For so many years Milo had forced the memories of playing piano into the back of his mind. Though his fingers yearned to dance across the keys and his voice wished to be accompanied by the light melody of the instrument he refused to give in to them. Of course, he had played a few times since he was younger, but had never thought much of it. Nobody had heard him when he did play either, it was his little secret and he wanted it to stay that way. He missed playing it though, almost as much as he missed playing the guitar or other string instruments, so when he was sitting on the rooftops and spotted a piano through somebody's open window the boy did not hesitate to slip through it and lower his body onto the seat. The muscles in his hands relaxed as they lifted the cover and began to play a simple chord pattern, voice joining in not long after.
"I'm all choked up
I cannot talk
I gotta fucked up brain
Fucked up thoughts
I thought I was ok
But then I guess not
Hope you know that this
Is your fault." When the door to the room creaked open he didn't notice it, too engrossed in playing and singing. The nights he had spent dreaming of playing again, the nights he had spent trying to find a piano to play again finally caught up with him and a smile splayed onto his lips.
"I want you to feel bad when you go to sleep
I hope you're sad when you remember me
And feel bad for all you did to me
I hope you lie there in your misery." The ribbon keeping his shoulder length hair tied up slid free and dropped onto the floor, causing his hair to fall forwards over his eyes. Milo just shook his head slightly to flick it from his face, never once faltering his playing nor his voice halting.
"Hey little girl
You'll never believe
There's a ghost inside of you
But it's hidden too deep
Hey little girl
You'll never imagine
When you get a little older
You'll get abandoned." Nobody realised how much pianos ment to him, what they reminded him of. The few happy memories he had left of his mother that he could remember consisted of piano playing. They were never a well of family but they had had a decent sized home at one point with a beautiful piano with carvings all over its lid, in a tounge Milo never understood.
"Hey little girl
You know smoking kills
You don't really care
'Cause you love how it feels
Hey little girl
You're falling apart
You don't really care
'Cause they broke your heart." His mother would lay her hands over his and direct them across the keys as they both sung. He could almost hear her voice now singing along with his, hands ghosting over his like they did all those years ago.
"Fighting for all that I've lost
It's my time to show who's boss
I've waited in the dark too long
I've got this now so just stay strong
Oh you won't believe until I'm up on stage
You make me bleed when you don't get your way
I hope you're scared when you remember me
I hope you lie there in your misery." The woman who opened the door made her way further into the room, footsteps falling on deaf ears as she stood behind the boy. His body wasn't slumped forwards or curled in on itself like it normally was, he sat tall and proud with his head held high.
"Hey little girl
You'll never believe
There's a ghost inside of you
But it's hidden too deep
Hey little girl
You'll never imagine
You get a little older
You'll get abandoned." One thing he didn't miss about pianos was the jeering voice of his brother as he played. As much as he had loved- no, still loved- Anthony he despised the elder boy when he teased Milo for being 'such a girl' when he decided to sing or play as that was a girly thing to do. Not many boys sang and barely any, that he knew of anyway, played such a delicate instrument.
"Hey little girl
You know smoking kills
You don't really care
'Cause you love how it feels
Hey little girl
You're falling apart
You don't really care
'Cause they broke your heart." Milo's eyes drifted shut, the layout of the keys and the pattern of the chorus engraved into his mind. He didn't need to see for, as a drunken barman once told him, 'Your eyes, they decieve you. Do not trust them, only trust your heart for your heart will always guide you home.'.
"Been in and out of recovery
Remember when I could hardly breathe
Sat in front of mirrors
Thinking to myself
Can't get any clearer
What I'm doing to myself
I've been in and out of recovery
I remember when I could hardly breathe
I sat in front of mirrors
Thinking to myself
Can't get any clearer
What I'm doing to myself." He didn't realise how much the words of the song meant to him until now. They seemed to fit in with how he felt and what his mind told him. He hesitated for a moment before carrying on again, singing hitching slightly when he paused. Milo let his facade drop and allowed the truly broken boy free and let that very boy pour his heart and soul into the song.
