The next morning they met in the studio. They had recorded a new song, the only thing missing was the main singer. The song was called "twisting by the pool". Mark had come up with it a few months ago. It had a beautiful original rock'n'roll swing, like Elvis Presley's. When John entered the studio, he found Mark already behind the glass. The others were sitting in front of the mixing desk. The singer had headphones on and was standing in front of the microphone.

"Hello John!" Amalia called out, smiling, as she was there again this time.

"Morning." The bassist smiled. "How's it going?"

"Ah, my voice sounds like shit." They suddenly heard Mark over the intercom.

"That's not true, we'll just record it again." Pick said as he pressed the button so he could speak through his own microphone. Mark rolled his eyes. The track slowly started and Mark started singing, his eyes closed. John smiled as he watched him. Shit, he was just gorgeous. He had repressed this thought for years, but now he didn't have to anymore.

"We're going on a holiday now...Gonna take a villa, a small chalet...Costa del Magnifico-" Mark choked and started to cough. "Shit!" He shouted in frustration. David stopped the recording. The older Knopfler coughed directly into the microphone, although he tried to muffle it with the crook of his arm.

"Somebody's going to get sick, aren't you?" Pick teased. Mark glared at him angrily. "I told you to put on a jacket."

"Ah, piss off." Mark grumbled. "How much tape do we have left?" Pick turned around and looked at the tape reel.

"Well, you have a few more tries." Mark started again before he had to stop after two verses and coughed again.

"Shit, my throat feels like sandpaper." The singer moaned and grabbed his throat.

"Come here, we're taking a break." David said through the microphone. Mark sighed and took off his headphones before entering the mixing room. He closed the door behind him and looked at his friends in frustration.

"Shit guys, I'm sorry." He coughed again. "I know how much work we put into it and..."

"And what?" Pick looked at him questioningly. "Your voice sounds a little different every day and right now it's just not as melodic as usual. Maybe we shouldn't rush the recording." Mark slumped onto the sofa with a loud sigh. Amalia entered the room with a cup in her hand. A thread with a little note on it hung over the edge of the cup.

"Here." She smiled. Mark looked at her questioningly. "Tea with honey. That should help your voice." The singer smiled at her.

"Thank you." He stirred his cup a little while David and Pick talked about the weekend. John slowly sat down next to his boyfriend. Mark didn't seem to notice until Illsley put an arm around his shoulders. Mark tensed a little.

"How did you sleep, honey?" Illsley's thumb stroked Mark's shoulder. Knopfler's face turned red and he looked around the room a little uneasily. John noticed this. "Mark, these are our friends. There's no reason to be ashamed or worried." The guitarist nodded tensely. John sighed quietly. God, Mark's tension was really difficult to get rid of. What had his bastard father ever done to break this boy so that he was ashamed of everything in their relationship? John sighed and kissed Mark on the cheek before standing up. "I'm going to get something to eat from the shop next door. Anyone else want something?"

"I'm coming with you. I still need milk for the cake I want to bake today." Amalia said, smiling. David gave John a five pound note and told him to bring a beer. The two of them set off. "John?" Amalia asked quietly after they had been walking next to each other for a while.

"Mh?"

"What's wrong with Mark? He's been acting so differently since you two became a couple. I've never seen him like this before." John sighed and stopped to look at the green-eyed girl.

"Mark, he... he needs time to process our relationship."

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused. John sighed and sat down on a park bench by the side of the road. Amalia sat down next to him.

"Mark, he... he let his soul mark bleed out." Amalia lowered her head sadly.

"Pick told me about it." She whispered. John took a deep breath.

"He did that because his father beat him when he was a child. He hated Mark for having a male soul mate. Mark had a...shitty childhood." Amalia looked at John with wide eyes. "He is ashamed of everything. When we walk through the streets and I take his hand, I have to make it clear to him every time that it's okay to do that. When I call him darling, he blushes. It's not easy. I try to take small steps. Hell, he hasn't even said that he loves me. He just keeps saying he likes me a lot." Amalia bit her lip. "And I'm not mad at him, you know? I'm just worried about him. And I wonder what his damn father did to him to make him think this way." The bassist looked into his lap with a sigh and played with his hands. Amalia gently put her arm around his shoulders.

"Mark doesn't have it easy, you're right about that. But I think you're doing everything right, John." The bassist looked at her sadly. "Take small steps with him. Eventually he'll understand. And then he won't care what other people say about him." John nodded, smiling weakly.

