One Shots and Short Stories

perfect key [brendon urie&ariana grande]

People weren't paying as much attention to his performance tonight for some strange reason which annoyed him, especially since he'd spent so much time rehearsing these songs. He still got the same amount of applause, however, so the audience must've enjoyed it but Brendon wanted to know why everyone seemed so out of focus.

He took a bow once he was finished and collected the roses audience members tossed onstage. Brendon blew kisses to the crowd and thanked everyone one more time before disappearing behind the curtain.

The stage crew was obviously overwhelmed by something as Brendon navigated through the people running around backstage. They were whispering to each other and crossing their arms in defeat as if something terrible had happened. He tapped the stage manager on the shoulder.

"What the hell is going on?" Brendon asked, stepping out of the way for a sprinting crew member. "Everyone looks upset, did I miss something?"

"The audience is growing impatient out there, aren't they?" the stage manager inquired.

"I guess so. Some people looked bored and that's never a good sign."

"It's because Ariana Grande was supposed to go on two acts ago but her pianist hasn't shown up. She can't do the act without him."

"You know I play piano, why didn't you ask me? I'll help," Brendon offered. "Where is she?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," the stage manager responded hesitantly. "She's pretty set on her pianist."

"It's been 45 minutes," Brendon laughed. "I don't think he's showing up. Where is she?"

The stage manager sighed and nodded to the right. "Dressing room B. Good luck."

Brendon headed toward the dressing rooms and knocked on the door with a B painted on it. The sound of shattering glass and intense crying startled him as he waited for someone to answer. He raised his fist again just as the door swung open to reveal a man in a suit with a cigar hanging from his lips.

"What do you want?" he snapped. He eyed the roses Brendon was carrying and rolled his eyes. "Miss Grande isn't looking for anyone at the moment. Try again next time."

"Oh no, I'm not here for that," Brendon replied. "I heard her pianist bailed on her and I wanted to know if you'd like my help. I play piano, I was just out there singing."

"That was you?" the man asked. "Thank god, you sounded great. Please convince her to let you play, we really need your help right now. Come in."

Brendon stepped inside and the man closed the door behind him. A broken vase was the first thing he saw before his eyes found a girl in a satin pink dress, crying at the vanity table. He glanced at the man in the suit who then shrugged and took a drag of his cigar. Brendon took a breath.

"You're Ariana Grande, right?" he asked, approaching her slowly.

She sniffled and looked back at Brendon. Her tears made streaks her foundation. "And who are you?"

"I'm Brendon Urie. I just came offstage and heard you needed some help." He offered her a smile she didn't return.

"You have a really beautiful voice, Mr. Urie, but I don't need a vocalist, I need a pianist," she told him.

"He is a pianist," the other man interjected. "Sam isn't showin' up, Ariana, let it go."

"But we paid him!"

"He took the money and ran, I guess. It's too late now. Brendon's your best bet."

"Do you have the music? There's a piano in my dressing room. We can practice if you want," Brendon suggested. "This next act will be a while."

"Sam has the music," Ariana said, breaking down in tears all over again.

"Ariana, are you serious?!" the man cried. "Jesus Christ!"

"I'm sorry, Scooter."

Scooter fell on the couch in defeat and poured himself a drink. Brendon pulled up a chair next to Ariana.

"What am I supposed to do?" she asked. "Scooter invited so many important people to see me tonight and I don't have a pianist or any songs to sing. What a mess."

"Well, I have a few songs I've never sang before that you can have. It can be a duet. I'll sing a verse or two and then we'll trade off. We'll sing the chorus together," Brendon said.

"You'd do that for me?" Ariana inquired, her eyes lighting up. "I don't want you to give up songs if you don't want to."

"But I do wanna give them up," Brendon said, wiping her tears with his pocket square. "This is a huge deal for you and I think my songs would sound good with a female vocalist. Give it a try for me, please?"

Ariana took a breath. "Okay."

"Good. Come with me."

Scooter mouthed a "thank you" when they left the room.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Ariana asked sitting down next to Brendon on the piano bench. "I'm so nervous."

"There's nothing to be worried about, darlin'," Brendon said with a grin. "We're gonna sound great."

He flipped through his notebook of sheet music and found two songs that he'd been keeping hidden for a few months. He played them both for Ariana and she learned the words faster than he thought she would.

"I was supposed to sing three," she said, twirling a lock of brown hair around her finger. "You wouldn't happen to have a third song, would you?"

"I don't," Brendon sighed.

"I think I remember the chord progression for one song Sam and I were supposed to play tonight," Ariana chimed. "It's super easy and so are the words."

Brendon handed her a pencil and the notebook. "Go ahead."

Once the two were certain they were ready, Ariana fixed her makeup and they notified the stage manager. Scooter hugged Ariana tight before they walked out on stage.

"You got this," he assured her. "Just do your best."

She nodded and held her hand out to Brendon. "Let's go."

The audience couldn't cheer loud enough when she walked out from the curtain. Ariana squeezed Brendon's hand and let go to take her place at the microphone. Brendon sat at the grand piano.

"Thank you all for your patience, I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, my pianist never showed up and Mr. Urie was so gracious and offered to help me. Give it up for him, please, he deserves it."

The audience did as she said. Brendon nodded in appreciation.

"These first two songs, 'This Is Gospel' and 'Dying In LA' were written by Brendon and the last song 'Just a Little Bit of Your Heart' was written by me. Enjoy."

She glanced at Brendon and he played the first chord.

The audience was in awe of their performance and Brendon loved the way their voices sounded when they harmonized. It was a match made in heaven.

Scooter made a toast to their spontaneously beautiful performance back in Brendon's dressing room and couldn't thank Brendon enough for stepping in. It really wasn't a problem for him; he was always looking for an excuse to play some music.

"We should sing together again, Brendon," Ariana said, embracing him at the end of the night. "That was so much fun."

"I agree. I'd love to write a song with you. Your voice is absolutely stunning."

"So is yours. I'll have Scooter get in contact with your people. We could be a big deal."

Brendon smiled. "I don't doubt it." He picked a rose from the many he'd collected earlier that evening and handed one to Ariana. "Can't wait to see you again."

She blushed and accepted it. "Me too."