a song, lover, a song

jannik petersen • 49 • music manager to jack adler • copenhagen, denmark → boston, massachusetts → los angeles, california → catalina island, california 

[adriaxe]

petersen-jannik​:

@arturamos

It had been shockingly easy to mold his time and his life around the Arturo-shaped figure that had snuck his way in and never really left. Despite that, however, and how he and Turo spent ninety percent of their time together, they’d never gone on a proper date.

 Which was a crying shame, since Jannik had every intention to do just that.

New Year’s Eve, surprisingly, had been just the ticket, surprisingly enough. Jannik had expected it to go like most of the other Eve nights he’d had when he was on his own, working late and coming home later. But having Arturo around meant that he’d learned a few more self-preservation skills, the kind that he’d let go or slipped on over the years despite his self-awareness. 

Still, some things never changed, as was evident by the younger man’s affectionate needling as he was nudged out of the house with bags of takeout and forced to leave behind everything but his phone, wallet, keys and the clothes on his back. 

“I’m already on the boat, Turo,” he responded, grinning, as he slipped the mooring line from its place on the dock before striding to the pit door to grab the discarded food bags. Raising a brow, Jannik stuck his head in and shook the bags in hand. “Did you buy the whole restaurant or just everything but the sink?”

-

There was an energy in his chest, buzzing like bees had mistaken his heart for their nest. It had been so long since he’d had this feeling that he almost couldn’t identify it. Arturo was excited. He starts the engine and pulls away from the dock before the boat’s navigation even has time to boot up properly (and by GPS system he means the rigged GPS device mounted to the left of the steering wheel that he didn’t even think to turn on until they were well away from shore).

“It’s our first date,” he says by way of an excuse. “I figured we couldn’t have too much. We can always heat up leftovers tomorrow.” The waters are calm tonight and it’s hard to tell where the sky stops and the ocean begins. “There’s a blanket in the cabin below deck. Not the one on the bed. The one that’s folded on the foot. Bring it up and I’ll help you set up once we get far enough out.”

[petersen-jannik]

@arturamos

As excuses for buying half of a restaurant’s menu, ‘it’s our first date’ was a decent one. Jannik could freely admit that but, well, he enjoy teasing the other man a bit too much to do that quite yet. There was something about it, about Arturo, that made his heart race a bit more than normal, pounding away in his chest like he’d run a mile, a buzzing anxiety to it that made him feel simultaneously excited and sick at the prospect of it. 

It was a feeling he was learning to get used to and happily so, if it meant the other man was in his life.

So, Jannik leaned in the doorway of the pit and watched Arturo settle into his role of seaman like it was a second skin, barely glancing at the GPS to the side of the steering wheel (and probably only mostly out of accident rather than habit, since Nik well knew that it wasn’t always there, he’d been on the Rocksteady enough times to know that). They had a bit of time to kill before they got out to a place Turo liked and Nik knew that. He didn’t mind idling for a while or ducking into the pit to squeeze a hand around Arturo’s hip, humming at his words, and drop a kiss to the top of his head before disappearing below decks. 

He came back carrying the appropriate blanket folded beneath his arm. 

[adriaxe]

@petersen-jannik

They’d fallen into this so easily, that it was difficult to remember a time when they hadn’t been a pair. Though, with that ease of comfort came the roles of an elderly married couple and the realization that, since their kiss months ago in Boston, Arturo and Jannik had not yet had any kind of real date.

So, with a romantic New Years Eve planned, Turo ushered him out of the house and onto the Rocksteady before anyone could rope Nik into attending some kind of party to which Turo would inevitably tag along. 

“I’m setting sail in five minutes whether or not your ass is on this boat,” he laughs, putting down the bags of take-out and the bottle of sparkling cider so he could slip into the pit and start the engine. “Tik tok.”

[petersen-jannik]

@arturamos

It had been shockingly easy to mold his time and his life around the Arturo-shaped figure that had snuck his way in and never really left. Despite that, however, and how he and Turo spent ninety percent of their time together, they’d never gone on a proper date.

 Which was a crying shame, since Jannik had every intention to do just that.

New Year’s Eve, surprisingly, had been just the ticket, surprisingly enough. Jannik had expected it to go like most of the other Eve nights he’d had when he was on his own, working late and coming home later. But having Arturo around meant that he’d learned a few more self-preservation skills, the kind that he’d let go or slipped on over the years despite his self-awareness. 

Still, some things never changed, as was evident by the younger man’s affectionate needling as he was nudged out of the house with bags of takeout and forced to leave behind everything but his phone, wallet, keys and the clothes on his back. 

