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A knock at his apartment door brought his head up with a snap, followed by a wince. His nerves were stretched tight, and he was already overreacting. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Dean pushed up from the couch and went to the door. He opened it to find Marco standing there, looking at Dean carefully.

“Hey, Dean,” Marco said, waiting in the hallway.

Dean opened the door, inviting him in with a wave. “Hey, come on in.”

Marco stepped forward, inching his way inside. Dean saw Marco’s bright eyes search his face and then noted how Marco didn’t take his shoes off. Not that Dean enforced a no-shoes rule in his apartment, but Marco always had before.

“You can sit,” Dean told him with a light laugh.

Marco did, choosing the couch as his spot, and watched Dean intently. It took Dean a moment to realize he should probably sitas well. He hesitated, unsure if he should sit across from Marco or beside him.

Marco smiled, patting the couch. “C’mon and sit, Dean.”

Well, they were already off to a bad start. Dean wanted to keep control of the situation, to make it as smooth as possible and with the least pain or struggle. While he wasn’t surprised that Marco knew something was going on, Dean hated that he was already making a botch of it by bumbling.

Dean did sit, though, and took a deep breath. “I...wanted to talk to you.”

“I gathered as much.”

Dean took a deep breath, nodding. After everything that happened, Dean knew what he needed to do. Even if everything with Sloane crashed and burned, Dean knew it wasn’t right to continue things with Marco. They might not have committed to one another yet, but Dean knew he owed Marco a clean break.

It sucked, and Dean hated it. He really liked Marco, and if perhaps the situation had been different, Dean might have fallen for him given time. The man was wise beyond his years, patient, and had just the right amount of playfulness, which brought a smile to Dean’s face. Yet, in the end, Dean would never be able to follow through on anything with Marco so long as the specter of Sloane hung over him. So long as the possibility existed, he could never give Marco what he deserved.

Marco smiled, placing a hand gently on Dean’s jaw. “Dean...it’s okay.”

Dean shook his head, trying to force himself to speak. He needed to get the truth out before he lost his nerve. All the speeches he’d practiced were gone, and he found the words slipping from him.

“It’s not,” Dean insisted.

He clenched his eyes shut, forcing himself to take a deep breath. If it hadn’t been obvious to Marco that Dean hadn’tcalled him to give him good news, Dean knew it had to be now. Dean could barely get his mouth to open, and it felt dryer than the desert in there.

“I already know,” Marco said softly.

Dean’s eyes flew open, nerves gone in a cold splash of surprise. “What?”

“You and Sloane?”

Dean blinked. “I...but?—”

Marco chuckled. “I kind of...wondered after the first few times you talked about him.”

Dean shook his head. “But nothing was going on.”

“Maybe not on his end, but I thought there might be something on yours. Just the way you spoke about him, there was something in your eyes that said maybe, just maybe, there was more than friendship going on there.”

Dean’s fingers unclenched, going limp in his lap. “But...you never said anything? It didn’t bother you?”

Marco rubbed the back of his head. “We all go into relationships and dating with baggage attached, Dean. That’s something you learn to accept when seeing someone new. By the time I suspected it, I’d already gotten to know you a bit. And sure, part of it was that I really do like you, so I was willing to look past it. Thing is, I also figured out you were the sort of person that if you were trying to date someone, you were probably okay to date.”

Dean looked down at his hands, shaking his head. “I guess you were wrong on that one, huh?”

“I wouldn’t say I was wrong. After all, the time I’ve spent with you has been wonderful, and it’s a shame I couldn’t have had more. But I can’t fault you for being in love with him.”

Dean looked up, snorting. “Really? After the way he behaved with you?”

Marco raised a brow. “Yeah, about that. That was my other clue that something else was going on. I mean, I get the overprotective best friend thing, and even being grumpy that you were keeping it from him, but he was a bit...much. Sure, he’s ‘straight’ and all, but that most certainly did make me question it.”

“I don’t even know what he is or...if this is anything worth trying to figure out,” Dean admitted.