since eighth grade. → markiplier

Chapter Three: The Family

Chapter Three: The Family

Mark

"You ready, then?" I ask, just after I pulled my red, plaid shirt on over my black vest and walked out of the room. Elliot appears not long after, wearing mostly black, just as usual. Black skinny jeans, leather jacket, converse. The only thing not black is the blue splatter across her shirt. It really brings out the same shade of blue in her hair.

"Yep." She says, puffing up her cheeks as she does. She ruffles her hair slightly, rolling her shoulders as she zips her jacket half-way up her torso.

"Okay. Come on, then." I say, and begin to walk out of the apartment. I wait outside of the door as she locks it and pulls out her glasses.

"Can we get lunch after? I haven't eaten yet." She asks, and I nod my head at her as she pulls her glasses on over her grey eyes.

"Sure thing." I agree, walking down the hallway and down the stairs. She throws me the keys to her car when we get to the parking lot, presuming that I wanted to drive. She guessed right. I unlock the car and climb in, pulling the belt over me as I start up the car. During most of the drive, we're both silent. But that doesn't bother me. We've known each other long enough to not get awkward when we're silent – we just enjoy each other's company.

She suddenly pipes up, "Man, I miss my Harley." She says, referring to her old motorcycle.

"Oh, what happened to it?" I ask her, adjusting my grip on the steering wheel. I steel a glance at her for a second, but turn back to the road almost instantly. I don't know why I felt the need to look at her, but I just did.

There is a long period of silence before she finally answers. "It's at my dad's."

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"Oh," I softly say, feeling a pang of sympathy for her. She told me about what her father used to do to her, so it's easy to understand why it's still at her dad's. She's too scared to go get it. "I can get it for you one day." I

"Don't bother. You know how much he hates your guts," She tells me, and I nod my head at that. Her dad really does hate me. "Besides, he probably tore it apart and sold the parts." She guesses, and I could see this making sense. Her dad works at a garage that doesn't get him much money, so it would make sense if he broke down the expensive bike and sold the parts for, probably, more than they were worth. She sniffs, turning her head for a moment. She lets out a nervous breath, and I can't take it any longer. I hate seeing her in this way, so I just go over and hug her.

"Are you alright?" I ask, shifting my head so that it rests on hers slightly.

"Mark. Not a hugger." She says, and I release her. She smiles a little though, so I don't regret hugging her.

"Well, I am. So, there." I say, almost triumphantly.

Elliot

"Yeah, I already knew that. Come on, then." I reply, walking up to the front of his house. Only seconds after Mark knocks on the door does his mother open the door, and the smell of food baking reaches my nose.

"Mark!" She says, wearing a big grin on her face. She and Mark share a big hug, both of them smiling from ear to ear. "I'm so happy you're in Cincinnati again. How long you here for?" She asks, keeping her hand on her sons shoulder even as they break away from the hug.

"A couple of weeks. I'm bunking at Elliot's house." Mark explains, gesturing towards me. His mother looks at me, her eyes scanning my hair for a moment, but she continues to grin.

"Ellie! Lovely to see you after all this time." She says, opening her arms for me to walk into and take her hug. Just so I don't seem rude, I give her a brief hug and step back. She seems satisfied as she still has that huge grin on her face.

"Can we come in?" Mark asks, being extremely polite.

"Of course, of course!" His mother says, stepping away from the door so that we can both walk in. Automatically, we take off our shoes and leave them next to the door. His mother had a rule about shoes, and I'd rather not violate them. "I've been doing some baking. Want to try some cake?" She offers, leading us into the kitchen.

"Sure, mom," Mark replies, and I nod my head in agreement even though I didn't really want anything right now. Thankfully, she only gave us a tiny piece each. "Damn, this is good."

"Yeah, this is really lovely. Thanks." I say honestly, wiping my mouth after eating it.

"That's good to hear. Tom?" His mom calls out, waiting for a reply. She gets none. With a huff, she walks to the door of the kitchen. "Tom? Your brother is here!" She says, smiling as she turns back to us. "He's been out in the garden with his kids for a while." She explains, and I smile at the thought.

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Tom comes from the back of the house, and he breaks out into the biggest and goofiest smiles when he sees his brother. They hug for a while, and it's evident that they probably haven't spoken to each other in a while. When they release each other, Tom spots me from across the room. He waves at me and I wave back, smiling.

"My god, Mark, it's been so long."

"Yeah," Mark agrees breathily, running a hand through his hair. "Too long."

"It's great to see you back in Cincinnati. You here for two weeks, again?"

"Yup. I'm staying at Elliot's," He explains, and I get a little feeling of déjà vu. I chew on my lip again, but stop myself from doing it as I try to prevent myself from getting lost in thought. "We're actually going out for lunch now. I'll be recording a video later, but I'll call you after. That alright?" Mark asks, and Tom nods his head.

"Sure thing. I'll see you around, then?" Tom says, and Mark nods his head. Tom walks back to the garden to his kids, and we have a small conversation with his mother again. Not long after, though, are we walking out and heading back into the car.

"So, where do you want to go for lunch?" He asks me, and I shrug.

"What about that small café place? I forgot what it's called." I say, racking my brain to remember what it's called.

"I know the one you mean." He tells me, and then we set off to the café to grab some lunch. And, for once in a little while, I find that breaking out into a smile is so easy.