Warmth (Septiplier AU)

Renewed

(A/N at this point on all chapters of this story will be written by me. Thank you so much to MattyWantsToBattle for allowing me to complete your story)

Jack watched as Mark's hands moved and touched each of the bottles of the hair dye.

The chestnut colored eyes seemed to be struggling. Which shade was closest to his natural color? It had been so long since...

"The one in the middle," Jack offered. "It looks the most like the rest of yer hair."

Mark nodded, slowly picked up the bottle in the middle, and then placed it in Jack's hand.

Felix glanced from one man's face to the other.

The silence was thunderous, but finally...Jack spoke.

"Ye want...me to help ye dye it back?"

"...Is that all right?"

Jack swallowed much harder than he meant.

Was it all right? Yes, of course it was.

"Sure," Jack said, smiling. "We should probably cut a little off the top first, jus' to make it easier for the dye to get all the way in."

Felix helped carry the supplies to the master bathroom, and once Mark had finished washing and towel drying his hair, Jack began to snip at some of the longer strands with a pair of scissors.

Mark could almost feel the heavy weight of the past being cut away little by little.

He sat in the small chair as Jack continued to almost float around him as the dyed red locks began to fall like crimson snow to the tiled floor below.

Jack was being so careful with him.

Treating him like he was delicate, and worth something.

He inhaled deeply as Jack's light cologne reached his nostrils.

The sound of the way Jack hummed softly to himself as he made small circles around him as he worked to help him break away from what Mark used to be.

He didn't like that he was falling for the Irishman...

"Well," Jack sighed after a final pass with the scissors. "Yer going to need a proper haircut by someone way more talented than me in a day or two, but it'll work for now I think."

The blue eyes met the brown and they both chuckled.

It felt good to smile.

It felt even better to really have something to smile about for a change.

"Ready to be a full brunette again?"

"Yeah," Mark answered, with his smile still in place this time. "I think so."

Felix had poked his head into the bathroom to give a quick goodbye.

He said that he would be around tomorrow to see if they needed anything else.

"Felix is nice," Mark said, while Jack began to start to place the hair dye. "You have...really nice people in your life."

"In our life, yeh mean."

Mark could feel his heart beat faster. He couldn't tell if he liked this feeling.

"It's just that...yeh already know Wade and Bob," Jack clarified. "So Felix fits right into it too, ye know?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

The slender fingers felt good going through Mark's hair.

He had forgotten how gentle hands could be.

The change was dramatic, and even Mark had trouble recognizing the reflection looking back.

"I look so different," he muttered.

The tanned palm reached up to touch the newly darkened waves.

"Do ye like it?"

He did. It was him.

Just a different part of him.

There was a rumbling in Jack's stomach that echoed through the bathroom.

"I think you're hungry," Mark said, smiling again.

Jack chuckled, and then gave his belly a quick pat.

"Yeh in the mood for a pizza?" Jack asked. "We can have it delivered. Maybe...watch a movie or..."

The last few words stayed in the back of his throat and settled there.

Mark wanted to touch Jack's hand, but didn't.

It was so close to his. Too close.

"I'd like that. Pizza and a movie sounds...nice."