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Strangely enough for him, today the music wasn’t running into his head as smoothly as per usual. The more he tried to grasp at the faint ideas that twirled in his head, the more they slipped through his fingers, like evasive threads, the inspiration escaping farther and farther away from him. This had to be the act of aliens! Maybe they were about to abduct him again!
You might be wondering what the again refers to, but that’s a secret! Well, to be completely honest he doesn’t quite remember! But Leo was never good remembering things that aren’t important anyway.
Aahhh!! Why is the music not coming the way he wants it to?! How could the muses abandon him like this?! Outrageous! Unbelievable! Grrrrr!
Crumbling the white sheets tainted with failed compositions, Leo rolled on the floor as he growled –he had been laying on his stomach the whole time while writing down his ideas, but he was now boiling in anger and annoyance. He couldn’t stay put! He had to roll! He had to complain! Search for inspiration!
He rolled forth and back until the side of his body hit the piano, a pitiful yelp as he stopped flat. No more unsettling bubbles in his chest, Leo laid there, on his back, green eyes looking around. The music department was, admittedly, an old building, with creaks in the creaks and leaks you would only notice on rainy days. The tall ceiling was good for playing music, but maybe not so much for cleaning since the corners were decorated in spider-webs.
Leo’s gaze wandered down, following the transversal cuts of golden light that came through the open window making the dust seem like stars. Like a universe! What a sight! He could almost feel a melody appearing! He could feel it! If he could find the aesthetic muse he looked for, the song he had struggled with would finally appear before his eyes!
The ring of the bell for a change of class resounded annoyingly over him, almost making him stand up and start growling again. However, before he could do that, the green in his eyes caught on a surprising sight; beyond the tender sparkles created by the floating dust, shining in his own light, was a student he had never ever seen before.
He was standing idly on the hall across from the music room Leo had hoarded for –probably- far too long. Back leaning against the wall in a graceful posture that dwelled in the line between planned and natural, the blue of his eyes was just a bit wary of his surroundings, occasionally jumping from the book in his right hand as if looking for something or someone before slowly returning to the white pages.
The golden light of noon entering through the window by his side gave an almost ethereal glow to his skin and hair, silver tresses like rays of moonlight looking far too beautiful.
Leo stayed there, laying on his back, just staring at the beautiful person he haven’t seen before. The person that for him, had started to exist right there and then; in that second.
Leo wouldn’t have been able to say how much time passed if someone asked; it felt like hours and seconds at the same time. However, it was probably a mere couple of minutes. The swarm of people changing classrooms was hardly dying out when the beautiful silver haired stretched himself, blue eyes fixed in someone.
The curve those silver colored eyebrows did on his face as he spoke, teeth showing every now and then as if he was a husky cat, was almost as beautiful as the serenity of his previous expression.
As if looking at his face wasn’t enough, Leo allowed his eyes to wander down and around. He gazed for a while at his hands, which were struggling to open the navy colored bag that hung from his shoulder, probably because he refused to take the blue eyes of his from the guy that had just arrived. It wasn’t long before the book was secure inside the navy colored bag, which was promptly snatched away by the guy who had just arrived, maybe as a form of apology. And then, both of them were gone.
--
Not even two days after, Leo was bending over several papers, insistent scribbling as he attempted to catch the speed of his thoughts with his pen. His thoughts stopped in their tracks when he heard what seemed like a hum, echoing through empty halls. Green eyes forcefully taken away from the paper, he searched for the origin of such a melodic voice.
Green eyes peeking out of the music room, Leo soon found the ethereal beauty from before sitting by the window, all alone. He was reading yet another complicated looking book. Today he was wearing discrete silver earphones connected to an IPod. Was he humming along to the music thinking there was no one around?
The tone of his voice was so out of place Leo couldn’t quite guess what song he was trying to hum, but the tone was so beautiful it didn’t mattered.
It didn’t even mattered when the boy started to sing along the chorus, the unpleasant and obnoxious singing style made by inexperience. Because it was a voice so beautiful, he could become a singer if he ever tried.
More than that, the tender smile that painted those lips as he tried to sing along was way too pure… too beautiful. Too gorgeous.
How jealous did Leo felt at that moment! Even though he had never doubted of his own skills, nor had he thought of comparing himself to other composers of musicians, he now loathed all the artists that had managed to get a spot inside that IPod before him! All the songs that would be sung in that voice!
