Just Give Me A Reason

[Marcus Kane]

Marcus walked down the halls of the Ark, his footsteps heavy as they slightly echoed off the walls. Muted thuds from his boots. The heavy steps matching the dark feelings he was having trouble adjusting to, much less labeling right now. He had not like watching things play out today, and had even found himself having to force himself to stay standing in place while watching what he knew had to happen. It was hard but he had been the one to help plan it. Ego was one thing that would always bring down a giant, and so to make sure that they held no egos he had to make sure they knew they weren't the best. That they still had much ground to cover.

He didn't expect what happen today! She was so stubborn! She had refused to stay down, and while she had proven to be the best in her class, she had also gotten a good beating from it. Nothing that would kill her, but he knew she would be sore right now. Which was why he was checking on her. He needed to make sure that she was alright. It was his job.

Marcus paused outside her door, and knocked on it. He had told her that he would come by later, so he knew she was expecting him, but he still didn't just walk in. In his hand was a cooling pack that might help her ease some of the aches. When the door opened, it was like the lights going on or off, there was a switch from him being the guard--from him being her superior--to him being her friend. "I thought you might want this." He offered the cooling pack, with a knowing (but proudly amused) smirk on his face.

[Aurora Blake]

Aurora sat at home. She had just changed into something comfortable, which she needed at the moment. The day had been hard. There had been rumor for what was coming up, but she still hadn’t felt prepared for it. Part of her knew she was never meant to win. And it wasn’t about winning for her. It was about not giving up. They new cadets were paired off with fully trained guards, meaning to teach them a lesson that their journey was far from over. Aurora was a stubborn one though. She wouldn’t stay down like a lot of the others. For her losing wasn’t the problem, she didn’t want to give up. That was her problem. She didn’t stay down. Aurora took punch after kick after punch, landed on the mat and got back up until finally her arms shook violently when trying to get up once more. It was a look around that made her finally tap the mat three times, signaling she was giving up. 

After that the dark haired woman got to return home to rest. The first thing she did was to wash up and change. Peeling off her trainings uniform alone was painful enough with bruises and scratches blossoming. Finally she was changed into a lose shirt and pants. Despite knowing Marcus Kane would come over later – he had announced himself – she didn’t bother putting on anything fancy. They got along nicely outside of their jobs and he had seen her in worse states than this due to training. Just as she was thinking this and reaching for a wet cloth to wrap around her sure ankle, she heard a knock on the door. The cadet made her way to opening it, finding Kane there, offering a cooling pack. Aurora sighed deeply.

“You’re the best.” She said accepting the cooling pack. For a moment she was a bit overwhelmed where should she put it? Probably on her foot. It was just twisted a bit, nothing that resting it for a bit couldn’t fix, but it was annoying and painful. And as such she was slightly favoring her left leg as she walked back inside. “I was just about to take a look at how colorful I’m about to become.” She suspected a few bruises already and more scratches due to landing on the mat. She knew she was not badly injured at all, their opponents were trained to not hurt them, but the bruises and scratches would leave enough lingering pain. “I bet you can call me ABC tomorrow: Aurora Blake Cow with those bruises.”

Marcus Kane

[Marcus Kane]

“You’re the best.” She told him after opening the door. Marcus knew they shouldn't have become friends as much as they were outside of training, but he couldn't help it. He enjoyed spending time around her. She took the cooling pack, and then moved to walk into her place, leaving Marcus to notice that she was slightly favoring one side over the other. Not enough to show major injury, but enough that he could tell she was hurting. “I was just about to take a look at how colorful I’m about to become.” He had seen the beating, and could guess she would have some busing. Tomorrow she would hurt worse. He wanted to tell his friend to take the day off, but as her training officer he stayed silent.

She would have to push through. He had. “I bet you can call me ABC tomorrow: Aurora Blake Cow with those bruises.” Marcus found himself laughing at that, "You did well today, tomorrow you will pay for it, but you got a lot of people's attention. That could serve you well later when it's time to finish and request assignments." He told her moving to stand by the table. "Sit up here, and prop your foot on the chair, let me make sure it's not too swollen." Then he could check on the rest of her, but the fact that she was favoring one side meant he needed to start there. She was walking fine, so he knew it wasn't major, but he needed to make sure.

[Aurora Blake]

“Thanks.” She did well. Aurora smiled with pride at that. It wasn’t often that she heard this. She did well and stupid at the same time, because she was way too stubborn for her own good there. But she couldn’t just give up. She did pay the price for that and would continue to do so. Tomorrow would be brutal given how sore she was probably going to be, all because she just couldn’t give up. Aurora also grinned at his laugh, though. She loved to hear it. He was too serious at work, granted she knew it was necessary, but she liked him allowing himself to be a bit less serious. She liked the friendship they had. He managed to limit it to outside of the training, which was impressive and something she wanted to learn, too. It was important to keep private life and working life separate. In her working life he was supervising officer Kane. In her private life he was just Marcus, her friend.

