pushbackthedarkness | (no subject)

Marcus has promised Dan he'll keep an eye on Rue.

He isn't obvious about it, he knows something like that will only result in the girl closing down even further, but Dan cares for her and is worried about her, so Marcus does his best to make sure she's looked after whenever he's working one of his shifts at the Home. It can all pass at him just doing the job he's signed up to do, after all, making sure the kids are fed if they don't want to come to the communal meal, helping with their homework if they need, just spending time with them if they don't or if they're lonely and looking for some company. He talks to them, too, and some of them confide in him. Some of them don't. He isn't bothered by it.

This is all something he's very good at, looking out for the kids here, and it's nice to find something he can do besides banishing demons.

He tries not to play favourites and he's been helping one of the fifth graders with his homework for about thirty minutes when he sees Rue coming into the common room. So after they answer one more question together, Marcus gets up from the table and wanders over to where Rue is sitting on the couch, sinking down beside her with a smile.

"Homework done?" he asks, though he's wearing a bit of a smile that says he's only teasing her.

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"He's usually yelling about something," Marcus agrees with a grin. "If ever a child embodied the spirit of it takes a village, he's the one."

Of course he doesn't mind. Marcus volunteers here because he enjoys it, because he's always found kids and teenagers easy to talk to, easy to relate to in a way. Maybe it's because he'd spent his own childhood in carehomes, but whatever it is, he enjoy his time here.

"If you'd like me to go, just say the word," he says. "I promise I won't bother you for at least an entire day."

"You promise?" Rue says, not mean, but then thinks better of it anyway, feeling like kind of a dick for even making the joke. It's not like he's been mean or anything.

"Look, I'm fine, okay. I'll even like, actually do my homework."

Maybe. Really, it depends on how much is left in her stash up in her room. Bennies don't tend to make her feel particularly motivated.

"No, too late now, I've been deeply wounded by your harsh words," Marcus says, biting down on a grin he can't quite hide. He isn't going to give up on her, not any time soon, but he also knows there's no help to be found in pushing too hard. Instead he pushes to his feet, just in time to see said freshman with the giant glasses go speeding by, the tall, curly-haired boy running after him, and he inclines his head in their direction.

"Duty calls anyway," he says. "Shall I tell Dan you say hello?"

Rue watches the kid run past, along with that other guy whose name she can't remember. James? Jerry? Something with a J. Mostly it reminds her that she only has a few months before she can finally get the fuck out of the Home.

"Uh yeah," Rue tells him, "You can do that. Don't... don't tell him I asked what his deal was though?"

Marcus nods and says, "I won't. Though I can promise you if I did, he wouldn't be offended. I'm certain he's been asked far worse than that to his face."

He would have liked to have been more honest with Rue about what Dan's deal really is, but those stories, his abilities, those aren't Marcus's things to tell her or anyone. If Dan chooses to share them, it's his choice.

"One entire day," he says with a grin as he steps away. "But after that, no promises."