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"How do you feel?"
"Like I'm dying," Brian groans yet still takes another sip, heart beating fast. "Should've heed the warning. Vietnamese coffee is stronger than I thought."
"Weren't you really enthusiastic about trying it?" Rivers fiddles with the straw of his avocado smoothie. "Can I try?"
"Knock yourself out," Brian carefully hands the cup over to his partner, hands still trembling. "Can I try yours too?"
"Sure," Rivers takes a sip. "Alright, true, this is strong."
"Right? Should've gotten a smoothie like yours, goddammit..."
"Told you," Rivers laughs. They return their drinks to each other; Rivers content with his, Brian not so much, but since he ordered it, he has to put up with it anyways.
The circumstance behind their holiday came up in one random conversation from several years ago.
"Y'know, Rivers, I want to spend more time together with you... Maybe we could go on a few trips, something like that."
He's so damn clingy, Rivers thought. “What about when we go on tours? Besides, we already see each other everyday in the studio."
"No, I mean, outside of work altogether. I just want to... like, do something, or go somewhere nice with you without having to think of rehearsing or recording or performing. Nothing of that sort."
"Mhmm. Okay. Thanks for telling me."
Even after that discussion, they were still too busy recording multiple albums and EPs to go on any kind of trip, not to mention a massive pandemic also broke out. It wasn't until 2023 - after recording wrapped up and the pandemic has kind of ended - that they finally managed to plan a proper holiday. While Rivers did the planning like usual, this time he also let Brian decide on most of their activities and destinations, which he was very grateful for.
After Weezer's show in Singapore ended, the other members - Pat, Scott and Karl - all returned home back in the States. Brian and Rivers, however, went on a different flight which arrived in Vietnam.
And now here they are, at an ostentatiously-decorated coffee shop in the middle of District 1. Brian specifically picked this one from a list Rivers gave him solely for the luxurious, artsy, vintage-themed decorations. The drinks are disgustingly overpriced, and they probably don't taste good enough to be worth that cost, but both of them don't really mind. To them, the price probably seems appropriate enough.
Rivers is almost done with his smoothie now, while Brian still has half of his coffee cup left. He's decided to wait for the ice cubes to dilute some of the caffeine, and while doing so, has taken to snapping various pictures of the shop. Rivers is also on his phone, probably doomscrolling on either Instagram reels or TikTok. After a while, he gets bored and tries to sneak a picture of Brian.
"Hey!" His eyes immediately light up, his lips curling into a grin upon noticing Rivers. "Wanna take a photo together?"
Rivers nods, getting a bit closer so he'd be in the frame. Brian snaps several photos, goes through all of them, then snaps a few more, and finally he nods, satisfied. He finishes up his cup of coffee, pays and tips, and then they both get ready to leave.
Sitting in the taxi, Brian looks out the window, admiring the foreign streets as they pass by. Occasionally his eyes would catch something interesting and he'd look over to Rivers, intending to tell him, before realizing he shouldn't. He sighs. Rivers is meditating yet again. He needs a lot of alone time and space, a fact Brian has learnt to make peace with over time, but sometimes it still feels so unbearable. Nothing I can do about that, Brian thinks and resumes staring out the window.
The car finally arrives at their destination after what felt like an eternity. Rivers opens his eyes. He politely tips the driver, and the couple makes their way out. It's sunny and blazing hot outside, worsened by the fact that it's currently the middle of the day, a stark contrast compared to the taxi's cool AC.
After paying for the tickets, they enter, mingling in with the other tourists. A large sign reads: Bảo tàng Mỹ thuật Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh. The Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts. Brian specifically requested for this spot to be included in their holiday plans; he's always been fond of museums. There's something very beautiful about visiting different ones in different countries and getting to see the uniqueness of each culture - that's what he told Rivers, at least.
The couple makes their way into the exquisitely-designed building, its walls painted a light yellow. Rivers leads the way, Brian closely following his lead. They take in their surroundings among various other tourists, admiring the architecture as much as they do the exhibits.
