Two Violins, One Love, BAE

Chapter 10 Beauty is cruel

Brett turned to face the boy whose head laid on the pillow next to him. "I should have filmed you on my phone," he said.

"Whaaaat?!" Eddy exclaimed.

"No, not that." Brett grinned. Resting on one elbow, he stroked Eddy's back. He let his fingers trail all the way down his spine, up and over the curve of his bum, to the back of his thighs. From there he brought his fingers up again, and brushed his lover's belly with the back of his hand. Eddy twitched and writhed.

Brett took his time... until he grabbed Eddy by the hip and pulled him towards himself, and their chests knocked against each other. With his other hand, he grabbed a fistful of Eddy's hair and tilted his head so he could look him in the eyes.

"I meant... the Tzigane."

"Ooooh... That." Eddy tried to kiss him but Brett held him off by the hair.

"You're not convinced?" Brett asked.

"I think we should focus on making music covers."

"Yeah, that as well. But we could also just have fun. Covers where you can do as much interpretive dance as you like."

Eddy stayed silent and nuzzled Brett's cheek.

"Try the voice," Brett suggested.

"You like my dancing, BrettyBrett, ah?" Eddy asked in his falsetto.

"I love it."

"You like my long blond hair, ah?"

"I love the hair."

"I dance for you, you film me, it is boootiful, ah?" Eddy squeaked.

"It'll be very beautiful, and everybody will love it."

"And you dance with me and make it extra boootiful, ah?"

"Yes," Brett replied.

"Okay, then, BrettyBrett. For yooo, I dance, lah."

Brett smiled. This was easier than he expected. All he had to do was wait for Eddy to switch into a character, and all sorts of things would become possible. Maybe he could even buy him a Naruto suit and dare him to run around a busy intersection pretending to fly, and he'd do it. Worth a try anyway. But he didn't share any of these thoughts.

"I can kiss you now, ah?" Eddy asked. Brett looked at him, held on to his hair, and slowly let it slip through his fingers.

**********************************

"You look worried."

"I'm okay."

"Nope, you're not..."

"We haven't practiced today yet."

"Let's start soon."

"Ling Ling would have started 2 hours ago."

"Ling Ling would be missing out on a lot of other stuff then."

"What would he do?"

"Not this. He wouldn't approve."

"Aaaah.... but you don't know."

"Would he approve of that?"

"Aaaah... maybe not."

"And that?"

"...mm..."

"...mm..."

"..."

"..."

"He'd have to keep really quiet about it."

"Make the family proud."

"We may have a little problem here."

"No shit, man..."

"It's the 21st century..."

"Not in my house yet."

*****************

"What are you doing?" Brett asked

"This is your mattress," Eddy replied.

"What? now?"

"No, in the morning." And he threw it on the floor of his bedroom. "I'm setting up the alarm. Parents coming back tomorrow."

"What time are they back?" Brett asked.

"No idea."

"That's helpful."

****************

Brett was flying. He must have been a very powerful bird, maybe an eagle because he'd crossed oceans, and flown over two continents already. He was just reaching the US when the sound of Mozart's 5th concerto performed by a mosquito orchestra drilled a hole in his eardrums.

The landscape vanished beneath him and instead he was fumbling about the bedside table looking for Eddy's phone. Brett switched off the alarm. 5 am. What? What were you thinking, Eddy? 5 am!... He rested the phone on his chest. If he tried he might just be able to soar again. Only a second ago, he was spreading out his mighty wings and...

"Hey, bro! Eddy, stop! What are you doing?"

"Go down, go down, onto the mattress. Bed on the floor. Go. Go."

The bed was cold. The duvet was cold. The mattress was cold. Brett sighed. He was touring round the world, best dream ever, and now... he'll never manage to fall asleep again...

...Brett was on the beach, sweating. Someone was building a castle with hot sand and trying to burry him underneath. He opened one eye: there was an arm lying across his face.

Eddy was spread out like a starfish and had taken over most of the narrow mattress. Brett glanced up at the now empty, comfortable bed on the other side of the bedroom. He sighed, inched Eddy over to the other side and pulled off the hot duvet. Eddy was lying on his back, his long hair covered half his face. Brett drew aside the thick black strand. Even asleep the eyes were feline. And the profile of a silent sphinx. His zhīxīn was beautiful. But he was deep in his own world and Brett was on the outside looking in. Zhī xīn, 知心, know heart? Whose heart? Would he ever know his zhīxīn?

Eddy wasn't just super smart, and super talented, he was... wise. And wild. Crazy wisdom. Wise beyond Brett's understanding sometime. When he slept, he was like... a hedgehog. Closed off. A very cute hedgehog but unreachable, protected all round, and Brett was locked out. How could he even call him "his" zhīxīn? He looked at Eddy again. In his sleep, he was almost a stranger. Something caught in his chest. Beauty was cruel.