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Marc sighed as he entered the restaurant, this was the 20th blind date that Nathaniel had set him up on. They were in their last year of university and the artist was adamant that Marc should try and meet someone. The redhead had dated multiple girls throughout university and was now with a girl named Rebecca from his art course. The worst part is that Marc can’t even bring himself to hate her, she’s so nice and pretty, of course Nathaniel would love her. In a few years, he’ll propose to her and Marc will be standing by his side as the couple gets married. He’ll still be in love with Nathaniel, after the wedding, after they have kids, after everything. He really only goes on these dates to appease the artist, not being able to say no to him.
Speaking of which, the noirette noted how the restaurant was nicer than the usual spots he had been set up for. ‘Maybe he really wants me to like this guy’ he thought, since Nathaniel was such a romantic at heart and wanted Marc to have a good time on these dates. At least he dressed nicely, wearing a black turtleneck with a red jacket and some black slacks with his usual belt and chains. He also opted for some eyeliner, he was feeling fancy and thought ‘why the hell not?’. Hopefully this guy was decent, the last few hadn’t been great, just wanting a hookup or because they thought he was a girl based on the photo Nathaniel showed them.
Marc put on an easy but fake smile as he approached the table his date was waiting for him at. The guy was actually kind of handsome, curly brown hair and tan skin with warm brown eyes that glowed amber with the surrounding candle light. Those same eyes were staring back at him, seeming starstruck and in awe. “Hi, I’m Mateo. You must be Marc?” The man stood up and greeted him, he was dressed in a deep blue jacket with matching slacks and a white button up. The man was a good three inches taller than Marc, his smile dazzled the writer and those eyes still caught his attention in the best way possible. “Y-Yeah, hi. It’s nice to meet you, hopefully you weren’t waiting too long.”
Lord strike him now, this was the best date he’d ever been on. The conversation was easy and Mateo was so kind and funny. At one point their conversation had switched from French to Spanish, both finding out they shared a mother tongue. Mateo had been born and raised in Columbia but was in France to study abroad for his degree in French. He wanted to be a French teacher somewhere, he hadn’t figured that part out yet. Marc shared his love of writing and how he wanted to be a novelist in the romance genre. He also shared about being born in France but growing up in Spain for the majority of his childhood before moving back to Paris.
The conversation and company was so enjoyable, that neither noticed how they had been at the restaurant for five hours. The staff were understanding and they left a generous tip to their waiter as an apology for taking up the table for so long. They laughed and tried to keep each other standing as Mateo walked Marc back to his apartment. “This is it. Thank you for an amazing night, I had a good time with you, Mateo.” Both men looked down at their conjoined hands, not remembering when that happened but not minding it. “Of course Marc, you deserve an amazing date, I’m glad that I could give that to you. I really hope I can see you again sometime.”
Neither said anything about their hands still together, or about the way the space between them was slowly closing. Mateo stole a quick glance to Marc’s lips, remembering how soft and kissable they looked at the restaurant. Marc could feel Mateo’s breath on his lips before the distance was closed and they shared a soft but quick kiss. Pulling back, Mateo saw the starstruck look on Marc’s face, blush covering his whole face. “You okay? You look like you just had your first kiss.” He pointed out with a chuckle. Marc nodded and tried to compose himself but a handsome, funny, and romantic guy just kissed him! “T-That kind of was my first kiss. S-Sorry, I’m not well versed in this dating stuff.” Now it was the taller man’s turn to be stunned. How could someone so cute, smart, and punk never be kissed before?
“I guess that means I’ll have to up my game if that was your first kiss ever. Next time, I’ll be sure to kiss you properly, Marc.” Words usually have an affect on him, yes, but a promise of another date where he’ll be kissed again? He’s practically melting in front of this man. “I’d like that, a lot. How about we exchange numbers and we can figure something out?” Mateo took out his phone and handed it to Marc, who handed his phone to Mateo. “I’m really glad this date went well. When Nathaniel told me about you and showed me your picture, I got really excited about this.”
