Chapter Text
“How was work?” Miya didn’t bother asking for Reki’s order as he approached the counter, automatically ringing up his ginger tea.
“Good.” Reki pulled a handful of change out of his pocket, only glancing at it to ensure there were at least a couple of toonies resting in his palm before practically tossing the coins at Miya. “I really wish toddler music wasn’t my first class of the day. They’re fun, but oh my god are they loud.”
“You know you can just put your spare change in the tip jar instead of making me count it, right?” Miya grumbled and ignored the expected complaint as he separated out the larger coins to go into the register and tossed the lesser values into said jar.
“Hey, you’re still on the clock for,” Reki paused to check his phone for the time, “three minutes. You’re supposed to be nice to your customers, not growl at them.”
“I’m allowed to reciprocate energy.” Miya smirked as he slammed the register. “Your drink will be at the end.”
“I know,” Reki chuckled and moved down the couple of steps to make room for the next customer in line. One of Miya’s coworkers stepped in to take the order, leaving Miya to whine about having to make Reki’s tea. He didn’t even smile as he slid it across the bar into Reki’s waiting hand. Rude. But before Reki could call him on his lack of customer service skills again, Miya disappeared into the back room to clock out and grab his stuff.
He reappeared moments later, before Reki had even had a chance to take a sip of his tea. “Ready?”
“Sure am,” Reki nodded and the two set off.
Lunch was uneventful. The pair ended up less than a block down the street at one of their favourite hot pot restaurants, the one that offered discounts for students. The conversation wandered lazily between school work, finals, plans for summer… all of their usual topics. It was almost a wonder they still had anything to talk about, but their bickering never failed to carry them through hours of conversation.
Miya made good on his threat - promise? Whatever - of heading back to the dorm right after they paid their tab and disappearing into his room to work on his composition. Like the responsible student he was.
Reki also locked himself in his room, but homework was not happening. He tried, he really did, but nothing spoke to him.
Oh well, he had a set list to plan anyway.
And a nap would do him good before performing that night.
And besides, he would be working on scoring a short film the next day, so he deserved a break, in his humble opinion.
Things would get done.
Eventually.
Despite his grumblings, Miya allowed himself to be dragged back to Cup o’ Joe to silently support Reki in his busking endeavours as he always did. Not once had he thrown so much as a nickel in Reki’s hat, but that was fine. As much as he whined about having to spend time at work unpaid, Reki knew Miya did actually enjoy listening to the live music. He mostly knew that because Miya would rather claw someone’s eyes out than do something he didn’t want to do, and Reki still had his eyes.
“So what are you singing tonight?” Miya asked as he watched Reki almost trip over a curb. “Covers? Originals? How often am I going to have to plug my ears?”
“Oh shut up, you love my voice.” Reki swatted at Miya, but the latter dodged gracefully out of the way. Reki decided against lunging after him, considering the very heavy, very expensive machine on his back. “Originals and covers, like usual.”
Reki launched into his setlist and Miya just nodded along as their feet fell in sync on the pavement.
Until they rounded a corner a couple of blocks from the cafe.
“What…?” Reki’s feet came to a halt of their own volition as it reached him.
The sound of piano music drifting down the loosely crowded street.
“Is that…?” Miya - who had come to a stop a few steps in front of Reki - turned back to look at him with an inquisitive brow raised.
“I swear to god if someone stole my corner.”
Reki took off, weaving through the other pedestrians at as fast a walk as he could manage, not bothering to make sure Miya was behind him. He knew the way.
“Oh you have got to be kidding me,” Reki hissed as he made his way around a small group of people and set his sights on the corner. His corner. His corner that was occupied by some guy and his keyboard.
“Seriously?” Miya huffed as he also set eyes on the piano player and the small crowd that had gathered around to hear his cover of some pop-punk ballad. “You dragged me all the way here just for the corner to be occupied?”
“Excuse you, this is hardly my fault,” Reki couldn’t help but snap. “When, in the history of me playing this corner, has it ever been taken before?”
