakes on his plate. Thankfully he pats his stomach indicating that he is finally full, and it’s hard to tell who is more relieved.

“I’m heading to work a little early today,” Tyler mentioned. “Lots of things to work on.”

Ethan could feel his face fall at this information. He had enjoyed the mini vacation that they had so far, and the thought of not seeing Tyler until after 5pm each evening was horrible.

Then there was the chance he could always work overtime, which would keep him out of the house even longer. He could only hope that over the last few days together Tyler would want to come home sooner and spend time with him, maybe even the added jealousy towards Aremis would draw him back home by 5:30.

“Okay.” He wanted to say more, but couldn't get the heavy words off his tongue. Aremis looked between the two, his smiling falling as he sensed the new feeling.

Tyler sighed at the response. He knew with the Amare there that Ethan wouldn’t ask more questions, but it still hurt. He did have a plan with all of the extra hours. He had been saving bits and pieces of every paycheck for something really special. Just a few more days and he could tell Ethan about it.

“Master Tyler,” Aremis whispered, and Tyler turned to look at the white haired man. “The feeling that you are radiating is confusing to me. Why are you...anxious?”

Tyler coughed as he shuffled around to grab his wallet and the keys to his car. Ethan raised his eyebrows at the speedier pace. What was Tyler up to?

“I’ll try to get back early if I can,” Tyler muttered quickly as he pressed his lips to Ethan’s forehead.

He tried to tilt his head just enough to actually kiss him, but Tyler was already stepping away and quickly grabbing his blazer from the coat rack. Normally the older man leaving for work would only dampen his mood, but he'd soon forget about it while he himself got ready.

He had today off from work though, and after such a quick turn to the start of a seemingly perfect day, Ethan couldn't stop tears from building up when the door clicked shut.

Aremis stared with worried and confused eyes as his smaller friend wiped at his, the look of frustration clear on his face, but the emotions surrounding him were so densely mixed it was almost suffocating to try and understand.

“Master Ethan, is everything . . alright?”

Ethan glanced over at the hearing of his name, and with all the power that he could muster willed himself to stop crying. This was a nice day, and he wasn’t going to let his own worries and assumptions ruin it. Tyler loved him. They had loving kissed in their bed together. They had made love in his dreams.

“I’m fine,” Ethan said quickly. “Just still getting used to...eating so much breakfast in the morning. Tyler and I never really...take the time in the morning to have much of a conversation.”

The Amare leaned forward at the kitchen table as he listened. His bright blue eyes blinked up at Ethan in a way that even now the smaller man wasn’t used to. As if every single word that he said mattered.

“You both should talk more,” Aremis said, with a tone more serious than Ethan had ever heard. “You two are just wonderful together when you are talking to each other.”

Ethan felt his bottom lip begin to tremble again, and he had to bite down on his tongue to stop it from going any further. He wiped his eyes one final time and leaned back in his chair, taking a breath before he stood up.

“I wish we did, it's just hard sometimes.” He reached for Aremis’ plate, and after the few seconds it took for him to make sure there was nothing left to eat, he handed it over. Ethan smiled and headed back towards the kitchen to rinse off the plates, while the Amare questioned him from his seat.

“I don't understand, how is it hard to talk to a loved one? The love you two feel in your souls for the other is breathtaking, I would have figured talking would be quite easy for you with a bond such as that.” Ethan smiled lightly at that, shutting off the tap as he finished the breakfast dishes. He turned around and leaned against the counter, shrugging casually.

“I thought it would be to. I'm always trying to get him to talk and open up to me, but I just can't get him to anymore. It's like he . . sometimes I feel like he . . . doesn't want to fix us.”

The phrase caused Aremis to tilt his head again, and Ethan already could tell what the next question was going to be.

“It’s an expression, Aremis,” he chuckled. “We aren’t broken...at least not like a damaged toy or chipped plate or anything.”

Aremis nodded, looking slightly relieved.

“Doesn’t want to fix us,” Ethan continued, turning around to focus of washing the dishes in the sink. “As in that Tyler doesn’t want to talk about how to make changes to help our relationship. It’s nothing new. We’ve been...it’s been rough for a while now.”

Ethan heard the Amare get up. The sound of his bare feet moved closer to him and soon the taller man was with him at the sink, grabbing a small towel to help him begin to dry.

“Is that why you and Master Tyler went camping? To...listen to each other’s hearts again?”

Ethan looked over at the gorgeous face, and nodded.

“Yeah. I think so. That’s a nice way to see it.”