IF ONLY I HAD AN ENEMY BIGGER THAN MY APATHY I COULD HAVE WON

Marshal Ford 30/ Bodyguard/Spade

[marshalford-blog]

“God I feel like I’ve been hung over for like a month,” said Marshal rubbing his temples, eyes shut. “What did I miss?”

[xharleymitchellx-deactivated201]

“I don’t know! I’m not a fucking news show.” She rolled her eyes. “What have you been up too?” she asked, not having seen him in ages.

[marshalford-blog]

“Such a way with words you have,” Marshal chuckled.He gave a noncommittal shrug and continued.

 “I decided to go off grid for a bit after the bombing and the other shit that happened  awhile back” He looked up at the sky,  “Thought I might go.back home to see my family.” 

Then turning back to Harley, Marshal  smirked.

“Should I even ask what you’ve been up to?”

[marshalford-blog]

"God I feel like I've been hung over for like a month," said Marshal rubbing his temples, eyes shut. "What did I miss?"

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal let out a little huff of a laugh at the old inside joke. It reminded him so much of those early days of his and Austen’s relationship.

“Yeah, see you around, Smith.” he said with a parting salute, another throwback.

[austenford-deactivated20180210]

Austen halted midstep. She slowly turned back, and said, “Actually, it’s still Ford. I didn’t go back to my maiden name.” Then, having dropped that bombshell, she left, wondering how he was reacting to the information.

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal blinked for a moment at the sight of Austen's retreating figure. He could feel the corners of his mouth lift slightly, reflectivity. She hadn't gone back to her maiden name. Something he had been so sure of ever since the divorce. Should he be happy about that. The small chance there was still something connecting them together. Scrubbing his hand over his face he let out a huff a laugh not quite sure of his emotion and turned to walk the other direction. Maybe he and Austen would figure out where they stood, together.

[marshalford-blog]

“You’d be surprised how small this city really is,” Marshal said with a sardonic smile. He gestured at Piper’s crutches. “She was there at the gala. It put some things in perspective”

[piperxtaylor]

Piper nodded slowly. When your circles interlocked, she supposed it really could be a small city. “Oh. Was she okay? No one was killed that night, right?”

[marshalford-blog]

"Not that I'm aware of," said Marshal, answering the second of Piper's questions. "And yeah she's okay. Just a bit shaken up. Like most of us." Marshal was quiet for a moment, remembering that heart stopping moment he had felt when he had heard about the bombing and hadn't known if Austen was alright. But shaking his head slightly he returned to reality. "I don't want to hold you up if you have....business to attend to," he said to Piper

[marshalford-blog]

“You’d be surprised how small this city really is,” Marshal said with a sardonic smile. He gestured at Piper’s crutches. “She was there at the gala. It put some things in perspective”

[piperxtaylor]

Piper nodded slowly. When your circles interlocked, she supposed it really could be a small city. “Oh. Was she okay? No one was killed that night, right?”

[marshalford-blog]

"Not that I'm aware of," said Marshal, answering the second of Piper's questions. "And yeah she's okay. Just a bit shaken up. Like most of us." Marshal was quiet for a moment, remembering that heart stopping moment he had felt when he had heard about the bombing and hadn't known if Austen was alright. But shaking his head slightly he returned to reality. "I don't want to hold you up if you have....business to attend to," he said to Piper

[marshalford-blog]

Piper’s response to the change of conversation was smooth. Marshal saw no obvious sign of disappointment that he had refused to talk about his line of work. He felt more at ease than he had moments ago but he was reluctant to truly let his guard down again

“She’s still in New York, working”, was all that Marshal would say about his ex-wife, Austen. “We’ve fallen out of touch.”

[piperxtaylor]

“So if you’ve fallen out of touch, how is she causing you problems?” Piper asked, tilting her head to keep up the curious act. “It’s a big city, surely you can avoid her.”

[marshalford-blog]

"You’d be surprised how small this city really is,” Marshal said with a sardonic smile. He gestured at Piper’s crutches. “She was there at the gala. It put some things in perspective”

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal tried to push down the almost goofy grin he could feel stretching across his face, managing to to turn it into a slightly calmer one. 

Austen’s response wasn’t exactly the reconciliation that Marshal hoped one day could come, but it was a sort of promise. A promise that maybe things could get better between them, more like before.

“Good,” he said, simply

[austenford-deactivated20180210]

For a moment neither spoke. The silence began to stretch until Austen couldn’t stand it. If she felt that if stayed another minute longer, she’d give in and kiss him. “I…I have get back,” she said. “I’ll see you later.” She turned, hesitated. Then turned back as she said, “See you around, Ford.” This was a throwback to when they had first started seeing each other. It had been their own private little joke to address each other by their last names when they were saying goodbye.

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal let out a little huff of a laugh at the old inside joke. It reminded him so much of those early days of his and Austen’s relationship.

“Yeah, see you around, Smith.” he said with a parting salute, another throwback.

