Evan fell next to Poppy and quickly turned on his back to try to protect himself, feeling a curious sense of deja vu.
Francis put a foot on the front of his calf. It wasn't enough to break anything, but if he stomped, his tibia would definitely snap. "You would go low enough to hit someone because they don't have feelings for you?" he asked, feeling hatred rise up as he pressed harder. "There must be something wrong with you."
Evan tried to shift his leg out from under Francis' foot, wincing slightly. He looked over at Poppy who was looking at him with a horrified expression. "Poppy... baby. Poppy, I'm sorry. You just made me angry, that's all." His voice was soothing, and he reached a hand out for her.
(HE DID NOT JUST DO THAT IN FRONT OF FRANCIS) Francis let go of his leg in disbelief, pausing for a moment. "You can hit people if your hand is broken," he said, his voice low, his foot slamming down on the arm that was reaching towards her.
(YES HE DID) Poppy turned her face away at the last moment, screwing her eyes shut. Evan cried out in pain and clutched at his arm. Francis hadn't broken it, but he had hurt it pretty badly. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he gasped, scootching back. He turned to Poppy, gesturing at him with his free hand. "How long until he does that to you, huh?"
Poppy moved closer to Francis, saying nothing although her eyes were wide with alarm. A small bruise was already beginning to form on her jaw where he had hit her. "Poppy, it was a mistake," Evan said, pleading. "I'll never do it again. Just.... think about who you're with, here."
Francis lightly brushed over the bruise with a concerned sigh. He looked up at Evan, his eyes narrow. "I think you should leave."
"Poppy.." he said, his voice pleading. "Go," she replied quietly, scooting closer to Francis. "Get the hell out of here." He watched her for a moment before standing up, still holding his arm. He turned on his heel, stepping past the bouquet of crushed peonies quickly and disappearing at the end of the hallway.
Francis turned back to Poppy, his expression softening into worry. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?" he asked, moving to hold her gently.
She wrapped her arms around his torso, burying her head in his shoulder. "A little. I'm just a little dizzy, that's all," she said quietly. "God. That was awful."
"I can't believe he did that. If he ever comes up to us again, I'll... I don't know. I'll do something worse. You didn't deserve that. He's just a huge ass," he said, petting her hair. "I'm sorry I wasn't there in time to stop it."
"It's alright," she said quietly, ignoring the headache that was beginning to form. "You didn't know."
"I was listening to the conversation for a moment.. I was too late to stop him from hitting you, but I should have intervened earlier." His voice was soft and regretful. "I'm sorry."
She sighed, shaking her head against his shoulder. "It's not a big deal," she said quietly. "Don't worry." She pulled away from him and kissed him lightly. "Come on, we should get to the lab."
"Alright," he said slowly, before standing up and offering her a hand. "And we could get some of the stuff for bruises, too, right?"
"Ah," she said, lightly touching the bruise and wincing as a shot of pain went through her cheek. "Right."
"A little," she said as they turned the corner. "It doesn't feel great. But it's fine. Not a big deal."
He looked her from the corner of his eye, frowning a bit. "I really am sorry," he said. "I should have been there sooner."
