The Music Teacher
Author's Note: Enjoy the story and R&R.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of Saikyo Kamizmode!
Pairing: Established Dai x Susumu.
Summary:
Sonosaki Susumu practices for a piano concert, but his substitute music teacher has a different lesson plan planned out.
Susumu couldn't play his scales with Dai flustering him, but the lesson plan the substitute music teacher prepared for him couldn't be wholly disobeyed.
His right hand curled over the keys, shaking. He was hesitating because Dai's right hand was curled over his, his private instructor's longer fingers following the spaces between each of his fingers so both their fingers came down on each key together.
Risky.
Risky since Susumu never encountered the word risqué.
Of course his regular instructor came down with bird flu and the agency sent a backup! The person they sent just happened to be Dai, who'd just earned his teaching certificate!
Susumu wondered what the penalty was for scoring with your first student. They'd strip Dai of his certification, for sure! Not that he wanted to get Dai into any trouble. The concert was coming up, and he needed to practice!
Practice the traditional way, at least. He was sure from where Dai sat, he was helping him!
That Dai was being this intimate toward him during his first job meant Susumu was probably too strung out about the concert, and this was Dai's way of telling him.
"Loosen up, Susumu."
"A piano is a string instrument too! Did you know that?"
Susumu was distracting himself.
Two hands became four. Susumu put his left on the piano, and it was mantled by Dai's left behind Susumu's shoulder. Susumu's feet swayed helplessly over the pedals next to Dai's unmoving pair.
A day. Avid kissing. Fries at God Burger. The piano would still be there when Susumu returned. It wasn't a war or wicked of Dai to press his luck.
It wasn't only Dai's thought that Susumu should postpone his preparation till tomorrow, of course. Susumu leaned on a similar thought, though he wasn't married to it. The strangeness of them being the same age, yet the draw of a forbidden scenario. He'd been gulping the same feeling – flapping, like wings – in his throat for the last two minutes. The choice between tickling the ivories and "tickling the ivories."
Dai must've saw him and had a good clucking time, knowing he'd collect his pay regardless of whether Susumu's hands were on the piano or around his boyfriend's back. One class in and he was already hatching the idea to go on sabbatical!
It was getting steamy under Susumu's sweater collar and sweaty in Susumu's moccasins. Steam Push, and Nabekichi, Nabeo, and Nabeko weren't even in the room!
How was it so hot in here? They'd not even budged!
"It's hot. Can I adjust the thermostat?"
He was distracting himself again.
Dai finally budged and stepped toward the whiteboard and music posters to adjust the thermostat for him, sliding the slider to its lowest setting with a dramatic, audible click.
After Dai reclaimed his place, the ambient temperature in the room dropped bit by bit, but Susumu's own temperature didn't decrease.
His heart was hammering. Percussing.
He had an appetite to poke holes in the white cork soundproofing the walls, specked full of tinier holes already, the way children are naturally inclined to honk a car horn, shape mud, or pop bubble wrap.
"Dai…" Susumu was aware how weak he appeared. Ayama Luna manipulated this weakness to almost perfect two-thirds effect during their bout in the Kamizumo Grand Championship, unbalancing him long enough for Puremonsoon to KO two of his fighters, and Dai seemed poised to emulate her successes against Susumu in this situation as well.
Tossed along, a stone in a river.
A frightened and powerless chick with nowhere to go beneath approaching rain clouds. It jogged Susumu's memory of Piyo-chan's predicament – of Nabekichi's origin story – shivering on the street in a cardboard box. The chase specifically to blame for turning the Knight of Bayside Kitchen into Piyo-chan. A blast from his old friend Zangien.
Then and now, Piyo-chan and Susumu found refuge. Piyo-chan adopted the new name Nabekichi and went to live at Susumu's indefinitely. Susumu was aware it was a simple matter of time before he chirped and definitely went crawling to Dai.
"Nervous?"
"Nervous? Ah, do you hear me, Dai? Is it super obvious?"
If Susumu had his bachi, he would've scratched himself with it.
Dai pointed to the keyboard and Susumu stiffened. A lightning bolt of shame struck Susumu's body; mad intense, Dai almost saw the smoke rising off Susumu's head. He'd been playing a trill without realizing it, alternating the same two notes. As such, Dai had been doing the same on top of his hands. Literal music to accompany the uncertain state of Susumu's emotions!
The notes were so close to one another.
He and Dai were so close to one another.
Susumu gulped one last feeling of fear to the pit of his throat. Only taking his right hand off the keyboard, he bounced off the leather seat and up into Dai in a staccato of courage. Their leftover fingers glided glissandos to the edge of the piano as Dai shut his leg around the leg of the piano bench, using it as his rock to keep them from falling off while he caressed Susumu.
Gotetsu didn't possess exclusive bragging rights on creative usage of rocks and stones! Dai pulled a phantom foothold out of thin air as well to improvise a clumsy yet effective self-save!
Butcher the song, and who was going to scold Susumu if he ruined it on stage?
Oh, ye of little faith.
His tutor sick with bird flu?
Dai, who bore some of the blame for enticing him when he should've been rehearsing?
The former wasn't attending.
The latter was in on the crime.
"I think I'm safe, Dai."
"Remember to take a bow before and after, Susumu."
