A Magic to Melt A Heart (TinCan)

Chapter 9 - Gesture

"Mom...Please stay....."

The moment Can heard that phrase, he knew what Tin was dreaming about.

He cautiously approached the man on the couch and observed him. The lamp that lit the room helped him determine the current situation of Tin whose face was covered in sweat as it continued to squirm from left to right.

"Tin, wake up! Tin!" Can worriedly said as he gently shook Tin's body.

The man who was lying on the couch suddenly woke up. Instinctively, he grabbed one of Can's arms firmly which made the boy flinch in surprise and pain. 

"Tin, it-it hurts..," Can said as he tried to free himself from the man's grasp.

Still breathing heavily due to the nightmare, Tin immediately let go of Can's arm.

"Y-you were having a nightmare..so I..woke you up." The little beast summoner gently stroked the arm that was in stinging pain. It would likely leave a mark.

"..."

Tin sat on the couch. He did not utter any words, but he only sighed heavily and covered his face with both of his hands as he tried to calm down.

"Did you have a dream about that incident?" Can asked suddenly.

The moment he heard Can's word, he froze in shock. His heart suddenly sped up once again as he looked into Can's eyes with a questioning gaze.

"I-I saw parts of your memories," Can explained as he nervously avoided Tin's gaze.

"Enough!" Tin demanded. He does not want other people to talk or even know about his past since it will only remind him of the pain that he suffered. 

"I'm sorry, Tin." The little beast once again looked at him as he sincerely apologized.

"I don't need your pity," Tin quickly replied.

Can tried to explain his situation as he stuttered, "It-It was my fault. I'm-I'm sorry for judging you. I wasn't thinking back then and be-because of me you remembered those painful mem- "

Before Can could finish his sentence, Tin interrupted him as he furiously stated "Don't act like you know me just because you saw parts of my memories. Get lost!"

"I just want to fix my mistake," Can mumbled as he looked down. He felt that he just made Tin feel worse. This was all his fault. If only he did not mention the incident or fought him in the forest in the first place, he would not be in this uncomfortable situation.

Tin immediately stood up and grabbed Can through his shirt.

"Fix your mistake? You can't! There's nothing you can do about it!"

Tin started breathing heavily as his eyes reddened. The wall that he built so hard to hide his sorrow and tears were starting to crumble.

Can looked into Tin's eyes where he could sense the sadness and pain within him.

The little beast then suddenly remembered the gesture from Tin's memories. Still looking into the man's eyes, Can slowly and shakily moved his right hand against his heart. He then moved it against Tin's heart. 

Immediately, Tin recognized this gesture.

"I'm always here to support you, so it's going to be okay. I might not be with you physically, but you will always be in my heart..."

He looked at Can and immediately removed his grasp on his shirt. All of a sudden, the tears he was trying to conceal immediately fell. It has been a long time since someone did that kind of gesture. The last time that he saw it was the day her mom disappeared. He considers it very special since it is something that would always make him feel better afterwards. It reminded him that everything would be alright. It also reminded him of his happy family before that horrible incident.