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal felt a flicker of suspicion at Piper’s question. At first glance it it seemed simple enough. She knew is line of work. Her tone was causal.

But Marshal couldn’t help but notice how nonchalant Piper seemed  to be. If there was one thing Marshal still prided himself in was his ability to read people. To notice the small things. It had kept him alive in the Marines and with the Spades.

There was something leading in Piper’s words, a subtle way of turning the conversation, unknowingly to Marshal, in her intended direction.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and his calm mood was slipping. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but something felt off.

Deciding to play dumb, he lead the conversation in another direction, watching for Piper’s reaction .

“No, just problems with my ex-wife.” 

[piperxtaylor]

“Your ex-wife? I didn’t realise you were ever married.” Piper carefully hid her disappointment at the lack of information. It wouldn’t do for her to be found out. Especially not when she was in such a physically vulnerable state. She couldn’t fight someone bigger, stronger and better trained than her normally, and right now she couldn’t even run. “Relationships really seem more trouble than they’re worth sometimes. What’s she doing?”

[marshalford-blog]

Piper’s response to the change of conversation was smooth. Marshal saw no obvious sign of disappointment that he had refused to talk about his line of work. He felt more at ease than he had moments ago but he was reluctant to truly let his guard down again

“She’s still in New York, working”, was all that Marshal would say about his ex-wife, Austen. “We’ve fallen out of touch.”

[marshalford-blog]

There was that familiar burst of longing in Marshal’s chest. That wish to go back to the simpler times, long before Afghanistan or the accident, or the divorce. When it was him and Austen and they were happy.

It seemed such an easy thing to finally open his mouth and tell Austen how much he missed her. That he was still as much in love with her as he had been on the day of their wedding.

But then he thought of mornings where he woke up, still slightly drunk from the night before, with bruised knuckles from whatever fight he had gotten into. Of the drugs. Of his job and what it entailed.

And he kept silent.

He put on his most convincing smile and said the closet thing to the truth that he would allow himself.

“We should do this more often.” He kept his tone light and joking, but secretly hoping.

[austenford-deactivated20180210]

We should do this more often. The words echoed in Austen’s ears. Despite the joking tone of his voice, she could see the secret hope in his eyes. It was the same hope she had been fighting ever since she had laid eyes on him earlier. It was the hope that kept her rooted to where she stood.

It should have been simple. Yes or no. Just one of two little words and that was it. But it wasn’t that simple. What would seeing Marshal again do? Austen had left him for a reason. A valid reason that still stood. Nothing had changed. Except he can laugh again, she reminded herself. He is getting better even if he hasn’t realized it.

And saying no…she couldn’t. The truth was, she wanted to see him again. And again. And again. She wanted to see him every day for the rest of her life. She wanted him in her life so bad it hurt. 

After several moment’s silent struggle, Austen finally said in a low voice. “Yeah. We should.”

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal tried to push down the almost goofy grin he could feel stretching across his face, managing to to turn it into a slightly calmer one. 

Austen’s response wasn’t exactly the reconciliation that Marshal hoped one day could come, but it was a sort of promise. A promise that maybe things could get better between them, more like before.

“Good,” he said, simply

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal nodded and tried to ease his rigid posture.

“Is there anything in particular that needs to be done? In light of…” he paused. “Recent events.”

[williamalderson-blog]

Xavier paused, taking a moment to ponder with a drum of his fingers. He had a few things that needed to be done, but most of it was paper and he needed Marshal for much more physical things. “I do have a deal set for next Wednesday and I also believe you’ll be necessary. I would say to prepare for that and rest up. It may be a long night.” He stressed, wanting to ensure more than anything that Marshal was at full health come the day, knowing damn well he’ll probably need it.

[marshalford-blog]

Raising his eyebrow slightly, Marshal asked, “Is there anything else I should know about this deal.”

Marshal trusted Xavier but he hated going into a job without having as many details as possible. It made him nervous, not that he would admit that to his boss.

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal opened his mouth to say something, but the words caught in his throat. He merely nodded.

After a moment he swallowed nervously and found his voice

“Then you got to promise me you’ll call me if you ever need help. I’ll be there. No matter what.”

[austenford-deactivated20180210]

When Marshal opened his mouth to speak but didn’t, a sinking feeling rose in the pit of Austen’s stomach. It felt like an eternity before Marshal nodded. Relief washed over her and the sinking feeling vanished.

Austen meet his gaze when he spoke. Oh, how she loved him. Part of her had expected him to hate her for leaving, as she in part hated herself for it. Yet, that clearly wasn’t the case. He still wanted to look after her. Maybe he understood why she had left more than she had given him credit for. Or maybe, he was so dragged down with self-loathing that he felt she was better off without him. That thought made Austen’s heart break. She wanted to tell him, to assure him that he was still the best of men. That he was still the love of her life, no matter what. But when she opened her mouth the only word that came out was, “Deal.”

[marshalford-blog]

There was that familiar burst of longing in Marshal’s chest. That wish to go back to the simpler times, long before Afghanistan or the accident, or the divorce. When it was him and Austen and they were happy.

