“Blake,” Blaine growled into the phone.
“Love you!”
Blaine was still trying to think of where to tell his brother to shove his ‘helpful’ advice when the line beeped in his ear. With a huff of annoyance and a little affection, he tossed his phone on the couch. He wasn’t going to let Blake get to him.
All Blaine needed was a little relaxation, and Monday would be just fine.
As Eric entered their shared office Monday morning, Blaine realized Monday was not going to be fine at all.
“Morning,” Blaine said to him, earning a grunt.
Eric flopped down in his chair and scowled at the desktop. “Damn it.”
Blaine smiled, nudging the second cup of coffee on his desk forward. “Here.”
“I don’t want your coffee,” Eric told him.
“It’s your coffee, not mine. I have mine right here,” Blaine told him, holding up another cup. “Black, two sugars for you.”
Eric watched him warily but took the offered cup without another word. It was reassuring to find that Eric still wasn’t a morning person. That wasn’t to say he was any more or less moody than usual, but he had always been a little dazed and confused when he first woke up. The fact that he wasn’t completely coherent also told him that Eric had rolled out of bed pretty late.
“Late night?” Blaine asked mildly.
“None of your damn business,” Eric grunted.
Blaine closed his eyes, feeling a pulse behind his forehead. He pushed the flash of irritation down, refusing to let it find purchase in his chest. It wouldn’t do them any good if both of them were furious and snapping at one another.
“Is there any chance,” Blaine began, keeping his voice steady. “That we can just...stop this? This whole thing?”
“I didn’t ask for you,” Eric grunted.
“Not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
There was still anger in Eric’s voice, but there was a hint of something genuine too. It might not be what Blaine was hoping for, but it was something at least. He could work with that.
Blaine held Eric’s gaze. “I get it, okay? You’re pissed.”
“Blaine,” Eric began with a growl.
“I’m not arguing about it with you, it is what it is. Nothing I can do about it now since you aren’t going to let me.”
“I swear to…”
“But we’re partners. We have been for two weeks. It’s been tense and uncomfortable, and I’m tired, Eric. I’m tired of walking on eggshells, tired of feeling like anything I say is going to hurt you or upset you.”
Eric jerked back. “Hurt me? What even...fuck off.”
Blaine smiled sadly. “You’ve always been one to lash out when hurt, Eric. Claim what you want, but that’s just...look, my point is, we can’t keep going like this. It’s going to run us both into the ground, and I don’t want to...I just want us to be okay.”
“We’re not,” Eric muttered, jerking his gaze away from Blaine.
“Personally? No, we’re not. But we could be professionally. We can leave that shit at the door and just be partners, Eric. I don’t want to fight with you, Eric. I don’t want our partnership to be bitterness and anger. I can’t...I can’t live like that.”
He would grow to hate Eric. And then he would grow to hate himself for hating the one person he’d ever loved, for hating a man who was scared and hurt and didn’t know what to do but to snap and claw.
Blaine watched Eric as his partner stared down at his desk as though he might be able to drill a hole in it. For a moment, he saw the tension in Eric’s jaw tighten, then ease, relaxing further than it had ever been in Blaine’s presence. Relief trickled into Blaine, hope blossoming as he hoped against hope that he might have finally got through to Eric, that they might start on a good path.
But when Eric looked up, his eyes were hard and burning. His mouth opened, and Blaine’s hope shriveled at the rigid curl of Eric’s lips. Blaine barely noticed the person walking through the door, cutting Eric off.
“Holy hell. Blaine?” came the startled voice.
Blaine looked up, blinking at the man staring at him as if he’d grown a second head. It took him a moment to process the near doppelganger of his angry partner. The man had definitely aged, though the mid to late thirties looked good on him. There were some wrinkles around his eyes that probably made his smile warmer, and Blaine could see flecks of gray along his temples.
Blaine smiled. “Heya Sean. Long time no see.”
