Closer

159.

Brett walked quietly down the stairs to the basement after having put Elise in her crib for her daytime nap. Eddy had his back to the stairs, and Brett found himself just listening as Eddy played something as simple as open strings.

He wasn't really sure what it was, but listening as Eddy worked to find his tone back made him emotional. It felt like Eddy was searching for something dear he had lost, and that made Brett almost feel guilty. At the same time, it felt more alive now. Like he was enjoying every moment with his violin.

"How long have you been standing there?" Eddy asked, giving him a shy smile as he slowly lowered his violin. Brett shrugged.

"A few minutes," Brett said, leaning on the column at the end of the staircase. "Elise finally tired herself out."

Eddy put his violin down in his case and went over to pull Brett into a gentle hug, which Brett gladly accepted.

"Looks like she tired baba out too," Eddy chuckled softly as Brett rested his head against his shoulder. "You wanna take a nap instead of working today?"

"No, no. We've been putting off work too much lately. Just give me a minute to appreciate you, please."

"Appreciate me? Why?" Eddy asked, stroking Brett's back gently. Brett took a deep breath, pulling his boyfriend even closer.

"For all the sacrifices you make for Elise and me," Brett mumbled against Eddy's neck. "For our family."

"I'd hardly call them sacrifices, but alright," Eddy chuckled, kissing the top of Brett's head. "What brought this on, love?"

Brett shrugged slightly, closing his eyes for a bit.
"Just... Hearing you practice again. It sounds like you're missing it, and I get that. I miss practicing too."

"Sounds like I'm missing it?" Eddy asked softly. "What do you mean, like, it's obvious I'm not practicing or..?"

"No, no!" Brett laughed, moving back slightly to kiss him quickly. "Just like... Your tone has changed, and it sounds like you're searching for your old tone."

"Hm, maybe?" Eddy shrugged, brushing some of Brett's quite long bangs behind his ear. "I didn't really notice, but now that you mention it... Maybe it has? Is it better or worse, though?"

"I don't know," Brett mumbled honestly, looking up at Eddy. "It's just different? Maybe it'll be clearer when you get back to playing some piece."

"We'll see. Might need to do open strings for a few years until Elise can start kindergarten," Eddy joked, kissing the side of Brett's mouth. "You know, start from scratch every time because it's so long between each time."

Brett chuckled with him, letting a hand brush Eddy's bangs to the side.
"Maybe. Or you can ask me to take Elise for a bit if you want to practice."

"Yeah. I know I can. Thank you love," Eddy smiled, kissing his forehead again.

"You know what I think, though?" Brett asked, tiptoeing up to kiss Eddy quickly without having to strain his neck so much.

"Man, all the trouble I could save myself for if I could read your mind..." Eddy joked, and Brett groaned and slapped Eddy's arm lightly and playfully.

"Dude!" he laughed, headbutting his collarbones gently for a moment before looking up at him again.

"What is it, then?" Eddy asked, still smiling while brushing the bangs that had fallen into Brett's face to the side.

"That we need a trip to the hairdressers, both of us. We look pretty homeless."