Yes, there is most definitely a reason this story is called "Scars"...
Mal's knees were burning from crouching under the window so long. She wasn't sure if it had been five minutes or five hours. But gauging from the lack of movement of the moon across the sky, she guessed it had only been five or ten minutes. Jay's screams and the crack of the whip had stopped just a minute ago. Yet, Mal was still scared to move from her spot in the alley. She could hear footsteps of the two somewhere in the shop.
Another few minutes passed before a light in the window from the second floor came on. It was faint, and Mal guessed it was a gas lamp. Edging away from the window, she straightened up. She felt instant relief in her knees. Looking up, she saw that the light was coming from Jay's room. It would be an easy climb. That wasn't what she was worried about. Rather, she was worried about him. He would probably be angry that she was there in the first place, but she had to check on him.
Careful not to make noise, she climbed onto a trashcan and onto the windowsill of Jay's window. The curtains were closed, and the window was locked. Pausing for a moment to listen to make sure Jafar was still in the lower level of the shop, she knocked on the glass.
It took a moment, but the window finally slid up, allowing her room to slip inside. As soon as she was inside, Jay shut the window and closed the curtains again.
"What are you doing here, Mal?" Jay asked. He didn't make eye contact with her, and she immediately guessed why. A large bruise was forming over his left eye.
"I followed you from the market," Mal said. "I'm sorry. I just...Carlos told me what he does to you."
Jay grimaced but didn't say anything as he walked over to his bed. He picked up his vest and pulled it on. He hissed when it touched the skin of his back.
"What are you doing?" Mal snapped. She didn't want to imagine what his back looked like, but it seemed stupid to put clothes on over it.
"Going out. You should go home, Mal." He left his beanie on the bed and instead pulled his hair up into a bun at the base of his neck. He winced as he did so, and Mal wondered if he was in so much pain that it was hard to lift his arms even that much.
"Jay, please, let me help you," Mal started.
Jay cut her off with a dark scowl. "My body just isn't used to it since we had our little vacation in Auradon. I'll be fine in week or so."
"That's a horrible way of thinking about it," Mal said. She followed him to the window, which he opened again and swung one leg out of. "Are you going to see Mother Gothel?"
Jay huffed. "Can Carlos not keep his mouth shut about anything?" He sighed. "Come on, then. You'd probably just follow me there too anyway." He slid out of the window and dropped onto the garbage can below. She followed him once he had jumped off of it.
"He's just worried about you. We all are," Mal said once she was walking along beside him in the alley.
Jay snorted and stuck his hands in his pockets. "You shouldn't. Nothing can be done to help it or fix it. It's just something I live with."
"But you shouldn't have to," Mal said, following him around a corner and down another alley.
"Maybe not, but it's the hand I was dealt. Besides, what would any of you know about physical abuse? Maleficent wouldn't hurt someone who looks just like her, her prodigy. Cruella is all bark and no bite. And Evil Queen would think giving Evie a bruise is a form of disfigurement." He stopped suddenly outside a door and knocked. "Just let it go, alright? And don't overreact when you see it."
Mal huffed but didn't respond as the door swung inward to admit them. As soon as they were in the foyer, a woman with curly jet black hair with streaks of grey in it shut the door firmly behind them.
"Hello, Jay," Mother Gothel said. She sighed. "Rough night again?"
Jay nodded. "And Mal tagged along."
The woman raised an eyebrow at Mal, but she just nodded and led the way down the hall and into a sitting room. "You know the drill. Shirt off before the blood dries." She pulled out a folding table from behind the couch and quickly popped it open so it was standing. It created a small table that she quickly covered in clean sheets. A first aid kit lay on a another table next to it. She was obviously prepared for him.
Jay stripped off his vest and moved to sit on the table with his back to her.
Mal stood in the doorway, clutching the strap of her bag. She couldn't see Jay's back from her position, but when Mother Gothel pressed her lips together in a thin line as she surveyed it, she knew the damage must have been bad. "Is he going to be ok?" Mal asked.
Mother Gothel glanced at her. "He'll be fine. Just more scars." She picked up a cloth from the first aid kit and dipped it into a dish of water. She pressed it carefully to the wounds on Jay's back, and he gasped. Mal wondered if it was more than water to clean the wounds. The woman looked back up at her. "Come dab the blood away and clean the wounds. I need to go get numbing creme from the closet."
Mal opened her mouth to protest as Mother Gothel handed her the rag and left the room. Jay raised an eyebrow at her, so she closed her mouth and moved over to him. Standing behind him, she looked at what the whip had done to his back. The old scars were there, along with scabs from the recent punishment. But now, there were wide open gashes interspersed between and over all of those. Blood ran and dripped from each wound, some going deeper than others. Some stitches that hadn't been removed were now torn out, bleeding fresh. "Gosh, Jay."
Mal swallowed the bile in her throat and pressed the rag against a wound on his shoulder blade. "I'm sorry that this happened to you," she said.
