Work Text:
Sitting in the dark theater all alone up in a theater box, Salieri only had one thing on his mind; the music and possibly something else…
A beautiful composition, mystical singing blessing his ears as he lets it take over him, piano played amazingly; the notes perfectly played and on time of the cues. Even if it wasn’t the normal orchestra he’s been to he was still thoroughly enjoying it. He looks down at the crowd to see the orchestra, the composer swaying his body and hands the fit the tempo of the music, but this isn’t the usual composer he was so infatuated with, he was over on the piano.
Glancing over at the small piano he saw a small man of stature. Not much younger than himself but such a joyful aura that anyone could get along with him, well that’s what he thinks of himself anyway.
This man has been on his mind for months, years even and he can’t seem to understand what makes him so great, was he sent down from the gods to punish him? Did God like to toy with him? He knew one thing for sure that he was the enemy or so he tried to convince himself to believe.
To be honest, he was completely engulfed with his music, studying and looking at his scores whenever he could get his hands on them. Something about his music made him feel something he’s never felt before. Like how he was truly supposed to feel. He didn’t truly try to believe this and would pray every night to make these “temptations” go away.
Watching the performance even he knew he couldn’t hate on it. He’s seen it four times already, but just something about this performance seemed…different.
Watching the pianist’s movements it wasn’t like himself, swaying back and forth but not like someone swaying back and forth to the music.
Salieri leaned over the bannister from his box seat as he watches the pianist carefully and then….BANG! The pianist collapses.
People around him gasp and rush backwards away from him, some people come over to see what happened. Salieri in shock, knew he had to do something, for someone he was so against and replused by him, he felt the compulsion to help him.
Offstage actors lift him up and place him in a more remote location near the backstage area. Salieri rushes down the stairs and he looks over the fallen pianist composer.
“What should we do sir?” One of the actors asks Salieri in a worried tone.
“Don’t worry, I know where he lives. I will take him over there and call a doctor for him in the morning” Salieri says reassuring the actors who had to witness this.
He lifts the man over his shoulder heaving to get him over at first but then stabilizing, then grabbing him and his own coat and treading outside into the carriage. Salieri places him into the carriage as he’s barely conscious, consistently drifting in and out of sleep in a very confused and dazed state. Salieri closes the door to the carriage and grabs on to the back on the carriage riding where usually servants would ride.
They eventually arrive at the pianists house, struggling to carry the composer up the large amount of stairs. He reaches into the unconscious pianist’s pocket grabbing a single key for the door; Unlocking it with one hand then pushing the door open.
The house is suspiciously quiet, not a single person or animal in the house. It’s a complete mess, glasses and music papers left astray everywhere. Salieri thinks to himself that there’s not enough time to judge his living habits and he needs to get him lying down. He rushes to the pianist’s bedroom and lies him down, then removing his shoes and coat.
The composer stares down at his limp, weak body. It’s almost like a porcelain glass doll, he can’t help but stare.
“The poor little prodigy has worked himself to the bone” Salieri thinks to himself as he takes his own coat off and sits down on the small couch across the bed looking at him.
A few minutes pass and he can’t help but feel bad for the man, only being a few years younger than himself, was carted around Europe around his entire life, I guess he deserves a break…
A few hours go by and he’s still in the same position that Salieri laid him in initially. Salieri jolting himself up every few seconds to not fall asleep.
“Salieri…” Mozart mutters from across the room causing Salieri to jolt up and rush over.
“Yes Herr Mozart? How can I help you?” He says kneeling down next to the side of the bed.
“The requiem…the requiem needs to be
completed…” Mozart says softly but stern.
“No Mozart, you need to rest, you are very unwell; now’s not the time to be finishing your pieces.” Salieri explains to him.
“No Salieri you don’t understand.. if I don’t finish this piece I’m over, I have no more in my savings…I have no pupils either..I’m basically living off of nothing. That’s why Stanzi isn’t here right now…” Mozart says, frustrated tears welling up in his eyes.
Salieri sees Mozart getting so irritated and can only feel bad for him, even though he believes he shouldn’t feel bad for him.
“Why don’t you finish it tomorrow? We can work on it together while you’re resting easier?” Salieri says wanting Mozart to sleep.
Mozart nods his head agreeing even through he didn’t want to. He rolls over in bed, his back facing Salieri, his beautiful golden hair almost in Salieri’s face. Salieri can hear faint weeping from Mozart.
“Oh Herr Mozart, don’t be so upset, it’s only going to make your condition worse” He says while putting a hand on Mozarts shoulder.
“Salieri. Can you do me a favor?” Mozart says sniffling to himself, back still turned to Salieri.
“Anything Herr Mozart.” Salieri says, it’s the littlest thing he can do for someone so sick.
“Will you lay with me? I mean next to me?” Mozart says rolling back over to look at Salieri.
Salieri’s cheeks flush red, how could he possibly ask for him to sleep in the same bed as him?? How indecent, but I guess Mozart isn’t the most “decent” man he’s ever met.
“Okay, just this once Mozart” Salieri says pushing down all of his feelings about this interaction.
He goes back over to the sofa and takes his shoes off and his outer vest which isn’t that comfortable to lay down in.
He goes back over to the opposing side of the bed and stares down at the spot, face getting hotter by the second of thinking of this truly unholy act.
He lays down as stiff as a board, almost touching arms with Mozart right next to him. He can feel his face getting hotter and redder as he lays there
“At least the bed is comfortable” Salieri thinks to himself surrounded by pillows and comforters, trying to keep his mind off of everything else.
