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shadowmilkyways · 23 days ago

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Keys to Your Heart

Kris Dreemurr x GN Reader 4k Words Desc: You're forced to take piano lessons from Kris for a month. Tags: Fluff, Pre Canon, Misunderstandings, Author doesn’t know how to play piano, Reader is mentioned having parents, Crushes CW: None

You sighed as you lay idly in your room, waiting for your family to come back from some sort of neighborhood meeting.

Apparently, in a passing conversation, Toriel mentioned to your family that her kid used to play piano. One thing led to another, and you eventually received a phone call from your family letting you know that you had to take piano lessons from the Dreemurr’s kid.

“It won’t take that long,” You tried hard to make out their voice through the sea of surrounding sounds; the other side was strangely loud.

“It’ll only be for a month, then you can quit.”

You wanted to tell your parents to screw off, that you weren’t interested in learning. But you remember the promise you made to them that you'll pick up an actual hobby this year. Plus, a month didn't seem that long compared to years of nagging.

“...I guess so.” You cautiously agree to their terms as you stare up at the ceiling.

“Your first lesson will start tomorrow after school, okay? Great then, love you, bye.” They hang up, but not before you’re faintly able to hear club music in the background.

You sigh as you turn off your phone and place it on your nightstand, somehow already beginning to regret your agreement.

You always had a small crush on Kris Dreemur. It was never anything serious, though; it was one of those crushes that you develop just to keep yourself entertained, the ones that never last more than a year. They were silent and mysterious enough that you could project all you wanted onto them, a blank slate of an identity. It felt weird that you were going to have to spend time with them, let alone have them at your house to teach you piano.

But it was time for you to put your feelings aside and get shit done.

—

You try to find Kris the next day at school to talk about the lesson plan, but you’re too swamped with work to find the time. You had to finish all your homework in class, considering you wouldn’t have as much time after school that day. When you came home, you tossed your backpack to the side to sit at the piano. You laid your hands along the tiles, grazing your fingers just enough to feel the smooth ivory under your fingertips. Your mind wandered, back to when the piano was gifted to you by an old family friend for your birthday. When you told them that you didn't know how to play, they simply told you that you'll learn someday.That was eons ago; you never found the time to learn as the piano slowly picked up dust over the years. But better late than never . You thought.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a ring at the front door; it looked like Kris was already here.

You listened in as your parent greeted them. You give an awkward wave as they approach you, quickly retreating your hands to your lap. “Umm…Hi.” You didn't know why you felt so sheepish all of a sudden. They looked identical enough as to how they presented themselves at school, except only now could you really see them up close. You noted the small dark circles under their eyes, or at least from what you could see through the curtains of their deep brown bangs.

They give a small nod back, looking into the distance. “Nice to meet you.” Their voice was something that you rarely had the chance to hear. It was low and hushed, unenthusiastic. You felt sympathy rush through you; it looks like you weren't the only one who got forced into this by their family.

It made you feel better somehow.

The first lesson was basic enough as they helped you become familiar with the keys, and you watched as they effortlessly played. Whenever you tried to copy their moves, however, you always messed up. You tried to laugh it off, but frustration slowly began to bubble inside you as you made yet another mistake after basic mistake. “Sorry I'm making this so difficult. You groan in frustration, slouching your shoulders.

Kris had an empathetic look on their face. “Don't worry about it… I was the same way when I was learning. Just- keep practicing and you'll figure it out.” You could tell they were trying to make you feel better. In truth, it didn’t work. You silently wondered just how much your family was paying to have them put up with you. You knew you had to cooperate if you wanted to get yourself through this.

“Alright.” You take a deep breath and try again.

The first few days were nothing out of the ordinary; the two of you spent that time getting familiar with the notes and basic scales. The agreed-upon schedule was every other day after school that you'd spend time together, no more than an hour. Though you were able to learn basic information about Kris through small talk, you noticed how they kept their distance throughout, like they always had somewhere better to be.

You couldn't blame them.

—

One day Kris came with their backpack; it was unusual, but you didn’t question it.

“I think it might be time for you to learn your first song. I brought sheet music.” They pulled out a binder and took out multiple crumpled, worn-out papers. You could tell they’ve been used for a long time. “What do you want to play?”

You sit in bewilderment as they suggest that you know any beginner-level songs. “I, uh—I’m not sure; I don’t know any songs yet.” You look around, chuckling awkwardly.

You could see their face flush slightly in embarrassment. Looks like they forgot just how little time they’ve been teaching you for.

“Right…” They picked out a piece of sheet music. “I guess we could do a nursery rhyme or something, like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

You felt slightly nervous as you played the keys. It took a while, but you eventually got a basic hold of it.

