Duck added two eighth and a quarter note, a quarter rest, another quarter and eighth note, in that order, onto the five lined stave printed on the blank music scorebook he received last Christmas. A vertical line completed the bar as he placed the pen on the lip of the score stand on the piano and placed his hands on the keys. His blue eyes followed the dots he already placed in twenty-three previous bars as his fingers released the notes with each press. A nod of his head approved of the satisfying sound of grandiose and optimism filling the living room when he reached the latest bar and stretched his arms towards the ceiling. A sharp twinge of pain made Duck flinch but it passed as quickly as it came. Perhaps it was the cancer's reminder of its presence: its way of telling Duck not to get too comfortable and complacent. However a friendly voice promptly drove the grim feeling away for now.
"Whatever you were playing, it sounded good," Duck turned his head to see Rev giving him a cheery smile, albeit subdued than normal but at least it's something. What caught Duck's attention, however, was that the roadrunner held by the handle a dark blue violin case.
"So you're going to introduce me to your little friend?" He hoped Rev would get the movie reference in case the joke fell flat.
"My family aren't a mafia crime syndicate! You've met them before!" the roadrunner placed the case on the nearby floating, glass coffee table and unclipped the fastenings. "Watching and hearing you play the piano reminded me of when I used to play the violin as a kid. I was okay at it but it was still fun."
Duck raised his eyebrows as Rev bought the polished violin in full view.
"You never said you played the violin!"
"My dad pushing me towards the family business, and important adult priorities put that on the back burner. It was a miracle that I even found it! I thought mom sold it or took it to a thrift store. I had to get new strings and tuners for it but otherwise it's cleaned up good." Rev drew the bow from the case before pulling the lid down.
"Do you know if you can still play?"
Without saying a word, Rev tucked the chinrest under his beak and gave a quick rendition of 'Flight of the Bumblebee'. Duck rolled his eyes but raised a wry smile. Of course a violinist would play 'Flight of the Bumblebee' as fast they possibly could to prove a point, let alone Rev with his super speed.
"Okay Speedy Gonzales, I believe you," The mallard raised a hand to pause the roadrunner. "I see your finger work isn't too shabby."
"Wow! You really think so?" Rev's eyes lit up. "I'm glad you said that since I thought I'd still be rusty."
"So what do you want to play?"
"Say what now?"
Duck lowered his gaze a little but maintained eye contact with Rev.
"I said what do you want to play?"
"Like a duet?" Rev almost stammered.
"Of course I meant as a duet!" Duck exclaimed before calming down. "To be honest, it would make a nice change to playing by myself. If it helps, I can work things out as we go along with stuff I don't know."
Rev placed a hand under his own beak as if in deep thought. He definitely wanted to play a song that would show-off both of their musical skills and give them both a chance to be in the spotlight. At the same time, it had to be a song that harmonised both their instruments beautifully.
"This is gonna sound like a really weird request but I think this song suits you. You heard of 'Dancing in the Storm' by Maidella Loresea, right?" Duck slightly frowned.
"Not really, no."
"Seriously!? I'm surprised you haven't heard of it! It's been used in a few movies." Rev gasped as he placed the bow on the table and grabbed his mobile phone from his pocket.
"To be fair, that song was written over twenty, maybe thirty years ago so it may have been before our time but she was a really talented singer songwriter who played the piano. My mom liked her songs and used to play them all the time when she was doing the housework when I was a kid. But 'Dancing in the Storm' is about throwing caution to the wind and doing a thing a lot of people are afraid of doing because it's exciting but dangerous at the same time. I vaguely remember some of the words and it made me think of you, so… any way, give it a listen." He tapped the screen with his index finger before placing it on the score stand and pressed play.
As the first few notes of a piano rung through the phone speakers, Duck's eyes lowered to the keys. The cheery melody danced over the melancholic harmonies. Duck could feel the intentional conflict as a female voice sang the first verse.
Wrapped and trapped in the bed sheets
Tied around my hands and feet
I want to leave this bed but the comfort gives me seductive eyes
"Lets stay warm and safe" it sighs
Duck held down the feathers that the goose bumps rose on his arms. His tastes were more suited to a lot of upbeat techno music that energised him before every mission. This woman's mezzo soprano voice trembled with purpose. In her voice, it reminded Duck of how afraid he was to tread on the subject of vulnerability. What kind of superhero would he be if he showed a sliver of weakness in front of everyone else, let alone a super villain? Especially in front of a super villain was the most dangerous time to show such fragile things.
