Alright so this is a drabble that I've been writing and it's pretty long and not as strong in some places, but it's cute and I promised I'd publish it so here you go. Marycus, future, possibly AU depending on the way things actually work out. But who knows. Alright, enjoy, I suppose. <3
"Mare?" Marc called, slinging his bag over his shoulder and peering around the corner into the small sitting room of their apartment where his girlfriend lay on the couch, reading. She looked up curiously, eying his put together state. Confused, she glanced over at the time. It was late, later than one would usually be leaving the house. And it wasn't that she minded, or they'd had plans, but he was usually one to tell her these things. It didn't really make much sense to her, but maybe it would be best to let it go.
"Are you going out?" She asked casually, though her eyebrows turned in slightly in confusion. His face remained clear of any indication of the start of mood he'd be in when venturing… wherever he was going as he nodded, crossing the room and leaning down to kiss her briefly. His lips lingered on hers for a moment before he pulled away and straightened back up.
He knew he had to be casual about this. It was difficult for him, keeping things from her, but this was different. If she found out before he got the chance to... well, it definitely wasn’t what he had planned. The nerves rattled him a bit, but he steadied himself as he spoke.
"Just for a bit," He promised with a smile, inching back towards the door. She looked at him, confusion now flooding her features. He still hadn't said where he was going. She wasn't going to press it, but that didn't mean she wasn't curious. She started to close her book.
"Oh, alright. Do you want me to come with?" she asked, sitting up. His eyes widened slightly, causing a whole new wave of curiosity to flood through her, and he shook his head. She tilted hers slightly to the side as he spoke.
"No-" He said a little too quickly. He cleared his throat, hoping he'd be able to back his way out of this one without too many questions. Rubbing the back of his neck nervously, he shrugged slightly at her. "No, I mean… i-it'll be boring… I'll be fine. Stay, relax. I'll be home later." He smiled at her, a nervous err in the expression. Turning, he opened the door and started out of it.
"Okay…" she said uncertainly, watching him with suspicious eyes as he started to leave. She didn’t like it when she felt like there was something to worry about in regards to him, and something off stirred in the way he was acting."Marc?" She hesitated before calling. He caught the door before it swung shit and popped his head back in, smiling at her brightly.
"Yeah?"
"Is… is everything alright?"
He grinned, chuckling slightly. "Perfect. Gotta go."
"Bye, then?"
"I love you!" He called back to her as he disappeared again, the door clicking shut behind him. Two years and he never ceased to surprise her. Mary sighed and shook her head, returning to her book.
Tuesday Afternoon.
Mary,
I'm gonna be a little later getting home tonight. Sorry, love. Miss you.
Marc
Mary sighed and folded the letter. That was three night, now. The day before, he hadn’t even said he was going out. When she’d gotten home, he was just... not there. It’d happened before, but usually it meant he’d met up with Ken at the pub. And sooner of later, he sent word of where he was. This time, nothing. She couldn’t help but worry, wonder if he was alright. If he was safe, wherever he was. And if he was physically safe, what could be on his mind these past few days? Where did he keep running off to?
When he'd gotten home the night before, he'd been a bit to careful stepping around the situation. Sure, he’d apologized, but she knew Marc, and none of this was like him. The secrecy, the vague letters and explanations. In moments like this, her mind was far too imaginative. She couldn't help but wonder where he was going, what he wasn't telling her, couldn't help jump to the worst conclusions.
"Stop it." She muttered to herself, shaking her head.
Tuesday Night.
By the time Marc got home, it was fairly late. The day hadn't been calm or easy, but it'd all been worth it in the end. He walked through the door with a smile on his face, careful not to make much noise as he shut the it behind him. If she was sleeping, he didn't want to wake her. Partially in an attempt to respect her rest, partially to avoid the questions. At least until morning. He’d do all he could to shelf them off until he could answer them truthfully.
"Marc?"
He jumped, not expecting her to be up. "Oh, Mary." He said with a startled chuckle. "Sorry, you scared me. I thought you'd have gone to sleep already."
