"I'm Rose Sparrowfeather!" announced the red-haired girl in a voice that was altogether impressively loud for her tiny frame. "Like the bird! And I'm gonna play you Swan Lake!"
Her tone brooked little room for argument on the matter, and she lifted her clarinet up to begin. Sorey watched from the back seats of the concert hall, watched and listened, and gave Mikleo a little nudge.
"Hey. She's not bad. I bet Gramps will let her in. Maybe even let her in to the concert orchestra!"
"Mmm," Mikleo said, with false nonchalance. Sorey could tell that he was listening to her play just as intently. "Lots of people audition with Swan Lake."
"Doesn't mean she's not playing it good," Sorey retorted. "Plus it fits. Her last name is sparrow, and swans are birds."
"Woooow. I didn't notice," Mikleo said flatly. "I wonder why you didn't audition with Movement Eight from The Carnival of the Animals, then."
Sorey thought for a moment, confused. "...'cause we auditioned together with Movement One?"
Mikleo huffed a little breath through his nose. "Never mind. Let's go wait in Gramps' office for him to get done with the rest of the auditions."
Sorey agreed with this plan – while it was fun to watch the auditions taking place, it was also fun to play around in Gramps' office. There, he could marvel wide-eyed at his library of theory books and his catalog of scores, or try to sneakily take a pluck at the antique string instruments displayed on the walls and in glass cases; all while listening to Mikleo practice etudes on the old wooden piano. Satie and Debussy always felt so soothing as Mikleo coaxed them from the piano's keys – the acoustics of Gramps' office weren't anything like those of the concert hall, but hearing the notes muffled by the old rug, the wooden walls...it was like a warm blanket on a chilly day.
As they walked out of the concert hall, Sorey's brain finally pinged on a revelation. He scowled at Mikleo, his lower lip pouting out ridiculously, and he lunged forward to wreak horrible retribution upon Mikleo's ticklish sides.
"I'm not a donkey!" Sorey shouted. "You take that back!"
"Stoppit! It isn't my fault you didn't get the joke!" Mikleo shrieked, trying to eel away from Sorey's terrible grasp.
"Boys!" boomed Gramps' voice through the concert hall. The sound echoed through the auditorium like thunder. "Settle down and come up here, please."
Sorey and Mikleo meekly approached the stage, dutifully penitent for having disturbed the auditioners. Gramps gave them both a Look that said they'd be lectured in the car on the way home, and gestured up to the stage where the girl still stood.
"Step up on stage and accompany Rose, please. I'd like to see how the three of you work together for the music festival in spring."
Rose squawked in glee at this tacit confirmation of her acceptance into the orchestra. She scurried over to where Sorey and Mikleo were climbing onto the stage with the sheet music Gramps had handed them, and very nearly yanked their arms out of their sockets in dragging them into place. Her impatience was clear on her face as Sorey got out his violin and Mikleo set himself up on the piano – Sorey was a little afraid she was going to start hitting them with her clarinet. He hoped Gramps would intervene if it came to that. He sometimes envied woodwind instruments for their battering capabilities; his violin was sure to crack in a combat situation, and Mikleo wasn't yet strong enough to use his piano offensively. Though he supposed it would be a pretty good defense. Sorey idly entertained thoughts of him and Mikleo running in circles around the piano to stay away from Rose as he lifted his violin to his shoulder and set his bow in place.
Gramps raised his hands to count them in.
"We'll start with Shostakovich. One, two..."
There really weren't many things to do in the tiny town of Camlann. There wasn't even a proper grocery store – unless you counted the old farmer ladies who sold vegetables in the gas station parking lot. There was the old temple in the woods, but Sorey was pretty sure that he and Mikleo were the only ones who considered exploring it to be a rollicking good time. You kind of had to make your own fun, here. They and the few other children in the town were bussed in to the nearest school in the mornings, and bussed back in the evenings...it was just enough time away for Sorey to get a look at other towns' amenities, and get filled with wistful longing. Other towns had things like libraries, and bookstores, and ice cream shops. But what those other towns didn't have was his family, and Mikleo. Sorey liked to think that he was still ahead in this game.
