Play my heart

Chapter XXV

Half an hour later, an improvised sort of 'backstage' hides the performers (both children and musicians) from sight of the crowd that starts pouring and filling the seats. Darren peeks over the curtain and finds his friends on the first row—of course they would, always abusing their influence. If that's not a surprise, the amount of people gathered at the empty space beyond the chairs really is one. Caesar and Connor must have gotten the word out of their attendance, that would certainly bring a rush of onlookers anywhere.

Lisa appears out of thin air fifteen minutes before the show starts, grinning at Darren and thanking him for more things than he could have possibly done. Lee shakes his head behind her back, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It's a good way to spend the festivities, don't you think?" she rambles. "Are you doing something with your friends in the next few days?"

"Well, actually," Darren says, and loses his nerve when both Lee and Lisa turn their attention to him. "Um, my friends and I throw this kind of Christmas party every year, on the 26th" he takes the golden envelopes from the pocket of his jacket, hands trembling. "In case you guys wanna drop by?"

Lee curls his upper lip at the invitation and crosses his arms.

"A posh, stuck up Christmas party? I'd rather die."

"We're going!" Lisa speaks over him, taking both envelopes and nudging her cousin on the ribs. "Thank you so much, that's so thoughtful of you. Really, I can't understand how someone so kind and generous could get along with this absolute demon."

"Shut the hell up, don't you have something to do?"

"Rude! Oh, I get it," she says out of the blue, with a smirk, "alright, I'll pretend I have somewhere to be now, I'll leave you two alone, yes, don't thank me, I'm cool like that."

She doesn't stop talking until she's out of sight. The boys find themselves on an awkward pause, standing a few feet in front of each other in the narrow backstage, trying to look at the other without being caught.

"You ready?" Darren asks.

"Yeah, whatever."

"You're gonna do great. I'll be cheering on you from here."

Lee's mouth quirks up at the corners, his gaze low and foot anxiously tapping on the floor. "I'll do my best then. Though I can't assure the goblins won't ruin it."

With a fond smile of his own, Darren shakes his head and takes a step closer on impulse. He doesn't miss the way all the air escapes from Lee's mouth in a sudden exhale as the boy lifts his head to meet his eye. Darren's pulse stutters.

"Uh, your collar..." he mumbles.

Unable to finish the sentence, he takes the last step forward and raises his hands to Lee's neck. He fixes the pianist's messed up collar, willing his fingers not to shake so much—and failing horribly at that. Lee's skin radiates almost scorching waves of heat wherever his fingertips graze it by half accident.

"Fuck, man, how the hell do you not get shaky bow?"

Lee's left hand flies up to trap Darren's right, and it's his turn to run out of breath as the pianist moves it to his field of vision. Darren's heart beats so fast it might ruin his tempo if it doesn't calm down. Lee squeezes his hand, finally daring to meet Darren's gaze.

"Sh-shaky bow is for- for mortals," Darren stammers, face burning.

Oh, he's truly pathetic. But as Lee's mouth curls up, his thoughts turn into mush, and it doesn't really matter anymore, if he's pathetic, if he's obvious, if he's so desperate that it slips through his eyes and into the air between them, loud and clear. It matters even less, when Lee stops looking at him and slowly brings Darren's hand closer to his face, until he can feel the pianist's breath fan over his fingertips.