Certain That I'm Yours

Moving in Reverse With No Way Out

Mark took a breath, opened his mouth to agree but couldn't make himself say anything. And then Aim was talking again, quietly, like he knew Mark was tipping backwards into regret and guilt and bad feelings that he'd kept at bay so far. 

"So he can treat me however he needs to, it's okay,"

"Aim,"

Mark wanted so badly to defend Vee but Aim wasn't wrong. He had punched him and he and his friends had been treating Aim like he didn't exist. Of course, they had their reasons but Mark knew Aim had a point too. He hadn't condoned Vee starting a fight with Aim, he loved him for it but didn't like the possible repercussions that could have followed. And he was probably right about what Vee would do if he tried to get him to be better to Aim, it'd likely lead to arguing and worse behavior and more fist fights. It was annoying that Aim knew that. So, it seemed that Mark just had to let them do this like they were and hope Vee got a good grade and wasn't traumatized from having to spend so much time with someone he hated. Was it possible that he'd be better for it after, could he grow from this experience? Mark sure hoped so.

"He's doing what he's doing for you. If he has to do all this, be like this to protect you, he's just being your boyfriend so I get it," 

His head shot up. Those words flipped a switch in him. Everything he'd felt a moment ago, the guilt, the pity, the sympathy was gone and all Mark was left with was this ugly, bitter anger. The feeling that he was fifteen again filled him up till he thought he might choke on it. The need to fix all this, encourage Vee to be better while making sure Aim was okay, no longer existed. 

All of that was gone because he could not believe that Aim had just said that to him. It was sort of insulting, that he'd just say that like it was common knowledge when Mark sure as hell didn't know it, he'd never known that side of Aim. 

"What?" He felt a little sick, staring back at this person who seemed so different but still had the face of the ex who haunted him in his darker moments. He had the distinct feeling that this was no longer going to be a normal conversation as he felt himself slip further and further into the anger those words sparked in him. 

Aim blinked, clearly confused, "what?"

He understood being protective of the person he loved? That was hilarious! He'd never been protective of him the way Vee was. Possessive maybe, obsessive sure but not protective, never protective, that was ridiculous. 

He couldn't hold it in, everything he felt hearing Aim say that so simply. Like he'd been the kind of boyfriend who understood those things, like he was the kind of boyfriend to him that Vee was, it was almost comical.

"I can't believe you just said that to me. The way you said it, like you get it? Do you get it Aim?" 

Aim looked around like he was confused as to why he was being yelled at. It only made Mark angry, angrier.

"Mark-"

"--Because I certainly had no clue that you knew what it meant to love someone and want to protect them from the things that kept them up at night, and be there when they had a really awful day or ran into an ex-boyfriend for the second time in as many days and just couldn't handle it-"

"-Mark-"

"-I just didn't know that you had those instincts-"