Chapter Text
Alicia could barely process what had happened. Somehow, her actions had resulted in a fire so bad, it shattered the Dessendre family. And that was with no one being injured.
By the time the fire brigade had finally arrived to douse the flames, the damage had been done. The problem was that Verso’s beloved Canvas, the one he had put his soul into painting - it had been completely destroyed.
Esquie, Monoco, Francois, and the Gestrals - all lost to the flames.
And I caused this... Alicia thought depressingly to herself, her head hanging low.
Verso wasn’t even present to see it unfold. He was performing at the Palais Garnier, playing the piano with the level of intensity that symbolised his love and dedication to music. He truly deserved to celebrate that night after spending the full week isolating himself with practice.
Instead, he had come back to hear about the incident secondhand, from their Papa.
“I’m sorry my boy… but your canvas is no more.” Renoir frowned as he delivered the grim news before briefly explaining the events that transpired that night.
She had never seen her big brother look like that, completely stricken with grief and a hint of betrayal. It was a raw expression, one that struck her at her core. Before she could approach and try to apologise for breaking his heart, Verso recoiled and ran out, leaving her to deal with the rest of their family.
Aline was furious. It was one thing to cause trouble for the family, but it was another to destroy the essence of a Painter, and she had gone and done both. Clea naturally took their Maman’s side and they ruthlessly tore Alicia to shreds, with her Papa watching on in silence, his face conflicted.
She couldn’t take it anymore. She found herself running inhumanely fast - tears streaking through her face as she desperately moved to get away from the sight of her family. She found herself running towards a bridge, stopping near the centre and dropping to her haunches to catch her breath.
I wish Verso was here!
She understood why he was upset, but she was also shaken that Verso had abandoned her when she needed him the most.
No one wants to help me… She thought to herself as she stood up, her face grave at the realisation. Clea and Maman hated her before the fire, and now had more reason to. Papa never defended her - he just stood there expecting her to do better.
She didn’t want to think about Verso.
They seemed to want nothing more than for her to be gone from their perfect lives.
Well, they’ll get their wish… Her mind was made up. She walked slowly towards the edge of the bridge, ready to jump right off and finally be free of the cage of expectations she had been placed under for her entire life. Expectations that she could never fulfill, no matter how hard she tried, as Clea had made clear.
It was just a few more steps and it would all be over. She kept walking, eyes glazed over, not paying attention to those around her. She placed her hands over the hand rail, and leaped on top of it, positioning herself to jump into the Seine.
“WAIT!”
She jolted, not expecting to hear that, especially not at that volume! Before she could turn, someone had pulled her back over the hand rail, and back to safety.
“Oh, thank goodness, you’re okay… what were you thinking?!” The man asked her incredulously, though the relief in his voice was palpable.
Alicia didn’t know how to react. She stood still, her face despondent at the failure of her attempt. She couldn’t even do that properly. The man frowned at her.
“Hey… are you… are you okay? I don’t-uh… know what you’re going through, but i-if you need to talk, I mean…” He rambled, clearly unsure on what he should do in this kind of situation. Alicia could relate, she had no idea what to say either - her mind flurrying between different emotions faster than she could blink.
“...why did you stop me?” Her voice dull as she asked him, her face now matching his frown.
“H-huh?!” The man blinked, not expecting that response. She glared at him.
“Why did you stop me from jumping? WHY?!” She lashed out at him, pushing him a bit. She didn’t know why she was yelling at the man who saved her, but it felt better than it should have to let her anger out on him. He was slightly taken aback by her aggression.
“What do you mean? I couldn’t just stand here and watch you jump!” He argued back. She rolled her eyes.
“Oh sure, I’m supposed to believe that you care?” She scoffed, unwilling to believe that some random man wanted to save her. He faltered momentarily, but quickly steadied himself.
