Hi, just taking a small break from Third Eye Blind. I hope you enjoy this story. It took me all day to write and this is one of my first DianaxMartin fics. I hope you like it, and, as a note, I decided to put Jenny in it. Well, I hope you enjoy this and R&R what you think.

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Can I Kiss You

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The look on her face was priceless. Yet another well pulled off prank by one Martin Mystery. Her face contorted in an angry manor and mild amusement. Her green eyes shimmered in a way he hoped only he could make them. Her eyes were beautiful, they even beat the beauty of the most precious gem on earth, but of course, she was his most precious gem. He couldn't tell her that but she was. Money couldn't buy her affection and jewelry wouldn't tempt her. Of course, with every precious treasure there has to be a limit, and with him there was.

They were brother and sister, not by blood but by marriage. Still, it had to be wrong to love your sister as something greater, right? Yes, that was the answer, his greatest treasure was off limits, untouchable and if he were to even get a mere feel of this beautiful gem…he would forever dirty it, dirty her. He was nothing to her, not compared to her precious Marvin. Marvin could do no wrong in her eyes, he was smart, handsome, kind, and even his jokes were funny when Martin found them rather dull. He was better at sports and had better grades, even the worst stories possible seemed okay in her eyes.

Martin was the dirt that covered the gem. He was the one who made the mistakes and took away the joy in life for her. He was the one who embarrassed her and made her angry all the time. She always yelled at him when he told her a story, that if Marvin told it, would be okay. He was never the one to be accepted by her; he was just her annoying stepbrother who made her angry and screwed things up. Compared to Marvin he was the most annoying thing to walk the earth, or so he believed. Just once, when she looked at him, he prayed for her to see him as something more.

His prayers were never answered and Marvin drew all the attention to him. Martin was left behind for something better, for something he felt was a cheep imitation of him. It was like his own reflection stole the one thing that mattered most to him away and the question arose. How can you stop your own reflection?

Anger built up inside Martin's core but he pushed it down in favor of keeping his sister happy. If she was happy then he would settle with just being her annoying stepbrother. Hopefully it would be enough to keep him sane and Diana with a smile on her face. He hardly noticed it when Marvin was asked to model for the art class and never noticed when the teacher came up to him.

"Mr. Mystery I suggest you stop staring at Marvin and get painting." Martin looked up and set the paintbrush down.

"I don't feel well, may I go see the nurse?" Martin asked. Mrs. Mande nodded and let him leave the class. Martin looked over at Diana who was painting Marvin. There was a glint of happiness in her eye as she did so. Martin stood in the door for a moment and watched as his sister turned to look at him. She frowned but he wasn't sure why and left as quickly as possible, if only to stop that frown. Really, he was feeling sick. He was sick of how she adored Marvin in everything he did. He was sick of getting the angry looks from her, upset from having to fake his goofy smile when ever she mentioned his name, trying hard to not to say something bad about him. He didn't want to hurt her; he'd risk his own happiness for hers.

He came closer to his room but there was nothing there for him right now. No one to comfort him and help him deal with his feelings of regret every time he saw them look at each other. That's right, no one, but with no one there…they couldn't see him when he let the sadness wash over him. He never cried, not once. That was his promise, his release and that was the only way he could be happy for his sister. He would give up his happiness so she could be happy. Big brothers were supposed to protect their younger siblings, and that meant making sure they stayed happy.

His thoughts constantly turned in his head, forcing images of events that may or may not happen between his blonde counter part and his sister by marriage. Those images always led the way to anger in the blonde haired teen leaving him to wonder just how jealous he was. Now, Martin was never one to stop a happy relationship, he would never sink that low. The fact was, if Marvin ever hurt his sister, well Martin would hope it could never come to that. He hoped that maybe his sister would see through Marvin and see him but he knew to her that he was just her brother and nothing more. That hurt more then anything really but still, he continued on and pretended like nothing was wrong.

It was probably around 3 pm when he stopped walking and heard the distant ring of the school bell. Just how had he walked, lost in thought as he was. Distantly he wished Marvin would just leave the school but that would cause Diana's smile to fall and he couldn't let that happen.

"Martin?" He turned around at the sound of his voice. There was Marvin, staring at him. "I thought you went to your feeling sick."

"I needed some air," was Martin's curt reply as he started to walk away quickly. Marvin ran to catch up to Martin in hopes of finding out what was wrong.

"Why do you look so down?" Marvin grimaced at the only response Martin gave him, a single glare that could make you scream in terror. "What's your problem?" Martin looked away not really in the mood to talk. "If you really want to know, Diana said-"

"I don't want to know what she said!" Martin snapped and ran off. He knew she said yes, he knew she had chosen Marvin over him. He wasn't as important as Marvin. Marvin beat him at everything so why should he care. He cared for the reason that he had taken everything now, maybe he was a being a bit over dramatic but didn't he deserve to be?

