I'll Be the One to Hold Your Hand

Hope the Light Will Finally Blind your Eyes from Seeing

*Trigger warning in this story, mentions of abuse and violence. Not too graphic, but advise caution.*

"There's a reason you got attacked, Brad.. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Rob gasped quietly. 

Brad hardened his glare and snatched his hand away from Rob's, Mike furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. 

"Rob.. Please explain. Whatever it is, we can try to help you. Brad, please, take a breath. Maybe it won't be that bad. Maybe."

Brad wrapped an arm around his stomach and grimaced, still not breaking eye contact with Rob. Rob shifted and bit his lip, looking directly at the floor. Mike stood patiently and crossed his arms.

"The man that attacked you use to.. Um.. Well.. He would rough me up. He was a.. boyfriend, of mine. A shitty one, at that, but it did happen. It was when I first came to L.A. He seemed so sweet and charming and just... I fell. I fell hard for him." Rob's voice wavered a bit as he did it with clearing his throat. Brad's eyes widened and Mike looked furious. Rob spoke faster, before someone could interrupt. 

"At first, it started off with just snide digs here and there. 'Your drumming could be improved, your hair is looking a little bit on the worse side today' and a bit more. It never really got physical until the relationship really ended and he went crazy, thinking I was sleeping around with anything and anyone. I mentioned how... cruel, he was with his words and he got so angry, he punched the wall by my head and told me how, umm.. worthless, I'd be without him. I gathered my things and I tried to leave, but he grabbed me and just.." Rob shook his head and bit his lip harder, drawing blood. Brad had heard enough and pulled the taller man into a hug as carefully as he could. Mike was enraged on the inside as a fire, but cool on the outside as ice. 

"That's why you didn't show up at the studio for a few days." Mike gasped, the realization dawning on him.

"I-I'm so s-sorry, B-Brad.." Rob choked out during heaving sobs. 

"Shhh.. Shhh." Brad ran his fingers through Rob's hair gently and rocked him. Mike frowned and quietly cleared his throat. 

"It may not be safe to go back to the studio for a few days. Let's maybe lie low and see what we can do here at our places, minus Rob's obviously. I'll go call the guys while you finish up here, Bradford." He gently padded Brad on the shoulder and turned on his heel to collect his phone. Brad simply nodded and kept holding the crying drummer. 

"I didn't know he'd try that or anything else, I should have been smarter, I should have looked out more, I should have- Mmph!" Brad gently pushed a finger to Rob's lips and exhaled quietly. 

"There was no way you could have known, Rob. No way. It's not fair to you to live your life always on edge and timid. I don't blame you. Not at all."

Rob sniffed and barely nodded. 

"Let's maybe consider moving you out of that apartment and getting you into a new place so he can't find you as easily. If you want to or need to, you can always move in with me. I just hope you like finding guitar picks all over the place." Brad joked lightly and Rob smiled a bit, wiping his face.  Brad briefly glanced at the drummer's lips and smiled too.

I really wanna kiss him.. Wait. What? 

Brad shook his head and smiled a bit more at his-..., the drummer.

What is going on with me?

Brad wrapped an arm around Rob and led him over to the couch. Mike came out and smiled at the two. 

"I'll get you guys blankets. You can chill here for a while, I usually just hang out in my room so this room will be mostly to yourselves. You know where everything is, Wi-Fi password, all of it." Mike went back to his room and Rob looked down at Brad's stomach. 

"We should probably really change those bandages and re-clean you up." Rob looked up at Brad and tilted his head. 

"Yeah.. Yeah, I think so too." Rob suddenly but carefully picked up the guitarist, earning a small squeal from him. He sat Brad on the counter and looked at him, biting his lip. 

"Uh, is it okay, if I uh..?" Rob gestured towards Brad's shirt. Brad nodded and sat up a bit more, as best he could. Rob carefully peeled up the shirt and took off the old bandages, applying ointment to the wounds. Brad stifling quiet moans and tiny grunts of pain here and there. Rob suddenly got a quick glance at the abs and hair trail on his stomach, leading down to-.... Blushing with his thoughts and the tiny moans, Rob regrouped and finished patching up Brad as fast he could. 

"Thanks, Rob." Brad quietly pulled his shirt down and smiled a bit at him. 

"No problem.. It's the least I could do, after all, it's all my f-"

"If you say it's all your fault, Robert Gregory Bourdon, I will throat punch you." Rob looked up at face that Brad was pulling to try and be threatening, totally not working,  and giggled. Seeing Rob break into a giggling fit, made him smile and laugh too. 

"Now, get me off of here, I want to go sit on the couch or something." Brad said pouting and Rob lifted him off, guiding him over to the couch and putting his down. Brad instantly laid down and Rob went to sit on the floor when he heard a small yelp. He turned around alarmed to see an even more pouting Brad hand out-stretched towards him, apparently the source of the noise. Rob rolled his eyes and quietly laughed. 

"Are you sure?" Rob adjusted his glasses, resisting the urge to run his fingers through Brad's curly soft hair. 

"Yes, more than sure, now come here, please." Brad smiled and moved over carefully. Rob smiled and laid out behind the guitarist, keeping his body to himself. Brad exhaled impatiently and pressed his back against Rob's chest. Rob shook his head giggling and wrapped his arms around Brad.

This feeling probably won't last, but I'll enjoy it for now.  

Rob nuzzled his nose into Brad's hair and closed his eyes, hearing soft snoring already.