Work Text:
There were very few moments where Alastor truly let himself relax and enjoy some more peaceful pastimes. On nights where he couldn't sleep nothing pleased him more than to sit in the lounge with a good book and a glass of Brandy, the fire popping and crackling in the otherwise silent space.
He breathed it in, pressing back into the soft cushion of the hotel chair. He'd needed this after the last few days of tending to Charlie's every little whim of recruiting subjects and trying new ways to 'reform' them. She was the most long winded person he had ever met and that included himself. She could talk herself in circles for hours on a single subject. He was amazed Lucifer hadn’t been bored to death over the years.
He shook his head, dislodging those thoughts and refocusing on his book. It was an old murder mystery novel, his favorite kind. Dramatic, dark, and there was the bonus of someone dying! He grinned wickedly at the thought, starting the paragraph over again.
The sudden sound of a piano shook him from his enjoyment. He blinked in confusion and looked up at the clock sitting on the mantle, which told him it was a little after midnight. He scowled. Who in Hell could possibly be up playing the piano of all things? He turned to have a look at the culprit.
He looked back at the clock, blinking rapidly. That couldn't possibly be right. He straightened his monocle and looked again. It was indeed Angel Dust that was playing the piano. Alastor never imagined him to be the musical type, at least not with something as elegant as the piano. He could see him as more of a woodwind player. Something jazzy, like a Saxophone perhaps.
Alastor winced as a series of notes that did not go together sounded off. He cleaned out his ears as Angel Dust cursed under his breath. Perhaps he had spoken too soon. It was clear that he had wasn’t the musical type and had probably never even touched a piano until this evening.
Was he even aware of the basics? Did he know what key he should be playing in? Did he even have sheet music to begin with?
Alastor stopped cleaning his ear and scowled at the thought. Curiosity overtook him. He rose from his chair and stepped behind Angel Dust. Silent as a ghost he peered over the others shoulder. He looked down at Angel Dust’s fingers, curled up in all the wrong ways. He was certainly going to have a hand cramp later. He lifted his gaze, pleased to see that he had sheet music. He gave it a quick once over and scowled.
“Are you aware that you’re playing out of your key?” Angel Dust yelped with a jump that lifted him off the piano bench. His head swiveled to look at Alastor with wide eyes but startled expression quickly turned indignant.
“Jesus, Al, don’t fuckin’ scare me like that! Need to put a goddamn bell on you or some shit.” Alastor rolled his eyes with a sigh, ignoring the pout Angel Dust put on. He knew it was for show, he’d seen the same pout replicated several times over in the exact same picture perfect way.
“No reason to be so crude , my dear.” He leaned a tad closer, peering at the propped up sheet music, giving it a closer look than he had the first time. “Let’s see...oh! You’re playing Heart and Soul, a wonderful beginner piece! Fantastic choice, but it’s meant to be played in D major, not a random hodgepodge of notes.” He looked back at Angel Dust, fake pout gone only to be replaced by a blank stare. Alastor blinked, waiting for the snark he could feel coming.
“You, uh, gonna explain what the fuck that means? Or are you gonna make me figure it out?” Alastor tilted his head to the side, brows furrowing slightly as he resisted the urge to let his ear twitch.
“You haven’t even been taught the basics? Well, no wonder you’re confused!” He squared his shoulders, typical grin back in place as he lifted his chin a bit. He ignored the thought about how he was trying to appear bigger. “I suppose I’ll just have to take it upon myself to set you straight!” He realized the implication of that sentence. “ Figuratively, of course.”
Angel Dust gave a loud snort and smiled a bit, clearly amused by that. Alastor pointedly ignored the slight flutter of his stomach that made him feel warm down to his toes. Angel Dust faced away from him, placing his fingers on the keys. “Yeah, okay, smiles. Lead the way.”
Alastor couldn’t help but scowl at how he was holding his fingers. His knuckles were bent far too much and his palms pulled inward. Most new pianists made that mistake, not realizing how it hurt their muscles and made it harder to reach across to different keys. Clearly, he needed that corrected as well.
Alastor pressed himself against Angel Dust’s back, placing his hands over his and gently pushing his fingers to stretch out properly. He felt the other tense, clearly not expecting to be touched. Alastor found no reason to address it. “ These are the keys you want to play. You have D, E, F sharp, G, A, B, and C sharp at your disposal.” As he named the notes he moved Angel Dust’s fingers to press each one. “Does that make sense?”
“Uh…yeah, yeah that makes sense. Totally.” Clearly the other was still adjusting to Alastor willingly touching him. No matter, Alastor would power through the awkwardness of Angel Dust to teach him.
“Fantastic! Now, you just play like so…” As before Alastor gently coaxed Angel Dust’s fingers to the correct keys, humming along to keep the tune right in his head. Heart and soul didn’t really work as a solo piece, so why he had been given this one was a mystery to him. It was highly likely someone had picked it at random out of a beginners set or something without realizing. He made a mental note to grab a solo piece for Angel Dust another day.
Alastor blinked as he realized the piano had stopped and only his humming was filling the empty space, as Angel Dust had stopped moving with him. “My dear, are you alright?” There was a slight jolt at his voice followed by a loud clearing of Angel Dust’s throat.
“Yeah, yeah I’m good.” Angel Dust turned and their faces damn near bumped into each other. Alastor moved back a bit, scanning the other’s face closely. It was bright red, as was the fluff on his chest. Was he blushing or was this some kind of fur change unique to Angel Dust himself?
Alastor furrowed his brow, head tilting a bit .“I was unaware your fur could change color, how interesting. Is this normal?” Angel Dust quickly turned away, shifting in his seat a bit. He was clearly fidgeting, though Alastor wasn’t completely sure as to why.
“Yeah, uh, sometimes.” Alastor squinted and took a but of the fur between his fingers, rubbing it between them curiously. His fur was insanely soft, he found his mind briefly wondering how Angel Dust cared for it. He was brought back to reality as Angel Dust shifted a bit again.
“What causes it?” He lifted his gaze as Angel Dust coughed a bit, eyes shifting all over the place.
“Um, bein’ out of sorts, mostly. Ya know, it’s kind of embarrassing. Playin’ so badly in front of someone who’s so good, I mean.” The half compliment made Alastor’s insides warm more than the butterflies from earlier had. He beamed, releasing the fur from his grasp and straightening up with a step back. He puffed his chest up a bit without thinking.
“I am quite talented when it comes to music, but don’t let that discourage you!” He grinned at Angel Dust, not wanting the other to stop his practicing due to not being on par. “I’m sure with enough practice you’ll come around, you just need time and the proper encouragement!”
Angel Dust seemed to melt with a funny smile. Was he relieved? “Yeah, yeah you’re right. Thanks, Al, for helping me out.”
“Oh any time, my dear, any time at all.” Alastor waved him off a bit before heading back to his seat, taking a sip of his Brandy before picking his book back up. He looked over his shoulder at the other, smiling when he saw the other’s uncertain expression. “You’re more than welcome to stay and practice, it was far too quiet before you arrived.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll do that.” He watched as Angel Dust turned back to the piano. There was a pause before the other slowly started to play, a little better this time even if he still missed notes now and again. He could hear Angel Dust humming the tune, as Alastor had been doing earlier.
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the chair. Listening to Angel Dust’s playing over the soft crackling of the fire beside him as the smell of his book and Brandy filled his nose.
He wondered if Heaven was like this.