Do I Matter?
Chapter two

When Mark woke up that morning, his first instinct was to check his phone for texts from Jack. He had three texts from the Irishman. He had asked if Mark wanted to meet up at the library later today, since today was Saturday. Jack was having trouble with the material they were reading in literature. The other two was just him asking if Mark was awake. The brunette knew meeting him was a dare by his friends, but he had really started to like Jack. When Mark was at that playground with his 'friends', they had noticed how much Mark was staring at the unfamiliar, blue-eyed Irishman and dared him to talk to him.

They knew he was bi. A few of them were as well. Mark's friend, Matt, brought up the dare idea because he saw how a few other guys and girls were looking at him. Matt was one of Mark's close friend, but he was straight. Mark knows that if he wasn't, he'd most likely being dating him now.

It wasn't a for sure crush, but the brunette was certain that he liked Jack.

Jack was secretive. He didn't share too much about himself. Mark noticed all of those smiles he forced when someone asked him if he was okay. He wanted to make him smile for real. He wanted a true smile from Jack, like when they first met.

A soft knock emitted from his bedroom door. "Come in," The brunette said, putting on his lucky flannel. His older brother, Tom, walked into his room carrying a single poptart. "Mornin'," He said lazily. Tom eyed the flannel and smirked. "Who the guy?"

"What?"

Tom chuckled. "You don't wear that flannel out unless there's someone you really like, or if you're playing some game that gets yer blood boiling."

Mark smiled softly. "You remember Jack?"

"Ah, yes, the Irishman you always talk about."

"Heh… Yeah. Well, I guess, you can say that's the guy."

The older of the two grinned and took a large bite out of his poptart. "You should bring him over at some point. I bet Mom would love to him."

Sticking his tongue out, Mark continued to flatten down his flannel. "Shut up."

"When are ya leaving?"

The brunette checked his phone. "We agreed on noon." Upon turning around, Mark was hit with a raincoat. "Mom says walk the dogs," Tom said with a smirk.

"... Motherfucker."

Once Mark had arrived downstairs, wearing the raincoat Tom gave him and carrying the dog's leashes. "Hi Mark," His mother greeted him, "Thank you for agreeing to walk the dogs. Tom said you'd say no." Mark turned and glared at his brother before smiling at his mother sweetly. "It's not a problem."

"Don't stay outside with them for too long, though. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."

"Give me ten minutes, Mom, then I'll be back inside to help with the cleaning."

"Thank you!"

The brunette looked at the clock that hung above the dinner table. It was currently 10:23 am. After walking the dogs, he could help his mother and join Jack at the library. Mark smiled. Maybe he could get Jack to open up to him about his family.

His phone dinged. Digging it out of his pocket, Mark read the text. It was from Ethan

EtHaN Are u comin to eat lunch w/ us?

Ah, that's right. Mark had arranged to eat lunch with Ethan, Bob, Matt and Wade today. He had forgotten. He was so caught up with Jack that he had completely forgotten.

Mark: Sorry, i forgot.

I made plans to meet up with jack this afternoon.

The reply was almost immediate.

EtHaN can't you 2 still come to eat with us?

Mark: I'll have to check w/ jack and see if he's already eaten

EtHaN k

If you can't come to eat w/ us then i'll see you and jack at school

The brunette shoved his phone in his pocket once more and whistled for his dogs. They ran downstairs and jumped on their owner, barking and whining to attract their owner's attention. Mark rubbed their ears and smiled warmly. "You two ready to for a walk in rain?"

When noon rolled around, Mark waited in front of the library for ten minutes before Jack walked up to him, huffing and puffing due to running the whole way there. "Heya, Jack," Mark said as the Irishman ran up to him.

"Hey…. Mark…" He huffed.

"You were a little late, so I got worried."

He looked at the brunette and smiled. "I was doing something before I got here and it got done later than expected."

Mark nodded in understanding and gestured the younger of the two inside the library. "What did you want to research?" Mark asked. Jack looked around the library, his eyes scanning the selection. "I wanted to read more books by Shirley Jackson… That's the author of the book we're reading in class, right?"

"Yeah, our teacher really likes the horror genre, so we spend a good chunk of the school year learning about it."

"The book we're reading in class is called We Have Always Lived In The Castle. I did research on the other books by Jackson, so I thought if I read more by her I could understand everything we're learning in class."

