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"Come on Albrecht, please. Please come to the party"
"Why would I go there ?" Albrecht scoffs while gently shoving Friedrich away.
"Because I’ll be there" Friedrich naturally answers, looking at Albrecht straight in the eyes.
Of course.
Of fucking course he would say that.
It is the same argument he used when he asked Albrecht to go with him at a boxing match organised by his friends in Berlin.
But this time it won’t work.
"I don’t want to go" Albrecht sighs, sitting on his dormitory bed. "It’ll be too crowded and too loud and there will be drunk people, and … "
Albrecht takes a sharpen breath and looks at his pale hands, avoiding the blond boy’s gaze.
When he finally looks up, Friedrich is sitting in front of him, looking at him. Blue eyes meet blue eyes.
And oh, those eyes, Friedrich has eyes the colour of a lake in winter, peaceful but deep and unforgiving.
Albrecht couldn’t hide anything from them.
He wants them to see everything, every part of him, he wants this blue colour to embrace him entirely.
He wants him to see every part of him.
"And drunk people are violent, is that it ?" Friedrich asks softly. "Your father is violent when he’s drunk" He says that part with more anger.
"Yes" Albrecht whispers.
Still looking in Albrecht’s eyes, Friedrich takes his hands.
"I’ll protect you. Plus, we don’t have to stay too long if you want. Just 2 hours, please." Friedrich says, looking at the brunette with puppy eyes.
God, he is so stubborn.
And so beautiful like that.
Albrecht shakes his head from those thoughts. First, there’re wrong, Friedrich and him are boys and boys find girls beautiful, they don’t think that of other boys. And second, Friedrich is his friend, maybe his best friend and he doesn’t want to lose him. He is the only real friend he ever had.
"Fine for 2 hours" Albrecht replies, standing up. "But please don’t drink too much"
"I won’t. Remember, I have to protect the great Albrecht Stein, son of the not so great Heinrich Stein" Friedrich says, making a weird face at the name of Albrecht’s father and sticking out his chest, standing like he was in the military.
Albrecht frowns at the mention of his father but the face his friend makes is too funny and he can’t repress a giggle. Friedrich is grinning at him, proud of his joke, proud to make Albrecht laugh.
——————
It takes Friedrich 30 minutes to get ready.
After convincing Albrecht to come with him, they got dressed while cracking jokes, giggling and throwing pillows at each other. Friedrich was not focused on his task and Albrecht ended up waiting for him.
They are both dressed simply, jeans, sneakers, a white linen shirt for Albrecht, and a blue t-shirt for Friedrich.
Albrecht looks really good, Friedrich thinks.
"You look nice," Albrecht says, echoing his thoughts.
"You too, I mean you always look good but hum… ," Friedrich blushes "You’re really stunning today, n-not stunning but hum… nice, you’re nice, " He blurts out.
"Oh okay" Albrecht answers, looking at him with round eyes. "Well, thank you Friedrich"
The walk to the party was silent, neither of them dared to really look at each other, even though they were both dying for it.
Lost in his thoughts, Albrecht did not realise how close he got to his friend when walking. It is only when their hands touched that they both snapped out.
"Oh, sorry," Albrecht excuses himself, finally looking Friedrich.
"N-no it’s fine. And anyway we’re there," He says, pointing at Christoph who is waving at him.
He is talking to this girl, Katharina, a very pretty girl with blond hair attached in a braid. Albrecht has to admit she is pretty, but he never had any feeling for her. Unlike Friedrich who would have "happily hit on her if she wasn’t Christoph’s crush", those were his words.
"Hello lover birds," Friedrich greets them with a smile.
Katharina blushes hard and turns her head away. It is no secret that they are flirting but she seems shy about it.
"I could say the same about you," Christoph responds, looking at Albrecht and Friedrich with a grin. Albrecht feels a mix of fear and embarrassment in his stomach. "Oh don’t make that face you two, it’s okay you know. And I mean you’re always together, it wouldn’t surprise me if there was more between you." Christoph continues with a more serious tone.
"Christoph, stop that, you’re making this embarrassing." Katharina says in a soft voice. "Come on guys, let’s go inside."
She takes her boyfriend’s hand and walks towards the open door, letting the two boys alone.
"Ah, sorry for that," Friedrich apologises, scratching the back of his head. "It’s hum… Christoph thinks we’re in a relationship. I already told him that he’s wrong but he insists."
"It’s fine. I mean, I-," He sighs. "No, forget it. Let’s go inside." Albrecht tried to stay composed but the words that came to him were too difficult to say, too true maybe.
