A/N: I got a chapter up before Christmas! Hooray! I hope you all enjoy! Guess who is in this chapter! Paige! Finally, right?
"Th—that's…I mean, I've been dying to hear you say that, but you're not yourself, so are you sure that you"
"I'm still human. I know what I feel. I've been told I love you, and now," he pointed to his heart, "I feel it." His smile faded when he saw Dylan's face. "Aren't you happy?"
"Oh," Dylan came to life. "Yeah, of course, honey."
"Good," he answered. "Now, kiss me…not on the cheek like before, but like I'm no different that I was before."
The thing was, as much as Dylan wanted to, he couldn't. He didn't know what could happen! He felt as though he might be taking advantage of him.
"Marco, let's sleep," he said, leaning down to rest on the pillow. Marco rolled his eyes.
"I don't get you. I'm giving you permission to do something that you obviously want to do, and you won't even do it!"
"Baby, please," he put his arm around him. "Let's just sleep."
Marco sighed, feeling rejected. "Fine."
…………………………………………………………………………………………
Marco got up early that morning at around five a.m. He took care not to wake Dylan, and walked out into the kitchen. He sat down at the table with his head held down. He was so hungry. Maybe he could…try to cook something. It couldn't really hurt.
He was actually surprised at his own abilities after he began the meal. He figured that, though he was following a recipe, a part of him kind of knew what he was doing having done it many times before the accident. He knew it was only pancakes, but he was quite proud of his accomplishment.
"Hey," Dylan said, walking into the kitchen. "You're up early…" he mumbled tiredly, eyeing the pancakes.
"Yeah, I wasn't really tired. I guess it's the Italian in me," he pointed to the table, laughing. "They can't be too bad, so eat."
"No need to tell me twice," Dylan answered, grabbing a fork and knife. He ate his food gladly with Marco sitting across from him, not eating a thing. He hesitated before his next bite.
"They're good. They aren't poisoned, are they?"
Marco laughed, shaking his head. He mouthed, "No."
"Then, what's wrong? You don't look too excited for a boy who cooked an excellent breakfast. You should be eating them!"
"Well," Marco sighed, "It's just that…nothing, it's stupid," he answered, looking down at his lap.
Dylan leaned over to raise his chin. "Let's talk." He didn't ask because he knew, in this state, Marco would only answer to commands; not requests.
Marco nodded. "Okay, you know my show?"
Dylan nodded. "The one I don't understand, yes." He wasn't quite sure where this was going.
"Well, Miranda's just all alone and afraid to get hurt, so she never dates, but she's so beautiful, and a lot of guys like her. She just doesn't take chances with love. There's Vincenzo (A/N: I love that name…) and Maria. They've been together forever and they'll stay together forever. I just…I know I'm scared of you hurting me because a part of me still feels like you're a stranger, but I don't want to turn out like Miranda! I want you to tell me you love me…because you pushed me away last night."
"Marco," Dylan said, getting up from his seat at the table to hug his insecure boyfriend. "Don't feel like that. I do love you. It's just that you're not yourself…"
"If I never come back"
"Don't say that!" Dylan interrupted, walking away from him. He paces the floor with his back turned, so Marco couldn't see the tears forming in his eyes. "You will come back, Marco."
Marco went on as though he had not heard him. "I never come back…" he paused. "No. If Marco never comes back, you can have me."
Dylan knew Marco was giving up a lot of himself to say those words. He was giving all trust to him, knowing Dylan could easily break his heart…or bones.
Dylan cleared his throat. "Well, you two might just be the same person. Your mind is just taking a little vacation. It'll come back."
"Until then, if you believe I'm the same person as your Marco, tell me you love me. Please…just…tell me, so Marco feels he has a reason to come back," Marco said. He sounded so weak and desperate.
Dylan knew that Marco was trying to so hard to be the person Dylan wanted him to be, but he wasn't sure if it was good that he felt in love with him. What if Marco was just saying it to make him happy?
"I love you too," Dylan said, embracing him. What else could he have done? At a time like this, Marco needed love. It must have worked because he stopped shaking instantly.
He rested his head on Dylan's shoulder, and Dylan held him tightly. "Did you like the pancakes?" he asked, hopeful.
Dylan laughed, pulling away. "Well, of course," he answered.
Their tender moment was broken by a knock at the door. It was a quite insistent knock.
"Open up!" the knocker called. Dylan recognized the voice immediately.
"Ready to meet my sister?" he asked.
Marco nodded eagerly. "I'm praying to recognize her," he laughed. Dylan opened the door slowly, presenting Paige. She ran quickly across the room to hug him. Arco returned the hug half-heartedly.
She pulled away from him only to drag him to the couch.
