distraction: you

chapter seven

eddy chen is a monumental idiot.

his presence half-forgotten by the audience in favor of the man standing within the audition room, playing his heart out in an act of showmanship enough to rival his own, eddy does what he's never done before in any audition ever: he leans against the wall behind the crowd, waits without once checking his wristwatch, and observes.

lost in the music as he is, brett looks as if he's glowing. god, he's dazzling.

at some point between bars 54 and 56, eddy comes to the realization that he is no longer sure whether he is riveted to that display of masterful technique or to the sight of the other man himself. how come eddy's never heard of him before that fateful day they've crossed paths on the sidewalk? who on earth even is brett yang?

again, eddy is a monumental idiot. this man: this is who he's forgotten, who he's abandoned somewhere in the past week. no wonder he's been unknowingly agitated; he's literally allowed himself to forget a person of this calibre, a person who hadn't known about his reputation or his skill and had befriended him all the same.

well. eddy won't make that same mistake again, rest assured.

brett sends the last note flying into the air, and for a moment, there is stunned silence. eddy's gaze flickers over to the judges; they seem rightfully awed. and then—the applause. he's never done it before either, but he joins in with a few claps of his own, because god knows brett yang deserves every inch of recognition.

the other man's cheeks are stained pink at the attention he receives, and he nods to the audience before hurriedly making his way out of the audition room. eddy takes a few unknowing steps in his direction, wanting to meet him halfway, when a blonde woman beats him to the punch, coming around to playfully slap brett on the arm, and oh.

his footsteps falter. eddy almost bumps into another musician and only remembers to apologize after the person glares at him. that won't do wonders for his reputation, but at that moment, he doesn't really mind.

the pair come closer to him, a pleased little smile on brett's lips, and eddy's eyes are caught on them. his own mouth moves without thinking. "sorry, is this your girl?"

brett stutters halfway through a sorry, wait, what?, but he is soon overwhelmed by the woman's affronted gasp. "oh my god—eddy chen, you bastard! we've seen each other so many times before and you still don't recognize me? am i wallpaper at this point?"

cynthia continues on rambling, but all eddy can hear is brett's quiet protest: "i'm not—"

—not what?

eddy coughs, drags his wayward mind back into his skull before his thoughts start getting out of hand. "never mind, sorry; i've been assuming." he nods in genuine apology to brett, smiles politely at cynthia without much effort behind the gesture. "besides it not being my business," and it definitely is none of your business, eddy chen, get a grip!, "that's not the point right now." the other man looks confusedly at him, and eddy can't help himself: he huffs out a laugh so out-of-place with the stone-cold persona he's known for that a fair number of people look over to them to see what's going on. "the point is—that was an amazing performance, bro. well done."

brett grins. "thanks, man. i didn't think i could do it, but yeah."

"of course you could do it," cynthia chimes in, poking brett in the arm with a pointed finger. "didn't i tell you you would be amazing?"

"yeah," brett replies, and eddy's mood definitely does not take a downturn, no way.

soft music begins to stream in from the next person in line to audition, and with that, their tiny bubble of conversation is burst. "well, i don't know about you boys, but i'm feeling hungry after that whole show you two gave us." cynthia pretends to wipe sweat from her forehead. "it was pretty awesome. let's go get some food to celebrate, maybe?"

for god knows only what reason, brett turns towards him for a silent second, a question brimming in his eyes, and something tugs in eddy's chest.

no distractions, eddy. you'll never be—

he coughs suddenly: a sad, choking sound. "sorry, i, uh—i've made plans beforehand." the vague disappointment in brett's eyes must only be eddy's imagination, but it jabs all the same. "sorry. maybe next time? i'll treat whoever gets in to this orchestra."

"that better be a promise, eddy chen," cynthia cackles, rubbing her hands together like a cat who's caught a canary, and okay, maybe eddy's being a little unfair towards her. doesn't matter; any musician with nails that fancy is to be regarded with suspicion. they've got glittery butterfly stickers, for goodness sake.

brett smiles and nods. "that's fair," he tells eddy. "just—don't be a stranger, yeah?"

"i won't." aside from statements made to family and to orchestral directors, eddy doesn't think he's meant anything more seriously in his life.

the curve of brett's smile looks all too forgiving, but eddy knows he needs to do more to make up for his error. the pair make their way out into the sunlight first, and eddy knows with a sinking feeling that he is so utterly screwed.