To Have Loved [BxB] Book I ✓

Chapter 35

a/n: Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. I hope everyone's doing well. I just wanted to put a little disclaimer on this one. For the sake of not spoiling the middle of this chapter,  I won't say who, but there is a nonbinary character who has technically always been nonbinary but I didn't explicitly state it until now. I'm choosing to write it this way because it's most reflective of my own coming-out story. It's only in the past couple years that I've actually begun coming out to people in my life and going by my preferred pronouns, partially because it is not safe for me to come out fully, but also because I had to overcome a lot of fear associated with being trans at all. Anyways, all this to say, the reason he is not currently being written with different pronouns than the ones assigned at birth is that he hasn't figured out what his preferred pronouns are yet. Also, the song for this chapter is I/Me/Myself because it's a banger and Will Wood is my favorite person.  Also, I'm a little bit sick and occasionally missing details, so I did my best with editing, but feel free to let me know if there are any noticeable mistakes. Anyways, that's all, I hope your reading experience is top tier, and don't forget to properly hydrate yourself. 

One evening in the first week of March, Brooks was sitting at the piano in the school's music room, quietly playing a song that he'd been learning for the past few months. It wasn't unusual for him to use the room after hours, it was one of the only times when he could practice without being bothered. He always locked the door behind him and kept one dim light on, the lamp positioned next to the piano, just enough to see the keys and read his sheet music if he had any. He'd never been caught, but if he was, he didn't think he'd be in an enormous amount of trouble. He'd likely be seen as an overachiever, and Walker tended to like that sort of thing.

He was expecting to go unacknowledged by anyone else for at least the next few hours. That was one of the things he liked about practicing late at night, no one knew where he was and they probably didn't think about it past a fleeting question. There, lost in those careful notes that blended together and forged a gentle tune in the silent air, it was almost as if he ceased to exist for a few hours and there was a certain comfort in that.

Brooks jumped slightly when he heard a knocking at the window. He stopped playing and turned with wide eyes, but let out a quiet breath of relief when he saw it was just Theo. He wondered why Theo was there at all, he seemed like the type who wouldn't stay out after curfew, but Brooks walked over and opened the window anyway.

"Hey, I uh...saw a light and I know you use the music room sometimes so I thought I'd say hi. Sorry if I'm bothering you, I-"

"Nono, it's okay, I was just practicing," Brooks said with a small smile. If it'd been anyone else, he might've tried to find a way to kindly usher them out, but Theo was quiet and he could never really say no to him. "Do you want to come sit?"

Theo nodded with a smile, taking a seat on the bench off to the side so he wouldn't be taking up Brooks' space. "What are you learning? If you don't mind me asking."

"Have you ever heard of Will Wood?" Brooks asked, sitting back down, setting his hands on the keys again. He began to play a fast-paced song, fingers flying over the keys as if it were their only purpose. Theo watched in wonder as Brooks played, never missing a note or losing the beat. "It's called Black Box Warrior, I've been practicing it for the past few months and I think I might play it for the performing arts competition this year," He said softly.

"It's beautiful," Theo said, keeping his voice below a whisper. "You also play the cello, right?"

Brooks nodded. "I'm also thinking about learning the harp, it has a lovely sound and I'm always looking for something new to try." He slowed his playing to a stop as he looked at Theo. "By the way, why were you out so late?"