"Me? Panic? Whatever would make ya think I was panickin', doll?" He asked, feigning an incredulous look as he placed a hand to his chest, quickly grabbing the window frame again as he wobbled precariously. "I don' know what you're talkin' about at all."
My Other Half // PRIVATE with Crocs
group
She sighed and walked over to him like a mother dealing with a dumb child. "Well, you're trying to jump out a window that's on the second story, for one." She grabbed his arm and attempted to drag him back into the room. "And if you've got Nico in a panic, then I'm pretty fucking sure your closeted gay ass is panicking."
"I ain't gay, Tess. How many times am I gonna have ta repeat myself?" He complained, well aware he was blatantly lying as he let her drag him back into the room. "It's just the second story, too. If I fall right, I ain't gonna hurt too bad. Jus' walk it off. Tha's what Elise says t' do."
group
"Knowing you, you're not going to land right," she grumbled, then stared blankly up at him with an unimpressed arch of her brows. "Oookay. Keep telling yourself that. That's totally why you blush and fall apart when Nikolas is around, especially when he does his thing." She closed an eye and stuck her tongue out, indicating what she was talking about, then went back to normal. "Just tell me what happened. I won't tell anyone, I promise." She even went so far as to pretend to zip her lips and lock it.
He huffed a long sigh, pretending the mention of Nikolas's 'thing' didn't make his cheeks redder than they were. "We were hangin' there on the bed, chattin'. An' I-I dunno what I did, but he started actin' weird, an' when I asked if he was alright I…called him sweetheart on accident. Then one thing led t' another an' we were real damn close and he just. He fuckin' kissed the goddamn air, by my ear? An' then he left an' now I can't ever show my face again, 'specially not t' him, because my heart feels like it's about t' explode and my stomach's in all these fuckin' knots an' I think imma be sick-"
group
Tessa was incredibly amused as she listened to Markus and put the pieces together. She rolled her eyes with a small smile, putting her hands on Markus's shoulders and shaking slightly. "Dude—you're hella gay. And I think that's great, not gonna lie. But you're not the only one in a panic." She jerked her chin towards the door. "Nikolas just basically fell down the stairs because he was so frazzled. You did that. You broke his asshole flirt persona. You wanna know why he did that? Because you did something to make him fall into a gay panic, something that hasn't happened since forever ago when he dated his first boyfriend."
"Ya mean he ain't always been like that?" Markus asked, tilting his head and looking incredibly confused by that idea. "An' he-he almost fell? First off, is he alright? An' second, are ya sure that was me? Not…not somethin' else that managed to happen between that all?"
group
"If you're referring to him being a mess, then he's always been like that, but never shows it," she said smoothly, then smiled and tweaked Markus's nose affectionately. "Yes, he's alright. Your concern is cute and noted. And yes, I'm sure that was you. He went straight from here to there, and I highly doubt something in between those two events could get him that flustered that quickly."
Markus made a face, like coming to terms with the fact that that was even possible was somehow…well, impossible. "I dunno, it's possible. Maybe he got a text, or tripped on the stairs an' was just embarrassed 'bout that?"
group
"Nikolas will trip and fall and still play it off like he meant to do that," Tessa said with a flat look, not amused with Markus's denial. "And it's hard to think he got a text when his phone is on his desk while he's downstairs," she added, tilting her head and directing a pointed look at the cell phone sitting on the desk behind Markus.
Markus groaned, dragging a hand down his face. He really couldn't deny it, could he? "Damn you." She was too smart. God, he had done that, caused Nikolas to act like that. Did that mean he had fucked up? Would Nikolas even look at him now? He didn't think they'd return to old habits, but he wouldn't blame the other boy for completely ignoring him now.
group
Tessa, without any hesitation, grabbed Markus's nose and lightly pulled down to get his attention. "Dude. Chill. What's going on in that big brain of yours?" Tessa didn't think Nikolas would ignore Markus, he just needed some time to think things through. He's only had one serious relationship before, and that was about two years ago. Markus acting as if he was interested made Nikolas panic, throwing up his walls to be safe from harm, but his curiosity and interest eagerly peaked through the cracks.
Markus blinked, eyes focusing on Tessa as he didn't move to pull his nose away. "He's gonna hate me, ain't he? Never wanna look at me again? I don' even know what came o'er me, an' now I gone an' fucked up somethin' that hadn't even become a somethin'-"
group
"Markus!" She grabbed the sides of his face. "He's not going to hate you! Trust me! I've grown up with him, I know how he is. And he's scared, but in a good way—sorta. He likes you, dumbass. At least in a sense that he's attracted. You challenged him in a way that made him panic because you might feel the same, and that scares him. He's got abandonment and attachment issues from his past. His mind doesn't want to get hurt if it's just a joke, so he ran away. You didn't fuck up, you just spooked him, a damaged creature that works on instinct and past mistakes. Trust me, if you fucked up and he didn't want to see you anymore, you'd know it."
