Edwardo's head throbbed in time with his heartbeat as he sat limply in a kind of uncomfortable armchair in his room of his family's villa. He repositioned a wet cloth he had draped over his eyes as he sipped from a water bottle.
Most of the plane trip was a total blur.
The one thing he knew for sure, and that was only because his brother corroborated his own drunken memory, was that Michael had finally answered one of his calls. Michael finally decided to talk to him, and he'd been too drunk to even hold a conversation. Then again, the only reason he'd been drinking was because Michael was ignoring him…
Of course, Edwardo realized Michael had had every right to be upset. What kind of alpha was he, anyway? Michael had done nothing but give him constant affection from day one, and Edwardo lied to his family about him. Sure, Michael had a right to know, but that was in no way the right timing for a confession. Never mind that he was a little freaked out at the time, because you know it's not every day your greatest sexual fantasy literally lands in your lap, it's just… ugh. His head hurt too badly to think about too much.
Somehow, some way, he had to make it up to Michael. He had to. Though, that was going to be very difficult seeing as they were a few thousand miles apart. Speaking of, wasn't there a time difference? What time was it back in the city now? It had to be getting late, was Michael even still up? His brother had told him to try calling Michael again once he was sober enough, but he didn't want to wait until he was "sober enough!" He needed to hear Michaels voice now!
He pulled the cloth from his face and whipped out his phone. Michael's name was at the top of the favorite contacts list. Edwardo tapped his name, praying Michael would pick up again. As it continued to ring, Edwardo prayed harder.
Finally, the phone finally picked up and a slightly sleepy voice came through the speaker. "I was wondering if you were going to call me back today.."
"Michael, I'm so sorry, I didn't wake you up did I?" Edwardo spoke softly, slightly for Michael's sake, but also for his own throbbing headache.
"Nah, I only just laid down." There was the sound of rustling blankets. "You sound hung over."
"I am… Michael, I am so, so sorry I-"
"Hold up,"
Edwardo's phone beeped, as the notification came through that Michael was trying to turn this into a video call. Edwardo accepted without hesitation, and after a few moments of buffering, a very snuggled up and cozy Michael appeared on his screen.
"Okay, you can continue." Michael shifted a little to get more comfortable. "Tilt your phone up some more, I can't see your whole face."
Edwardo complied. "Michael, I'm very sorry I lied to my family about you. That was unforgivable. I never ever wanted to hurt you like that."
"Well it did hurt." Michael pouted. "It hurt a lot. It still hurts. And honestly, I'm not ready to forgive you for it. But- I also realize I need to apologize for my behavior. I tried to force you into having sex again, without asking if you were ready. That wasn't right of me, so… I'm sorry about that. You look… really hungover right now."
"I feel really hungover right now..."
After an awkward pause, Edwardo was the first to speak up. "I know my father was going to try and convince you to join us, but my brother told me you said it's unsafe for you to come? Don't you think I can keep you safe?"
"It's not that. My heat's supposed to start tomorrow."
"Oh…"
"Yeah 'oh…'." Michael let out some of his frustration over the whole thing. "I would have loved to come, and I was waiting for you to invite me yourself, but I guess I can see why you didn't. It's bad enough I have to miss Christmas, you know!"
Edwardo ran his fingers through his hair, ashamed. "Please, let me try and make it up to you?"
Michael suddenly looked very serious on that tiny phone screen. "Edwardo, I gave it a lot of thought, and I tried asking advice, and it feels like something like this is something couples are supposed to break up over."
Edwardo's heart practically stopped. A breakup was the last thing he wanted. But, he also didn't want to force Michael into anything he didn't want. No matter what, he would honor whatever decision Michael came to, even if it killed him. Before he even had a chance to respond to what Michael just told him, he saw Michael's face crumple.
"It's just- I don't think I want to break up!" Michael cried.
The image on the phone suddenly flopped over, and Edwardo couldn't tell if he was looking at the ceiling or the blankets. The sound of Michael's crying still came through loud and clear.
"I don't know wha-what to d-do! I'm s-so m-mad at you! B-but I don't- I don't want to b-break up! I'm s-so con-confused!"
"Mi pobre Dolcito…"
Forget the hangover headache, Edwardo's heartache was practically killing him. He tried not to cry too.
"I d-don't speak Sp-spanish!"
"I wish I was there next to you. If I was, I'd hold you close, and stroke your hair, and apologize for being a cowardly man over and over and over again. I- I don't want to break up either," Edwardo wiped at his eyes, "But- but I'll honor whatever decision you make."
