Chapter Seven
Hiccups

It was already late into the evening when Mark was finally done with his shift. He was already beginning to feel exhausted after just a few days of this. He could not bring himself to regret volunteering for escort duty though, no matter just how long it made his days since he still had to cover a four hour shift up in a tower after survival training ended.

Today had been exceptionally long however; he was still a bit irritated from his argument with Alicia during breakfast, although he understood why she had interfered. It had been decidedly painful to be so far away from Maddy while outside of the gates, especially considering the fact that they were studying dinosaurs today.

On the settlement the gate and fence mounted with sonic weapons offered a sense of protection and peace to his mind, but out here in open could be a dangerous place. No amount of trying to reason with his own nerves had stayed his unease, especially not with the attack from the winged creature from yesterday still prevalent in his head.

Mark had known that this was bound to happen eventually. His inability to concentrate and his inattention to his surroundings, which possibly led to the attack yesterday, had probably been the deciding factor. But he honestly never thought that Alicia would separate them.

It had felt a bit like betrayal when Alicia discussed it this morning; she had assigned him to a different group today. He had been forced to join a bunch of whiny teenagers, who had absolutely no idea what they were doing, while Maddy stayed with a group of students and soldiers he barely knew or trusted around her.

Mark did understand why Alicia had done it. No matter what their relationship was, she took her responsibilities very seriously. She might have given him some leeway on a few things in the past, but she had the wellbeing of everyone to consider. He understood that; honestly, he did.

Had he been in a similar position as her, Mark imagined he would do the same exact thing. He was twitterpated to the point of distraction; it was affecting his work performance. The only logical way to ensure he could still volunteer for escort duty was to reassign him so he could focus less on the person who was distracting him.

So it was perfectly understandable and even expected to be separated from Maddy. But that didn't mean he hadn't glared petulantly at Alicia when she made good on her word and divided everyone into groups. She had remained completely unmoved by his frustration; standing by her decision.

Today the lesson had been tracking a herd of dinosaurs. Every student had been divided into one of the five groups after the lecture and demonstration, and then their escorts took them out a ways so they could find a trail to track where the herbivores were grazing. It was simple, especially since the dinosaurs they were tracking were triceratops.

Unfortunately the journey to find them was very, very slow. He had been quite agitated after being forced to endure an agonizingly long debate on which way the group should go. His anxiousness mainly stemmed from the way his mind had constantly conjured up images of what could have been happening elsewhere while he was listening to a bunch of squabbling brats.

It had taken a long time for his group to arrive at their destination, though not without some thinly veiled hints and some hand holding from Mark and some of the others. It was a bit ridiculous actually; tracking a herd of triceratops should have been easy because they were enormous. They had a tendency to knock down everything in their path and trample everything else. His group had been the last to arrive.

Maddy had already been there of course; he imagined her group had been the first to arrive if they let her decide which way to go. She had calmed his every nerve the moment he saw her standing there, completely unharmed among her group. She had returned his subtle smile with a brilliant red hue to her cheeks and it was the calmest he had been all day other than their lunch hour.

Unfortunately that had been hours ago.

Mark had a destination in mind the moment his shift ended. Two of them in fact: first he needed to stop by his own house to clean up a bit, well aware that his twelve hour work day had taken its toll after eight of which had been spent hiking through the jungle. Then he planned to head over to the Shannon house because his time with Maddy today had been all of one hour, which was unacceptable.

It was almost as if he couldn't go more than a few hours without needing to see her now. He was actually beginning to feel a bit like an addict when it came to being around her.

Mark showered and changed within the span of ten minutes. He was planning on heading straight to her house, wondering how it looked because she had mentioned during lunch that her parents had planned to finish the outside today. He was halfway there when he was intercepted by a heavy arm settling over his shoulders, and he almost tripped with the unexpectedness of it.

"What's up, buttercup!" Paul said brightly. He was practically leaning all of his considerable weight onto the slightly smaller man as he strolled beside him.

Mark tried shrugging him off, but it was like the arm was made of meteoric iron. "What do you want, Paul?" he sighed, irritation clear in his voice.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're really antisocial?" Paul asked, apparently unphased by the sour tone. "Seriously, dude, what's up with that?"

