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Oh Archons, what is he going to do?!
In the span of three hours, his accompanist had gotten into an accident, was rushed to the nearest hospital, and was told he got wrist and arm fractures. Xingqiu received a call from his friend (who had heard about the accident and immediately went to the hospital) an hour ago, and was told he needed a new accompanist for his concert. It was two days away. Xingqiu didn't know any other person who had time to play the piano during his performance.
He's been making phone calls to everyone he knows to ask if they know anyone else who's skilled enough to play the piece he was planning to perform. So far, there wasn't anyone. He slowly lowered his phone after another unsuccessful call. The stress was getting to him. With a sigh, he decided to walk around to let out some steam.
Before Xingqiu knew it, he was entering the doors of his favorite cafe. It was one that had a garden theme. There were multiple plants and flowers placed inside the building. The violinist took note of the freshly-picked silk flowers placed in a vase near the piano in the corner. There was someone seated on the piano stool, doing basic hand stretches. Xingqiu recognized the person as the sky blue-haired guy who came once every week to play the cafe piano.
He got in line, only slightly noticing the chords the pianist was doing to warm up. He ordered the same thing he always had, Peppermint Mocha. It only took a few minutes for Lumine, the barista on shift, to prepare his drink and hand it to him. He thanked her with a gentle smile, then turned to find a seat.
The faint notes of his favorite piece made its way to his ears. His fingers itched for his violin. The sound was coming from the piano in the corner. The pianist from earlier was now passionately playing his favorite piece. Xingqiu stood there, amazed. He never really payed special attention to the pianist before. Listening to him now has rendered him speechless.
The pianist finished with a flourish. Xingqiu's smile grew wider, his barely-consumed drink still in his hand. While listening, he remembered his situation with the accident and the need for a new accompanist. Well, it seems like he's found someone after all.
"Excuse me," he asked, effectively grabbing the musician's attention. "Would it be all right if I could have you as my accompanist for a day?"
"I'm sorry?" was the reply he got. The pianist's frost blue eyes were wide in surprise. There was also a flash of recognition there, which the violinist failed to notice.
"I was asking if you could be my accompanist," he answered. The sky blue-haired boy thought for a moment. Xingqiu understood; it was a sudden request after all. They didn't even know each other.
After a few minutes, the pianist came to a decision. "All right, I'll do it," he said. "But why me? Don't you already have an accompanist?"
"Ah. My accompanist had an...accident, so I need someone to take his place for now. It's only for one day, so you don't need to worry."
The musician nodded. "Okay then. I'm Chongyun. It's nice to meet you properly, Xingqiu."
And for some reason, as they shook hands, Xingqiu didn't think of asking Chongyun how he knew his name. He automatically assumed it was because the pianist heard it whenever he takes his order from the barista, so it didn't bother him too much. They continued talking there in front of the piano about the piece the violinist was planning to play in his upcoming performance. It was another original, much like the previous one.
"Yes," the pianist said. "I think I could learn this in a day and a half." He returned the phone with the digital sheet music back to its owner then stood up from the piano stool. "Where are we going to practice?"
Xingqiu ended up bringing him to his personal practice room, which was nearby. It was a good thing he had a place like that, and a piano in it too, because he had no idea where else they could borrow a piano. Unless the cafe was welcome to a practice session, Xingqiu figured it would be safer in a place he had control over.
The 1 and a half days they had for practice passed by in a blur. At one point, they were both reading the music the violinist printed on a piece of paper. At another point, they were eating snacks during their short but multiple breaks. And at yet another point, Xingqiu had come back inside the room to find Chongyun slumped against the wall, fast asleep. He smiled at the sight, then found himself fetching a blanket and joining the pianist in his peaceful slumber.
∘ ◊ ---------- ◊ ∘
The day of his performance came faster than expected. He and his temporary accompanist managed to learn how to play the piece in harmony in such a limited time span. Now, he was just waiting for his...partner to arrive. He was the third to perform from the night, which made him even a little bit nervous. Although, he remembered he would be on stage with Chongyun, and it helped ease his nerves.
Strange, he thought. It was strange how a literal stranger could give him such comfort even if they've only interacted for a day and a half.
