Marcus Fenix leaned against in the doorway of the balcony; arms folded tightly across his bare chest, eyes fixed somewhere in the distance. The dark haired gear still had his faded jeans on; he'd begun to get ready for bed, but had stopped midway as if his thoughts had taken over completely.
"Marcus? Are you alright?" Anya Stroud asked; her voice as gentle as the cool evening breeze fluttering past their bedroom curtains. He was in one of those trances again; that "Marcus-stare" that seemed to cut him off from the rest of the world, even his own wife.
They'd been married for almost four years now, having tied the knot secretly once things finally simmered down. It's not like their friends didn't know what was going on between them, (They'd begun living together the day the war ended) but still, Anya in particular thought it would be best to have their privacy for a while.
The two had decided to call Azura home, living comfortably in one of the posh hotel sweets overlooking the little island and its inhabitants, who'd done a pretty nice job of making the surrounding area "normal" again. In the past five years, they'd restored the running water and electricity, (solar panel and wind energy was working pretty well, all things considered) built homes, a small medical facility (run mainly by COG field medics, although some civvies with experience worked as doctors and nurses too) and even a couple of shops and a bar.
After the COG had shipped some willing Stranded onto the island in an attempt to "reconcile past disagreements", a school had been built for the growing number of children living there as well. Jace Stratton had happily volunteered to help out wherever he could, and was now teaching the first grade class.
As nice as it was, there was still work to be done.
Anya was worried about Marcus. She knew he was pre-occupied with something; he seemed a bit more tense then usual all day, but he'd not breathed a word of his stress to anyone. This behavior was typical, but still bothersome to the blonde gear. Even after living with him for five years, getting Marcus to tell her what was on his mind was still difficult. It's not that he didn't trust her; she knew in her heart that he did, but old habits really are hard to break.
She stood in the bathroom door waiting for a reply as she dried her hair with a towel, slipping on one of his tee-shirts. By the tone of his soft grunt, she had a feeling she wasn't going to get anything out of him tonight.
Her bare feet padded across the carpet near silently as she made her way towards his silhouette; the room completely dark aside from the moonlight pouring in through the balcony doors. Anya wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her damp head against his back, not saying a word.
She'd come to realize with Marcus, it was usually what you didn't say that mattered the most.
She felt his tense frame relax almost instantly as her soft skin touched his body.
"Are you happy Anya?" Marcus spoke suddenly, his tone gravelly as always.
"Of course I am Marcus. I'm with you," she replied softly, holding him tight in her arms. He was quiet for a bit, as if he were giving those words a chance to sink in. He took hold of her hands, and rubbed them gently; still gazing out at the ocean, which was alight with the stars and the moon's soft glow.
He took a deep breath of the salty are before speaking again, tone even lower. "What would I have done if I lost you? You're all I have left…"
Anya felt a pang of sadness in her chest as his voice trailed off. Even after all this time, he'd never truly been able to cope with the losses he'd experienced. He'd witnessed the death of the man he considered his brother, then his father shortly after. She'd done everything she could do to ease his pain, but deep in her heart she knew there are some hurts that never really go away.
The soft-spoken gear gently kissed his bare back, each touch of her lips softer then the last. "Marcus, please don't do that…We're together now…" she murmured. He turned around suddenly, towering over his wife's petite frame as his icy blue eyes scanned her beautiful face.
"Anya, I want you to know that I love you. I don't say it enough. You deserve better…"
Anya frowned with pity as she looked up at his scarred face. She opened her mouth to say something, but before the words could come, he kissed her lips, pulling her close against his body.
"I love you," he whispered into her ear as they eased themselves into bed.
Marcus was awakened later that night, the thoughts of people and places of the past causing him to stir in his sleep. He felt Anya shift against the sheets as he turned on his side, feeling guilty for waking her. He wrapped his arm around the blonde, and gently pulled her bare back against his chest. He heard her moan softly as he buried his face in her light golden hair.
"Marcus?" she whispered sleepily.
"Hmm?"
"Just…stay with me, always. I need you too, you know…"
The massive gear smiled and kissed her neck.
"You got it…"