A.N. - Hello everyone! Sorry about the atrociously long wait - I've been distracted by some unfortunately necessary medical work, as well as college, and I've only just been able to get back into writing in the past few weeks.

Enjoy, and please remember to leave a review! :)

Sunlight was pouring over the street by the time Marius finally fought his way out of the courthouse, as if deliberately mocking him for the hellish five hours of his life wasted on a stifling case. Without a thought to his surroundings, he dropped onto the nearest empty bench – the stone sending an unpleasant jolt up his spine – and groaned loudly, face buried in his hands...

"Rough day?" someone asked.

He groaned again. "That puts it mildly."

For a moment, the only reply was a non-committal "Mm..." before he glanced up and his eyes widened. Traffic roared behind them.

"I- You-!"

"Look, about last night-" the other cut in. His voice was thick, almost raw, and yellow bruises peered over the collar of his olive green puffer.

"- I – I should never have – I mean, you saw how Jourdain was at the hospital, he gets... grabby, and... well, sometimes he just loses control, it's not... I mean... I-I overreacted, ok? So-"

"Look, I don't want an apology," Marius interrupted gently, "It's not..."

Damn it, damn it, he was a lawyer, for Christ-sakes, not a romance counselor...

"Listen, would you be overly offended if I asked you wh- what your relationship is like?"

The stranger bit his lip, blood blossoming under the skin, and shoved his hands – long and delicate, although Marius wouldn't dare consider why he noticed – into the pockets of his coat.

"... Took some getting used to."

"How much?"

" - I didn't realize I was on the stand here!" he snapped suddenly, clambouring to his feet – his stride was awkward, almost limping.

"No, wait –" Marius called, cursing himself silently, and catching him by the sleeve – the jacket collar slipped down, exposing a fuller ring of bruises around his pale neck.

" – Holy... Look, I – I'm sorry, but...

"I came here to apologize, and all you do is-! "

"Listen to me, I can help you, but –"

"You don't know a fucking thing –!"

"How many times is he going to 'lose control' before you –!"

"I'll yell if you don't let go of me!" he finally shouted, attracting the attention of several bystanders, and Marius was forced to relinquish his hold, leaning in close.

"He grabbed you by the throat this time, didn't he?" he half-whispered, something ripping inside him as he watched the other's face crumble. "And every time it's getting worse and worse, and deep down you know that-"

"Stop it!" he screamed, shoving at him violently – Marius lost his footing and tumbled backwards, white lights bursting behind his eyes as the back of his skull met concrete...

"You lucked out," Joly muttered, the tips of his latex gloves stained pink as he prodded at the swollen knob beneath dark hair. "There's no sign of any skull fractures, annnnnd – eyes up..."

Marius tried to keep a hold on his patience, as the ME flashed a penlight back and forth, nearly blinding him.

"To the right... left... back to me... pupils aren't blown, no indication of a concussion – suppose you might not be as fragile as we thought."

"Very funny – where is he?"

"Interrogation room 2," Boville replied from the corner, as Joly exited the office, delicately holding his bloodied hands out in front of him like dead animals. "Jacques' been 'interviewing' him for the past half-hour –"

"Wha – Oh my God!" the brunette cried, rubbing at his sore scalp as he vaulted out of the chair and through the doorway, ignoring the calls echoing after him.

Marius heard the crash of metal on tile before he even turned the knob, shoving the door open to find one of the steel chairs smashed against the floor, and a stocky, balding figure hissing into the detainee's ear as he cowered in the corner -

"Peuchard!"

The officer spun around, an ugly sneer still fixed on his liver-spotted face –

"Oh, Counselor – just finishing up, seems like trick-ass here doesn't want to write a state-"

"Jacques, I am in a perfect position to report you to 1PP for misconduct, and believe me, that will not be a hardship – get back upstairs, start packing your desk, and have a nice suspension."

Everyone in the room seemed stunned for a fraction of a second, including Marius, before Peuchard finally shoved his way out the door with a nasty look and Marius turned his attention to the young man crumpled by the barred window. A pale hand covered his mouth, he was shaking slightly, and his blue eyes glistened...

"I'm... sorry, about that." Marius began, unsteadily. "Everyone in the precinct calls him 'The Animal.'"

There was no reply – he simply burrowed deeper into the coat he still wore, even indoors, and swallowed hard. His own throat tightening, Marius wet his lips as he knelt down slowly, and forced himself to speak.

"What's your name?"

For a long time there was silence, until –

"J- Julian. Enjolras."

The lawyer breathed out in relief.

"Ok – Listen, I-I'm trying to help you, but- "

"You've got a pretty damn interesting way of showing it!" he snapped, running one hand through his hair... The color of milk chocolate...

Marius bit at the inside of his mouth, blushing, and forced the words out of his throat.

"Pushing me onto the sidewalk was your decision, not mine, but – but if we can make something wor-"

"Oh, yeah," he groaned, blue eyes flashing. "Here's where we're supposed to work through it together, find the answers – well let me tell you something - I screwed up, I fucked myself over, and now I'm paying for it! So I'd appreciate it if you'd stop trying to be my shrink and get the hell out of my life, sir!"

The tone would have been furious, had his voice not cracked into a sob on the last word.

Face reddening, he dropped his head into his arms, and his shoulders shook.

Marius sat by him for a time, silent, gooseflesh rising on his skin from the frigid air...

"I... I think get it." Marius whispered, finally, hands clutching the knees of his trousers. Enjolras shot him a poisonous look.

"No, really... He keeps telling you that it's normal, doesn't he? - That it's your fault, or that it's not, and he loves you so much, he loves you too much – and you keep trying to believe him, because then it means that you're the one with the problem, and you can fix yourself, make yourself used to it, but..." he stopped, his voice thickening as he tried to hold back tears–

Enjolras was looking at him when he glanced up, his jaw tight and his eyes wet...

"C – Can I show you something?"

With a shaking breath, Marius nodded and straightened his back, as the other man unzipped his coat and let it slip down his arms, before opening up the first six buttons of his shirt – Marius inhaled sharply.

Ten yellow, finger-shaped bruises marred the tight white skin of his throat, all about the sides and beneath the Adam's apple...

Slowly, as if approaching a skittish colt, he stretched a hand out and touched his shoulder.

"Last night...?"

Enjolras said nothing, yet his face gave him away.

"H-have you showered since then?"

"No."

He sighed steadily, and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze.

"Ok... Ok, I'm going to get you out of here – We're going back to the hospital, and I'm asking Adrien to collect some samples, ok? "

Enjolras turned to him slowly, biting at his lip –

"... St-Stay with me?"

Marius swallowed the knot in his throat, and nodded.

A.N. - Thoughts?