Chapter Text
Melt stared intensely at the door, pulling at the hem of his shirt as an attempt to calm his roaring nerves.
He glanced back and forth from the door to the family nameplate, which read: Gotanda Household. On the family nameplate was an untidy note that said "Gotanda Studio". The paper looked as though it was about to fall off; the worn out tape hanging onto the wall for dear life. A sad sight to see, to say the least.
The apartment was yet another unfamiliar location that Aqua had sent to Melt. It wasn’t like he never met the director — although they never actually spoke before the incident. He sure as hell wasn’t so familiar with the man that he felt comfortable going to his house.
However, Aqua insisted he come over for extra practice. He spoke highly of Director Gotanda; explaining how the man taught him everything he knew about acting. Aqua told Melt he could learn a thing or two from Gotanda; how the director’s advice was the exact thing that had brought Aqua this far. Melt never doubted his words — if that was the man who taught Aqua to sparkle and shine as much as he did on stage, then Melt had more than a thing or two to learn from him.
He never would have guessed when he first met Gotanda, though. The director seemed so… worn out. He had messy hair and an unshaven face. His tired eyes seemed to bear the weight of the world. Then again, the first time Melt properly introduced himself to Gotanda was at the hospital. No one looked their best at the hospital; in fact, Melt imagined he looked just as bad, possibly even worse.
And at that time, Aqua…
No, Melt shook his head. He refused to think about it.
What happened was in the past. Aqua was doing better — Melt had seen it with his own eyes. Nothing like that would ever happen again, Melt tried to reassure himself, ignoring the small voice in his head that told him otherwise.
He wouldn’t think about it anymore either, he decided, which brought Melt’s attention back to the door. How long had he been standing there? He wouldn’t know, as his mind was turning and spinning with thoughts and memories that left Melt standing there and staring at the door, unable to open it.
He was keeping Aqua waiting; he knew.
With a deep breath, Melt rang the doorbell. He prepared himself to see Director Gotanda opening the door, but was greeted with Aqua’s familiar blue eyes. Melt sagged in relief.
“Oh,” Aqua blinked. “You came early.”
Did he? Melt had been standing right in front of the door for about twenty minutes— he was certain he would be late.
“I always show up early for practice.” Melt lied without missing a beat.
Aqua merely hummed in response.
Truth was, Melt often lost track of time, and even if he tried to come early, he would always end up right on time. However, whenever it came to practice with Aqua, he always found himself there early— incredibly early.
It was embarrassing.
“Well, don’t stand there like an idiot,” Aqua gestured to Melt to join him in the apartment. “Come in.”
Melt followed, choosing not to point out the ‘idiot’ comment. The apartment was nice and simple, not really what Melt imagined a famous movie director’s living room to look like. Then again, Aqua’s living room was simple as well, even though he and his sister were still famous across Japan— still appearing in the news every so often.
When Melt first entered showbiz, he expected all homes to be like Kana's, filled head to toe with her costly purchases. Melt was guilty of that himself in his early days— spending his first few paychecks on some of the most expensive things he could buy, assuming it would make him look cooler.
That habit quickly stopped around the time Tokyo Blade came around, back when Melt thought he didn’t deserve to spend the money he got in that way.
“By the way,” Aqua turned around to face Melt, cutting him from his thoughts. “The Director is still living with his mom, so expect her around sometimes.”
“You’re kidding?!”
“Wish I was,” Aqua muttered under his breath, almost as if it embarrassed him. “Don’t worry— she only bothers us when she wants us to eat. Her cooking is way better than the director’s, at least.”
“Hey, free food! I’m not complaining.” Melt flashed Aqua a grin, which gained him a blank stare. He tried to not let it get to him— after all, Melt had expected that response; Aqua was certainly not the kind of man to smile easily. However, every so often he caught a small, somewhat miserable, attempt of a smile creeping onto his face.
The first thing Melt noticed when Aqua opened the door to the director’s room was the strong smell of cigarette smoke. Not wanting to be rude, Melt tried not to say anything, but he couldn’t help but make a bitter face and wrinkle up his nose in disgust. Aqua didn’t notice though, going straight to Gotanda who was snoring in a chair in front of the computer.
“Get up.” Aqua picked up a script on the desk and lightly slapped the director’s face with it. “Melt is already here.”
Gotanda flinched away from Aqua’s slapping. A bit too much, at that, as he fell out of his chair and hit his head on the floor.
