Mister Perfect

"Come on, Henry, not tonight, okay? Daddy is really, really tired right now..."

"I wanna play with the Switch! Can we play Pokemon Scarlet? Can we, Daddy? Can we?"

Marco had to smile, he couldn't help but, the corners of his mouth wanting to desperately do what his son had demanded of him, but quite frankly, he could hardly even keep his eyes open at this point and time. Looking for a job the whole entire fucking day, in the sheer roaring blazing heat of the South African summer, and ending up with less than nothing, was not his ideal idea of having fun...

...and as much as he wanted and indeed craved, to play and spend time with his seven-year-old son after the day he had just had, he just didn't have the energy to do that right now.

He patted his boy's shoulder, before getting up and trotting towards the kitchen, where he took out an ice-cold beer out of the fridge, before he opened it up quick as he could, downing more than a quarter full of the yeasty goodness, before he returned to the couch in the living room.

Oh boy...Henry had already fired up his saved game from his own Switch...and he was more than fully expecting his father to play and catch Pokemon with him, in the co-op function that the game provided.

"Henry..." 

"Just one game, Daddy! You promised!"

"Henry, Daddy is really, very tired, please buddy, can't it wait until tomorrow afternoon when you get back home from school?"

"BUT YOU PROMISED!"

"Marco...a word, please?"

The sound of his wife's voice swung Marco around, before he looked back at the now, almost weeping little devil of a boy, who knew JUST how to attack his father's weakness in having to guilt trip Marco into playing with him, but the look on his wife's face was far more than enough to completely lose interest in the matter.

Marco closed his eyes and reached out for his own Switch that he had bought when things were still good with his own finances...God, those things were expensive as hell...before he was retrenched way back in September of 2022, and before all of this was beginning to put a massive strain on his marriage and his relationship with both his son and his wife.

"Hit the games up, buddy. I'll be back in a minute, okay?" he said, before he lovingly ruffled Henry's brown's hair.

He ran his fingers through his own blond hair, more in frustration than anything else, mind you, before he stretched out his lanky, tall frame, before nodding and walking towards his wife Sarah, who was waiting for him inside their bedroom, clear as day that whatever she wanted to discuss, that she didn't want Henry to overhear even as much as a single word. Her face closely resembled thunder in its purest form as he entered, and he miserably frowned at her.

"Sarah, I was just a little tired back there...just cut me some slack, today was a hard day..."

Sarah clasped her fingers together in a solid fist, before she sat down on the bed, and looked up at her husband, clearly too, miserable as sin.

"Marco...I understand it is hard for a white guy out there, especially in this country, to get a job, but you have GOT to do something and quick. We are running out of money fast, and my commission alone can't cover both the rent and the living expenses for months on end. I know things are hard, but...look, what do you want me to tell you? I've been more than patient, but my God...it's been five and a half months!"

Marco sighed and leaned against the wall of their bedroom, before placing both his hands inside the pockets of his jeans. Things were quiet for a while, before he wiped his eyes with his right hand, and pursed his lips...

"Well, then you will be happy to know that I have two more interviews lined up for tomorrow, Hon. I'm really trying me best here..."

"Trying your best, doesn't pay the bills, Marco!" Sarah hissed towards him, with her hands up in the air, as if her beloved husband had just committed a massive murder massacre.

Marco walked over to his wife, before sitting down beside her, and taking her left hand swiftly and softly to within his very own, before he gave her a kiss on her shoulder.

"Sarah...I know things have been hard, and you...you have stood with me through all of this, and I love you for it, okay? I can't force people to employ me, okay? I have my papers, and I have my full nine years of experience all ready and waiting, and if people still refuse to employ me...I mean, I dunno what you want me to do here? Please, just try and understand..."

Sarah shot upwards, as she stood aside, with both her hands placed solidly on her hips, and she seemingly refused to look at him. She shook her head, before she grabbed her phone from the bedside table, with both of them listening to Henry's feverish cries and groans as he was clearly not making enough headway in his Switch game, as he would have liked to.

"Believe me, Sweetheart...I understand. I always understand. Because if I didn't...both myself and Henry would have gone back to my mother's house a long time ago! I wasn't born to suffer like this! I work hard, damn hard! I deserve to live comfortably, and I'm sorry, but thanks to you, we can't! I dunno what to tell you, Marco...I really don't. But I can't go on like this."

