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Nathaniel tapped his fingers nervously as Mr. Monlataing read through his sheet music. It was always nerve wracking whenever he did that, since the lyrics would undoubtedly sound awkward without the backing melody.
“I like them,” The teacher said after a moment, a smile on his face, “Even with just reading the lyrics by themselves, there’s a clear rhythm and emotion behind them.”
Nathaniel beamed at the compliment as Mr. Monlataing handed it back to him. “Thanks! I spent a while working on them.” He smiled down at all the notes laid out on the paper, remembering all the sudden times he had woken up in the middle of the night because he had just come up with a certain melody that went perfectly with the lyrics.
“Could you sing them to me?” The teacher asked, gesturing to the piano in the room, “I’d love to hear how it sounds with the actual music.”
Nathaniel flushed, still not used to actually performing in public. Sure, he had recorded some of his songs and put them on the internet, but he had the option to stop the video and try again if he messed up in the privacy of his own room. Despite the art room being relatively secluded after school, there were still other people there who’d see him mess up if he did.
Besides, there was another issue even without that.
“I don’t think the piano exactly fits the feel of the song?” Nathaniel murmured, “It doesn’t feel right to me. I’d probably need to hear another instrument to compare but I really only know how to play piano, so there’s not much I can do there.”
“Why not try asking another musician?”
Nathaniel hunched in on himself even more, “I can’t ask the people in Kitty Section. They’re way too busy already with their own band. And I don’t know anybody else who can play an instrument-”
“Marc! You made it!”
Marinette sprinted past the two of them, approaching a boy who was standing in the doorway who was nervously holding a case in his hands. She grabbed him by his hoodie sleeve and dragged him inside, a bright smile on his face as she introduced him. “This is my cousin! He just recently transferred here.”
Nathaniel reached out a hand to give a friendly handshake but jumped when the other started to point at him, mouth bobbing open and closed as he struggled for words.
“Y-You’re Nathaniel Kurtzberg!” Marc stammered out, eyes wide in shock, “I- I play covers of your songs all the time!”
“Really?”
“Y-Yeah! Hold on…”
He put down his case, hurriedly pulling out what was inside. Marc stood up straight again, violin balanced on his shoulder as he rested his chin on it. Everyone in the room went quiet as they turned to watch him.
Marc froze, bow shaking in the air, having forgotten for a second that other people were there. Marinette placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and that seemed to encourage him into continuing.
Nathaniel could feel his face heating up as he recognized the melody Marc played, one of the first songs he’d ever posted on the internet. He really liked it that much to learn it himself on an entirely different instrument? It was insane to think about, especially since Nathaniel considered that one of the worst things he’s made.
The song came to an end, everyone giving an applause. Marc blushed with a shy smile, lowering his violin.
“That was great,” Nathaniel praised, voice warm. “I loved hearing it.”
Mr. Montalaing placed a hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder, gesturing to the sheet music in his hand.
“Why don’t you have him play this one? You said you wanted to hear it with a different instrument, right?”
“Really?!” Marc yelped, practically bouncing in place. Marinette gave a small snicker. “You’d let me play one of your songs?!”
Nathaniel looked down at the paper, before nodding and handing it over, “I think it’d sound great with you playing it.”
Marc took it excitedly, beaming brightly. After a moment, he put it down and held up his violin again. He chuckled nervously when he noticed Nathaniel staring, a little confused. “I sight read really well,” Marc explained as he prepared to play again, “I just want to hear how it sounds.”
He wasn’t lying. It sounded like Marc had practiced the song for weeks as he played, even if he was just seeing it for the first time. After a minute, Nathaniel started to sing along, hearing the lyrics alongside the violin. It was a melodious song they made, voice and instrument blending together expertly.
At the end, everyone started to bombard them about making the full thing as a team. Marc and Nathaniel both looked at each other at the same time, smiles wide across their faces.
It surprised no one when the two started to date after creating a few songs together.