Technically, Hitting On People

Marcus relaxed, hands behind his head and current hat (a grey fedora with a black bird pin on it) as he walked down the pathway. He had managed to shake Liz for a while and was narrowly avoiding her for fear of shopping. He was currently, so to speak, sleeping with one eye open; he glanced around every so often for his short sister. It was a particularly windy day, and he bent down so that his ears wouldn't get too cold.

Suddenly, the wind snatched his hat off of his head; he instinctively covered it with his arms. He watched, dumbstruck, before beginning to rush wildly after it. He felt naked without his hat; he felt like people were staring at him. He rushed after it, forgetting that he was liable to trip over his own feet. Which he did. Three times. Finally he jumped and snatched the hat out of the air, cheering in triumph.

It was just his luck that he pushed someone off a bench when landing.

He sighed, landing in a rather awkward position on top of the person. Stuffing his hat back on his head, he grinned sheepishly at them, hoping they weren't mad. Or a girl. Marcus wasn't quite sure how to act around girls yet. "Sorry," he apologized, hoping they understood. "I'm kind of...accident-prone."

It was a peculiar sight that day. A grey fedora with a black bird pin was flying through the air and a boy was chasing after it. More specifically, Marcus, Liz's little brother. Kyra had to admit that he was adorable, seeing how he was so shy, even when he was following her around like a lost puppy when she went to Liz's family's diner over the summer.

She was sitting on one of the benches, no, she was lounging. Again. It was a nice day, so what was she supposed to do? Stay cooped up with her mother and Mikey?

Kyra caught sight of Marcus jumping to get his hat after tripping. A lot. As he landed on the bench, Kyra was pushed half way off the bench. The other half of her was covered by the boy. Blushing at the awkward position, she heard him apologize and say he was clumsy, quite sheepishly in her opinion.

"No worries here, Mark. Can you get off of me though? You're kind of crushing my lungs," she mock wheezed.

"Ack!" He turned even redder when he realized it was Kyra. He KNEW her. It wouldn't be so bad if it was someone he had never met, because at least then he wouldn't care what they thought of him. But Kyra had always been nice to him when they spoke (which wasn't often, because he was kind of shy. Something Liz teased him about constantly), and it was ten times worse because now he felt kind of guilty.

"Sorry! Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry." He couldn't seem to stop apologizing; after a moment, he scrambled awkwardly off of her, holding out a hand to help her off. God, he thought randomly, it'd be really awkward if she had a boyfriend watching this. He shivered at the thought of what would happen to him.

"So, how've you been?" he asked, staring at his feet. It was polite to make small talk, but he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes. It was a bit confusing to him. Plus, butterflies had somehow spawned in his stomach--he was, after all, in the prescence of an older girl and just starting adolescence--so he figured if he barfed, it would be better to barf on his shoes than in her face.

Kyra was slightly amused as Marcus went red, flushing. Of course he would blush; she was his sister's friend, after all.

The boy apologized profusely, making Kyra chuckle. "Don't worry about it. I can be kind of clumsy too," she said as he helped her up from her position on the bench. She noticed him shiver and she shrugged it off, deciding to just ignore it.

"So, how've you been?"

She shrugged again. "It's been better. My dad moved out a few weeks back, and Mikey is almost two, so my mum is freaking out," she said, also noticing how he held his head down. She assumed that it was out of shame and she rolled her eyes. "Come on Mark. It's not that big of a deal."

But she couldn't help thinking whether it was or not. The position was rather awkward...

"Why aren't you looking at me?" she asked, kind of bluntly. She was curious. That was definitely an excuse, right?

Marcus half-grinned as he helped her up. "Not nearly as much, though," he disagreed. "I mean, at least you have a reason when you fall. I trip over my own feet." He didn't really feel any shame in admitting his 'disability,' just a bit more awkward, which was definitely not helping his self-confidence.

"Your dad moved out when his child was almost two?" He couldn't wrap his head around the fact. He understood that some people didn't like children, but why have the kid if you weren't going to stick around and take care of them? Almost immediately, though, he backtracked. "Sorry. Probably a tense subject." He laughed in relief at her assurance, but the twinge of guilt still nagged at him a bit. And the thoughtful look on her face didn't do much to actually assure him. "Yeah, I know. Just...not around girls other than Eli much."

