Lonely Night [Exo one shots]

wom 9-Celidonio

Tristan was in the right place and at the right time. Isabel was impressed by his sudden response to Colin's breakdown, who fainted in panic. Martin, who was with Tristan helped to carry him as well; both men exerted such effort just to bring him home.

They sat in stunned silence in the living room. Colin's now resting upstairs. Both men are not in good terms, but all he did today proved one thing: Tristan deserves to be forgiven.

"He has pyrophobia." His tone clearly upset: he ran his hands over his face with eyes closed, and heaved a tired sigh as he sat on the couch.

"Fear of fire." Isabel shot a look at Tristan. "How did you know?"

"I guessed it. Look around you, the kitchen especially. No stoves, candles, or things related with fire. His kitchen is almost empty." He muttered, rubbing his eyes fiercely, and then shot a glance at Mael. "Tell them."

"For the past week, he would eat outside, because he couldn't even cook for himself after his mother's death. I found the stove in the shed, abandoned." Mael gestured on the frames. "Also, look at the pictures of his birthdays. No candles. If there's one, it's not even lighted."

"And...the fact that he nearly suffocates at the sight of that fire dance battle...conveys it all." Isabel looked down; the words came like a mumble.

"My father hurts me because of my phobia, and his blood boils even more whenever I play the violin, because he wanted me to be a fireman...like him." A voice bellowed from behind, Colin was descending the stairs. "How can I be a fireman, if I'm terrified of fire?"

Heads turned as Colin reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked weary. Messed up hair, drowsy eyes, and trembling hands. His eyes shot at everyone then lastly to Tristan, whose eyes quickly shifted onto the floor; guilt in it.

"That's what father yelled every day. He burned my arm onto that stove. My arm-. "Colin threw a look across the kitchen then to Tristan. He held his head down. "I get rid of the things that can produce fire, so he can't burn me once more."

The car incident.

Broken arm.

I have to get rid of Tristan.

Tristan shifted in his seat, avoided eye contact but still felt Colin's attack striking right through him. Silence passed, one of them wanted to talk but couldn't. Martin wasn't a good help either, he's stuck with a bunch of strangers, which were also stuck to another problem. Martin's attention then moved to a crumpled paper on the coffee table. He opened it to see a drawing, a sribble. 

"Sunflower field?" He looked closely. "Burning?"

"A dream. A nightmare."

"Please do tell us, sharing it might help. You know, just to ease off the burden." Isabel said with sympathy.

Colin heaved a deep sigh ready to narrate, and took a vacant chair as they listened intently.

"I was burning, suffocating...I was dying in my dream. I was in the middle of the forest. I could see sunflowers behind me. A cabin in front of me. All of them were burning before my eyes." Colin couldn't bare his twisting guts, it was terrible narrating it as if his nightmare was just plain as words, and it wasn't.

"Like a forest fire?" Mael concluded. Then Colin leaned forward and with eyes closed, clasped hands, he tried to remember the most disturbing part.

"I could hear horrified cries of a woman...calling me. Crying for help. She calls me Celidonio. And that was the last thing. I can't remember after that." Colin sighed, pain welling inside him as he shook his head.

"Celidonio" Tristan fumbled as if he knew that name, he shook his head, and mumbled it again. "Celidonio"

"Cecilio de tovar..." Mozart trailed off standing up, as if something hit him. "Do you know him?"

Tristan and Colin's eyes met as Martin uttered that name. Both guys turned around to face him, their eyebrows furrowed, confused look on their faces, their eyes in pure shock.

"Who?" They both inquired.

As if they knew that person.