Mary couldn't help but smile at the infectious state of his cheerful mood, though hers was subdued by her curiosities and worry. She gave a light shrug, moving forward to kiss him on the cheek. "I waited," she said with a little smile as he set his bag down on the little table by the door. He smiled back at her.
"You didn't have to do that." He said apologetically, glancing down at his watch to note the time. Forget fairly late, it was really late. Neither was going to get much sleep tonight.
"It's alright, I don't mind. Did you have a good day?" She asked, though equally as interested in how his day had been spent as the quality of it. He smiled at her, thinking back on the last few hours and nodding. Good would be an understatement, in the end.
"It was very good." he said, smiling somewhat knowledgeably. She smiled, but again she noticed there were things he'd failed to mention, things that threw the look off. He noticed that, and looked at her curiously. "Is everything alright?" He asked, slightly concerned for a moment.
"Stop, you worry too much," She said with a little laugh, kissing him lightly again. He kissed her back for a moment, smiling.
"Only about you," he said lightly.
"And the rest of the Wizarding World," She corrected, the hesitation in her smile now stemming from the war instead of his vacancy. He gave a little half smile. She was right, in the state of the world as it was with the war on, it was a bit impossible not to worry about the fate of humankind. It was frightening to think about. Nobody was safe.
"And the Muggle World too," he added on with a sigh. She pulled him into a hug, and he tucked his head into her shoulder. She smiled. It was easy to remember he was hers when he was here with her, open and vulnerable. Maybe she had been overreacting.
"You worry too much," She repeated softly, speaking this time to the both of them.
Wednesday Morning.
Millie,
Sorry to ask, but I might need your help with something. Oh, and I'm guessing you wouldn't anyway because you know she'd kill you if you let it slip, but don't say anything to Mary. And no pressure.
Millie's look of confusion turned to a grin as she finished the rest of Marc's letter. Laughing to herself in excitement, she held it up and ran into the other room.
"Hey Cas, guess what?"
Wednesday Evening.
"What's really going on?" Millie glanced at Mary, a concerned look in her eyes. Mary shrugged as the two of them walked through town, glancing absently at shop windows. He'd gone out again, early this morning instead of late at night. It was different, but it wasn't better.
"Nothing, it's fine…" She said with a sigh, avoiding Millie's doubtful expression. It wasn't fine, of course. Even if none of it ended up meaning anything, she still worried, and worry wasn't good. Millie, knowing this, stopped walking abruptly and grabbed Mary's arm, stopping her as well.
"Mary." She said, her voice inflicted with doubt.
Mary bit her lip, looking up at Millie who waited with a patient expression. "Well, it's not nothing…" She allowed, with a light shrug. The two of them started to walk again. "It's Marc," She continued, dropping her eyes down to the floor. "I mean, it's only been a couple days and maybe I'm overreacting, but he keeps going out at night or leaving early and not coming home until late and he doesn't say where he's been…" She trailed off, frowning. Out loud, it didn't sound as bad as it did in her head, but still, none of it was like Marc. And it felt good to get it out. Millie looked at her with an eyebrow raised.
"Well, what do you think?" She asked, not sure where Mary was going with this.
Mary wound her arm through Millie's and put her head on her shoulder as they walked. "Well…" She started at a low volume. "You don't think he's cheating on me, do you?"
Millie, in all her foreknowledge, couldn't help but laugh at the irony. Mary glared up at her friend, though the words did sound a little less realistic now they she spoke them. But that wasn’t to say she didn’t still worry they were true. "Millie!" she said, annoyed, wanting comfort from her friend rather than this amused reaction, "I'm being serious!"
Millie stopped walking again and turned to face Mary. "So am I." She said seriously, nodding. "Mary, who are we talking about here? Marcus Cascade? In a year and a half, you haven't had a single doubt about him. Do you really think he would cheat on you now? You couldn't find a dog as loyal as him." Knowing the truth, she knew she could be confident in the words, but she probably would have said them anyways. Just talking to Marc, you wouldn't be able to tell other girls existed besides Mary. He didn't see anyone but her.
