Work Text:
Akira absentmindedly scanned the windows of small shops while following Ryuji and his mom around town. He never minded going with them to do errands, for one, it was better than sitting alone in the attic he called home, and two, any time spent with Ryuji was welcome. Tagging along while they did errands was nothing new now, however the route that they took today was different than usual. Regardless, the two boys were wandering until Mrs. Sakamoto came out from the textile shop she was in.
Nothing particularly caught his eye in any of the store windows, until they passed a little family owned piano repair shop. He happily listened to Ryuji talk about how there was a new volume of his favorite manga coming out, subconsciously smiling at his partners’ excitement. Suddenly he stopped walking, staring at a worn console piano that stood humbly in front of a quiet little store. It had been painted decoratively, a scene from a local park twisting over its frame.
“You interested in pianos?” Ryuji asked, turning around and walking back once he realized Akira was no longer walking beside him. He carefully studied his face, noting the wonder in his eyes, comparing it to Futaba and the first time they took her to Destinyland. Akira was very easy to read once you learned his body language. Ryuji hummed in delight, as it wasn’t often that something peaked the curly-haired boys interest this much.
Akira blinked a few times before sheepishly answering. “Yes, actually… I used to play.” He walked over to the bench, sitting down and studying the keys, staring at them like something long-lost. “I was actually in the music club at my old school.” He made a face, crinkling his nose up in thought. “Guess I never mentioned it because I miss it.” He paused and then corrected himself, “The music, not the school.”
Ryuji followed him, sitting on the other side of the small piano bench, eager for the rare chance to learn another tidbit from Akiras past. “Huh. Never thought of ya as the music playing type.” He smiled, squeezing Akiras leg lightly as to edge him on. “Can you still play somethin’?” He glanced over at Akiras face, whose eyes were still fixated on the worn, off-colored keys. His grin only widened as he watched a blush creep across his partners’ cheeks and rise up to the tips of his ears.
“That’s the thing.” He scratched his forehead and adjusted his glasses. “I was, uh… never the best at playing in front of people.”
Ryuji blinked in genuine surprise. “YOU? Stage fright?! For real?!” He chuckled playfully, nudging the other boy with his shoulder. “There’s no way that Joker could be afraid of playing the piano in front of a few people!”
Akira looked around, noting to himself that there were hardly any people here. He nodded, still a tad flustered, his usual calm demeanor cracking. “I guess Joker could play something for you, if he can decide what to play.” He gently touched the keys, pressing a few, feeling goose bumps start to prickle at his arms. Sensing a good opportunity to get his blonde counterpart a tad flustered too, he smiled lightly to himself. “I guess I have a good song I would play for someone special… If I still remember the whole song.” It worked, and he chuckled his usual triumphant laugh as Ryuji covered his mouth with his hand in embarrassment.
“Well… Here goes nothing.” He turned from Ryuji, and after a moment hesitantly started to play. Within a few bars he jumped right in, letting his fingers dust over the keys, like he’d never missed any practice time at all. Ryuji instantly recognized the song as a popular radio song from a few years back, a catchy love song. Akira slowly built up momentum, relaxing his nervous shoulders and melting into the music he was playing effortlessly. He began to hum along, which only lasted a few moments until he was singing the lyrics. “When I am with you, there’s no place I’d rather be.”
Akiras singing voice was sweet and slightly raspy, the lyrics rolling off of his tongue with confidence. This definitely wasn’t the first time he’d sung it, and he sung it though a blissful smile. Ryuji stared in awe, sneakily recording the song with his phone. This was definitely something he wanted to relive over and over. Finding out that Akira could play the piano and sing was just another piece of the puzzle that made him up, and Ryuji wore the same genuine smile as his counterpart.
So focused on the keys, as his finished his song, Akira took a deep breath of relief and turned to Ryuji. He was shocked and slightly alarmed to see that a small crowd of people, who were now clapping, surrounded them. Ryuji stopped the recording on his phone, and beamed at Akira. “That was AMAZING, dude! I mean, I didn’t think ya meant you could play like that.”
Akira gave a sweet smile, one that his boyfriend was used to seeing but still made his heart race. He successfully hid his uneasiness, the stoic mask he usually wore back in place. He purred in response to Ryujis praise, hooking their pinky fingers together and ignoring the crowd that was disbanding around them. “Love songs always sound the best… when you have someone to play them for.”