"Okay. That's a good way to go if you don't understand it. So which one did you wanted to check out?"

"Umm… I think it was called The Lottery."

Mark smiled and ruffled Jack's hair. "Let's go find it, shall we?"

Once the young men had found the books required of them, they both stood under the porch of the library watching the rain pour down hard in the dark afternoon. Mark pulled his phone out and texted his brother to come and get him; he glanced at Jack, waiting for him to pull out a cell phone and text or call his parents as well. When he realized he wasn't going to, he said something. "Aren't you going to call your parents?" Mark asked, shoving his phone in the pocket of his jacket.

Jack's answer was hesitant. "T-they wouldn't be able to come and get me."

"Why not? Are they busy?"

The Irishman nodded slowly. "You could say that, but it's more like they're… Out of town."

"Ah, I see," Mark turned to Jack and nodded in understanding, "For work, right?"

He nodded and stood, watching the rain for a few minutes. Mark stood next to Jack, watching the Irishman's eyes follow the raindrops to the ground. The brunette was so entranced by Jack that he didn't notice Tom pull up in his car.

Mark's older brother rolled down the window of the car. "Mark, get in the car; I wanna go home."

The brunette nodded and was about to enter the car, but his mind drifted towards Jack. Mark looked at the green-haired male and held out his hand. "Would you like to stay the night at my house, Jack?"

Jack stood there, staring at Mark's hand. He took it and sat in the backseat of the car with Mark. The Irishman glanced at Mark once they had started down the road. "Do you need to ask your parents if you can stay over?" Mark asked once he had noticed Jack staring at him. Jack shrugged. "They probably won't care, or know for that matter. I'll check with them just in case though."

Mark nodded and leant his head on the window as he drifted into sleep. Dreams of a blue-eyed Irishman filled his mind as he slept.

"Mark, wake up," A voice said, the host of the voice shaking him awake. The quarter-Korean man slowly opened his eyes and blinked rapidly for a few moments before processing the face of the person in front of him. "Jack…?" Mark crooked his head to the side as he stared into the ocean of the Irishman's eyes. "I'm guessing we're at my house?" He said, smiling. Jack nodded causing his hair to fall in front of his eyes.

"Alright, you two," Tom said, tapping on Jack's shoulder, "Get inside while the rain has let up."

Mark stumbled out of the car, leaning on Jack as they made their way into the house. Once they were inside, Mark's mother greeted them. She seemed quite happy to meet Jack. She smiled brightly and smirked at Mark every time Tom started to direct his attention to the older of the two brothers. Mark's mother ordered pizza for Jack and Mark, despite the multiple times Jack said he didn't have to eat. "Mark, why don't you get Jack settled into the guest room?" Mark's mother said.

"Mom, Jack can sleep in my room," The brunette said, cocking his head to the side in confusion. Mark looked at Tom, hinting for him to render aid to his situation, but his brother just smirked suggestively. Mark shoved his brother angrily. "Shut up!" Jack looked confused. "Whatcha talking about?" He said, tilting his head to the side.

"Fine," Mark's mother said turning to Jack, "If it's okay with Jack."

The Irishman shrugged. "I don't mind."

Mrs. Fischbach nodded. "Okay, you two head upstairs and I'll call you down when the food gets here." The two nodded and made their way upstairs and into Mark's room. When the two entered the bedroom, Jack sat on the floor and took the book he borrowed from the library out of his bag. Mark laid on his back and rested his head on Jack's lap. The Irishman jumped and looked at Mark in confusion. "What are you doing?" The young male just smiled. "Can you read that to me?"

Jack tilted his head, but then noticed the hand that was gesturing to the book he held in his hands. "Oh? This.. um, I'm not really comfortable reading to people…"

"Just imagine I'm not here, okay?"

The Irishman shrugged and fidgeted for a moment before sighing in defeat. "... O-okay…" He opened the book and began to read. "'The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming…" Mark stopped listening to the words that were coming out of his mouth and just watched the way his mouth moved. He caught the words that were said differently due to his accent and smiled every time he heard it. Jack's face turned bright red when he caught Mark's smiles. Jack continued reading, sometimes he stuttered due to Mark staring at him. The quarter-Korean male was entranced by the Irishman's voice. He loved the way the words flowed out of his mouth with ease, he watched his lips curve every time he said certain words.

