Butterfly (Markiplier Love Story)

Chapter Six

The evening seemed to drag on forever and Gwen gained a new appreciation for the two evening baristas. Takahiro stood quietly beside her until closing, speaking only to the customers and otherwise reading from a large stack of manga he kept on hand. When he left her to lock up, she started to wonder if Jamie had told him not to speak to her. It's weird...but Takahiro is always quiet. Even around Ryuuji.

Outside, the air was colder than she would have liked. Gwen set the kittens' box down and slipped the key into the lock, giving it a careful twist. Did I do that right? She tested the handle and when the door refused to open, she sighed in relief. I need to get home and feed these kittens. I hope Jamie and Clark got something for dinner; it's already ten o'clock. Gwen turned around and yelped when a hand was planted next to her head on the door. "Wh-what are you d-doing here so late?" she asked, trying not to meet Mark's gaze. And why is he so close? He left the café around five o'clock so why would he come back?

A smile spread across his face and he kissed her briefly. Without another word, he leaned down and picked up the cardboard box. Gwen started to follow and realized that he was walking to a car. Is that his? Why is he taking the cats? "Mark...what's going on...?"

He settled the kittens in the backseat before turning to her with a grin. "Get in the car. I'm kidnapping you." Mark opened the passenger door and gestured for her to get in.

"Um...what?"

"I'm kidnapping you. So get in the car. Hurry up; I have dinner waiting for us."

When he continued to stand there, she realized that he had no intention of leaving without her. Reluctantly, Gwen settled in the passenger seat and buckled the seatbelt. "Mark...I can't stay out all night...okay? Jamie will get worried and-"

"Don't worry about it!" he assured her, buckling his own seatbelt and starting the car. "Clark knows where you are. He won't let your brother get too worried. Besides, it might be good for you to be apart for a while."

The car started down the street, the heater blasting warm air onto Gwen's bare legs. "I'm...I'm not staying the night."

Again, he flashed that smile that normally would have been reassuring. "I'm kidnapping you. You don't really get a choice."

The silence that followed was somewhat awkward. "Mark...how long are you...?"

"I don't know yet." They both heard the kittens crying in the backseat and Mark reached back with one hand to carefully pet one of them. "Do these little guys have names yet?"

She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to stay calm. "Ulf and Ylva."

"Cool names."

"Yeah...they both mean 'wolf'...because they look like werewolves sort of..." Gwen took a deep breath, her anxiety growing. He wants me to sleep at his place. Doesn't he? But we haven't known each other for that long! And Jamie will hate me forever if I don't come home tonight! What am I going to do?! Alright...I can figure this out...after dinner, I'll just tell him that I have to leave. It's going to be weird, but he'll have to understand. He wouldn't really kidnap me, right?

When they arrived at his apartment, Gwen tried to act calm. She was shaking a little with nervousness and waited patiently for him to set down the cardboard box so she could check on the kittens. They were fine, but she knew they were hungry. "Um...I'll have to leave after dinner," she started. "The kittens need to eat and...I don't have any formula here...Jamie took it home when he left work."

Mark was already standing at the table, an open pizza box sitting at its center with two plates and two cups arranged at its sides. "I picked some up earlier."