two birds on a wire ⋆ teddy

[PETER ⋆]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; width: 410px; text-align: justify; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 125%; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 2px;"]he had been waiting for this moment for many years, preparing himself for the day that he could finally show teddy what he had been working on. as a self-taught pianist, and a well-versed violinist, music was his passion -- alongside pleasing teddy. well, now he could finally relish in both passions this very night. it took a lot of reminding and attempts to be heard to get teddy to agree to meet with him that night. really, all he had to say was there would be music and drinks. little did teddy know, the music would be from none other than peter himself. day in and day out, he played and he played trying his best to perfect every note and chord. everything had to be just perfect.

a multitude of candles sat atop the grand piano and sheets of music were neatly placed on the stand. he was going to be performing music in front of the guests of the casino, though he only had one guest in mind he wanted to impress. his glasses speckless, and he wore his finest white collared button up (there was a missing button at the base of the collar but that wasn't important.) all of it was going perfectly like peter hoped it would, except for one detail. teddy still had yet to make his grand appearance. peter wouldn't put it against him though, he had to be really popular. who wouldn't love to be around teddy?

every time he heard the door open, his heart would jump in his chest and he would look from behind the curtains to see if it was teddy. finally, at last, the man of the hour walked through the door. a relieved smile spread across peter's face and he waved a hand excitedly in the hopes of catching his attention.

[TEDDY.]

[align=center][div style="width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-family: new times roman; font-size: 8pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"]Peter should have escaped whilst he still had the chance. But instead, he found himself within the clutch of the beast; now he wouldn't flee unscathed. Teddy was notorious for the spell he could cast upon unsuspecting casualties. With him, it felt like a euphoric high. He knew how to make people feel alive, thrive in his presence. When one had his attention, it was easy to make the mistake of believing that they were the only person in the entire world.

But when Teddy would inevitably grow bored, forget about the people he would once entertain, it felt as if the air was snatched from their lungs. His absence exhausted his victims, made them believe as if they truly had died. Their epitaph would linger with every step they'd take: to cast a cold eye on life, much like the way their deceitful companion had treated them. They became ghosts in Teddy's lives, and he'd treat them as such. The loneliness would consume all that got too close. Theodore Knope killed people, and yet still granted them the misfortune of a beating heart and shuddering breath.

Sometimes, he'd tempt those he'd entertain with his presence before taking it away swiftly. Rinse and repeat, until he drove them insane. The extremities of his attentiveness was what would send Peter into an inevitable spiral of torment. If Teddy were any less self-absorbed, then perhaps he'd take notice of the destruction that his habits would create, but he was often naive. Unaware that his actions hurt people, and yet they'd all still love him all the same. Peter was no exception. In fact, he was the most unfortunate of them all because he'd never learn his lesson.

Good music and even better drinks was all that was needed to tempt Teddy into the casino. And so, alongside two people he'd consider friends, Teddy wandered into the casino at his own pace, consumed in the vibrant conversation between the three of them. Glancing up, Teddy briefly noticed Peter at the piano waving ecstatically in his direction. ❝ Yeh, and I told 'em there was no way I was gonna go up there during dis warm weather. I got da yacht if I wanted to bake beneath da sun all day. ❞ exclaimed Teddy to the man to his right, all whilst giving Peter a quick, uninterested wink and grin before turning his attention immediately back onto the friends he chose to please for the night.

The trio slid down at a table towards the front of the casino, Teddy tapping his foot along to the sound of the piano playing as he chose to turn his back to Peter, laugh bellowing over the sound of the musical piece whilst he continued his conversation. Without second thought, he'd insult Peter and break his heart all the same. After all, without Teddy's attention, Peter was nothing in The Badlands. Nothing without Teddy.

[PETER ⋆]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; width: 410px; text-align: justify; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 125%; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 2px;"]his fingers danced across the keys of the piano delicately like the way a ballerina would dance across the stage. peter was lost in the music, his eyes staring so intently at the sheet music that he almost forgot where he was. had it not been for hearing teddy's voice speaking above his playing, he would have become totally lost to the music. he almost wished he hadn't heard him; it meant he was hardly paying attention. peter looked up briefly to get a look at teddy, his heart sinking to the bottom of his stomach. he wasn't even watching him, wasn't even paying attention to how serious this was to him.

it felt like his world had completely shattered, the sound of glass shattering in his ears as he accidentally stroked the wrong key. and suddenly the music came to a stop completely, instead being replaced by the hushed whispers and stifled laughter of the casino guests. he could feel the heat of embarrassment rising in his cheeks, his heartbeat ringing inside his ears. peter stood up so fast from his seat, that the stool was completely knocked over. and yet, those sad eyes never moved away from teddy. "i-i'm sorry," he apologized to the partygoers, stepping off of the stage and rushing past teddy towards the bar.

maybe he was being dramatic. everyone else was talking amongst the music, so why was it any different when teddy did it? well, it could be the fact that this set was meant for him and nobody else. he had rehearsed and rehearsed for countless hours, playing until his fingers were raw. all for it to be run over by the reality that teddy didn't actually care about peter's music. or.. perhaps peter should have kept the whole plan as a private concert; less distractions? maybe.

at this point it didn't matter. peter took a seat at a stool far off at the end of the bar, elbows sat atop the bar and his hands in his hair. "i-i'll- i'll take a shot of whiskey. please." he asked softly, hearing the music start up again this time more upbeat and jazzier. something he was never good at playing... like the music peter played, he was very soft-spoken and always in the shadows. he was quiet, calm, but at any moment anyone could hear hesitancy in the way he spoke and the way he played; as if he was unsure if what he was doing was going to be the right move.

he turned to look over his shoulder nervously at teddy, shakily raising his drink to his lips and chugging it without a second thought. his face scrunched in distaste and he couldn't help but begin to cough up a lung at the burning in his throat.