Nathaniel.
Marc realized he had gone the entire night without even thinking of the redhead, not even subconsciously. Maybe he was finally beginning to move on from his decade long crush. Mateo definitely wasn’t a bad option to move his attention to. “I’m glad he told me about you too, I look forward to seeing you again.” Mateo gave that same dazzling smile and gave a kiss to Marc’s hand, effortlessly wooing the boy. “Goodnight Marc, sweet dreams.” The taller man walked home, just as giddy and infatuated as Marc. He’s never felt more grateful to sit next to someone in a lecture, because he might get a boyfriend out of this.
—
“Soooo how’d the date go last night?” Nathaniel barely let Marc sit down at their usual table in the university cafe before asking him the usual questions he always asks after setting up a date. Marc gave a fond eye roll, knowing his answer will finally get the artist off his back. “It was actually really nice. Mateo was so sweet and funny, and he held my hand so gently. God, he even gave me my first kiss after he walked me home. We made plans to have a study date tomorrow night and go to a midnight movie.” Marc had a dreamy smile on his face when talking about his date. Nathaniel had a huge grin on his face, happy that his best friend finally had a good date.
“Yes! Finally, I found someone good enough for you! 20th times the charm, they say.” Nathaniel seemed triumphant on the outside but he was dying on the inside. He knew he could never have Marc, his parents forbade him from participating in “pansy activities”. When they found his sketches of the boy, he was lucky to ever see Marc again, let alone keep speaking to him. He was expected to be a role model son to inherit his father’s company when the time came or his father would cut him off from everything if his only son liked boys. Rebecca was a nice girl, he could fake it enough with her until they divorce 10 years after Nathaniel takes over the company and she can keep any children they have.
It ate him up inside to hear how happy his true love was with another man. It should have been him on that date, it should have been him to share Marc’s first kiss, it should have been him! But no. He did this to himself. He knew Marc loved him back, he wasn’t dense. Your best friend doesn’t look at you like you hung the stars in a platonic way, he surely doesn’t write secret fanfiction about your hero personas being together and doesn't want that too. Nathaniel knew that he was breaking Marc’s heart, and it was hurting him to do so. But he couldn’t give the boy up, he wanted to keep being selfish.
He figured if Marc had someone else to love, he could still be in the artist’s life. That’s why he kept setting up all those blind dates, knowing that eventually someone will sweep the green-eyed man off his feet and whisk him away into a romance. It seems someone did, that new guy in Nathaniel’s French introduction course. He did his research of course, the guy came from a nice family, no criminal history, romantic type, total hunk. He only set his love up on dates with good people, never artists, and never anyone with red hair or blue eyes. It would be too painful to see him with a man that’s too similar to Nathaniel. Marc deserved someone who could love him no matter what, who isn’t scared of what other people think. Maybe in another life they could be together without any fears or worries. In a life where Nathaniel wasn’t such a coward and Marc waited for him.
Such luxuries they’d have to go without. Mateo and Marc would continue to date, even going to Nath and Rebecca’s wedding together. Marc was by his side at the altar, as his best man, not his groom. He put on a happy face, this was his wedding day after all. Mateo proposed to Marc after 5 years of them dating, it wasn’t the ring Nathaniel would have gone with. It was too flashy and not Marc’s style, but the noirette loved it all the same. Hearing the news of their engagement had made his blood boil, but he had to be happy, for Marc’s sake. Their wedding was beautiful, Marc looked perfect in his suit and recited his vows so beautifully. Nathaniel was his best man, this was the closest they were ever going to get to marrying each other.
He continued to be selfish, it’s all he had left some days. He would listen to the video of Marc’s wedding vows and pretend that those words were for him. He would be affectionate with Rebecca and think about Marc receiving his kisses and words of devotion. He kept up appearances long enough for his father to finally transfer the ownership of the company to Nathaniel. But his mother stepped in and added another rule to the already long list of expectations for him: they wanted grandkids. Kids would make the divorce more difficult, hell, everything is going to make the divorce difficult. He just hoped that maybe Marc still has some feelings for him, that they could both be free to be together at last.