He listened to Michael cry for a while, while the screen remained unchanged. It hurt, like Michael's slap to his face. It hurt like Michael ignoring him. The worst part was, he knew he was entirely to blame. I mean honestly, forget his family's political rivals and the numerous anti-homosexual hate groups back home. He wasn't a politician. Both his father and his brother had PR people to sway public opinion anyway. Why'd he get so caught up on the worry of stepping out of line? He went to school for journalism. He knew in theory how to stop the slightest hint of scandal in it's tracks when it came to tabloid articles. Instead, he thought he was playing it safe, and look where it got him…
The sound of Michael blowing his nose came through the phone and the camera recentered on Michael's face. "I'm sorry I'm crying… Sometimes my emotions go a little crazy when I'm getting close to my heat…"
"Mick, you have every right to be upset." Edwardo chanced the nickname hoping he'd somehow been forgiven enough to get away with it. "Please, is there anything I can do to try and start making it up to you? Anything at all…?"
Michael pouted, seemingly refusing to look at the screen. He sniffed loudly and wiped at his tear streaked face.
"Michael, you know I think you're an amazing person right? I… the last thing I want is to break up with you, but I also know you deserve an alpha so much better than I could ever be… Just… If you're willing to give me one more chance, just one more chance, I promise I'll treat you the way you deserve. No more lies, no more holding back."
"Can I… wait to answer when my head's not all hormone crazy…?"
"Oh, Mi Dolcito… I'd wait for you forever."
Michael gave him a funny look, somewhat confused, and somewhat annoyed. "What's that even mean, anyway? 'Mi Dolcito?' You said it a bunch when you were drunk too."
"I'm sorry. It's… well, it's a pet name I guess. A loose translation would be something like 'sweetie' or 'little sweet thing'… but I was thinking more like 'tiny candy' or-"
"You're mean." Michael cut him off.
"What?"
"I said, 'You're Mean!' How can you come up with something cute like that, even after what you did?"
Michael looked like he was trying hard not to start crying again. Edwardo wasn't sure how to respond.
After a little while, Michael was the one who broke the uncomfortable silence. "Your dad gave me the present I forgot the other day. He even offered to assign me a security detail until you got back. I don't know if I'll take him up on it or not. I wouldn't even need it until after my heat was over anyway."
"Please tell me you'll take it," Edwardo begged. "And as for your heat, would it help if you had something that smelled like me? My dog sitter is going over first thing to feed Essie, I could have them bring you one of my workout shirts?"
Michael was torn on how to respond, since despite how mad he still was he also desperately wanted something that smelled like Edwardo to get him through his heat. Of course, he certainly wasn't going to admit that.
When Michael didn't respond, Edwardo told him, "It's okay. You don't have to give me an answer right now. Just let me know if you want it, and I'll get it to you, okay? But for now, I know it's late where you are. You probably need the sleep. Can I call you back in the morning?"
"Okay… I guess… Good night, then?"
"Good night, Mi Dolcito."
'Call Ended' flashed on Edwardo's phone screen. He was going to find a way to win Michael back if it was the last thing he did. Now, the only question left was 'how'…
--------------------
Michael was still lounging in bed the next morning, reveling in the only time he was allowed to be lazy without being chastised, when his phone suddenly started ringing. Sure enough, Edwardo was calling him first thing, and it was a request for a video call. Curious, Michael accepted.
"Michael! You have to see this! This is amazing!"
The screen only showed Edwardo's face for a second, before the camera flipped around to a shot of the ocean, probably from a balcony. It was still very early morning where Edwardo was, and against the light of the rising sun silhouettes of numerous dolphins could be seen jumping out of the water. Michael couldn't help but gasp in admiration. It was such a beautiful sight! Edwardo was so lucky getting to see it in person…
The camera stayed on the water, but Edwardo's voice came through the speaker. "I can't wait until I can take you here so you can see stuff like this in person!"
"So cool…"
Michael watched for a few minutes in awe, as he worked up the courage to concede to one of his body's selfish desires.
"Hey, um, Edwardo?"
"Yeah?" The phone screen didn't move from the scene it was showing.
"I was thinking a lot last night and well… I guess if you're serious… And if it wouldn't be much trouble… I wouldn't mind accepting your offer to borrow one of your shirts for a few days…"
The camera flipped back to Edwardo's very happy face. "Consider it done. I'll send a text to my dog sitter immediately. Are you feeling okay this morning? Any heat symptoms yet?"
"No, not yet I think. I just plan on chilling here until the 'fun' starts, anyway."
They talked for a bit before Edwardo admitted that he had to go, signing off with that frustratingly cute nickname, "Dolcito." Michael wasn't going to let himself be swayed. Edwardo was nowhere near off the hook for lying like he did. Michael was just getting a little help reliving some biological stress, that was it.
Within the hour, the doorbell was ringing, and some nondescript guy in a pet sitter company's uniform jacket was standing outside with a bag containing one of Edwardo's dirty shirts. About an hour later, a florist delivered sunflowers, his favorite, with an apology card. Then balloons, chocolate, fancy dipped fruits… If it could be delivered, Michael was being gifted it, apparently.
Annoying or endearing, Michael couldn't decide how to look at it. To top it all off, that afternoon, he got sent a video link from an unknown number claiming to be Edwardo's brother.