feeling a bit under the weather

It was quite a transition. Honestly, Dustin's back had not felt the same since moving in with Halie and the baby. He was hurting. God, how he missed his bed. And nothing was quite as beautiful as he thought it might have been with Halie.

Not that he'd put up a fuss about it. But he was cramped, and there was never ever any peace, where it was just the two of them. He really felt he needed to be respectable around Alec. After all, he was a bit of a father figure..he guessed. He'd never actually had one, but that didn't stop him from trying the best he could.

He pressed his back against the counter, hoping the weight would bring some comfort, and it did, if only it was a bit of a relief.

"Can I bother you?" A voice with a hint of French made Dustin slightly flinch as he was putting away a wine glass in the shelf above him.

"What?" He turned to see it was Marco, his mum's boy toy, he imagined.

"We haven't really met, and I know its... my fault, you leaving, like you did, and your mum really misses, you... terribly." Marco glared at him as if he was trying to be remorseful, but Dustin couldn't really believe him.

"Oh. Its you." Dustin said ever so dull. "What do you want?" He couldn't help but scowl. He could be in his own bed tonight if it wasn't for this bastard.

"A coffee, if you've got it."

"We don't make it quite like you do." Dustin didn't feel like being kind to the Frenchman.

"It will be fine. I was just trying to impress her, you know." Marco shrugged.

"Really?" Dustin couldn't help to snarl as he reached for a mug and poured him some coffee, as if he did need to do his job.

"I'm afraid so. See, the older you get, the harder it is to meet the right one." He told him.

"What's so right about her?" Dustin wanted to know as he reached for the cream and the sugar too, but Marco only drank it black.

"She's kind and she makes me laugh." Marco's smile was genuine as he spoke of her. "And she has, you and I really really didn't want to come between you two. Cause, I know..where you're coming from. My sister raised me-"

"Yeah, well..she's not my sister, she's me-Mum." Dustin snapped.

"And you really want to leave it like this?" Marco's eyes were serious.

"Yeah, well..I'm..I've moved on." Couldn't think of a way to get out of this with Halie now. He really did want it to work with her. He did see a future. He just wanted things a little more quiet and a baby who wasn't watching them going at it, under the covers.

"How could that be?" Marco's stare got the best of Justin.

"Look, Halie needs me..and Mum needs you. And..well..." Dustin sighed.

"I must say, you're quite a remarkable bloke, taking in another man's child. And you're so young. I mean, I would have never have been moved.. to do such nonsense." Marco let a grin slip as he cradled his coffee.

"I figured as much. You, just wanted to see the world I guess. We're nothing at all, alike." Dustin festered a small frown.

"Right." Marco nodded. "I was stubborn. And selfish, quite a prick when I could be." Marco just said as he took a sip of coffee.

Dustin didn't have time to listen to this.

"Look, I'm going back to Paris. Just to tie up some loose ends, but I will be back. I hope you can find some time to spend with your Mum. I have asked her to marry me."

Dustin said nothing, but went on with his work behind the counter. He hated the thought of the changes to come, but there would always be changes. He looked back at Marco.

In his head, he thought of his mum crying. Dustin knew it was all his fault, but then again, he knew who was comforting her and he knew he would never be able to comfort her like Marco could.