This story is based on a roleplay I did with LadyAmethys001 called "When You Lose A Heart". I asked her if it was okay to turn it into a story and she said yes. :)
Balan Wonderworld belongs to its respective owners. I only own Rachel and the story is told from her POV.
Just a heads up, this story may cause some tears.
Helping A Maestro's Heart
I stood outside the door to Balan's room, having heard from Lance what happened earlier and surprisingly, the Maestro of Negativity had asked her to check in on Balan and help him.
A visitor had recently come to the theater and from what I understood, it had been a difficult time and though I didn't know all the details, whatever had happened had been bad.
It had been almost a week since the incident that led Balan to stay in his room and he had not come out, to the point that everyone was worried, from what I was told after arriving for a visit. When I heard what happened, I had already decided I was going to help the Maestro of Positivity even before Lance had asked me to. "Don't worry. I'll do my best to help him," I promised.
I now took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Balan, it's Rachel," I called out in a concerned voice. "May I come in?"
A sad moan from Balan was my answer and now very concerned, I carefully opened the door and my eyes widened at seeing all the drops around the room and the Tims looking very sad. One of them looked at me as if asking me for help and I nodded, carefully making my way over to the bed and sitting down beside Balan's covered form, gently tugging back the blankets. A moment later, I saw Balan's tear-stained face, his hair all messy, and he looked like he had just been through the worst thing in his life.
I felt my heart go out to him. "Oh, Balan," I said softly as he looked over at me. His expression was so sad that I felt tears sting my own eyes and I reached down, giving him a hug.
Balan was crying and still has his glamoured look, tears running rivers down his face. "R-Rachel," he managed to say, sniffling thickly. "I-I-I c-can't...stop."
That was all he managed to get out before he began weeping again and buried his face into the pillow.
"I know," I said softly as I began to rub his back gently "I heard what happened from Lance and the others and I got worried about you." I looked at him sympathetically. "Come here, big guy."
To my surprise and possibly his, I managed to pull him up and into a hug that I knew he desperately needed, not caring if his tears were soaking the shoulder part of my shirt. I only cared about comforting him. Nothing else mattered to me then.
Balan squeezed me in a tight hug while still sobbing hard. He sniffled, trying to avoid getting his runny nose on me. "It was so awful. Everything that could've gone wrong went wrong! I c-c-couldn't…s-save…," he trailed off with a wail.
"Okay, easy now, big guy," I said, my voice soothing as I continue to comfort him, rocking him gently to soothe him further. After a bit, I gently pushed him back and saw he had calmed down a little, but was still crying. I gently tilted his face up to look at me, gently taking one of his hands in my free hand. "Balan, take some deep breaths for me," I requested gently.
He tried taking a few deep breaths, hiccuping a few times and coughing a little, but he did manage to calm down a little more, to which I nodded. "Good," I said before taking a deep breath. "Balan, it's not your fault, okay? You are not to blame for what happened."
Though my words were meant to comfort, I could still see he was still very saddened as he whimpered and wiped his runny nose on his sleeve. "S-S-S-Sorry...I-I-I l-l-look...disgusting," he managed to get out.
I shook my head gently. "Not at all," I said gently as I handed him a spare bandana that I had since I always carried them with me. I felt a small nudge at my leg, to which I looked down to see one of the Tims carefully balancing a bowl of cool water on its head while another had a folded washcloth on its head and they chirped up at me. Smiling, I accepted the items from them. "Thank you," I told them, giving them both a gentle pat on the head, to which they perked up before I dunked the washcloth into the cool water and wrung it out, turning to Balan and gently running the cool cloth over his face, repeating the action a few times. "There's that handsome face," I said, gently smiling as I hoped it would cheer him up a bit.
Balan's mouth twitched a little and he gave me a small smile before I gave him a moment to blow his nose and clear his sinuses. He coughed a few times from crying so hard and then held his stomach as if in pain. "My stomach hurts. So does my head and nose," he said.
