Mastery ♪ phan

♪XIV♪

"You ready?" Phil asked, squeezing Dan's hand lightly.

Dan gave him a weak smile. "I'm ready in the sense that I'm fairly certain I won't mess up any of my pieces, but I'm still terrified."

They stood beside the stage, listening to the band who were currently playing. They were clearly Masters, as they looked younger than Phil. The drummer had dyed his hair red and already had a tattoo in an attempt to look older, but he still only looked around fifteen.

Fireworks exploded from the stage as the drummer played his solo, finishing on one of the loudest beats Dan had ever heard. He winced and gripped Phil's hand tighter. "What if they hate me?"

"How could anyone hate you?" asked Phil, pulling Dan into a tight hug as the crowd began to applaud. Seeing that this wasn't a good enough answer for Dan, he tried to elaborate. "You play beautifully, Dan. There's no reason for them to hate you."

Dan buried his face in Phil's chest. "I hope you're right."

A sound from onstage made Phil turn. A full grand piano was being lifted to centre stage, and a plush piano stool placed beside it. The drummer tapped Dan on the shoulder and whispered "good luck" as he passed.

Wiping his eyes, Dan pulled back. "You think I'll be okay?"

"You'll do perfectly. Now go out there and show them how well you can really play."

Dan smiled weakly. "Okay."

The sound from the crowd nearly deafened him as he waled out, and he could already feel the stage lights making him uncomfortable hot under his shirt collar. He wasn't sure if the crowd were applauding him or the band who had just left, but it felt pretty good, even if it did make his eardrums rattle.

When he sat down at the piano, the noise died almost instantly. There was a microphone laying on top of the piano, and Dan knew he was supposed to talk a bit about himself before he started playing, but his breathing was uneven and he didn't trust himself to talk properly.

Ignoring the microphone, he pressed his foot down on the right hand pedal, and began to play his first piece. This was his first ever composition, and he thought it was fitting to start with. He'd written it when he was twelve, when he wasn't very good at piano, but played with the skill Dan now possessed it sounded beautiful - simple, elegant, with just the right touch of sadness.

A few people applauded as he finished, but he didn't pause. He hadn't written a set list, but his hands had begun to play before he registered that he was now playing another composition, the one he'd written after returning home from his first day at his new school.

Oh, we're playing my life story now, are we?

Next came The Heart Asks Pleasure First. Obviously. What else could come next except the song he'd written specially for the boy with the blue eyes? He looked upwards over the piano, and saw Phil standing at the side, his eyes sparkling with tears and the biggest smile Dan had ever seen.

Then there was the most unmistakably angry piece Dan had written yet. What else would he write after being insulted, shamed and made to leave his parents' house? This was closely followed by a set of seven pieces written for the most important people in his life, and although Dan knew they wouldn't recognise that the pieces were for them, he still felt as though he was somehow forgiving his parents by playing their compositions. Even after all they'd done, he was still willing to play something for them.

Although Dan didn't know if it was alright, he stood and picked up the microphone. His hands weren't shaking like they were before the performance. He was perfectly calm.

He stepped to the front of the stage, lifted the microphone, and looked into the audience.

This is such a bad chapter ending oops
BUT
THIS IS IT
NEXT CHAPTER IS THE END
WHO'S EMOTIONALLY PREPARED
NOT ME
*cries*
I'm so not ready for this