Sarah wiped away a stray tear that had rolled down her cheek whilst she was giving Marco her little monologue, before she looked down at her phone, and typed a few random keys, before looking back at her husband. "What time is your first interview tomorrow?" she then asked.

Marco's shoulders slumped forward visibly, before he blinked a couple of times in trying to remember.

"The first one is at eight in the morning, at the Generation. Why?"

Sarah showed him her phone, before she continued... 

"Remember? I told you that we are getting new neighbours? Well, they are moving in tomorrow and they should be here just after ten in the morning...will you be back by then? Because you are gonna have to give them the keys to the house, I won't be able to be here, I have another house to show."

Marco grimaced...of course...it wasn't like he had anything better to do with his time than to show the new fucking neighbours around, did he?

"Don't worry, Hon. Consider it done," he said, before he laid back on the bed, a thousand thoughts running through his brain.

This wasn't the first time that Sarah has threatened to leave him and take Henry to her mom's house...ever since he has lost his job, the added pressure that was now landed on Sarah to provide for three mouths, had seemingly changed her.

She has literally morphed from a happy, smiling, joyful young woman in her early thirties to someone who now comes home at about nine in the evening, because she has to work twice as hard in desperately trying to sell more houses for some much-needed extra commission.

Marco sighed once more. Please...if there was any God up there, whatsoever...just help me...just give me something...anything...just let me provide for my family. Because right now...you're a fucking failure.

A big one.

**

Things at the Generation couldn't have gone worse if Marco had even tried.

It all started when Henry had somehow, literally minutes before Marco had to leave for his interview, managed to spill some of his Fruit Loops cereal onto his dad's fresh, clean, ironed buttoned shirt and black jeans.

Marco had to bite his tongue and severely at that, in order not to totally LOSE it at his son, but what could you do? Henry was seven...he didn't mean to do it; it was an accident, for God's sake.

Changing of his clothes added another ten minutes to his conundrum, before he had to get the bus to the interview, as Sarah needed their one and only Toyota Etios for her appointments around town. She was earning money...he wasn't. Not even a question.

To top everything off, the bus was a whole six and a half minutes over the time that it should have arrived, making Marco even more nervous...and by the time he had actually turned up at the Generation, he had sweated so much in the insane thirty-degree morning heat, that his shirt was completely drenched at his arm pits and it was overflowing inside the crook of his neck.

There was no fucking way that he would go in there, looking like he did. Home bound...where else could he go? If he was a heavy drinker, he would literally have cleaned out the nearest public house. Dejected as hell, wondering how on earth he was going to explain this to Sarah, especially after the whole song and dance she had done the previous evening, before he noticed that there was a gigantic moving truck parked right in front of the house next to theirs... .

..oh shit...oh shit!

He had completely forgot! Jesus!

The bloody new neighbours were moving in and he was supposed to supervise everything! Oh man, Sarah was going to murder him in cold blood! He ran towards his home as fast as his thirty-three-year-old legs could carry him, thank God he has kept fit over the years...before he dashed into the kitchen area, grabbing the keys as well as the paperwork that Sarah had so sweetly left him to give the new neighbours, at once speeding into their bedroom, and literally ripping off his sweaty shirt, frantically grabbing a white tank top from the cupboard, before he checked himself over in the full-length mirror hanging beside their bed.

Well, he wasn't David Beckham, nor would he ever be, but his blond hair was neatly styled, his arms and biceps were decently muscled, and his stomach was ripped as it always was. With a little bit of know-how, you didn't need a gym membership to keep fit, and he had over the course of his unemployment made sure that he ran every day, did his sit-ups and push-ups, as well as a lot of muscle-work with weights that he had brought before he was retrenched.

He looked good, well, at least to himself. He winked at his reflection, before he turned around and made haste for the house next door.

As he walked out, he saw a young woman, of about twenty-five or so at the most, along with a little boy at her side, a right cutie pie with pitch black hair, wearing a Manchester United soccer kit, as well as a very, very handsome man clearly busy organising things from his end, towards the people who were moving their stuff in.