"Had anyone ever told you that you're really annoying?" Mark countered irately, finally managing to dislodge the arm weighing him down. He felt a flash of regret for being so spiteful; that had not been his intention. He turned quickly, hoping to apologize, but he was stunned when Paul only laughed heartily in return.

"Ty reminds me at least once a day," he grinned, completely unabashed. He shrugged. "Although, he has an excuse, because I put superglue on his toilet seat the last time I was in his house." He snickered slightly, adding, "His roommate told me that they had to call someone to get him unstuck."

Mark blanched slightly. "You're not allowed in my bathroom."

Paul only smirked, but sobered up a moment later. "Seriously though man, we really need to start working on your people skills. You should come to Boylan's with us tonight. Have a drink or two, maybe loosen up a bit. Help me make fun of Locke as he flubs pick-up lines with women because my boy has no skills whatsoever when it comes to dating,"

"… I'd rather not." Mark said warily.

"See that?" Paul said, abruptly poking him on the nose. He grinned at the scowl he received for the action, shrugging unapologetically. "That right there? That is the kind of attitude I'm talking about, dude! You're kind of a grouch. How do you expect Shannon to fall for such a sour face?"

Mark spoke without thinking. "Seems to be working well enough so far," he snapped defensively, crossing his arms over his chest. He might have been deluding himself, but he thought Maddy was receptive enough to his not so subtle advances.

He still thought it might have been a bit too early to initiate the whole courtship, considering just how short a time they had known each other—it had nothing to do with his fear of Mr. Shannon… nothing at all—but they were definitely more than just friends. He wasn't exactly sure what they were at the moment, because he had never really defined it, but friend just didn't feel right.

It was too intense for just friendship…

"So you admit it!" Paul crowed loudly, punching the air in success as several people down the street stared at him in bemusement. He seemed completely fine with drawing attention to himself, unlike Mark who hunched his shoulders and drew a hand down his face. "You do like Shannon!"

"Shut up!" Mark hissed quickly, his eyes wide in alarm. He looked around the passersby for any familiar faces, his gut tight with apprehension. The last thing he needed was to have Josh or Mr. Shannon overhear a conversation like this.

"I knew you liked her," Paul chuckled, albeit more quietly than before though not by much. "Which one is she? The girl who works in the orchards? Ooh, no wait! Is she the one from the mess hall? Who, who, who? Tell me! You have to tell me!" He rocked on his heels like an excited child who received their first toy, his hazel eyes bright and earnest as he took Mark by the shoulders and shook him. "Spit it out man! Inquiring minds need to know!"

Mark shrugged him off again, glancing around warily. "Will you please keep your voice down," he pleaded, sighing heavily when Paul shook him again. "Yes, I do like her, but no," He narrowed his own eyes suspiciously. "I am not giving you her name so you can go harass her."

Face falling, Paul pouted at him. "Aw man, seriously? Now you're just being mean. I would never harass her; you, of course, but not her. All girls adore me," He paused a moment later, a thoughtful frown on his face. "Well, all except for one, but she doesn't count because she loves me; she just hasn't realized it yet. But dude, I just want to meet her. You know, to see if she's good enough for my boy,"

Mark grimaced as he was punched in the shoulder. He rubbed it gently to alleviate some of the pain from the friendly punch, a bit taken aback by the other's words. "You want to see if she's good enough for me?" he asked in disbelief, wanting to laugh at the absurdity of even the possibility.

If anything, Maddy was too good for him.

"Yeah man," Paul nodded. "We're friends, so I have to make sure she isn't going to play you," He wriggled his eyebrows a beat later. "You know, unless you want her to."

Despite the way his skin flushed at the suggestion, Mark felt oddly touched. He had to admit that there was something nice about someone his own age calling him their friend. He knew he could rely on Ken and Alicia, but sometimes they made him feel a bit juvenile. He knew it was unintentional; they were older and more mature, therefore they viewed him as a kid brother.

Paul looked older than him by maybe a few years too, and his brash and childish nature made him seem kind of immature for his age, he did seem to have his moments. He treated Mark like he treated Tyler… as a friend. It was refreshing.

Definitely strange though.

