Beyond The Limelight ★ Markiplier X Reader

.*★ 34 ★*.

TW: alcohol consumption, passionate scenes

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While you felt much better hanging out with Ethan and Sean, pretty much as soon as you left, the emptiness returned and you instantly went back to feeling weird, alone, broken. Shivering from the cold, you unlocked your apartment door and walked inside then mentally kicked yourself for not leaving the heating on. You threw your keys into the bowl by the door and walked into your kitchen and stared at the wilted flowers still sitting in your sink, petals and leaves scattered in and around the bowl.

A pang of guilt hit you as you picked them up, upset at yourself for letting them sit and rot instead of caring for them. Almost out of nowhere, as you thought about being alone, you felt a lump creep up into your throat, your breath becoming short, and the whole room faded away causing a tunnel vision effect as you stared at nothing but the brown dead flowers. You dropped them to the floor and crouched down, feeling dizzy and sat on your kitchen floor as you began to sob and cry.

You sat like that for a few minutes before you were torn back to reality by your phone buzzing. Without thinking, you took it out of your pocket and answered without even checking who it was. You felt almost drunk, shifted from reality, unreal.

"Hey Y/N you left your coat at Ethan's do you want me to bring it over on my way home?" Sean asked. You couldn't bring yourself to speak, only breathing heavily and shakily, trying to stifle your sobs. "Y/N? Are you okay?" His tone shifted into a serious one, suddenly realising something was wrong.

"I think... I'm having... a panic attack." You managed to say through sobs and breaths.

"I'll be right there. Don't worry you'll be okay." Sean said without hesitation.

He stayed on the phone with you for the entire journey and he soon knocked on your door before gingerly letting himself in.

"Y/N?" He asked, walking around your apartment before seeing you sat on the floor in front of the flowers and petals scattered before you. He put your coat on the kitchen table and then crouched down next to you. "Oh Y/N it's okay. It's okay." He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close to him. "I've got you. You're alright. I'm here."

He sat with you for a while before you composed yourself and he told you to sit on your couch while he cleaned up the flowers. You sat and watched as he delicately picked them up stem by stem, petal by petal and wrapped them in a plastic bag and set them next to the trash can just in case you wanted to keep them.

"No worries if it doesn't sound good right now but I have something that might make you feel better." Sean said as he grabbed his backpack and sat next to you on the couch. You watched curiously as he opened it up and then pulled out a bottle of whiskey. "Thirsty?"

Whether you liked whiskey or not, alcohol sounded really good right now. As well as the company. You took the bottle from him and opened it up, read the label for a moment, then bought it to your lips and took a long swig. Your face scrunched up as you felt the warmth and tasted the sharp liquid as it burned down your throat.

"Woah okay then." Sean chuckled as he took the bottle from you and took a sip himself. "Ahhh who needs glassware?" He said. "It's not the best stuff but I didn't want to come empty handed."

"Thankyou Sean. You really didn't have to." You said with a soft smile. "Would you mind maybe... staying for a little while? I kinda really don't want to be alone right now and Fizz is busy. Once again." You said with a sigh.

Sean put a comforting hand on your leg and smiled warmly. "Of course. I'm here for as long as you need me. Don't hesitate to kick me out if I start pissing you off though."

You laughed a little. "I'm sure you won't." You grabbed the bottle and took another swig, shivering at the strength of it. Sean followed suit, wanting to stay on your level. The difference though was that you had hardly eaten anything, only making you feel drunker quicker.

The two of you sat talking, drinking, and enjoying each others company for a while. You began to feel quite drunk fairly quickly, and you were having a good time.

"Can I ask you a question Sean?" You asked after handing the now more than half empty bottle over to him.

"Of course. Ask away!" Sean replied as he set the bottle on the ground, his words slurring a little.

"Do you think breaking up with Mark was a bad idea?" You asked as you placed your hands in your lap.

He hesitated for a moment, then shifted closer to you and you could feel his body heat radiating as your arms touched. "I think it was a really mature decision." He said. "And just because you've broken up doesn't mean it can't be fixed. You did what you needed to and I'm really proud of you for that. I doubt I'd have made a decision as mature and difficult as that if it was me."

You nodded, looking down at your hands. Sean watched you for a moment then reached a hand out, wiping a stray tear from your cheek that you didn't even realise had fallen. The tenderness felt so comforting and warm, causing a small involuntary smile to creep up on your face before you looked up at him. He looked at you with a soft gaze, something hidden behind his eyes.

Without thinking, you leaned into him and rested your head on his shoulder to which he wrapped an arm around you comfortably. There was a silence hanging in the air, filled with understanding, tenderness and care.

"You're not alone you know." He said, his voice soft in your ear, his Irish accent giving you chills. "I'll always be here for you. If you feel like no one else is, I'm here. Whatever you need."

You closed your eyes and allowed the warmth of his embrace to seep into you, soothing the ache in your chest. "Thankyou." You said softly. He said nothing, simply tightened his grip as if he was trying to transfer all of his thoughts and feelings through touch, everything he couldn't put into words.

After a moment, you looked up at him, faces inches apart, and there was that something hidden behind his eyes again. The way he looked at you made your heart flutter and that weird feeling in your stomach came back.

"Sean..." You began, but before you could finish, he leaned in and kissed you.

The kiss was soft at first, tentative, as if he was giving you the option of pulling away, but you didn't. Without a single thought, influenced purely on instinct and alcohol, you melted into the kiss and your hand reached up to rest on his shoulder. A brief thought popped up: his shoulders aren't as broad as Mark's. But you pushed it down, just wanting to drown out all of your thoughts and feelings. You focused on his warmth, the taste of whiskey on his breath, and the feel of his arms wrap around you and pull you closer. His hands then slid to your waist and he guided you to his lap, deepening the kiss further.

He kissed you so desperately, you could tell he'd wanted to do this for a long time, and he kissed you as if you could be torn away at any moment, becoming frantic and passionate. Suddenly, he pulled away, breathless, and looked into your eyes with so much love and passion you felt your cheeks get hot.

His hands travelled around your waist and then tentatively slid up your shirt. Surprisingly though, he didn't really go near your breasts, only feeling the soft skin of your stomach and sides with gentle hands. "You're so soft..." He mumbled, eyes wondering down, watching his hands move under the fabric of your shirt. "Is it okay if we lay together? Skin to skin. Nothing else. I just... want to feel you."

You thought for a moment then nodded, biting your lip in a mix of nerves and anticipation.

Sean then took the bottom of your shirt in his hands and lifted it up over your head, leaving you exposed in your bra. You felt a little embarrassed at the fact that you'd chosen a comfy one rather than a sexy one but Sean didn't mind, or even seem to be lingering on it, paying more attention to the way you felt than looked. Then, he whipped his own shirt off and you admired his lean, toned body.

He kissed you again, and gently laid himself on the couch, pulling you onto him, feeling your skin against his. His arms wrapped around you and he sighed into the kiss as his hands ran up your back.

So many emotions, feelings, conflicting thoughts, tried to dance their way to the surface of your mind but you pushed them down, only focusing on Sean and Sean only.