#kieshartziswriting

Brock had to take a moment for a minute outside of the shop. It felt rude to leave. He hated being rude to others or even being slightly mean. But God, the tension was too suffocating that even the scent of coffee and cake was powerful enough to disperse it.

He knows he's majorly at fault for it. After all, he's only given Evan nothing but the silent treatment for weeks. It's not like he was the one who made Brian leave and made him not say a thing to him. Evan's not cruel like that. Stoic and distant, sure, but he's just like Wilbur, who is scared to care too much again. Scared like Techno to not understand. Scared like the rest. Scared like... him.

Evan was just as much affected as him. He shouldn't be so selfish at the thought that only he was hurt, and God forbid, Evan was probably having it even worse with the fact not only did he lose one close friend but two. He probably didn't know he already lost David days before, and it was dropped all on him on the same day. 

Brock shakily takes in a breath as he clutches the railings of the porch-like area of the place. He didn't even notice the tears welling up in his eyes until now, and the slowly creeping rain that had to tell him. Ah, he forgot the weather was going to be quite a rainfall today.

"Brock?"

And he forgot that he still had other people around.

"Hm?" The doctor hummed as he turned around to look at the raven-haired agent. One hand in his pocket and the other holding a styrofoam cup, eyes gazing at him curiously. "Ah, sorry, I know you said you wanted to be out here for some fresh air," Evan nervously laughs as he brings the once-pocketed hand to rub the back of his neck. "But I noticed it was starting to rain, and your coffee was getting cold so..." Evan stretched out the last word, trying not to make it more awkward.

"I see, thank you," Brock mumbles almost too inaudibly for Evan to hear, glancing at the drink. "Also... uh..." The nearly silent cough brought Brock's eyes back.

"I wanted to say sorry."

Brock hummed at the question. Was he admitting to something? "For what?" Brock questions, now feeling tense again. "Wilbur told me you didn't know... about... you know." Evan looks down, seeming to find it shameful on his part. But Brock felt even worse. This whole time he didn't know? It was too shocking to be mad at. "I knew you and him were close, at some point even closer than where I was. I thought that out of everyone else, he would have told... it would have been you." Evan finally confesses.

Brock's eyes widen, everything seeming to lift and crash altogether.

God, now he feels being the worst.

 This whole damn time, Evan had no idea at all, and he's been avoiding him! Good heavens, this past month meant he was dealing with everything on his own without anyone to relate as much as he did. At least when he found out, Wilbur was there to let him vent it out. But Evan... Evan's been keeping it all to himself. And he was one of, if not only, to have understood his pain the most. He shouldn't be the one to say sorry.

"It's okay if you hate me. I should have seen you after knowing then maybe you would have also learned-" "I'm sorry."

Evan's quick explanation was cut right off by Brock. He quickly looks up at his face and sees the corner of Brock's eyes pricking with tears at the moment. "What?" "I'm so sorry Evan. I-I... didn't know, and I just realized.. y-you've been alone for so so l-long..." His voice was cracking. He was trying to hold the emotions off like a dam. It's barely holding on to not flooding the place with tears and feelings.

Evan's eyes watched with shock, trying to think of what to do. "Brock..." "And all this d-damn time, I've been n-nothing but u-upset. I th-thought I knew e-everything, and... and yet I completely m-m-missed the point." Brock was shaking now, a hand clutching onto his coat as he stared wide at his feet. The thoughts were overbearing, overwhelming, overtaking his head.

"I'm such a h-horrible-"

Brock stopped talking as he felt hands on his shoulders, his head shooting up to see Evan looking at him with tear-brimming eyes threatening to spill at any time. "Stop that." He tells him, eyes soft, sad, and forgiving. "Stop thinking that," he demands. Evan wasn't sure how he was holding up either.

