It was still daytime when Erik burst through the front door looking entirely disheveled and unhinged. Alina was alone, intentionally so - she had very little doubt in the positive outcome of Erik's meeting, but still thought it better if he had some space when he came back, just in case. And so while he was gone she'd sent everyone away and, unable to calm down while waiting for him, she found herself doing meaningless chores she normally hated doing just to find something to occupy her hands. It was getting so critical that she had taken her giant winter coat out and was now pondering if there was a way to mend the pockets and the lining, when he stormed in like a hurricane and she automatically dropped everything she was doing.

"Alina!" he called and she instantly got up, opening her mouth to ask what happened, when he simply ran up to her, pulled her in a very tight embrace that lifted her off her feet and spun her around like a whirlwind, laughing a loud, clear, and charmingly contagious laugh that she had never heard from him before. Alina threw her hands around his neck to hold on for dear life and laughed in surprise as well - and when he finally put her down, his eyes could have been two brightest stars in the sky.

"He agreed!" Erik grabbed her shoulders, his thin mouth still curled in the most brilliant smile Alina had ever seen on a human being. "They're going to do it! They're going to play it!"

"Oh my god", Alina squealed and threw herself into his arms again. "It's really happening!"

"You'll finally be able to hear it!" Erik exclaimed in pure exhilaration as he stumbled a little to keep his balance when she collided with him.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Alina had already given up on any pretense of maturity. "You're getting your first concert! Oh my god! I'm so happy for you! You deserve this so much!"

"We should celebrate!" Erik ran his fingers through his hair, trying to think. "I-I don't know how, though, give me a moment."

"Don't you perhaps want to rest?" Alina asked. She eyed him with slight wariness. "How long has it been since you properly slept? It has to be at least since you started making the piano score-"

"I know exactly how many hours it's been, and I'm not telling you", he replied cheerfully. "I am not closing my eyes for a second until I decide I've had enough of being awake."

"Understandable", Alina smiled, hoping he wouldn't collapse somewhere she couldn't get him back from. "Well, in that case, do you want to take a walk with me while we think about something to do? I want to hear all of the details, everything they said."

"Alright, darling", Erik offered his hand. "Please, grace me the pleasure and honor of your company."

"Yes, sir, absolutely", she smiled and curtsied, taking his hand. "It's just in time for sunset, too."

"And what did you say?" Alina's eyes widened.

"Well, I asked him to take only the students that volunteered, instead of making it mandatory. I thought, if it's something they have to do, and it's quite hard as well, they'll hate it by the end of the first week."

"You're right", Alina laughed. "That's just how students are. Good thinking."

"Well, I vaguely remembered you saying something like that awhile ago", he nodded at her. "About one of your projects."

"I did? I don't remember."

"Of course you don't. If you remembered everything you talked about, you wouldn't have enough memory left for anything else- ow." he rubbed his shoulder where Alina hit him.

"Alright, what else happened?" She asked.

Erik laid out the whole conversation in a surprising amount of detail - it seemed that he had already spent his entire way back replaying it in his head, analyzing everything that was said; Alina kept silent while struggling to make sense of this uncharacteristically detailed rambling.

"Alright", she laughed. "I think I could recreate that entire scene in my head just from what you've told me now."

"I think I've made a good impression", Erik looked into the distance. "I think I have. I told him everything I wanted - but I didn't offend him. At least I think so."

"No, no, it was perfect", Alina bumped him again, lightly this time. "It was. I think he likes you. And that girl, the clarinetist - it's nice that you're giving her a chance."

"Like I said, she was just so excited when she talked - and if she's really good, she deserves to be on the stage. If she can get excited about something as tedious as solfeggio, she won't have any problems with this", he shook his head. "Well, that's all. That's all that happened. Oh, I signed my name in that book they had at the reception- I mean, that's not really important, but I realized I don't really have a particular signature."

"Oh, that's fine, you don't have to. You'll develop it naturally over the years. But, I suppose you can just come up with something you like and practice it until it comes naturally to you, some people do that as well. "

"What do you think I should do?" he asked thoughtfully.

"I don't really think much about signatures, to be honest", Alina laughed. "Now, where are you taking me? I was sure we'd go somewhere with less people."

"We're getting you something to eat first", Erik smiled at her from the side. "Isn't this normally the time you eat dinner?"

"It is, but it can wait-"

"How do you feel about pretzels from that stand you liked?" Erik bowed his head, suddenly looking slightly embarrassed. "I can get you anything you want, though. I normally prefer not having to enter shops - but it's your choice."

"What is this sudden compulsion to feed me?" Alina asked in amusement. "Am I wasting away?"

"I would have wasted away if it weren't for you. I don't remember eating at all in the past week, but I'm fairly certain I did, otherwise I would have died before I climbed the steps to Heidel's office. I'm suspecting you planted food in front of me when I wasn't looking, so I'd like to return the favour. Please let me buy you something you'd like", he smiled, the excitement in his voice replaced by quiet gentleness.

"Well, if you insist", Alina put her finger on her mouth, pretending to think. "It better be the biggest, saltiest pretzel you can find."

"Alright", Alina said, holding what was indeed the biggest and saltiest pretzel she could imagine, as well as a little basket of berries, and a lovely, dainty-wrapped chocolate with little almonds in it. "Where now?"

"Well, now we can go somewhere less crowded."

The spot Erik had picked was indeed not crowded at all - there was nobody there, as it was a cave entrance on the edge of a cliff, and nobody really bothered with that part of the shore anyway - it was rocky and hard to walk on, as opposed to the sandy beaches on the rest of the island. But the view of the sunset was indeed spectacular, and there was enough space to sit, and that was enough for the two of them.

Alina sat down eating her pretzel absentmindedly, looking into the sunset, only to be immediately pulled into Erik's arms.

"I'll get crumbs all over your nice shirt", Alina remarked.

"I've sacrificed more for your attention", he whispered into her hair.

A/N: the best piece of gender-neutral advice I have for feeling good in your skin is "thirty squats and a close shave" (for me, it's an undercut below my left ear). The second best is, like, living your dreams or whatever.