Characters: Milo and Marcia.
Warnings: None, just kissing and fluff!
Prompt 8: "An Apologetic Kiss."
Notes: Set after the last book. A rough quickly thrown together piece of writing. Might be developed upon if requested.
Heapster Prompts Challenge.
"I'm afraid to say it, Milo…" Marcia sighed. "… but every room in the Wizard Tower is occupied for the evening and I know you don't want to stay at the palace with Silas and Sarah but that may be your only option." She apologized, looking down at her shoes for a moment in deep thought. The Extraordinary Wizard grasped her bottom lip between her teeth; a bad habit she had when trying to find a decent solution to a difficult task.
Septimus sat at the table in their rooms on the 21st floor, scribbling notes for his next exam, watching as Marcia paced with hands on hips. "We've always got room here." The young boy smirked, grinning as he saw Marcia's face glow cherry red. "I mean, on the sofa. Now that Jillie's gone, the sofa's free." He added quickly with a nod. As he spoke, Marcia suddenly remembered to breath again. She didn't keep secrets from Septimus. He was smart enough to figure out that she had a rather large crush on the older man, and wasn't able to lie to her apprentice when he asked her about it.
Milo had returned to the Castle recently after a long voyage, resulting in much damage to his vessel. His arrival hadn't been too pleasant. Marcia had greeted him kindly, unlike Silas Heap - who started ranting and raving over Jenna and how she needed stability in her life; which lead to the predicament he was in now. Ship too damaged to sleep on, adoptive parents of his daughter being rather stubborn and Marcia being as helpful as she could be for a change.
"It would only be for this one evening and then I'll be out of your hair. The ramblings have a room free tomorrow. I've already placed a reservation for it." Milo spoke, taking a sip from the tea Septimus had made for them all. "I'll even make you both breakfast in the morning as a thank you." He chimed as a proposal, grinning behind his purple teacup.
While Marcia was still slightly nervous about having him over, she really did want him around and having a morning without arguing with the stove seemed too good an opportunity to pass up. "Just for one night." She nodded, muttering a spell to summon up a blanket and pillows.
[Later That Day.]
"I'm going to bed! Nobody bother me." Marcia snapped, anger dripping from her tone of voice. She slammed the door heavily, leaving both Septimus and Milo alone in the living room. "I told you playing catch in here was a bad idea." The apprentice nodded, glancing over at the smashed pots on the floor. Marcia's mother had given her those faerie pots and although she didn't get on too well with her mother, they were the only thing she had left of her parents.
Milo looked at them with a sad and slightly horrified expression. They'd only been messing about for a few minutes. Septimus wanted to get to know Jenna's dad, so he started asking questions. "How did you meet Marcia?" "You know Jenna loves wild flowers. Why don't you get her some?" "What made you come back?" All the questions made Milo chuckle and in a playful manner, he threw a pillow at the young boy, who instantly threw it back. The game continued until Marcia returned from the Manuscriptorium, startling them both… and that was when the pillow went flying into the poorly-made shelf.
"Fancy helping me fix this mess, kid?" The traveler asked. Septimus smiled and nodded, running to the cupboard to grab the 'hammer and various other tools' box.
[That Evening.]
Milo lay awake on the sofa, trying to think of a way to apologize to the curly haired wizard. He hated the thought of upsetting her; her glassed-over green eyes brought tears to his own.
He'd managed to fix the shelf on the wall and Septimus had spent hours trying to use his magyk to get the pots to stick back together again. They almost looked brand new now, but Marcia remained in her room, upset and possibly still angry. He could understand why. He just wished to apologize and make it up to her in some way.
They'd known each other for years, not as extremely close friends, but he would always pop over to the Wizard Tower for a cup of tea, when delivering the Queen's reports: back when she had been apprenticed to Alther. Milo knew how much it had knocked Marcia when she heard of his betrothal to Queen Cerys. She no longer asked him over for tea and when he delivered the reports, there was a sad glimmer of want in her eyes. It didn't stop him from finding her beautiful, however. Right now, with all these thoughts in mind… sorry really did seem to be the hardest word. He had so much to apologize for.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you." She whispered. Milo had been so deep in his train of thought that he hadn't heard her come into the living room. His heart hammered in his chest, his face lit up with relief and a feeling that he hadn't felt in sometime. Marcia was dressed in her purple pajamas's, curly hair scraped away from her face. No-one, other than Septimus and maybe Alther, had seen her like this - relaxed and at home. People were used to the stern, non-human Marcia. Seeing her so loose made his head spin.
"Sometimes I just say things and I - " her words were interrupted by a kiss, soft and gentle, yet hopeful and filled with desire. Milo had stood to meet her, not able to mask his feelings for the woman before him. The look mirrored the one she wore when he told of his marriage to Cerys. He wasn't about to make the same mistake again. "I'm sorry for breaking your faerie pots… and I'm sorry for not asking permission to kiss you, I just… couldn't help myself. I really am sorry for everything, Marcia." Milo mumbled against her lips, resting his forehead against hers as he held her waist. "I really want to believe that your sorry -" she teased, before his lips captured hers again. This cycle continued until Marcia was truly lost in the moment and lost for words, her back pressed against the wall as she smiled for what felt like the first time in a long while. They remained like this the whole night, stealing kisses as often as they could. It's safe to say that Milo didn't stay at the Ramblings the following evening.