"Be careful, guys, please! Okay, those things you can take through to the kitchen, and the other half, you can just dump for now in the corridor, me and the wife will sort that out ourselves!"

Moving into a new house was always a wonderful new experience, but it was also a shithouse full of work, as both Marco and Sarah knew all to bloody well, with her being a real estate agent.

Nevertheless, he walked closer to the pair, before he cleared his throat.

"Sorry...new neighbour interrupting!"

Both the man and the woman turned around, before the boy laid his eyes on the bike that the movers were now removing from the truck...

"Daddy, can I go for a ride? There's like nothing to do around here!" he moaned in his typical little boy routine and voice, before the young woman rolled her eyes and smiled up at her husband.

"I'll take care of this and watch him, you carry on here," she said, before giving her husband a kiss on his cheek, and worryingly running after the young little tyke who had already gotten on his bike, and had quite a head start on his mother who was supposed to be watching after him.

The husband turned towards Marco, and held up both of his had in a mock surrender.

"I apologise profusely! My kid didn't get his manners from me! Hey man, glad to meet you, I'm Jackson Fuller. And I guess we're gonna be neighbours then?"

Marco smiled and reached out with his right hand, before it was solidly gripped into that of Jackson. Electricity, effective immediately and sudden as if came rushed through Marco like a fucking hot knife through butter, before he swallowed slowly, and released Jackson's hand, pointing towards the loads and loads of furniture, doing the best he can to actually change the subject.

"Marco Alder, same here. Sorry, I wasn't here before now, I had a job interview earlier, and yeah...let's just leave it at that, you don't wanna know how royally I fucked that up! Here are your keys as well as the paperwork that you still need to sign...oh, sorry, I should have mentioned this, my wife sold the house to you guys...Sarah Alder? That's why I'm over here right now doing the dirty work, because she's the one earning the big bucks and I'm out on my ass looking for a job."

For a second, Marco mentally cursed himself...where the fuck was he actually going with this? And why did he think that Jackson would even REMOTELY be interested in the shithouse that was his life right now? URGH...why do you always, always have to do this...

But then, after a few quiet moments, Jackson snickered and shook his head, taking the keys and the bunch of papers from Marco in the process.

"Dude...all I can say is, welcome to the club!" Marco frowned, looking at Jackson as if he was the last man on this earth...Jesus...the dude's black hair was styled just perfect...he had a strong, rugged demeanor, his smile was huge and infectious, and tan...man, oh man...

Marco could only wish that he looked anything like the man mountain of a hunk standing here before him... ...but then he suddenly remembered that the dude was actually smirking at him.

"What? What now? Did I say something wrong?" he asked, reaching upwards to block his own face from the vicious rays of the summer sun and devastating ultra violet beams coming from above them. Jackson wiped the back of his neck with his right hand before he placed his hand on Marco's shoulder.

"Same boat here, my dude. Out of work, struggling to find a job. Been five weeks now, and January is totally not the right time to look for something. That's why we had to move...couldn't have stayed where we were before, the rent...you don't even wanna know. How long for you now?"

Marco swallowed...he couldn't place it...but it was like he had just met and found the brother he never knew he had. That...instant sort of camaraderie and bond of both being out of work, knowing the stresses and the panic...the uncertainty and the worry that came with that...it was something that only people in that exact position could possibly understand.

And clearly, Jackson Fuller, more than did.

"Was laid off end of September...yeah man...it's not been fun, lemme tell you that!" Marco said with a straight face, before Jackson's wife and young boy returned from wherever she had found in riding his beautiful blue BMX bicycle.

God knows how long Henry have asked, pleaded more like, for one just like this, but Marco knew his son wanted a green one. "Jesus, where is my damn manners, my mom raised me much better than this! Marco Alden, this is my wife Elise, and this little monster over here, is our son Nick. Nick, don't be shy, say hi to Mister Alden," Jackson softly prompted the mini version of himself, to which Nick just simply gave Marco a slight wave, which the latter returned as friendly as he hoped he could be.

The last thing he wanted to do was scare the boy off, because he a nagging feeling that Henry would be pissing his pants from exitement if he saw who had move in next door.

"Well, I won't bother you guys any further, please enjoy the unpacking and everything...and I'm sure I speak for Sarah as well when I say if you need anything, feel free to come round. I hope you guys will be very happy here," he said, before he saw Jackson's hand this time, taking the turn, and making the effort to actually reach out towards his.

