The Last Time We Met [Markiplier x Natewantstobattle]

Part 3: The First Night and Day

I stood, keeping Mark in my arms, and began to walk down the hallway. He followed, using his flashlight as a guide and reassurance that no one was lurking in the shadows. His body leaned against mine, as if I was his support. I then realized that I really was the only thing keeping him standing, literally and metaphorically.

I pushed my bedroom door open and told Mark to lay down. He sat on the bed, but practically fell to his side, half yawning, half sighing. Poor baby, I thought honestly, pulling the blanket up to his chin. I laid beside him, drawing him into my arms, protecting him from those awful nightmares. If he woke up from another, he'd see me, and I hoped that would help a little bit. I almost laughed when Mark snuggled up against me. Despite his height, his face was at my chest, and I couldn't help wondering if his long legs were dangling off the bed.

Shit, my shift starts in a half hour. I nearly got up, but continued to hold Mark instead. If I don't show, they'll get the new guy to cover for me. Besides, I already work so many hours, it really isn't a big deal for me to miss one night. At worst, the little guys get to have some fun tormenting poor Mike.

My thoughts were solely on the boy in my arms, how every breath since he fell asleep has been deep and even, how he's no longer shaking in fear. I kept him close and gently pressed a kiss into his hair. I don't care what he saw in those dreams, or how much those animatronics haunt him. By the time he leaves my house, I will have fixed him.

I needed to fix him.

Mark's POV

I really expected to wake up how I usually did: heart pounding, drenched in sweat, clutching at my heart or flashlight. So when I slowly opened my eyes, shielding them from the morning sun and yawning, I felt strangely at peace. Darkness slowly fading into light instead of lurching from one to the other. I tried to remember the last time I felt that way.

I wondered what had happened, then remembered my break down from last night. Carefully, I turned my body to face the other way, face to face with Nate's sleeping form. My breath caught, and, face flushed, I attempted to squirm out of his arms. But then, he unconsciously pulled me closer, burying his face into my chest, and I had to admit it was adorable. "Nate," I whispered, gently shaking his shoulder. His eyes remained closed, but he yawned and mumbled "morning" before saying, "Now go back to bed".

I managed to slip out of the sheets, and his arms, despite his protests, and walked down the hallway. His house was filled with light, and I wondered why mine was always so dark when I woke up. A quick check of the stove's clock told me it was ten, a full four hours after I usually woke up. I crashed hard last night, no wonder I woke up so late.

I glanced around the small, but clean kitchen. I'll repay Nate, I told myself, He stayed home from work to take care of me. I smiled, opening the freezer to discover a pack of frozen bacon hidden under a microwave meal. The fridge held eggs, milk, and butter, and there was a loaf of bread on top of the refrigerator. This'll be good, I thought, grinning as I searched for the proper pans to cook the food. The toaster was an easy find, as was a coffee maker and grounds.

I had been cooking for almost fifteen minutes when I heard a thump in the hallway. My heart stopped, and I clutched the spatula in my hands. They're here, oh God, they found Nate's house, they found me, oh God oh God- Then, I sighed, because Nate slipped into the kitchen, yawning. It was just him, and I almost laughed in relief as he stumbled past me. "What are you doing?" he asked, sitting at the table and rubbing his eyes.

"Making you breakfast," I announced, trying hard to hide my smile. "Really? Mark, that's so sweet of you!" I tried to hid my flushed face by leaning over to look at the eggs. "I hope you don't mind sunny­side." Nate crossed the tiles, smiling at the half brewed coffee. "Love it­- Hey, why aren't you making some for you?" It was true, I only cooked some for him. I just shrugged, muttering an "I'm not that hungry". He wouldn't have it, and started helping me by doubling up on everything.

Soon, we both sat at the dining table, with eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee (orange juice for me, caffeine affected my pills). Nate talked a lot about nothing, and I listened happily. It felt like the first time in a long while I'd done something with a grin. A genuine one, none the less. Nate told me about his YouTube channel, Natewantstobattle, and the music he wrote for it. It sounded like a fun idea, so I asked him more and more about it.

"There's a friend of mine," he said, soaking up egg yolk with a piece of toast. "And he needs a guy for this skit thing on his channel. Ever heard of 'Resident Evil'?" I nodded at the game title while picking at my own eggs. "Well, they're parodying it, making it about this 'devilishly handsome sparkly' vampire named Enis, 'Resident Enis'. A girl named Dodger is in on it, and if you can sing and act, I might be able to convince the main writer that you can do it. Though, they'll have to cover up the red..." He waved his fork at my hair, smirking.

Nate then went on to tell me about the "video game musical" they made he had participated in, about a simulator about killing people so your crush will notice you. "I didn't get to sing, but it was still fun." I nodded along, and continued to listen as we cleared the dishes (he insisted on helping). "Do you think I could make a channel?" I asked after a while. "I mean, not singing, no. I can't write music, but you know, something else. This sounds like fun, and maybe it could be my new job."

He was quiet for a second, drying a plate, before stating, "Let's Plays. All you have to do is play a video game and record you reacting to it, people love that!" I nodded and we talked more about YouTube until he said he had to work on a new video. I retreated to his bedroom to give him some privacy, laying on one side to read The Outsiders. I had read it many times already, but the familiarity made me feel safe.

I was three or so chapters in when I heard Nate talking. Or... singing. Closing the book, I walked down the hallway and stood in front of the room he had gone into. I open the door and slipped in. He sat at a desk covered in papers, an acoustic guitar on his lap. He strummed it and sang, sometimes humming a melody he had made up. Closer inspection showed that the papers were covered in words and music notes.

"All this," I said, startling him, "and you still work that dead end night shift?"

"Well, with AJ gone, those little guys need someone to watch over them." Nate looked up at me, and he was wearing those glasses again. I smiled at that little detail. "You make it sound like you're babysitting them," I pointed out, picking up a paper and reading off of it. " 'I crave the light of day, cause I've been keeping you away. It's driving me insane (x2)' What does that mean?"

"It means you say it twice," he said, smirking. I rolled my eyes at him. Now more serious, Nate touched the guitar with a little smile, "A song I wrote. About the little guys. It's called "No More". I think you'd like it, but the instrumental isn't ready yet." He ran a hand along the cords, playing the melody he had hummed earlier. He even sang a few of the words.

"But maybe one day you'll find humanity. Until then don't you dare say that we are the same."

His voice was amazing, and he obviously had been doing this for quite a while now. I listened and grabbed his hand, startling him once again. "Don't do it acoustic," I said. "It'll sound better if you use an electric."