*

After about 30 minutes, the two were back in the studio. Mark was standing behind the glass again. And this time it seemed to work. His eyes were closed again. His left hand was on the side of the headphones and his body was moving with the music. John smiled. He liked it much more this way. When the track ended, Pick quickly pressed save and they cheered loudly. The song was finished. Mark took off the headphones and came back to the mixing desk.

"We did it!" David shouted happily and stretched out his arms to his brother. Mark hugged him jubilantly and the two brothers laughed. John smiled when he saw this. Amalia kissed Pick proudly on the lips. John stood a little awkwardly in the room. Mark walked up to him and pulled him into his arms. John smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

*

After the recordings, it was lunchtime. John followed Mark out of the recording studio to his car. It was a red VW Golf 1. Not a special car, but since it was small, it was perfect for a big city like London. Mark put his guitar on the back seat and looked at John in surprise as he stood behind him. He didn't say anything, though. They both got into the car. Mark sat behind the wheel. The car had been specially modified because the original steering wheel had been on the left side of the car, since it was from Germany.

"Where are we going?" John asked, looking over at Mark. The singer pressed the clutch and turned the key in the ignition. The car came to life. Mark put on his indicator, looked back briefly, and then pulled out of the parking space. The radio played quietly in the background.

"I...I was thinking if I...if I should tell my mother about us." He said as he drove down the road. John leaned back in his seat and looked over at him.

"You mean that I'm your soul mate?" The younger man bit his lower lip and nodded a little.

"I think...I think she should know."

"And what about your father?" John asked worriedly as they stopped at a traffic light. Mark sighed and tilted his head a little to the side to see the traffic light.

"I don't know, John. I think he should know too." The bassist smiled slightly and reached out his hand. He gently squeezed Mark's knee.

"If that's what you want, then I'll support you." Mark smiled briefly at him before angrily honking the horn.

"Damn it! The traffic light won't get any greener!" He shouted angrily before the blue car in front of them finally drove off. John giggled.

*

After a 20-minute drive, Mark turned off the engine. They were in a small town outside of London. It was quite in the area. The settlement consisted of small houses with front gardens. John had been to Mark's parents' house before. But he only knew his mother. He had never seen his father once in his life. Mark's mother had often picked them up from university or brought them something to eat when they lived together with David in an apartment and could barely afford the apartment. But how would she react if she found out that they weren't just friends? Mark took a deep breath and got out of the car. The bassist followed him to the house after Knopfler locked the car. When they were in front of the front door, John gently took Mark's hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"Ready?" The singer took a deep breath and nodded before knocking on the door. It took a while before his mother opened the door. She smiled when she saw her eldest son.

"Hello Mark!" She called out enthusiastically and pulled him into her arms. "I haven't seen you in ages." Mark smiled.

"Hello Mom." Since the woman was a good six inches shorter than him, the hug looked pretty funny. John smiled a little.

"Hello John." She hugged the bassist too and then led the two into the house. She had them sit down on the sofa and offered them drinks. While she was in the kitchen, John smiled at his boyfriend.

"Not bad so far, right?" He whispered. Mark giggled a little and took a deep breath. His mother came back soon after and gave both a glass of homemade lemonade. She sat down on an armchair opposite them and smiled at the young men.

"So, tell me. How are you? How is the new album going?" Mark smiled. He simply loved his mother. When he was a teenager, she had shown him the love that he could never get from his father.

"Well. Today we finished a song. David was happy. You know how he is, Mom." Mrs. Knopfler giggled. Yes, her youngest child could often be annoying if work wasn't done right away. "David is doing very well. He's getting better and better at the guitar." Mark took a sip from his glass and then put it on the living room table. Louisia smiled at her son.

"And you? How are you? You look a little emaciated." She said worriedly. Mark giggled a little.

"You always say that when you see me." Louisia rolled her eyes.

"It's a mother's duty to say that, Mark!" The group laughed a little.

"You know, Mom... I'm fine too." Mark said, leaning back against the arm of the couch. "It's all a little complicated, but I'll manage."

"That's my boy." She smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "And how are you, John? I haven't heard from you in ages either." The bassist smiled at her.

"It's a lot of work, but..." Suddenly they heard a loud crash from the garden, followed by cursing. Mark tensed when he recognized the voice. His father. His eyes darted restlessly around the room. John noticed this and put a hand on his knee before looking at him reassuringly. Nothing will happen to you. I'm here. Said his brown eyes. Mark nodded slightly. Louisia watched the whole thing.

