Sheriff Marcus x Reader

Thirty-Two

With a groan, Marcus managed to open his eyes a crack.

The light of the day blinded him. A headache stabbed his brain like thousand needles, causing him to groan in pain.

Grimly, he squeezed his eyes tightly shut and rolled over, only to open one eye again in surprise as something hard bumped against him. A mild smile appeared on his lips as he caught sight of his daughter's red mop of hair.

"Slept well little fox?", he asked, tickling her awake.

Giggling, Ren curled up and slipped under the covers to escape the attacks.

Sighing, he let his head fall back into the pillow. The alcohol from yesterday made everything spin. It felt like his head was stuck in a bubble.

Silently cursing, he asked himself what had gotten into him. The last time he's had a night of excessive drinking had been before Ren's birth. Plus, he wasn't twenty anymore and his body made that very clear.

With one hand he rubbed his eyes while fishing for a glass of water that was always on his nightstand with the other.

Ren looked at him with big eyes.

"Daddy?", she asked.

"Huh?", he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Who was that yesterday?"

At the question, the smile on his face faded. His eyebrows drew together.

Again he had to sigh.

"A ghost from the past...", he murmured and petted her head.

But her childish curiosity was not satisfied with the answer. Expectantly she moved closer and looked at him with her big, pale eyes.

The eyes of her mother.

"Were you friends?"

His lips curled. A bitter taste spread in his mouth.

"We... were more than friends.", he murmured and glanced out the window.

For some reason, he hoped to see your face out there. He wished he could meet your eyes and smile. The desire to apologize spread through his chest.

Why was he thinking about it at that very moment?

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and fought back a headache.

"What happened?"

"I wasn't the friend I should have been.", he finally admitted with a sad smile. "But (Y/N) made mistakes, too. I was alone. For a very long time. And now it's too late. Sometimes... it's just too late."

Her lips curled, she seemed sad.

"But you're going to turn back time, aren't you?", she asked, climbing onto his lap. "Otherwise, (Y/N) will be all alone."

He felt bad at the thought. Exhaling deeply, he closed his eyes and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I don't know...", he murmured and pressed a kiss on the top of her head. "I don't know what to do..."

She frowned.

"But you always know what to do."

Swallowing hard, he tried to smile. But it was an incredibly sad smile. At that moment he felt weak, lost, as if he didn't know who to turn to. The last time he had felt like this, he had seen you die.

"Sometimes there is no solution, Ren.", he stroked her cheek. "Sometimes... you can't make the right decision."

Sadly, she nodded.

"Then... I'll have to make decisions like that, too?", she asked uncertainly. "Will I have to leave friends behind, too?"

"If you are smart, you will never repeat your father's mistakes."

Her eyes lit up.

"I am smart!"

He chuckled.

"You are.", he sighed. "How about breakfast? I'm starving."

"Yes!", enthusiastically, she jumped out of bed and rushed into the hallway.

As quickly as he could, Marcus followed her and walked towards the door, but stopped before taking the first step into the hallway. His gaze jumped over his shoulder, back to the window.

One last time he caught himself hoping to see your face.

But there was nothing. Only the blue sky and the golden roofs of the city.

A heavy sigh left his lips. He rubbed his forehead.

"Nevermind...", he muttered to himself and followed Ren into the kitchen.

Immediately his eyes fell on the bowl of pancake batter you had stirred together the night before.

Excitedly, Ren pointed to it.

"Are we eating pancakes?", she asked with a broad smile.

He would have liked to throw it all away so as not to be reminded of what had happened last night.

He had behaved like an ass. But at the same time he would do it again. It had done him good to let his anger run free. He had felt lighter afterwards, had been able to breathe easier.

Only the expression in your eyes had hurt, the way you had looked at him. That expression alone had made him regret his outburst a little.

But in the end it had happened, and he was relieved that the past no longer pained him like a thorn in the flesh.

As he stood at the stove to make the first pancakes he noticed some fingerprints on the countertop. At the sight, he couldn't help but shake his head with a mild smile.

"How messy can one make pancakes?", he asked and had to snort.

While Ren sat waiting at the table, her short legs dangling in the air, Marcus was preparing breakfast. He had just put three new pancakes in the pan, when suddenly there was a knock at the door.

Irritated, he raised his head. Ren wanted to jump up to open the door, but he gestured to her to remain seated and continue eating.

Wiping his hands, he walked down the hall.

At the door, he stopped in front of the mirror to take a quick look at how bad his appearance was. The dark circles under his eyes were no deeper than usual, but the color in his face was pale. He looked like a walking corpse.

"Hm...", his lips curled. "If it's you... then it won't be so bad."

He didn't know why, but it just seemed natural to him that you would be at the door. Even though he hadn't been a gentleman yesterday, he believed you would return to him. Even if it was only for work.

Or maybe it was just a deep-seated desire to see you.

Why did he feel that way?

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and opened the door.

"(Y/N) I-...", your name slipped off his tongue as a matter of course.

But when his eyes opened again, it was not your gaze he met.

His eyebrows rose in surprise, lips opened slightly.

"Boss wants to see you, sheriff.", Silco's henchman growled. "Now."