"Does it bother you?" he asked, frowning, immediately snapping his head up and looking her in the eyes. They were rather pretty, but he wasn't ever actually saying that... "I guess I just didn't think about it. Sorry."

Kyra laughed out loud when Marcus disagreed with her about clumsiness. "You have no idea. There was this one time in First Year when I was-" she stopped, thinking about that one time in the Common Room. It was embarrassing. Really embarrassing. "You know, let's just say that I'm really, really clumsy at times," she said, blushing.

She sighed and shrugged yet again. "I guess that he just couldn't deal with everything. I mean, first his firstborn daughter, my sister, died. Then I was depressed and everyone was worried about me, and then my mum got really crazy while she was pregnant. And there's also the fact that Mikey kept everyone awake at night. I honestly don't understand it," she said, shrugging again. She smiled as Marcus apologized again. "Don't worry about it."

She scrunched up her nose a bit. "No, it doesn't really bother me- actually, I don't really like when people don't look me in the eyes when I'm talking to them. It makes me think that they're looking at things other than...me." She knew what she meant, but wasn't sure if Marcus did. That would be a talk for another time.

Kyra laughed again. "You need to learn to stop apologizing so much. Oh, and how's life been going for you?"

Marcus's eyebrows rose and he found himself--possibly for the first time in his life--smirking. "No, continue." He waved her on in her story. "This sounds like it's interesting." He hoped he sounded persuasive and not like a complete idiot, but who knew?

"That's no reason to leave, though," he protested. "He married your mom, didn't he? For richer or for poorer. No offense or anything, but he can't've been that responsible. I mean, everything gets better...I'm ranting, aren't I?" He facepalmed at the realization, but didn't take back what he said. Family was important.

He grinned unevenly and looked her in the eyes. "I promise not to look away whenever I talk to you," he declared with a mischevious glint in his own eyes. He plopped down in the grass. He didn't trust his coordination enough to walk back to the bench.

"I've been told," he replied, making a face, but at the question he sobered up a bit. "Could be better. Jerrod has been getting steadily worse and we're scared something bad's going to happen, and on top of that, Eli has a boyfriend. I hate him, of course." He shrugged. It wasn't his fault the Australian was stupid. Or a heartbreaker. But he would make sure that the boy would suffer if he broke his sister's heart...he REALLY loved his family.

Kyra blushed again as Marcus told her to continue with her little story. "No, no. It's too embarrassing," she said, swatting the air, as if she was waving the story away. "I'm never telling anyone about it as long as I live. Only Ivy knows about it." She realized that she never told Liz this. "Don't tell your sister. She'll hound me," she added, snickering.

She raised her eyebrows a bit at Marcus' little rant thing. "I know. That's what I don't get. I guess he just couldn't take it anymore," she shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I love my dad, but I think we're actually better off without him."

As Marcus plopped down on the grass, she plopped down on the bench. "That's nice to know. Just don't talk to me when I'm lying down. That would be really awkward," she grinned.

Her grin immediately fell. "I really hope Jerrod gets better. I couldn't talk to him the last time I went over to your place just because he was sick. I know about Jonathon. Of course I do. I introduced them," she bragged a bit. She actually wasn't sure why she did. Liz was too good for Jon, who flirted with every female creature on the planet.

She blinked quickly when Marcus said he hated Jon. "Well, don't. Hate is a strong word that's used only for me. And Sami Criss."

He laughed. "It can't be that bad," he pointed out. "Here. You tell me the story, and I'll tell you a story." He couldn't, of course, think of anything at the top of his head, but he would come up with a funny story eventually; there were tons that came from their home. He snickered slightly. "I'll never mention it to her."

He sighed at her raised eyebrows. He had been ranting. "Well, maybe he'll come back when things are better," he suggested, even though the option sounded dull even to him. After all, he would never accept the man if he came back. "I'm jealous of your independence--in a nice way. My family would tear at the seams if my dad left."

