Scott enters the house, setting the groceries on the counter. "Baby! I got you Cane's!" He yells.
As Scott puts away the groceries, Mark doesn't appear. By the time Scott is done, it's noticeably strange.
"Baby?" Scott grabs the paper bag and the drink. "Baby!"
He enters the bedroom, no Mark.
"Marky? Sweetheart?" He leaves the food on the bedside table.
He checks the bathroom. "Maybe he's not home?" He mumbles to himself.
He hears a heavy breath from the closet, and decides to investigate.
"Oh, honey," Scott coos, seeing the state Mark is in.
Mark has his knees pulled to his chest, his eyes unfocused, breathing rapidly. He doesn't even flinch when Scott wraps an arm around him.
"Sweetheart," Scott coos, kissing Mark's shoulder. "What happened?"
No response from Mark. He starts to blink slowly, that's it.
Only five people have seen Mark like this. His parents, his sister, his best friend Brianna, and Scott.
If you asked Mark, he'd say Scott handles it the best.
Scott gently shifts Mark so that they're laying down. Quite a few minutes pass before Mark moves on his own, snuggling closer to Scott.
"We'll eventually have to get out of here," Scott says. "Are you with me, Mark?"
No response.
"That's okay," Scott kisses Mark's forehead. "You come back to the world when you're ready, my love. I am, however, going to lift you and move us to the bed. I'm gonna sit up now, okay?" Scott says. He knows Mark won't respond, but he talks him through every step of the movement process.
"I'm gonna place one arm under your knees and one under your back." He says, as he does it. "Okay. I'll lift on 3. 1, 2, 3, off to the bed we go. We're not far." He begins walking Mark to the bed. "I'm setting you down now, angel," Scott says, kissing Mark's forehead. "And I'm gonna cover you with the blanket and then climb in next to you, honey."
"Mhm," Mark hums, as if he's saying "Okay."
"Good job, sweetheart. I love hearing your voice." Scott says, climbing into bed. He pulls Mark close, and he barely feels Mark tighten his arms around him. "Can I sing to you?"
"Mhm."
Scott begins singing Homeward Bound, kissing Mark's hair every few lines, and tracing patterns in his shoulder.
When the song is over, Mark lets out a long breath.
"Are you back on earth, Marky?" Scott asks.
"Almost," Mark mumbles.
"Where did you go?"
"Nowhere." Mark says. "I was just....gone."
Scott pouts, kissing Mark's nose. "Did anything in particular bring this on?"
"Mm-mm. Just....anxious, I guess." Mark says. "I wish I handled stress like a normal person."
"Hey, hey, hey," Scott smiles. "Sometimes I wish I could float away from my problems."
"It's so hard to bring me back, though," Mark says. "Dissociating sucks. I just....stop."
"As long as you end up coming back to earth, I have no problem with it. I know sometimes you're brought back to your trauma," Scott frowns. "But I will always be here to bring you back, okay?"
Mark nods, snuggling closer to Scott. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, my love."