Before poor Marco even knew what he was doing, it was swiftly clasped into his own, with Jackson's beautiful hazelnut-coloured eyes making immediate contact with Marco's turquoise ones.

"I'm sure we will be," he said, his smile widening as he did so. 

**

About a week later, Marco had a follow up interview at a warehouse in town, and as far as he could tell, things went okay...he really couldn't tell, since the dude who had conducted the interview, looked like he was born when a face of pure, solid gravel...

...but as far as feelings went, he was sure he did better than he did others. Now he would just have to wait it out, and hope to God that he got it.

The salary they offered was more than okay, a little lesser than what he had gotten at his previous place of employment, however, there was no way that he could turn up his nose at any sort of money at that moment.

Looking at his watch, there would be over an hour's time before he had to go and collect Henry from school, where his mind automatically switched to Jackson once more. Little Nick Fuller, who was the exact same age as Henry, was now in the same first grade class together, and boy, did those two hit things off right from the very fucking start. In this one week that had past, if they were at one family's home for playing one Nintendo Switch game after the other, they were at the other's home for a swim. They were getting pretty much like Siamese twins...never seeing the one without the other. In just one week...seven freaking days...both Henry and Nick had found in each other what they had always wanted...a friend...a best friend who didn't live miles and miles away from them.

More often than not, with a feeling if instant regret and guilt, Marco would glance over towards the neighbour's front yard to see if Jackson was anywhere...he couldn't help himself...he was lonely as hell, he never was much of a people's person anyway, even when he was still in school himself,

Marco was always the kinda guy who only had one or two, really close friends in his life. Never more, he just didn't make friends that easily, and that still rang close to this day. Yeah sure, he had been invited out by the guys at the gym in the past couple of months to go and have a beer with them, just to take the edge off and so on...but how would he pay for his drinks?

Ask Sarah for money, so that he could go and have a good time...?

Fuck that shit!

He had his pride, and although Sarah, at the beginning, told him that she would more than happily pay for him to go out once in a while, the feeling of being a kept husband, was way more than what Marco could ever handle. It was bad enough that she had to look after him as far as eating and basic living was concerned.

Marco sighed, before he took another look at the next-door home, but there was no one there. He didn't even know if Jackson had managed to find himself a job as yet...and perhaps he did, and why would he actually tell Marco about it? They met like three or four times ever since they had moved in, and that was only to drop their respective children off at each other's houses. Jackson seemed like a cool, chilled dude, and someone that any guy would wanna hang out with.

Yeah right, Marco Alden.

We both know there was another reason the man intrigued you like he did.

And you know it.

Marco sat down on the coach with a glass of Coke, swinging around the multiple blocks of ice that he added, before taking a sip, allowing the cool, sweet liquid to drip down his throat, immediately feeling a lot better from this insane heat wave that was bust speaking its way through the entire Cape Town.

He closed his eyes, as he laid back and tried to shred that irritating little voice at the back of his mind.

Sigh.

It was back in college, a full fourteen years ago by now.

Marco was thirty-three at present, but back in 2008, he was a naive country boy who had grown up on the outskirts of the city, in the rural Western Coast area of Vredenburg. There was a massive difference coming from a small coastal town to the giant that was Cape Town for a day of shopping and just shooting the shit with his parents, and actually having to relocate here for his four years of university studies.

He didn't quite know what had hit him. Everything was new, the social scenes, the bars, the crowds, the popularity of some and the pressure to make something of yourself in this huge ass metropolis.

Coming from a rural fishing town, he didn't have that many sexual experiences in his life... ...until he had met Rory Hartman.

Until that moment and time, Marco Alden had always, but always thought of himself as being straight and into girls, because of the fact that he had lost his virginity at a very early age, amazingly, at the incredible tender one of thirteen, to one of his classmates...which was a female.

And that was it. He had nothing, or no one else to compere anything to, where sex was concerned.

To realise to his complete and utter shock, over the course of the year that was 2008, that he had real, very real feelings for Rory, could have knocked him over with a feather! Of course, he knew what BEING GAY was, but he never felt that it would ever happen to him, personally. Rory and himself became close friends but never more than that, but to this day, Marco knew...oh he knew...that there was something deep inside of him, that was literally, quite literally, TERRIFIED of.