Mary smiled, a bit more reassured, but she still looked nervous. "Are you saying my boyfriend's a dog?" She said with a smirk, lightening the mood slightly. Millie rolled her eyes.
"I'm saying, you don't have anything to worry about." She shrugged, giving her a knowing look. Mary bit her lip.
"Okay… maybe you have a point… can we still go back, though?" Millie raised her eyebrows, panicking slightly at the thought of Mary going back home earlier. That was what Marc had asked her to avoid. This had the potential to be very, very bad. Mary, missing this in Millie's eyes, shrugged. "I just want to see if he's there. That's all."
"Mary, you shouldn't let yourself-"
"We'd just be popping in for a moment. And then we could leave again."
"That's not a good id-"
"Alright, great!' She said, cutting Millie off as she turned and apparated. Eyes wide, Millie stared at the spot where her friend had been. Get ready, Cascade. She thought nervously as she turned and disappeared.
Wednesday Evening Cont.
"He's not here." Mary announced, resolved after her third time checking the rather large closet. Millie, who, after she'd realized they wouldn't find him here, had taken to flipping through Mary's magazines in the next room. She thought that if he walked in, maybe she could warn him before Mary got to him. She plopped down on the couch next to her and sighed.
This was stupid. She couldn't keep thinking like this. It was obviously just bad chance that he'd had four days in a row where he was gone inexplicably. There had to be a good reason. She couldn't keep worrying about this, though, or she was going to go mad.
"Where do you think he-" Mary started to say, but her thought was interrupted by the soon of Marc walking through the door, looking at something in his hand. He froze at the sight of Millie and Mary on the couch and, exchanging a look with Millie that Mary missed, slipped his hand behind his back discreetly. Millie chuckled to herself, shaking her head, all of this in the moment before Mary turned her head to look at him.
"Marc!" She said relieved, getting up from the couch to hug him. Whatever he had in his palm, he'd managed to slip into his back pocket before she'd noticed and returned the hug with a surprised chuckle.
"I thought you two wouldn't be back until later," he said, glancing meaningfully at Millie who, behind Mary's back, mouthed an apology. Mary smiled at him, though the slight mess of frustration was mixed into the expression. His eyebrows creased curiously, but she continued to smile enthusiastically.
"We came back early," She said, something behind her smile. "Where did you run off to?" She asked as the two of them walked back over to Millie. Mary took a seat on the couch, but Marc seemed hesitant, casually leaning against the wall instead.
"Er.." He scratched his head, looking down and shrugging slightly. "Just out for a walk, there was a Farmer's Market, so I picked up a few things…" He smiled, lifting up the bag around his arm as evidence. "I should actually go put this stuff away before they get too warm," He moved to cross over into the kitchen in the next room. Mary, not particularly satisfied with the response, frowned and picked up a magazine.
"Want me to… try and get it out of him?" Millie asked, easily finding an excuse to go and talk to him as she stood. Mary sighed, not looking up from the pages. She had to take her mind off it for now, she couldn't deal with it anymore. With a shrug, she let her friend do what she could.
"If you can."
Wednesday Evening Cont. Again.
"Idiot!" She whispered, hitting his arm. He pulled his slightly pained arm back and looked at her, surprised.
"Ow! Millie!" He said, whispering as well as his eyebrows creased confusedly . She shook her head and gave him a look.
"What are you doing? You don't just waltz into your flat with the ring in your hand!" said in a scolding tone, but her happiness for the general situation had obvious taken over in her mind and she grinned at him. He chuckled slightly, not quite able to be angry with her for letting Mary come home early either.
"Well, I didn't really expect for anyone to be home," He pointed out accusingly, though without any sort of anger, "One job, Millie Carlton, I give you one task…" But he didn't get the rest of his sentence out, because she'd attacked him with a hug. He hugged her back in surprise.
"What was that for?" He said, chuckling as she pulled away, a grin still stretched across her face.
"I haven't said congrats yet." She said, nodding as she looked into the bag. "You actually went to a farmer's market?" She said, pulling out a pear. He nodded, taking it from her as he began organizing them in an empty bowl on the table.