Rebecca somehow got pregnant, despite Nathaniel’s best efforts to stop the possibility. A little boy with flaming red hair was born on a snowy night, a flicker of light in a bleak part of his father’s life. Nathaniel knows it's a terrible thought, but there were moments when he wished the baby wasn’t his. If she had been unfaithful (as if he hasn’t been the entire 8 years of their relationship), then they might be able to divorce early. But Nathaniel sat in the hospital room, holding his son and finally feeling like his life might have some good left in it. They named him Vincent, after an artist they both admire. Nathaniel was going to become the father he never had. He’d be there for all of his son’s accomplishments, he’d never force him into something he doesn’t want, and he'd never tell his son who to love.
With his parents finally happy about having a grandchild, the company was now fully Nathaniel’s and he could move on to the next phase of his plan: the divorce. It was looking like there was no clean way out of this marriage, they hardly ever fought, the baby was happy and healthy, and there wasn’t any infidelity. He knew that unless a miracle came through, he’d be stuck with thousands of questions as to why he’d end such a good marriage. But a miracle did come through, his love showed up at their door one night asking for help to get out of his own marriage.
Apparently Mateo had this nasty habit of only being good to Marc when he was sober, which was a rare occurrence these days. The man had lost his job recently and was at home drinking most of the time. Things normally didn’t progress past shouting and breaking a dish but this time Mateo had hit Marc and the man had a black eye to show for it. Marc knew if he didn’t get out now, he may never leave. So he packed a bag after Mateo finally passed out from his excessive drinking, grabbed the cats, and left for Nathaniel’s place. Nathaniel noticed that he left his ring behind too.
Rebecca was out of town on a work trip for the week so it really wasn’t a problem for Marc to stay. He even got to spend time with baby Vincent while Nathaniel had important calls and meetings. “You know, I tried talking about kids once and he just laughed in my face. He said kids were the worst and if I ever brought it up again he would get rid of the cats.” Marc had shared one night over a late night talk with some leftovers from dinner. Nathaniel knew how much the two cats meant to him, Marc found them in an alleyway in university and brought them back to his apartment without a second thought. He named them Ziggy (a tuxedo girl) and Orikko (an orange boy) but insisted they were his children by blood. He took such good care of them from poor sniffling kittens to majestic adult felines with shiny coats and perfect health.
“I’m so sorry Marc, I know you’ve wanted kids for a while now. I guess I just thought you guys were caught up in adoption paperwork for a while. I feel awful that I ever introduced you two, you got hurt because I set you up with an awful person. You’re my best friend, I never should have insisted on you going out on dates like that.” The soul crushing guilt he was feeling overwhelmed him most days since Marc showed up. He’s lost sleep thinking about all the horrible stuff that monster put his love through, physically and emotionally. “It’s not your fault, Nath. He wasn’t like this when we were dating, ever since we got married he’s gotten more aggressive for some reason. I really hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but I need to divorce him. I can’t stay in that house and I don’t know what he’d do to the cats if they came back too. I just can’t face him right now, his whole family believes that we’re the perfect couple and that we have no issues. His brother is one of the best lawyers in Columbia and I’d be left with nothing after the divorce.”
An idea came to Nathaniel.
It was probably a terrible idea, but it might be the only way out of their situations. They needed to provide a good enough reason for a quick divorce that both their spouses would have to be upset about. Upset enough to not care about what they get in the settlement and to leave them alone forever. The only idea he could come up with was- “Sleep with me.” It was a sudden outburst, but a necessary one. The noirette’s eyes were like saucers, peering back at him with a look of astonishment and confusion. “W-What? Sleep with you? Nathaniel, even if I’m having relationship troubles, you’re still a happily married man. With a kid! We can’t sleep together, it would ruin your marriage!”
