It was 8 pm, right after dinner...

LXXIX

"Hrrrnnnnnggghh", Brett made, sinking deeper into the dumb, uncomfortable pillow with Eddy's unshaved face on it, singing a silent A=440.

He had been pondering about possible gifts for Eddy for the last hour with none of the ideas coming even close to what Eddy had gotten him. It was depressing, how the creative part of his brain was failing him.

Brett scrolled through yet another online shop, presenting sneakers in fancy colours and with impossible price tags, until he deemed his budget insufficient for such a present and closed the tab. That guy had enough shoes anyway, all stored in the original shoe boxes taking up half of Eddy's closet.

"Brett?", Eddy shouted from the living room.
Brett quickly closed his laptop. "Yeah?"
"I'm gonna go get groceries. You need anything?"
"Nah! I think I'm good!"
"All right. Be back soon!"
Brett heard the front door being opened and shut and sighed.

He had gone through all the obvious options like violin strings, rosin and scores and the second category, tied to Eddy's hobbies and personality like games and anime and still came up with nothing. Damn Eddy for being a Christmas present genius this year and shower Brett with his choices beforehand, so Brett now had to suffer through an impossible search for THE perfect gift.
It wasn't like Eddy had not already surpassed himself by being the most lovely care taker in the world the past few months, so Brett felt like he owed him his life anyway.

Brett rubbed his eyes, frustrated, let out a deep sigh and opened his laptop again. Time wasn't on his side either. Everything bought online now would take at least a week to get to him because of the increase of orders around Christmas by dumb dudes like Brett, who had forgotten (or ignored) that the Holidays were just around the corner.

So, if he wanted something on time, he needed to head out into the Singaporean heat or visit a mall or something, which was kind of the last thing he had energy for right now.

Naturally, Brett gave up in the end and settled for praying God would give him the right idea at the right time. For now.

Instead, he took his violin and started to practice the orchestral part of the Sibelius violin concerto. With Brett gradually getting better physically, the three mil livestream was getting closer too and there were some run throughs needed before it would become a more or less decent accompaniment for Eddy's surely superb playing. Brett had heard the other practice for hours and hours by now. He knew Eddy's Sibelius was going to be epic.

"Sounds nice"
Brett was so immersed in practicing the second half of the exposition, that he hadn't notice Eddy watching him.
He lowered his violin. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. I like your new violin. It's opening up nicely."
"Right? Still not as sweet as yours though... And I'm not sure if it'll get there. I think it's much darker in terms of sound." Brett looked at it like it was a new puppy he'd just gotten.
"Might be your new bae's character", Eddy remarked, "Suits you, doesn't it? Underworld lofi genius!"
Brett chuckled. "Maybe. Take care, so I won't murder you in your sleep."
"Oh, you can visit me in my sleep anytime."
Brett glanced at Eddy, how he leaned against the door frame, a smug grin on his face and his eyes glinting mischievously.

That little fucker!

"Well, normally it's you who scoots over. So..."
"Exactly! Because you don't! So I have to!", Eddy pouted.
"Because you do it all the time! So I don't have to", Brett retorted and got pearls of laughter as a response. He smiled and shook his head.
"Are you going to just stand there and watch? I get performance anxiety and PTSD all together, so I'm gonna fuck up if you stay."
"Aww, come on! I just bought food for us! Should count as entrance fee to Brett Yang's extraordinary performance, shouldn't it?" Eddy walked to the table in the middle of their studio where he had put his violin case, took out his instrument and tuned quickly. "Wanna try playing it with me?"
Brett stared at him, puzzled.
"What? The concerto?"
"What else, dumb dumb?" Eddy placed his violin on his shoulder and nodded.

Brett's hesitation was short-lived. They hadn't played together for what seemed forever and Brett feared he might have lost all the ensemble playing skills he'd worked so hard for to achieve over twenty-something years of playing. There was just one way to find out if his worries were justified or total crap.

He got into position, inhaled and brushed his bow over the strings, playing the A-F/D-A quavers pianissimo and waited for Eddy's entrance, which started with that first sweet G from one of Brett's favourite violin concertos.

And it was awesome. Playing with Eddy, accompanying him, laying a foundation for him to soar, to let the high notes and quick arppegios fly, to let him be the soloist, showcasing his talent and hard work he'd put in in way more than fourty hours.
Brett had missed playing with someone. Especially with Eddy. He loved every second they stood there, side by side, listening to the other's playing and concentrating on his own, being aware of the other's breathing, watching every clear sign and subtle move.

They played through the whole first movement, a fuck up or a small note out of tune here and there and yet, Brett couldn't remember the last time he had completely lost himself playing a piece like he just did. So when it ended, he kept his eyes closed for just a little longer, enjoying the echo of the last note lingering in the air.

And when he did open them, he saw Eddy breathing heavily, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, his eyes closed as well and his whole being glowing with greatness and pride. It took Brett's breath away.

Yeah, Eddy Chen was made for this. Made for performing and sharing the beauty of classical music. And Brett was more than grateful to be part of this journey.

Eddy's eyes fluttered open and they searched for Brett's, a slight, victorious smile decorating his features.
"That was amazing!!!", he thused and opened his arms, his violin and bow still in hand.
"Yeah...", Brett croaked, suddenly having real trouble to find his voice. And was this a tear rolling down his cheeks? What the fuck?

Eddy seemed to be thinking the same, because he frowned in worry, put his violin down and was by Brett's side within a second.
"Brett? What is it?", he asked softly.
Brett brushed the back of his bow hand over his face. "I... I don't know... It's just... It was so beautiful to play with you and..." The next part came unintended, unexpected and totally unfiltered. "And I kind of feel so inadequate playing next to you. You sound so great and I haven't practiced for forever and..."
The rest of the sentence was silenced by Eddy's unforeseen fierce hug.
"Brett", he mumbled, "I wished you wouldn't say stuff like that. It's not true. I only play so well because it's you playing the orchestral part with me. And for not having praciticed in a while, you sound amazing! You have to believe me."

Brett was still holding his violin, so hugging back was impossible without crushing his instrument. So he settled with simply burrying his face into Eddy's shirt and relished the feeling of safety and complete reassurance.
And that was all it took for him to revise the thoughts he just had like a minute ago.

Brett wasn't just part of Eddy's journey. They had walked this way together for years now. They were both living and working for their shared vision to come true. They were both Twoset Violin.

A simple truth, one would think. It was even spelled out in their name! Always there to remind them that this was a two person game. And yet, those past months had taken a toll on Brett and he needed a reaffirmation, that he was "still worthy" to stand next to Eddy, that they were still on the same eye level.

He had needed that playing through the first movement with Eddy, in their studio. He'd needed the hug Eddy was giving him and his soft, simple words, casting away all the doubts and self fabricated lies about Brett not being enough anymore.

So he said quietly: "You have no idea how much I needed this."
"And you have no idea how much I missed this", Eddy whispered into Brett's hair.
"What?"
"Playing with you."
Brett smiled and closed his eyes.