Birds of Feather

Chapter 13: Drop-Off

After getting a good look under Marco's car, Kid brought it back down and installed the hydraulic arm so no one would need to hold the hood up anymore. You and Marco left Usopp to his work. With the custom paint job, plus the clear coat, it would be another couple days before the car was entirely ready for you.

"It would be my pleasure," Marco started, as you were nearly back to your house. "To drive you to and from work for the next couple of days, pretty bird."

"Mm, I suppose it would be nice to not have to think about how I was going to get to and from work." You admit with a smile. "I would like to pay you back at least a little."

Marco glances over at you with an easy smile. "And how do you mean to do that?"

"I'm certainly not as skilled as Thatch or Sanji, but I'm pretty sure I can still cook a decent dinner or two." You offer. "Unless your evenings are already spoken for."

"Short of an emergency at the hospital," he begins, reaching out and slipping his hand over yours. "I am available as much as you can put up with me."

You feel the blood rush through you as you try to play it off. "Are all the men in your family this terribly smooth? Or are you simply well-practiced, Dr. Newgate?"

You see his ears go pink even as he smiles. "Neither, pretty bird." He glances over at you and then looks away, almost shyly. "It's just natural with you."

You pull your hand away, both of them going over your face. "That's just not fair." You grumble from behind your hands.

"Allow me to capitalize on being terribly unfair, to ask if you'd like to go on another date." He prompts, turning into your driveway and putting the car in park before he turns toward you. "Friday night?"

You peek out from behind your fingers. "Monday and Tuesday dinners at my place don't count as dates?"

He smiles. "They do, but I was thinking more about the next place I'd like to go. I had fun yesterday, and, well, today too, yoi. I'm usually just back and forth between home and work, and I'd just really like to have fun again next weekend."

"Friday... and Saturday?" You question and his smile widens.

"Should I put together a proper over-night bag this time?" He questions.

You laugh a little, a mix of nerves and need, and nod. "If you are so inclined, doctor." You answer teasingly. "What did you have in mind for Friday?"

"The south harbor has a carnival, it's only got a couple weeks left. It'll be a little chilly, but it's been a while since I wasted money on rigged games for cheap stuffed animals." He offers, giving you a meaningful look.

"Trying to impress someone?" You retort.

He laughs softly. "I don't know about impress, yoi. But if failing spectacularly at shoddy games entertains you enough that I get to hear your laugh again, I'll gladly pay the price." He admits, undoing his seatbelt and sliding over to your side of the car seat.

"That's - that's not f-fair." You stammer, caught between being flustered by his words and the rush of tension in the air as he closes the distance between the two of you.

"It's all fair until you tell me to stop," he replies, leaning in enough nuzzle his cheek against yours, kissing the side of your face softly.

"I might actually be out of my league." You admit nervously, turning your head enough to brush your lips against his.

There's a warm rush of air between you both as you each sigh at the light touch. You smile, it's nice to know you're not the only one so easily effected. Marco moves in, taking advantage of the moment to kiss you. His hand on the back of the car seat shifts, his fingers disappearing into your hair. His other hand is warm against your thigh.

A firm squeeze of your thigh causes a soft gasp from you, and that's enough for him to deepen the kiss. Your hands are against his chest, but you're not pushing him away, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. He leans back a little, breaking the kiss, and you tighten your grip on his shirt and pull him back. The words on his lips die in a soft, surprised, muffled grunt, but he recovers quickly.

You don't control the second kiss for long, but the low hum in his chest leaves you feeling that you're maybe not entirely out of your league. When he leans back again, he kisses you softly a couple times before leaning back enough to look into your eyes.

"You're making it hard to go home, yoi."

"It's barely after lunch." You point out, looking toward your house before looking back at him.

"I need to make sure my brothers haven't burned our house down." He replies. "If I go in there now, I might not make it to work on time."

Still holding onto his shirt you lean forward and put your head on his chest. "Responsibility, responsibility, I have never wanted to be irresponsible quite so strongly before." You grumble, shaking him a little.

"Aye." He agrees, his eyes shifting over your body for a second before he looks back up at you. "Speaking of, what time do you need to be at the office tomorrow?"

"I don't have too much of a set schedule." You admit, letting go of his shirt and smoothing it out idly as you continue. "I'm usually in around seven or so, especially if I know I'll be there late, but any time between six and ten is fine. Whatever works for you and your schedule."

"I can work with that." He says, leaning back a little, but not shifting too far away. "I'll text when I'm on my way?"

You nod. "That works."

There's a moment of silence, and you both look around the car before looking back at one another.

"It's really hard to leave." You admit, causing him to chuckle.

"It's... really hard to let you." He agrees. "I'll do my best to have more time available this coming weekend. I probably won't... probably shouldn't, spend the night Monday or Tuesday, but I'll accept the meals, if you're okay with that."

Smiling, you nod. "Yeah, yeah, I uh... I think I can manage." You admit, putting your hand on the door handle. It takes you a moment to actually engage the handle to open the door, and the sound and feel of the mechanism almost seems dreary in its own way.

Sighing lightly, you open the car door, lean back toward Marco, and kiss him a little roughly before stepping out of the car. As best as you possibly could, you managed to catch him off-guard and are rewarded by his half-frozen form looking up at you.

"I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, doc." You grin.

Marco chuckles. "Indeed, pretty bird, indeed. Rest well, yoi."

"You too, when you get to it... and, thank you. I had a great time." You say with a smile before you close the car door.

Marco leans over the steering wheel, arms folded along the top of it, giving you a smile and a wave when you look over your shoulder at him before going into your house. Stepping into your house and closing the door behind you, you hear him pull out of the driveway.

Leaning against the door and sighing, you realize you have most of the day ahead of you, and nothing you particularly cared to do. Well, you think with no small amount of aggravation, there was at least someone you wanted to do, but that wasn't going to happen today.

But, you'd get to see him tomorrow, and ideas began to come to mind, so you let yourself be distracted, as you started to do what you needed to for the next day. Moping about around the house wouldn't be the best way to let the day resolve anyway.