Glittering

Eric sighed contently, his eyes closed, his arms and legs spread out over the bed as he lay completely still. Nothing moved inside of the room, there were no noises, no voices, and no movement. He had just woken up mere moments ago, being in a state of mind between sleep and being awake. His thoughts were dizzy, fluffy and somehow foggy, though there was still a wide smile on his lips.

Eric turned to the side, curling up into a ball before he opened one eye, blinking softly and yawning widely then. The boy threw a quick glance towards the clock, seeing that it was some minutes after ten o’clock in the morning. He sighed again, but then he moved up, scratching the back of his head, still being so sleepy.

But he wondered. Wondered about where the man was he was supposed to see when awaking, and he normally did that too. Andreas never got up earlier than Eric, he always laid there, stroking the boy’s skin softly and just watching him during sleep. Some time ago he had confessed that he had watched Eric for over two hours, never getting enough of the sight of the boy being softly asleep, light snoring passing his soft lips together with pleased sighs.

“Andy?” Eric called, his voice sounding raspy and flannelly to him, so he cleared his throat, yawning again afterwards. Nobody responded to him, the flat was completely silent. Where did Andreas go this early? And… furthermore, why didn’t he tell Eric about it?

The boy sighed, he didn’t worry. Perhaps Andreas had to fix certain things, not willing to do them when the younger was up. Eric normally didn’t care, but he missed his boyfriend still. Again he laid back on the bed, stretching his body out before he held up his hand, a ridiculously wide smile spreading over his full lips again.

The sun fell through the window, creating soft light in the bedroom and some sunrays also fell on the ring Eric was wearing. Actually it was nothing special, just a ring, but there was something very special about it. There was a small diamond on it and it looked like glowing to Eric when it was reflecting the sunrays just like it did now.

Giggling softly Eric turned to the side, curling up into a ball and looking at the ring with a dreamy expression spreading over his whole face. His forefinger brushed carefully over the small stone, almost caressing it.

Andreas had surprised him with it yesterday evening, when they had been about to go out to party. Eric had complained over his lover being the slow one this time, teasing him that even the boy had been faster with dressing up than him, which actually did mean something. But the older had just smiled, kissing him softly, telling him to close his eyes, and Eric had done so. When he had opened them again, he had this ring on his finger, just fitting there like it belonged right there.

He had cried, cried because of the happiness he had felt, just because of a small ring. He had wrapped his arms around Andreas, pressing tightly against him and had told him how much he loved him over and over again. In the end they had decided to not go out, but instead lay in bed, talking and cuddling. Something quite unusual for them both.

Eric turned on his stomach, his eyes still on the diamond. He knew it didn’t mean he and Andreas would marry or engage. But from the very beginning on, Andreas had made clear that he wasn’t the kind of man giving presents every day and that he wouldn’t celebrate every week because they were one week more together. And when Andreas bought Eric something, it was something special. Not that the older had never bought the boy anything, it just meant so much to him.

Shortly after he heard the front door open and close again, heavy steps echoing through the flat and he smiled again, jumping up from the bed but stumbling slightly as his eyes started to refuse to work properly now. But oh, he didn’t care. Eric hurried to the corridor, seeing Andreas working on undoing his shoes there and he just squealed as nearly tackling him down to the floor. A surprised sound escaped Andreas, but he wrapped his arms around the small frame in front of him, smiling softly as he sighed.

“I woke up and you weren’t there.” Eric complained in a muffled voice shortly after, having his face still buried in the man’s shirt, mostly to hide the wide grin over his lips. The older chuckled deeply, stroking through the boy’s messy hair and patting his back softly. “As I see, you still survived it.” He teased, chuckling even more as he felt the weak hit against his side.

Andreas wrapped his arms tightly around Eric, lifting him up a little to have the boy’s face in front of his, seeing the glittering eyes and the lips, still being in a happy smile. He sighed contently, leaning forward and kissed his lover slow and gently, though it only lasted for mere moments before he pulled back again. “You are so beautiful.” Andreas sighed, his eyes showing that he really meant it. “And that ring fits just perfect on you.”