“I’m already on the boat, Turo,” he responded, grinning, as he slipped the mooring line from its place on the dock before striding to the pit door to grab the discarded food bags. Raising a brow, Jannik stuck his head in and shook the bags in hand. “Did you buy the whole restaurant or just everything but the sink?”

[maliaplayer1]

Who: @petersen-jannik​

Where: Park near Descanso Beach

When: December 31st @ 4pm

Malia grinned a little as she watched her children laugh and play at the toddler park near the beach. They were still so excited about the new year and they really wanted to stay up, but she knew that they would completely knock out way before midnight. To compromise, they had Noon Year’s Eve. Malia decorated the living room and set up sparkling cider and snacks. There was even a countdown on one of the children’s channels that they got to watch and shout about the new year together. The kids were very excited. 

After a great lunch of Ricci’s pasta and some time playing with the new toys they got and the viewing of a movie, Malia packed the twins up and brought them to the park so that they could see Mr. Nik. Any time they spent with Jannik was the best time of their lives. They had become so closely attached to him so quickly that it blew Malia’s mind. As soon as she got them out of her SUV, they had ran straight to the older man and hugged him yelling happy new year to him and telling them about their noon year’s eve before running off to the playground. Malia sat on a bench nearby with the older man. “So what will you be up to tonight? Hopefully, something fun and exciting.” she smirked as she pulled Tommy’s CIA jacket around her tighter. “Or will you be at your piano making sweet music?” she teased a little. 

[petersen-jannik]

@maliaplayer1

This day, for many reasons, was one that Jannik despised. New Year’s Eve, Fourth of July. Each of them were crowded and loud and full of drunken fools with no sense of self-preservation. They made his anxiety skyrocket and his loathing for crowded areas all the more apparent. And, yet, he endured most of the noise if it meant being able to see the people he considered his family, those he cared about. 

And that had quickly come to include Malia Davis and her children. 

They had become two of his favorite subjects over the last few weeks of their instruction and his lessons with Tahlia and Tahj and the conversations he had with their mother in the interim were some of his most appealing interactions he had connected to his music and his career. So, when Malia had asked if he wanted to meet on New Year’s Eve to give the twins a happy New Year, Jannik had readily agreed. 

He fully expected the reaction to get but when Tahj and Tahlia and run full tilt into his legs, wrapping around them and making him teeter before he regained his balance. He bent down to wrap his arms around them both with a smile, waving his hello to their mother when she came into view. The twins scurried off about then, having filled him in rapid-fire on their day before heading for the playground. 

Standing to his full height when Malia came close, Nik huffed out a laugh and smiled down at her, lopsided, as he gave a shrug. “Probably no music, though there should be dinner with a few people earlier in the evening. Plans for a quiet evening with Arturo, afterward.” 

[amelialandon]

Starter for: @petersen-jannik​ Where: Nik’s house

After her first surprise visit to Jack, Amelia knew that Nik was going to be the next visit that she would have to make. But there was no way that she was going to end up at his place without any gift to bring. A gift because he was basically family but also because this man had been looking after Jack. She could remember that one of the last times that she had seen Nik she had asked him to look after her brother, despite the fact that she knew that she didn’t have to ask him that.

With a bag of groceries - that contained steak, potatoes and some vegetables - she walked up to his house. Amelia had decided to leave Diane with Seth for the day as she made this visit, simply because she also wanted to talk about some things that Diane didn’t have to hear just yet at her young age. So she was standing in front of the door alone as she rang the doorbell and waited for the man to open up the door for her.

[petersen-jannik]

@amelialandon​

After hearing from Jack and the surprise visit that he’d received from his sister, Jannik knew it was only a matter of time before Amelia had shown up at his home. Certainly, they had seen one another during the Thanksgiving holiday, a fact that had brightened his mood considerably, given what had happened so recently in Boston, but this was different. 

This meant an Adler-esque insurgency like no other. Amelia had learned from her mothers, after all. 

When she rang the bell, merely standing on his doorstep with food and a smile, Jannik shook his head and opened the door for her, grin lopsided as he took her and her armload of food in. 

“You look wonderful, Melly. How is that marvelous little girl of yours? Is she a prodigy yet,” he teased, drawing her into a hug as he shut the door behind her. 

[alice-nyaoro]

Location: Bistro At The Atwater Status: Closed With: Jannik @petersen-jannik

“Hey!” Alice gave a friendly wave to Jannik as soon as he was to enter the Bistro. She was easy to spot, given she was in a corner spot beside a window at the front of the restaurant. Briefly, she thought that he should see her when walking past just outside. But, just to be sure, she briefly held up a restaurant menu, giving it a wave.

All in all, she was fairly excited to have something to do. She and Jannik had only met once or twice at a mutual friend’s dinner party, but he seemed fairly interesting, so she had thought to befriend him further over a nice lunch.

