scott feeling insecure about certain things and mark making the insecurity go away:)
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Scott plays with the scruff starting to grow on his chin, wondering if he should shave or not.
"Nate? Can I get your thoughts on something?" Scott yells.
Then there's Nate, appearing in the bathroom. "What's up?"
"Do I shave or keep the scruff?" Scott asks. "It might look kind of cool, right?"
"Do you want to look like a lumberjack?" Nate laughs. "Shave it. A beard doesn't look good on you, dude."
Scott nods shakily, wondering why he thought it would look good in the first place. "Thanks, man."
-
Mark wakes up snuggled close to Scott.
He checks the time, 10am.
He decides it's time for Scott to wake up, too.
"Baby? Babe, wake up," Mark says softly, leaning in to kiss his nose, his forehead, and then Scott is shifting and the blanket is moving and—oh.
Scott looks really good with a little bit of scruff.
"Mornin'," Scott says, not quite ready to be awake yet.
"Mornin'," Mark reaches a thumb to gently stroke Scott's jaw.
"Am I getting scruffy?" Scott laughs as he rubs his own jaw. "Sorry, baby. I know it's probably not the best look. Let me go shave," he starts to sit up.
Mark sits up too. "What? No," he says immediately. "You look really good with a little bit of scruff."
"No I don't," Scott makes a face.
Mark furrows his brows, realizing there's something deeper here. "Why do you think you don't?" He reaches for Scott's cheek again, running his thumb along it. "I love it. It's sexy."
Scott's features soften, and he brings his own hand up to meet Mark's, lacing their fingers. "People just...people told me that it didn't look good growing up."
"What do you think?" Mark asks, leaning in to kiss his cheek, then his jaw.
"I always thought, just in the back of my mind...that it wasn't so bad? But I trusted other people's opinions."
"Well if you're going off of other people's opinions, go off of mine. It makes you somehow look sweeter and sexier than you ever have before." Mark says, and Scott giggles cutely.
"That's the smile I've been looking for," Mark says, leaning in for a kiss to the other side of his jaw. "You're not shaving this, by the way," he giggles, leaning in to kiss his lips this time.
-
Scott puts on a goofy smile as he takes a selfie with some of his friends.
"What the hell kind of face is that?" His friend, Katie, laughs.
Scott's face falls. "I, uh, was just being silly." He says.
"Now I can't post this," Josh groans. "Can we take a better one?"
Scott frowns. He hadn't meant for this to be serious.
He looks at the picture. Katie, Maggie, and Josh were being silly too. What was so wrong with his face?
"Let's try again," Maggie says, holding her phone up. "3, 2, 1."
-
"Baby, let's take a picture!" Mark says, getting his phone out. "3, 2, 1!" He smiles, and so does Scott.
"One more, silly this time," Mark says.
Scott hesitates, but puts on a goofy smile, smiling when Mark laughs.
"You're so cute, Scotty! I'm definitely posting these."
Scott's eyes widen, and he shakes his head. "N-not the silly one, please?"
"Why not? Look, you're so cute!" Mark shows him the picture, then sees the embarrassed look on Scott's face. "What's wrong, angel?" He asks sincerely.
"I....people have said things," Scott admits.
Mark frowns, realizing how serious this is to Scott. "Well, I have boyfriend privilege," he says, "And I say, you're precious."
Scott blushes at that. "Marky, I'm serious."
"I am too," Mark says. "Let's take one more?" He offers. He leans in to kiss Scott's cheek, and Scott blushes, a cute smile forming on his face.
Mark takes the picture and looks at it. "Scottyyy!" He practically whines. "Look at you! You're so cute!"
"Baby!" Scott covers his face with his hands. "Stop it!"
Mark just giggles, pulling Scott's hands down from his face and kissing his jaw.
-
Scott laughs loudly at the joke his friend told, leaning back as he claps his hands.
"Dude, you laugh so loud," Carter chuckles. "And with the clapping, you almost look like a seal."
Scott frowns slightly, sits up, biting his lip. "I'm sorry." He says flatly.
"What? No, I didn't mean it like—" Carter sighs. "It's not a bad thing," he tries to explain.
"Just let it go," Maggie says.
Scott looks down at his hands, playing with his fingers. Does he really laugh like a seal?
He looks up at his friends around him. Carter sighs, shaking his head.
Scott bites his lip. He'll have to fix that. He doesn't want to be an embarrassment.
-
Scott laughs loudly, but is quick to cut it off.
Mark just giggles, grabbing Scott's hand. "I love you," he gently reminds him.
Scott leans in to kiss Mark's temple. "I love you too,"
he says.
"Why won't you be yourself around me?" Mark pauses the tv, turns so he's facing Scott, and grabs both hands. "I catch glimpses, and, Scotty, they make me fall in love with you even more. But you tuck them away so quickly."
Scott stares at Mark, unsure what to say.
"Like, just now, you laughed, and it was so damn fond and so damn lovable...but you shut it down. Why?"
" 'm embarrassed," Scott admits.
"Why?"
Scott shrugs. "People point out things that aren't perfect."
Mark frowns. He wants to take Scott into his arms and keep him safe and guarded from the world, and especially the people that see someone so whole and lovable and crush their confidence.
"I'm not looking for perfect in society's eyes," Mark says. "Life with perfection would be so boring. You, my love, are nothing short of perfect in my eyes. I want to hear your laugh, see your goofy side, see you try new looks, I want to see you be you."
Scott nods, his gaze falling.
Mark laces their fingers together with both hands, rather than just holding them. "I love you," Mark repeats, bringing one of Scott's hands up to his lips, and kissing it.
"I love you too," Scott says, and there are tears in his eyes.
"What's wrong, Scotty?" Mark asks, concern in his eyes.
Scott looks up at Mark. "You love me so unconditionally," he says.
Mark smiles. "Well, good news, that's the only way I know how to love."
They shift so Mark is laying down on the couch and Scott has his head on Mark's chest, their legs tangled together.
Mark giggles. "I like holding you," he says.
"Love you holdin' me," Scott mumbles, burying his face in the crook of Mark's neck, taking in his scent.
"Sometimes you just wanna be held?" Mark asks.
"Mhm," Scott hums, muffled. "Love you so much."
"I love you too," Mark chuckles, then kisses Scott's hair.
-
You need to lose some weight, Scott.
-
Mark places kisses on Scott's stomach and thighs. "So beautiful," he murmurs. "Perfect." More kisses.
"Marky," Scott whines, when Mark kisses the little bit of extra fat on his stomach.
Mark looks up at Scott, reaches up to lace their hands, and places more kisses on his stomach. "Perfect," he reiterates.
-
Quit being so touchy. Nobody wants you all over them, Scott.
-
Mark giggles as he wraps Scott's arms around himself. "There," he says. "Finally close enough. You were too far before."
Scott grins, squeezing Mark close as he looks at their reflection in the mirror. "My baby." He mumbles, and Mark giggles.
-
You fall too hard, Scott.
-
Scott looks up at Mark expectantly.
Mark nods, wiping tears from his eyes. "Yeah," he says shakily. "Yeah, I'll marry you. The easiest yes of my life."
-
fin