Collection • TwoSetViolin

XIX. Mirror (Mirror)

Summary: The longer you spend with someone, the more you adapt their behaviors and mannerisms, whether it's a conscious choice or not.

Warnings: N/A.

Notes: Originally posted on AO3! I'll start crossposting things between here and there. Some fluffy things in strange times c: (but maybe also some angst - that's guaranteed)

Also note that Inora; The Prince has been unpublished - I hope to get the full trilogy up soon once I find the motivation to return to it again;; I want all three of them to be read as a whole, not with any fics separating them... but I also have other works that could be posted in the meantime while I regain that motivation! So apologies about that, but I hope this will suffice <3

• • •

"Y-Your shirt-"

Brett shrugged. "So what?"

And just like that, he returned his attention to the array of algebra problems in front of him. Eddy's face glowed red as he scanned his surroundings; while mostly everyone was working on their sheets, he couldn't help but notice the select few that were staring at the two teenagers in the back, both of whom were wearing neon yellow shirts with the bold, blue logo of their orchestra in the front.

He put his head down and took a deep breath, struggling to focus on the quadratics in front of him. Maybe someday he'd be as good as Brett was at algebra, but Eddy wished that in front of him was geometry to distract him from the judging eyes. He preferred occupying his head with visualizations of shapes instead of seeing variable after variable after variable. Eddy wanted to know who put letters in math in the first place - it was, to him, a terrible idea that made no sense whatsoever.

Eddy was still stuck on the first problem when Brett tapped him on the shoulder. He glanced over and watched as Brett slid his paper closer to Eddy without a word.

He didn't hesitate before copying the answers.

"Thanks."

"It's no big deal." Brett grinned.

• • •

Someone asked them to play the Bach Double while they were busking - an odd request, they thought, but one that they would take anyways since they wanted the twenty dollar note clasped in the stranger's hand. Eddy widened his eyes as he glanced down at the few coins that littered the bottom of Brett's case; him and Brett were both nearing the end of their high school years, and there was nothing more they wanted than that note to get bubble tea as a celebration.

Brett pushed the stand off to the side. "Do you want to play second this time?"

"Yeah, if that's fine by you."

"Mhm."

Eddy took a quick breath and started. His eyes shut once he began to fall into the music as he imagined an entire section of violins playing the part right behind him, supporting his tiny sound in the middle of the shopping mall. In his mind was an orchestra behind him and Brett, watching the two of them fit into each other's playing like they normally would after too many years of knowing each other.

It didn't feel too long though, since the very first time he met Brett. The years flew by rather quickly, and while Brett knew that he was definitely going to conservatory here at home, Eddy only hoped that he could do the same. He hoped that he was good enough, that his audition pieces would be enough for him to enter the same conservatory as the legendary Brett Yang.

When Brett started playing, Eddy held his breath.

His eyes fluttered open, meeting Brett's intense gaze. Eddy continued to play, breaking into a small smile as he realized that Brett was emphasizing certain notes that Eddy would have had he been playing first; their parts sounded even more cohesive than it had ever been. They continued to watch each other as the imaginary orchestra continued to support their two soloists, with both of them adjusting their phrasing to better suit their partner's.