Andante con Brio

CLXIV

His conscious mind fell through his body and into the marble of the floor below, and for a moment he felt like he might faint. And he must have made a sound, because the others were all looking at him. 
"You good?" Brett asked, with his eyebrows all waggly. 
"I... oh my God, that... I didn't see that coming." he managed. 
"I know. You're better than you think." Brett grinned. "Come on, I think there's a group of us gonna go out and celebrate, or commiserate. You game?"
"Yeah, of course." he replied automatically, but his eyes were on Ian. Had he missed Ian's name? But the second he saw his eyes he knew he hadn't. 
Shit, was Ian the only one of them who wasn't through? 
"Mate." he said quietly as their eyes locked, but Ian shrugged. 
"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Let's go out and get drunk, huh?"

He followed his friends out of the building, but his mind was still on Ian. Oh crap, he must be so disappointed, with all of his friends through! He was so deep in thought that he almost ran into John, who was just outside the door. 
"Oh, Eddy!"
"John, hi!"
John stepped to the side, and he followed him. 
"Congrats, Eddy. Well deserved, if I may say. Look, I'm still in town this week. I was thinking maybe we could meet up for dinner at some point? You and Brett? I'd love to have a good catch up, and I know Mark does too."
"Oh, Mark is here?" 
"Yes, he came along. We have an apartment, not too far from the con. What do you say?"
"O... of course!" Eddy said. "I'd love to. I'm sure Brett would too."
He could see it in his mind's eye so easily still, how they had come to John's house, how he had introduced them to his partner. How easily he had made them as gay. How wonderful a night it had been, back when they weren't out anywhere. How he had taken Brett's hand, in the street afterwards. He smiled at John and hoped he knew what it had meant. 
"When would be good for you?"
"I'll ask Mark and text you tomorrow. I think your friends are waiting to get drunk." John winked, and before he knew it he was gone, down the steps and to his car. 

The bar was crowded, very crowded, but tonight, for once, he didn't care. He glugged down his second beer and looked around him happily. People had started dancing. Todd was out there, dancing raucously around Ian, who was giving him an amused glance. And he would worry about him, about how he felt, about how he was grabbing another beer already, but right now he didn't have it in him. A huge grin was plastered on his face and he walked onto the dance floor too. 
"I'm through." he whispered, knowing full well no one would be able to hear him. "Fuck it, man, I'm through!"
Brett appeared beside him with two glasses of beer in his hand, handing him one with a huge grin. 
"Happy?" he yelled in his ear over the music 
"You have no idea." he yelled back.
Brett's eyebrows waggled in that way he had, and his eyes were smokey, whistful almost. 
"You can show me later how happy."
Oh. 
The world around him disappeared for a moment as a wave of excitement pulled through him hard, and he wanted to kiss him so badly that he had to physically stop himself from grabbing him right there. He froze to the dance floor as he tried to get himself back under control. Took a couple of deep breaths and gave Brett his sexiest look.
"Now I don't want to wait." he said in his ear, softer now.
Brett grinned broadly. This was clearly exactly what he wanted. 
"Just a little while. Come on, let's dance."