Chapter Text
Thomas nearly fell over in the chair again as you reached for your phone. As soon as you grabbed it, he hit the floor. After making sure he would stay put this time, you had time to call Lafayette.
You vaguely remember hearing Thomas talk about his favorite jacket, which was already torn at the sleeves. You cleaned his wounds the best you could. The blood on his shirt was beginning to dry and stick to his skin. Taking the shirt off a man as large as Thomas while he was unconscious was no easy feat, but finally you prevailed.
When your eyes landed on his torso, you froze. Bruises decorated both of his sides and he probably had several fractured ribs. There was no blood coming out of his mouth, which relieved you for a moment. Just as you finished putting the bandages on, Lafayette knocked on your door.
“Come in”
Lafayette walked through your door, then opened it for Herc.
“Minette, I got your message. What–”
He stopped as he watched you try to wake Thomas.
“He showed up at my door a few minutes ago asking to talk, then he fainted”
You weren’t sure what else you could do. There were spells that could heal him, but that required a skill set you didn’t have at the moment.
“I think some of his ribs are fractured. He might has a concussion. The bleeding has stopped. Doesn’t need stitches”, you listed everything you could, but you still felt helpless, “Laf, I don’t know what else to do. He’s still breathing, but–”
“It alright”, he said as he pulled you away from Thomas, “Stay with Herc”
Herc pulled you in tight. Tears threatened to spill again. You were positive you hated Thomas, but this was a terrifying experience to say the least. He kept asking to talk to you and kept avoiding him. Whoever was after you was trying to send a message.
Lafayette placed his hands over Thomas’s ribs. He shifted in his seat, but he still wouldn’t wake up.
“He has three fractured ribs on his right and two on his left. His lungs are fine. No concussion, but the bruise on his forehead is fresh. Did you by any chance drop him (Y/N)?”
“No”, you sighed, “He fell out the chair”
You could feel Herc’s body shaking against you as he tried to control his laughter. You looked up at him and glared. He immediately stopped.
“I’m sorry. He’ll be fine. I know he will”
“I’m worried about what he might say if he wakes up”
Lafayette asked for a few ingredients that you still had in your room. It took him several minutes to finish the potion before he poured it down Thomas’s throat. Herc helped him move him to your roommate’s bed.
“He’ll be out for a few more minutes. Do you know who could have done this?”
“After the incidents with Seabury, the pothole, the speaker, and the cloud, he started looking into who was causing all this trouble. He wanted to talk to me yesterday, but I was so mad at him, I refused to see him”
“None of this is your fault. Why did he wait so long to look into it?”
“To be fair, the pothole, speaker, and cloud all happened on the same day”
“You think he knows who it is?”, Herc asked
“Probably. He was so scared when I opened the door. He was relieved as if he didn’t expect me to be here”
“If someone is after you and willing to attack Thomas, then we all need to keep an eye on you. Thomas will get over himself eventually because I do not think he can do this on his own. Whoever did this probably could have killed him, but chose not to”
You placed a blanket over Thomas and took his shoes off. The scars and bruises on his face were beginning to fade. You gently pulled his hair out of his face. For someone that always appeared tense, he looked at peace for once.
Thomas pressed his face into your hand with a soft smile started to form.
“Thomas”, you called softly
His eyes flew open as he heard your voice. He shot up and immediately grabbed his side, cursing out loud.
“Be careful. Some of your ribs are fractured”
“You did this?”, he asked
“Just the bandages and cleaning your wounds. Lafayette did all the hard work. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take for your ribs to heal”
He looked you over, eyes going soft for once.
“I’m so glad you’re okay”, he sighed as he pulled you in
Lafayette and Herc smirked at each other. Maybe Thomas would come around sooner than they thought.
“Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
He relaxed when he felt you wrap your arms around him. His heart sped up as he thought back to what happened moments before he got to your dorm. The man knew he could easily overpower Thomas and wanted him to know that.
“You shouldn’t be worried about it. It’s my problem. Don’t worry yourself over it”
You watched as Thomas tried to pull himself off the bed.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“To my room”
“No you’re not”, Lafayette groaned as he glared at his friend, “You’re more worried about (Y/N) than you were before. If the person that did this is after her as well, you’re both staying with us tonight”
“I don’t need you helping me”, Thomas sneered, “I can do this on my own”
“I’m having a hard time believing that. Look at what they did to you!”
“I don’t need your damn help!”
As soon as he stepped off the bed, he almost hit the floor until you grabbed him. He pulled himself up, using the bed to hold his weight.
“You aren’t going anywhere”, you said quietly
“(Y/N)–”
“We’re staying with Laf and Herc tonight. We don’t need your permission to help you. We care about you Thomas. No one goes anywhere alone until we figure this out…well unless we have to”
He looked between you, Laf, and Herc before getting back on the bed. He sat up with his arms crossed over his chest, like a four year old.
“I was walking back to my dorm, when I realized I was being followed”, he started, avoiding eye contact with all of you, “He knew everything. Seabury. The spell. The fact that you know spells. He’s been watching us since your father hired me”
“Why did he attack you?”, Herc asked
Thomas grew quiet. He looked at you before quickly looking away
“It’s okay”, you smiled as you placed your hand on his shoulder
“No, it’s really not. He attacked me because he said I was going soft. My sympathy for you is a weakness and it will probably get us killed. Your father hired me to keep you safe, not be your friend”
You flinched as he raised his voice.
“But”, he sighed, “I defended you anyway. When I told him you were human, but not weak, he attacked me. He’s threatening to tell your father everything if I don’t change my way of thinking about you and humans in general. Do you know what he’ll do to me?”
“Worse than what happened tonight”, Laf guessed
“He’s the one that sent Seabury and put that spell on you in the first place. He’s been testing me all along. If I can just prove to him that I’m at least half the wizard he is, maybe things will be different this time. Maybe he’d love me for once”
Thomas looked at you with tears in his eyes, shaken to his core out of fear and frustration. You’ve never seen him so small before and it scared you. He may get on your nerves, but you would never wish this on him.
“Who did this to you?”, you questioned
He took a shaky breath before looking in your eyes.
“My father”