Con Brio: Todd and Ian's story

65

Now it's Todd's turn to pace. He walks a shallow oval on the pavement beside his car, haphazardly parked by the side of the quiet street besides Brett and Eddy's park. Brett was so worried he was pale, basically jumping out of the car the second he braked, jogging off through the entrance. 
Todd will have to wait here. It's a no parking zone, but also there's no way he would be the third wheel to that particular conversation. 
But they're taking a while, no? Is Eddy still upset? How much of a train wreck has this conversation with his mum been? 
Todd's phone buzzes and he picks it up quickly. 
"Baby. Hi. I'll... I'll be a bit."
"Is everything okay?" Ian's voice comes over the line. "What's happening?"
Todd wasn't happy about barging in on Ian's practice, just now. He knows how seriously his baby takes that. He had to tell him something, though, he couldn't just walk out of the house and leave Ian to wonder where the hell everybody had gone. So he had opened the door to their bedroom, told him in one sentence what was going on and run out again.
"I don't know. Brett's gone off into the park. I know nothing yet, but the second I have them back I'm heading home."
"Okay. God. I hope it's all okay."
Todd shrugs. 
"One way or another. I do seemed to have caused a lot of storms in everybody's lives though."
Ian is quiet for a second. 
"You know these are necessary storms, right?" he says then.
Todd sighs heavily and nods. He sits down on the bonnet of his car and puts his foot on the bumper. 
"Yeah. Maybe. I hope so."
"Well, I know so. You hang in there, yeah? I'll try and practise some more."
"Go for it, baby. You were sounding great. I'll be back soon."

He gets up again, paces his oval some more, sits back down on the bonnet and sighs again. It's getting dark by now, the park seems completely quiet. They won't have left, will they? Gone to Eddy's mum, or something? He takes his phone out of his pocket, but he has no messages. 
Just as he's deciding fuck it, he's calling Brett, a movement catches his eye. 
It's them. They emerge from the park side by side. Eddy is looking dreadful, he's clearly been crying. A lot. Although his cheeks are rosy, his eyes are glittering in just that way. Todd has seen it too many times for him not to know straight away what Brett has done to make him feel better. 
He's too worried to grin though. 
"Eddy." he says as he gets up. "You okay?"
"Er. Yeah. I think so." Eddy says quietly. 
"You told your mum about us?"
Eddy simply nods. 
"And it didn't go well?" Todd presses.
Eddy shakes his head mutely, and the guilt washes over Todd. 
"God, Eddy, I'm so sorry." he says. "I feel like... I dunno, I feel like I've got you into trouble somehow." 
Eddy gives him a sad smile as he opens the car door. The back door, of course. He'll want to sit with Brett, hold his hand. 
"You haven't, Todd." he says. "This was always coming. At least she's having to get used to you being gay, not us, yet."
"And what if she doesn't?" Todd asks quietly. 
"Then I can't help that, Todd. I've said it now. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens next."

Todd nods as he walks around the car and gets back in. He turns the key and switches on the lights, glances in the rear view mirror. Eddy seems... calmer, somehow, after the conversation with his mum, or maybe it's just Brett's anti-stress therapy he's received. Brett's not, though. He's looking very worried, although he's trying to hide it. God, where are they going to go from here? Will they have to hide, their entire lives? That can't be good for anyone, can it?
And what the fuck can he do to help those boys?