I got inspired by a post on tumblr where a pianist got a request through a note, and now this is here.
Have fun!
A Humble Request
First Song: Liebestraum
Adrien stopped on his tracks at the sight of the note someone had slipped under his door. Would it be another noise complaint? He wasn't playing until late night as requested last time, and he had also been careful to play lower and with windows closed. It should have retrained the song enough to not perturb anyone.
He sighed getting down picking up the note, his fingers messing his blond strands as he walked inside. Plagg raised his head only to look at him and going back to sleep on the couch, the pianist smiled at his lazy cat that had an odd liking into a specific kind of cheese. The blond looked at the note and decided to read it once for all. He probably would end up rehearsing at the studio if the complaints continued.
"A humble request to the pianist:"
He could feel the sassy on the elegant hand-writing. He flinched before reading the rest.
"play Liebestraum no. 3 in A flat."
Adrien stared at the note. Then read again. He let in his table and went to his room… Then came back and read again. Someone made him a request? Adrien never took requests, people would just order him what to play and that was it. No one ever requested something for liking or asked him to play a song he liked, not even his father; and his mother passed away before he was good enough to play for her.
He let it out a pleased sigh as he smiled at the note. Someone in the neighborhood had listen to his pieces and enjoyed. Someone asked him to play a niece piece just to enjoy him playing.
Someone needed to be praised.
Adrien took a quick shower to warm up and changed to the first set of clothes he saw. Then he pulled the curtains open wide, sliding the glass doors open to his balcony; since it was early he wouldn't have trouble with noisy complaints (to be honest, the little request let him too happy to care about complaints; he would deal with them later), so he decided to open every door and window, to make sure the person would hear from wherever he/she lived.
He set his piano, playing a few notes to test. Plagg went to sit below his chair as the lazy cat was used to do when he plays. Adrien sit in front of the white and black keys, he adjusted the sheets with the song (it wasn't an unusual song, so it wasn't hard to find the music sheets). The pianist took a breath, and let a light sigh to calm down his sudden trembling fingers; he had played in front of thousands, he could do this.
So he did.
As soon as his fingers touched the piano, he let them dance to the rhythm of the song, creating the piece below his fingers. He knew this piece very well, so he allowed his eyes to close as he let the music drive his fingers and body. He heard the soft purr of Plagg enjoying the song, the soft noise of the night making his piece sound more natural to his surroundings.
As the song was ending, his fingers played softly and caring around as if to let if finish naturally, but he continued to let it flow through him until he hit the last note of the requested piece.
There was a moment of silence. Adrien suddenly felt more nervous than before. He played as soon as he could, but what if the person who requested wasn't home? He got home early due to a canceled assignment, but most of people were still on the traffic by that time; what if the person didn't listen? When could he play? With the upcoming concert it was hard to tell if he could do it anytime.
The sound of a soft clapping made him sigh in relief. The night had fallen already, so he went to the only source of light besides the lampshade by his side, he rushed through the open doors of his balcony to the sound of claps. As he saw a silhouette on the across building, Adrien also realized that there was more clapping and compliments on the beautiful piece. He smiled sheepishly, not knowing where to direct his thanks, so he just said it out loud enough to the nearly neighbors to hear.
"Thank you for playing my request" A sweet feminine voice said and he looked at the silhouette on the balcony of the other building "To be sincerely, I thought you would ignore. I mean, it was creepy and odd to had a request through a note by your door, right? Sorry…"
"I love it" He replied before she could continue rambling. At her silence he continued "I never had received a request before! I was happy someone was enjoying my songs- I thought I was being annoying after the first noisy complaint."
"You got a noisy complaint?!" The voice on the other side exclaimed upset "That's ridiculous! How can someone complain at such beautiful songs?!"
Adrien blushed at the compliment "Thanks" he managed to say embarrassed.
"I'm only stating the truth…" The figure shrugged.
Adrien wanted to see the face of the girl on the other balcony, but the room on her back was with lights on and even though the curtains were closed, they just blocked the view inside of the room, not the light. So he couldn't see the figure in front of him, just the silhouette of a young woman and shadow of her features – Dark hair on a bun, a red shirt covering her neck and arms with black dots, black pants, he thought she looked like a doll for some reason.
"How did you find me?" Adrien managed to ask.
