Relapse (Markiplier)

13: Little Victories

Unlocking the door to my apartment again is a new victory I never thought I'd appreciate as much as I do. It was great to go back home again, and it was even better to see my parents and all the places I used to hang out with Mark, but 'home sweet home' is starting to rub off a little in L.A. 

I rolled my bag into the living room, fully intending to put the clothes to wash immediately, but I was soon interrupted by my phone going off. Grateful for an excuse to be lazy, I pushed the bag to the side and sat on the couch with my phone. I unlocked it to see a text from Mark, simply saying,

'I just want to let you know that I love you.' 

I smiled widely, clutching my phone to my chest like I'm in the seventh grade. I giggled at the prospect of Mark typing this out himself, and I put down my phone next to me and just sat. It occurred to me that I should probably respond to his message, so I quickly typed back, telling him that I love him even more and there's no arguing it. I threw my phone back on the couch beside me, suddenly extremely tired. I hadn't done much today- I didn't get to go to Break the Fast because my plane left a little later than Mark's did. It was a bit of a hassle flying back home, but I didn't do anything to overexert myself. But I couldn't shake the tired feeling that had just completely engulfed me. I got up from the couch and dragged myself to my room, where I fell into bed and sleep wrapped me up and pulled me under the second I hit the bed.

Time Skip, Mark's POV

I texted (Y/N) back the second she replied to me, and I waited a full five minutes before looking for a response. When I saw none, I sighed and set my phone aside. I should have expected that- she probably fell asleep. I, for some reason, have way too much energy to sleep and my eyes refuse to shut for more than a millisecond. Deciding to let (Y/N) sleep in peace, I put my phone to charge and walked away from it. I finally got around to editing my mini-vlog yesterday, and it went up on my channel after I watched it through to make sure there were no mistakes. After I finished that, I set my laptop aside and stood up from my couch. I stretched my arms above my head, fighting the urge to go and check my phone. If she's sleeping, she's sleeping. Sometimes I just can't help but think that she's ignoring me. But I know better than that... Right?

Your POV

I sat up groggily in bed, still tired from my nap- which was only an hour, tops. I slipped out from under the covers and put on my slippers, going into the kitchen to make some tea. The kettle was 10 seconds away from going off when I heard a timid knock at the door- almost as if the person didn't actually want to knock. I went and opened the door to see the back of Mark, already walking back to his own apartment.

"Mark." I croaked out, my voice still laced with sleep. "Where are you going?" He turned around at the sound of my voice, then ran up to me and then gave me a huge hug.

"I just... Wanted to make sure you were okay." Tired as I was, I let a small smile slip onto my face, and Mark and I walked into my apartment. My kettle now screaming at me, I shuffled over to the stove and turned off the burner before making myself a large mug of tea. I sat down on a bar stool next to Mark and asked,

"So what brings you over here at this late hour of night?" I asked, taking a sip of my tea. Looking confused, Mark responded,

"(Y/N), it's only 4:00." I looked at the clock and found that that was indeed true. I shook my head, trying to clear the tiredness out of my brain. 

"I believe you're correct. Sorry about my... Sleepiness. I just woke up and I can't seem to shake the disconcerted feeling." Mark hugged me, even tighter than before, and I said,

"Be careful, Tired-itis could rub off on you! Also, I can't breathe." Immediately loosening his grip on my torso, Mark returned me to my chair. I didn't even realize he had picked me up at all.

"Sorry, sorry." Mark looked at me with puppy-dog eyes and continued, "I just want to keep you safe. And if that means protecting you from fatigue, then I will!" That drew a laugh out of me, and I put my head on his shoulder. 

"Thank you, Markimoo. There's no better treatment I could ask for." He giggled at that, and I slowly got up from my stool and made my way toward the couch. I beckoned for Mark to follow, and he did. We sat on the couch together, and I turned on the TV. I let Mark choose the show off of Netflix, and (being the child that he truly is) he chose TMNT. I laughed softly as I stretched out a little bit more and once again laid my head on his shoulder. 

Once we got to the end of the episode, I tried to go to the next one but I dropped the remote. I watched it roll across the floor for a little before coming to a stop, and I reached out an arm to grab it. Knowing full well that I do not have the powers of the Force, I rolled off the couch and landed with a slight bump on the ground. I crawled toward the remote, and made it approximately nowhere before Mark picked me up, placed me back on the couch, and retrieved the remote himself. He sat back down, giving me a strange look before starting the next episode. As the theme song came on, he asked,

"Are you sure you're okay?" I nodded, my head feeling heavy again, and I laid down again. Leo and Raph jumped out onto the screen, and that was the last clear thing I remember before I felt sleep start to overcome me again.