I'm Just Septic-Eyed

Chapter 34: At Last

A/N: I'M SUCH TRASH. I WATCHED ZOOTOPIA RECENTLY AND I FOUND MYSELF SHIPPING JUDY AND NICK. I TRIED NOT TO BUT I COULDN'T RESIST. I'M FUCKING OBSESSED. In other news, fucking 8k reads?! Jeez.

Sean balled his fists and pretended his throat didn't burn. He pushed down on his legs. What was he thinking? Surely, Mark didn't think of Sean the same way Sean thought about Mark. Maybe Sean was just a friend. He should be fine with that, shouldn't he? "Dammit all," Sean muttered under his breath. He put his arms on the table and then hid his face in them. Sean loved Mark way more than a friend. He thought maybe Mark felt the same way, but it was clearly a misunderstanding.

"Hey, Jack, I'm back," Mark said gently.

Sean's breath hitched. He mustered up all his strength to look up and smile. He tried to ignore the fact that the corners of his mouth were trembling. "Hey. What was that all about?" His voice sounded lame. C'mon, Jack, just pretend nothing happened.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Sean's fake smile slipped. Maybe it was all just some excuse to get away from Sean. The thought caused his chest to ache. "O-oh, okay." The assumption of Mark regretting what he almost did caused Sean to feel sick. He brought up a painfully phony smile. "Well, are you gonna join me or what?"

He could have sworn he heard Mark mutter, "Fuck it." before he was nearly knocked off his chair. It took a while for his brain to register that Mark was kissing him. His mind was walking slowly and running fast all at once. This was a new experience. There weren't any thoughts forming to tell Sean how he should be feeling. But when Mark moved away, Sean felt butterflies in his stomach. His knees felt weak, even though he was sitting. All the thoughts and feelings that should have happened while Mark kissed him, formed all at once when it was over. "I-I..." was all he could get out.

"S-shit. Sorry," Mark scrambled to get away. "Sorry. I-I didn't mean -- I shouldn't have -- I..." He seemed to struggle to find words. "I'm sorry Jack. I shouldn't have done that. I was just..."

Sean felt like he could speak; now that the shock passed. "It's fine, Mark," He answered genuinely. "I didn't mind. There's no reason to beat yourself up over this."

Mark let out a nervous, relieved laugh and Sean grinned in response.

The two decided to head home after Mark paid for the meal. ("You're such a gentlemen." "Shut it."). The ride back was nothing special. They talked as if nothing had happened between them. On the inside, Sean was a fan girling mess. He kept constantly thinking back to Mark kissing him as often as he could. There was hope in him as if he had never had hope before. The thought of Mark wanting to be more than friends caused him to feel giddy. He had to keep those thoughts from showing on the outside, though. He wasn't sure if Mark was as excited and happy as he was by it.

When they got home, the two men plopped on the couch while Chica sat down by Sean's legs. "What d'you wanna do?" Mark sighed. They were both content with just sitting on the couch. Sean made an 'I dunno' noise. "TV it is, then." The television turned on. Mark flipped through several channels until he found what sounded like a movie.

Neither of them found it interesting, it was just on to be on. They chatted back and forth about little things. For the first time in a long time, Mark felt like everything was back to normal. It was a pleasant feeling -- almost peaceful. 

Mark rest his head back on the couch and sighed. It was a content sigh; it might even be considered happy. He turned his head to say something to Sean, only to find him asleep. Mark couldn't help the smile that played on his lips. Sean looked like a little kitten -- all curled up. His head was resting on the armrest while his feet were on Mark's lap. Who knew a little ray of sunshine like Sean could get tuckered out so easily? Mark decided to stay there. Might as well not wake him up. Knowing him, he would have started drowsily complaining that Mark disturbed his sleep. If Mark was being completely honest with himself, he loved sleepy Sean. He was just so cute.

"G'night, sunshine," Mark whispered. The only other thing awake to hear him was Chica. She was laying down, looking up at him with that puppy-dog face. "You too, Chica." He smiled at her. He felt all warm and fuzzy. Was this what it was like to have a normal life? It's been so long since Mark experienced anything normal. Life only seemed like fear and worry now. But at least at this moment -- even if it was the only moment he would get -- Mark felt safe. There was no worry, or fear, or anything like that. There was only this fuzzy, happy feeling. Mark was completely okay with that.

Once the movie was over, it went straight into another one. Mark tried his best to stay awake for it. It just wasn't that interesting to him. Maybe they were only playing boring movies tonight. He looked over to Sean, who was still sleeping peacefully. Chica was fast asleep, as well. Mark should probably be joining them in slumber, but he learned his lesson about sleeping on the couch. He looked at his situation. All he had to do was slip from under Sean's feet and then carry him to bed. Simple.

But... Mark was lazy. Staying on the couch was so much better than standing up. Maybe he'd stay until he couldn't keep his eyes open. Unfortunately, that time came sooner than he had anticipated. He groaned internally. Moving without waking up Sean proved easier than expected. The hard part would be attempting to lift him off the couch in his current ball form. Just as Mark thought he found a solution, his phone went off. It startled him more than it should have. He looked at the illuminating screen on the side table. Who would be messaging him at this hour? He sighed in slight annoyance and picked up his phone. The message confused him even more, but the messenger frustrated him.

Aaron: Watch out for a fire.

A/N: I can't believe so many of you read this! I hope I haven't disappointed anyone.