Chapter Text
At first, it happened by accident.
At that time, Remus had just recovered from a fever after three full days, and James had just returned from his office after working overtime all night, and the fortune goddess was still merciful to them, thus with a little joy and gratitude in mind, they thought to laze around all day because they get one day off before returning to the war with the vulgar adult world (read: working hard like tomorrow is the end of the life, and being a corporate slave who sucks up to superiors, and the likely) while they open the balcony windows in their bedroom and study, and an acoustic guitar and violin greeted both of their heart, and soul, and mind.
Stunned and amazed, then gaping and lost, absorbed by the melody of the musical instruments that echoed in the calm and cold of dawn.
The melodies of the two instruments are in harmony with each other, and intertwine, and dance around with the wind of dawn that has not yet broken, because there are still black and gray colors in the sky above. The melodies of the two instruments were in harmony with each other, and tickled their hearts, and touched their bare skin which was not blocked by cloth along with the wind of dawn that had not yet broken, because there were still several stars twinkling sweetly in the sky above.
That morning, instead of being busy to pamper themselves in a bed that was smooth, warm, and soft like a cloud in spring as they had planned after opening the balcony window and letting the fresh dawn air enter the minimalist flat, both Remus and James chose to sit down on their balcony, and close their eyes, not forgetting to comfort themselves with the dirty clothes still attached to their bodies, and they seemed to melt, lulled by an intimate instrumental mini concert coming from the neighbors above their flat building.
In the second time, both Remus and James were unconsciously waiting for the return of the same thing on the exact day and at the perfect time as the previous week, and it did not disappoint either of them, because three minutes later, when Remus was grading his students' exam answers in bed while James washing dishes in the kitchen, the familiar tunes of an acoustic guitar and violin came back to their consciousness.
A different melody from last week, but with the same vibration and feels.
As if controlled by an invisible thread that tugged the weakened heart, consciously unconscious, Remus moved the pile of exam results, assessment forms, and his laptop to the bedroom balcony, and James remained in the kitchen, nodding his head and tapping the sole of his right foot casually to the rhythm of the song.
The third time, and the fourth, to the fifth, and by then, it had become a habit for Remus and James to turn on an audio recording on their phones, and save a copy on their laptop before playing it to their colleagues while asking about the song and the original singer.
Peter blinked, then took James' phone away from his ear to play the recording again, but the man stopped him in the middle of the song, then he raised his right eyebrow, "Isn't this Del Rey?"
"Del Rey?" James frowned.
Lily nodded, and put Remus' phone on the table in front of her before she sat down and propped her chin with a curious expression, "A US female singer. She is known for her songs that have American retro or baroque vibes among other female singers, and if I remember correctly, this song is called Chem Trails Over The Country Club." Then he glanced at Remus' phone which returned the recording automatically for the umpteenth time, "It's surprising that suddenly you're interested in songs other than slow rock, Re."
"Mmm," Remus shrugged his shoulders indifferently, and went back to inputting the exam score data for the fourth of the fifth classes he taught in classical literacy, and even though the years had passed, the habit of his fingers dancing on piano notes never completely disappeared until now, especially when he typed on the laptop keyboard, "My upstairs neighbor puts on an instrumental mini concert every week at dawn, and I think the melody is quite charming."
"As far as I know, the singer is known as the queen of sadcore," Peter reached out his hand on the pantry table to grab the pain au chocolat provided by the office catering, "Although I think, there are some songs that sound like they are being lovesick or seem to have daddy issues." The man was unbothered to James who choked on his latte when he heard that, "But, in my opinion, even though you could say this is a stereotype," James saw a mischievous glint in his colleague's eyes, "Most of those who listen to Del Rey's songs are a cool person who is hopeful romantic with an older lover and enjoys deep conversations in unexpected times and places."
"Have you ever met them?" Lily asked with eyes sparkling full of hope, "Considering you are life in the same flat building, and your body language indicate that you have a romantic interest in this mysterious figure, so I think you have a lot of opportunities to meet or get to know them," Then she snapped her fingers, "Or at least, you have crossed paths like those cliche romance films we watched in college dorm years ago."
"Christ, Lily," Remus chuckled, and Lily did not, and it made him feel awkward with a face as red as the apples in the salad for breakfast that morning, "I mean, even if I did have an interest in that person, it's a shame that we've never met, let alone passed each other," He hummed wearily, "As if what I heard every Sunday dawn was just a dream, and the mysterious person who performing an instrumental mini concert on the balcony of the top floor of my flat never existed."
"So then, you decided to record all the songs they play?" Peter tilted down his head, and his skeptical and judgmental tone reminded James of his colleague's profession as a fraud investigator in their company, "Don't you realize that you now act like a pathetic secret admirer?"
