Upon regaining consciousness, the first thing (Y/n) registered was the soft mattress underneath her back, the warm blanket draped over her form and the silent hum of life around her. And then the pain, pulsing in her ankle and ribcage.

Her eyes fluttered open, daylight and a white ceiling greeting her. She didn't remember going home with Lupita, she didn't even remember leaving the coffee shop. All she could recall was the wild fear coursing through her, the agony and the man's cruel voice mocking her as she twisted under his grasp.

And then-

Her eyes flitted over to the side of the bed, recognition washing over her as she caught sight of Tobias sleeping soundly in an armchair by her side of the bed, messy brown strands falling in front of his features and his arms crossed over his chest.

(Y/n) could vaguely remember hearing Tobias's voice, but on the brink of passing out she hadn't been able to tell whether it had been real or her imagination.

Her eyes then landed on the blood caked underneath his nails and splattered over his peaceful features. Relief and fear clawing at her core in equal parts. Whilst she was glad to be safe and mostly in one piece, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened while she was unconscious. Had Lupita come back? Was she even aware of what had happened and of (Y/n)'s current whereabouts?

And what had Tobias been doing in this part of the city when he lived and worked on the opposite side? Had (Y/n) just been lucky to have him pass by Miguel's Kitchen that day specifically?

Everything was a blur and the gears turning in her head were starting to give her a headache. One thing was for sure though, she had passed out in Miguel's Kitchen and had woken up in her former bedroom at Marcus's. In this moment, this was all she knew, and she'd have to bear with the interrogations until Tobias woke up.

(Y/n) shifted and tried sitting up, only for pain to shoot through her chest and bring her back down on the pillows with a grunt. She gazed down at herself, bandages tightly wrapped around her arms tainted with crimson spots, a cast around her left ankle and another set of bandages around her torso to prevent excessive strain on her broken rib. This was the worst state she'd ever seen herself in and not a pretty sight.

Unfortunately there were no medicines to ease the flashbacks that kept assaulting her mind. The man's wicked grin, his foot mercilessly stepping on her broken ankle, her back harshly meeting the wall and the sickening crack that broke through her chest on impact, the warmth of her own blood on her tongue and the pain slicing through her arms as the coolness of a blade slit through her tender skin. All these would probably haunt (Y/n) for the months to come.

At the very least she was alive to remember it though.

Tobias stirred in his chair, his eyes blinking a few times to chase away the remnants of sleep before they landed on (Y/n)'s now awake form. He straightened up instantly.

"Hey." He said, keeping his voice soft and low so as to not trigger her. "How are you feeling?"

He leaned over to help her sit up in the bed, fluffing out the pillows at her back before grabbing a glass of water from the bedside table and handing it over to her.

"I don't know." (Y/n) said, "Like shit, I guess? And confused." She gave Tobias a pointed look, a silent request for him to fill in the blanks in her missing memories.

Tobias nodded silently, assessing the state of the bandages on her arms and chest before letting out a tired sigh.

"You got attacked by a Sadistic, I showed up, saved you and brought you here." He summarised briefly, hoping this would satisfy her curiosity. He really didn't feel like plunging himself into the memories of last night. This was something he didn't want to ever think of again.

She could have died. If Tobias hadn't shown up, (Y/n) could have died.

The thought that terrified him and kept him awake at night had almost come true and he had barely made it in time to save her. Hell, if he had run faster and if he hadn't stayed at work so late he could have prevented this from happening. But no, Tobias had insisted on finishing his current project -a gift of apology to (Y/n) herself for how he had acted towards her- and the few additional minutes he had spent at work had cost (Y/n) her safety.

Tobias would never forgive himself for not being here to protect her when she needed him the most. Every look at her broken ankle and tortured body acting as a sickening reminder that he should have been there. That he had failed as her protector.

He would never forget the nauseating tug that had alarmed him of something being wrong, the same one that had led him to her when she had fought a man to save Lupita's life and had gotten herself injured in the process.

He would never forget the cold unforgiving dread that had washed over him as he ran as fast as he could to (Y/n)'s workplace, only to see her broken and bruised on the floor. He would never forget the pure rage that had filled his veins when he had seen the man looming over her. And he would never forget the satisfying vision of himself bashing the man's head in with a chair, the splattering of blood over his features and the wet sound of the man's skull cracking.

"I know, I figured that much." (Y/n) answered in a soft voice, scratching the back of her head. She felt bad for insisting, even more so considering it looked like Tobias really didn't want to talk about it. But she needed to know. "I meant to know what happened to the man? Is Lupita safe and does she know that I'm here? We were supposed to-"

"He's dead." Tobias cut her off firmly. "The man's dead. You don't have to worry about him anymore."