As the lesson came to an end, Kris turned to ask you something. “Would it be okay if I did my homework here for a bit?” You froze. They were getting permission from you.

“Uhm—yeah! Of course!” Your hands fumble as you point to the couch situated behind you. “Feel free to sit wherever."

You silently watch as Kris picks up their backpack and sits down to where you pointed.

That was where you usually did your homework.

It looks like you had to do your work upstairs; it felt too awkward to sit next to them on the couch.

—

The next day at school you give Kris your social media. It was their idea for you to start sending them recordings of your practice sessions to track your progress. Today wasn’t a lesson day, so when you went home, you recorded a short playing of a song you were learning. They replied with a simple thumbs-up emoji. It was a small gesture, but it made you smile. It slowly became a routine, with you going after school to record short minute-long videos of you playing piano. Kris always responded, usually with an emoji or a small one-word message. The feedback wasn't very constructive, but it still made you feel good.

—

It was the last week of lessons, and you made significant progress in your piano skills. You were now able to play basic nursery rhymes without making too many mistakes.

“I think we can move you onto something more challenging.” Kris places a sheet of paper on top of the piano. “Here, it’s an old song I used to play at the church.”

You take the sheet and look at the notes, silently humming the tune to yourself. It was slightly longer than what you were used to.

Kris sat next to you, giving you the key to start. As you start the song, Kris plays along with you from the other side of the piano. There were a few mistakes at first, but Kris' playing helped you get yourself back on track.

Your final tries had you play from memory for the first time, without the sheet music to guide you. Kris gives you a nod of reassurance as they place their hands on the keys. You start, closing your eyes as you let the keys guide you through the sound… It felt natural. You didn’t notice it at first, but Kris stopped playing halfway through.

They were focusing on you.

A sigh of relief escapes as you press your fingers against the last note. You open your eyes to see Kris staring at you, a semi-proud smile to themself. “That was great.” They nod.

You felt your face heat up. “It was nothing, really…” you say sheepishly.

“You’re a fast learner.” Their eyes were genuine.

“...But your positioning is off, can I?” Kris asks, standing up and stepping behind you. You quickly nod without hesitation nor thinking.

You tense up as they lay their hands on your shoulders, gently guiding you into position. “You need to sit up like this.” Your body memorizes every second as their guidance trails down your shoulders onto your hands, encasing them.

“...your hands need to be positioned like that.” Kris’ fingers were cold to the touch; shivers ran down your soul.

“Don't shake so much either; you need to be confident.” They mumble as they give a gentle squeeze to your wrists. Through your daze, you notice their nails, chipped with black nail polish. You felt hot, your face was hot, and Kris was definitely hot. You mean —what???

“Did you get that?”

You couldn’t focus on a single thing Kris was saying; all you could pay attention to was how close they were as they guided you from behind. You heard white noise as the sound of your heartbeat echoed inside your head.

“Mhm… uh-huh, yeah, yeah—thanks.” Your words jumble together as you silently thank the universe they couldn’t see how heated your face was. You could’ve sworn they were doing this on purpose.

They couldn’t have known… Could they?

“Good.” Their hands were still on you, touch lasting a few moments longer than it should have, but they eventually backed up. Holy fucking shit . It took everything inside you not to explode at that very moment.

The rest of the lesson went as usual, but your mind kept going back to that specific moment. The feeling of their hands still lingering on you. After the lesson ended, you stormed to your bedroom to silently scream into the nearest pillow you could find.

Your crush on Kris was getting worse by the day. What once was just a figment of your daydreams was now crashing into your life at full speed. They were the cold, weird kid next door. It wasn't possible that they liked you back… It shouldn't be.

That motherfucker was being paid by your family to torment you.

You lift your face up from the pillow; in the corner of your vision, you spot something. It was a small apple-shaped keychain you got as a prize from an arcade some months ago.

You pick it up, and you decide that tomorrow would be a good time to test your theory out, get your feelings out of the way through rejection. It'll be the best for the both of you.

—

You didn’t consider yourself religious; you haven't since you were little—so your parents took it as a surprise when you suddenly told them you wanted to go to church on Sunday. They obliged, taking you with them for the first time in years. You decided to take out your church clothes to wear something nice.

As you sat in your seat, you fidgeted with the keychain in the small velvet box it was included with. You couldn't help but hold on tight– as if it was about to slip away from you any moment now. Somehow, it felt heavier in your hands than it did last night.

After an hour of various sermons and songs, you could finally stand up to look around for Kris, who was nowhere to be found. You spotted Kris’ mother at the juice table, however– who gave you a smile and wave as you walked towards her.

“Hi, Miss Toriel.” You try your best to be friendly.

“Nice to see you here, child. How have your lessons with Kris been?” She smiled. Her breath smelt faintly like wine.

