Miss you, not.

VII

His skin felt hot, in contact with Eddy's. Brett couldn't even begin to comprehend his friend today. He was different somehow. And he kinda liked it. He let himself be leaded to the dorms. People were probably watching as they manoeuvre their way through the dormitory area but he didn't care. He only had his eyes on the one in front of him.

They arrived in front of Eddy's room. He let go of Brett's hand to fish the keys out from his pocket and unlocked the door. "My roommate isn't around for the weekend." He wasn't sure why he felt the need to clarify that but he did it anyway. Maybe this was the perfect opportunity for a private talk.

"Oh," was Brett's simple reply. He was dripping wet from the rain. So he stood awkwardly beside the shoes' cabinet unmoved, not wanting to soil the carpets.

"Do you want a drink or anything?"

"No, I'm f—" he declined, feeling guilty having already intruded his living space.

"Oh you're drenched from waiting in the rain earlier. Hold on." He disappeared into his closet and came back not too long after with a towel and a change of clothes.

"Thanks." Brett gratefully took the towel and dried himself as much as he can before entering the room.

He then changed into the clothes Eddy offered. A black sweater and a grey sweatpants.

Eddy didn't know what to do with himself. He tried not to look (too much) as his dormitory room wasn't that big to begin with.

The sweater was a tad bigger than what Brett would usually wear but it was nice and comfortable and it smelled like Eddy.

"Well, uh, have a seat. Make yourself at home. I'll go make us some tea." He took a seat on the bed hesitantly as Eddy left the room.

He looked around the area. It was almost spotless. Like there were no actual signs of living, at least that was the case on Eddy's side of the room. The only thing that was used was probably the bed. Which looked like it hadn't been done in ages.

Brett noticed the plushie sitting idly beside the pillow. "Oh, hello there."

He heard some sounds coming from the kitchen. Well, you could call it a kitchen, but it was more like a small pantry without a stove or any other kitchen appliances except a microwave and electric kettle that Eddy and his roommate brought in themselves. A familiar whistle of a kettle echoed through the room.

He came back into the room with two steaming mugs. Some warm comfort, just what he needed. Brett took one from his hand carefully.

Eddy noticed his penguin plushie sitting in Brett's lap. He smiled at the adorable sight.

He took a sip of the tea. Chamomile. Excellent choice for calming down nerves. His shoulders which had been tense for quite a while now loosened up. Nothing hit quite like a warm cup of tea on a cold rainy day.

They sat in silence for a while, only the sound of sipping was heard every now and then.

Brett put the mug away and slid down to lie on his side, closing his eyes. He was starting to feel sleepy now that he was all warmed up.

"Anytime you're ready to talk about it, I'm here." Eddy said from his seat, breaking the silence.

"Mm.. Alright." Brett mumbled. "So I had uh, a little outrage. Which is unbecoming of me."

"Uh huh. A little." Eddy raised his brows in amusement.

Brett let out a soft chuckle. "Right."

"I'm sorry you had to be on the receiving end of all that." His face dimmed, feeling guilty now.

"It's okay." Eddy smiled with absolutely no hint of malice or anger. Brett thanked the gods for blessing him with such a kind and considerate friend. What did he ever do to deserve Eddy Chen?

There was silence as he arranged the words in his head on what to say next. The younger man waited patiently as he didn't want to push Brett into talking if he wasn't comfortable or ready for it.

"I don't really understand myself these days, Eddy. My moods and thoughts are all over the place."

"How long have you been feeling this way? Do you know why?" Eddy asked, concerned.

Brett opened his mouth for an answer but hesitated. He knew the answers despite denying it for quite some time now. He bit his lips.

"I- I think it's because all I've been thinking of is.. you."

A feeling akin to excitement bubbled in his stomach but the feeling of dread was present at the same time. The flurry of emotions in him was confusing him so much that he couldn't think of what was to happen next. 'What did I just say?! I mean.. it wasn't a lie but oh my god. That must've sounded so weird.'

".. oh." Eddy fought the grin threatening to form in the corners of his lips. He held up his hand to cover this mouth. 'Oh. So he has been thinking about me. In what way I wonder? What is this feeling?' His heart was beating and he couldn't stop smiling.

He was so elated yet absolutely terrified of the uncertainties that lie ahead. But somewhere inside him felt like everything was clicking perfectly.

Brett spoke up first while Eddy was distracted in his own head, "No. Never mind. Pretend I never said that. I'm tired. I'm gonna sleep now. Night." And then he turned around the other way to face the wall just as quick as he finished the sentence.

Eddy was still in shock. It took him a full 10 seconds to say anything.

"O- oh, alright." He said dumbly.

'I'm gonna have to take my time to think this over.'

It wasn't too long till he could hear soft snoring that he was sure Brett really fell asleep. 'Wow, he can sleep after all that? Must've been really exhausted.' Eddy thought.

After a shower and change of clothes, he came back into the room. Brett was now facing the other way.

Eddy was unsure if it was because of the messy hair or the way he hugged the penguin plushie that Brett himself won from an UFO catcher (later given to Eddy) when they took a trip to Japan, but Brett looked absolutely endearing. His cheek was smushed against the pillow, causing his glasses to be crooked. The image brought out a small chuckle from Eddy.

He stepped closer and quietly reached out to take the glasses off as gently as he possibly can as to not wake the other up. He then pulled the blanket over, tucking him in.

Eddy sat down on the floor and placed his arms on the bed, making himself comfortable while being able to look at the sleeping man. He smiled tenderly. Watching Brett sleep so peacefully revealed a sense of serenity in him. Eddy thought that he wouldn't mind looking at this sight forever. Was this something normal to be feeling about your best friend?

He thought that he shouldn't be a creep alas he couldn't help but to stare at the slightly parted lips at such close proximity. It was a lush shade of pink. He reckoned that it must be as soft as it looked. The view was immensely fascinating. 'Has Brett always been this attractive?'

He chased the devilish thoughts away and sighed. 'This isn't something normal to think about your friend, Eddy.'

The night for him was spent mostly deep in thoughts about some things. Did he come up with an answer? God knows. He wasn't sure when but eventually, he fell asleep as he were.