The Piano Men
The Piano Men
Sirius moved his fingers seamlessly across the keys, gently pressing the notes to form the familiar melody of Fur Elise. Remus listened intently, his eyes closed. He could practically imagine Sirius’ spindly fingers tapping each key, his black nail polish standing out against the white on the keyboard. Unable to picture it vividly enough for satisfaction, Remus stood from his seat in the armchair, placed his unopened book on the arm, and padded over to where Sirius was sitting at the piano. Remus stood a few steps behind Sirius, watching as he pressed each key with varying pressure. Remus had been right; Sirius’ black nail polish looked stark against the white of the keys. Remus found himself smiling as he listened to Sirius’ playing.
As the piece came to an end, Sirius shuffled up on the stool, making room for Remus beside him. Remus obliged and squished up against the other boy at the piano. Sirius’ hands lingered at the keyboard as he looked up at Remus. “What shall I play now?” He asked, quietly. Remus pondered this. “Do you know any Chopin?”. Sirius’ reply came as a grin and the immediate sound of the opening of Nocturne op. 9. Remus felt himself smile as he resumed his study of Sirius’ hands gliding across the keys. He thought it was unexpectedly graceful and encapsulated a certain part of Sirius’ beauty that Remus thought it a privilege to experience. This thought lingered for the remainder of the piece until Sirius removed his hands from the keyboard and settled them in his lap.
Remus couldn’t quite name what had overcome him, but he found his hands drawn to the keys. He gently placed them on the lower keys, and began playing the pitched down version of Billy Joel’s Piano Man. It was the only song he knew how to play on the piano, and he vaguely recalled his mother teaching him when he was young. Remus hesitated on the parts he couldn’t remember and eventually trailed off, disappointed his memory had failed him. He glanced up at Sirius, who was watching him silently, a secret smile on his face. Sirius repositioned his hands on the keys and played a few notes, seemingly in an experimental pattern.
Remus watched with an unreserved interest, and was surprised when Sirius’ hands dropped off the keys to retrieve Remus’ hands from his lap. Remus ignored the heat he felt on his cheeks as Sirius placed his fingers on certain keys. Sirius hummed the tune to himself for reference. Then, to Remus’ amazement, Sirius placed his hands over the top of Remus’ and began to press down on the keys. Sirius was playing the piano through Remus, showing Remus how to play. Remus hadn’t realised how close the two of them had become, but he now felt every inch of Sirius’ side pressed against him. Remus watched their hands moving in unison, his own scrawny fingers covered in the warmth of Sirius’. Together, they played Queen’s Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy. Remus grinned, committing the feeling to his memory. He marvelled at the graceful movement of their hands as one.
As the piece came to a close, Sirius’ fingers closed around Remus’ hands and held them firmly. He brought them down to his lap and rubbed his thumbs across Remus’ knuckles. Remus smiled at Sirius, silently thanking him. Sirius smiled back, silently thanking him in return.