You didn't know for so long, and you were probably worried sick about him. No one, for the longest time, ever told you anything about where he went when he was already far gone in the first place. I should have been there to tell you! Checked on you even." Evan was doing his best to hold his composure for the both of them. He didn't do it before, so he's doing it now. That's what he was telling himself.

Brock watched as Evan was spilling and erupting so much all at the same time. He knew Evan was never the type to talk like this without a moment to breathe. He felt so bad for Evan. "You deserve to have been upset with me, and I just wished you'd understand that you were never alone about this in the first place." And yet he felt so understood by him too.

"I am so sorry and-" "We both are."

He interrupts him again as he puts a shaky hand on one of Evan's hunched shoulders. Evan stopped as he opened his eyes, finally seeing the kind and half-hearted smile of Brock. Such welcoming forgiveness and asking for it at the same time was getting to be too much. "I'm so very sorry... Evan." he reiterates, bringing the other to an embrace of finally understanding.

To think scrolling through your phone in a private dressing room was just a bonus of all of it, and Daniel was just really here to watch from the back and be a moral support for his boyfriend. It was comfy, though, and the room whiffed with smells of caramel and syrup— it coupled with the whiff of some burnt cigarettes that ranged from weeks to months— The comfort of the mix of scents brought in was odd. Sure, it wasn't the best of smells, a handful would say it was even disgusting, but it was his and brought more warmth than any burning tobacco would light.

He wonders how long Wil would get back—

SLAM

Oh, not long.

Daniel peered his head from the couch he laid upon to see a less-than-content Wilbur standing by the door he just burst open, the glistening nameplate to show for it that the room was his to bang up. Something's wrong. Not to mention he seemed to be seething.

Daniel watched Wilbur close the door behind him loudly once he entered the room. His steps were with angered purpose, showing some grouchiness to be noted by his boyfriend that something was definitely wrong. It was until Wilbur sat down right across from Daniel. With a loud and exasperated sigh, he tried to seem lax with both arms propped behind him above the furniture's top. Daniel knew better than that. The way his breathing was ever so slightly uneven gave it away. How his fingers twitched in a clenching and unclenching pattern was enough to tell him the genuine emotions that surged into his veins. He couldn't hide that, no matter how much Wilbur tried.

Daniel only waited a few seconds until he had to be sure it was alright to speak. He'd hate to set off the wrong thought without some analysis. Wilbur probably hadn't gotten a smoke break to relax about it, but Daniel's been making an effort to help him cut the habit down.

And, of course, that meant helping him deal with his problems instead. "Alright, what's the matter?"

Wilbur only glanced at his dearest, catching the concerned eyes gazing upon him. He almost made him break. But before he could, he looked away and seemed to try and come up with some bullshit of an answer.

"It's nothing just... technical difficulties with the show." Even if the bullshit of an answer had some truth in it.

"Is that all?" Daniel pushes a little further, pulling down his phone and adjusting where he sat.

Another sigh left his lips that were involuntarily, "Yes, it's just some stupid technical issues, no need to worry about it." Wilbur was nearly about to snap, but Daniel knew there was more.

He learned where to put his foot in the stepping stones of the water that is Wilbur's mind while knowing that one wrong skip could be a snapping point. He just needs to get to him, and that meant physically as well.

Daniel stood up from his place, leaving his phone behind, and walked over to Wilbur, much to the latter's surprise and slight dismay. He was about to protest whatever Daniel was doing when he felt a new weight on top of him. Ah, Daniel had decided to sit right in between his legs. It was a tactic to make it impossible for the taller to move now.

"Daniel," Wilbur said sternly because this must have been at least a little uncomfortable. He had enough of the decency to adjust himself so that the one in between his legs was more sat down instead of balancing on them. It seemed he was far too busy worrying about how he sat instead of the true matter at hand.

"Wilbur," Daniel stated, grabbing his lover's attention back. "What's the matter?" He asked again. The soft eyes made Wilbur's heart ache from the sight and made his brain crumble to pieces. Both subjects wanted to heed being vulnerable, even for just a short period. His mouth still decided to stay shut. Daniel hummed as he brought his face a little closer, urging him to let up. "Please? You can tell me. Just let it out."

