Once in his apartment, Marcus was both more himself and more guarded at the same time. As if his shields had hardened into diamonds, so I could see glimpses of him through their clear walls, but couldn't reach.

I shook my head. My little brother Coop would have said I'm getting soft in my old age. Well, he probably had a point, but any softness I had was wrapped up in this little omega.

After I set the table, which took all of five minutes, even with folding the paper towels into triangles to place under the forks, I stood off to the side awkwardly. Marcus was wrapped up in tending to his pan, mumbling a little song under his breath, thrusting his hips back and forth to a beat only he could hear. He must have sensed me watching, because he spun around suddenly, glaring into my eyes. "What?" he asked.

He was like one of those tiny terriers. I didn't know what they were called, but they were white, and fluffy, generally perfectly groomed, and utterly adorable. But sometimes they felt like they had to defend themselves and their territory, and then they got all fluffed up. That was what Marcus reminded me of.

"What's that smile for?" he pushed.

I raised my hands in protest. "What smile? I'm just enjoying the show."

Marcus slowly pointed the spatula at me. "You tell anyone, I'll glitter bomb you."

I shivered in mock horror. "Message received, loud and clear."

He turned back to the pan, but he stopped singing and dancing, which was a shame. 

The timer on the Instapot went off, but he didn't make a move toward it. "Do we need to do anything with that?" I asked.

"Nope. It just needs to sit for a minute, as do these..." he put a cover on the pan and checked the pot. "Just a little while longer, and we'll put it all together."

"Awesome."

Marcus's long fingers fiddled nervously at the edge of his shirt as he glanced around his apartment. I followed his gaze. It was... definitely Marcus. Everything was colorful, but it matched in a wild-crazy way I never would have put together myself. 

Suddenly, Marcus gasped. "I didn't say hello to Blubby!" He sprang into motion and I followed slowly behind. He bent down next to a medium-sized tank and started talking in a... I really couldn't describe it as anything other than a fishy voice. It was kind of like how a lot of people talk to small children and animals, but he pursed his lips into duck lips, or fish lips, I guess you could say. "Daddy's so sorry he forgot all about you, little Blubbers. But I brought a very nice friend to meet you. Say hi to Killian?"

Marcus looked up at me, his lips still pursed ridiculously, but in a completely carefree way that made me want to kiss them. 

"Are you going to say hi to Blubby?"

I started to laugh, but he was completely serious, so I crouched down and said, "Hello, Blubby." There was no way I was talking to the fish in that crazy voice Marcus was using. The fish blew a bubble.

"See! He likes you!" Marcus exclaimed, turning to me at the same time I turned to him. Our noses almost brushed, we were so close. His eyes flicked adorably between mine, the tension between us building.

Something beeped, breaking the moment, and I cleared my throat as we both sprang back. 

"Saved by the bell," Marcus chirped, skipping his way to the kitchen. 

What was it that pulled Marcus away each time he seemed about to open a door between us? It sure wasn't the damn bell. 

"If you need to wash up, dinner's almost ready," Marcus said. "Bathroom's by the couch."

I took his suggestion for what it was, a chance for both of us to gather our wits. I checked my phone after washing my hands. No messages, but I'd completely let time get away from me. I was due on shift in an hour and a half, and I still needed to change into my work clothes which were a minimum of forty minutes away in good traffic, and then another forty minutes back, but on another side of town. If I left now, I'd just make it.

"Dinner is ready," Marcus chirped as I stepped out. 

It smelled amazing, and I was seriously tempted to call in sick tonight. But that would be a shit thing to do to my team. "I'm really sorry," I said, "but I completely forgot about work."

His face fell, and I could practically see his shields darkening. Damn it, that wasn't what I wanted.

"Oh. No worries, more for me." He put on a cheerful grin. Before today, before the thing with Decker, I would have had suspicions that it was just an act, but now I knew. 

I gently took his hand and raised his knuckles to my lips. "Forgive me?" I asked.

He fluttered his eyelashes, playing the part he always played, but I hoped he sensed the sincerity of my words. "Next time," he breezed. 

I hoped there would be a next time. I hoped that my bad time management skills hadn't screwed this up for me.