“Literally never,” Miya relented and grabbed onto Reki’s arm. “Come on, let’s at least go inside and have a drink. Maybe he’ll leave soon.”
“It’s a Saturday night,” Reki protested but allowed himself to be led into Cup o’ Joe. “If he’s smart he’ll be here all night. Like I am. On my corner.”
“Okay, no, not your corner.” Miya shoved Reki into a seat at their usual table and waved to Joe behind the bar. “You don’t own the corner. Other people are allowed to use it.”
“But I’ve been playing it for almost three years!” Reki’s protests were childish, he knew, but the knowledge didn’t do much to stop them. “And he just shows up and takes over? On a Saturday? He’s not even singing!”
“Yeah, okay, have your little tantrum,” Miya sighed with a shake of his head. “I’m gonna go get our drinks.”
“They’re not ready yet.” Reki could see Joe working on Miya’s hot chocolate behind the bar.
“Then I’m going to go pay for them. Either way. Chill.”
Reki slumped back in his chair, arms crossed, definitely not pouting. Nope. Not at all.
But if he had been pouting, he would be justified.
Who did this random pianist think he was? Miya was right about one thing: Reki didn’t own the corner. But he stood by his point. Did performing outside Cup o’ Joe every evening, every weekend, for almost three years mean nothing?
Apparently so.
“Hey, kid.” Joe’s greeting startled Reki out of his thoughts, though not to attention. He didn’t bother to sit up as a steaming mug of tea was placed on the table before him. It would be too hot anyway. No point. “It’s weird not being serenaded.”
“Yeah,” Reki barely grunted back and caught the tail end of Miya’s eye-roll as he sat down with his hot chocolate across from Reki.
“I saw him setting up out there and almost told him to get lost, but it’s public property. Couldn’t really…” Joe trailed off with an awkward smile, one of his hands coming to rest on the back of his neck. “Change of pace, I guess. People seem to be enjoying it, he’s pretty good from what I can tell.”
“Joe,” Miya cut in before Reki could spit out whatever comeback was brewing behind his teeth. Which was probably a good thing, considering even Reki himself had no idea what would come out if his jaw managed to pry itself open. “Probably not helpful.”
“Sorry! Sorry,” Joe’s free hand waved, as though attempting to clear the air of his compliments to the musician out front. “I didn’t mean he’s better than you! Or that I’m happy he’s playing instead! I’d rather have you out there for sure! I just… I’m going to go back behind the counter before I say something stupid.”
“Good plan.” Miya nodded and Joe disappeared, but not before casting a pitying look Reki’s way.
Pity.
Not helpful either.
“Maybe it’s a sign,” offered with a flippant wave of his hand. As if the whole thing was no big deal. “You should take the night off and do homework. When’s the last time you did anything outside of class?”
Reki just stared over the table at Miya for a moment, taking his time to process what he was hearing. “You’re seriously trying to turn this into a homework lecture?”
“Fine.” Miya pulled his backpack into his lap to retrieve his laptop and necessary notebooks. “You can sit there and sulk, I have homework to do. Can you at least try to enjoy the music? He’s really good, if you actually listen.”
“Whatever,” Reki grumbled and grabbed his tea. It was still far too hot to drink, but he took a sip anyway. He felt the corners of his mouth curling down as the sickening sweetness chased the uncomfortable heat. Apparently, his usual ungodly amount of honey didn’t taste very good when it wasn’t serving the purpose of soothing a tired voice box.
Stupid.
The whole night was stupid.
Why were they even out of the dorm if all they were going to be able to do was sit and listen to some guy play the piano?
At least he wasn’t playing concertos or sonatas. Though Reki was certain he was more than capable given the smooth, precise nature of his playing. Not a hitch, not a sour note, note a fumbled cord, not a change in tempo or rhythm, not a single mistake.
