I’ve had this idea for a fic in my mind for MONTHS… it’s a one shot but, you know later who knows! I might write more of this if people are interested. Enjoy!
Warnings:WCBH au: absolutely no kids, coffee shop au (kinda), mentions of violence, body injuries, some cuss words. If this makes no sense I’m sorry, I’ve had like 300 words of it on my WIPs for months and finished it this afternoon. No beta we die like men. Word Count: 2k+
The bell of the shop rings to announce a new guest, causing the owner and the other two baristas behind the counter to automatically glance towards the entrance. Your own peeping is interrupted by the toaster oven going off, and you hurry to pull out the croissant inside before it burns. By the time your mindless task is done and you turn towards the register, there’s already one of the new girls taking the customer’s order.
Summary:Marcus Moreno, head of the Heroics, meets Missy’s new teacher.
Word Count:1,881
Rating:G
Warnings: None, it’s a meet cute!
A/N:@creativekat and I came up with the idea to write a story together and see how it went. This is the result. We really enjoyed ourselves and will definitely be doing it again!
You stood at the small mirror above the sink in your classroom, double checking your appearance. You were dressed professionally but comfortably in a pair of fitted trousers, sweater, and ballet flats. Your hair was pulled away from your face, though you toyed with the idea of taking it out of its ponytail. You did that, but then decided it looked more “put together” pulled back. So, you gathered it at the back of your head and secured it once again.
Once you were satisfied with your appearance you took a deep breath and began to run through your motivational mantras, “You can do this. Sure, you aren’t a Heroic … but, that doesn’t make you’re unimportant. You have skills. You’re smart. You deal with kids five days a week. What’s a few meetings with their parents?” With a sigh, you added, “Their Heroic parents.”
My first post on tumblr and I thought it deserved to got to the author who’s writing got me on tumblr in the first place!! I absolutely love this series so far and cannot wait for more!!
First of all, this, THIS, is a huge HUGE compliment and I am CRYING at your generous words.
I cannot take complete credit for this story because my wonderful co-author @creativekat is the genius behind many moments in this story!
Thank you so so much for loving my work and loving on my blog I hope you have a wonderful upcoming week!
^^My exact reaction when @the-purity-pen showed me this! Thank you so much for your kind words and appreciation for our story. We’ve been having such a great time collaborating on this and I’m so grateful knowing there are others out there who love it as much as we do!! <3 <3 <3
Warnings: heavy petting, serious making out, unintentional piercing play
A/N:@the-purity-pen and I are so excited to share the next chapter!! Things are heating up and this ended up being our longest chapter yet!! We hope you enjoy and if you want to be added to the tag list let me know!!
Marcus’s hands were shaking and sweating as he drove to your house. He had no intentions of going inside in your house but when he offered to pick you up for the date you had bid on and won, you couldn’t help but smile and tell him yes.
At a nearby stoplight, he wiped his hands on the thighs of his suit pants. He opted to go semi-casual with suit pants and jacket but just a dark grey t-shirt underneath. Missy told him that a tie would be too much and she wanted him to be comfortable on his first real date in a long time.
When he finally pulled up to your house, he waited in the car for a minute to calm himself and remind himself that this was just a casual first date. Nothing serious had to come of it even if he had been crushing on you for nearly an entire year. He finally got the courage to go up to your door and give it a hearty knock.
You had gotten ready early, worried about making a bad impression by keeping Marcus waiting. So, you paced the living room of the small house you rented, trying to avoid walking to the hallway mirror to double check your appearance. You’d worn a dress and heels, though Marcus had told you it would be casual. The dress wasn’t fancy or anything, just a simple summery dress, which you paired with a cardigan sweater.
When you heard the knock on the door, you nearly jumped out of your skin, you were so keyed up. Taking a moment, you took a deep, calming breath and released it hoping Marcus wouldn’t notice how jittery you felt.
As you walked to the door, you couldn’t help but glance at your reflection. You actually felt pretty cute and paused to smile at yourself in the mirror. You grabbed your purse from the console table and answered the door. The sight of him took your breath away. People could rave all they wanted about Marcus Moreno’s Heroics gear, but you’d take him looking like this any day of the week. “Hi,” you breathed out.