"Hey, a song that's good to hear is still a song that's good to hear!" James folded his arms across his chest and defended himself, "After all," His hand reached over to the pantry table to grab the choux from his office catering, and while devouring the pastry, and with a glass paper containing a latte in his left hand, he left the place as he continued, "After all, I appreciated the mini concert in my own way: recording and copying it on my laptop without any intention of commercializing it, let alone making it viral on the internet. It'll be my guilty pleasure and the person behind those skillful hands will keep at peace, so, no one feels disadvantaged, right?"
No one feels disadvantaged, said Remus and James in their deepest part of the heart, considering that so far, they had never heard any complaints from other neighbors, and everything seemed fine, and every day, they could not wait for the day and hour to come, and in the meantime, they trying to get to know other songs from the singer in question, singing along to the lyrics of the title of the song given by their colleague, and like a prayer and hope, they sang it with a content of the heart that overflowed with deep calm.
Remus felt that Shades of Cool was his song, on the other hand, James felt attached to the Old Money.
Until one day, in the sixth time, and seventh, and turn into eighth, and the wonderful instrumental music could no longer be heard, and they thought that maybe, without them knowing, their other flat neighbors were complaining about the local musicians in the building, whether it was to the person themselves, or to the landlady which is then conveyed privately to them.
"Oh, they're going abroad for work," Minerva answered, she offered some french pastries in a three-tier and a cup of warm ginger tea considering the weather hadn't been very friendly lately, "As far as I remember, they'll be back the day after tomorrow."
"What kind of job does it require them to travel abroad so long like this time, Minnie?" James chewed the eclair deliciously, and did not forget to poke and lick the melted chocolate sticking to the corners of his lips by his fingertip, "By the way, where did you buy this pastry? The chocolate is excellent and I'm willing to die for it!"
"Dearest, why would I buy pastry if I can make it myself?" The old woman puffed the warm breath from her crooked nose, then she folded her hands in her lap elegantly, "I'm not too sure, but they wrote a professional advertiser on the rental form. Could they be people who work in advertising companies?"
"Or maybe they work in an industry that deals with big brands that require a lot of advertising?" Remus took a thin sip of the ginger tea, and mumbled in surprise when he tasted it. "It turns out that ginger tea is quite delicious as you said. May I ask for the recipe, Minerva?"
"I also can say that you're not the only one looking forward to their mini concert," Minerva leaned her back, and she propped her chin up, then threw a mischievous glint in a pair of light, faded eyes at Remus and James across the table, "Although not very directly, but most of the residents of this building have given gifts and flower bouquets," She tilted down her face, and landed her right finger on the corner of her thin lips, "Because they handed them over to me to give to the sibling brother."
"Oh?" James was hooked by the facts. He leaned over, both to take a macaron on the top tier and to take an interest in hearing more information. "The sibling brother? A Male?"
Remus saved the ginger tea recipe on his phone's notes app, "They appreciated those gifts and flower bouquets?"
Minerva muttered softly in a motherly manner, and her hand swayed around in the air, "That's right, they appreciated it, and in return, they gave me some ingredients for baking and asked me to make danish pastry to share with the people who gifted them." The old woman frowned, then put on an empathetic smile on her wise and confident wrinkled face, "I'm sorry that I can't give you that danish pastries, dearest, because they said only flat neighbors who give them gifts and flower bouquets to had it for reciprocity."
James chuckled, and he felt the familiar jealousy creeping into his heart and mind, and did his best to keep it from showing on his friendly face, "No problem, Minnie! The positive side is that I can give them gifts as a form of appreciation and they won't reject it! They even returned the appreciation! Isn't that good information before choosing what action I have to take?"
"Alright then, if you say so," A wide smile spread across the landlady's face, "But one day, if you want to give a gift to the sibling brothers, please give it directly without my intervention, and maybe," In the blink of an eye, both Remus and James saw a playful and calculating expression over there, "Maybe you'll be one step ahead of those secret admirers."
Dusk greets time, and the busyness of the city seems to never end at the end of the day, and between the sound of the aquarium in the corner of the room, and the swaying leaves of indoor plants being flicked by the afternoon breeze from the balcony, and the aroma of tea and pastries that wafts around the sides of the flat, and the soft light of the afternoon sun at that time, when the sky was orange, purple, and dark blue among the gray clouds, towards the figure of an old woman, their landlady who was considered a mother to the residents, sitting sweetly with her hands always folded on her lap and standing straightfully with her arms always crossed on her stomach, and that expression in her dull eyes as if she knew all the secrets of the universe, Remus and James stared back to the warmth existence.
"The way you say that makes it seem like you know something, Minnie." Remus blinked once, and twice, and he got up from his chair, "I don't know if I should prepare myself for that or just let it go to where the flow takes me."
"Oh, half and half, I must say," She smiled sharply, "And believe me," Her hand reached out to the table to take the porcelain cup carefully, and she sipped the ginger tea in a wonderful manner, "If you prepare yourself and let the flow carry you away without resistance, you will anchor to a place where you feel your breath being taken away."
