The walls were closing in on me. It was somehow stuffy despite every window and door  in the room that lead to the outside being thrown open. I was having trouble focusing on what I was doing when the thought of jumping out of the window and flying until I lost sight of the world behind me became so appealing.

I felt as stuck as a bird locked in a bird cage.

My fingers drummed against the wooden desk, tapping out the first rough draft for the paper I was puzzling over. I tuned out the birds that were borderline screaming behind me, thinking only of the paper sitting in front of me and completely lost to the world.

That is until a series of knocks on my door startled me out of my reverie.

Before I could say or do anything, Alexander's voice drifted in, apprehensive but overpowered by excitement and emotion. "Hey, Thomas! Can I come in?"

I leaned back in my chair, smiling at just his voice. "Yeah, please."

The door opened; a smiling Alexander stepped inside and closed it behind him. I quickly covered the paper underneath some unfinished blueprints for an abandoned machine idea, but not fast enough to where he didn't notice.

"What are you doing?" he asked, amusement filling his voice as he joined me.

"Writing," I returned, vague but teasing.

"Ooh, I wanna see!"

"Too bad." I grinned. It was perhaps a bad idea to provoke Alexander though. He shot forwards and pushed the blueprint away, grabbing the paper before I could react.

He stared down at the paper, frowning in confusion. Alex studied it for a while, like it was a riddle he didn't understand. Finally, he looked back up at me, puzzled. "Sheet music?"

"Yeah," I said, taking it back from him and putting it away in the drawer I had designated for it.

"Why—"

"I was interested in it. It's fascinating how humans were able to put sounds. On paper. Do you not find that at least sort of cool?"

It wasn't a complete lie.

Alexander stared at me for a moment, not totally convinced, but he smiled and seated himself on my bed.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you're still awake."

"Why? What time is it?"

"I don't know? Twelve?"

"You don't know?"

"There aren't exactly clocks here, Thomas."

I slid the seat away from the desk and stood up so I could get a clear view of the window. The land was completely bathed in darkness, and the moon was hanging high in the sky, shining its brilliant beams into the clouds. There was no refreshing wind; it was still and humid.

It was later than I thought.

"Well, if it's so late, what are you doing here?" I teased, putting the fountain pen away and joining him.

Alexander's smile fell, his eyes retreating to the blanket.

I paused, smile slipping from my face. "Alex?" My stomach plummeted as I desperately searched his posture and expression for clues.
What happened? Was something wrong?

"I was wondering if maybe I could sleep with you tonight? Wait, no! That came out wrong—not that I'd be against that! But that wasn't—"

I rolled my eyes and kissed his cheek gently, hiding the relief that soared through my body. "I know what you meant."

"Ah. So I'm an idiot then!"

"You're not an idiot."

"You still haven't answered my question."

There were a number of things that could go wrong. For example, I could... turn... in the middle of the night and kill him. It would be a massive mistake to let my guard down for even a moment, to let him get too close to me.

Part of me absolutely knew that there was no point in continuing this, as much as I wanted to. Part of me was trying to force itself to refuse Alexander, to ask him to leave. To tell him that this thing had to end before somebody got hurt.

That was the part of me I should have listened to.

"It's up to you," I returned, smiling sheepishly. I couldn't keep myself from him, and I knew what it would do to me.

I need to let myself be happy.

"Aha! I was hoping you'd say that!" Alexander leaned forwards and kissed me, sliding his arms around my lower body.

He was the glimmering light in an ocean of darkness. Something to hold onto as the storm surge tried to sweep me back into the sea.

Maybe if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have woken up from the coma at all.

I pulled Alexander back with me so that we were laying down. He slipped off of me and to my side, pulling the blanket over him. He saw the pattern on it and laughed.

"What?" I asked, defensive of my feather patterned blanket. Stupid though it was, it reminded me of Avionerra. Despite my passion for traveling, I still get a little homesick at times.

"Nothing! It's cute. You're cute."

"I am not cute."

"It's not a bad thing."

"Highest level of insult."

Alexander's laugh had the amazing ability to quickly put me at ease no matter the circumstance.

He was asleep an hour or so later, but I was having trouble with it myself. It was like that annoying fly that kept whizzing out of reach just as you tried to wrap your fingers around it. 

I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes. I glanced down at Alexander and smiled when I saw him. Heaving a sigh, I stood up and held out my hand. The pen threw itself across the room and met my hand just before I could stop myself from falling into the same old habit.

Better to conserve my magic usage whenever I have the chance, huh?

