Archive of Our Own ^beta

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It was so pleasant, the sound that caressed Eddy's ears and made his heart warm up despite the grey weather outside. The grey clouds had been pushing his mood down all day, but the soft, somewhat muted tone of a violin passing through the wall just behind his couch was exactly what he needed to actually finish sorting his music folder like he had promised himself he would for the past week.

There was not a shred of doubt in Eddy's body that his neighbour was a professional musician. The sound was simply too crisp and clean for anything else to be an option. Besides, every time he saw him in the elevator, he had his violin case strapped to his back and a sheet music folder under his arm. On the weekends, he often had swapped his sweater and dark jeans for a suit and tidied his dark, messy hair up. The guy looked pretty handsome in Eddy's opinion, especially all dressed up for a concert, but even when he was in his casual sweater and jeans he could have been a model.

Of course, Eddy shouldn't be thinking about his neighbour like that at all. He shouldn't be thinking about the light tickle he got in the bottom of his stomach when his neighbour ran his hand through his dark hair or his adorable koala eyes because his neighbour was taken.

His neighbour had a boyfriend. A large guy with light brown hair,  strong body and a tan. Just thinking about what that guy could do to him if he caught him looking at the much smaller violinist made Eddy almost shit himself with fear. He seemed like that kind of guy too, who would beat the crap out of anyone who dared look at his man.

This man was the very reason he hadn't really dared to introduce himself properly to the guy when he moved in almost a year ago either. He had planned on going over to him ever since passing him on the way out of the elevator on the very first day in the apartment and spotting the instrument on his back. At first the shyness got the better of him, and when the big boyfriend showed up as well, making it awfully clear that the small koala man was his by having him pressed against the wall outside their apartment door and kissing him hungrily, Eddy figured he didn't want it to be taken the wrong way. They would get to know each other eventually anyway.

A year in, though, and they had barely exchanged a nod on the way in and out.

Eddy had figured out what his name was, though. It said on the box next to his in the mail room, and he was certain it was the right one as he had met him in there one morning. He had seen him gather his mail in his dainty hands and lock his box back up before disappearing out of the room as quickly as he had shown up, leaving Eddy to realize he had been staring. He thanked the heavens for the fact that his neighbour's scary boyfriend was nowhere to be seen in that moment, but took a quick mental note of the guy's name from the little sign on the mail box.

Brett Yang.

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It was getting dark out, and Eddy was still searching his shelf containing all kinds of books of scales, exercises and repertoire. This one student of his was having a problem he knew he used to have ages ago, and Eddy wanted her to try the same exercises that had loosened things up for him years ago. It was all about getting the explanation of it right, but he needed the book to remember it properly. 

Eddy ended up practically emptying his shelf over the course of an hour, making stacks of books and sheet music all over his living room before finding what he was looking for. He put it aside and went to grab himself a sip of water for a small break just as he heard the faint ding of the elevator through the wall, indicating that someone had gotten to their floor. Sometimes he wondered if these apartments were sound proofed at all, but then he remembered he never heard anything from the people living above him or below him. Only from the hallway and the only other apartment on this floor. At least he didn't have the constant sound of someone walking right above him.

The fact that he could only really hear the sounds from the other apartment on his own floor meant he knew who must have caused the ding. This was further confirmed when the sound of the neighbour's apartment door shutting was soft and gentle, like he didn't want to disturb. It was of course the small violinist, and not the big man he had figured was his boyfriend. The big man always slammed the door when he came, always existed so loudly 

He also existed loudly when the pair was intimate. Eddy really disliked hearing it, not because he cared that his neighbours were having sex, but rather that he never really heard anything from the smaller man to accompany the faint thumps, the bed creaks and the groans from the big man. But it wasn't really any of his business, anyway. Maybe the smaller guy just was quiet in bed? Maybe he was aware of the thin wall between their apartments and wanted to avoid disturbing him? 

Eddy shook his head to clear his thoughts and brought his glass of cold water back into the living room. Of course his neighbour wouldn't care if he heard them. If that was the case, he'd ask his boyfriend to be quieter too. He was probably just a more shy and quiet guy in the first place. It wasn't like he heard him talk much in general. 

The water felt good, and was needed after the workout it had been to empty his shelf of the many music books and music scores he had accumulated over many years. Maybe he would make a new system before putting it all back? It would be nice to not have to search for what he needed for his teaching like this, wouldn't it? It had taken up his whole evening, after all. A full evening he could have used to practice for the orchestra audition he was playing for in a few days instead. 

"Might as well, right?" he muttered to himself before emptying the glass and getting to his feet. Time to put everything back on the shelf, in a sensible order this time. 

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Eddy was nervous. So very nervous. He had practiced the excerpts to as close to perfection as he could, he had the solo Bach they required ready, and he had looked over last years' sight reading pieces. His scales were in tune, his vibrato even, and he probably hadn't been this ready for an audition ever in his life. 

He realized that this was his chance, his shot at getting closer to his dream. The push he needed to get in the direction he wanted. This chance to be on the substitute list for a professional orchestra wasn't something he could pass up, and he was making the most of it. 

"Eddy Chen?" the lady who had been getting people for their turn asked the room of nervous violinists, most a few years younger than Eddy. 

"Yeah," Eddy replied, gathering his sheet music and his violin quickly. A few of the others gave him looks that said 'good luck' as he stood up. "That's me."

The walk down the empty hallway to the concert hall entrance backstage felt like it took forever, and it made his already fast heart rate speed up more. His hands felt clammy. He knew the concert master, the second violin section leader and the conductor in residence would judge his performance, and all of those people were amazing musicians he looked up to.

"Good luck," the lady told him as she opened the stage door for him. He froze for a moment, feeling like his feet were glued to the floor and like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. It took a second before he snapped out of it, but when he did he put on his brave smile and walked on with confident strides. 

"Mr Chen, correct?" a female voice, likely the voice of the concert master, asked from somewhere up in the seats. He couldn't really see them due to the lighting, only the shapes of them. It looked like a tall man, a larger woman and a shorter man. He figured the tall man was the conductor in residence, and the woman had to be the concert master. He didn't recognize the short man, though, as the second violin section leader was a middle aged woman. 

"That's me, yes," Eddy nodded as he put the orchestra excerpts on the music stand provided, next to the sight reading piece. It looked simple enough. 

"Welcome. Make yourself comfortable and then maybe we can start with the Shostakovich excerpt?" 

The Shostakovich. That was the one he was the least sure of. The one he had practically broken his fingers for. Of course they chose that one. 

The excerpt went pretty bad. Sure, he hit all the notes mostly in tune and mostly in time, but he had no extra capacity to make music with it. It was correct but it wasn't good. 

When Eddy walked off stage after being stopped halfway through his solo Bach, he was certain he wasn't anywhere near the skill level required for the job. 

"How'd it go?" the lady who had brought him there asked as she walked with him back through the corridor after sending the next nervous soul off to play for the jury. 

"Pretty bad," he admitted with a sigh, shaking his head. "I didn't manage to show what I can do at all. I know the second violin section leader is looking for musicality, because she said so last year, and…" 

"Oh, but she isn't here today. She's home with her sick kid. It's just some guy from her section who happened to be available today who's in the jury on her behalf," the lady interrupted him quickly. "So who knows, maybe you'll get lucky this time."

Eddy blinked a few times. That explained the short guy he saw the silhouette of in the jury.
"Oh, I see. I still don't think so, though," he shrugged as they got back to where his case was, and where everyone else was waiting as well. "Thanks for the encouragement anyway, though."

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The amazing taste of melted cheese on a piece of bread mixed with crushed tomatoes and some darn good pepperoni. The perfect meal to eat away your feelings with. Eddy just wanted to forget all about the audition, about the jury, about really messing up that Bach to the point where the concert master stopped him halfway through. 

That's why it was so frustrating to hear the same goddamned piece he had played at the audition through the wall with the violin god he had as a neighbour playing it. 

The worst part was that it started out sounding like he had just found the sheet music after ten years and then made it sound like he might perform it on a stage in front of thousands of people in the course of an hour. Why wasn't this guy a well known soloist yet? 

Unfortunately, the beautiful sound came to an abrupt halt with the ding from the elevator. The violinist never played when his boyfriend was there, which was odd to Eddy. Why wouldn't he share this beautiful music with the guy he loved? Surely he would be able to appreciate it, even if he wasn't classically trained, or even a musician at all? 

It didn't matter, though. Eddy was just happy to not have the reminder of the terrible audition anymore. He was just waiting for the email thanking him for showing up and wishing him good luck on his journey at this point anyway. Might as well just lie down on the couch and feel bad about life for a bit, right? 

That was of course not how that would go. Of course, this was the day his neighbours had decided to start fighting. 

"Mike, you're drunk. Please just go to sleep," he was pretty sure he heard his neighbour say in a relatively loud voice followed by some steps and a light thump. Then came the displeased groan from the buff man. 

"Shut up Brett, just come to bed with me. Be a good boy, now." 

Eddy found himself gagging a bit at the sleazy voice and the knowledge of what would come after. The smaller man always seemed to let himself be talked into sex eventually, and Eddy was so not ready for those sounds through the wall. The creaks of the bed, the tiny whimpers from the smaller and the groans from the other. No thanks, that was not a good soundtrack for his temporary self loathing thanks to the bad audition. 

That's why he was so surprised by the answer that seemed unexpected for both him and this Mike guy. 

"No, babe. You always go so hard when you're d… " 

Eddy decided he was not interested in hearing how Mike was in bed when he was drunk and rolled out of the couch, heading for his bathroom. He assumed Mike would be successful after a bit if convincing anyway, so it seemed like it was time to go to bed. Or well, at least to lie down in bed and scroll on twitter for a few hours until he passed out. He had the whole of the following day off anyway, giving him plenty of time to feel bad for himself then. No need to rush it. 

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Eddy was absolutely exhausted, and just the thought of rolling out of bed and give feedback to a bunch of kids who didn't seem to actually want to learn violin made him want to call in sick for the day. Why did they come to the lesson if they never practiced anyway? Some of his students never practiced at home, no matter how much he tried to motivate them. 

They weren't the reason he was so tired, though. He was tired because his neighbours had fought almost all night every night since he came back from the audition. 

Normally, he couldn't hear anything from their apartment into his bedroom, so this wasn't really a problem. If he had issues with them making noise, he'd just go in there and everything would be solved. That didn't work anymore, though. Not since they started hitting things against the walls. It sounded like when they fucked, but so much louder, like they were doing it deliberately. 

It usually died down around two or three in the morning, though. Eddy had gotten up to go to the bathroom around that time once, and he was pretty sure they made up by fucking each other's brains out. 

That didn't change anything of how little Eddy wanted to be awake as he rolled out of bed and placed his feet on the cold, wooden floor. The sun was just too bright as he pulled back the curtains too. He just wanted to close them again and pretend he had overslept. 

He jumped a little when his phone rang from his nightstand, vibrating against the table. He could think of anyone who would call at this hour, and figured it had to be a telemarketer or something like that. He answered it anyway, though, sitting back on the bed. 

"This is Eddy. Who am I speaking with?" he said after pressing the speakerphone button. It was quiet for a moment before he got a reply. 

"Hiya, this is Kirsten Williams, concertmaster of the CSO."

Eddy almost forgot how words worked for a moment. Why would the concertmaster of the orchestra he had auditioned with as badly as he had call him? Would she cuss him out for even showing up? 

"How can I help you?" he heard himself say, giving him a few more moments to snap out of it and suppress the yawn forcing its way out. 

"Congratulations, we've chosen to accept you for the substitute list position," the concertmaster said in a friendly tone, and Eddy was pretty sure he was still asleep at that point. Surely the concertmaster wouldn't call him about that? They had only sent emails to his friends who had made it in the past…?

"Thank you so much! Wow, I did not expect that," he admitted on an exhale, running a hand through his hair. He had to stand up and walk around for a bit to get the adrenaline out of his system. This was insane!

"Now, there's just one thing I need to ask. How soon can you start?" the concertmaster asked, and Eddy got an inkling to why she was calling rather than emailing him from her tone. 

"I teach today, but I suppose I can move tomorrow's lessons out of the way… So tomorrow, I guess?" he summed up out loud, running a hand through his hair again, tugging it a bit to check he was actually awake. It felt like he was. 

"Oh that's fantastic. We have a second violin who unfortunately had a sudden health problem. Would you mind stepping in for him? I can send you the music right now, and rehearsals start tomorrow. I know it's a bit short notice, but we really didn't expect to be so short staffed… "

"No problem at all! Just email me the music and the details and I'll see you at rehearsal tomorrow." 

"Perfect, can I just confirm your email address?" 

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"You got this," Eddy whispered to himself in the mirror by the apartment entrance on the way out, a bit earlier than he had to, for his first proper orchestra substitution. He was so nervous, he could feel his hands get clammy and occasionally he got this silly smile from the excitement bubbling in him. He had of course been in youth orchestras, school orchestras and the university orchestra, but this was way different.

The sheet music hadn't been too bad, either. Something a seasoned player would have no issue picking up with minimal or no practice. He wanted to get it perfect, though, because he wanted to make a good impression. At least as close to perfect as one day of practicing in between teaching would allow. Eddy knew as well as anyone that the good and hard working subs were the ones considered first for the actual jobs. The players who showed team spirit and a high skill level were the ones they pushed to audition for the seats. That was Eddy's dream, to get to play with an orchestra every week. He didn't care if it was first or second violin, he just wanted to make music in a professional ensemble. 

He felt his back for his violin case, and his tote for the sheet music. Everything was there. Then he patted his pocket to make sure he had his phone, which he also did, before taking the door handle and opening the door. 

"Shit, sorry!" his neighbour said as the door practically opened in his face, taking a step back. "I'm sorry." 

"Oh no, I'm sorry. That was my fault," Eddy responded quickly, blinking a few times. He hadn't expected to run into anyone, obviously, let alone his neighbour with a violin case strapped to his back. "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. I gotta run," his neighour said quickly, practically running over to the elevator. Eddy shut his door and locked it, not sure what to make of his behaviour. Maybe he just was in a rush? 

Eddy made it over to the elevator before the familiar ding sounded, and both men stepped into the elevator. He couldn't help but to peek at the smaller from the corner of his eye, though. The man looked a perfect amount of messy, and when he ran his hand through his hair to push it out of his face, Eddy had to make himself look away and remind himself the guy was taken. 

It seemed his neighbour would be driving to wherever he was going, as Eddy was the only one getting out on the ground floor while the smaller violinist continued down with the elevator to the parking facility below the building. Eddy was very okay with that, as the awkward silence in the elevator was suffocating him. He still gave a small wave as he exited though, wanting to be polite to the shaken looking guy. Eddy felt a bit bad. He had probably scared the shit out of him by opening the door in his face, after all. 

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"Chen! Thank you so much for being able to come on such short notice," the concertmaster said upon meeting him by the door of the rehearsal hall. She reached her hand out and shook his before leading him through the large entrance area. "You're really saving us today. Three of our second violins called out today with sick kids in addition to Max, who you're replacing, so we really needed all the people we could get today." 

"It was no trouble at all," Eddy said with a polite smile, keeping the amount of work to move the lessons he was supposed to have this week to himself. "It sounded like Max was rather poorly when we talked on the phone?" 

The concertmaster turned to him with a sad look just as she opened a large metal door for the both of them, leading them into a corridor. 

