Chapter Text
Leo stares down from the catwalk into the dimly lit and mostly empty theatre. The sound of a soft, slightly scared song floods his ears despite the lack of volume. He could say it was because there was no crowd, causing the sound to reverberate just to him, but he was beyond lying to himself.
The song came from the slightly shaky bunny working on the stage. His brushstrokes were messy as he painted some scenery. His singing was burdened as well, some words stuttered through.
This fear that was striking him was partially why Leo didn’t approach him the first time he heard the voice that gripped him so violently. The overworked, undervalued voice was teased by his fellow actors. Or, would be fellow actors if he wasn’t an understudy.
They told him stories about the theatre. They were the same stories that everyone using the theatre had told. There was a legend about the location. A ghost, no, a phantom, haunted it. Everyone feared the phantom. If the production wasn’t good enough, bad luck would befall any and all parts of the crew.
Being alone in mostly the dark, it would be easy to let thoughts run wild about what might be in it. When that what is actually a who, well, that who doesn’t really feel like he can approach.
As he continues to hear the singing though, he can’t take it anymore. The voice he hears is calling out to him without even knowing it. He has to take the chance to hear it up close.
“You have such a good voice.” He calls out from the darkness.
Usagi’s song ends in a scream as he drops his paintbrush. He whirls around in a panic to try to see who was talking to him.
“I’m sorry, I’m up here. You were doing so well with that painting….”
“C-Can you come out of wherever up there is? J-Just so I can be sure you’re….alive?”
Leo can’t help but laugh slightly.
“If I was dead, could I talk to you?”
“I-I have no idea how ghosts work. I-I’d feel a lot better if I could see you though!”
Leo touches his mask softly, considering his next movement carefully. As he sees Usagi grow more antsy, he knows what he must do. He grips the rope hanging beside the catwalk and hops off from the ledge of it. He slides down gracefully. The years of practicing this action even in complete darkness served him well.
His heart always held dramatic entrances within it.
He lands on the stage, his hand slowly slipping away from the rope. Usagi dazzles him from up close. He hadn’t been near anyone like this in so long.
“Oh thank god, you’re a person!….You are a person, right?” Usagi reaches out, gently touching Leo’s arm.
Leo’s eyes widen. The first touch he’s had in years, and it was by the owner of the voice he couldn’t get enough of.
Usagi jumps away like he wasn’t expecting to actually touch something solid.
“And I just realized that was weird! At least my hand didn’t go through you….could you maybe start talking again? I’m rambling.”
“I don’t really mind hearing you talk. I meant what I said about your voice. It’s unique, you know.”
“Thanks….uh….who are you? Don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t recognize you.”
Leo takes a slight bow.
“The so called phantom, at your service.”
“You? You’re the one people are making stories about?”
Leo stands up.
“Yes, emphasis on the made up. As you already figured out, I’m not as dead as the name makes me out to be.”
“Then….what are you doing here?”
“I like seeing the theatre at night. Normally no one else is here, but you are.”
Usagi sighs.
“I got casted as an understudy and everyone else pushed all this work onto me. They can kinda be jerks, especially Donnie. He rubs his role in my face all the time. I don’t even know what I did to him.”
Leo narrows his eyes at that. He already knew, but it annoyed him nonetheless. For now, there was nothing to be done. Only for now.
“Envy can make people act like idiots. They don’t know what they passed up, not casting you.”
“Not much I can do about it now but paint, and build, and whatever else they want….can….I ask you a favor?”
“It’s funny you ask when I don’t even know your name yet.”
Usagi tenses and smacks his forehead.
“Right! I’m Yuichi Usagi, sorry.” He moves his hand back out for Leo to shake.
Leo hesitantly does it. The second touch is much like the first. He isn’t sure how he feels, but it isn’t dislike, that is all he knows.
They soon let go.
“So, the favor……I don’t tell anyone you’re here, and you keep me company so I don’t think about the darkness. Deal?”
“That depends, will you still sing?”
“If that’s what it takes. Being here alone is just creepy.” He shudders.
Leo kneels down and picks up the paintbrush from the ground. He then holds it up to him.
“Not being alone is a wonderful feeling.”
Usagi smiles softly and takes the brush. He begins singing again as he paints, a much happier melody.
Leo sits next to him. His singing flows into his ear so clearly this time. It felt like being sat perfectly near an orchestra, the emotion deep in the song.
Leo wishes desperately that he could join him. He isn’t sure how to ask, but there is a craving that will not go away. It has to be fed before it gets any worse.
A thought comes to mind after some time has passed. He stands up and makes his way to the nearby piano. The singing slowly stops as Usagi realizes he’s not by his side anymore.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“Just thought I’d give you something to accompany your song.” Leo sits at the bench of the pipe organ situated near the stage.