“I care enough to want you to live!” He proclaimed, his eyes staring into her own with a fierceness, signalling a will to protect that she couldn’t fathom. When a period of silence fell between them, he blinked and took a deep breath.
“...Look, I don’t know what led you to this point… but, I’m here if you need someone to listen.” He told her gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. It felt… soothing, something Alicia wasn’t sure how to deal with.
Why does this man care so much…?
His eyes were unbelievably kind, she couldn’t help but notice. It reminded her of Verso’s eyes, whenever he would want to play the piano for her or whenever she would go to him after Clea had yelled at her for messing up.
But then he left.
She shook her head, and sighed, shrugging him off.
“I… I appreciate that… Monsieur, but I’d rather not…” She trailed off, not wanting to burden him with her family drama. The man thought for a bit, his face contemplative before arriving at a decision.
“...Okay, just know that my offer stands if you ever want to talk about it. And, uh… no need for formalities… you can just call me Gustave.” He finished awkwardly, rubbing a hand behind his neck.
When she didn’t respond, he couldn’t help but frown, before his eyes widened.
“Oh, we should probably get you back to your family! They must be worried sick-”
“NO! PLEASE!” She interrupted him, her mind seizing with terror. She recoiled away and fell to her knees, the last words from her Maman replaying in her mind like a hellish nightmare.
I wish you were never born! How Aline could say something so horrible was something Alicia would never be able to comprehend.
Gustave was not faring better. He panicked upon seeing the distressed state she was in, and quickly rushed over to her.
“Hey, hey… sorry, I didn’t know… merde.” He shook his head in frustration before reaching out to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it in comfort. When he saw it helped, he continued.
“Just breathe for me please… you’re okay…”
This seemed to help Alicia calm down, as she was slowly pulled out of her mind. She blinked, tears welling up as she hiccuped.
“...sorry, but I really don’t want to…” She croaked out while making herself smaller, afraid that she would get cut down again. Gustave blinked at her before softening his expression.
“It’s okay, I’m sorry I brought that up. I… didn’t realise it was sensitive…” He looked away for an instant, clearly upset with himself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“You didn't know…” She tried to reassure him, though it felt hollow to her ears. Despite that, it seemed to work, he blinked rapidly while recomposing his thoughts.
“Hmm, okay so family is out. Do you have any friends you can stay with?”
“...no, I don't have any friends…” Her voice was impossibly quiet. Gustave struggled to keep his composure, his eyes filled with sympathy as he stared at her.
She was so young, and she had no friends or family she felt comfortable turning to?
His heart lurched at the thought.
“Okay… if there's no one else… why don’t you come and stay with me for a bit?” He suggested it without thinking.
“H-huh?!” Alicia couldn’t help but yelp, not expecting him to propose that idea. He froze.
“Ah wait… I, uh, realised how that might…” He grimaced, fumbling with his sentence. “I-I don't mean anything weird- I just don't want you to be alone!” He clarified, putting his hand up in defence.
“Gustave…” She was at a loss for words, which only spurred Gustave’s panic.
“I-it's okay really! I can ask around, see if there's someone else willing to-”
Before he could complete his sentence, Alicia crashed into him, her arms wrapped tightly around him.
She was tired, and frankly she did need somewhere to stay. She really didn't want to deal with any more probing questions, and Gustave was the only person in the last week who had not shunned her presence. She wouldn't push him away now.
Gustave flinched initially, before loosening up and reciprocating in kind. His arms wrapped around her protectively, almost as if to shield her from any more sorrow.
“Huh… I guess you’re, uh, okay with staying with me then?” He asked her carefully, feeling reassured at feeling her nod through their embrace. He let go and took a step back, giving a small smile.
“Alright, let's head back to my place then…” He offered his hand out, which Alicia took gratefully and they walked over towards the train station.
“Where are we going?” She asked him, her eyes curious since she had never travelled outside of Paris before. He blinked for a moment, before smiling at her more earnestly.
“To my hometown, Lumière.”