As they wander from section to section, Brian examines each exhibit: there are sculptures from all sorts of time periods, depicting various idols alongside animals like dragons and cranes. Brian admires the craftsmanship as well as the preservation and finds them interesting from a cultural perspective, but generally doesn't have many other thoughts. To his surprise, while initially seeming bored, now Rivers looks to be even more intrigued than he is. As they reach a particular Buddha statue, Rivers pauses.
"This reminds me of a story I read, from a long time ago. About the Buddha, back when..."
He proceeds to recite it to Brian, who gladly and attentively listens all the while. He's only mildly interested in the story, but above all, he's deeply infatuated with the man telling it, if it wasn't obvious enough from the way he's unable to contain his wide grin. Rivers notices this and chuckles, but makes no comment; he's all too used to it.
Past the statues, the pair moves on to observe the ceramic creations. Brian is more captivated by these, carefully inspecting each object in awe. He's fascinated with the differences in shapes, sizes, colors and patterns. Rivers seems mildly amused by a colorful cup, shaped like a qilin. Brian prefers the simpler, more elegant designs, however; he's specifically enamored with a little white teacup decorated with chrysanthemum patterns. Satisfied, they move onto another area of the museum.
At last, they finally reach the painting section. The artworks here are fairly contemporary, all painted in the last century. The topic choices are diverse, however, ranging from wartime sketches to still life paintings or portraits.
The pair wanders through each exhibition, admiring the artistry with a casual attitude. They seem to find certain paintings more impressive or more beautiful than others, and occasionally stop longer in front of pieces depicting interesting wartime scenes. Sometimes they'd make a comment or two about the colors and details, though it's unclear if they actually understand or even care about the history significance behind them.
By this point, Brian's eyes can't stop drifting over to his partner, admiring his features; despite being the one who requested to be here, he's growing increasingly bored. The prettiest work of art here can't probably be more beautiful than Rivers anyways, Brian absentmindedly thought, with these big brown eyes of his and that cute round little nose...
"Brian?" Rivers calls softly.
Brian snaps back into reality. "Yes, uh, yeah?"
"Satisfied? It's time to leave."
"Yeah, that'd be good. Can we stop by the souvenir shop?"
"Sure."
After getting some souvenirs, they make their way out of the museum.
That was an educational experience, probably. Brian ended up deriving more joy from spending time with Rivers than from the museum itself. Looking at the exhibitions with him, hearing his sweet calming voice and just being in his presence in general... They may be mundane, but to Brian, each and any moment he could spend with his partner is greatly precious. He can't possibly guess what Rivers is thinking right now, but from the way he's slightly smiling to himself, Brian trusts that he feels the same way too.
The sun has begun to set. The sky is now a beautiful shade of orange mixed with pink and purple, gradually getting darker with each minute. After a while of killing time at various parks and trying out several arcade machines, the couple arrives at Ben Thanh Market.
As it's getting dark, the market has been lit up with various flashy lights. They walk inside. The place is bustling with people, mostly other foreign tourists, but there are some wealthy-looking locals too. It's a relief the market is pretty huge, otherwise a crowd of this size would've been suffocating.
"Keep watch on our stuff, okay?"
"Yeah," Brian nods, clutching his purse a bit tighter.
They stroll through the market, occasionally bumping into other people. The loud noises from various conversations going on all at once is deafening. The shops here sell all sort of things, as typical of a market, except the price is a lot more expensive. Most of the goods here don't have price tags, and the ones that do are still really expensive and probably not worth the price. Neither of them are particularly concerned with that, though, they have plenty of money to spare.
Rivers spots a shop selling handbags, some of which looks decent, and he points it out to Brian.
"Wanna check that out?"
Brian appreciates the sentiment, but he shakes his head. "No, they're probably fakes. I prefer getting my bags from esteemed stores, they have stuff from real brands there."
"Fine, whatever."
They continue wandering from shop to shop, checking out whatever catches their eye. Some look fairly interesting, but they're only allowed to stare for a while before getting nagged, yelled at and then chased away by the merchants for not buying anything. Rivers still haven't found anything of interest yet; meanwhile Brian considered getting some haircare products, but none of the goods here seem luxurious and high-quality enough for his needs.
