Moonlight Sonata

41. Declaration

It was weird waking up the next morning with my blankets cold and my bed seemingly empty. There was no Lily to pull closer to me and no Nolan to cradle me against him. The light coming in through the open window illuminated the room, alerting me that it was most likely late into the morning. My limbs were sore as I tried to move, my injuries having faded overnight, but still present in their mildest form. I shuddered as I sat up, my mop of hair sticking up every which way. My head was throbbing from last night's drinking binge but I knew it would fade in time; for now though I got up and closed my window, stepping barefoot out into the living area. Marshall was still asleep and I patted his head once more as I passed by him. A cup of coffee might do me some good.

I snuck out of my room and walked down the steps, finding that a good majority of the house was already awake; Margo was in the kitchen with Crowe, talking over plates full of scrambled eggs. Medusa was behind the stove while Devorah was cleaning dishes behind her, and I watched as she paused for a moment, only to kiss Medusa's cheek. It made me smile a little more to see them so happy.

I poured a cup of coffee for myself, but as I looked at it I realized who might appreciate it more. Instead of taking the cup for myself I dropped a couple spoonfuls of sugar into the mix and some milk, knowing that Necro didn't like his black. I carried the cup across the kitchen again, making sure I was walking on steady feet when I got to the stairs. Margo ran past me with a smile, climbing the steps a little faster than I did and disappearing around the second corner. There was a thickness in my chest as I got to second floor, like apprehension and adrenaline all mixed into one. The moment I got to the third floor I realized I was shaking and I had to hold the cup with both hands to keep it from spilling over.

My breath was trembling as I walked up to his door. I raised a hand to knock when I heard something coming from inside and had to pause; small keystrokes echoed within the walls, completely unpracticed and new. My body ceased it's tremors and I continued to listen as those keystrokes turned into melodies. More skillful hands replaced those that were novice, a familiar tune gripping my body gently; Clair de Lune, although slightly off key and slow, was playing as the pianist tried to focus. My chest shuddered when the music picked up the pace and I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep from making noise. I hated to interrupt, but I lifted my hand to knock, only for him to respond before I even could.

"Come in!"

I bit my lip as I reached for the handle, sliding the door inward to reveal a light filled, neat and cleanly room. I don't know who I was expecting to see behind the piano but I caught sight of ashen skin and felt a small tinge of disappointment; oddly I was also almost...relieved.

"U-Um..." I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to focus past the headache, "I wanted to...apologize for being an asshole last night," I clutched the cup a little tighter, "that was really not right of me and I probably made a bad situation even worse."

"Did you really bring coffee as a bargaining tool?" He chuckled, moving from the piano and closer to me.

"Y-Yeah...Well, no, not really..." I fumbled for the words and just gave in with a sigh, "it's a peace offering. I've spent too long lately being mad at people, and I just want to start things off again on good terms."

"Agnes," his voice was close to me, and I felt the need to tense up, "open your eyes."

My eyes snapped open in confusion, "how the hell-!"

I dropped the coffee. The ceramics shattered all over the hardwood kitchen floor, but I was too busy looking somewhere else to notice. He was supposed to be blind. My heart was racing in my chest as I stood there, frozen, looking into a singular jade iris that blinked in unison with a scarred, cloudy one. I started shaking again as he backed up, the coffee probably hitting him, or the ceramics. Finally I shook out of my trance and backed away from the mess, shaking my head vehemently in disbelief.