“Ow…” Gotanda hissed, rubbing the back of his head. “Hey! Watch where you’re slapping that thing, Prodigy!”
“Melt is here.” Aqua repeated, holding no remorse in his voice.
Gotanda continued to rub his head and hiss, before turning to face Melt, squinting at him and taking a moment to register his face.
“Oh. Purple haired kid. You’re early.”
“Thank you for having me over.” Melt tried his best to be polite. Really, the awful thing about Aqua inviting him over to so many houses was all of the manners he had to remember. Melt was still getting used to that— he never cared for manners back when the little fame he received in middle school had gotten to his head.
“Wasn’t me who invited you,” Gotanda pulled himself up, using his desk for support. “It was Aqua. Can you believe it? That kid never invites anyone over.”
Melt blinked. Of course, he knew Aqua wasn’t the most social of people. He couldn’t imagine Aqua inviting over many friends— assuming the man had many friends in the first place. But ever since practice began, it was often Aqua who invited Melt over. More so than Melt would, which he didn’t expect in the least.
“I do invite people over.” Aqua insisted. “That’s not important right now. Melt is here for practice.”
“Yeah, yeah. I remember.” Gotanda reached for his script, and Melt couldn’t help but notice how the tired look in his eyes never really left. He supposed the man just looked like that all the time. It didn’t surprise him too much though, considering the state of the director’s bedroom.
As it turned out, Gotanda was just as good as Aqua insisted he was. In fact, Melt couldn’t help but be surprised at all of the knowledge he learned in those hours— it reminded him a bit of when he practiced with Himekawa back in Tokyo Blade. Both Himekawa and Gotanda looked so damn exhausted all the time for a reason Melt didn’t know; he wondered if it had anything to do with being a professional.
Himekawa was incredible. Although Tokyo Blade practice was only a month long, Melt learned way more than he expected to by just watching the man. In a way, he supposed Aqua had that same talent. Just standing on the same stage as Aqua seemed to give him some sort of acting boost.
He could never figure out how Aqua managed to improve Melt’s horrid acting in the last episode of Sweet Today. How he pulled Melt, who previously had no talent, into an emotional scene so easily. Although his acting in the last episode wasn’t as good as a professional, it was far better than his sad attempts in the other episodes.
No. he wasn’t even trying in the other episodes. He didn’t even care in the other episodes, only worried about how well his face and hair looked in the film.
He wasn’t a real actor until the last episode.
All because of Aqua.
It didn’t matter how much time would pass, Melt would still find himself drawn in with Aqua’s acting, an urge to follow along and dance to the tunes he played. It was that very feeling that inspired him to pursue acting in the first place; it seemed he would never get tired of it. Even when they only practiced lines back and forth in Gotanda’s bedroom, Melt could feel the same passion he felt back on Sweet Today.
No matter how many times Melt had seen Aqua act, he longed for more.
Long after their practice, Melt’s thoughts never left Aqua. His acting has improved since the movie— Melt noticed. Of course he would notice, as he spent so much of his time studying the recordings of Tokyo Blade’s opening night; studying the way Aqua moved in his brief scene in the movie.
Dark Night’s Wrath might have been Aqua’s first main role, Melt realized.
He supposed that was why Aqua seemed to shine even brighter than Melt had ever seen before during their practices. No matter how much Melt tried, Aqua would always be two steps ahead of him.
“Hey.”
Though, Melt supposed, that was the very thing that kept him working hard, to reach the point where he could brush his fingertips against Aqua’s hand—
“Hey!” Kana’s voice cut through his thoughts, waving her hand in front of his face. “How long do you plan to ignore me here?!”
“Sorry…” Melt shifted around in his seat.
Kana tsked. “Just because you’re getting all buddy buddy with Aqua doesn’t mean you can forget about me. You could at least stop thinking about him while I’m talking to you.”
“I wasn’t thinking about Aqua.” Melt lied, but Kana wasn’t so easily fooled.
“I know that face very well, Melt—” She wagged a finger in front of his face. “You think I didn’t notice, but you’ve been making that face every day whenever you practice with Aqua.”
Was he really?
Melt groaned and sunk into his chair. He hoped Kana was the only one who noticed.
“I think he’s a talented actor. He’s the reason I’m here in the first place.” Melt admitted. “I just wish I could catch up to him.”