Mark sighed a bit, running a hand through his damp hair. "You'll meet her eventually," he told him, well aware that it was bound to happen despite his best efforts. "Just… leave it alone for now, though, okay? Right now she and I are just friends, and she is a bit uncomfortable around people she doesn't know, so…"

For a moment, Paul only observed him. "Okay," he nodded slowly. "I can respect that." He smiled at the disbelieving look he received. "I get it. I do have my moments. Just don't tell Ty. He likes to think he's the sensitive one in our relationship,"

"I'll keep that in mind," Mark snorted in amusement. "Can I go now?"

"There you go again," Paul sighed heavily, shaking his head. "People skills, Reynolds, people skills,"

"Goodbye Paul," he rolled his eyes.

"Offer for Boylan's is still open,"

Mark shook his head. "I don't drink,"

"Boylan's serves more than just alcohol, you know. Order water, eat pretzels and watch some idiots lose at poker. If we see you, we see you," Paul only shrugged. "If we don't it really isn't a big deal. Just thought I'd offer since I saw you."

"Thanks for the offer but…"

"No problem," Paul saluted to him, turning his heel. "See you later, alligator,"

Mark frowned after him thoughtfully. He had never been invited to go anywhere before. It was a bit of a strange experience, although he had no regrets about turning down a trip to the bar. He had never voluntarily stepped foot inside that place and he didn't plan to start now. But it did feel nice to be included, despite the fact that he would never go there.

Continuing toward his destination, Mark was even more anxious to get there than before. He might have been grateful for the invite, but it had only delayed him.

As the house finally came into view, Mark was impressed with how well it had come along since the last time he had seen it. With the exception of one small section of wall in the front, dark blues and warm yellows painted the exterior walls, making the house more uniform with the rest of the community. He was fascinated with the garden around the front porch, actually able to recognize some of the plants by both sight and name.

Maddy would probably be proud to realize she was actually teaching him a few things on their walks through the fields. He had to smile when he saw her; she looked tired but pleased with herself, her hands stained with soil. She looked completely in her element among the plants and the dirt, as if she belonged there with them.

It was extremely convenient to find her alone, but Mark realized that it must have been getting close to dinnertime by now. Everyone else had probably gone inside already, although it appeared as if Maddy had stayed outside to clean up a bit. He approached her quietly, her back turned to him as she gathered little pots and tools.

"Need some help, Miss Shannon?"

Maddy must have grown accustomed to him sneaking up on her. She did not jump out of fright this time, instead turning around slowly after a short pause. Her eyes were bright as she looked him over quickly, a strange flush on her face. He thought it might have been from overexerting herself gardening, but she looked lovely and real.

"Help is always appreciated," Maddy said lightly, smiling a bit. "But you don't need to do that."

Mark only smiled, gesturing to the plants beside them. "Your doing, I take it?"

Maddy made a soft sound, tugging at her dirty shirt that might have been white at one point this afternoon. She tilted her head. "How could you tell?"

"It's a gift," he shrugged.

"Sure it is."

Mark could only smile at her. He was incredibly pleased at just how easily she bantered with him now, especially since she also seemed to be enjoying it. He studied her flushed face, slowly lifting his hand to push a curl that had gotten lose behind her ear. Her breathing was low as her eyes watched him.

"You look fine," he promised, watching her duck her head to hide her smile.

"You're sweet," Maddy told him as she looked up. His own cheeks heated at her words, and he only grinned as she said, "But you're a bad liar."

Mark could understand why she would think he was lying, but he honestly loved her like this. He was perhaps a bit biased, because he was pretty sure she could be covered in stink leaves and mud and he would still find her appealing. He really was addicted to her.

Glancing behind her, Mark shook his head free of his thoughts. "I see you missed a spot," he mentioned, motioning toward the unpainted section of the wall. "Why don't you finish up with that and I'll clean up the rest of this?"

As expected, Maddy immediately shook her head. "You really don't have to—"

"I insist."

Mark moved around her before she had a chance to say otherwise, quickly picking up the plastic tubs and containers, stacking them together so he could get as many as possible out of her way. She gave him an exasperated look as he walked passed her again, huffing out a sigh just as he rounded the house. He grinned as he continued to the back.

