seen from United States
seen from Azerbaijan
seen from Bulgaria
seen from Ireland
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Poland
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Japan
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seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
Marcus and Grumo lived together for the rest of their lives
Saturnalia- Marcus Gallo x OC
Marcus Gallo x Karisa Antila
Description: Karisa invites Marcus and Stylax to Flavia’s house for her Saturnalia party, and the night ends unexpectedly better than she and Marcus thought.
Word Count: 2k
“Morning boys,” Karisa called as she entered Stylax and Marcus’ workroom. Aurelius (the waterboy), who had been talking to the boys about something rather embarrassing, whipped around with a deep blush on his face, nearly splashing the entire pitcher of water on her is Marcus hadn’t grabbed her arm from his spot at the table and yanked her to the side.
“Gods, Aurelius,” she exhaled exasperatedly. “Watch where you swing your pitcher,” she demanded, smacking Stylax’s arm when he snorted at the double entendre of her words.
“Sorry Miss Karisa,” Aurelius mumbled, looking down embarrassed. “I’ll uh, go fetch some more water.” He left without looking at any of them, and once he was out of hearing range Stylax and Marcus burst out laughing.
“Man, that never gets old,” Marcus snickered. Karisa rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
“You guys are so mean to him,” she muttered with a shake of her head.
“You’re only saying that because you pity him,” Stylax accused in response.
“Am not,” the girl responded defensively.
“Are too,” he retorted. Marcus didn’t let their bickering continue as he looked at the girl.
“Anyways Karisa, to what do we owe the pleasure of having you down here for?” He inquired, leaning his head in his palm. Karisa seemed to remember why she had come down there and perked up.
“Ah, right. Well, Flavia is very busy today, but she wanted me to invite you guys to a party she’s throwing at her place.”
“Party?” Stylax repeated confusedly.
“Invite us?” Marcus added in the same tone.
“Well, she’s inviting all the staff, but she asked me to do it since she has several meetings today that she needed to prepare for,” Karisa explained. “It’s for Saturnalia and there are supposed to be some reputable guests attending that she wants all the staff to meet.”
“I don’t know Karisa,” Marcus trailed off slowly, looking down at the table awkwardly. A small, knowing smile settled on the girl’s face and she leaned down a bit.
“Cynthia said she may be there,” she mentioned in a sing-song voice. That, of course, caught Marcus’ attention and he brightened a bit.
“Really?” He asked. It almost made Karisa’s heart break, knowing how much Marcus fancied Cynthia. Nevertheless, she nodded cheerfully.
“At least she said she would last time we spoke,” she added quickly.
“Yeah, I’ll be there then,” Marcus finally agreed happily. Karisa giggled then nodded before looking at Stylax for his answer.
“You think she’d let me bring Helena?” He inquired, to which Karisa shrugged.
“I don’t see why not. Lotus will be there so I doubt Helena wouldn’t be too far behind.”
“Then yeah,” the man shrugged. “What time does it start?”
“Around 8:00, but just come whenever you want.” The boys nodded, and Karisa wished them a quick bye before heading back to Flavia’s office.
At nearly midnight the party was still going great. People were laughing, talking, eating and some were even dancing, everyone was having a great time. Karisa could tell by the look on Flavia’s face that they had at least a few well off customers in the future. The only person she could see that wasn’t having fun was Marcus. In fact, she hadn’t even seen him since he first arrived. Surely he hadn’t decided to leave already? After searching for nearly ten minutes, she finally found him on the edge of the back porch with a drink in his hand. She closed the back door behind her, muffling the music and chatter inside, before walking over to him.
“Not to toot my own horn or anything but I decorated the house nicely. You’re missing a pretty fun party inside,” she informed him with a small smile as she took a seat on his right side. “What’re you doing out here by yourself?” The boy sighed and looked at his lap.
“Cynthia didn’t come,” he muttered quietly, shocking Karisa.
“Wait what?” She questioned with wide eyes. Marcus nodded, still not looking at her.
“Yeah, Helena stopped by her flat before she and Stylax came here. Cynthia said that parties weren’t her thing and she didn’t want to go after all,” he explained. Karisa’s heart broke yet again, but this time for a different reason.
“Oh Marcus, I’m so sorry,” she muttered genuinely. “I really thought she would have come, she’d been talking about it ever since I mentioned it.”
