Title: Played
Universe: Air Gear
Theme/Topic: Piano
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairing/s: SanoxKazu
Warnings/Spoilers: None I can imagine.
Word Count: 1,149
Summary: Sano shows off his skills.
Dedication: kshi's request on my holiday request thread!
A/N: Haha I don't know if this is accurate or not, but you know, most of the time my stories aren't. XD
Disclaimer: Not mine, though I wish constantly.
Distribution: Just lemme know.

Kazu was by nature, always suspicious of Sano no matter what the big pervert was doing or saying (or wasn't doing or saying), so it wasn't wholly unexpected when the young blond immediately rejected any of Yasuyoshi's offers that ever began with the words "Let me show you something nice that Spitfire taught me."

To be fair, Sano supposed a lot of the things he'd shown Kazu that had started with those words had been (ultimately) fun— at least, once he'd gotten the skittish young storm rider calmed down enough to convince him to try new things (or pinned him down enough that he couldn't say no, in any case).

But this time it hadn't been anything overtly sexual, and really, Sano felt like he was trying his best to ease Kazu into this relationship, the older boy having held back quite a bit, all things considering. A healthy young man such as himself forcing himself to only have sex a mere five-times-a-week was a telling sacrifice on how much he genuinely liked Kazu, after all.

And even if Kazu wouldn't admit it out loud, by the way he sighed when Sano touched him just right, the redhead knew he was, in his own way, liked in return. The constant black-eyes meant nothing as far as he was concerned.

So he kept trying, and somehow—somehow—managed to make it on a mere five-times-a-week self allowance, in the hopes that Kazu would soon admit to himself that he liked athletic, older men in swishy jackets. In the meantime, he took Ikki-sama's advice of, "not being such a fucking weird pervert all the time," in regards to wooing Kazuma properly.

This week, he planned a romantic serenade.

"It was something nice that Spitfire taught me, a long time ago," Sano explained.

Kazu's blinked. "Right. I'm leaving." Pause. "You didn't slip roofies into my water bottle again, did you?"

Sano wanted to be wounded at the implication. "No, not this time," he said instead.

Kazu looked thoughtful. " Huh. That's new." He turned to go.

Sano reached out and took his arm before he could. "C'mon, I practiced all week."

The blond stared. "Oh eeuw."

"It's not sexual," Sano explained, remaining calm. "I want to play you something on the piano."

Kazu didn't look like he was buying it. "You play the piano?"

"A little," the older boy admitted. "Spitfire taught me…"

Kazu suddenly had horrible images of Sano trying to play chopsticks with his cock or banging someone up against the keyboard. He shuddered.

Sano sighed. "No funny business," he promised.

"Really?"

The redhead nodded. "Just…let me play for you," he said, with surprising gentleness.

Enough to lull Kazu into a sense of complacency anyway, and carefully, Yasuyoshi led the blond to the living room, where a flawless baby grand piano waited.

Kazu supposed that someone as perverted as Sano would have to be at least marginally well-to-do in a normal world.

"No funny business, right?" he reiterated, and eyed the redhead when he took a seat at the piano bench.

"None, unless you consider Moonlight Sonata particularly suggestive," Sano said, and adjusted his glasses before putting his fingers to the keys.

Kazu stared, apparently still waiting for something to pop up and magically pin him to the floor, or for some drug he'd inadvertently ingested to start reacting.

Then Sano began to play.

And when he played like that, even Kazu could admit that there was something kind-of respectable looking about the pervert when he was sitting at the keys, concentrating on making music instead of well, making Kazu cry.

In the midst of watching Sano play, Kazu thought that it seemed more and more fitting as the older boy played on—long fingers dancing over the keys, brow furrowed in concentration, finally using his energy towards something that wasn't big and dumb and perverted.

This was actually kind of nice.

Gradually the blond relaxed, even crept closer to the piano to look over Yasuyoshi's shoulder.

He was pretty good.

And how intently he was looking at the music, how involved he seemed with the process was kind of encouraging too, enough so that before he quite knew what he was doing, Kazu was taking a seat next to Sano on the edge of the bench to get a better view.

Just looking at Sano like this—Kazu thought maybe he could see that respectable young man everyone else did when they just passed the redhead on the street, not knowing what kind of ridiculous stunts he pulled at night, the dirty things he said or the way he plotted for innocent young boys to fall unwittingly into his bed. Or the floor. Or the kitchen table. Or the counter, the hallway, the bathroom, the hall closet, in any random alleyway, in trees, under shrubbery, on rooftops, etc., etc., etc.

He actually looked kind of normal right now.

Well, as normal as good-looking guys in coats with ten-foot tails and purely cosmetic glasses could anyway.

When the redhead finished, Kazu found himself—impulsively, inexplicably—applauding.

Sano smiled at him.

Kazu felt his face flush, and quickly, he stopped applauding. Swallowed. "Er, I mean…that wasn't you know, bad. Or anything. I mean… how er, how long have you been playing?"

"Just a few years now," Sano admitted, and caught Kazu looking at his fingers. "Admittedly I stopped for a while, so I'm rusty. But I'll practice harder for the next time you let me play for you."

Kazu's blush deepened and his breath hitched a little. "Um, you don't have to go that far or anything… just uh… I mean, that was pretty good already."

Sano's eyes gleamed and he leaned closer, close enough that his breath tickled Kazu's ear. "And I would also like to point out," he began, voice low, "the fact that if my fingers are this agile on an instrument I haven't touched for so long, can't you more easily trust them on your…"

Kazu promptly punched him in the face.

"I knew it!" the blond fumed—justified— before getting off the bench and storming out of the room.

And as he left, he thought to himself that maybe he was a little relieved at the same time, to know that while Sano could—every once in a while— look respectable and kind of handsome when he was serious, those weird, twilight-zone-ish moments would probably never last.

Sano in the meantime, watched after the blond, holding his rapidly bruising jaw and thinking to himself that maybe he ought to have quit while he was ahead.

Even still— as he watched the younger boy walk away from him—he had to admit to himself that it had definitely been worth a shot.

Too bad though. He hadn't even gotten to show Kazu the (fun) part about piano playing that Spitfire had taught him.

Well, maybe next time.

END