Love Matters in the Dark (Septiplier/Jack x Dark AU)

Step 22: All businesses experience growing pains. Just be willing to adjust.

An hour has gone by and Mark and I are no closer figuring out what to do about Ethan. More out of worry that the poor guy would scream himself into a coma, I was able to convince him to take a few shots of whiskey. He wasn't buzzed, but at least he stopped screaming for the time being.

The The Magical Arts of the Lucky Leprechaun is still sitting on my lap, but my eyes are beyond glazed over at this point. The text is definitely Gaelic, but there are certain words that I have never heard before in my life. The swirly text isn't helping at all with further understanding. Did the writer have to be so fucking fancy with the the way the curved their As? Or were those Ps?

"You look frustrated, my love."

"Your eyesight is accurate," I snap back.

The hurt behind the soft brown eyes has me apologizing already. Even though this is absolutely his fault being angry at him will do nothing to fix the problem.

"It's like I can understand just enough to be able to do nothing," I groan. I point to that start of a page, and Mark slides on the couch next to me and looks over my shoulder.

"The memory change spell is a fairly simple...words I can't understand...and focusing on the human."

Mark sighs as he leans over and kisses my forehead.

"Yes, that doesn't really help you at all. Maybe it's like your flying? Just focus your energy onto the human and he'll forget. It's worth a try."

I roll my eyes as I shut the book with a snap and stand up.

"And what happens if I do something wrong? I could make his head explode, or something."

The smile that appears on his lips is almost frightening.

"Then we definitely should try - "

"Stop trying to kill Ethan!" I scream.

A louder scream echos from the hallway to our right.

"Fuck, he heard me," I groaned. "I'm going to go back and try to calm him down again. Please, see if there's anything that we can do to figure out how I cast a memory spell."

Mark shrugs his shoulders again.

"I'm sorry, my love, but I have no idea how to read Gaelic. I usually use Madie for these types of things."

My heart skipped a beat at what he just said.

"Wait...I thought that you said Madie couldn't help me with my powers!"

The head tilts again and I can feel every bone in my body willing me to be patient. I'm dealing with a lovesick demon and not the firm and fair business man from the day before.

"No my love..I said that Madie can only provide information about magical properties. She isn't able to teach you how to use your gifts. However she can translate magical texts. That is part of how she can provide information."

The scream of exasperation that left my mouth could have rivaled Ethan. Mark cringes at my anger, with his eyes looking at me terrified. He threw himself to the ground at my feet, his wings breaking free from his shoulder blades and fluttering helplessly.

"Forgive my misunderstanding, my love. Please don't take away my cuddles. I'd rather die than to upset you."

If he didn't look so sad and scared and if we weren't on borrowed time this would have been much hotter than I care to admit.

"It's all right," I sigh. "I'm not angry. Just...it's been a very long day is all."

His dark eyes lift up to meet mine as he still is on the ground. His lips curled downward into fretful frown, like he was a puppy who upset his owner.

"Y-you forgive me?"

"Yes, yes now please get up."

The grin is back in full again as he lifts to his feet and hugs me tightly in his arms. I can't breathe and I and wiggling as best I can.

Madie buzzes and clicks.

"Dark, remember what this device said about leprechaun powers."

He releases his grip with a bashful smile, and I gasp for air. Regardless about how I feel about that sarcastic machine she has saved me more times than I care to count. I grab her from the kitchen counter with one hand and the magic book in the other. Mark watches me confused at my raving around, but he doesn't try to stop my running around like a crazy man.

"I need a place to read and study up for a while," I say to him breathless. "Quiet and out of the way. Ethan would need to be there with me."

His eyes become bright with excitement at my words and he flashes a huge smile.

"You mean, like a brooding room? I have one in the cellar right off of the wine room! I can get the human prepared and everything ready in less than an hour!"

My face twist in confusion at the name, but Mark is gone before I can ask anything else. He's almost skipping as he's heading towards the back of the house.

"Madie," I groan, "I'm almost afraid to ask but, what's a brooding room?"

She buzzes and clicks in my hand.

"A brooding room is a magical portal hall where incubi practice rituals and spells. Usually with a non magical entity as its primary target. In ancient times the souls of the non magical were pulled away from its host in brooding rooms to pass through to the other side to damnation."

I blink at the long winded explanation, with my brain only grabbing at certain words I could understand.

"For fuck's sake, in plain English. Where the hell is Mark trying to take Ethan and me?"

Madie buzzes, clicks and then gives a little chuckle.

"You have already simplified it. You and the full human are both going to Hell."