"Oh, I wanted to make sure I had an alibi. You know, just in case she asked. I guess it paid off.” He glanced up at her, brandishing the pear in his hand. "And don't congratulate us so soon, Millie, I don't even know if she'll say yes." He focused on the fruit, and Millie looked up at him, slightly amused. After a moment, he looking back up at her and raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
"You’re joking, right? Of course she will," Millie chuckled slightly at his obvious nerves and rolled her eyes at him. It was everything he could do not to believe her, but he’d promised himself he wouldn’t convince himself of anything, just in case it turned out they were wrong.
"Hopefully," He allowed, smiling slightly to himself as he pulled a small, dark blue box out of his back pocket. "Now cover for me, I need to go hide this."
Thursday Evening.
Marc shut the door behind him and looked around. The lightly were off, the flat quiet. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair and leaning back against the door. It had been such a crazy week for him, and honestly he was exhausted. But the more he thought on it, the more the grin stretched across his face. Tomorrow. That was it, tomorrow.
He made his way into the bedroom and smiled, seeing her asleep. Maybe it was a cliche thing to think, but she really did look so peaceful. And beautiful. Carefully, he undressed and got into bed next to her, trying not to wake her. Even so, she stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering slightly as she woke.
“Sorry love,” He muttered quietly as she smiled, moving to pull him closer, resting against his chest.
“You’re here.” She mumbled against him, relief filling her words even at the low volume. Five days without him was too much. He knew how she felt, he’d missed her as well. Tipping his chin down to kiss the top of her head, he closed his eyes, realizing how tired he was. Before he let himself doze off, he remembered what he’d been meaning to ask.
“Of course I am...Love?”
“Yes?”
“D’you want to go to dinner tomorrow night?” She curled up closer to him, and he smiled, his arm falling around her figure, as they found their perfect fit.
“Sure,” She mumbled, chuckling tiredly, starting to drift again. “But why are you asking me this now?”
“I didn’t want to forget it.”
She smiled, laughing quietly at his absurdity. She could know him so well and still be surprised by the little mad things he did. Straining up slightly to kiss his jawline, the closest she could get without moving, she shook her head and settled back into him.
“I love you,” She reminded him quietly, closing her eyes and letting her mind go again as she drifted back off to sleep.
“I love you, too,” He said, detaching himself as well and letting the confession hang in the still air as the pair of them hit unconsciousness once more.
Friday Evening.
For the first time all week, Marc had been home for the majority of the day. For reasons unknown to Mary, he seemed nervous, though, and spent a lot of the day playing the guitar mindlessly or pacing. At one point he went out for a short walk, but as he didn’t bring along anything but himself, so Mary wasn’t so worried about where he was going. He’d even forgotten to bring his wand. She did worry about him, however. He was obviously thinking hard about something, but she didn’t think he’d talk about. After all, he’d been this way all week and it wasn’t the first time she’d tried to get it out of him.
But the way he was now, you would hardly be able to tell. All night at dinner he seemed so relaxed and laid back, a sort of excited err replacing the nervous one. The smile hardly left his face the extent of the meal, and as glad as she was to see him happy, she couldn’t help but wonder what had changed to readjust his mood. She wasn’t used to not knowing what was going on in his life, what he was thinking. Not because it was something forced or unwilling, but they just generally didn’t keep secrets from each other. If one was angry, worried concerned, they other would know. They would work through it together.
On top of that, she worried about his temper. If there was something going on that he wasn’t telling her, he could be bottling it up like he used to, and she knew that never turned out well. Part of her wondered if it was something she’d done, but she didn’t know. And that’s what frustrated her the most. She just didn’t know. Sighing slightly, she picked up her glass and took a sip of wine. It was frustrating, but maybe she could put it aside for now.
In the pause in the conversation, he caught onto the sigh and looked at her with a curious glance. “Is everything okay?” he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly. She smiled a bit and shrugged.