“It’s fine Karisa,” he attempted to dismiss her apology.
“No, it isn’t,” Karisa shook her head. “I made you come to this party for nothing, what kind of friend am I?”
“A good one either way,” Marcus responded simply. The girl sighed then shook her head.
“Still.” After she finished talking, she watched him grab something from his left side.
“I was gonna give her this,” he added, holding up a white Lily. “Guess it’s all for naught though.” His hand dropped to his lap, flower still in hand. The girl debated on what to do next, ultimately deciding to pick up the flower and place it in her hair.
“How do I look?” She asked with a playful smile. Marcus looked at her and a smile tugged at his lips.
“Amazing,” he responded. Karisa tried not to take his compliment to heart.
“Then it’s not all for naught,” she said simply. “That way it doesn’t go to waste and you have someone to give it to. Though I can’t say I’m a good replacement for Cynthia.” At her name, Marcus’s shoulders dropped a bit, so Karisa continued.
“Marcus if you don’t want to be here, no one’s forcing you. In fact I’ve already seen people begin to leave. You should probably get home.” Marcus nodded after a moment and sighed before standing.
“Do you want me to walk you home?” He inquired. Karisa shot him a thankful smile but shook her head.
“Flavia has me on cleanup duty when the party’s over. It’s not a long walk home for me anyways,” she responded.
“Alright then, goodnight Karisa.”
“Goodnight Marcus, tell Grumio I said hello.”
“Will do,” Marcus replied, watching for a moment as she turned back to the evening sky while her drink swirled in her hand. He left shortly after then walked the thirty or so minutes back to his flat.
“Hey Grumio,” he greeted upon arriving, looking dejected.
“What’s wrong?” The servant asked, immediately noticing his friend’s mood.
“She didn’t go to the party,” Marcus sighed, plopping down beside Grumio.
“Really?” He questioned, sounding genuinely surprised. “She told me she was gonna tell you about her feelings tonight.” Marcus’ eyes widened and his eyes snapped to his friend.
“She was?” He asked, sounding as alarmed as he looked. Grumio shrugged nonchalantly and nodded.
“You shoulda seen her the past week,” he added before putting on a horrible girly voice. “Marcus likes Cynthia, and if he’s happy I’m happy. Who am I to get between him and who he wants?” He mimicked before huffing and leaning back in his seat. “I only just convinced her to talk to you two days ago. Guess the pep talk was for nothing in the end then.” Marcus’ eyebrows knit together in confusion. Why would Cynthia refer to herself in third person? No offense to her, but he was pretty sure she wasn’t smart enough to even understand that point of view. Unless…unless they weren’t talking about her.
“Grumio, who do you think we’re talking about?” He questioned slowly.
“Karisa,” Grumio answered with a shrug. “Who else?”
“Karisa likes me?” Marcus asked, looking absolutely blown away.
“Course she does, keep up, would ya?” The man responded, none the wiser to Marcus’s discovery.
“For how long?”
“Almost since you moved here. Why?” Marcus didn’t answer, but instead leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. His mind was reeling as he looked back on their relationship. All the compassion, the friendly gestures, the looks she always gave him. It was because Karisa fancied him? It felt like something awakened in Marcus, and he was standing before his mind could catch up.
“I’ll be back,” he informed Grumio, already heading to the door.
“It’s nearly 2:00 a.m.” his friend pointed out confusedly, but Marcus didn’t listen. His mind continued to run as his feet moved on their own accord, seeming as if they already knew where to go. Nearly half an hour later he was on Karisa’s doorstep knocking on her door. He saw a light emit from the living room window, signaling that a candle had been lit. That means she’s awake, Marcus thought. Just a second later the door opened and Karisa poked her head out, looking confused. Not that he could blame her of course, it was 2:00 a.m. and he was randomly on her doorstep. She still had the flower in her hair, which meant she hadn’t gone to bed yet, so he felt a bit better about this.
“Marcus? What are you doing here?” She questioned tiredly. “Is something wrong?” Marcus only stood there at first, trying to figure out how to go about this. Ultimately, he threw caution to the wind and stepped closer to her. Before she could question him again his hands grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her towards him in a kiss. It was rather messy at first, since Karisa hadn’t expected such a move. Once she melted into the kiss thigh, it was like heaven on earth. Unfortunately, the girl had to pull away just a second later for air.
