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CXXVIII

“Oh god! This was the most stressed I’ve ever been”, Eddy moaned as he stumbled out of the building into the way too hot sun, a chuckling Brett on his heels. 
“I’ve literally never seen you like this! And that really says something since we competed against each other just a week ago.”
“I’d take a competition over this any day, gosh! Remind me to let you do the booking next time?”
“Are you sure?”, Brett raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin lifting the corners of his lips.
Eddy stilled. “Actually, nah! Don’t please.”
Brett laughed. “Alright! Where to? I buy you a bubble tea for stress relief purposes if you want?”
“That sounds awesome! And then we head to the pier, if that’s fine with you?”
“Oh? Making me curious again!”
“That’s one of my goals today. But first things first.”
Eddy pulled out his phone and looked up the most decent looking boba place nearby where they landed not ten minutes later. Another five minutes in and both boys held cups worth the daily calorie intake of an adult in their hands, straws popped through the colourful plastic lid and already chewing on the first pearls. 

“So, the pier?”
“Yup”, Eddy nodded and took another long sip, “You’ll see.”
“I thought we’re not going to the Sydney Opera House today.”
“I said nothing about the Sydney Opera House.”
Brett leaned back into the plastic chair he was sitting on with a long, pensive hum.
“It’s gonna be fun. You’ll see”, Eddy said again and extended a hand for Brett to put in which the smaller gladly did, the smile they exchanged soft and sweeter than the 25% sugar bubble tea they were drinking.

The pier near the Sydney Opera House was packed this time of the day with thousands of tourist mingling around, taking tons of pictures which looked all the same and a few courageous locals who must have gotten lost and somehow ended up here for no one in his right mind would choose to be here if they didn’t have to.

Brett was thinking exactly that. 
“Jesus!”, was all he managed after they’d squeezed themselves through the crowd to the handrails preventing the masses from falling into the sea.
“Maybe this was a bad idea after all… but it’ll help us”, Eddy meant with a huff.
“With what?”
“Take out your violin?”, he gave Brett a wink and set down his case.
“Huh?”
“We, my friend, are going to busk.”
If Brett’s jaw could have hit a hole through the concrete platform, it would have. “Come again?”
“I made reservations for dinner but we don’t have that kind of money to eat there unless we, well, earn some now.”
“Who are you and what have you done with Eddy Chen?”, Brett asked, expression turning from utterly dumbfounded to delighted while his brain was still trying to deal with the reality shift. 
Eddy laughed. “I admit, it’s a bit out of character for me. You down or what?”
“You bet I am!”, Brett exclaimed, opened his case with lightning speed, took out his violin and tightened his bow.
“Good!”, Eddy shot Brett a wide smile and set his open case a meter or so in front of them, awaiting passerby’s generosity. 
“Czardas? Always a good starter piece to get attention.”
“Sure!”, Eddy beamed, “You play first? I’ll play accompaniment.”
“All right!”

And off they went, like a whirlwind rushing over the whole platform, making heads turn and eyes sparkle. Monti’s Czardas was always a winner, fiery, almost easy to play but effective. And with Eddy by his side accompanying him, it was just the best. Brett closed his eyes and lost himself in the music, in the rhythm they both set for the listeners to bob their heads to and when he stole a glance at Eddy, he could see the genuine smile, the excitement glistening in his eyes as he watched Brett to follow him. The piece ended way too soon and applause arose, thrilled tourists eagerly threw coins and some even bills into the case out of which Brett spotted foreign currencies, creating their own music. 

Next up was Vivaldi’s summer where Eddy took the lead and Brett supported and more fire rose, more people joined the listening crowd and soon enough, a good part of the platform was theirs, their stage, their concert hall. Vivaldi’s winter followed suit, then the Bach double and Wieniawsky. Brett and Eddy played with joy and in a relaxed state they rarely entered when performing in actual concert halls where everything had to be perfect, every tone had to sing and every vibrato had to be even. Here, it didn’t matter too much. They could bring in their own interpretations without any judging ears prying, they could put in glisses where they saw fit and damn, were Eddy’s ever effective, inspiring Brett to be a bit more experimental without, of course, falling over on the sacrilegious end (he was a classical musician after all!). The pile in the case rose with the crowd clearly liking what they played, but what was even more satisfying to see was his love having fun. The rosy, lovely cheeks, the shine, his very aura he emitted, it was contagious, really and Brett couldn’t help but match his big grin no matter how stupid he thought he looked.

Brett didn’t know how long they were playing. Piece after piece their violins produced, played by nimble fingers which didn’t seem to get tired at all. People came and went, though a lot of them stayed until a tour guide came along to shoo them onwards and Brett couldn’t blame them. There was something in their playing, like their violins, tones and melodies belonged together and melted into each other, like they’d found each other after a long, endless search through multiple universes and timelines, like they knew exactly what the other was going to do musically and was able to follow, make him shine, soar above the many people and yet speak to their hearts and souls. Brett wanted more of this. Wanted to make Eddy’s playing even more brilliant and if he could play the violin with his love forever, this would be his Heaven, his Paradise with capitals and all.

“Oh, wow!”, he breathed after they finally decided to take a break, the applause around them still dying down.
“Yeah”, Eddy nodded, the corners of his lips seemingly not wanting to lower themselves at all. 
“Eddy, you-”
They were still holding their violins and bows when Eddy leaped forward, his lips quick to find Brett’s in a deep kiss, the kind of kiss that made one inhale sharply and ignited millions of sparks, spreading from that one point of contact to every synapse in the body. Brett groaned softly and actually had difficulties preventing a major catastrophe from happening involving his instrument as a soft tongue licked his lips, softly demanding entry which Brett happily allowed, until-

“Oh god! Look at them!”
Brett’s eyes flew open in shock, their contact broke brutally and they jolted around, catching a bunch of teenage boys, not much younger than themselves staring at them with clear disgust.
Eddy was quicker to respond than Brett. “What?”, he shot back coldly like a gust of arctic wind, his arms around Brett tightening. 
“Dude, you guys play well and all, but this…”, one of them gestured at Brett and Eddy. 
“Gross!”, another laughed and the others joined in. 
“You know there’s a word for what you thick heads are doing, right?”, Brett said, surprised by his controlled voice while his erratic heart pumped boiling blood through his body.
“Oh, no, no!” The first guy waved. “We don’t have anything against folks like you, but showing it so openly…”
“Why the hell not?”, Brett hissed, his tone now carrying a subtle hint of danger he’d never heard out his own mouth.
“All right, man! Dude chill!”, one who’d stayed quiet till now tried to calm everyone down and finally, the group took off.