“It doesn't matter right now,” She said, biting her lip. “We can talk about it later,”
Marc frowned slightly, not quite satisfied with the response. If there was something going on, something she was worrying about, he wanted her to be able to tell him. They could work through it, like they always did. A flash of panic rose in him. What wouldn’t she want to talk about right now? Was it something he’d done? He took her hand over the small table and looked at her, slightly concerned. “Mary, what’s wrong?”
She looked at him, pressing her lips together as she considered what to say, and then sighed slightly. “I just... I haven’t seen you all week.” She began cautiously, pausing. His eyebrows pressed together slightly.
“I’m here now,” he said, not sure as to what was wrong.
“Yes, I know... I just...” The ideas swam as she tried to capture them, forming them into words. “I feel like you’ve been a little distant. I don’t know where you’ve been going and... I mean, it doesn't matter, really, but I feel like we haven’t talked as much as we usually do and...” She trailed off. She knew, saying the words out loud that the reasoning behind them couldn’t be as dramatic as she’d originally jumped to assume, but she also knew that if she didn’t say them, they’d just continue to brew inside her. She looked at their hands and then back up at him.
“I’ve told you before that you’d only ever be the one with the power to hurt me. And that’s true. So I... I couldn’t ever lose you.” The last sentence, the one she couldn’t bring herself to say was clearly implied in her words. He looked at her for a moment, ideas swirling in his head for the first time about what she must have been thinking at his mysterious absences, how incredibly stupid he’d been not to be a little more secretive. Not that he was ever good at secrecy. Or mystery, for that matter. In fact, he was surprised he’d gotten out of the house at all without saying where he was going. But now her side of the puzzle was clicking into place in his head.
He blinked once, his mind returning to a year and a half old. The first time they’d both been under the impression the other wasn’t happy with them. But when they’d realized how much the other loved them, it’d only brought them closer. At the thought he surprised them both by grinning and letting out an amused chuckle. Mary’s eyebrows shot up, her look caught partially between surprise and light annoyance. “Why are you laughing at me?” She asked, frowning. He shook his head, smiling at her.
“Mary, I’m laughing because I love you. And you are never going to lose me. You couldn’t if you tried.” He said sincerely, still grinning. “I’m sorry I wasn’t around this week; I really am. I never meant to make you think those things. But I’m yours.” She’d thought she was losing him? It was ironic really, and the thought of the opposite sent a nervous wave through his stomach. Soon, very soon now.
Mary smiled, a bit reassured at his words. “I love you too, always.” She breathed relievedly, an amused look crossing her features. “And... that means you’re not cheating on me?” She asked, a bit of color filling her cheeks, though she was nearly sure she knew the answer now. His face filled with surprise and he shook his head quickly.
“No, of course not.” He said, squeezing her hand slightly and feeling a bit bad about his vacancy over the past few days. “Never.”
“And you love me?”
“Always.”
“And...” She looked at him, biting her lip, though feeling thoroughly better about the week as a whole. She’d obviously been worrying much more than she needed to, but it didn’t change the fact that he still hadn’t told her where he’d been. Not that it mattered much now, but she was curious. “...That’s it?” she prompted curiously, tilting her head slightly.
Marc’s stomach turned. Now. his mind urged him. Now, now, now. Stop being afraid, it’s Mary. You love her. Man up. He took a deep breath and looked at her for another long moment, weighing the two choices. But there wasn’t a choice. He didn’t think there really had been, from the day he’d realized he loved her with everything he was. The corner of his mouth turned up, and his hand that wasn’t in hers slid silently into his pocket, his fingers touching the small box.
“Well, no. That’s not it, actually.”
“No?”
“Because there’s another reason.”
“Another reason that...?”
“You could be sure you’d never lose me.”
The people at the nearest table, who until now would deny the fact they were listening in on the conversation, caught onto what was going on before Mary. The woman there smiled to herself, leaning across the table to clue in her partner. Smiling as well, the pair of them turned to nonchalantly glance at Marcus and Mary, though neither of them noticed the observers.
