It was likely true that she didn't know the depth of Clint's affections, having been faced with trying to ignore her own for so long. It was easier to convince oneself to let it go if you believed there wasn't anything on the other side. She hadn't allowed herself to think that Clint might feel something beyond friendship. It was only recently that she'd accepted any sort of romantic interest and she didn't let herself read too far into that.
Still, it was all rather strange. Lexi was finding herself enjoying these little moments of Clint. Hell, she even felt a little warm at his endearments, which she was slightly horrified by. That was so out of character for her and yet, she couldn't seem to stop smiling.
"Setas al Ajillo and ..." she pondered for a moment, considering what other options as she didn't really feel like making another stop for chips. "Just that, I guess. None of that nasty squid stuff," she finished, making a face. Seafood was disgusting and squid was the worst.
***
Marcus supposed she had a point. If they showed up like this, tongues were bound to wag, as per usual. "They're going to talk no matter how we show up," he muttered, shrugging it off. He really didn't give a shit what people thought of him or how they assumed he'd spent the evening. The entire incident from Bletchley's wouldn't be spilled. If anything they'd find out that there had been a fight and he'd been involved. Big fucking deal. They world would go on.
Raising an eyebrow at her apology, he rolled his eyes. "Christ, you're not going to get sentimental, are you?" he asked, making a face. That might just do him in. When she didn't start crying or hugging him, he took that as a safe sign before taking her arm and apparating them both to St. Mungo's. Like the place or not, they were there now and they might as well get this shit taken care of before it interfered with their game. He wasn't overly bothered by his hand. What bothered him was the possibility of it getting in his way. Had he not had Quidditch the following day, he'd have been stubborn enough to just ignore it and hit the hey.
When Bell didn't immediately move toward the door, Marcus gave a long suffering sigh and took her hand, tugging her toward reception. "
***
Adrian sighed at that. Getting Marcus to respect anything he didn't want to was damn near impossible. Getting Marcus to do anything he didn't want to do was damn near impossible. "I know," he responded, sitting up and shrugging out of his shirt. He had fully intended on returning home that night, but his plans had changed. "You do clean up the messes and it doesn't matter that he cares little about it. Those that hired you do and we have been in the paper a lot less since you've been working for the team. I'm sure they see that. You'll figure out how to stay a step ahead of him, I'm sure."
She turned and gave her an amused smile when she changed subjects and asked him about his nose. Removing his trousers, leaving him in his boxers, he brushed a light kiss to her lips. "I'm fine, Emma, now get ready for bed."