Brett heard a scream. He couldn't tell if it was him screaming or Eddy screaming or if the scream was from inside his head.

Everything was a blur as he saw Eddy fell, clutching his hand and gasping in pain. Red spilling from his hand and to the floor. The sound of chain shaking as he tried to get near Eddy but failed. Anthony taking the ring out of the butchered finger and opening the iron safe. The gold spilling to the floor and Anthony shoving them into a bag.

There were whistles blowing out the door. Brett screamed louder.

Help us. Please, help Eddy.

The police charged inside the house as Anthony ran to the backdoor with his men.

Eddy laid on the floor, heaving heavily. His mind turned blank as he saw the bloody trail from where his thumb has been.

This can't be true.

Eddy gazed bleakly at Brett, screaming and crying from the other side of the room.

Don't cry, Brett. Don't cry.

"Are you Mr. Yang?" One of the police officers approached Brett and untied him from the chains. Without replying, Brett immediately ran to Eddy, falling next to him.

"Eddy..!" Brett cried, hugging him.

The pain in his hand was too real to be a dream. Eddy groaned as he tried to sit up.

"Brett...."

The crashing realization fell upon Eddy as he touched Brett's bruised cheek with his four fingers.

He won't be able to play the violin anymore.

This was not a dream. Everything has been taken away from him. As he stared at his blunted hand, Eddy wanted nothing more than to run back to the darkness, just like how he ran away ten years ago.

He was once again, a useless rat in the street, without his music.

.

.

The cold wind has started to blow in Meldovern.

Professor Claude sighed as Brett sat limply on the chair.

"Brett, are you feeling better this week?"

Brett shook his head, his eyes hollow.

Brett remembered what happened after the incident.

Anthony has been arrested in Port Kaiim.

Brett and Eddy were taken to the hospital.

When Brett woke up, Eddy was gone.

Eddy was not in Shobaim. He was not at Odal beach. He didn't return to Meldovern.

Eddy was simply gone, without a word.

It was as if the time they spent together was just a mere dream, an illusion.

"Brett, I know it was hard for you...but you need to pull yourself together," Professor Claude softly consoled Brett.

Brett has been refusing to play the violin since then, which was few months ago.

"Are you not going to play anything for me today as well?"

Brett shook his head, no. Just the thought of holding the violin was painful. He would have gladly given up his spot in Meldovern but his brother thought the fresh air in Meldovern would be better for him to recover from the trauma.

His brother had no idea that everything in Meldovern reminded Brett of Eddy.

How they bonded in the forests of silence, how they kissed in front of the dormitory, the library where they practiced, the room where they made love...

Professor Claude sighed as he handed Brett a single sheet of paper.

"Why don't you write about how you feel?"

Brett looked blankly out the window where the frost was landing.

Everything ached so much that Brett has simply just stopped feeling.

Brett returned to his room, falling to the bed, exhausted. He looked up at the wall with faded Eddy's handwriting. Brett remembered how Eddy wrote his music in frustration the other night. He has always wondered what Eddy wanted to tell him through the music.

What do I want to tell Eddy the most?

Brett looked at the blank sheet of paper that Professor Claude handed to him earlier.

He wasn't ready to write about his feelings, but there was something he wanted to tell Eddy.

.

.

Eddy was in Port Kaiim, using up most of his money with drinking. Most of his days could be summed up with anger, getting into fights, drinking, and passing out.

He didn't quite understand why he felt better staying in Port Kaiim. This was where he first met the musician and decided to play the violin. Thinking of Brett was too painful but the memory of the musician always gave him comfort. He clung to that miraculous moment desperately, and that was the only thing that was holding Eddy into one piece these days.

Eddy was in his usual bar, drinking up his money. It was late December, almost the end of the year. The bar closed early because of the heavy snow and Eddy staggered outside, drunk.

Then Eddy saw a poster hanging outside of the bar.

Brett Yang Christmas Solo Violin Concert: 8PM at Candra Concert Hall.

Eddy stopped in his track, his heart racing.

He has tried all these months trying to erase Brett out of his life. Yet, there was no way one can live without hearing about the Yang family in Handorr. And it was simply too agonizing.

Without his violin, what was he worth? With no money and talent and family, he was just another vermin on the street. Regardless of how much they longed for each other, Eddy would have died in shame trying to stay next to Brett. The fear was also there, that Brett would abandon him, realizing the brutal reality into their adulthood. What was Eddy supposed to do then? Beg Brett to love him still despite everything?

No, this was the right timing to leave Brett.

Still...

Eddy snatched the poster from the wall, giving in to his desire. He shoved the poster into his pocket and began to walk to Candra concert hall in the blizzard.

This was going to be the last time he was going to see Brett.

.

.

The concert was just starting as Eddy stepped into the hall. Eddy sat at the far back seat, taking deep breaths.

When Brett appeared on stage with a violin, his heart almost stopped.

Eddy clenched his fist, now with only four fingers. How he longed to be there with Brett, playing with him.

Did Brett cry after he left? Did Brett miss him still? Was Brett alright after all that?

Eddy tried to search for some kind of answer in Brett's face but Brett's face was serene, like a calm lake. Brett waited until the audience stopped clapping and spoke up.

"Thank you for coming. For this concert, I have prepared a special piece that I wrote during my study in Meldovern. I hope you enjoy it."

When Brett started playing, Eddy closed his eyes, forcing back tears.

Eddy remembered the first time he heard Brett playing in front of the class. Eddy loved Brett's naive and cheerful music, a shining innocence that peeked through the notes.

Brett's music was deeper now, more mature. It was still undeniably beautiful but the story inside the music was far more complicated, speaking notes that can't be transcribed into words. His phrases contained a unique spell that made people feel like they are understanding something that they do not know. Missing something that they do not know they have lost.

Everyone in Meldovern thought Eddy was the prodigy. However, Eddy remembered how Brett practiced more than anyone in Meldovern, how he has always been a fast learner, how Brett strived to be better, to catch up with Eddy, and now -

Eddy realized he was staring at the true prodigy on stage.

The snow seemed to dance along with Brett's music outside. Eddy couldn't help but let a single stream of tear run from his eyes as the music reached the finale.

After the piece was done, Brett bowed to the audience.

"Merry Christmas, Eddy," Brett whispered under his breath on stage.

Merry Christmas, Brett.

Eddy stood up from his chair and blended with the crowd as they walked out of the concert hall.

Eddy walked away from Brett as he felt his nonexistent thumb aching once more in the cold, denying the tear freezing on his cheek. 

*drawing from angeldoodleangel*