Marcus was just as dumbfounded seeing you dressed like that. Your hair looked immaculate and your smile was heart-melting. He blinked a few times, taking in your form before he finally swallowed a large lump in his throat and croaked out a soft “hi.”
You smiled wryly, finding it adorable how flabbergasted he seemed. His hands were wringing together in front of him and you stepped forward to place your hand on his which calmed him. He looked up at you and felt his heart skip a beat from how close you were.
“You look wonderful,” you complimented him and his cheeks started to flush pink.
Marcus shook his head, as if to clear it, before responding, “So do you. Stunning, in fact.” He laughed self-consciously at the admission.
He turned, only let go of one of your hands, keeping the other firmly in his grasp as the two of you walked to his car. When you reached the passenger side door, he reached out to open the door and helped you into the seat before closing it and making his way around to his side.
You hadn’t really discussed where the date would take place. Marcus had simply said he wanted to surprise you and that it would be “casual”. Anticipation swelled within you and your mind raced with the possibilities of what was in store tonight. You noticed that Marcus drove very carefully and you appreciated the fact that his regular persona seemed to be all about care and protective nurturing. You supposed this was because his hero persona faced so many risks. He glanced over at you and smiled and you returned it easily.
Marcus finally pulled into the parking lot of the science center and you gave a soft gasp. Your secret passion was science and while you had adored many field trips to the science center over the years, somehow being here with Marcus was bound to be far more romantic and memorable.
As the two of you walked in, Marcus gave his name and the woman behind the counter gave you both paper bracelets that allowed access to every part of the center. His hand only left yours briefly to try to attach his bracelet but you giggled and helped him put his on. The close proximity had your pulse racing in your ears as you looked at his eyes when the bracelet was on all the way.
“Where are we going first?” you ventured in curiosity as you grabbed one of the center maps and unfolded it. It was much larger than the last time you had been there and you wondered what new exhibits had been added.
“How about the cute animals first?” Marcus asked as he started to walk backwards to lead you down the small hall to the exhibit. You bit your lip slightly when his eyes met yours, eyebrows slightly raised. It felt like he wanted to make you happy and your entire body warmed at the promise of what that meant.
“When I came here as a kid, they let us hold a tarantula.” You tilted your head proudly, “I was the only girl in my class who was willing to do it.”
Marcus returned to walking beside you and squeezed your fingers lightly, “I have no doubt. Any woman who can handle working with a bunch of pre-teen kids daily wouldn’t be fazed by a silly spider.”
As the two of you entered the first room of the animal exhibit you saw that several parrots were flying freely about the room and laughed out loud when a small blue and gold Macaw landed on Marcus’ head. “I think that one likes you.”
Marcus’s whole body froze when the bird landed on him but your words caused him to let out a short burst of laughter. “Well he’s not pecking my head so I guess so,” he answered with a small chuckle before the bird was flying off his head and landed on your shoulder.
“Hmmm, it seems like he has good taste in women too,” he said with a wink and you swear your heart leapt from your chest at the simple gesture.
After some more venturing through the reptiles and the “exotic” exhibit that showcased sloths this month, Marcus took your head again and led you down a narrow hall. Just then, a small group of children decided to rush past you. “Whoa!” Marcus exclaimed as he turned and caged you in against the wall, trying to stop the both of you from being trampled on by the tiny feet as they all yelled and hollered past you.
You felt Marcus’s body pressed against yours shielding you from danger and the air left your lungs. Your skin tingled at his proximity and as the tiny army of children made their way into the room you’d just left you took a moment to try and catch your breath. Licking your lips you lifted your gaze to look Marcus in the eyes and spoke softly, “Thank you… for saving my life.”
Marcus chuckled, a low rumble that vibrated from his chest to yours, causing more tingles throughout your body. You laughed with him and though you were feeling the humor of the situation, you also felt something else. A yearning for him.
He was feeling the same yearning as the two of you locked eyes in the narrow hallway. He hadn’t moved from his protective stance, even though the children had disappeared, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just startled.” As you spoke you realized how close his mouth was to yours. Either one of you could move slightly and you’d be kissing. He did just that and his lips were just brushing against yours when a voice from just outside the hallway broke the spell. You weren’t really alone and that was a stark reminder of the fact.
