It wasn't long before Marcus finally arrived at his destination.
Looking out onto the training pitch, Marcus saw Kinsley and her teammates doing a drill. Turning his head slightly to the right, he saw Luna, Kira, and Cora sitting on the bleachers, along with a few other students Marcus didn't recognize.
Marcus slowed to a jog as he approached the bleachers. Luna spotted him almost instantly, a happy smile dancing on her lips as she stared him down.
Marcus chuckled as he reached the bleachers. Climbing up to Luna's row. "Hey, Luna." He said with a warm smile as he sat beside her, "How was your day?"
"It was good." She said happily as she crawled onto Marcus's lap, placing her head on his chest as she grabbed his arms, wrapping them around her waist. "But I missed you." She said softly as she settled in his embrace.
Marcus smirked as he kissed the side of Luna's head, getting a face full of hair. "I missed you too."
Luna giggled softly as she continued to nuzzle against Marcus.
Marcus then sighed softly as he looked over to Kira.
"Hey Kira," Marcus said with a quick nod.
Kira smiled as she scooted closer towards Marcus. "Well look at you, coming back rather clean I must say." She teased.
"I had to," Marcus explained. "I didn't want Kinsley to throw a fit like last time." He said with a smirk.
Kira nodded. "Yeah, it almost makes me wonder what got you so bloody in the first place."
Marcus chuckled. "I guess it's one of life's greatest mysteries." He answered, deflecting her attempt to question him. "But let's talk about you, how was your day?"
Kira giggled as she studied Marcus with a curious smile. "I'll find out your secret soon enough, but for now I'll play along." She answered. She looked out onto the training pitch. "It was fine, nothing special happened." She answered with a sigh.
Marcus nodded, his smile shrinking. "You ok?" He asked curiously. "You look a little lost."
Kira smirked. "I honestly think that I am." She answered honestly. "This is the start of my third year in this academy, and yet, I still feel the same as when I first attended."
"I see," Marcus said with a nod. Thinking back on it, Marcus had felt similar to Kira before he joined the organization.
He was always bored, and everything became a chore.
"Have you looked for anything to spice up your life?" Marcus asked. "Maybe you could find another guy like Felix at a different café." He teased.
Kira covered her mouth as she giggled. "Maybe." She said between giggles.
After she stopped giggling, she looked over at Marcus. "Or maybe I could be with you."
Marcus's eyebrow shot up. "W-what?" He stammered.
Cora, who had been silent this entire time, looked over at Kira with a concerned expression. "Are you ok?" She asked worriedly.
Luna stayed quiet. Silently enjoying Marcus's embrace. Her eyes closed, and her lips curved into a smile.
"Working with you." Kira clarified, a mischievous smile dancing on her lips. "Your job seems… interesting," Kira said with a soft giggle as she grew closer to Marcus. Until she was practically leaning upon him.
Marcus gulped audibly.
He went from fighting evil in a literal sense, to fighting off the temptation of Kinsley's friend.
Marcus's gaze slowly fell onto Kira's chest. He immediately noticed that her "personality" was larger than Kinsley's.
Cora's eyes widened, practically popping out of her skull. "Uhm, Kira, are you feeling ok?" She asked worriedly. "You're acting weird."
Kira ignored Cora, raising a hand towards Marcus's back, and placing it upon him gently. She then spread her fingers apart, causing a shiver to run down Marcus's spine. "You must be stiff after a long day of work." She said softly.
Marcus didn't understand how things got so far so quickly. He tried his best to think about everything other than Kira. But as Kira continued to touch him, his adrenaline began pumping and sent his heart racing.
She then lowered her hand down Marcus's back, eventually slipping her hand under his jacket.
She was immediately greeted with Marcus's skin, as his shirt had been ripped and torn during his fight with Susan.
Kira's eyes widened briefly as she felt Marcus's sweaty skin. "You're shirtless." She commented softly. "Looks like something happened at work after all."
Marcus chuckled nervously. "Yeah, but don't tell Kinsley, I'd rather avoid another argument." Marcus specifically mentioned Kinsley in hopes that Kira would get the hint.
