Closer 2

74.

There was no way in hell Brett would just forget it. Nobody would get to tell his Eddy bullshit like that and have zero consequences.

He had managed to get Eddy to tell him more about exactly what they had said that evening. It hurt so much to hear, but it hurt more to hold Eddy while he cried, while he fell into the same old patterns of thinking he had taken having a mom from Elise.

The day after, while he was out for groceries, he decided to do the only thing he could which was to report it to the police.

The fact that the police told him they would take a statement and make a file on it, but couldn't do anything with a word against word case like this made Brett want to explode. Of course he was too polite to actually go off on the understanding police lady who talked to him, but he decided the system was fucked up at that point.

He slammed the door when he got home, making Eddy and Elise jump in surprise. Eddy tried to ask him what was up, but Brett pushed him away gently.

"I'm sorry, I need a shower before I can talk."

After practically throwing the groceries he'd bought into the fridge with shaky hands, he stomped off to the bathroom to try and cool down his anger. Why the fuck wasn't the system dealing with this blatant homophobia? How was it possible that someone could refuse to sell him a house just because he had a boyfriend and not a girlfriend?

Why did people find him disgusting for loving Eddy?

Angry tears popped out as he kicked his boxers off and stepped under the hot water of the shower. It stung slightly, but he needed the sting to calm him down. He wanted to punch something, to kick and scream, and let the world know how unfairly he was being treated. Wanted to cry, wanted to give the stupid owner of the stupid house to know how much he was hurting Eddy, how much he was hurting him.

At some point, Brett found himself slowly sinking to the floor, pulling his knees to his chest and letting the stinging hot water prickle his back. He hid his face in his hands, and he cried like he had when the kids at school picked on him for his wire glasses, like when he broke up with his first girlfriend, when the older kids were mean to him for taking the concert master spot from them, like after the night with Kevin.

He cried as quietly as he could, though. He knew he couldn't show Eddy or Elise how weak he really was. Brett was the one who was supposed to protect them from stuff like that, from assholes who thought they knew better than him how he should live his life.

It took a while, but as the warm water gradually became colder as the hot water ran out, he got himself back on his feet and switched the shower off. He felt completely empty, but at least he had managed to stop the pathetic crying.