Sam sat up straight, frowning at Aleksei's revelation. Was that why Aleksei had been acting weird yesterday, and today? "You recorded us?" he asked, still unable to figure out why. "Why? It wasn't the best performance yesterday."

"But it was good. Good enough for... this restaurant, at least?" Aleksei said carefully, now seriously wondering if he'd made a big mistake. Sam was frowning and understandably confused. Oh God.

"What do you mean, 'good enough for this restaurant'?" Sam asked, wondering if any of this was connected to the presence of his parents. Was Aleksei actually expecting them to perform on stage in front of his parents? If he'd do that, he could just as easily walk up to them and come out.

"I'm not going to perform with you out there, Aleksei. I don't want my parents to know."

Aleksei bit his lip. "I know. That's why you'll be on stage for a solo performance."

Sam choked on his drink, his eyes widening in shock. "Wait, me?"

"Yes. In about..." Aleksei glanced at the clock on the wall, "five minutes."

Sam blankly stared at Aleksei, blinking a few times while he allowed it to sink in. He was hardly good enough to perform in front of an actual audience. Besides, his parents were right there, with their clients, having dinner. They'd probably tell him to stop his 'noise' and leave them alone.

The silence dragged on while he was gathering his courage, failing miserably. "How am I supposed to perform? Here? Tonight?" he eventually asked Aleksei with shaky hands.

"You can do it," Aleksei asserted, knowing he couldn't take Sam's hands with his parents right there but trying his damn hardest to convey absolute faith with his voice and eyes. "And you're going to blow everyone in this restaurant."

"I don't even have my cello here! Which song am I supposed to play?" Sam was slightly starting to panic. He didn't mind being on stage, but he would've liked a little more preparation. Why did he ever suggest performing? He meant together.

"I can't go out there alone."

"Actually, your cello is here." Aleksei nodded at the stage, where one of the waiters was just putting the still boxed cello down. Then his eyes darted back to Sam and he realised the other boy was really starting to panic. Deciding to take the risk anyway, Aleksei grabbed Sam's hand underneath the table. "You're not alone. I'm here. Just look at me."

"But..." Sam knew he could do it. He would probably make a few mistakes, but did it matter? Oh, who was he kidding? It mattered, right? "Are you sure I practised enough? What if I make mistakes?"

Aleksei gave Sam's hand a squeeze. "If you make a mistake you play on and play the next note correctly. Just like when we're playing at your house."

Right, Sam knew that. Just keep playing.

"I just... I have a question. Why?"

"Because I remember you telling me about your rehearsal." Aleksei furrowed his brows. "The one that made you quit. And I... I just wanted to give you another chance for it. Because playing makes you happy, and I like to see you happy."

Sam melted, especially because of the last part. He almost forgot his parents were present, leaning towards Aleksei because it felt natural to kiss Aleksei in moments like these. Just in time to stop him from making that mistake in the presence of his parents, a man called out Sam's name, inviting him to the stage.

He got up from his seat with shaking hands and legs that felt like jello. He did everything to avoid having to watch in his parents direction. They were probably already shocked and embarrassed enough that Sam was about to perform in front of them and their clients. He surely didn't need to look at them and become even more nervous.

While he climbed the few steps onto the stage, he made a deal with himself that if he felt the need to open his eyes and look into the crowd, he'd look at Aleksei. That would help him calm down enough to finish this performance.

Sam took a seat, holding onto his cello a bit too tightly while getting ready. He took a few deep breaths, bow in one hand, fingers ready on the strings of the cello. He searched for Aleksei's exact location in the crowd, sending him a small smile.

Aleksei smiled back, and it caused a shiver to go down his spine. Aleksei smiling? That settled a big part of his nerves. His smile was to die for, and momentarily Sam was too distracted to remember he was supposed to perform a song on his cello.

He took in one more deep breath to calm himself down, and then started playing. He played as if it was the only chance he had to impress his parents. There wasn't going to be another chance to show his parents what he was capable of.

But he mostly cared about Aleksei, and making him proud. So, he played the song that they had practised. The song that made him think of Aleksei and all the things he liked about the boy. And he allowed his feelings to guide his hands to leave behind a lasting memory in his parents' minds.