Marcus pulled away from you, clearing his throat, and you gave him a lopsided grin, “Remind me to thank you more thoroughly later.”
Moving together toward the next room, both of you reached for the other’s hand as Marcus replied, “I look forward to it.”
An hour later and you had explored the exhibits that were actually open. The last one to see what the constellation one but there was some time before the next show would start. You stood with Marcus, your fingers intertwined, your back against the wall near the entrance to the stargazing exhibit.
“Do you want a snack before we go in?” Marcus offered, gesturing down the hall a bit to the vending machines. You nodded with a smile and he led you over to grab a couple of snacks and a soda to share. You were surprised his taste in soda was similar to yours.
The two of you were ushered in and took your seats. Before the show even started, your eyes were looking up at the domed ceiling. “Oh! That one is my fave! Machina Electrica,” you said happily as you pointed to the faded star shape on the ceiling.
Marcus looked up to where you were pointed and squinted. “You can see that?” he asked and you chuckled.
“I just know where it would be based on how they run the shows. Usually they start by showing you the current set up of the stars based on the earth’s rotation and then they slowly slide you through the seasons to show how-” you looked over at Marcus to see him staring at you and immediately clamped your mouth shut. “I’m sorry. I’m such a nerd about this stuff and I-”
Marcus placed his hand over yours gently and interrupted your rambling. “I like it.” You had immediately stopped talking assuming he was getting annoyed by your overwhelming passion for the star exhibit. But, his words were like cupid’s arrow, piercing your heart. If you liked him before that was nothing compared to the fact that he said he liked your geeky rambling.
“Oh, well… umm, okay … good.” You felt your cheeks warming and Marcus smiled at you, thinking you look extra-beautiful with your shy smile and eyes shining with happiness. He felt the urge to kiss you again, but this was a public place and the seats were filling up quickly now that the show was close to starting.
The lights dimmed and suddenly the ceiling above resembled the clear night sky. Several kids in the audience made an “oooh” sound and Marcus heard you gasp, one palm covering your heart. “It never gets old,” you whispered, and he thought to himself, he would bring you here every day if he could just see that look on your face.
The show ended and the two of you walked out hand in hand. Your heart was racing from the pure excitement and beauty of the star show. Marcus found that his heart was racing as well but it wasn’t from watching the stars.
As the two of you walked out into the chilly evening air, you felt your body shiver slightly as you adjusted to the new temperature. Marcus moved closer to wrap his arm around your shoulders and rubbed at your arm lightly. “You okay?” he asked. You nodded and told him you were okay, just adjusting to the night air.
You both started to walk slower as you reached the car. Marcus let his arm slowly slide down your body and you turned to face him. “Do you have anything else fun planned?” you asked as you looked into his eyes. The softness of his smile nearly melted you into a puddle on the ground.
“One more stop,” he told you as a playful smile crossed his lips. “And, if you want, we can make a bet,” he offered, his voice dropping an octave as he took a step closer, his hand resting comfortably on your hip.
“Oh yeah? A bet on what?” you asked, the playful smile echoing to your own face.
“If I win, you come home with me for a night cap.”
“And if I win?”
“You get whatever you want.”
“How about a kiss?”
“We don’t have to wait for that,” he said, his lips now brushing against yours before his hand came to the side of your face and his lips pressed against yours softly. Your hands came up to rest on his lower back as your mouth opened for him. Your tongue pressed against his in a sultry dance, pleading for more.
You pulled away long enough to say, “I guess I’ll have to think of something else if I win then.” Your mouth searched for his again for another kiss. Your body stirred with longing to be closer to him than you already were, to feel his hands on your intimate places, to feel his breath against your skin.
You both seemed to realize you were still in the science center parking lot and pulled apart reluctantly. “I’m not sure I can think of anything better than that though.” You could, but it was best to keep those thoughts to yourself right now. Marcus pulled you close to his side as he unlocked the passenger door for you, then teased you with another slow drag of his lips across yours. Eyes closed, you attempted to follow his mouth as it retreated.