 Seeing his other half asking him to spill and say what he needed to say to get it all off his chest was daunting. He must care for the well-being of his dumb ass. It was enough to break him.

"It's..." Wilbur started, still unsure. He always wanted to keep things to himself. "It's a lot..."

Daniel hummed as he raised an eyebrow at him. "And...?" He stretched out, still making it clear he wanted Wilbur to let it all out and let him hear it. Well, Wilbur guessed he had no other choice.

Daniel won this round, as per usual. And now Wilbut has to break the bank to open up his vaulted emotions and stress.

"There's still so much to do, and every time the guys and I fix one problem, it's like three other ones come out of nowhere!" He yells, lifting his arms to show his frustrations about it in a tad dramatic flair. "We've already had so many different shows before, but this is the biggest one to date, and it feels like everything is just going wrong in the worse way possible!" At this rate, Wilbur was finally breaking his chains of holding back. It was just exactly as Daniel wanted.

Wilbur went on. "I thought yesterday was bad enough when somehow the wrong light colors were delivered to the studio. One of the speakers blew out a fuse, so we had to get the quickest replacement for that." You can see the anger building up as he ranted. His face turned to a more pinkish red with every word uttered. "Now someone had fucking lost the power cords and an amplifier— a whole amplifier. How the hell did that even happen?!" Okay, Daniel does have to admit that sounded stupid.

But he had to stay quiet and let the other spill it all out. At least he isn't brimming anymore with emotions. "Some fans raided the place too to try and find us, and that caused even more of a mess than before." Ah... yeah, that happens at times. Well, not to the point it came to what Wilbur called a "raid."

 "The mainstage screen won't connect to the computer's presentation for it, and the fucking management team is just awful to work with— like the main guy's last name is "Suggs-cox" so of course he had to be such a dick. Living up to that name, aren't you?"

Okay, Daniel had to hold a laugh in for that one, but a snort slipped past. It was enough to derive Wilbur's focus back at Dan.

"Sorry, sorry, but it's just... it's quite an unfortunate name." Daniel admitted, still giggling to himself.

Wilbur playfully rolled his eyes as he couldn't help but grin. "Laughing at my pains now, Condren?" Wilbur raised an eyebrow at him. Daniel stuck his tongue out at the mention of his last name.

"I'm laughing at the bad surname, not you, Soot." Wilbur couldn't help but laugh out loud. If there was a sound of the bright sun rising from the cracking dawn, it would be this.

The loud and boisterous laugh was the best music to Daniel's ears, and it was better than any song Lovejoy, the band that Wilbur's in, has ever made. Wilbur made good songs all the time, but that chortle alone was enough to keep Daniel pleased.

Warm eyes with the color of tree bark fluttered back open. "Oh, you are such a dork," Wilbur says as he looked at Daniel, who only gives a small hum. "Yeah, but this dork let you rant to him, right?" He remarks.

His hands were now on broad shoulders as his gaze softened once again. "How do you feel now?" Daniel asked hopefully. Wilbur observed the caring watch on him. He sighed... and he smiled.

Arms slipping themselves around the waist of the other to show his appreciation of the closeness between them. "Better, thank you." He confesses in gratitude. Daniel giggled to himself as he heard the news. "I'm glad." The look of Daniel being satisfied, because Wilbur himself was content, was everything to him.

He really couldn't ask for anything more.

"You're lovely," Wilbur muttered as he pressed their heads together, eyes closed. Daniel was surprised firstly but beamed as he ogled the now calmer and happier Wilbur.

"And you're loving." At that moment, just this feeling, everything was right. If Wilbur had to have every frustration in the world, every Murphy's law to apply, and every bad coincidence, Daniel is going to make it all disappear just like that.