"Are you okay Sit down, please. It might be good for you. Is your head bothering you? Have you been taking your medication?"
"Paige!" Dylan yelled, stopping her incessant nagging. "Paige, if he didn't have a headache already, he definitely has one now," he said, sitting down next to them on the couch.
Paige glared up at him. "I don't find you funny, Dylan," she said angrily. She let go of Marco for a second to talk to Dylan.
"I don't see," she slowly raised her voice, "how you are making a joke out of this; how it doesn't bother you!"
Dylan knew something that it was going to occur when he saw Paige. He'd been hoping Marco would get better by then. However, he'd prepared himself for it.
"Well, Paige, it does bother me. I've just had a bit more time than you to get used to it!"
"Oh, I see," Paige said, walking away from her seat on the couch. "So, you just got used to him being in this state!"
"It obviously upsets me, Paige, to see my boyfriend like"
"I'm right HERE!" Marco screamed, having had enough of their argument. "If you want to talk about me," he stood up, "just tell me to leave!" he said, slamming the door to the bedroom he and Dylan shared.
Paige and Dylan were ashamed and silent for a while. Paige with tears in her eyes, looked up at Dylan.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, blinking them away. "I'm just…I'm upset."
Dylan nodded. "It's okay. I'm going to go talk to him. Don't move, okay? He gets…nervous around new people."
"Uh-huh…I'll just wait for you to come back, then," she answered.
Dylan knocked softly at the door, calling his name softly. "Come in," he answered.
Dylan walked in, smiling slightly at him. "Paige and I…we're sorry for that. She just feels horrible for not being here when it happened, you know? She tends to feel responsible for things," he said slowly.
Marco waved his hand. "It's fine, but I was serious. Tell me to leave if you're going to fight. Even though it's not too amazing, knowing you're being talked about," he laughed.
Dylan looked at Marco's shining smile. He knew, from the first time he met him, that there was no one else in the world like him. He was so forgiving, sweet with a…slight attitude about him, funny, stubborn…god, he was stubborn, but accepting, and smart, and loving, but when he looked at him in the eyes, he saw nothing but his absolute beauty. There was no boy or girl in the world who could claim to have beauty above his because his mere personality made his beauty even more noticeable.
When Dylan saw this smile, he knew it was real. It wasn't insecure or unsure or…or fake…it was a real, true, happy smile, and it took over Dylan completely. He'd only seen one like it on Marco maybe twice in his life of knowing him.
He sat down on the edge of the bed with him and threw his arms around him without any objection. He brought him closer and closer until their lips touched in a true kiss. It was a kiss like the one Marco had been telling him to do, but it was so much more. Dylan barely had any control over his own body in this particular kiss and he knew that Marco felt the same. He didn't know how long they stayed in that position, but it could have been days and he wouldn't have cared a bit.
Finally, though, he had to pull away to take a breath, only to lean him and kiss him one more time. When they were both left sitting silently, close and touching, and looking in each others eyes, Marco smiled again; even brighter than before.
"I…" Marco said, trying to breathe. "I—I love you."
"I know, baby…I love you too. I know that you're trying and"
"No," he said, slightly frustrated, but not removing the smile. "I love you and I'm here with you…"
Dylan looked at him, confused. "What? I know you're here…I'm here too."
"Oh my god…" he said, laughing. Nothing, it seemed, could make him angry at that moment. "Dylan, my poor, stupid, dense, but loving boyfriend, I am HERE. I will always be here. I'm home."
Dylan could still not understand what he was trying to say to him. He raised an eyebrow. Marco rolled his eyes at him, leaned over to kiss his cheek, and ran out of the room. Dylan followed him cautiously.
Paige saw him immediately, and Marco ran to her excitedly, wondering what Dylan had said to him.
He hugged her so tightly, she could barely breathe, but didn't complain for a second. She was happy that he was happy to see her.
He held her at arm's length and looked in her eyes. "Well, how's Banting?" he asked, still smiling brightly.
She looked over at Dylan. "Did he…did you tell him that I"
"No…" he looked from Paige to Marco and repeated the process. His eyes widened at Marco. "You…Marco?"
"Baby!" he yelled at Dylan. "Marco's home!"
Dylan threw his arms around him tightly, not having all the answers, but happy with what he had. All he needed to hear was that he head his baby back where he belonged.
Dylan had finally had enough and simply let the tears run freely down his face. "I told them you'd come back to me."
A/N: I promised myself I'd have another chapter up by Christmas! Yay! I did it! I hope that wasn't as confusing to you all as it was to Dylan. Welcome back, Marco! It's not the end. There will be one more chapter. I hope you liked this chapter because it was a little bit difficult in my head. Please review :) And Happy Holidays! (Whatever you may celebrate, I hope you have a good one!)