I nodded and looked over at the Tims. "Can you guys get us some peppermints and a bowl of warm water? Along with some medicine to ease his pain?" I asked.
The Tims all chirped and some headed out to get the items I asked for as I helped Balan to lie back down and I gently pressed on the pressure points on his head and neck to help alleviate some of the pain. "Do you...want to talk about it?" I asked gently. Though I already knew what happened, I wanted to help ease the burden he felt.
He nodded. "A m-man…had so much negativity in his heart. Almost as if…he didn't want to…l-let it go…I t-tried…so hard. Th-Then… L-Lance and I had a f-f-fight…it was all…t-too much…," he hiccuped before sniffling and rubbing his head.
I nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry that happened and I know you tried your best." I took his hand, holding it and giving it a gentle squeeze. "If that man didn't want to let go of the negativity, then that was his choice. You did everything to help him, but I guess in the end...he didn't want to be helped, which is really sad."
I sighed before looking at him. "But that's not your fault, okay? I don't want you blaming yourself for that. Some people are like that, unfortunately. They find it easier to hold a grudge than to let go, but they'll find that holding a grudge is very tiring. Believe me, I know from experience."
It was true. I once held a grudge against someone that had hurt me badly, but after a few years, I got tired of holding the grudge and though I didn't let that person into my life anymore, I at least forgave them and decided to stop holding onto that hurt. It hadn't been easy, but I recovered after making peace with myself about it, swearing to be careful about who I let get close to me.
Balan nodded but covers his mouth to block a small sneeze. "Chu! Excuse me. From all the tears and nose blowing, my nose is acting up. I ate a bit too much ice cream too. That's why my stomach hurts."
I chuckled lightly and shook my head with a small smile. "Oh, Balan." I gently squeezed his shoulder. "The Tims should be back with the medicine and after you rest, I'll make you something light for dinner."
I looked at him before smiling a little. "You know, you are like us humans in so many ways. You may be a magical maestro, but you have thoughts and feelings and your heart can hurt too." I gently squeezed his hand again. "I know you're all about healing hearts, but don't forget to let someone help your heart too when you need it."
"Yeah. You're right," he said, sniffling and squeezing my hand gently too. "Has that person that hurt you long ago come back?"
I shook my head. "No," I said before smiling gently. "Let's focus on you for the moment, okay?"
Right then, the Tims came back with the items I had asked for, even bringing some decongestant and painkillers. I nodded and accepted the items. "Thank you," I told them, smiling before I turned and gave Balan the medicine, watching him take it before he sighed. I then noticed how the room felt a bit stuffy and knew from experience that it was hard to recover in a stuffy room. "Hey, Balan. Do you want to take a shower and while you do that, I'll see about getting the bedroom cleaned up?" I asked.
"Yeah… I should do that. Maybe it will help clear my head. A bath sounds nice," he agreed.
I nodded and watched him go into the bathroom and as soon as he shut the door, I got to work with the Tims helping me. After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door and I opened it to find Lance there. A bit surprised, I smiled all the same. "Hey, Lance. Holding down the fort okay?" I asked since I knew he would be looking after the theater with Balan recovering at the moment.
Lance nodded and came in wearing a hood over his head. "D-Did he... Did he manage to get up? Where is he now?" He asked, concerned about his counterpart.
I managed to not laugh at how humorous Lance was being at the moment, realizing he was wearing the hood as a disguise, though I did smile. "He's in the bathroom cleaning up and the Tims and I were working on getting the room cleaned up and aired out. It's very stuffy in here," I said as one of the Tims managed to get a window opened.
"I can tell….Is he…still mad?" He asked, pulling his hood down a little further. "We kind of had a fight and…I was a little too scared to say I'm sorry."
I smiled gently. "No, he's not mad. He's just...really bummed out that he couldn't help that guy." I let out a soft sigh. "You know, it's easy to forget that under all that magic you guys have, you have thoughts and feelings too and hearts that can break and be hurt just like us humans."
