See if I Care!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

A/N: Thursday again! How did that happen? Oh, well, you have been waiting for the answer to THE BIG QUESTION so here it is… ;)

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Chapter 15: Monkey See, Monkey Do

"Marry you? What?!" Mark exclaimed, his jaw hitting the ground pretty hard.

"Um… I… not now, of course, but… but… later?"

"Wait, so you propose to me and then you say 'later'?!" Mark spluttered. "So you didn't propose?"

"I… it was… I… Fuck, yes I did! I just saw that incredulous look on your face and I realized I messed up, and I thought I'd soften the blow, and I-"

Mark found the man's face with his hands and silenced him with a kiss. He had to, before Jake said anything too stupid.

"Yes," he said when their lips, eventually and reluctantly, parted.

"Huh?"

"Yes, you idiot, I'm saying yes!" Mark explained. "As in 'I'll marry you'!"

"What, really?"

"Yes! But for the record, if you ever break up with me and end up with someone else: moving in together and proposing after only knowing each other for not even three months is not okay! It's not what normal people do! It's stupid! But I'm on board."

"I love you!" Jake laughed and the younger man suddenly felt himself being lifted up and swung around.

"Hey, hey, don't break me!" the blond half wheezed, half chuckled.

"There's one more thing," the older man said seriously as he put him back on his feet. "I'm seeing a therapist."

"What?" Mark wouldn't have been more stunned if he had heard that his parents were getting a divorce. Jake was very much a guy who fixed things himself, so why-?

"I've realized that I'm still very angry with my father… I think it's time to move past that, and I needed someone to help me sort through all those feelings."

"But I-"

"No, I don't want to talk to you about this, I'm basically dumping a truckload of crap over this woman each time we talk… better her than you."

"But it's a very important part of your past…" Mark tried to explain. "I don't want you to shut me out."

"Of course not! I'll tell you the edited version."

"Okay, good, because if you also turn out not to want to talk to me about your problems…"

"What do you mean, 'also'?" Jake asked.

Mark told him about his and Lance's situation, and the man groaned, pulling him close in a hug. "I'm so, so sorry. I never meant to-"

"It wasn't all you, it didn't even start with you. It's okay, it worked out."

"Good. If I had ruined things between you and Lance I'd hate myself even more… and you'd never even consider forgiving me."

"I'd be a bit miffed, yeah."

"I apologized to Lance, did he tell you?"

"No, just that you'd met. I've been a bit… sensitive about you." Mark smiled in a self deprecating way. He hesitated for a second before continuing. "Jake?"