âA raise, hm? Well, sign me up,â Marcus was going to pretend he wouldnât have offered to help, anyway, instead taking the time to move closer under the pretense of getting a better look at the place. To be fair, he was curious about it, but he mostly had just needed to get closer to Vlad. It really should have been more scary how much Vlad made him feel, and maybe if it was anyone else, he would have pushed them away a long time ago, but it didnât feel badscarywrong with him. The more he thought about it now, the more vaguely comforting and kind of a little bit nice it seemed. He had spent his whole life on his own, so having this one person he could be comfortable around, even trust, was relieving.
Somewhere in that blonde, murderous head, which was funny only because he could say the same to describe himself, Marcus had an inkling that the feeling was mutual. He couldnât have gotten this far, this invested, this comfortable in Vladâs life without some kind of mutual respect or trust or happiness, even. He hoped so, anyway. It would be embarrassing and frustrating to find out that the one person he had didnât have him in the same wayâŠÂ
But, realistically, Marcus knew he was right. Vlad wasnât the type to tolerate people he just didnât like, at least not in this context, and he certainly wasnât the type to just allow some kid into his restaurant and into his home not once but twice now, shared violent tendencies or not. From the beginning, there had been a connection between them that surpassed simple friends.
Now, the real question to answer was why he was letting himself get so worked up over whether or not Vlad liked him, and why he had such a moment of insecurity like that. Normally Marcus was either confident or apathetic, not self-conscious about his relationship with someone.
Vlad simply chuckled in response, noting the boy as he moved closer to him. Somehow they had fallen right back into their comfortable friendship, both able to stand quietly and enjoy each others company. They didnât need to fill the silence with chattering and they didnât need to ask the other what they were thinking self consciously. Though Vlad would love to know just what the younger man was thinking about, he knew better then to ask. Marcusâ thoughts were his own.
Locking eye contact with Marcus for a moment, the corner of his eyes crinkled happily before he turned back to the building and headed towards the door. He needed to see inside and he was honestly pretty glad Marcus was there to see it with him. He would make everything...easier. Just by being there. Once he pushed the creaky door open, itâs hinges complaining loudly, Vlad turned back to Marcus and held out his hand in offering. He wanted Marcus to know he was needed. It was until the young boy had joined him that he continued.
The inside of the restaurant was a complete ruin, some parts burned down, others covered in layers of poorly done graffiti. It was painful to look at and Vlad squeezed Marcusâs hand in response to his sadness seeing his beautiful restaurant in ruins. He had to fix this. Pulling his hand out of Marcusâs reluctantly, he sat down heavily on a dusty chair, his head in his hands. It was all too much. Being back in Hogsmeade. Seeing this restaurant. All of the memories associated with this place, both light and dark. Running into Marcus. He was overwhelmed and honestly a little embarrassed to be having a mini panic attack in front of the young boy. âHow could I let this happen...â He mumbled, not speaking about anything in particular, simply referring to his train wreck of a life in general.
