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“You make it out to seem so complicated,” you mumbled out over your mouthful of food. “There is such a simple plot to all of the movies which is basically the government doesn’t always want what’s best for you.”
“You know you’re saying that to a government worker, right?” Marcus said teasingly.
“You’re like a mall cop.” You chuckled at Marcus’ fake offended surprise.
“I’ll have you know, I do my fair share of crime fighting.”
“But you aren’t no Avenger.” Popping a fry into your mouth, you looked at the diner window to watch the busy streets of DC.
“Weren’t you the one to tell me that ‘not all heroes wear capes?’” You scoffed at him. Marcus watched the teasing glint in your eyes grow as you turned back to him. Something warm settled over his heart, spreading through his body in a gentle caress.
“Nurse Pike does have a nice ring to it.” It was Marcus’ turn to scoff before he took a bite from his burger. Silence settled over you as you both continued to eat your food.
Whenever you both were available, you would eat lunch together. Whether it was in a restaurant, your apartment, or in Marcus’ office. It was just how it was.
The tradition started not long after Marcus transferred. He was your new boss and all he knew how to do when he came was to overwork himself. You had assumed it was to keep him mind busy and you would later find out that assumption was right.
You had noticed that most days Marcus would skip through lunch. He just hyper focused on paperwork that truthfully didn’t need to be done right away. So, you had picked up some food you had seen him eat in the past and brought it to him. Marcus was completely surprised. Even more so when you settled in front of his desk with your own portion.
“What?” You had asked when you noticed him staring at you. “Food tastes better when you eat together.”
Since then, you both ate together. Marcus never admitted it out loud to you but you were right. Food does taste better when you eat with someone.
His eyes roamed your face while you happily ate your own burger. There was a glow to you. Something he didn’t think he would ever see in another FBI agent. At first he thought that perhaps your glow stayed because you were just an analyst but the more he got to know you, the more he realized that it was just you.
And you were simple. You weren’t a giant puzzle he had to solve. There wasn’t an obstacle course he had to jump through to know you. You just existed and you existed to be happy. There just wasn’t a way he couldn’t fall in love with that.
Marcus never loved simple before. His ex wife was a problem he was never able to quite solve. His ex fiancée was something he had to dig for. Every other past lover was their own obstacle in themselves. So there was something so refreshing about knowing that, sometimes, it was just simple.
“Why are you just staring at me?” You called him out of his thoughts. He smiled at you.
“Just admiring your beauty.” Rolling your eyes at him, you threw a french fry at him.
“You’re so cheesy.” Marcus smiled at you as he looked back down to eat his food. You observed the way his eyes twinkled in delight. He was just simply beautiful and you loved to see him happy after seeing how broken he was for so long.
You knew that Marcus’ past love life had always been complicated. Every lover he ever had used his kindness against him and stole bits of his heart when they left. If Marcus was a colder man, you wouldn’t have blamed him for it.
Yet, he was warm and breathtaking. He found joy in the little things. Whether that be a new installment at the museums or the blossoming of the cherry trees. His eyes showed his gentle soul and he never tried to hide it.
Falling in love with him was simple. So easy in fact that you hadn’t noticed it at first. It was just natural, you supposed. Any person in their right mind would fall in love with Marcus.
Smiling over your mouthful of food, you looked back out to the city streets. There were times where you hated living there. But then you think about how you met Marcus because of DC and you find yourself liking it just a little bit more each time. After all, sometimes, it’s just simple.