He kept his eyes on her's as he listened, the words hard to let into his mind. He tried, though. He likes you. Attraction or not, the idea itself was kind of far out there. When she stopped speaking, he was quiet, like he couldn't quite wrap his head around everything. "You-ya really think we're fine? That he's just nervous? Tha's all it is?" He couldn't help worrying for other reasons, though, with this new knowledge.
group
Tessa let go of him and took a step back. "Just let him think for a bit. Maybe you and I can go out and catch up for a bit, then you can have Nikolas to yourself after. Hm?" She tilted her head questioningly, putting her hands on her hips. She didn't know about Nikolas inviting Markus to stargazing, but she figured Nikolas would want to be with Markus when he was in his element, more alive than during the day, more vulnerable and open.
"Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense." Markus nodded a few times, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. "We should definitely catch up. I got so many stories 'bout the shit Lily an' I've been gettin' up too recently. Like the frogs." He said, lips quirking up into a small and slightly ominously amused smile at the memory.
group
She quirked a brow. "The frogs?" she questioned, then shook her head and threw her hands up. "Nevermind, don't tell me just yet. I would like to update you on my love life, mainly that I finally have one. It's great."
"Then let's get outta Nikolas' room an' talk, doll. I wanna hear everythin' 'bout my foster sister's lucky guy or gal." He said, wrapping an arm loosely around her shoulders and guiding her out of the room, grinning.
group
Tessa smiled up at Markus, a sparkle in her eyes. "Gal. An Italian gal, I might add." She glanced around Nikolas' room briefly as if thinking of something else, then redirected her attention to Markus as she led him downstairs. "Here's the deal, I tell you things about Tori, and you tell me about you and Nikolas."
"Damn. You're really hittin' those high standards o' yours, ain't ya?" Markus teased, giving her a light squeeze. "There's nothin' for me t' really tell ya about him, Tess. Ya know him better than I do. All I really know is what his fists feel like when they hit your face." He said, tapping his jaw. "And that he likes stars'n'space. Maybe octopi, though he mighta just been laughin' at me."
group
Tessa shook her head, "That's not what I meant. I mean I want you to be honest with me about how you feel about him. Then I'll tell you everything you want to know about my girl." She lightly nudged his side when he mentioned the octopus thing. "I highly doubt he was laughing at you, at least in the sense that you think."
"Well, tha's good at least." Markus said, nodding. He grew quiet as he thought, trying to figure out the best way to word his thoughts and feelings.
"Y'know, even when he was beatin' the shit outta me, there was somethin'…weird. His eyes were so fuckin'…pretty? And he looks kinda like a god when he's mad, man. And now that that ain't the only thing I see o' him…he's so soft when he talks about the stars, Tess. Like, it's incredible. And it makes me feel all weird and fluttery, watching him smile like that." He shook his head, releasing Tessa to tap his chest over where his heart was. "I don' think I've ever felt like this, an' it's scarin' the shit outta me, but he makes me feel different."
group
Tessa could only smile as she listened to Markus gush about Nikolas. She noticed the way his eyes lit up when he talked as if he was imagining what he was describing. She felt happy for him, for finally giving in to his attraction to Nikolas. Tess wrapped her arm around Markus and leaned her head against his shoulder. "That's good, Markus." She then smirked and looked up at him. "But I'm glad to know you have a hard-on for angry Nikolas."
Markus blinked, turning red as he slapped lightly at the top of her head. "I do not, ya goddamn friend! I just think the way his jaw clenches-nope nope nope, I ain't doin' that. Dug a deep enough hole already, absolutely not." He said, shaking his head repeatedly. "I'm done talkin' 'bout this. I wanna hear about this Tori o' yours."
group
Tessa cackled, not even fazed by the light slap to her head—she was used to it by now, thanks to Nikolas and the twins. "You so have a hard-on for angry Nikolas. I'll be sure to tell him," she added with a cheeky smirk, then darted out of Markus's reach before she could get hit again. "Okay okay okay okay. Tori." She rubbed her hands together as she tipped her head to the side, thinking. "Victoria Italia Ventura, the most adorable dyslexic Italian mafia daughter in the entire goddamn world. I met her when I was fifteen, and she was so stubborn she wouldn't leave the school bully alone—that being me. Was too fucking cute for me to say no."
I'm going to kill her later. Markus vowed silently, arching an eyebrow as he listened to Tessa talk. A grin slowly formed on his face, and he reach out to punch her shoulder lightly. "Sounds like ya got yourself a good one there, doll. Anyone willin' t' put up with ya that long sure is somethin'." He teased, winking. "When do I get t' meet her?"
group
She smiled fondly as she thought about her girlfriend, thumb running along her caved-in cheekbone. "She's in Italy right now. Became a volleyball player over the summer, so she's doing some tournaments 'round the country. It was supposed to be something fun to do, but she ended up being a genius at it, so here we are."
"A jock, huh? Smart." He said, nodding solemnly. "They live longer." It was such a weird thing to say, but the twitching of his lips made it obvious he was fucking with her. "Y'know. Higher stamina, healthier bodies." He paused, eyes twinkling with a wicked light as he looked down at her, nudging her. "Increased libido."
group
"Excuse me," she said, nudging him back and not at all phased, "but I am just the same, only a different sort of jock. The street kind," she said with a lift of her chin, narrowing her eyes at Markus and daring him to say otherwise. "Also," she added, as if in an afterthought as she shoved him off to the side, "that's my girlfriend you're talking about."