Club - a Breddy Fanfic.

67) Glasses

"Eddy! Come on now, let's go! We'll be late for my appointment."

Brett is in the hallway, leaning against the wall, waiting impatiently for Eddy. He put his own shoes and coat on five minutes ago, but Eddy is shoeless still.

"Yeah, just a minute. Can't find my keys... Where the hell did I put them?"
Eddy lifts the cushions from the couch to see if they have fallen between the crooks of the couch. He has searched his pockets from all his trousers and coats, searched in his bedroom and on all the flat surfaces in the house, but no such luck as finding those wretched keys.

"Keys? Think I've seen them on the kitchen counter, near the water cooker. Wait. I'll help you search."
Brett starts to take his shoes off to come search, but Eddy is already walking to the kitchen and pushes the cooker to the side.

"Oh, you're right! Got them! Why on earth did I put them there?"

Brett sighs as Eddy finally enters the hallway, one shoe in his hand.
"You should put them in one place, you know. Less stress."

"I know! God knows I've tried to get one spot to put them in. It never worked. I'm a lost cause."
He rolls his eyes backwards while tying his second shoelace.

Brett snickers. "You, my man, are incorrigible. It's good that you're cute."

Eddy laughs as his cheeks colour slightly.
"I hope that's not the only thing you like about me. Cuteness fades with age, you know."

"Okay, not just that, but it helps your cause."
Brett envelopes him in a hug and kisses him.
"Now, please, come with me. We're late. I really need this new set of glasses."

It's sunny as they walk to the opticians that Brett wants to go to.
"My other glasses came from the same store we're going now. It's so weird to go back there now."

"Why is it weird? If you liked the store, why not?"

"Last time I went with Mason. It was such a different time from then. It was a few weeks after I had returned from Melborn and I just got out of my cast. Did I tell you I broke my ankle during my flight?"

Eddy clearly doesn't, he only knows the things he said after having a panic attack.
"No, you haven't spoken much about that time. Wanna tell me?"

Brett stills and eyes him from the side. He seems to weigh his words and mutters softly.
"I need to tell you sooner or later, don't I?"

"You don't have to do anything, Brett," Eddy eases. "Only when you're ready."

Brett kicks a pebble to the side and takes a deep breath.
"The night before Mason got me out, she threatened to break my violin. She was holding it like a bat, can you believe that? It was the first time I talked back to her in quite a long time. Got a black eye and broken glasses for it, but I saved my violin. It was the last straw. I called Mason after she went to sleep. Thank God he came immediately."

Eddy looks at him sideways and hides his shock.
"Wow."

"Yeah. And when he got there, she didn't want to let him in. Which figured. She never wanted people to see what she did to me, so with the black eye I would have been locked up until the colour would be normal again."
Brett eyes are fixed in front of him so Eddy doesn't see them.
"But he heard me throwing my backpack and violin out of the window. Next thing he saw me dangling out of the window and breaking my ankle while crashing down." Brett laughs.

"How can you laugh about that?!" Eddy asks in astonishment.

Now Brett does turn at him, his eyes all serious but sweet, with a faint smile on his lips.
"I've cried enough about that time. I don't want to dwell in the past anymore. I'm here now. With you. And were going to replace these horrible glasses she choose for me, and you are going to pick new ones for me."
Brett bumps his shoulder against Eddy's.
"I really need your help here. I'm blind as a bat without them."

"Oh! Uh... But..." Eddy stammers. "Well, I'll do my best."

"Don't frown like that." Brett takes Eddy's hand in his and squeezes softly before he lets go again.
"It'll be fine. They have people there who help as well. Ah, here it is."

Brett opens the massive door in front of him and smiles at the woman comes towards them.

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?"

"Hi, Iris. I've got an appointment to measure my eyes." Brett tells her.
Eddy guesses he remembers her from previous visits.

"Ah, good." She then looks at him questioningly.
"You didn't get those from here, did you?"

"No. These are my spare ones. The others kind of had an accident a few weeks back and are beyond salvation."

"Okay, let's see what you have been looking through now."
She looks at his glasses and smirks when she gets them in her hand.
"Wow. Can't imagine you can see much with these. So many scratches! The frame has seen better times as well."

Brett laughs apologetically.
"I know, right? Let's ditch them by all means!"

"Perfect. I'll get the optician."
She winks at him and turns.

Eddy watches him being taken away to the back, leaving him on his own with this girl as a companion. Great, just what he likes, small talk with a stranger. He shifts on his chair uneasily.

"Would you care for some coffee?" Iris asks sweetly.
Eddy nods. She's wearing glasses herself and is quite relaxed.
"It's nice that you're helping your friend choose his new glasses. It's always so difficult when people have to decide on their own."

Eddy nods. "I don't know if I'll be that much of help really. I've helped pick my sister glasses, but I was so much younger then."

"Don't look so worried." Iris chuckles freely.
"You'll do fine. It'll be alright, you'll see."

That's a sweet remark. Actually, maybe...
"Uhm.. about seeing... I've been thinking lately that my vision used better before. Like, it's more difficult to tell if the arriving bus is the right one or not. Maybe I needs some enhancement as well?"

"Oh? Better see if one of my colleagues is available."

Moments later Eddy finds himself in a small room, answering questions like which letters he can read and which option is sharper.

Brett meets Iris in front again once the optician is done with him. He looks around for Eddy.

"Your friend is measuring his eyes as well." she answers his wandering look.
"And? Did your eyes change much?" she ask sweetly.

"Not so much difference with the ones that broke. Thankfully. It's bad enough as it is already."

"I remember you buying it still." She smiles.
"Mind if I say that you've changed since then? You look much better now."

Brett nods in surprise.
"Thanks. Yeah. I was crawling my way out of a deep dark pit back then. I'm tons of better."

"Glad you are better now. Come, let's go try out some frames while we wait for your friend to come back."