Feeling their legs tire, they decide to stop by at the food area and eat something quick. Since most of the food are not vegan-friendly, they settle on getting some dessert.
They spot a decent-looking shop selling chè and sit down. The shop seems crowded. A woman hands them a menu written in both English and Vietnamese then walks away, tending to another customer.
"What would you like to have?"
"Let me think..." Rivers points to the photo of a colorful bowl on the menu, labelled chè thập cẩm, mixed sweet soup. "Probably this one? Looks interesting."
"Okay."
Having settled on their order, Brian waves to the waitress, "Miss!" and the earlier woman swiftly comes to them.
"We'll have the, uh…?" He hesitates, unsure of how to pronounce the Vietnamese words.
"Just say the English names! I understand."
Brian feels his cheeks heat up, feeling a bit stupid. He forgets can do just that; the menu even has English written on it after all. "Oh, right, sorry. We'll have the mixed sweet soup and the mung beans sweet soup, thanks."
She nods. After a few minutes, she re-emerges with two bowls of chè and walks away.
Rivers stares at his bowl, a fascinating mixture of azuki beans, black-eyed peas, coconut and boba, then raises a spoonful to his mouth. Brian does likewise with his bowl of mung beans, letting the sweet taste sink in.
"This is pretty good."
"You think so? Mine's decent enough, I guess. Nothing too superb."
Before long, they finish their food. They decide to linger for a while. A long while. An older-looking woman, probably the shop owner, approaches them while carrying a tray of bowls. "Excuse me, are you two done eating? Can you go? There are many guests waiting with no seats."
Brian speaks, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Couldn't we stay just for a little bit? We'll leave soon."
"Sorry, please go. Look," she turns her head. True to her words, an entire crowd of people are standing. "Many people are waiting."
"Ah, I see. Okay, we'll leave."
"Sorry for the inconvenience," Rivers adds.
They stand up and leave, both feeling kind of annoyed, but ultimately decide to just forget about it and move on.
The pair continues walking around the market, being met with more handcraft and souvenir shops. A particular one displaying various paintings, models, figures and other miscellaneous souvenirs catches Rivers' eye. He grabs Brian's hand and wordlessly pulls him along.
"Dude, look at that ship model. It's so well-crafted, right?"
"Right, it's really beautiful..."
"Brian, the ship. Stop looking at me."
"Oh, uh, sorry... Yeah, it's nice, I guess. Do you want it?"
"I'm gonna get it. Maybe I'll get two of them. Do you want something too?"
"Hmmm," Brian ponders, eyeing the agarwood fan. "Well, definitely that. It's so intricate. Maybe I'll buy a small painting too."
"That's all? Okay, let me pay."
"No, it's okay, I can pay for this too."
"No. You've paid for everything since this trip started. That wouldn't be fair."
Brian hesitantly obliges, "Okay." If Rivers has said so, there was no way he could argue back.
They bring their items to the shop owner. The cost ended up being not as pricey as expected. As a guilty treat, Rivers also ended up getting a small figure of a Vietnamese girl wearing áo dài last minute.
Finding nothing else of interest and already getting hungry, they move on to their next destination. Outside the market, Brian checks his purse. They survived the market with their belongings intact; a total miracle.
The moon softly illuminates everything in its path, highlighting the scene in a a tender glow. The stars hang high above, though they're barely visible amidst the various flashing lights of the city. Many people are still around at this hour, enjoying the nightlife.
Brian and Rivers arrive at a restaurant. The decorations seem luxurious and all the servers wear professional-looking uniforms, an indication that the food inside would be served in portions much smaller despite being priced much higher than the usual meal. Surprisingly, the restaurant is only sparsely occupied. They quickly find a seat at a table in the corner.
Within moments, a waiter comes up, hands them a menu and politely invites them to order. They make their selections. The waiter writes them down in a small notepad and then swiftly walks away.
"I have only eaten pho like once or twice before," Brian confesses while cleaning the utensils. "I wonder if pho in Vietnam differs from what we had in the States."
