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“Stop flirting and warm up,” Jeff yells from the sound box. Eli feels his face go hot, but Alex continues grinning at him as if everything is fine, as if this is normal.
“You do realize,” Eli says, a few moments later, eyes still closed, “how ridiculous it is that we’ve been on three dates, and the fact that you’re gay is a revelation.”
Eli mutters something in Spanish, and Alex is still confused but is now also a little turned on. He knew angry Russian did it for him, but it seems he needs to add judgmental Spanish to his list of kinks as well.
“I was just having a lot of feelings this morning!” Alex yells back. “And I have way too much money. Can you please just let me do nice things for you?!” Eli is silent for several seconds. “Fine.”
“No, you know what? This is bullshit.” “What?” “I shouldn’t have to not give you certain gifts because of some fucked up unwritten heteronormative rules about what men are and aren’t allowed to do for their male friends. I should be trying to change the way people think, not just blindly following the shitty system that exists.”
Alex is covered in glitter and his sign is probably the gaudiest thing Eli has ever seen. It says, in wobbly gold lettering, “Eli: #2 on the ice, #1 in our hearts.” It’s so awful he kind of loves it.
Eli leans against the doorframe, watching as Alex, kneeling with his back to the hallway, smooths his thumbs over Hawk’s brow bone, fingers curled in the thick fur beneath her jaw. “—and I’m working on it. It’s just— You do a really good job, you know that?” Alex is murmuring. “You take such good care of Eli, and I probably would have been freaking out a lot more if you hadn’t been with him. So. Thank you. For that.” He presses a kiss between her little furry eyebrows, sitting back on his heels. “You’re such a good girl.”
Eli grins. “Right. Well, a ‘soft bro’ is a bro who looks like a bro, but is also really sweet and gentle and extra loveable. “Oh. And they say is me?” Kuzy asks, delighted. “Yep.” “I am soft bro.” “Yeah, you are.”
“Alex loves you,” Kuzy says easily. “So touch okay.” “What? No. No. Alex doesn’t—” “I’m not stupid,” Kuzy says, “just because English bad. Very smart in Russian. Not need smart, though, to see Alex loves you. And”—it’s almost an afterthought—“you love Alex.”
“You drive me crazy,” Alex says. “All the time. And then you say things like— And it’s stupid. Because you’re”—he gestures wordlessly, unable to describe everything that makes Eli so—“you’re you. And that’s…the best thing. Anyone would be lucky to have you. I would be lucky to have you. Not, like, the other way around.”
Alex grins. “You want to make out like a couple of teenagers for a while?” Eli grins back at him. “Yes, please.”
“Hey,” Alex says again, blinking slowly at him. “You’re here.” “Uh. Yeah?” “Good. You should always be here.”
“And on the eighth day,” Cody intones, eerily similar to the pastor at Cody’s church back home, “the Lord made hockey asses. And Eli felt one. And it was good.” “Hallelujah,” Eli agrees.
Tienes novio y no me dijiste nada hasta ahora? ¿Por qué nunca me dices nada? ¿Cómo se llama? ¿Cuánto tiempo llevan juntos?”
He is not prepared for Eli in his kitchen wearing the Louboutins. He is, however, prepared to admit it now: They’re sex shoes.
Alex tugs on the hem of the jersey. “Are you wearing anything under this?” he asks, resisting the urge to check for himself. “Mr. Price,” Eli says, grinning. “What kind of boy do you think I am? Of course. I’ve got underwear on.”
“All right.” Eli takes an intentional breath. “So. We’re doing this, then.” “We’re doing what?” “This—we’re in love. With each other. That’s a thing that’s happening.”
“I was so lonely before you. Except I didn’t even realize I was lonely. I thought that was the way I was supposed to be.”
