How Soon is Now? (Jean x Marco)

Part Nine

Carefully, I pick Marco up and he weighs as much as a feather. I walk past Erwin and Mina, she looks shaken and Erwin looks ashamed – none of that matters. Jinae whistles and huffs at Marco from the stable - clearly worried as fuck. Not as worried as me though.

I carry him inside the house, and up the stairs until I reach our bedroom. I lay him gently on the bed and instantly begin removing his blood-soaked shirt and trousers. He's so in pain and my heart could honestly stop beating at that moment. It's unbearable.

I look at him closely. His face is swollen all over, his nose looks broken and there is black blood gushing from his lip. His neck is purple – oh god, did Thomas strangle him?! He has a series of huge green bruises on his chest and lower stomach from...being trampled on. He looks worse than he did when he was hit by that car. I've seen him in many different states of pain, but this one must be worst.

"I'm sorry," Marco whispers, "Thomas has been going doing this since the day I arrived. I'm sorry I've cause a commotion...I-"

Marco thinks it's his fault.

Marco has put up with this for years on end.

Marco believes Thomas.

Marco has just suffered in silence.

"You didn't deserve this." I tell him in a whimper, "You didn't deserve this!"

Three small knocks occur against the door making my jump, Marco doesn't flinch...I bet it would hurt if he moved.

I walk to the door hesitantly and when I open it, Mina is stood with tears in her eyes, shoulders shaking, but she is composed. It's the first time I've seen her genuinely looking mature.

"You dropped...these." She hands me the stack of paper that is my story for Marco, I take it and smile a thank you to her, stepping outside of the room and shutting the door behind me, "I will get Marco cleaned up and comfortable. I will be gentle. You should talk to Thomas...and then you can come and see Marco again later. I'm sorry about everything."

I laugh, but it's a sad laugh, more like a breathy sob. I wrap my arms around her small body and hold her tight, "Thank you Mina, show him...that he is loved. You don't have to apologize for any of this...it's not your fault. Please look after Marco while I'm gone."

She nods frantically and enters the room, and I walk away, down the stairs until I reach the dining room table, where Thomas sits opposite Erwin and Levi.

"Jean." Erwin says quietly, "Thank you."

It's ridiculous that a man like Erwin could be thankful for my actions when he's the one everybody is always thanking.

Erwin turns his head calmly to Thomas, "You will be leaving to a boarding school in Kent." He says, "And when...if you ever earn permission to return to this household, I want you to be a proper man."

He pauses to take a breath, "If you think I'm forgiving you for this, I am not. I have raised you to be a good man and you have put my teachings to waste. Thomas, I am ashamed of you."

A long silence appears after that.

Thomas doesn't dare move, it's as if his soul is chained to the earth. It makes me sick to look at him. He could have killed Marco; he could have been the person that ended this lifetime. I won't even forgive him for that. I am going to think of him when I look at the ground I'm walking on.

"Thomas," I find myself seething, my teeth gritting together, "Don't you dare ever touch Marco again."

He flinches, "I-"

"Don't speak. You've treated him like dirt without even realizing that the dirt is in fact you. You disgust me. If you ever decide to trample on a poor human being like Marco again, I'll kill-"