Neighbour

46.

The rehearsal was smooth sailing, Eddy thought. The contemporary piece had looked terrifying, but after a short explanation from the composer it turned out it was actually super simple to play. He had truly not ever felt as much a contributing part of an orchestra like in this one. 

It really helped that their coworkers really supported the both of them too. During the break, some of the first violinists came to chat with them, both to see how Brett was doing and to say hi to Eddy. It felt almost like they knew something Eddy didn't with how welcoming they were. The music sounded great, and the Finnish asshole conductor had been replaced with a lovely Australian woman who radiated warmth and care. A much needed change of scene, according to the break room gossip.

Now it was time to head home, though, which was the part Brett had been dreading all day. Eddy couldn't help but notice Brett's nervous fiddling with the straps of the violin case and his worried, shifting eyes as they approached the exit of the concert hall. He knew what he was looking for. Who he was looking for. They had already talked about this in bed at home the night before. Brett had felt confident at the time, so sure he could handle it. That confidence seemed to have vanished now, as the anxiety grew.

“Hey, I got you, okay?” Eddy said softly. They were among the last people out of the hall, and as they approached the doors Brett hesitated to move closer.

“I uhm… I know, I just…” Brett stuttered, clearly feeling nervous about what could possibly be waiting outside. His eyes shifted again to try and see through the windows, but there was nothing to really see.

“Would you like me to have a look outside first and see if I see anything we need to watch out for?” Eddy offered softly, his expression filled with concern for the koala eyed boy. Brett nodded slightly, but as Eddy turned to do just that he heard a sharp inhale from behind him. So he paused and looked back at Brett, who now was covering his mouth with his hand, seeming even more panicked as Eddy moved away.

“Wha-?”

“Actually don't leave me,” Brett interrupted as a squeak, cheeks burning from the embarrassment of his panic. His gaze fell to the floor. “Please.”

Eddy's eyes softened. His poor hurr friend. He wished so badly that he could have gone back in time and prevented anyone from ever hurting him. He didn't hesitate to reach out to take Brett's hand gently in his.

“I got you, Bretty, I promise. I'll peek out first, and we'll go together,” he assured softly.

Brett looked up at him with big eyes, but soon nodded.

“Okay, Eddy. Thank you,” he said softly, feeling safe with him. Safer than he had felt with anyone before.

They walked out of the building together, fingers carefully intertwining as they approached the car.