Hello there!
This oneshot was made for a challenge request I made on tumblr, because arctoslupus asked me to do so, so...
Here it is!
Situation: start of a relationship
Pairing: Markus and Valerie
Random words: Recalcitrant and parity
Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Trauma Center New Blood
It was quite a strange feeling.
Somewhat familiar, and, at the same time, somewhat new. It was nice, though.
Valerie Blaylock smiled as she looked at her assistant saying goodbye to them, leaving for the night. It had been an amazing day, full of surprises, and all of them deserved some rest. She looked up to her coworker, and he looked her back. He smirked.
"How does some dinner sound to you, Val?" she blushed
"Just perfect, Markus"
"Let's hit it, babe" she laughed, already used to his charming manners, and followed him down the road.
"What's on your mind, Markus?" she asked after a few seconds of enjoying the soft breeze outside Caduceus. He shrugged.
"I was thinking of Elena... Will she be alright?"
"W-what do you mean?"
"She looked quite shocked tonight... I wonder why, that's it."
"Well, we just managed to finally eradicate stigma, you know" she shrugged, a little pissed about the fact he was always talking about the nurse. He didn't seem to notice, never, but every time they were alone he started to talk about her.
"Yeah... I can't really believe we actually did it, Val. It's finally over" he smiled to her, and she just smiled back.
"It is"
"Let's not think about work for a minute now, shall we? It's finally over so let's just enjoy it" she shrugged
"Okay..."
They walked down the street quietly, peacefully. They were so in sync there was no need for words. They looked at each other as soon as they reached an Italian restaurant. Markus raised an eyebrow.
"Do you like Italian food...?"
"C'mon, I know you love Italian food, Val" he smirked and she blushed a bit.
"Then let's go..."
The pair entered and a waitress approached them. She looked young, maybe in her early twenties, and smiled a lot. Valerie was vaguely conscious of being jealous as she clasped Markus' hand on her little ones. He just smiled tenderly and passed his arm around her waist.
"A table for two, please" he indicated, his voice barely a soft murmur, still smiling kindly. The waitress nodded, visibly disappointed, and turned around to lead the way. Markus lowered his head "Everything okay, Val?"
"I don't want you to be distracted tonight, I really want to be with you right now" she managed to mutter under her breath. He chuckled and nodded
"Of course. I also want to spend my night with you, beautiful lady" he winked and she blushed
"Oh, stop it" he laughed.
"I love you too"
It was kind of normal for them to spend time only the two of them, and every time they had dinner together or something he would tease her about it, sometimes even pretending to be about to kiss her or embrace her. She would laugh at it, never showing what it really meant for her. The waitress wrote down their dinner and left. He still kept smiling for some time, looking around lazily.
Markus Vaughn was a mystery to Valerie, and at the same time she knew him better than probably any of their friends. They had spent so much time together it would've been strange if she didn't.
And it was the same for Markus, actually. He automatically put the vinegar on his side of the table and the oil in hers when the waitress brought it, as he knew how much she hated vinegar, and loved oil. She blushed, and he avoided her gaze, blushing too. What was going on her mind? She had been blushing a lot today.
The food was soon in front of them and they shared a smiles before starting. It was only then when they started to speak. At the same time. They laughed.
"You go first" he offered. She shrugged.
"You know, what are we going to do now?"
"Now that stigma's gone, you mean?" she nodded "I thought we said no work tonight" he pouted, and she giggled
"You know it's pretty difficult to leave something as big as stigma aside. As well as us just saving the world from it. I still find it so amazing, so hard to believe we actually..." he laughed.
"I don't know about you but I'm thinking about some days off of work"
"Really? I don't know, I mean, it would be nice, but I still want to help people... Dunno." she shook her head "What would you do, if you had time off, Markus?"
"Travel. I'd like to travel somewhere. What about you? What would you do, Valerie?" she shrugged when he smirked.
"I just told you, I want to keep working"
"C'mon, we just saved the world, don't you want, say, a week to do anything? I'm definitely not leaving without you, Val, so start thinking." he demanded. She blushed.