Eric
His brother’s shocked words shot through him, ripping Eric from his thoughts. A flush warmed his face at Blaine’s wry greeting. Eric had actually been thinking about what his partner had been saying, considering it. The offer was dangerous, or at least, it felt dangerous to him. To ease back even a little could very well be an invitation for trouble.
Then again, he could just go to the chief and tell him it wasn’t working. That would be quick, simple, and take care of everything for both of them. Eric wouldn’t have to feel like he was wound so tight that another twist would shatter him, and Blaine wouldn’t have to deal with...well, with Eric.
“What brings you to our little corner of the world?” Blaine asked.
Sean snorted. “Me? Jesus. What the hell are you doing here?”
Eric couldn’t hide his cringe, and he bowed closer to the computer as though it might make him small enough to be missed. In the past couple of weeks, he had talked to his brother a few times, mostly in text. In all of those conversations, he hadn’t once mentioned that Blaine was his new partner. Sean was bound to wonder why, but Eric wasn’t sure he had an answer for him.
“I’ve been in the city for a few weeks now,” Blaine told him.
“And uh, how long you been Eric’s partner?” Sean asked.
Blaine cleared his throat softly. “Not too long. We’re still finding our feet.”
“I’ll bet.”
Eric really didn’t like his brother’s soft tone, he could hear the threat under the gentle layers. And damned if he didn’t shoot his partner a gratified look before letting his face turn sour once more. There was no good reason on God’s green earth for Blaine to have covered for him, but he had. His partner’s answer had been just vague enough that Eric would have the chance to tell his brother whatever he wanted, and the agreement to back Eric up was implied.
It was a small thing, but against his better judgment, Eric was thankful.
“Well, little brother,” Sean began, turning toward him. “Came by to drop off some coffee and breakfast for you.”
Oh shit. Sean never referred to him as ‘little brother’ unless he was particularly ticked off.
“How nice,” Eric said between clenched teeth.
“Yes,” Sean drew out. “I knew you’d had yourself a nice long weekend and figured you probably got shit for sleep.”
Eric took a deep breath, turning to face Sean. His brother and former guardian was staring down at him with a soft, gentle smile.
Double shit.
Eric eyed the bag and drinks holder in Sean’s hands. “Well, you could have texted. I would have told you that there’s coffee here.”
“Ah, but dropping in as a surprise is one of my favorite past times. It’s fun catching you off-guard,” Sean cooed.
Blaine said nothing, but Eric could see him shift uncomfortably in his chair. Eric immediately knew what the man was going to do, having seen him do it in the past. There was no way he could shoot his partner a pleading look to stay. And he knew it wouldn’t work anyway. Blaine never stuck around when Sean was that strange mix of pleasant and hard.
Once upon a time, Eric had confronted Blaine on it, accusing him of abandoning Eric in his time of need. Blaine had laughed, curling his arm around Eric’s neck to pull him close and kiss the top of his head.
“Babe,” Blaine had said gently. “I love you, and I would do whatever it takes to make you happy and safe. But when you piss your brother off enough fo
r him to come after you, we both know you deserve it.”
“You’re still supposed to save me.” Eric had grumbled, refusing to admit Blaine was right.
“Sometimes loving someone means letting them learn their lessons. And if not learning, then at least dealing with the consequences of their actions. Plus, your brother is the sweetest person I know, but he’s scary as hell when he gets like that.”
Back in the present, Eric cringed as he stared up at his brother’s face. Blaine had been right, in everything. Eric probably did deserve his brother’s ire, and the man was terrifying when he got mad.
“Running?” Sean asked Blaine as the large man slipped behind him.
“Tactical retreat. Plus, I need more coffee,” Blaine said, slipping out the door.
Eric scowled at his partner’s apologetic look. Some things never changed.
Sean cleared his throat, kicking the door to the office closed behind him. “So.”
