And there it was, a flicker of a flame, a fiery breath of hair as your chest rose and fell with each piercing strike of your bow against the string of your instrument, leaving him to sit on the edge of his seat, fingers digging into the wood of the armrests as he stared in awe at the music that rang out from your playing figure.

He knew then that his methods were not for nothing, that what he was doing was working. Each moment of fear in your heart, each fearful cry or startling discovery that you made worked. This was the song he remembered so well, this was the player that had captivated his heart from such a young age, that put the color in his world and made it worthwhile. Each strung body, posed to play with instruments melted into flesh, to mimic the life he knew you really dreamed of having, served the mere purpose of helping you. Like a meager altar for your name, Lucas gave it all for you. He was a monster, without a doubt, becoming something horrid just for you- but it was okay, he’d be whatever he needed to be because he loved you. You never had to know about how much of a monster he truly was.

The performance went by in a blur, and his breath caught in his throat until the very end when he was finally allowed to breathe. He rose to his seat without thinking, eliciting an array of standing ovations from the others in the audience. The echoes of the clapping were louder than the screams he recalled just a few nights prior.

As soon as you disappeared off the stage, he was off, feet carrying him quickly behind the stage just to catch you, fighting through the crowd that began to form as everyone else began filtering out of the theatre, He shoved his way through, not caring for pleasantries as long as they prevented him from seeing you, a look of relief taking over his expression as he finally caught sight of you packing away your things, off to the side on your lonesome.

“Another brilliant performance,” He breathes out as he makes his way closer to you, “You played beautifully."