Sorey and Mikleo had been neighbors since forever, and their families were quite close. Their mothers had been friends since university, and moved to Camlann around the same time; allowing them to get homes that were so close to each other that Mikleo's family could hear every screech and scrape of Sorey's bow across his violin while he was still learning. Mikleo soon began to seek his revenge for the assault by playing his e-piano at max volume, and the whole auditory arms race continued like that until Sorey's dad grounded him from TV. Then he grounded him from the bookshelf when he remembered that Sorey didn't care about TV. Then he gave him back the bookshelf when he saw how sad Sorey got, and drove him and Mikleo into town to get ice cream. His dad wasn't around a lot because of his job, but he tried his best.
Sorey and Mikleo had been "part" of the hobbyist orchestra headquartered at Marlind University since they were old enough for Gramps to babysit; bouncing and babbling along to the tempo of the music in their carriers. They became proper members at around seven or eight years old, once they had stepped up their musical talents to produce sounds that were palatable to human ears. They welcomed Rose a year later, who became..."friends" with Alisha (a viola player around their age, whose earnestness and talent was only matched by her complete social ineptitude), if friendship could be established on the basis of Alisha declaring them friends upon them first making eye contact and then Rose yanking on her ponytail in self-defense when Alisha moved in to bear hug her. It spoke volumes about Rose's true feelings on the situation that she didn't go on the offensive with her clarinet instead, though that didn't make it any less of a rough start.
Together, they tried out for and were welcomed into the concert orchestra at age thirteen – more exclusive than the open hobbyist orchestra, with more challenging pieces and more public performances, but just as vibrant and welcoming. It was kind of weird to be playing with grownups as his peers; weird, yes, but it filled Sorey with a little flutter of pride. Over the years, he'd made some friendships that would have never been possible otherwise.
There were certain drawbacks, though.
"What's wrong, Sorey? You look...trebled."
Lailah stared him dead in the face for a few moments as she finished. Then, unable to wait any longer for a response, let out a loud, undignified guffaw.
Like having to hear his music teacher's constant puns outside of class. Miss Lailah was a wonderful teacher, to be sure, and a great vocalist, and a wonderful backup conductor when Gramps was too busy or sick to lead. She had a presence on stage when singing arias that left audiences spellbound. But she was entirely convinced that she was very funny and didn't seem to notice or care that the rest of the world disagreed.
Sorey gave her a little smile, and shifted his backpack in place.
"I'm fine," he assured her. "Just a little worried about Mikleo, that's all. He's been kind of listless lately."
Sorey had been worried about Mikleo for a while, and while this was maybe a 3 out of 10 on the Worry Scale (Mikleo going missing those few months ago was maybe a 9000 out of 10, roughly estimating), it was still enough to needle him. Lailah set a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sure Mikleo simply needs some time to collect himself after his escapade. Though I'm sure he wouldn't mind having a duet partner right now – I saw him practicing alone in B-3."
B-3 was a pretty secluded space. No windows, no one usually in the surrounding practice rooms. Pretty well soundproofed. The door locked. Sorey thought for a moment, and then set off with a spring in his step and a wave for Lailah.
"I'll check in on him, then. Thanks!"
Lailah waved back serenely. "It was alto-gether a pleasure!"
Sorey heard her hit the ground behind him as she collapsed with laughter.
Sorey was ready to knock on the door of B-3 until Mikleo caved and let him in – in the past, Sorey had kept it up for upwards of half an hour, so it was a bit worrisome that Mikleo let him in on his first try.
"Hey," Sorey said. "Need a duet partner?"
