THE BEAST

Fix you

"I'm sorry about what happened, Eddy," Brett reached out for Eddy's hand but Eddy pushed him away.

"Eddy-"

"You can't barge into my life like this. I can't forgive you, not yet. I just can't."

Brett couldn't stop Eddy as he stormed out of the room, clutching his throbbing shoulder. Brett's heart ached as he stood in the empty room.

How could he make up for something he couldn't even remember?

.

.

A day passed and Eddy was still nowhere to be seen. Brett was starting to get worried that Eddy will be hungry again. As his anxiety built, the night fell in the forest.

Where could he be?

Brett walked out of the room, trudging aimlessly in the forest. He stopped in the front of a small river flowing translucently in the moonlight. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something was so familiar about this place. Brett slowly trudged along the river, smelling the soft grass, small flowers and the rippling water. A while later, he spotted an old house from the distance. As he walked closer, he noticed that the house was in a ruin. A broken-down roof and dusty windowpanes said it all. Brett immediately knew that this was the house from 500 years ago.

The safe haven for Reia and the Beast.

Brett carefully opened the door with a loud creak, half-expecting Eddy to be here. The house was empty though. Different from the outside, the inside was relatively clean as if someone has been cleaning the place regularly. Perhaps it was some fairies who remembered the beast, waiting for him to return.

Brett peeked around the room until he noticed a shining metal box on the kitchen table.

'Happy Birthday, Reia. Hope you like it.'

The card slipped out of the box as Brett opened it. It was a violin, old and dusty.

Brett wasn't sure if the violin will make any proper sound at all but when he tuned it, the instrument came back to life. He tried some open strings and then some scales. The sound was warm and deep, like a warm fireplace in snowy winter nights. The feeling of a familiar instrument calmed him down and Brett began to play absentmindedly, hopping from Bach to Mendelssohn and Debussy.

The music resonated with the old house, sad and lonely.

It was a while later when Eddy came back to the house. His eyes widened at a violin sound coming from the door. This place was only for him and -

"Reia?" Eddy burst opened the door, meeting the surprised look of Brett's face.

Eddy looked back and forth between the empty violin case on the table and Brett. Eddy was unsure of how he should feel about Brett playing Reia's violin. The way Brett held the violin so elegantly in the middle of the dark room was so beautiful that everything seemed right at the moment though.

An awkward silence passed. Carefully, Brett walked over to the table and put the violin away.

"Reia wouldn't have minded me playing the violin. She didn't know how to play it anyway," Brett shrugged as he closed the violin case.

"And even if she did, I would have been better," Brett joked, smiling a little.

I'm not Reia. I'm different.

Brett's naive smile seemed to take Eddy's shattered heart and melt them, sealing the crack naturally. Eddy stared at Brett, feeling his heart race against his will, awestruck.

"Where have you been? I was worried," Brett stepped toward Eddy. He raised his hand to softly caress Eddy's cheek but stopped in his track hesitantly.

"I....." Eddy looked into Brett's warm eyes, the eyes speaking nothing but the concern and love for the old beast.

Undeniably, Brett was the same soul that haunted him for 500 years. But how could he feel so different? How was he different?

"...yes?" Brett took the courage to lightly touch Eddy's cheek finally. Eddy flinched but didn't push away.

She would have missed you.

Brett's voice rang in his head once more.

"...I missed you too," Eddy whispered.

Eddy's eyes filled with tears as he touched Brett's hand on his cheeks. The warmth, the kind touch he longed for so many years was real in front of him. The tears fell as Eddy realized that he can't help but forgive Brett's past, although how excruciating it was for him.

Eddy stopped still for a moment as his face got hot, his heart thumping in his chest. He slowly leaned into Brett's shoulder as he heaved, feeling the years of pain and torment washing over him. Tears turned into sobs, his whole body trembling. The feeling of loss emptied him as he faced the honest emotions that he tried so hard to disguise into something else. Anger and hate were replaced by sadness. The guilt was replaced by loss. The reality of losing something he could never replace finally hit him.

"I missed you, I missed you so much," Eddy confessed between the sobs.

Please don't hate me.

I promise I will be good.

He couldn't even remember how many times he had repeated this in his nightmare when he traveled back to the time Reia has abandoned him. The illusion of Reia made the great beast goes down to his knees, letting go of every last bit of his dignity, asking for forgiveness. Eddy was scared of being abandoned again from someone he trusted and loved.

Are those days finally over?

Brett patted Eddy's rough hair, hugging him. His new summoner stood in front of him, surrounding him with warmth.

Can I trust you, Brett?

"Please don't leave me," Eddy murmured.

"I won't," Brett kissed Eddy, tasting the tears.

Brett hugged Eddy for a long time until Eddy's cry died down. The smallness of Brett, the fragileness of his love gave Eddy a new sense of power inside him. Eddy knew he will do everything to protect this incompatible magician because, from this moment, Brett became his new definition of the world.

The stars blinked as they held each other, accepting the ruin of the past and embracing the start of the new one.