Eric squealed again, leaning forward to kiss the other with a little too much force, so that they crashed their foreheads together. The boy pulled back groaning lowly as stroking his forehead, while Andreas was just laughing heartily. “And that’s why I love you!” The man said happily, pulling Eric down to him for another kiss.

“What do you mean?” The boy asked, after having broken the kiss again, still smiling so widely. “Because I’m silly?”

Andreas shook his head in another laughter before he stood up, helping the thin boy up as well, before he wrapped his arms around him again. “That’s just one reason why. But the thing that I love about you the most, is that you are so pure. You don’t fake any emotions, you just let them out.”

The whispered words reached Eric’s ears though his brain took a while to work them out. He looked up to Andreas. He knew that for the singer the hardest thing to deal with was that mostly everyone around them knew that they played in a quite successful band, always faking friendships just to get at least some fame. It is depressing in fact, when you have to realise that the person you felt close to, is just around you because you are famous.

“You are just you, you have always been from the very beginning on. You are still Eric, little, lively and happy Eric, always having a joke to cheer me up.” Andreas went on, his voice still low and quiet, though it wasn’t sad. It was somehow... happy. Yes, he really sounded happy over what he said. “I love you so much, Eric.”

“I love you too.” The boy replied, relaxing as he noticed that Andreas wasn’t sad at all, that he just wanted him to know.

“You know why I bought you the diamond?” The man asked after a short while of silence. Eric shook his head, looking at Andreas with big, questioning eyes. Of course, he knew that Andreas loved him but he doubted that this was the only reason for the man to buy him a diamond ring. It must’ve had a special meaning to the older, something he wanted to show Eric, too.

“Because that is what you are to me, Eric. Clear, pure, somehow mysterious and I can somehow see through you. You don’t wear a mask to hide certain things from me, yet you do have secrets. You don’t bow for me, because you want me to take you as you are and I do it. I don’t want you to change for me, for anyone. A diamond would never do, they have to be broken to be formed and I’ll never let anybody break you.” He smiled, stroked through Eric’s face in a soft motion, his eyes being full of warmth and love for the boy in front of him.

Eric looked at him for a while, nearly staring with his eyes wide open. His brain was working quite slow, due to him having woken up just some minutes ago. He blinked softly, still looking at Andreas with big blue eyes, that showed something like the question if he had heard that correctly.

Then the boy bit down on his lower lip, his eyes starting to water up before he raised his hand, forcing his gaze away from his boyfriend to the ring on his hand, glowing by the soft sunlight. He sniffled quietly, tears starting to run down his pale cheeks as a happy smile showed up on his smile. Eric wrapped his arms tightly around Andreas again, pressing close to him as starting to cry.

He wanted to thank the other for being here with him, for holding him when he felt lost, for cheering him up when he felt down, for loving him when he felt like hating the whole world, for being with him when everybody would leave, but he knew he was unable to form a proper sentence. He buried his face in the man’s shirt, wetting it with his tears, though they were no tears of sadness. Eric was just happy, and thankful.

Andreas wrapped his arms around the thin boy in front of him, nuzzling his face into the boy’s hair and sighed as smelling the scent that was just Eric. “Don’t cry, love, there’s nothing to cry about right now.” He spoke quietly, stroking Eric over the dark strands, still smiling though. He knew why the boy was crying. Not that he had gotten used to it, he would never get, because he hated to see Eric cry in any way, but he knew when the younger cried because of something happy or something sad.

Eric shook his head, just to nod it the other moment, then he laughed quietly over himself. “I’m just so happy that I have you, that you are the one telling me those things.” He sniffled, tightening his grip around Andreas as if he was afraid that he would just leave the next moment. “I’m so happy that you say those things and that you mean them.”

The older smiled softly, pulling back a little as cupping Eric’s cheeks to make the boy look at him. He was just smiling, watching him and smiling, showing Eric that he really meant them even though he knew that the boy knew. He leaned forward to kiss his boyfriend gently, making Eric melt immediately.

He just closed his eyes as leaning closer, his hand finding Andreas’ as entwining their fingers and squeezing his hand softly, showing the answer he didn’t speak out.

And again the sun fell through the window, meeting the reflecting diamond and creating little spots of light on the wall and their clothes.