Fantasia

LXXXV

"Eddy?"
Eddy groaned, sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Are we..." He looked around and yup, they were still in the dressing room with the giant mirrors, framed by huge lightbulbs. Brett was there, sitting next to him on a dark red couch in a corner of the room, looking incredibly handsome in his dark suit, eyeing Eddy with clear relief. Eddy laid a hand on the smaller's shoulder.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, just... glad you're back."
"Why?", Eddy frowned, "You thought I wouldn't be?"
"Well...", Brett hesitated, bashfully looking down at his knees, "Dunno... I kinda worried, to be honest."
Eddy blinked at him, trying to understand what was lying behind Brett's words.
"You worried something could go wrong."
"I mean... yeah. What if you wouldn't come back? Then I would be stuck here!"
"I'm here Brett, okay?", Eddy reassured and out of a whim, enveloped Brett in a hug. "And I get that you're anxious. I'm nervous too. But we'll get you out of here! You'll see!"
"Okay...", Brett whispered, hiding his face in the crook of Eddy's neck.
"You're gonna be fine."
"Okay..."

They took their violins, warmed their fingers and played through the Adagio three times until Brett was satisfied. Then, after one last look at each other, Eddy opened the door to the hallway without a word and they made their way upstairs.
"Who'll be our audience, you reckon?", he asked after having climbed five floors. Must be a huge concerthall if they had to crawl so many stairs just to get there.
"I have no idea... Actual people? This mystery girl? Our friends and family?"
"Hmm..."

Eddy started to wonder if they'd ever reach another door or if they would have to go back again, when Brett inhaled sharply upon reaching the next corridor.
A massive wooden rounded gate hid what was lying in front of them. It was beautifully decorated with golden ornaments, showing trees and flowers growing all the way up to the top and back.
Both men came to a halt in front of the door, each letting their gaze roam the ornaments.
"Woah..."
"Yeah..."
"That must be it, right", Brett breathed shakily. Eddy eyes shot to his side. "I'm right here with you, Brett."
He once again placed his hand on Brett's shoulder and squeezed it. Brett looked at him and tried a smile. "I know. Thank you."
"You ready?"
The smaller nodded. "Yes. Let's do this!"

Brett pressed down the big, golden handle and the door opened, a loud click reverberating through the vast corridor. Blackness awaited them and only after a few, careful steps and several seconds, in which their eyes were able to get used to the little bit of light shimmering through seemingly endless, heavy black curtains, they found themselves standing in the back of what must have been a huge stage.
"Hello?", Brett tried carefully, eliciting a laugh from Eddy.
"Dude! Not so loud!", Brett hissed, driving his elbow into Eddy's side.
"What are you doing?", the other asked, still chuckling.
"Dunno! What are we supposed to do? Should we go on stage? There should be like backstage people helping us, no?"
"I don't know if that's like a normal stage here, to be honest. And I hear no one except us. Should we just go on stage and see?"
"Eddy...", Brett hesitated, fingers of his free hand holding Eddy's sleeve, "wait... what are we... I mean, are we really ready?"
Eddy furrowed his brows and tried to make out Brett's features in the darkness. "Brett, wait... are you afraid? You were so eager to perform before."
"I was! I am! I just... Jesus Eddy, if I fuck up, what then? What if I just..."
Eddy's eyes widened upon hearing Brett's stammer while his brain automatically filled out the gaps he'd left unsaid. Of course the same fear that had gotten hold of Eddy before he'd went to sleep was tormenting Brett now. And of course it would happen right before performing.
"Brett, listen to me!", Eddy exclaimed, passed caring if he was being too loud for a potential audience to hear. Like countless times and only minutes before, he grabbed Brett's shoulders firmly, grounding him, calming him, or so he hoped.
"If there is one thing I'm certain about, it's that you won't fuck up! And I will try very hard not to."
That wasn't exactly encouraging and he felt the other's panic basically radiating off the very nice suit he was wearing. So he quickly added, "And this isn't about playing perfectly, remember?" He knew it was true as soon as he'd said it outloud. No, this wasn't about perfection. It was about them. About what they'd found together and were going to find through their performance.
"It's about finding our hearts. That's what the girl said. And as far as I'm concerned, I've never been so in sync with myself in my life. I quit my job, Brett. I'm going to play the violin."
A sharp intake of breath and Eddy felt Brett freeze. "You did... what?"
"I quit. I should have long ago."
"But didn't you say that would be a dumb move to do now?"
"I did think so. But since I got to you, like, in the hospital, I started to ask myself if I wasn't just being a coward for not actually changing something in my life. To be honest, I was also afraid this would hold us back and hinder us to do what we have to do tonight."
"But, you shouldn't have... you didn't have to do it because of me."
"I didn't just do it for you, don't worry", Eddy quickly reassured, "I even told my mum and she was fine with it. She even apologized for not being supportive from the start and pushing me into something I didn't want."
"Wow."
"Yeah, right? So it worked out for me this far. And it'll be okay for you too!"
"You quit your job."
"Yes", Eddy nodded, trying to catch the other's gaze.
"So there's no way back for you..."
"I mean, why would I wanna go back? And I'll figure something out, don't worry about me right now."

Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Brett's breathing was going faster and faster, shalllower and shallower and Eddy felt him shiver like a bunch of leaves in the cold winter wind. What the hell?
"Brett! Talk to me. What's going on?"
"What if...", Brett hiccupped, "what if this was all a big mistake? What if I'm gonna die, Eddy and you'll have no job, no income?"
"Brett, shh... No! What happened and what we've been doing makes so much sense. It can't be a mistake! I have worked through so much shit just because I met you here and I dare to say the same goes for you. And it's only one performance, us playing our piece which seperates you from waking up!"
Brett's panic ridden eyes searched Eddy's and locked with his like this was the only thing saving him.
"Eddy..."
"It's gonna be fine!", Eddy declared, laying his arms around Brett and holding him tight in an instant. "You're not gonna die. You're going to be fine! Breathe, Brett. Breathe."

Eddy didn't know what it was, him hugging Brett or Eddy trying to breathe as calmly as possible so Brett's could adapt to him or those words he'd just said, but Brett seemed to calm down slowly, the trembling stopped as silent tears ran down the smaller's pale cheeks.

"We're gonna be okay, Brett. You're going to be okay."