Many songs, overflowing in many emotions he didn’t even knew existed before this day, started to fill his head.
-
It was strange how often he now saw the beauty with the hair of moonlight. It almost seemed as if there wasn’t a day he wouldn’t see his beautiful face around the music rooms. Because Leo was always so fast in forgetting stuff and so uncaring about the world surrounding him, he couldn’t even be sure if the guy had started frequent this halls, or if he had always done so and he was just realizing now.
He wasn’t even sure if mystery beauty was in music course like himself or not! But for the complex looking law books he was always reading, he dared to imagine he was a studying to be a lawyer. A strange choice considering how being a model or an artist would fit his pretty features so much more. Not to mention how fashionable he looks! Not that Leo knows about fashion anyway!
Well, the identity of this ethereal beauty wasn’t overly important. Leo could always fill the gaps with his fantasies! And that he was doing. A fairy, a valiant knight, a prince or even an angel, there were so many stories he could make in his head, and continue making as long as there was no truth set in stone.
And he did enjoyed thinking about this mysterious boy. A bit too much perhaps, since his thoughts were occupied in fantasies of him from the moment he woke up to the moment he went to bed.
Thoughts sometimes straying as far as to make him a prince cursed by a genie or a traveler from the future! Of course, the fantasies weren’t always as extravagant. Sometimes he just erased that other guy from the picture –that guy that always came and took the silver haired boy away…
Well, it didn’t mattered! Because the music kept running hard and strong from his head to his scores to the piano! Turning into many, many songs that he continued to write and play every single day. And that was the most important! If he had the music this beauty had awakened in him, he didn’t needed to imagine himself being the one to hold that white hand and walk away side by side with him.
He didn’t needed that.
He… didn’t…
--
The semester was coming to a close. With the final recital coming to sight, he had the difficult task of choosing one (and just one) of his many songs to perform. Being a genius as he was he wasn’t worried, not even one bit!
However, even an aloof genius as himself overheard conversations once in a while. This one specially caught his attention for some reason he didn’t bothered to think about. A boy had been composing songs while thinking in a girl he liked, and was now wondering if he should tell her. In case the song became famous.
Well, leaving that random boy aside, Leo was so talented his songs could become worldwide hits! He wondered if the moonlight beauty would realize the songs were all about him. He wondered if he would be bothered or maybe flattered by it. He tried to fantasize about what would happen if he talked to that cat-of-a-human about it.
Would he smile? Or get annoyed at him? Maybe he’d even scratch him! Not that Leo would mind!
And the tiny curiosity just seemed to grow within him as time passed.
He wanted to know. What would this boy think about being the muse of so many songs? What subtle changes would happen in his expression? Would he put the songs in his IPod to hear them later? Would he clumsily try to sing along? How endearing would that be!
Musing about such things over and over again, Leo finally chose one of the many songs he had and prepared himself to tell the boy about it. Like an ambush! He continued to work in the music room of always, constantly checking the hall with green eyes full of curiosity and excitement, ready to jump over the boy as soon as he appeared.
But he didn’t.
After many hours of waiting to no avail, yet already determined to talk with the moonlight beauty, Leo decided to go search for him. And so, he started to look in every room and hall of the music department. Every single one without fail.
If the books the silver-haired was always reading were anything to go by, there was no reason to believe he’d be in the music department. And yet, Leo continued to look around. As if something was calling him over; a faint melody that pulled at his heart.
After some time finding no hints and seeing no hope of success, Leo stopped his feet and closed his eyes. A faint sound calling him to one of the storage rooms; the sound of a voice he had been hearing in his dreams for far too long.
Feeling as if he was going to step in forbidden ground, he opened the door just a bit. Enough to take a peek without being seen from the inside.
And just enough to see the moonlight boy of his dreams, arms wrapped around someone as he indulged in a kiss so passionate his voice was turning sweet and tender.
Was he kissing the guy who always came and took him away? Leo couldn’t be sure. He had never paid much attention to that boring guy.
The emotions in his head went into chaos, a deadly spiral of incomprehensible clashes.
As if to contradict the storm inside his head, his expression remained unchanged. His body unaffected. He just stood there, unable to move. Staring way too much at those two. At the silver tresses that like rain, slipped through the hard fingers of that unknown guy. At the lips that were trapped and then freed again, the sweetest sounds in the world coming out from them.
