“you were never there for me.”
“You’re right, I wasn’t…” Erwin takes Mike’s hand in his own. “I was too caught up in my own desires that I was blind to your needs.” He looks into Mike’s eyes pleadingly. “Will you give me a chance to make things up to you?”
He looked at the hand with a certain amount of cautiousness. “I don’t know… Perhaps this is the way we are. I’m older, I’m bigger, I’ve been doing this longer. I took you under my wing when you were a teenager. Maybe me caring for you has to be at my expense. Maybe that’s how things are now?”
Erwin shakes his head. “No, I’m an adult now. I can burden my fair share of the responsibility.” He allows his expression to soften, showing genuine concern for Mike. “You’ve taken care of me for so long, I have to step up and take care of you.”
Mike took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I snapped at you… I find myself torn. Torn between asking for help or just- just leaving and facing everything on my own. I have- secrets, Erwin. And heartache, and in all honesty I just don’t want to burden you with that. Even if I long to be cared for, just a little. This is too much. I’m too much.”
“Mike, I love you and I want to share everything with you. That means I’ll take the bad with the good.” Erwin reassures Mike with a small smile. “I’ve trusted you with the darker parts of my past so I hope you’ll do the same with me.”
“Do you really want the truth, love?” He asked with an unusual shyness. “Because i have been keeping something from you for a few weeks.” He began slowly before taking his hand. “I love you too, Erwin, with everything I got, which is why I kept this from you.”