As you settled into the seat, you could feel your body’s reaction to him. And he hadn’t even used his power on you. He hadn’t known what he was doing the previous two times. You wondered what would happen if you told him about your piercing and how he could control them. Again, a conversation for another time.
As he slid into the driver’s side, you asked, “So, any hints as to where we’re going? Other than it involves one of us winning something?” You smiled sexily in his direction. He looked over at you and narrowed his eyes a bit in a big smile.
“It’s a game. That involves a ball. Or two,” he offered simply before changing his attention to the car to start it up and take off. He drove for a few minutes but his hand rested on his thigh, his fingers tapping nervously as he drove down the freeway.
Your eyes caught the movement and you turned and placed your hand gently over his, your palm resting against the back of his hand, your fingers slowly interlocking with his. As he pulled off the next exit and waited at the red light, he pulled your hand up to kiss the back of it softly, lingering his lips against your skin.
Your heart raced at the gentle moment before he was placing your hand and his back down to his thigh as he took off towards the miniature golf course. You immediately let out a laugh when the sign came into view. “Petey the Pirate’s mini golf?” you asked with a laugh and Marcus just smiled brightly and nodded.
You laughed, a bright unfiltered sound, “I don’t think I’ve been here since high school!” It probably hadn’t been quite that long, but back then you’d spent a lot of hours at the mini-golf course. Not that you were going to admit that to Marcus Moreno. “So… whoever wins mini-golf gets to choose how the night ends, eh?” Glancing at your date, you wink at him then laughed again.
Marcus grinned, “I take it I chose well when planning this date?”
“Oh yes, you’re two for two so far, Mr. Moreno.” You had been having a great time and it seemed like every time you thought the day couldn’t get any better, Marcus surprised you. Your heart raced just thinking about how he’d planned this special night for you and he’d gotten everything so perfect.
He got out of the car and rushed around to open the door for you. The two of you walked hand in hand toward the booth that sold the balls and putters and you couldn’t help but laugh giddily in anticipation. Taking your putter and ball, you bit your lip looking at Marcus, “You should know that I’m … not very good at this game.”
After paying the guy for the balls and putters, Marcus looked to you as he waited for his change with a raised eyebrow. The way you bit your lip was instantly driving him crazy but he cleared his throat and turned back to get his change before grabbing his putter.
“Yeah? Well, erm,” he cleared his throat again, “Maybe I can show you some tips and tricks,” he offered nervously, trying to sound smoother than he actually was. He nearly tripped over the little divider between the entrance walkway and the first green.
He straightened himself up and you found yourself snickering quietly. “Alright, alright. Let’s get to it so we can see what happens with our bet,” he said playfully as he set his ball down and took in a deep breath. He felt a familiar vibration through his hands as he guided the putter exactly where he wanted it to go to land the ball just outside the pocket.
You watched as Marcus lined up his shot and then the ball zipped it’s way toward the hole, stopping just short of dropping in. You looked at the ball then looked at him and raised your eyebrow, “I can see my work is cut out for me.”
You dropped the ball onto the little dark circle that marked the tee. Looking down the astroturf lane, you lined up your shot. In truth, you could easily make this shot. You’d practically lived at Petey’s as a kid, but you wanted Marcus to win. Not to make him feel good about himself. You knew he wasn’t the kind of man to care about that stuff. But, the more time you spent with him the better that night cap sounded.
So, you lined up the shot, then hit it just to the left of where you wanted it to go with more effort than the putt required. The ball overshot the hole and bounced hard off the little wall that lined the hole and stopped halfway back to its origin. “I might need that help,” You snickered.
Marcus’s gaze snapped back to you after having watched your ball go too far and bounce back. He was smirking but trying to hide it, trying not to make fun of you for being so bad on such an easy first shot. He nodded with a tight smile before moving closer to you. He leaned down and grabbed the ball and placed it just to the right of the mark instead of directly on it.
“Okay, first. Don’t trust the tee mark,” he told you as he stood up and turned towards you with a smile. He moved beside you to place his putter against the little fence to store it there. He turned back towards you and rubbed his palms together. “Alright. Show me your stance,” he told you and you stared at him for a moment with a cocked eyebrow. He laughed before moving to mimic as if he were holding the putt. “How you stand. You know, like this?”
