Sheriff Marcus x Reader

Eight

As you walked through the noble streets of Piltover, a silence spread between the two of you that was an uncomfortable mixture of the lack of words and the feeling of not being able to talk to each other.

Marcus had insisted to take a detour to the council building so that he could complete a big part of the patrol already. He was walking a few steps ahead of you, but kept glancing over his shoulder whenever he thought you wouldn't notice.

This time he looked back again. But when your eyes met, he quickly turned away and acted as if it had been pure coincidence.

You watched him speed up to put more distance between you.

But in his urge to run away he did not forget to greet the people politely. He seemed to be not only well known among the citizens, but also quite popular. Again and again men greeted him, women smiled at him.

With a grin you caught up with him.

"I see you are a man in demand, grumpy.", you gave him a light bump against the shoulder, as you always did when you wanted to tease him.

A snort escaped him. Quickly, his eyebrows knitted together and he looked grim again.

"I'm just doing my job.", he said, still avoiding looking at you.

It was strange, but he found it hard to maintain his pent-up anger whenever his eyes found yours. Then the past suddenly became so meaningless and all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around you and squeeze the air out of your lungs. Last night many memories had returned, especially those he had forgotten he missed.

The feeling of the kiss stuck on his lips had been just one thing, but for some reason he had lost the ability to sleep peacefully since your reunion.

As children you two had often shared a bed, even more so after his parents had taken you in, and he had had trouble sleeping without you. It had taken years to get used to an empty spot next to him.

But maybe he was imagining things and it was the excitement that had plagued him.

Silently you watched his thoughts reflected in the brown of his eyes. But you didn't want him to feel attacked, so you let it go without comment.

"You've become a handsome man, hard to believe with the bony kid you used to be.", you winked at him. "No wonder so many ladies look at you."

Rolling his eyes, he shook his head and sighed.

"You still talk as much nonsense as you did then.", he gasped, but couldn't hide the relief in his voice.

You shrugged.

"I had to say a lot to make up for what you didn't say."

"And I always had to keep you calm so you wouldn't explode with energy."

"We complemented each other well. You too introverted and shy, me too hyper and quite extroverted."

"Children usually make a good choice with their friends."

"Hm, I would dare to say that I made a very good choice at that time."

Abruptly he stopped. Inhaling sharply, his eyes moved to you.

Your eyes met.

"And today?", he asked out of the blue. "What about me? Marcus, the man who grew from the little boy."

The question surprised you. Uncertainly you had to frown. Your lips opened but you avoided to speak careless words.

"The man is a stranger to me.", you admitted, a hint of guilt in your voice. "But... I am also a stranger to you. That's what you said. To be honest, when I was told I would see you again, the first thing I thought of was the boy from that time. The best friend that I had chosen. I didn't know what you looked like and when they showed me a picture I thought for a moment they were trying to mess with me. You looked so different from my memories. So... grown up."

Your words made something in his chest tighten.

It hurt, but he wouldn't let the feelings get to him.

They were just memories that hurt.

"Let's not go there.", he muttered, and turned away.

But before he could take three steps ahead again, you grabbed his wrist.

"Marcus.", his name tasted so strange on your tongue. "Please, give me two minutes. You don't have to say anything, but at least listen to me."

He hesitated. His eyes jumped over the buildings restlessly. But he stopped in his tracks.

"Tell me what you have to say and then we'll let it go."

Taking a deep breath, you nodded.

"When I first saw your face I was unsure if I could... reconcile my memories with reality. And yes, I admit it, I doubted that our friendship was still... friendship. The boy was my friend after all. Not the man who's face I've never seen before. But in the end, I made up my mind. I chose you again as my friend, whether you are the boy from my memory or not. I wasn't willing to let you go without trying. I... I loved you and I want to love you the way I used to as a kid. I'm not willing to let the past die. But I am willing to accept that I need to let go of my version of Marcus in order to be by your side again. Grumpy... you're my best friend. And I will always chose you, as a child and as an adult. I've made a good decision, because I picked you. Marcus."

For a long, painfully long moment, Marcus just stared at you. His eyes were locked with yours. There was this shimmer, this expression hidden in them. But it was hard to tell wether it was the urge to scream at you or if he felt like crying.

Your grip loosened.

Uncertainty spread inside your chest.

Without saying another word, he pulled his hand out of your grip and turned his back on you.

"We should get going.", he said in a silent voice. "The council is waiting."