Kira grinned as she further ran her hand up Marcus's back. "You know, I'm a really good listener Marcus, but I also know how to let people live their lives." She whispered, "You'd never, ever, have to argue with me, you know that."
Luna looked over at Kira with a stern expression. "Your tricks won't work on him." She answered coldly, "his business remains private."
Kira smirked as she nuzzled against Marcus. "I'm just letting him know he has options."
Luna opened her mouth to respond. But just then, a soccer ball crashed against the bleachers with a loud thud, sending vibrations through the steel. Kira, Cora, and the other students flinched in fear and confusion.
Marcus was horrified. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest as the ball landed between Marcus's feet.
Marcus slowly looked up to see Kinsley staring at him with a hurt expression. A frown formed on her lips as her eyes were narrowed.
"Kinsley!" The coach yelled angrily. "Watch where you're aiming." She approached Kinsley with a jog. Kinsley tore her gaze from Marcus and toward her coach.
"Sorry." She replied with a sigh. "I was trying to stop a foul." She said with a cold glare towards Marcus and Kira.
The coach sighed, looking up at Marcus, who was slowly processing what had happened. Her expression grew curious, and she then shrugged. "Alright ladies, set up for a throw-in."
While that was happening on the pitch, Marcus looked over at Kira. Who was calming herself down with a nervous smile? "Guess I went too far, huh?" She joked, breathing heavily.
Marcus nodded as he removed Luna from his lap. "I uhm, I need to use the bathroom." He stammered as he quickly rose from the bleachers.
Kira smirked as she looked up at Marcus. "I could help you." She teased, her chest still rising and falling shakily.
Marcus chuckled nervously. "You've done enough for a lifetime." He said with a wry smile.
Marcus quickly descended the bleachers and walked off the training pitch. His heart was still pounding from the encounter.
His steps quickened the further he got from the training pitch. Eventually reaching the girl's locker room. Walking around the building, Marcus found a small secluded place to collect himself.
There was a small patch of grass he sat in, quietly attempting to catch his breath. Closing his eyes as he leaned against the wall of the building. His chest rose and fell shakily as he processed what happened.
He couldn't deny that it felt good physically, he would just be lying to himself then, but it also felt strange morally. Even though Kinsley and he weren't technically dating, he definitely saw himself with her in the future.
But, he never really explored his options. He found himself attracted to Dr. Fletcher but avoided making moves because she was out of his league. He now began considering Kira, but that was Kinsley's best friend. Then there was Kinsley herself, who he had spent the most time pursuing romantically.
But it was only for two months, and the majority of that was over texts and calls.
Marcus sighed as he looked down, realizing he was still hard from the encounter. "God….." he whispered to himself. "I'm a mess."
Just then his phone began ringing. Marcus quickly fished out of his pocket to see that it was Dr. Fletcher. "How convenient." He whispered to himself as he answered the call.
"Hello?" Marcus said with a grunt, standing up and leaning against the wall.
"Marcus, how is your investigation proceeding?" Dr. Fletcher asked curiously, a hint of urgency in her tone.
Marcus sighed. "I've reached a dead end, unfortunately." He answered honestly. "My contact Paul, called off the deal we made after I killed Susan." He explained, "But he did after to let me join his group, said I had potential or something along those lines."
Dr. Fletcher sighed. "I want a report on the situation as soon as possible, but for now there are more urgent matters you need to attend to."
Marcus raised an eyebrow as he looked around, before huddling closer towards the wall. "What happened?" He asked in a low tone, practically a whisper.
"As I'm sure you've been told at some point, there's a high likelihood of a rank-three anomaly emerging from a rift in New York." She said, "But recently, since you've been gone its ether levels have gone up, from low-rank-three to high-rank-three."
Marcus felt his heart drop for a moment. "Y-you're sending me?" He stammered.
Marcus thought back on his fight with Susan. Even though he barely remembered it, that fear he felt when she smashed his face into the ground was real. If Marcus didn't have the ability to heal himself, she would've killed him.
"I-I don't want to go." He said softly. "Not alone."
