The Curse of Beasts (BEASTARS)

Reclaiming The Spark

Alan had taken a day to think about Louis' words, mulling over them. Was the Drama Club really the way to finding his own path? He considered returning before, but things went bad and it was pushed to the background. Part of him wanted to go back, to try and make things right after it came out that he was part-wolf. Another part was hesitant, certain that the issue still lingered even months later.

He hummed as he sat on his bed, "I'm so split on this. I want to go, but part of me keeps going back to when my secret came out."

"But it was months ago now.", Todd said. "It could be completely out of their minds at this point. Plus, they're probably still thinking about Louis..."

He gave a nod at that, knowing how much Louis meant to the club. Going there in the wake of his departure would feel weird, not to mention so different without the deer. He was the one that brought him into the club in the first place, after all. It just wouldn't feel right to be there with him gone. To them, it would be like the dawn of a new era.

To him, it would be like taking the deer's place.

That sentence seemed to replay itself as he made his way to the club hall. He let a smile reach his face, remembering the first time he came. The way everyone welcomed him with open arms once he was introduced, the sense of everyone being together and there for one another. It was always the high point of being in the Drama Club— being around friendly faces.

He was just down the hall from the doors when he saw a familiar figure, "Hey, Riz!"

The bear turned and smiled as Alan caught up with him, "Hey, Alan-san. What's up?"

"I was actually going to the Drama Club.", he said while rubbing his arm. "Since Louis' gone, I'm thinking it might be a good time to come back."

"I was wondering when you would.", Riz said happily. "It didn't really feel the same without you, and now that Louis left, it kind of left everyone down..."

"True..."

Louis was an inspiration to all of them— not just in the Drama Club, but the school entirely. Everyone saw him as essentially a king, and they, his subjects. The school was ruled by him, and he always led by example. In a way, he carried it all on his back constantly, and yet he never let it show.

Soon enough, the two were in front of an all-too-familiar set of doors.

"Ready?", Riz looked down at him optimistically.

Alan closed his eyes as he shook and took a deep breath, "Okay. Here's to hoping it doesn't go completely wrong..."

As they opened the doors and descended the aisle to the empty stage, Alan could feel the butterflies in his stomach. It felt awkward, extremely awkward, especially considering just yesterday the leader of the club resigned! Would they call him out on it? Would they think he's trying to take that spot? Would they even be happy to see him again?

No., he thought firmly, pushing the nerves away. I've been thinking too hard on this. If there's any time to do it, it's now.

Riz must've sensed the tension in the air, as his hand gently found itself on Alan's head. When he looked at him, he gave a small smile. It was a small gesture, but it helped a lot. The human smiled back, pushing everything aside and only focusing on returning to a place he honestly enjoyed being at.

Samou instantly noticed him once they reached backstage, "Alan-san?! I thought you weren't coming back to the club. At least, that's what everyone thought."

"I needed some time to myself— and I may have forgotten about it for a bit.", he rubbed the back of his neck before smiling. "But I want to try and start over again. Since Louis' gone, someone's gotta make sure everyone's together, right?"

"I suppose—"

"No way!", the pelican was cut off by a tiger bounding his way over. "You're back for real? No going silent?"

"None of that, Bill.", the human said before smirking. "Besides, someone has to keep that ego of yours in check."

"Oh, ha-ha."

"Whatever.", he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I wanted to make things right for what happened before I left. I needed to sort myself out, though."

"And you're okay to come back now?", Samou asked.

"For better or worse.", he shrugged. "But I didn't want to keep sitting on the idea, so here I am."

"As long as you feel like you're alright to come back, you're welcome to."

"Thank you. It may take some time to get back into the flow of things, but I'll manage."

It was already going better than Alan expected, and it wasn't even half as nerve-wracking as he imagined! There were still some loose ends to tie up, but he was in a good mood overall. He met up with some other club members briefly, all glad to see him again after his absence. Then came the stage crew, who he was the closest to in the club due to him being assigned to them. Legosi and Kai were there, too, which eased his worries a bit. As he stood in front of the door to their area, he considered how they'd react.

Dom would most likely gush about him returning, due to his flamboyance. Legosi would be undoubtedly happy, though maybe more reserved. Kai was a hard one to predict, though. The mongoose was prone to blowing up on occasion, but was relaxed and chill most of the time. He had a lot of passion in the club, and it definitely showed. Maybe he'd think Alan took too long to come back...

He shook his head and stepped inside, wanting to get rid of the still-sizable pit of anxiety he felt.

It was a very large place, holding sculptures and crafts that the stage crew had probably made over the years. None of them seemed to notice his entrance, each of them mainly cleaning around or talking amongst themselves. The human could see Legosi sitting quietly at the base of a triceratops statue, tired eyes gazing every which way. As he stepped further into the room, he noticed the tall wolf's nose twitch slightly, perking up and looking his way. He gave a smirk and raised a hand. The canine's tail was wagging quickly, making his smile widen before a voice called out.

"Alan-san?", he looked up to see Kai leaned forward over a railing, eyes wide.

"Hey, Kai. You guys miss me?"

"What are you doing here?", the mongoose asked as he climbed down.

"I heard Louis left, so I thought I'd make my miraculous return."

"Wait...so you're coming back to the club?!", he shouted incredulously, and it seemed the others finally noticed.

Alan nodded and his smile shrunk a little, "I know I've been gone for a long time now, and you probably forgot about what happened with me and that fox, but..."

He sighed, "I want to try and start over, past what happened before. I kept passing the idea of coming back over my head constantly, but not anymore."

"So, you're back for good?", Legosi asked.

"Completely. No underground writing schemes this time around. I'm here to stay. That is if you'll let me?"

It was dumb of him to ask, but he felt like he had to. Even if they were happy to see him, he still felt guilty for showing the more aggressive side of himself. He already had a feeling of the answer, but it was mainly out of courtesy more than anything else. It didn't keep him from feeling nervous, though.

"I don't mind.", Legosi said with a small smile. "It'll be good to have you back."

"Yeah. I kind of missed having you around.", Kai added with his arms crossed as everyone seemed to follow the same sentiment.

"I think we're all in agreement, then.", Dom said gleefully. "Welcome back, Alan-san!"

He couldn't help the wide smile he wore at that, "It's good to be back."

~~*~~

A.N: Okay, new update schedule: Wednesdays and Fridays. It'll work better since I have a backlog of chapters and I keep getting the urge to develop the notes. Plus, you guys won't have to wait so long for updates.