Work Text:
"Corme!" Eddie burst into the butcher's, a bright smile on his face.
The mentioned mayflau looked up from his counter upon hearing his name. "Yes, Eddie?"
"I have a surprise for you!" he exclaimed, bounding over to the smaller boy and taking him by the arm. "Come on, you're gonna love it!"
Corme chuckled, letting himself be dragged along, swept up in the owul's excitement. The townsfolk gave the two strange looks as they passed, but he paid them no mind. It wasn't every day that the butcher left his shop, after all.
The two of them arrived at a large house. Eddie let go of Corme and knocked a couple of times before the door was opened.
"Ah, Eddie. Come in," said a decently aged man. He looked down at Corme and nodded, holding his hand out. "Guntram. I assume you're the butcher?"
Corme took his hand and shook it. "Yep! I didn't recognise you at first, but you're one of those musicians, right?"
Guntram nodded again.
Corme's face lit up. "Yes! I was right!"
"Come on, Corme!" called Eddie from inside the house. "That's not the surprise! It's this way!"
"Okay!" Corme headed over to him, and could sense Guntram behind him. He wondered if this had something to do with him. They stopped at a large room with a piano in the center. Corme rushed over to it, amazed. "Wow! It's so smooth! Is this yours, Guntram?"
"Yes it is. Treat it with care."
"Hm? What does that mean?"
Eddie popped up in front of Corme and balled his fists, hopping up and down. "This is the surprise! I'm gonna teach you piano!"
"Whoa, really?"
"Yeah! Go sit down!" Eddie said, running over to a table. When he returned to the piano, the other boy had already sat himself on the stool. "Sheet music!" Eddie explained, placing it on the piano.
Corme looked at the paper, confused. "Whats that?"
"The notes you're supposed to play! See, look!" The owul leaned over Corme and played what he assumed was a simple tune. "I'm gonna teach you that!"
Corme clapped his hands. "I'm amazed you can make sense of that! I have no idea what any of it means!"
Eddie set a hand on Corme's shoulder, pointing to the first note. "Thats a G," he said. "It's...This note!" he pointed to a key on the piano. "I think."
"You think?"
"Haha..."
Corme shook his head. He leaned back onto Eddie and felt him stiffen a little. "What's next?" he asked.
"That's... uh... Oh! F!"
"F?"
"Yeah! This one!" Eddie hit a key, the sound echoing throughout the room.
Corme hit the key next to it. "Was that right?"
"No, no, it's this one," Eddie repeated his previous action.
"Ohh, so this one?" Corme hit the black key between them. He felt Eddie's sigh more than he heard it.
Eddie took hold of Corme's hand and had him hit the key.
"It's that one."
Corme leaned his head back, looking up at Eddie. "You're holding my hand."
"What?"
A small smile broke out on the younger boy's face. He flipped his hand over and grasped Eddie's, a loud noise emitting from the piano as the back of his hand hit the keys. "You're holding my hand."
"O-Oh! Right- I am. Okay, that's- Yeah, I totally meant to do tha-"
"Shut up," Corme whispered. He turned around on the stool, reluctantly letting go of Eddies hand to do so. He brought his arms around his back and pulled him down to straddle his lap. Corme leaned up and pressed his lips to Eddie's in a chaste kiss.
Eddie blinked. "Oh."
"Oh?"
"You- You just-"
"Do you want me to do it again?" Corme said with a smile.
"Y-Yeah, okay. Definitely. Please do."
Before Corme could move again, there was a cough from the corner of the room. Eddie whipped his head around while Corme peered around him. Guntram stood in the corner, a book in hand.
"I didn't let you borrow my piano so you could make out on it."
"R-Right," Eddie said sheepishly. "Why don't we go back to the spaceship...?"
Corme had a different idea. "Hm? What's the problem? This is a stool, not a piano." He leaned into Eddie, placing his head in the crook of his neck.
"Just go," Guntram said. "You can do this another time. Practice piano, I mean."
Corme relented. "Fine, fine. Yeah, let's go to the spaceship. We can read a book together!"
"Yeah, let's do that," Eddie said, removing himself from Corme. He shot Guntram an apologetic look. Guntram just sighed in response.
The mayflau, completely unfazed by the situation, took Eddie by the hand and led him away. "So, what book do you wanna read?"
"Last week I borrowed a book that Fukuro got at another planet. It seems interesting, I haven't read it yet."
"That one, then!"
"Okay. Last one there has to get snacks!"
"What? No fair! You're faster than me!"
Eddie just shrugged and ran off, Corme chasing after him.