(Y/n) remained silent, letting Tobias's words sink in. This was a relief, at least she wouldn't have to worry about him coming after her again, but the unease of why he had attacked her in the first place still remained. Even if fucked up, the Infected society didn't allow you to attack someone at random just for the heck of it. You needed a justification to do so, one that had to do with love. The man had refused to give her his reasons but she could only guess this had to do with the poor person he considered his lover. And honestly (Y/n) couldn't say whether this was good or terrible news. Because if this man's lover learnt of her involvement in his death, she was as good as dead herself.

Not that this would be a problem though, because unbeknownst to (Y/n), Artty's darling was in fact in love with her. If anything, Penelope would be grateful for Artty's death.

"You should drink some water. I'll prepare breakfast." Tobias continued, standing up from his chair and stepping toward the door.

"Wait!" (Y/n) called out to him, her hand shooting up as if to hold him back. He turned around, features tired and riddled with underlying guilt. "Thank you for saving me. I feel like you've helped me time and time again and I still haven't found a way to repay you correctly." (Y/n) bowed her head in quiet shame, "Is there anything I can do? Anything you want-"

"I want you to let me take care of you and for you to take care of yourself." Tobias answered with the soft hints of a loving smile. "That's all I want."

With those words Tobias left the room, leaving (Y/n) on her own to bathe in her thoughts. He hadn't answered about Lupita, but surely she was okay, right? Maybe Tobias had even told her about what had happened and Lupita was waiting for her at home? Tobias was probably waiting to see if (Y/n) was okay to then accompany her back to Lupita's house.

Yeah, that had to be it. She'd be back home in Lupita's arms in no time.

But something about the way Tobias had dodged her question didn't sit right with her, and for the first time, her former bedroom felt more oppressive than comforting.

(Y/n) waited patiently, taking notes of every little detail in the room, trying to make sense of her own thoughts and the unease brewing at the pit of her stomach. Until finally, Tobias came back, carrying a tray with scrambled eggs, fresh diced fruits and some toasts. He had also cleaned the blood off his face and scrubbed his nails clean.

The knot at her core eased, a soft smile curving her lips as he set the tray on the bedside table. (Y/n) knew Tobias, and he had shown her that he was on her side on so many occasions, always there to help her even if sometimes reluctantly. She really had no reason to doubt his intentions, right?

"Thanks." She said, "I really appreciate it."

Tobias remained quiet, tiredly sitting back down on the chair beside the bed, observing her as she ate with a degree of seriousness that made (Y/n)'s skin tingle. The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words, until eventually, Tobias broke it.

"You could have died."

(Y/n) looked up at him to meet his eyes, ridden with heavy dark circles and signs of exhaustion. What retained (Y/n)'s attention was more the haunted look in his gaze though, a mix of guilt and strange determination. She paused, the food suddenly turning to ash in her mouth.

"Glad you stepped in before I did, then!" She chuckled nervously, the sound lacking its usual shine and humour.

The silence returned, thick and stifling, (Y/n) pondering over her next choice of words. She wanted to ask Tobias about Lupita again, but no matter how she formulated the question in her head, something told her she wouldn't like his answer either way. (Y/n) had to know though, had to know that Lupita was okay and that her girlfriend knew where to find her.

So (Y/n) cleared her throat, pushing the ominous filling pooling at her gut to the back of her mind.

"Is Lupita okay? And does she know I'm here?" She started, "We had something planned yesterday night and-"

"She's fine." Tobias cut her off, more harshly than he meant to, which caught (Y/n) slightly off guard. Tobias had always been rough around the edges, but he had never been harsh with her.

She tilted her head to the side, concern etched in a frown between her brows.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, dreading the question and dreading his answer even more. Something about Tobias was wrong, very wrong.

Tobias exhaled sharply, closing his eyes to focus on easing the simmering apprehension and anxiety underneath his skin.

This is for the best. He tried to remind himself, but even if he knew it to be true, he also knew (Y/n) would hate it. He hadn't meant for things to come to this, he hated the idea of trespassing (Y/n)'s feelings and wishes, but this was for the best. If last night had taught him something, it was that (Y/n) wasn't safe, not anywhere, and that if he wanted to protect her the best option was for her to stay by his side where he could watch over her.

So even if he knew she would hate this, even if he knew this was borderline controlling... This time he had to be firm. Her safety was at risk, and he wouldn't let her put it in jeopardy ever again. Hell, he wouldn't let anyone put her safety on the line ever again.