"Really? I've eaten it a handful of times, maybe. I guess it'd taste better?" Rivers says, taking the container of black sauce and pouring it into two small bowls before sliding one of them over to Brian. "Here."
Brian seems content with the sauce by itself; meanwhile, Rivers squeezes a little bit of lime into his bowl. Before long, a waitress comes to their table with the food and drink: two hot bowls of vegan phở, accompanied by a basket of chili, bean sprouts and various herbs and vegetables. She places two glasses on the table: lotus seed tea for Rivers, and chamomile tea for Brian.
"Enjoy your meal!" The waitress politely smiles, then leaves to tend to another table.
"This smells awesome," Brian carefully puts a mix of culantro and Thai basil into his bowl.
"Yeah," Rivers does likewise, except his bowl has perilla leaves and bean sprouts too; he throws everything in there except the chili. His bowl is filled to the brim with vegetables.
They pick up their chopsticks and dig in, tasting the broth. It tastes a lot better than they expected, and certainly different from how it usually tastes in the States. Save for some trivial discussions and occasional exclamations of how good the phở is, their table is mostly silent as they eat. The phở tastes just as good as it smells, and within moments they're finished with their meals (though this is in part due to the considerately small servings as well).
The couple decides to linger at the restaurant for a while, casually enjoying their drinks. Brian absentmindedly sips his glass of chamomile tea. Rivers takes this chance to look at his partner sitting across the table, inspecting his features.
Shoulder-length brown hair mixed with strands of grey, wrinkles on his forehead, his green eyes slightly droopy, veiny hands decorated by a few sun spots... Rivers tries to connect the man sitting in front of him to the young Carnival Art bassist he met way back in... probably either '92 or '93, he doesn't really remember anymore. It felt like a lifetime ago. It's almost difficult to believe that they're the same person, but when he examines Brian closely... Yes, these are the same bright green eyes, the same charming smile, the same lanky body. The same body he fell in love with, the reason why he chose Brian to be his new rhythm guitarist way back then.
"Hey, remember when we first met?" Rivers speaks, snapping Brian out of his daydream.
Brian smiles. "Of course. It was at... Coconut Teaszer, wasn't it? Back in '93. We talked for, like, seven minutes at most."
"I think so? I still vividly remember you telling me you liked Kiss."
"Haha, yeah..."
"And you named the three most popular songs."
"Truth be told, I just, uh, wanted to impress you. That was probably the first time you truly met me, but I've seen you around before and also heard a few things. And I heard that you loved Kiss. I've always admired you, y'know. For a while I thought Say It Ain't So was a cover, because I didn't think a local band could write a song that good. So I just, uh, wanted to get to know you, help you out, play some shows with you and introduce Weezer to some cooler clubs, and then maybe you can get a better audience... I never thought I'd end up in the band myself."
"Honestly, I never really bought your lies. Especially the one about your favorite Star Wars action figure. Who would even like Hammerhead? I just thought you looked cute, and if you knew about him, that's probably cool enough."
"Really? Damn, I really thought I was convincing," Brian softly laughs. "Well yeah, I just blurted that out because that was the most obscure character I could think of."
He takes another sip from his glass, then continues. "I still remember our first show together... It felt like yesterday. I was so nervous."
"At Club Lingerie?"
"No. Al's Bar."
"Oh."
"It's okay. Yeah, so, uh... I was really nervous because I was scared of messing up. I didn't want to disappoint you. But it turned out fairly well, and we ended up hugging for the first time afterwards, remember? You said it felt awkward, so I told you we'd never do that again."
"Really? That's so silly."
"Right? We were so ridiculous back then."
"Come to think of it, we've known each other for like, three decades. That's a pretty long time."
"Yeah. Time sure flies, huh..."
Being Rivers' long tine bandmate, friend and partner, Brian has obviously seen his best and worst, been with him through joy and sorrow. He turns over the memories in his head. Their first shows before Blue even came out, the first interviews they did with each other, them running away together from hordes of fans chanting their names, their first kiss, the piano duets, the songs they co-wrote, their little dates, sweet moments of intimacy only they know of… and many, many more memories, memories that he holds very dearly, it'd be impossible to list them all. Everything comes back to him now, as vivid as if they just happened yesterday.