“You made a lot of progress since Tokyo Blade. Why get so discouraged?” Kana brought her coffee cup to her lips, sipping slowly.
Melt grumbled, picking up his own cup of coffee. He remembered to add more sugar that time around, so he could actually drink without scrunching up his face.
“It’s still not enough.” Melt took a deep breath. “I want to beat him, but at the same time, I don’t know what I will do when I get there. Right now, I’m just barely in his reach, which I never thought was even possible. Aqua even considers me to be a rival.”
Melt stared out the window, watching the people pass by, waiting to see if Kana would say anything. She didn’t, so Melt continued.
“I think… being rivals is nice. I want to be rivals forever.” Melt admitted. “But at the same time, I want us to be more. Something more than just rivals. I’m just not sure if Aqua will let me.”
Aqua had planned to only be close to him for the show, after all. Once the show ended, they would likely go back to being strangers, no matter how much Melt wished it could last forever.
He finally turned to Kana, who wore a nostalgic smile on her face.
“You really do love him, after all.”
“I—” Melt sputtered. “I don’t have a crush on Aqua.”
“Never said you had a crush on him.” Kana sipped her coffee innocently. “I just mean you care about him.”
Melt supposed Kana was right about that one; he wondered exactly when he started to care so much about Aqua, anyways? Before Dark Night’s Wrath, they had never hung out together, merely being castmates. Perhaps Melt started to care after the incident— after all, Aqua seemed to haunt his mind more than usual since that day.
“Caring about Aqua is what scares me.” Melt looked down at his coffee cup, tightening his grip around the handle. “What if I mess up, like I always do? What if I hurt him?”
“What if I leave him again?” Melt left that one unsaid.
“Melt, you’re an idiot.”
“Wh—” Before Melt could say anything else, Kana suddenly took his hands into her own.
“You want to get closer to Aqua, right?” She asked.
Melt nodded slowly.
“Then you need to talk to him! You need to stay by his side! If you avoid him after everything, you’ll only hurt him more than if you stayed.” Kana gripped Melt’s hands tighter. “You may not realize it yet, but more than anything, Aqua needs someone like you right now.”
Someone like him? Melt couldn’t fully believe Kana’s words— but at the same time, Kana knew Aqua for longer than he did. She was his closest friend, after all.
Kana loosened her grip on Melt’s hands. “Ever since Dark Night’s rehearsals started, ever since you began to hang out with Aqua, he’s been smiling more. I haven’t seen him happy like that in ages— he trusts you.”
Melt bit at his lip.
“Don’t break that trust. Stay by his side.” Kana looked Melt in the eye. “If you run away again, I’ll never forgive you, as Aqua’s friend.”
Melt’s throat felt dry. “He trusts me…”
Hearing those words made Melt’s heart do flips, but at the same time, it worried him more than anything. Melt wasn’t the greatest person in the world— in fact, Kana was the only friend he saw often before Aqua.
Anyone else who had ever known Melt only cared for his looks. For his pretty face, which could easily be destroyed in a matter of seconds. Everyone left him, replaced him too fast for him to even realize what was going on.
And then he would be alone again.
How could Aqua care— trust someone who had nothing but a good looking face to carry him throughout life?
Someone who was a burden to others, who ruined Sweet Today because he was careless?
Did Aqua not worry that Melt would do the same to him? To treat him carelessly, to hurt him, to ruin his life forever?
Aqua trusted Melt.
“I’ll do my best.” Melt squeezed Kana’s hands back. “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll stay by Aqua’s side as long as I can.”
“I’ll kick your ass if you fuck this up.” Kana smirked.
“I know.” Melt replied, silently praying it was just a joke.
Kana seemed satisfied with his answer, dropping the topic at that. She moved on to talking about Dark Night’s Wrath, more specifically, a major scene between her character and Akane’s character.
“This is my chance to settle this rivalry once and for all.” Kana said, gritting her teeth together. “I've been waiting years for this opportunity!”
Although Kana said that, Melt had a feeling that whatever was going on between the two wouldn’t end with Dark Night’s Wrath. He had been watching the two go back and forth long enough to assume that it wouldn’t end anytime soon, at that.
Each time Kana beat Akane, she would improve her acting and come back to beat Kana again. Each time Akane beat Kana, she would show up at Melt’s house to complain, before Kana would decide to improve on her end as well and show up to challenge Akane again.
No matter the results, they would never be satisfied, crawling back for more.