He flinched every single time that he saw a good-looking man. It was wrong...people said. It wasn't normal, they said. He was the sixth male Alden relative of a golden generation that had lasted decades, of Alden family members that was expected to take a wife and give the family legacy another male heir, which he did.

Correction...which he only did because he felt he HAD to. Make no mistake, he loved Sarah and little Henry dearly, he would literally give his life for them... ...but he knew right from the start, that something was missing. That there was a certain need, which Sarah, despite her having a heart of gold, just could NEVER fulfil, no matter how hard she tried. Marco ran his fingers through his hair in total and utter sheer frustration...he didn't actually know why he was suddenly and inexplicably feeling like this for the first time in several fucking years...

...or maybe...just maybe, it was the fact that a drop-dead sexy beast of a man was now living in such close proximity to him. 

Jackson was so hot; it should be illegal.

That he very much knew.

And he hated himself for it.

The man clearly loved his wife, and his little boy, I mean, it was more than just evident, in all the times their families had talked and gotten to know each other via their kids being such close friends, the Fuller family seemed happy as Larry.

He knew that Jackson was a full five years older than Elise, his wife, and he looked GOOD for thirty.

Oh, fuck yeah, he looked fantastic.

"I don't wanna feel this way...Jesus Christ, man...I don't wanna be that guy that cheats on his wife even in his fucking thoughts..." Marco whispered to himself, wanting to snuggle into the couch some more, as he saw that was nearly time to go and pick up Henry from his school.

He sighed and got up, trying his best to straighten out his clothes and his blond hair, before he got his keys and headed to the front door. What where the chances...maybe...perhaps...that Jackson would be there as well?

Marco rolled his eyes and unlocked the front door, and walked as quickly as he could towards their car.

This fucking stops now.

The dude wasn't gay, and neither are you...well, not exactly gay per say...nevertheless, Jackson Fuller is happily married and so are you...so GET FUCKING REAL!

**

The following morning there was a knock on the front door, so early, that even Sarah, who usually gets up with the birds, wasn't dressed for any visitors as yet, so she pleaded with Marco to check and see who it is...yeah, God forbid that He should allow anyone to see Sarah without even a smidgeon of make up on...ever.

Still half asleep he wandered to the front of the house, and in opening the door, Marco swallowed slowly as he was stopped in his tracks...Jesus Christ...

...he was suddenly wake awake...

...he knew that Jackson was a looker but geez...he didn't expect to find the man on his front porch without a shirt on for any sort of money.

Jackson rubbed his hands together in the cold breeze of the early morning, before he noticed the door has been opened.

"Hey! Look, I'm in a real bind right now...Elise had to catch an early flight to some or other conference and she'll only be back this afternoon...she already left the house at what, five? And only now when I came back from taking her to the airport, and my fucking stupid car wouldn't start again. I've tried, as you can see, but I'm not the best mechanic out there. I'm really sorry for asking, but is there any chance that Nick could get a lift to school with you guys this morning?"

Marco nearly didn't register half of what Jackson was actually saying...he knew the man had to have a good body underneath all those fucking tight ass clothes he always wore, but he never expected the guy to be so damn ripped...

Marco knew he himself had a more than respectable six pack, but Jackson's dwarfed his own. The dude was so cut, it could fucking pierce blood diamonds. His hair was all wet and sweaty, clearly from struggling to get his car going again, his chest was slightly heaving as if he had run all the way here...

Marco blinked...his heart was racing like a garden mouse on steroids...this man...this man who he had known for less than two weeks... ...was quite literally the most beautiful human being he had EVER laid eyes on. Without a shadow of a doubt.

"Hello? Are you in there somewhere?" Jackson smiled as he reached out and gently waved the palm of his hand in front of Marco's face, the latter finally regaining some mobility over the rest of his limbs and he cleared his throat, fucking forcing his voice to actually work.

"Man, I'm so sorry, clearly not woken up yet! And it's really no sweat letting Nick come along. Anyway, he you can just bring Nick over when ever you guys are ready, I'm taking Henry to school anyway, he won't be any trouble." Jackson heaved his head backwards and clasped his hands together in one solid fist, and complete and utter relief was suddenly entrusted onto his face, as if to say...finally something was working out on this day, at fucking last.