You moved your feet apart, showing off a decent stance for mini-golf. Marcus nodded, “That’s good… but you don’t have a good grip on your putter.” He walked over to you, placing himself behind you. A slow smile spread across your face. He was doing exactly what you’d hoped he would. He began to manipulate your limbs, placing your arms where he thought they needed to be. Everywhere he touched you seemed to burn in reaction.
Then Marcus’ arms wrapped around you, placing his hands over yours. His torso was pressed to your back and you practically moaned. You managed to keep the sensual sound to yourself. Marcus’ hands were tender, but you could feel the exact moment his powers manifested, working their magic on the putter in both your hands. The magnetic sensation tugged lightly at your piercings and this time you couldn’t help yourself. You whimpered quietly, feeling the vibration in your nipples and your clit. Suddenly your knees were weak.
Marcus didn’t hear you the first time but he absolutely heard you the second time as he swung your arms together and hit the ball. It bounced off the back wall gently, landing just a few inches away from his own ball. But he didn’t move. He felt like he couldn’t. His body was vibrating in a whole new way with the noise you were making. “A-are you.. Okay?” Marcus asked in your ear, his hands still covered yours over the putter.
Your lips curled into themselves as you nodded slowly. You couldn’t find the words to tell the man that you were on an official first date with that his superhero powers were tingling the piercings in your tits and clit. Marcus leaned a bit closer and his lips barely grazed the shell of your ear as he spoke again. “If you’re sure,” he spoke softly as he pulled away from you. You bit your lower lip, trying to stifle the whine you were tempted to let out from the loss of contact with him. All you could think about was being close to him, all the time.
Marcus was just as affected and immediately turned around to grab his putter and took a deep breath in, trying to calm himself. He knew he liked you, and from the way things were going, it was very clear that you liked him back. But was it appropriate to get that physical on the first date? It had been too long since his last first date but he was pretty sure that the sounds you were making were not ones he had made anyone make on a first date.
You watched him collect himself. He had turned away and part of you wondered if you’d done something wrong. It wasn’t like you’d been able to control your reaction to him. And it wasn’t like he’d intended to turn you on like he did. He didn’t even know about your piercings, so you knew he hadn’t meant to tweak them. When he’d been standing behind you, it had felt like maybe you were having an affect on him as well.
Finally, he turned back to you and smiled, “Next hole is the Cave of Mystery!” Marcus added a spooky element to his voice when he said the name making you giggle. You were quickly figuring out that he was kind of a goofball, in the very best way. The more time you spent in his presence the more you liked him. As his daughter’s teacher, you told yourself you shouldn’t feel this way about him, but you couldn’t resist the desire to get closer.
As you walked to the next hole, he took your hand once again sending a ripple of pleasure throughout you. The cave entrance loomed in front of you and as you both stepped inside, you commented, “I hope you aren’t afraid of the dark.”
“If I was afraid of anything, I likely wouldn’t be the world’s greatest superhero,” he replied playfully as he set his ball down to take his first shot. The ball bounced the corner and disappeared around a cave wall and he hoped it didn’t land in the sand trap.
He stepped to the side and turned towards you. “Do you need help on this one too?” he asked, feeling his heart ramp up in rhythm at the thought of being closer to you again.
You smiled wryly at him with a small shrug of your shoulders. “If you wouldn’t mind,” you offered quietly and took your place. Marcus took a moment and came up behind you again to hold you and guide your ball. The familiar vibrations ran down your body and you bit your lower lip with a soft moan again. The ball bounced just the same as his ball had done and around the cave wall it went.
But Marcus didn’t move except to put his face closer to your cheek. You could feel his light scruff tickling your cheek and you felt your body heat up at the closeness again. His breath was warm as it fanned over your skin and you could have sworn his lips had pursed to kiss the shell of your lightly. Before you could think about that or even react to it, he’d pulled back, “We should see where our balls went.”