In a way, Melt supposed the rivalry was good for them. It was a way to push harder, motivation to improve. That was what a rivalry was all about, yet Melt couldn’t help but feel threatened by their passionate energy.
He decided he enjoyed the little rivalry between him and Aqua much, much more.
“Just wait until you see Kurokawa’s face tomorrow when I beat her,” Kana continued. “It will be priceless!”
“Good luck to that, then…” Melt turned his attention to his coffee. If he pointed out that Akane might have a trick up her sleeve herself, then Kana would demand to know whose side Melt really was on.
Kana was scary when she got mad.
Their talk ended quickly after that, with Kana suddenly in a hurry, explaining that she had an important appointment to go to. Melt had no time to ask the details before she rushed out the door. How she managed to have so much energy all the time, Melt never knew.
With no other plans for the day, Melt went home. Unlike Kana, the only job he had at the moment was Dark Night’s Wrath. Which he was grateful for, since it was his first main role since Sweet Today. He wanted to put all the time he could into this play; making up for his past failures, even if it didn’t fix the results of Sweet Today.
The house was cold when Melt came home, but when was it ever warm? Even on a hot day, the emptiness of the house left Melt feeling cold.
There was a message left behind on the home phone in the living room.
“Hello, Melt!”
He recognized his mother’s voice.
“Looks like we won’t be able to be home by the end of this month. Sorry! Your father has some business to do in France. You will be fine on your own, right? We’ll see you soon!”
Melt listened to the phone beep, staring blankly at the phone. Often, when his mother called, he got these kinds of messages. He should have been used to it, Melt thought he had gotten used to it, but it still stung.
He couldn’t help but wonder what business in France was so important that his parents couldn’t even take a week off, just to see how Melt was doing. Maybe they would take him to a restaurant like in the old days? Or the amusement park— though, Melt figured he was too old for that.
The more and more time passed by, the more Melt had forgotten about the days his parents were around. The photos on the walls, coated in dust, was his main reminder of the past.
Once, Melt was showered with love. He would go to school, and meet up with friends. He would walk home, greeted with his mother’s hug and kisses, and his father’s smile.
His mother told him that she would always love him, that she would always be by his side.
Melt believed her.
When his parents got accepted at their new job, Melt was overjoyed. To a child, money was a simple concept: the thing that gets him all of his toys. Melt, being the greedy, idiot child he was, saw nothing wrong with getting more toys.
It started with small business trips. With the occasional week where his parents wouldn’t be home, too busy with work.
He remembered the first week his mother had to leave, how she squatted down to meet him at eye level.
“Mommy and daddy have important work to do,” she explained to him. “But Melt is a brave boy, so mommy knows he will be fine on his own.”
At those words, how could Melt disappoint her?
Of course he wanted to join his parents on their business trips. Of course he was lonely at home, sitting by himself in his room, his only companions being his stuffed animals. Melt loved his stuffed animals, but they were nothing compared to the warmth of a mother. He learned that one night, as he clung tightly to his stuffed bear, wishing it was his mother’s arms.
As Melt got older, his parents received more work. Weeks turned into months, and Melt stopped waiting by the door, expecting his parents to open it one day. The next door neighbor came by every so often, giving him groceries and checking on him.
Other than that, Melt was alone.
He was grateful to his neighbor, of course. It wasn’t her duty to take care of him, and yet she did. Still, Melt was a selfish person. Melt was always such a selfish person. He wanted to live in a house full of love again.
He supposed that was why the girls at his school could take advantage of him so easily.
It wasn’t the same love that his mother or father gave him. The love he was given felt odd, fake, disgusting—
He knew he shouldn’t have been there, naked in the bed of a girl he hardly knew the name of. He knew he was being used, that she only cared for his looks. But it was still some form of love— which Melt had been searching endlessly for since his parents left.
So Melt accepted it. He dated anyone who asked him out, if he found them attractive enough. It didn’t matter what they wanted from him, whether their crush was real, or if they were using him. It didn’t matter how disgusted Melt felt when others forcefully kissed him, how much he hated himself—
He should be happy, Melt thought. He was gaining attention in school, even if it meant being bullied. He was never single, even if it meant ending up in a relationship he wished he wasn’t in. He was getting offers for modeling jobs, even if they saw him as nothing but a pretty face. Many people his age wished they were in his situation, since he gained popularity and fame without putting any effort.
