In the Key of D

Pairing: Licht/Lawless

Rating: NC-17 (M)

Out of every side hobby he'd acquired and every part-time job he'd taken in his life, Lawless had to admit, if only to himself, that watching Licht play his beloved piano had to be his absolute favorite. He remained doubtless in his speculation that hearing Licht perform was something he could never tire of, not even if Licht somehow managed to break free of the bonds of his own mortality, ensuring that Lawless would be able to indulge in the ethereal music for as long as Licht allowed him the privilege.

The idea of an insignificant human such as Licht becoming immortal nearly caused him to burst out into a fit of laughter. No matter how much Licht's disillusioned state of mind amused him, regardless of how many times Licht himself insisted upon his angelic status in the mundane world of the living, the reality that Licht was no angel remained absolute. In the blink of an eye, (with Lawless' perception of time) Licht would succumb to death, just as all humans eventually did.

Old Child had warned him time and time again to never fall for his eve. Of course, he didn't listen, and then suffered the consequences of his transgressions. Lawless had never been overly-keen on self-analysis, but it didn't take a genius to realize that to a certain extent, history was beginning to repeat itself.

Again, Lawless nearly laughed out loud at the sheer stupidity of his own rambling thoughts. He simply couldn't repeat this enough, Licht was not Ophelia, and he never would be. There was a plethora of emotions he could label his feelings for Licht with: amusement, curiosity, fascination, voracity, covetousness, and at times, even hostility. Love however, was not something he could associate Licht with. He could trust himself with that conclusion. After all, Ophelia was love, and Licht, well, Licht was something else entirely.

The switch from the minor scale to something more harmonic brought Lawless out of his own musings and back to his current situation, and this time, he couldn't stop the eruption of bittersweet laughter. Without exception, Licht's music never failed to throw Lawless into a haphazard mess of harsh self-reflection that always seemed to elicit emotions that he had buried long ago before Licht's existence, and until recently had presumed dead.

For the sake of argument, if Lawless ever conceded to Licht's delusions in an entirely sincere manner and admitted that there was something unique, and even special about Licht, there was still no way he would ever be genuine in calling Licht an angel. Creating music that brought its audience, including himself, to tears and put them through a level of emotional torture that could never be escaped until the last key was struck, was anything but angelic. Lawless wouldn't go as far as to call Licht the opposite, but at the same time, he couldn't fault anyone who dared to make such a bold statement. Although, he would pity their poor soul if Licht ever happened to be in earshot of those treacherous words.

Lawless was not given even the slightest of warnings before Licht abruptly slammed his lithe fingers on the piano's keyboard, causing the music to come to an unceremonious halt in one, disconsonant sound.

"Quit laughing." Licht's dark hair covered his eyes, but Lawless didn't need to see the look on his face. The low, monotone voice that practically spat venom in Lawless' direction was more than enough for him to get the right impression of Licht's temper.

Apparently, Lawless didn't respond quickly enough for Licht's liking. "Speak up you rotten hedgehog." His angered voice carried throughout the theater. "I know you're there."

Even if he had wanted to, Lawless couldn't stop himself from snickering in response. "Aww, is my little angel suddenly feeling insecure about his newest creation? Honestly Licht, if you can't take a bit of jeering criticism from me, how can you expect to stand tall in front of-"

"Shut it." Licht spoke calmly in a timbre that didn't have a trace of its previous fury.

Lawless had to suppress the urge to laugh at Licht's distinct lack of tact. He didn't expect anything less from Licht, but the sincerity of his demeanor never once lost its appeal in Lawless' eyes.

"Well if that's how you feel," Lawless replied, using a pained tone that all the authenticity of a silver-tongued fox, "I'll just be on my merry way. I'm sure I'll find something to entertain myself with."

"Get down here." The request itself wasn't entirely binding, and he could have easily ignored it if he had wanted to, but something about the inflection in Licht's voice beckoned him closer. His feet seemed to act on their own accord and before he realized it, he was descending the stairs of the deserted grand theater that for the time being, was closed exclusively for Licht's private practice.