Marc was going into a bit of a panic attack. Why, he couldn’t say. He’d never been more certain he wanted to do something, never been more sure that he was doing the right thing. He knew the he wouldn’t change his mind, not in a million years, but maybe something in him still didn’t think he deserved her. Like if she said no, if she walked out right now, it’d only be what he deserved. But he’d worked too hard and too long to let all the years he’d painted that image get to him. He loved her, and he knew she loved him. Now, here in the moment, he made the decision not to let himself doubt. Losing her would be torture enough, what did it matter if he got his hopes up too? He stared down at the table for a long moment, and then a light smile of anticipation spread across his face.
This was it.
“I already told you I love you.” He began, looking up at her and holding onto her eyes. “You know that, or I hope you do, at least. And... and I’ve told you how different I was before I met you, how much you’ve saved me. I wasn’t the good person I wanted to be, and sometimes I’m still not. But I hope you know that everything I want to be, every single thing I’ve become... it’s all because of you. Without you... I’d don’t know who I’d be now, but I know I wouldn’t be someone I could be proud. And.. well, maybe you don’t know this, but I would do absolutely anything for you. Go anywhere, be anything you wanted. I’d run to hell and back for you at a single word. But there’s only one thing that I want from you.”
He paused there, getting out of his chair. Mary was looking at him with an expression he couldn’t exactly pinpoint, a bit of surprise mixed with hesitation and maybe... hope? He couldn’t tell if what he saw in her eyes was what was really there, of was just the reflection of his own emotions. He held onto her left hand as he stood, and without a moment’s hesitation, immediately dropped down on one knee and pulled the box out of his pocket.
Her doe eyes widened further as what was going on finally clicked into her mind. Her lips parted slightly, as if her mouth was on the verge of falling open in surprise. Not being able to help the vibrant smile that forced it’s way to his lips, he let it spread, bringing them to her hand to kiss it lightly before delicately opening the small box.
At this point, half the restaurant was turned around, but for all the two of them noticed at the moment, they may as well have been completely alone.
“The only thing I want,” he started again, all the mystery gone now that the truth was out in the open. “Is you. Just you. I could do with nothing else if you were all I had. So basically, Mary McDonald... what I’m asking is... will you marry me?”
At the words, her mouth actually fell open, the hand that wasn’t in his flying to it in surprise. He didn’t know if she didn’t know what to say, or if she, for the moment, wasn’t able to say anything, but another thought barreled through his mind, his confidence unwavering as he smiled at her.
“I’d ask you again. I’d ask you a thousand times.” He started again, speaking an a quiet, assured tone. “You’re always going to be worth fighting for and I would fight for you until I dropped de-” Her right hand uncovered her expression, a wave of raw emotions. She lightly placed her fingers of his lips cutting off his words.
“Idiot.” She whispered in a quiet, thick voice. He smiled at the familiar nickname, looking up at her.
“Marry me?” He got out again from beneath her fingers and she laughed, a grin stretching across her lips.
“Yes.”
“Yes?” He said in amazement, as if he expected to have hallucinated for a moment, not daring to believe her words. She just kept nodding, the joy breaking through the shock and excitement. Not needed any other cue, he quickly slipped the ring onto her finger. Unable to help herself, she immediately pulled him onto his feet by his collar and kissed him. Laughing, his hand found the small of her back, pulling her closer. Their audience broke out into applause, but the only sound Marc could hear was the word playing over and over in his head.
Yes. He pulled away though he didn’t want to, aware that they were in a very public area, and grinned at her. Yes. He thought about the first moment he’d ever seen her, in that hallway. If only he’d known how easily he’d fall in love with her. How radiant she was, how she’d heal him. Save him. How he’d never want to live without her.
How, now, maybe he never had to.
“That’s where you were all week?” She asked, though at this point, with it settling upon her that he was, and would forever be hers, it didn’t quite matter. He nodded, smiling slightly now that he could tell her.
“I’m sorry about that, by the way.” He smiled apologetically. “I didn’t want to have leave you on your own all week, but it seems that timezones aren’t the most cooperative of things.”
“Timezones?”
“Your parents like to travel.”
