Neighbour

36.

The way Brett told things to the officers was in many ways eerie to Eddy. He seemed so calm, like he was just explaining how to boil an egg. Matter-of-factly. A full 180 from how he had been just a moment prior, honestly. He had gone from a squeaky, scared little boy, to a cold man with the craziest deadpan Eddy had ever seen.

The deadpan stayed on even when he recounted very specific scenarios that Eddy also remembered. It stayed on when he spoke of how Mike had forced him to do things, how the excuse of a man had used his size to hold him down, crush his wrists with a bruising grip and demanding sex like he was owed it. Like the label "boyfriend" gave him the right to it rather than the privilege as Brett granted it.

Eddy could tell that the ice wall Brett had put up was nothing but a front, though. He saw right through it, all the way into the scared little boy who cried out for comfort and safety. There was something about the way his eyes flickered away from the officers when he recounted something specific, and how Brett’s hand gripped more firmly onto his as it got painful to explain the evil he had experienced.

And when the police officers left, the dam broke. Tears ran down his pale cheeks, leaving shiny streaks. Not a single sound escaped his lips, though, like it would be dangerous if he was heard. Eddy knew what the danger that trained him to do this was, and it made a flame of anger flare up inside him. He refused to let it burn Brett, though. Instead, he allowed it to warm his heart as he very gently pulled the fragile man into his arms for a secure hug.

"I'm so sorry, I keep occupying your time here," Brett sniffled, hiding his face in the crook of Eddy’s neck. He shivered slightly, prompting Eddy to stroke his back. "T…this could have been your first…p…professional orchestra concert…"

"Shh, don't think about that," Eddy interrupted gently. "You're not occupying my time, Brett. I choose to be here."

"B…but… you said it was your dream… in the… the application…" Brett sniffled, shaking his head. "You should go. I'm so sorry…"

"Hey," Eddy said softly, carefully shifting back slightly. With slow, gentle movements he took his neighbor's fragile face in his hands, stroking gently over the non-bruised cheek with his thumb. "The concertmaster said it was alright. And besides, there will be other chances. I just wanna make sure you're okay for now, yeah?"

Brett's eyes met Eddy's, and the latter's heart skipped a beat. Those beautiful koala eyes made his head spin and released an army of butterflies where the angry flame had been a moment ago. He could feel his cheeks warm up, and he noticed that Brett's looked a bit rosy too. Either that, or it was wishful thinking. Either way it would be kind of shitty of him to shoot his shot with someone who had just been through what Brett had. So he wouldn’t.

"Yeah," Brett said softly, sinking back into the pillows that had propped him up before once Eddy's hands slowly came down from his face. "Thank you, Eddy. I really appreciate it."