But Melt was so damn selfish, as he always was. No matter how much attention he gained outside, when he returned back home, he would remember.
In his desperation to fill out that hole in his heart, he met Aqua. He thought nothing of Aqua at first, assuming it was yet another model who was below him.
Aqua was so, so much more than that.
Aqua was the one who woke him up, who made him realize that he couldn’t keep living like that. Unlike the popularity in school, unlike all the girls Melt ended up with, Aqua made him feel alive.
He didn’t sleep that night, thinking hard about Aqua and the short scene they were in together. He broke up with his current girlfriend— not that she wanted to be with a failure like him anymore. He took a break from his modeling jobs. He began to learn how to act.
He longed for that feeling of being alive again, the feeling that Aqua could give him. He spent the rest of his years chasing after Aqua, after that feeling. He never imagined he would find himself on the same stage as Aqua, the two of them playing as lovers.
He should have been satisfied with his progress, but there Melt was, wishing their relationship would go further. He assumed it was only him that wanted to get closer to Aqua, that he was being selfish.
To think that Aqua trusted him…
Melt refused to think of the topic for any longer, as it filled his chest with a strange emotion.
————
Rehearsals began in the afternoon on that day, so the cast didn’t seem as sleep deprived as they usually were. They still carried around coffee cups though, with hope that the caffeine would pull them through the eight hour rehearsal.
As much as Melt enjoyed acting, the long hours of rehearsal would never fail to exhaust him. Of course, there was much work to be done in the limited time they had to prepare, but Melt couldn’t help but wish that the practice were cut a bit shorter. Maybe a six hour rehearsal— four hours sounded even more lovely.
Going to rehearsal, though, meant seeing Aqua, which was enough to fill him with enough energy to pull through the whole day.
That was how it usually went, at least. However, Aqua seemed off that day. Seemingly exhausted and quiet— at least, more than he usually was.
Melt thought to talk to Aqua in private, to reach in and help him.
“Aqua trusts you” Kana’s words rang through his head.
Well, Melt figured, lunch break was the best time to talk to Aqua, then. It was the only time where he could pull Aqua away from the rest of the crowd, hopeful that he would open up at least a bit if they were alone.
Lunch time rolled around fast, but Aqua disappeared just as quickly. Melt was left wandering around the practice hall, looking around each corner for a mop of familiar blonde hair.
“Hey, Melt!”
Melt turned around to see Kana walking towards him.
“What are you doing wandering around like an idiot? You’re wasting your lunch break.” Kana pointed out. Melt noticed the sandwich in her hand. It was the third time that week Kana brought a sandwich to practice— her lunch boxes weren’t very creative.
“I’m looking for Aqua,” Melt replied. “I need to talk to him alone.”
“Oh ho ho?” Kana smirked. “A love confession, perhaps?”
“No—” Melt scowled. “Why are you always saying things like that?”
“Don’t be so serious!” Kana laughed. “I’m just joking! Aqua slipped into the break room down the hall. He’s probably sulking with his lunch by himself.”
“Thanks, Kana.” Melt said quickly, making his way to the direction that Kana pointed out without waiting for a response. He hoped to end his talk with Aqua before lunch ended, so Melt could be at ease when he returned to practice.
The second Melt walked into the room, he knew something was wrong.
Aqua, shaking and curled up in the corner of the room. Aqua, who looked so small then, just as he did that day. Melt could hear Aqua’s heavy, panicked breathing from across the room.
A panic attack— Melt recognized them.
After all the time had passed, Aqua was still suffering.
Melt, like a fool, had thought Aqua’s panic attack days were over. Really, what was he thinking? Mental problems didn’t go away in a few months, they took years of work. Melt knew that from experience, as well.
He inhaled sharply. The pounding of his heart echoed through his ears. His stomach twisted into millions of knots, making him feel nauseous. Melt’s legs were shaking, but he needed to move.
Why was he the one who was panicking? Aqua was the one who was suffering, and yet Melt found himself frozen in fear. Because he burned everything he touched, Melt reminded himself. Because if he reached out to Aqua and hurt him, it would make things worse. Because he already messed up once—
Aqua trusted him, Melt reminded himself.
Doing his best to ignore his raging nerves, Melt sat next to Aqua, who didn’t seem to notice him yet.
“…Aqua?” Melt asked carefully, mentally begging for a response.
