Loners (Markiplier x Fem!Reader)

Chapter 1

Mark was lonely. Not lonely as in he had no friends--he had plenty. He felt very fortunate to have such a genuine, close-knit group of friends like Kathryn, Amy, Ethan, and Tyler. they were always there for Mark through the good times and the bad. They were, for all intents and purposes, his family.

But no, Mark was lonely as in he was starting to feel like his bed was a little too big, a little too cold, and a little too empty. He and Amy had amicably called their relationship quits several months ago. Mark had noticed that he and Amy were growing apart and, when they sat down and talked about it, she revealed the feelings were mutual. They decided that they were better as friends and went their separate ways for a while.

Nowadays, Teamiplier was back together, Amy was casually dating a couple of guys here and there, and there wasn't any awkwardness between the two ex-lovebirds, or the rest of the group for that matter. Plus, 'Markiplier GAMES' was as successful as ever. All of his videos were being posted on schedule for once and somehow his head was still overflowing with new ideas for videos and content. Mark Fischbach's life was almost perfect--except for that nasty, nagging ache he would get in his chest when he saw a couple holding hands on the street or kissing in the mall.

He was getting that ache now. He was in the Salt Lake City airport in Utah, on his way home from Ireland where he spent the last two weeks hanging out and filming with Jack--

(Sean), he mentally corrected himself, now trying to distract himself from a couple's tearful and passionate reunion at one of the nearby gates. Mark had been walking to his terminal when he heard a feminine squeal, and laughter. Turning to find the source of the ruckus, his eyes fell on a man and woman hugging and kissing as if they hadn't seen each other in months.

(They probably haven't), mark thought to himself almost bitterly. It truly was a lovely, heartwarming moment, and Mark was as happy for them as a complete stranger could possibly be--he loved to see that there was still love and joy in the world--but he could feel his heart sink a little more with each display of affection he saw couples exchange. The ache in his chest deepened because he knew there wasn't going to be someone waiting for him in LA to welcome him home with a hug and kiss. He just had his car in the LA airport parking garage and an empty bed at his empty house.

(At least I'll have Chica), he smiled as he fondly remembered his sweet pup. He'd have to stop by the store and get her some treats on his way home.

Mark had gotten to his gate a whopping three hours early. He set down his backpack and took a seat. There were only a couple of people waiting already. Most were occupied with books or electronics or their children. Then Mark noticed something.

He saw a girl at the far end of the gate. She sat next to the window and was bathed in sunlight. He couldn't make out her face, as she was hunched over--probably reading a book or doing something on her phone. What had really caught his attention, though, was her hair. It waIt wasn't platinum blonde nor dirty blonde nor any kind of blonde for that matter. It was a bright, sunshine-y hue that was nearly hi-liter yellow. It reflected the sun's rays quite stunningly--it was nearly blinding. Mark thought it looked really cool and couldn't help but wonder what the girl looked like up close.

His wondering was brief though, as exhaustion crashed over him like a wave. He had already been in four airports in the last 24 hours. He had flown from Dublin to New York City to Chicago to Salt Lake City. Thankfully, this would be his last flight. Mark was ready to be home, but most importantly, at that moment, he was ready to sleep. He tried to fight it for as long as he could, afraid he might somehow miss his flight, but he slowly succumbed and nodded off.

It seemed like his eyes had only been closed for a few minutes when the YouTuber was awoken suddenly by something shaking his shoulder. His head shot up, eyes wide and blinking, trying to get their bearings. Once everything came into focus he looked up to see the girl with yellow hair standing over him.

"You good?" she asked. Her voice was soft and low, almost quiet. It was a stark contrast from her bright hair.

It took Mark a moment to finish orienting himself and understand what she was saying. When it finally registered he nodded, still confused.

"Yeah, uh, I'm good. Can I--can I help you?"

There was a ghost of a smile on her lips. She was obviously amused for some reason. She was really pretty though. She wore Converse that matched her hair, skinny jeans, a plain tee, and a hoodie. Simple, but nice. Her hair was a little darker now that she wasn't in direct sunlight, but still remarkably vibrant nonetheless. Mark didn't think she was wearing makeup, but he couldn't quite tell because of the big, round, tortoise glasses she wore. He liked them though. That was when he realized her lips were still moving and he had zoned out for a probably embarrassingly long amount of time.

"I'm so sorry," he interrupted, nearly wincing at how rude he probably seemed. "Can you repeat everything you just said because I completely zoned out."

She now had a small smile on her face.

(At least she seems to find this humorous, or maybe even endearing if I'm lucky), he thought.

"Yeah, I just wanted to let you know they're about to start boarding first class."

Oh right, he had a flight! Embarrassed for being foolish enough to fall asleep, Mark zealously thanked the girl while she assured him it was no problem. She turned and started to walk away when Mark thought of something. He stood and called after her.

She turned around. "Yeah?"

"How did you know I was in first class?"

"I mean, I didn't, but I just kind of assumed."

"Why?"

She laughed at that. "Because I don't live under a rock."

A woman's voice suddenly started speaking over the loudspeakers in the terminal, announcing that first class was now boarding. It was at that moment that Mark's groggy brain connected the dots and he felt like a complete doofus.

"Have a good day, Mark!" She called as she waved and then turned to return to her seat.

Mark chuckled quietly at his own stupidity. He grabbed his stuff and got his ticket ready to give to the airport personnel. When he got settled in his seat, he absentmindedly thanked whatever higher power that someone saved him from possibly missing his flight. That would suck. It wasn't until the plane had been boarded and taken off that Mark realized he had never even gotten the girl's name.

(( A/N: I hope it's okay so far! I'm working on the next chapter so we'll see how long it takes to get that up. Again, this is my first time attempting to write fanfiction so it definitely isn't great, but if you have any suggestions or constructive critique, go ahead and leave them in the comments below. See y'all! ))