"Yeah, he's… I suppose it would be useful for you to know. He's had a pretty bad heart attack, and then just this morning we learned he's had a stroke as well while in hospital," she explained with a sigh. "The guy's only fifty five, too. Way too young."

"Let's hope he'll be alright," Eddy said, not really sure what else to say. What do you say when you learn you're replacing a dear colleague who's in hospital after having been on the brink of death? "I'm sorry I'm here under such circumstances."

"Oh, no, don't worry about that at all! We're happy you're here," the concertmaster said, opening a door at the end of the hallway, which brought them out to the stage of a concert hall. "Let me show you your desk." 

They moved through a group of people who smiled politely at him and gave a small nod as they passed, and he tried to do the same back to everyone. He realized that making friends would be a good idea, as the orchestra members definitely had some say about who got a job there or not, even if they weren't supposed to formally. 

"Here we are," the concertmaster smiled as he led him to an empty desk, showing him the left chair. "Your desk partner will be here today, so I expect he's just around the corner."

"Thank you. I'm looking forward to this," Eddy smiled at her, sitting down on the chair he was shown as she left him to prepare for today's rehearsal. 

Eddy couldn't help the excitement building in him. His first proper substitute job in an orchestra, his first taste of professional life. The competition for the orchestra jobs and for the substitute jobs were tough, and most of his study mates were still doing auditions.

"So you're my new des…" a voice behind him began before trailing off, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned to see who it was, and his heart skipped a beat when he recognized the man. "So they ended up picking you, huh?" 

"Hi uh, yes, it's… It seems like it," Eddy stuttered, taken with surprise. He extended his hand as an invitation to shake his. "Eddy Chen." 

"Brett Yang," his neighbour said, taking his hand and shaking it. Eddy couldn't help but notice how small and delicate the hand was compared to his. "Nice to… I guess get introduced to each other." 

Chapter Text

Playing in a professional orchestra was so much better than Eddy imagined. The musicians listened to the conductor, and the music flowed like Eddy had never experienced before. His stand partner and neighbour seemed so relaxed and into it, which helped Eddy calm his nerves and play as well as a first rehearsal with only a short time to practice allowed. 

"Sounds like yesterday's practice paid off for you," his stand partner, Brett, commented as the conductor let them go for their scheduled break. Eddy leaned back in his chair for a moment. His brain felt like mush and they still had the second half of the rehearsal to go. 

"Thank you. It's my first day in a professional orchestra, so I figured I'd at least be decent despite the short notice." 

Brett nodded, his dark hair falling in his eyes as he did, so he pushed it back with his hand. 

"I figured it was when I saw your resume," he said as he undid his bow. Eddy's questioning look made him quickly continue his sentence, though. "Don't worry, you're doing good." 

"Why did you see my resume? I thought it was just the jury who saw it?" Eddy asked, copying him to pack his violin down in his case. He was starving, so getting some lunch was slowly becoming a priority. 

Brett chuckled a bit. 

"Yeah, it was just the jury," he shrugged, closing his case. "I guess it's hard to see the audience from the stage with the lights in your face." 

"You were on the jury? Why?" Eddy inquired, standing up when his stand partner did. He didn't really know where he was going, though. Where would the best place to get lunch be around here? 

"Wanna come with me to my usual lunch spot? I'll explain on the way," Brett offered instead of answering the question, and Eddy was definitely not opposed to that. 

"Yes please, that would be great." 

They walked together out of the building, Brett leading the way as Eddy didn't know any of the local places to grab lunch. A few of the other second violinists gave him a pat on the shoulder and a "well played" as they walked past, but apart from that people seemed to be finding their regular friend groups to get lunch with. 

"You do like bubble tea, right?" Brett asked once they got out into the long hallway, seeming to have all the time in the world despite lunch only being an hour. "I think I've seen you bring up a few cups." 

"I do, I love bubble tea. Are there any good places around to grab some?" Eddy inquired, opening and holding open the large metal door for Brett. He flashed him a polite smile.

"Yeah, I thought we'd go to this place which is kind of a café, but who also sells bubble tea. They have some awesome noodles, if you like that," Brett said with a small shrug, leading the way out to the main entrance of the building. Eddy followed willingly, happy to not have to search for somewhere to eat on his own. 

"Sounds amazing. I'm all for it." 

Chapter Text

"Thanks again for driving me home. You didn't need to," Eddy said as they stepped into the elevator. "And for paying for bubble tea and lunch. I promise I won't leave my wallet in my violin case next time." 

Brett just shrugged, pressing the button for their floor with his pale hand. 

"Don't worry about it at all. You pay tomorrow," he smiled up at him as the doors closed in front of them. "And for the driving - you do realize I'm literally losing nothing by giving you a ride, right? I have to drive here anyway." 

Eddy couldn't help but chuckle at that. He was right, of course, but getting a ride without saying thank you felt wrong. 

"I know, I know. You're missing out on some quiet time, though," he pointed out instead, feeling the elevator move.

"I don't need more quiet time than I get when the conductor runs through stuff with the winds anyway," Brett snorted, shaking his head. "It's alright, it was nice having some company for a change." 

"Yeah, and I'm only here to bother you for a little while, anyway," Eddy sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I think it's only for this project, but I don't really know." 

"I guess we'll have to see what happens to Max," Brett said, a bit sadly. "I hope he will be okay." 

"I hope so too. Truly," Eddy said, placing a hand on Brett's shoulder just as they heard the familiar ding of the elevator and the doors opened. 

Eddy could feel the smaller man tense up for a moment before taking a quick step away from him. He didn't really understand why, but figured maybe he didn't fancy being touched. They barely knew each other after all. 

"Hey sexy," he heard a voice say as they both got out of the elevator, and Eddy knew instantly the voice wasn't talking to him. He looked up and saw Brett's boyfriend leaning against the doorframe of their apartment. 

"Hi Mike," Brett mumbled, a lot quieter than before, more like Eddy was used to hearing him until today. "I didn't know you'd be home already?" 

Mike walked over to the smaller man and gave him a kiss that looked almost forceful, but Eddy just figured that was their thing. They did seem to like it rough in bed already, so it made sense. 

"Well here I am. I've been waiting for you," he said, taking his hand firmly and pulling him towards their apartment door. "Come on." 

"I'll see you tomorrow," Eddy said with a small smile, but Brett barely had time to respond before Mike had shut the door. A small smile was all he managed before the familiar bang of his boyfriend shutting a door was heard. 

Eddy unlocked his own door with a click and headed inside. He took his shoes off and placed them neatly on the shelf before shuffling into his living room. The violin was placed in its usual spot by the end of the couch before he belly flopped down on the soft cushions. He was exhausted, but was really looking forward to the rehearsal the following day a lot more than before, and it was all thanks to his new friend who had made his first day a million times better than he had imagined. 

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Eddy squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to hear it. Sure he had figured they were rough, but this? It sounded like someone was angrily thumping a log into the wall and fighting a wild animal at the same time. The sounds traveled through the walls and into Eddy's bedroom, making it impossible to even consider sleeping. Not even the sweet sound of the Debussy playlist he used for when he couldn't sleep could drown it out. 

After staring at the inside of his eyelids for a while, Eddy figured he'd go remind the happy couple that this was too much. He had a rehearsal in the morning, and even though it seemed Brett didn't need sleep he sure did. 

He pulled his duvet aside and slid his feet into his slippers, yawning a bit as he dragged them across the floor into the living room where the shared wall was. It sounded like whatever they were doing was happening right there in front of him, and it honestly made Eddy feel a bit sick. Something sounded off about it. It wasn't the sound of a loving couple making passionate love and whispering sweet words to each other. This sounded more violent, like the goal here was to get off by hurting the other. 

Eddy would've dismissed it. He would've dismissed it as some weird kink, some weird stuff he wanted to know nothing about. In fact, he was only a moment from banging on the wall back to announce the fact he could hear them when Brett's pleading voice sounded through the wall. 

"Mike, please… please stop. Ow, please…!" 

The soreness behind it paralyzed Eddy for a moment, gluing him to the floor. Sure, it could be acting. Some fantastic acting that would be. Sure, it could be nothing but a weird kink. It could be a weird kink they both consented to, but then why did his voice sound like that? Why was it so vulnerable, small and fragile and so very scared? 

Eddy had no idea what to do. What could he even do? He wanted to help, wanted to knock on their door and tell this Mike to get off the small man. The guy was huge though, and he could easily beat the crap out of both of them. Maybe call the police? And risk making it worse for Brett later on if he wasn't ready to leave the guy, though? 

Despite how uneasy he felt about it, he settled on recording what was happening on his phone for a bit and then he'd bang on the wall and sit there in his dark living room for a while to make sure nothing more happened. He didn't know how else to help his new friend. At least he could be a witness and have evidence if he was able to talk Brett into calling the police in the morning. 

Eddy fell asleep on the couch a while after they stopped and it became quiet. He was just relieved it did stop when he let them know he was there. 

Chapter Text

"Hey, let's go," Brett said in a hushed voice after opening the door for Eddy's knock. He looked back into the apartment before shutting the door very carefully and locking it behind him.

"How are you?" Eddy asked softly as he walked alongside the smaller man over to the elevator, violin case strapped to their backs for the rehearsal. It was impossible not to notice the purple bruise under his collar where the strap from the instrument case pulled it slightly down, and it made Eddy feel sick. 

"Just a bit tired," Brett shrugged as the elevator arrived with the familiar ding. His slight defensive tone made Eddy feel unsure. "Didn't sleep well last night." 

"I can imagine," Eddy mumbled, not really sure how to continue. How did you ask someone you had only really talked to for the first time yesterday about how their relationship is going? 

They started the elevator ride down to the garage in silence. Eddy could see Brett adjust the shirt he was wearing to cover up the bruise with the help of the mirror glued to one of the walls in the small space. 

"Nice shirt, by the way," he commented softly, but immediately regretted it when the tense aura from Brett hit him. 

"Thanks, Mike got it for me," Brett replied, though Eddy couldn't imagine that to be true with how he had seen Mike dress. 

"He must know your style well, then," Eddy said, trying to not sound like he thought Brett was lying. He had no proof, anyway. Maybe he did just know the guy's style? 

"He does," Brett said, maybe a bit flatly, as the elevator dinged and the doors opened for them on the garage floor. "He's the… the love of my life. Of course he knows me."

The smaller man stepped out with quick steps towards his car and Eddy had to take long strides to keep up. It was clear from Brett's tone that the conversation about the shirt ended there. 

The car ride was as quiet as the first few seconds of the elevator ride had been. Eddy couldn't help but feel like he had said something wrong, something that hurt his new friend. Maybe he was wrong to think anything was going on in the first place? Was there a chance it had been consensual? 

Was it even his business to worry about it at all?

They parked outside the concert hall the rehearsals were in, and Brett was quick to get out of the car and grab his violin case.

"Are we late?" Eddy asked, a bit confused at his stressed fumbling with the straps of his case. He got out too and grabbed his case, though, not wanting to hold him up. 

"No, no, I just… I really gotta use the restroom before rehearsal," Brett mumbled, his voice cracking halfway through the sentence. He cleared his throat and fumbled with the remote on his car keys. "I'll just run ahead." 

"Okay, thank you for…" Eddy began, but as soon as the car was locked up, Brett ran off ahead into the large building. "... the ride." 

Chapter Text

Brett didn't come back until a few minutes after the rehearsal had started, and the conductor had shot him a disapproving look because of it. Eddy thought the look was incredibly unnecessary when it was so obvious that the guy had been crying and was already struggling. Maybe it wasn't as obvious to everyone else as it was to him? He was paying so much more attention to the guy, especially today after what he had heard the night before. The need to protect the smaller man was maybe what made him so frustrated when the Finnish guest conductor, a conducting prodigy who wasn't even as old as Eddy was, seemed to overlook the obvious distress radiating from Brett. Couldn't he see that the man was already feeling down? 

"Are you okay?" Eddy whispered to him while the conductor ran through a section with the cellos and double basses, careful not to disturb what was going on ahead. He just couldn't stop worrying about his deskie when the shaky bow continued to happen throughout the rehearsal, and the fact that he rubbed his eyes every time he had the chance as if struggling not to cry didn't make it any better. Brett had tried to just shrug him off, but Eddy gave him a knowing look which after just a few moments made him give up with a defeated sigh. 

"I'll explain in the break," he whispered back, letting his bangs fall in his face as he looked down to where his hands carefully held onto his violin and his bow. He definitely sounded like he'd rather not explain anything at all. "Just leave it for now, I don't want any more trouble." 

The rest of the rehearsal, Eddy tried his best to not let his worry affect his playing. Thankfully, it seemed Brett was feeling better as he got more into the music too, and when the break came, he seemed almost back to normal. Almost. 

"Time for lunch. Be on time after the break, we have a lot to go through," the young conductor said, clearly shooting a glance at Brett as he said it. Eddy shot him a death glare back, but it didn't seem the blonde man cared as he took a step off the podium and disappeared out of the room. 

"Wanna go grab bubble tea and noodles, then?" Brett asked quietly with a sigh, already having put away his violin. He looked like he'd rather not but felt like he had to. Eddy was quick to copy him, not wanting to keep him waiting. 

"Sounds good to me," Eddy confirmed with a smile meant to cheer him up a bit. Unfortunately, the smile faltered a few moments later when Brett turned away, looking like he was fighting to keep his face as neutral as possible. 

"Let's go then," he mumbled quietly as he got out of his chair, leading the way out of the rehearsal space. Eddy was quick to shut his case and follow Brett's quick steps with his long strides. "We'll just get it over with." 

Chapter Text

Eddy thanked the kind café lady as she came with their food. Brett also mumbled out a quiet 'thanks', but he honestly looked like he was trying to disappear. He had adjusted his shirt several times already to try and cover his bruise that was so much more obvious in daylight, and Eddy really just wanted to help the guy.

"I'm sorry about my weird mood, I'm just so tired," Brett excused himself, not looking up from his noodles that he just shifted around in the bowl with his chopsticks. "It's probably too much information, but I had a fight with Mike yesterday and it's just... it's so tiring."

"Is that why you have the... the bruise?" Eddy asked carefully, not expecting him to be so upfront about it. Maybe this would be easier than he thought?

"No, no," Brett said quickly, shaking his head. He pulled his shirt up a vitagain and crossed his arms over his chest as he said it, still avoiding Eddy's gaze. "Not at all, you've gotten it wrong. Nothing's happening."

"You sure? 'Cause I heard... I mean, last night? It sounded like you were in pain. I got really worried about you, honestly," Eddy said softly, looking around to make sure nobody was listening in. "I've heard you guys before, but not like that..."

"Oh, you heard," Brett mumbled, shaking his head. His tongue darted nervously over his lips to moisten them. "It's... it's not how you think... it's..."

"Hey babe!"

Both guys turned as the familiar voice sounded by the door. Eddy couldn't help the little frown that flashed over his face as he recognized Brett's boyfriend.

"Didn't expect to see you here," Mike said, grabbing a chair from a neighbouring table and sitting down next to Brett, who honestly looked like he wanted to puke. "What a nice surprise."

"You know I eat lunch here every day, how is this a surprise?" Brett asked before Mike leaned in and placed a firm kiss to his lips. He allowed it, but didn't really offer much back.

"So, who's your friend?" Mike asked, and Eddy was kind of surprised Mike did recognize him. They had met in the hallway a few times.