I took a deep breath. "It kind of puts things in perspective for me, like how you guys see things and how much a situation like this can hurt you too."
Lance nodded, seeming to take my words as me saying that I could relate to them, how underneath all that magic, they weren't too different from us humans. "Yeah. It's true….Um….Say, when Balan comes out of the bathroom…tell him I'm sorry for all the hurtful things I said. I didn't mean it, I was just angry and hurt. If I could take it all back, I would," he said, looking truly regretful.
I nodded at once. "I'll tell him, Lance," I promised before, acting on impulse, I hugged him, which surprised him, but he hugged me back. "Hey, would you be willing to give me and the Tims a hand with cleaning the room? With all of us working on it, we'll have it spick-and-span in no time," I said.
Lance gave me a small smile. "Sure. I can help with that no problem. I'll even help get those, uh…handkerchiefs clean," he said.
I didn't expect him to have so many. It's kind of gross actually, he thought to himself.
"Okay, you get those and I'll get the trash," I said before turning to the Tims, who were already getting the bedclothes off the bed to take to the laundry. "Good job. We'll get those in the wash next and find clean sheets," I said to them.
"I can do that," Lance offered as he helped clean up while throwing in two loads of laundry, one with the handkerchiefs and one with the bedsheets. He also gathered the drops and fed them to the Negati. I looked at him curiously and he noticed.
"While the Tims do normally eat the drops, they can only eat them if they represent positivity," he explained. "If they represent Negativity, they can't eat them, but my Negati can."
"And in return, the Negati can't eat the drops that represent positivity?" I asked.
"Correct," he said with a nod as we continued the task of cleaning the room. With the two of us and the Tims helping out, we had the room looking spotless and fresh after about an hour.
"There, that's better," I said as I glanced around before looking at Lance. "Thank you for helping us, Lance."
"You're welcome," he said.
I hugged him just as we hear the doorknob to the bathroom start to rattle a little, indicating Balan would reappear in a moment.
Lance grew nervous. "Uh, I-I-I should go... I don't think Balan's willing to see me yet," he said as he tried to run out, which would have worked had I not tightened my hold on him a little, holding him in place. He gave me a curious look and I smiled.
"Lance, come on," I said gently and continued speaking gently. "I know you feel bad and like I told you, Balan isn't mad anymore, just a bit upset."
I placed a hand gently on his face, turning his face gently to look at me and to my surprise, he let me do that. "If you'd like, I'll be right here," I promised, hoping that would convince him to at least try to talk to Balan.
He sighed. "Okay," he agreed.
Balan came out of the bathroom right then, dressed in clean clothes and a bathrobe, looking nice and refreshed. His hair was tidy again and he had managed to undo the glamour. He saw Lance when he looked up again. "Oh...H-Hello, Lance," he said, looking a bit unsure.
"H-H-Hi...Balan...Um...Feeling better?" Lance asked awkwardly.
"Yes," the positive Maestro replied. "What about you?"
"Me? Oh...I'm fine," was the soft reply.
The tension was so thick it was starting to feel a bit suffocating and I knew that Lance might chicken out if I didn't do something, so I gently cleared my throat, giving Lance an encouraging, but gentle nudge towards Balan. The dark-haired being turned to me and I smiled gently. "Go ahead," I said softly and encouragingly, stepping back a little, but staying nearby, smiling at them both while hoping they could make amends.
Lance huffed sadly. "Balan...I wanted to say I'm sorry...For all those hurtful things I said when we lost that man's heart," he said, his tone full of remorse.
"Oh Lance. I should be sorry too. I also said a lot of hateful things that I didn't mean to. Just...L-Losing that man's heart...M-Made me-," Balan trailed off as he began tearing up again.
Lance reached forward and wiped Balan's tears away gently. "Shhh... I know...I felt the same," he admitted softly.