The silhouette crossed her arms and looked down, but he figured out she was smiling. "I like listening to you when I am home. I work at the bakery a sometimes and I got a delivery in your building. I took the opportunity to ask your neighbors about a pianist and it seems you're the only one in the building."
He smiled; she seemed like a nice person "You didn't sign the note… I was kinda worried I played and you didn't listen."
"It was intentional" The pianist realized she mimicked his position, leaning on the railing of her own balcony "I didn't mean to reveal myself either, but… Well, too late" She laughed sheepishly.
"You still didn't" He replied "I don't know your name and I can't see your face. Basically, I don't know you."
She seemed surprised at his statement. The woman looked behind her (probably understanding that it was the curtains and the light), then down to herself. She was thoughtful about what he said. Could she be thinking how to introduce herself?
"So, first things first…" Adrien said scratching his neck "What's your name?"
"You don't wanna know."
The pianist looked confused at the silhouette "What do you mean?"
"I said that I didn't have intention to reveal myself and I mean it" She replied. "The fact I forgot to light up my balcony was lucky, but I'll use it."
"Wait, so you have no intention to let me know who you're?"
"Nope!" She exclaimed. It looked like she was having too much fun on this.
Adrien leaned out of his balcony extending an arm gesturing towards her in pure disbelief "Aw, come on! You know who I am!"
"In fact, my friend, I don't. Your neighbors didn't mention your name, and your lamp it's too far and too weak to light up there. So we're in the same situation."
The pianist looked to the lamp behind him. It was true; he didn't bother to light up the living room or the balcony, he was too eager to play the request to think on that. So the lamp was just dim light on his balcony.
"I don't mind to tell you who I am"
"I don't want to know" She smiled "it's better this way"
He frowned at her "Better how?"
"I like the mystery" She laughed "We shouldn't reveal our identities, but to discover them. Isn't that more interesting?"
Adrien sighed loudly and on the way the girl moved, he guessed she rolled her eyes at him. He wanted to know her, even if that wouldn't lead anywhere; he wanted to know the name and face of the first person that requested something from him. She was the first person to care and request something instead of ordering around like he was an robot. That felt amazing, even if it was so simple.
The girl looked at her wrist, probably looking at the hour "I need to go… Thank you for playing my request!" She said again.
"No problem, Ladybug."
She stopped and looked back at him; by the sound of her voice she was confused. "Ladybug?"
Adrien rested his chin on his fist, leaning down at the railing again. "Red with black dots and those two strands, you must be a ladybug" he smiled playfully.
Her hand went to her hair and she understood what he was talking about. With a light laugh she decided to reply at the same way. "Ok, then you'll be Chat Noir"
He smiled at the nickname, not bothering a bit by it "Why is that so?"
"Look at the mirror" She turned to leave again and waved to him. "See you around, Chat Noir!"
The pianist didn't move an inch until the balcony on the other side was dark. He kept observing the place where the lady of such wonderful voice and humble request was. Now he was interested on the mystery that lies beyond the lady's silhouette. She was right, mystery was thrilling and intriguing.
It was nice to have some red color to dissolve on the routine of his monotonous life.
He went inside again with a sigh. Plagg was resting on top of the piano and soon would request some camembert. Adrien washed his wands and dried while walking to make some food to himself. He stopped in front of the cupboard and started to laugh.
His hair was a mess; in his fervor to take the request, he didn't brush his hair, so his bangs where all messed, two of them were upright and it looked like cat ears on him. That's why she was calling him black cat, his bangs and his black t-shirt with a green paw print on it; the same methodology he got her nickname.
With a smile, he took the note on his hands again.
"A humble request to the pianist:
play Liebestraum no. 3 in A flat."
Somehow Adrien knew that the moment he took that note into his hands and decided to take the request, his life would change in some way. He was feeling it already, as he wondered if she would request other songs, if the identities would ever be revealed and how…
The pianist was feeling the anticipation for the next day to come, the one thing he had lost so long ago and came back with the handwriting of a young woman. He laughed as the realization to why there was such interest on her and how he's ear to see the shadow again came to him.
Adrien was already falling for her.
Ok, this was supposed to be a one-shot, but the comments on Ao3, tumblr and my two beta-readers, convinced me to continue this so...
Yeah. Just be aware that I'm focusing on Ever After, that I'm a college student that works and sleeps 4 hours per day, and I'll only get this going once I'm done planning all the way... So it might take a while :/
I hope you have enjoyed!
~-ArtGirlLullaby