"It's... You know Eddy? Our neighbour?" Brett said softly, seeming to question the same thing as Eddy did. "Well, he got the... the substitute job, the seat next to mine, so I thought..."

"So you thought you'd invite him for a lunch date. How sweet of you," Mike interrupted him, shutting Brett up. He turned to Eddy after and offered his hand to shake. "Don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Mike, Brett's boyfriend."

Eddy took the huge hand and shook it, whimpering a bit when the handshake was a lot firmer than your average firm handshake. Mike just laughed.

"You're a weak one aren't you?" he chuckled, and Eddy just forced a polite smile.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Eddy," he said a bit flatly, looking over at Brett who looked like a scolded child now that Mike had shown up. As if he didn't look vulnerable enough already.

Chapter Text

Brett was very quiet the whole lunch. Mike kept a conversation going and Eddy answered politely despite some of the jokes that seemed to be kind of putting Brett down. It was obvious from his face that Brett didn't want him to comment on it, but Eddy honestly just wanted to punch the guy the whole time. 

Mike decided to walk with them back to the rehearsal too, and arm lying heavily around Brett's shoulders the whole way. Eddy tried to strike up some conversation with his new friend, but Mike just talked over Brett's answers every time so he gave up. 

"I'll see you at home, slut," Mike said in an obviously joking tone before pulling Brett into a sloppy kiss that the smaller of the two seemed to accept more than enjoy. Then he slapped Brett's ass, drawing out a whimper from him, before walking off. Eddy honestly wanted to punch the guy at that point, and even more so when Brett ran ahead of him inside with clearly red burning cheeks. 

Eddy stopped to talk to some of the other people on the way inside, grabbed himself a cookie from the pile the nice bass clarinetist had baked for everyone to enjoy and went to sit down by their desk with just a minute to spare before rehearsal started up again. Brett was not there, though. His violin and his bow rested in its case next to the chair, the music was still on the stand and the chair was empty. 

Five minutes in, Brett still hadn't shown up. Maybe he needed some extra time to gather himself? Eddy found he couldn't really concentrate properly with his desk mate missing. He grew more annoyed with Mike for clearly making Brett upset. How could the guy not realize how lucky he was to have such a precious man?

Fifteen minutes later, and the conductor had very obviously glared over at the empty seat. Stupid conductor. He was probably too young to realize that it was probably those kinds of looks that made it uncomfortable to not be at 100% constantly in rehearsal. Not that the old grumpy ones seemed any better. Eddy had seen enough video clips of those to know he preferred the glances over getting straight up told off in front of everyone. 

After an hour, Eddy figured Brett wouldn't be coming back to the rehearsal. At least he would have to come pick up his violin, though, and he was Eddy's ride home too. He would get the opportunity to ask how he was, so he managed through the rest of the rehearsal without worrying too much. 

"That's all for today, thank you. I'll see you for our last rehearsal tomorrow," the conductor said, stepping off the podium and walking off like he had somewhere better to be. Eddy didn't really like him much. Sure, the young Finnish guy had a lot of talent and knowledge, but he wasn't really appealing to Eddy. 

Eddy packed his violin slowly, wiping it off more thoroughly than he normally would, to see if Brett would come back after everyone else had left. He couldn't drag it out longer than until the last few woodwinds finished dragging their spit cloths through their instruments and left the rehearsal space. Where was he? 

"I guess I'll… I'll pack it for him," Eddy muttered to himself, putting his case next to Brett's and starting to carefully wipe off the instrument before strapping it into the case. He had seen how Brett had packed and unpacked the instrument with careful gentle hands. He knew how he liked it cleaned and packed. 

Brett had not come back by the time Eddy shut the locks either, so he stood for a second considering what to do. At this point everyone had left but him. 

"You staying long or can I start cleaning?" 

Eddy turned to see a teenage boy with colourful hair and a ring in his lip pushing a cleaning cart into the room. It pulled him out of his thoughts. 

"No, no, I'm just about to leave, no worries," Eddy said quickly, getting his own violin on his back and holding Brett's in his hand. Then he made a quick exit through the same door the teen had come in, giving him a small smile on the way out. Maybe Brett was in the car? 

Chapter Text

Eddy was tired, worried, and honestly a bit frustrated. The car wasn't where he had left it this morning, and after looking in the area to see if Brett had moved the car, Eddy decided that his neighbour must have left without him and without his violin. Walking home was his only option now, too, as the last bus had left while he waited for Brett in the concert hall. It was frustrating, but Eddy couldn't help but worry about the guy. Where had he gone? Home to his asshole of a boyfriend? 

The downstairs lobby of the apartment building was rather welcoming after how the weather gods had treated him on the way home. It started out sunny and scorching hot, which honestly was no better than the pouring rain that followed it. He had tried his best to walk quickly to avoid the violin cases getting too wet, but there was a limit for how fast it was possible to move in the weather conditions and with two violins. 

The cleaning lady that worked in the common areas if the building glared at him as he squeaked his way past her on wet sneakers to the elevator, and he gave her an apologetic look back. It really wasn't planned to walk in all drenched, but it would still give her extra work. 

The elevator dinged as it arrived on their floor and he stepped out, immediately hearing a thump and Mike's loud voice. He was slurring a bit more than he had been doing at lunch, but no more than he would normally when he heard them through the wall like this. 

Eddy made the last few steps over to their door, listening again. 
"Please just listen," Brett cried, clearly distraught. "It's nothing, I promise you. You have to believe me. It won't happen again." 
"You expect me to believe that, huh? You slut, I should punish you. How about you have a little accident that make you have to take off from work, hm?" 
"Please don't, I…" 

It got quiet for a few seconds when Eddy knocked on the door, and then some steps and quiet but intense whispering that he couldn't really make out. He knocked again, and the door creaked open to reveal Brett's dark hair and his red, puffy eyes. 

"Hi, you forgot this," Eddy said softly, offering him his violin back. Brett rubbed his eyes hard, seeming to try and keep himself from crying. 

"Thank you," Brett said quietly, clearing his throat. "I'm… I'm sorry I just left, I had to… to sort something out." 

"Don't worry about it, Brett. It's not that long of a walk," Eddy said, trying to smile a little. Brett shifted uncomfortably, looking back into the apartment where Eddy couldn't see from where he was standing. 

"Uh… I… I also think it's… it's best if we travel separately to work. I'm sorry," Brett said quickly, looking everywhere but at Eddy. "I uh… I have some stuff I have to do before work so… uh…" 

Eddy furrowed his brows a bit, not expecting that. He figured it wasn't really Brett's own words he was hearing now, but he had to accept them as such. What else could he do? 

"Okay, I'll take the bus then. It's no problem," he assured him with a small smile. "Thanks for the rides anyway. Just let me know if you need anything, okay?" 

"Oh, I don't think… I mean…" 
Brett paused as he finally met Eddy's eyes.
"Anything, Brett. If you need help, I'm here, okay?" 

It was quiet between them for a bit before Brett seemed to crash back to Earth. He averted his gaze and shook his head. 
"I don't need anything from you," he said quickly, taking a step back into the apartment. "I'll see you later." 

The door closed in Eddy's face, and he stood there for a bit trying to gather his thoughts. There wasn't really much he could do if Brett didn't want his help, was there? 

Chapter Text

Eddy had really tried to block it out for a long time. He had put earplugs in and noise cancelling headphones on, he had pulled the duvet up as far as it'd go over his head, he had closed the door to his room even though he hated how stuffy the air got when he did that and he had tried to drown it out by playing the music on his headphones so loudly it hurt his ears. Nothing worked, as the large man's voice travelled through the walls and made it feel like his bed was shaking. Maybe it just was that Eddy couldn't keep himself from listening? He wanted to help. 

Brett didn't seem to want his help, though, but it was difficult when Eddy had grown to care for his neighbour during the little time they had spent together. 

"Ow! Stop, please." 

Eddy flinched, unknowingly in the exact same way Brett did on the other side of the wall. He hated hearing the smaller man get hurt

"Come on, you've been a hoe all day and won't give me anything of it?" 

"I didn't do anything, it was just…" 

"Oh fuck off, don't pretend like you didn't get it up the ass in the bathroom after. I saw how you looked at him!" 

Eddy froze for a moment before slowly taking off his headphones. That was about him, wasn't it? It must've been, because who else would Mike be angry about now? 

"I swear I didn't! It was just a lunch with…" 

A squeal was heard from the smaller man, and Eddy felt his stomach hurt with guilt. Lunch. That was definitely about him. Had he been making it worse for him? 

"It's pretty fucking obvious how much of a slut you are, Brett. Tell me the truth or else…!" 

"Nothing happened, Mike, I promise. You're the only man I ever want to be with, please believe me. Please!" 

Eddy slowly got out of bed, leaving his noise cancelling headphones. He also pulled out his earplugs on the way over to his living room where he sat down on the couch to listen. Some movement was heard on the other side of the wall as well. Eddy could hear Mike's footsteps leave the room with Brett's lighter steps following right behind. 

"No no no no, please Mike, you can do anything to me just don't… please…!" 
Brett was crying loudly now, clearly desperate from the way his voice cracked. The pair came back into their bedroom, Brett sobbing loudly. 

"Please, Mike, I'll do anything. Want me to give you a blow job? You can fuck me in the ass? I'll be good, I promise, I'll call in sick while he's there, I'll…" 
A soft thump was heard, and a few clicks. 
"Please don't, please please please…!" 

What followed after that made Eddy flinch. A loud bang against the wall followed by the sound of splintering wood. It made Eddy's blood freeze in his veins. Surely the nasty man hadn't done that? 

Chapter Text

The two violin cases hurt Eddy's back as he stepped onto the bus. He dumped onto the first available double seat, placing his violin in the seat next to him and his old violin in his lap. What he would tell people, if anyone asked, was that he was just bringing it in for a small adjustment at a luthier on the way home from work. It would be a small, white, lie. A necessary white lie in Eddy's opinion. 

Eddy knew Brett had no violin anymore. The sound of the splintering wood and snapping strings was unmistakable. He couldn't believe a person who claimed to love Brett would do something like that to him, honestly. It made him so angry and frustrated. Surely Brett would have to see that the man was manipulative and mean? Eddy just wished he could prove anything so he could tell the authorities what was going on. 

Sure, he could call the police when he thought they were fighting, but what then? Mike would be nice while the police were there, Brett would most definitely lie to cover for him like the good boyfriend he was and the police wouldn't be able to do anything about it. 

Eddy hated not being able to do anything about his situation at home, but at least he could make sure Brett still had the opportunity to escape it at work. If he would accept his help, that was. 

After stepping off the bus, Eddy ran into a nearby grocery store to buy some fizzy drinks, pre-cut bread and chocolate spread to have for lunch, figuring Mike would come look for them at lunch. If they had lunch in the break room, Mike wouldn't be able to reach them. The doors were locked for any outsiders. 

The only part of the plan Eddy wasn't sure how he'd fix was getting Brett to agree. Hell, he wasn't even sure if Brett would show up at work today after what happened the night before. What would he even be doing at work without a violin? 

Eddy felt nervous as he walked through the front door of the rehearsal hall and to the left through the coded door towards their rehearsal space. He gave a nod as he passed a person he thought maybe was a horn player on the way down the corridor, and the nice, rather handsome, principal clarinetist held the door open for him to enter the rehearsal space. 

It took him only a second to spot the concertmaster and Brett by the stage, and he found himself moving towards them before having consciously decided to. Brett had his back to him, but the concertmaster had a concerned frown on her face. 

"I understand that dropping your violin was an accident, Brett, but it honestly couldn't have been at a worse… Oh, hi Eddy," she said, interrupting herself as Eddy approached them. Brett turned quickly, eyes locking with Eddy's for a split second before turning his gaze down to the floor. 

"Hey! Did I hear that right? Dropped your violin?" Eddy asked, lying smoothly. He knew that wasn't just dropped, but he knew that neither Brett nor the concertmaster would be happy if he told the truth about it being purposefully broken. 

"Yeah, I uh…" Brett mumbled, scratching the back of his neck, clearly to give himself an excuse to lower his gaze all the way down to the tips of his own shoes.

"How bad is it, then?" Eddy asked, still putting on a show for the concertmaster so she wouldn't question what he was about to do. Brett glanced at him, but avoided eye contact.

"It's… it's not salvageable," Brett mumbled, shaking his head and taking a step back towards the exit. He looked like he was ready to cry. "I don't know why I'm here, I gotta figure this out. I can't afford to get a new one or anything, so…" 

Eddy stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder, but soon let it slide off as he saw how the smaller man flinched from the touch. 
"Hey, it's your lucky day. I've got my old violin with me for a minor adjustment. I don't really use it, so you can borrow it if you want," he offered, and the concertmaster sighed with relief. 

"Oh, you're truly a saviour, aren't you?" she said, getting her usual smile back on her lips. "That saves the concert, too. Perfect. Thank you."

She patted Brett on the back as she walked past and gave Eddy a grateful look. Eddy just slid his old violin case off his shoulder and offered it to Brett. 

"I put my spare bow in there, too, in case you need that too," Eddy said softly as Brett slowly reached out to accept the case, still with his head bowed. 

"Thank you," he said, barely audible. "I think it's best if I don't get it home with me, though. Just because… uh…" 

"I know, I heard," Eddy said, matching his volume. "I'll bring it for you until you figure it out, don't worry about it."

Chapter Text

"Thank you for letting me borrow your violin. You really didn't have to do that," Brett said while putting it back in the case as people began to head out to lunch. "I appreciate it, though." 

"Don't worry about it, Brett. Wanna eat in with me today?" 

Eddy held up the bag of fizzy drinks, bread and chocolate spread for Brett to see, and he felt his heard do a double beat when he saw his deskie's smile. 

"That sounds good, I love chocolate spread," Brett nodded, standing up. "I know a quiet place to sit." 

Eddy willingly followed Brett out of the rehearsal space down a different corridor to the one he had entered through. At the end of said corridor, Brett pulled out a key card from his wallet and unlocked a door with it. He held the door open for Eddy, who entered ahead of him. 

The room didn't contain much, really. A wooden table and a few chairs, and a whole lot of old music stands. Along the concrete walls were black curtains, probably to soften up the look of the room that seemed to have been converted into a storage space of some sort. 

"It's not really the greatest place in the world," Brett began as he entered behind Eddy and let the door shut behind them. "It's kind of uh… my secret spot. Panic room, if you will." 

"It's nice," Eddy said with a small smile, going to put the bag with their lunch on the table. "Practical with the table." 

"I guess," Brett said, slowly going over to sit down on one of the chairs by the table. He looked over at the bag as if waiting for permission from Eddy to look in it. 

Eddy sat down and leaned back. 
"Grab yourself a fizzy drink and some bread, be my guest," he said quickly, pushing the bag over to Brett. "Or well, I suppose I am your guest here." 

"I suppose so, yeah," Brett said, pulling one of the fizzy drinks out of the bag and opening the can slowly. "Thank you again for the violin and lunch and everything. It's really more than I deserve after… after leaving you to walk home in the rain. I'm sorry about that, by the way." 

"Don't worry about it, yeah?" Eddy assured him as he leaned over to grab a fizzy drink for himself. "You seemed upset, so I figured you needed time to yourself." 

"I suppose that's not wrong," Brett shrugged. "It's just that I've asked Mike to… to keep words like slut and the ass slap and all that to when we're alone." 

"So he's not listening?" Eddy asked, tilting his head. Brett shook his head quickly. 