It seemed such an easy thing to finally open his mouth and tell Austen how much he missed her. That he was still as much in love with her as he had been on the day of their wedding.

But then he thought of mornings where he woke up, still slightly drunk from the night before, with bruised knuckles from whatever fight he had gotten into. Of the drugs. Of his job and what it entailed.

And he kept silent.

He put on his most convincing smile and said the closet thing to the truth that he would allow himself.

“We should do this more often.” He kept his tone light and joking, but secretly hoping.

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal let out a huffing laugh, and craned his neck to look at the sky, hands in his pockets.

“Stressful,” he said, simply. Looking back at Piper, he continued. “New York’s getting a little too chaotic for my taste. And you?”

[piperxtaylor]

Piper shrugged. “New York has always been chaotic. If you know where to look. What’s stressing you out so much? Is it your boss?” It was common knowledge between them that Marshall was in a gang, though not which one or much else. Piper was careful to be vague; she wanted to seem clueless so he hopefully wouldn’t find anything off about her questioning.

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal felt a flicker of suspicion at Piper’s question. At first glance it it seemed simple enough. She knew is line of work. Her tone was causal.

But Marshal couldn’t help but notice how nonchalant Piper seemed  to be. If there was one thing Marshal still prided himself in was his ability to read people. To notice the small things. It had kept him alive in the Marines and with the Spades.

There was something leading in Piper’s words, a subtle way of turning the conversation, unknowingly to Marshal, in her intended direction.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and his calm mood was slipping. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but something felt off.

Deciding to play dumb, he lead the conversation in another direction, watching for Piper’s reaction .

“No, just problems with my ex-wife.” 

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal instinctively adopted the alerted stance that had been ingrained in him when talking to a superior officer. Xavier might not be the same thing as a Marine drill sergeant but the two were link in his mind.

“I’m fine. I’m ready to get back to work”

[williamalderson-blog]

Xavier watched as Marshal tensed, immediately turning into a form of super solider. He was used to this reaction from him as it was, in a way, Marshal’s job, but that didn’t stop Xavier from getting a nagging feeling, almost as if he should just say ‘at ease’ to get the other man to relax once in awhile. His natural change of stance never ceased to put Xavier on edge, as if waiting for something bad to happen. “I’m happy to hear that, but don’t over exert yourself, we need you to stay in one piece, alright?”

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal nodded and tried to ease his rigid posture.

“Is there anything in particular that needs to be done? In light of...” he paused. “Recent events.”

[marshalford-blog]

“Oh that’s nothing. 8 weeks will pass in no time,” Marshal joked. “And you’re tough.”

Then he frowned, suddenly somber.

“Just watch out for yourself.”

Who’s knows what going to happen next in this city, was the unspoken thought. Marshal didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.And though he didn’t know Piper , apart from the fact that she supplied him with drugs, he felt concern for the girl.

[piperxtaylor]

Piper smirked and nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. Keep moving anyway. Not that the doctor was happy about that.”

The sudden change in mood startled her slightly, but she nodded. “I will. No one’s going to touch me. You look out for yourself too.” The concern in his voice was strange, so Piper ignored it. Thinking too far into it would only cause trouble. Marshall was information, she had to remember that.

“So, how’s things generally?”

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal let out a huffing laugh, and craned his neck to look at the sky, hands in his pockets.

“Stressful,” he said, simply. Looking back at Piper, he continued. “New York’s getting a little too chaotic for my taste. And you?”

[gisellesaint]

marshalford :

“You know me,” Marshal said, with a tight smile. “I prefer it when it’s quiet”

“Don’t we all.” Margot manages in agreement, ignoring the way his smile seemed a little more formal than normal. “Have you seen Xavier today.”

[marshalford-blog]

“No,” Marshal answered. “I haven’t seen much of anyone these past few days. Why?”

[marshalford-blog]

“I think that’s the first time I’ve really laughed in awhile,” said Marsha, feeling almost shy. “You were always the best at making me laugh.”

There was another moment of silence. But this time it didn’t make Marshal’s skin crawl. It was comfortable, just the two of them together, content to be in each others company. Marshal could remember the time where it was always like this. His thumb brushed her knuckles.

“It’s good to talk to you again.”

[austenford-deactivated20180210]

“Yeah, you too,” Austen said. She hesitated, wondering what else to say. What else was there to say? “Promise me something,” she said suddenly. “Promise me, that you will never stop trying to find reasons to laugh.”

[marshalford-blog]

Marshal opened his mouth to say something, but the words caught in his throat. He merely nodded.

After a moment he swallowed nervously and found his voice

“Then you got to promise me you’ll call me if you ever need help. I’ll be there. No matter what.”

[marshalford-blog]

TMI Tuesday: What's the most unusual thing you've done nude?

(Sorry this wasn’t answered on Tuesday)

The most unusual thing I’ve done nude was the day when me and a couple friends got extremely drunk and decided it would be a good idea to streak across the base we were stationed at. Luckily we didn’t get caught.