A half-hearted smirk graced his lips.

"Listen, Angel-Cakes," Lawless spoke in an easy-going manner, as if he had any intention of calming the violent rage that he just knew was steadily brewing within Licht at that very moment. "If you wanna fight with me, let's at least take it outside, or even to the roof this time. Kranz is still garnishing the money I earn for the collateral damage we caused at your last venue."

"I wrote something for you," Licht stated simply, entirely disregarding Lawless' suggestion and the fact that he was exactly fifty percent responsible for Lawless' current financial woes.

The automatic retort Lawless had prepared for whatever Licht might have said regarding an oncoming brawl died instantly, causing Lawless to stop dead in his tracks before the stage. His brain started to scramble for a response; he tried to process the words that had just left Licht's mouth, but to his chagrin, an arrogant, sarcastic quip never came his way, and he was left utterly exposed to Licht's piercing sapphire gaze. Licht's personality was full of entertaining surprises, but it wasn't often that he managed to catch Lawless off guard in such a way that completely stripped him of his biting defenses. Lawless suddenly felt naked, but not in the physical sense. He felt as if Licht could see straight through him and into his very soul, as if he could see Lawless for who he truly was.

As uncomfortable, and perhaps degrading as it was, Lawless couldn't bring himself to mind entirely. In fact, a twisted, deranged part of him wanted to expose himself even more to Licht's unforgiving stare.

That's right, Angel. Look at me. See me. Cleanse me with your holy eyes.

"For me?" Lawless' voice was far less confident than he'd ever like to admit, however Licht didn't comment on it. With practiced ease, he removed the lid prop and gently lowered it into the piano before setting down the lid with just as much care. As Licht took his seat back at the bench, the wordless command made itself perfectly to clear to Lawless.

Countless warning bells went off all at once in Lawless' mind, but with his crimson eyes trained solely on Licht, he either couldn't hear them, or he simply chose to ignore them.

With a level of grace that he normally would never have bothered with, he lept onto the stage and took his place on the grand piano. Lawless barely had a second to situate himself before Licht's fingers once again took their rightful position on the keyboard and began to play.

Lawless immediately realized that this was no generic tune. Not that Licht's music could be given such a lackluster label to begin with, but nonetheless, Licht still had a certain style about him. One that Lawless had become well-acquainted with, and all it took was one stroke of a piano key for Lawless to know that the style he knew so well was not here.

That did not mean the music wasn't enjoyable, quite the opposite in fact. The unfamiliar music was positively fascinating; it was something Lawless could undoubtedly get used to.

Ever so slowly, the apprehension that held a vice grip on Lawless' being upon receiving and subsequently indulging Licht's request left, and was steadily replaced with a strange emotion that Lawless struggled to identify. His muscles began to relax as he placed his hands behind himself on the piano lid and leaned back a bit, letting his arms hold him up. With every ounce of tension gone from his body, Lawless didn't think twice about letting himself become lost in the soft yet powerful melodic tune that seemed to be laced with a hidden element.

Licht never stopped watching Lawless' every movement as his fingers scoured the entire keyboard, elegantly stroking each key with an exact amount of precision that even Bach himself would be envious of. That fact alone should have made Lawless feel uneasy, but instead, he could only wish that he'd gotten the chance to bathe under Licht's alluring gaze sooner.

Lawless couldn't say that the music itself changed, not exactly, but something else must have, because suddenly a strange, yet not unpleasant sensation swept over him, not bothering to give him even the tiniest of hints of its arrival before latching onto his very core. Even though he could sense impending danger, or more precisely, an oncoming situation that he wasn't remotely prepared for, he remained still, eyes darting back and forth between Licht's ever-persistent gaze and his flawless hands that kept the tempo steady and the pitch in the perfect key.

A strange, yet not entirely unrecognizable sensation began to grow from within. His body simply wasn't hardwired to feel this way, and it took him longer than it reasonably should have for him to realize exactly what this was, and more startlingly, that he only ever felt this way when he received precious droplets of blood from Licht. This time however, the feeling was amplified by at least a hundred-fold. It spread through his nether regions, causing him to shift uncomfortably in his spot.

