A/N - These two are just two pining idiots and I love them.
Marcus let out a moan as he polished off the last bite of his pancakes. "Those have to be the best damn pancakes I've ever had!"
Willow smiled and took a sip of her coffee. "Better than the ones in Austin?"
Marcus thought about it for a second. "Tell you what. Next time we have a case in Austin, I'll take you. And then you can be the judge."
"Won't I be biased?"
"Isn't everyone a little biased?"
"Touché Mr. Pike."
Willow's phone buzzed with a text from Penelope.
So? How was it? Was he respectful? Did he kiss you?
"Oh my god, is that the time? I should be getting home."
Marcus stood up and grabbed the bill before Willow could. "Please. Just let me pay, you independent woman." He walked over to the counter and paid as Willow answered Penelope's text.
We'll talk in the morning.
They got in Marcus' car and Willow gave him directions to her apartment building.
"Thanks for dinner, Marcus."
"Anytime, Willow. Maybe we can do it again sometime."
There was a comfortable silence.
"Well, goodnight."
"Goodnight, Willow."
Marcus resisted the urge to call her "sweetheart" as Willow resisted the urge to kiss him on the cheek.
Willow got out of the car and went inside. Marcus waited until she was inside before pulling away from the curb, while Willow watched from the window of the lobby as he drove off.
She made her way up to her apartment, where she noticed a little sticky note on her door.
Hope you had a nice night ~ S
Willow smiled and tucked the sticky note in her pocket.
As soon as Willow walked into work, she was ambushed by Penelope.
"So? How was it?"
"It was nice."
"Nice? That's it? Nice!? You mean there wasn't any tonsil hockey?"
Willow's eyes went wide. "Excuse me, what? No! Penelope, he's my boss! And last night wasn't a date!"
"Oh my god, here he comes. Act natural."
Willow rolled her eyes as Marcus approached them.
"Good morning, Willow, Penelope."
"Hey Marcus, Penelope was just leaving." Willow turned to Penelope. "I'm sure the team already has a case and is probably waiting for you."
"Uh, right. I'll see you later Sunshine!" Penelope kissed her on the cheek and headed for the elevators.
"I uh, brought you this," Marcus said, holding up a small bag and cup of coffee.
"Thank you, Marcus. That's very kind of you."
"It's the least I could do after keeping you out all night."
Willow laughed. "I've had worse nights."
Nights where Spencer showed up at her apartment crying. First when he was detoxing from Dilaudid, then when Emily died, and then after Meave.
"Did you sleep well?" Sometimes Marcus reminded her of a parent. The way he always seemed to want to know how she was doing or maybe that was just part of his personality.
"I slept fine. Like the dead really."
Marcus chuckled.
They rode up the elevator and went to their respective offices.
It was quiet and Willow didn't get many calls from the team, so she pulled out her sketchbook and started to scribble. The random shapes started to turn into a pair of eyes. Willow was so lost in her drawing that she didn't even hear her door open.
"You're really good at that."
Willow jumped and her head slammed into someone.
"Shit," Marcus cursed.
"Marcus! Oh my god! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"
Marcus rubbed the now sore spot on his jaw. "Yeah. Remind me to never do that again. I should have knocked."
Willow looked down at her sketch and realized the pair of eyes looked suspiciously like the pair of brown ones she had been looking into. She slammed the sketchbook shut and shoved it in her bag.
"You didn't tell me you were an artist," Marcus told her.
"I'm not. I draw in my spare time."
"But by the looks of it, you're really good."
"I'm not an artist, Marcus. I'm an analyst and that's all I ever will be."
Marcus could hear the anger in her voice. "Who told you that?"
Willow said nothing. No one knew about the conversation she'd had with her brother. The statistics he'd brought up hadn't really encouraged her to pursue a creative career. In no certain terms, he'd told her that her chances of becoming a famous artist were pretty slim.
"Is this about your brother again?" Marcus asked.
Willow hated how Marcus could read her like an open book. "That's none of your business, Agent Pike. You don't know anything about my brother!"
"Willow..."
"No. I'm not discussing this anymore. I draw in my spare time and that's it." Willow turned back to her monitors with a glare.
Marcus could see now that when it came to Willow and her brother, they couldn't be more different. From what he'd heard, Spencer was analytical and practical. Willow relied more on her emotions. Marcus couldn't deny that the two siblings cared about each other, but it sounded like Willow was sacrificing her own happiness to make others happy. She deserved to be happy too. He just needed to somehow show her.