You bit your lip to keep from laughing at what he’d said. Spending all day with pre-teens meant your sense of humor sometimes took a dive into low-brow territory. This didn’t escape Marcus’s attention however and he chuckled lightly, “Can you even play mini-golf without everything sounding dirty?”
Finally letting loose with a soft giggle-snort, you shook your head, “I don’t think so. Unless maybe you’re a saint.”
Marcus gave you a look, his gaze full of heat and replied, “I’m not a saint,” as he pulled you around the corner. The light was much dimmer here. You remembered this had been a popular make out spot for the kids in your class when you’d been in high school. It was private and you could always hear when people were coming so getting caught was easy to avoid.
As soon as the memory had formed in your head, Marcus was turning you into his body and kissing you again, his hand gently gripping the back of your head. Stepping back, you found yourself pressed to the uneven wall of the “cave”. You moaned deeply into his mouth as your hands ran over his ribcage and over his hips so you could cup his ass.
Marcus’s lips slotted against yours and he groaned when your hands found his ass. He pressed you more against the wall, his hand sliding to your jaw to hold your face. His other hand slid up from your waist and tentatively explored over your stomach before sliding up over your breast.
Within an instant, his hand was buzzing with power and his palm attracted something hard from under your thin shirt. A piercing? His mind whirred with lust as he broke from the kiss for air and moved his lips down to your neck.
His hand on your breast placed his power directly where it could have the most effect and you responded immediately, making a sound between a gasp and a moan. Marcus continued to pull and twist gently at your nipple piercing, making you whimper softly, as he suckled at the curve of your neck. You were on the verge of coming already and he hadn’t even found your other piercing. As if reading your mind, he pulled away from your neck long enough to whisper in your ear, “What other surprises do you have for me?”
Jaggedly, you replied, “Why don’t we … say you won … and we can go … to your … place … and you can … find out?”
You looked around the large rented ballroom and shook your head nervously. You had brought up the idea of taking the kids out on field trips to facilitate their learning and the Heroics school board had decided to hold a fundraiser to help take this from an idea to reality. You hadn’t imagined that they might opt to raise said funds by auctioning off dates with the Heroics themselves. Since the event would be opened to the public, it couldn’t be held at HQ (a logistical nightmare) so a local Events Center had been the next best option. Now, as you watched the room beginning to fill with people you could see why. This was, apparently, the event of the century.
Soft classical music was being piped in from speakers in the corners of the room as people mingled, getting drinks from the bar. Your students were all wearing black outfits and acting as greeters and coat-checkers so the gathering masses would see just who their money would be helping. You quickly realized, for some here, it wouldn’t matter where the money was going. A night on the town with one of the Heroics was a hot commodity.
Warnings: sweet moments, some dirty thoughts here and there
A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who is reading and commenting! It’s so amazing for @the-purity-pen and I to know that people are enjoying what we are writing! We have been having a blast writing it together!!
The individual pizzas had been a huge hit. The kids had loved deciding what toppings went on their own crusts. And the twins, Fast Forward and Rewind, had especially liked the fact that they didn’t have to share with one another. Everyone had finished eating and you were packing up the leftover food while Marcus put popcorn kernels into the air popper.
You carried a short stack of tupperware to the refrigerator and placed the items inside. Once the door was closed, you turned and leaned against it, releasing a small sigh of relief that the chaos of dinner was over. The kids were pretty active inside the classroom, but that was nothing compared to what they were like on their own time. Your ears rang with the laughter and happy shouts from earlier.
Turning your head, you watched Marcus load the air popper, his biceps moving just below the short sleeves of his shirt. Your eyes started to drink in the rest of him, but you stopped yourself. You were afraid to let your body react to him again like it had earlier. Suddenly thirsty again, you pushed away from the fridge door so you could open it. The cold air felt good on your warm skin. “So, that was a success,” you commented as your eyes searched the chilly space without seeing anything inside.
Marcus finished popping the corn and turned his head towards you before placing the popped kernels into separate little brown paper bags for the kids. He nodded with a soft smile on his face. “It was. I’m glad you were here to help,” he commented quietly, feeling himself having to turn away from staring at your body.