"No no, it's not like that. He does listen, but… I guess he can be a bit possessive and he was a bit jealous about me having lunch with you and stuff, that's all." 

"I suppose that makes sense," Eddy nodded before taking a sip of his drink. A bit possessive would be the understatement of the year in his mind. He set the drink down on the table and began pulling the bread and the chocolate spread out. 

"He's a sweet guy, though. I love him," Brett added after a bit of silence. "The love of my life." 

Eddy wouldn't say it out loud, but it honestly sounded more like Brett was trying to convince himself rather than him. He decided to change the topic instead, or at least change it a bit. 

"So how did you manage to get your violin smashed?" he asked instead, spreading chocolate on a slice of the bread and offering it to his deskie. Brett carefully took it and took a bite before answering. 

"I uh… I put it on the bed…" 

"And then Mike came and smashed it?" 

Brett quickly looked up at Eddy with a shocked look. 
"No, no, you've gotten it all wrong. I uh… I accidentally threw myself… like later at night. I threw myself on the bed," he said, focusing intently on the slice of bread. "Which was stupid, but…" 

"Really? That's not what it sounded like from my side of the wall," Eddy said softly, making a slice of bread for himself. "Are you sure that's how it happened?" 

"Yeah, I'm sure." 

Eddy sighed, shaking his head a bit. 

"Brett… you know I'm just trying to look out for you, right?" 

Brett hesitated for a moment, eyes glued to the half eaten piece of bread with chocolate spread in his hand. 

"I know, but you've just gotten it all wrong. I appreciate your concern, but I don't need it," he said quietly after a bit, shifting uncomfortably and avoiding Eddy's concerned eyes. "Please just leave it. I like hanging out with you, but I'll need you to stop looking into this. There's nothing to find. Just please drop it." 

Chapter Text

"Thanks again for letting me borrow it, and… and I'm sorry I can't give you a ride," Brett said, handing him his old violin back as they got just outside the door to the rehearsal space. The rehearsal had gone well, and he had even seen Brett smile as they played a passage he later whispered to Eddy that he really liked. 

"Don't worry about it, the bus isn't…" Eddy began, but paused as he spotted a familiar silhouette leaning on one of the columns at the corner of the building. That asshole really was spying on him getting out of work, wasn't he? "... Isn't too bad." 

Brett turned to where Eddy was looking as well, and looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him upon noticing what Eddy had already seen. His fist tightened on the tote bag he had his sheet music in as he turned back to Eddy with the little smile from earlier now gone like dew in the sun. 

"That's good at least. I gotta go, though," Brett said quickly, taking a step back. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow." 

"I'll see you tomorrow, yeah. Be careful, though, okay?" Eddy requested softly, trying not to look at Mike approaching behind Brett. He didn't want to alarm the guy. "Just let me know if you need anything." 

"Thanks. See you," Brett said, turning to head off to the car park, which was in the same direction Mike was standing, but crashed directly into the large man he called his boyfriend with a squeak. 

"Hey babe, finally done for today?" Mike asked him, firmly placing his arms around the smaller man who looked like he'd rather he didn't. "I came to meet you after work, but it seems you already have company…" 

"No, no, Eddy was just leaving. We were just talking about some technical part in the…" 

"Didn't think you'd stay at work full day today, since you got your violin smashed," Mike interrupted him, raising an eyebrow. He glanced up at the second violin on Eddy's back. "Did you suck a dick to borrow one, or what?" 

Eddy turned back to him with the most sugary sweet smile he could do. The asshole was implying that he had made Brett have sex with him to get to borrow the violin, which he was not having any of. 

"I just happened to have my old violin with me for a small adjustment today," he lied seamlessly. He was getting so easily irritated with how Mike used such a condescending tone when talking to Brett. "But I'm not using it, and Brett is needed for the concert so I thought I'd be a good colleague."

"That's so nice of you," Mike answered flatly, tightening his hold on the small man. Brett's eyes were big and clearly uncomfortable.

"Just trying to help," Eddy said, still in the sugary sweet tone. He wasn't even trying to not sound fake. "Anyway, gotta head off. I'll see you tomorrow, Brett."

Eddy walked off after that, not wanting to say anything to make things worse for Brett while he was so irritated with the asshole he called his boyfriend. 

Chapter Text

Eddy closed his eyes for a second, trying to make the sounds go away. He had laid down on the couch to try and relax, but the hushed arguing was keeping him from really letting the tension in his shoulders go. It was difficult to make out exactly what they were saying, but it didn't sound like lovey chatter. 

"No, Mike, please, I don't want…" 

It was hard to hear what came after Brett's plea, but the thump against the wall after, followed by a squeak didn't sound great. Eddy found himself sitting up and putting his ear up against the wall to hear. 

"Shut up. This is what you did with him earlier, wasn't it?" Mike growled, making Eddy's stomach drop. "You fucking whore, disgusting slut. Do you have any idea how lucky you are that I still bother with you?" 

A loud slap that made even Eddy jump was heard followed by a sob from the smaller man. 

"You're pathetic, Brett. I should leave you. That's what you want, isn't it?" 

"N… no, Mike, please, I… I love you." 

Eddy cringed a bit from Brett's words. How could he love that man when he treated him like that? 

"You just want me to kill myself don't you? That's why you sleep around, yeah? You want to push me down further? You didn't think the humiliation of being dependant on my fucking grandma was enough, did you? You want me dead?" 

Mike was slowly raising his voice along with the increased frequency of Brett's sobs. He sounded pretty hysterical now. 

"No, Mike, don't do anything, I can't live without you. Please don't do anything, please, I…" he cried, but another, harder thump and a squeak was heard before he could finish. 

"Grab me another beer and come back to show me how you sucked his dick, slut. I'll be waiting." 

"Mike, I didn't…" 

Another slap was heard, and this time Eddy pulled out his phone. He couldn't listen to this anymore without doing anything. Initially, he had thought calling the police would make things worse for Brett, but it couldn't get much worse than this, could it? 

… 

Half an hour later, he buzzed the officers in and gave them the code to the elevator. He was nervous about Mike's reaction, especially as it sounded like he had finally calmed down a bit by the time the officers got there. 

Eddy stood on the other side of his own front door and tried to listen to the conversation between the officers and Brett after they had exited the elevator and rang the doorbell. He couldn't really make it out properly, but the gist of it was Brett assuring them nothing was wrong and that the sounds were just them doing their thing in bed. The officers seemed to just ask them to quiet down and told him to have a good night, which made Eddy's stomach drop.

There was no way that was just rough sex. No way. Right? 

Chapter Text

Eddy was slowly getting pulled out of his restless half sleeping state by a knocking sound. As he slowly regained consciousness he realized he had fallen asleep on the couch. There was another light knock, and this time Eddy was awake enough to realize the knocking came from his apartment door. 

He quickly got out of the couch and rushed over. The handle came down, and he opened the door as quietly as he could. 

"Brett..?" he asked quietly, but was shushed as soon as he had opened his mouth. After a quick, nervous look around, Brett pulled him inside, closing the door behind them. 

"I'm sorry I'm bothering you so late, I just… I don't know. I had a fight with Mike and…" Brett began, his voice trailing off. It was kind of dark by the front door, but even in the dim light Eddy could see the bust lip and the swollen cheek. It honestly made his blood boil, but showing it would definitely not make the fragile man in front of him feel any better. 

"Don't worry about it, I told you to come to me if you needed anything," Eddy assured him, not really sure what to do now that Brett actually had taken him up on his offer. "Wanna come inside? I'll make some tea, maybe?" 

"I don't know, I… I shouldn't be here…" Brett stuttered, trying to turn back as he realized what he was actually doing. "I'm sorry for waking you, I…" 

"It's okay, I was awake," Eddy lied seamlessly, wanting to assure him. "Come inside for some tea, you're already here anyway." 

Brett hesitated, staying in his position half turned towards the door. Was he shaking? Eddy thought it looked like it, but it was difficult to tell in the dark. 

"Okay," he whispered after a bit, looking back at Eddy. "Tea sounds nice, thank you." 

Getting Brett out in the light in the living room made Eddy feel almost guilty. The bust lip was only one of the many cuts the guy had and the swollen cheek was actually a bruise on the upper part of his cheekbone. Had the poor, sweet man gone through this because Eddy lent him the violin before? 

He knew that wasn't true, of course. Brett had been through the injuries because of Mike. That asshole should have been in prison ages ago, in Eddy's opinion. 

"How are you feeling, Brett?" Eddy asked softly after Brett had taken a few sips of the tea he had made for him. The shaking had slowly passed and it got easier for him to hold the cup. 

"I'm okay, I just hate fighting with him," Brett said quietly, shaking his head a little. "Mike has a tendency to be a bit rough when he's angry, but we're working on it and it's gotten better." 

Eddy already knew he didn't want to know how Mike was before if this was 'better'. 

"You've gotten some cuts… do you want me to rinse them out a bit and get you bandaged up?" Eddy asked him carefully, but Brett shook his head quickly. 

"They're just scratches, don't worry about it," Brett mumbled, sipping his tea again and avoiding to say anything more by doing so. 

"Okay," Eddy said softly, taking a careful sip of his own tea. It was difficult to know what to do to help the guy. He just knew that he would stay up with him all night if he had to. 

They drank their tea in silence, Eddy occasionally looking over at Brett's shaky hands. At least they were okay so he could escape the monster at work. God he wished he could protect him better. 

"I should probably head back…" Brett began saying once the cup was empty, though it looked like he definitely didn't want to. 

"You don't have to if you don't want to, you can borrow the couch," Eddy offered softly, definitely not feeling okay sending Brett back there. His gut hurt just from the thought. 

Brett hesitated, clearly not wanting to go back but also looking like he didn't think it was a great idea. 

"What… what if he wakes up?" 

"Does he normally?" 

"I… I guess not…" Brett mumbled, running a hand nervously through his hair. He looked over at the door and then back to the couch he was sitting on. "He normally sleeps until noon when he's been drinking." 

"It'll be fine then, no?" Eddy asked carefully. He didn't want to make Brett do anything he didn't want or feel safe to do, but he couldn't in good conscience send Brett back to his apartment alone. 

"I guess it will… I'd like that then. Thank you, Eddy." 

"It's no problem at all. Let me get you a blanket and a pillow," Eddy said, feeling relieved that Brett at least would be safe for the rest of the night. 

Chapter Text

When Eddy woke up from his alarm the next day, Brett was gone. Only the pillow and blanket from yesterday laid carefully folded and stacked on the couch. At least it was quiet through the wall but still not so quiet he needed to worry that something had happened. He could faintly hear what sounded like the shower running, which matched what Eddy was about to do as well. 

The warm water felt nice and woke him up a little. It had been quite late before he had actually gotten to sleep, having been up several times during the night to check on Brett. He had snuck some pictures of the bruises as well, careful not to wake him. It was a bit creepy maybe, but he just wanted to be able to prove it if Brett ever dared to tell the police what was actually going on. 

He got himself dressed, wondering if Brett would show up to work today. How would he explain the bust lip and swollen cheek for the others? It was clear as day that someone was beating him. 

Eddy was just about to be on his way, even having put his shoes on when he saw the post-it note on the inside of his door. He recognized the blue post-it he always got for himself, indicating it came from his own pad. 

I'll drive tomorrow. Meet me in the garage half past. If Mike asks, you're taking the bus.

The handwriting was barely legible, looking like the guy had been shaking while writing it. Poor man was probably nervous about offering as Mike didn't seem too happy about it last time he realized they had come home together. 

Mike didn't need to worry about Brett doing anything with Eddy anyway. Brett was way out of his league, and Eddy wasn't really interested in him like that anymore. Sure, he had a small crush on him initially, but he wasn't one to go after someone else's man. 

The elevator dinged and Eddy stepped in to head down to the garage. It was nearing half past, and as he stepped back out his alarm to remind him to run for the bus went off on his phone. He switched it off and walked quickly through the concrete surroundings to get to Brett's parking spot. 

"Hey," he said softly, spotting Brett by his car. He didn't want to scare him with sudden, loud sounds. He had his back towards him, but probably hadn't heard him coming. "How are you?" 

Brett turned slowly, giving Eddy a small smile. The red mark on his cheek from yesterday was for the most part hidden under a layer of makeup that looked like he had just put it on with his fingers and not blended into his skin tone properly. There wasn't much he could do for the cut in his lip, but it looked to be healing well. 

"Hey, want a ride today?" Brett asked, walking around the car and opening the trunk. "I figured if… if we just don't go up and down the elevator at the same time and…" 

"We'll figure out how to keep it from Mike, don't worry Brett. How are you feeling today?" Eddy asked, trying to seem casual but the worry seeped through. Brett shrugged a bit. 

"I'm fine." 

"You haven't blended out the makeup." 

"I haven't?" 

Brett quickly leaned down to check in the side mirror, cursing softly to himself when he realized how obvious it was. 

"Shit… what am I gonna do? I can't let people see…" Brett muttered, taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes. "They'll think he's an abuser, which isn't the case." 

Eddy blinked a few times at how insanely wrong Brett's last sentence had been. He decided against speaking up about it, though. It wouldn't help. 

"How about we stop somewhere and I can run in and get one of those… you know, the sponges?" Eddy suggested, checking the time. "We'll make it if we hurry." 

"Would you do that for me?" Brett asked, surprised. "Are you sure?" 

"Of course, let's go. Don't worry about it, Brett, I got you." 

Chapter Text

Eddy couldn't help but notice the slight trembling in Brett's tone throughout the rehearsal. The concert was in just a few days now, and the conductor was ruthless. He hadn't been super kind before, but he was understandably starting to tighten things up more as the week progressed. 

"Violins! Let me just hear you from bar 97, please," he said, lifting his baton. He had practiced this bit, he knew it was pretty messed up, but he'd manage. Eddy was honestly more worried about his stand partner's shaky bow as it definitely would ricochet in the wrong places. 

They played through, a few people messed up. Brett messed up too, as expected, and if he didn't seem depressed before he certainly did now. Eddy definitely understood the disappointment written on Brett's face. 

"Second violins, again please," the conductor said, definitely looking at them when he said it. Eddy couldn't help but think he was a bit of a dick, but still lifted his violin to his chin. 

They played again, a few people messed up again. Brett didn't really mess up this time, but his bow bounced an extra time on the last note. Eddy watched as his shoulders slumped with defeat. 

"I think you know what needs to be done. Just fix it by tomorrow," the conductor said, shaking his head slightly. "Let's take five." 

The murmuring around the stands started up right away. It was clear people weren't too happy about the conductor. 

"Such a dick," Eddy chimed in, aiming the comment to Brett who had put down the violin in the case. He was still playing on Eddy's old violin, and he was treating it way nicer than Eddy ever had.

"We did kind of suck, though," Brett shrugged slightly. "May skip lunch to practice that part." 

"Skip lunch? Can't you just practice at h… oh," Eddy began, quickly stopping himself as he remembered that Brett had no violin at home. "You can stop by my place. We can practice together." 

Brett gave him the tiniest of smiles and looked down at his hands which were picking on the sleeve of his sweater. 
"I don't think Mike would love that idea," he said softly. "He's quite possessive." 

"I've noticed," Eddy sighed, shaking his head slightly. The young Finnish conductor was a bit of a dick, but Mike was a whole other level. The dickiest dick. "The offer still stands." 

"Thank you," Brett said softly, running a hand through his hair. "How's my foundation holding up, by the way?" 

