Work Text:
“Yuri!” Mark yells, making Yuri jump with a cup of coffee in her hand. She is about to turn around when Mark makes himself known with Marelya on his back. “Need your help.” He says as he enters the clinic. There goes a peaceful afternoon. Yuri thinks as she follows in after Mark, who charges through the waiting room and enters one of the exam rooms. Yuri puts her coffee aside and closes the door as Mark sits Marelya down on the exam table.
“What happened?”
“The Caverns.” Mark answers. “She slipped pretty badly.”
“I’m fine.” Marelya contests. “It was just a bad fall.”
Mark huffs with his arms crossed. Yuri carefully removes the boot and sock from Marelya’s foot. She observes the ankle, being cautious with her touch as Marelya winces. Yuri can make out signs of swelling. “Pain 1-10?”
“Moving, 6. Still, 4.”
“Definitely some swelling. Looks like a sprain. Not a bad one though.”
“See?” Marelya says, as if unscathed. “Just a little sprain. I’ll be fine in, like, 3 days.”
“Um, no.” Yuri interjects. “At least a week. You didn’t exactly come out with nothing.”
“A week?” Marelya repeats.
Yuri gives her prognosis. “Mild sprain. Probably best for you to be of off it and ice it from time to time for a hassle-free recovery.”
Marelya’s jaw is dropped. “And my work will get done, how?”
“You’ve been working so hard these past few months, Mare. Surely you can take a little break?” Yuri asks. The answer is all over Marelya’s face. “I’ll go get the paperwork you were supposed to sign in the waiting room. Where, in the future, I’d prefer you to be stationed until you can be seen.”
Mark shrugs. “Doesn’t seem like a full house.”
Yuri sighs. “I’ll go get the paperwork.”
When the door clicks shut, Marelya crosses her arms. “You didn’t have to do that.”
He scoffs at her. “You’re welcome, Garden Rake. Sure, won’t help again.”
“I mean-” Marelya sighs, spotting her rudeness. “Look, I appreciate it, but the urgency was unnecessary.”
“Well, fuck me, I guess. Sorry if your fall looked like a-.”
“So, what’s the lesson, fall better?”
“The lesson is to be better.” He replies gruffly, not liking being cut off. “You need to focus more when you’re down in the mines. Stop trying to have some kind of camaraderie with me and focus up.”
“Well, excuse me, but I haven’t been able to get ten words out of you since the Harvest Festival. I wanted to figure out what the hell is going on with you.”
“That’s none of your business.”
Her lips tighten. The door opens again to reveal Yuri. Her eyes quickly dart between Mark and Marelya, suddenly feeling a chill. She sits in her chair after handing Marelya a clipboard. “This is your first time with us, so you’ve got to sign some stuff.”
Marelya clicks the pen. “You seem kinda happy about that.”
“Well, you’re the only one on the island not registered with us. And I know you get colds and whatnot, so I was hoping you’d come in at some point. Not like this, obviously.” Yuri opens a drawer and pulls out a brace. “This should keep your ankle stable while you heal. You’re definitely not gonna be able to walk back to the farm on your own.” She looks in Mark’s direction. “Will you be helping her?”
For a moment, Marelya thinks he’s going to say no, what with her being seemingly ungrateful. She wants to kick herself in the pants for possibly making Mark feel like shit for helping her, until he says, “Yeah, I’ve got her.”
Yuri smiles as Marelya’s eyes widen. “Perfect.” She focuses her attention back on Marelya. “One week and then come back here to see where we’ll go from there. We’ll get you a crutch for when Mark isn’t there.”
“Which is going to be most of the time.” Mark adds bluntly.
“Thanks, buddy.” Marelya replies, receiving a light glare from Mark.
“Are you able to walk on your ankle?” Yuri asks.
“No idea. Mark whisked me away before I could test it.”
Yuri smiles at him. “Good on you.” She says, despite having to lightly scold him for skipping the usual procedure.
“An injury down in the mines can be a death sentence.” He states impassively.
“You’re not wrong.”
Marelya places her final initial. She hands the clipboard back to Yuri, and Yuri seems satisfied. “Okay.” She stands and takes Marelya’s hands. “Let’s see…” Marelya comes to her feet slowly. “Pain?”
“7.” Marelya says, sitting back down.
“Yup, you’re gonna have to be still for a week or two.”
“Oh, come on, Yuri.”
Yuri carries that chiding look about her. “You need a farm hand.”