Mikleo stared at him tiredly, and turned around without saying a word. Regardless, he didn't shut the door in Sorey's face, which Sorey took as a "yes" to the partner question. Sorey let himself in to the practice room – being sure to shut and lock the door behind him – and took a seat across from where Mikleo sat with his flute and music at the ready. Mikleo still played piano, but had played flute for about as long – he had taken it up around when they first got accepted, and it had become his mainstay in orchestra. The flute was a considerably more portable instrument – Sorey took his violin just about everywhere, so Mikleo maybe eventually got tired of being left out of the fun of jamming out while waiting for the bus after school.
(There was also the matter of Mikleo having an instrument capable of countering Rose's clarinet strikes. Wind instruments in general were the DPS class of orchestra.)
Mikleo gave him another look over the top of his glasses as he lifted his flute up to his lips. It was tempting to just listen to Mikleo play, to hear the air fill with his music and get lost in the sounds. But Sorey had something else he'd come here to accomplish, and it was a goal that was just as appealing. He gave Mikleo a goofy smile, and scooted his chair up to him until their knees were touching. Mikleo raised an eyebrow at him, and pouted those pretty lips of his.
"…are you planning on singing along?" Mikleo asked. "Get out your violin if you're going to be in here bugging me."
Sorey made a curious little noise, and scooted even closer, so their legs entwined.
"Do you not think I have a good singing voice?" Sorey teased. "I could ask Lailah for lessons. I'm sure she can whip me into fighting shape for the next show."
"I'm not going to come save you when she uses you as a captive audience for her comedy act," Mikleo said.
"Aww, c'mon. I whisked you away when Edna was making you carry her around the halls all day. Though it serves you right for trying to make bets with her, you know how much she cheats. And how much of a sore winner she is."
"It was a mistake I only made once," Mikleo shot back. He raised his flute back into place. "And now if you'll excuse me, I need to practice for our next performance. I would recommend you do the same. I can tell you've been slacking on practice."
The breath Mikleo had been saving for his flute was taken away by the touch of Sorey's fingers on his lips. Sorey stroked his thumb across their fullness, and felt his shallow, short, wet breaths on his skin.
"Why would you say that?" Sorey murmured.
"…Your fingering could use some work," Mikleo replied softly.
Sorey hummed thoughtfully, and slid one finger between Mikleo's lips. Mikleo's eyelids fluttered shut, and he gave a surprised little moan; allowing Sorey to explore his mouth a little more thoroughly – his pearl teeth, his velvet tongue. The warm wetness around Sorey's finger sent shivers down his spine.
"Can you help me with that?" Sorey asked quietly. "Your fingerwork is always so beautiful."
Mikleo swallowed hard, and Sorey's eyes were drawn to the way his pale throat moved. Without a word, Sorey bent to press his lips to the pulse point of his neck.
"Sorey," Mikleo moaned, and Sorey felt the vibration of the plea on his mouth as well as his finger. He was helpless as always but to bend to Mikleo's requests, especially when he was being this cute about it.
He sucked kisses onto Mikleo's throat, and used his free hand to tug the collar of Mikleo's shirt down enough for his collarbone to get the same treatment. He couldn't help but moan himself as Mikleo sucked needily on his finger; or at the way Mikleo opened his mouth more, begging for Sorey to slip another in for him to suck. At least, he couldn't take it anymore, and drew his fingers from Mikleo's mouth to replace them with his tongue.
They'd only officially started the "dating" thing a few months ago, though if you listened to Rose she'd tell you that they'd been an item ever since she'd known them at the age of nine. (And then Lailah would pipe in to add that she could confirm their pair-ship since she'd first seen them in the orchestra hall in their diapers.) And with dating came make-outs, and with make-outs came practice room make-outs – one memorable time being on top of the grand piano in practice room A-1. It was always incredible; always everything Sorey had dreamed about since puberty, and then some. But today they'd scored a secluded room with a working lock, and Sorey wanted to take full advantage of their fortune.
"Name a piece," Sorey said without pulling back, murmuring the words against Mikleo's lips. "Any piece."