"You won't be alone, I have both the local team and Kael's team preparing for its emergence." She explained. "The area is being evacuated under the pretense of there being a dangerous gas leak, so there will be no civilians."
Marcus nodded. "I get that, but do I have to go too?"
"You're a high-ranking officer that's both free and under my direct command." She said, "You don't really have a choice."
Marcus sighed as he tightened his grip on his phone. "When do I leave?" He asked in a defeated tone.
"Midnight, local time, I'll have someone take you to airstrip 47."
Marcus nodded. "Ok, I'll get my stuff ready until then." He then sighed as he hung up the phone.
"Fuck…." He hissed as he looked up to the sky. "It's like one thing after another."
"So you are an agent of sorts." A familiar voice stated curiously.
Marcus's heart practically leaped out of his chest as he whipped around to see Kira standing directly behind him.
His eyes widened as he quickly processed the situation. How much did she hear?
Was she the only one?
Were there cameras too?
Marcus quickly began scanning the area with a quick glance.
"Are you looking for cameras?" Kira asked, "There aren't any in this area, it's against the academy's privacy policy." She explained.
"How much did you hear?" Marcus asked bluntly.
Kira smiled playfully.
Marcus narrowed his eyes as he approached Kira. "How. Much. Did. You. Hear." He said threateningly, putting an emphasis on each word.
Kira giggled as she brought herself closer to Marcus. "Most of it." She said softly, wrapping her arms around his abdomen. "I know you're leaving again, back to New York." She said softly, placing her head against Marcus's chest. "There's something dangerous there, something you're afraid of facing."
Marcus sighed softly as he covered his face. "No, no, no….." he said softly to himself.
He had just fucked up, immensely.
"Is that what Luna is?" Kira asked curiously, "Is she an 'anomaly'?" Kira then giggled, "I guess that explains her silver eyes and hair, and those pointy ears."
Marcus's mind raced as he looked down at Kira, her head resting against his chest. Her gentle features are relaxed and satisfied. "Why?" Marcus asked in confusion, "Why are you doing this?"
Kira giggled. "I was always curious." She answered the moment you and Felix danced around what you did for a living, I knew it had to be something dangerous, fascinating, or worthless."
"Kira, what I do isn't some fantasy shit," Marcus explained as he grabbed her shoulders, gently pulling her back from himself. "Felix and I didn't tell you for a reason, so I'll need you to forget everything you just heard."
Kira smiled as she looked up at Marcus. "But I don't want to. I finally found something more interesting than what I've been pursuing in school, and you ask me to forget?"
"Kira please, you could get hurt, or worse end up dead." Marcus then frowned. "Besides, I haven't even told Kinsley anything yet, so…"
Kira giggled. "Kinsley this, and danger that." She brought herself closer to Marcus. "I don't care about any of that. I want to help you."
Marcus began dripping with sweat and nerves. "When did you become so interested in me?" He asked, "And what about Kinsley, isn't she your friend, and Felix didn't you like him, aren't you still getting over your feelings?"
Kira raised a hand to cover her mouth as she giggled. "I never liked Felix, he was charming but I could read him like a book." She explained, "he did prove for some nice fun, however, I've always been drawn to you and Luna Marcus."
"But Kinsley, she likes me too, and I like her."
Kira shook her head. "You don't like Kinsley, not like how you say you do." She explained. "She's just the first girl to show interest in you."
Marcus didn't know what to do, technically Kira got the nail on the head. Marcus was only reciprocating, the feelings Kinsley showed him, yet this still felt wrong.
Marcus looked down at Kira, directly into her eyes. "This isn't over." He said sternly, "If I survive the coming days, I'm coming back and we'll have a proper conversation."
Kira smiled as stood on her tippy toes. Reaching up to kiss Marcus. He was taken aback by her sudden bravado. Yet drawn in by her soft, sweet lips.
During that moment, Kinsley rounded the corner. She had a furious expression on her face, yet when she saw Kira and Marcus it became rage-filled.
"Marcus!" Kinsley's voice cut through the intimate moment like a knife through butter.