Even his body was confused, strange warmness all over his stomach and piercing cold right on his chest. A strange wetness rolling down his cheeks without his acknowledgment.
He left before they could take notice of his presence.
--
The next day, he was unable to play.
It wasn’t that the inspiration was completely gone, but more than in the dirty swamp of his feelings, he couldn’t find the right path to follow.
There was so much he wanted to convey into his music. So much he wanted it to mean. And yet the right keys, the right sound, the right rhythm and tone and lyrics didn’t appeared in his head.
So Leo just rolled on the floor and slept.
--
The room he had always hoarded like some arrogant dragon was now occupied by someone else. Since he wasn’t there to intimidate people, his classmates had decided to make use of the extra room for their own projects, taking turns along the week.
He didn’t cared. He didn’t wanted to be there. He feared what would happen if he met with that silver that wouldn’t leave his dreams.
He could write his melodies anywhere, and he could play them back at home if he had to, so there was no need to be there.
Not at all.
Today the weather was being kind, so he decided to take a stroll outside. Climb some trees. Try to find a different type of inspiration from this new perspective. A something that would help him settle the strange chaos that continued to burn inside of him.
He had just found a little nest and was looking at the colorful eggs when a voice reached him. A voice he wasn’t expecting to hear.
“…is it really that weird?” it was that voice, a bit of a playful bite in the tone.
Just as expected, the face he saw when looking down, a gasp on his mouth and his heart on his hand, was the same he almost knew from memory by now.
And before he could stop himself, he was already eavesdropping on the couple that walked right below this flourishing tree.
“Yeah Sena! You were always studying at the music department, weren’t you?” the other boy asked “Why did you decided to come out here today?”
“Mn, I don’t feel like going there anymore. Lately is just, not the same” the fairy of moonlight replied, dragging his tone with a conflicted tone.
“Heh? Did something happened? If something happened you can tell me!”
“It’s not that you idiot. It’s just… the music.”
“Music?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t every day, but most of the time when I went to that floor there was this real nice music sounding. I think some student was there playing his songs, because there were all songs I’ve never heard before. I even tried to search some but I couldn’t find them…”
“Oh! Sounds mysterious! Like a movie! A romance story!”
“What do you even know of romance Chia-kun? More important, do you really want me to go falling in love with someone else?”
“Mnnnn… I wouldn’t like that!”
“See? But yeah. Lately I haven’t heard those songs at all. It really is a shame. I loved them”
--
The night of the recital was finally here. Leo showed up late for the start, but just on time for his own presentation, disheveled and empty handed. Not even the score of his song.
Shirt open to the second button and no tie to be seen, hair a bit too long tied in a messy ponytail, Leo walked to the center of the stage and bowed once before going to the piano.
Almost immediately, his fingers caressed the keys in rapid succession before closed eyes.
The rhythm was first cheerful, like a savage and playful swirl of wind, unstoppable, indomitable, catching the whole audience in its spell. After a couple of mischievous swirls the music suddenly calmed down. A tender breeze carrying the smell of cherry blossoms and melted snow, the pace much slower yet more emotional; a tender and loving tune that became more and more endearing with each tone.
In his closed eyes, Leo could see that boy, clumsily singing along to his IPod. Seriously reading his books and taking notes. Stretching after sitting for far too long and taking a look through the window.
As the long fingers continued to play with the keys, the warmth started to disappear from the melody, leaving nothing but a biting cold. A total shift that made you feel helpless, like Icarus falling down to his death with burnt wings.
There were tears in the audience, just as there were on his own face. The memory of that boy hugging and kissing someone else burnt forever in the back of his eyelids.
As the music seemed ready to end, a new melody appeared. Like a flower blooming in the middle of the dessert, proudly showing its colors, a hopeful melody full of love and hope was born yet again.
With this incredible feeling of satisfaction, the song ended.
After a few moments of silence, in which Leo blankly stared to the nothingness in front of him, the audience gave him a standing ovation.
A deep breath as he was suddenly coming back to reality, Leo looked around, hoping that Sena -that silver haired boy that was his muse- would be around. That he heard this song and maybe, just maybe, come to love it the same way he had loved all of those other songs.
If he did, Leo could finally tell him all the truth. That his inspiration had always been him and that fleeting love that tasted of Cherry Blossoms and Moonlight.