Neighbour

42.

//I'm sorry these are taking like FOREVER to write lol, life keeps happening and all//

Eddy closed his eyes and sunk back into the bed, allowing his listening to stretch through the apartment in a way he normally wouldn't be able to when he closed his bedroom door. He could hear the clock ticking in the kitchen and the fridge humming, and he could hear Brett's slow breathing in the living room. It was soothing, in an odd way. Made him drift off into a mostly asleep state where his thoughts could wander, yet he maintained just a hint of control of the direction.

Still, it was so easy to just follow the path his mind set for him - the sound of an angel calling him in the distance, their voice echoing through his mind yet feeling like it was right there. He couldn't help but smile a little. The voice was beautiful, smooth like butter and calming. In his dreams, the angel reached a hand out and touched his cheek…

Eddy opened his eyes quickly when he felt the light touch, confusion passing over his face.

"I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to… uh… I mean… I just…" Brett whispered as he pulled his hand away, clearly unsure of how Eddy would react. "I'm sorry, this was a bad idea…"

"Oh, it's you," Eddy exhaled, blushing a bit. It had felt nice, and he was maybe a little bit disappointed that the gentle touch was taken away from him. "No no no, Bretty, you did nothing wrong, I promise. What's wrong?"

Brett hesitated, avoiding eye contact. Eddy sat up a bit more and reached over to turn his reading light on.

"I just… I feel so anxious… I'm… I'm scared," Brett admitted quietly after a few moments of silence. It wasn’t before now he could see the reflection of the light in the tears that had run down Brett’s cheeks, and the slight redness the attempts to wipe said tears had left on his under his eyes. "I was just… I was wondering if it's okay if I stay here? M… maybe on the… the floor…"

He couldn’t even finish the sentence before Eddy scooted over and patted next to him on the bed.
"Come lay down, Bretty. It's okay," he assured gently, watching how his shoulders relaxed as he said that.

"Thank you," Brett whispered. "I'm sorry for waking you."

"It's okay, I promise," Eddy said softly as Brett crawled into bed with his own duvet, pulling it up to his chin. "Bit more comfy like this too."

"Yeah, it is," Brett admitted as he curled up with the duvet wrapped around him like a cocoon next to Eddy.

"All settled?" Eddy asked with a gentle smile, thinking he was adorable all balled up like that. He got a nod and a tiny smile, so he turned the light off again and laid back down.

Brett laid curled up next to him, keeping his eyes closed despite clearly not being asleep yet. He was cute, especially with how small he looked all curled up in the duvet. Eddy turned to his side so he could face him.

He saw how Brett’s lower lip trembled after a bit, though, how he curled up more tightly and how the tears ran down his cheeks again. It broke his heart.

"Bretty?" he asked softly after a few moments, seeing him flinch when he said his name. "It's okay to be scared. It's okay to need comfort."

"I'm okay, I'm sorry," Brett squeaked, trying to pull the duvet over his head to hide. Hide from the expected hurt from being "too emotional". Being  a "cry baby".

Eddy sighed, wishing he could take some of the hurt away.
"Would you like a hug, Bretty?" he asked softly, not knowing any other way to make it better.

"You don't have to, it's okay."

"But what if I want to, if you would feel better from it?" Eddy asked gently. "Because I really would like to."

Brett hesitated, but nodded ever so slightly. That was the confirmation Eddy needed to have the courage to wrap his arms all around the cocoon that was Brett in his duvet and pull him close. He could feel Brett’s slow exhale fan over his neck, and he would be lying if he said it was anything but intoxicating.

"Thank you," Brett mumbled softly. "I really needed this."

"I'm happy to hear. Try to sleep now, so you can heal."

"Okay, I will."

//I'm sorry these are taking like FOREVER to write lol, life keeps happening and all//