"Dude...I really fucking owe you...of course I'll give you some money for gas and shit..." Marco rolled his eyes and folded his arms in front of his chest in total mock anger and infuriation.

"Did I ask you for money? Jackson, I'm literally going that way myself!"

Jackson hesitated, before he blinked a couple of times, before realising that Marco wasn't serious, as the latter patted him lightly onto the shoulder, before turning his back towards him and heading back inside.

"We're leaving in about an hour, so just bring him over, yeah? No worries, no trouble. Capish?"

Jackson shook his head, and turned around, the morning rays gleaming across his stunningly, glimmering six pack stomach, before he sighed.

"You know Marco...if there is someone out there who totally understands me...it's gotta be you. The wife is always working...you know, her high-powered job where she's the Head of Department and all that and here I am...struggling to fix a god damn car to take our son to fucking school. It just...it hasn't been a good morning, my friend."

The sudden knot inside the pit of Marco's stomach seem to grow by the second, as he frowned...looking at Jackson Fuller you would fucking swear he had the whole blazing world at his feet.

He was sexy as hell, he was fun to be around it seemed, he was a good father to his son, he had a beautiful wife who was five years younger than him, and he was the epitome of sheer male perfection...

...and yet...

...something inside his words and in his nuances...gave up spats of the absolute complete opposite. Jackson sighed and turned back towards Marco, a shine suddenly flickering inside his beautiful hazelnut-coloured eyes. 

"Hey...I just fucking remembered, it's Friday! And Elise will be flying back a little later. Why don't you guys come over to ours this evening? I'll grill a couple of steaks and we can make a night of it. That will be a proper thank you for this morning, you doing this for me means that I can sort the issues with my car the fuck out...and the boys can swim and be merry while we adults just chill and hang out...come on, what do you say?"

Marco bit his lip, deep in thought. Part of him wanted to say yes...fucking SCREAM yes in total and utter agreement, anything to spend some more time with this absolute wonderful, beautiful new friend of his...

...and part of him thought that being in Jackson's actual house with his fucking wife was the fucking last place he ever wanted to be.

What was going on here...Jesus Christ, how fast has this all happened?

He was immediately attracted to Jackson from the moment that they had met each other, and over the course of a mere two weeks, that simple and harmless attraction had evolved into something that was starting to feel way beyond Marco's control.

SHIT! SHIT!

Marco faked a smile, and closed the front door halfway in front of him, before replying... "Sounds good! I just have to talk to the wife...she's the breadwinner these days...and God, that fucking kills me to say..."

Jackson softly giggled, with said giggle slowly turning into a full-blown snicker, and for a small moment, he literally looked like a naughty little schoolboy who had totally been caught with his fingers in the forbidden cookie jar at that point.

"I hear you, brother, I hear you. Lemme know later when you have a chance? Where else would I be but home, right?" he answered, and winked at Marco, before he gave the latter one more smile, and proceeded to quickly jog his way home towards next door.

**

After a long ass day at work showing expensive houses to more than difficult clients, Sarah was all too grateful to have someone else do the dinner cooking for a change, and the three of them happily breathed in the smell of the fire already going at the back of the yard, when they knocked around the Fuller house later the afternoon.

Both Henry and Nick, totally inseparable as they were at this point, immediately dashed off towards the swimming pool out back, with both sets of parents looking back fondly at the two, before Elise and Jackson turned to their best possible hosting duties and offered to get Sarah and Jackson something to drink.

"I have to confess something, my dude...I was actually hoping you were a beer kinda guy. All my stuck-up so-called friends back where we lived, just prefer white wine and these days. Beer, I suppose is too beneath them what, with all the riches that they have. There you go, man, drink up!" Jackson said with a huge smile, as Marco told him that he would love a Black Label, which his host more than happily handed to him.

Marco smiled as he clinked the top of his beer against that of Jackson, and together the two families immediately seemed to find common ground between them. Both Elise and Sarah admitted that they had liked each other from the moment they met as well during the purchase of the house, so there was a lot of back and forth during the course of the evening.

