Cracked - Septiplier

|01|

| Mark's POV |

I looked in front of me to see a flashing, neon green 'OPEN' sign on the window of a bar. Quickly walking in, I was surprised to see Bob and Wade, the two friends who invited me, already here.
"Hey, Mark!" Bob yelled, waving me over to an unoccupied bar stool next to them. "For a second, I thought you weren't going to come."
"Really? I wouldn't pass up a chance to hang out with you guys, knowing how busy our schedules are," I explained, having to raise my voice a bit, due to the loud people and music.

They both ordered some drinks and continued to talk about how their channels were going and the newest video games. When they got refills on their drinks, I just sat back and waited, knowing that drinking could kill me. I thought about what game I should play next on my channel, but Wade interrupted my thoughts.
"Hey Mark, what goes in dry and comes out wet, and the longer it's in, the stronger it gets, it comes out dripping, and it starts to sag?" Wade asked jokingly.
"Hm... I don't know," I replied sarcastically, thinking that it clearly was a dick. Bob was already laughing, despite haven't being told the punchline.
"It's a tea bag," Wade stated flatly, before bursting into a fit of laughter.
"Oh my God, Wade," I said, nearly choking on my saliva.

As the night went on, Bob and Wade had a lot more drinks. Their words got slurred and more dick jokes were made. The bar got more and more empty, but the noise level stayed the same. Bob and Wade caught a cab back to their apartments, and I was about to head out, but something caught my attention. A lady was straddling a man's lap, but he clearly looked uncomfortable. He was turned around in his seat, with his back was pressed up against the bar counter. She had a hand on the counter on either side of him, trapping him in place. He kept trying to push her off but was too gentle, afraid of hurting her feelings. I couldn't stand the way she was acting, pushing herself onto him when he clearly didn't want it. No one else noticed her behavior, so I stormed over there, ready to help the poor guy.
I tapper her shoulder to get her attention. "Excuse me, what are you doing with my boyfriend?" He looked at me questioningly but then understood.
"We were just having a little fun. I hope you don't mind us continuing what we started," she purred. I could smell the alcohol on her breath, and it was disgusting.
"In fact, I do mind. He's my boyfriend," I emphasized. I quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him out from under her, making her stumble a bit. To get away from her, we rushed to the other side of the bar and let go of each other's hand. We sat down but had a bit of awkward silence between us.

He looked about my age and my height but with a smaller frame and paler skin. His hair was cut similar to mine, except a light brown with the smallest bit of gray on the sides, while the top was lime green.
Wanting to explain myself, I spoke first. "I'm sorry if you minded me calling you my boyfriend and holding your hand. I just couldn't stand what she was doing to you, and you looked very uncomfortable."
He ran a hand through his hair before talking. "Don't apologize, I'm very glad that you came over and helped. Thank you." I could hear an accent in his voice, but I couldn't place it.
"You're welcome. Also, I like your accent. If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"
He blushed slightly, but didn't seem to notice. "Thank you, and I'm from Ireland."
"Oh cool, and I'm Mark, by the way."
"I'm Sean, but you can call me Jack."

By now, the bar was closing up, and they walked out together.
"Thank you again for telling her to stop. And I think we could be friends, can I have your number?"
"Sure." I reached in my pocket for a piece of paper, but I couldn't find any. "Instead of writing it down, can I just put it in your phone?" He handed me his phone, and I handed him mine. Once we were done, he pulled me into a hug. I felt his gem on his back, right in between his shoulder blades. It felt... rough?
"I cannot thank you enough for saving me."
"It was no problem, really."
"Well, I better get going. I'll see you around, Mark."
"I'll text you later, Jack."

We walked our separate ways home, the only light guiding us was the stars. I thought to myself, 'I must've sounded like such a clingy, idiot. "I'll text you later." You probably won't even see him again.'

Once I got to my apartment, I texted Bob and Wade to make sure they got home safely. After that night out, I was so exhausted and immediately collapsed on my bed.

'Well Jack was kind of cute. Not in a gay way, but I could see why girls would like him.'

I then realized the backlog of videos I had to edit. "Shit," I yell-whispered. I reluctantly got up and made some coffee. I took a sip, sat down at my computer, and got to work.

-| AN |-
In this AU, they have YouTube channels, but it's not too prominent in the story. Also, Mark and Jack didn't know that the other is a YouTuber. (I think they'll figure out soon enough though)

The gems may not seem that important yet, but they will be.

Sorry if I ended this chapter at a weird spot, but I'm not very good at endings, so bear with me. Also, sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes. I was excited to get this out there.

I know that the bar setting and Mark saving Jack from the girl was a bit cliché, but there will probably be more clichés. I feel like the friendship was a bit rushed, but oh well.