“I’m an idiot,” Marcus mumbled low enough for only her to hear despite them being alone outside, eyes still closed.
“What are you talking about?” Karisa inquired breathlessly as she stared at him.
“For not realizing what was in front of me all along,” he explained, a bit louder this time. “Grumio told me what you said to him, I’m an idiot for going after someone when there was an amazing girl by my side the entire time.” Karisa blushed and she had an internal debate on whether to thank Grumio or kill him.
"I didn’t mind the wait,” she responded softly. His eyes opened once more and he stared into her eyes, an adoring grin painting his lips.
“Well now you don’t have to wait,” he spoke before kissing her once more. “Not anymore. Now that my eyes are finally open.” Karisa bit her lip and nodded hesitantly, which made Marcus worry.
“What is it?” He questioned.
“I don’t want to be a rebound for Cynthia,” she answered quietly, almost as if she didn’t want him to hear it.
“Oh Karisa,” he breathed out softly. “I would never do that to you. I’m here because I love you and you love me too. That’s all that matters: us.” Karisa looked comforted by his words and a smile appeared on her face once more.
“Okay,” she muttered. “Would uh, would you like to come in? It’s late and I know it’s a pretty far walk back to your house.”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Marcus sighed in relief, Karisa giggling afterwards as she led him inside. “After pretty much running all the way here my feet are killing me.” Her eyes widened and she faced him after closing the door behind them.
“You ran all the way here at this hour? Why didn’t you just come in the morning?” She asked bewildered.
“I couldn’t wait, and I don’t think I can keep you waiting,” he explained coyly, which made the girl’s heart melt.
“Well now that you’re here, how about we get some rest?” She inquired, already heading to her bedroom. Marcus followed her immediately and the two settled into bed in a spooning position. Karisa intertwined her hand with Marcus’ that laid over her waist.
“Did you have a good Saturnalia?” She inquired after a few minutes of complete silence. Marcus opened his eyes and smiled at the back of her head lovingly.
“With you? Always.”
Some Plebs Season 3 I guess
they would run the most obnoxious couples tiktok account
Wedding- Marcus x OC
Marcus x Karisa
Description: Marcus and Karisa are invited to be in Aurelius’ wedding party, only for the special day to end in a fight and their friend group stealing the wedding cake.
Word Count: 1.8k
“Karisa! Just the girl I was looking for,” Aurelius called joyfully as Karisa appeared at the door of Flavia’s office. The girl was surprised at his exclamation, but recovered quickly.
“What for?” She inquired.
“I’m getting married,” he informed her happily. “In exactly two weeks from today. My fiance Drusilla wanted to have my friends as her bridesmaids so she could know me better, so would you want to be a bridesmaid?” He asked hopefully. Karisa was shocked, though she refused to be rude and show it. Someone liked Aurelius enough to marry him? Willingly?
“Uh, sure?” She answered more as a question. Aurelius looked overjoyed about her answer and pulled her into a tight hug before practically running off to tell his fiance. Karisa could only watch after him in shock. This ought to be good.
“Alright everyone, we’re going to pair you up with who you walk down the aisle with, so listen carefully,” the wedding planner (a.k.a. the bride Drusilla’s mother), Aileen called, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention. Drusilla handed the woman a piece of paper.
“First will of course be the groom. Aurelius please stand at the front.” The groom did as he was told. “We will be going by who the closest is in height, so that means Grumio will be with Daphne,” she paused as the two moved to stand by each other. “Next will be Stylax and Helena.” They moved to stand behind Grumio and Daphne. “Finally, the best man and maid of honor. Marcus and Karisa please stand behind Stylax and Helena.” The woman in question only had to look around for a minute before finding her partner and walking over to stand behind the last two previously called.
“Fancy seeing you here,” Marcus joked quietly as their arms linked together, making her giggle.
“I know right? Small world we live in,” she played along as Aileen arranged Stylax and Helena together.
“I didn’t know you were in the wedding party, let alone the maid of honor,” the man continued as they followed Grumio and Daphne down the aisle as instructed.
“Yeah, Drusilla wanted to get closer with Aurelius’ friends since they’re literally about to be married tomorrow,” Karisa explained. “So she asked us to be her bridesmaids.”
“You’re friends with Aurelius?” He questioned, looking at her. She shook her head.