Aleksei almost forgot to breathe as he listened to Sam playing. He closed his eyes halfway through the song, letting the melody sweep him along. When the final note died out he was the first to jump up and applaud, followed by the rest of the restaurant... including Sam's parents.

Aleksei hated how they almost looked shocked at how well Sam was playing, how they only started clapping after realising everyone else did. But in the end they looked proud. Aleksei calmed down and joined the rest with clapping again.

Sam only dared to take a look around the restaurant once he was sure Aleksei was proud of him. He felt a bit awkward due to all the attention he got, forcing himself to bow down since it felt right to do so. When he found his parents in the crowd, he noticed they were proud—clapping along with the rest.

Sam stood up straight, focusing back on Aleksei. He was probably clapping the loudest of them all, and it made him smile. It didn't really matter to him that he impressed his parents. It mattered to him that Aleksei was there, after setting this all up, proud of what he just did.

To see Aleksei happy, was enough to make him happy too.

Aleksei's smile broadened when he noticed Sam staring at him. He really, really had to hold himself back, because all he wanted to do was run up there and throw his arms around Sam. But he couldn't in front of Sam's parents. So, instead, he stayed in place, tapping his foot impatiently, waiting for his boyfriend to come back to him.

Sam struggled with the same issue. All he wanted in that moment was to hug and kiss Aleksei. So, as soon as the applause died down, he hurried to put his cello back in its box before making his way back to their table.

Aleksei tried but failed pretty hard at hiding his happiness that Sam came right back to him. He just couldn't help glowing while he nudged Sam's side teasingly. "Don't you want to talk to your parents? They looked impressed. And I'll be here all evening."

Sam snorted in response, shrugging a shoulder carelessly. "Nah," he said. "I don't care about what they think anymore. I just want to know what you thought of me playing up there." Sam nudged him back with a smile. "I dedicate it to you, my muse."

"I'll show you exactly what I thought later tonight," Aleksei said under his breath, keeping it subtle since they were in public but giving Sam's knee a squeeze under the table.

Sam could think of so many ways to reply to Aleksei. But he swallowed all his words in when his parents appeared in his vision. As usual, the two were acting as if they were King and Queen. His mother's arm was linked with his dad's.

"Oh, Sam!" his mother said enthusiastically. "That was beautiful!"

"That was very impressive indeed, Samuel," his father added. "We didn't know you still practiced enough to perform like this."

Aleksei rolled his eyes. Took them long enough to see the light. Still, this wasn't his moment but Sam's so he kept his opinion to himself.

Sam wanted to reply with a lot of rude comments. But this didn't feel like the time and place to do so. He felt angry that it took them this long to realize he had enough talent to perform, but the last thing he wanted was to start a fight in the middle of a restaurant, so he kept silent while he tried to come up with a decent reply.

Aleksei looked from Sam to his parents and back, and finally decided to break the silence by clearing his throat. "I suppose you wouldn't have noticed he was still practicing," he said with a fake kind smile. "He did it when you were away since you called it noise."

Sam stifled a laugh, while his parents blinked their eyes in surprise.

"Right," Sam said, clearing his throat. "I didn't do it to make you two proud. I did it because I love playing music and Aleksei arranged this for me." Sam shrugged his shoulders, turning to focus back on Aleksei. "I don't need anyone's approval."

Aleksei's mouth nearly dropped, but he controlled himself and recovered quickly. He no longer paid attention to Sam's parents, only looking at Sam in admiration. After all this time he finally told his parents, in polite words, to fuck off. And he couldn't be more proud.

Sam didn't expect a reply from his parents, and the blank staring told him he wasn't going to get one either. To make it easier for everyone—and prevent a fight from actually happening—he told Aleksei, "Let's go. We'll get a pizza instead."

"I know a place where I can get you a special discount," Aleksei instantly agreed, already standing up without breaking eye-contact with Sam. "A little site called LazyFood?"

"Sounds good, deliver me that pizza, Aleksei."

The End

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Whew, that was it for this collab story. :D I hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed writing it!