Andante con Brio

CXIII

"God, why do I feel like this is some sort of walk of shame?"
They were walking down the hallway on the top floor, past the alcoves that looked out over the street below. Eddy's whole body was feeling heavy, with sleep, with everything that had happened in his lesson, and he guessed also with what Brett had just done to him. 
He wasn't feeling bad though, not anymore. Who could feel bad, when they had just seen their boyfriend coming apart under him? Who could feel anything less than invincible, in fact? 
They would have to face Todd, though, who had just almost walked in on them in flagrante delicto. Brett grinned. 
"Well. It's only a walk of shame from Todd's point of view. And it's nothing he hasn't done before."
Eddy eyed him sideways. Was Brett really feeling as relaxed about it all as he seemed? Suddenly he wasn't so sure, but whatever he was feeling, Brett really did manage to look completely normal. Maybe slightly rosy? He was sure no one but him would see that, though. 
"True. He won't have told anyone, will he?"
"No, I'm sure he won't have. God, if he would have walked up a minute earlier...."
Now it was Eddy's turn to grin. 
"Even twenty seconds would have done the trick I think."
"Yeah. God, we need that house. Then we don't have to sneak around anymore."
"We do."
Eddy thought about it now, thought about that bedroom he had only seen once, that looked out over that little park. Oh, all the things they would be able to do there. All the things he would be able to say to Brett there with no one else to hear. Just them, just the two of them with no one to walk in on them. He grinned again. 
"But I guess techically Todd will still be able to walk in on us."
"Yeah, but you haven't seen the huge lock I'm planning to install yet."
Eddy looked at him sideways again. He was pretty sure Brett was joking. Although... a big lock with them behind it? He could think of worse things. 

Studio one was all the way downstairs, quite close to the hallway he had come to know and love, where all the percussion instruments lived. He hadn't been in there very often yet, just a couple of times last year to see students perform. He hesitated in front of the door. How would Todd react? He breathed deeply to dispell the nerves and pushed it open. 
A whole bunch of string students had gathered for the sectional.
"I don't even know what we're playing, you?" he hissed at Brett, who was coming in after him.
"No idea. I guess we're winging it as usual."
Eddy grinned.
"Yeah. Well, at least the rehearsal hasn't begun yet and were not technically late, hey?"   
Todd was there, at the end of the semicircle, his cello already out. Eddy looked away from him quickly, stupidly trying to avoid his gaze, but he wasn't fast enough and saw the huge smile and the eyebrow waggle just fine. But then Todd calmly focused back on the sheet music in front of him and Eddy knew that he wasn't going to say anything right then. He let out a tense breath he hadn't known he had been holding and moved forward, towards the second violin section. God, he wished he would have had the time to check himself in the mirror, but he forced himself to walk with confidence anyway, to smile and wave at Natalia, who was standing over there in the corner with her friend the violist whose name he had forgotten, forced himself to greet Ian normally. None of them seemed to be looking at him funny, anyway. 
"Right, guys, let's get started!" 
The concert master, a fourth year student who was about to graduate, was calling everyone to attention and sitting down. 
Who would be concert master next year? Eddy wondered as he found a seat and sat down with his violin. Would he ever be concert master? Maybe when he himself was a fourth year student? 
He opened the sheet music in front of him and managed to get himself focused. 

God, it was so easy to lose yourself once you were rehearsing. He could read it all just fine of course, and even the tiredness seemed to have left his system now. The piece was in B major too, as if to rub it in. 
Before he knew it the concert master was dismissing them and they were packing up again. 

"So. You all good?"
Todd's tone was vaguely taunting, but kind enough. Eddy grimaced as he got up and looked his great friend in the eye. 
"Yeah. Thanks for covering for us. I... I hope you didn't mind."
Todd shrugged. "No worries. Why'd I mind? Wish I was having rendez vouses in the staircase."
Eddy blinked in surprise and his eyes shot to Todd's. They were open and kind, as usual, but why was he getting the feeling Todd wanted to say something else, something more? He didn't say anything, though. He just shrugged again and hauled his cello case onto his back without another word. 
"Right, guys. I'll see ya in the cafeteria in a while? I have a cello lesson now. Later!"
He was gone before Eddy could say anything else. 
Wait, what? What the fuck was going on with Todd?