From The Ground Up ** (MAGDALENA)

[Deleted]

@jill9

Magdalena's smile turned to a grin and she chuckled softly. "You're the one that jumped to pregnancy. You do know that birth control is used to prevent that right? Not when you already are." she paused for a moment. "Besides, it's fun riling you up." she added as a side note.

She leaned into his arms as he placed a hand on her waist, and wrapped her arms around his own, still grinning up at him. That grin softened to a smile as he kissed her forehead though. "I'm great. How are you, other then scared witless?"

[Deleted]

@magdalena
<3

"Yes of course I know that, Magdalena. However I thought you were already on birth control, hence my freak out." He liked riling her up just as much, but not about something like this! This was scary. "Don't get me going over something like this! That's not even funny." Nikolai glared at her, but felt a rush of excitement as her arms wrapped around him.

Niko smiled back down at her. "I'm just as great. Thanks for asking. I've actually got...a surprise for you." Nikolai wiggled his eyebrows at her, smirking.

[Deleted]

@jill9

Magdalena raised an eyebrow. "I never said I was, and you didn't ask me." she night considering getting on birth control sooner if he'd mentioned it. That grin came back when he chastised her, snd leaned upward to softly kiss him. "I think it's pretty funny." she admitted after the kiss.

Surprise. That word stuck out as he spoke. She tilted her head, curiosity building. "A good surprise? What is it?"

[Deleted]

@magdalena
<3

He shook his head at her. She was so mean sometimes. "Well, if I'm being honest, I was kind of concerned with other things...like making you feel good." Nikolai winked at her. He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. Magdalena was definitely bringing him out of his comfort zone day after day. And while it was an unusual feeling, he did like it.

"I can't tell you, I just have to show you. Follow me." Nikolai let go of her waist and began walking towards the trees in his yard. He took a sharp left and he set foot on the gravel trail. "It's this way." Niko walked about twenty feet, when they entered a large field, and he rose his eyebrow at her as he gestured to the small building. "Would you like to see?"

[Deleted]

@jill9

Magdalena chuckled softly at his words, and gazed up at him both mischievously and lovingly. "You make me feel amazing." she corrected slyly.

That smile turned into an adorable pour as he said he couldn't tell her what the surprise was. But the 'follow me' part managed to wipe that pout away, replaced with an eyebrow raised a raw curiosity. She fell into step beside him immediately. "you know. If you wanted to get me out in the woods you could have just asked." She teased as they walked. Soon it opened back up into a small field. In the middle of it was... Well it reminded her of a gazebo of sorts. She raised an eyebrow at him, not quite getting it yet. Was the surprise in the building? "Yes." she responded quickly. She took his hand in her own, and quickly approached the building. Using her free hand she pushed the doors open.

Magdalena froze when she saw inside. Her eyes went wide, and she forgot how to breath.

[Deleted]

@magdalena
<3

He laughed and shook his head. "Well I'm glad. Sometimes I get nervous I don't...well, perform well enough." Niko's smile soon turned shy, and his cheeks burned. That was more embarrassing to admit than to think.

"I could've...but I thought this would be better." Nikolai winked. He was nervous, and he just wanted her to like it. He'd never heard her play, but Nikolai wasn't sure if she'd be angry. Magdalena grabbed his hand and dragged him to the doors and she swung them open. He tilted his head to the side, staring at her face. His eyebrows lifted, and he spoke, "Do you like it?"

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@jill9

Magdalena looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. Didn't perform well? He looked so embarrassed by the thought, that she couldn't help but smile softly. She planted a delicate kiss on his cheek. "Don't you ever think that again. You're perfect."

It felt like hours, even though it was mere seconds as she stood there in shock. Nikolai speaking was like a reset button, timing returning to normal and the girl finally drawing a breath as her heart beat once more. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Just silence. So, she shut it and stared even longer at the room.

Magdalena didn't know how long she stood there in awe and shock, before she finally managed to tear her gaze to look at him. She had realized she was crying, but a few tears and streaked down her cheeks to stain them. Rather then speak, she leaned into him to bury her face against his chest, arms right around his torso. Only then did she manage to nod.

[Deleted]

@magdalena
<3

Nikolai still felt her kiss lingering on his cheek long after she removed her lips. It was a sweet, gentle kiss and he was glad she did it. She may have said he was perfect, but he knew that was far from the truth, however he didn't retaliate against it.

And then as soon as he asked if she liked it, he saw tears falling from her cheeks. Niko's eyes widened and he immediately lifted his hands to wipe away the wetness from her cheeks. "Magdalena..." Whether they were sad or happy tears he couldn't decipher. But then she squeezed him tight and he smiled gently, kissing her head. "I'm glad you like it, but there's no reason to cry, Olli."

[Deleted]

@jill9

Magdalena didn't move for several moments. Just hugged him tightly and silently cried. They were good tears though. No one had ever done somethin like this for her. Ever. Not only that, but the fact that he'd listened.... It'd only been for a few moments that Irina had mentioned Magi playing the piano. And yet Nikolai had remembered, and done something about it. She wasn't just happy. She was completely moved.

