"They look like they're doing fine on their own," Marly muttered as he followed his mate's built body through the crowds to the booth.
/~/~/~/~/
It was late by the time Trent got the door open on their apartment, and while he wanted nothing more than to bury himself balls deep in his teasing mate, he also knew he had to have a talk to the man first. All four men had enjoyed a good time at the club, and seeing Clive with Cat, a man he had only just met, reinforced in Trent that he had not been fair on his mate. Clive had slipped easily into being affectionate and flirty with the smaller man, and Cat had lapped up the attention. Trent had done Marly a disservice by ignoring that side of things and he had to man up and own up to it. So when Marly headed automatically to the bedroom, Trent stopped him and dragged him to the couch instead.
Not that the couch was any better, they'd had sex on there a dozen times in the last month. Trent stopped Marly from crawling all over him, saying more gruffly than he meant to, "cut that out, I need to talk to you."
Trent winced at the hurt look on his mate's face, not to mention the hunched posture and the way Marly seemed to curl in on himself. If he had been the true mate Marly deserved, then Marly wouldn't have to wonder if anything rude, or hurtful was going to come out of his mouth. For the first time since they met, Trent realized his standoffishness had seriously hurt his mate, and the trust the man had in him and their relationship. He had to rectify that.
"I wanted to tell you I'm sorry," he started slowly, still not sure what he wanted to say, but knowing he had to say something.
"What on earth for?"
"For not being a proper mate. For not spending time with you like I should have been. For making excuses when you wanted to have lunch with me, or wanted to go out for dinner or to a club. For not doing the groceries with you, and making you keep a hands-off policy at the Epitaphs. For basically treating you like I was ashamed of you, when I definitely wasn't. Aren't."
Marly shrugged, and then he said, "I knew what you were doing. I'm not stupid. You don't want to be seen out with me. Not much I can do about that. I dress down when I go to the biker's club, I tie my hair back. I keep my smart-ass comments to myself. I do what I can to make sure you're not uncomfortable with me."
"See, you shouldn't have to do that," Trent said, pulling Marly onto his lap. "The Fates brought us together. You are perfect for me in every way. But I've made you feel like there's something wrong with you, and there isn't. The problem is in me, not you."
"Oh. My. God. The old, not you it's me, crap. Then why am I the one who's made to feel like shit?" Praise the Fates, Trent thought that Marly looked adorably sexy sitting on his lap with his face in a snarl and his arms crossed over his chest. Marly was beautiful in so many ways, and yet when he was angry about something, it touched a chord in Trent that no-one had ever touched before.
"That's why I'm sorry," Trent explained. "Because I was the one behaving like a shit, and you were the one who was feeling like it. It's my fault, and I am not even sure I can explain why I behaved that way. Maybe it's because I'm old fashioned, maybe because of what happened when I thought I was in love before … "
"You think you love me now?" There was no way Marly could hide the shock in his voice.
"Yes. At least I don't think I do, I know I do."
"You love me and yet you can't take me out to lunch or for dinner. You don't want to hug me in public, unless we're at a gay club and you don't go there by choice. The only two times you've been to Glitters is because I went there without you. I don't expect you to make out with me on Main Street, but you don't even want to be seen with me."
Trent knew Marly was upset when the man slipped off of his lap, and started pacing the floor. When his little mate got agitated it was like he got too much energy for his body, and while Trent knew of the perfect way to dispel some of that energy, he had to follow through on his conversation first. He had to get Marly to understand that he was going to change.
"That was wrong of me," Trent agreed, staying put on the couch. He figured if he tried to touch Marly in any way, the man would probably hit him.
"And that makes it all right? Just telling me you're sorry and that you love me and shit? How can you love someone who you don't even want to be seen out with?
Marly stalked over to the couch and stood right in front of Trent, his chest heaving and his ass looking positively delectable in a pair of black leather pants. Surreptitiously pinching himself, so he wouldn't get distracted by how those pants looked like they were painted on, Trent forced himself to pay attention to what his mate was saying.
" … Six weeks we've been together. Six fucking weeks. I never asked you to claim me. In fact I told you not to. But no. You, with all your Alpha ignorance decided to bite me anyway, bonding us together, and then you won't even take me out for lunch!"
"I can understand why you're upset," Trent offered.
"No you can't!" Marly was really on a roll now and in a way Trent was glad because he deserved everything his mate had to say.
"Do you know what it's like to love someone who doesn't love you back? Who doesn't visit your workplace? Who won't even touch me unless we're at home or on the back of the bike? I am a fucking wolf shifter. I thrive on touch. I need it. I crave it and now that we are bonded, the only one I want touching me is you."
"And what do I get?" Marly had gone back to pacing again. "What do I get? A mate who makes excuses not to be with me. A mate who doesn't touch me if we're not at home. A five minute fuck once a day, doesn't cut it, Trent and you know it."
"I last longer than five minutes," Trent said, feeling slightly insulted.
"In the scheme of things it feels like five minutes," Marly yelled. "You're a wolf shifter too – can't you understand what I'm saying. I want to be with you every single minute of every day. I know that's not practical and I am trying to be realistic. But when we mated and came out to the Epitaphs I thought you would at least come and see me at lunch sometimes, or fucking give me a hug hello when I came to the club. But I get nothing like that from you, nothing, and it fucking hurts."
Marly's voice broke at the end, and Trent could see the tears in those lovely blue eyes. Without second guessing himself, he stood up and gathered Marly close into his chest. He felt close to tears himself. After all that his mate had been through, with his own home pack, and then forging a life for himself in the city, Marly had been so strong. And what had he done? The Alpha who was never meant to hurt his Omega, had brought the man to tears. By being a thoughtless, selfish, jerk.
"Hush, precious," he said softly, stroking Marly's hair. "I know saying sorry doesn't take away the hurt, but please believe me, things will change. I will change."
"I think you should grow your hair out longer." Marly's voice was muffled because the man's face was still stuck firmly against Trent's chest and for a moment, Trent thought he had misheard.
"Why's that little mate? I thought you liked the way I look?"
"I do, I do," Marly sounded certain enough. "But I think, with your hair all short and military like, that it's made you more human, and that's not helping you remember your wolf or your instincts on how to deal with a mate."
Thinking about it, Trent could see where Marly was making sense. He'd cut his hair short, back when he had returned to human form after leaving his pack, and he hadn't had longer hair anytime since. Long hair was common among wolf shifters – it was almost a way of keeping touch with the wolf side, even when in human form.
Snorting, Trent said, "You know, after spending two years in wolf form you'd think I'd have a better handle on my instincts."
"That was a long time ago, old man," Marly reminded him quietly. "I think you've lost touch since then. No wolf shifter I have ever known, would make excuses to stay away from their mate, no matter what the situation."
Damn that pang of guilt in his gut again, it really didn't make Trent feel good at all. But Trent knew that Marly wasn't trying to rub salt in a wound, or anything like that. He was stating a fact, albeit a bit calmer than the first time he'd mentioned it, but making a point all the same.
"It won't happen again," Trent promised. "Believe me, I miss you through the day, and if I had my way, you would quit your job, and spend time with me instead."