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Looking at the results of the tests Marco could only sigh, he looked at Fossa in front of him. No one was allowed to smoke in the infirmary but he still had his cigar in his mouth, waiting for the moment he was outside to finally smoke. The only times he wasn’t smoking was when he was either sleeping, eating or bathing.
“Fossa, “ Marco said, “you need to quit smoking.”
“Oh, come on. We all have to die anyway!”
“Yes! Of age! Not because smoking is killing you! Your body is already paying the consequences!” Marco was more than worried for Fossa. Not only as a doctor but also as his brother. “You could have avoided that attack but you couldn’t move fast enough-”
“That’s because I didn’t pay enough attention.” The wound on his back hurt at the mention of that. A pirate crew had attacked them hours ago. It was weak but big. He was fighting against two, he had just slashed them on the front when he sensed someone behind him, he was about to move when he felt he lost all the air on his lungs…
“No!” Marco shook his head, “you know that wasn’t the case! You couldn’t move because you started coughing because you can’t move without your lungs wanting to die! Fossa, please…” Marco stopped his sentence. He knew what would come with being a doctor but he still studied for years to be a good one. He wanted to help his family, he wanted to save their life. It was impossible to save all of them, sometimes a wound was too deep. It was already too late. A sickness without cure. He could accept those deaths. But he couldn’t -he didn’t want to- accept Fossa dying because of his addiction.
Fossa didn’t say anything. It wasn’t the first time Marco or the others have tried to stop him from smoking, they had asked him hundreds of times before. But he said no every time. He was ready to say no to Marco. But he noticed something.
Marco was crying.
“Marco?”
“I know you’re older than me, that you would probably die before me… but I don’t wanna lose you before time!”
“Marco we are pirates,” Fossa tried to reason, “we can die at any moment. In a fight. A surprise attack from marines-”
“You think I don’t know that! I’m not a kid anymore!” Marco stood from his chair, the only thing separating them was a desk. Marco put both of his hands on the desk and put his face closer to Fossa’s, “I’m ready to lose my family in a fight. Because we said we would die fighting, with honor.” He stressed the last part, “but dying because you won’t stop smoking is not an honorable death.” He took the cigar out of Fossa and threw it away.
“You smoke so much people think that’s how you engulf your sword on fire. But if you don’t wanna hear reasons… then I don’t know why you are still here.” He sat back on his chair and closed his eyes.
Fossa didn’t move. Marco was someone mostly calm, always smiling and easy going. He always made sure to act strong whenever someone of their family died, Fossa could count with one hand the times he had seen him crying. Three times including right now.
For a moment, he didn’t see the always calm Marco he had grown to be. He didn’t see the doctor everyone trusted. He just saw his little brother worried about his health.
And Fossa felt guilty for making Marco cry. He always wanted to protect his family, yet he was making Marco cry.
He opened and closed his mouth a few times before saying, “what am I supposed to do? I’ve been smoking since I was a kid. I don’t think I can live without it.”
“You won’t live if you keep going. Fossa, I know we lose our strength while getting old… but this is too much!” Marco looked at Fossa again, “Pops, even with how sick he’s getting, he’s still strong as he was years ago! We all keep getting stronger but you! I am stronger than you now!”
Fossa closed his eyes. There was nothing to say to that. It was all true.
“Help me?”
Marco smiled, “of course. You’re not alone in this. I’m sure everyone will help you.”