"(Y/n)..." He started, combing a nervous hand through his hair. "You're not going back to Lupita's. You're staying here."

(Y/n) paused, so caught off guard by his words that she could barely process them.

"What?" She chuckled again, an anxious and desperate sound that broke Tobias's heart. "What do you mean 'you're staying here'?"

He really didn't want to do this. But he knew it wasn't about what he wanted, nor was it about what (Y/n) wanted herself. It was about keeping her safe, and that was admittedly way more important than what either of them could ever feel about what he was about to do.

"You can't go back outside." He continued, refusing to meet her gaze for fear of what he'd find there. Anger, betrayal, shock, despair, hurt. Still, he carried on, the words falling from his lips with brutal detachment. "We have no idea who this man was or why he attacked you in the first place, hell, we don't even know if he was the only one out to kill you. Which is why you can't go back outside, it's not safe for you."

(Y/n) remained speechless.

She had spent so much time with Tobias, had grown so accustomed to his reassuring presence and had grown so close to him, that she had almost forgotten why either of them had even been reluctant to team up in the first place. Tobias, much like every other person in this godforsaken city, much like Jasper, was an Infected. And this was a harsh reminder of that fact.

"You're joking, right?" She asked, praying for him to crack into a grin and tell her it was all a sick, sick joke. But Tobias did no such thing. He remained still, features unreadable as he stared at his crossed hands.

"Tobias?" She repeated, hot tears gathering at the back of her eyes and anxiety gnawing at her insides. "Please, tell me you're-"

"I'm just trying to protect you, (Y/n)." Tobias firmly stated, in a tone that left no room for argument. "I know you don't see things the way I do, but I'm doing this for you, I only have your best interest in mind. I can't let anything happen to you."

"Do you even hear yourself?" (Y/n) asked, completely baffled. "You almost sound like-"

"Like I'm in love with you?" Tobias finished, finally daring to meet (Y/n)'s gaze.

No. No, no, no, no, no. (Y/n) cried in her head, dread creeping up her throat as a sorry smile curved Tobias's lips.

"I'm really sorry." He said, "I tried to fight it, I tried really hard. But I can't. I love you too much to let anything happen to you."

(Y/n) shook her head wildly, her food now long forgotten as she watched Tobias stand up from his chair and turn his back on her.

"No, Tobias, please, you know this is crazy. You can't just keep me locked up here!" She cried, trying to get off the bed only for pain to shoot up her ankle and for her to pathetically fall onto her knees.

Fuck!!

(Y/n) felt like crying, screaming, tearing the hair off her scalp. This had to be a huge joke, right? There was just no way this could be happening. No, this couldn't be happening after everything she'd done to finally be free from everything she'd ever known. But unfortunately for (Y/n), there was no running away from her current situation. As Tobias's next actions left no room for denial.

He was by her side in an instant, a wild mix of fear and worry etched over his features as he scanned her for any sign of injury before snaking a strong arm around her waist and effortlessly moving her back onto the bed. She helplessly plopped down on the mattress, tears streaming down her face as she latched onto his arms.

"Please, you have to let me go. Tobias, I'm begging you!"

She tried to reason with him, tried to appeal to a more rational part of himself she hoped was still buried somewhere. Until the words died in her throat as, to her horror, Tobias moved to tie her wrists to the bed. Which he successfully did.

"No, Tobias, please!" She screamed, tugging on her restraints, but it was no use. "You can't do this!"

Tobias's heart sunk in his chest as he turned his back to her yet again, her cries appealing to the part of him that ached for her approval, for her to love him back. But he'd rather have (Y/n) alive than have her liking him.

So he stepped towards the door, giving her a last look of pure sorrow. "I'm sorry. I really am."

This was the last thing he said before twisting the door open and locking it behind him with a sickening click.

(Y/n) heaved, staring at the door like it was Tobias himself and he was still there to listen to her.

"Fuck you!!"

On the other side of the door, Tobias flinched at her words, his eyes briefly meeting Marcus's, the old man standing in the living room with a hard look on his features. Disappointment, disapproval, fear.

"This is wrong, Tobias. You know it."

Tobias swallowed thickly, tears threatening to spill from his eyes as he willed himself to speak the words he knew would destroy his relationship with his grandfather forever. But if it meant keeping (Y/n) safe, he would, even if it hurt him in the process.

"You don't understand." He started, wiping the corners of his eyes with the sleeve of his tee shirt. "Don't try to get in my way, or you'll give me no choice but to report you to the Infected authorities."

This is for the best. Tobias reminded himself as he walked away, not daring to look at Marcus on his way out.

This is for the best.