Later, when they had each had a massive steak sirloin, topped with homemade mushroom sauce, complete with onion rings and fries placed before them...Marco honestly felt this was as good as it got...it looked and smelled so damn good. Elise had made the smaller foods, whilst of course Jackson had been in charge of grilling the meat, and man, did they both out do themselves for their first proper having over of guests in their new home.

Marco was on his way of picking up his knife and fork and getting stuck in, when he saw out of the corner of his eye, how Jackson bent his forehead down just a tad, before he seemed...yes...yes, my God, he was praying!

He was giving thanks to God for the food...what else could it have been? It was such a small gesture, complete and utterly nothing to be sniffed at, I mean, numerous people out there in the world are probably saying grace right before they enjoyed their meal... ...but seeing Jackson do it?

Jesus Christ.

Marco felt a twinge inside his chest. His face was warming up at a rapid pace, and his right hand starting slightly shaking as he held his fork. Calm down...calm down...he told himself over and over. How was he supposed to do that, when he literally was sitting opposite the...yes, the fuck he was going to say it...the most perfect man on the face of the planet? At least in Marco's eyes, that was.

The kids were already fast asleep by the time that the adults were done enjoying the delicious meal, which Sarah had proceeded to thank both Jackson and Elise for a million times. Jackson laughed off the compliment before placing his arm around his wife, and giving her a slight kiss on her temple.

It literally felt as if something inside Marco BROKE at seeing it...and he had no right in the world to feel that way. But...alas...he did. His emotions were all over the fucking place, and whilst Sarah fondly enjoyed the kiss between husband and wife, Marco didn't know where the hell to fucking look.

After a few more drinks on each of the foursome's side, conversation started to flow even more. More than it usually would have, in some people's cases.

"How the job hunting going? Marco here is still trying his best, bless him," Sarah asked Jackson out of the blue, to which Marco actually froze at the hearing of her words.

She probably didn't mean anything by it...but still! Jackson was in the exact same boat as he was, so there was nothing to feel bad about, it seemed...but it made him seem so...so small and fucking inferior in front of this...this male perfection that he was forced to share a table and company with. Jackson sighed and shook his head, a shred of sadness smeared all over his face.

"I have been to literally so many places...I'm either overqualified, or it is a BEE appointment or I'm too old...Jesus, I'm only thirty years old, for God's sake! But that's the jest of it. What do you think I'm always cooking for my family? It's the guilt, that eats you. That you can't financially provide...and that's what a man, a real man, is supposed to fucking do! I'm sure that Marco here feels the same."

Marco blushed and looked down at his shoes, before he flickered his eyes towards where Jackson was sitting...goodness me, the man was looking him straight in his eyes. he wasn't moving an inch...those beautiful emerald pearls were literally cascading friendship and understanding towards him, and Marco had never, EVER, felt so close to another human being, than he did Jackson, at that minute and time.

"Yeah...yeah man...it fucking kills me..." he softly replied.

**

Just before twelve, nearly coming up to midnight, everyone had a good laugh as Sarah couldn't keep her obvious tiredness away from the group for any longer, as she tried her best to stifle a devastating yawn, and dismally failed at the attempt, with Elise immediately getting up and starting to gather up the various glasses and plates, stating that she is now putting her foot down...and that tomorrow was another day for visiting guests.

Jackson once more hugged his wife to him, promising to come and help her with the mountain of heaped up dishes that was now waiting for the Fuller couple in the kitchen, before Sarah whispered to Marco something about the whereabouts of Henry.

Jackson must have overheard her, before he patted Marco's shoulder reassuringly, before smiling his stunning pearly whites at Sarah.

"Oh, I saw both of them in Nick's room, playing that god awful new Pokemon game on the Switch earlier but then, they only went and gone and plugged the thing in at our big screen TV in the living room when he has a perfectly good working one in his room!" Jackson giggled, the copious amounts of beer and shots all four of the had been having during the course of the barbeque clearly having taken its toll on the handsome man.

"Elise, would you walk Sarah home? I'll just and collect Henry and I'll join you soon," Marco asked, to which Elise happily nodded.