Her mouth fell open at that again, and she looking at him in a sort of amazed surprise. “You-you asked my parents?” He grinned at her reaction, and nodded. It’d been one of the hardest things he’d ever done, tracking them down. He’d had to search through envelopes, careful to leave the actual mail alone, to find return addresses. From there he’s followed trails, asked questions, until he'd found them both, respectively.
“I just thought that... even though we’ve lost my parents, maybe you didn’t have to lose yours too.” She beamed at him gratefully, realizing what he meant.
"They said yes?" She said, her grin seeming to stretch further across her face. He nodding, grinning at her. "What would you have done if they'd said no?" She wondered, smiling.
He thought on that for a moment, and then shrugged and tried to answer truthfully. "Well," he started, grin. "I guess I would have told them to go screw themselves and asked you anyways."
“Mad.” She said, shaking her head as she grinned at him.
“Of course.”
“Idiot.”
“Love.”
“My idiot.”
“Obviously.”
Their dynamic was, as it always had been, undeniably them. Amidst everything, all the good in the world in this moment, they stayed themselves. They stuck with their banter, the little imperfections that perfected them. Because in all honesty, the moment was what mattered. They might be standing awkwardly in the middle of a restaurant, but that was just it. They would have the rest of their lives to practice proper restaurant manner,s to love unconditionally. To laugh, to smile, to fight and make mistakes.
But through it all, three things were certain and certainly significant.
Marcus Cascade was Mary McDonald’s.
Mary McDonald was Marcus Cascade’s.
And no other two people on the earth and beyond could claim the same.
Thank you, Love. Maybe you feel like I say it too much and maybe I feel like I don't say it enough, but the fact of the matter is that you will always be the best thing I've ever known, and I will always be eternally grateful for who you've made me be. I love you with everything I am, and never will I be anything without you.
Always yours,Marc
Dear Future Me,
Congrats, mate. For being a better person. For getting over your fears. For becoming someone we could admire. You know why I'm congratulating you so far in advance? Because you're going to do it. You're going to work everyday of your life to be a person worth living through, someone she deserves, someone you never thought you'd be. And you're going to get there, no arguments. So congrats, pop the champagne. I'll see you in a few years.
Marcus
Dear Best Friend,
Ridiculous. We're so ridiculously unobservant. Anyways, I should probably thank you for always being there for me. For getting me. I know I could be a total arse at times and I know I didn't always appreciate you, but really, those hell years would have been much worse without you. So thanks. And nice to meet the real you.
Mary smiled at him warmly as he approached, though her expression was a bit subdued. Her mind flashed through bits of conversations she'd heard from the girls in the crowd. It was stupid to think about, but she couldn't help being a bit protective of him. In all his adrenaline, he didn't quite notice the falter in her look, and instead leaned two slightly to kiss her on the cheek.
"I've got a couple minutes between sets. What did you think?" He asked lightheartedly, grinning. She laughed slightly at his infectious mood, and nodded encouragingly.
"Brilliant, of course." She said, reaching up to fix his hair a bit, but her vision was detracted from him as she noticed a small group of two of three girls around their age on the other side of the stage, staring at him and giggling. Her smile faltered more noticeably this time, causing Marc to catch on. His eyebrows creased slightly.
"Mary?"
She sighed, reconstructing her smile with a bit of effort. "Marc?" She responded. He raised an eyebrow, not convinced by her smile.
"Is everything okay?" He asked, a concerned err in his voice. She shook her head, trying to brush it off. It really didn't matter, she was being stupid. He didn't seem to agree with his sentiment, lightly placing a hand on her arm.
"No, it's nothing."
"It's something."
She bit her lip, letting the smile fall. She knew she couldn't lie to him, that he wasn't going to stop worrying until she told him. Her eyes flickered up over his shoulder at the girls, but he missed the glance, studying the expression on her face. Maybe it was stupid, but if it was, it wouldn't matter if she asked, right?
"Mary?" He repeated, prompting her. She met his glance and sighed slightly, a little embarrassed.
"Marc, can I ask you something?"
"Of course,"
"Er, you know the girls in the crowd?"