"Oh, that's Erwin. He's working in the garden." She said, referring to the bang. John nodded. "Why did you come anyway? Just like that? Unannounced? Not that I'm not happy, I am. But there must be a reason, am I right?" Mark smiled. His mother had always seen through him. Whether it was because she had been a primary school teacher and was very good at understanding people, he didn't know.

"Mom, I... I have to tell you something." She smiled at him gently. "John... John is my..." Mark bit his lip and looked into the bassist's brown eyes. "John is my soul mate." Louisia smiled at him.

"I'm very happy for you, honey." She stood up and hugged him tightly. "I've been hoping for a long time that you would find him." She hugged John tightly too. "Welcome to the family." John giggled.

"Thank you." He said simply.

"I'm so happy for you boys." Mark could see she wasn't lying, as she beamed like the sun itself and clapped her hands like a schoolgirl. "I've been wishing for you for so long that you would finally find him, honey." She laughed. "And then it turns out that your soul mate has been by your side for 15 years."

"That's exactly what I said." John laughed. Louisia smiled at her son and took his hand in hers to stroke it.

"But something is bothering you. What is it? I know my boy." She put a finger under his chin and made him look up at her. Mark forced a smile. Suddenly the door opened and a middle-aged man came in. His hair was already a little gray. He was wearing jeans and a plaid shirt. Mark held his breath as the two stared into each other's eyes.

"Hello Dad." He said tonelessly.

"What are you doing here?" He asked instead.

"I...I..."

"Too stupid to give me an answer, huh?" The older man asked a little angrily. "Damn, you were studying journalism and you can't even formulate a simple sentence." Mark bit his lower lip. "What do you want here?"

"Dad, I..." Mark took a deep breath. "I wanted to introduce you to my soul mate. John Illsley." The room was dead silent.

"You let your soul mark bleed out." His father said angrily. "How can you have a soul mate now?"

"My...my name is on his wrist and my soul mark had his name on it and I..." Mark stammered, intimidated. The man walked up to him and hit him in the face. The wedding ring that was on Erwin's ring finger dug a deep slit into Mark's cheek, which immediately began to bleed. Louisia and John gasped.

"I told you never to show your face here again, and especially not with a faggot who claims to be yours! Damn, I always knew you were a mistake! Damn shit, you shouldn't be my son! I've been ashamed of you my whole life! You're nothing but a disgrace! Go and take your faggot with you!"

"Erwin." Louisia said quietly. Her eyes were filled with tears. She loved her eldest son as much as her other two children. But she knew that Mark had had a difficult childhood because of his father.

"You're quiet!" He shouted angrily. "Get out of here!" Mark got up from the sofa. John followed. He just watched what was happening with wide eyes. "Get out and take him with you!"

"He has a name!" John shouted a little angrily now. "My name is John Illsley! And you should be ashamed of what you did to your son!" Erwin looked at him angrily.

"You have no right to tell me anything, you faggot!" He reached out to hit him, but Mark jumped in. He caught the blow on his cheek. John's eyes widened.

"I hate you." Mark whispered quietly. His eyes began to tear up. "All my life I've tried to be perfect for you. I hoped that you could love me someday. You know what? I don't give a damn about you anymore." He turned around, took John's hand firmly in his and went to the front door.

"Yes! Go and never let yourself be seen here again, you bastard!" Mark closed the door quietly behind him. John stood next to him and looked at him worriedly. The singer walked with heavy steps to his car. He sat down on the hood and, trembling, tried to light a cigarette.

"Honey." John whispered quietly and wanted to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Let...let me go, please." Mark pleaded with a trembling voice and pushed him away. "Please...sit in the car and...shit." Tears ran from his eyes. John looked at him worriedly. "Please, John." He looked at him tearfully. "Please sit in the car." The bassist sighed sadly and sat in the car. He watched Mark, who was smoking his cigarette outside. He repeatedly wiped the tears from his cheeks with his hand, but new ones came. John felt pain in his heart. He had suspected that coming here had been a bad idea. Mark's father was just a damn asshole. John felt tears in his own eyes as he thought about what Mark must have experienced in his childhood because of that wanker. When Mark had finished smoking the cigarette, he threw it on the ground and stomped it out. He sat down in the driver's seat and took a deep breath.

"Mark..." John said quietly.

"Please, don't say anything." The singer whispered, looking out the windshield.

"I just want to tell you that I love you. No matter what that bastard says." Mark started the engine. John leaned over and kissed his cheek.