He snorted at the thought. And then, of course, a couple weird thoughts hit his head and his face flushed. He needed to stop watching so much TV. "I won't talk to you while you're lying down unless it's an emergency," he agreed evenly. "After all, I'm an expert on awkward situations."

"Thanks for telling me," he sighed. A half-hearted smile hit his face. "He keeps wanting to go to work, but Eli barely lets him out of bed. She's always had a soft spot for him, and well...all the more reason he should get better soon." Marcus frowned thoughtfully. Liz had always loved Jerrod most; Marcus had always loved Liz most. They had a complicated family life. His eyebrows rose. "I'm not sure if I should feel betrayed or what," he mused, giving her a grin so she knew he was joking...mostly.

He scowled. "No, I definitely hate him. I don't think you realize how badly we get along." It was true; Marcus could barely be in a room with Jon for five seconds without insults being traded. A few times, fists had almost--not quite, but too close for comfort--been used. He hoped it wouldn't have to resort to that; Jonathon, after all, knew magic. But then his face morphed into concern. "I've never been given the story on you and Sami," he commented, shaking his head, "but whatever she's done wrong, I'm sure it'll be alright eventually. Give it time."

Kyra smiled at Marcus. "It is that embarrassing. You have no idea just how embarrassing it was at the moment!" She thought a moment. "I think it actually might have been in my second or third. You know what, I have no idea, actually. I'll just leave you with this; it included me, a boy, a table, and a long, long walk to the Hospital Wing," she said with a slight smile on her face. She still sometimes got butterflies when she thought about it, but it wasn't often. She then gave a devious grin. "Now it's your turn, buddy," she said, poking his forehead gently.

She didn't stop smiling when the boy said that maybe her dad would come back. "I don't think so. They divorced and it was final the day after Dad moved out. My mum and dad had been arguing a lot before they even knew Mikey was gonna be born, so I think it was kind of inevitable. And thanks. I just hope your dad never leaves you. As long as he's good to you, your mum, your brother, and your sister, everything should be fine."

Kyra's smile fell. "I'm sorry about your brother. I really am; I just hope that what happened to me doesn't happen to you." She laughed. "Don't feel betrayed. It's all good."

She shook her head as Marcus said he hated Jonathon. "Then again, have you ever really gotten to know him at all? Maybe he's not as bad as you think," she lied. She knew that Jonathon was as stupid as everyone said he was, but this was just too much.

She shook her head again. "You're so naive, Marley. Nothing's ever going to change what our friendship came to, and there's really nothing we can do to even try. Every time I've tried, it's just come back and bit me. I don't even know if she's the one who did wrong. I think that it might've been me. But then again, I really have no idea. I'll explain it to you one of these days, alright?"

She decided to smile at the boy, but wasn't sure if it came out as a smile or a grimace. She really hoped it was the former. Though Marcus was three years younger than her and one of her best friends' little brother, she really thought that he was pretty cute. Adorable, in fact. Was it in a baby brother kind of way? She didn't know. In fact, she had no idea whatsoever about it.

"Hmm." He nodded, half-solemn and half-joking. "Well, obviously, now I can't tell you off the detail. So I'll just tell you it involved Eli's birthday cake, a hose, and quite a bit of duct tape." He winked at her as if to say What you give is what you get.

"Well," he sighed, grinning at her--if she could say that without smiling, he could smile too, dangit--and chewing on the inside of his mouth. What were they right words to say? "Well," he repeated, "At least your family's alright now. And I'm pretty sure my dad won't leave us--he's put up with me for 11 years already--but thanks for the encouragement!"

"It's alright!" He laughed half-heartedly. "It's not your fault Jerrod's sick. He'll get better soon." I hope, he added in his mind. He grinned in relief. "Thank God." He tried to think of something clever to say, but there wasn't much clever that he could say.

"Marley?" was the first thing Marcus asked, but his eyebrows--previously scrunched together--slowly went higher on his forehead. He was naive; he'd been told. A lot. But that wasn't any reason not to believe in happy endings. "Then don't talk to her. When you're a teen, I think everything becomes a lot more dramatic." He shrugged. "When we're all adults, it might make more sense."

