ch4 Out of the asylum (and the closet)

"A-Agathe?"

"I'm sorry. For you loss." She said solemnly.

Has she heard him? Wait. She had some powers, didn't she? Maybe she was a kind of witch after all. Maybe she could…? He had to ask.

"Please… save him." He mumbled.

"I cannot. He's already beyond salvation." She declared.

"B-but you can revive things, right? I… I saw you entering the castle while everyone was running out! That curse… was your action, right? You just revived the castle! S-Surely… you can do the same with him!" He pleaded.

He clearly didn't understand what she'd just implied, Agathe thought.

"I mean he does not deserve salvation." She explained.

"What?" LeFou asked, his eyes widened out of dread.

"I think you know what I mean here, LeFou."

Yes, he actually DID understand! Gaston had been the worst asshole ever tonight, especially to him. He got it well! Maybe his captain even deserved what happened! But…but he loved him. He just loved him. And unlike him, LeFou valued their lifelong friendship. He wasn't the kind of man who let down his friends at the first opportunity. Even when one of these friends does so! He wanted his beloved hunter back. At least to give him proper slaps and lecturing! And tell him out loud how much he matters to him! And finally tell him explicitly he fucking LOVES him. Even if the jerk would still do as if he didn't hear him or use this love to manipulate him again. Even if it wouldn't matter in the end because to Gaston, it was just normal someone loves him. Cause he was supposedly 'perfect'.

Oh, LeFou's cheering had just been too efficient.

"Yes… I know… Agathe." He stammered as he squeezed shut his watering eyes. He just noticed he still hadn't stopped crying. "I know… this… bastard… has been terrible…lately… but… but…" LeFou then remembered Gaston also treated Agathe like shit.  Fuck!  "But he's not as bad as you think!" He screamed out. The sorceress looked startled. Was she surprised or in disbelief? Of course she wouldn't believe Gaston actually was a decent guy! 'Filthy hag' wasn't really what comes out of a gentleman's mouth!

LeFou remembered his good memories that included Gaston actually outnumbered by far the bad ones. Yes, the war hadn't been a tea party but the captain's personal nurse now had so many heartwarming memories suddenly coming through his mind.

The first was when LeFou told Gaston he also had enrolled in the war. His friend had looked so mortified back then. He had scolded him so fiercely. The plump little boy (he was barely 15!) even thought he was going to punch him like the other boys of the village did. Whereas Gaston usually defended LeFou against them. He punched those who dared hurt his 'petite crêpe' like he used to say. Such a cute nickname now he remembered it. Much cuter than 'crazy guy'.

But that was LeFou's fault after all. He insisted to all of the other soldiers who called Gaston "le fou", he was actually the crazy guy, not Gaston! He insisted he had lived in an asylum, not Gaston! While the truth was the total opposite. But Petite Crêpe had displayed so much 'strange behavior', using his feelings for Gaston, his fellow soldiers believed him quite easily and so started to call him "le fou". Not that it bothered him. He was a bit crazy after all. Loving a man while being one is a bit crazy, isn't it? Telling his mates Gaston is the strongest, most beautiful and brave man in the whole world while singing or picking flowers was crazy too, right?

He also remembered when Gaston had vehemently refused to call him "le fou".

"No, I won't call you 'crazy'!"

"Why not?"

"Because you're not!"

"Even if I was, would you?" he had talked back.

Gaston hadn't given another answer than an annoyed sigh and a pair of shifty eyes. Petite Crêpe took his hands.

"Look, you don't want the others know about what happened, right? You don't want them know about the asylum? Or everything else, right?" He whispered for the others were actually close.

Gaston replied with another sigh. "No, no I don't."

"Then start calling me LeFou from now on. If they think I am the crazy one, they won't bother you with that anymore."

"But why would you be called crazy?" Gaston asked with a heavy worry in his eyes.

"Oh I don't mind. I quite like it actually." Petite Crêpe lied. "And I bet you agree that I am a quite bizarre man, don't you?" He said in a smile.

"No. You don't know what being crazy means. And I hope you never feel that way!" The soon-to-be captain replied this time staring right into his best friend's eyes and grabbing his shoulders.

LeFou still recalled what he had seen in these eyes. Anger. Worry. Fear. Gaston was angry to be called crazy, worried his only true friend starts being called that way and scared it could bring harm to his Petite Crêpe. Damn, he already had reluctantly accepted his friend's enrollment, now he also had to accept soldiers call him crazy all the time instead of him, Gaston.

"Hey I'm a soldier now, remember? If someone's looking for a fight, then I'll give them what they want!" LeFou had wanted to reassure Gaston.

But his beloved hunter had decided otherwise. He would defend his cute crêpe against his too noisy comrades. Which he did. It only made LeFou's deep love grow more and more. And made him more and more devastated about Gaston's death.