“Have you ever been here?” Alice asked. “I have, but I’m still not sure what to try. Something tells me you might know more than me, but I’m not sure what’s giving me that feeling.”

[petersen-jannik]

@alice-nyaoro

Jannik was surprised by the phonecall he received from Ms. Nyaoro but not an unwelcome one. Though they’d only spoken to one another previously once or twice, there was a certain understanding of one another that existed by way of traveling in the same circles. Albeit a slightly different musicians circle that he ran in nowadays, Nik was all too familiar with the classical circuit, as that was his first love.

Entering the Bistro, Nik was surprised to see that it was neither as crowded as he had believed it to be nor the fact that Alice was already seated at a table by a window. Raising his hand to return the gesture (and to let her know she’d been seen), Jannik made his way toward the table a moment later. 

When he sat, Jannik offered a small smile. “I have, once or twice. Usually with clients from Los Angeles, as most of them stay here. I stay away from the seafood, but that’s because I am highly allergic. The steaks are lovely though, as are the lamb and chicken. Pork, of course, is another option, though only if you eat it.” 

[petersen-jannik]

arturamos​:

-

Sometimes it was still hard to fall asleep on something solid. Arturo had been rocked to sleep by the ocean almost every night for the last few years. Not only that, but before Jannik, he can’t remember who the last person he’d woken up next to in the early hours of the morning.

“Morning,” me managed a yawn as he turned over to his side. Arturo couldn’t argue that this part was nice. The warmth of having someone to hold close. He rested his head against Jannik’s shoulder, an arm draped across his midsection. “Slept well. Didn’t sleep enough.” Despite his best efforts, Arturo had never quite managed to turn himself into a morning person. He closed his eyes and let his body go still, but the tell tale signs of a smirk played at his lips.

“Don’t make me get up.”

@arturamos​

The sight of Arturo in the morning was one that Jannik had learned to get used to rather quickly, even if it had been decades since someone had shared his bed for longer than a night or two. There was something comforting about sharing a bed with someone whom you cared for, but the emotion of it all was certainly an adjustment.

“Go back to sleep, then,” he murmured, removing his glasses and setting them on the side table, on top of the book. “It is Sunday after all.” He most definitely was not going to say no to a bit of a lazy morning. After everything that had gone on with Jack and other clients these past few months, it was enough to slow down, sometimes, and enjoy the quieter moments. 

His hand, still curled into the hair at the top of Arturo’s head, moved from the other man’s bedhead to cup the nape of his neck, thumb drawing little circles into the soft hairs there. 

[petersen-jannik]

lazy sunday || janturo

@arturamos​

The sunlight peeking through the crack in the curtains stretched across the bedroom floor to slice across the footboard where a Poodle lay sprawled, belly up, in deep slumber. If you scanned up the bed, you would find two men, also asleep, one with arms wound around the other, face burrowed in his hair. 

Jannik Petersen stirred, face scrunching up at the early morning light and snuffled as he pressed his face more firmly into Arturo’s head, a hand stroking lazily down the expanse of back and shoulder blade his palm could reach. There was a stillness, a peace, here. His mind was quietest in this early morning hours and, particularly, on those days were he felt he could idle for a while. 

Arturo stirred some time later and Nik leaned back toward him, pressing an idle kiss to the top of his head, reading glasses balanced on the bridge of his nose. “Good morning. Did you sleep alright?”

[petersen-jannik]

maliaplayer1​:

▧

Malia offered him a small smile as he winked at her. He had told her about what he was planning to do with the twins and she actually thought it was a very tricky and wonderful idea. Both of her children hummed the songs from their favorite shows and movies so she knew that this would reel them in to liking the piano and wanting to play it. Malia was really hoping that they would want to play it, especially Tahlia to help with her expressing herself clearly like Jack…She took a breath unable to finish the sentence and pinching herself as punishment. 

The children had already taken each of Nik’s hands and was pulling him inside the house and towards the grand piano that sat off to the side of the living room. It looked a bit different from the last time Nik had come over. Of course, there were Christmas decorations filling the large house. Wreaths, garlands, and varying strung lights were hung and wrapped around entrances and bannisters. A large tree stood off to the side of the fireplace perfectly decorated with some presents already under it. Various seasonal pillows and throws were on her large couch and small trinkets of the season were perfectly placed on tables and shelves. The most striking difference was that her large wedding picture that usually hung above her mantle was no longer there. Instead, just a few pictures of her and her deceased husband together and with the twins as infants placed in a handful of places instead of in every place that would catch one’s eye. A decision Malia had made in a happier, braver time. Now, she just wanted to return the pictures to their rightful places because it was clear that Tommy would be the only one who could make her happy in this life. 

