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Abby is almost too tired to blink. She doesn’t even understand how they managed to make the trek back from Polis. As they walk back through the gates of Arkadia it isn’t too cheers and happiness as with many of their other missions. This time it’s to emptiness. Not a face nor sound is heard, except the sounds of boots walking through the mud. As everyone walks to their respective areas of the camp she looks over at Marcus and knows he has to be even more exhausted. She hadn’t been forcibly crucified and left to hang on that horrible thing for hours on end. She hadn’t climbed that tower. The thought of all of that almost makes her break again, but looking at his face as he walks to his room stops her. He still looks so lost, unsure if it’s all truly over. Something moves her towards his room not even bothering to stop and knock on his door she sees him.Standing in the middle of his room unsure of what to do, of where he is.
She walks up to him and raises her arm to touch his shoulder. He jumps when she places her hand which makes her wince. He suddenly looks back at her and really looks at her. He realizes then that it’s ok. He is safe. She is safe. His Abby is right next to him.
They both stand there transfixed by one another yet still cautious. Both knowing what the other one has just been through. Marcus goes to take his jacket off, when Abby notices his hands are still shaking. She walks up to him and covers his shaking hands with her own. Marcus looks up, his eyes pleading with her to let him be. She knows him, she knows that he is blaming himself for all of this.
“It wasn’t you.” She says and his head falls. She nudges his jacket off his shoulders when he stops her.
“I know it wasn’t me. It still doesn’t stop me from remembering everything” he says in a whisper. Abby leans forward and her lips gently meet his. She can feel Marcus lean further into the kiss. But unlike all the other times it is over in seconds. There is no desire in it. Its simply a gentle reminder that they’re both still alive.
She looks behind his shoulder to the bathroom and the doctor in her knows he needs a shower right now. He needs to clean his wounds but he also just needs to feel the heat on his muscles, she needs it just as much as he does. When she tries to turn away to walk back to her room he stops her. Placing his hands on her hips he whispers, “Stay”.
She turns back and takes his hands in hers and walks them into the bathroom. Wordlessly they start to undress themselves. Not even caring that this would be the first time the other had seen themselves nude. Right now, it wasn’t about the need they had for one another. Right now, it was about two people trying to just be there for each other. It’s not until they’re both under the spray of the shower they melt into one another. Holding each other up, the exhaustion finally getting to them. Abby lets out a sigh when she feels the hot water on her shoulders. She can see Marcus wince when the water reaches his wrists. She pulls them up and gently takes the bandages off. Marcus can see the tears falling down her face when she sees the extent of his injuries. If he’s being completely honest they don’t even hurt him anymore. At least not as much as when he notices the bruises on her neck. He wraps his hands around hers and brings them up to his lips and brushes her knuckles with his lips. When she looks into his eyes, it hits her. Even after everything she’s done to him he stills loves her.
The tears begin to fall from her face and soon she is sobbing Marcus wraps his arms around her, and she buries her face in his chest. He begins to rub circles on her back. When his fingers reach her lower back he feels the jagged edges of skin healed improperly. He stills, the shock lashes. To him it had been so long ago, but as he runs his fingers over her scars once again he realizes it hadn’t been that long after all. All the pain and anger. They had come so far. Yet he had left her. He had left her behind and all of this had happened. To his Abby.
Soon, tears mixed with dirt and blood. Falling away from their bodies. Even when they were both clean they still held onto one another. It wasn’t until Abby reached back and turned the water off that Marcus even opened his eyes again. He then reached out and grabbed a towel to wrap her in. She did the same. Once they were dry and back in his bedroom, Marcus just hands her one of his shirts. Abby moves over to his cot and sits on the edge looking at him while he puts on his boxers and shirt. She’s afraid he’ll hurt his wrists if he doesn’t at least cover them up. He walks over to the cot and sits beside her. She grabs ahold of his hand and looks up at him when he looks over at her he realizes there is a hint of a smile on her face.
“We need to get some sleep” she mutters. He doesn’t question her, not even when she crawls into his too small cot. He follows her. As he always does and always will. They both take a second to get comfortable. When they do she wraps his arm around her waist and sighs. No matter what they’ve done. No matter what has happened in the last few days. They’ll deal with it tomorrow. Tonight they just need to be together, and reminded they can still feel. Absentmindedly Abby rubs at the bandages they had placed on his wrists after their shower. Tears begin to fall from her face.
Again she hears Marcus whispers “It’s ok, Abby. We’re in this together”.
With those word, she wraps his arm around her even tighter and drifts off. Tomorrow and the days to come we’re going to be hard, they both knew. But for right now, they had hope.