Snake Eyes

Chapter 12

He'd prepared himself all day to leave, working on minor tasks closer to the end of the day to allow himself more flexibility to simply leave. He'd finished a few of the orders he'd received in and had started getting those ready for shipment while he waited. He'd informed Gregory that he was going to be gone, and the rat hadn't pushed it. Together, they had been fairly quiet all day and had simply gone about smaller tasks that didn't involve much conversation. The phone had been charged, and had sat behind him on his workbench until he'd received the call. Now he was standing in front of a building on a side of the Pentagram he never frequented; the north west. Anything above the mid points was seen as a rise in status, which marked everything north as more of the high class territory. This was the part of the Pentagram where most of the general overlords lived, which is why it made sense that Arackniss, son to Don Henroin, would reside here. Henroin himself lived on the west side in a manor everyone knew about and no one was allowed inside without being Family affiliated and called upon. The building before him was large and tall, well lit and secure. Glancing back at the slip of paper he'd written the instructions on, he typed in a code to get inside the building, then headed for the elevator. Up to the tenth floor and down the hall until he was standing in front of the door to the apartment at the end of the hall. A deep breath and he knocked on the door, stuffing the paper in his pocket. The door opened and his heart was beating a million miles a minute until he saw the man.

A smile curved the spiders lips and he took a step back to let him in. Entering, he took a moment to quickly scan the room. A large grand piano tucked in the corner was the piece that caught the most of his interest. Sliding his jacket off, he looked back at the smaller man and tilted his head to the side. "Do you actually play the piano, or do you just have it for show?" Arackniss looked at him and then shifted his gaze to the piano across the room.

"Aw, come on, it's shiny. Why else would I have it?" They both burst into laughter while he took Pentious' jacket and hung it on the hooks by the door. He watched as his lover walked across the room and sat down on the bench. Lifting the fallboard, he adjusted very little before he started playing. The notes were soft, gentle, and light, and some what familiar. He'd tried to keep up with everything after he had died, and some he had, some was harder. Music had not been one of those things. Sliding himself onto the couch, he continued to watch his lover over the back of the seat, fixated on him.

"So, you know how to play the piano, and even know classical music. Why am I surprised?" There was a chuckle from the piano.

"Don't be surprised. They chose for me, and it was sort of required in my family. My brotha plays the violin, though he's probably forgotten everything by now, and my sista plays the flute. They told her that her hands were too small for the keys." He hadn't stopped playing while talking, proving years of experience and practice. "Fortunately for me, it's a lot easier to play now than when I was alive. I can duet myself." He held out his lower hands and wiggled his fingers, to which they both laughed again.

"A definite upgrade for a musician. Sadly, I never learned to play." Folding his arms, he laid on the back of the couch while Arackniss closed out the song. It wasn't the longest classical song he could have played, but Debussey hadn't been the type to push too far. The spider turned on the bench to look at him.

"I could teach ya. It's not like ya don't have time to learn it, even if in small sessions." Was his accent stronger today? What did that even mean? From what he'd observed, most people with accents like Arackniss' had fluctuation based on who they were with, what they were saying, or even where they were. Was it because he was at home?

"I might actually take you up on that offer." The other man stood from the bench and walked up to the back of the couch. He closed his eyes while his lover lightly pet his head before running his fingers through his hood. It was so much more than a simple intimacy when someone touched him like that, because every strand of his hood could feel when it was touched. It had sparks shooting through his body, making him melt against the back of the couch. He reached out a hand and grabbed another one of Arackniss' hands, weaving their fingers and holding it close. Why was this moment making his heart pound, but calming his mind. It was wiping all anxiety away and letting him focus on only the man touching him. If this feeling was wrong, than he never wanted to be corrected, because it would break him.