Chapter Text
All eyes were set on him. The spotlight illuminated him as the crowd hushed itself to silence, chatter amongst the people slowly simmering down into mere whispers. Up on the stage was the Chocolate Labrador himself, donning a black tuxedo and white collar that soaked in the spotlight’s shine. His nerves slowly settled as he sat down, hands hovering over the grand piano's keys. He had their full attention now. And as he closed his eyes, he had begun to play. His finger pressed on a key, then multiple, before slowly traversing across the board as if under a tremendous trance. Each stroke of each key vibrated out a melodic tone as his fingers frantically danced across the keys, and each note invited the crowd to listen closely as he played a well-recognised song. He truly dominated the stage now. And as he eventually reached the end, ramping up towards a fiery conclusion, he could feel beads of sweat forming on the tips of his fur — he had played up a storm. As he stopped, applause took over the symphonic sounds of the piano, where he deeply bowed before heading off behind the curtain, a feverish grin plastered on him as if he recognised the very talent he possessed. By the end of the hour, he would be headed home and do it all again throughout the month. Little did he realise, at the entrance of the theatre, a Blue Heeler had awaited him, a Heeler that would change the trajectory of his life.
-
Grand ol’ Fido, the king of the piano. Fido, the performer extraordinaire. Fido, the dog with a secret.
-
Bandit frankly despised those types of dogs – the ones that appeared snooty and uptight with a disregard for those beneath them — and he often leaned towards other forms of entertainment when traversing the city streets at night. Although studying to become an archaeologist himself, he believed to be too young at heart to fall under the category of what would be considered the ‘upper echelon’ of their society. And in the midst of his walk, he encountered a crowd forming near the entrance of the theatre, a few pushing and shoving others in a frantic manner with crumpled tickets in their hand as if they were preserved for a long period of time.
“Let us in, please!” voices rang out.
In a quick minute, the doors flew open, before the crowd rushed inside near trampling over Bandit’s tail. It was rare to witness a spectacle like this in the city, and if one were to happen, it would be for a concert or an expected movie premier that resulted in various others waiting in extensive lines. Tedious, he figured. And as Bandit continued on his way, a note of curiosity struck him. A soft tune echoed outwards. The sound of a piano. A tone that would melt him under the cool night’s air, and a tone that positively sucked him into a daze that begged him to enter the theatre and listen to the rest of the sound. But he had no ticket, and no entry would be guaranteed for a man like him. So he sat outside, letting his ears pick up on the hints of the pianists’ music to hit him gracefully. Even when he received looks of slight concern, he had almost fallen in love with the beautiful harmonies that graced him, softening the hardened heart that he carried. Though most orchestral music appeared simply noise to him, this was different — this was truly music.
After a while, Bandit had snapped out of his daze when a voice announced itself to him.
“Excuse me, are you okay?” the voice asked.
Bandit groggily rubbed his eyes, before realising how late it had gotten. He had fallen asleep!
“Ah, yeah mate… I think I just got dozed off by this… piano man” he responded, still attempting to grasp on his surroundings.
“Piano man?” the voice chuckled, “Did you listen to the song?”
“Song…? Oh right! Yeah, the uh, the song. Man… it was really good…”
Once he stood upright, he finally saw the man in front of him. A sweaty, Chocolate Lab with a tousled tuxedo and messy hair, with a crooked smile across his face.
“Glad you liked my playing then, although I’m not sure if you could’ve heard the full extent of what I was doing from out here…” the Chocolate Lab mumbled, eyebrows slightly furrowed.
His voice was as silky as the song he played, nearly as smooth as butter with every word he spoke, causing Bandit to consistently blush at every instance. This was the man who managed to sway his heart without even speaking a single word to him, the one who only communicated through an instrument and still snagged his attention with minimal effort. It only took a split moment afterwards for Bandit to realise who it was in front of him.
“Wait… hold on… are you THE Fido?!”
Fido let out a loud laugh, “You just noticed, hey?”
Bandit sighed, exasperated at his naivety, “Ah sorry mate… I didn’t realise it was you… I usually don’t bother with these sorts of places.”
“Don’t bother with these places?” Fido asked, eyebrow raised, “So what you’re telling me is that I managed to convince you to actually like this sort of music?”
“You didn’t convince me, I… just happened to like your style. It’s a whole different thing!”
“Right… of course.”
Bandit was astonished at the rare glance he managed to obtain of the legendary Fido. These days, it was near impossible to even catch a glance at him before his performances, and even harder to talk to him one-on-one. Yet he was here, choosing to continue in conversation with him as if he were someone special. Although he had seen him in various papers and articles, he never truly grasped who Fido was. Unaware to him, he would be of similar age and actually real, not some fantasy pianist who every once in a while came out to swoon the audience with his masterpieces. But here he was, actively talking to him.
“So… I know it’s kinda unorthodox, but would you mind heading out with me for a drink? It’ll be nice to, y’know, get to know you more,” Bandit offered, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest.
Fido’s eyes lit up, before hesitating and ultimately letting out a sigh, “Ah… I don’t think I can. Not tonight, anyways. Sorry.”
“Oh, no… no worries! Just asking, that’s all.”
“Heh, well, I guess it is a little late, isn’t it? Guess it’s time to go… but! It was really nice meeting you…?”
“Oh, uh, Bandit. Bandit Heeler.”
“... Bandit Heeler, it really was a pleasure.”
Almost as quickly as they had met, Fido had departed instantly, sadness lingering in the last words that he had spoken to Bandit. For years he had studied rigorously to become as well-off as he is now. To dazzle the crowd was easy, but to love who he wanted to love was a different scenario. If he had it his way, he would go out with Bandit and indulge in a drink or two, sip liquor and chat the night away before letting lips touch lips in a gentle manner, and call Bandit his for the night. Yet the universe was not kind to people like him, and he couldn’t risk revealing himself without fully knowing Bandit’s intentions either.
Beneath the glitz and glamour of the crowd and the congregations that celebrated his star power was a dog enveloped with sorrow, an individual that returned home in an empty apartment with nothing but the moon’s watchful eye through the cotton curtains that covered the windows. Resting on the bedside table was a half-empty bottle of whisky, with a glass cup daintily sitting beside it as it awaited the warm liquid to fill its hollow body. Compared to the stage, the bedroom seemed dim. Amongst the street below, various couples appeared to wander the pathways, affection spewing out of them and across the roads. Oh, how Fido longed to have that! Yet instead of sleepless nights with paramours, he would be stuck inside composing pieces of perfection to play. A language that transcended barriers, the language of music — one that he spoke well. But the language of love — Fido had never understood. Not until he had met Bandit. Suddenly, a resolve had fallen upon him, as he slowly drifted off during his composing;
He would properly reunite with Bandit. He will learn to understand the fickle language of love.