The Broken Places (Septiplier)

6) Dry Clothes

"Do you have anything dry to wear?" Jack's voice was soft and rough and he cleared his throat. "Fucking badgers. I don't know how you guys are doing on clean clothes.."

"I have a few clean shirts, it's fine. I'll do some laundry for the house tomorrow." Mark sighed, trying to ignore the scratch in his throat. He was a Youtuber, sure, but he could only yell for so long before it got to him. "Do you mind sleeping in here with me? The pull out is on the couch that Matt and Ryan are sleeping on. I can sleep on the floor or-"

"It's no problem, Mark. We can share, it's a pretty big bed. I'm not worried about a little snuggling." Jack laughed, the sound nervous, as he dragged his palm across the back of his neck. "Or I can take the floor, it's your place after all."

"I don't mind, it's a king, we can share." Mark reached back to pull his shirt over his head. "It'll be okay."

His shirt landed with a wet slap and Jack looked to his feet, suddenly nervous. He pulled his jumper up and over his head, leaving him in just a wife beater. With a nervous sigh, he shed that wet shirt too and wrapped his arms around himself. He didn't really like what he looked like shirtless. He knew he wasn't buff, unlike Mark, and he felt that he got feminized a lot because he wasn't 'masculine enough.' So he wore hoodies and long sleeved shirts to hide in. 

"So, should we like, how do we go about this?" Mark's voice was low, gravelly and Jack tried not to notice. Mark's voice always sounded like it was dripping with pheromones when it got low, but it was so much worse in person. 

"I suppose one of us changes out here and the other in the bathroom? I'm soaked to the bone and I don't wanna sleep in wet trousers, if you don't mind." Jack was sheepish as well, fiddling with his hands and refusing to meet Mark's eyes.

"I'll take the bathroom, you can stay here. Just tuck yourself in when you're cozy." He laughed, and the sound warmed the room. "I'll be back in just a sec." He plucked a pair of red and black flannels from his dresser, heading toward the bathroom.

It was only when the door closed with a soft 'snick' that Jack allowed himself to exhale. He sighed, rolling his shoulders. There was something about being topless around Mark -who was equally as topless- that set him on edge. It was true, Mark really was well built, as he often joked in his videos. Something about the definition in Mark's arms and chest was making something long since quiet stir inside Jack's stomach. Something he wasn't sure if he was ready for.

'What a selfish prick.' an ugly voice whispered in the back of his head. 'He just lost one of his closest friends and all you can think about is fucking him.'

"That's not true!" Jack's voice was louder than he wanted it to be and he ran a hand over his face, trying to relax. 

Remembering what he was supposed to be doing, Jack stripped off his wet joggers and briefs, switching into some cozy sweats and a long sleeved shirt before crawling into bed. Someone, probably Matt, had thoughtfully set Jack's luggage in Mark's room, probably so it was out of the way and probably because he knew Jack would be in here a lot. He knew Mark wouldn't care if he was topless but the thought made him nervous, though not necessarily in a bad way. He actually wasn't sure if it was a pleasant feeling or not. He decided to close off that train of thought, crawling into the large bed and making himself comfortable. 

"You decent, Jackaboy?" Mark's tone was light but his words were surprisingly heavy in the otherwise quiet room as he spoke through the bathroom door.

"Y-yeah." Jack cleared his throat. "Badgers. Yeah, I'm good." He quickly pulled the sheets up to his chin, tucking himself in more securely. 

It was a very nice bed, he had to admit. Sure, the one he had back home in Ireland wasn't bad by any means, but this one was better. The bed itself was a king, the mattress made of some kind of memory foam that he sank into like a cloud. The sheets were dark blue silk, a similar color to his eyes, he realized with a shock. 

'It's probably an accident.' The reasonable part of his brain explained. 'He wanted silk sheets and happened to pick blue, is all. It means nothing.'

Jack was about to reply to the thought but was caught off guard by Mark's exiting of the bathroom. He was wearing a simple pair of red and black checked flannel pants, his upper body bare. He had the decency to look embarrassed, refusing to look up as he climbed into bed. He looked good though, Jack thought, the pants were fitting, comfortable looking, but were drawing Jack's eyes in much as he tried to ignore it. 

The silence was almost serene, in a way. Like the calm before the storm. There was serenity in that infantesimle moment where the two men lay, shoulder to shoulder. The quiet sounds of breathing echoed in the stillness, soothing Mark more than he thought it would. 

"You know," Jack commented, his voice a whisper, breaking the silence. "I didn't think this would be so nice. It's been a long time since I've been this close to someone, you know?"

Mark remembered that Jack's relationship was with someone in Korea, which was half a planet away. He had to love her a lot to go through a relationship that hard. The thought made his heart squeeze painfully, though he wasn't sure if it was from jealousy or a form of pity for Jack. 

"That's right, your girlfriend is in Korea. You don't see her much, do you?" Mark asked, turning to the side to gauge Jack's reaction.

"No, especially not since we broke up." He ran a tired hand over his face. "It was a few days before I got here and, with everything that happened to Joseph, I didn't know when the proper time to tell you was. It wasn't anyone's fault, it was just bad time management, you know?" 

Mark hated the pain in Jack's voice but, more so, he noticed how tired the other seemed. The relationship was probably a lot of work, after all. Mark knew first hand how far away South Korea was, and he figured it must have been incredibly difficult for Jack to handle. It was no wonder he was beat up about it, the whole relationship must have been a constant battle. Come to think of it, he never remembered hearing much about Jack's girlfriend. Then again, Jack was more of a private person than he was. Perhaps it was for the best, the jealousy that was rearing it's head wasn't a feeling Mark was sure he was comfortable with. 

'So, he likes Koreans, huh?' The thought surprised him, as did the flush that covered his face. 'Maybe you're in luck, Markimoo. You seem to be just his type.' Mark shook his head, refusing to let the thought go any farther. 

"Goodnight Mark," Jack's voice was low and sleepy, a tired smile plastered across his peaceful face.

"Goodnight Jack." Mark replied, settling in for a long, sleepless night. He had a lot to think about.