Day 8- Music: Music is a huge part of culture, and this theme is all about that. Anything to do with music is fair game. Singing, playing instruments, listening to music, dancing to music, talking about music, etc.

"So do you still like punk music?"

I looked over, surprised at Alfred's random question. I was outside under a tree when he had appeared. I had been smoking a cigarette. Alfred wasn't deterred by this as he took a spot next to me. He explained that his class had let out early and he knew I'd be here. This tree had become my regular smoking spot as it was further away from people, enough space to give me some private time. Well, I didn't mind Alfred joining me from time to time.

Twirling the stick in my fingers, I found it hard to believe he asked me if I still liked punk music. I was still wearing rather dark clothes and my other band was still together. Granted I wasn't as involved in the scene as I had been during our break-up, but I didn't see any reason to be anymore. I had run to the punk atmosphere in order to escape the pain of losing Alfred after an awful separation. With Alfred back I preferred to spend my time with him rather than face Dev's constant looks of rejection.

"Yes," I finally replied having come up with a simple answer.

"Oh." Alfred sounded satisfied. Looking out of the corner of my eye I could tell he wasn't. He chewed his lower lip, thinking.

"Why do you ask?"

Alfred rubbed the back of his head. "Um, well… I thought maybe I could try my hand at playing in your other band."

I snapped my head over at Alfred. Was this a joke? He wasn't looking at me, finding the grass at his feet much more interesting. Blush had spread all the way to his ears. Slowly, I smiled, but not from his comment. No, he was still as cute as he'd been back in high school.

"B-but if you don't want me there, th-then I can totally just sit out or something." Alfred began prattling, his hands tumbling around before him. Still he didn't look at me. "I mean, I just miss you when you go to band practice and come home late. And you never invite me to your performances. It's just that, you know, I, well. I guess I'm a little interested and I just-I miss you!"

I waited until he was done to lean over, kissing his cheek. He looked at me, finally. I smiled, cupping his chin with my free hand. "You want to take an interest in my hobby?"

"W-well… It's just that… Eliza said it'd be good for us. Less distance." More blush appeared on his face.

He had been going to Elizaveta for help on our relationship since we got back together. It's not that I minded too much, but sometimes I wished he'd just go with what he felt like doing rather than ask someone. Nevertheless I found it endearing he missed me and was curious about a lifestyle I had for almost over a year that I still clung to.

"If you wish, there's practice tonight. I see no reason why you can't join me."

Relief seeped into his eyes. Seeing his face light up like that made me smile wider. I kissed him quickly. He hated the taste of cigarette and had asked I stopped. Sadly it was a habit I didn't see myself dropping anytime soon, even if I grew out of this punk phase.

"You're the best!" Alfred exclaimed. He pulled me into his arms while laughing.

I stubbed out my fag, scooting to sit in Alfred's lap. I kissed his jaw. "Don't you forget it."

It was about the time I opened the door to Angela's new flat that it struck me that this was perhaps the worst idea I had come up with. Dev was vehemently against me dating Alfred, saying that he wasn't good for me. Zeke thought it strange I was dating such a "goody-two shoes". Angela, though, had no opinion of him. She mentioned once or twice that she found him attractive, but that was the most she let on about her thoughts.

Still, stranger things had been known to happen in my life. There was a chance that everyone could learn to get along just fine.

Alfred was in awe of Angela's apartment from the moment I stepped in. She was very much so into retro 50s style despite her punk exterior. Old posters of cartoon styled women littered her wall. A faded Union Jack hung overhead, a gift I'd given her only recently. Her loveseat and 50s diner-esque coffee table had been shoved to the side, making way for our equipment. The only thing that always remained in place was the large red and black rug underneath her drum set and our amps.

"Hello," I called as I shut the door. "We have a guest tonight. Hope none of you mind."

Dev had been working on tuning his guitar when he looked up and over. Surprisingly he turned away with little interest. I wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad sign. He could very easily be trying to look cool in order to impress me.

It was Zeke who was most upset. He crossed his arms and glared at Alfred. "No. We agreed that there would be no significant others here. This is us time."

"He wants to play." I nodded at the guitar he held in his hand. "He can play some."

"We don't need another guitarist," Zeke spat. I could feel the venom from where I stood and he was a good few meters away from me.

"I was going to sit out tonight," I said casually.

Zeke's mouth fell open. "But we've got a show coming up soon! We need to practice!"

"I'll only play a few sets," Alfred said cheerfully. He hadn't caught on to the fact he was quite unwelcome. "I just want to see what Artie does here, that's all."

I jabbed my elbow into Alfred's side. "Don't call me that."

Alfred laughed, moving towards the others. "Aw, you know you love it! So, where do I set up?"

"You can set up right here," Angela said. She pointed at a spot in front of her set. "This is my apartment and it's my rules. He can stay, but just for tonight."

