Beyond The Limelight ★ Markiplier X Reader

.*★ 28 ★*.

Authors note:
It's my birthday today!! Awh yeah woo yeah boogie woogie woo yeah!
I actually wrote this part a few days ago, if I was better at planning I could've done one birthday themed but I'm not so I didn't.
Love y'all!

*****

Something seemed off about Mark. As you laid next to him in your bed, the others all in Hermi's apartment, he seemed quiet and contemplative.

"Hey are you okay?" You asked, propping yourself up and looking at him as he laid on his back staring up at the ceiling. The room was dark but the soft glow of moonlight seeped in through the gaps in the curtains filling the room with a soft blue hue.

He looked at you and gave you a soft smile as he lifted an arm up and placed it behind his head. "Yeah. Just got a couple things on my mind." He said, voice a little croaky with tiredness.

"Talk to me." You said quietly, running your fingers up and down his arm causing his hairs to stand up on end and goosebumps form in the skin the way he liked.

He cleared his throat a little and turned onto his side to face you, mirroring your position. "I um... I'm feeling conflicted." He admitted, facing your way but not really looking at you. You looked at him a little puzzled but told him to continue. He took in a deep breath. "When we were playing spin the bottle and you kissed Sean it was... I don't know it made me feel really weird."

A pang of guilt hit you in the chest and you suddenly felt a little nauseous at the idea of ever upsetting Mark like that. "Oh Mark I'm so sorry. I had no idea- I thought you'd be okay with it since everyone was kinda doing it and-"

"Hey hey no it's okay." He said softly and sat up properly, you did the same. "It's not your fault at all, I really thought I'd be okay with it but..." He took another deep breath. "But then I saw how he was looking at you and... it made me feel kinda protective and... possessive." He seemed quite obviously embarrassed. "I know that's really cringe and kinda pathetic feeling threatened like that, but I can't help it."

"Oh, honey..." you said softly. "Well... I'm yours. And nothing will change that. I lo..." your words trailed off as you stopped yourself. You were about to use the L word for the first time. But you stopped. You just couldn't bring yourself to say it. Not yet at least.

Mark looked at you with surprise, realising what you were about to say. "You... what?" He asked with a smirk. "You lo..." his tone was mischievous.

"I- nothing. Actually. I was going to say... I... look forward to being with you for a long time." You lied. Mark smirked and leaned forward, planting a kiss on your forehead.

"I look forward to being with you for a long time too." He said, then his smile faltered a little.

"What is it? Is there something else on your mind?" You asked.

Mark pushed the covers off of him, suddenly feeling overly warm and embarrassed, struggling to find the words to explain what's going on in his mind. He started anyway, without really knowing where his sentence was going. "I was on TikTok looking at some of the edits from the stream. You know the ones of us and stuff and I was looking through the comments and..." he sighed heavily while you stayed silent, letting him continue at his own pace. "There's a lot of people saying some nasty things about you."

You froze and felt a weird feeling in your stomach. "What kind of nasty things?" You asked quietly.

"It's just what happens when male celebrities with a large female audience is seen with a woman. People get really weird about me and send hate to any woman I interact with out of jealousy." He said, tone sombre. "I love my fans but... sometimes there's a certain group of them that can be...overly attached." You stayed silent, not really knowing what to say. You knew this was a risk that came along with being with Mark but you figured since you hadn't gone public you'd at least have time to prepare. Evidently not. Mark looked at you with sadness in his eyes. "I um... this is kinda what happened with my last relationship." His voice suddenly became a little wobbly, sounding tender and delicate which only made your heart grow for him. "She um... she couldn't take it and frankly I don't blame her. I don't want to put you through that." He looked at you, eyes welling with tears.

"Hey, hey it's okay." You said, bringing him in for a hug. "I knew what I was getting into. Granted I was hoping for a little extra time to prepare myself but still. I'm strong, you know I am. I decide if I can handle it or not, ok?" You said, holding his head to your chest as he tried his best not to cry. As much as it saddened you to see him like this, his soft, emotional side was a side of him you loved so much.

Mark nodded. "I just don't want you to go through all that hate. Some people on the internet are the worst." He said, sitting up. "Just... I need you to know that once we go public there's no going back. People will form opinions of you and once you're out there it's hard to disappear."

"Of course. I knew that already." You said softly, holding his hand. "I am going to need more time to prepare and get used to it before going official but... I'm aware of what I'm getting into Mark. I'm strong. And you're worth it."

Mark looked at you. "I lo..." his words trailed off. "Um. I really like you." He said, backtracking. He wanted to say the L word so bad but didn't want to put any pressure on you to have to say it back, so he left it for now. "And I'm so glad to have you in my life."

He leaned in and kissed you softly on the cheek, then your lips, and gently pushed you down onto the bed and held you close, kissing you softly and you felt so much love and warmth inside your soul.

*****

Authors note:
edit: I've added pictures to all of the previous parts and all parts to come now!! My birthday treat to you.