It was 8 pm, right after dinner...

CI

Had the sun always shone so bright? Had the birds always sung so clearly and playfully? Had the streets of Singapore always been so clean (they probably had, hadn't they...)?

Eddy was at home working on his Sibelius with the amazing Hilary Hahn, so Brett was left marveling over his new-found superpower of seeing everything in a new, sparkly light while he was walking to some local breakfast place serving Singaporean dishes. He couldn't believe how much energy it had cost him just some days ago to relocate from A to B and how effortless everything seemed now. 

Unbelievable, how being with Eddy made Brett want to join those whistling feathered friends up in the trees. And being able to have good food again, or at least some part of it, was just the icing on the cake!

Brett got two portions of freshly made kaya toasts because he craved bread after such a long time on a carbless diet, and a box of stir fried noodles on top of it. When he returned, Eddy was still in the middle of the video call.

"Hilary! Is Eddy making progress?", Brett sneaked behind Eddy so he'd appear on screen.
"Of course! He's doing great!", Hilary exclaimed, her voice pleasant and her features as radiant as always.
"Oi, don't cut down my time with the violin goddess. I do need it", Eddy complained jokingly and tried to push Brett aside.
"Hey, it's me who gifted you this precious lesson!"
"I think I'm the one giving a lesson here", Hilary intervened, causing them to burst into pearls of laughter.

"Hilary", Eddy said solemnly. Brett froze next to him. Eddy's tone could only mean one thing.
"We have some news to tell."
"Ohhh, do spill the beans! What's up?"
Eddy looked at Brett with one of those soft gazes where Brett felt like the most precious violin on earth.
"Brett and I, we're together."

Silence.

"What like... together together?", Hilary asked incredulously, her eyes widened. Still, Eddy was only looking at Brett, who's pulse was beyond the stratosphere.
"Yeah."
Brett almost had to hold back a laugh upon seeing Hilary's reaction.
"Wha... Oh my God!!! What for real?"
"Yeah."
The pitch of her shriek was impressively high.

"Ohhhh my... Congratulatiooons!!!!" She clapped excitedly and seeing her this thrilled finally led Brett to let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
Wow, she was happy for them. It wasn't a big surprise really, but still... Brett could only pray his parents would react just a fraction as joyful as Hilary just did.
"That is just awesome! Tell me everything! How did it happen?"
Brett smiled. "Well..." He started to tell her about how he noticed he had feelings throughout the time he'd been sick, how Eddy cared for him and how he'd still believed (kind of blindly, with hinsight), that Eddy would never return his feelings until that one fateful almost and then actual kiss. Eddy filled in details at some places and Hilary got more and more delighted the longer they spoke.

"Oh this is just wonderful", she commented when they reached the end: Christmas Eve on their favourite patch of grass. "I'm so happy for you! This is just great! Not surprising to be honest, you guys have always been close."
"Yeah, don't think a lot of people will be surprised when they get to know", Eddy remarked, plucking the strings of his violin while leaning back. "Can you keep this to yourself for now? We still need to tell our parents."
"Of course! My lips are sealed. Besides, this is something for you to tell people. I have nothing to do with this."
They chuckled, intensifying the warmth spreading inside Brett. He noticed the pride blossoming when he had told Hilary about them, about Eddy being his and himself being Eddy's.
Sharing the joy really did multiply it in the end!

Brett let them finish their lesson and slumped down on the couch after he'd placed the bags of food on the table, a big smile plastered on his face. Who'd have guessed that telling other people about them would be such a thrilling experience?

In the blink of an eye, New Year's Eve rolled around. Eddy had asked Brett what he wanted to do on one of their lazy mornings, filled with nothing but sweet kisses, close cuddles and muffled words. They had settled with just walking around, experience Singapore starting a new year and eat all the great street food they'd encounter.

"2021 has been quite a year, huh", Eddy reminisced, the backs of their hands brushing against each other, sometimes by chance and sometimes by design, as they roamed the busy streets.
"Yeah, covid basically... remember how we had to blow off the world tour suddenly? Who'd have guessed."
"And then your sickness..."
"Don't remind me. I'm still suffering", Brett half joked.
"You're also still not healed."
"Yeah, but...", he looked up at Eddy with a smile, "...much much better, thanks to you."

The sigh Eddy let out came from deep down, but Brett could hear that it was a content one.
"And the best that happened, you."
"You mean, us!"
The hand next to Brett grabbed his and squeezed it gently. "Yeah, us."

The street they chose with colourful food stalls left and right was packed with people. Brett quickly led his introverted boyfriend through the hundreds of faces until they found a place selling fried chicken and scored themselves some steamed dumplings right next to it. Eddy also discovered a Nasi lemak stand and after they got a box of that, they sat down on a bench at a soft lit plaza a bit further away.

"Mhmmmm, that's just the best!", Brett mouthed while stuffing his face with fried chicken.
"It sure is! I missed this!"
"You could have had some you know, didn't have to wait for me to get better."
"I know. It's fine though. Feels like a celebration for me too after all the homemade food. I've probably never been this healthy in my life!" Eddy split the disposable chopsticks, rubbed them against each other and took a dumpling.
"Lucky me, scored a boyfriend who can cook", Brett grinned and opened the pandan leaf the Nasi lemak was wrapped in.
"Only because you got sick and I kinda had to improve my food preparing skills", Eddy munched, cheeks round like a damn cute hamster Brett wanted to pinch. "By the way, are you really okay with not meeting anyone else tonight? I mean, you shouldn't have alcohol, but if you wanna party, we can still see if someone's at some club or something."
Brett eyed him sceptically. "You really wanna go to some club on New Year's? Everything's way too expensive and I'm not even sure if something's open with the covid restrictions."
"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. You probably right." He took a big bite from the fried chicken.

There was a quiet side by side eating for a minute, before Brett's wondering mind took over. "Eddy, don't mind me asking, but why did you come up with the club thing? It's not like you like those crowded, loud places, do you?"
Eddy seemed to deliberate over what to say.
"It's just... it feels a bit like it's too little what we're doing tonight. I know you like partying, so I thought maybe you also wanna meet up with a group of friends and do... well more than just simply hanging out with me..."
Eddy looked a bit surprised when Brett chuckled.
"Love, there's nothing I'd rather do than being with you tonight." He quickly glanced around, before he took Eddy's hand. "This is plenty, more in fact than I could have dreamt of how I'd spend New Year's." The return of the glow in Eddy's eyes made Brett's heart cheer. He had to make sure Eddy didn't feel like what they were doing somehow wasn't enough for Brett.
"Besides, I'm not twenty anymore. Take me to a club now and you'd have to drag my old ass out of there after fifteen minutes or so."
Eddy laughed.
"Nah, really. I love this! Simple, good food and you! That's all I need."
"Okay", the other smiled happily.
"But if you wanna go dancing, feel free! I'll join you so no one will snatch your gorgeous ass away from me."
"Nah, nah", Eddy shook his head with a grin, "Just wanted to check if you're really fine with our unspectacular plans tonight. After all, we do have stuff to celebrate. But you know being in a club now would kill me, I think. After such a long time of social distancing..."
Now it was Brett's turn to laugh. "Yeah, that would be brutal."
They looked at each other fondly and Brett had to remind himself that they were outside, very much in public and that he couldn't just leap forward and claim those pink, slightly moist lips.

Yeah, there wasn't a single soul in the world he'd rather be with tonight.

A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! May God bless you and your loved ones and may you all have the most joyful Holidays. Thank you guys for reading this far, for every comment and every star. I appreciate everyone of you and you all motivate me to keep going. Thank you!
Merry Christmas.