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time
Marcus started smoking before the war, but Lee didn't start until after Bole. That's how Marcus thinks of time: Before The War, Before Bole, After Bole. He doesn't know when he started thinking of Lee as "Lee" rather than "Jordan", but Lee started calling him "Marcus" soon after, somewhere around the time he started stealing his cigarettes.
It's not easy to get cigarettes, but Marcus doesn't care. Enough people owe him favours, and they're happy enough that all he asks of them is that they bring back a carton of cigarettes every time they're in a Muggle area. So he doesn't care that Lee keeps stealing them, if only because now he's not the only one taking smoke breaks anymore. They're not allowed to smoke inside, with all the vital paperwork lying around, so they just stand outside in companionable silence.
They spend most of their time in Marcus' small office, bent over maps and charts, and only really leave the room for meals, out in the Great Hall, and they usually talk work even then. Neville Longbottom joins them sometimes, when he can get away from fixing up the rookies -- ex-rookies by then -- and berates them both for "looking like Snape on a really, really bad day, and are those nicotine stains on your fingers, Lee?" and then shakes his head at Marcus and mutters something about how corruption and filthy habits.
Lee usually goes to his room to sleep, but Marcus only gets a few hours every night anyway, so he just naps on the couch. Sometimes, when things are frantic and they spend two or three full days in the office, Lee collapses on the couch for a while. Sometimes, Lee tells him to go get some sleep already, and how long has it been since Marcus slept in an actual bed, anyway?
It's on one of those days that Marcus wakes up to find Lee asleep on the couch with him, half on top of his legs, and he thinks about getting up, so Lee can have the whole couch, because he doesn't look very comfortable, but every time he tries to move, Lee makes a little protesting sound in his sleep. He watches Lee for a while, thinking about how Lee still flinches every time someone touches him, and then realises Lee doesn't flinch anymore when Marcus touches him. Eventually, he just goes back to sleep, and when he wakes up again, he's lying on his back with Lee's head on his stomach.
They don't talk about it, but they don't talk about most things. They just go on with their lives, but Marcus finds himself touching Lee a lot more than he used to. Just casual touching, a hand on his shoulder, brushing his hand when handing him a cigarette, and once he gives runs his hand over Lee's head when he's sleeping on the couch. Sometimes, Lee leans against him as they're leaning over the desk.
Marcus supposes it's a start.
Aaand my tumor seems to be keeping with the alphabetical title order. Hm.
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EEEEEEEEEE
*has your babies*
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