"Y-you c-can just go yourself you know..." his eyes widened a little when he realized what he just said, but didn't take it back.
"We've been together for quite some time now, Val..." he smiled sheepishly "I really can't think of being that much time alone. I'm really used to see you everyday..." she looked aside.
"A-anyway... N-no work tonight" he laughed, and agreed in silence. It had never been this awkward. Ever. Though they rarely talked about vacation... And he really wanted to tell her... She shook her head then, startling him, and began eating again, still not looking at him, and he sighed. What was going on tonight?
"You know, if I can't travel, I'd probably just stay home or something. Sleep till noon, eat whenever I want, watch movies, read something, go running, go to the gym, or go to the beach..." he thought about it for a second before smiling "And I'm forgetting something"
"What is it?" she asked, relieved he had managed to redirect the conversation to what it used to be.
"Well, you tell me" he smirked, and she pretended to think about it.
"Well, find a girlfriend already? You're 34 already, you know" she sighed to herself. Yeah, she sure would love it if he chose her. They've had been together for what seemed like a whole life and now she was one hundred percent sure that she wouldn't want to live in a world without him. But, how could she ever force him to choose her over someone he really loved? She just wanted him to be happy...
And then he blinked, surprised, and she bit her tongue as she noticed she had said it out loud. Thankfully, he laughed.
"Yeah, you're right... This stigma thing hasn't let us a moment for us, huh?" she blushed, and looked aside when he raised an eyebrow with malice.
"D-don't give me that look, that's just being cruel" he laughed again, and moved a hand in the air
"Y'know, actually, some people believe us to be a real couple" she blinked
"Really?" he nodded, and he looked serious when he did
"I couldn't believe it when I was told so, but it seems we've became quite popular, Val. And people talks, you know, about how much time we spend together, how well can we work together, how we can understand each other without words in an OR, and stuff... Yeah, if you look at it from the outside, isn't it like, obvious?" she shrugged, and looked aside, chewing on her food distractedly. "Makes me wonder..." she tried, she really did, but she ended up choking on her food nevertheless. Markus blinked, and then bust out laughing "My, Val! I didn't mean that, I mean, it makes me wonder why people wants us together so desperately, that's it!"
"Then don't think out loud just half the thought, Markus. I didn't saw that one coming, you know" he still laughed a little, and then extended his hand to pour some more water on her glass
"Here. Get better, Val" she frowned
"So funny"
"Are you done eating?"
"Yes... almost" he smiled
"Take your time. I hope they don't call us now that stigma's gone for an emergency operation"
"They better don't, I need some sleep" he nodded
Valerie finished her dinner hurriedly, and the waitress came quickly with the bill, which Markus insisted in paying. While she went to pick up the change, a little girl called out loud:
"Mommy, those are the doctors that we saw on TV last night?" Markus blushed slightly, and Val giggled
"Shh... Yes, they are... They saved daddy, dear, remember?"
"Huh? When?"
"It's been two months now... There, let them be. They sure are taking a break, doctors work hard."
"Just a moment!"
"Alicia!"
Running, the girl approached the pair. Valerie smiled to her.
"Hello, kiddo..."
"You're the doctor who saved my daddy?" she smiled tenderly, and pointed to Markus
"We both did our best to save your daddy, little one..."
"I'm Alicia, and I'm not little!"
"Of course you're not, Alicia" Markus reassured her. The kid giggled.
"What's your names?"
"I'm Valerie, and he's Markus. It's a pleasure to meet you, Alicia"
"I see... Mommy, mommy! Ms. Valerie and Mr. Markus are the doctors who saved daddy!" her mother came too, embarrassed
"I'm so sorry, doctors, my little girl is very impulsive, you know... Come on, Alicia, let's wait for daddy outside, yes?"
"Oh, but Alicia's not little, right?" Markus blinked to her and she giggled with joy. Valerie smiled, moved by his words. He looked somewhat different than his normal self... Softer, even.
