Redefinition by EvenStar

Darren fingered the slick, smooth keys of the synthesizer, admiring the stark contrast of black against white. His gaze travelled over the sea of buttons and switches, his hand hovering, holding itself above the array of confusing technology.

He squinted, frowning, trying to understand the complicated definitions of each function, the words being like a foreign language to him. His eyes went to the scattered papers filled with random jottings of music, melodies, scribbled by Daniel in barely understandable scrawl. As Darren's hands reached to touch, to caress the keys, he tried to remember various things he'd seen Daniel do.

Stroking his fingers across the switches, fondling the raised surfaces of the buttons, and finally resting his hands warily on the white keys. He tried to remember a chord, something he was sure he'd seen Daniel play before, drawing out the positions for his fingers from memory, taking a breath and pounding down on the keys, hoping to hear a sweet introduction of a melody identical to Daniel's rendition of it. Instead came a loud, untuned, clumsy wail of piano synths that emanated from the speakers of the keyboard.

Darren winced, scrunching his face up, then sighing in disappointment.

"What are you doing?" came the small laugh from the doorway, the familiar chuckle of Daniel as Darren whipped round, wondering briefly how long his bandmate had been standing there.
He shrugged, looking carefully in Daniel's eyes for annoyance, knowing he was prone to possessiveness with many of his instruments. He only noted the mischievous sparkle and the glowing grin that stuck to Daniel's face as he observed his antics. Darren stuttered. "I...errr..."
Daniel simply laughed wholeheartedly, "You know you got the chord wrong."
Relaxing and showing a soft smile, Darren nodded. "I was just experimenting."
"I know, I was watching you."

Darren rolled his eyes then blushed, an unusual rosy pink flooding his cheeks. He inwardly shook himself, taking on the embarrassment of seemingly musically talentless before someone he looked up to as a technical genius.

"What were you trying to play?" Daniel questioned, his tone softening as he noticed Darren's blush. He stepped further into the room and joined Darren at the keyboard.

Darren looked down at the keys, then up into Daniel's face. "I don't know," he admitted. "I can't remember."

Daniel glanced over the papers cluttering next to the keyboard. "Did you see it written down somewhere?" He inquired, emerald eyes searching, studying the scribbles as he tried to recognize something remotely similiar to Darren's attempt.

"No, I..." Darren began. He paused, and then stopped. What are you going to say? That you memorized something he did ten days ago and tried to recreate it? How weird is that? "Maybe."
"Well, I'll take a look," Daniel offered, shuffling through the papers.
Darren watched him, then allowed his eyes to drift back over the keys. Why did you remember anyway? It's not like it was anything distinguishable. Nothing worth remembering or obsessing about.

"I can't see anything similar," sighed Daniel, placing the papers back, but in a neat pile this time. He paused and took a friendly look at Darren as he gazed, distracted, over the keys. "If you want me to teach you some things, you know you only have to ask," he hinted, eyeing Darren's clear fascination with the instrument.
"What?" Darren snapped out of his dream world, eyes widening at Daniel as he turned to face him.
"I said, if you want me to teach you anything, just ask."

"I...err, no, that's OK," insisted Darren, grazing his hands lightly over the black keys, reflection of his fingertips in their shiny surface. When he squinted closely he could see the very faint press of Daniel's fingerprints matted onto the polished ebony.
"Well, if you change your mind, let me know," suggested Daniel, watching him curiously as he stared at the black keys. "You OK, Daz?"
"Me? Yeah..." answered Darren absent-mindedly, rubbing the keys and smearing the light evidence of Daniel's touch. He took a moment, then stepped back, eyes still locked with the instrument.

Daniel nodded, slowly, uncertainly, and took Darren's place in front of the keyboard. He pressed his deft fingers lightly to the shining white of the lower keys and played out a chord, with unrivalled knowledge and dexterity. He tapped out a melody, glancing occasionally at the music sheets beside him.

Darren both frowned in jealousy and gazed in admiration. He made it look so easy, hitting out the notes so naturally, his long supple fingers dancing lithely over the keyboard, hypnotizing, bewitching.

Darren's lips curled in a smile, he struggled to take his eyes off Daniel's hands, moulded like they were made to create melody. Vision whirling him suddenly into other thoughts, he imagined those hands elsewhere, imagined the pure ability of them, surely they were crafted instruments of talent, of...

...Pleasure...?

The word cast itself into Darren's brain as the fantastical images in his mind reached new heights. What would it be like, to touch those hands? To have those hands...touch...?

The smooth fingers played mercilessly on the keyboard, wild wanderings of musical imagination drawn out into sound.

...Caress...?

The knuckles bent slightly, the nails making ever so light tapping sounds on the hard surface of the keys each time a finger planted itself down another note.

...Feel...?

"Darren, mate?" Daniel waved one of those hands, close in front of his face. He had stopped playing, but the melody had made its way out of Darren's head moments before he had.
"Errr...yep?" Darren blinked, coming down to earth, as Daniel stepped away from the keyboard.
"Something up?"
"No, nothing," answered Darren immediately, and bluntly. "Nothing..." He drifted. What are you doing?
"You seem a bit out of it."

"Nah, just tired, I guess." You're having fantasies about Daniel's hands, that's what.
Daniel nodded swiftly. "Get some rest then, maybe?"
"Yeah, I might." That's ridiculous. You're a heterosexual man.
"I'll leave you for a bit?" Daniel suggested.
"Yeah..." Darren agreed softly. Aren't you?

"Alright, mate. In a bit?" Daniel took a step back and turned away from the keyboard, his hand lightly catching Darren's, a brush of skin sending spasms of electricity through Darren's system.

What the hell...?

Darren nodded at Daniel's departure, and smiled weakly as his band mate backed slowly out of the room, casting him a warm smile as he left.