“Well, no. But I couldn’t say no to them. It’s a sweet cause.” Marcus hummed in response as they reached the end of the aisle. They pulled away from each other and Karisa shot him one last smile before walking over to stand beside Daphne. He followed her lead and stood beside Grumio with his hands clasping in front of his stomach awkwardly, Stylax joining them a moment later. The rest of the rehearsal went by much faster then pretty much any of them expected. Before they knew it, Aileen was dismissing them and everyone was preparing to leave.
“See you tomorrow then?” Karisa questioned hopefully, toying with her dress awkwardly.
“Definitely,” he responded without hesitancy before kissing her cheek. “Have fun at the doe party.”
“And you at the stag.” With one last goodbye, the two went their separate ways to their respective parties.
The night practically flew by. While Marcus took Aurelius, Stylax and Grumio to one of the less populated bars, Karisa chose to take Drusilla, Helena and Daphne vineyard hopping to three vineyards then took everyone home for a slumber party. Every single one of the girls woke up with a pounding headache but still managed to glam themselves up in time to get to the wedding venue with time to spare. When it was time it didn’t take Karisa long to spot Marcus, who also happened to be looking for her. A grin appeared on her face and she walked up to him.
“Well, don’t you look dapper?” She teased, which made him face her. His originally playful smile was replaced with a genuinely awed one.
“Oh, I’m nothing compared to you. I thought it was basically a sacred rule that no one could outshine the bride?” Karisa’s face flushed red and she fiddled with her bouquet.
“Quite the charmer you are,” she responded simply shortly before Aileen called for everyone to get into places. Karisa smiled as she watched Grumio and Daphne walk down the aisle together followed by Stylax and Helena.
“Ready?” Marcus mumbled into her ear, which emitted a nod from her. Without another word, they began to walk down the aisle arm in arm with their heads high. There weren’t many people there, just Drusilla’s family as well as Aurelius’ plus a few more of Drusilla’s friends. That made Karisa feel a bit better, she wasn’t exactly fond of standing in front of large crowds, even if the attention wasn’t on her. She gave Marcus one last smile before their arms disconnected and they walked to their respective places.
Though she didn’t know the bride well, she couldn’t help but tear up when Drusilla walked down the aisle with her arm linked with her fathers. She truly did look beautiful. And she was kind from what Karisa could gather over the past two weeks of knowing her. Aurelius was really lucky to marry her. Or so she thought. Karisa could tell that something was off by the way Aurelius kept fidgeting as the ceremony commenced. She just shrugged it off as wedding day nerves, but then they finally reached the vows. The officiate instructed him to recite, but the groom visibly hesitated. Everyone held their breath as they watched him look away and take a deep breath before looking at Drusilla once more.
“I…I can’t do this,” he finally said. “Drusilla, I don’t want to marry you.” Karisa’s mouth dropped open, and she looked around to see that the rest of the wedding party seemed just as surprised as she was. With just seven words, the entire ceremony went up in flames (metaphorically, thankfully). Almost immediately, both families began yelling at each other so loud that Karisa couldn’t distinguish what one person said, nor could she tell one voice from another. Drusilla began crying, which made Karisa feel bad for her, but not bad enough to get involved. Instead, all she could do was watch, frozen with shock.
That is, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Marcus standing beside her, though his eyes were still on the families as things began to get physical. She barely had to look around to realize that both Stylax and Grumio had joined the couple plus Helena and Daphne, all still watching the fight. As she faced the families once more, she heard Stylax speak.
“What are the chances that they’d notice if we took the cake and left?” The question almost made her laugh, but she just shrugged.
“They’re good enough to make an attempt,” she responded. The others agreed and they carefully began backing away until they were far enough from the fight. Then once they reached the table, Stylax and Grumio grabbed the cake and the girls and Marcus followed them out and went home.
“I’m just saying, it wouldn't have lasted,” Karisa spoke as she took another bite of cake. Helena, who had just sat down and handed a plate of cake to Stylax, nodded.
“Definitely,” she agreed, leaning back in her seat. “You should have seen the way she was talking about him at her Doe Party.”
“What did she say?” Marcus inquired curiously. Karisa shrugged and moved her legs so they laid across his lap, Marcus lifting her place so she could do so.
