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Sloane could see Dean cringing hard enough it was a miracle the man didn’t retreat into his chest cavity. Guilt pinged in Sloane’s heart, and he hated himself for bringing a look of shame to Dean’s face. But damn it, why would Dean keep something like this from Sloane? Did he think Sloane wouldn’t like it? Did he think Sloane would be a dick to Marco?

“It was...just us trying to be sure,” Marco continued.

Sure of what? That Sloane would be able to handle the news? That Sloane wouldn’t be able to argue with Dean having finally found himself a man because they’d gone on several dates?

“I’m sorry, Sloane. It wasn’t supposed to be a secret, I promise,” Dean said quietly.

The guilt deepened, and Sloane opened his mouth. Whether to tell Dean he’d get over it or to ask for further clarification, he wasn’t sure. What he did know was Marco had slid an arm behind Dean’s back to comfort him. Sloane pressed his lips into a thin line, refusing to let any words escape as he watched Marco gaze down at Dean, his expression hidden from Sloane’s view.

Wasn’t it bad enough that Sloane had to find out by accident that his best friend had been keeping a relationship from him? Did the guy really have to do the whole boyfriend thing right in front of Sloane while he was still processing that there even was a boyfriend? Sloane didn’t give a shit that it was two guys in front of him doing it. What bothered him was the complete lack of taste.

“So, how’d you meet? Random? Find each other in the bar?” Sloane asked, hearing the anger in his voice and unable to quell it.

“App,” Marco said, squeezing Dean.

Sloane turned his burning gaze toward Marco. “And what do you do, Marco?”

“IT for a local tech company,” Marco said, holding Sloane’s gaze easily.

Sloane nodded jerkily. “Oh, I see. Fancy. Perfect if you ever have to take him home, eh, Dean?”

Dean’s head snapped up, eyes sparking. “Sloane, what the hell?”

Not that Dean had ever cared about that sort of thing, and Sloane didn’t know why he’d even felt the need to bring it up. It honestly didn’t matter if Dean chose to date someone witha high-end college degree or a blue-collar construction worker, Sloane wouldn’t have cared one way or another. What ate at him, what drove the indignant, willful anger, was that Dean had kept this from him.

Sloane could accept that Dean wouldn’t talk about what had happened to him out in the field. He could accept that Dean would keep his fevered nightmares to himself and never do more than apologize for his occasional overreaction to what were, at the end of the day, simply minor scares. What he couldn’t accept was that Dean thought it right to keep his budding relationship with someone a secret from Sloane. They were supposed to be best friends. They were supposed to share almost everything, especially something that should have been wonderful and worth celebrating.

AndGod, why wouldn’t Marco stop touching Dean, just for ten fucking seconds?

“I worked pretty hard for it, but I wouldn’t call it fancy,” Marco answered in his infuriatingly calm voice.

“And got yourself a military man. Shit, you guys could get married now, get yourself even nicer housing if you wanted,” Sloane continued in a voice that was both seething and oddly cheerful.

“IhopeI have myself a good man. Whether I do or not remains to be seen,” Marco said while Dean stared in dumbfounded shock beside him.

Sloane’s brow rose in polite surprise that he didn’t feel. “Oh? Hasn’t committed, has he? He’s a wily one. Better keep an eye on him before he finds someone else.”

Marco tilted his head, scoffing slightly. “I think...I should go. I don’t think I’m...helping by being here.”

Dean snapped out of his stupor, reaching out to take hold of Marco with a curt shake of his head. “No, you stay. Sloane, I think you’re the one who needs to go.”

Sloane didn’t blame him. “Me? I’m just trying to get some answers and figure out everything I’ve missed out on.”

Dean’s jaw tightened. “You’re being an ass. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you immediately, but this is beyond stupid. Go home and let me enjoy my night.”

Sloane wanted to argue, demand answers from Dean, and yank the man away from Marco’s grip. Instead, he gave a low huff before all but ripping the driver’s side door to his car off the hinges in his effort to open it. He was just as brutal in slamming it and rocking the frame, and he swore he heard something crack. Dean stared at him as Sloane turned the engine on with a harsh twist of the key, forcing his gaze away from his friend.

It took all his willpower not to look in the rearview mirror as he twisted the car out of the parking spot and onto the road. The last thing he needed was to get a final look at Dean's wounded and angry expression. It was bad enough to have seen it for most of that disorienting altercation, and it was worse to see it deepen as Sloane fled.

And all he could think as he drove back to the base was, what the hell had happened?

DEAN

“Dean, it’s okay,” Marco’s voice assured him over the line.

Dean shoved his phone against his shoulder as he dug through his pocket. “It isnotokay. As a matter of fact, this is about as far from okay as it gets.”

“Okay, well, maybe it’s not, but getting mad isn’t going to help,” Marco said.