Warmth (Septiplier AU)

Capsize

(Written by MattyWantsToBattle )

"Do ya like books?"

A shrug.

"... what about music?"

Another shrug.

Mark was sitting on Jack's couch, giving shrugs and hummed, quiet answers to Jack's every question. It was mostly the Irishman trying to find out what the other liked.

Jack could tell Mark wasn't ready to talk about anything to personal, not yet.

"Do... ya like video games?" He finally offered, gesturing to the Playstation 4 connected to his TV.

Mark's eyes suddenly lit up. "Yeah! My dad bought me my first game system one Christmas, a-and I used to play Doom on our computer when I was younger...!"

Jack smiled, happy that he finally found what made Mark's sullen, quiet attitude turn into something that seemed more like what Jack felt was the real Mark.

It was a few rounds in of some silly cute game Jack didn't remember buying when the doorbell rang.

Mark flinched at it, before biting into his lip hard as Jack softly calmed him with a small wave of his hand and went to open the door.

A heavy, wet cough suddenly rocked his frame, causing Jack to glance worriedly at him.

"I'm f-fine." Mark mumbled, rushing a hand through his red hair.

Jack sighed softly, before turning to open the door.

"Bob! Wade! Felix!" Jack greeted happily, hugging the other three.

Mark looked up, feeling his heart leap into his throat when he saw Wade and Bob.

It'd been a year since he'd seen either of them, and they left enough time of not noticing him for him to reach up and squeeze his shirt in between his fingers and grit his teeth and feel again.

He hated it.

Mark had mostly been numb for months now, to the point that he had gotten angry, had forced him to feel again.

Mark wanted to be numb.

"Mark!"

His dazed, sick chocolate eyes glanced up, before suddenly someone was hugging him and he breathed funny.

It wasn't Bob, he was standing, watching with wide eyes, holding his glasses in his hands and cleaning them slowly.

So it was Wade, holding onto him and making his already tight chest from the sickness tighten from either the closeness of another human being, from seeing one of his best friends, someone he used to be so incredibly close too after so long, or some sick combination of both.

Either way, Mark was shaking and crying and holding onto Wade.

"I'm glad 'a found him. He was going to freeze to death in the snow across the street." Jack explained, causing Bob to look over at him.

"You're really a good person, Jack."

He was stating a fact, it wasn't really a compliment. Everyone had already known the smallish, tea shop owning Irishman had a huge, kind, golden heart. And as luck would have it, he'd found Mark.

"What happened?! It's been so long, and you just appear in the snow, we're so lucky Jack found you..."

Wade had pushed away a bit to speak a mile a minute to Mark, continuing even after Mark had stopped listening and started looking down at his hands.

Wade finally shut up, pursing his lips a bit.

"So he's staying here with you?" Bob finally asked, realizing now was probably not the time to launch into questions of how the hell the other had suddenly appeared, when Jack nodded.

Felix was watching him closely, frown set on his lips.

He didn't like the sight of Mark shivering, watching his hands, tears barely stuck in his eyes.

It meant something, that whoever this was had gone through something and was in need of help.

So he lightly pushed past Jack and replaced Wade, kneeling in front of him.

"Sorry, we haven't meant yet. I'm Felix."

Mark slowly inclined his head. "... Mark."

Felix grinned, standing. "I think we're going to be great friends."

----

It didn't work out that way in the beginning.

Mark mostly kept to himself, randomly getting up even in his haggard state to clean Jack's house until the other got back to stop him with a slightly disapproving look, chiding Mark about sleep and rest and how he was sick.

Mark felt numb again, just listening to whatever Jack told him to do, i.e., sit down, go take a nap, eat, put on a jacket, you're freezing.

Jack had to admit he was starting to get worried about his new basically roommate, who had previously held some sort of semblance of life, who had jumped at the chance to play video games, slowly die out.

Jack wondered what had happened to him to cause this, to cause Mark to run off from somewhere, to become this... lifeless husk.

Mark started feeling enough one morning to start getting dressed in the clothes he appeared with and mumble that he was leaving.

Jack immediately called after him and told him to stop.

For a moment, Mark just froze, fear spiking up and piercing his heart, before he turned to watch the green haired man.

Jack tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "Do ya have a place to stay?"

Mark tugged at his shirt, watching the floor.

"... n-no... I just don't want to burden you anymore..."

Jack sighed, shaking his head as he stepped close to watch Mark.

"You aren't a burden. It's ok, jus' make yerself comfortable. I've got ta go to work."

Mark watched him go back into the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee. Before he could tell Mark to not leave while he was gone, Mark spoke.

"Can I come with you?"

Jack froze, straightening his wrist a bit so the coffee would stop pouring.

After a few, long moments that caused Mark to slightly shake, he turned.

Cerulean watched Mark to the point that he wanted to squirm, before he smiled softly.

"Sure. You look like you could use a break from being cooped up inside."

Mark found himself sitting in Jack's car, numb and cold as the other drove to the tea shop he owned. It was a bit much, though, as warmth started to coil in his core.

It made him sick.

He knew it would all go to hell at some point, but here he was relishing in the warmth being here with Jack, an almost perfect stranger.

Mark felt a familiar sensation tingle through him at the realization he was making the same mistake as he did almost 2 years ago.

He'd felt numb for a long time, but here he was, feeling it again.

Mark wanted to die.