Eddy leaned forward slightly to get a better look at him. It was way too easy to get lost in the sad koala eyes with the tiny speck, way too easy to want to hold his face in his hands and assure him everything would be okay, that Mike would never hurt him again. Worst of all was how easy it was to admire the beautiful pink of his lips, only interrupted by the harsh "love mark" made by Mike.

Eddy looked a bit shyly away, getting the tiniest of blushes over his cheeks. It was a bit weird to think like that about your colleague and neighbour, who you knew had his heart taken by the dickiest dick. 

"You wouldn't be able to tell if it wasn't for your lip," he said softly, running his fingers through his hair. "No need to worry about it." 

Chapter Text

Eddy came up the elevator first, both violins on his back. Brett had let him off by the main entrance of their building, not wanting to risk running into Mike in the garage or anything like that. 

It turned out he absolutely didn't have to worry about that, as Mike was leaning on the wall next to their apartment door as he stepped out. Eddy gave him a small nod to acknowledge that he had seen him, but the glare that came with it let him know it wasn't a friendly gesture. There was no way he could fight him, though, no matter how much he wanted to. The guy was massive and could probably crush Eddy to dust in six seconds. 

Eddy unlocked the door and slipped inside, closing it behind him. His body ached to just go lay down after a long day, but he needed to know how it went with Brett when he made it up the elevator. 

Should he text him? Warn him that Mike was waiting outside, looking like he was in an awful mood? That definitely wouldn't work if Mike checked his phone, though. It would more than likely just make it a million times worse. The guy was laying his hands on the smaller man, so why wouldn't he be checking his phone? 

His thoughts were interrupted by the familiar ding of the elevator, and he found himself leaning his ear against the door to listen. 

"There you are," Mike said, sounding sweet. Fake sweet like aspartame. Eddy felt sick hearing it, knowing it was no good. "Welcome home." 

"Why aren't you inside?" Brett asked him, barely loud enough for Eddy to hear. He sounded so much smaller when Mike was there, so worried and nervous. Every centimeter of Eddy wanted to go out there and pull him into his apartment and make sure he was safe with a cup of nice tea and some warm dinner. 

"Wow. Love you too," Mike scoffed, moving closer to the elevator as he spoke. "But I guess you don't love me, do you?" 

"What? I do love you, I just…" 

"Oh please, save it," Mike said, obviously riling himself up now. "You're just trying to hide the fact that I basically caught you cheating on me. Again." 

"I was just at work, Mike, I promise," Brett said quietly, clearly on the verge of tears from the way his voice broke. A soft thump from the wall by the elevator was heard after that. 

"Why should I believe you? You broke your violin, so how are you even working? You're sucking his dick as payment aren't you?" Mike snarled. "That's why you're late home. I saw him come in earlier. Trying to hide it by sending him up first, huh?" 

"There's nothing between me and Eddy, I swear," Brett sobbed, breaking Eddy's heart. He hated being the cause for all this, but what could he do? If he stepped outside to pull Brett away from the nasty man, wouldn't that just prove what Mike was thinking? "You're the only one I love, Mike." 

"Prove it." 

"What?" 

"You know what I fucking mean, you..!" Mike said, raising his voice only to be interrupted by something that muffled his voice. Eddy didn't want to know what it was. He just figured it meant no good was coming. 

Chapter Text

"Ow, stop, Mike… please," Brett whimpered on the other side of the wall. Eddy had laid down on the couch to listen and make sure Brett would be okay. The soft thumping of the bed hitting the wall didn't stop no matter how much Brett begged and pleaded, though. It never did. 

"You love me, don't you?" Mike snapped back in between moans and thumps. A yelp was heard from Brett, but Eddy couldn't tell the reason for it just from the sound. He just knew it wasn't a sound made from pleasure. No sound coming from Brett ever was when Mike was causing it. 

"I do love you, b… but it hurts…" Brett cried in a shaky voice. "Please, I'll… I'll suck you dry I'll…" 

Eddy wanted to gag at the thought of the small man's head being forced down by big hands. He didn't feel any better about it when he heard a "fine" grunted from the big, terrifying man and then the sound of the couple moving, probably to get into the right position. 

"You better swallow." 

That was what made Eddy roll off the couch and stand up. He couldn't deal with the helpless whimpers that would come from this. What could he do, though? If he called the police, Brett would just say they were having sex. If he knocked on the door, Mike surely would just knock both him and Brett down. 

To make time go faster and to drown out the sounds, Eddy decided he would practice. Maybe Mike would hear it, maybe he would know Eddy could hear? Maybe he would stop hurting Brett? The last part seemed unlikely. 

There was a pause in the sounds from the bedroom on the other side of the wall when Eddy started tuning, followed by some mumbling Eddy couldn't make out. He set his bow to his strings to start with some scales, but was interrupted by a thump to the wall and the sound of Brett's voice. 

"I… I'm a… a slut…" it stuttered in between sobs, clearer than the other talking Eddy had heard before, like he was talking up against the wall. "I'm… I'm…" 

A slap was heard, followed by a squeak from Brett and a few sobs. Eddy flinched, but felt like his feet were glued to the ground and his limbs had frozen in place. 

"I'm… Mike's good little whore…" Brett cried shakily against the wall. "And I… I won't…" 

Another slap was sounded, then another and quiet whimpering. 

"I p… promise I… I… won't see… other people… anymore…" 

The nausea and lightheadedness hit Eddy hard, forcing him down to his knees with his violin held in shaky hands. The guilt was eating him. He knew Brett was being made to say this because of him. 

"I won't cheat… w…" 

"Say his name!" Mike snarled, followed by another slap and another cry from Brett. 

"I won't cheat on Mike with Eddy anymore, b… because… because I love Mike. I love him." 

Chapter Text

It eventually got quiet, but Eddy didn't really dare to make a sound in case he would accidentally wake Mike. He didn't want to cause any more hurt for Brett. Sure, it sounded bad before, but he had never seen any marks on the man. Not one bruise, not one cut. Those had started blossoming on his pale skin after he had begun meddling with it, after he had taken things into his own hands thinking he knew best when he clearly didn't.

He just didn't want to be the reason Brett was being hurt anymore. 

That's why he froze when the knock came on the door. Maybe he shouldn't open? Maybe that would make it go back to what it was, with less pain for Brett? 

On the other hand, was any pain really good enough? Eddy didn't think Brett deserved any pain. Brett deserved warm hugs, gentle touches and all the love in the world, and it was so damn frustrating that this asshole wasn't giving it to him! Eddy would have loved to give that to him, would love to be his safe person. 

A quiet sob was heard through the door, and Eddy realized he had just been sitting there on the floor. He got to his feet quickly and took long strides over to the front door, opening it just in time before Brett opened the door and disappeared back into the lion's cave where the nasty lion hopefully was fast asleep. 

"Brett?" Eddy whispered, stopping the smaller man just in time before he touched the door handle to his own apartment. Eddy could see that his t-shirt was ripped, even before he turned around slowly. Doing so revealed a bad black eye, a bruised cheek and jaw and yet another cut on his lip. 

"I… I'm sorry…" Brett whispered back to him, running a shaky hand through his hair. Eddy couldn't help but see the red marks on the delicate wrists as he did. "I didn't mean to wake you." 

"You didn't," Eddy assured softly, still keeping his voice as a whisper. Accidentally waking Mike now would be the worst that could possibly happen. "Wanna come inside? I'll make you some tea and get you some ice for your eye and cheek." 

Eddy never got a proper answer. Only a squeak escaped Brett's lips as he choked back a sob. With quick steps, he made it over to Eddy and hugged him tightly, clinging to him like his life depended on it. To avoid any sound that could potentially wake Mike, Eddy carefully shifted them inside and closed the door before carefully. Then he placed his arms around the fragile man and hugged him tightly. 

"It's gonna be okay, you're safe here," Eddy said softly, holding his neighbour securely as he cried into his chest. The poor man seemed terrified and heartbroken at the same time. "He can't get to you here, I promise. I won't let him." 

Eddy reached over and locked the door behind them before bringing Brett inside. He wasn't taking any chances.

Chapter Text

"T…thank you. Again," Brett whispered, holding his cup of tea between shaky hands. Not once had his gaze moved from it since he got it. The bruise on his cheek had spread further down his jaw, and the red marks had been discovered to be rope burns.

Across from him sat Eddy, who was so very carefully away the blood that had run down his chin from the new cut on the poor guy's lip with a damp washcloth. He was calm on the outside, but inside a flaming hot hatred was brewing. Not towards the angel in front of him, but rather towards the devil who hurt him.

"It's no trouble at all, I promise," Eddy hummed softly, trying to keep the mood as light as possible. He didn’t want to scare the fragile man by showing how upset he was. "I just want you to be as okay as you can be."

"I am okay, it's just…" Brett began in a soft voice, but trailed off into a quiet sigh. He shook his head ever so slightly. "I don't know."

"You don't have to make any excuses to me, Brett," Eddy assured softly as he put the red-stained washcloth aside. The cut seemed to have stopped bleeding, at the very least. "Let me grab you some frozen veggies to hold to your cheek and eye. I'll be right back."

"N…no, Eddy…" Brett protested softly as Eddy stood up. A small hand with a red and swollen wrist reached out quickly to grab onto his sleeve, holding him back. Pale fingers curled around the fabric in desperation, and big brown koala eyes filled with fear and worry met his. They melting Eddy’s heart and made him freeze in place. "Please… please don't… don't leave me alone. Not yet. Please."

Eddy blinked, surprised by the unexpected touch. His heart jumped a few extra times, too. He had barely realized what had happened before Brett let go, though. He let go as if he had done something bad.

"S…sorry, I mean…I'm sorry. You can of course… I just…" Brett stuttered, retracting his hand and pressing it against his own chest in an attempt to be as invisible as he could. Almost like he expected Eddy to be upset with him for showing this moment of weakness. Like he expected him to react like Mike would.

"It's no problem, Brett. I'll stay with you," Eddy said softly, slowly sitting down again. The poor boy in front of him was shaking even more now than before. "You're okay, promise. I'll make sure you're feeling all better."

"Thank you," Brett squeaked, his gaze locking back onto the cup of tea between his shaky hands. "Again. You're being too kind. I really appreciate it."

"It's really no problem, Brett," Eddy said, trying a small smile. His neighbour had a kind of boyish cuteness about him, especially when repeating his expression of gratitude. Eddy found he just wanted to make sure nobody could hurt him ever again. "I just wanna make sure you're safe."

Chapter Text

"How are you feeling now, Brett?" Eddy asked softly after Brett had his second cup of tea and some biscuits Eddy found in his cupboard. The poor guy looked like he struggled to keep his eyes open, but every time they closed for slightly longer than a blink, he would jolt awake.

"I don't know," the smaller man answered quietly, pulling the blanket Eddy had given him slightly tighter around himself. Not because he was cold, though it could seem that way from the way he was trembling slightly still. "I'm sorry I'm keeping you up."

"I just want you to be okay, and if staying up is what's needed, I will," Eddy assured him for the fifth time that evening. He knew he would happily do it a million more times if he had to. "Is there anything I can do to help you feel better, though? Help you sleep?"

Brett shrugged slightly, looking down at his hands. The swelling on his wrists hadn't gone down, and the red rope marks had turned out to be hiding bruises as well.

"I can sleep out here with you, if you'd like," Eddy offered softly, and Brett glanced up at him for a moment as if looking to see if he really meant it. His gaze fell back down to the tainted skin, though. 

"I don't want to make you sleep somewhere uncomfortable just because… because I'm here," Brett said quietly, shaking his head slightly. "I'm okay, you can go to sleep if you want. I'm sorry for keeping you up."

Eddy very carefully placed a hand on Brett's underarm, stroking it slightly. He didn’t know what possessed him to do it, especially when Brett flinched slightly being touched. It took a moment for Brett to relax again.

"Listen, you're not keeping me up or making me sleep anywhere. Promise," Eddy said softly, giving an assuring smile when Brett slowly lifted his gaze up. "I just want you to be okay."

Brett opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, ask for something, but he hesitated. 

"You're safe, Brett," Eddy added softly to encourage him, watching Brett struggle to decide if he should trust him. It only made Eddy angry to see. How dared the dickhead that called himself Brett’s boyfriend make him feel so unsure and scared he didn’t dare to ask for something he needed from a friendly face?

"I uh… I really don't want to make you… uncomfortable…" Brett began hesitatingly, looking up to meet Eddy’s eyes. They were searching. Searching for danger and anger. When he didn’t find any, he bravely continued his request. "Not by sleeping on the couch or… or anything, but…" 

Brett took a shaky breath, his gaze shifting down to where Eddy's thumb gently stroked the soft skin of his underarm.

"If it's okay with you…" he continued, his voice breaking and forcing him to take another breath. "Just… maybe I can sleep… on the floor maybe, in your room? And you in your bed? Just so I won’t be alone. Please."

Chapter Text

Eddy watched his neighbour's chest rise and fall with each breath in the quiet room. His reading light was still on, and the dim light made soft shadows on Brett's face. Somehow, he had convinced him it would be okay to take one side each of his double bed rather than sleeping on the rug on the floor, and the poor guy passed out the second his head hit the pillow. Eddy figured he must have been exhausted.

His gaze moved up to see how Brett’s burst lips were slightly parted, letting him breathe despite his swollen face. Eddy couldn't understand how anyone could hurt someone as precious as this. How the monster he shared a wall with could ever make marks like this on someone he claimed to love.

They barely knew each other, had barely talked, but Eddy knew he just had to do everything he could to keep Brett safe. There was nothing else he would rather do than to make sure he was okay.

He held his breath when Brett moved, laying as still as he could to not startle him. The man turned to his side, pulling the duvet tightly around himself. It looked almost like he was trying to hide under it, and a scared whimper escaped his lips. Eddy hadn’t even thought about it before he reached over and carefully stroked his pink cheek with his thumb.

"Shh," he whispered softly, wanting to soothe him. The poor guy flinched slightly when he was touched, but slowly relaxed as Eddy's hand was gentle. Eddy was careful to avoid the bruised areas, not wanting to cause him any pain. "It's okay, you're safe here with me. I got you for tonight."

Eddy watched as Brett slowly exhaled and relaxed again, and smiled just a little bit. It was impossible not to smile a bit back, his heart swelling ever so slightly from how adorable his neighbour was. The man was truly precious, and to think about what the evil man had done to him…

Slowly, he removed his hand from Brett's cheek to let him sleep in peace. He didn't expect Brett to whine quietly and blink his eyes half open, clearly asleep still. He looked around, seeming to be a bit confused.

"Nooo… it was nice," Brett mumbled, getting a small pout on his lips. He patted the bed, trying to reach for Eddy's hand.

Eddy let him take it, feeling his heart beat slightly harder than normal.

"Okay, Brett, I'm sorry," Eddy assured softly, giving the dainty hand a gentle squeeze. It looked so small in his, matching exactly how young the man looked in his sleepy state. "I'll hold your hand, okay? You're safe here, I promise."

Brett didn't answer, just carefully laid his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes. In his sleepy state, he pulled Eddy's hand up to rest his cheek against it. Eddy found he didn’t mind, and slowly closed his own eyes to rest alongside his neighbour.

Chapter Text

When Eddy woke up, of course Brett was gone. The pillow was placed neatly, the tea cups and plates from the night before were cleaned and placed neatly on the counter. He didn't know if Brett would be driving today or not. Was he even fit to drive?