“Good, good. I’m actually learning a lot more than I thought I would.” You nodded, pouring a cup of juice for yourself.

“That’s great to hear! I’d love to see you two play together someday.”

“Uhh yeah…” You awkwardly chuckle. “Me too.”

“Speaking of Kris…” You turn the conversation around. “Have you seen them anywhere?”

“Hm…” She furrowed her brow as if she needed to recall her memory. “Kris went outside to take a phone call half an hour ago; they should be finished by now.”

“Okaygreatthanks-”

You quickly excuse yourself and rush out the door to continue your search for Kris. Outside, you scoured around the perimeter, but they were nowhere to be found. You sigh. They must've ditched the service early or something.

Right as you were about to turn back inside, you spotted a figure emerging from the forest surrounding the shelter. You took cover behind the church walls, peeking in like some kind of spy.

It was Kris.

They looked surprised to see you as you suddenly appeared, like they were caught in some kind of act. They quickly turned off their phone and shoved it in their pocket. “Uhm…” You could do nothing but stare at Kris for a moment, feeling yourself shrink under them. “Hey Kris,” You look around, past the woods. “What are you doing out here?”

They look away. “... needed to take a break where it’s quiet…” They mumble as they put their hands in their pockets.

“Yeah, I understand that feeling.” You give a small smile, choosing to ignore how painfully suspicious they were acting at the moment. “I, uh…” You jolt back to the script you rehearsed as you almost forget your reason for being here in the first place. “I wanted to give you this.” You hand the present out to them. “It’s for all the stuff you taught me.” God, you hope that didn't sound corny.

Kris’ eyes become wide open. A slight flush appeared on their cheeks as they took the small box. There was a long pause in the air as the keychain sat in their palm, like they were mentally deciding which words to choose.

After what seemed like forever, they finally spoke.

“Thanks.” Kris said indifferently, quickly shoving the keychain inside their pocket. You could only watch as they opened church doors to head inside.

Thanks…

That's all they had to say.

You froze in place as your hand instinctively went up to your chest. You didn’t know why your heart stung— it was just a shitty gift worth 2 bucks; of course they wouldn’t care.

Maybe you just thought they'd appreciate the gift a bit more, that they'd treasure anything you'd give them. But who were you to think that they needed anything from you? Disgust runs through your body. Kris wasn't some type of dilemma for you to rescue, they never were.

You crush the plastic cup of juice in frustration, tossing it in the bin with full force. You were lucky service was over.

At home, you sighed as you covered your face in your hands. You felt so stupid. It turns out they didn't like you, great—now you could finally move on with your life and stop living in delusion. You look at your calendar, tomorrow will be the last week of lessons.

That gave you some reassurance.

—

Kris wasn’t at school the next day. You wondered if that phone call from Sunday had anything to do with it. You wanted to message them to ask if you’d still be meeting, but you restrained yourself. You needed to give them space; they could text you if they wanted to. Plus, their absence was enough proof that they probably weren't willing for lessons today. Once school ended, you skipped the piano and headed straight towards your bed. You knew you had to practice, but something made you want to skip today.

Maybe it was the weather, or maybe it was the absence of Kris.

A few hours of being on your phone pass by and you hear the doorbell ring, followed by the sound of your name being called. You were surprised, you weren't expecting anyone. As you came downstairs, you could silently hear the sound of the piano being played.

It was the song you were learning.

Kris was already sitting at the piano, seemingly waiting for you. They looked up as they noticed you, they had dark circles under their eyes.

“...Hi Kris.” You couldn't help but fidget with your hands as you walked over to them. ”I kinda assumed we weren’t doing lessons since you weren’t at school today.”

Kris places their hand behind their neck. “... yeah, I was busy with something…” They mumble, sounding like they were being put on the spot. “Sorry for not giving you a message. If this is a bad time for you—”

“Kris…” You don’t know why, but your heart felt heavy. “If you want to stay here, you can.”

You watched as their gaze softened by your words. There was something different about them today. They looked more tired than usual, their hair was out of place. You wanted to ask what was wrong, but you knew you couldn't for whatever reason.

Kris hesitated a bit before asking. “Do you have anywhere I could charge my phone?” They ask as you sit down and take your seat next to them on the piano. That's when you notice something. The apple keychain, the same keychain you gave to Kris was attached to their phone.

Kris must’ve noticed how surprised you looked; they turned their eyebrows in worry. “Why do you still have that?” Your words come out harsher than you wanted them to.

“Because you gave it to me.”

Oh.

You couldn't help but start laughing. “This whole time, I thought you didn’t like it!” You say as Kris stared in confusion.