Here comes the rumble of the thunder
Lightning spears tear the sky asunder
The rain may rage, winds may howl,
I raise my hands above my head unbowed
The sudden pound of the drum almost jolted Duck off the piano stool. He had to give it to Maidella; she certainly knew how to captivate her listeners with the power of voice and sound and then mirror the lyrics to the music without it feeling like a silent movie.
I'll be dancing in the storm
While everyone watches from indoors
Let the rain soak my skin
While people won't let a drop in
I'll feel the warmth
They'll feel the cold
I'll be dancing in the storm
Each word stirred Duck's turmoil into a dull ache in his stomach that his muscles tightened around it. He didn't want this discomfort and yet he couldn't help but resonate with it. Rev was right about it suiting him very well. The unpredictability of the rhythm, the ethereal harmonies laying the ground for the intertwining melodies, and the playful lyrics vocalising what he could never express in his own words. His hands moved around the keys, his fingers tapping on the keys that matched the notes he heard.
The second verse, chorus, bridge, and last chorus came in waves of delicate piano tinkering, spirited vocals, intense drumbeats, and electric guitar growls. On the last faded piano notes, Duck felt the calmness wash over him but he still felt the sensation of the storm from the song.
"So… what do you think?" Rev's voice snapped Duck back into the living room. He could see concern on the roadrunner's face so he composed himself as much as he felt he lost during the last few minutes.
"It's something I've never heard before, but it's not bad. I like it. We can give it a go. I've kind of got the piano part down." Duck shifted in his seat and rolled his shoulders before he placed his hands on the keys.
His fingers prodded the piano, recreating the introduction as he remembered it. It wasn't quite as perfected as Maidella's performance but it's never going to be after only listening to the song once. Once more, he found himself in the storm of an emotional journey with Rev supplying the mesmerising melody. Considering he hadn't played since he was in his teenage years, Rev wasn't doing too bad either. Duck had never seen the youngster as intensely focused as now. It felt almost unnatural. And yet here they were, filling the air with a sound that Duck mentally admitted he never thought was capable of making on his own, let alone both of them together.
Suddenly Rev's swaying caught Duck's glance as he paced around the piano, taking the song title to some literal extent. Even when playing a musical instrument, Rev couldn't stand still. Duck couldn't imagine how devastating it would be if something prevented Rev from being able to run ever again. In fact, anything that can incapacitate him and the thought of standing still would drive him to the brink of insanity. With every glance Duck gave to Rev, the latter would be at a different place around the piano. He practically danced around it at this point. Despite Duck finding Rev's movements dizzying, he was impressed neither had slipped up or made any mistakes with their playing. Or if they had, it wasn't noticeable enough to stop. In fact, Duck found himself and Rev adding their own embellishments that may not have been in Maidella's song but found no objection in either choice they made.
The birds were in a world of their own. Their musical contribution was their expression that words couldn't justify.
As the last notes rung, Duck and Rev found themselves back in the living room once more, as if they'd woke up from a dream. They finally felt the sensation of cramping in their hands as their eyes locked on each other. The shock of having played what they considered an incredible duet together became more obvious when they heard a slow clap from one of the mechanical doors. Both birds turned their heads to the rest of the teammates, all with dropped jaws and stunned expressions.
How can I greet any readers who've been waiting ten years for this chapter to come out? With many ways not so well but for those who've been waiting for so long, your patience is very much appreciated.
So here I am, being dragged into this fandom once again. I don't know how it dug it's claws into me. Perhaps it's the need to feel some form of comfort as I've contracted scarlet fever and this was my answer. Maybe I've recently seen a Facebook post that talked about it and my engagement with it planted the seeds. Or it might be something else entirely. Whatever may be the cause, I intend to try and finish this fan fiction that I've started. It's only fair that I not only finish it but also finish it with the sensitivity, care, and empathy that it deserves due to the heavy subject matter.
On a little bit of a lighter note, I originally was going to use lyrics to Sia's Chandelier but decided against that as I felt it was too cringy. So I came up with something that's probably just as cringy but at least some effort was put behind it. I've also listened to a lot of Tori Amos (especially the song, 'Precious Things') while writing this so that was kind of the feeling I was going for in the lyrics and the song as a whole. It probably isn't anything like it but again, effort was made.