Mikleo blinked at him blearily from behind his askew glasses; his pupils blown so wide that Sorey could barely see his eyes' beautiful violet.
"…Lieder Ohne Worte, opus thirty-eight, number six," Mikleo softly replied.
Sorey smiled back, and gave him another quick kiss before he got up to walk to the metronome.
"Mendelssohn, huh? Feeling a bit Romantic today?" Sorey asked.
Mikleo groaned and leaned back in his chair, sighing deeply.
"It was only a matter of time before Lailah infected all of us," Mikleo declared mournfully. "Just put on the CD and get back over here before my sense returns and I kick you out for that."
"Oh, no, I'm not putting on a CD," Sorey said, setting the metronome to the appropriate tempo. He hummed the notes to himself under his breath to confirm, then nodded happily at his work. "That would be cheating. Just try to keep that tune in your head, okay?"
It was a sweet, twining melody; a duet for one. It brought to mind all the times Mikleo had let him sit next to him on the piano bench, how he had tried to teach Sorey to play by guiding his hands with his own across the keys. Sorey knelt before where Mikleo still sat in his practice chair, and guided his hands into his hair.
"You can pull on it if I go off-tempo," Sorey said.
With that, Sorey nuzzled his face against Mikleo's thighs and crotch, relishing in the whimper it elicited; pleasure spiking through his groin at the feeling of Mikleo's fingers tightening in his hair. Sorey gave his thigh a squeeze before he set to work unzipping his jeans and tugging them down just enough to let Mikleo's gorgeous cock free. Sorey couldn't help but gaze at it adoringly as he stroked at it to the pace of the metronome – every part of Mikleo was beautiful, every last inch. His eyes, his lips, his nimble elegant fingers. His hard cock. Sorey moaned, his eyes slipping shut as he took it into his mouth to suck.
It was tricky to stay in time with Mikleo being so utterly distracting. Mikleo made such beautiful music of his own; his gasps and whimpers as Sorey swirled his tongue around the head, his moans as Sorey took him in deep enough to bump the back of his throat. A song without words indeed. Sorey moaned low around Mikleo's cock, and fumbled his own jeans open enough for him to thrust a hand down them to give himself some relief.
Their duet came to a climax as Mikleo's cock pulsed on Sorey's tongue. Sorey eagerly swallowed down his cum; listened to Mikleo's broken moans and attempts at Sorey's name as his fingers yanked desperately at Sorey's hair, using his head between his legs as an anchor to this world. A flurry of shivers overtook Sorey as he reached his own release at the sight and sounds of it all.
"Sorey."
The sound of Mikleo whispering his name roused Sorey from his doze; resting his head on Mikleo's thighs. That part was comfy – like resting his head on the most comfy and prettiest pillows in the world. What wasn't comfy was kneeling on the floor like this for an extended period of time. Sorey winced and groaned as he clambered to his feet with Mikleo's help, and returned the favor by pulling Mikleo up and out of his chair and into a tight hug.
"Mikleo. You know you can always talk to me, right?" asked Sorey. His lips brushed Mikleo's ear.
"I know," Mikleo murmured back. His arms came up to return the hug. "Thank you."
Well, there she had it. With this sound recording, Rose now had concrete proof that Sorey and Mikleo were using the practice rooms as their personal love hotel suites. It was now a matter of what she wanted to do with it. Should she play it back to them as primo blackmail material? She could surely get them to pay for her meals at the pho joint in town for a solid year. Maybe she'd see what price Edna was willing to pay, though Rose didn't really know if she wanted…whatever Edna would do with it on her conscience—
…
…Rose was reminded of the time that Sorey bailed her out of getting caught with her hands upskirt and upshirt when making out with Alisha after school. Of the time that Mikleo stayed up all night with her to iron out a difficult solo, the night before a performance…
Rose sighed and deleted the file from her phone. She would have to come up with another plan for free pho.