[He grins a little wryly, and takes one of her free hands to cover her knuckles in haphazard kisses if she'll let him.]
You say that, but for me Luceti has never been that bad. Before I knew Pops, before he adopted all my little brothers I was alone. So to be without them, while knowing they are back home... I miss them, I wish they were here, but I don't wish to be there.
[He can't look up into her eyes. Not so much shy or embarrassed, or even ashamed... but hiding a little. He's deflecting, he doesn't want to get straight to the heart of the matter, but at least he's staying honest for now.] I'm happy here. Not in spite of being here.
[He drops the hand a little and swings it back and forth in his own hand like a little kid, playing with it.] Your dream needs you to be home to conquer it. Mine... [He looks up, but not at Robin, just distant and far away.] A good captain wants to his nakama's dreams come true, eh? My dream for Ace is to see him alive and happy.
[Now, he finally gives her a small nearly lopsided grin, looking at her face again.] I can hardly do that anywhere else, now can I? [Simple words, a liar's grin, but it belies some of the hurt that Marco barely acknowledges, and certainly doesn't let himself acknowledge out loud. Because that would require admitting he's not as impervious and perfect and carefree as he wants to be. As people need him to be.]
[Day 1] Action 1/2
[He grins a little wryly, and takes one of her free hands to cover her knuckles in haphazard kisses if she'll let him.]
You say that, but for me Luceti has never been that bad. Before I knew Pops, before he adopted all my little brothers I was alone. So to be without them, while knowing they are back home... I miss them, I wish they were here, but I don't wish to be there.
[He can't look up into her eyes. Not so much shy or embarrassed, or even ashamed... but hiding a little. He's deflecting, he doesn't want to get straight to the heart of the matter, but at least he's staying honest for now.] I'm happy here. Not in spite of being here.
[He drops the hand a little and swings it back and forth in his own hand like a little kid, playing with it.] Your dream needs you to be home to conquer it. Mine... [He looks up, but not at Robin, just distant and far away.] A good captain wants to his nakama's dreams come true, eh? My dream for Ace is to see him alive and happy.
[Now, he finally gives her a small nearly lopsided grin, looking at her face again.] I can hardly do that anywhere else, now can I? [Simple words, a liar's grin, but it belies some of the hurt that Marco barely acknowledges, and certainly doesn't let himself acknowledge out loud. Because that would require admitting he's not as impervious and perfect and carefree as he wants to be. As people need him to be.]