Schatzi

Epilogue II

Eli wasn't often sober, so he liked to enjoy the time he was allowed on the balcony when he was. He sipped his coffee slowly while watching the traffic through the wrought iron bars, his head leant against the cold metal. His legs dangled out over the space through the gaps in the bars. Despite the faint sounds of chatter and cars, it was incredibly peaceful. He obviously loved Peter but it was nice just to spend some time alone sometimes. Alone on his own terms. Never lonely. Just alone.

However that didn't make his smile any less wide when he heard the sounds of dirty dishes being moved out of the way, the tap being ran and then water being boiled. Eli had just lit a cigarette when he heard the window being opened and Peter's head popped out.

"Good morning, Schatzi," he said cheerily and swung his legs over onto the balcony.

"'Morning," Eli nodded in response.

Peter sat down next to him and Eli could immediately feel his gaze on the right pocket of his trousers where he knew he always kept his box of cigarettes and matchbook. He didn't turn to look at him, just stared forward at the creeping shadows on the building opposite as he handed Peter one and lit it for him. As he leant into the match, Eli felt Peter's warm breath on his cheek and it sent the usual shiver down his back.

That was another bad habit he'd picked up after the war, other than the drinking. He'd never got into smoking as a teenager like most people did- he didn't exactly have friends who'd peer pressure him into it. There was also no one he was trying to impress. He wasn't sure about Peter. He'd been popular enough to hang out with that crowd (Jens and Roland had always been smoking when they went around) but Eli had never really known anything about what Peter got up to with his friends. Now it had just become something to do, something new that distanced himself from the person he'd been in Berlin. After all, there was no mother around anymore to nag him about the awful smell. At least that was something he could count on. It was comforting to wake up after a terrifying nightmare about Peter shot full of holes, or Jens' bloodless corpse, or his mother on that train, or the girl with the baby, or Dolphi, or Tig... Anyway, it was nice to wake up and immediately recognise the smell as somewhere safe, somewhere far away from all that. Some mornings he'd wake up in a cold sweat, alone in the bed, but then he'd find Peter in the kitchen with a cigarette between his soft lips, his eyes closed and blond hair bobbing as he danced along to the music coming from the wireless precariously perched on the counter, scrambled eggs burning on the stove. It made Eli smile and that was enough.

"You're quiet this morning."

"Huh?"

Peter chuckled and took Eli's coffee mug from his hands so he could take a sip.
"I said, you're quiet this morning."

"Oh." Eli turned his head back again.

Silence stretched again. It was slightly awkward, but not entirely uncomfortable. They'd both grown used to this. They both had their moments. Eli had always been a bit unstable and after everything that had happened, Peter understood completely. Sometimes Eli would shut himself off for days at a time, physically if he could, emotionally if not. It often caused friction though since Peter's own psychological issues began presenting themselves in the form of never wanting to leave Eli alone. He didn't want Eli out of his sight at any point in time. He did it out of concern, and he knew at times he was overprotective, but he'd left a friend alone before and look what happened. As long as he was there beside Eli, nothing bad would ever happen to him again.