She lowered herself into a chair that was near the piano as the twins looked at the piano with wide eyes before Tahlia put her hands behind her back and Tahj shoved his into his pockets. They knew the rules Malia had for them and the piano. They do not touch it or go near it without her approval and an adult nearby. Tahlia ran back to her climbing in her lap, peering with wide eyes before Tahj walked a bit back to his mother but still close enough to watch whatever Jannik was going to do to it. “Tahjy, it’s okay if you want to sit with Mr. Nik.” Malia encouraged from her seat and whispered the same into Tahlia’s ear. Her son walked a bit closer to the older man and the large instrument. ‘I be careful, Mr. Nik.’ he said in a whisper. Tahlia looked at her mother who kissed her forehead and nodded for her to join Jannik and her brother. Slowly, the curly haired toddler made her way to the bench and tried to climb up on it, clearly struggling a bit. “I can put them on the bench or they can stand with me. I wasn’t sure what you wanted.” Malia said with a slight shrug.

@maliaplayer1​

With his nefarious plan to get the twins to like the piano in motion, as approved by their mother, Jannik followed as Tahlia and Tahj both dragged him into the home with both their little hands wrapped around one of his own. They babbled excitedly at him, telling himeverything that they had done since he had last seen them, approximately a week or so ago when they’d run into him at the market. Just as they were doing now, he’d had his ear talked off. Nik didn’t mind, though. Children were often like this around him, Jack included, so the Dane had discovered he should just listen and nod attentatively and ask questions here and there to keep their attention. 

It usually did the trick. 

Malia’s home, he saw as he was quite literally dragged through the foyer into the main living room, was decorated for the holiday. Quite beautifully, if Jannik was asked his opinion, and just as he would have pictured it to be. He was unsurprised to see the presents already gathered beneath the tree, just as he was not surprised at the garland and lights and all of the decorative pillows everywhere. In fact--

“Tahlia, did anyone ever tell your mother that the couch is for sitting, not a pillow fort?” The little girl giggled at him, clearly finding his words amusing, and Jannik shot a small, mischievous grin back to Malia, ensuring that she knew he meant nothing by it. “Did you help her decorate?” The twins nodded. Jannik believed them, though he wondered how much helping a pair of toddlers could achieve when hanging garland, wreaths, and placing presents beneath the tree. 

He noticed, as well, that the pictures on the walls, mantleplace, and throughout the room had changed, though he kept those thoughts to himself. 

Removing his coat to drape over a chair once he was sufficiently placed to the twins’ approval, Nik turned to look at the piano. He ran a hand over her side, lifted the lid to peer at the ivory keys; he would need to make sure it was properly tuned, as well, and that there would be enough time to show the children where to place there hands and on which keys to make which sounds. In truth, he found demonstration was usually the best introductory method, so he pulled the bench out a bit and seated himself before turning to Malia, Tahj, and Tahlia. 

Tahj was still standing close, whispering that he would be careful, and Jannik gave him a kind smile before beckoning him closer with a hand. Once he was sufficiently within range, Nik reached down and scooped him up onto the seat beside him, waiting for Tahlia to come running over before he addressed their mother. “Either is fine. Tahj can sit here for now. I am going to play something for them so that they may hear what it can sound like and then if Tahlia would like, she may sit with us, as well.” 

And, then, with a quiet whisper for Tahj to be careful where he kept his hands, Jannik began to play the music he had poured through for days before coming here, knowing that it would help the children. He had no sheet music, yet the notes poured from his fingertips, anyway. It was as easy for him as breathing.

[petersen-jannik]

jackadler​: 

Blue eyes halt on the man before him before they grace the ocean again. He pictures Arturo in a large sea boat, thinking of Jannik. The image alone makes him chipper, his romance-obsessed heart growing another size inside his chest. “You know his schedule now?” Jack teases once again, laughter weaving through his words. He sits back in his seat then, one leg crossing over the other. “I liked having him here on Thanksgiving. It made everything feel so homey again. Like in Boston.” The singer admits, eyes still glued to the shore. Another melody pops into his head, a slow one with tricking guitar. He makes a mental note of it before focusing back in on reality.

“I like it out here for writing,” He says, another subtle confession. Jack had been inside for days now, either wallowing or content. It was a constant battle, the back and forth. Though, over time, he’s convinced himself that this was much better than how he was just two months ago. Perhaps that much was a given. “It’s the main reason I got this house, you know. The water just outside. You can’t get this kind of view in LA. It’s never this pristine.”

That’s when he looks to Nik once more, his smile growing, “How do you feel about him? Turo, I mean.”