"Everything's payed for, dear, let's get Alicia home and... Oh, doctors. It's nice to see you again" a man appeared then, behind his wife, and smiled warmly "I'll never be able to thank you enough for what you did for me"
"It was nothing, sir. We're glad to see you've recovered well." he nodded
"You two have became real famous, yes? I'm proud to say you operated on me once!" they smiled, as the man laughed "Here, Alicia, those two saved my life a few months ago" she nodded
"I know, daddy, mommy just told me" he nodded
"Well thanks again, doctors. I hope everything's okay with that stigma thing" Markus and Val looked at each other, and laughed simultaneously.
"Never's been better, mister. Don't worry about it" Valerie answered. The couple nodded, and the kid got closer to Valerie. She probably hadn't understood what they said, but, coming even closer so she could whisper on her ear, the kid asked to her:
"Ms. Valerie, is Mr. Markus your... your... special someone?" she giggled, and broke apart to see Valerie's reaction. Which was, blushing profusely.
"I-I, n-no! W-why you say so, Alicia?" the girl shrugged
"You look nice together, I think. Don't they, mommy, daddy?" her parents laughed, as Markus started to acquire the same colour as Valerie had on his cheeks.
"Now, let's leave the doctors in peace so they can finish their dinner, dear."
"But, they really do!"
"Sure thing, honey. Let's go"
The mother silently excused her daughter, both doctors nodded, and the family just went out of the local. They looked at each other, and blushed even more.
"There you have it" Markus muttered after a minute
"Yeah, perfect timing even, huh?" he nodded
"Come on, let's get outta here" she giggled as he took his change from the waitress without even a glance at her
They walked down the street again, not even looking to where they were going. After a while, Valerie finally said:
"You know, when we started to speak before... And you told me to speak first... What were you going to say?" he blinked
"Huh, that..." there was a moment of silence, and Markus sighed "It was nothing, really... No work tonight"
"Geez, I know you said no work tonight, Markus... But I think we should talk about this now. You know, it's going to get in the middle of the conversation if we don't clear things up concerning stigma" he sighed again
"You're probably right... Ahh, I wish I could just block it out for some time... Just... to be free, just the two of us" she smiled
"We can do that after this is out of the way. So what was it, Markus? What were you going to say?"
"I probably was going to make a joke about it, but I'll get to the point now..." she nodded "Why you don't hate me, Val? The truth." she blinked
"I-I told you, I believe in you, Markus. As a doctor, you've saved the world from stigma, if you didn't want to, you wouldn't have even tried!"
"And as a person?" they stopped, and Valerie led him to a nearby park to walk around. There was no one else around, only some cars occasionally breaking the silence, and the trees created a somewhat magic atmosphere, and kept the place cooler than the road. She looked at him on the eyes, and he seemed to be very serious about it. Very intense.
"As a person..." I couldn't even try to hate you, Markus... "As a person, Markus, I've seen you all depressive and gloomy about stigma for years without knowing what was pestering your mind. Now you look so different, so free. How can you hate a person who did his best to eliminate stigma, and succeeded?" he blushed lightly.
"But..."
"Markus, you're the only one who hates you. You have to let it go, it's over" he jumped, startled, and nodded shakily. She had seen through him so fast, so easily? How?!
They kept walking in silence for a few minutes, leaving the park behind, until he sighed and shook his head.
"It's not that easy, Val"
"You have to have faith. Take, for example, all those successful operations. If you..." he stopped her, shaking his head and squeezing her hand a little.
"Thanks, but I really don't want to think about it right now. Let it be for a few days, maybe" his laugh wasn't exactly happy, but Valerie let it go. They'll have time to talk about their respective problems regarding stigma.
"There, let's get going, shall we?"
He nodded, and started to walk. She just followed him, until...
"Markus, this is not the way home. Nor for me, nor for you." he blinked
"Uh, I was following you"
"What? I was following you!" he sighed
"Okay, were are we?"
