You stomped your foot and hurried to collect your music, mumbling under your breath the whole time. "That asshole..."
The ballroom was too large for one person to occupy. Yet there you were, alone, seated at the grand piano in the corner of the golden room. Chords rang throughout the hall, echoing angelically as if you were playing for an actual audience rather than the stars that watched through the large windows.
The last note sustained for its last counts and you finally relaxed, breathing as you completed the piece. The tranquil silence after finishing a song was always a relief to you- it gave you a break as you turned the pages of your songbook for the next song.
You took a deep breath and readied your hands to play again.
"Fancy seeing you here."
Startled hands slammed on the keys. "And why are you here?"
"I heard music and saw both Dorothea and Manuela in the dining hall, so I wondered who could possibly have any musical talent other than them?"
You scoffed. "Curiosity killed the cat, Yuri."
"But satisfaction brought it back, and quite frankly, I'm pretty satisfied." Yuri moved closer to the piano and motioned for you to scoot over, which you begrudgingly did. He sifted through your music carefully and eventually put a song on the stand in front of you. "Play this one. It has... sentimental value to me."
You nodded. You may think of Yuri as a cheeky, annoying little shit, but you had a soft spot for the boy. If he said the song meant something to him, then you'd play this song as damn well as you possibly could and you'd take the snarky comments because he'd be smiling as he made them.
You started the first notes softly, slowly getting into the music and forgetting about Yuri's presence. You were unaware of the boy watching you with fond eyes, smiling as you played.
You only came back to reality as you heard a soft humming next to you. Out of the corner of your eyes, you saw Yuri softly singing along to the song. His voice was a velvety tenor- calming and soft with a beautiful, clear tone. You knew it would be a gorgeous sound if he sang louder, but he was in his own world, so you just continued to play. Your hands shook a little as you opened your own mouth, singing along with him and adding in a few harmonies here and there.
Yuri opened his eyes now, smiling and singing a bit louder. He was still looking away from you for the most part, sometimes side-eyeing you only to look away again. Cute.
You finished the song and sat there for a moment before turning to Yuri. He faced you too, a glimmer in his eyes. He laughed and shook his head, unruly bangs falling in front of his face.
"Well, songbird, I loved that." He grinned.
"Songbird? That's not a nickname I've heard before."
"Hm, really? Must be because I save it for really special people."
"Have you called anyone else 'songbird'?" You reached a hand out and brushed his hair out of the way. He caught your wrist and held it against his cheek. He was warm.
"No. It's a cute little thing, hm? Yuri-bird and his songbird."
His songbird? That didn't sound half bad.
Your thumb began rubbing against his cheek, as if trying to soothe his flushed complexion. "I like it."
Yuri suddenly lurched forward, capturing your lips with his. You quickly reciprocated, your other hand finding his shoulder as his own pressed against your waist. Your heart thumped quickly- advancing past the slow tempo of the song played earlier. He tilted his head to deepen the kiss and practically pulled you into his lap, flushing you against him tightly.
You had to pull away first, out of breath from your second duet of the evening with him.
Yuri grinned slyly. "The songbird is a little eager to sing again, aren't you?"
You blushed and stood up, brushing off your clothes. "Shut up."
Yuri followed you and stood behind you, placing his hands on your waist again before pressing his lips against your ear. "Careful what you wish for. I'll leave you be, now, but if you'd like to sing again, you know where to find me."
He smirked and kissed your cheek, twirling you around before walking out of the ballroom and leaving you alone.