A New Virus

Love Hurts

"We were in the-" Anti stopped when the front door was knocked on. "Were we expecting anyone?" Anti asked as he went over to the door.

"I wasn't expecting anything tonight." Dark lowered his arm and stared at the ceiling, chest still aching.

"Oh, hey Marv...Marv?" Anti held his arms up when Marvin suddenly hugged him, saying something into his chest, but his voice was too muffled to be understood. "Dark, can you get the bowl?" Anti called out.

"Is Marvin injured?" Dark asked as he got up and walked over to Anti.

"I don't see any blood." Anti commented, handing Dark the bowl and laying his arms around Marvin. "Hey, Marv? Marvy? What's up?"

"I'm an idiot." Marvin said with a sniff, lifting his face to look at Anti and showing the virus that he had tears forming in his eyes.

"Dark, we're going to need chocolate." Anti said. "Let's go to the couch." He gently removed Marvin's arms from him and lead him to the living room. "What happened?" Anti asked, coaxing Marvin into sitting. Who knew having a daughter would make this kind of stuff easier to handle?

"I...I'm just an idiot. I've been an idiot for over a decade." Marvin spoke to his hands, not looking at Anti anymore.

"You're not an idiot." Anti gently rubbed Marvin's shoulders, nodding a thanks to Dark as the demon placed a plate of chocolates on the coffee table.

"Yes, because being in love with a married man is the definition of intelligence." Marvin stiffened after those words came out of his mouth. "I-I mean..."

"Finally admitting it?" Anti asked in a light tease.

"No! I mean...I-I just...I..." Marvin put his hands over his face and started crying.

"It's okay, it's okay." Anti said softly as he hugged Marvin to his chest, rubbing his back. "Let it out, just let it out."

"Why is he still with her?" Marvin asked through his sobs. "Why is he staying with someone that makes him so sad? They don't even live together. They rarely speak and whenever she is over to drop off the kids, she's so cruel about it." Anti rested his head on top of Marvin's, letting him speak freely. "She gives him dirty looks and makes comments about him that the kids don't get, but we all do. He says that he loves her, that she and the kids are everything to him...does he really love her?" Marvin wasn't sobbing anymore, but his voice began to rise. "After everything that she's done, he loves her!? He hates himself because of her! I've held him while he cried because of something that bitch has done!" Ant could feel Marvin shaking. "She hates his hair, his clothes, his YouTube channel. She hates everything about Chase that makes him Chase! She hates everything that I love about him! His smile, his laugh, his excitement, his everything!" Anti could feel the teardrops hitting his leg. "It's not fair! It's not fair!" Marvin screamed before curling up and began sobbing again.

"I'm going to have a word with Chase." Dark said.

"Dark, wait." Anti sighed. "You can't force him into something like this."

"I'm not going to force him. I'm simply going to fill him in on the situation and I'm hoping that he'll make the right choice." Dark stated.

"You're not saying anything about this without Marvin's permission and I'm pretty sure he doesn't want you threatening Chase because the man is oblivious to Marvin's feelings." Anti said. "And what happened to being on team 'Chase is married'?"

"That was before..." Dark looked at Marvin to complete his answer.

"Marv, do you want to crash here tonight? I'll call the Septiceyes and let them know where you are." Anti said, releasing Marvin so he could look at his face. Marvin just nodded silently and let himself be lead to one of the spare bedrooms. Dark stood where he was and waited until Anti got back.

"I was sure you'd be on your way to the Septiceye house the moment Marvin opened his mouth." Dark said.

"It's taking everything in my being not to go over there and knock some sense into Chase, but I know it won't solve anything to do that." Anti said. "I understand how Marvin feels."

"How so?"

"The number of times I've cried because of you is too many." Anti said with a sad chuckle.

"What? Why?"

"It was when I first realized that I loved you." Anti took Dark's hand. "I was scared. I wondering if you loved me. If our relationship was just sex and nothing more. If you would leave me the moment you found something better. It was terrifying."

"You don't have those fears anymore, right?" Dark placed his other hand on Anti's, covering it.

"I still have those moments." Anti admitted. "Lying awake in the middle of the night, watching you sleep and wondering if you would ever leave me. If you'd get sick of me and walk away."

"I would never-"

"I know. I know...but it doesn't stop the thoughts." Anti wasn't ready for Dark to suddenly move. Dark wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close while the other went to his cheek.

"Listen to me. I would never, never, leave you. You are my everything. My morning, noon and night. I wake up every day and smile when I see your face. I hold you as tight as I can when we sleep because I want to hold you forever. I never want anything to take us apart. I am willing to do anything for you. I adopted and fell in love with our daughter because of you. I gave up on getting revenge for you. I asked you to marry me because I want to spend every single moment of my life with you. I could never imagine a time that I wouldn't want you by my side. I love you, I have loved you and I will always love you. Don't you ever dare to think otherwise." Dark ended his speech with a deep kiss. Both of them were unaware of Marvin standing at the door of the spare room, having overheard everything. Marvin placed a hand on his own face and slumped down to the ground, curling up into a ball and was crying again.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

The words were like daggers piercing into Marvin's heart.