She half-grinned, half-grimaced at him, and in response he grinned wildly before poking her. He found that whenever conversation became stomach-poking, things became a lot sillier, more entertaining and altogether more fun; he just hoped she didn't think he was a weirdo. He found that he actually liked Kyra--not just as Liz's best friend, but as his friend, too.

Kyra rolled her eyes. "You can tell me in detail. Mine is just probably more em- a hose and birthday cake?" She chuckled. "That sounds interesting." Marcus winked at her and she gulped. She couldn't really handle when people- especially boys- winked at her. It wasn't natural.

She laughed again. "Yeah, we're great. We're doing okay, at least. Encouragement doesn't need thanks. But you're welcome anyway," she grinned.

"I know it's not my fault; I just tend to feel guilty about things I shouldn't feel that way about. I feel a lot of emotions that I'm not supposed to in certain circumstances," she explained. "I think my mum called it empathy, or something like that."

Kyra's eyes widened. "Please don't tell me you've never heard of Bob Marley. I'm a huge fan of him. You should be honored," she said, smirking at the last part. "I really hope you're right." She knew that nothing really ended with "Happily Ever After," but she also knew that Marcus obviously wasn't ready to give up the dream. She never believed in storybook endings anyway. Real life was nothing like that. No one got the prince. No one got justice. No one defeated evil. It was a lose-lose situation.

Marcus grinned at her before poking her. "Oh, you're on," she growled, jumping off the bench, onto the grass. She poked the boy repeatedly in the stomach, laughing the entire time. She could live like this, she really could.

"It's a rather interesting story," he agreed cheerfully, "but you're not going to hear it until you tell me yours." When he saw her gulp, he wasn't sure if he should feel bad or triumphant. A bit of both was going through his head. Was gulping a good thing? A bad thing? Girls were so confusing.

"Well, that's better than you could be," he agreed, grinning. His brow furrowed at the next sentence. "But if I don't thank you for it, how do you know it worked?" he wondered. Thanking people made not only him, but the other people, feel better most of the time.

"Empathy's a good trait," he encouraged with a grin. "But still, you don't have to be sorry for it. It's not your fault."

"I'm sorry to say I haven't," he replied, carefully eyeing her. Would she stab him or something? "Don't hope I'm right," he frowned. "Know I'm right. Life's what you make it, right?" Marcus had to believe that. If you were pessimistic all the time, life would suck no matter what you did; if you looked at things cheerfully, it'd be a lot happier.

Marcus half-shrieked as he was tackled. "This means war!" he declared before beginning to poke any part of her he could reach. Now this was living. He could definitely get used to hanging around Kyra like this.

Kyra sighed in defeat. "There's no way to win with you, is there?" she asked, rubbing her forehead. "Fine, fine. I'll tell you, but not now; it's a story for another time."

She grinned in response to Marcus' grin. "Yeah, I could be a total mess, but I'm not." She bit the inside of her cheek and said, "Well, you have a point. And I think that I'd know seeing how I go over to the diner quite a bit if you haven't noticed."

Her smile came back once more. "Yeah, I know. I know that too, but I can't help it. It's in my nature, I guess."

Kyra gasped in mock-horror. "You haven't heard the awesomeness that is Bob Marley? You need to, and quick!"

She blinked slowly at Marcus' next words. "That reminds me of a song that I heard when I was little. Personally, I think it sucked. But that's a nice way to look at life, I suppose." The boy was really positive, wasn't he? The perfect Hufflepuff, she couldn't help but think.

He poked her everywhere and she giggled. Yes, giggled. "Oh yeah! You know it's war! The battle's just begun!" she declared, poking him in the arm, stomach, everywhere, earning stares from the people around her. She had learned to not care what people thought of her a long time ago, so she paid no attention.

She poked him in the neck and immediately stopped, hoping she didn't poke him too hard. Poking someone's neck hard could have bad results; she'd been poked there before and it hurt like hell.