Aqua said nothing, but he looked up at the sound of Melt’s voice. A look of guilt immediately flashed on his face. Melt waited a moment to see if Aqua would say anything. He stayed quiet, so Melt continued:
“What happened?”
He picked his words carefully. Melt knew nothing about what to do when one had a panic attack. Of course he had experienced one himself, but whenever Melt had one, he simply sat alone in his room until it went away. All he could think of doing was sit by Aqua’s side and ask simple questions. He didn’t want to risk touching Aqua, in case it would backfire.
Aqua stared into Melt’s eyes for far too long, leaving him wondering what Aqua was thinking of.
Aqua took a deep breath. “Nothing you need to worry about. It’ll go away soon. Go back to eating your lunch.”
“You know I’m not taking that for an answer,” Melt kept his voice steady, trying not to let his frustration come through. “I thought you promised to let me in while we were in this show together?”
Aqua closed his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, only to decide against it, as he never ended up saying anything in return.
Melt waited by Aqua’s side. Watched as he tried to control his breathing, fighting away whatever thoughts haunted his mind. Fighting an enemy Melt didn’t see, no matter how much he wished he could. Melt could only wait patiently, holding his tongue and hoping that his presence wasn’t making things worse for Aqua.
Suddenly, Aqua shifted towards him until he was shoulder to shoulder with Melt, lightly resting his head on Melt’s shoulder. Melt stiffened without meaning to.
“Sorry.” Aqua croaked out. “Could you let me stay like this for a minute? I’ll leave soon.”
“…Of course.” Melt relaxed as much as he could. Stay as long as you need, he thought. Don’t leave, he wanted to add, but his throat felt too dry to push out any more words out his mouth.
Melt stared at the wall, focusing on the weight and heat on his shoulder. Focusing on the feeling of Aqua breathing, of Aqua’s blonde hair brushing against his cheek. He couldn’t see Aqua’s expression, but he hoped it was a peaceful one. Melt hoped he brought Aqua some sense of comfort, even if he wasn’t the softest and caring person in the world.
Just when Melt got comfortable, Aqua pulled his head away. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed, but Melt didn’t dare voice his complaints.
“Let’s go back to practice.” Aqua stood up, his familiar monotonous voice returning. Almost as if nothing had happened.
“After that?” Melt asked. “You should go back home and rest instead.”
Aqua raised an eyebrow at Melt. “Missing hours of practice when you play as the lead isn’t a wise decision.”
“I know that!” Melt knew all too well. “But the well-being of the lead actor is just as important, right?”
Aqua turned his attention to the ground, not giving Melt a response.
“I’ll walk you home.” Melt offered, taking Aqua’s hand, who stiffened at the touch. “I’m not taking no as an answer.”
Aqua sagged. He half expected Aqua to fight back, to do whatever he pleased. Instead, Aqua let Melt take his hand, willingly following him as Melt explained the situation to the directors. The look of disappointment in their faces was clear, but they allowed the two to leave, to Melt’s relief. He knew how unprofessional it looked, how he couldn’t make a habit out of it.
However, if Melt had to choose between risking Aqua’s health or risking the show, he would let Dark Night crash and burn any day.
The walk back to Aqua’s house was silent. Only the sounds of the passing cars and the wind played. Every so often Melt would check his phone to see if they were going in the right direction. He expected Aqua to jump in and give directions himself, but Aqua seemed to be lost in thought.
Melt wasn’t even sure if Aqua knew where they were— that was bad, wasn’t it? He hoped Mrs. Saitou or Ruby knew how to handle Aqua; Melt was completely clueless.
However, when they arrived at Aqua's home, Melt learned that neither of the two were there.
“Ruby had some important job to do today,” Aqua explained. “Miyako probably went with her, the car isn’t in the garage.”
Aqua didn’t seem too concerned, but Melt didn’t like the idea of leaving Aqua at home alone. He knew Aqua was old enough to care for himself, but what if something happened? No one would be around to help, and if things ended badly—
“I’ll stay here until they come back then.” Melt decided, inviting himself in.
Aqua twitched his nose. Then, he sighed. “Do as you please. You’ve been excused from rehearsal, anyways.”
With that, Aqua left for his room. Melt followed close behind, not knowing where else to go.
The first thing Aqua did when he entered his room was pick up his violin. Melt blinked in interest, sitting down on Aqua’s bed. He watched as Aqua tuned the violin, wondering if he was welcomed to listen.