“My marriage has been ruined since day one, hell, this whole relationship is a lie. I never loved Rebecca, I had to marry a nice Jewish girl from a good family or else my parents would have disowned me. And I love Vincent, with everything I have, but he was never in the plans.” Nathaniel took Marc’s hand in his, still with painted fingernails and ice cold. “Think about it. I need a reason to divorce Rebecca and you need a reason to get Mateo to divorce you! If we somehow get caught in bed together, say, when she comes back from her trip and Mateo comes looking for you? Then they would have to divorce us!”
“I just don’t understand. If you never wanted to be with her, why are you only now trying to get out? Why would you date her in the first place? And why do you want to get out so badly if nothing is wrong?”
“I never wanted to marry her, I’ve always wanted you!” Stunned by his own confession, Nathaniel let go of Marc’s hand to place it over his mouth. Marc’s eyes were impossibly wide at the statement, probably in disbelief. He was about to turn away from the noirette and check on Vincent before going to bed, but he was stopped by an ice cold hand on his shoulder and pulling him into the most emotional and wanted kiss of his life. It was messy, wet with tears, and the best he’s felt since middle school when he first met Marc, the love of his life. He could have stayed there forever, in Marc’s hold and knowing he’d soon be free to be himself.
Unfortunately, Vincent didn’t know that his cries would interrupt his father’s revelations. The baby monitor on the kitchen counter alerted both men to the infant’s needs, probably needing his midnight bottle. “I’m so sorry Nath, I shouldn’t have done that. We’re both still married and I can’t live knowing that your family split because of me.” A soft hand took Marc’s, trying to ground him to reality. “I don’t regret that, I never will. I love you, Marc. Now help me get Vincent’s bottle ready and we can talk through this some more, okay?” The bottle was prepped without much preamble and baby Vincent was able to go back to sleep without issue.
They talked that night, about how their feelings never subsided, even after marriage. That’s when they decided to go forward with Nathaniel’s plan to set them both free. Yes, it would hurt Rebecca, but Nathaniel was prepared to give her everything she needed in the divorce settlement. Mateo could kick rocks, however. Neither cared about what happened to him, as long as he stayed away from Marc. They decided to do it on the day Rebecca comes back from her work trip and Marc would tell Mateo where he is to “talk”. They’d be caught in bed together, hickey’s on Marc’s neck and scratches down Nath’s back, irrefutable evidence for their crimes. Vincent would be dropped off at Alix’s place, in case Mateo got violent and things got bad. Neither would act sorry and would encourage the divorce without ever getting up from the bed or each other’s arms.
The night before the plan was supposed to happen, Nathaniel started to give Marc the hickeys. It was supposed to stay around the neck and upper chest, but somehow Marc lost his shirt and he quickly became Nath’s favorite canvas. Kisses of devotion, sucks of passion, and bites of possession. God yes, this is what he’s craved. Finally seeing that halo of black hair spread beneath him, those green eyes blown wide and that deep voice calling out to him asking for more. The scratches down his back came naturally with Marc’s own passion and worship. Pants were lost too, kisses became more heated, and their love was professed so many times into the quiet night.
Finally coming down from their high, the happy couple laid together with huge grins and hearts full of hope for their future together. Nath pressed one more kiss to Marc’s lips before pulling him close to fall asleep. Everything was going to happen tomorrow, whether they were ready or not, they were going to be found out and be divorced. Mateo had been texted and the door to the bedroom was wide open for anyone to walk through. Nathaniel drifted off to sleep with thoughts of getting his wish and being happy without pressure. The world could hold space for them, just this once. If things got ugly tomorrow, he knew he’d never allow himself to be separated from Marc again.