Eric groaned, flopping his head down onto his desk. “Sean, please. Didn’t you just get done saying I had a long weekend?”
Sean dropped the items on Eric’s desk with a snort. “Nice try. Coffee and a sandwich from Mithril’s is all the sympathy you’re getting out of me.”
Eric perked up at the mention of the little cafe. The prices matched the quality, which made them more of an occasional treat than a habit for someone on a cop’s salary. It would make up for obsessing over case files over the weekend at the expense of anything restful and sleep. It sure wouldn’t make up for whatever was about to come out of his brother’s mouth, though.
“So,” Sean said, snagging Blaine’s chair and rolling it around the desk. “When were you going to tell me that Blaine was back.”
“Just make yourself comfortable,” Eric grumbled as he snatched up the coffee.
“And that he was your partner,” Sean said as though Eric hadn’t spoken.
“Probably when I felt like it was a good time to bring it up,” Eric told him, hating the sullen tone in his voice.
Sean sat down, crossing one leg over a knee. “Right. Blaine was nice and vague about it, but I’m betting it’s been longer than a few days.”
“What makes you say that?” Eric asked.
“The extremely guilty look on your face.” Sean cocked his head, smirking at the flush coming to Eric’s cheeks. “And you only blush when you’re in trouble.”
“I do not!” Eric contested hotly.
“Well, you might at other times, but I don’t think I want to hear about those.”
“Oh, Christ, Sean. Don’t.”
“I could always ask what’s his face...God, what was the name of that guy you totally weren’t dating...Mike?”
“Mitch,” Eric grumbled. “And we weren’t together.”
“Sleeping casually with. Same with every other guy you totally haven’t dated.”
“Please get to the point. Hearing my brother talk about my...private life is getting really awkward.”
Sean made a soft noise. “Oh, right. There was one, wasn’t there?”
Eric huffed. “Don’t you dare.”
“The only man you ever actually dated. Officially that is.”
“Sean.”
“The only one you ever let in, the only one you ever loved.”
“I swear to God.”
“The same one you were absolutely heartbroken over after...you broke up.”
“Fucking...just...quit…”
“The same one who is suddenly your partner at work. Showing up after so long.”
Eric thumped his head against the desk. “Yes.”
“The one you didn’t tell me about.”
Another thump. “Yes.”
“One might think that was news you should have shared on the first day.”
Eric slumped. “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know until he was sitting in the chief’s office. And the past couple of weeks, it’s just...it’s weird okay?”
“Weird, or hard?”
“Both.”
“And uh, do you…?”
Eric didn’t let him finish the question, turning to snarl at his brother. “No!”
Sean blinked innocently. “Well, that was certainly an abrupt answer.”
“Because it’s the answer,” Eric told him pointedly. “The past is the past, remember? We talked about that, how many different times?”
“Right,” Sean said doubtfully. “But I do remember pointing out that the past has a way of affecting the present, almost like it’s the road that leads to now.”
“I’m not…” Eric started, realizing he couldn’t finish the statement.
“Mm, no, you’re not. That’s the problem.”
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“You were going to say that you’re not holding feelings for him, good or bad. That you’re fine, and that you’ve left your history with Blaine in the past.”
Okay, maybe Sean did know what he was going to say.
“Fine, save me the trouble of saying it then,” Eric muttered.
“If that were true, you would have told me Blaine was your partner. And I wouldn’t have to hear from the front desk guy that you and your partner are getting along as well as fire and oil do.”
“Officer Cochran talks too damn much,” Eric muttered.
“And you don’t talk enough,” Sean said.
Eric scowled. “You’re the one who’s always saying I need to take a breath more often.”
“Fair. You talk a lot, but you don’t say much. Better?”
“No, that’s just fucking insulting.”
“With a mouth like that, you should have been a sailor or a mechanic.”
“You just said I don’t say anything of importance!”
“You don’t. You like to hide it behind your temper, your foul mouth.”
