LXIII

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"Eddy?"
"Brett? You awake?"
"Mhmm..."

"Eddy?"
"Hmmm?"
"Are you playing with my hair?"
"Mhm."
"...why?"
"It's so nice and fluffy. I love it."
"...okay..."

Eddy had made them dinner after they had come home from the doctor, presenting Brett a symphony of different steamed dishes again, including Brett's favourite: steamed egg. Brett had been so tired that he'd crashed out on his bed right after dinner. He had no idea what time it was when he woke up. He only knew, that Eddy was lying next to him, softly brushing through his hair.

And he loved it. Apparently, Eddy did too...

"Eddy?"
"Hmmm?"
"Are you wearing the necklace I gave you?"
"Yeah, why?"
"It tickles my shoulder."
"Oh, sorry." Eddy put the necklace under his shirt and continued to draw his nimble fingers through Brett's black strands.

"Eddy?"
"Hmmm?"
"Do you always wear that thing, even when you go to bed?"
"Mostly, yeah. I like it a lot. And I don't want to lose it. So I just wear it all the time."
"Good."
"Good?"
"Yeah, good."
Eddy chuckled.
"Good night, Brett."
Brett felt a kiss on his forehead and smiled.
"Good night, Eddy."
He snuggled to Eddy's chest and fell asleep once again.

Eddy's low voice seeped through Brett's consciousness the next morning, as he was waking up. He rubbed his eyes, put on his glasses and slowly got up to go to the bathroom.

Eddy was in the living room, talking to someone on the phone.

"Who was it?", Brett asked, after he'd come back and Eddy had hung up.
"I called your family", Eddy informed.
"Oh", Brett made in surprise, "and?"
"I told them about the diagnosis we got yesterday."
"Totally forgot to tell them...", Brett mumbled and slumped down next to Eddy on the couch.
"I know. That's why I called. They're glad. Especially your mum. She told me to really make sure you get the right treatment now, otherwise she'll..." Eddy's voice shot up about two octaves "...kung pao my chicken!"
Brett laughed. "Thanks for calling them. And sorry for whatever my mum said... But you know her, she's intense sometimes."
Eddy nodded, his lips showing a cheerful smile. "No worries!"

There was no reason for Mrs. Yang to kung pao Eddy's chicken whatsover. Like before, he cooked every meal and made sure Brett ate. He brought him his medication at the right time, brewed tons of ginger lemon tea, fluffed up Brett's pillow from time to time and even helped Brett move around, so he wouldn't get injured from lying around so much.

And while Brett was bed ridden, Eddy also managed everything Twoset related. He uploaded the "Taking a break"-video four days after Brett had been back from the hospital. It's views skyrocketed and left them stunned at how many people in the world cared for them and their well-being.
"Amazing...", Eddy mumbled, his laptop opened and propped up next to Brett's bed on a stool.
"Yeah... maybe you should upload a video like this every six months. Our subs would go through the roof!"
Eddy looked at Brett with a tortured expression. "That's not funny, Brett."
"I guess. We'd have to learn a new concerto every few months."
The other snorted. "Oh my God! Imagine!"
"Yeah, we'd die", Brett admitted and pulled up his blanket up to his nose.
"Soloist life man!", Eddy said. However, his gaze turned soft as he quietly said: "I hope I'll never have to upload a video like this ever again."
Brett looked at him. "I hope so too."

The medication seemed to work gradually, because Brett finally, finally felt a little bit better after another couple of days. He was still too weak to walk more than the slowly-getting-boring route of his bedroom to the bathroom though and his bed was the most occupied place in the apartment yet. Practicing was still out of question, as well as anything that demanded any kind of concentration. So, Brett was still sleeping mostly, sometimes with the sound of Eddy's violin in a close distance, working itself through the beautiful notes of Sibelius, or Eddy's nimble fingers typing away on his laptop, always at Brett's bedside.
Brett really liked to hear the soothing sound of Eddy's fingers dancing across the keyboard and it became his lullaby for many peaceful slumbers. A part of him was wondering, how he'd ever be able to fall asleep without Eddy by his side once he'd recovered...

And then, he got another phone call from the hospital, telling him to come in the next day.
"How long do I have to stay?"
"We'll see. If your blood values are fine after a day, you can leave in the evening. If not, you'll have to stay for the night. We recommend you bring an overnight bag though. Just in case."
Brett looked at Eddy, who was sitting next to him, and shrugged. Eddy's face fell ever so slightly.

It was 8 pm, right after dinner...Where stories live. Discover now