He didn't take long to get dressed, and didn't take long to eat a bowl of cereal. He was just about to pull his jacket on when he heard him. Mike.

"Where the fuck are you going?"

Eddy froze, feeling his stomach twist with worry. He leaned against his door, listening.

"To work. Like I have to if you want a roof over your head, Mike."

Brett sounded a lot firmer than normal. Almost annoyed, even. Where did this bravery come from?

"Work, my ass. You're literally just going to see that skinny wimp and let him fuck your ass."

It was indeed true that compared to Mike, Eddy was quite skinny. That was beside the point, though, as he heard Brett's footsteps pass his door.

"I don't have time to argue with you right now, Mike. Please, can we just talk about this when I get home? I gotta drive now."

"We can talk alright."

The sound of a soft thump against the wall and a door slamming was heard right after Mike's cold voice, and Eddy carefully opened his own door right after. Brett jumped away from where he stood with his back against the wall, clearly having been pushed into it a moment prior. His eyes were widening and glancing back at his own apartment door with fear and worry. Then he held his fingers in front of his lips to tell Eddy to please be quiet. 

Of course Eddy would be quiet. He carefully slipped his shoes on and picked up the two violin cases. He locked the door as quietly as he could, timing it with the 'ding' of the elevator. Then they both slipped into the elevator.

"Oh my god," Brett squeaked once the doors had shut and they began their journey down the tall building. He sunk down against the wall, visibly shaking and hyperventilating. Eddy knelt down by him, carefully taking his hand.

"Oh Brett, you did so good. Let's get out of the elevator and take a second, yeah?" he said softly. They were approaching their floor, and it would be bad if they stayed in the elevator and it went back up to their floor. 

Thankfully Brett wiped the tears that ran down his cheeks and gave a small nod. Eddy stood up, offering his hand for Brett to take and helped him to his feet. His stomach tickled ever so slightly when Brett didn't let go as they stepped off.

"I'm so sorry, we're gonna be late and it's gonna be my fault," Brett sniffled, shaking his head slightly. "I just… I don't know what came over me, I was just… just so annoyed with him and… I… I feel so bad that he keeps saying mean things about you a lot and… and…"

"Heyheyhey," Eddy said softly, trying to soothe him as he very carefully pulled him into a hug. "You did good. It's okay if we're late. That Finnish asshole can go fuck himself if he says otherwise."

Brett snorted when Eddy added that last bit, smiling just a little bit and Eddy’s heart skipped a beat. He loved that laugh, he loved that smile.

"I guess so," he said softly, sniffling quietly. "Thank you for being so good to me, Eddy. I really appreciate it."

"You deserve it. You really do," Eddy said softly, stroking the smaller man's back. The poor guy deserved the world, yet he was stuck with nothing but the worst of it.

Chapter Text

The rehearsal honestly went fine. Brett seemed to be frustrated with his shaky bow, though it was obviously not his fault at all. The bruising made it impossible to keep his elbow high enough, giving his hand too much weight that he tried to compensate for with his wrist. Eddy wanted to tell him it was okay, to take a break. Obviously, it hadn't been his call to make, though, and the section leader didn't seem to notice.

They had lunch together that day. In the bubble tea and noodle shop. Eddy loved seeing Brett's content smile as he slurped up his lunch and chewed the pearls from his tea. He loved the way Brett laughed at his goofy attempt to make fun of the rather mean conductor, even joining in with a joke of his own.

"You've been in such a good mood today," Eddy remarked as they packed their instruments after the Finnish conductor finally released them two minutes late. "And I mean that in a good way."

Brett shrugged a bit as he closed the case. The happy mood did seem to have diminished somewhat by now, which worried Eddy.

"Well… I guess I just felt… really well rested?" he half asked half stated. "I haven't slept like that in a really long time. I guess your bed is really good or something."

"Yeah?" Eddy asked softly, feeling the warmth creeping up into his cheeks. His bed, huh?

"Yeah," Brett confirmed softly, running a hand through his softly looking hair, seeming to be almost… nervous?

"So uh, do I get a ride home today, or should I run for the bus?" Eddy asked to break the silence that had filled the air. The smaller man blinked a few times, and seemingly snapped himself out of his thoughts with a light shake of his head.

"Oh yeah, sure," Brett said softly, standing up and picking up his violin - or well, Eddy's old violin, and getting it on his back. Eddy did the same with his new violin, following the smaller man as he led the way through the concert hall hallways maybe a bit more fast-paced than usual.

Once they got to the car, Eddy decided to be helpful by taking both violins to place in the trunk, and Brett didn't even say anything as he quickly spun around to get into the driver's seat. The vibe was weird, almost nervous between them now, and honestly Eddy thought for a split second that he had been pushing Brett's limits too far with letting him sleep in his bed, and sleeping with him, with the fun lunch and with paying for his food and bubble tea so Mike couldn't find out they'd been there through his bank statements.

Brett had gotten all weird when they talked about Mike. He hadn't tried to tell himself the dickhead just was bad at showing his love or anything like that, and instead just brushed him off like he was trying to avoid the topic altogether. Which was understandable, but it was different from the pattern they had established. In a good way.

Eddy slipped into the car as well, glancing over at the smaller man as he ran his tongue over his lower lip. What was going on in that beautiful head?

Chapter Text

"I'll see you t…" Brett began as the elevator dinged and the doors opened, but his voice trailed off. By Brett's apartment door stood Mike. The air felt toxic, and Brett looked like he was going to pass out from it. Somehow, though, he pulled himself together and straightened his back. 

"I'll see you tomorrow," he told Eddy, stepping out with determination in his step. Eddy followed him out of the elevator, watching as Mike pulled the small man to him and forced a kiss.

"Welcome home, slut," the big man purred, sugary sweet venom dripping from his voice. "Did you get some good dick today?"

Brett gently pushed Mike towards their door. 

"Let's go inside," he said softly, avoiding looking at him. 

Eddy didn’t catch any more as he stepped into his apartment and Brett got Mike inside theirs. A feeling of dread was slowly filling his stomach, though. Brett was acting differently, treating Mike differently. How would Mike react to that?

It was impossible to not try and listen through the wall. Eddy found himself standing in the living room even as he was heating up dinner on the stove in the other room. He even burnt it as he was so distracted.

The only sound was their faint talking, Brett making dinner for them, Mike's snide remarks. No fighting, no arguing. Just nasty remarks and Brett brushing it off. Eddy was honestly surprised. He had never heard Brett talk back like that, and Eddy couldn't do anything but pray that Mike wouldn't react badly to it.

…

He must have fallen asleep after a bit, because he was shocked awake by a loud thump and muffled, desperate cries.

"Fuck you, you disgusting whore! How dare you!"

Eddy froze, his stomach churning with worry.

"I…I'm sorry, Mike, it's…it's…"

"It's because you're fucking that skinny dick, isn't it? Fucking admit it!" Mike finished Brett's stutters, followed by an unmistakable slap sound and a yelp from the smaller man. 

"Get off me," Brett demanded, but his voice turned into a wheeze on the last word. A few uneven bangs on the wall were heard, though these were different from the previous ones. Softer.

It didn’t matter. Eddy knew he couldn’t sit by and listen this time. Something was very wrong, even more so than all the times before. Something about Mike's tone, the bangs…

Eddy grabbed his phone, his hands shaking. Somehow he got the emergency number in, pressing the call button. He had to do something more, though. The silence that had followed the bangs terrified him.

"Let him go!" Eddy shouted through the wall, banging on it to get Mike's attention. To get the attention away from Brett.

"Accidents and emergencies, what's your location?"

"Listen, Mike, I got the police on the line! Let him go!" Eddy shouted through the wall before shakily bringing the phone back to his ear. "King Street, t…the apartment complex. Seventh floor. I think he's going to seriously harm him… I need… police and… and I think an ambulance…"

Chapter Text

Mike had run so fast, like the coward he was. He swished past Eddy just as he hastily opened the door. Eddy knew he needed to stop the monster's violent outburst, that he needed to halt the sound of the punches and silence the damaging words. He had to prevent the excuse of a man from killing Brett. Eddy needed to keep Brett safe.

Eddy wanted to go after Mike, trip him up. Make him hurt. All his plans immediately vanished from his mind, though, like morning dew in the sun, as Brett stumbled into the hallway. The poor man with the almost boyish face was clearly shaken. Terrified. His koala eyes were big, scared and swollen, his neck bruised where a hand had held it way too tightly, and a fresh cut was visible on his lip. 

Eddy knew he would fall before he did. Even before he sunk together against the door, pale dainty hands holding onto the door handle. He could see his knees giving, how they shook, how his pale hands desperately tried to hold on to the frame. Eddy reached a hand out to him, wanting help.

"E…Eddy…" Brett squeaked as slowly slid down the door frame. His words were barely audible between choked sobs and uneven breaths. Tears were running down his face, leaving wet streaks, and one hand was shakily reached halfway out to Eddy. Halfway, as if unsure it would be safe.

Eddy caught him. Took his hand and helped him gently down to the floor. He sat down with him, his arms held tightly around the smaller frame. Both their t-shirts were slowly turning red with blood, and a moment later more red ran from the corner of Brett’s mouth. Eddy couldn't do anything but hold him as they waited for the ambulance, letting him cry and cough against his chest.

"The ambulance is coming, Brett, I called them," Eddy whispered, fighting to hide how scared he really was. How scared he was that it was too little too late. He let the small man rest against his chest, feeling a small fist grabbing a chunk of his shirt.

"Please don't leave," Brett whispered desperately, clinging to the safety of Eddy with all his frail body could muster.

 "I'll stay with you the whole way, okay? I'll make sure you're taken care of, and that you're safe."

"P romise?"

"Promise."

Chapter Text

"Mmh…"

Eddy straightened up in his chair, hopeful eyes darting to the source of the sound. The night had been so long, with doctors and nurses and police. Brett had been operated on, gotten needles stuck in him, cuts rinsed. Eddy had waited faithfully, claiming to be his partner to be allowed to stay as a next of kin. The hospital administration didn't need to know he was merely his stand partner in the orchestra.

Brett's face scrunched up in pain, and he turned his head to the side, clearly wanting to curl up and protect himself. Eddy carefully took his dainty hand, the one without a needle in it, and gave it a light squeeze.

"Shh, it's okay, you're safe," Eddy said softly, doing his best to not startle him. He still tensed up, but relaxed once he realized who it wasn’t. "The doctor said to try and lie still if you can, so your ribs won't shift."

Brett whined softly, but did as Eddy asked. Eddy tried to comfort him by gently stroking his thumb over the back of Brett’s hand. It took a few moments, but Brett eventually blinked his eyes open, squinting to see his neighbour as his glasses laid broken on the table text to his bed.

"Y…you're still here?" he asked shakily, and Eddy couldn't help but smile a bit.

"Of course. I promised, didn't I?"

"What time is it?"

Eddy furrowed his eyebrows, checking the wall clock that had ticked and tocked so loudly the whole night he thought he'd go crazy.

"Almost four. Why?"

"The concert."

"Shit."

He grabbed his phone just as it began ringing, and the contact for the concertmaster popped up on the screen.

"Shit, shit, shit…" Eddy muttered as he pressed the green button, holding it to his ear.

"Hey listen, I know I'm not there and that's really bad, and I'm so sorry, but…"

"Heyheyhey, Eddy. It's okay. We heard. I just want to see how you're doing," the concertmaster interrupted him in a kind voice.

"He's okay ish, some broken ribs and stuff…" Eddy began, but then realized something. He paused and furrowed his brows. "Wait… you heard?"

"Yeah, Brett's boyfriend was here before. What was his name… uh, Mike?" the concertmaster informed him, sounding as kind as she had when he came to his first rehearsal. "He told me what happened. The most important thing is that you two are okay."

"What did he say happened?" Eddy asked, all confused. "Cause… nothing happened to me? I am just here with Brett..?"

"He mentioned you'd been in a car accident…?" the concertmaster said, sounding unsure and a bit worried. "Is that… not correct?"

"God, no! His boyfriend beat the shit out of him and ran! I'm… me and Brett are neighbours and I called the ambulance and the police, and Mike ran… Brett was seriously hurt."

The concertmaster was quiet for a long time after that, making Eddy feel unsure. Maybe he shouldn't have given so many details. He hadn’t even asked Brett if it was okay.

"Hello?"

"Yes, sorry, it's just… There's so much that makes sense now. Don't worry about the concert, Eddy. I hope to see you back for the next project, okay?" the concertmaster said softly, clearly worried after learning the truth. "Let Brett know we're all thinking about him here."

Chapter Text

Eddy saw how Brett tensed up when there was a knock on the hospital door, felt how his hand twitched, and heard the tiny, scared whimper that escaped his lips. All this despite the calming medication he had been given to ease the panic attacks.

The knocking didn't scare Eddy, though. He knew who would be behind the door, because he was the one to call them.

"Come in," he said softly, running his thumb over the back of Brett’s hand to soothe him.

A nurse peeked inside.

"Hey there," he said with a small smile. "There's two police officers here who want to chat. Do you feel okay seeing them, Brett?"

"T…the police?" Brett asked, eyes widening. "Why is the p…police here?"

Eddy squeezed his hand again to grab his attention. 

"Because he hurt you, Bretty," he explained softly, running the tip of his tongue over his lower lip. "I've told them everything I know, but they need to hear it from you to make an arrest."

"Nonono, please… he'll find out, Eddy, he'll know and he'll be so very angry…" Brett protested, his breathing accelerating as he looked up at Eddy with pleading eyes. Pleading and scared.

"He won't, Brett, the police are going to help you get a restraining order and they're gonna make sure you're safe," Eddy assured softly, feeling for him. The man had terrorized him for such a long time, of course he'd be scared to tell on him. Anyone would be. "I'll make sure."

He could see how Brett doubted that. The hesitation in his eyes, the flickering gaze from the door to his face and down to where his hand rested in Eddy's. 

"Is he gonna go to prison?" Brett asked as a shaky whisper, avoiding Eddy's gaze. It was easy to tell that Brett felt torn about it. 

"If you help the police out, then probably, yeah," Eddy answered truthfully, not really understanding how Brett possibly could love that excuse of a man still. He tried to be understanding, though. "Where he cannot hurt you anymore."

Brett nodded a bit.

"Where he cannot hurt me anymore," he repeated as a whisper, closing his eyes for a moment. His lower lip trembled.

"Exactly," Eddy nodded, stroking the back of his hand. He glanced up at the nurse who still waited patiently for an answer.

It was quiet for a moment, while Brett was thinking and considering. Eddy felt like holding his breath.

"Okay," Brett squeaked quietly. "I'll talk to them."

"I'll send them in," the nurse smiled, slipping out again to tell the officers it was okay. A moment later, a taller man with friendly eyes and soft looking hair, and a shorter woman with light brown curls and the kind of understanding look you'd get from a mother walked in. Both were in plain clothes, but had their badges hanging around their necks on simple silver chains. 

"Hi, Brett," the woman said softly, giving the scared man in the bed a small, sympathetic smile. "I'm detective Hahn, and this is detective Chen, but you can call us Hilary and Ray. We have a few questions for you, if you feel ready?"

Chapter Text

The way Brett told things to the officers was in many ways eerie to Eddy. He seemed so calm, like he was just explaining how to boil an egg. Matter-of-factly. A full 180 from how he had been just a moment prior, honestly. He had gone from a squeaky, scared little boy, to a cold man with the craziest deadpan Eddy had ever seen.

