Bennett woke up to find Edward was not by his side. He lets out a heavy breath as he sits up, he can tell that he hasn't been asleep for long.
It was one of those nights when the two of them just kept going until they were completely out of breath. So Bennett was more than a little surprised to see that Edward wasn't soundly asleep.
He then felt worried that maybe Edward was feeling sick, or something terrible. He pulls on the nearest piece of clothing, immediately realizing it was Edward's favorite shirt, the scent of his lover enveloping his senses and filling him with comfortable warmth.
He finds the candle that served as their light earlier that night, lights it and holds it carefully as he moved downstairs. He was hoping he'd find Edward on his work station, probably working on another violin or checking on the ones he had been working on the past days.
But when Bennett got downstairs, there were no signs of Edward anywhere. There wasn't even a single candle lit. Bennett's heart stopped, where could Edward be at this time?
He took in a few breaths, deciding that maybe Edward simply stepped outside for some fresh air. But that was something they did together, so it wouldn't make sense for Edward to just go out on his own. Something else must have happened.
He goes back upstairs and decides to get dressed. If his lover was out there, he'd want to make sure nothing wrong would happen. He wraps himself in his black cloak, so if anyone were to see him, they wouldn't dare come near him. He decides to take one of Edward's cloaks as well, just in case his lover stepped out without one.
As soon as he stepped out, he heard Edward's voice - he was talking to someone. Suddenly, Bennett's heart ached. Edward was awake in the middle of night, and he was outside talking to someone – what was Bennett supposed to think?
He decided to follow the sound of Edward's voice. It sounded close. Bennett took some comfort in the fact that he is yet to hear another voice answer his lover. So maybe Edward was simply talking to himself? He did that sometimes, when he needed to clear his head.
After a brief moment, Edward let out a quiet laugh. The sound silenced Bennett's thoughts. Even something so simple, so delicate, was enough to completely overtake Bennett's senses. For a moment, he forgot what he was doing.
And then, Edward was talking again. Bennett followed the voice, and realized Edward was just at the back of the house. Before he could turn the corner, Bennett stopped himself and figured he could hear clearly from there.
"You are so beautiful," Edward said softly, and Bennett froze.
"When I first saw you, I thought I was dreaming." Edward added, and Bennett felt an ache spread in his chest.
Was Edward out here, talking to a secret lover? A woman?
"I want to thank you. You brought the lord Bennett to me." Edward said, his voice painted with fondness.
A sigh escaped Bennett's lips, and suddenly he felt silly for thinking Edward was having a secret affair. Edward was simply talking to his horse, Bennett couldn't help but chuckle. He sank to the floor, deciding to listen in a little longer.
"I still do not understand why he will not give you a name. I wonder if I can give you a name? I wonder if he would like that. I know you will like it." Edward cooed.
Bennett smiled, that was exactly what he wanted, for Edward to name his horse.
"What shall I call you, you beautiful creature?" Edward thought aloud, "Maybe Spirit? You like that? I like the sound of that. I wonder if your master will like it? Perhaps it is too... simple? Maybe it sounds too common? Ah well, I am a commoner after all, common is all I know."
Bennett couldn't help but hurt over this. Edward always looked down on himself like that. Spirit was a lovely name, and it fit his horse perfectly. Quietly, he decided to name his horse Spirit, but wait until Edward suggests it.
"Spirit, you find it hard to sleep. Is it because you are not in a stable? I apologize. If your master had chosen to live where he was supposed to, you would be in a stable." Edward said, his voice painted with sadness.
Bennett frowned, thinking about building a stable for his horse. Also considering that he could keep his horse at the stables, even if he weren't there to look after her.
"This is all I can offer you, so I hope you will take it. I love you, Spirit." Edward said softly. And soon enough, the lovely sound of his violin danced in the air.
Bennett recognized this sound, it was Edward's lullaby. He has heard it many times, on nights when they wanted to fall asleep but could not. It was one of Bennett's favorites, because it didn't sound as sad as Edward's other compositions.
It sounded more like a quiet call for some serenity. As if the violin was asking the gods themselves to bless the listener with enough calm to lull them to sleep.
Bennett found his eyes start to droop, so he stood up and made his way back to their bed. He undressed completely, so Edward wouldn't suspect that he had gotten up.
Soon enough, Bennett felt Edward return to his side. Quietly, Edward started to undress completely and silently crawled into bed, carefully placing himself in Bennett's arms, just as he should have been all along.
Bennett moved closer, pulling Edward closer so he could whisper, "I love you." only loud enough for the wind to carry it out into the night.