"…Yes?" He nodded, but seemed to be thoroughly confused.
"The ones who… know all the words?" She prompted nervously.
"I-I guess?"
"Those ones?" She nodded slightly at the group of girls. He turned to look, brow furrowed, and they scattered at his glance. He turned back, seeming to catch on slightly and frowned, making her a bit more nervous in asking than she had been when he was clueless, as if his expression confirmed her worries. He nodded slowly.
"Don't take this the wrong way… I just heard a little talk and I was wondering…" She expelled her breath evenly and met his eyes cautiously. "Have you ever… slept with any of them?"
His eyes widened slightly at her question. Whatever he'd been expecting, it wasn't that. Recovering for his momentary loss of words, he glanced at her, an apologetic tone to his expression. For a moment he opened his mouth but said nothing. After another moment and deep breath, he spoke.
"Yes."
"Oh."
She dropped her eyes to the floor, a bit of annoyed expression on her face as she heard the words in he head again, the objectifying comments of the girls on the sidelines. She shouldn't feel jealous, she hadn't even known him them. She couldn't expect there hadn't been anyone before her, in the same way she couldn't expect him to think that of her. But the problem wasn't what had happened, it was what was happening now. Because they were still here, still expecting they'd get their way again.
The panic rose in him slowly as she didn't raise her eyes for a moment. He couldn't tell what was running through her mind in the absence of her eyes. Quickly, he lightly placed his fingers under her chin, tilting her face back up towards him.
"They don't mean anything to me." He said seriously. "Bad as it sounds, they didn't mean anything to me back then either. I wish I could tell you something else, and I'm not proud of who I was, but I'm not going to lie to you about my past. And… I'm sorry." He finished, biting his lip.
She looked up at him, a bit of a lighter expression on her face. How was it that he always knew what to day? Somehow, she through she'd believe him even if he was lying through his teeth. But one of the wonderful things about Marc was that she knew he wasn't lying to her when he said he loved her, she knew she could trust him. And trust she did, with everything she had.
"Don't be, I was overreacting," she sighed, looking up at him with a bit of embarrassment coloring her cheeks at her response. Despite her usual opposition to hugging sweaty people, even those she cared about, she put her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her, not seeming to be able to mind. He wound his arms around her waist and smiled, turning his head to kiss her hair.
"Not without reason," he allowed, pulling away after a few moments to brush her hair back over her ear. "Can I ask something, though?" He continued curiously, a thought in his mind turning, "What was it that… prompted you to ask? Besides the annoying groupies, of course." He mentioned, nodding back vaguely at the oblivious teenagers. She smiled slightly, willingly light about it now what she could be sure were was oohing to worry about.
"I have an extremely attractive, sweet boyfriend who also happens to be an incredibly talented musician," she spoke softly, a light smirk playing on her lips. "Everyone's a threat. I've gotta keep my eye on you," She smiled, gently tapping the tip of his nose with her finger.
Marc grinned, chuckling slightly. "I'm not going anywhere," he responded with a smile. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he turned to face one of the new workers who'd apparently just entered the room.
"Marc, we need you back on," Marc nodded, thanking the young man as Mary laughed at the irony of the moment. When he'd returned to the main rooms, Marc smiled back at Mary, who shook her head at him, grinning.
"Good, because you're mine," she reminded him as response to his previous sentiment, a pleased smile on her lips as she nodded towards the stage encouragingly.
Obviously cheered even further by the prospect of playing again, he quickly pulled her back to him and leaned in to kiss her enthusiastically for a moment. When they broke, he dropped his arm from around her waist and started towards the stage, leaving her a little lightheaded and surprised. Flashing her a small grin, he nodded.
"I'm yours," He agreed, running his hangers through his hair as he turned to greet the crowd. Sighing happily, Mary leaned back against the wall to watch. She chuckled as he cracked a couple bad jokes to rewarm the crowd, and finally reached over to grab his guitar.
"Anyways," She heard him say, catching his eye as he glanced back with a smile, "This next song is dedicated to the only girl who's got a shot with my heart. It's called Always."
