(Y/n) silently took the girl's hand and stood up on shaky legs, her vision blurry from her previous impact with the ground. Only then did (Y/n) take notice of the sticky blood messing with her hair at the back of her head. If she had thought about hiding what had happened from Tobias, now this sure as hell wouldn't be an option.

"Can't believe you did that." The girl said, and (Y/n) wouldn't tell whether she was amazed or baffled. "You actually stabbed him."

(Y/n) shivered at the reminder, clear depictions of her knife sinking into the man's flesh flashing through her mind. Bile rose up in the back of her throat but she swallowed her disgust back.

"A simple 'thank you' would be great, you know?" (Y/n) said, bringing her fingers to her temples, massaging the pain away with circular motions. For real though, (Y/n) had helped save this girl's life at the risk of losing her own. Words of gratitude wouldn't be too much to ask.

The dark skinned girl bit down on her lower lip, shame flashing through her gaze. She averted her eyes to the side with a sigh and rubbed the back of her neck.

"I guess you're right. Thanks for your help." She said, the hints of a smile curling her lips as she held her hand out for (Y/n) yet again. "I didn't think anyone would-"

"(Y/n)?" A familiar voice cut the girl off along with hurried footsteps that revealed a very distraught Tobias, his green eyes narrowed with a mix of concern and anger as they landed on (Y/n). "What the hell are you doing outside at this hour?! Do you have any idea-"

How worried I was?

Tobias couldn't finish his sentence aloud, the words stuck in his throat. Worry wasn't the right word to describe what he'd felt when he woke up to a terrible ball of dread weighing heavy at the pit of his stomach. No words could describe how he'd felt when his mind had immediately and instinctively wandered over to (Y/n), when he had rushed to her room only to find no traces of her. For a moment, Tobias swore his heart had given out in his chest.

He closed the distance between himself and (Y/n) with long strides, holding her by the shoulders as he scanned her form for any signs of injuries. He was sure something was wrong, sure she was hurt somewhere. He didn't really know how, but there was this tug at his center that told him all he needed to know.

The same tug that had woken him up in the middle of the night with the horrifying feeling that somehow (Y/n) was in trouble, the very same tug that had driven him here in this dark alleyway.

Tobias turned (Y/n) around, uncaring for her words of protest, his eyes finally landing on a bloody spot at the back of her head. His insides lurched at the sight, concern and anger meshing together in his stomach. His eyes flicked over to the man sprawled out on the ground, the knife he had offered to (Y/n) discarded a few feet away.

Tobias had no idea what had just happened. But the idea of this man, of someone, hurting (Y/n)... had his blood boiling in his veins and red tainting his vision.

"Tobias, it's fine really-"

(Y/n) didn't get to finish her sentence, Tobias's hold on her tightening as he turned to face the other girl. And (Y/n) had never been really scared of Tobias before, but in this moment as she looked at his expression, cold fear pricked at her skin. Not for herself, but for the dark haired girl she had just helped.

A muscle ticked in Tobias's jaw, green eyes dark with distrust as he assessed the girl standing in front of them to see whether she was fiend or friend.

The girl took a step back, a deep frown etched between her brows.

"Who are you?" Tobias asked, but really it was more of an order than a real question.

(Y/n) stepped forward and put a reassuring hand over his arm, her eyes meeting the other girl's. "Tobias, she didn't do anything. I'm sorry I worried you but she was being chased by a man and I just helped her. Things didn't go exactly as planned but we're both fine."

"No you're not." Tobias turned to her, features colder than she had ever seen them. "You're hurt."

"Yes, and it would have been much worse if she hadn't been here to knock the guy out."

Truly, as much as (Y/n) had saved this girl's life, this girl had returned the favor by fighting with her instead of running away. It had been a kind of... teamwork.

Tobias's shoulders relaxed a bit at that, his gaze fleeting back to the dark skinned girl who had still yet to say a word. She probably didn't want to risk provoking him, and (Y/n) honestly couldn't blame her. Tobias did look scary right this moment.

"You still haven't given me your name." He said, though softer this time. The girl crossed her arms over her chest, shooting him an intimidating look.

