[for romain]

[umbralla]

[It's not hard to find Ghyslain when he's not in class or the dorms - he doesn't go out a lot, and when there aren't classes in the music room, he'll most likely be there. How often do you find a giant grand piano to play, after all? Even his family had a much smaller one, slightly out of tune, which grated on someone with such a natural ear when he came back from lessons and had to practice on it.

Today he's playing something he remembers his older sister listening to; not his kind of music, but the musician was damn good on piano, so the melodies stick out and he picks them out when he hasn't got a song in mind. It's slow at first, then picks up to the actual speed of the song, light and flourishing.

He's clearly in his own world, pale eyes dreamy and head swaying back and forth. In a soft, deep voice, he tries to translate the lyrics he can remember, but they come without scansion and rhyme because it's so off the top of his head.]

Comments

[quantities]

[He smiles, looking down and biting his lower lip. Both shy and cheeky, if that's even possible.

The hand on his abdomen still manages to make it twitch lightly.]

Me too. You're - really, really good.

[umbralla]

[He twitches, but he doesn't make any move to reject the touch, so Ghyslain tries an arm around him.]

This is your first experience, Romain. With time, you will learn your preferences, and it will get better.

[There's a cheeky smile of his own. It sounded like he was being modest at first, to set up the deliberate curveball of that last line.]

[quantities]

But it's not my first, is it. [There they go. He's smiling right back at Ghyslain.] But I want to get better too. For you.

[umbralla]

C'est vrai. You were very brave that first night. Very drunk, but very brave.

[Just getting a bit more affectionate every time Romain doesn't stop him. Now he leans in to kiss the other boy's cheek softly.]

This was - already very good, Romain. Because I know that it will happen again, and it will be - [He has to think about the right words for this.] - on my terms as well as yours.

[Okay, so it's not an outright compliment of his technique, but they've already covered that he's new to it. Romain needs to know that finding something between a fling and the coldly manipulative experience with Fallon means a lot to him, and that'll forgive any mistakes he might make.]

[quantities]

Brave. [he laughs, low in his throat, but it's genuine.] I think drunk is enough to describe what I was.

[But Ghyslain is saying nice things, and his focus softens again.]

You show me; I'll show you.

[Because he's got some tricks up his sleeve, too, don't you worry.]