I wouldn’t mind being in a relationship with you. He thought, but he can’t say things like that, even if Christoph thinks otherwise.
Inside the house - whose house ? Albrecht doesn’t know - people were already dancing and singing, and even snogging for the most courageous ones. The air smelled like beers, sweat and perfume, reminding Albrecht of both his father and the girl’s side of the school residence, a weird mix.
Friedrich leads him to the kitchen to get drinks, sodas for now but Albrecht knows that Friedrich would soon get to alcohol, like any boys their age.
Someone cracked a window open and a fresh breeze makes it’s way in the room and on Albrecht’s face, he breathes in, trying not to think too much about the weird tension between him and his friend.
Drinks in hand, they head to the living room, greeting friends and classmates on their way.
"Albrecht, it’s amazing to see you here", the boy takes a few seconds to recognise the person talking to him. And when he does, he rolls his eyes. "Well Stein, you forgot your tong ?" Said the guy with a disgusting laugh.
"Go fuck yourself Felix", Albrecht looks at his right and sees Friedrich, cold eyed and fists clenched, ready to fight.
"What’s your problem Weimer ? Oh wait I know, you think your little wife is going to kill himself again, you’re scared ?", Albrecht feels tears rising in his eyes, he wants to leave this place, get in his bed and never wake up. "Maybe this time you can go with him, so we will be rid of all the faggots of the school."
Albrecht is used to being called names, but hearing someone saying it to Friedrich hits different, like it’s worse.
And everything happens fast, Albrecht doesn’t think. He only knows that Felix is on the floor and that his right hand hurts.
"I’m the boxer Albrecht, I could have punched him you know.", Friedrich turns to look at him with round eyes.
"You can still do it if you want."
"Nah, he’s on the floor, it’s not fair"
The two boys look at each other and start laughing, forgetting the reason of the fight, forgetting the world around them.
When they stop, Felix is nowhere to be seen and Katharina is coming to them.
"Are you okay boys ? I saw someone getting punched."
"Yeah we’re fine, Albrecht handled it perfectly." Says Friedrich with a grin.
Albrecht can’t help but smile in return.
"Okay, well, I’ll leave you to it.", Katharina says, walking back to her boyfriend.
Albrecht looks at his hand, his knuckles are red from the punch and there’s maybe a bit of blood.
"Oh shit Albrecht." Friedrich takes his hand, a look of concern in his eyes. "Come on, let’s clean that."
Albrecht follows him upstairs, Friedrich tries to open a first door but it’s locked, he has more luck with the second one, leading them to an empty bathroom.
"Great, sit here, we’re going to wash your hand" Friedrich gestures to the closed toilet.
Albrecht does, wondering what the blond boy means by "washing your hand". He understands when Friedrich turns back to him with a wet towel in hands.
"Here, it’s going to be a little bit cold but it’ll ease the pain”, Friedrich says, delicately taking Albrecht’s hand.
The boy shivers at the soft touch, he makes himself believe it’s the coldness of the towel. "I’m not in pain"
"Yeah, you’re right. Felix is." Friedrich laughs, looking up at Albrecht.
And oh, Friedrich Weimer, kneeling in front of him, looking at him like that, his blue eyes so beautiful, Albrecht can’t decide if the vision is obscene or religious. He chooses not to, letting it be both.
They stay like that for a while, hand in hand, staring at each other. Then there’s a flicker in Friedrich’s eyes, like he realises something.
"Oh fuck me", he says, dropping his gaze to the floor.
"What ? What is it Friedrich ?"
"I-I, fuck this, I like you, really, a lot and-and I don’t know why it took me so much time to realise that. I, I’m sorry Albrecht. I like you so fucking much, I can’t imagine my life without you, I don’t know how I would have lived through high school without you and I-I lov-"
He is cut by the feeling of hands on his face and lips on his and a body pressed on him. Only on world in his mind. Albrecht. Albrecht’s hands. Albrecht’s lips. Albrecht’s body.
Friedrich starts to deepen the kiss and Albrecht snaps back to reality, making space between them.
They look at each other, breathing heavily.
Albrecht feels his eyes fill with water and tears roll down his cheeks. Then a strong hand is pressed on his face, another on one his back, and he is sobbing on Friedrich’s shoulder.
"Hey what’s going on ? Is it because I kissed you ?" The blond boy whispers in his ear.
"I’m the one who kissed you", a sob "I love you"
"I love you too Albrecht, I love you so fucking much" Friedrich tightens the embrace, bringing them even closer together.
They stay like that, hugging and kissing in this bathroom before eventually going back to the main room and to their campus, a new relation between them that they have time to explore.