Partners In Crime (lietpol/Poliet)

Chapter 21

Love doesn't last.

Toris shook his head.

"N-no," he sputtered. "You're wrong."

Francis fixed Toris with a firm stare. "Am I?"

Toris blinked rapidly. Love doesn't last. Did Feliks believe that? Was that why the Pole ditched him?

"If love is so stupid, then why did you obsess over it? You'd write a list filled with 'ships' of different people. You took a picture of Feliks kissing me for the gossip of it."

"Why do parents ooh and awe when their kids believe in Santa Clause? Because they're so naive. It's almost cutely pathetic to watch people pursue true love."

Toris forced himself to look Francis in the eye. Well, he tried to anyway. He wound up staring at the floor, or at France's knife, or at the scar on his shoulder.

Wait a minute...

"Francis," Toris inquired. "How long ago did the incident with Joan happen?"

Francis glowered. "Several years ago. I think I was in sixth or seventh grade. Why?"

Toris pointed a long finger at Francis's shoulder. "Well than why does your scar look new? If I had to guess you got the wound maybe a week or two ago. And what were you doing with that knife? Were you going to...?"

"I was going to nothing."

Toris shook his head. "Francis, you need help. You clearly have a problem with-"

"I don't have a problem with self harm."

"I think you do."

"Don't tell me what I do and don't have a problem with!" Francis's voice shook. Toris flinched. For a second he thought Francis was going to attack him, but then the Frenchman dropped the knife and sniffled.

"I don't have a problem," Francis growled, turning away. "I don't have dozens of scars, I'm not addicted to hurting myself. I choose to reopen that wound. I just don't want that one scar to heal. I don't want to forget what happened."

Toris reached to put a comforting arm Francis's shoulder, but Frenchman pulled away. Toris sighed. "It's okay to remember, but you can't keep blaming yourself like this."

"Why? So that I can lie to myself? So that I can live the rest of my life believing that I'm not at fault here? I am." Francis wiped his eyes, refusing to look at Toris. "Besides, what are you, a therapist? What the hell would you know about pain?"

Toris gulped. He slung his backpack off his shoulders and started sifting through it. Toris had picked up his prescription of anti-depressants from the pharmacy earlier that morning and put them in his bag during school.

Toris found the bottle. He picked it up and showed Francis. "I think I might know a little bit more about pain than you may think."

Francis said nothing. Toris wasn't done. "You need help."

Francis visibly flinched at the word help. "Help?" He spat. "I need help? Joan tried to help me. Look where that got her. And Gilert tried to help me. Where'd that get him?"

Toris frowned. "What did Gilbert try to help you with?"

Francis cursed under his breath. "It's none of your damn business! I'm going. If you tell anyone about this conversation I will literally kill you."

Somehow Toris didn't feel threatened, only concerned for Francis.

"Wait," Toris urged. "You already told me about Joan; what do you have to lose by explaining what happened with Gilbert?"

Francis sighed. "Drugs are what happened." Francis didn't seem to be willing to offer any more.

"Elaborate," Toris coaxed.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I won't tell anyone. And telling your darkest secrets makes you feel a little better."

"Fine. I'll try to make this quick. You how throughout freshman and sophomore year, Toni, Gilbert, and I didn't have any friends beside each other? We really took that to heart. We weren't used to being losers.

"I started hanging around a couple of other kids. Drug dealers. It was like an exclusive clique, and all you had to do was buy some pot or molly or something and you were in.

"I told Toni and Gilbert about it. Toni refused, but he promised he wouldn't tell anyone what I was up to. I convinced Gilbert, though.

"A couple of months later, our cars were searched. Apparently someone claimed an eyewitness account of us snorting something and the police issued a warrant. They found our cars stocked with various drugs.

"Gilbert and I were questioned separately. I played it dumb. I said I had no idea how the drugs had gotten into my car.

"Gilbert went for a different approach. He confessed. He said it was all his fault, and he had hidden the drugs in my car as well as his own.

"They let me off with a warning. I got lucky. Had they made me take a drug test, it'd be all over. But Gilbert, he didn't get off so easily."

Toris listened. He had no idea what had been going on with Francis.

The Frenchman clenched his fist. His eyes were watery. "Everyone who tries to help me gets screwed in the long run. It just happens that way."

Toris shook his head. "The world hasn't written some conduct against you. You've felt too much pain for too long and you need help."

"I don't need help. Besides, why would you want to do me a favor? I've been nothing but rude to you."

Toris gave a reassuring smile. "Because I can't watch someone suffer and turn a blind eye."

"I don't need help," Francis repeated.

Toris wasn't listening. He got his phone and a slip of paper. He started writing a number.

"What are you doing?" Francis demanded. "Why are you giving me your number?"

"It's not my number. It my therapist's number." Toris handed the slip of paper to Francis. "Call it. Or don't. I don't care. I can't do anything if you refuse help, but don't say I didn't try."

With that, Toris got up and left.

A/N: I know I said would wait until tomorrow to post this but I'm too impatient 😂

QOTD: If you could make 1 country (currently not a character in the anime) intones character in the anime, what country would you choose?

I'm not sure if these have been made into characters in the manga, but probably Mexico or Phillipines or South Africa.