The deadpan stayed on even when he recounted very specific scenarios that Eddy also remembered. It stayed on when he spoke of how Mike had forced him to do things, how the excuse of a man had used his size to hold him down, crush his wrists with a bruising grip and demanding sex like he was owed it. Like the label "boyfriend" gave him the right to it rather than the privilege as Brett granted it.

Eddy could tell that the ice wall Brett had put up was nothing but a front, though. He saw right through it, all the way into the scared little boy who cried out for comfort and safety. There was something about the way his eyes flickered away from the officers when he recounted something specific, and how Brett’s hand gripped more firmly onto his as it got painful to explain the evil he had experienced.

And when the police officers left, the dam broke. Tears ran down his pale cheeks, leaving shiny streaks. Not a single sound escaped his lips, though, like it would be dangerous if he was heard. Eddy knew what the danger that trained him to do this was, and it made a flame of anger flare up inside him. He refused to let it burn Brett, though. Instead, he allowed it to warm his heart as he very gently pulled the fragile man into his arms for a secure hug.

"I'm so sorry, I keep occupying your time here," Brett sniffled, hiding his face in the crook of Eddy’s neck. He shivered slightly, prompting Eddy to stroke his back. "T…this could have been your first…p…professional orchestra concert…"

"Shh, don't think about that," Eddy interrupted gently. "You're not occupying my time, Brett. I choose to be here."

"B…but… you said it was your dream… in the… the application…" Brett sniffled, shaking his head. "You should go. I'm so sorry…"

"Hey," Eddy said softly, carefully shifting back slightly. With slow, gentle movements he took his neighbor's fragile face in his hands, stroking gently over the non-bruised cheek with his thumb. "The concertmaster said it was alright. And besides, there will be other chances. I just wanna make sure you're okay for now, yeah?"

Brett's eyes met Eddy's, and the latter's heart skipped a beat. Those beautiful koala eyes made his head spin and released an army of butterflies where the angry flame had been a moment ago. He could feel his cheeks warm up, and he noticed that Brett's looked a bit rosy too. Either that, or it was wishful thinking. Either way it would be kind of shitty of him to shoot his shot with someone who had just been through what Brett had. So he wouldn’t. 

"Yeah," Brett said softly, sinking back into the pillows that had propped him up before once Eddy's hands slowly came down from his face. "Thank you, Eddy. I really appreciate it."

Chapter Text

"What do you mean you don't know where he is?" Eddy hissed at the shorter Officer Hahn. He could feel the frustration burning inside, knowing damn well how Brett would react to this. 

Eddy knew that damn well because he had been the one to stay with him while in the hospital after being begged to stay. He had been the one to comfort him after he woke up screaming and crying in fear of the man that had beaten him half to death. Eddy had been the one to hold his hand and assure him.

Turned out Brett had tried to break up with Mike that night, which Mike clearly didn't accept. Heaven knows what he would do to get the fragile man back, or what he would do if he couldn’t. 

"We haven't been able to locate him, but I assure you we are doing everyth…"

"Tell that to him!" Eddy snapped, pointing in the direction of the hospital door where the poor guy was drugged down on sleeping pills to get some escape from the nightmares. There was no way he was getting any measurable amounts of sleep without it. "He's going home tomorrow! How do you expect him to feel safe when the fucker who beat him half to death is still out there?"

"Please, Mr Chen, I completely understand the concern," Officer Hahn said calmly, not affected by Eddy's harsh tone. "We have the restraining order in place, and we are doing everything we can to find him."

"A restraining order won't stop him. Especially because he doesn't know there's a restraining order," Eddy hissed, shaking his head and standing up. "Screw this. You better find him! By fucking tomorrow!"

"Mr Chen, please sit and we can…"

"No! Someone's gotta be with him. Keep him safe, because you aren't," Eddy snapped, walking off. To hell with the police. They hadn’t been of any use yet, so why would they be now? The most important thing was to keep Brett safe and they couldn’t even place an officer by their building to make sure he didn’t come back!

So despite Officer Hahn's pleas to please stay and talk, Eddy stomped off, back to Brett’s hospital room.

As always, he made sure to close the door quietly, knowing loud noises made him jump.

"Just me," he whispered to the sleeping figure in the dim room, wanting him to know he was safe, even in his dreams. Wanted him to know he wasn’t Mike.

Eddy sat down carefully, not wanting to make any excess sound to wake him. Not that he really could, with him being drugged down like this. He had noticed though, that sometimes, when there were multiple distractions, even the drugged sleep was restless. He hated that. Hated seeing his brows furrowed with worry, and how he curled up to keep himself safe.

"I'll keep you safe, Brett," he whispered, gently brushing some of his dark tufts of hair away from his forehead to keep them from falling in his eyes. The sleeping figure let out a sigh as he let down the slight tension in his shoulders. "I promise."

Chapter Text

"W…what?" Brett squeaked, eyes widening with fear. "Nonono, please, he's gonna… he'll come back, I just know it…"

"I know, I know, Brett," Eddy said softly, giving the man’s hand a squeeze. He knew so damn well that the asshole would come back, and that no matter the assurances from Officer Hahn and Officer Chen, Brett wouldn't feel safe. Of course he wouldn't, with the man who tried to murder him for trying to break off their relationship was still out there.

"I assure we wouldn't allow you home if we didn't think we could keep you safe, Mr Yang," Officer Chen tried to explain softly, but was interrupted by Brett before he could continue. 

"You don't know him at all! He won't care at all about the restraining order, and what use is it to call the police if I'm already dead?" Brett cried, his voice breaking multiple times as he spoke. "Oh god, what am I gonna do? He's gonna… I'll… Oh my god…"

He hid his face in his hands, and Eddy took the opportunity to look up at Officer Hahn with a look that said 'I told you so' before he carefully reached out to stroke Brett's back in an attempt to comfort him.

"Do you think you'd feel safer staying with me? Cause you're always welcome, you know," he suggested softly, wanting the poor guy to be okay so badly. "You've tried it a few times before, so maybe it would help? Only if you feel okay with that, of course."

"I can?" Brett asked with big, teary eyes, looking up at him. His lower lip quivered, and his hesitation told Eddy that he definitely expected him to retract his offer. "You'd really be okay with that? You know you don’t have to, right? I'm a piece of work right now, you really don't need to…"

"I wouldn't have offered if you couldn't," Eddy interrupted him gently with a small smile. "We'll just grab your duvet and pillow, maybe, so you don't have to use my tiny blanket."

"Thank you so much," Brett squeaked, hugging him so tightly. The smaller man shook slightly, holding onto Eddy like he was the only thing keeping him on this earth. It took a moment before Eddy carefully hugged him back, surprised by the reaction. The hug felt nice, though he tried his best to bury all the sparks he felt any time the smaller man touched him. Eddy was above taking advantage of someone who was clearly very emotional and distraught.

"That's what good neighbours are for, yeah?" he said softly, closing his eyes for a moment. "Of course you can stay with me."

"And of course we'll do everything we can to find him, Brett," Officer Ray added gently, getting a confirming nod from Officer Hilary. "That's a promise."

"Thank you so much, Eddy," Brett sniffled quietly, burying his face in Eddy's shoulder for a moment. Eddy wanted to be a safe harbour for him, and judging from the little gesture, he was at the very least beginning to be. "You're the best."

Chapter Text

"Here we are, finally," Eddy said softly, closing his apartment door behind them. The ride back to the apartment building with Officer Hahn had been a quiet one, and Eddy was relieved to be home. He carefully began taking his shoes off, but noticed that Brett just stood there, staring at the duvet he was holding in his arms. Eddy got his shoes off and put them on the shoe rack before carefully standing back up and taking the step over to his new roommate. He placed a hand gently on his back.

"Hey, are you oka… oh."

Before Eddy could finish his sentence, Brett had simply puked all over the duvet they had collected from his apartment a moment ago. Tears ran down his bruised cheeks as he just stood there, allowing it to happen.

"That's okay, you're okay. I'll take care of the duvet and everything. Come," Eddy said to try and assure him, gently leading him into the bathroom. "Drop the duvet, Brett, I'll get it."

"I'm so sorry," Brett squeaked quietly, flinching from Eddy's touch. "I didn't… I…"

"I get it, you're nervous and scared and hurt," Eddy assured gently, carefully taking the duvet from him. It smelled vaguely of cigarettes and possibly something else Eddy couldn't put his finger on. It would need to be washed anyway. "Let's just put this down for now."

He did what he said as he spoke, and then opened the bathroom door for Brett so he could step in.

"I can clean it, I'm so sorry," Brett whispered, trying to wipe the corner of his mouth free of puke. His hand shook slightly.

"I promise it's okay, Brett," Eddy said softly, finding a washcloth and wetting it for him. "Take your sweater off too, I'll wash that as well."

Brett froze when he was asked to take his sweater off. Like a deer caught in the headlights of an approaching truck, eyes big and scared. 

Eddy didn’t notice until he turned around, seeing his reaction.

"Oh, I mean, if you feel okay to do so. I can step out while you do, if you would prefer that," he added quickly, offering the washcloth. "I can go get another one of your sweaters in the meantime if you want, or you can borrow one of mine…"

"If… if that's okay…? I'm sorry, I keep asking so much of you and I don’t give you anything for it…" Brett said quietly, carefully taking the washcloth he was offered. "If there's anything you want me to do or… or anything…"

"There is actually one thing you can do," Eddy hummed softly on the way out of the bathroom, turning to look back at him.

"Anything," Brett said, licking his lips. He looked terrified, visibly shaking.

"Promise you'll tell me what you need to feel better. It'd make it so much easier for me to help you," Eddy said gently, really wanting to just hug him better. "Please."

Brett hesitated, his lower lip quivering as he did his best to decide what to say.

"That's… really just helping me more, though…" he stuttered, letting his gaze drop to the floor. "I can't ask more of you, Eddy."

"Well, I really want to help you feel better," Eddy said softly with a small shrug. He really thought Brett deserved the world and was set on giving it to him, even if he hadn't told Brett that. Even if he probably never would. At this point it would both be unethical and it would push him away. "And you telling me how to do that would really help."

Brett hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.

"Okay. I'll try."

Chapter Text

After cleaning up the floor and throwing the duvet in the washing machine, Eddy had been in Brett's apartment to try and find some clothes for him. Something that didn't smell like cigarettes. Unfortunately, everything he pulled out from Brett’s neatly folded closet smelled like they had been dragged through an ashtray. He picked out a few items anyway, but decided he couldn't wear them with how they smelled. The moment he had brought them inside, though, he left them in a pile in the bathroom, washed his hands, and went to his own closet.

Brett looked up at him from where he sat on the couch with only a blanket wrapped around him. He carefully tilted his head, curious as to why he didn’t have any clothes with him. A moment later, Eddy brought back a hoodie and sweatpants from his own closet and placed them next to him on the couch.

"Everything smelled like cigarettes, but I've brought some over to wash once the duvet is done," he explained gently. "You can borrow this in the meantime."

Brett’s cheeks reddened slightly, and he tilted his head down to look at his reflection in the cup of tea Eddy had made for him.

"You really don't need to do that, it's okay," he said quietly. "I already take so much from you. I'm not really being a good neighbor at all, just taking and taking. How will I ever be able to repay this?"

"I don't expect you to repay anything. I just want you to be okay," Eddy assured again, sitting down next to him and picking up his own tea. It had hopefully cooled down enough to drink now. 

"You keep saying that, but why? You don't even know me all that well," Brett protested quietly. 

"Well… it's a bit difficult to explain, but… I feel attached to you, somehow," Eddy admitted, his own cheeks reddening now. He knew exactly in what way he meant himself, but he was really trying to not let it be that. It was inappropriate, and he was better than taking advantage of Brett in the vulnerable position he was in. Maybe once Mike was locked up and Brett had his life back, but not now.

Brett glanced up at him for a moment, but brought his gaze back down into the cup soon after.

"Oh," he said softly, considering his next words. "I hope I'm not disappointing you too much, then, by not being what you've thought."

"You're not," Eddy assured gently. "It's attached in the same way you get attached to the people who take the same bus as you to work every day, or the employee at the grocery store you shop at."

Brett nodded a bit.

"That makes sense," he stated, carefully sipping his tea.

"But… this experience with you has made me feel… closer to you," Eddy admitted. "Like we’re friends."

"I see you as a friend," Brett agreed gently. "Nobody has ever been this nice to me before, or taken care of me like this. I really appreciate it, and I hope we can continue to be friends even after everything is done. If that's okay with you."

Eddy couldn't help but smile a bit, looking over at his friend, whose cheeks looked as pink as his lips did. 

"That's okay with me. More than okay."

Chapter Text

Once the duvet was washed, dried and sprayed with air freshener, Eddy had found a duvet cover to put on it from his own collection and made the couch ready for Brett to sleep on. He really hoped it would be okay, and that he'd feel safe enough to sleep there. Getting the smell removed was a good first step, at least.

"Oh, I… I could've put… the duvet cover… I could've done that myself," Brett stuttered as he re-entered the living room from having brushed his teeth and changed into something better to sleep in. The worn white t-shirt hung loosely over his shoulders, the wide neckline showing his collarbones while the hem almost covered the gray sweatshorts he had chosen to go with it. Eddy blinked one extra time to keep himself from staring.

"It was no trouble at all," Eddy said with a small, assuring smile. "Don't worry about it. I hope the couch isn't too uncomfortable."

Brett carefully sat down on the couch, running his hand over the duvet cover Eddy had just put on. The bruising on his wrist has turned a yellowish colour rather than the blue that had been there before, a sign that it was healing up, and the cut on his lip was merely a faint red line compared to the paler pink around it.

And just like that Eddy had caught himself staring at his neighbour's lips once again. He looked away, but felt the heat spread over his cheeks.

"Is uh… is it okay if… if you keep the door to your room open?" Brett asked softly, pulling the duvet over his lap. He looked and sounded unsure and nervous. "I'll try not to bother you at night too, but… but just so I can…"

"Of course, Bretty. And if you feel nervous or scared, just come join me, yeah?" Eddy interrupted him gently. "It's really no trouble at all, and I really don't mind."

Brett opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but looked like he immediately changed his mind and just nodded a bit instead. His gaze focused on the duvet.

"Okay, thank you," he said softly. "For everything you're doing for me."

"It's really no trouble, I promise," Eddy repeated with a gentle smile. "Make yourself comfy, and wake me if you need anything."

"Okay, thank you. Goodnight then," Brett said softly with a hint of a smile passing over his lips. Eddy felt his heart skip a beat, fluttering in the way it definitely shouldn't, considering the circumstances.

"Goodnight, Bretty. See you tomorrow," Eddy hummed, and with that he slipped into his bedroom to finally lay down. It had been tough sleeping in the hospital in an uncomfortable comfy chair, so he was looking forward to a good night of sleep in his own bed.

He didn’t waste any time reading like he normally would, just turned the reading light off and closed his eyes as he relaxed properly into the mattress.

Chapter Text

Eddy closed his eyes and sunk back into the bed, allowing his listening to stretch through the apartment in a way he normally wouldn't be able to when he closed his bedroom door. He could hear the clock ticking in the kitchen and the fridge humming, and he could hear Brett's slow breathing in the living room. It was soothing, in an odd way. Made him drift off into a mostly asleep state where his thoughts could wander, yet he maintained just a hint of control of the direction.