Zeke looked at Dev as if expecting him to protest too. And yet, Dev did nothing. I shrugged, and squatted on the floor. Angela was fine that I smoke inside, so I pulled out my lighter and watched Alfred set up. I had agreed to him borrowing my bass for the evening. Antonio had taught him a little bit over the past few months. When he was good enough, I took over the reins. It had been fun, something for us to bond over. Graciously Alfred was a very fast learner. In a short amount of time he had become a rather good amateur guitarist. Somewhere along the way he even picked up harmonica skills.

Usually I didn't have my music sheets, but seeing as Alfred would be playing the songs for the first time I remembered to bring them along. I propped my chin up on my palms by resting my elbows on my knees. This would definitely be interesting.

The band tended to play much faster music than Alfred was used to. He enjoyed a style more suited to country. His tempo could go, at the very least, to pop. Having him play punk would test his skills, and temperament.

Despite the fact we were dating once again, that didn't clear up all of our problems. His anger management was still there, but was dropping rapidly the less time he was with his father. Moving in with me helped as he could hug me at any given moment, claiming that it calmed him. I didn't protest, save for when I was in irritable moods. Even still I would let him get away with even brief hugs if only to make him smile.

"All right," Zeke started. "ONE TWO THREE FOUR!"

Dev and Zeke wailed on their guitars, Angela bashed on her drums, and Alfred looked lost. The band continued to play without him. He squinted at the sheet, and willed his fingers to keep up with the tempo.

I love Alfred. I do. I honestly do. But he was such an idiot sometimes. I felt horrible for snorting into my hand as I laughed at his fumbling. By the time he had caught up, Zeke called everyone to stop. The band glared at Alfred.

He smiled sheepishly. "Ah… Sorry. I misread the time signature. C-can we go again?"

Dev shook his head, looking away. "Just keep up, all right?"

"Okay."

Zeke wasted no time in shouting off the numbers again and striking the first chords. This time Alfred was able to keep pace. He stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth, narrowing his eyes. I watched him all the while. He really was quite adorable.

By the end of the first song he had sweat a little. He wasn't going to back down. That pride and bravado wouldn't allow it. He'd show my friends what for. He'd show me that he could do what I did. He was trying to prove to me that he was just as interested, even when I knew he wasn't in the slightest. But if it was for me, why stand in his way? He hurt me deeply not too recently. Let him work.

Three songs had gone by with few screw-ups from Alfred by the time Angela called a break. She vanished into her kitchen, appearing with five bottles of beer. She handed them to each of us, smiling at Alfred when he took his.

"You guys are awesome," Alfred commented. He grinned at all of them, but only Angela returned it. "I can see why Arthur loves playing with you."

Dev said nothing as Zeke grunted his acknowledgment. He didn't compliment Alfred or even attempt to be friendly. It made no sense. I thought Dev was the one with the crush on me. But maybe he felt Alfred was too far out of his comfort zone to find anything to talk about. He did seem awkward and nervous standing near him.

"You guys should see our band!" Alfred declared.

"That might not be a bad idea," Dev said suddenly. He now looked interested. Turning to me he asked, "Why don't we come next practice?"

I blushed slightly. The band would stick out like a sore thumb, and there were more members than them. No one liked them. Felix would have a fashion panic attack at their attire alone. Matt, still so shy, would probably find any excuse to leave.

"I don't know. We have a show this weekend and…"

"Perfect!" Dev interrupted. "We'll go to your show."

Angela agreed with a hearty nod. She looked at Zeke. He didn't look thrilled, but he didn't protest. This was probably because he was outnumbered. Begrudgingly he agreed.

For the remainder of the evening Alfred took my spot against the wall while I played the sets for next week's show. He watched me with bright eyes, soaking in how I played. He once told me that the one time he saw me play, back when we were still separated, he was captivated by how I moved on stage. He loved seeing my hips swing from side to side and my head banging. But the one thing he loved the most was when I closed my eyes, falling into the music.

He claimed I did the same thing when we played in And All That Jazz.

Saturday was upon me all too quickly. I had set up the piano with ease, and then rushed outside to meet Dev and the gang. They looked unimpressed as they sauntered up to the cabaret. It was on campus, not something as posh as where we'd play next week at the local night club. But the band preferred to keep it low-key. No one was aiming to make it big, we only played for fun. Besides, we had gained quite a lot of popularity from the student body.

I showed them inside, taking them right to the front where the Journalism majors usually were allowed to roam. Alfred saw the group and waved enthusiastically from the stage.

Zeke scoffed to my side. "He's so damn happy all the time."

"Not all the time," I said. "He's had his share of bad days."

Again, Zeke was upset. His tone had turned vicious once more without Alfred having done anything. "I bet he's never seen a really bad day in his life."