A few silent minutes goes past until-
“Salieri?” Mozart says looking up at the ceiling.
“Yes?” Salieri says turning his head slightly to look at Mozart looking at the celling.
“Have you ever felt like there was something wrong with you? Like a piece you was missing?” Mozart says in complete seriousness.
“All the time” Salieri says thinking about his music and some other parts of his life.
“For all of the music and operas I’ve been writing over the years you’d think I’d be fulfilled by now…” Mozart says laughing to himself.
Salieri thinks about it and can honestly relate. He never really saw how similar him and Herr Mozart are. Salieri has also spent almost his entire life making and conducting music but he never thought someone as talented as Mozart would feel the same.
“Salieri?” Mozart now turned completely towards Salieri
“Yes Mozart?” Salieri says really hoping he’d just sleep by now.
“Turn to me” He says, Salieri can feel his eyes staring at the side of his face.
Salieri instantly turns bright red, a sickening feeling in his stomach rises. He turns to Mozart, their faces so close he can feel his sickly breath on his face. Staring into Mozarts bright blue eyes, they don’t have the shine and excitement they usually do. It’s honestly a depressing scene to see. The guy he looked up to so much to the point of violence and intense jealousy is just as vulnerable as him.
“Salieri?” Mozart says his own cheeks flushing either from sickness or something else.
“Yes Herr Mozart?” Salieri says quietly and with a shakiness in his voice.
“I wanted to thank you. You know for being there for me? I feel like you’re the only one who really understands my music. Everyone calls me immature or indecent, except for you. Your one of my only co workers that actual shows up to all of my opera-“
Salieri doesn’t know what came over him, was it impulse? Was it god toying with him again but he felt like he wasn’t even in his own body. He grabs the sides of Mozarts face and kisses him, Salieri’s lips together with Mozarts chapped and rough lips. He can feel the bareness of his lips against his own.
After just a few seconds, Salieri comes back to his own senses and pulls away faster than anything ever before.
“I-I-I- I don’t know what came over me..” Salieri says jumping up from Mozarts bed backing away.
Mozart touches his lips then looks back up at Salieri.
“Wait! Please don’t leave..” Mozart says reaching out to him.
Salieri looks down at his shaking hands, how could he have possibly done that? Betraying god like that so blatantly. He gave up on God answering him a long time ago but this was just insane.
“I’m sorry Herr Mozart. I-I must take my leave now” He says grabbing his coat and putting his shoes back on. He quickly walks out of the room with his head down, heading for the door
Mozart quickly jumps out of bed running after him his sickly body almost collapsing on itself. He runs out of the room and into the main sitting room right as Salieri was about to leave.
Mozart impulsively grabs Salieri’s shoulder and spins him so he’s facing him. Just like Salieri he grabbed the sides of his face with his clammy hands and kissed him. This time the kiss was different Salieri thought to himself, this wasn’t a kiss of surprise or even reciprocation but a kiss of desperation and sadness.
They stand there, the whole word pausing for a sold 30 seconds. Salieri stunned completely frozen in place. Then Mozart losing control falls down to his knees and passes out once again.
Salieri stunned, stares down at the man, so desperate that he risked his own health so he wouldn’t leave. He picks up Mozart bridal style and takes him back to his bed looking down at his flushed pink cheeks and pale face.
He lays him back down in bed just staring at him. Butterflies stirring up in his stomach. Is this really how he feels about him? Was this the “missing piece” he’s truly been missing for this long. Was the piece not his musical talent but someone just as passionate as him? He starts to laugh to himself putting his face in his hands. Slowly tears start streaming down his face as he lays back down on the sofa, not being able to sleep because the person he cares the most about is sick. Hours pass and inevitably he falls asleep.
————————————————————————-
Waking in the morning with the sun gleaming in his eyes, he jolts awake hoping Mozart was okay. He jumps off the sofa and rushes over to Mozart seeing him sleeping peacefully. He looks down at him smiling to himself basking in the beauty he never really saw before that. He notices a piece of hair sticking out against his face.
Carefully he brushes it away from his face feeling Mozarts soft skin while he brushes it away. Mozart a ruffles his nose and starts to wake up from the sudden contact.
Salieri slowly backs away hoping not to startle or awake him, as he turns around to go back to the sofa he hears his name.
“Salieri?” Mozart says in a surprised questioned tone
Salieri turns back around and sees Mozart staring at him. His strong blue eyes shimmering in the sunlight leaking through the silk curtains.
“Yes?” Salieri says containing his joy that Mozart is alright
“You didn’t leave.” Mozart says small tears of happiness leaking from his face.
“How could I after yesterday..” He said looking down at his hands turning them to seem like he’s inspecting them.
“Thank you.” “You don’t know how much that means to me.” Mozart says in a vulnerable tone.
“It was nothing sir” Salieri says looking back at him.
Mozart shows a soft smile at him, something he doesn’t think he’s ever seen before. Salieri was so used to being alone for most of his life that this was something unusual, something so pure and simple.
They stare at each other in the morning sunlight just admiring one another not really too sure what to do now.
“I love you Salieri, I always have since the first time I saw you at the kings palace”
“I love you too Amadeus” He says slowly climbing back into his bed wrapping his arms around Mozart.
Mozart reciprocates wrapping his arms around Salieri, their faces closer than they ever were before.
They lay there, basking in the sunlight and each other’s presence. They fall asleep in each other’s arms never to take each other for granted again.