"What's going on, Licht?"

His voice was devoid of uncertainty or fear; he spoke softly, barely recognizing his own voice as he looked to Licht with questioning eyes, silently asking what he should do. Granted, given the situation, it all seemed too obvious, but fortunately he still had one shred of clarity left, he could still realize that doing this, in front of Licht, here in the theater hall, on top of Licht's grand piano no less, certainly wasn't okay. Why Licht had let him come this far without kicking him into next week was a mystery in and of itself.

"I don't think-" Lawless began, hoping to get some sort of response from Licht. "Ahh,"

A shaky breath forced itself through parted lips as he silently begged for a nod, a gesture, anything, that would assure him of the situation.

"Licht?"

Again, Licht gave no reply, at least not a verbal one. His eyes betrayed nothing of his intentions, but rather than fearing the unknown, the thrill of surprise only enticed him further, and turned him on to the point where there was no going back.

So, that's how it is? What a cruel game his angel was playing.

And then it happened. It was hardly noticeable, and if Lawless had not been paying attention as acutely as he was, he would have completely missed it. A sudden change in Licht's gaze, while indescribable and subtle in its delivery, somehow told Lawless to keep going, that this is what Licht had anticipated. Obvious follow up questions such as 'What the hell's gotten into you?' and 'How long have you been planning this?' never came close to being uttered before the music hit a sudden crescendo, instantly drowning out the last bit of rationale he had left.

Lawless didn't even try to prevent himself from breaking his hold on the piano and shamelessly palming himself through his pants. A soft sigh of relief left his lips as his groin finally got a bit of the friction it so desperately needed. His hand moved slowly across the black fabric, and gradually he lessened the pressure he exerted, reverting to gentle strokes that were just enough to keep him wanting more.

Half-lidded eyes slowly began to glaze over with desire as they continued to watch Licht. A small, upwards twitch of his soft lips gave Lawless all the approval he would ever need from then on out.

In spite of the increasing tempo, Lawless kept up with his slow, teasing ministrations. Despite what Licht might have been thinking, he was merely the accompaniment in this show, making Lawless the soloist, the one who would bathe in the radiant glow of the overhead spotlight.

With a mere flick of his wrist, he had the top button of his pants open and his zipper undone in one fluent motion that suggested he was no stranger to any of this. Again, he caressed his hardening cock through his underwear, and a muted sigh escaped his lips as the obvious lack of any lubrication became all too apparent. As much as he would have loved to draw this out further and prolong the show a bit longer, his dick begged him to reconsider.

A complete change in melody accompanied Lawless' sudden movement to free his cock from the heated confines of his boxers. The surrounding air suddenly felt like ice against his abnormally warm flesh, but to Lawless, the stark contrast was nothing short of divine.

A sound that he would never admit to erupted from deep within his chest, and at the exact same moment, Licht hit an unforeseen pianissimo in the music, causing Lawless' uncensored voice to echo throughout the concert hall.

You did that on purpose, didn't you, angel?

It didn't matter of course, neither he nor Licht understood the definition of shame, and much less the meaning of humiliation. Why should either of them try to understand a concept that by its very nature opposed everything they both stood for? This wasn't anything to take pride in, however feeling such trivial emotions like shame or regret were a complete waste of their collective time. There was nothing to feel remorse about, not when everything felt so damn good.

It only took a moment of teasing the head of his cock to get small droplets of precum to fall freely, which Lawless quickly used to lube up the sensitive skin that had begun to turn red and threatened to chafe with anymore mistreatment. With a decent layer of precum between his hand and dick, the grip he had became tighter, and this time Lawless didn't think twice about it as his ministrations sped up with the ever-increasing tempo of the music. By now, his voice was unrestricted in its use as he sang his song of unadulterated bliss to Licht, and Licht alone.

Listen to me angel, listen to me sing for you.

