#euphoria hbo

Euphoria Season Two

Euphoria Season Two

I wanted to share my little sketch of Hunter, I just kind of like it in it’s unfinished-ness (yes that is a word now).

illustration by me

Sydney Sweeney

❝THE PIANIST❞

pairing:pianist!Cassie Howard x fem!reader

content warning: AU where Lexi is more popular than Cassie, talks of insecurities

a/n: so I recently watched nocturne and this happened :’) (minus the horror stuff lol) I kinda hate it but it’s better than nothing…right?

(gif:mikaeled)

“You’re going to embarrass yourself. Lexi was born for this, you’ll never be half as talented as she is.”

Those were the nagging thoughts that lingered in the back of Cassie’s mind as she stared at the keyboard with little to no motivation to carry on playing.

Piano wasn’t the only thing Lexi was excelling at. She was a bright student, got amazing grades in every class, she had a stable group of friends and was admired by everyone around her. The brunette was everything Cassie wished to be.

And this piano, which had once brought her so much joy, was now a source of frustration and anguish.

Sucking in a breath, Cassie tried to push those thoughts aside and concentrate again. She had to be ready for this talent show. She had to prove everyone that she was in fact equally as talented and worthy as her sister.

And so her fingers rose again to hover over the black and white keys, her foot readying itself at the pedal simultaneously.

Her fingers began to move gracefully over the keyboard while she followed the music sheet that was pinned in front of her. Cassie started slow, her fingers lazily hitting each key, letting them get accustomed to the movement. She cringed as she hit a wrong note but continued on regardless, her brows furrowing in concentration.

But the pace quickly became too fast, hard to keep up with. Cassie didn’t have the hang of it yet. Her fingers fumbled, which caused her to play a combination of the wrong keys.

She stopped to rub her sweaty hands on her jeans. She was growing more and more frustrated by the second, her heartbeat speeding up, throat tightening.

After taking a moment to gather her emotions, Cassie placed her hands on the keyboard again. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before starting over from the beginning, the opening notes of Mozart’s Sonata Number Sixteen filling the room once more.

She was doing just fine, until came another wrong note. And that was all it took for her to break, her eyes suddenly filling with tears and blurring her vision.

“Fuck!” she yelled, slamming her hands down on the piano keys and weeping.

You’ll never be ready. They’ll laugh at you.

She wanted to give up. Close the lid and phone the school to let them know she wouldn’t be able to perform. She’d call in sick, or say there’s a family emergency. But she didn’t want to do this anymore. The phone was so close, she just had to reach out and grab it and then all her problems would be solved. She stared at it.

Just then, her attention was caught by the sound of the door opening, your voice breaking the silence.

“Hi Cass.” you said, peeking cautiously into the room. Cassie turned around to face you, her eyes puffy. You gave her a sympathetic smile as she repeated the simple greeting, wiping her cheeks and forcing a smile.

“I heard a scream. What’s wrong?” you cooed, stepping closer to your visibly upset girlfriend. You cupped her shoulders with your hands and began to rub your thumbs along the area between her shoulder blades. Cassie dropped her head a little, enjoying the massage.

“I’ll never be ready for the talent show.” she sniffled. “I keep messing up at the same bit. I can’t do anything right.”

“You’re still learning, Cassie. There’s nothing wrong with messing up.” you leaned forward to peck her cheek.

“But Lexi has already mastered her part, I need to—”

“Stop comparing yourself to your sister. The only reason Lexi has already mastered her part is because she’s had an extra week to practice. That doesn’t mean anything, and it doesn’t make you any less talented.” you continued to massage her shoulders. “Come on. Play something for me.” you seated yourself next to her and placed a comforting hand on her lower back, rubbing it with your thumb.

“I- I don't—”

“Please?” you pouted, giving her your best puppy eyes.

Cassie wiped her cheeks with her sleeves and eventually nodded, her shaky hands moving to the keys once more. She began to play the first notes, which you immediately recognized as Mozart.

“No.” you interrupted, placing a hand over hers. “Not this. Play something different. Something that you love.” Cassie thought for a moment before deciding on a song.

“Okay.” she whispered to herself, nodding.

Once more she began to play, her shoulders and back shifting as her fingers pressed each key, missing no note this time. She looked much more at ease already. She quickly began to relax and closed her eyes, letting her fingers do the work while you leaned your head on her shoulder, smiling fondly as you watched.

After a couple minutes the melody came to an end and Cassie slowly shut the lid of the piano, a sweet smile on her lips.

“You make playing this thing seem so easy,” you told her, hooking a finger under her chin and leaning in to kiss her. Cassie giggled, shying away from you.

“See?” you said. “All you needed was a break from Mozart.” you whispered, kissing her lips once more. Then your expression turned serious. “You’re more than ready for this talent show, Cassie. You’re going to own the stage and impress everyone in that room like you always do.”