—
Normally, he would awake to an alarm on his phone or the baby monitor, but not this morning. He awoke to screaming and a pillow over his face being held down with force. Oh no. He was being smothered to death, but he didn’t know by whom. He couldn’t even make out who was screaming right now since his brain switched to survival mode. He was trying to find the body of whoever was trying to kill him and push them off, but he couldn’t figure out where they were. The pillow was finally lifted from him and he gave a sharp inhale, grateful for oxygen and whatever saved him. Scrambling to get up, he figured out where the screams were coming from. Mateo was holding the pillow, screaming at him for fucking Marc and ruining their marriage. He chalked his response up to the lack of oxygen in his system, “Your marriage was ruined when you laid your hands on him.” A knife was pulled out of Mateo’s pocket and he lunged at the redhead.
A hand snatching his wrist quickly stopped him, mid-lunge, black fingernails and green eyes full of hatred were once again his savior. “Knock it off. I told you that I’m never going back to you and you have to accept that. You are never going to hurt Nath, or the cats, or me ever again.” Marc’s voice was laced with so much venom and anger, Mateo finally backed down and put the knife away. “I just don’t understand why you’d give up on us. Yeah, I wasn’t the perfect husband but I wasn’t the worst, you remember right baby? All those mornings in bed, slow dances in the kitchen, and all the love I have to give you.” The Columbian was trying to manipulate Marc into staying with him and Nathaniel was so proud of his love staying strong. “You hit me. You threatened me. You kept me in that house and didn’t let me leave. I haven’t seen my family or friends since our wedding! This is the last time I’m going to say this, so get it into your thick skull: I’m leaving you and you’ll never see me again.”
“What is going on?!” A shriek alerted the men to the woman in the doorway, Rebecca. Nathaniel shrunk into himself a bit, trying to hide from her confused stare. Marc was looking at him too, he was expecting him to hold up his end of the plan, he had to. The redhead walked over to Marc and took his hand again, for the first time in his life, he felt like he could face his fears head on. “I want a divorce, Rebecca. I’m in love with Marc and he loves me too. I’m sorry you had to find out this way.” He really wasn’t sorry, but she was the only innocent person in this whole mess. Tears were falling down her face, she stayed silent and didn’t move her gaze from their conjoined hands. When she finally spoke, it was a hoarse and angry tone.
“How could you? We’ve been together for eight years, we have a child! And now you decide to throw all that away for him?” Nathaniel just held Marc’s hand tighter, they came this far and nothing was going to separate them. Not even his soon to be ex-wife or Marc’s ex-husband. “Yes, I am. I’ve loved him since I first met him all those years ago. I still appreciate you, you’re the mother of my child and you’ve been nothing but the perfect wife to me. It isn’t fair to either of us if I keep lying to you.” Deep down, Nathaniel knows this is probably a complete shock to her. But he can’t keep living this lie.
“I’ll give you whatever you want in the divorce, within reason, and you’ll never have to see us again. But, please let me have partial custody of Vincent, he’s my kid just as he is yours.” At the mention of the baby, Rebecca was snapped out of her stupor. “Where is he?” “He’s with Alix right now, I didn’t want him to be here if that bastard got violent.” Nath explained, gesturing to Mateo. That seemed to calm her down a bit, knowing their baby was safe and away from this mess. Rebecca thought for a moment, staring at Marc and Nathaniel’s joined hands.
“You really love him, don’t you?” She asked with a tired sigh, knowing there was no saving their marriage after this. “I do, he’s never left my mind or my heart. I’m sorry I lied to you for so long, but my parents wouldn’t have allowed me to be with him. I’ll pay alimony, you can keep the house, and all your shares of the company. But please, just let me see my son.”
Rebecca, ever the patient and understanding woman he met all those years ago, seemed to understand the situation to a degree. “We can discuss this with some divorce lawyers later, but that sounds doable. You always did seem happier with him, he’s good for you, Nathaniel.” Mateo scoffed at Rebecca’s acceptance of the situation, still glaring daggers at Nathaniel.