"Nope," he agreed, popping his p. "Which means you should give up." He grinned as she did just that. "I'll hold you to that," he promised, nudging her with his shoulder. The story, he felt sure, would be very interesting.

"And that's why you're an awesome person," he grinned, lying down. "I don't think I could be that strong." It was true; yes, Kyra was older and had more experience with life, but he doubted that he would ever be as emotionally strong as she was being. He laughed. "Of course I notice. You practically stalk us," he teased.

"Oh no," he snorted. "Medical attention right away!" Marcus had to wonder exactly who Bob Marley was--actor? Singer? Athlete? He'd have to check wikipedia once he went back home. "A song?" he asked, eyebrows raised. He enjoyed the saying, but that would be an utterly disastrous name. "I hope I never have to hear it," he decided, grinning.

Marcus noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that people were beginning to eye them, but he couldn't bring himself to care. This was too much fun. He found himself tickling her stomach eventually, but mostly just continued to poke...well, anywhere, really. At least, anywhere that wouldn't make things incredibly awkward.

He winced as he felt a finger collide with his neck, but saw an opening and took the chance to switch positions so that he was in control of the poking situation. "And it's going to end soon," he teased in agreement, continuing to poke her. It would be, he decided, very strange is someone tripped over them.

Kyra smiled and rolled her eyes as Marcus nudged her shoulder. "Of course you will. You're like that, aren't you?"

Marcus lay down on the ground, saying that Kyra was awesome. She snorted and said, "I don't think I'm really all that awesome, thanks though. You're only as strong as you want to be, just so you know."

She covered her heart with her hand. "I'm wounded! And anyway, I prefer the term 'keeping in touch,'" she teased with a wink.

"I'll take you to St. Mungo's!" she laughed. Surprisingly, to her at least, she really liked Marcus' company. It was refreshing to laugh like this in such little time.

"Believe me, you never ever want that song to be stuck in your head. There's this one song that was so frigging annoying I heard about a week ago. It helped me learn the days of the week," she deadpanned.

She cocked her head at all the people staring. She smirked and stuck her tongue out, not caring if she looked immature. She felt a tickle on her stomach and giggled.

"H-hey! Cut it o-out! Th-that tickles!" She was relieved of the tickling but was poked again.

As Marcus winced, she felt really bad about what she'd done. The feeling went away as she was flipped on her back and poked repeatedly. She poked him in the stomach and grinned evilly. "No, it's not. It'll never end. Not until I win, at least."

Okay, she really liked Marcus' company. He was more fun than Iv, not that she was complaining, and he was, well, a sweetheart. She decided that she needed someone like him somewhere in her life.

"Are you gonna give up soon?"

"Aw, you love me anyways," he teased, bumping her shoulder playfully. He figured that they were friendly enough that he could say that without it sounding awkward. "If that were true, I'd have biceps the size of my head." He laughed at her next sentence. "Looks like we'll both need Mungo's."

"The days of the week? Remind me never to listen to that song." He grinned, eyebrows waggling, before he gaped. "Can it be? Is Kyra Henderson ticklish?!" He then proceeded to physically attack and tickle her in her stomach as brutally as possible. He bit his lip and held back a hysterical giggle of his own when she poked his stomach; he nearly doubled over.

"Why would I quit when I'm so close to winning?"

"No one ever said that," Kyra quipped with a grin, rubbing the spot where Marcus had bumped her on the shoulder. "I didn't mean physically, you twit." She poked Marcus' cheek. "Pooooooooooooke. Yep."

Kyra's face went completely serious. "Yup. The days of the fricking week. Don't worry, you wouldn't want to anyway." Marcus waggled his eyes and Kyra gave him a half-smile. She didn't understand why he was waggling them, but giggled as he kept tickling her. "S-stop! Stop it!" She shrieked with glee and ticklishness and tried to swat his hands away.

"You're not gonna win! I-I'm going t-to!" she wheezed. He was relentless, wasn't he? She tried to breathe deeply, but ended up coughing. "O-okay! You can stop now!" It was obvious he wasn't going to halt is tickling, so Kyra did one thing she never thought she'd ever do. "I give up! N-now s-stop t-tickling me!"