“You can actually play that thing?” Usagi drops the paintbrush in the bucket and quickly walks over to him.
“I’ve had some experience.” Leo carefully begins pressing down on the keys.
Usagi is in awe at the sound coming out. He immediately doesn’t believe that it was just some experience. It had to be much more than that.
As the music carries through him, he decides to join in. He sits next to Leo and continues his song. Leo can’t help but smile widely. His mask mostly covers his face and expression, but it doesn’t matter. Usagi can tell how he feels through the music.
As the music he’s playing swells and Usagi’s voice only grows louder, he finally feels confident enough to sing with him. Usagi seems surprised but not upset.
They sing together until Leo finally plays the last notes. They breathe heavily from the exhaustion, both physical and emotional.
“That was amazing! You said my voice was good, but yours was beyond anything I’ve ever heard!”
“You just haven’t had the right person teach you. I could be that person, if you’d let me.”
“Are you kidding!? That would be awesome!” Usagi pulls Leo into a hug.
Leo’s breath hitches. The warmth coming from him and the softness of his fur sparks something in Leo’s mind. The emotions bubbling up from this one night alone were something he couldn’t give up. Satiating one craving was bringing on another.
He slowly hugs back, drinking in the attention he wasn’t going to let himself lose any time soon.
Usagi slowly let’s go of him and checks the time on his phone.
“Oh man, time really flew by. I should head home before my aunt gets worried. It was really nice to meet you though, phantom.” He chuckles softly.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night, right?”
“Yeah, of course! I mean unless somehow I get the main role and people stop treating me like the set designer, but even then I’d still come to tell you. You made this night a lot less terrifying. I wouldn’t just leave you hanging.”
Leo feels breathless. He tries not to get his hopes up, Usagi could so very easily not mean what he says. Anything could happen to make him not show up, to leave Leo alone once again.
Something about his eyes, his voice, they’re telling him it’s okay to want it to be true.
“Okay. Be careful going home.”
Usagi smiles widely at him, a dazzling smile.
“You too! Don’t stay here too late, get some sleep!” He slides off the organ bench.
Leo watches him carefully, noticing the hop in Usagi’s step that hadn’t been there before.
Only when he hears the door close does he release the breath he didn’t know he was holding.
He slowly stands up, the silence around him creeping in. It was the worst part of every single day of his life.
It would be different now.
His steps move towards the stage once again before he starts climbing the ladder to the catwalks.
Once up there, he slips into one of many secret entrances built into the theatre.
Leo’s heart ached still whenever he used them. He remembers building every single one with Melyna.
She wanted them for him.
They were a space just for him where he could be himself. He didn’t have to worry about any reactions to his maskless face.
She dreamed of something more for him. She wanted him to be on stage and act his heart out, sing until his throat was sore.
He hates with every fiber of his being that she would never see it happen.
Being abandoned once was hard enough, but having a permanent reminder of it made it all the worse.
Being abandoned twice was practically unbearable.
Even if it wasn’t on purpose, even if was out of Melyna’s control, he was still left alone.
He sits at his vanity table and stares into it.
His hand snakes up to the blue, star covered mask, slowly removing it and placing it down.
The burn scar on the left side of his face marred the red marking that was housed there. He had a similar one on the right side, but they hadn’t been identical since before he could remember.
Melyna had found him in the wreckage of a burned down lab. He could only guess that was how he became disfigured.
The scar tissue was the only blemish in his otherwise very smooth face. Though, the red markings made him feel insecure as well.
Kappa didn’t have markings like these. He was far from normal even without his burns and past tragedy.
Better make that tragedies.
The one other kappa he has seen with any kind of markings still didn’t haven’t the same ones.
His were purple, blocky.
Leo’s blood simmered in annoyance when it came to that kappa. Like everyone else, he couldn’t see the perfection that came from Usagi.
Looking at the mirror, that’s what he focused on the most.
He was far less than perfect both inside and out.
Usagi though, he was the closest to it that he had ever seen. His fluffy white fur was absolutely pristine. He was kind to basically everyone. Once he was just a little more vocally trained he would fit his role spectacularly.
Of course, he’d have to make sure he would get the role. It wouldn’t be hard in the slightest.
He takes one more look at himself before placing the mask back on his face.
He had his own role to play.
Every single production at this theatre, his theatre, had to be the best it could possibly be. He wouldn’t settle for any less.
Why should he?
He’s been dealt a bad hand for nearly every round of life he’s played.
Watching a production sully the name of the place his guardian had put her whole life into wouldn’t be part of his bad luck.
In fact, this would be the best opera anyone had ever seen.
Or else.