“Marc, drop this whole thing. Come home, we can work this out and forget your infidelity. You’re still my husband and I’m not letting you go.” The Columbian grabbed Marc’s wrist and pulled him towards the door to leave. His grip was so tight that Marc gave out a yelp and struggled against Mateo’s grasp. “Let me go! You hurt me and I’m never going back with you! Nathaniel actually loves me and I’m staying with him.” The writer finally got his wrist out of his husband’s grasp, scowling at the taller man for even trying to separate him from Nathaniel.
The redhead took Marc gently in his arms and led him away from his abuser. “Get out of my house, Mateo. If you don’t leave right now and promise to never come near us again, I’ll call the cops to come get you for domestic violence and assault.” Nathaniel felt stronger now that he could be true to himself and his lover.
Mateo glanced between them one more time, “So you’re really choosing him? Over me? Look at him, Marc. He’s just some weak little business man, he won’t be able to take care of you like I can! You’ll come crawling back to me after a couple months when you realize he’s only half the man I am.” As the Columbian was turning to leave, Marc spoke up. “He’s twice the man you’ll ever be. He cares about me, he doesn’t want to hurt me, and he doesn’t force himself on me after I’ve told him no! You’ll never find someone else because you’re too awful to care about anyone but yourself. I’ll have the divorce papers sent to you tomorrow along with a restraining order.”
Mateo left in a huff, pissed that his actions had consequences.
—
After the threatening air in the room had dissipated with the Columbian’s exit, the three remaining figures released a breath of relief. If anything had escalated to violence, Nath would have put himself between Marc and Mateo without a second thought.
“I guess there’s nothing left to say then.” Rebecca’s voice cut through the silence, emotional exhaustion evident on her features after the day's events. “I’m glad that you’re finally happy and free to be yourself. But you really couldn’t have just talked to me first? You couldn’t have told me before we had a child together? Was I that difficult to communicate with? I’ve tried to be the perfect wife for you but I guess it wouldn’t have mattered since I’m not him.” Her icy glare pointed to Marc, but there wasn’t any true malice behind it. Even if he never had romantic feelings for her, Nathaniel could still pick apart her expression for the tiniest details.
“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t keep my feelings for him a secret any longer. If it helps, the only time we were ever intimate was last night, never before that.” The red head stepped towards the woman to take her hand as a gesture of sincerity. “Rebecca, you are the mother of my child and I’ll never forget that, but it’s not fair to either of us if I keep lying to you and myself. My parents threatened to pull all of their support and my inheritance if I didn’t marry a woman and have a child. I’ll gladly split that inheritance with you for everything you’ve done for me, but please understand that this was the only way for everyone to eventually be safe and happy.”
Rebecca glanced over Marc again, seemingly noticing the slowly healing black eye for the first time. She nodded in understanding with a slight frown on her face and offered her wedding band back to Nathaniel. “It seems you’ll be needing this more than me. Good luck, to the both of you.” With her final goodbye, Rebecca left the bedroom and eventually the large house. Nathaniel assumed she’d go to stay with her mother for the time being until their lawyers could figure out the situation, but as for right now…
—
The dining room was filled with laughter and high spirits as the group shared stories of their time with the newlyweds. Nathaniel and Marc were seated at the head of the table, little Vincent on Marc’s lap playing with a cloth sheep. Vincent had grown to resemble his father in almost every way over the last five years, even down to his love of scribbling on paper. He even took after his papa Marc when it came to a love for books. The three made a quiet little family, but full of love for one another and the cats.
As Alix was sharing a story of Nathaniel’s pining for Marc during their university days, Nathaniel couldn’t tear his eyes away from his family. Marc had made such a handsome groom today, especially when the vows he recited were for Nathaniel this time, no one else. His husband looked to be just as elated to hear Nathaniel recite vows for him this time, his green eyes brimming with tears for most of the small ceremony.
It had been a long and torturous road to finally be together, but Nathaniel found that he would wait for eternity if it meant having Marc by his side.