Both women felt as if they had, just like their sons and their husbands, that they had found a genuine new friend in each other, so she was only too happy to help. Once the women were on their way, Marco proceeded to follow Jackson towards their small, and modest living room, where they encountered two very much exhausted and sleeping seven-year-old boys lying in wait for them.

Marco stopped as Jackson did so first, and his eyes flickered up towards his own... 

...Jackson was looking down at his sleeping young son with so much love and so much adoration, that Marco was momentarily paralyzed, totally overcome with pent up emotion and just what he was feeling towards this stunning man.

"They are fucking little angels when they are asleep like this, aren't they?" Jackson whispered, and smiled over at Marco, before he slowly, carefully, leaned down and gently, proceeded to pick his son up into his arms.

The little boy started to slightly fidget in his sleep, possibly because of the sudden change in movement around him, before he turned around and snuggled his face and arms deep into his father's chest.

"I'd give my life for this one, brother. He's...the most precious thing in my life," Jackson continued, placing a soft kiss on Nick's forehead, before me smiled back up towards Marco himself.

"You okay? You seem...quiet...or something, all of a sudden?"

Marco quickly nodded before he leaned down himself, and gathering an equally sleeping Henry inside his own arms, the boy not even moving an inch, clearly cold and done with the world until the following morning, at least.

Marco swallowed slowly, his mind all over the place.

"I'm okay. No, really, I am. Nothing like a home cooked meal to cheer you up," he whispered, trying his best to make light of the current situation.

Jackson tensed up, before he slowly made his way close towards Marco. They were face to face, quite literally, Jackson was standing unbelievably close right then.

The latter slightly smiled, before he balanced Nick inside one arm, and reached out...

...and gripped Marco's shoulder ever so gently.

"You know what puzzles me? What I can't fucking figure out?" he asked, his words slurring, just a tad. Marco was...absolutely frozen in space and time...holy mother of God...the man was eve sexier up close.

He was...he was fucking perfect.

Jackson couldn't bother in waiting for an answer.

"You're looking after everyone and everything...you're doing your best; I can see that. Any father out there can see these things. He can see when another dude is trying his utter best to be the best man that he can possibly be for his family."

Jackson paused, before he carried on...

"This whole evening...I was just sort of wondering...if you are taking care of everyone as best you can...just who is looking after you?"

Jackson's bottom lip quivered, before he closed his eyes and quickly turned away from Marco and from Henry, cradling his son in his arms, and walking straight to where Nick's room had to be.

"Alright if I pop in for a beer sometime?" he asked, quietly over his shoulder, his back still turned away from Marco.

Marco grinned...he couldn't help but. He was so...for once in his god damn life...he was so, unbelievably happy.

And he sure as hell knew why.

He knew why.

"Sure, whenever you want," he answered, before he felt his cell phone vibrate inside the pocket of his jeans.

Placing Henry down as carefully as he could, he reached inside saw that it was Sarah calling him. In the corner of his eye, he saw Jackson wave goodbye at him, before disappearing around the corner of the corridor, complete with Nick in his arms.

Marco answered with a heavy heart, and sure as Sam, Sarah was now wide awake and wondering why he wasn't home already. He looked at his phone's screen...Jesus...it was nearly half past twelve in the morning!

He cleared his throat.

"Hey Hon...I'm just on my way. Me and Jackson got talking and didn't notice the time. I'll be home in a few minutes. Love you."

Ending the call, Marco felt even more shit than he had already had been. After everything...after she could have walked out on him yonks ago, in these five and a half months that he had not been able to financially contribute to their household...many a woman would have walked.

Without question.

There was no hiding it now...if he didn't admit it before, he had to now. He was attracted to Jackson. Incredibly so.

The man was not only drop dead fucking gorgeous, but he was one of the good ones, that was clear for everyone to see. The way he treated his wide and his son... He loved Sarah. He adored her. But...

...what he wanted...she couldn't give him.

She just couldn't.

To no fault of her own.

"Jackson..." Marco softly whispered, before he once more picked a very much sleeping Henry into both his arms, saying goodbye to Elise as he run into her in the kitchen on his way out...

...yeah, which wasn't awkward in the slightest after the thoughts he was having about her husband...

...and walked over to his own home.

Jesus.

Damn you.

Damn you, Jackson Fuller.

He hasn't been gone five fucking seconds, and he already missed the crap outta him.