Poppies (A Septiplier AU)✔

~16

Mark's POV

I'll admit, I'm super hyped for spring break. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with friends and well, Jack. I don't know what we are at this point. Somewhere in between the lines of friends and lovers. I hated not knowing what was going on in life, especially my own. 

I'm going back home to Cincinati to be with family for the next week which would be fun but I was going to miss Jack a lot and I knew it too. 

School had been going better for Jack since he started therapy.

The breeze was moving my hair into my face as I ran laps around the track.

"Keep up slow-poke!" I screamed behind me. All I could hear was him breathing heavy and the sand crunching beneath our feet at a steady, calming pace.

A couple of minutes of jogging past by and we hadn't slowed down at all. All of a sudden, the green haired boy was in front of me, running like Naruto. God was he a goof.

Sweat dripped off my chin and onto the sand below my feet. I was hunched over a bit with Jack next to me. My breathing and his were heavy and they wouldn't slow down.

"Let's take a break for a bit. I know a place we can go." I said to the sweaty boy next to me.

"Alright." We grabbed our stuff  and headed towards the back of the gym. Behind it was a little sanctuary for students. Stone benches and cobblestone pathways led throughout the area, making it seem almost magical. I could see poppies blooming next to the benches and a small pond that lay in the center of a circle of willow trees. The trees seemed to glow in the bright dawn of the day. They swayed with every little shove from the wind.

"Wow Mark, this, this is beautiful." he said in awe at the pure beauty of the sanctuary.

I pulled him closer to me and whispered into his ear, "Just like you" He trembled in my arm, reaching around my neck to kiss me. It was amazing. Fireworks exploded left and right. All around us. Time felt like it had stopped, like magic was in the air.

"Mark," his accent made my name sound perfect even though I knew it was wrong. It just felt so right."I'm going to miss you way to much. Why do you have to leave me?"

I stared into his ocean blue eyes, seeing the light reflect off of the new growing tears in his eyes.

"My family wants to see me and I'll be back in a week." He gave me those damned puppy eyes.

"But a week is so long Mark! What am I going to do without you?" I grabbed his hand and we walked to a nearby bench.

"Listen Jack I'd love to stay with you, more than anything, but I can't." he gave a sad nod to me then stared off into the light rays of the sun. "Hey, I think Ethan will still be here too so you're not totally alone." He looked up at me and smiled.

"You care too much about me."

"Why is that?" I now had a smirk on my face. He began to blush profoundly at me.

"I think you know why." he leaned in and kissed my lips again. Magic still floated in the air around us. I was so damn lucky. 

"Well we better get back so I can pack. My flight leaves later tonight." his eyes grew sad once more but the smile remained on his face.

"Ok whatever you say." we stood and walked out of the hidden sanctuary. We didn't hold hands though, knowing if anyone saw us like that we were screwed. We walked past the office and into the guy's dorm building which was now bustling with students.

We got back to the dorm and I began packing my bag. How the hell was I going to be able to leave him for a week?

I grabbed sweat pants and jeans out of the still open drawer in my dresser and some shirts from the closet. While Jack wasn't looking however I took one of his hoodies and shoved it in my bag. 

My red flannel still was hung up in my closet. I wanted to honestly give it to Jack but now wasn't the time. Maybe he'll grab it out of my closet to wear one of these next few days. 

"Hey umm, Jack, if you ever start to miss me, text me ok?" He looked up from his phone and smiled at me.

"You got it Markimoo." He's so cute. I knew I loved him but I wasn't sure he fully loved me yet , which was ok considering I don't know his past yet.

"God I love you" I whispered to myself.

"What was that?" Jack said a smirk on his face.

"Uhhhhh..." I blanked.

"Did you just say you loved me?" he stood up from the couch and took a step towards me.

"Maybe." Red wasn't just in my hair now. It was all over my face.

"Damn it." he said a little sarcastically, "I wanted to be the first to say that." he walked closer and I met him in the middle, closing the gap between us. I felt like I had just been taken off the Earth and was now floating in space with Jack, the boy I loved so so much. 

                *               *               *

It was later now in the evening and I was now leaving Sylvestre Academy for break. It felt weird. I'm not gonna lie, it was strange. I'd been here for a long time, made so many friends and told so many secrets.

Jack and I stood on the side of the pick-up, drop-off zone waiting for my cab. Most of the students that were leaving had gone already. I had said goodbye to my other friends earlier in the day. We were holding hands, very secretly let me say. I was going to miss him more than I did my dog Chica when I first started going here.

"I'm going to miss you so much Jack."

"I know. I'm going to miss you too." I started to tear up a little in the heat of the California sun. I hugged him, seeing the cab pull into the lot.

"I have to go but I'll text you as soon as I can.  promise."

I opened the back of the cab as the driver loaded my stuff into the trunk.

"Jack, I love you."

"I love you too, Mark."

The driver started driving the yellow cab out of the empty lot as I watched Jack in the back window. He was crying. I wish I could stay with him.

I watched out the window until I could no longer see him anymore. I teared up myself as the main gate also disappeared from view.

"Goodbye my little potato."