Major Tags: Implied character death Other Tags: Supernatural elements Word Count: 559
***
The Teiko campus is big and old and like all big and old things, it comes with its own set of stories, whispered between the student body and twisted until nobody is quite sure where they first came from, or how much truth they still hold.
Akashi's favourite story is the one about the seventh music room, tucked away at the far end of the building where nobody really walks past any more. Music rooms one through to four are commonly used for class or for practice, but anything beyond those are generally saved for storage, dust sheets pulled over instruments and boxes filled with books, remnants from a time when Teiko was known for the musicians it would produce.
The campus always feels different at night; the abandoned hallways and the empty courtyards feel as if they're a gateway into something else, something more than the Teiko that Akashi or any of the other students are used to. He likes exploring, slipping past the night patrol on bare feet and leaving the dorms, whisper-quiet so that he can roam the buildings and learn the secrets that only show themselves when the sun has set and the stars are out.
The seventh music room is a long journey across campus, even during the way when the buildings are unlocked and Akashi can take the shortest possible route. He doesn't let that stop him; he makes his way through the windows that the teachers always forget to lock, padding through empty classrooms with blank blackboards at the front, chairs and tables neatly stacked and out of the way. He slips into the dark hall and uses the moonlight coming in through the window to guide his path up two levels and then all the way to the end of the building.
Even from around the corner, he can hear the soft clink of piano keys. A study by Czerny, Akashi recognises. He walks closer, approaching the door, and takes a breath before sliding it open.
There are no dust sheets or archive boxes sitting in the room, but instead, a boy sitting at a piano. He doesn't stop playing, as Akashi shuts the door, doesn't change his volume or his tempo, but simply continues to play.
The ghost of the seventh music room, Akashi thinks to himself, noting the way that the boy, despite how tall he is, does not have his feet resting on the floor.
The ghost reaches the end of the study and then, abruptly, stops.
"Most people don't come here unless they are, in fact, goaded into it by their friends," the ghost says, and doesn't turn without turning to look at him.
"I was merely curious," Akashi replies.
"Most don't make it through the door. If they do, they turn around immediately and run."
"You play beautifully."
The ghost adjusts his glasses. Akashi can see that his fingers are fading from sight, but when he settles them back onto the piano keys, they look solid again.
"Do you play?" the ghost asks.
"Sometimes."
The ghost slides to one end of the piano stool in clear invitation. "I've been waiting to play a duet for a long time. Nobody ever stays for long enough to play with me."
Smiling, Akashi crosses the room and takes a seat. "I will gladly play with you."
FILL: TEAM KAGEYAMA TOBIO/OIKAWA TOORU, G
Other Tags: Supernatural elements
Word Count: 559
***
The Teiko campus is big and old and like all big and old things, it comes with its own set of stories, whispered between the student body and twisted until nobody is quite sure where they first came from, or how much truth they still hold.
Akashi's favourite story is the one about the seventh music room, tucked away at the far end of the building where nobody really walks past any more. Music rooms one through to four are commonly used for class or for practice, but anything beyond those are generally saved for storage, dust sheets pulled over instruments and boxes filled with books, remnants from a time when Teiko was known for the musicians it would produce.
The campus always feels different at night; the abandoned hallways and the empty courtyards feel as if they're a gateway into something else, something more than the Teiko that Akashi or any of the other students are used to. He likes exploring, slipping past the night patrol on bare feet and leaving the dorms, whisper-quiet so that he can roam the buildings and learn the secrets that only show themselves when the sun has set and the stars are out.
The seventh music room is a long journey across campus, even during the way when the buildings are unlocked and Akashi can take the shortest possible route. He doesn't let that stop him; he makes his way through the windows that the teachers always forget to lock, padding through empty classrooms with blank blackboards at the front, chairs and tables neatly stacked and out of the way. He slips into the dark hall and uses the moonlight coming in through the window to guide his path up two levels and then all the way to the end of the building.
Even from around the corner, he can hear the soft clink of piano keys. A study by Czerny, Akashi recognises. He walks closer, approaching the door, and takes a breath before sliding it open.
There are no dust sheets or archive boxes sitting in the room, but instead, a boy sitting at a piano. He doesn't stop playing, as Akashi shuts the door, doesn't change his volume or his tempo, but simply continues to play.
The ghost of the seventh music room, Akashi thinks to himself, noting the way that the boy, despite how tall he is, does not have his feet resting on the floor.
The ghost reaches the end of the study and then, abruptly, stops.
"Most people don't come here unless they are, in fact, goaded into it by their friends," the ghost says, and doesn't turn without turning to look at him.
"I was merely curious," Akashi replies.
"Most don't make it through the door. If they do, they turn around immediately and run."
"You play beautifully."
The ghost adjusts his glasses. Akashi can see that his fingers are fading from sight, but when he settles them back onto the piano keys, they look solid again.
"Do you play?" the ghost asks.
"Sometimes."
The ghost slides to one end of the piano stool in clear invitation. "I've been waiting to play a duet for a long time. Nobody ever stays for long enough to play with me."
Smiling, Akashi crosses the room and takes a seat. "I will gladly play with you."