The next morning Marcus awoke to the sound of the shower running and knocking at the door.
"Marcus, can you get that!" Kinsley shouted from the bathroom, "Thank you!"
Marcus rubbed his eyes as he slipped out of bed. "W-who is it?" Marcus called out.
"It's Kira, I'm dropping off Luna."
Marcus stiffened up slightly at her voice, his expression turning slightly anxious.
He approached the door with cautioned footsteps, opening the door hesitantly, Marcus was greeted by Kira in a simple pink gown and Luna, who looked slightly distracted, lost in thought.
Without warning Marcus grabbed Kira by the arm and pulled her into the room.
A surprised expression crossed her face as Marcus dragged her and pinned her against a wall. "Are you planning something?" Marcus asked her quietly, leaning in closer so only she would hear, "Kira don't lie to me, please."
Kira shook her head as she winced at how hard Marcus was gripping her arms. "No… I just… I just wanted to go out on the town with you." She replied softly, her voice soft and pained.
Marcus frowned as his eyes studied Kira for any sign of deceit, but there weren't any, just a frightened woman who looked at him in confusion.
"Why?" Marcus asked, "Why me?"
"I… I can't tell you." Kira replied.
"Tell me right fucking now!" Marcus hissed as he shook her. "Why me, are you planning something?"
Kira sighed softly tears welling in her eyes. "Ok, ok." She said softly as she reached for Marcus' tightly gripped hand. "I… I wanted to get you a gaming system as a gift." She said softly, her voice trembling and cracking. "… to surprise you."
Marcus snapped out of his angered state. He had acted almost on instinct as if his subconscious knew something he didn't. But as he started at Kira, he realized that he had overreacted, and greatly.
"A gaming system?" He said softly as he loosened his grip, "How… how did you know I liked games?" He asked softly.
Kira pointed to Luna. "She wouldn't stop talking about you," she said with a smile. "She mentioned that you liked games and that you haven't been able to play any due to your job and the traveling you have to do."
Marcus' eyes softened as he turned his gaze toward Luna. She looked at him with a smile, it was a knowing smile, one of understanding and comfort.
Marcus chuckled as he looked back at Kira. "I. I'm sorry." He whispered to her. "It just, everything seemed to be going so well, I thought that, I…"
"It's okay," Kira said with a smile. "I know I'm a terrible person, and with how cautious you are, it's only natural to hate me."
Marcus frowned. "I don't hate you Kira, honest." Marcus replied sincerely, "You just, you're…"
Kira smiled as tears welled in her eyes. "A risk?" She asked, attempting to finish his sentence.
Marcus felt his guilt growing tenfold. "No, I…"
Marcus realized he couldn't properly word an answer in his current state. So in an attempt to mend the situation, Marcus hugged her.
Kira's eyes widened in surprise as Marcus pulled her small frame into his embrace. "Marcus?" She said softly, turning her head to his ear. "Why…"
"I'm sorry Kira, I'll apologize properly later, for now just accept this." He whispered.
Kira hesitantly wrapped her hands around Marcus's back, carefully keeping her arms in the middle of his back. She then closed her eyes as she enjoyed his embrace.
A moment of silence fell between the two, with the quiet noise of Kinsley's shower running filling the room. Marcus realized that it was his paranoia ruining what was turning out to be a great weakness.
He needed to push it down, to push it away.
Otherwise, he'd always be on edge without reason.
Gradually it was Kira who then finally pulled from Marcus' embrace. "Thank you, Marcus." She replied softly.
Marcus nodded as he straightened up. "Yeah." He said with a smile. "Starting now I mean it, we're friends okay I'm trusting you."
Kira smiled softly, unshed tears sparkling in her eyes. "Thanks, that means a lot to me."
As the bathroom door opened and Kira stepped out of the room, Kinsley emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a bath towel.
"Who was at the door?" She asked curiously.
"It was Kira, she came to drop off Luna," Marcus replied Ruffling Luna's hair.
Kinsley nodded, "did she do anything else?" She asked skeptically, giving Marcus a knowing look.
Marcus shook his head. "No, if I'm being honest she's been rather nice the past few days, we work together, and then we go our separate ways."
"She hasn't kissed you or grabbed your ass or anything?" Kinsley asked half-jokingly.
Marcus shook his head. "No, that is what is throwing me off my guard, she's been… nice."
Kinsley chuckled. "Sounds about right, Kira knows when she's lost so now she's most likely attempting to at least salvage a friendship with you."
"Is that what you think?" Marcus asked curiously.
"It's what I know," Kinsley replied with a wink.
Marcus chuckled as he breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, I've been on edge lately, jumping at shadows and whatnot, but the gym has helped clear my mind."
Kinsley chuckled, "Then keep going, maybe you're becoming a better person too."
Marcus smirked. "You bet."
— — —
Later that morning, Marcus and Kira met at the academy gates while Luna went to attend classes with Kinsley.
"Are you ready?" Kira asked with a smile as Marcus approached her. She was dressed in jeans with a pair of fur boots. Her shirt was black and long-sleeved, along with a white hat that held the logo of the academy.
Marcus looked down at his clothes, he was dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, with a pair of flip-flops. "Probably not." He joked, "Should I change?"
Kira giggled as she shook her head. "You may look homeless, but if you're confident and comfortable, then I'm okay with it too."
Marcus chuckled as he pulled at his shirt, "I wouldn't say I have confidence, I just don't know how to dress."
Kira giggled as she stepped out of the academy gates and onto the sidewalk, "are you coming?" She asked while looking back with a smile.
