Eminem Fan Fiction Shorts - I

Marshall's Hesitation

It took me entirely too long to decide what to do. I sat for a full minute in that plastic chair in the lobby area of the garage, trying to come up with my next move. When the minute ended, I handed the paperwork I'd completed to the guy behind the counter.

"Call me when it's done." I demanded and then I jogged out the door, intent on finding Ellie.

I took a guess that she'd head back home, so I turned in that direction. She must have been walking fast, because I saw her quite a ways in the distance as I rounded the corner of the business toward the street. I thought about calling out to her, but didn't want her to bolt on me, so I just jogged a little faster.

She looked at me when I caught up to her, but did not immediately speak. Instead, she turned back to the direction we were walking and sighed. I looked back at her, a brow raised in question. I didn't know if she wanted to talk. She seemed to be a very quiet person by nature.

"I shouldn't have quit." She said wryly. "I should have made them fire me." She muttered as she looked at me while we walked. 

"Seriously. Can you imagine that conversation?" She asked before her voice dipped into a fake as hell male impression. "'Uh, Ellie. We've had complaints that some of the men here are a little too fond of you and because they can't be adults, we're going to have to let you go.'" She said as she shook her head. "Ridiculous."

I nodded. It was ridiculous. I knew exactly where the men in the garage were coming from because Ellie had done as much to me and I hadn't had the benefit of a full week around her. However, it wasn't her fault that she was like a magnet and she shouldn't be fired because of it.

"Well, it could be worse." She muttered and I stuffed my hands in my pockets as I bit my tongue. I'd seen her fucking house. It was worse. She chuckled, the sound causing my head to come up in surprise.

"You," she said, pointing at me. "You're practically hemorrhaging from the tongue trying not to comment on how much shit I'm in right now."  She explained, though instead of being pissy, her voice was amused. She actually thought this was funny.

I shrugged and gave her a partial smile and for the first time, I saw her small smile widen into a grin. It lit up her face and made me feel good to have caused it. I could stand to see that for a long damn time.

"I didn't recognize you that night." Ellie said softly, looking forward again. "You must think I'm an idiot." She continued and I shook my head.

"Nah. Not everyone does anymore. Not since I quit bleaching." I said and she chuckled again, looking at me out of the side of her eyes.

"I like this look. I saw that you've gotten crap for the beard, but I think you should keep it." She said.

"Well, if I have your approval, I don't need anything else, do I?" I asked, my snark coming to the foreground by pure instinct. I internally cringed for a moment before I saw that Ellie wasn't just chuckling now, she was fully laughing. I hid my own smile as she did, running a hand over my mouth.

"Thank you," she said, her eyes dancing. "I needed that." She finished. I nodded and looked around us, noting that we weren't all that far from her place now.

"What's the plan, then?" I asked, wondering if she even had one. Her face smoothed as she thought.

"I'll need to get another job." She answered. "But that will have to wait for tomorrow." She sighed as she looked at the watch on her wrist. I checked my phone and nodded. It was late enough in the day that there would only be a few places that would be hiring that were open, and none of them struck me as places I wanted her to be.

We came into view of Ellie's place and I noted that there were several neighbors hanging around on the steps of a nearby house. They were a mixture of ages, but all had a look I recognized from my younger years:  they were people barely making it work, coming together to share in what they could. I hated to see it still happening, but I couldn't say I was surprised. My hometown is a hard luck place.

"Ellie!" Several of them shouted and waved and the woman next to me waved back. They gestured toward the steps they were hanging around and Ellie looked to me.

"Do you feel like company, Marshall?" She asked. I shrugged a bit and angled my feet toward them.

I liked the way Ellie spoke to me. She knew who I was, but she seemed to recognize that I wasn't the kind of man that wanted to be fawned over. Rather, she seemed to accept me in a way that made me feel like she saw the hungry Marshall from years ago, as well as the man who'd made it. It was nice.

"Aw, Ellie. You're breaking my heart." A younger man cried as we approached. "You're seeing someone now?" He prodded her. Although he tried to play it off as teasing, I could see the seriousness of the question in his eyes. He wasn't going to be pleased if I were a love interest.

Ellie just shook her head at him, refusing to respond to his question. When she greeted the others, I saw irritation flash through the man's eyes. He was not okay with being ignored and he really wanted her to confirm that I wasn't his competition. I controlled myself, but took pleasure in knowing that I damn sure was his competition.

"Cale, Rich, Bryon, Angela, Jenny - this is Marshall." Ellie introduced and I nodded as they murmured their hellos. It took Cale a minute, but I saw the realization in his eyes a second before he spoke.

"You're Eminem!" He cried and Ellie cocked her head at him as if he were dumb. Interestingly, the others looked to Ellie for her reaction.

"He's Marshall." Ellie said firmly, her dark eyes serious. Cale's eyes flickered to her and back to me before he nodded.

"Alright." He said.

In no time, the conversation around us slid back into discussion of everyday life. I observed as each of the people around me spoke and shared, noting that they often looked to Ellie for approval by way of her nod or words. Ellie was respected around here, that much was clear.

As the evening started to shift and get colder, Ellie moved toward the path that would lead us to her place. Without a word, she left, though she did give a wave which was returned by the others. They must be used to her silence, I thought as we walked over to her house. When we got to the door, I hesitated. I didn't want to leave yet. Ellie must have sensed my feelings because she opened the door wide to allow me entry. When we were inside, I turned to look at her as she locked the door. 

"Can I get you anything?" She asked and I shook my head. She looked at me with a small smile, her eyes softening.

"Out with it, Marshall." She demanded and I nodded as I looked around.

"I don't like you being here on your own." I said and she sat on a nearby couch to remove her shoes before she looked up at me.

"Well, you're here, so I'm not alone." She said and I smirked.

"You offering, baby girl?" I asked and Ellie stood and walked over to me. Without her shoes on, she was half an inch shorter. Fuck, she was so damn small.

"I don't have sex with men I barely know." She said. "But, I like you and I don't want you to leave. So, I'm offering for you to hang out and watch a show until we fall asleep." She said softly. "If you're into cuddling, that is." She concluded and I nodded as I fell into her eyes.

"Got any popcorn?"