Andante con Brio

CXXXIX

They had all sat up with her until two in the morning, taking turns to hold her hand, bring her food, and green tea, telling her what an absolute moron Matt was. And by the end of it she looked a little better. 
"I'm so sorry, guys." she said quietly. "I'm disturbing all of your nights. You should all get some sleep."
Todd shrugged. 
"Don't worry about it, Lily. Any friend of my friend is my friend."
Look, it was a really sweet thing to say, and at the same time his face was so innocent that Eddy couldn't help it, he started grinning. Then he saw Ian's face, trying to keep it together, and they were grinning more. 
"Nice one." Ian said. "Todd, that was both the kindest and the most convoluted sentence in the world."
"Yeah, yeah, Fuck you. It's the middle of the fucking night, yeah, and you expect eloquence?"
But Todd was laughing too as he got up and turned off the light above the dinner table. 
"Anyway, I am turning in now. You gonna be okay, Lily?"
Lily nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for having me."

He took Lily to the studio and sat with her, his hand on her arm, until he could feel her calming down. 
"Sleep, sweet Lils." he whispered. "Tomorrow everything will look better. I promise."

He was beat, as he walked into their room. Brett was there, sitting on the end of the bed, his bed shirt in his hand. He sat down next to him and put his head on his shoulder. Brett put his arm around him and pulled him in. 
"So." Brett started soberly. "That wasn't quite how we had seen this night play out."
Eddy shook his head. Look, he wasn't about to allow any disappointment about that into his head. There could be no space for that, not with his friend hurt like that. Still, though... 
"Come on, let's just get some sleep, huh?" he said with a shrug. "We have to be up again in a few hours."
"Yeah."

They didn't even shower, they just lay down, Brett's back to Eddy's front, even closer together than usual. Eddy wanted to feel him, needed to feel him, wanted him there, because with Brett by his side, he was stronger. 
"I love you." he whispered against his neck."
"I love you too." Brett said sleepily, already drifting. 

It felt like he had only been asleep for minutes, but once he startled awake and saw the first light coming in through the curtains, he knew there would be no sleeping anymore. Brett stirred next to him and breathed in sharply through his nose in that cute way he had. 
"Nnyou okay?" he mumbled.
"Yeah. You?" Eddy looked at the clock quickly. The alarm was about to go off anyway. "Okay. I'm just gonna go check on her, alright?"
Brett nodded and started to turn around to face him. 
"Yeah. I wonder if we can even go to the con."
Eddy shrugged. 
"I won't leave her if she's still like that. But let's see."

He walked into the studio very quietly, so as not to wake her if she was still asleep. But the second the door opened she moved. 
"Eddy?"
"Yeah. Hi." he walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. "How are you? Sorry, did I wake you?"
She blinked at him, and seemed to want to say something. But then a deep shadow crossed over her face and she swallowed once, twice. 
"Shit!" she called then as her hand flew up to her mouth. "Move!"
He got up with a shock and stared at her back as she ran past him and to the bathroom.