He focused on the popcorn and scooping an approximately even amount of popcorn into each bag. He moved slowly and carefully so as to not waste a single kernel. He knew that if Missy’s friends were anything like her, they would be devouring the popcorn and would definitely want more. He was thankful for the concentration because the more time you were closer to him, the more he felt the need to explain his feelings for you.
You sighed quietly and shook your head and when Marcus heard you, he swiped his hands on his jeans of butter and salt and came over. “What are you looking for? Can I help you find something?” he asked as he tried to lean into the fridge to look with you but the sudden closeness of him had you holding your breath. Marcus turned his head and realized he’d made a mistake. He could smell your shampoo and it made his head swim.
“Uhh… just trying to figure out what I could have to drink…” you stammered the words out and turned your eyes back to the fridge contents.
Clearing his throat, Marcus did the same, “Help yourself to anything… Do you want a beer? I think I’ll have a beer.” He reached back behind the orange juice and retrieved an IPA. When you nodded, he handed it to you and felt the immediate absence of your body next to his when you backed away from the refrigerator to find the bottle opener. When he closed the door he had his own beer in his hand.
You popped the top off yours and held the bottle opener out to him, which he took, careful not to let his fingers graze yours in the process. Trying not to stare at him, you took a long swallow of the cold beverage. Just then Missy burst through the door from the living room, “Is the popcorn done yet?”
You startled slightly as Marcus smiled, focusing on his daughter, “Yes, hija.” The three of you made yourselves busy as you took the bags into the living room to hand them out. You followed Marcus and Missy and finished handing out the bags to which all of the children said thank you. You smiled at each of them but you gave Wheels a little wink which he reciprocated.
The kids all started to dig into their popcorn and get back to watching their little movie marathon that Missy had turned on. You had no idea what the movies were about but they all seemed to be very excited about it.
Marcus left the living room with you, the two of you nearly walking side by side down the hall. Your shoulders just grazed each other as he took a few steps faster and you felt your breath hitch for a moment before you were clearing your throat and walking over to where you had set your beer down. Marcus grabbed his and walked over to the table and you opted to follow him to sit at the table beside him.
At first there was a silence between you and Marcus as you focused on the beer bottle label which had become loosened with condensation. You began to pick at it, peeling it bit by bit. Suddenly, Marcus cleared his throat, “So… tell me about you. Is your family local?”
Family was an interesting subject for you. You knew you didn’t fit in with them, so even though you all lived in the same town and you saw your older brother quite regularly, you still felt as if you were hundreds of miles apart. You let a small smile lift your features, “Ummm… yeah… but, we aren’t very close unfortunately.” You wondered if he would push the subject. You knew a lot about Marcus Moreno. You heard many stories about him over the years. Some of them you knew were true. Others you wondered about. “It must be nice having your mom around to help you with Missy.”
You went back to peeling at the label on the bottle. Half of it had come loose now. You paused in your hyper focused activity to take a drink, startled when Marcus met your eyes. You swallowed hard and set the bottle down, feeling incapable of looking away as his dark eyes searched your face.
Marcus couldn’t help his staring, that’s just how he listened. And when the conversation turned back to him, he sat up a bit straighter and swallowed a lump that had formed when hearing how you weren’t close with your family. He couldn’t imagine that and how lonely it might be.
“My mom certainly is great,” he said with a small nod. It was true though. Anita had been around much more after his wife died and was more than willing to help train Missy and her friends during the first alien attack last year. Marcus had a brief moment of wondering if you were a mother because seeing how you were with the kids made him think you’d make a great one.
But that comment was lost on his lips as he watched you, his eyes dancing over your features. He swallowed hard again and your own eyes couldn’t help but follow the movement of his throat. Your heart was racing and your nose flaring, which Marcus would later admit was very cute, as the two of you had a moment of intensity.
The moment seemed to draw itself out but neither of you looked away. Instead it seemed as if the space between you was closing. You inhaled sharply as his hand came up to your shoulder, stroking it lightly with his thumb, making you shiver. All the reasons you shouldn’t do this, right now, flooded your thoughts. The kids, his daughter, your students were in the next room. He was a Heroic and … your history with Heroics had not been good.
