“I used to do this when I was younger,” Sylvain says, simply.
Dimitri stops. Stares, fingers pausing and hovering above the keys.
“Haha, I know. You can’t see it in me, right?” The laughter that comes is easy, open. Dimitri’s traitorous, love-stricken heart jumps.
His eyes follow the footsteps as Sylvain sidles up to him, and quite unceremoniously plops himself down beside Dimitri. The heat that seeps through from their suddenly pressed together thighs is enough to make Dimitri feel a little heady.
There’s a small, non-committal hum as Sylvain’s long, long fingers trail along the piano keys - testing, gentle. Dimitri can’t help the thought: he wishes those fingers were trailing alongside his jaw instead. Sylvain’s hand cupping his cheek, and Dimitri would let his eyes flutter shut, voices in his head stilling for once under the comforting weight of Sylvain’s hand, because Dimitri is a fool, because Dimitri has these feelings -
He cuts the thought before it can develop any further, shuddering breaths leaving his lips in puffs. Luckily for him, Sylvain doesn’t notice, amber eyes deeply focused on the apparition before him.
“I haven’t done this in a long time ...” And Dimitri does not know what that meant, whether it was a statement or a thought or a warning. But then Sylvain plays, and -
And Dimitri is stricken. His heart thumps, wild in abandon as he watches those fingers travel from key to key, graceful in the way Dimitri has never seen Sylvain, and in fact Dimitri has never seen Sylvain this quiet before, this focused, this soft.
It’s not perfect, the tune is off at times and Sylvain has to restart his melody more than thrice before muscle memory kicks in, but Dimitri is enraptured all the same. He never knew this side of Sylvain. He never knew Sylvain could or even knew how to play the piano.
Like this, Sylvain looks breathtakingly, dastardly handsome. And Dimitri always thinks he’s handsome, but not like this. Not like this: with softened eyes burning in memory and warmth, stray red strands falling into his face as Sylvain leans forward, slight and subconscious, lips blossoming into a nostalgic smile as he lets the music flow and carry him onwards.
This look of concentration is - priceless, precious, like he’s intruding in on something he shouldn’t. Dimitri can only gaze, wide-eyed in adoration, and commit every single detail of this moment to memory.