Title: Caught Red-Handed
Rating: T
Summary: Marc catches Cliff red-handed. Not what you think.
Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty.
Author's Note: I did it! I finally wrote a Marc/Cliff fic! Snaps for me!
Caught Red-Handed
Marc St. James opened the door into Cliff St. Paul's apartment.
"I know, I'm late, Wilhemina made me stay back, please don't hate me," he said all at once. It was only after doing so that he saw Cliff sitting on the couch.
"It's okay, don't worry about it," said Cliff distantly. Marc couldn't help but notice that his boyfriend had a piece of paper in his lap, and he was writing on it. Curiously he peered down at it.
"What's that?" he questioned. Cliff immediately stood up and held the paper behind his back.
"Nothing," he stated.
"Then can I see it?" persisted Marc.
"No, you wouldn't be interested," insisted Cliff. Marc turned away for a moment, seemingly defeated, then suddenly turned back to Cliff and started tickling him in the stomach. He knew the way his boyfriend's body worked.
"Maa-ar-rc, pl-eea-se," begged Cliff in between laughs. Finally he brought his arms forward to shield himself, and Marc seized the opportunity to snatch the piece of paper. Before Cliff could protest he started scanning it.
"Let's see ... the lines are short, and about equal in length ... oh!" realised Marc. "Is this one of your poems for my bathroom mirror?"
"Um..." began Cliff, scratching the back of his head.
"No use denying it - I caught you red-handed!" said Marc. "Now, let's see what we've got here..."
"Please don't, I really wasn't planning on showing it to you," said Cliff.
"Too late now!" exclaimed Marc, who proceeded to read the poem aloud:
"When we met for the very first time
I thought not to ask you out would be a crime ... well, I am irresistible..."
"Yeah, yeah," said Cliff, clearly embarrassed.
"We were from different worlds, and that is a fact,
But I learnt in high school science that opposites attract. Wow, you actually remember this stuff?"
"Yeah," said Cliff. "Don't you?"
"I don't remember much past the daily beatings," admitted Marc. "Well, that and the home-ec classes." Cliff put a hand on Marc's shoulder in comfort, and Marc read on.
"When I first took your hand in mine
Something inside of me started to shine,
When you first kissed me I forgot to breathe,
And when you stayed the night I found it hard to believe ... oh, you're not the only one...
You showed me that I could be beautiful, too,
All it took was a suit and a bit of shampoo ... hehe, nice rhyme...
But what really matters is how I felt inside
And when I'm with you, I am beaming with pride ... you're too good to me, Cliff."
"No, I'm not," insisted Cliff. "Now read on, if you must."
"You make me laugh, you make me cry,
I feel so many things and I don't know why,
And although I'm as big as a Christmas ham ... oh Cliff, you're not that bad."
"It's okay, I can admit it," said Cliff. Marc sighed.
"You still accept me for who I am,
You are a good person, despite what they say
And seeing you smile just lights up my day.
Marc couldn't help smiling at this point – not so much to light up Cliff's day, but because he was so touched by Cliff's words.
"We've had our problems, as all couples do
But in the end I've always come back to you
And even when you're obnoxious and rude ... hey!"
"I wanted to be honest," defended Cliff. "Don't worry, it gets better." Marc still looked slightly offended, but he knew he couldn't stay mad at Cliff. Anyway, it was the truth.
"And I drown myself in the comfort of food
I know the next day I'll forgive and forget
Because giving you up would be my biggest regret.
Tears were coming to Marc's eyes now, and he found it harder to read each word. He couldn't believe the effort that had gone into writing this.
"My heart is bursting, this feels so right,
I want to see you each day and hold you each night
I feel so different, and you're to blame:
The love of my life, my Marc St. James."
As soon as he was finished reading, Marc flung his arms around Cliff in a tight and warm hug.
"That was so sweet," he said softly. When the hug ended Marc saw that Cliff was blushing.
"I don't know, I wanted to touch it up a bit," Cliff admitted. Marc shook his head.
"It's perfect just the way it is," he said. "Just like you." He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Cliff's lips.
"Well, I'm glad you liked it," said Cliff modestly.
"I do," said Marc truthfully. "I just wish I could do something like this for you, but I doubt that I can write like that."
"That's okay," assured Cliff, and turned away to go to the kitchen. Marc, however, grabbed onto his arm before he could leave. Cliff turned back to him, confused.
"I do, however," continued Marc, "have other talents that I'd be ... happy to put to use." And without another word, he led Cliff into the bedroom.
The End
I was going to post the poem separately, but I liked the idea of seeing Marc's reaction while reading it.
I hope you enjoyed, and please review!