Yet despite everything, Rivers still feels like a complete enigma. Being with him is no different from being on a constant rollercoaster. He can be so cold one moment yet caring the other, so dismissive one day yet surprisingly thoughtful the next. Their relationship has undeniably been very tumultuous at times. Brian's mind drifts to the fines he paid, that Space Twins album that had to be put on hold for months, the songs he showed to Rivers that either got thrown in the trash or ended up getting mutilated beyond recognition, all the ideas he sacrificed for Rivers' genius ones.
He tries to push the negative thoughts away. All of that was such a long time ago, none of it matters anymore, Brian assures himself. Besides, he's changed a lot since then. The only thing that matters is that he feels so incredibly happy being with Rivers and he would not, could not, have it any other way. Brian loves Rivers deeply, perhaps too much for his own good, that much is true.
Rivers stares out the window, seemingly on his own trip down memory lane. His expression is hard to read. It's impossible to guess what he could be thinking about now. Then, he turns to Brian, taking his hand.
"Bri," he murmurs, his voice soft. "I'm glad I've got you."
"Me too," Brian smiles, a bit surprised.
"Thank you for being here with me."
"Why the hell are you acting so sappy?" Brian playfully chides. Encouraged by the mood, he launches into a tangent, as he often does. "But, yeah... Thank you, too. Really. You're truly the best partner and bandmate I could've ever asked for. Sometimes I still can't believe that I'm lucky enough to be your partner. Yours! You're so cute and adorable and like, I've always loved your voice, I've always admired you. And you're so talented, like, you knows code too, though I don't understand any of it... You're just so cool, really. I learnt a lot about stuff just from, uh, hearing your stories or observing your methods, like..."
"Yeah yeah, I get it, I get it. You tell me these exact same things everyday, man."
"Well, they're just my honest thoughts," Brian smiles awkwardly, realizing his monologue has indeed been dragging on for quite a bit. He finishes up his cup of tea, "We've been here for a while, do you think it's time to leave?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
Brian pays for their meals and also tips the waitress who comes over to clean up. With that, they leave the restaurant. Rivers books a taxi, intending to put the hotel they stay at as the destination. Brian turns to him.
"I don't really want to go back yet… Can we go to one more place?"
"I'm kinda tired."
"Ah, sorry, then-"
"But sure," Rivers navigates into another app, showing a trustworthy list of nearby spots that he's prepared for their trip. "Where would you like to go?"
Brian ponders. "Hmmm… Can we check out Bach Dang Wharf Park?"
"Okay."
The lights from various skyscrapers shine on the Saigon River, creating a dazzling sight. Occasionally, a waterbus would come into sight, the flashy lights coming from them makes the river look even more stunning. Even though it's close to midnight now, there are still many people milling around: families with their children, other foreign tourists, couples going on a night date, groups of friends mingling and laughing loudly. Alongside the visitors, there are also multiple stalls selling street food or handmade souvenirs, still opening at this hour.
Brian and Rivers leisurely stroll through the riverside walkway, admiring the scenery. They say nothing, content with the silence. Tired after a long day of mostly walking, it's not long before they stop and sit down at a nearby bench.
Brian looks over to Rivers, smiling. "Thank you for planning this trip for us, and also letting me decide on most of the destinations. Today was really fun."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I do too."
"I really don't want the day to end."
"Hey, there's always tomorrow," Rivers reassures, lightly stroking his partner's hair. "We still have a lot of places to visit."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right..."
Rivers puts his head on Brian's shoulder, closing his eyes. And with that, they go back to silence, enjoying the warmth of each other's company.
Their relationship is far from ideal; Rivers frequently gets annoyed by how clingy Brian is, and Brian sometimes feels upset with Rivers' aloofness. But at the end of the day, they do love each other, and they take comfort in knowing that no matter where they go, they will always have each other.