Title: Bliss
Rating: PG
Warnings: A bit of boy/boy kissing.

Daniel was working on a new song again. From anyone else, the same few bars of music repeated over and over again might be hair-pullingly annoying, but Joshu never grew tired of hearing the pianist play. There was just so much feeling behind it that it didn't seem repetitive at all.

This piece in particular seemed unusually heartening. The vampire's music tended towards dark, moody and mysterious, but his current project seemed more upbeat. There were still hints of unrest within, a sort of unhappiness clouding the thing as a whole, but the main theme seemed... hopeful, or pleading. Given that Daniel's music was usually an insight into his heart, what was he feeling to bring this on?

"Joshu."

Caught by surprise, the young violinist broke from staring blankly at the glossy lid of the baby grand and looked up at his companion. Daniel was watching him with a hint of a smile. "Sorry, was listening..." His getting lost within one of the composer's melodies was nothing new, and Daniel was prone to such trances himself, so the man merely grinned in reply.

"Well, would you mind playing the melody with me?"

"Of course not." Joshu returned the grin before retrieving his instrument from the other side of the living room. As he came to stand at Daniel's shoulder to read the music, he noted that there was a more complex underpinning to the tune, which the composer would now presumably play on the piano. Even with his supernatural grace and dexterity, the vampire wouldn't have been able to do the entire work justice with just his two hands.

"Mm, just a sec..." The young man adjusted his tuning slightly, then nodded at the tones that rang out with his test stroke. "All right..."

Daniel nodded in reply and tapped out the time, then began the arpeggios that introduced the key of the piece. Joshu joined in with the melody after a few bars, torn between listening to the delicious sound they were creating and attending to the actual playing. At times like this, he wished they had a recorder to just play back their collaborations; otherwise, he thought, he would never be able to actually enjoy the pieces as a passive listener.

The vampire seemed to have no such difficulty seeing his music from the "outside", so to speak, but he was a composer; Joshu figured he had to be able to remove himself from the mechanics of playing, or he'd never be able to write anything. Indeed, Daniel's fingers seemed to move of their own accord as the man closed his eyes to listen, his lips slightly parted as if enjoying a lover's caress.

Of course, much of Daniel's music was like a caress, and this one more so than most. With his senses honed to unnatural sharpness by the barest taste of Daniel's blood, Joshu had to clamp down on more than one chill running down his spine as he sight-read the melody. That didn't stop him, however, from leaning even more into his playing, unfolding the message the composer had written for him. It spoke of adoration to the point of reverence, and helplessness on the part of the admirer. Knowing how Daniel wrote his music, it was easy enough to tell that the vampire had created this both for and about Joshu. And being the focus of that kind of attention gave the violinist just as much cause to shiver as the music did.

All too soon, the song ended, leaving Joshu a bit awestruck with his bow still raised. As Daniel raised his hands from the keys and looked up at the younger man questioningly, Joshu shook his head and lowered his violin, letting out a quiet sigh.

"Too light?" the composer asked curiously, perhaps wondering if his lover didn't like the change in style.

"No, no... I like it!" Joshu replied hastily. "I like it a lot. It really..." He smiled shyly, uncertain of how to phrase his thoughts. "I really felt this one clearly, I think..."

"Ah... It comes through well, hmm?" Daniel stood up, stretched, and turned to smile at the slightly taller violinist. "Good. I thought it was a rather important message."

Unaccountably, Joshu blushed, but the intensity of the composer's pale gaze often did that to him. "I... um, I think I have a reply to that message," he said hesitantly. Daniel was in no way intimidating, but he was almost effortlessly poetic, while Joshu felt like a clod as he struggled for elegant words.

"Oh?" The vampire's amusement was conveyed with the merest quirk of an eyebrow.

"Mm..." Gathering his nerve -- it was damned hard to do this with Daniel watching him expectantly -- Joshu raised a hand to the composer's face, then leaned in and kissed him. He could feel the curve of Daniel's lips forming a smile as the man slid his arms around his back.

"I think this merits further discussion," the vampire murmured as they broke apart, his expression making it clear what kind of "discussion" was in store. Joshu did shiver then, but was more than willing to follow Daniel into the privacy of the bedroom. fin

6/20/2006: Sorry for the general dopeyness, needed to get it out of my system. ^_^; Inspired by the song "Bliss" by Muse.