Looking up at the tall-ish building Brett had a pretty good feeling. The apartment they were seeing was nice, but not too much, and a good size for the two of them. The building had security and a front desk, and it was just close enough to the city center without being in the too busy parts. A good candidate, much better than the previous ones they had seen.
"We're here for the viewing in 7C," Brett told the big man at the front desk who began looking it up on the computer. He didn't really get to find what he needed before the elevator dinged and a very typically real estate agent lady stepped out with a professional smile on her face.
"Mr Yang, Mr Chen?" she asked politely, looking to the couple.
"That's us," Eddy said gently with a nod, as he observed the people. He was trying to see if anyone really posed a threat to them. Eddy didn't think anyone particularly looked dangerous but that could be his first mistake! Most spies or assassins looked unassuming, to make their victims lower their guard.
"Welcome, please come with me upstairs," the real estate lady smiled, pressing the elevator button to open the doors for them. "I am Lina Davidson, by the way. You may remember, we spoke on the phone..."
"We remember," Brett confirmed with a nod, following her into the elevator. He gave Eddy's hand a gentle squeeze as well, noticing how he kept watch, how he was always on edge. "The lobby is really nice."
Eddy squeezed back gently, "It is really nice."
He agreed softly as he wearily stepped in. A trained killer could finish them off as soon as the elevator doors closed. That made him nervous, then again he was a trained killer himself so he had a fighting chance.
"The marble floors really are something, aren't they?" the real estate agent smiled, pressing the button for the 7th floor - the top floor. "When the building was new a couple of years ago they had light designer Poul Henningsen create the lamps for the area as well."
"Impressive," Brett hummed. It felt almost like the elevator wasn't moving, but he supposed that was just the smoothness of it.
Eddy listened, it reminded him of how Brett used to want to be an architect. Made him wonder if Brett would go that route if he'd end up designing light fixtures for buildings. Eddy never really asked why Brett liked the idea of being an architect he noticed. Just always assumed it was something akin to why Eddy wanted to be a lumberjack. They were cool. Thinking of simpler times made him feel less worried about getting murdered.
The elevator doors opened, revealing another marble hallway with beautiful modern art on the wall. A few steps ahead from the elevator there was a door marked "7C".
"Here we are, your floor. The top floor, as you already know from the prospect," the real estate agent smiled, leading the way out of the elevator. "As you may have noticed, you do need a key card to the elevator, as an extra measure of security."
Brett nodded with a small smile. They had been asking a few extra questions about security, he supposed, which was probably why she was making a point of mentioning that. She didn't understand exactly the kind of people they were making sure to stay away from, which was okay. Normal people were lucky to not know.
Eddy wished he was one of the normal people but he'd never get back those years of his life nor would he ever be free from it he felt. Up until leaving, the atrocities seemed to just keep escalating. It was like their every move had been watched and mapped out. They were the prey of a predator who was always one step ahead.
"The art is made by a local artist, who actually resides in the building, if you're into the art scene as well," the real estate agent smiled as she unlocked the door to the apartment and held the door open for them. "Would you guys like a taste of champagne, by the way?"
"That would be wonderful," Eddy said softly, it would keep his mind off of everything. Especially the photographs they had received. Felt like he couldn't step outside in Australia without being seen by him. It didn't help that the initial photo of the "incident" as Eddy deemed it, was taken in London. Making it hit closer to home, closer to his fears. They were here though because his sister was.
The apartment reflected the rest of the building. It had a modern, clean style. Maybe a bit too clean for Brett's taste, honestly. Too sterile, in a way. He still found himself smiling and being polite, and occasionally squeezing Eddy's hand to check in on him. He knew Eddy was a lot more worried than he was still.
Eddy did feel like he belonged there, he knew it probably was a weird complaint considering the security was pretty top notch. Or at least it would suffice for them. Despite that, it felt like Eddy wouldn't fit in with the other tenants. He wasn't exactly high class, even if he could try to act it. That wouldn't do any good though, only add to the stress. He was silent as he had been the whole time, just being an onlooker.
"So finally we have the last area I want to show you, the rooftop terrace," the real estate agent smiled, opening the large sliding glass door to the outside. The weather was surprisingly nice for London that day, with even a hint of sun peeking through the clouds. She stepped out onto the balcony, and Brett looked to Eddy to confirm he would feel safe stepping out with her. He knew Eddy sometimes didn't feel safe outside.
Eddy glanced outside, he spotted nothing suspicious really. Not that he'd see a sniper from far away, but he couldn't see any clues that would suggest there was anything harmful. If anything they should be more worried that Eddy would throw himself over the edge from the weight of everything.
He nodded to Brett though before stepping out onto the balcony.
They followed her out onto the balcony, feeling the not so fresh London air and the gentle breeze. The view was really nice, Brett had to admit. Could see quite far from there. Possibly even as far as to Belle's apartment building, if he knew which direction to look.
Eddy took a deep breath as he looked around. Yeah, it was nice but definitely left a lot of room to be sniped by someone. At this point though, he knew that wasn't the threat he should be worried about. For a second he closed his eyes.
"As you can tell, you will have an amazing view of the Thames and the city from here," the real estate lady smiled, trying to sell the view in.
"It is wonderful, thank you," Brett hummed before looking to Eddy for a moment. His man didn't seem to be doing all to well, but he honestly kept himself together way better than he had the last few times. "What do you think, my love? Anything more you'd like to see before we go home to decide?"
Eddy tried to find the right words, he wasn't certain how to be polite about saying no, "I think I've seen all I've needed to."
He spoke gently, it was important to keep himself together. Especially in front of the real estate woman.
"Well, you do have my contact if there is anything else you'd like to see or need more information about," the real estate agent smiled, gesturing for them to head back to the elevator.
"Thank you for your time, ma'am," Brett hummed, half pulling Eddy along to the elevator. He already knew this wasn't the place for them, honestly. It was time to go back home.
"Yeah, thank you," Eddy's voice fell a little into a whisper. He looked behind him at her then slowly looked back at Brett. He tried to sense how Brett was feeling, he was unsure of what was going through the man's mind.
Brett gave Eddy a small smile as they stepped back into the elevator.
"Thank you again," he told the real estate agent before pressing the button for the ground floor. The doors slowly closed, and once they were alone, Brett moved from holding Eddy's hand to snake his arm around his waist.
Eddy leaned against him , trying to calm himself more, "I don't think I like it here. I feel out of place. Like I'm not high class enough, which I know is probably silly."
"You're the classiest man I know, my love, but I agree. This is not a place for us," Brett said softly, squeezing his man slightly. "It's too clean, kind of. No feeling of home. A place to visit, but not a place to stay."
Eddy snorted, having no idea how he could be the classiest man he knew. It was a funny thought at least, "Very lifeless, yeah."
"Let's get out of here. Go grab some bubble tea and go home, yeah?" Brett hummed softly, tiptoeing up to kiss his cheek.
"We can do that, " Eddy nodded with a soft hum, "Do you think it'll be safe?"
He had to ask, he was so uncertain if anything was safe nowadays.
"I think it will be, love," Brett confirmed as the elevator stopped at the ground floor and the doors opened for them.