Whatever the hidden story was in Licht's song, Lawless didn't know, nor did he care. The only detail his mind could grasp at that moment was that the piece, much like his own pleasure, was about to hit a hard and amazingly satisfying climax. The pressure that was steadily building up within, sending wave after wave of insurmountable pleasure over his body, was slowly beginning to veer towards pain, and that's when Lawless knew he couldn't take much more. Spreading his legs further apart, he leaned back even further, letting his free hand support all of his weight and tossing his head back, effectively bearing his neck to the spotlight.

He couldn't hear the wanton sounds that continued to spill freely from his mouth anymore, only Licht's music resounded through his ears, keeping him focused on the task at hand. Even so, he couldn't help but feel that something was missing. Not a tangible item of course, but a specific detail that was wholly insubstantial in its being, like a feeling, or perhaps that wasn't it at all. Either way, Lawless didn't have a prayer in the world when it came to identifying it.

In spite of everything, Lawless was close, verging on the brink of complete euphoria. The enchantment that Licht had cast with his song was about to end, he could feel it in his core. He only needed one or two more notes, and then-

But the final note that would push Lawless over the edge and into sweet, sweet, ecstasy never came. The unplayed key hung in the air, drowning Lawless in complete silence, and leaving him with one not-so-small dilemma.

"Licht," Lawless practically hissed the name as he turned to the side, nearly ready to lash out at Licht in sheer frustration for denying him his orgasm in such a dramatic and frankly, sadistic way. In hindsight, he should have expected this, should've known that with Licht of all people, there would be some sort of catch.

And what a magnificent catch it was...

While lost in his own pleasure, Lawless had neglected to notice Licht's swift movement from his seat at the bench to standing directly in front of him, wearing a thinly-veiled smirk that just screamed victory. His eyes glittered with satisfaction, while begging the rhetorical question: What's the matter, Hyde?

He could feel his cheeks burning; the blood that coursed through his veins felt as if it was about to reach a boiling point, like at any moment it would melt the flesh from his very bones. If Licht were to reach out for him, Lawless almost feared that his mere touch would set them both ablaze. This heat, while overwhelming in its magnitude, stemmed solely from how damn turned on he was. Not even the tiniest bit of embarrassment flittered through his mind as he sat directly in front of Licht with his painful erection completely exposed.

Licht's gaze, which still had not broken its intense concentration on him, glanced downward for only a split second before again making contact with Lawless.

"I didn't expect for you to get hard so easily," Licht commented offhandedly, as if he were making a simple observation about something entirely unimportant.

The flippancy of Licht's tone only enraged him more. Lawless suddenly felt as if he was being taunted by the very man who put him in this situation to begin with. Licht's eyes were as cold and expressionless as ever, making it all exponentially worse.

For one split moment in time, his dire need for relief, for gratification, his urgency to get the fuck off, didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was wiping that loathsome, yet still indecipherable grin off Licht's perfect face in the most reckless way he could think of.

But again, Licht was far too quick for him. Before Lawless' mind could effectively communicate his intentions to his arm and strike, Licht was reaching out, just barely grazing his thumb against one of Lawless' exposed fangs. He couldn't see the resulting abrasion, but he knew from the contact that the cut couldn't have been more than a pin-prick in size. Regardless, the scent of Licht's blood filled the air, making his canines itch for a taste.

In accordance with how this entire predicament had progressed far, Licht maintained his advantage and struck before Lawless had the chance to even think about it.

"It would be pretty low of me to mock you." Licht's voice held a certain softness to it that caused every trace of Lawless' rage to evaporate instantly; the emotional void was quickly filled with an awkward mixture of curiosity and confusion. "Especially when I'm the one who put you here."

"What?" Lawless began, placing his hand back down on the piano and drawing in a shaky breath in a futile attempt to calm his nerves. "What are you-"

Licht's touch had all the force of a gust of summer air, yet the contact was still enough to silence Lawless immediately. He felt as if he'd been frozen in place, completely unable to move or do anything at all as Licht moved his bleeding thumb along the underside of Lawless' cock. His gaze had shifted downwards, and was intently focused on painting Lawless' engorged flesh with his own blood.