"Try to get the bleeding to stop. Apply a little pressure. She can't sew me up until most of the blood is gone. The needle gets too slippery," Jay said. He folded the vest in his lap and sat still.
Mal nodded and continued dabbing at the wounds. Some of his skin was torn off completely, while other fragments were still barely attached like webbing or lace clinging to his back. It made her ill to look at it.
Mother Gothel returned a few minutes later and waved Mal out of the way. "Thank you," she said, taking the rag from Mal. She looked over Jay's back now and nodded. "Alright. Jay, I'm out of numbing creme."
Mal thought she saw Jay tense.
"You going to be ok with that?" the woman asked, starting to thread a needle from the kit.
Jay nodded. "Yeah." He exhaled. "I'm good."
Mal moved away from Mother Gothel, not wanting to watch her sew the wounds shut. She wasn't sure she could even handle it. She wasn't squeamish with blood or anything, but the wounds themselves were just too nasty for her. Instead, she moved so she was standing in front of Jay. There was no risk of seeing his back that way. She saw instantly that he had lied. He wasn't fine. He had wadded his vest into a ball and was clutching it tightly, his knuckles white.
Mal reached forward and hesitantly laid one of her hands over his. He flinched and looked up at her. She swallowed, but he didn't pull away or tell her to stop. In fact, his grip slackened a bit, and he curled his index finger around hers. She gave him a soft smile, trying to encourage him.
Mother Gothel moved a lamp from a table up beside Jay and angled its shade so more of its light fell on Jay's back. Then she leaned forward with the needle and began her work.
Jay immediately shut his eyes, his face screwed up in pain. Mal kept her eyes on his face, not wanting to focus too much on what the woman was doing behind him. She saw him clench his jaw tightly, his lips pressed together in a hard line. She moved her free hand to his neck to brush her thumb over his jaw. Having him tense would only make the pain worse. That much she knew.
He seemed to relax a bit, but his face was still an expression of pain and anxiety. He released his hold on his vest and instead gripped the wrist of the hand that was on his. A moment later, he pulled her closer until her hip touched his knee. He bent forward slightly and laid his forehead on her shoulder. Softly, in her ear, she heard him sigh, and his hand tightened on hers as he laced their fingers together.
She moved her hand from his neck to the back of his head. She stroked his hair gently, wanting him to stay relaxed long enough for Mother Gothel to finish the stitches. Still, she didn't look at the woman or her work. She kept her eyes closed now, focusing on staying calm herself so Jay could relax. Well, as much as he could with a needle being shoved through layers of his raw back over and over.
It took nearly half an hour. Mal guessed that Mother Gothel had been working slow to try to avoid hurting him much worse, but dragging the ordeal out was still brutal. By the time the woman finished the last of the stitches, Jay's hands were shaking in Mal's. His breathing had quickened several times too. Luckily, he seemed to relax when the healing ointment and bandages were applied. Still, Mal only moved away from him when Mother Gothel told him he could put his vest back on.
"I'll get you some blankets," Mother Gothel said and left the room.
Mal looked at Jay. "Blankets?"
Jay zipped up his vest slowly. "I crash on the couch here usually and just sneak back to the shop before dawn so Dad doesn't notice I left. I mean, he's not stupid. He notices I have them stitched up later. But I don't want him knowing who does it for me. I don't want her dragged into this."
Mal nodded. She had somehow come to understand over the past hour why Jay wanted to keep everyone shut out and as far away from him as possible. Honestly, she was surprised he had even allowed her, Carlos, and Evie into his life if Jafar was potentially this dangerous. It was enough to worry about without keeping up appearances with three friends who could and did follow him home to discover the truth.
"You should go now," Jay said.
Mal nodded, knowing she was bound to get yelled at for returning over an hour later than she was meant to with Diablo's dinner. "No more lies, Jay," she said. She swallowed and reached out to grip his hand again. "I mean it. I know you think you can't escape this. And honestly, you're right; I don't know how to help you get out of it this instant. But I can help you by being here for you. Alright? If nothing else, I'm here."
Jay nodded and gave her hand a squeeze. "I know, Mal. I just...I didn't want you involved in this part of my life. But I guess...if you're going to butt in regardless..." He smiled, laughing a bit. She smiled too, nodding.
"You know that's what I do. I'm not satisfied until my nose is in everything." Mal stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. "Just be careful, ok?"
Jay nodded. "I'll try. You be careful too."
Mal nodded and slid her hand from his. She walked away, slipping past Mother Gothel as the woman headed back into the room with a stack of blankets. She reached the door and slipped outside into the cold night air. Taking a deep breath of crisp air, she prayed that time would erase the images of Jay's pain and his torn back from her mind. It made her want to cry. But she didn't. Instead, she turned toward home, bracing for the punishment from her mother that she was actually thankful for for being just words. Because she realized now that even Maleficent, the baddest of the bad, could be much, much worse.
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Foarrin
