//𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 (Lee Christmas x Reader)

ten.

Lee was sitting in his cot, wringing his hands. They had talked plans and had set up a rotation to keep watch outside the hangar and Gunner was currently out. Lesedi was on his way back from a short trip to South Africa. The freed hostages were sitting in the back corner of the living area, uncertainly watching the gang of mercenaries sort through weapons and firepower. The woman was laying in a cot not far from them, still sweating out her fever though she was trembling so much that Lee could see the blanket vibrating. He was watching her, trying to see what you must have saw when you forced Gunner to carry her and run. All he saw was another victim, bloody and dirty and sick.

Without anything else to do, he stood from his cot and moved towards her, inspecting her as he approached. The other hostages watched him but made no move to say or do anything to stop him. Lee knew it wasn't trust, just exhaustion.

He pulled a crate beside the cot and sat down, rubbing his hands together while he chewed on his cheek. They all watched him, even the woman, whose eyes were glassy and bloodshot from lack of sleep.

"How are you?" Lee asked, swallowing and tilting his head so that it hung towards her.

"I am better," she said, though her voice was unstable.

"What's your name?" Lee asked, realizing that since they showed up, none of the guys had really spoken to them.

"I am Rani," she spoke softly, shuddering beneath the blanket. "That woman who saved us. You are close with her?"

Lee looked down at her, brows furrowed. "That obvious?"

"You are all very upset," she said, and she reached out a feeble, shaking hand and gave his knee a pat. "I owe her my life."

He pressed his lips together and nodded. He appreciated the comfort she offered, but it filled him with guilt still; she was tortured, sick, and maybe dying. He should be offering her comfort. There was silence between them except for the sound of her blanket shaking against the cot and her teeth occasionally chattering.

"What are they doing to her right now?" Lee asked, giving form to the thoughts that had been consuming him. The woman looked at him, her eyes framed with dark, sickly circles. Her body was sore not just from fever. She didn't know how long she had been in their custody. At first she had measured time in beatings, but then they became too frequent and she lost count. But that wasn't what he was asking, and she knew that.

"Hard to say," she said simply, looking up to the ceiling. The men she was with had all showered, and she wished distantly that she was strong enough to clean herself. She wouldn't let them touch her more than what was necessary.

"Were there other women?" Lee asked, his hands tensing, rubbing dry against each other.

"Occasionally," she said, cold but not unkind. "You want to know if they will rape her. You care for her a great deal."

Lee bit his lip but didn't respond, waiting for Rani to find the strength or the will or both to continue. The other men were listening, knowing the answer well.

"I cannot speak for an experience other than my own," she said, eyes still trained to the ceiling as she shivered. "But if her experience will be similar to my own, then the answer is yes. They will do what they want with her. And if she does not let them, they will beat it out of her. That is their way."

Lee's jaw was tight and locked, eyes pointed down to his feet.

"But from what I saw of her," she continued, turning to him slightly, tears beading in her eyes. "It is not in her way to stop fighting."

Lee looked up and found her eyes, and then for a moment he saw what he thought you might have seen. A spark of life. A flame. A seedling budding in the aftermath of a forest fire. Rani had survived through sheer force of will, and she still did, though her body crumbled and broke. She was strong, despite her weaknesses, and Lee imagined how many times you had seen that strength drain from a dying gaze. He understood why you had changed so much the year you were gone.