"Lupita." She said, "Not that it's any of your business, though. For a Protective, you're incredibly late to the 'saving-my-girlfriend' party."

"She wouldn't have been in danger if you hadn't been chased by a random man in the first place." Tobias spat through his teeth.

"True, but I never asked for her-"

"Enough." (Y/n) cut them off, a heavy sigh falling from her lips as she regarded them both. Another word from either of them and her head would explode. She didn't care for their banter, really all she wanted was to go back home and sleep her headache off. "Let's go home."

She didn't give either of them time to argue, already on her way back to Marcus's house.

Tobias inhaled sharply, irritation clear on his features as he turned towards Lupita. "You're coming as well. I'm not done interrogating you."

Lupita rolled her eyes to the back of her head, but nodded and proceeded to follow after (Y/n).

Tobias lingered behind. His eyes fell to the man on the ground, the pool of blood around his head steadily growing larger and larger. A sight that strangely provided Tobias with some sort of twisted satisfaction. It didn't take a genius to know that the man wouldn't survive his wound if he didn't receive proper treatment soon. He'd probably die from blood loss, if the impact to his skull hadn't already killed him that is.

Good riddance.

Tobias didn't give the man another glance as he turned on his heels and followed after (Y/n) and Lupita. A confusion creeping in his chest at his last thought.

It was strange, Tobias had never considered himself the violent type, nor had he ever been one to rejoice about someone's death. The very thought of murder disgusted him. And yet... if the man hadn't been on death's doorstep already, Tobias would have gladly killed him in cold blood.

No, I can't be serious about this. He tried to reassure himself, shaking his head to dismiss the thought.

Tobias wasn't a murderer. Nor was he one to entertain the thought of murder. Because these were wrong and as immoral and immorality went. This was exactly what he hated about the Infected society and Infected people as a whole. This was exactly what he dreaded to become because of his own Infection.

So why did the thought of killing this man that had been a threat to (Y/n)'s safety didn't disgust him as much as it should have? Why did it almost sound like... the moral thing to do?























































"Alright, you won't be needing any stitches." Marcus said as he inspected (Y/n)'s head injury, dabbing some alcohol onto her scalp to clean the wound and blood.

(Y/n) winced at the gesture, waiting for him to be done treating her wound before muttering a small thank you.

Tobias sat at the dining table across from her, green eyes never straying from her. Which only made it all the more easier for (Y/n) to see the anger and frustration in his gaze. It was clear he wasn't about to let this go any time soon.

"Looks like you have a slight concussion though, so I'd take things easy if I were you." Marcus continued with a kind smile, patting (Y/n) on the shoulder. He then turned to Lupita, who was leaning back against the kitchen sink with her arms still crossed over her chest, much like Tobias would sometimes stand when he didn't want to sit. "Do you have any injuries for me to look at, young girl?"

"No. Thank you but I'm fine." Lupita answered with a tense smile. It was clear she wasn't comfortable with the situation at hand. Still, she had chosen to listen to Tobias and tag along. Probably because she had been scared of Tobias dragging her there himself in case she had refused. Not that he would have done such a thing though, right?

"I'm glad." (Y/n) shot her a smile, happy to know that she had gotten there in time before anything could have happened to her.

Tobias wasn't anywhere near smiling though.

"Who was this guy?" He asked, glancing over at Lupita. "And why was he chasing after you?"

Lupita swallowed thickly and averted her eyes to the side, not really keen on talking about her current situation, plus, this Tobias guy really rubbed her the wrong way. Instead she looked over at (Y/n) and chose to ask her own question.

"You're Uninfected, am I right?"

Cold dread trickled down (Y/n)'s shoulders at these words, her eyes immediately seeking Tobias and Marcus's for some kind of help, guidance, anything.

"An Infected would have killed this guy without a second thought. And wouldn't have been kicked off like a fly from a mere shove." Lupita clarified, features betraying none of her inner thoughts. Which only made the situation all the more terrifying for (Y/n).

Tobias frowned, irritation bubbling inside of him as he listened to Lupita. If (Y/n) had been annoying at the beginning, this Lupita was downright insufferable.