Still, it was so easy to just follow the path his mind set for him - the sound of an angel calling him in the distance, their voice echoing through his mind yet feeling like it was right there. He couldn't help but smile a little. The voice was beautiful, smooth like butter and calming. In his dreams, the angel reached a hand out and touched his cheek…

Eddy opened his eyes quickly when he felt the light touch, confusion passing over his face.

"I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to… uh… I mean… I just…" Brett whispered as he pulled his hand away, clearly unsure of how Eddy would react. "I'm sorry, this was a bad idea…"

"Oh, it's you," Eddy exhaled, blushing a bit. It had felt nice, and he was maybe a little bit disappointed that the gentle touch was taken away from him. "No no no, Bretty, you did nothing wrong, I promise. What's wrong?"

Brett hesitated, avoiding eye contact. Eddy sat up a bit more and reached over to turn his reading light on.

"I just… I feel so anxious… I'm… I'm scared," Brett admitted quietly after a few moments of silence. It wasn’t before now he could see the reflection of the light in the tears that had run down Brett’s cheeks, and the slight redness the attempts to wipe said tears had left on his under his eyes. "I was just… I was wondering if it's okay if I stay here? M… maybe on the… the floor…"

He couldn’t even finish the sentence before Eddy scooted over and patted next to him on the bed.

"Come lay down, Bretty. It's okay," he assured gently, watching how his shoulders relaxed as he said that.

"Thank you," Brett whispered. "I'm sorry for waking you."

"It's okay, I promise," Eddy said softly as Brett crawled into bed with his own duvet, pulling it up to his chin. "Bit more comfy like this too."

"Yeah, it is," Brett admitted as he curled up with the duvet wrapped around him like a cocoon next to Eddy.

"All settled?" Eddy asked with a gentle smile, thinking he was adorable all balled up like that. He got a nod and a tiny smile, so he turned the light off again and laid back down. 

Brett laid curled up next to him, keeping his eyes closed despite clearly not being asleep yet. He was cute, especially with how small he looked all curled up in the duvet. Eddy turned to his side so he could face him.

He saw how Brett’s lower lip trembled after a bit, though, how he curled up more tightly and how the tears ran down his cheeks again. It broke his heart.

"Bretty?" he asked softly after a few moments, seeing him flinch when he said his name. "It's okay to be scared. It's okay to need comfort."

"I'm okay, I'm sorry," Brett squeaked, trying to pull the duvet over his head to hide. Hide from the expected hurt from being "too emotional". Being a "cry baby".

Eddy sighed, wishing he could take some of the hurt away.

"Would you like a hug, Bretty?" he asked softly, not knowing any other way to make it better.

"You don't have to, it's okay."

"But what if I want to, if you would feel better from it?" Eddy asked gently. "Because I really would like to."

Brett hesitated, but nodded ever so slightly. That was the confirmation Eddy needed to have the courage to wrap his arms all around the cocoon that was Brett in his duvet and pull him close. He could feel Brett’s slow exhale fan over his neck, and he would be lying if he said it was anything but intoxicating.

"Thank you," Brett mumbled softly. "I really needed this."

"I'm happy to hear. Try to sleep now, so you can heal."

"Okay, I will."

Chapter Text

It was really nice to sit across the table from Brett at breakfast, watching him carefully dip his spoon in his oats and scoop out just a teeny tiny bit before closing his lips around the spoon. His hair was messy from sleep still, his eyes squinty, and the worn t-shirt he had slept in still rested loosely over his shoulders.

It was really nice to steal glances at him as they sat together, though on each end of the couch, scrolling on their phones. Together, yet separately. Every once in a while one of them would giggle, and the other would request to see what they were giggling about. It felt good to laugh together.

It was also nice to peek at him over the sheet music while they listened to a new piece together, seeing the concentration in his eyebrows and the focus as he turned the page with gentle hands. Most of the bruises had faded by now, only leaving the emotional scars. They were especially visible when they needed to get something from Brett’s apartment, and they were visible at night. The nights were especially rough.

"Eddy?" Brett asked gently, the uncertainty in his voice hardly perceivable now. Eddy snapped out of his thoughts and looked up from the sheet music.

"Yeah?" he asked, realizing Brett had probably said something to him right before that he had missed. "Oh uh, say again? I was lost in thought."

"Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to… uh… I mean…" Brett began, but seemed to catch himself apologizing and shook his head a bit to start over. "I just asked if you'd mind if I just tried playing a tiny bit of the violin part..? I'll use a practice mute if you'd prefer that, I just wanted to see…"

"Of course, Bretty, I don’t mind at all. Mind if I stay and listen?" Eddy asked with a gentle smile, happy to see he was feeling more comfortable asking to do things he wanted. He wanted Brett to feel free with him. "No practice mute needed."

"Oh uh, sure, if you'd want that," Brett said softly, a warm pink spreading over his cheeks. He stood up and carefully picked up the violin case with Eddy's old violin and placed it on the couch, opening it.

Eddy reached over to the side of the couch to grab the music stand for him, putting the music up on it.

"You didn't have to do that, you know. I could have done it myself," Brett said softly once he noticed what Eddy was doing, a small smile playing on his lips. "Thank you."

"What can I say? I like spoiling you," Eddy chuckled jokingly as he adjusted the stand to Brett’s height. "This good?"

"Perfect, thank you," Brett said softly, smiling a bit shyly as he got his phone out to open the tuning app.

"You're welcome, Bretty. Anytime," Eddy said softly, sitting back down on the couch. He pulled his legs up and leaned back, admiring his roommate as he stumbled through a piece neither of them had played before. This was perfect.

Chapter Text

“How are you feeling? Ready?” Eddy asked his neighbour - or, well, roommate - as they got their shoes on. By the door stood two violin cases, neither belonging to Brett. He would be using one of them today, though.

“Nervous,” Brett admitted a bit quietly as he finished the knot on his shoelaces and stood up. He took a deep breath. “But it's fine, really. I'm grateful they let me keep my job despite not working for weeks.”

“I think it would be pretty shitty of them if they didn’t,” Eddy said honestly. It was easy to tell how nervous Brett was about this, and he understood why. He knew there would likely be questions waiting for him. Why had he been away? Why had Mike told them he was in a car accident?

“Guess so, yeah,” Brett nodded, combing his fingers through his bangs to push them out of his face. “I’ve missed playing, though. It’ll be good to get back to it properly.”

“It will be. And honestly, I’m happy they’re willing to give me another chance too,” Eddy said, opening the door for the both of them and stepping out, shielding the view to Brett’s apartment door with his body. He had gotten into the habit of doing that every time they went out together, knowing just the sight of the familiar door put a dent in Brett’s control over his anxiety.

“Why wouldn’t they? None of it was your fault,” Brett said gently, going to press the elevator button. “Besides, the jury was super impressed with your audition. They even said they’d consider offering you a position in the orchestra.”

Both of them paused and looked at each other as Brett realized he had said something he wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. His eyes widened.
“I uh… I mean…” he stuttered, but Eddy spoke before he could continue.

“What?? For real life?” Eddy asked, feeling his heart beating out of his chest. “Naahhh, you’re joking. Nope, nope, nope. I’m nowhere near good enough for that, right? I’m just some nobody, average violin teacher…”

“You play really well, you know. And you nailed that audition… But I wasn’t really supposed to tell you that…” Brett said, stepping onto the elevator when it dinged and opened the door. Eddy followed him, though he felt somewhat dizzy. A good dizzy, though.

“I figured the audition went well, but… THAT well? Nah,” Eddy said, shaking his head. “You sure you’re not just flattering me? I mean…”

“No, no, they genuinely said that. But god, please don’t tell them I told you. I wasn’t supposed to,” Brett said softly, running his fingers through his bangs again. “They were gonna consider it after the project, if you worked well with the other musicians and fit in with the work culture and all.”

Eddy pressed the button to go down to the parking garage, and felt the elevator move. His stomach was filled with excited butterflies at the prospect of a proper, full time orchestra job. It had been what he was working towards his whole career!

“Hopefully they haven’t gotten too bad of an impression, with me just randomly disappearing off work right before the concert and all, then,” he said on a slow exhale.

“I hope not. It’d be awesome to work with you full time,” Brett said gently with a small smile. Eddy loved the thought of that as well.

Chapter Text

They walked into the rehearsal space, Eddy instinctively shielding Brett somewhat to help him avoid the stares of his fellow musicians. It didn’t really seem to be necessary anyway, though, as they mostly minded their own business. Some were grouped up with their deskies, trying to figure out the music they had gotten. They went up to the table they would usually unpack at and put their cases down to get ready for the rehearsal.

“Welcome back, Brett. It’s so good to have you here again,” the concert master said as she approached them. She handed them the music they’d be working on for the day - a brand new piece of contemporary music written by a local composer. “How are you feeling?”

“Excited to get going again, honestly,” Brett said softly with a shrug and a polite smile as he checked out the new music. He only barely avoided grimacing at the sight of it. Had to remain somewhat professional at least. “Thanks for not… you know, firing me or anything.”

The concert master shook her head.
“No way I’d do that, that’d be the fastest way to make myself unpopular I think,” she said gently before turning to Eddy. “And Eddy, it’s so good to have you back here too. I’m excited to see how this concert goes. The repertoire is certainly something.”

Eddy chuckled a bit nervously.

“I have to admit the contemporary stuff isn’t what I’ve been playing the most recently, but it’s an exciting challenge,” he said, trying to sound professional about it. Truly, though, he just didn’t get the music. And the fact that the composer had handed the music in late too, making this a sight read didn’t help. Eddy hated being unprepared.

“I appreciate your optimism,” the concert master chuckled softly. “Anyway, gotta go warm up a little. See you later.”

Eddy watched her as she headed off to unpack.
“I truly wish you hadn’t told me they were considering hiring me full time,” he said softly to Brett. “The nerves are making me crazy.”

“You’ve got nothing to be nervous about. You got this,” Brett said gently, reaching out to gently touch his arm. “I believe in you, so you should too.”

“Thanks, Brett. I’ll try, but… yeah, it’s nerve wrecking,” Eddy chuckled softly, getting his violin out. “Especially with this music. What the heck does all this even mean?”

Brett snorted, shaking his head.
“I dunno. These crazy contemporary composers, am I right?”

In that moment, all Eddy could think about was how much he loved seeing Brett get comfortable enough to joke around with him. It took a moment to gather himself enough to respond.
“I guess we’ll see if he can explain the musical intention here, or if it’s just pulled out of his… you know,” he said jokingly back as he tightened his bow. “Let’s go sit and try and play through a bit together?”

“Sure, I’d love to,” Brett smiled, closing his case and picking up the sheet music. 

Chapter Text

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.

Chapter Text

Eddy felt Brett stiffen next to him when his phone interrupted the calm silence between them, a common response when something unexpected happened. It didn’t help that the contact info on Brett’s phone showed Officer Hahn’s details.

“Are you going to answer it?” Eddy asked gently, carefully sitting up a little more. His tone was neutral - not expectant or impatient. 

Brett’s tongue darted over his lips. “Well… I don’t know. I should, right?”

Another few moments of the ring tone, and Brett reached a shaky hand out and hit the green button on the screen, followed by the speakerphone button. He didn’t say anything, though he opened his mouth as if he wanted to. When no sound came out, his eyes darted to Eddy for help.

“Hello Officer Hahn,” Eddy said calmly. “It’s Eddy. I’ve got Brett next to me.”

“Hi Eddy, hi Brett. I just wanted to share some news with you. Is now a good time?”

Eddy looked to Brett, who shrugged a little, seeming unsure.
“What kind of news is it?” Eddy decided to ask, reaching a hand out, offering it for Brett to hold. They had discovered together the calming effect physical touch had on Brett. Gentle physical touch that was.

“It is about Mike.”

Brett couldn’t help the small squeak that escaped his lips, and his breathing picked up a little. Just hearing his name made him anxious, and he didn’t want that after the otherwise great day he had. There was only one kind of news that he really wanted, but surely they wouldn’t have already…?

“Shoot,” Eddy said softly, deciding for the both of them that just getting it over with would be better. He felt Brett grab his hand with both of his, holding onto it like his life depended on it. Eddy gently squeezed back.

Officer Hahn took a deep breath before speaking.

“We arrested him earlier today outside your apartment building. He is currently in custody, and a judge has decided he will be held without bail until the trial.”

“Oh thank lord,” Brett squeaked, visibly relaxing and leaning against Eddy. “Thank you, officer.”

“Really, thank you. I’m sorry I was… you know, a bit nasty initially…” Eddy added softly. He couldn’t believe it! It was finally over! Finally Brett could heal from this, and they could go back to before. Somehow the thought of going back to before stung a little though. Eddy didn’t think too much about that for now, and instead just put an arm carefully around Brett.

“Don’t worry about it at all. It’s time for us to put together everything for the trial now, but I feel confident he isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Sleep soundly tonight, you too,” Officer Hahn said gently. “Do you have any questions for me?”

Eddy looked to Brett, who shook his head.

“No, no questions. Thank you.”

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe it is over,” Eddy said softly, turning his head to look at Brett lying next to him on the bed. The sun had set outside, leaving the room illuminated only by their two reading lamps on the night stands. “Can you?”

Brett shook his head a little.

“It feels unreal,” he said softly, turning his head to look at Eddy too. “But it’s such a relief. I feel like I can breathe again.”

“I’m happy you’re feeling better now,” Eddy said softly, smiling a little.

It was quiet for a moment, the two of them just looking at each other. There was no awkwardness or unease, just a sense of calm between them. Maybe except a tiny hint of nervousness in the bottom of Eddy’s stomach.

“Finally you don’t have to have me here if you don’t want to,” Brett said softly, his dark brown eyes shifting slightly between Eddy’s as if trying to read him. It was really a question, or rather a plea. 

Eddy took a slow deep breath, trying to ease some of his nerves..
“Well… it’s been really nice to have you here. A lot nicer than being on my own,” he said softly, a bit unsurely, trying to figure out if Brett meant what he thought he did.

“It’s been very nice to be here with you,” Brett agreed softly, licking his lips a little. “I wouldn’t want to intrude, though…”

“You’re not intruding. I… I really hope I haven’t made you feel like you’re intruding at all,” Eddy said softly, a bit quicker. “I’ve really loved having you here. You’re not intruding.”

“Okay,” Brett said softly, looking like he was trying to figure out how to continue.

Eddy was faster though.
“And… you know, if you’d like… I wouldn’t mind at all if you stayed.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“I wouldn’t. Not at all.”

It was quiet again for a moment, both of them looking at each other. Brett carefully reached a hand out, and Eddy met it, intertwining their fingers.

“Then… if it is okay, I would very much like to stay here with you. Together. You’d be too far away as my neighbour, I think.”

Eddy couldn’t help but smile a little at that.
“I really would be, wouldn’t I?” he hummed softly. “Of course it is okay. I would very much like for us to be together.”

There was a pause following Eddy’s words, and it took a moment before Eddy had really digested what he had just said. Brett spoke just as he realized.

“Together as in… together?”

“I mean… only if you would want to,” Eddy said softly, feeling his heart rate go up and his cheeks get warm. “It’s probably too soon after everything… I probably shouldn’t have s…”

Eddy’s string of half concluded sentences was interrupted as Brett’s soft lips were lightly pressed to his, making his worries and nerves melt away. When Brett pulled back, neither of them could help their soft giggles.

“Together as in together then?” Eddy asked finally, gently squeezing Brett’s hand.

“Together as in together,” Brett confirmed.