"Like I would know, I wasn't paying attention... Let's get out of here, I don't like this place" he looked around
"Now you mention it, I think I know this neighborhood. Don't ask me why. I've been here before."
"I don't want to know, just... l-let's go, okay?" he nodded
"Yes, the sooner the better"
The dim lights of the night enveloping them, they turned around hand in hand and walked as fast as they could. Both of them knew where they knew that place from. And they didn't want to be kidnapped again. They left that somber place behind, and found another neighborhood. This one, though still dark, had a different appearance. It looked... poor, somehow. Though there was no one in the streets, Valerie still felt somewhat out of place there. She clutched Markus hand, nervous, and he looked at her.
"I still don't like this, Markus"
"Well, at least I hope we don't get murdered here" he tried to be sarcastic, but it ended up sounding like a real fear. They both shivered
"Stop it, Markus, let's go" he nodded again.
Once they left that street, found another one. They still didn't know it.
They managed to leave behind three more streets before they got to the park they were before. Markus blinked.
"Oh no..."
"What is it now?"
"We've been walking in circles" he pointed to the street they took as they exited the park, just in front of them again. Valerie blinked.
"I can't believe it!"
"Well, at least we're back at the beginning"
"Right. Hmm... Well, it seems like we split now, right? You're taking that street over there, and I keep walking forward." he nodded, but then shrugged
"I don't mind, let's go, I'll walk you home..."
"I can go from here just fine, Markus..."
"Let me. Please" he looked at her in the eyes, still holding her hand, and she just nodded.
"Fine. Let's go then. And, for the record, this time you follow me. So we don't get lost again" he smirked
"Yes, ma'am..."
After a minute or so, Markus seemed to have remembered something.
"Do you remember when you told me before that I did my best to eradicate stigma?" Valerie nodded
"Yes, I did"
"That's not true, not completely" she sighed
"What is it now? You didn't told Caduceus about everything you knew so they didn't think about you as a murderer for creating it" he nodded
"Actually, that's it. Remember when Sylvia discovered about Culurium?" she nodded again "I already had an idea about it. I mean, I knew about the connection between artificial medical products and stigma" Valerie was still looking at him, as if she expected more "What do you say to that?"
"Oh, that's it? So, you knew it had something to do with artificial things. Congratulations, doctor Vaughn! So, what?" he blinked
"I didn't tell anyone. I should have"
"Yeah. I never told my mother it was me who broke her china vase when I was five, and she managed to find another one anyway, right?" Markus laughed.
"That's lame, Val. That's not even similar"
"It's the same for me. I mean, it wasn't my fault the damned vase was so big I couldn't walk down my hall without stepping on it!" he laughed again
"Val, that..."
"It's the same! You didn't create stigma on purpose, right? I mean, it wasn't your fault that that artificial blood was there!" he shrugged
"Maybe. Maybe not. What about you, Valerie, don't you regret that you followed me to Alaska? You wouldn't have been here now" she blushed, but this time it was out of anger
"How can you think I don't want to be here! How can you say that!"
"Val..."
"No, listen, listen to me for a minute, Markus" she stopped, and he was forced to look down at her, so little in comparison, and at the same time, so magnificent... "I could have the opportunity to be anywhere else right now and I still would choose here! Why do you think I followed you to Alaska? Why do you think I still stood there by your side, even after getting almost killed by that lunatic? Why do you think I never refused to anything, as long as it was being there against stigma? It would have been so easy, right?! And still! That would be being a coward, Markus, and neither you, nor I, are cowards!" she was shouting by then, and he was grateful there was no one around. He smiled, and embraced her, even when she tried to push him away "N-no, l-listen...!"
"You're right, Valerie. Now I know. I..."
"No, you don't know!" he froze, and she did her best to not let her tears fall "You don't have an idea how hard it was. You don't have a fucking idea, Markus Vaughn" uh, she said it, the f word she always tried to avoid. She had to be really angry. He blinked, and waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't. She just stood there, looking at his shoulder without actually looking at anything. When he decided she had said it all, he pulled away from her, and she avoided his gaze.