Just as was walking back after placing everything down near the shed near the backdoor, Mark noticed movement in his peripheral vision from the window of the house. He stood there in panic for a brief moment, before he realized that it was only Mrs. Shannon. She was in the kitchen, probably preparing dinner, and she waved to him when she spotted him.

Mark blushed nervously and waved back at her, wondering just what she must think of him. He was older than Maddy; granted, not by much, but still older. And he had already been with her in what could have possibly been construed as a compromising situation since they had been alone in her house with no supervision to speak of. He knew it had been completely innocent… mostly innocent… but it still unnerved him to try and guess what Mrs. Shannon must have thought about it all.

With a friendly smile that was just a tad too knowing, Mrs. Shannon turned away from the window. He released a breath at her open show of trust and ran a surprised hand through his hair. He felt rather surprised at the faith Mrs. Shannon was showing to leave her daughter alone with him again for any amount of time, although he guessed a lot of it must have been trust in her own daughter.

At least Mrs. Shannon seemed to be receptive to the idea of him.

Maddy was already busy finishing up another task when he returned. She had finished painting the last section of wall and had swept most of the porch.

"See," he said as he climbed the steps. "It goes faster when you have help."

Maddy looked as if she were about to reply, a small smile on her face. She tensed instead, an odd noise escaping her throat as her body gave a sudden shudder. He watched in concern as her eyes widened considerably, her hand quickly rising to clasp a hand over her mouth. He felt his concern grow as it happened again, her big brown eyes clenching shut, and he quickly moved closer.

"Maddy?" he asked urgently, his hands hovering by her shoulders. "Maddy, are you okay?"

Mark glanced to the door of the house, contemplating barging inside to get her mother just in case it was something serious. He was about to do just that when she made the sound again, her shoulders contracting beneath his hands as her body jerked. His panic faded quickly as he realized what it was, unable to hide his amusement.

"Do you have the hiccups Maddy?"

Maddy quickly shook her head, but her denial was lost as she hiccupped once more. He released a strangled laugh, managing to morph it into a cough as he ran his tongue over his teeth. He really wanted to keep from embarrassing her, but it was her reaction more than anything that was making it really difficult for him to keep a straight face.

Mark snorted slightly as she squeaked an odd little noise.

"M—" Maddy began, the tone somewhat annoyed, but she was cut off with another hiccup. "—ark."

Mark was unable to keep from laughing any longer after that. It was just too adorable; he bent over and clutched his stomach as she buried her face into her hands. He was still laughing as he leaned closer, peeling her fingers away from her face. "Maddy," he tried, smiling widely as she resisted.

"It's not—" Hic. "—funny,"

"… It's kind of funny."

Maddy glared at him through her fingers.

"Try holding your breath," Mark suggested as he cleared his throat, trying to keep from laughing at her anymore. She gave him a skeptical look but did as he said. "Count back from ten." She was interrupted not more than three seconds later, this one louder than the rest; he squinted and bit the inside of his cheek in an effort not to laugh again.

Maddy only frowned at him, her eyes betraying her own amusement. She laughed at herself a moment later. She hiccupped again, her hands dropping from her face. "This is hopeless…"

Mark studied her for a moment, listening to each little hic that escaped her throat. He tilted his head curiously, a slow smile spreading across his face as he had an idea. She narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion, and it only made him grin more as he took a step closer to her.

"Maddy," he said lowly. "There is another way to get rid of hiccups,"

"Scaring me?" Maddy said, another jolt going through her.

Mark had a feeling he was probably already scaring her with his mischievous smile, shaking his head slowly. "Are you ticklish, Miss Shannon?" he asked her, watching gleefully as her expression froze. She stared at him as if he as just confessed to murdering small animals, her eyes widening.

This is going to be fun…

Maddy took a small step back, shaking her head when he responded by following her. "No," she said evenly, her eyes moving rapidly as she searched for a good way around him. He stepped even closer and her brown eyes glowered at him. "No."

Mark only grinned at her, and apparently that was all it took to spur her to run. She spun around with a quickness he had never expected, her hand shooting out to use to smooth beam that supported the roof of the porch to help guide her turn before she sprinted down the road. He was quick to follow her, laughing elatedly as he hurried to catch up.

