That was another thing Eddy wasnt used to. Luke was very attentive to his moods and whenever he noticed Eddy pulling away or getting lost in thought, his first reaction was always to comfort and soothe. It had put Eddy on edge at first, but he had forced himself not clam up about it and tried his best to communicate because that had always been his weakest point in his past relationships. It was hard for him but he had managed to haltingly open up.<br/><br/>The first thing had been the hand pain. Eddy had a lotion to help with his arthritis. He usually had a nice stiff drink to numb the joints and then rub it on. With Luke around, he couldnt really do that anymore because he didnt want the boy to know that he was an alcoholic, even though it was so painfully obvious. So he just didnt, too embarrased to even reach for the lotion in front of Luke. But because he's an alcoholic he knew better than to take pain killers, so the pain of his hands just grew and grew until it wracked through him worse than ever before.<br/><br/>Eddy knew how to hide his pain well but by the time Luke asked what was wrong, Eddy was all but writhing in teeth clenching agony. So he had asked, meekly, if Luke could rub the lotion on his aching joints. And Luke just did, without question or pity but with a gentle joy at being allowed to help. That made it easier for Eddy to ask the next time it happened, and then the next, until all he had to do was mention the lotion and Luke was already fetching it, anticipating when he needed it.<br/><br/>That made Eddy realize a few things. First, if he was going to keep Luke that he had to quit drinking. And second, Luke wasn't going to hurt him like his exes had, wasn't going to point at his weaknesses and laugh or ridicule him because of his failures. That wasnt something Luke would ever do to anyone, least of all his lover, because that was the sort of person he was. Luke was good. He was a genuinely good person, and he deserved better than Eddy.<br/><br/>But because he had chosen Eddy, Eddy wanted to be better. Which was why he decided to answer truthfully.<br/><br/>"I was just wondering," Eddy said slowly, as if weighing each word, "would you like to see my studio?"