Don't Tell Jack... (Mark X Anti)

Part 14

WARNING: contains some slight NSFW content, but not as bad as I could make it. You have been warned and/or exited based on your viewpoint. You're welcome. (Long chapter because I get carried away)

Mark's POV
I paced my bedroom anxiously, my bare feet quietly padding on the plush carpet. I didn't want to wake Jack. I was so confused, an emotion I realized I'd been feeling a lot the past few days.

Why would Jack break down like that? We'd been laughing. For the first time in what felt like ages, we were genuinely laughing. And he started crying. Was it something I said? Something I did? It was all so sudden.

Before I could even notice, my thoughts flicked from Jack's meltdown to what had happened before. My mind was filled with his words. From his exhilarating "I'm gay" to his confusing "don't tell Jack". I had no idea what it all meant, and simply thinking harder wasn't working. The oddest part was his amnesia regarding the whole incident.

As I paced, I was startled by a loud creak from the guest room. The pullout couch was old, so I could easily hear Jack getting up out of bed. I checked the clock. It was ten. He'd slept for less than three hours. It wasn't my business to bother him, but I could tell by his shaking and frail composure as I sat him on the pullout earlier. He needed sleep. Should I tell him he needs sleep? Or should I stop babying him like he seems to hate?

It turned out that I didn't need to choose. As I bit my nails, wondering what to do, I heard a soft rap at the door. Exactly two knocks.

"M-mark?"

He was sniffling outside the door, his voice whispered and frail, and my heart went out to him in every way.

"What's up Jackaboy?"

"I had a nightmare..." He sniffled like a toddler. It was oddly adorable.

"Could ye open the door?" I spared no time grabbing the knob and letting Jack into my room.

As soon as Jack set foot in my bedroom, I was fawning over him like a newborn kitten.

"Jack! Do you need anything? Water? Something to eat? Do you want to talk about it?"

Jack was looking at the floor, his eyes shielded by his bangs. Tears dripped down his face.

"Can I stay here with you?"

My heart jumped.

"In my room? Like spend the night?"

"I-if t's all the same ta you..."

"Um... I- o-of course..."

I stumbled over my words, my throat tight and dry. Jack looked up at me. His eyes were rimmed with red, but something shone in his eyes where his fear should have been. Something almost sinister. Before I could think about it, his lips spread into a thin smile.

"I'm glad. If you'd've said no, I would've  had ta try somethin' a bit more my style. And I'm not sure Ye woulda appreciated it all that much."

I noticed a slight green tinge to the whites of his eyes. This was... The Jack who told me he was gay. And touched my thigh in the car...

"Ya gettin it? Ye are a smart one I'll admit."

His accent was a bit thicker. Like how he... How Jack sounded in his first videos. With the maturity of his current voice. It was... Nice.

"What do you mean? What am I getting?"

"That I'm... different than him. I suppose you can be the judge of whose better."

He was talking over his shoulder as he entered my room, headed toward the master bath. I didn't question him though. I was too dumbstruck by what he seemed to be saying.