"Hey little girl
You'll never believe
There's a ghost inside of you
Hidden too deep
Hey little girl
You'll never imagine
You get a little older
You'll get abandoned." The woman reached out to gently tap the boys shoulder, but decided against it and waited until he was finished. The child looked so at peace with hinself, as if his mind was constantly at war with his heart. She'd never seen somebody look so broken yet so whole at the same time, and at such a young age.
"Hey little girl
You know smoking kills
You don't really care
'Cause you love how it feels
Hey little girl
You're falling apart
You don't really care
'Cause they broke your heart." Milo continued his play, though missed a few notes when he tried to use his shoulder to push away the hair from his face.
"Don't really care cause they broke your heart." His voice softened as he sung, playing becoming gentler, fingers barely grazing the keys. Memories ran through his mind, teasing over in his head; a time he barely remembered, a time he missed with all his heart.
"Hey little girl
You'll never believe
There's a ghost inside of you
But it's hidden too deep
Hey little girl
You'll never imagine
You get a little older
You'll get abandoned." He slowed to a stop, opening his eyes again as he played the final few chords. The woman stood behind him now tapped his shoulder, causing Milo to jump and fly out of his seat, spinning around so he was facing her.
"I-I'm sorry... I just saw the piano an' I wanted to play so bad so I jus' came in an-" His rambling was cut of by the lady who pulled Milo forwards into a hug.
"That was beautiful...where did you learn to play that well?" Still tense, the young boy allowed the hug, though pulled away after a few moments of it.
"Me Ma. Taught me 'fore she died. Don' play much now, doesn' matter." Milo let out a forced chuckle, grabbing his ribbon before re-tying his hair. She also let out a slight laugh, eyes gently scanning the boy. A sort of yearning, or maybe it was her motherly instincts, took over her body and she had to restrain herself from hugging him again. The young boy made his way closer to the window, nodding his head at the woman.
"I...uh...I gotta be somewhere? So I'll see yer 'round..." After his somewhat rushed goodbye Milo almost threw himself through the window in the hurry he seemed to be in, running across rooftops until he was far enough away. The lady just stared after him and when he had gone out of sight she sat herself down on the piano and began playing herself, her own memories arising from the tunes she created.
@Diaprit this took a little longer than anticipated <3"I'm all choked up
I cannot talk
I gotta fucked up brain
Fucked up thoughts
I thought I was ok
But then I guess not
Hope you know that this
Is your fault." When the door to the room creaked open he didn't notice it, too engrossed in playing and singing. The nights he had spent dreaming of playing again, the nights he had spent trying to find a piano to play again finally caught up with him and a smile splayed onto his lips.
"I want you to feel bad when you go to sleep
I hope you're sad when you remember me
And feel bad for all you did to me
I hope you lie there in your misery." The ribbon keeping his shoulder length hair tied up slid free and dropped onto the floor, causing his hair to fall forwards over his eyes. Milo just shook his head slightly to flick it from his face, never once faltering his playing nor his voice halting.
"Hey little girl
You'll never believe
There's a ghost inside of you
But it's hidden too deep
Hey little girl
You'll never imagine
When you get a little older
You'll get abandoned." Nobody realised how much pianos ment to him, what they reminded him of. The few happy memories he had left of his mother that he could remember consisted of piano playing. They were never a well of family but they had had a decent sized home at one point with a beautiful piano with carvings all over its lid, in a tounge Milo never understood.
"Hey little girl
You know smoking kills
You don't really care
'Cause you love how it feels
Hey little girl
You're falling apart
You don't really care
'Cause they broke your heart." His mother would lay her hands over his and direct them across the keys as they both sung. He could almost hear her voice now singing along with his, hands ghosting over his like they did all those years ago.