He couldn't see the symbol Licht was painting, and he didn't need to. He could feel it, he knew exactly what was coming, and while he had no way of stopping it, there wasn't a single part of him that didn't want it.

A soft, barely audible hum passed through Licht's lips, as if to convey his own satisfaction with his work. His glance moved upwards, once again making direct eye contact with Lawless. With his painting completed, he raised his hand to Lawless' face, presenting him with his thumb, which was smeared with blood and cum. Somehow, the combination turned Lawless on even more. His tongue seemed to act on its own accord, darting out to greet Licht's hand with joyous enthusiasm. The metallic taste of Licht's blood completely overpowered the saltiness of his own fluids, but it added a certain twang that inexplicably enhanced the flavor. For a brief moment, Lawless had to wonder how such a divine delicacy had managed to evade his knowledge until now. He already knew the answer, but admitting to it was a line he wasn't about to cross.

When Licht didn't pull away, Lawless went from eagerly lapping at the small wound to taking the proffered thumb into his mouth and sucking with equal vigor. He nursed the miniscule cut for as long as he could, drawing out every last drop of precious blood until he could no longer taste the sweet elixir.

With a note of supreme reluctance, Lawless let go of Licht's thumb, managing to give it a chaste kiss before Licht finally pulled his hand away.

He almost surprised himself by initiating such a soft, intimate gesture, and part of him had to wonder why Licht even let him do it. However, Lawless didn't get the chance to inquire further. Licht was already moving on to what would undoubtedly be the highly anticipated grand finale.

Placing two fingers on Lawless' flushed cheeks, Licht lazily let his fingers slide downwards in a subtle motion that could easily be interpreted as a simple caress; there was no mistaking it, but Lawless easily sensed the true intent behind Licht's gentle touch.

"Are you ready?"

Lawless couldn't help but grin. "You've held the control this entire time. Don't go soft on me now, Angel." His voice became lower, and took on a more sensual tone. "Especially when you've got me like this."

Although Licht didn't respond, he returned Lawless' grin with one that was equally as wicked, and if he thought he could've gotten away with it, Lawless would have loved to smash his lips to Licht's for no other reason than to get rid of that smirk that was still too arrogant for his liking.

Licht's eyes did not stray from Lawless' as his hand continued its downward journey back to Lawless' sorely neglected cock until it just barely grazed the symbol Licht had put there only moments ago. If Lawless had had any doubts about his prior assumption, he now knew with absolute certainty that the symbol in question was nothing other than a piano key.

The last note…

Lawless received no warning before Licht pressed his index finger firmly against the key he'd painted on Lawless' dick, which sharply contrasted the ghost-like touches he'd given before.

At long last, the final note that had been so wrongly kept from him was finally here, echoing throughout the theater in one fortissimo strike.

The music vibrated within him, filled him, invaded his body in the most personal of ways that was far more gratifying than the literal act could ever hope to be, it effortlessly overwhelmed him above and beyond the threshold he'd been clinging to for far too long. His long-awaited orgasm hit him fast and hard, making him cum hot and heavily directly into Licht's hand.

"Fucking hell...Licht." The words themselves were whispered and came out between haggard breaths. His entire body suddenly felt like it would melt into a puddle and fall gracelessly to the stage floor. He wasn't entirely sure how his arms continued to support his weight and keep him from falling backwards on the piano.

But somehow, he managed to maintain his upright position, and to his surprise, he was rewarded with the opportunity to witness the most shocking thing Licht could ever do in this situation.

A glint of something Lawless could never hope to describe danced playfully in Licht's eyes as he silently brought the hand Lawless had literally just climaxed into to his lips, and began to lick away the ejaculate fluid all in the same beat.

Lawless watched in pure awe as Licht's pink tongue moved around the palm of his hand and twirled around his fingers in such a way that was far too lewd to be accidental. Lawless was almost surprised with how thoroughly Licht cleaned his hand, lapping up each drop almost as eagerly as Lawless had done earlier with Licht's blood.