He was classically trained, that much was obvious. Probably from the time he was a toddler, with fingers barely able to reach far enough to form a simple chord. And now there he was, making pop-punk flow effortlessly while still maintaining its staccato nature and somehow preserving the intensity of metal without the electric guitars and growly vocals.
His excellence was a far cry from Reki’s self-taught piano skills. The people gathered before the keyboard were probably amazed at the speed and accuracy they were witnessing. Reki didn’t need to see it firsthand to know just how impressive the performance looked.
Certainly much more impressive than some guy standing next to a karaoke machine and holding a microphone.
“Reki?” Miya’s voice somehow dragged Reki out of his thoughts and back into the coffee shop. “You alive?”
“Mm-hmm.” Reki just nodded and took another sip of his tea since the mug was still in his hands.
It was cold.
How long had he been zoned out for?
“You want to head home? Shop’s closing up soon.”
Three hours. Give or take. He’d been zoned out for three hours.
“Yeah, let’s.”
Reki brought the mugs to the counter, turning quickly before Joe could call him on not finishing his drink. He and Miya slung their bags over their shoulders and made for the front door, returning Joe’s waves as they passed the bar.
Only when Reki saw the keyboard in the case at the mystery musician’s feet did he realize the music had stopped.
“Nice work tonight,” Miya called an oceanic gaze up to him with his compliment. A gentle smile sent sparkling ripples through irises already highlighted by neon signs as the pianist got to his feet.
“Thank you.” His gaze shifted to Reki after he flicked his head to cast away the bangs that had freed themselves from his messy ponytail. “You play this corner a lot, don’t you?”
The embers still smoldering in Reki’s core were fanned by the breeze created by that question.
So the guy knew this was Reki’s corner.
Yet took his place anyway.
“Yeah,” Reki managed through a stiff jaw. “Every weekend.”
“Oh,” The guy laughed. Like it was all a joke. Like it was totally cool to swoop in and take a prime busking spot from someone else. “I guess I kind of stole your spot, didn’t I?”
“You sure did.”
The guy looked taken aback at Reki’s honesty, but what would be the point in playing nice?
“Oh- well, sorry. I guess.” A beat of silence filled the space between them, but the pianist broke it before it truly took hold. “I’ve seen a few of your performances. You’ve got a really nice voice.”
Well.
It was Reki’s turn to feel a bit off balance.
Especially because as he searched the face before him for hints of mistruth, all he found was earnest.
“Thank you.” Why not continue with the honesty train? “You’re pretty good, too.”
“Thanks.”
The silence did latch on that time, leaving the trio in front of the cafe to stand around in and awkward, paused state until Miya finally broke free.
“Okay, well, we should go, Reki.” He grabbed onto Reki’s elbow but didn’t pull. “You have class tomorrow.”
“Class?” A perfect blue brow arched towards a messy hairline. “On a Sunday?”
“Music classes.” Reki should have shuddered at the arrogance dripping from his tone, but how could he pass up an opportunity to brag to the asshole who had taken his corner? “I teach. That’s my job. And I have to get up early to do that.”
“Oh, cool. I also have to get up early. I have to accompany a ballet tomorrow. I play piano. That’s my job.”
The only response Reki had was to click his tongue.
Luckily, Miya remembered how to use his words.
“Well, since everyone here has to get up early tomorrow, I think we should all call it a night, don’t you? Reki?”
“Yeah,” The agreement was quick, but somehow interrupted.
“Reki, was it?”
He halted his pivot, but didn’t turn fully back. “That’s my name.”
“Mine’s Langa.” Apparently-Langa smirked, but the shadows cast by the new angle made it impossible to tell if his expression was plagued by self-importance or not. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime?”
“Maybe.”
Once more, silence.
Silence that had to be broken by Miya.
“Nice to meet you, Langa. We’re actually going to leave now. Have a good night.”
There was a pull at Reki’s elbow that time and he followed it willingly, turning and following Miya’s steps in the direction of campus.
He didn’t even bother considering how far his voice would carry before speaking his mind.
“I hope I never see that guy again.”