Chapter thirteen: mistakes

"That's it!" Marcus shouted as he released Luna's hand and stormed towards the old man's desk, "you wanna settle th–"

Not even a second had passed between the moment Marcus had started approaching the old man's desk, and the old man appearing behind Marcus.

Marcus's eyes widened in confusion as he noticed the disappearance of the old man. "Where-"

Before Marcus could even ask where the old man had gone, he felt a hard knock to the back of his head that sent him flying towards the old man's desk.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Marcus fell forward, his mind struggled to process what had just happened. 

As his head slowly grew closer to the edge of the old man's desk, his mind began to race with possible answers to explain what was happening.

But nothing could explain it, as Marcus genuinely didn't know what had just occurred.

His head smashed against the desk with a loud and heavy thud.

A sharp pain started at the point of contact and shot through Marcus's head, it felt as if a thousand needles each pierced deep into Marcus's head.

Marcus couldn't even scream as he slowly slumped from the desk onto the floor, smacking it face-first.

"Shit, did I kill the little fucker?" The old man asked in genuine curiosity, as he approached Marcus's motionless body.

Marcus was not dead, far from it, he felt so much pain that he didn't know whether he should scream or cry. 

All he knew for certain was that he was in pain.

"Really, Mr. Melvin?" Dr. Fletcher said in an angered tone, "You're seventy years old, at least act like a decent old man."

The old man, now known as Melvin, shrugged. "I didn't mean to kill the little shit, just roughen him up a little, teach him some respect."

Luna, who was fairly quiet up until this point, glared at the old man with an aggravated expression. 

"Are you alright Marcus?" Dr. Fletcher asked as she looked down at the motionless Marcus.

"I'm hurt…. bad." He groaned as he slowly pushed himself off the ground, revealing a small puddle of blood on the ground. 

Dr. Fletcher sighed as she reached a hand for her face.

"Melvin, call a nurse." Dr. Fletcher said in a muffled voice.

Melvin chuckled, "Sure, but don't get comfortable ordering me around in my establishment."

Around an hour later Marcus found himself sitting in a comfortable hospital bed, with several bandages wrapped around his forehead, and a body pumped full of medicine.

"It seems hospital beds and I get along well with each other," Marcus said with slurred speech as he turned to look at Luna, who was reading a book as usual. 

This one is titled, The History of English Rule Around the World.

"That old man's appearance was indeed deceiving, yet I felt as if you could have dodged that," Luna said in her usual neutral, yet deep tone.

Marcus chuckled, "then you'd be the only one." 

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"It's open!" Marcus shouted, his speech still very much slurred and sluggish.

There was a short pause before the door slid open with a hiss, revealing none other than Felix.

"Felix?" Marcus asked in disbelief.

Felix grinned as he crossed his arms. He was dressed in a set of white pajamas with a pair of fuzzy pink slippers.

"I just heard what happened." Felix said in a thick German accent, "You just arrived, yet you're already picking fights with the administration, you're crazy bro."

Marcus groaned as he thought about the old man. "Don't remind me of that old geezer." He said with a snarl.

Felix chuckled as he stepped further into the room, the door sliding to a close behind him. "Well, it's nice to finally see my roommate in the flesh."

"Likewise." Marcus says as he slowly sat up, "Speaking of meeting in the flesh, you certainly have an interesting way of dressing."

Felix grinned, "it seems you haven't learned your lesson from the administrator, so allow me to spell it out for you."

Felix then pointed a finger toward Marcus and placed his other hand on his chest. "I wear whatever I want because when you're strong, you can appear weak with confidence."

Marcus nodded. "That's an interesting way of thinking, I guess I should keep that in mind from now on."

Felix nodded in agreement, "As you should because trust me, the moment I saw that old fart, I knew immediately he wasn't one to be trifled with."

Marcus sighed as he closed his eyes. "Is that so? I never planned on actually doing anything to the guy, just scare him into apologizing."

"Yet you're the one in a hospital bed." Felix said with a disappointed sigh, "It's fine, however I hope you can recover quickly, as the exams wait for no man."

Marcus let out a soft groan, he had hit the desk so hard he'd forgotten all about the exams, "do you know when they start?"

"About three days from now, they have to fly in the rest of the cadets, then orientation, and a whole bunch of other formal jazz," Felix spoke freely as he motioned with his left hand.

"That's for further down the road though." Felix said as he turned his attention towards Marcus, "For now, just try to heal up as fast as possible, I didn't buy a bunch of co-op games for myself you know?"

Marcus smiled. 

Felix was unorthodox in every sense he the word, to any normal person he'd come off as rude and arrogant. 

Marcus however, saw a free spirit that was tied down by no morals besides his own. "Alright then, give me a few hours."

Felix smiled in return, he then shifted his gaze toward Luna and pointed a finger, "Who is she?"

"She's my companion." Marcus answered, "Well, she's kinda my companion, I honestly don't know what we are."

Felix smirked when he noticed Luna's silver eyes studying him from behind her book. "What are you to Marcus?" He asked her directly.

"None of your business," Luna said coldly.

Felix's eyes widened as he turned his head towards Marcus, "That's not a girl dude!" He exclaimed, "They sound like a forty-year-old!"

Marcus chuckled, "She is a girl, she's just a very interesting one."

Felix narrowed his eyes in skepticism, "Well ok, but I expect no more peculiar patterns from this 'girl', got it?"

Marcus shrugged. "I honestly don't know what she'll do next, so I can't promise anything."