@jackadler​

He knows that look that’s crossing Jack’s face before it’s even fully formed, before he’s even actually seen it; he knows what it looks like because Jack Adler is a lovesick fool and Jannik would have him no other way, even if the younger man’s ribbing was, occasionally, vexing. It was all in good fun and Nik knew that, even if he tossed a half-hearted glare over his shoulder, anyway. He did have a reputation to uphold, after all. Still, there was still a hint of a smile on his face whenever Arturo’s name was mentioned no matter how much Jannik tried to wipe it off of his face. 

“I have known his schedule. For quite some time, actually.” He wondered what Jack would say if Jannik told him the other man had stayed at the house every night since their return from Boston. If he would tease before being happy about it; he couldn’t imagine Jack being anything but that --happy-- for him. He, among every other member of the Adler clan, had been pondering over his love life for decades. 

It was their favorite American past time. 

It is also why he deems him worthy of the information he’s being given. “He comes and goes quite a lot, on the Rocksteady and at the house. He has a key, in case Tilde needs to be let out and I am not home.” It was a mostly true answer. Ms. Norwood also had a key, but she was Tilde’s actual sitter; the poodle merely enjoyed the other man’s company, as her owner did. He looks down at his hands once he is through, tapping out a staccato rhythm against the wood before glancing up again. 

“He has that affect, doesn’t he?” There was that smile again, curling around his mouth to give him away, the traitor. “Turo wants to see his mother and sister for Christmas.” He admits this almost sheepishly, fidgeting to cross his feet at the ankles to face Jack more fully. Nik changed the subject, then, directing it back to his own questioning on the way out onto the porch with a slight nod. “This house was a perfect choice for you for thatvery  reason. You have always thought best outside, though sometimes I imagine it was also so the snow would bury all your schoolwork.” 

There was a bit of laughter in his eyes at his own teasing. Jack was smart but he had always dawdled when it came to anything but music, letting his mind wander through his maths and literature homework with lyrics scribbled along the edges of the page. “But, Los Angeles is filthy. Though the offices are there, I am glad I moved out here, for many reasons.” One of them was the man who sat in front of him, one whom he called son to those who knew them, and the other was the one Jack was fishing about, smile growing mischief and sprouting wings. 

The instinct to say that he loves the other man sits heavy at the tip of his tongue and he has to bite it down, knowing that Jack would not let him forget it. He had not said it, not in so many words, but he meant every action that alluded to it, every time. Nik’s second instinct is not to say anything at all, as he had always done, but it feels cheap. He realizes he doesn’t want to swallow down the words, not anymore. 

“Arturo...is special. He flew across the country after I called him in the middle of the night, never having been anywhere outside of California since he was a boy, because he thought we would need someone to be there. When I cannot sleep, I go to the Rocksteady” --this was something he hadn’t dared utter aloud, not even to Arturo-- “because I feel as though I can with him there. I have never felt like this before, about anyone, but it...it is Arturo.”

He figured that spoke enough on its own.

[maliaplayer1]

Who: @petersen-jannik​ Where: Malia’s backyard in Ventura-Tahlia and Tahj’s birthday party When: Sunday, December 20th 1pm

One hour into the party and everything was going pretty well, Malia thought. She had a few interactions with adults and as painful as it was, she had pushed herself through it seeing the smiles on Tahlia and Tahj’s faces as their friends showed up in their ocean themed best attire. They had run off with them to do the various things that Malia had set up: the sea creature petting zoo, face painting, live characters to interact with, a bouncy house, and much more. There was plenty of fun for adults and children at least she had paid the party planners enough so there would be.

She was arranging the gifts on the gift table when she saw a familiar presence sitting nearby as Tahlia showed him a starfish with wonder in her eyes. She had opened up to Jannik the more and more he had come over for their piano lessons. It was as if the music was helping her and they both knew it. “Have you learned about all the sea creatures yet or has she just started?” Malia grinned softly. It was harder to do these days and she assumed they both knew why. “Thank you for coming. I really appreciate it.”

[petersen-jannik]

@maliaplayer1​

Jannik was continually surprised whenever he went to a children’s birthday party and was accosted by the sheer number of adults roped into attending them. There was always something very interesting about it, in fact, the way that parents wouldn’t just leave after dropping their children off but, instead, forced their host to undergo the torture of small talk. 

Could you tell he hated it yet? 

Regardless of his personal feelings about such gatherings and the way that they affected the children, and adults, who attended them, Jannik would have come to this party regardless. The twins were absolute darlings and they deserved to have fun on their birthday, to eat as much sugar as their little bodies could handle, and crash out on the floor of their rooms. It helped, as well, that Tahlia had him wrapped around her pinkie finger. 

