54) Ian

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Ian watches from the side as Todd talks to the lady behind the counter, gesticulating firmly. Eddy is quietly standing beside him, looking concerned.
Every time. Every fucking time they try to give the cello's seat to someone else, wanting to throw it in hold, and every time Todd has to talk the hind legs off a donkey to get it to go in the place he fucking well paid for, right next to him. Ian shakes his head and wonders if he should get into the conversation, back him up or something, but before he can decide either way Todd smiles at the lady and nods. 
Okay. It's been saved. 
Actually, Ian loves the fact that the cello always needs a seat of its own. There are three seats in every row. The cello taking up one of them means it's always just them, and the cello. No strangers who will want to strike up a conversation with him, or who will smell or snore. Plus, the cello is never difficult about taking the isle seat. 
He grins to himself, and Todd eyes him questioningly.
"I was just thinking it's nice of the cello to never be difficult about where it sits." he says, and Todd laughs out loud. 
"I know, right? Yeah, it's real easy-going like that. Perfect travel companion. Anyway. It may take its seat. It was stupid anyway, because apparently the plane is not even full. It was just that some businessman had checked in online in exactly that seat. Why they don't show it as taken is really beyond me."
Todd shakes his head and rolls his eyes as he leads the way over to the waiting area. Ian follows him with another grin. He loves making Todd laugh. He intends to do it lots. 

He shivers slightly as he thinks of going back to Brisbane. He's tried to push the thoughts away but now that they've actually left Taipei and are here, in no man's land, they are back like a swarm of insistant bees. 
Will it be the same? Will Todd still be into him when they're back? 
He knows he's being silly. Hasn't Todd said he'll stay with him? Hasn't he said he loves him, in fact? Hasn't he shown him he means it?
It doesn't matter. The bees swarm like a Chopin etude and he sits a bit closer to Todd, hoping he'll drive them away, even if he doesn't know they exist at all. And of course, that's exactly what he does, at least a little bit. Ian is breathing easier and his stomach is a bit calmer by the time they walk to the gate as a group. But the waiting takes forever, of course, and as always he wills the stewardesses to hurry up, to come and take his ticket already and scan his passport, to let him on, so he gets closer to home and being allowed off the wretched plane again. They don't hurry up though - again, of course, because why would they? So he grits his teeth and waits.

And even forever ends, so with his ticket duly scanned he takes one more deep breath as he walks through the corridor and steps on the plane as if it's nothing, manfully ignoring the familiar heavy sense of dread that enters his system. 
It's not as bad as usual though. Nothing is as bad now, with Todd by his side as his talisman. He smiles at him gratefully once he's stowed away his precious viola and is sitting down by the window. Todd smiles back and takes his hand the second he sits down, then takes it up to his mouth and kisses it softly. 
"You feeling alright?" he whispers, not that he needs to because the engines are already loud. 
"Yeah." he nods, but Todd's brows are furrowing. So he smiles. 
"Really. I'm okay."
There's definitely no need to tell Todd about the bees, or about the uncomfortable swimming of his head, even though they've not even taken off yet, or about the stone that is in his stomach. He'll just sit here, hold Todd's hand, and breathe. Before he knows it they'll be back in Brisbane and he can do his very best to keep everything just as it was in this most perfect of weeks. 

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