Felix pouted as he crossed his arms. "Fine, guess I should just take my own advice and not judge by appearance, anyway stop by our dorm when you're better, ok?"

"Yeah," Marcus affirmed with a smile.

And with that Felix left the room, leaving Luna and Marcus in a comfortable silence once more.

"Luna," Marcus said softly as he turned his attention toward her.

"Yes?"

"Do I have to sleep on the floor when we get to the dorm?" He asked curiously.

Luna lowered her book slightly, revealing just her silver eyes, she narrowed them. "Where else would you sleep, because you aren't sharing a bed with me."

Marcus pointed towards his bandages, "even though I'm crippled?" He asked teasingly.

Luna sighed as she lowered her book. "What do you suggest then?" 

"Hmm." Marcus placed a hand on his chin and began to massage it. He didn't mind sleeping on the floor in his own room, but that was just the case for his room. 

He also didn't want Luna to sleep with him if she wasn't interested in it, but if she was interested, or at least didn't mind, then that was an opportunity he'd have to take.

"I don't mind sharing." Marcus said bluntly, "I mean sure you tried to kill me when we first met, but other than that one time you've been fairly decent, so…."

Luna sighed as she flipped a page in her book. 

"You'll just have to find some other place to sleep, like this gurney," Luna said in a neutral tone.

Marcus sighed, the pain of rejection was always a difficult one to endure.

"Fine." Marcus said as he slowly settled back into his hospital bed, its soft surface gently embracing him, "It's called a hospital bed by the way, a gurney has wheels."

"You truly are an idiot," Luna replied.

Marcus smiled as he turned his attention away from Luna and towards the darkening window. It was late into the afternoon, and the complex's lights illuminated the grounds against the dark sky.

As he looked out the window, Marcus could feel sleep attempting to claim him. 

A small yawn escaped from his mouth as he blinked his eyes slowly.

After a few more seconds of silence, Marcus finally drifted off to sleep.

In the morning Marcus awoke from his sleep with the sun shining directly into his eyes.

He immediately closed his eyes and turned away from the window. 

"Jesus, what's happened the that gloomy sky I saw yesterday?" Marcus asked with a yawn as he rubbed his eyes.

"Must you be so loud?" Luna asked angrily as she placed down a freshly carved clay statue on the end table beside her chair.

Of course, the statue was in her image. 

"You stayed in here with me?" Marcus asked in confusion as he slowly sat up in bed.

"Obviously, where else would I have gone?" 

"The dormitory, with Felix?"

Luna scoffed, "I barely even know the boy, yet you suggest I stay with him alone? Foolish."

"But you stayed in here with me?" Marcus shot back with a yawn as he stretched out his arms wide.

Marcus expected Luna to get flustered and struggle to come up with an excuse, but he was quickly corrected.

"Because you're an idiot and you're crippled, I have nothing to fear."

Marcus chuckled, he appreciated Luna's unfiltered bluntness as it grounded him in reality. 

"Speaking of being crippled," Marcus said as he reached a hand to his forehead. He gently rubbed over the bandages wrapped around his head, "I'm feeling a whole lot better."

Luna glanced at Marcus with a curious gaze. "Is that so…." She asked as she studied Marcus's forehead, "Interesting."

"It's to be expected." A voice from outside the room door said in a familiar tone.

The door quickly slid open revealing Dr. Fletcher, "Your situation allows for such feats, even while being suppressed."

Marcus pressed against his forehead with his pointer finger. "Really?" He asked curiously, "I wonder what would happen if I wasn't taking the medicine then?"

"You'd have stood a chance against that old fool." Dr. Fletcher said in a slightly agitated tone, "But that's not important, do you think you're ready to join your fellow cadets?"

Marcus quickly nodded. "Of course I am." Marcus affirmed with a giddy smile, "Despite getting the sense knocked out of me I'm still ready for action."

Marcus then began to box the air with speed and precision, "You think a table is gonna stop me?"

Dr. Fletcher smiled warmly before sighing softly. "Why must you be so difficult?" 

Marcus chuckled as he stopped punching the air. "I don't know, guess I'm just built strangely, but hey I've noticed you've been smiling more than usual, so at least I'm getting something out of it."

Dr. Fletcher blushed before averting her gaze towards the window. "You say you're fine, so I assume you'll be joining Felix soon?"

"If I can leave then yeah, he's the first person on my list," Marcus confirmed with a voice full of eagerness.

Dr. Fletcher nodded. "Very well then, I'll request for your discharge, in the meantime you're free to go."

Marcus nodded, "got it, but I thought you didn't have any pull around this place?"

Dr. Fletcher flashed a quick smile towards Marcus. "I have my methods, now go, you'll find Felix in male dormitory three, room twenty-four."

"Won't I need a key card or credentials or something?" Marcus asked as he slowly stood from the hospital bed.

Dr. Fletcher nodded her head. "Yes, you do, but I've already taken care of that for you since you decided you'd rather pick a fight with the administrator than sit patiently and let an old man ramble."

Marcus grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine, I've dealt with worse things than you." Dr. Fletcher said with a smile.

Marcus felt his cheeks redden, he didn't know why but something about the way she said it made his heart skip a beat.

"Doctor, I assume Marcus's clothing and essentials needed for life at the complex have already been sent to his room?" Luna asked as she hopped down from the chair she was sitting in.

"Of course." Dr. Fletcher replied, both her tone and expression returning to their neutral state.

Luna nodded as she turned her attention back towards Marcus. "Are we leaving?" She asked.

"Yep."