A protest formed on your lips as you whispered his name just before his lips found yours. The kiss was gentle but firm. There was yearning there, but no demands. Your mouth opened, inviting him to deepen things and your tongue pressed against his, sweetly. A soft moan escaped your throat as your hands reached for him, finding purchase on either side of his torso. You could feel the way his ribs expanded with his own labored breathing.
Marcus leaned in closer, if he could even manage that, when he felt your hand on his torso. Your touch was electric in ways he would have never imagined. He had been pining after you for so long and it was finally the moment he had thought of for so long.
His mind whirled with emotions as he kissed you deeper, slowly pressing his lips and tongue against you and into you, like a slow motion dance. The hand on your shoulder came up to cup your face, holding you to him as you kissed him with emotions you didn’t know you were capable of. It was a silent message between the two of you, a love letter written in the dark of night with whispers spoken into the ink.
Marcus pulled away in what felt like a too soon moment and you couldn’t help the soft whine that escaped you. Both of you were breathing hard, trying to catch your breath. Marcus rested his forehead against yours for a moment, his thumb tracing over your jaw before he pulled back just enough to look you in the eyes.
You licked your lips and treasured the taste of him for a moment longer as you tried to catch your breath. Your eyes searched his face, yearning for more, but wondering if you should even want that. Hesitantly, you pulled your hands away from his body, letting them rest a moment on his knees only for a moment, like a butterfly searching for a place to land.
Finally, you reached for the bottle again, taking a drink trying to quench the rampant thirst Marcus had brought out of you. Nervously, your hands moved to the label once more, peeling the last of it off in one swift pull. You laid it flat on the table, letting your eyes wander to the shiny paper, then returning to his immediately. He had a pull on you that you couldn’t seem to resist. With a shaky breath, you finally voiced one of the many thoughts you were having, “What, uhhh …. What does this mean?”
Marcus felt you shift back and he let his hand drop from your face but not before sliding it down to your arm slowly. His heart wouldn’t calm down as he watched you pull the label off but his eyes were only watching the movement in his peripherals. He was watching your face, watching your eyes, your lips and he could feel the way his own still tingled from the contact.
Your voice broke his stares and he cleared his throat. His lower lip quivered a moment, unsure of how to answer it without feeling too forward. Hell, you had just kissed in his kitchen with kids in the other room. Was there really such a thing as being too forward at this point?
“It uh-” he paused, his other hand coming to the label you had peeled off and picking at it slightly. A momentary distraction to try to gather his racing thoughts, ”I guess it’s me telling you that I like you. Ha- have liked you. For a while now,” his words stammered out. He let his gaze fall upon the label as he nervously picked at the corners, feeling the plastic coated paper peel away from itself as he touched it.
You couldn’t help but smile at his words, his shy movements. This was the great Marcus Moreno, leader of the Heroics, confessing that he liked you. “For a while?” You wondered aloud. You’d had no idea. A warmth filled your chest at this new knowledge and Marcus finally looked at you from the corner of his eyes, smiling shyly. Your heart hitched at the adorableness of that look.
But, then reality came roaring back to the forefront of your thoughts, forcing you to look away again. You thought of the kids in the other room. Of the way your family had always looked down at you, when they were the ones who were supposed to love you. The way you’d rebelled as a teenager, lashing out and getting into trouble. “I … uhhh, I like you too… but…” you didn’t want to tell him this wouldn’t work between you. But, some part of you wondered if that was true. Were you just getting in your own way? Letting your past affect your future.
Marcus waited patiently for you to gather your thoughts, even though he was dying to know what came after that “but”. He couldn’t imagine what it could possibly be. He hadn’t felt anything like this in years.
Finally, you shook your head and finished your thought, “why me? I’m nothing special.” You’d heard that enough times to know it was the truth. Marcus’s face dropped. That wasn’t the end of the sentence he was expecting. He thought it would be one of the other numerous excuses he had heard from others he had shown interest in. “Too busy.” “Too focused on work.” “Not good at relationships.”
He wasn’t expecting this but when he saw your own face change he reached over and held the underside of your chin gingerly. He slowly lifted your face to look him in the eyes. “You are though. So special,” he reminded you quietly as he leaned in and let his lips press against yours softly.
