Silent

39. First, you need to taste.

Jean wasn't always bad; he wasn't always what he appeared to be that day. Michael remembered pieces of memories they had shared, happy memories. Jean wasn't bad, not completely, not truly. Michael had seen his good side. He remembered secrets shared on quiet evenings, and Michael had always known there were more secrets on Jean's part as well.

Now, seeing the man like this... Those bleeding eyes and the vile smell of alcohol on his breath... There was a loud noise in the apartment, Eric's voice was raised, Patrick was there, and Michael was looking at his clothes that were scattered all over the floor. He stuffed his clothes into his bag with trembling hands, Sam helped, while Jean quarreled loudly with Eric.

"Where are my pictures?" Michael finally dared to ask as he got up from the floor. Jean looked at him with an evil smirk curving his lips.

"In the bedroom," the man replied. Michael nodded slowly and walked towards the room. Jean immediately followed Eric and Sam quickly behind him. Paul stayed in the living room with Patrick. "You're going to regret this whore, I swear it," Jean hissed, and just before he got to the younger man Eric got a grip on him to prevent it. Jean cursed. "Fuck, let go of me!" he shouted, but Eric only further tightened his hold.

When Michael saw the pictures of his family and Tommy, the pictures he had so carefully protected during all those horrible years, torn to pieces and spread across the bedroom floor, he burst into tears and Jean laughed maliciously. Sam looked at the man in disbelief, came beside Michael, and stroked his back comfortingly. Sam didn't know what to say, the whole situation seemed absurd and Jean in all his madness scared him, for Michael's sake.

Michael took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and began assembling the pieces. They were soon alerted by Paul's cry. Eric glanced over his shoulder worried and released his grip on Jean, to see if his partner needed help. Jean smiled unpleasantly gazing at Sam, who now stood protectively between Michael and him.

The sounds of Eric and Patrick's bickering rang from the living room. "It won't last," Jean said in a low voice. Sam stared at the man tightly. 

"You're going to leave Michael alone after this, understand?" Michael got up after collecting the pieces of the pictures and looked over at Jean with sadness. Jean didn't answer Sam, he held Michael's gaze and tilted his head. 

"You're very ungrateful Michael. You may still come to regret this," Jean said. "I no longer have any obligations to you." The man looked back at Samuel and smiled coldly. "Enjoy now while you can. Fuck him to fulfill your lust, that whore is good for that." Michael saw how Sam's neck muscles tensed. The man was already raising his fist at Jean, but Michael placed his hand gently on his arm to stop him.

"Let's go," he whispered. "Violence doesn't solve anything, and he won't listen to us now," Sam's shoulders relaxed, and he nodded. Michael was right, what could you even say to that lunatic? They came into the living room, where the atmosphere was at least as tense.

"I'm ready, are we leaving?" Michael asked and Eric nodded stiffly as Patrick grinned beside him. Jean sat on the couch looking back at his now former lover with such bitterness and hate in his eyes that Michael was certain that it wouldn't be over this easily.

Patrick had attacked Paul in the living room, he had kissed him forcibly while groping him. Eric was furious, he hated Patrick and now his sympathy for Jean was starting to fade as well. "Michael, it's best that you have someone with you on your journeys to work or when you get home. At least until we can be certain that Jean doesn't try anything," Eric said when they got out. Sam agreed, Jean clearly wasn't going to let the relationship end so easily. "Let's look at your work schedule at home so I can try to match them with mine," Sam said.