Aqua turned to Melt. “Do you care for waltzes?”
“Not really.” Melt admitted.
“Too bad, then.” Aqua placed his bow on the string.
Melt opened his mouth to make a comeback, but his voice died once the first note played. The air in the room changed so suddenly with Aqua’s music, vibrating through his head. Melt held his breath, as if the spell placed in the air would break with a single breath. He couldn’t seem to pull his eyes away from Aqua.
Aqua’s playing was just like his acting. Vibrant, beautiful, and powerful; it seemed to draw everyone’s eyes to him and him alone. He played with such confidence and ease, that Melt had a feeling Aqua was lying when he said he hardly played. There was no way Aqua was an amateur— Melt could tell.
He wondered when Aqua learned how to play. Years ago, Melt imagined, but he never knew about it until he first visited Aqua’s room.
Aqua was a man full of mysteries, so it shouldn’t have surprised him that there was much he didn’t know about him yet. But the more Melt listened, the more he wished that he had known about Aqua’s talent in violin before.
The way he played the song… it seemed to capture everything that Melt loved and admired about Aqua. His eyes; those beautiful star filled eyes of Aqua’s, became a galaxy when he played. Shining brighter than Melt had ever seen them, he couldn’t take his eyes off them. Melt felt like he was fourteen again, on the set of Sweet Today, watching Aqua act for the first time. Filled with a bubbling emotion in his chest to learn how to act, because acting meant feeling that exhilarating feeling that watching Aqua gave him.
Only this time, it was about music.
Melt was completely, and would always be, drawn to Aqua.
He supposed that was meant to be his fate.
The song ended far too soon for Melt’s liking. Aqua relaxed suddenly, turning to Melt.
“My playing still has far to go—”
“Are you kidding me?!” Melt suddenly jumped up, grabbing Aqua’s hand which held the bow without thinking. “That was incredible! You’re amazing, Aqua!”
Aqua blinked.
“That was the best song I ever heard!” Melt continued to ramble. “Man, what’s up with you and being good at everything you do?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Even though he said that, Melt could see a small smile creep onto Aqua’s face.
“You should teach me to play,” Melt reached for the violin, which Aqua pulled away from him.
“No.” Aqua scrunched up his face. “You would sound horrible.”
Melt supposed… he couldn’t really argue with that. His only experience with music was the classes he was required to take in school. He didn’t even remember how to read sheet music.
He fell back in the bed, sighing sadly. Aqua’s playing reminded him of the keyboard back at home; his father used to play. He remembered clinging to his father’s shirt as he sat on the playing bench next to him, listening to the simple melodies he played for Melt.
He wondered if it still worked.
“I have a keyboard at home.” Melt mentioned. “Maybe you could teach me how to play that instead?”
“I never said I was a pianist.” Aqua hummed. “Though, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to figure out how it works in between practices.”
Melt grinned, gladly taking the opportunity to hang out with Aqua more. “Then I’ll invite you over when you’re free! You better show up!”
Before Aqua could reply, the two heard the sound of the door opening.
“Ruby and Miyako are back, I’ll tell them that you’re here.” Aqua reached for the door handle, before turning around to face Melt. “Are you staying for dinner?”
Melt nodded. He would much rather spend dinner at Aqua's house, where there was a warm, home cooked meal and people to share it with.
Aqua left, leaving Melt alone. He stood up from the bed, picking up the violin and tracing his finger through the wood. He wondered how such a small thing could play a song that could have such a big effect on Melt.
Then again, it was not the violin, but Aqua who always left such a big impact on Melt.
Aqua came back faster than Melt had expected. “Miyako bought some dinner on her way back, so we’re eating now.”
Melt put down the violin. “Right, I’m coming.”
How long has it been since someone had called him for dinner? Years, Melt believed.
Sitting at a table for a family dinner was such a foreign feeling for Melt. Though he felt awkward and out of place, he didn’t regret staying, not in the slightest. He listened to Ruby’s stories about her job, laughing along and adding his own commentary.
Aqua wasn’t as vocal as Ruby and Melt were, but every so often he would say a word or two. Usually to tease Ruby, which resulted in a small, sibling bicker between the two.
Melt hadn’t felt that warmth in his chest since his parents were around. He didn’t think he would ever feel it again, yet there he was.
Once again, Aqua was Melt’s savior.
He wondered when he would be able to be Aqua’s savior, as well.