In the Beat of a Wing {boyxboy}

Chapter Twenty-Two

"I suppose," Eden wasn't entirely convinced, or maybe he was just not ready to accept the points that Lex was making. Maybe it was more that there was another underlying issue Eden wasn't comfortable discussing just yet.

"Do you love Malcolm then?" and there was the question, the question that Eden honestly didn't know how to answer. He cared for Malcolm, he was aware of that, he wouldn't deny that. He just wasn't sure it was love. He had said he loved Isaac, but he wasn't sure that was true love, maybe it was just a strong affection. Eden didn't want to make the mistake of telling Malcolm he loved him if he wasn't sure it was entirely genuine. Even though he hoped it was.

"What's stopping you from admitting it, Edee? Not to him, everyone's afraid to say the words out loud but what's stopping you from accepting it in your own mind?"

"I think..." Eden searched for the correct words to get his point across, "when you say it out loud, you're just admitting to the other, you're making it known, that's not the hard part. It's when you accept it yourself that's the scary bit. When you accept that you love someone, it becomes real, everything becomes real, and when it's real, people can get hurt-" Eden paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, "people can get killed."

"You're afraid of losing him like Archie?" Eden nodded silently, knowing Lex would be able to feel the movement, "you can't live in fear, Edee, living in fear just isn't living. It's surviving, and that isn't enough. I'm not saying call Malcolm right now and profess everything, I'm just suggesting that maybe you should stop worrying about someone else taking him away from you because, in staying quiet about your feelings, you might actually be pushing him away yourself," honestly, five in the morning might have been the best time to talk, Lex was making a lot of sense.

"Don't piss him off, please," Eden whispered to Lex as they walked up the driveway to Leon's house, "he's got a temper and you know he doesn't like you," Lex merely chuckled, wrapping an arm around Eden's waist, his grip tight enough that the boy couldn't shake it.

"Things are getting good with me and Wyatt, he's just as possessive, y'know? I wouldn't screw that up just for a little fling with you. Malcolm should just chill out, I'm not interested."

"Your hand on my ass might tell him otherwise," Eden knocked on the door, "it's your fault if he hits you, honestly, and he'll hit you hard. You're playing with fire," Lex wore a mischievous smirk, placing a light kiss on the top of Eden's hair, making the boy roll his eyes. The door swung open thankfully after Lex had returned to his previous position, revealing Slate, who shook his head as he sighed.

"Well, this is gonna be interesting," Slate murmured, stepping to the side to allow Eden and Lex to enter Leon's house, "Mal's in a bad mood already, I'd advise keeping your distance, for your own sake," Slate warned Lex as Eden walked in front, frowning only at the mention of Malcolm's dark mood.

"I'm not afraid of him, and Eden invited me here as a friend, I don't intend to blow him or anything, it's all just joking around," Eden knew Lex wasn't exactly comfortable around Malcolm's friends yet, and he had a particular issue with Reivon and Slate.

"Just friendly advice," Slate said dryly, probably hoping quietly that Malcolm would actually lose it in front of Lex, although Eden wouldn't be pleased if he did.

As the three entered the kitchen, a smile wove its way onto Eden's lips at the sight of Malcolm perched on the kitchen counter drinking coffee. Despite the scowl on the man's face, Malcolm looked like he usually did; bright eyes, hard stare, intent expression. It almost made Eden want to giggle like a little girl knowing that man was all his. Reivon, Leon and Arian were also in the kitchen, the latter stood watching something cook on the stove whilst the two others were wrestling with two young boys, around three or four, trying their best to feed them.