Eric narrowed his eyes. “Don’t psychoanalyze me.”
“I don’t have to. I’m your brother. Hell, I raised your moody ass. I know you better than anyone, Eric.”
“And you say I have a foul mouth.”
Sean’s mouth curled upward. “Well, maybe not anyone.”
God, Eric hated when Sean smiled like that. It signaled he knew something everyone else didn’t, and he was going to enjoy holding it close. Blaine had been right, Sean was probably the nicest, most giving person on the planet. That didn’t change the fact that his brother was a devious little shit who wasn’t above messing with people, and he was good at it. Eric had yet to see that particular power used for evil, but that didn’t mean he liked it when it was used against him.
“I don’t want to know,” Eric muttered, turning away from Sean.
A chair creaked, and Eric felt warm arms wrap around his shoulders. Sean’s lips pressed against the side of his head, kissing him gently. Eric was still trying to be mad at his brother, he knew he was being manipulated. Still, it was Sean, the man needed his daily hugs, or he would start pouting.
“Do you remember the way he used to look at you?” Sean asked softly.
Eric stiffened at that. “What?”
“Blaine.”
“Sean, don’t. Not this.”
“I think you two were always more than friends. Maybe it didn’t get official until a couple of years later, but I saw it before that. I don’t think he did.”
“Yeah, you made me talk about that. Right after you made sure we were practicing safe sex,” Eric growled, cringing at that particular memory.
“I never told you I knew because of the way he would look at you.”
He didn’t want to know. He wasn’t going to ask. That was dangerous, that was asking for trouble.
“What way?” Eric asked hoarsely.
“Like he could see right through all your bluster, your anger. Like he knew you were doing everything you could to make sure people didn’t see right through to who you really are. Like he accepted everything you ever threw out at the world, loving you for what everyone saw, and what only he could see.”
Eric closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He didn’t know that look, but he could remember Blaine’s smile, the one he only used for Eric. The one that had told Eric his friend and eventual boyfriend had never been so happy to see someone as he was in that given moment. A smile that spoke of contentment, thrill, and pleasure only Eric could give him.
A sharp knock came at the door, followed but a curt, “Andreas, I’m coming in.”
“Oh, hell, what did I do now?” Eric muttered.
Sean stepped away from him as Chief Morgan entered the office. The older man’s sharp eyes scanned the room. His brow shot up when he saw Blaine’s empty desk but didn’t bat an eye at Sean standing in the room.
“Morning, Ron,” Sean greeted him cheerfully.
“Sean. Come to baby him or scold him this time?” Morgan asked knowingly.
“Eh, bit of both,” Sean told him.
Eric closed his eyes. “Oh, fuck you both.”
Morgan snorted. “Well, if you’re done, I need to talk to him.”
“That’s alright, I have an appointment in half an hour anyway. His coffee should be kicking in soon, so take advantage of the grogginess while you’ve got the chance.”
Eric rolled his eyes. “Go away, Sean. I’m awake now, thanks to you.”
“Ah, more’s the pity,” Sean shrugged, squeezing past the police chief.
“Love you too!” Eric called after him with a scowl.
Morgan closed the door, brow cocked in amusement. “A shame we couldn’t keep him around.”
“Why, because you want someone else to give me shit?” Eric asked.
“Yes.”
Eric grunted, not surprised in the slightest by the blunt answer. The chief was a fair man and a tolerant one. Eric supposed he would have to be, dealing with him day in and day out like the man did. He was also incredibly fond of pushing Eric’s buttons at any opportunity.
Eric sipped his coffee, eyeing Morgan. “Okay, round one was my brother. So let’s start round two. What the hell did I do wrong?”
“Other than make your partner’s life a living hell? I don’t know, you tell me.”
Eric narrowed his eyes. “I have not.”
“Uh-huh.”
Unbreak My Heart (Heroes of Port Dale Book 4) Page 6
