A spoonful of Sugar (Markise/Anna)

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna blushed an the insinuation behind Markise's words. "Do I dare ask who Robbie is?" Anna figured it was a friend he met at the clubs, but if he would hit on Anna, was he bisexual? She hadn't really thought of people being there that might hit on her, and wasn't sure what she thought of the idea. It would be a distraction, was that what Markise had meant earlier? She tried not to think much about it, not wanting to back down so soon after having getting enough courage to go out with Markise.

[Markise Sterling]

"One of the guys I meet up with," he said, and before Anna could misinterpret, he corrected himself. "A party friend. One of a group." It didn't occur to Markise to go on any further than that, though if Anna asked, he would. As far as he was concerned, Robbie was his on Friday nights. At least, when they weren't dancing with others, at which point he generally forgot Robbie as easily as he was forgotten. It worked, though. They both had fun for it.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Your friends won't think it's weird that you brought a, a, girl?" Annabelle's eyebrows had raised at the thought, her skepticism showed through in her voice. She knew that the gay community was completely foreign to her, and she couldn't imagine that they would accept her just because she had come with Markise. At the moment, she forgot that he said they were going to a new club that he didn't know anyone at. The idea of dancing with other people made her hopeful, that maybe she wouldn't be impeding on his night as much as she originally suspected. "They'd even dance with me?"

[Markise Sterling]

Markise looked up at Anna with one slightly arched eyebrow. "As long as they don't find out you're a breeder," he said dryly. "Honestly, Anna, I've danced with you. I don't even bother with clubs that won't let straight people in, there are too many guys there with chips on their shoulders." He knew that Popstarz, for one, was fine with it as long as an entirely straight group didn't try to get in, but that was a precaution, not a prejudice.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"A breeder?" She asked, completely lost on the term. She took his word for the rest of it, believing that they would be fine with her. For some reason she didn't ever think of Markise's actions towards her as an example of what a gay guy would do. The fact that he was gay was only a part of him, not the defining attribute. Since she had yet to the guys at the clubs, being gay was the only thing she knew, and as much as she didn't want to admit it she knew she was stereotyping.

[Markise Sterling]

"Yes, a breeder," Markise said, then paused as he tried to think of how to explain it. "Basically straight people, who have a much higher risk of increasing the population than like, me. It's a joke, Anna. Did you hear anything else I said?" He knew how easily Anna got stuck on things, and for all he knew, she hadn't heard a bit about her being welcome.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna laughed at his explanation, noticing how good it felt to do so. She had really missed Markise and thought she was a fool for staying away. "I never thought of having children as a risk before." She joked back before acknowledging the rest of what he'd said seriously. "And I heard you, I just was more curious about the term. Of course I'll take your word for it that I'll be accepted, and maybe even danced with by the others. You did, but I always thought of you as an exception. If I assumed that they all were as great as you I know I'd be disappointed."

She paused a moment before his previous words had sank in, the ones when she didn't know what a breeder was. Her eyes widened, wondering if Markise had been joking. "Wait, does that mean I can't let them know I'm straight?!"

[Markise Sterling]

Markise laughed, his pale blue eyes sparkling as he looked up at Anna. "I was kidding!" he assured her. "Have you ever heard of straight-bashing?" His laughter died down and he forced his mind to go on instead of reverting to things that he didn't need to think about. "You'll be fine," he said instead. He didn't bother correcting her about dancing with the others. Not all of them would be interested in sparing Markise's female friend a dance, but he'd let them know it would be appreciated. The Friday after, he was going to have some making up to do. That thought cheered him up a bit.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"You brat! I nearly had a heart attack!" She laughed, feeling silly for falling for his joke. One of Anna's hands went to her chest as if it could slow down her heartbeat while the other swatted playfully at Markise's shoulder. She didn't comment on being fine. She was sure she'd survive the night in one piece, at least physically. She would try not to think about what she should expect or not expect to come of the evening out. If she didn't have any expectations other than to have fun, she wouldn't be disappointed.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise made a low ow, pretending to be hurt by Anna's swatting. He was quiet after, and figured there wasn't much else to be said about that. He wasn't about to go on a warning trip now that she'd agreed to go, so his mind started wandering again, back to something he'd been thinking about earlier. He looked at Anna appraisingly. He didn't know if she'd say yes, but she seemed like a far better idea than polyjuice and Ariel. Besides, it wasn't for Ariel anymore.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"What?" Anna asked after a moment of silence, feeling slightly on edge at the way Markise was looking at her. She didn't have a clue what could be causing him to lie there quietly just looking at her. "Do I have a bug in my hair or something? I hate bugs, I might turn into a total girl and screech if I do." Her voice rose an octave at the mere thought and she froze somewhere in the middle of her rant on imaginative bugs.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise had averted his eyes the second he realized Anna could feel him looking at her, but apparently not fast enough. "There's nothing in your hair," he assured her. His hand stopped its motions against his stomach and moved to rub lightly against Anna's back. "I was just thinking about something." And he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her, let alone ask her to hold his hand through it.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna ran her hand through her hair nonetheless, for reassurance that there weren't any bugs. "About what?" She asked mildly, not thinking that he would bait her without satisfying her curiosity in the end. She soaked up the feel of his comforting hand, relaxing her posture at the now familiar touch. She waited patiently for a response, trying to give him time to tell her whatever was on his mind without making him feel forced. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she realized how tense she was.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise needed the time that Anna had given him. It wasn't such a huge thing that he didn't think she could get it out of him if she wanted, and she always wanted to know, even if she was unhappy with the answer. "What do you think about tattoos?" he asked. For now, he hoped it sounded hypothetical, though at this point it wasn't anymore. He had everything ready, he just needed someone to go with him.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle's eyes had closed during the pause in conversation and she opened them now, shooting Markise a glare. "If you mean would I ever get one, you've lost your mind. I hate pain." She paused, thinking about more likely reasons for his question, and softened her features.

"In general though, I don't mind. I don't like those people that get them all over, the sleeves or whatever they call them. You know, when the images all blend together into a mass of ink. Those are ugly, but some tattoos are nice looking. Why?" The question seemed pretty random, unless there were a lot of guys that would be at the club displaying tattoos and he was trying to gauge her reaction.