It looked like they weren't happy with your assumption. The corners of their mouth tilt downward for just a moment… “Why did you think that?” There was hurt in their voice.

“I… don’t know.” You feel embarrassment creeping in. “I jump to conclusions easily, I guess.”

There was a pause in the air.

Finally, Kris broke the silence. “I'm… Sorry for the way I acted on Sunday…” Their hand came up to cradle the back of their neck. “I was in a hurry; I should’ve—”

You cut them off. “Kris. You don’t need to apologize.” You place a hand on their shoulder out of instinct, forgetting any anxiousness you’d otherwise feel at touching them.Their mouth opens for a moment, like they wanted to say something—but they stay silent, giving a breath out in relief.

Despite the time you were spending with each other, it felt like you knew absolutely nothing about them. It was like there was a giant glass wall between you two.You realized that you felt the urge to hug them, to tell them that everything was going to be okay. But that was weird; you were weird. They’re your piano teacher, for crying out loud. They’re only doing this so they could get paid by your family.

But you were tired of all this guesswork, it felt wrong to push these assumptions onto them. You wanted to know Kris, the real Kris: their favorite songs, what made them laugh, everything you could because you could tell they were hurting.

“Hey…” You give them a soft smile. “Do you think we could do something else today? Like—just relax?”

Kris stays still for a moment, and you immediately start to regret your question. You put your hands down, preparing yourself for whatever excuse they were going to come up with for not hanging out with you.

“...I’d like that a lot, actually.” There's a slight flush in their cheeks. “What do you want to do?”

Your eyes widen. “Uh—maybe we could watch a movie?” You point to the couch behind the both of you.

Kris follows your gaze. They give a small nod.

—

You both sit on the living room couch with a large blanket comfortably smothering you.

You give Kris the remote, letting them pick what the two of you watch. They enthusiastically decide on some gory slasher film about a bat-wielding murderer. In truth, you were scared shitless. But you tried to play it cool as they press play.

You keep yourself mostly composed for the majority of the movie, but as the main character peeks around the corner, you feel a cold hand graze up against yours. You almost jump out of your seat, and the hand quickly backs off.

You look over to your side to realize it was just Kris, looking embarrassed. They interlock with your fingers. Their hands were cold, but they slowly warmed up over time. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or the feeling of their skin on yours, but your heart was basically beating out of your chest the whole time.

“Don’t worry…” Kris mumbles, looking straight at the screen. “I’ll tell you when it’s coming.” You held on tighter as the killer jumped from around the corner, only for the main character to pull out their gun for the final blow.

You give a sigh of relief as the credits start rolling. The movie was over, but you were still holding hands with Kris.

“Maybe I should’ve picked something else…” There was a guilt in their voice.

“I actually kind of liked it… It wasn’t as scary as I expected.” You lied; you were actually going to have to sleep with the lights on for a full week.

“Right…” They didn’t seem to believe you, and you could’ve sworn they were definitely trying to hold back a laugh. “You should pick the first movie next time.” Their cute smile makes you blush.

Next time.

Kris wanted this, you realized. Your heart flutters at the idea of a potential next time, spending more and more time together like this.

The next few hours were spent watching different films of various quality. You noticed Kris’ slightly crooked teeth whenever they laughed, it was endearing. Their hands slowly warmed up over time as you held them in yours. Sometime during the movie marathon, your head ended up lying against Kris’ shoulder, they only gave you a tender stare as you lay up against their sweater.

It felt natural.

The clock eventually hits midnight, and your parent comes downstairs to tell the two of you to sleep. You look over at Kris, asking if they needed to call their parents. “It's fine…” Their voice was slightly pained, as if an unpleasant memory just crossed their mind. You decide not to pry into it, telling your family that Kris is going to sleep over for the night. The night was spent just taking time to talk with each other. Talking about piano and the shitty movies you just watched. You laughed with them like you’ve done this for years.

It felt nice.

Kris felt nice.

Eventually, it was time to go to sleep. You watched Kris as they fell asleep next to you. Their long lashes gently fluttered, and their chest moved up and down as their mouth stayed slightly parted. It was nice seeing them so peaceful.

You didn’t think about tomorrow, you could only think about the smell of Kris’ apple shampoo as you slowly drifted asleep by their side.

AN: Had this fic sitting in my docs for the longest time, so I just decided to hit post or else I’m gonna be editing endlessly. This is the first x reader fic I've posted publicly, so there's a few mistakes here and there. I still hope it's at least readable and somewhat enjoyable. I also wanna clarify again that I’ve never played an instrument in my life, so I sincerely apologize for any pain this fic might cause to actual piano players.

I'm still deciding what I want this account to be about, so if you have any requests/questions my asks are open! ^^

#sweetest shit ive ever read im going to cry

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