“Just that he probably wouldn’t make ends meet since he was only a waterboy, but she doesn’t want to get a job because ‘it’s my job as a woman to be a homemaker.’ Yeah, she’s one of those girls.” Stylax groaned dramatically, which made the girls laugh.
“Never understood girls who were like that,” he muttered before taking another mite of cake. “This is 27 (BC, for context) after all, you’d think that they’d get with modern time.”
“Exactly,” Marcus agreed. “When Karisa and I get married, we’ll be equals. There’ll be no such thing as the man goes and works all day while the woman stays home and cleans in our house.” Karisa blushed at his declaration.
“When?” She repeated shyly. That was the one word that echoed in her mind. When, not if. When. He gave her a curious look.
“I mean, yeah. I’d like to marry you one day. That’s why we're dating, isn’t it?”
“Yeah the only reason you should date someone is if you see a future with them,” Daphne added. Marcus glanced at Karisa once the girl finished talking.
“Don’t you want to marry Marcus?” Stylax questioned.
“Of course I do,” Karisa answered as if it were obvious. “I love Marcus more than anything.” It was Marcus’ turn to blush this time and he reached over to take her hand, kissing her knuckles.
“I love you too,” he said softly, which made her already wide smile widen. Helena cooed at them and leaned her head on Stylax’s shoulder.
“How sweet,” she said brightly. The group laughed at her lovestruck expression. Before anyone could do or say anything, Karisa gasped as she felt something smear on her cheek. Her head snapped to the side to see Marcus holding back a laugh while holding a finger up that had icing residue. Behind her, she heard the others begin to laugh.
“Let’s see how you like it then,” she grumbled before picking up some icing and slathering it on his nose. He gaped at her as she began laughing, then a smirk appeared on his face.
“Now you’re gonna get it!” He picked off a small piece of cake and flung it at her, only for her to move away at the last second and it hit Stylax. That meant war, and it started a whole food fight between the six of them until there was no more cake left on any of their plates.
“Well, this is a mess,” Grumio stated, looking around at everyone in the room and every surface that had cake on it. Karisa offered him an apologetic smile.
“Sorry Grumio. We’ll help you clean it up,” she responded, the others nodding after. “Go grab some rags and a bucket of water, Helena, you and Stylax can go to the baths first. Then Grumio and Daphne can go so they can be back in time to start on dinner together. Marcus and I will go last.” Everyone nodded and went their separate ways in their designated groups save for Marcus and Karisa.
“I do mean it, by the way,” Marcus stated as they began to gather up the plates. “I do want to marry you someday.” The same blush appeared on Karisa’s face and she beamed at him.
“And I you.” They took a moment to share a quick kiss before continuing to clean as Grumio and Daphne returned.
New Slave- Marcus x OC
Marcus x Karisa
Description: Stylax impulsively buys a new slave, Mushki, that Karisa finds uncomfortable. How will that affect her time with Marcus?
Word Count: 2k
“Who are you?” Karisa questioned, looking rather alarmed. She had been coming to visit her boyfriend but all thoughts of Marcus left her mind as she stared at the stranger sitting on the couch.
“I am Mushki,” the man chirped nonchalantly.
“Okay,” Karisa said slowly, glancing around. “And where are Marcus and Stylax?” The man didn’t have to answer before the front door opened and the men in question walked inside.
“Karisa, I didn’t know you were coming over today,” Marcus greeted happily, walking over to his girlfriend and pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“Well, I was in the neighborhood and decided it wouldn’t hurt to swing by,” she responded, not taking her eyes off the man on the couch. “Uh, guys, who is this?”
“That’s Mushki,” Marcus answered with a bright smile.
“Yes, I’ve figured that much out. What is he doing here?” Karisa questioned, starting to lose her calm exterior.
“Oh, he’s our new slave.” Her eyes widened at his words and she opened her mouth to respond, but stopped when her eyes landed on Mushki, who was messing with the fabric of the couch cushion.
“Could you excuse us just one second, Mushki?” She asked politely, though she didn’t wait for an answer before practically dragging Marcus to his bedroom with Stylax following. The latter closed the door behind them once they were inside and Karisa looked between them, bewildered.
“What do you mean he’s your new slave? Where’s Grumio?”
“Who needs Grumio?” Marcus brushed off. “Believe me, I was hesitant when Stylax first brought him home. But Mushki is one of the most attentive slaves anyone could get and he’s a great cook.”
