Work Text:
Because of their shared condition, Rei always knew when Koga felt distressed. The guitar playing in his head would sound messy, discordant. Never mind the fact that it might not be properly tuned, the supposed music should not be considered music—it was mere noise created by one who has his thoughts in disarray.
Listening to it play in his head was painful. It was even more excruciating when Rei was still abroad, weeks after their collaboration with Akatsuki on an athletics program. Rei was close to dropping everything and returning home to Japan at every offkey chord he heard, mimicking the cries of a lone wolf separated from its pack.
As much as he wanted to help Koga during that time, he knew that Koga didn’t like the vampire reaching out a hand to provide assistance. Not anymore.
Although, Koga couldn’t stop him if Rei would seek… indirect methods to intervene. Sometimes he would send Adonis, the ever-obedient child, a message—Please keep Koga company until he reaches home, dear one. He might need a listening ear for all his troubles.
Or, in some cases, Rei would make the time to slip into an unused studio.
At times, Rei would seek out a set of drums. They provided a steady beat, a foundation to make Koga grounded and remind him not to get ahead of himself. Other times, he would make use of the soft and delicate notes of a piano, making sure to accommodate the dissonant chords of the electric guitar and, at the same time, whisking the lonely wolf away into a world of serenity and peace.
And sometimes, it worked. They were both creatures of the night who shared a special relationship with music, after all. The wolf’s guitar strings and the piano keys of the vampire better expressed the words stuck in their throats, whispers and cries better left unsaid by chapped or glossy lips. Their creations were all improvisations. Sometimes they made works of art, and sometimes they didn’t.
Yet neither of them tried to chain the words down in paper and ink, for some unspoken messages were better kept private between two souls interconnected by notes and chords.