Telephone.

If he let himself, Eric could probably trace his entire life back to the moment when he knew that he was different. It was a rainy day in the sixth grade, and Mrs. Adler had insisted that they play telephone rather than going outside to play in the mud. He'd been stuck between Vince and Jennifer Rossi, and instead of getting goosebumps when the pretty brunette whispered in his ear, a shiver coursed through his body when Vince's breathy words tickled his neck. It hadn't seemed significant then, but now, almost twenty years later, E was pretty sure that was the moment when everything changed. Maybe if he had said something earlier, he wouldn't have wasted those years in high school pretending to be enamored by Sarah Lum's milky skin or all that time when he first came to Los Angeles falling in love with girls that were never going to be right for him.

But because he was Eric and Vince was Vince, it took them some time to really figure it out. Surprising to them both, it was Vince that actually figured it out first. He was comfortable with the change immediately, transitioning into a relationship much like he did with any of the girls he'd chased over the years. He was relentless in his pursuit of Eric, lavishing him with gifts and stealing kisses in the backseats of limousines all over town. Every night was a new restaurant, and Vince made sure that E knew he was appreciated. He'd always been generous with his money, but now Vince was generous with his heart. All those longing looks and sweet words that were usually reserved for the girl of the hour were now saved especially for Eric.

What Eric couldn't quite get used to were the pet names, though. Vince could pull them off easily enough, calling him babe when he called from the set to check in or honey while they made dinner last week with Drama. The sweet words rolled off his tongue like they were made especially for Vince to say them to E. It was only when Eric tried to return the sentiment when things became awkward. The syllables were stunted when he called him anything other than Vince. He had tried out a few variations on the usual sweet names, but they had all crashed and burned miserably.

Eric's latest failed attempt had been that day over morning coffee, something that was still bothering him a few hours later. His BlackBerry buzzed miserably across the marble desk, the only way Eric knows for sure that Vince is still sorry for laughing when Eric called him baby at breakfast. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but E just sounded so uncomfortable saying it. It wasn't that he didn't feel that way about Vince. He hadn't yet put into words how he felt about the man.

"Alright, that's it," Vince announced as he barged into E's office, shutting the door behind him. He had been at the agency for a couple years now, and the staff was used to Vince and the guys showing up unannounced to distract Eric. "We are not leaving this room until you can call me baby without looking like you want to crawl inside yourself and I don't laugh at you."

"Uh, Vin, trying to work here," Eric reminded him, motioning at the stack of paperwork in front of him. Vince eyed the pile suspiciously and shook his head before crossing his arms in front of him. He clearly wasn't buying it. "Fine, baby, whatever you want."

Vince laughed and shook his head. "Really, E? That's all you got?"

A cool facade passed over Eric's face as he pushed his leather chair back and came around to kiss his boyfriend hello. Vince sighed contently against Eric's mouth as he danced them both backward and onto the couch. "No, I've got a lot more than that, Vin," Eric teased, running his tongue over Vince's bottom lip.

"See, that would have been a perfect time to slip in the baby part, E."

Eric pushed himself up onto his forearms over Vince and glared at him. "We're about to do this, and you choose now to criticize me?" His words are a little angrier than warranted, but he's frustrated. Things aren't supposed to be hard between them. They had never been before, at least not when business was going as good as it had been lately.

"I'm sorry, babe, I wasn't trying to make this harder for you," Vince said, and it sounded so genuine that E's heart broke a little. He allowed Vince to draw him back to the couch. They sat next to each other, and Vince actually reached out to hold E's fucking hand and it's almost too much. Eric turned and buried his face in Vince's shoulder, murmuring something incoherently. "What's that?"

"I love you, Vin," he said as he turned his gaze back to meet Vince's. It's the first time that either of them had said those words, and this time it's Vince who is unsure how to react. "I may not be able to pull off all that other stuff, but I think I did pretty good with those words. They're the only ones that matter."

"They're perfect," Vince whispered. The monologue was better than any that was ever written for a movie script. "You're perfect."

"Hardly," E shook his head, "but I think that's okay. Neither of us is perfect, Vin, but together, I don't know, we kind of are. I might not be able to call you baby without turning bright red, but I'm sure about this."

Vince smiled and kissed Eric soundly, his fingers playing with the soft hairs at the nape of his neck. "I love you, too, E," Vince retorted finally. "I always have, but I guess you knew that."

Eric smiled and nodded slightly. He had known that, Vince was right. "I know you do, baby."

Vince laughed and shook his head. "Nope, still doesn't work," he teased. "Try again."

"I love you, Vin."

"Yeah, that works," Vince grinned. "Vin. I like the way that sounds."

"Me too," Eric said as he turned and pressed on Vince's chest. Vince found himself flat on his back a moment later, a hungry Eric over him. "So, Vin, back to where we were earlier..."