Speaking of the pianist, Xingqiu could already see him approaching. It took a while for him to notice, but when he did, all oxygen was knocked out of his lungs. Performance-ready Chongyun was completely different from the person he's been practicing with for the past few hours. That Chongyun was very casual. He wore simple t-shirts and pants, sometimes with designs on them but are mostly plain. This Chongyun was elegant. He was wearing formal clothes that matched Xingqiu's, which suited him. His light blue hair reflected the gold from the stage lights, and his cat-like eyes glowed with passion. What completed the look was the soft smile on the pianist's lips. Xingqiu felt like he would melt all the way through the floorboards because of it.
"Um," Chongyun spoke, catching the violinist's attention. "Are you all right?"
Xingqiu laughed a little to hide his embarrassment. "Of course I am, dear Chongyun," he answered. "I'm just a little bit nervous."
A light pink tint dusted the other's cheeks. Cute, the violinist can't help but think. His thoughts were interrupted when the stage curtains were slowly pulled open. The person who organized the concert walked onstage, a microphone in his hand. She spoke a few words to welcome the audience then proceeded to describe what they should be experiencing that night. Hearing this made Xingqiu nervous again. His accompanist noticed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be fine," Chongyun told him with an encouraging smile.
His nerves were eased once more. He returned the smile with his own, which somehow made the pianist turn redder. It distracted him from his upcoming performance, wondering what made the other blush. It wasn't even hot inside the air-conditioned theater.
Just like the day of the performance, his turn to play came faster than expected. He and Chongyun shared one last look before walking onstage. It was nearly the same with all of his other concerts. The lights were blinding compared to the dim lighting backstage. The anticipation of the audience reached him easily. The piano was positioned at the center, although the one sitting on its stool during his performance will be someone else. He was going to play his newest piece in front of a large audience with Chongyun. Chongyun, the pianist who played his favorite piece in his favorite cafe just two days ago. Chongyun, who most likely had no idea who he was before that day, but decided to be his accompanist anyway. Chongyun, who only had a day and a half to learn the piece he needed to play, now taking his spot onstage.
Xingqiu felt the audience holding their breath as they waited for them to start. He glanced back at his accompanist, who placed his fingers on the keys and nodded. He took a deep breath before placing his violin under his chin. And so, they began.
∘ ◊ ---------- ◊ ∘
"That was amazing!" Lumine exclaimed, running towards them, dragging Aether behind her. The violinist replied with a grin.
They were in the lobby of the theater. The concert ended just a few minutes ago. They were able to listen to everyone else's performance after theirs, but Xingqiu still feels like theirs was the best.
"Thank you, Lumine," Chongyun softly said.
"Really, though!" she smiled ear to ear. "I didn't think you'd ever get a chance to play with your cr-"
"LUMINE," her twin quickly blurted out. "Weren't we planning to go to the mall to buy a new book??"
Lumine took one look at her brother and the pianist's faces before nearly yelling, "OH ARCHONS I NEARLY FORGOT! Let's go then Aether-"
And so together the twins sprinted to the exit of the theater. Xingqiu stared after them, confused.
"What was that?" he asked Chongyun. His accompanist merely shrugged, but a blush was visible on his cheeks. He seemed to be hiding something, but the violinist hadn't the slightest idea what it was.
∘ ◊ ---------- ◊ ∘
A month later, Xingqiu once again entered his favorite cafe's doors. As expected, he saw Chongyun seated on the piano stool in the corner. He headed straight there, stopping just behind the pianist.
"Excuse me," he said with a grin. "Would it be all right if I could have you as my accompanist?"
"For how long?" was the reply he got. Chongyun turned around with a wide smile on his face. "You didn't say 'for a day' this time."
"Well, what if I wanted you to be my accompanist from now on?" Xingqiu asked. They played beautifully together. It was as if the universe led him to the pianist that day. Maybe they were destined to be partners from the start.
It took quite a while for Chongyun to answer. What he said when he finally did, though, was something the violinist never expected to hear.
"I've been practicing the piano a lot since I was 5 because of one of your performances. I wanted to be able to accompany you one day, no matter how impossible it was, and then it actually happened. So, thank you. And of course I'll be your accompanist."
Xingqiu's smile was so bright, it could've made the sun envious. "Well then, that means all your practice payed off, partner."