Broken String

XVIII

"What did he say?" 
 Todd can't keep the tension out of his voice. He's been pacing up and down the room, and even Ian hugging him hasn't calmed him down. There's something about this situation that just sits with him completely wrong, and Eddy walking in looking like he could easily cry has put his heart in his throat. 
"Rest." Eddy whispers. "For a week. And some exercises."
Todd swallows and shoots a glance at Ian, who clearly knows what to say about as much as he himself does. 
"A week. Whoa. And did he say what it was?"
Eddy shrugs and visibly swallows. 
"He didn't know. He said probably I've just done too much."
Todd nods and finds himself. Look. It won't help Eddy at all to be negative about it, will it? And the physio should know what he's talking about? 
"Okay. Well. That sounds promising, right?" he says in the most upbeat tone he can find. "How about I throw some pizza in the oven and we have a Smash Bros competition?"
Eddy shrugs. 
"Pizza sounds good. I don't think I'm allowed to play Smash though."
Todd could kick himself. Of course he can't. You can't play Smash without using your hands, can you?
"Okay, D&D then." he says quickly. He's got a plot in the bedroom still for the arc they've been playing, worked out already, that he's sure the boys will like. There's trolls, of course, and he's even managed to get some music in there. What's not to love? 
"Sure." Eddy shrugs again, then seems to square himself. "Pizza?" he asks.
Todd smiles. "Nigella recipe."
"Wait. You're making pizza?"
"Yeah, why not?" he says indignantly.
"Nothing." Eddy grins. "All for it, in fact. Just... if I'd've known you were going to turn into Jamie Oliver once you were in a relationship I'd've hitched the two of you up sooner."
"Fuck you, Eddy." he grumps as he walks to the kitchen to start on the pizzas. But he's suppressing a smile.
Oh, he remembers every second of their trip to Taipei. How hopelessly in love he had been for months with Ian, who he thought was fully straight. How stupid they both were. How badly Ian was doing, how he held him in bathrooms through panic attacks. How much better it all became once Eddy had talked to them both and sorted their heads out, and it turned out Ian had liked him back all along. 
His life is pretty much perfect right now, and it's all because of Eddy Chen. Doesn't he know he'd go to the end of the world for him? 
He takes the special flour he bought on the farmer's market the other day out of the cupboard and picks up his cook book. 
If nothing else he can make sure that Eddy has a nice time this week, even if he can't play the violin. 

"You're very stressed." Ian says as he closes the bedroom door behind them both. He's not asking, he's stating, and Todd turns to him in surprise. He had thought he was hiding that pretty well, all evening, through making and eating pizza, through playing D&D and drinking beer. None of them have practised this evening, without even agreeing it. 
"Um, yeah. It... doesn't sound good, does it?"
"No." Ian admits. "Hopefully the rest will solve it soon."
"And the Sibelius?"
Ian nods gently as he approaches him and takes his hand. It's soft. Gentle. Like the man himself. 
"God, I hope he gets to play it."
Todd nods too, and pulls his love with him, sitting down on the bed. 
"We can't do shit, though."
"I think you do more for him than you know, Toddy."

Look, there's a thousand things he wants to say, but none of them fit this moment. So he leans over, wraps his arms around him and buries his face in his love's chest.