"The sibling brother who can take people's breath away, huh?" James tilted up his head, and hummed in curiousity while seeing a vintage ornament of her ceiling, then he planted a warm kiss on Minerva's forehead after, which was decorated with ivory white hair and have a delightful floral scents, "Have a great day, Minnie, and the pastries are the absolute killer!"
It feels like the first time Remus and James heard the melody accidentally.
That early morning, Remus was leaning his hand on the balcony railing while he was holding a cigarette on his lips to relieve fatigue after pulling all night because of preparations for the lecturers' monthly meeting on the day after tomorrow, and James was leaning his tailbone against the balcony railing while he was kissing the rim of a mug filled with hot, black coffee to aggravate his insomnia due to work stress from that week, when a familiar instrumental strains came to greet the silent dawn without hesitation.
An acoustic guitar and violin greeted both of their heart, and soul, and mind.
A different melody from last week, but with the same vibration and feels.
Stunned and amazed, then gaping and lost, absorbed by the melody of the musical instruments that echoed in the calm and cold of dawn.
As if controlled by an invisible thread that tugged the weakened heart, and as fast as lightning and thunder in the heart of the rain, and as if soaring and flying to the seventh heaven towards the sky, and with closed eyes lulled by the sound of the beautiful instrument, also by the familiar scent of the city, and the chirping of birds in the early morning from the end of the world, and being carried away by the comfortable atmosphere, peaceful, and deep longing after a long time, both Remus and James breathed out sweet praises to the local musician of their building, and muttered weakly helplessly, and opened their mouths slowly to then sing the lyrics of the song they had heard all the time since nine weeks ago.
They sang, and continued to do so, from the first chorus to the bridge, even to the final chorus without breaking the rhythm and tempo of the song, and sometimes both of them puffed out cigarettes and sucked hot, black coffee from their trembling palms and their fast-beating hearts, and the morning breeze that caressing their bodies, and at the end of the song, when their eyes opened and glanced at each other from the balcony next door, a sweet smile appeared on their faces, and their cheeks blushed like the color of the fresh red roses bouquet that lay sweetly on the dressing table and living room couch, and to the last melody of the song, both Remus and James lifted their cigarettes and coffee mugs into the air, nodding faintly, and when they glanced up to the balcony above their flat, they were both greeted by a pair of young men leaning and bending over against the balcony railing with guitar and violin in each other's arms.
A pair of young men with jet black hair like the peaceful night, and a pair of round greyish blue jewels that stared with a wondrous twinkle as if the stars lived peacefully within them, and bright red cheeks against their pale skin like porcelain, and parted lips that gaped adorable, and the light of their room shining their whole existence effortlessly, and it makes both Remus and James felt their breath taken away instantly.
"Oh, you have such a sweet voice," One of them with long hair that fell over his bare shoulders and the balcony railing, whispered with a friendly, expressive tone, "And your singing intonation is perfect like the original one too!"
"Hello, there," Remus blinked slowly, "Such a wonderful honor to be able to meet the local musicians of this building in person," He tilted up his head and gave a faint smile after taking a drag from the cigarette he was holding, "And as Minerva said, it turns out the flow took me to the person who took my breath away." And watching those pairs of eyes widen slightly while its light up with the heart sparkles, and the shy smile behind the guitar he was holding, and the sweet, tinkling laugh that burn freely and dazzle every weakened heart.
"Honestly, I think it's too early to drink a hot black coffee," One of the others, short shoulder-length hair with a messy wolf cut but which looked tempting to humans, whispered with a curious, slightly judgmental intonation, "And lit a cigarette. It's too early to indulge in guilty pleasure poison."
James grinned, and he licked his upper lip while watching intensely at the young man who followed the movement of his tongue, "Mmm, most people enjoy their guilty pleasure poison without knowing the time," Then took a long sip of hot black coffee in his mug, "Or maybe do you have other suggestions for enjoying this perfect dawn?"
The two brothers glanced at each other, then back at Remus and James who were now enjoying the last remains of their delicious poison in their hands, until then, they both heard, "A full breakfast." When Remus and James glanced at each other, the long haired brother continued, "How about a full breakfast in our flat?"
Last week, Remus and James ordered a bouquet of red roses from the same flower shop at different times, with different wrapping paper, and different satin and lace ribbons. Last week, Remus and James bought a bottle of red wine from the same famous wine shop at different times, with different paper bags, and the contents of the message on different pieces of sweet paper. Last week, Remus and James bought a bottle of the same famous designer brand perfume in different variants and at different times, as well as different packaging boxes and additional trinkets.
This week, those gifts and the flower bouquet are kept neatly and sweetly in each of the brothers' bedrooms, as are the acoustic guitar and a violin, because at that time, when the cloak of night falls down and the moon and stars wander to the other end of the world, when the morning sun showered the city with its warm light accompanied by the chirping of wild birds, and the hustle and bustle of the city's residents to welcome the bright day, both Remus and James were busy meeting, and greeting, and dancing around, and being drunk in love by the Black brothers.