They stood there for a whole minute until she tugged sheepishly on his hand, towards her house again, and he complied, in silence. It had never been like that. So awkward, like it wasn't them, the same two close friends.
"This is new" finally Markus said. She nodded once, and sniffled, still holding back tears. She wouldn't say it, not then, but she had been really close to telling him how heart breaking it had been to stay by his side as his friend, and nothing else, all this time. "What's going on, Val?"
"N-nothing. There, it's alright."
"No, it's not"
"It just is, I said!"
"Okay, okay... No more stigma talking for today"
They started to walk again, and Valerie looked at him at the corner of her eye. He seemed distant, like every time they faced the infamous disease, and at the same time he looked like a free man. Like a person who wouldn't do anything against his beliefs, not even if it was an order. Solitary, mysterious, reserved, independent, intrepid, maybe even recalcitrant, to Valerie Blaylock, Markus looked like a man who desperately needed a friend at his side. And that was exactly what stopped her from telling him what she really felt for him. But now that everything had come to an end, should she...? Was it really the moment? Maybe, just maybe...
Once they finally got to her house, Valerie looked at their hands, their fingers still entwined together, and softly let go of his hand. He looked at her eyes, filled with a strange emotion he barely recognized. Though, when he did, a lump started to form in his throat. Now it was up to him. Should he...? He wouldn't lie, he had known Valerie since quite some time now, and this wasn't the first time he thought about her like more than a friend, however, she always had a way to let him know that their relationship only was one of friends. And right now, with that simple glance, she just told him otherwise.
He looked as she twisted the key with a barely audible 'clic' and stopped herself. She looked up, locking her gaze to his for a few seconds. He blushed.
"I probably should..." she interrupted him
"No. You're right, you should. But... don't."
"Valerie, what...?" was this it? Should he say it? Should he ask her to invite him in, and tell her...?
He didn't have to think about it. Valerie never was the patient type, and he should have guessed it.
So then she kissed him. Grabbing his tie, she pulled him until he entered her house, and closed the door behind him. They still kept kissing for a good minute until they stopped, realizing they were in her hall lights off, actually kissing. Both blushed, and broke apart completely. She turned the lights on. Looking at each other in the eyes, Markus sighed. Extending his arms, palms open and up, he tried to reach her, and let him. He softly embraced her. That didn't need words, like almost everything they shared, but anyway...
"I love you" both of them whispered, and smiled. She giggled, quietly, and he smirked
So that was it. Markus held her even closer, hugging her with force, almost like he didn't believe this was happening. She giggled again, and, grabbing his tie again, made him bow until they kissed.
"This is it, Markus. To be honest, I've been waiting for this like, forever." he smiled
"Right. Me too. It just wasn't the right moment." she nodded
"So..."
"Wait. Not just now" she blinked "We've argued over everything we've talked about tonight, remember?" she smirked
"I really doubt we would argue about this" he shrugged
"Don't ruin the moment, Valerie"
And he kissed her again, while she laughed, way too happy to feel offended by his sarcastic remark.
Clumsily walking forwards, he tried to remember her flat's layout, and led her to the couch. They ended falling over it, and laughed, but didn't separate from each other. Hungry mouths almost devouring each other, soon it started to not be enough. Valerie shakily undid his tie and top buttons of his shirt, and he just gasped, enjoying the way her tiny hands felt on his exposed skin. He wanted to take her blouse off, too, but he wasn't sure about how she would take it, so he just waited for the moment.
Once he felt her tongue tracing the curve of his ear, softly blowing every now and then, every resolution of waiting vanishing, his fingers found their way to the zipper on her blouse. She shivered, but said nothing, deciding instead on sucking gently on his earlobe. His eyes shot open.
"Ohh, Valerie..." she blushed slightly when he shivered under her, a quiet moan escaping his lips. She did it again, and he bit his lip, holding back another moan. He had always had sensitive spots all over his neck, but his earlobe definitely took the first prize. "D-don't do that a-again..."
