Butterfly (Markiplier Love Story)

Chapter Two

"Well...we met Clark in first grade. He sort of transferred from somewhere...I don't know where...and we met in a weird kind of way, I guess." Gwen frowned and stirred her soda with a straw, watching the ice melt. They had taken a table at the outside patio of the pizza parlor and she was still really nervous, but Mark had started asking questions and she didn't want to be rude. "Er...yeah. So he got bullied a lot for a while. Kids picked on him because well...his mom made him wear his sisters' hand me downs. So he wore a lot of pink...and he hated it. You could tell that he hated it...One day some boys actually tried to beat him up. Jamie saw it and...well...he grabbed a stick and beat them up worse than they'd done to Clark. I helped him to the nurse's office and...ugh..."

"What?"

"It's...it's really embarrassing." She sighed and shook her head. "Don't laugh, okay? It's really stupid."

Mark smiled reassuringly. "I won't laugh."

"Promise?"

"I promise!"

"Okay...ugh. Our parents always made me wear the same outfit as Jamie. They thought we were both going to be boys so...they bought a ton of boys' clothes in advance and just stuck with it...we always had the same haircut too...Anyway! But yeah...I started swapping clothes with Clark before class...it was the only time I could actually dress like a girl." Gwen tucked a lock of long black hair behind her ear and bowed her head. "It's embarrassing. He's been Jamie's best friend forever, but it's like...he's afraid of me almost."

Mark glanced over at the street for a moment and Gwen followed his gaze. "He's probably afraid of Jamie getting mad at him," he remarked. "So do you have any friends of your own?"

The corners of her mouth turned down even more. "Nope. I only really have Jamie and Clark. Er...well I've talked to Takahiro and Ryuuji a couple of times...the other baristas...and I guess I'm sort of, kind of, friends with Dan. Not really though."The food arrived and she nervously picked at it, feeling rather self-conscious. When I get back, I need to feed the cats. Then I should probably put together a grocery list. Tidy up a little. Jamie said something about maybe renting a movie tonight. I could pick something up. What though? Gwen glanced up casually and met Mark's eyes. Color rushed to her cheeks and she slouched. Why is he looking at me? Does he think I'm weird? Maybe I am a little. Maybe I'm kind of...weird looking. I act weird. I know I do. I've been told that so many times before.

"What time do you have to be home?"

"I should probably go after this," she admitted. "The cats get sort of...irritated...when they miss a meal." She took a bite of her pizza slice and grinned. Mango and pineapple. I never get this when Jamie and Clark order pizza. They're such...ugh. Of course I couldn't ask Mark to try this. It's why I had to get such a small one. He has his, I have mine, and we'll pay for our own. Gwen took another bite and felt her smile grow. It's so awesome though! I'm actually sitting here with Mark! I don't know why...but I just feel really excited. I shouldn't though. I should be careful. This is a one-time thing. I know that.

Gwen felt a little sad when they left the restaurant. She knew they had to part ways when they reached the building and that the next day she would be back to her old life. Sitting in the corner of Caffeinated Gamer, playing games alone, listening to music, and spending the rest of the day with her brother and his friend. She hardly noticed that they had walked into the apartment building together and that Mark was waiting patiently for her to unlock the door. "Uh...w-well I should probably...um..." she tried to explain.

"I just want to see your cats," he protested, smiling in that bright, sweet way that made her smile back.

"I guess...maybe just for a minute. But Jamie will get mad if you stay for too long." Gwen unlocked the door and was immediately greeted by the cats.