“I need to work. If I wasn’t fine doing everything myself, I would have a farm hand.”
Yuri looks Mark’s way. Mark’s eye twitches. Finally, he sighs. He says something under his breath.
Marelya blinks. “You’ll what?”
“I’ll help out.” Mark says more clearly. “I’m not going to be able to be there 24/7, but I can do what I can.”
“Besides, I don’t trust you alone.” Yuri adds. “Knowing you, you’re gonna try working anyway.”
Marelya sputters at the call out. “L-look. I just-” She growls. “Fine. This is just great.”
“Keep acting like a princess about it,” Mark says, “and you’re going to have to be off your feet for longer.”
Not only is it two against one, but Marelya’s so-called oppressors are making sense? This is bullshit. Marelya sighs in defeat. “One week?”
“One to three weeks.” Yuri says. “One if we’re lucky. At three, you should be fully healed if you’re remedying properly. No strenuous activity.” She gets to her feet, a calming hand on Marelya’s shoulder. “This was bound to happen at some point with all of the work you do for the community. Please, just rest. And don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
If it were a client back in Pokyo, Marelya would tell them to stay off their injury and listen to the doctor. She would also follow that up with letting the client know that asking for help from the people around them can be a healthy necessity.
“Okay.” She says, resolutely. It takes all of her will to look up at Mark. “Please help me?”
He eyes her as if he’s calling her hopeless in his mind. He exhales from his nose. “Sure thing.”
The kindness of the townspeople never ceases to amaze her. Several people have talked to her and Mark, much to Mark’s chagrin. They asked about Marelya’s injury, offering assistance. Mark brushed them off, but Marelya was more thankful. “Oh, so when it’s me, you’re rude.” He says. “Good to know.”
Marelya saved her breath until they got to her cabin. Now, she sits in her dining area, rolling her ankle in her brace as Mark makes hot chocolate on the stove. They’ve been in silence for some time. While Marelya was freaking out from anxiety in the beginning, she’s learned to flow with Mark’s temperament. This is comfortable for him, and he’s not complaining.
With his mouth, at least.
He places her mug on the table in front of her. He sits with his own and breathes in the scent. Marelya watches the steam from her cup. “Thanks again for helping out.”
“Mmhm.” He mutters as he takes a sip. “Just give me a list of what you want done, and I’ll do it."
She furrows her brow. “That easy, huh?”
“Yup.” He sits his mug down. “No more talking in the mines.”
“Like, not at all?” Marelya asks. It’s partially sarcastic, and that’s the part Mark glares at. “Look, I’m sorry. I just haven’t seen you in a bit, and you’ve been really short with your texts recently.” Short for Mark, which is wild in this context. “I know you said it’s none of my business, but I’ve been worried. Are things okay?”
Mark rolls his neck, giving his tendons a stretch. When done, he observes Marelya, and she is very unsure if he’s able to find what he’s looking for. “My parents are coming. It’s their anniversary, and they want to spend it with us.”
Marelya widens her eyes. “Wow. I take it we’re not too happy about it.”
He scoffs. “How can I be? It’s just going to be them asking me when I’m getting married and having kids. Again.”
“What have you told them so far?”
“That everything will happen when it’s supposed to fuckin’ happen. But they don’t take that for an answer. I don’t even know why they’re so focused on me. Anne is clearly the golden child.”
Marelya wears a pitying look. “Do you believe they at least care for you?”
“Yeah, but they could show they care for me more by giving me my space. The more they mention the whole marriage and kids deal, I’m not so sure I even want it.”
Something in Marelya begins to ache. Glass shattering comes to mind. “Really? They’re putting you off it that much? But what about what you think?”
“I think marriage isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Not for me. You’re asking me to, what, get to know a woman and woo her? Something like that takes a drive I don’t have.”
Marelya checks the temperature of her mug, finding it still hot. “I know you don’t talk to people that much, but you’re not exactly recluse.” She swallows as she begins to think of illegible women on the island. “You’ve got a nice pick of girls, I’d say. So that’s not the problem.”
“You haven’t been with them for years. Everyone on this island besides my family are associates.”
Ouch, the A word. As if the sprain weren’t bad enough, Marelya has been punched in the gut. “Well, you can’t sit here waiting for something to change. You have to make it happen with someone.” She gets off her soap box in fear of him rolling his eyes. “But I can understand if that’s not an interest to you right now. So, what are your interests before marriage?”
He shakes his head. “There’s entirely too much to focus on around here. Our city rank, the mines. And then there’s your clumsy ass.”