"Fighting for all that I've lost
It's my time to show who's boss
I've waited in the dark too long
I've got this now so just stay strong
Oh you won't believe until I'm up on stage
You make me bleed when you don't get your way
I hope you're scared when you remember me
I hope you lie there in your misery." The woman who opened the door made her way further into the room, footsteps falling on deaf ears as she stood behind the boy. His body wasn't slumped forwards or curled in on itself like it normally was, he sat tall and proud with his head held high.
"Hey little girl
You'll never believe
There's a ghost inside of you
But it's hidden too deep
Hey little girl
You'll never imagine
You get a little older
You'll get abandoned." One thing he didn't miss about pianos was the jeering voice of his brother as he played. As much as he had loved- no, still loved- Anthony he despised the elder boy when he teased Milo for being 'such a girl' when he decided to sing or play as that was a girly thing to do. Not many boys sang and barely any, that he knew of anyway, played such a delicate instrument.
"Hey little girl
You know smoking kills
You don't really care
'Cause you love how it feels
Hey little girl
You're falling apart
You don't really care
'Cause they broke your heart." Milo's eyes drifted shut, the layout of the keys and the pattern of the chorus engraved into his mind. He didn't need to see for, as a drunken barman once told him, 'Your eyes, they decieve you. Do not trust them, only trust your heart for your heart will always guide you home.'.
"Been in and out of recovery
Remember when I could hardly breathe
Sat in front of mirrors
Thinking to myself
Can't get any clearer
What I'm doing to myself
I've been in and out of recovery
I remember when I could hardly breathe
I sat in front of mirrors
Thinking to myself
Can't get any clearer
What I'm doing to myself." He didn't realise how much the words of the song meant to him until now. They seemed to fit in with how he felt and what his mind told him. He hesitated for a moment before carrying on again, singing hitching slightly when he paused. Milo let his facade drop and allowed the truly broken boy free and let that very boy pour his heart and soul into the song.
"Hey little girl
You'll never believe
There's a ghost inside of you
Hidden too deep
Hey little girl
You'll never imagine
You get a little older
You'll get abandoned." The woman reached out to gently tap the boys shoulder, but decided against it and waited until he was finished. The child looked so at peace with hinself, as if his mind was constantly at war with his heart. She'd never seen somebody look so broken yet so whole at the same time, and at such a young age.
"Hey little girl
You know smoking kills
You don't really care
'Cause you love how it feels
Hey little girl
You're falling apart
You don't really care
'Cause they broke your heart." Milo continued his play, though missed a few notes when he tried to use his shoulder to push away the hair from his face.
"Don't really care cause they broke your heart." His voice softened as he sung, playing becoming gentler, fingers barely grazing the keys. Memories ran through his mind, teasing over in his head; a time he barely remembered, a time he missed with all his heart.
"Hey little girl
You'll never believe
There's a ghost inside of you
But it's hidden too deep
Hey little girl
You'll never imagine
You get a little older
You'll get abandoned." He slowed to a stop, opening his eyes again as he played the final few chords. The woman stood behind him now tapped his shoulder, causing Milo to jump and fly out of his seat, spinning around so he was facing her.
"I-I'm sorry... I just saw the piano an' I wanted to play so bad so I jus' came in an-" His rambling was cut of by the lady who pulled Milo forwards into a hug.
"That was beautiful...where did you learn to play that well?" Still tense, the young boy allowed the hug, though pulled away after a few moments of it.
"Me Ma. Taught me 'fore she died. Don' play much now, doesn' matter." Milo let out a forced chuckle, grabbing his ribbon before re-tying his hair. She also let out a slight laugh, eyes gently scanning the boy. A sort of yearning, or maybe it was her motherly instincts, took over her body and she had to restrain herself from hugging him again. The young boy made his way closer to the window, nodding his head at the woman.
"I...uh...I gotta be somewhere? So I'll see yer 'round..." After his somewhat rushed goodbye Milo almost threw himself through the window in the hurry he seemed to be in, running across rooftops until he was far enough away. The lady just stared after him and when he had gone out of sight she sat herself down on the piano and began playing herself, her own memories arising from the tunes she created.