“But I thought Grumio was your friend,” Karisa pointed out, crossing her arms.
“Yeah, but that’s about it,” Marcus responded. She was growing angry at how nonchalant he was being despite essentially replacing one of his friends. A knock came from the door and Mushki’s voice came from the other side.
“I made sushi,” he called, oblivious to their private conversation. Marcus smiled smugly at his girlfriend and grabbed the doorknob.
“Just give him a try, you’ll like him in no time,” he said before walking out, following Mushki to the dining room and leaving Karisa in the room with Stylax. The girl frowned, not taking her eyes off of her retreating boyfriend.
“It was a bad idea to buy him,” she muttered matter-of-factly. Stylax nodded, his eyes also trained on Marcus as Mushki pulled out his chair for him.
“I’m starting to think the same.”
Karisa barely got through lunch with the boys before deciding to make her leave. She was considerably upset about the situation. She and Grumio had grown really close over the time they’ve known each other. If Grumio didn’t have the guys, he’d even go as far to say that Karisa was his best friend, and vice versa. Now he was in the slave auction and there was nothing she could do about it.
To add to her distress, Karisa found that she didn’t like the way that Mushki was looking at her, every time she glanced at him, he was already looking at her. At first she just assumed it was because he didn’t know a lot about her so he wasn’t used to her. But it continued to happen anytime she came over, and she felt uncomfortable every single time. If he wasn’t staring at her, he was standing a little too close for comfort. No matter how many times she would put some space between them, he would find ways to fill it in.
She hated it, it made her extremely uncomfortable and uneasy. He looked at her as if she were just some piece of meat and he was a dog that hadn’t eaten in three days. She just wanted things to go back to the way they were before. That wouldn’t happen though, as long as Mushki continued to impress Marcus with his culinary skills he stayed. In an attempt to ease this discomfort, she began coming around less and less. It was difficult at first, but every time she returned she’d remember why she wanted to distance herself, and it became easier.
Eventually it settled into her almost blatantly refusing to go over to their house, and Marcus was bound to take notice of that. It confused him. Everything seemed fine when they were together, but as soon as Mushki was brought up or he’d invite her over, she’d either make an excuse to get out of it or change the conversation completely. Marcus knew that Karisa was upset about his lack of care for Grumio, but this was getting a bit ridiculous.
Finally, one night, he convinced her to have dinner at his place, telling her that Helena would also be in attendance. He was determined to pinpoint exactly what made her distance herself, and it came to him like a punch to the gut. Usually during meals, Marcus would be mainly focused on Mushki’s (admittedly delicious) food, but tonight he ate without thinking and instead subtly focused on his girlfriend. That meant he noticed how his new slave would subtly attempt to get as close to Karisa as possible. He noticed when Karisa reached for a slice of bread and Mushiki grabbed it for her, placing it in her hand with a small pat, which made her withdraw her hand rather quickly. And most importantly, he noticed every uncomfortable stare that Mushki sent Karisa’s way. It was almost predatory, Marcus realized. It was unsettling for him and he wasn’t even on the receiving end of the stare.
Karisa left very soon after dinner, making an excuse about writing some report for Flavia. Marcus, Stylax and Helena retired to the couches to continue conversation while Mushki cleaned up for the next ten minutes.
“I am going to the shops,” Mushki informed them. “We are almost out of bread.”
“Alright, thanks Mushki,” Marcus said with a polite smile. Mushki nodded then walked out with a bag of money in his hands. Once he was gone, Marcus looked down, figuring out how to ask his friends if they saw the same thing he did.
“You okay, Marc?” Stylax asked after a few minutes, staring at him concerned. That made his head snap up to look at the couple.
“Did you guys see the way Mushki acted around Karisa during dinner?” He asked rather than answering. He watched the two give each other a knowing look, which confused him.
“What?”
“Of course we saw it,” Stylax finally answered for the both of them. “I see it every single time she comes over.”
“He acts the same way with me, but I guess he just likes Karisa more because he didn’t really bother me tonight,” Helena added. Marcus stared at them, looking absolutely bewildered.
“Why did you guys tell me?” He asked defensively.
“Well, you really like Mushki,” Helena responded in the same tone. “And you refuse to get Grumio back so honestly what else can we do?”