Aurora did as he told her to, climbing onto the table. She placed both feet onto the chair, even though he only spoke of one. She knew it was easier to see how swollen a foot was when the other was there to compare. Aurora could see it was not too swollen just by placing her feet on the chair, but the bruise that seemed to form there looked like it would get pretty damn colorful. She still smiled at Marcus. 

“I guess it could have been worse… or not. You looked very concentrated back there, Marcus. You really didn’t like to see us get beaten up, did you?” 

Marcus Kane

[Marcus Kane]

She had moved to the table. and put her feet it he chair. Marcus moved his hand to her angle and lightly touched it to make sure it only felt slightly swollen and nothing felt off. He wasn't a doctor but he knew a bit about injuries from his own days as a cadet, and from training them. His light first aid training was mostly how to slow bleeding until the doctor got there, or how to tell in an injury needed more medical attention. “I guess it could have been worse . . . or not." Looking up from her ankle, he raised his eyes brows in a slightly mocking, slightly teasing manner. He could tell her ankle wasn't going to need medical attention, so instead he used the wrap from his pocket to bind it tightly, and drape the ice pack over it.

He looked back up at her, as she spoke again. "You looked very concentrated back there, Marcus. You really didn’t like to see us get beaten up, did you?” It was different. He had come to see her as a friend, rather then as someone he needed to ready for the guard. He had not liked seeing her get beaten up. It was seeing her take the hits and keep pushing herself. Not the others. "I would never take pleasure in watching anyone get beaten . . . especially a friend." Which was what she had come to be. A friend.

[Aurora Blake]

Aurora watched him as he looked at her ankle. For some reason his touches left her skin tingling, but she didn’t know what this could possibly mean. She felt safe as he wrapped her ankle up and placed an ice pack in it, securing it. Apparently it was not bad, otherwise he would have mentioned it. A bit of rest was probably would do the trick, though there was no way she would get that. She had to go back right the next day unless she wasn’t cleared. She would be cleared, though. She wanted to be cleared. This was what she wanted.

As Aurora listened to him speak about how he didn’t like watching someone get beaten up, especially not a friend, she felt something inside her flutter. She knew they were friends, but he was always very capable of not letting this touch his work. Just this once, though, his worry won apparently and it was adorable. She reached down to place her hand on his shoulder, now they were just Marcus and Aurora, just two friends, so she gently rubbed the junction between his neck and shoulder with her thumb. “Thank you for not stopping it.” It was in his power and she guessed he would have, had it gotten too extreme, not because they were friends, of course. “Thank you for coming here, Marcus. It means a lot to me, that you care.” And she cared, too. The few instances she had seen him fight, she had felt nervous, she had felt the dread of what would happen if something happened to him. He was her friend, one of her closest friends, actually.

Marcus Kane

[Marcus Kane]

She reached her hand out to touch his shoulder, and he leaned in slightly closer so she wouldn't have to stretch too far. He knew she would be sore, and should be resting. Even thinking it, he found himself looking at her lips while thinking of her in a less friend sort of a way. The way he knew better then to think about her. As a man who was thinking about a woman. "I knew you'd never forgive me if I tried." She was stubborn and seeking to prove herself to the world. He thought it bold of her, and knew he couldn't stand in her way. No one had stood in his way, and it would be unfair if he stood in her's.

Reaching up he tucked her hair behind her ear, his hand lowering from her cheek slowly. "I do care about you, Aurora." He told her. "You have become one of my best friends." Which said a lot about his lack of friends but he was not going to take it back. She had become special to him, and he was grateful that she had opened her self up enough to get to know him, and allow him to get to know her. Marcus stood there for a moment longer before he seemed to remember that this wasn't what he was here for. "Where are you hurting?" He asked so he could make sure she was alright.

[Aurora Blake]

Aurora smiled softly. His care was sweet and she was not used to it. It wasn’t like he didn’t care, but usually when they spent time together they didn’t have to patch the other up. That was new and it showed this softer side of Marcus wonderfully. She had known it was there, she had seen shades of it, but the way he brushed her hair behind her ear, the way he examined her so gently, that was a side she could add to those she already admired of him. And then there was him telling her he considered her one of his best friends. It worked both ways. She cared deeply about Marcus. She wanted the best for him. "You're one of my best friends, too."

Aurora placed both hands on his arms, gently running them up and down as if she was trying to comfort him, but for what? She had no idea. Auroras smile at his question was more than gentle, it was soft. She was generally soft, not the woman strong against a male dominated domain, but just a woman, his friend, soft, because she trusted him and genuinely cared for him. “My ribs. I think they’re a bit bruised.” They would hurt a lot more if they were broken. “My hip as well.” It was in areas where skin was close over bone, areas prone to getting very colorful bruises. “At least I hope it’s just bruises.”