Once again, I was reminded that under all that magic, the maestros were just like me, people with hearts that could be broken and feelings that could be hurt. I felt tears sting my eyes as I tried to wipe them away, but they kept falling because I felt sadness and sympathy for what the two went through, both with the fight and the visitor leaving with his heart still broken. I was so busy wiping away my tears that I didn't see Balan and Lance both look at me in concern.
"R-Rachel, are you okay?" Lance asked me.
"You look just as weepy as I do," Balan said softly.
I sniffled and looked up to see them looking at me and I felt more tears fill my eyes before I managed to clear my throat enough to talk. "I just...I know how you both feel and...I wish I could take away the pain you both feel right now. I'd do so in a heartbeat, if I could," I said truthfully.
Balan smiled gently. "Oh, Rachel. You're so sympathetic. It's so sweet of you to think of us, but don't go risking yourself for someone else's happiness," he said as he reached out and pulled me into a hug, holding me tight while feeling tears sting his eyes again.
"Aw come on. Don't you both cry on me," Lance said, his tone slightly teasing but serious as he brought some tissues for both myself and his counterpart.
I gratefully accepted the tissues from Lance while hugging Balan, my tears beginning to slow down. "You guys are my friends and I care about my friends very much. It's one of my qualities as a Taurus. We will do anything for those we care about and are protective of, be they our own family or friends," I replied.
Balan wiped the tears from his own eyes. "You're so selfless to think about us. And of that, I am humbled. But I want you to know that I want you to think about yourself too," he told me comfortingly.
"Your family and friends all appreciate you for being so sympathetic and kind towards them," Lance said, his tone also comforting.
Balan held me a little tighter. "I want to thank you for helping me through my funk," he said, rubbing my back soothingly.
I smiled. "Glad to help, Balan," I said as I snuggled into his hug and gently squeezed Lance's hand before I just managed to stop a yawn that tried to escape.
But I guess it was contagious as Balan also yawned, not that I blamed him. Poor guy was no doubt still feeling tired, even if he was now out of his funk. I knew from experience that when you were emotionally drained, it could take a bit to recover and you'd feel sleepy for a bit afterwards.
"I think you both need some sleep. We've all been through a lot," Lance said serious, but not unkindly.
"Yeah. I think I'll feel better after getting some sleep," Balan agreed.
"I'll see about cooking something light for dinner when you wake up," the dark-haired being promised.
His counterpart held his stomach as it still hurt a bit. "That sounds like it will be good. I need something easy on my stomach," he admitted.
I nodded and looked up at Balan. "Is it okay if I crash in here with you, Balan?" I asked.
To be honest, I didn't want to leave him until he had fully recovered. Plus, he had comforted me so many times and been there for me when I needed him. Now it was my turn to return the favor and I also wanted to make sure he'd rest peacefully.
Balan smiled at me. "I'd be happy if you did. I don't want to be left alone anymore. I've had enough alone time," he said as he crawled into his bed before pulling up the blanket and patting the spot beside him. I smiled as I laid down next to him and he covered both himself and me with the warm covers.
Lance ruffled both our heads of hair gently and put a few Tims on the bed. He even turned on a music box because he knew how much Balan liked them. The Tims at once snuggled with us as both the Positive Maestro and myself felt sleepier. "Sweet dreams, you two," Lance said to us gently.
I smiled. "Night, Lance. Night, Balan," I replied softly before closing my eyes and falling asleep, snuggled close to Balan as he placed an arm around me comfortingly.
"Good night, Lance," Balan said to him before his counterpart left and he turned to me, kissing my forehead in affection. "Good night, my dear. And thank you again."
He closed his own eyes and soon joined me in a peaceful sleep.
Now, just to let you guys know, Balan and Rachel have a platonic relationship. She sees Balan as a father figure/uncle and Lance as an uncle/brother while both see her as a niece/daughter.
Please leave LadyAmethys001 and myself a review, but no flames!
GoldGuardian2418