I scribbled down a quick note for Alexander should he wake up and not have me there next to him. It was rather surprising how well I was able to see in the dark now, but I guess that's the perk of slowly turning into a bloodthirsty monster that would rip a creature apart in seconds without thinking twice.

Hey Alex! Don't worry, I went out for a walk. Couldn't sleep; you know how that is. I'll be back before you know it, so don't worry and go back to sleep. See you in the morning!

I had to fight the urge to sign the letter with 'Love you!'.

Leaving the note on the pillow next to his head, I kissed him gently and left the room as quietly as I could.

What I really wanted to do was go on a nice long flight carried only by my wings and the wind until I came upon the open ocean that reached out to the horizon, but that was a bad idea. Luckily for me, I had a backup option that worked just as well.

I padded quietly down the hallway, bare feet brushing against the soft carpet that the moonbeams danced on through the open windows. It was only just down the hall, not a long walk in the slightest.

I stopped at the painting of the forest that was hanging up against the wall, seemingly placed there only to add a splash of color to the plain, dreary walls. The canvas was soft and the paint well preserved as I slid my fingers against the head of the bluejay sitting comfortably in one of the great large pines.

Next to the painting, a part of the wall fell inward on itself, displaying the doorway for me to see.

I have a flair for the dramatics, okay?

I had to duck my head to pass through without hitting it on the ceiling. The passageway's walls were narrow and a tight fit, but I had no problem getting through them afterwards. Finally, the walls fell away, revealing the purpose of the passageway in the first place.

Already ignoring my quota on avoidable magic, a soft pink light illuminated the room just barely at first, but as I sent it flying towards the ceiling it expanded.

I heaved a sigh of comfort and relief as I stepped over to where my favorite component of the room sat. I fell to the luxuriously cushioned bench and turned, observing each and every part of my collection as fully as possible.

The more complicated creations were usually the most fun, but they required the most effort and concentration. Right now, all I wanted to do was play.

My fingers brushed against the ivory keys of the piano, well preserved despite its age. I pressed down lightly, relaxing even as the first note hit the quiet air.

Forgetting myself, I played.

I lost myself in the rhythm, in the negative and positive space between each note and chord. As the melody went on, I added instruments without even thinking about it. First came the mournful song of the cello. The higher pitched violin joined in next, followed by the harp's gentle tune.

All tied together perfectly like a ribbon on a gift.

I had placed a silencing spell on the room beforehand of course, keeping the melody all to myself. I created it, and I would be the only person to hear it.

Eyes closed, I stood up from the piano and walked over to the couch. There wasn't even the smallest break in playing.

I sat down and crossed my legs, listening intently to the music. The moment after the song hit its crescendo, the other instruments began to slowly fade away until there was nothing left but the piano.

When the song had completely disappeared from the air, leaving no hints or clues behind as to its existence in the first place, I opened my eyes and let out a breath. Every feeling from before—every fear, every worry, every sense of hopelessness was gone, replaced by the comforting peace that the music had brought with it.

I gazed at the room in its entirety for a moment, observing each instrument and appreciating each one fully, before striking another song.

This one much more upbeat and happy.

~•~

I walked back down the hall with ease, as relaxed as a person could be. I opened the door to my room quietly, careful not to disturb Alexander, and glided back to the bed.

He was still asleep when I sat down on the corner of the bed, eyes closed in the blissful state. I smiled down at him and reached for his hand. The coolness that met my skin surged through me, refreshing and relaxing.

I pulled all of the cold out of him as quickly as I could, not stopping until I felt every bone in my body fall into the comforting chill. Then, just as fast, I let my warmth ooze into him.

His smile widened.

"Thomas?" he murmured, pushing himself up gently. His voice was still groggy and tired, so I doubted that anything he said was carefully planned out and purposeful. "Where'd you go?"

"I went on a walk," I whispered gently while removing the note I had left him and crumpling it into a ball. "But I'm back now."

Alexander wrapped his hand around my arm and pulled me down with him. He placed his hand on my cheek. I got butterflies in my stomach just from his touch.

He pulled me closer to him, lips brushing gently against mine. I closed my eyes. His lips fell away, but he didn't move or attempt to slide away from me.

Instead, he pulled me even closer and moved himself upwards, so that his lips were parallel to my forehead.

They say falling in love is like flying. They are wrong.

Flying is relaxing, calming, something you can do without even thinking about it. It's nothing more than taking a walk, just different because it's in the air.

Falling in love is more like... well, falling. Uncontrolled and rendering you unable to stop it.

For the first time in my entire life, I did not mind the fall.