Marcus Kane

[Marcus Kane]

She told him that he was one of her closest friends too, and Marcus knew that they shouldn't be this close. Not while he was her commanding officer. Marcus felt her hand on him, and it was comforting to know that she was fine. Though she said she was hurting on her ribs and hips. "Let me see," He told her, wanting to make sure it was just bruised. He pushed her shirt up just enough to see her ribs without exposing her unfairly. His finger tips lightly touched the skin there, but he could feel her ribs where they were supposed to be. He pulled her shirt back down, and glanced at her hip, but didn't move to pull away her pants to look.

But nor did he move back, "Your ribs felt whole, but they might be sore for a while. No throwing anyone for a week." He teased, while looking into her face. Marcus didn't laugh at his own joke, because he was looking at her. Looking into her face, and thinking about how hard it had been to watch this happening to her. Marcus lifted his hand to brush her hair back, and to his dying day if anyone asked him why he opened his mouth right then, he would swear he only meant to ask her again if she was ok. Instead he parted his lips to ask, and leaned forward on instinct. Instead of a question, Marcus kissed her. His hands moved to cup her cheeks, and he deepened the kiss, butting all of his worry and how he felt toward her into it.

[Aurora Blake]

Even if someone asked her, there was no way for Aurora to name when it happened or even what happened. One moment everything was exactly the way she remembered it, them being friends, her maybe having a bit of inappropriate feelings towards him, nothing out of the ordinary, so she had no idea where exactly this came from. She had no idea why a simple touch, done often even in passing - him brushing her hair out of her face - was so different now. Aurora couldn't name why everything seemed to stop, why his fingers were sending little shockwaves through her entire body, small, but precious, making her heart flutter in an unknown way. She anticipated a question, a way to keep the conversation up, but something else entirely happened. To Auroras surprise he didn't ask a question.


Without any way for her to know what was going on, he closed the distance between them, kissing her. IT shocked her for a moment, had her stop and try to gather herself because she did not expect that. At the same time the mood fit. Aurora caught herself soon, responding to the kiss. She had thought about it, dreamed about it before and maybe this was a dream, because wasn't this too good to be reality? Her friend and superior kissing her, even though it was technically forbidden? But her lips were sealed. She'd never tell a soul, especially since this would get him into trouble more than her.  She kissed him back, softly, not too demanding, because it still felt too good to be true, until air really became and issue and she had to pull back to breathe. Maybe her breath was shorter due to the bruises, but Aurora couldn't care less. It gave her the chance to look at him, to see if there was any regret in his eyes, if he felt bad about this in any way and she hoped to find nothing and she did. She thought to find no regret in his eyes. 


"You really know how to kiss it better." She whispered, hoping not to break the moment. 


Marcus Kane

[Marcus Kane]

Aurora kissed him back, and for a few moments Marcus forgot about what he was doing. He knew he was kissing her, but the fact that she was his cadet, and he her commanding officer. He didn't think about how this could hurt her reputation, and end her career before it started--how it could end his own. He didn't think about how this could be seen as illegal if it was proved he favored her because of this. He didn't think for the first few moments.

She broke the kiss, and Marcus sucked in a deep breath. That was when his thinking came back to him. He strove to always follow the rules, and be logical about everything he faced. He believed in the rules. He REALLY believed in them--but for one he didn't care. She make a light joke, and his hands moved from her cheeks, down her neck to rest over her shoulders. "It didn't seem to work, perhaps I should try again." Leaning forward Marcus kissed her again, this time pulling her slightly into him, while trying to make sure he wasn't hurting her. With that in mind, he did more of the leaning. He knew he should make sure this is what she wanted before he let this continue, but for the moment he would just enjoy it.

[Aurora Blake]

"Good idea." Aurora managed to say before his lips were on hers again, threatening to take all thoughts away once more. But then again why did she need them? She could trust him. She could always trust him. For more than one reason, but a very specific one: Who would he tell? It might easily ruin his career as well as hers, but somehow, she couldn't care less. A career was something that was material. Him as a friend was immaterial, she could never get that again, because there was only one Marcus Kane in the world and that Marcus Kane was kissing her. Aurora leaned back, her hands on his neck, pulling him gently with her, though not too far. 

Eventually she pulled away again, why was air a thing these days? Aurora sighed softly, contently. "I think I need another one." She whispered. Aurora pointed to her shoulder, daring even, but this was a moment, they really had a moment. "It hurts here." It didn't hurt there at all and she guessed Marcus knew that very well. They didn't need to care. This was about them and would be about them. She cared for him. If it was too much, she'd stop. She'd protect him, take this sweet secret to her grave, if needs be. "I think you really need to kiss it better."

Marcus Kane