Piano Man (Tradley au)

Chapter 6- Brad's POV

I'm sitting at home not doing much, just sitting and chilling. I need to start sorting out my set list for next week, but I can't be bothered right now. I'm tired, and I'm worried about Tristan. It's weird, I don't really know him, but I can't stop thinking about him. I know he said he sorted things out with that boyfriend of his, but I don't believe him. He seemed uncomfortable talking about it, so I didn't press it, but I really think that there's something going on.

After a while, I decide to stop procrastinating and actually get on with my task. However, as soon as I sit down, I'm startled by my phone loudly ringing. I look over and see that weirdly enough, it's Tristan calling me. I pick up immediately. "Hello?" I don't get a response other than a sniffling sound- I hope he isn't crying. "Tris?" I try again. "Are you ok?"

"Brad?" he asks. I feel a pang in my heart when I realise that yes, he's crying.

"Yeah, I'm here." I say. "What's up?"

Tristan sniffles in response before blurting out "Corey hit me again."

My confusion turns to anger. "He did what?"

"Don't shout." he almost whimpers.

I lower my voice slightly. "Sorry. He hit you. What do you mean, again?"

There's a brief pause before Tristan says "It's happened a few times. I didn't leave that mark on my face, he did."

"I know." I say. Actually, that's probably not what he needs to hear right now. "Ok," I try again, more sympathetically. "Now what? Is he there, are you safe?"

"I made him leave." Tristan says quietly. "Then I locked the door and put the chain on, but I'm still scared."

"I'm not surprised." I say gently. "So what are you going to do now?"

I can imagine him biting his lip before saying "I don't know. I don't want to be alone, but.."

"Are you going to get one of your friends over?" I ask.

"No." Tristan says, sighing. "They don't know Corey hits me, and the last thing I need right now is a huge explanation."

"Fair point." I say. "This might be a bit of a stretch, but would you like me to come over?"

"I'd like that." he whispers. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"It's fine." I say, smiling. Tristan gives me his address, and after some double checking, I know where he lives. He asks me to stay on the phone, and I immediately agree. After what he's been through, that's the least I can do. "Is there anything you want?" I ask.

He breaks my heart by responding "I could do with a hug."

"I'm sure I can manage that." I say, in an attempt to make him smile. As I walk to his place, I chat to him about some totally pointless nonsense , but I don't want to abandon him and leave him to it. 

Soon enough, I reach his door and knock gently. There's a pause before he opens the door, looking relieved. "I thought you were Corey." he says quietly. 

I give him a small smile before following him into the living room and sitting beside him. I then open my arms. "So, that hug you wanted..." Tristan looks slightly hesitant, but quickly gives in and falls into my arms. It's not long before he starts sobbing, and I hug him a bit tighter. It's weird, I've literally met him twice before this, yet here he is, crying into my shoulder. I don't say much to him, and instead just hold him tight. He doesn't need to be preached at.

After 5 minutes or so, he sits up slightly and wipes his eyes. "Sorry about that." he says quietly. "I didn't meant to pour it all out."

"It's ok." I say. "It's not healthy to keep things like that bottled up." For a while, I just sit with him and listen. He tells me about when him and Corey got together, when the violence started, and even more about how Corey treats him. My heart is breaking for him, no one should be treated like that by someone who's meant to love them. He's still slightly tearstained, but he seems a bit brighter. Maybe telling someone helped, I know it would help me. 

Suddenly, Tristan visibly flinches at an aggressive knock at the door. "Tristan!" an angry voice yells. Luckily, the curtains are closed.

I look to Tristan, wanting to ask 'is that...' He clearly senses what I'm thinking and nods. "That's Corey." he whispers, looking terrified. "Fuck, what are we going to do now?" For once, I have no answer.

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An exciting cliffhanger... but I still feel sorry for Tristan :( also sorry for lack of update last week!

Night and Day is full of bops, I really love it 🎉 And I'm super proud of the boys for getting to number one.