"Don't worry though." Lupita continued, giving (Y/n) a reassuring smile before shooting Tobias a side glance. "I'm not gonna blow your cover or anything. That'd be hypocritical of me." She tilted her head to the side, features soft with empathy. "I know what it's like."

(Y/n) stared at her with wide eyes, her headache now completely forgotten.

"You're Uninfected too?" (Y/n) didn't think she even needed to ask, but she needed to hear it to believe it. Until now Marcus had been the only Uninfected she had met in the city that hadn't been caught by the government and taken to the Uninfected Shelter.

She had thought that maybe Marcus was an exception, a very lucky man who had been able to keep his cover and live in the city as a free man, living amongst the Infected. But now that she had another Uninfected standing in front of her, (Y/n) couldn't help but wonder just how many of them there were in the city, pretending to be Infected. More than that, if Marcus wasn't an exception, then this could only mean one thing; that the government's ability to track down Uninfected wasn't that infallible. And thus, that (Y/n)'s chances of making it in the city were higher than what she had foreseen.

As long as she made the Infected society's social codes hers, of course. Which was still a work in progress. Lupita had made that much evident when she had pointed out just how easy it had been for her to tell (Y/n) was Uninfected just by analyzing her behavior in the face of danger.

But now that (Y/n) knew Lupita was Uninfected, maybe she could stop entirely relying on Marcus for advice, and ask Lupita instead. Maybe they could even become friends.

Ever since coming to the city, (Y/n) had tried to stay away from everyone, scared that she'd trigger someone's Infection or get herself in sketchy love affairs. Apart from Tobias and Marcus, she hadn't socialized much. Well, not like she had had many friends back home either. But maybe this was the occasion for her to get out of her shell and actually make a friend of her own.

That was, if Lupita wanted this too, of course. But even if she didn't, it was okay with (Y/n). Just the thought that other Uninfected lived in the city as normal citizens was enough comfort for her.

"I am." Lupita confirmed, looking down at her feet. "But officially, I'm a Sadistic. Usually people don't like them so they tend to stay away and leave me alone."

Tobias sighed in exasperation and repeated his previous question. "Who was this man, then?"

Lupita rolled her eyes at him and shot Tobias an annoyed glance. "An asshole. I bumped into his boyfriend at the market the other day and he thought I'd done it intentionally to hurt him. So he tracked me down, found me and decided to beat me to a pulp."

(Y/n) perked up at this. The first time she had met Lupita, a man had bumped into her and sent her groceries to the ground. (Y/n) had then helped her out by picking up one of her avocados and handing it back to Lupita.

"I think I remember that." (Y/n) said, holding her knees to her chest. "It wasn't your fault though. He was the one to bump into you in the first place."

Lupita chuckled humorlessly at that, her dark eyes holding (Y/n)'s. "Protectives don't care about that. You hurt their Darling or they see you as a threat? You're on their hit list." Only then did Lupita's gaze trail over to Tobias.

She hadn't known him for more than half an hour, but it was clear judging by his previous reaction that he was a Protective. One that cared a bit too much for (Y/n) from the looks of it.

Tobias shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, his heart tightening in his chest. He knew that Lupita wasn't wrong in her analysis. Protectives weren't any better than other Infected, they too did some fucked up things in order to protect their Darling. He knew that to Lupita, much like the man who had just attacked her, he was a potential threat. But to be assimilated with these kinds of behaviors when he did everything in his power not to fall into his Infection's ways... It didn't sit right with him and only served as a reminder to him that he'd always remain a monster.

No matter how hard he tried.

His eyes fleeted over to (Y/n) and something warm shifted in his chest as he looked at her. Only for a more sinister thought to invade his mind.

He had thought about killing a man for her. Worse than that, it had seemed like the right thing to do to him. Even though he had sworn to himself that he'd never resort to violence, that he'd never entertain the thought of murder. This thought had come to him as naturally as any other when he had seen (Y/n) hurt.

His blood turned to ice in his veins, as there was only one explanation for such a sudden change of character.

Tobias was in love with (Y/n). Or in other words... (Y/n) had triggered his Infection.