“Yeah, we didn’t really have a choice, Marcus,” Stylax added. “Besides, he’s really attentive to you. I mean, like, borderline psychotic. I have to physically tell Mushki to stay put if I want to talk to you. Even then he doesn’t listen.” Marcus stayed silent as he took in this information, realizing that his friends were right. He’d been so caught up in the benefits that came with Mushki that he hadn’t stopped to realize that the cons outweigh the pros.
“So what do we do?” He finally asked. He didn’t care how hard of a worker Mushki was, he wanted his girlfriend and friends back.
“I say we buy back Grumio,” Stylax stated.
“And sell Mushki back,” Helena continued. “He can be someone else’s psycho, I don’t care.” Stylax chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Good idea love,” he said, which made Helena kiss his cheek affectionately. Oh, how Marcus wished that were him and Karisa at that moment. But he’d get her back soon enough.
The next day, Karisa heard a knock on her door. She set down the paint palette she had been using and wiped her hands on her rag before answering.
“Marcus,” she greeted, surprised. “What’re you doing here?” Marcus stood on the other side of the door with a white Lily in his hand.
“Well, I know that you usually spend your days off painting. I also know that you have a nasty habit of forgetting to eat when you’re painting, so I thought I’d invite you over to mine for lunch,” he explained with a charming smile. “This is for you by the way,” he added, holding out the flower for her. She blushed and gingerly took it then hesitated, quickly thinking of an excuse so she didn’t have to see Mushki.
“Sorry Marc, I really wanted to get this painting done today,” she lied smoothly. “Maybe some other time.” Marcus' shoulders slumped a bit.
“Are you sure?” He asked, making sure to show his disappointment. “Come on, Helena and Stylax will be there.” Karisa sighed softly, knowing it was difficult to say no to Marcus. Besides, Helena made things with Mushki seem more bearable.
“Alright,” she conceded, taking her painting apron off and setting it aside. Marcus smiled brightly and took her hand, practically dragging her out of the house before she could change her mind. The walk to Marcus’ house was nice, they talked about everything the other person had missed in their small time apart. It almost made Karisa forget about the Mushki situation until they reached his doorstep and she could smell something cooking. She groaned internally, but still offered Marcus a small smile as they stepped inside. Stylax and Helena were sitting on the couch talking, but the conversation stopped when the couple walked in.
“Hey Kar,” Helena greeted followed by Stylax waving at her, both looking rather happy this afternoon. It made Karisa suspicious, usually Helena wasn’t this chipper around Mushki. She decided not to think too hard into it, assuming that it was just some sort of post-shag high.
“Morning you two, sleep well last night?” She inquired, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Stylax laughed while Helena blushed.
“Better than ever,” the former responded, which made Karisa giggle.
“Is that Karisa that I hear?” She heard a more than familiar voice question from behind her. Her eyes widened and her head immediately whipped around, hoping she wasn’t just hearing things. A big smile broke out onto her face when she saw Grumio in the kitchen with what looked like a mixing bowl in his hands.
“Grumio!” She exclaimed excitedly as she stood practically running over to him. The boy barely had enough time to set the bowl down before catching Karisa in a tight hug.
“You’re back!” She said in the same tone. “Gods I’m so glad.” A smile appeared on Grumio’s usually stoic face as he hugged her.
“Yeah, couldn't find it in myself to leave you to care for these two twats,” he joked, eating a ‘hey’ from a very offended Stylax. That made the both of them laugh as they pulled away.
“Marcus told me how that Mushki bloke was treating you. Ya want me to have a go at him?” He questions seriously. Karisa glanced at Marcus, who only smiled and shrugged one shoulder. She offered him a smile before facing her friend once more.
“Nah, as long as he doesn’t show his face here we’ll be grand.” Grumio nodded, then informed everyone that lunch was ready. The four of them cheered, and while Stylax and Helena walked to the table, Karisa pulled Marcus off to the side and hugged him just as tight as she did Grumio.
“Thank you,” she mumbled into his ear, making him grin.
“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let something like that continue to bother my girlfriend?” He responded smoothly, kissing the top of her head. She smiled up at him then placed a quick kiss on his lips before Grumio interrupted.
“Come on lovebirds, don’t want your food getting cold,” he called as he took a seat at the table. The couple giggled and pulled away just enough to take a seat beside their friends, all beginning to eat lunch in relief that things were back to normal.
