"Ad nullum consurgit opus, cum corpore languet." -Gallus

The mind cannot grapple with any task when the body is languid.

"Oh god, you got me so tired..." Eddy complained the moment they woke up.

"You're the one who insisted that you ride me." Brett argued, holding Eddy close. "Come here, I'll just carry you around today." Brett added.

"No, enough of you carrying me around. It's what got us in this mess from the first place." Eddy said, not moving away from Brett.

"A mess you willingly and consensually took part of." Brett joked.

"Well, if you're gonna mess me up, you better do it in the best way possible." Eddy said lowly.

"Honey, don't say shit like that unless you want me to break you." Brett taunted as he kissed Eddy's collarbone.

"But what if I do want you to break me?" Eddy taunted back.

"Do I have your consent to rough sex?" Brett joked.

"Yes... I thought you'd never ask." Eddy said breathlessly as Brett was caressing him.

- - - - -

"Brett, I love you... I really do, but you have to stop initiating sex when we have to work. I feel so fucking useless just lying here." Eddy complained as Brett tucked him in the clean bed, bathed and clothed with freshly dried hair.

"I'm not the one who said 'Wow, your past self was extremely horny.' Then proceed to straddle my husband in order to prove him wrong, only to consensually have sex with him for three rounds." Brett retorted as he smiled at Eddy while emailing to the apparel team about the next photoshoot concept.

"But still..." Eddy tried to reason.

"Honey, you did all the work last night. Let me do our work now..." Brett coaxed as he stood up from the desk to kiss Eddy's forehead.

"God, I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Just lie back and let me take care of it. You could always give input, I'll be staying next to you, anyway." Brett suggested as he settled next to Eddy.

After a few hours of exchanging emails and listing down video ideas, Brett finally shut his laptop off and completely relaxed next to Eddy.

"You good, Brett?" Eddy asked as he smoothed Brett's hair.

"Of course, just wanna hold you close..." Brett replied as he slowly leaned closer to Eddy.

"You tired?"

"A little, yeah."

"Want a massage?" Eddy asked thoughtfully.

"No hubby, I'm alright. I just wanna relax with you if that's okay?" Brett asked back.

"Of course..." Eddy replied.

They settled deeper under their blanket and sighed with content.

"Hey, did you ever think you'd end up with me?" Eddy asked, quietly looking at Brett.

"Honestly, no. Did you?" Brett asked back.

"No." Eddy replied honestly.

Both just laughed out loud at the absurdity of the conversation. Once the quiet creeped in again, Eddy was left deep in thought.

"Would you ever do the same thing past Brett did?" Eddy started.

"I think we've pretty much established that Brett Yang in every lifetime, whether past, present or future, is a sucker for Eddy Chen." Brett said, eyes still closed.

"Well, I'm glad that it didn't take a failed marriage for me to realize that I wanted and needed to be with you." Eddy whispered.

"And for that, I'm grateful. I don't think I need anyone anymore..." Brett whispered back.

"God, I love you, hubby. I don't think you'd understand if I put it to words." Eddy started. "You may have ruined my standards of love but you ruined it in the best way possible." He added as he kissed Brett's forehead.

"Dude, that sounds like something written by Tchaikovsky." Brett joked as he accepted Eddy's kisses.

"I bare my heart and soul as poetically as I can in this modern day and age, this is what I receive in return? My lover calling me dude as he accepts my affectionate smooches. This is not rightful requital. We shall have to part soon, for it seems you do not cherish me anymore." Eddy mocked as he made everything sound like it came from a romance novel made in the 1800's.

"Honey, my past life already laid it out for you before. Sorry for raising your expectations through the roof. For in this life, I could only hold you close to me and promise you the next fifty years of my life that only ever belonged to you, my beloved." Brett parroted as he mocked Eddy's dramatic declarations.

They both laughed so hard that their stomachs ached. Eddy had tears in his eyes and Brett's laughs slowly died down. Slowly, there is a flashback that creeped up on his spine and engulfed his mind.

Brett Yang does not want to believe it. He simply cannot love that man, Edward Chen. He simply cannot love any man at all, for it is illegal. He needs to swallow all these feelings and to digest them completely. He needs to throw it all away because it simply cannot be. He is not free to love Edward and he knows.

But that doesn't mean that he can forget the way the name Eddy Chen slipped away his tongue so gracefully. The way the taste dance in his tongue, so sweet yet there is a lingering bitterness to it. The way it glides down his tongue, so easily and effortless. It was simply beautiful and he had never spoken another's name that way. That was only reserved for Eddy Chen.

He cannot forget the wildfire that had spread throughout his bloodstream, fueling a desire that he was not intending on awakening. The poet in him was longing for love, a muse to always write about, a character basis for his novel, a someone who is consistent in his life and his art. He does not admit it but maybe this is love.

"God, I love you too." Brett started out of nowhere.

Eddy wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled.

Everything is gonna be alright.