It's Just Nerves...

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Empty.
Thank goodness.
Madeleine went over to her favourite chair near the fire, and placed her guitar on her knee, running her thumb lightly over the strings, creating a quiet, mismatched chord.
Her dorm was occupied, and her fingers had been itching to play something, and she didn't feel comfortable playing in front of her dormmates. Well, she never felt comfortable playing in front of anybody, which was why she was glad the common room was empty. If there had been people there, they would have crowded, asking her to play, and she'd have had to resort to going outside, which had happened before.
But it was cold outside today - this way, she was able to remain in the warmth.
As usual, the guitar was in perfect tune, and Madeleine's fingers found the frets, and she lightly played a few chords to warm up.
Of course, when she was in this mood, warming her fingers up didn't really last long. Within a minute, she was already deeply absorbed in a classical piece that she loved, her fingers (pre-prepared with Vaseline) moving over the frets, plucking and strumming alternatively.
The great thing about playing classically was that the music didn't need a singer to make sense. The dynamics and the tempo said it all for itself.
It was beautiful.
And of course, while playing, Madeleine could stop thinking, stop worrying about battle training, or anything else that happened to be on her mind... and just go with it. It usually made her feel better, as well.
The song finished on a gentle chord, and she seamlessly started into another piece; this one softer, sweeter, purer.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

One day, Lee promised himself, he would teach himself how to play an instrument.
Or at least, teach himself how to sing properly.
Singing might work better, he'd reasoned, countless times, since he already could on some level or another. Maddie said his voice was good, didn't she? She liked it when he sang to her- and he liked to sing to her. He liked to sing and watch her eyes closed and watch her pink lips form a small, sweet smile. Sometimes, when he sang, he wanted to ask her what she was thinking, and what was going through her head.
He wanted to know why she was smiling. Sometimes, the not knowing drove him mad.
Maddie could get lost in the music.
She took something from every line, and every note. She listened, over and over, sometimes for hours on end; just listened... with that small smile on her face.
But he'd never heard her play before.
Not like that.
He'd never seen her eyes look like that.
Lee stood behind her, perfectly silent; and as each seamless chord played, a smile that matched hers perfectly crossed his lips.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

This song finished with a soft arpeggio in G major, and Madeleine just continued playing into another song, without even thinking about it, the key not even changing.
This wasn't classical, this was a soft, modern song by a rock band - New American Classic by Taking Back Sunday. She liked the band - but she loved this song, as it was so different to their usual style. A soft series of plucked notes, the music spoke far more than the words did.
So for that reason, she didn't sing along - well, she even felt bad about singing in an empty room, for destroying the sanctity of the silence, or destroying the music. She just played, flawlessly, fingers gently picking and sliding across the strings, listening to each note that poured from the instrument.
Her grandmother had told her that she had a gift for the guitar - Madeleine knew that, but a different kind of gift from what she had meant. It was a gift that she could lose everything in playing, that she could just... stop. Take a break from the world, live in a dreamland where she was surrounded by nothing more than notes, nothing more than music.
When Shaun had died, Madeleine hadn't so much as looked at her guitar for months. When she did finally pick it up... well, it was scary. Because she was still able to lose herself - maybe not as effectively, but it still happened. She couldn't entirely forget, but she could focus on something else.
That was really when she discovered just how powerful music was. And since then, whenever Madeleine returned from a battle, the first thing she went to in her dorm was her guitar. Just to try and calm down, to temporarily erase the bloodstains on her body and conscience, to forget the crimson splashed field...
After the louder solo, she played the chorus once, before finishing the gentle sequence of notes in the outro, and ending on a soft G major chord.
Sighing, she placed the guitar so it was standing and leaning against the couch, before leaning back.
And started, nearly knocking the guitar over.
Lee was standing there.
"Oh, hell!" she exclaimed, stopping the guitar from falling to the ground before turning to face him. "Don't say hey, or anything... You scared the life out of me."
Oh no, he hadn't been listening to her play, had he? She just... she wasn't good, and she didn't like people listening to her. Obviously she'd known that it would be a problem when they lived in the same house, but she'd figured that she'd jump that hurdle when she got to it. At least now, she hadn't been playing on an amp, but the room was silent but for her, of course he could hear it..