“Hey,” she says, blushing, “if I were usually that clumsy, I wouldn’t have become a farmer.”
His eyes are rigid on her. “Why did you become a farmer?”
Marelya blushes as he focuses on her. She averts her eyes to the floorboards with a deep breath. “I needed a change of pace. Things in Pokyo were good, but I needed something more grounding. The city is so full of pretenses. I didn’t want to be a part of that anymore. Being a social worker was rewarding. It was my life, but I needed something else. That’s the short answer.”
“There’s a long answer?” He asks.
“Someone’s showing interest.” She teases.
As soon as she says it, she's scared he might get up and leave. Instead, he smirks. “You don’t have to tell me.”
She smiles weakly. “I don’t mind.”
He gestures toward her, as if giving her the floor. Having his attention on her is surreal, to say the least. It feels like he’ll say he’s kidding and doesn’t actually give a shit. Marelya is on the edge of her seat, and she’s the one telling the story. “Would you believe it started with my grandmother dying?”
There’s a softness in his features. “My condolences. She was a sweet woman. She did what she could with the farm on her own.”
She nods. “She went peacefully, thank God. But it was definitely a lot to take in at the time. But while I was grieving, I noticed that something else came upon me. I just realized that I was generally unhappy where I was. I guess it was a moment of existentialism, but I was definitely questioning who I was and what I was doing. I didn’t feel… tethered. I just felt like I was operating with no cause. I had every reason to be grateful for what I had, and I was. I was helping people like I’d always wanted. But I just didn’t feel home. One fallout with a friend later, here I am.”
“Straw that broke the camel’s back?”
She grins. “Something like that.” Mark takes a sip of his hot chocolate. He signals to her with his eyes that she should be safe enough to take a tase, and she does so. “But yeah, totally selfish reason.”
He shrugs. “Not the worst reason out there. Could have said you wanted to bring life to some poor townsfolk.”
“Trust me when I say that this is the brightest place I’ve been.” She says earnestly. “Nothing like I’ve ever experienced. And I fell in love with everything.”
He takes another sip. “Give it a minute. Still waiting for you to go stir crazy or something.”
Her shoulders slump, and her brows furrow. “What is with you counting me out all the time?”
Mark arches a brow as if she’s missing some obvious point. “You’ve only been here two months.”
“Is that why you’re so short with me? You’re trying not to get attached or something?”
He scoffs. “Attached?”
“Oh, sorry. You only get attached to animals. People are too much of a bother.”
“They are.” He retorts. “They’re too full of shit.”
“Yeah, that’s what makes them worth it.” He rolls his eyes at her, and she leans over the table. “So, by your standard, what do you think of yourself?”
“I don’t think I’m higher than thou or anything. Look, I don’t hate humans; I just prefer animals. They don’t expect too much from me.”
Marelya tilts her head. “So, what do you think about the other townsfolk? Do you have anyone you’re particularly close to?”
Mark drinks from his mug and shrugs. “I don’t have friends. There are just certain people I respect and certain people I tolerate.”
She finds herself dying to know on which side she falls. “Got it.” She doesn’t prod anymore, afraid it might push an unspoken boundary. He could leave before finishing his cup, which is way earlier than Marelya is anticipating. She takes a sip from her mug. “That’s pretty relatable, actually.”
“Glad I can be relatable.”
“Hey.”
“Hm?”
She looks into the brown liquid as she takes a chance. “Sorry about your parents. It’s a drag that they’re putting so much pressure on you. I’m here if you ever want to talk about it.”
He seems to consider it, or at least, consider her. “Thanks. I appreciate that.” He downs the last of his hot chocolate. He picks the cup up and makes his way to the sink. “I should get going. Is there anything you need?” He asks, as he washes the mug.
“I should be able to get along pretty fine.” She keeps the ache she feels from the conversation ending concealed. “Wanna meet here at 6AM? I’ll have the list for you then.”
She puts her wait on the table as she limps over to the door. The door opens into the night, and Mark walks down the stairs. “Mark!” He looks back at her. “Thanks again. Really, I mean it.”
She swears she can see a genuine smile on his face. He nods. “You’re welcome.”
She watches him take off back to town. Closing the door, she then leans back onto it. She takes a deep breath, suddenly feeling less constricted, but noticeably less happy. She shuts her eyes.
Oh no. The pain in her chest is painstakingly familiar. Oh hell no.
Leave it to her to develop a crush on someone that’s nicknamed her after a farm tool.