Chapter Text
The music shook the entire house. Klavier couldn’t ignore them. His clock flashed 11:00, he tossed and turned. Klavier couldn’t sleep when Kristoph played the Piano. It was beautiful.
Mama and Papa were both asleep as Klavier passed their bedroom. Klavier stepped lightly trying his hardest to not let the cold hardwood creek. He tip-toes down the stairs, the song guiding him as he snuck down. He had school tomorrow, but he had to hear it. He just had to.
The music got louder as he entered the office. Only a desk lamp emitted an orange glow as Kirstoph’s fingers danced along the keys. Klavier didn’t want to disturb him, so he sat down on the carpet and watched. He studied his hands, watching trying to remember which keys made which noise. He wanted to learn. He wanted to make beautiful music like Kristoph. He pressed his fingers to the carpet, playing his phantom piano. He found himself humming along. Following the notes with Kristoph.
“Klavier, if you’re going to sing with the piano at least keep on tempo,” The music stopped as Kristoph turned to Klavier.
Klavier didn’t know what to do. Kristoph liked to tell on Klavier, and Klavier hated getting in trouble. He had school in the morning. Mama and Papa would be furious that he stayed up just to listen to his brother play piano. Klavier looked up to his brother, “I wanted to listen to you play.”
“You can listen without singing. Most people prefer it that way,” Kristoph mumbled under his breath.
Klavier decided to be honest. Lying never worked with Kristoph he would always find a way to get the truth out of you, “I wanted to watch you play to see if I could learn. I was humming to help myself practice. Tschuldigung…”
Kristoph sighed as he moved on the bench to make room for Klavier, “Get up. I will teach you a little and then you will go to bed.”
Klavier sat next to Kristoph on the bench, copying how his fingers spread on the keys.
Kristoph looked up to the sheet music on the piano, “Play C.”
Klavier looked up to the music to find exactly what he was reading, but it looked like nonsense to him. Some of the notes had to round things on the top. Looking at the mess made him nauseous. He looked to Kristoph, who rolled his eyes and pointed to his thumb. Klavier pressed on the key. Letting the note ring out. The repeated this process, of Kristoph telling him the note name than Klavier playing the key, two more times.
Finally, Kristoph got up and dug through a pile of piano books, until he found one titled Klavier Arbeitsbuch 1. He turned to a page titled heiße Brötchen, “These notes are in lines and spaces, each space is a white key. This thing is called the staff,” Kristoph pointed to the notes, and play the matching key, “This is C,” Klavier took note of it being on a line under the staff, “D,” glued to the bottom, “E,” on the bottom line, “Understand Klavier?” Klavier nodded and looked to the staff. It was like another language. He spoke German like his Mama and friends at school, and English like his Papa. Staff wouldn’t be that hard. Playing the keys was like the words. He was just translating.
Klavier looked to the staff and played.
E, D, C
E, D, C
C, C, C, C
D, D, D, D
E, D, C
He looked to Kristoph after finishing, “I think I do.”
Kristoph looked shocked. Klavier was just copying him. Kristoph had been playing piano as long as he could remember. It was his favorite instrument. That’s why he was named Klavier! Kristoph loved Piano. He had spent years practicing with the book Klavier had now. He should be happy Klavier was learning, but he looked upset. Why? Klavier had just been reading like he told him, “What’s wrong. Did I read it right?”
Kristoph coughed, “Yes, I think we can be done for the night Klavier. You have school tomorrow.” Kristoph put the cover over the keys and put the book in a box. Klavier watched as he walked away. Was he mad at Klavier? Did Klavier do something wrong on the piano? Was there a secret rule that he broke. Klavier would have to learn everything about the piano, so his brother wouldn’t be upset every time he played. Klavier felt bad as he took a book from the box, but he needed music to learn. He would just have to play when Kristoph wasn’t around, so that the next time he saw him. Klavier would be the best piano player in the world! Klavier smiled as he snuck the book under his shirt. He would just have to practice.
Klavier was extra quiet next to Kristoph’s room as he heard pacing. Kristoph was mad. Did he know Klavier took his book? Klavier ran to his room and stashed the book under his bed. Kristoph was like Mama. When he was mad, he always said mean things. Kristoph hated Mama, but he was a lot like her. When Mama was mad Klavier did something she liked. It didn’t make the anger go away, but she didn’t say mean things to Klavier after that. Klavier decided to try that with Kristoph.
Klavier kept quiet as he walked to Kristoph’s room. He didn’t want Mama, Papa, and Kristoph to be mad at him. He couldn’t handle all three. Klavier sat next to the door to survey the situation. He heard pacing and mumbling. Klavier sat close trying to hear. Turning the knob the slightest so that he could hear sound through the door.
“Of course he’s good at this too. He’s mama’s little angel. Verdammit!” Klavier heard him bang on the wall. Kristoph didn’t say fowl words often. Klavier reconsidered if this was a good idea. Just as he was about to leave the door creaked. Kristoph’s head snapped to him. Klavier frooze.
Klavier heard the pacing stop as angry stomps came to Klavier, “Are you spying on me?”
“No,” Klavier tried to think of an excuse for sitting outside his brothers room, “I was just resting.”
Klavier watched as Kristoph scowled. It was a face that nobody, but Klavier got to see. His bangs looked disheveled as his scowl turned into a smirk. Klavier frooze, “No! Wait! Krist-“
“Ma! Klavier ist nach seiner Schlafenszeit auf und nervt mich!”
Ma would be tired, and mad. Klavier booked it to the piano room praying that Mama didn’t hear. He waited, mentally preparing for Mama to yell. After what felt like forever his heart rate finally slowed. He felt tears of relief, and looked next to him to find the box of piano books. If Kristoph didn’t want to shake the house with his music, then Klavier would have to learn how to.
He sat on the piano bench, lifted the cover over the keys, and played the first couple notes. Trying to swim in the melody letting it drain all of his fears away. Letting Mama, Papa, and Kristoph disappear, as he got lost in his daydream.