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Her cry shocked him, he'd been in the music she’d been playing, but when he heard her voice crack like a whip towards him Lee felt himself stumble backwards in shock.
“Don't say hey, or anything... You scared the life out of me.”
Lee nodded, still a little too shell-shocked to speak, and let her get herself sorted out. When she finally looked at him, all he could do was smile weakly back. Maybe that was the only appropriate response to the music; maybe that was the only really acceptable thing to do.
Just smile.
“Er…”
Oh, so, screw that plan, then…
“I’m sorry,” he said, bowing his head apologetically. “I’ll just… leave now, or something.”

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Even in her irritation and embarrassment, Madeleine couldn't help but bite her lip in a smile at the way he bowed his head, his hair shaking forward over his head.
"No, it's okay," she said, her tone softening as it always did, because she couldn't really stay mad at him for long. "I was finished anyway; I'm sorry for shouting, you just really did scare me."
Nudging the guitar slightly with her foot to check its stability, she fixed her position on the couch, smiling over at him.
"So, let's try this again... hi," she laughed.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

"Hi."
Relieved, Lee looked up, shaking his hair back off his face. As he did so, he wrinkled his nose, brushing it out of his eyes. Was it getting to long? It was just a constant messy mop. Perhaps Kira would cut his hair for him. She'd cut Macy's, had she not?
"Quick opinion?" Lee said, tugging on a lock of his fringe. "Maddie, since you are the one marrying me... should I get my hair cut?"

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Madeleine laughed at that, getting up from her seat and going over to him.
"I like it the way it is," she said, teasing a lock of it and twirling it around her finger playfully. "It's all... cute and floppy."
If he ever did decide to cut his hair off, Madeleine knew that she'd miss it. It was one of the many things that she loved about him... though, its one downside was that other girls obviously loved it too.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

He laughed, shaking it, and slipping his hands around her waist, he kissed her on the lips.
"Well, Christ, Maddie! I knew you played guitar- but that was something else."
Well, something had to make up for the terrible singing...

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Madeleine blushed at that, smiling bashfully.
"Kind of mortifying that you heard it, though," she responded, feeling her colour just continue to rise to a deep pink. "Feel priviliged, hardly anyone does..."
She felt that she'd played well just there, but she'd been in a bit of a trance-like state... and it was a little embarrassing having someone watch that, because she didn't know what she looked like when she was playing...
Oh well, he didn't look freaked out. Maybe it all wasn't so bad after all.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Enjoying the sudden pink glow of her cheeks, Lee leaned backwards slightly, raising the back of his hand to touch the warm, smooth skin.
"You were good," he teased, "but you looked a little... zoned out, I suppose. Your mouth was hanging open and you were just staring-"
He stopped, and shook his head.
"Weird. Zombie-like."

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Oh, God...
Bluffing bravado, she rolled her eyes. "Uh huh..."
See, she knew playing in front of people was a bad idea...
Still, the feeling of his hand on her cheek was nice, so she didn't pull back in mock-outrage.
But... there was an idea...
Deciding to test him quickly, she added, "Hey, did you recognise the last song I played?"
He should...

[Kira & Lee Norris]

It took him a second, but he still got there.
"New American Classic," he breathed, the faded rasp of Adam Lazzara filling his ears as he remembered. "I don't think Taking Back Sunday planned for the guitarist to look as gormless as you just did, though."
He laughed, breaking the joke, and shaking his head.
"Sorry." So he kissed her instead. It was easier than taking the mick.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Gormless?
Now she knew he was joking.
She pressed her lips back against his, before pulling back, playfully narrowing her eyes.
"Maybe I don't forgive you."

[Kira & Lee Norris]

"You do forgive me though," he smirked, pressing his mouth back against hers. "You definitely forgive me."
He kissed her; parting her lips and letting his tongue flicker over hers.
"Definitely."

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Madeleine couldn't hide her smile at this, but pretended to protest anyway.
"No, I don't," she said, her smirk a perfect reflection of his. "You've cut me deeply; that really, really hurt..."