counterpoint

caught up in an overflow

• • •

but then brett keeps on winning.

• • •

okay, so maybe eddy's tired of getting beaten year after year after year by some hotshot prodigy who keeps playing the exact same pieces he does every year prior. what the hell is this guy's agenda?

never mind that he may have developed a sorta-little crush on said guy. that doesn't matter; he's resolute. all is fair in lo—or just war, he supposes, but anyway.

the point remains: brett yang has been winning for six years now. something must be done about it.

• • •

"okay, frankly, you're getting a little too old to care about something like that christmas talent show."

eddy stirs sugar into his coffee and pointedly ignores the amused look he knows belle is throwing in his direction. "i mean—probably, but it's still important. traditions! celebrations! family and friends! aren't those things people of all ages should care about?"

the giggle that bubbles up in belle's throat is not something eddy appreciates. "nah, all you really care about in that contest by this point is brett yang."

straight to the heart of the matter. eddy deliberates that his sister is a dangerous, dangerous woman. "i wanna win it. he's in the way. that's all."

"right." a moment of silence. thirty seconds of eddy avoiding belle's gaze. "if i didn't know better, i'd say he was trying to get your attention," his sister finally replies, "and he's got it."

eddy grumbles something unintelligible into his mug, and belle smiles.

• • •

this year's christmas talent show is apparently focused on giving back to the community: the winnings would proceed to a charity of the winner's choice, and lo and behold, by some strange twist of faith, brett and eddy's choice somehow coincides.

"hey eddy," brett smiles winsomely at him when they hear the news. "how about we team up?" eddy doesn't immediately answer, hesitant in his acceptance. the other man pouts. "please? for the orphanage?"

and then, perhaps the strangest thing of all: eddy doesn't quite know how to say no to those twinkle-star eyes. and so he finds himself agreeing, in the end.

brett can't be that bad of a partner, can he?

• • •

brett is an absolute lunatic.

"jingle bells and," eddy rereads the word just to make sure he hadn't read it wrong the first time, and yes, he really hadn't, "paganini?"

"yeah, it'll be fun." brett grins wide, looking over the sheet music in his hand. "fancy a challenge?"

now, that is something eddy can't back down from. "as long as i get to play most of the paganini parts."

• • •

out of all the performances in the talent show, it is their duet that wins the hearts of the kids. eddy doesn't think he's ever seen children so happy to hear his music before.

after they finish, eddy spies brett playing with the orphans they've donated their winnings to, teaching them how to play the violin with a childlike spark in his gaze. it's then that he realizes just how brett's been winning all these years. it's not necessarily about his talent; there's a whole lot more heart involved than even eddy himself can give away through his music.

maybe he's misjudged brett all this time. god, but it's an unpleasant idea to think about.

• • •

"you never really did tell me why you've been copying me in the talent show, all these years."

"ah," brett sighs, hands in his pockets as he gazes out into the yard, watching the children chase each other around as the crowd begins to disperse. eddy should be getting home to his family too, but he's still here. still beside this strange, talented prodigy, like he hasn't been wary of him for six years. "is that why you hate me?"

"i—" eddy stops, reconsiders. "no. no, i don't hate you."

the smile the other man gives him is beatific, overwhelmingly grateful. eddy almost drops his violin at the sight of it. "i'm glad. and, uh, i'm sorry. i guess i was just trying to get you to notice me, and then maybe we'd become friends, but i suppose my little stunts over the past years screwed that all up."

"no," eddy says again, this time more vehement. "don't—you didn't screw anything up. i was—i didn't think you were the kind of person i know you to be now. i'm sorry too."

brett nods once, and then buries his nose in the scarf around his neck, but not too quickly enough for eddy to miss the telltale reddish tint of his skin. "so, uh, do you—maybe wanna do this again next year?"

so many christmases have passed without him getting to know brett yang more. he is not about to let that opportunity pass him by again. "yeah," eddy says, his lips curling in a smile of excitement. "maybe i would."