When Licht was finished, the smirk he wore was still far too cocky for someone who'd just licked up cum like it was frosting, and Lawless simply couldn't stand it anymore. He had an inherent desire to at least try and knock Licht down a peg or two.

"Say Licht?" Lawless began, nonchalantly tucking himself back into his trousers and zipping them back up with ease.

Licht didn't respond, but silence had never once deterred Lawless before, and it wasn't going to now.

A wicked smirk graced his lips as he watched Licht with a sense of curiosity.

"After this, how can you call yourself an angel?" He asked, not bothering to keep the note of ridicule from his voice.

"Because that's what I am." Licht's voice was as self-assured as ever, making Lawless question whether that long-standing arrogance had a breaking point at all. "Do you honestly think that engaging in activities such this, with you of all creatures, could ever take that way?" If Lawless wasn't mistaken, the grin on Licht's face grew a fraction wider. "Don't flatter yourself, rotten hedgehog."

"Humor me just once, Angel-Cakes," Lawless replied smoothly, not missing the chance to tease or elicit some sort of unexpected response from Licht, "because from where I'm standing, you're currently on a slippery slope that leads you away from the divine grace of which you covet so much." He felt his own smile grow as well, and his voice took on a darker, more ominous tone. "That is of course, if you haven't fallen already."

Licht was silent at first, however the look in his eyes said it all. They glittered with laughter, and it took a good two or three seconds before that mirth made itself known verbally.

"If you think that I will ever feel any shame or remorse for my actions, then think again."

Seizing Lawless by the collar of his shirt, Licht hastily pulled him closer and captured his lips in a rough kiss. The kiss was almost brutal in its execution, and so much more satisfying than Lawless ever dreamed it would be. As with everything else, Licht firmly controlled every aspect of the kiss, to which Lawless found himself responding all too readily. Ever so slowly, the initial force Licht had used started to lessen, and the kiss became something much more than a method for him to prove his point. It held a certain quality Lawless knew that neither of them were ready to acknowledge openly.

When Licht broke the kiss, Lawless couldn't help but be slightly irritated over the fact that Licht wasn't nearly as breathless as a human should have been after a kiss like that, but he didn't mention it. Licht didn't give him the chance.

"The only sin that holds any weight is that of regret," he said simply, and Lawless knew that he was free to interpret that in any way he wanted.

He was just a little too pleased with such an answer. After all, he'd expect nothing less from Licht, and if he was being entirely honest with himself, he'd admit that it was becoming harder and harder to deny that there was indeed something special about Licht Jekylland Todoroki. Or more accurately, it wasn't just one specific thing, but a conglomeration of attributes that made Licht who he was, a brilliant pianist, and the perfect eve for Greed.

That little adjective repeated itself over and over in Lawless' mind, and this time, the laughter he couldn't quite suppress was entirely real.

"That almost hurts," Lawless answered; the smirk never once left his lips.

"Get over it." Licht shrugged. Without saying another word, he gave Lawless one last ineffable look before turning and making his way backstage. Lawless thought nothing of it. He knew that it was getting late, and that it must have been time for Licht to prepare for tonight's performance.

"You wound me," Lawless replied with total insincerity, dramatically placing his hands over his heart before standing up to follow Licht. He didn't say anything more, and Licht didn't respond. He didn't need to. With Licht, silence was just as good.

Ah, yet another reason I find you so amusing.

Lawless could lie to himself with similar thoughts all he wanted, but of course he knew the truth, that their bond, their understanding of each other, was far beyond any explanation that mere words could provide. The realization terrified him, but unlike every opportunity he'd been so quick to shy away from in the past, running away was the absolute last thing on his mind.

It was almost liberating to want to fully invest himself like this, to see what would become of Licht, of them. And despite the doubt that constantly loomed over him, a single blossom of hope had already begun to grow inside of him, and somehow he just knew, that if he could ever put his faith in anyone again, it was Licht.

Thank you for reading!