Laughter echoed down the vacant street from both of them as he chased her. He was pleasantly surprised with just how fast she was, having to push himself harder in order to catch up somewhat. She tried to lose him by turning suddenly between some of the houses, and though it was a good strategy, Mark knew the base a lot better than she did.

Slowing down slightly to let her think she was winning, Mark moved down another path. He quickly weaved around a few buildings and jumped over a small fence before swinging back around. He smirked in success when he noticed that she had paused to catch her breath, her back to him now. He stealthy maneuvered himself directly behind her.

Maddy cried out in alarm when she finally turned around. "No," she said again, her hand held out in front of her to stop him from getting any closer. He only smiled, darting toward her quickly, though not really grabbing at her. She glared at him warningly, obviously aware that he was feigning. "Mark,"

Mark reached for her again, this time actually managing to grasp ahold of her wrist. She tried tugging away, twisting as much as she could out of his grasp but he was able to maneuver her around so that he had ahold of her from behind. He wrapped one arm around her to keep her from escaping and used the other to tickle her mercilessly.

Every laugh he managed to elicit from Maddy practically drowned out his own. Her laughter was infectious and real, ensuring him that she was actually enjoying this probably about as much as he was even as she struggled to get away. His hold was lose enough that she could break free if she really wanted to, and he leaned over her shoulder to press their cheeks together as he finally stilled his hand.

Maddy did not attempt to reprimand him for tickling her at all. She merely inhaled a deep breath after laughing so hard and allowed her entire body to relax against him. Her cheek was hot and he could feel the warmth radiating from her back, seeping into him. His fingers twitched at her side; he suddenly felt short of breath himself, the palms of his hands growing slick with sweat.

"Do you hear that?" Mark whispered, not wanting the atmosphere to change.

"… What?"

Mark smiled. "No more hiccups."

Maddy was silent for a moment before she laughed. He pulled her closer with one arm, absently running the other down her side in a soothing motion. "It worked," she murmured incredulously.

"You doubted my methods?"

"I doubted your sanity."

Mark was amused by her dry tone, chuckling slightly before he sighed. He turned his head just enough so he could kiss the side of her head, smiling to himself as she somehow managed to go completely lax in his arms. She seemed very content now, her breathing even and steady as they stood like that for a moment.

It was such a powerful feeling that rose within him. He knew that he grew more and more attached to her as each day passed, but he had honestly never tried to name the emotions. He had never been in love before; he had seen it whenever Alicia looked at the Commander when she thought no one else was watching her. He could see it every time his brother made those stupid little figurines.

Love was painful and heartbreaking… but it felt wonderful.

Mark swallowed hesitantly. "Maddy?"

"Mmm?" she sighed, her head tilting back.

"I…" Mark wavered as he realized he wanted to verbalize his private thoughts to her. He wanted to tell her about everything he had ever experiences. How much he loved holding her like this, safe within his arms, and how much he wished he could keep her forever. "I should probably get you back home," he said instead, because surely it was too soon to tell her anything like that.

"I guess so," she agreed quietly. "I should probably get cleaned up for dinner."

Mark reluctantly allowed his arms to fall way from her, but before he could release her completely she swung around to catch on hand. He was surprised by the action, but smiled as she weaved her fingers between his, interlacing the digits so that their hands were locked together.

Maddy was certainly a lot more comfortably with touching him now than she was before. He thought perhaps she was beginning to trust him more; he honestly wasn't sure which thought thrilled him more. That she was starting to trust him or the fact that she actually wanted to hold his hand of her own accord.

It only took them a few minutes to reach her house and Mark walked her up to the door. He was unable to resist lifting his hands to frame her face, pressing his lips against her forehead. He inhaled slowly as he delayed pulling away, breathing in the scent of herbs and dirt that he liked so much.

Mark pulled away only slightly, turning so he could whisper in her ear instead of look her in the eye. He was sure what little willpower he had would fade the instant he saw her eyes, so close and staring up at him in ways he could barely comprehend. He was intoxicated by her presence.

"Goodnight Miss Shannon," Mark said softly. Maddy was blushing as he backed away, a pleased smile on her face. He smiled at her one last time before he turned around.

It was official. He was in love with Madelyn Shannon.

God help him when her father found out.