Marcus chuckled as he jogged after her.
As they walked the sidewalk, Kira fished her phone from her purse. "I've found a few Cyber-tech stores that sell the Arinon series console, but they don't open till ten, so…"
Marcus shrugged. "It's 9:10, so I guess that means we have some time to kill."
"Do you want breakfast?" Kira asked him curiously. "It'll be my treat."
"I'm fine, do you think I could get a thirty-minute gym session in?" Marcus asked.
Kira sighed as she tapped her phone in her palm. "If that's what you want, I can accommodate that." She replied, turning her attention further down the sidewalk.
Marcus scratched the back of his head as he chuckled nervously. "Actually, I'm a little hungry, can we uhm, can we stop by that café?"
Kira's eyes twinkled with relief and joy. "Of course, follow me," Kira said with a giggle as she took off, Marcus was surprised by her speed and found himself jogging behind her.
"The first person to the café wins!" Kira shouted back to Marcus with a smirk. "And the winner pays for our meal!"
Marcus chuckled as he upped the pace, "You're on!" She shouted back. The duo raced through the sparsely populated sidewalks. Kira kept a steady lead, but only because Marcus didn't know where the café was.
But as it finally came into view Marcus picked up the pace, quickly surpassing Kira like a horse passing a snail. "Hey!" Kira shouted as Marcus blitzed past her.
Marcus smirked as he looked back. "Too. Slow." He with a chuckle as he spread his arms out, crossing the imaginary finish line.
Stopping at the café glass doors, Marcus began to do a victory dance. He began rotating his arms around each other as he thrust his hips. "I guess you French don't just eat snails." He said with a laugh.
Kira giggled as she caught up to him. "What is this mess with snails, that's a myth you know."
Nodding his head skeptically, "Ahh, a myth you say…" he then pushed open the door to the café.
Stepping into the café the duo were greeted with a busy space filled with patrons enjoying a breakfast and conversation.
Marcus sighed as she crossed his arms. "Table hunting again…" he muttered.
Kira smirked as she pointed towards the stairs in the corner of the shop. "Don't cry just yet you baby, there's more upstairs."
Marcus nodded as he followed Kira toward the spiraling stairs that led to the second floor. Upon reaching it, the duo were greeted with a significantly emptier space, having only two other occupied tables.
The tables were fewer in number and smaller in size, the view outside was vast with a continuous window that went around the room.
As Marcus looked around, Kira led him to a corner table. "We'll sit here." She pointed out as she stood before the small wooden table.
"Sounds good," Marcus said as he sat down, Kira smiled at him as she walked to the seat across from him. She pulled it from the table and sat down.
"So, do you need a menu?" Kira asked with a smile, tapping a finger on the table.
Marcus nodded. "Yeah, I've been here once…"
Kira giggled as she pressed a button on the table, a 10x4-inch screen illuminated on the tabletop.
"Woah, how come the tables downstairs couldn't do this?" Marcus asked curiously as he leaned closer to the screen.
"Because you're expected to order at the counter." Kira answered, "Up here, they will send someone to bring us our order."
Marcus nodded. "So then, why isn't this part of the café full as well?" He asked, watching as Kira swiped through the menu.
"Because it's twice as expensive," Kira replied. "Anyway, do you see anything that grabs your attention?"
Marcus narrowed his eyes as he leaned closer to the screen. "Hmm, does this place sell waffles and sausage?" He asked curiously, "with a side of eggs, and… some black coffee."
Kira raised an eyebrow as she looked up to Marcus, who was mere inches away from her face. "This is a café, not an all-you-can-eat, Marcus." She said with a smile.
"So what, I'm supposed to sip on coffee and a piece of bread?" Marcus replied with a frown, "I'm an American god damnit, my blood pressure is high and my healthcare nonexistent, and I'll be damned if I can't have a real breakfast."
Kira giggled as she tilted her head, "I didn't know you were so passionate about breakfast Marcus."
She then flipped the screen around and pushed it to Marcus's end of the table. "You should order, for the both of us."
Marcus' eyes widened as he plopped back down in his seat. He started at the menu before him, noticing the vast amounts of options. "Woah…"
"It's a lot isn't it," Kira said with a giggle.
"The prices or the options?" Marcus asked with a chuckle, swiping through the menu.
"Both," Kira replied with a smile as she leaned forward. "I wonder if you still want that large hearty breakfast?" She teased.
Marcus shook his head, even if he found what he wanted, it would be time to leave before she could eat it. "I'll take that fancy bread now." He replied with a sigh.
Kira smiled as she swiped the screen back to her side of the table. She then swiftly worked through the menu to find a meal that would satisfy both her and Marcus.
With the order placed, Kira then finally turned off the table's menu. "I think you'll like what I got you, it's not enough to give you high blood pressure, but it'll hold you over."
Marcus chuckled. "Thanks." He replied, then turned and leaned back on his seat as he crossed his arms. "So… the Arinon series console, I'm not much of a console gamer, but I heard it's good."
Kira smirked. "Well, the hardware is superb and in most metrics matches the performance of modern high-performance computers." She then turned her attention outside, "but I'm more of a software girl, so I don't know much."
Marcus smiled. "Well, I've always been a PC gamer, back when I was still in school I used to play this fantasy MMORPG, it was my life," Marcus said with a passionate glint in his eye.
He then sighed. "It's been so long since I played it, and now… I can't even go home to play it for old time's sake."
A sympathetic expression found its way onto Kira's face. "Because of your family thinking you're…"
"Yeah," Marcus said with a sigh. "I'm dead, a corpse at the bottom of the sea."