The little girl in question had honed in on him the moment he’d shown up, tugging him this way and that to every station her mother had set up for her and Tahj and babbling away as she did. Nik listened intently, smiled genuinely when she showed him the latest finding from the petting zoo (a purple starfish this time), and had a good time ignoring all of the other adults around him because they did not matter one whit. 

Well. One of them did but she had only just shown up. 

“Oh, I’ve learned about absolutely every creature twice over. But I do not mind,” he mumbled, watching with a little laugh as Tahlia raced away to find another creature. “She would probably like going to see the whales, you know. You should take them out one day. I’m sure Arturo would be more than happy to.” The grin that curled around his face, made softer by the thought of the other man, was warm and lingered for a moment before Nik ducked his head and cleared his throat. 

“But it was no trouble, really.” He’d cleared his whole schedule for the day but she didn’t need to know that. 

[petersen-jannik]

[the note attached to a large parcel, probably dropped off at Will’s door]

Dear Will, ( @will--matthews )

Though this year has been a rough one for many you seem to have held your own remarkably well. For your gift, I wanted to thank you for the service you do. Helping others is no easy feat, for some, but now someone wants to give back to you, just a little bit. Attached you will find a new outdoor jacket to keep you warm, as I know from experience that the trails around the island can get rather cold. The dog is, as it were, a ‘redeem as you’d wish.’ You do so much for so many, why not give you a friend to help you right along? There’s a spot reserved at the animal shelter with your name on it. Go make a best friend. Or, if you do not like dogs, a cat will do just fine. Finally, a free year’s supply of ice cream, for after those hard days at work when you need to relax and unwind. 

Yours, 

Santa’s Little Helper ( J. Petersen )

[jackadler]

STARTER FOR: @petersen-jannik​ LOCATION: Jack’s home, outside on the porch. DATE AND TIME: December 18th, 2020. 1:00PM.

The weather was cool, earning in the apples of Jack’s cheeks to turn a subtle shade of rose pink. In the distance, the ocean still licks the shore, leaving a wash of darkened sand in its wake. Guitar in hand, notebook on the table before him, Jack watches it move. It’s a bit of a trance, Jack’s expression absentminded, when really an abundance of words and phrases form inside his mind. It was one of his usual songwriting processes. It comes in bursts.

After a few more moments of songwriting bursts, the sound of the backdoor opening pulls him from his trance. Jack’s light eyes avert to the source, smiling fondly as Jannik comes outside. The singer’s guitar is set to the side, Jack propping it up against the chair to his right. “Hey, stranger,” He says, sitting back, propping one foot up on the table. “Where’s Turo?” Jack teases, arching his brows in amusement.

[petersen-jannik]

@jackadler​

It had been about a month, give or take, since Jannik had stepped foot in Jack’s home. Or, rather, had stepped foot in his home and Jack was not immediately within sight. There was something that would always skewer Nik through the heart at the sight of an empty, silent house but it was one he was beginning to learn to ignore, particularly when it came to Jack. This time, after all, he knew where the other man was. 

Winding his way through the house after giving Jack’s dog a few scritches behind the ears, Nik found himself drawn to the back porch and to where he knew the musician would be holed up. If he wasn’t in his  home studio working then this was where he was most likely to be, no matter what the temperature outside may be. 

Jannik returns the smile he is given as the door closes quietly behind him. It was good to see Jack smiling again. 

“Hello to you too, Jackie,” he says, tone light as he meanders across the porch to lean against the railing, watching the water pull out with the tide down the beach. There was always a constant hum of sound or color sifting through the fog of his brain, sometimes more subtle and other times far from it, but it was always a welcome change whenever Jannik was in Jack’s presence. The familiar colors were, well, familiar and it was enough to ease the tight set of his shoulders to something more relaxed, pretending he didn’t hear the other man’s teasing for a few moments as he watched the water. 

Finally, he turned his head and gave a small smile, gesturing to the ocean with a laugh, “Out there, most likely. I believe he has a tour until later this afternoon.” He was careful to hedge around the fact that Nik would, most certainly, see the man tonight for dinner, as he had done for the past month or so, but figured the other man deserved some explanation for his teasing. 

“And why are you out here freezing, hm? You could not think inside where it is warm and you have central heating?” 

[maliaplayer1]

Who: @petersen-jannik​ Where: Malia’s House in Ventura

‘Momma, Pretty Jack come back?’ Tahlia asked as Malia brushed her hair into two curly pigtails, one on each side of her head. Malia smiled as she wrapped a hair tie around the last pigtail and brushed the light hairs on her forehead. “Not today, Tahli. Today, Mr. Nik comes to start you and Tahjy’s piano lessons.” she reminded her daughter. ‘I likes Mr. Nik.’ Tahj informed them both from Malia’s right side. “I’m glad because he’s going to help you learn how to play the big piano that Mommy says you can’t touch without an adult.” she winked over to Tahj.

