Sweet Pea (Bradga)

Gone

For oncer1939

It was one of those mornings where it was clear from the moment he opened his eyes that the day would be a disaster. He had overslept, the cell phone was not charged overnight, coffee stains had dripped onto his shirt, the car key was gone and Lea was screaming non-stop. Everything was a disaster and really couldn't go any worse.
The only thing that cheered him up was the moment when his mother stood in front of him and patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. She had kindly taken the time to look after Lea today.

"You can do it, I believe in you" were the words she gave him before he finally sprinted to the car with the keys he had found on the windowsill. Actually, he had hoped to grab a quick coffee on the way to the set, but there wasn't enough time, he was already too late anyway, which is why he wasn't surprised when Todd's contact suddenly lit up on his cell phone screen. Distracted for two seconds, he almost ran a red light and could only brake at the last moment.

Damn, that was close.

He tried to take a deep breath and collect his thoughts, to get a clear head again, but it was useless. Even when he arrived on set, everything was chaotic and nothing really seemed to work, the cable from the sound arm was broken, it was raining so that the outdoor scene had to be postponed and his costume now had a hole because he got caught with his pants. He gave everyone a short break, needed it himself so as not to explode emotionally at any moment.

He was slumped on the sofa in his trailer. His elbows were propped up on his knees so he could hold his head. Somehow everything had been so complicated lately, way too much was happening and most of all things were being driven up the wall that he couldn't save but actually wanted to save.
His absence was immediately noticeable, so Stefani started looking for him. Quietly, she peeked around his trailer door and saw him huddled on the sofa, his head in his hands.

Hey.

The soft, tender voice caught his attention. He knew immediately who it was, could feel her presence. Even before he could look at her, he felt her hand on his knee. She had knelt in front of him and was looking at him from below, her eyes looking so worried, he suddenly felt sorry, for causing it.

What's wrong, huh? I've been looking for you.

He removed his hands from his face to look at her properly, eyes red and slightly teary. The normally gentle soothing blue was raging like a storm.

The day is just complete crap.

For a few minutes there was silence between them, only her fingers drawing small, soothing circles over his leg. She knew that if he wanted to talk he would sooner or later, he always did.

She's gone, for good.

Are you serious?

He nodded, leaned back on the sofa and let his head fall against the wall, trying to hold back the tears at all costs.

We were arguing, once again, and she just didn't feel like it anymore.

His voice became shakier and shakier until he finally couldn't hold back his tears anymore.
Her heart broke for him, and she didn't hesitate. She wrapped her arms around him in a warm, comforting hug, letting him cry as long as he needed. In that moment, there were no words that could take away the pain, but the simple act of being there for him, offering a shoulder to cry on, was enough to let him know that he had a true friend by his side. She pressed a few gentle kisses in his hair, trying to calm him down. They stayed like that for a long while, the trailer filled with the quiet sounds of Bradley's sobs and Stefani's gentle reassurances.