An aggressive, protective side pounced out from me. I kept my cool as I stopped to stare at Zeke. He didn't seem intimidated by my expression. "Don't judge him before you know him. He's gone through just as much as anyone else in this place, even more than me. So don't think he only shits rainbows. He's happy because you guys actually came. Unlike you, he's trying to be nice."

Dev coughed from the side. "Hey, we're trying to be nice. If we weren't we wouldn't be here."

Angela sighed, pulling Zeke away. "It's his time of the month. Lighten up you two. Go and play, Arthur. We'll be here."

I huffed, walking away. I felt guilty for letting my anger get to me, but I hated the thought of belittling Alfred when he was so strong. He's only happy now because he knows the value of life, the joy it can truly bring. He didn't take anything, especially not a performance or time spent with our band mates, for granted.

With a sigh, I took my seat at the piano. My fingers itched to begin playing, but we were waiting for Gilbert and Alfred to finish warming up. They played a few notes, smirking at the other in a silent competition to finish their practice before the other. Felix did a short drum roll, and then spun the drum sticks around on his fingers.

A moment later we began with our opener. We had decided to try some more Sinatra, given that it was always a hit. Francis had insisted on "Luck Be a Lady", ignoring the fact that Roderich pointed out that it was a cover Sinatra did and not his actual song. Still, we all agreed as it was a fun song to get people in the mood.

The night went over well and plenty of people danced, obviously enjoying our music. At one point Alfred had moved to stand beside me while he played. When he waited for his next part, he put his hand on my shoulder, giving me an affectionate squeeze. I smiled in return, unable to actually look at him. But he knew.

Our closing act brought about a loud applause. I stood to bow, smiling as I saw Angela clapping with an earnest smile. Zeke and Dev were as well, but they didn't appear happy. The band moved down off of the stage. Alfred rushed to get us all drinks without asking, knowing what everyone wanted. I approached Dev and the others.

"That was awesome!" Angela exclaimed. I wasn't used to such excitement from her. She was usually so reserved to the point I thought she was apathetic. "My mom used to play jazz when I was a kid, so I recognized some of the covers you did."

I grinned. "Thanks. I didn't know you had a streak of other musical interests in you."

She shrugged. "I may play punk, but I still like other stuff. You just never asked."

"True." I looked to the other two members. "What did you think?"

Zeke shrugged. "It was all right. I don't like jazz."

"You really got into the music," Dev said. He wasn't looking at me. His eyes kept to the floor, reminding me of Alfred back by the tree just days prior. "It was…well…I couldn't keep my eyes off of you."

Alfred returned just then, saving me from being horribly uncomfortable. He handed me my drink, and kissed my head. "We are a HIT tonight!"

I laughed after taking a sip of my beverage. "You don't say? I couldn't tell from the crowd."

"Glad you guys came!" Alfred noticed the others. "So! Do you think you can play jazz?"

No one really wanted to reply. Angela, despite her gusto for it earlier, didn't look like she was ready to jump in with the rest of us and play saxophone. Dev was still staring at the floor while Zeke looked at Alfred irritated. Something about this situation bothered me. Yes, they had come to watch, but they weren't really trying. Not like Alfred had.

Alfred had come to practice, attempted to get to know everyone, and even tried his hand at playing. Granted this was a performance as compared to an informal session, but the principal of the matter still remained. He wanted to see if there was a chance we could grow closer from knowing another side of my life, whereas it felt like Dev and Zeke were there because Alfred posed to be a threat.

In that moment, I felt disgusted. I moved closer to Alfred, taking his hand. "I'm going to go talk to my other mates. I'll see you later."

Without waiting I left. Alfred called his good-bye as I tugged him away. I didn't make it to the others. A mix CD had begun playing in the speakers overhead as the crowd waited for the next band to arrive. I stopped, pulled Alfred into my arms and began dancing with him. He seemed generally pleased with the turn of events, holding my around my waist.

"What's up?" he asked. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Mad?" I looked at him, stunned. "Why would I be mad?"

"Well, I know you like to go with your other friends to give us some space," Alfred stared. He was rambling again. "I'm sorry if I butt in and stuff. I just… you know. Those guys hate me. I wanted them to like me."

"I don't." I kissed his cheek. "I like that they don't. That gives me all the more reason to love you."

Alfred nuzzled into my head, pulling me close. The music no longer fit the mood, and people had moved on to dancing wildly to the pop music. Neither of us cared.

"I love you," Alfred mumbled into my hair.

"I know…"

Hoshiko2's cents: I admit. I miss this story. Sometimes I think of their life after graduating. On my tumblr I wrote a little hint of what they're wedding would be like, just for fun. While out today, I thought this prompt of the day would be perfect for this universe. So I hope you all enjoyed the revisit!