She was glad that Nik was willing to come and teach the twins. She wasn’t sure she could find a better instructor anywhere else. Nik had the patience of a saint and the kids loved him so she felt like this was going to be a good partnership. The doorbell rang and both pairs of her toddlers’ legs ran to the front door. “Hey! You can’t open the door without Mommy.” she called to them before running after them. Tahlia attempted to reach the knob, but couldn’t causing a frown on the young girl’s face. Tahj, who had recently grown a few inches taller than his sister, easily gripped the knob, but couldn’t turn it causing another frown. Malia smiled before turning it for both of them and backing them up. “Hi, Nik. Thanks for coming and being willing to deal with these two.” she smirked as they greeted him with calls of ‘Mr. Nik! Mr. Nik!’

[petersen-jannik]

@maliaplayer1​

Of all the things that could have come from Jack’s dating life and Jannik’s clientele intersecting, becoming friends with the woman was not one of them the manager had in mind. He couldn’t say that he was disappointed, however. Malia was a wonderful woman; at turns kind and stern but also sweet, smart, and entirely out of Jack’s league. 

And, yes, he would absolutely tell him that. 

He had been pleasantly surprised when the younger woman has asked him to teach her twins an instrument, particularly the piano, as that was what she had in her home. Nik would have been happy to teach them, however, even if she didn’t. He had two of his own, some of his most beloved possessions alongside his guitars, but they were more than that. 

If anything, music was his emotion. He wanted to be able to share that with Malia’s children, teach them how to use that, even if they didn’t harness or love it the way he did. The yelling from inside said house as he rapped his knuckles against the front door made him smile, ever so slightly, as he waited for Malia and the children to open the door. 

“Hello Malia, Tahj, Tahlia,” he said, smiling at all three of them in turn as he stepped into the home, “I hope the two of you are ready for some fun. I’ve something I want to show you to play that I think you’ll like.” He winked at their mother conspiratorially as the twins gawked up at him, two blinding grins stretched across their faces. He’d told her about his endeavor to recreate the theme songs from their favorite shows. He figured it would help them learn.

And, he was not above a little bribery, even of toddlers. 

[romancegifs]

Bradley Cooper & Eric Dane VALENTINE’S DAY (2010) dir. Garry Marshall

[petersen-jannik]

@arturamos

[adriaxe]

petersen-jannik​:

@arturamos​

In the silence that is created by the climax, crescendo, and the fall of the operatic aria, Jannik does not expect for it to hit home what he has just revealed so succinctly. But, as always, he gets lost in the music, in the feeling of it and the parts of himself it reveals and it is almost too late before he recognizes it. 

It is a slow swelling up from the breast, the ripple of shivers as they race down his spine and dimple his skin with goosebumps. It is the slow and steady thrumming of his own heartbeat in his chest, fluttering wildly at his pulse when he hears his own name, turns to look, and is swallowed up in Arturo’s eyes. 

It is that split second hesitation before the fall over a cliff face into the water, that last breath of air before your head is submerged. 

The extra weight of Arturo’s body leaning into his own throws Nik off balance, more than the kiss already had, yet he still reaches up to slide feather-light fingers across the other man’s jaw once he rights them both, sliding them into the back of his hair and rubbing circles into the nape of his neck. When he breaks away it is to press soft kisses to the lids of his eyes and the dimple at his cheek, words caught in his throat for the moment but hoping the actions really could speak louder just this once. 

It has been too long since Arturo has kissed someone like this. He doesn’t want to think about the vast empty space between now and that last time, so unremarkable that he honestly can’t remember it. The details if falling away and twisting into other, more distant memories. And even longer ago still, was the last time he felt this tightness in his chest for another person. 

After a month of carefully choreographed dances around Jannik kissing him in Boston–tinted with exhaustion, fear, and almost tragedy–it feels better than Turo could have imagined to just turn the over analytical parts of his mind off and lean into something he hadn’t realized he’d longed for. And yet, in the moment he can’t stop his thoughts from racing. Panic directing his anxieties to the worst possible outcomes of this exact moment. But for now, Jannik is kissing him back, fingers dragging pleasantly across his skin.

And when he pulls away, Turo feels himself trail in, his body wanting more of that feeling, the high of letting himself get lost in another person for just a moment. He watches Jannik, not realizing that his mouth has been left in a slack and easy grin. A moment passes, then another, and then another agonizing moment in which neither man speaks and the only sound is gentle eb and flow of the tide against the beach. So Turo clears his throat, forcing a sound to break the heavy silence. “I, ah, think this makes us even now, doesn’t it?”