He made his way steadily to his room; hopefully no one would bother him. The path to his room seemed longer now. Usually he was there a lot sooner but at this pace he was only half there not unlike a part of him. Half of him wanted to be happy for his sister but the other half was crying and wouldn't stop. Angry and sad, neither emotion he wanted at the moment, came full force and caused him into a full run. He reached his door and ran into the room locking the door behind him.

He heaved in and out, pain lacing every breath. Physical pain wasn't as bad as emotional pain. His chest hurt, his heart was pounding and for a once in a long time the tears fell freely down the his cheeks. "I'm not supposed to cry!" He screamed in a small voice, "I'm not supposed to even-but I do." He crumpled down onto his bed as the tears continued to fall.

It hurt to breathe but he refused to let out a single sound as the tears fell down his face. He was shaking badly, he could feel it but right now he didn't care. This pain, it released him and let him be free for even a few minutes. It let him be free of his pain and suffering. He hoped these tears would bring him to sleep but he knew that wouldn't work.

The tears stopped but the shaking didn't. He started to wonder if he really was sick. He felt light headed now but he assumed it was because he had been crying. Still something didn't seem right, nothing was right anymore. He pulled the blankets up to his chest and let the black abyss claim him.

"Martin?" someone's worried voice drifted to the back of his mind, calling out to him. "Martin?" There it was again but this time it sounded like someone he knew. Something cool on his head alerted him to someone's presence to the front of his mind and he sat up quickly, wishing he hadn't. His head was spinning and his stomach felt pained. Once his vision cleared he turned his head to see who was beside him.

"Jenny?" In the back of his mind he wished it were Diana but part of him wished that it wasn't. She might crack open the dam of tears that threatened to fall. Jenny looked honestly worried and kept glancing at the door.

"You had a really bad fever, Diana went to get something to help you out. She asked me to look after you until she got back." Jenny watched the teen's eyes and the hurt that seemed to fill them. "Are you okay?"

"I-" His voice wavered and he closed his lips, not wanting to break down in front of the girl he once had a crush on.

"It hurts doesn't it?" Jenny looked away, "I mean, I only have a crush on Marvin but…" Martin looked away at the mention of Marvin's name. "Martin, it's okay to be sad." Jenny's eyes sparkled as if she had some understanding, "You love her don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Martin replied stubbornly but his eyes told another story.

"You do, you love Diana." He looked up, shocked. "I don't think it's wrong, you're only step-siblings right. You're not even blood related," she smiled, "Like I said, it's okay to be sad." Martin looked down, "And," she said pulling his face up to look at her, "It's okay to cry." He looked away. Before he had a chance to open his mouth to respond the dark edges of sleep pulled him away from the scene leaving him longing for the tears to fall.

He woke up again and found her by his side. She had a frown on her face and a worried look in her eyes. He made her sad, he wasn't supposed to make her sad. He took a shuddering breath, feeling weaker then he had before. "D-Diana?" he looked at her and she smiled, glad that he had woken up. He wasn't in his room anymore but in a white room.

"What happened Martin?" She wasn't crying but there were signs that tears had once fallen during the day. "Martin…I…. why?" That question would be left un answered, wouldn't it? "Why didn't you just tell me?" She asked and fell into him, hugging him like it was the end of the world, her world.

"Tell you what?" he asked afraid of her answer.

"Why didn't you tell me that you…you loved me?" Martin tried to sit up but couldn't. Diana supported him and helped him sit with his back against the pillow.

"How did you-" she looked away.

"I saw it…everyday. I never understood why you looked at me like that but in art class you looked at me and, you were just so broken." Martin frowned.

"I tried to hide it. I want you to be happy."

"How can I be happy when it's all my fault." Martin's eyes widened in shock as he tried to make sense of what she said.

"What?"

"I should have told you, but I felt it was wrong. That…that the kind of love I had in mind…it was wrong but I was wrong! I should have told you but I couldn't. Martin, I'm not interested in Marvin." Martin looked away, afraid it was another.

"It's someone else?" He questioned whether it was worth hearing.

"Yes, but it's not who you think it is."

"I…please don't, I just want you to be happy."

"Martin, the only one I can be happy, the only one who is my world…Martin it's-" he shut his eyes and braced himself for pain. "Martin it's you." Martin looked up, shocked and frightened.

"M-me?" Diana nodded and held him in a hug. She could feel them, the tears that started to fall from his eyes, from all the days of pain he must have faced. He had faced it all alone but he wasn't alone and he wouldn't ever be again. The tears stopped slowly and when they did she cupped his face in her hands and looked into his eyes, no longer full of pain.

"Can I kiss you?" he looked at her, somehow more shocked then he'd ever been.

"What?" he asked in disbelief, as if this was a dream.

"Can I kiss you?" He did the only thing he could and nodded. She inched her face closer to him and kissed him gently, lovingly. She expected him to resist but he kissed back and the world spun into a happy motion. They broke apart when the need for air arose.

"Diana…I…I love you." He looked at her.

"I love you too." She held him until sleep took over. She watched him sleep until she eventually fell asleep herself.

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I really like this fic, I hope to write more soon.