Butterfly (Markiplier Love Story)

Chapter Four

Shift P.O.V

He stood there for a moment in the living room until his curiosity got the best of him. Mark followed her into her room and was impressed by the contrast between the rest of the apartment and her space. It was much tidier than the living room. Her bed was covered by a light purple blanket and pillows, the rug beneath her bed was black and plush. She had a simple dresser and small closet, a bookshelf, a desk that held speakers and a webcam, and a second shelf that was full of game cases. There were a few posters on the wall, but what really caught his eye was the photo on her bedside table. It was her black horse from the ranch, the photo taken when it was still a foal.Gwen turned from grabbing her purse off the desk and frowned deeply.

"Mark, you can't be in here."

"I just wanted to see your room." He sat on the edge of her bed and grinned. "Come here."

"I...I can't. We need to get out of here."

"Gwen, it's just for a few minutes." He watched her cautiously walk over and when she was close enough, he wrapped his arms around her. "Just relax. Jamie won't be back for a few hours," Mark reminded her. "You shouldn't worry so much." He pulled her onto the bed with him and lied back against the pillows. Holding her close, he felt euphoric. Her hair felt soft beneath his fingertips, her chest pressed to his side. Maybe I shouldn't have come here. I should have gone to the café earlier instead of waiting for her to leave. But this feels so nice.

She rested her head against his shoulder, one arm draping over his chest. "Mark...you had me worried today..."

"Aww! You were worried about me?" he teased, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. He felt his heart beat faster when one of her legs crossed over one of his. She was wearing a black skirt that ended a few inches above her knee and a Game Grumps t-shirt that seemed to hug her frame perfectly. This was a bad idea, he decided. This did not stop him from pulling her on top of him.

Her face turned scarlet and Gwen bit her lip in nervousness. "Mark, what are you doing? What if my brother came home early? He would kill me..."His hands went to her hips, holding her for a moment before wandering up and down her sides. "We never get time alone like this. I don't know when we'll be alone again." Mark smiled when she leaned down and pressed her lips to his. She was still very shy about anything romantic. She acted like she was afraid of disappointing him. Mark knew she couldn't though. She couldn't disappoint him even if she tried because no matter what, he always found amusement in her reactions.

"I...I wish I didn't live with Jamie." Gwen's voice was very soft, as if she feared her brother might hear her. "If I had my own apartment...you know things would be different. It's hard though. Trying to save up for a place."

"You should move in with me." His heart beat even faster. He had been thinking about this for a while and was afraid to ask her. Mark knew how close she was with her twin so she would probably be reluctant to leave Jamie on his own, but he had grown pretty close with her. There was a chance she might say 'yes'. He hoped that she did not notice his heart racing.

Gwen sighed quietly and let her head rest on his chest. "I couldn't leave Jamie."

They were the words that he absolutely dreaded hearing and they crushed him. If she won't even move out, what are the chances that she'll ever want to...? He couldn't finish the thought. Thinking about marriage after knowing someone for only two months would make him seem beyond weird. Creepy even. He did not want to risk her thinking her was just an obsessive creep. Mark ran his fingers through her long hair, in an effort to reassure her as well as himself. "I understand." Even though I don't. If you really love someone, you want to be with them.

Shift P.O.V

She sat back on his waist, letting her hair fall over her eyes, and sighed again. "Mark, I need to go...I have to make dinner tonight."

It was plain from his frown that he wanted to stay longer, but he nodded in agreement. "Alright. Why don't I go with you? I finished recording for the day."

"Did you spend the morning recording?"

Mark smiled, but she could see in his eyes that it was only for her benefit. "I've been up since three o'clock so I could have the rest of the day free," he replied.

Gwen got off of the bed and grabbed her purse. Why does he have to be so sweet? She led the way back to the living room, unsure of what to do next. She was fifty percent sure that her brother would be mad that Mark was at their apartment, but at the same time they had become better friends. Jamie even played games with him sometimes when he visited them. Maybe he'll be okay with him being here.

Sure enough, Jamie was completely fine with their second dinner guest. Clark was a little anxious, but at least Gwen's brother was in a good mood. He let Mark stay until midnight, playing games and watching a really terrible movie that Clark brought. They all had a good laugh from it, except for Clark. He left in a quiet outrage that they were mocking his favorite film.

"This is a parody, right?" Gwen asked.

"I think it's a dark comedy. Whatever it is, it's hilarious!" Jamie grinned and poured himself another glass of soda. "What do you think, Mark?" He glanced over and saw that while he was distracted, his friend had moved closer to his sister. "Mark?"

"Oh! Yeah, it has to be a comedy," he agreed.

Gwen could feel the tension in the air now. It was obvious that Jamie had noticed how close they were sitting. Is he going to say something? They sat in silence for a long while after this until Mark excused himself to go home.

Jamie was helping her tidy up when he finally spoke to her. "You know my rules."

"I know. But I'm not going to make him fight you."

"Gwen-"

"I like him, Jamie! I like him a lot and I don't want him to get hurt! I don't want you to get hurt either! You need to just give up on this stupid rule of yours!" Gwen stormed off to her room, slamming the door behind her. Falling onto her bed, she closed her eyes and felt herself slowly relaxing. Her blanket still smelled faintly like Mark and it only brought her further comfort as she settled into sleep.