[petersen-jannik]

After weeks of dancing around what had happened in Boston, the comfort Arturo had become (had always been), this was like falling into that void space. It was more muscle memory than anything, kissing Turo, but it was something he remembered well, though it had only happened once in the fleeting dark

There was still a hesitancy here, too, because this was Arturo, this was a man that had become his best friend in such a short amount of time and, yet, it was easy to curl a hand around the back of his neck, so easy, and press his forehead to Arturo's to catch his breath when they broke apart. It was like he did not quite want to move away, didn't want to let go.

They breath and when Nik looks up he realizes that Turo is smiling, a grin that is wide and goofy and easy, and something loosens in his chest at the sight, enough for him to smile back. The grin is blinding, almost, in the dark. "Maybe," he finds himself saying with a little laugh, "or maybe we can try again. I don't think it went quite right."

[petersen-jannik]

arturamos​:

-

There’s something about the music coming from Jannik’s phone that strikes Arturo as harsh and chaotic. The dramatic music paired with a language he only vaguely recognizes as German sounds epic, like the climax of something. Arturo’s novice understanding of music leaves a gap in his understanding of this song that he never would have imagined associating with himself. But Jannik’s association is a neurological one. And it’s easy to recognize the effect this has over the other man. 

Arturo watches him get lost in it. And he, in turn, gets lost in Jannik.

It’s a voyeuristic sensation, like he’s watching something so personally it’s almost obscene. But he can’t pull his gaze away. He can’t make himself create the distance between the two of them that needs to be there that keeps them from crossing some imaginary line.

“Nik,” he mutters softly, just before he leaps over the line. Kissing the other man feels, all at once like a cascade of relief and an anxiety attack. The tension uncoils in his shoulders while his heart beats so fast that it feels like it might punch through his chest. It feels like they should have been doing this all along.

@arturamos​

In the silence that is created by the climax, crescendo, and the fall of the operatic aria, Jannik does not expect for it to hit home what he has just revealed so succinctly. But, as always, he gets lost in the music, in the feeling of it and the parts of himself it reveals and it is almost too late before he recognizes it. 

It is a slow swelling up from the breast, the ripple of shivers as they race down his spine and dimple his skin with goosebumps. It is the slow and steady thrumming of his own heartbeat in his chest, fluttering wildly at his pulse when he hears his own name, turns to look, and is swallowed up in Arturo’s eyes. 

It is that split second hesitation before the fall over a cliff face into the water, that last breath of air before your head is submerged. 

The extra weight of Arturo’s body leaning into his own throws Nik off balance, more than the kiss already had, yet he still reaches up to slide feather-light fingers across the other man’s jaw once he rights them both, sliding them into the back of his hair and rubbing circles into the nape of his neck. When he breaks away it is to press soft kisses to the lids of his eyes and the dimple at his cheek, words caught in his throat for the moment but hoping the actions really could speak louder just this once. 

[petersen-jannik]

arturamos​:

Their closeness held an intimacy that Arturo suddenly found himself unprepared for. The other man settled beside him in the sand, so close they were just nearly shoulder to shoulder. But the didn’t touch. Not yet. A thin layer of space between them existed like a shield. But what was it protecting them from?

Really, the intimacy had been there almost as long as the two men had known each other. The easy way their lives fit together. The mirror image of their needs and desires. And then Boston happened. And then they had spent weeks pointedly, it seemed, not talking about Boston. And all it once it seemed that everything had changed while everything also stayed the same. Their routines, their conversations, the simple gestures of touch that passed between them. They were all the same, but somehow now a different color, or a slightly irregular shape. Turo couldn’t put his finger on it, and to try to figure it out meant they would have to talk about it. Which they weren’t doing.

“Surprising how?” He dared to ask, feeling dangerously close to the truth of the matter.

@arturamos​

Surprising how? 

Ah, wasn’t that always the question. A small smile curved the corner of Jannik’s mouth upwards and his eyes meandered across Arturo’s face, a huff of laughter rolling out of his chest in a rippling wave, falling off into the smallest space between them. 

“Some people are more like color,” he began to explain, one hand moving between them lazily. “Others are sound. You are both sound and color, something that is not...usual. Of course most people would say everything I have told you is not usual but you...have a particular sound to you. It is--”

Comforting? Familiar? Arturo.

Brow wrinkling, Jannik hums for a moment before fishing his phone out of his pants’ pocket, shoulders brushing, and flicked through his music until he came across the thing he wanted. Nik let the song play for a moment, hairs standing up on his arms as he listened to the rise and fall, the crescendo of the song falling over him like it always did.