"Why not?" she smiled naughtily, though he couldn't see it, and aimed for his ear again.
Though it was a little late.
"Markus, what...?" she found herself pinned to her couch, his hands gripping her wrists above her head. The living was dark, as they hadn't turned the lights on, and looking at him only with the hall's lights made it even hotter. She shivered when she finally looked at his eyes, dark, but amused. He was a little flushed, probably like she was too, and looked like he had the embodiment of temptation in front of him. That made her feel special, and loved, and she felt her cheeks going red, as he smiled tenderly before kissing her again, this time softer, slower.
"Let's take one little step at once, yes?" he whispered. She silently nodded, and embraced him. He smiled.
"Stay with me for the night, please?" she asked once they got up and fixed their clothes a little. He shrugged, and nodded, before leaning in to steal another kiss from her.
"Sure, do you still have my bag in your guest's room?"
"With me."
"Uh?"
"Just stay with me. There's enough space for two in my bed" she winked, and then laughed at his perplexed expression "Just sleep, yes?" he nodded bluntly
"O-of course..."
"I can't believe we actually have to go back to work tomorrow" he laughed
"Well, you can always call and ask for a day off, though I recall you saying you wanted to keep working?" she laughed too
"I want to work, it's just, I'm so tired I could probably sleep through a week" he smirked
"Like I would let you, I'd bore to death!" she blushed
They finally managed to get changed. Valerie turned the lights on her bedroom off, and slipped into her bed, cuddling to Markus, both of them sighing in pure bliss.
"What now, Markus?"
"Now we sleep, Val" she punched him in the arm
"You're such a genius, really..."
"I know, don't worry"
"I mean... Well, I know you said no work, and I promise I won't talk for too long about this..." she imagined him grimacing, and giggled. She looked for his lips in the dark and he shivered
"Make it quick, then..." he sighed
"I heard from Director Quatro that they're going to think about sending someone or not to some part of Asia... Like, for treating the remains of Stigma, you know. I was thinking about volunteering for that, if they decide to do so. Just, so you know. And, please, think about it. Please. I... I would really like to help with that"
"Which part of Asia, Val?"
"I still don't know. Some poor part which probably won't be able to pay for it. Maybe"
"Huh?"
"I'd like it if I can contribute to parity in the world, Markus, so I was talking about volunteering."
"I... I see..."
"Take it like some holidays. Besides, you said before you wanted to travel, yes? I'm sure that if you put it like that, you can convince director Quatro of paying you" he sighed again
"Let's talk about this with her, okay? Now I just want to sleep"
"Yeah, me too..." she hugged him a little closer "Thank you, Markus"
"What are you talking abo...?" she kissed him, and smiled
"Don't worry about that. I just wanted to say it. I just... I'm thankful you're here, with me, tonight, that's it..." he blushed a little
"O-okay... n-no need to thank me for that, you know..."
"Shh. Sleep." she laughed
Holding her close, Markus finally fell asleep, soon followed by her.
[…]
When they arrived at Caduceus next morning, hand in hand, Elena was waiting for them. She raised an eyebrow, and Valerie blushed and tried to let go of his hand, but he didn't let her. In a quick movement, Markus pulled her hand to his chest, and kissed her shamelessly, leaving both girls blushing and perplexed. Elena realized what had happened first, and went inside, running, which made them follow her, laughing, Valerie finally accepting the idea they were formal now. As soon as Elena found someone, (who happened to be Leslie, of all people) she started to scream something along the lines of "You won't believe it! They finally got together!" and, pulling the amazed nurse by the hand, ran again down the corridor to spread the news.
Markus looked at Valerie and found her looking back at him. They both shrugged and laughed. They spent their day avoiding their coworkers and talking to director Quatro.
Soon enough, they'd be in Asia, far from them, saving lives and spending their own ones with the one they loved.
Well, so that's it
I really, really hope you people have enjoyed it as much as I've loved writing it, and I hope it's been up to your expectations
*bows*
Thanks for reading, and reviewing!
Isacullen-timeguardian