Only when she felt the tears finally stop dos she pull away from him, furiously wiping away any remains of her crying. "I'm not crying." she stubbornly stated, blatantly ignoring the fact that there was no way in hell she could realistically deny it.

[Deleted]

@magdalena
<3

Nikolai didn't hear a single peep from her. She was just standing there crying. He felt bad, making her cry, but he wanted her to be happy and he assumed that this would do just that. Not only with the new piano and books, but just to have a place just for herself, kind of like his office where he wrote the majority of the time, and the Quidditch Pitch.

He began to laugh. Magdalena denied crying and he smiled at her brightly. Niko lifted his hand and brushed her hair out of her face, placing it behind her ear. Magi wiped her tears away and he even wiped some as well. "We can go in you know...it's all new. Never been used or bought books...and I want you to see the piano." He grabbed her hand and brought her inside. It smelled of hot chocolate in the room and he grinned as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

[Deleted]

@jill9

Magdalena glared and scowled as he started to laugh. She wasn't fooling him, but she hadn't thought she would. Still, there was that pang of annoyance.

It wasn't until he said they could go in did they annoyed look go away, and she sucked in a breath, as if silently asking if he was sure. She felt... Well that it was to perfect to be disturbed. That she wasn't worthy to enter. But he pulled her in, and her feet moved on their own. The smell we the first thing that hit her. Of course he'd charmed it to smell like hot chocolate. He knew she loved hot chocolate. There were at least six cans in the kitchen, and she'd got through one a week easily. Her eyes were wide again as she released his hand and tentatively stepped even further into the room, turning slowly to take in everything. "You didn't have to do this..." she softly muttered, awe finally in her voice. She finally turned to face the piano. That magnificent and beautiful grand piano... She hadn't wanted to play in so many months... But she felt... She felt a stirring in her heart, as if a door was being pushed open...

[Deleted]

@magdalena
<3

Magi's arms finally let go of him and she turned around to take everything in. He crossed his arms over his chest, watching her facial expression with a concerned look on his face. He didn't know what she was going to do. Was she going to play? Was she going to read? Or even write a new song? Nikolai bit his lip. He kind of wanted to push her towards the piano, but she might be angry if he did that and he didn't want to risk them arguing over something petty like that. He'd allow her to do it on her own, that's what she needed.

Nikolai smiled and moved his head back and forth. "I know I didn't have to, I wanted to, Olli." It wasn't just something that he needed to do, it was something that she needed. Niko had come to the conclusion that Magdalena had not moved on from her mother's death, and while it wasn't that long ago, she'd need something to work towards that. "I'm glad you like it, though. I-" He stopped, and walked towards her once more, wrapping his arms around her waist and letting his chin rest on her shoulder, her back resting on his chest. "Will you play for me, Olli?"

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@jill9

Magdalena finally started to smile, just a bit. Although small, the smile spoke volumes. That Nikolai would.... would do something like this for her. Especially something of this scale! She couldn't even imagine how much it would have cost him. It made her feel guilty, in a way, that he'd spent so much. It made her not want to touch anything because of how special it was. And at the same time, she knew he wanted her to use this room. But, even more so? She... she wanted to use this room. She could feel that budding desire to sit down at the piano. This space, she realized.... It wasn't for him. He'd done it specifically for her. That knowledge only made that desire grow stronger.

She leaned back against him as she approached her from behind and put his arms around her. Her hands rested against his arms, her fingers lightly brushing his skin. When he asked if she'd play for him, her heart skipped a beat, and her breath quickened a moment. "I haven't played in months..." She responded softly. She wasn't saying no, but... She didn't know how rusty she would be.

[Deleted]

@magdalena
<3

Niko felt her fingertips brushing against his arm and it made him smile. He leaned his head against the side of hers and shrugged. "That's fine, Magdalena. I'm sure it will sound beautiful either way. And I know those fingers are itching to touch it. So go ahead. It's for you." Nikolai tilted his head the opposite way and kissed her gently on the cheek, letting go of her body. He knew Magdalena would go towards it. But, just as a little push, he walked over to it and stood next to it, not touching it.

Nikolai let his eyes glance around the room at everything in it. He had looked at it quickly before he had even shown her, but now he was taking it all in. It was quite a beautiful space, he hoped Magi thought so as well.

[Deleted]

@jill9

That smile grew just a little as his cheek pressed against her own, telling her it was fine and to go ahead. He was right about her itching to touch the piano. To play it. It'd been so long. She just shook her head in disbelief as she stepepd away from her and towards the piano, as if waiting for her to move and play. Her feet moved on their own, carrying her over to the piano. She lightly, delicately, ran her fingers across the beautiful polished surface, admiring the instrument. She stopped for a moment, to look at him, that aw still in her eyes. She didn't look at him long, finally pulling the bench out. The top was already up, as if waiting for her to play.

Carefully she pressed down on a key, the sound resonating through the room. She looked up at him once more, before pressing another key. Just listening as the note carried. She let out a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Just listening as she played a third note. Each one felt like a release.