"'... When he arrived in the square, carrying the black wooden box, there was a murmur of conversation-', Mark?" The brunette had taken the book and set it on the floor next to them. "Mark, what are you doing?" He asked. Mark just ran his fingers through the Irishman's green and brown hair. "Hey," Mark asked, still running his finger through his hair, "I know you don't like to talk about it, but… What are your parents like?" Jack held his breath and bit his tongue, as if thinking of something. "Well… They're loving people, very kind. They help me in anyway they can and to be honest I'm kind of spoiled." Mark smiled, but when his face scrunched up in confusion Jack couldn't help but to ask, "What's wrong?"

"You have a lip piercing?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah… I did that awhile ago."

His face scrunched up again. "You did it?"

"Yeah, a friend taught me how in middle school."

The brunette smiled. "It looks good on you." Jack smiled and muttered a 'thank you'. "Why don't we play a game?" He asked. "Sure," Mark said, "What game?"

"Truth or dare, maybe?"

"Okay, you first. Truth or dare, Jackaboy?"

"Truth," He answered without hesitation.

Mark thought for a moment before looking Jack dead in the eye with a serious expression wore on his face. "Is everything you've told me about yourself true?" Jack looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Everything about you. I want to know the real Jack. I just want to know it's all true before I make a big mistake."

"It is, Mark," He said, "You can trust me." Jack smiled. "It's your turn now, Markimoo."

"Oh, no," He said mockingly.

"Yeah, yeah, it's terrible. Okay, truth or dare?"

"Dare, my dear friend."

"Okay.. Um…" He thought for a moment. "I dare you to dye your hair some wacky colour like mine!"

"Oh… What colour do you think I should get?"

"Hm… Red! Red goes great with your eyes and that flannel you're wearing."

"Thank you for boosting my ego," He said, chuckling.

Mark was about to ask Jack 'truth or dare', but his mother called them from downstairs. "Boys! Pizza is here!" Mark sat up from Jack's lap and Jack stood up from the floor, helping Mark up along the way. "Let's eat!" Mark said, grinning.

When the two - three, if you count Tom - got downstairs, Mark's mother was carrying a large box of pizza towards the table. "Thank you for the food, Mrs. Fischbach," Jack said sitting down at the table next to Mark. Mark's mother smiled warmly and set down the box. "Hey, Mom," Mark said, once everyone had gotten their pizza, "Jack has dared me to get my hair dyed like his."

She looked confused. "Green?"

The two young males chuckled. "No, Mom, not green. Just some wacky colour."

She seemed to understand now. "Ah, I see. So what colour did you have in mind, Mark?"

"Jack said red suited me most."

Mrs. Fischbach chuckled. "I think it does, too, but be careful to boost that ego of his."

Tom took a bite of his pizza. Once he had swallowed, he smirked. "Yup, it's bigger than the school's auditorium."

Mark choked on his bite of pizza and laughed. "C'mon, Tom! We both know it's bigger than that."

When Mark and Jack settled down in Mark's bedroom, the brunette offered the idea of watching some movies. He held up four movies in his hand: It Comes At Night, Flatliners, Baywatch, and Spongebob Movie: Sponge out of Water. "Spongebob? Really, Mark?"

"Hey!" He shouted in protest. "You can never go wrong with Spongebob!"

The Irishman chuckled. "You look so buff on the outside, but you're still a kid at heart, huh?"

Mark tossed the movies in air. "Oh! You bet I am!"

Jack chuckled and started to pick the movies up off the floor. "Which one should we watch?" He asked. "Hm…" Mark thought for a moment. "How about Flatliners?"

"What's that about?" Jack said, looking at the cover of the movie.

"Oh, there's a summary on the back of it."

The Irishman read it aloud. "'Five medical students embark on a daring and dangerous experiment to gain insight into the mystery of what lies beyond the confines of life. The bold adventure begins when they trigger near-death experiences by stopping their hearts for short periods of time. As their trials become more perilous, each must confront the sins from their past while facing the paranormal consequences of journeying to the other side.' Well, that sounds fun."

Mark snatched the movie out of Jack's hands. "Let's watch it!"

It was halfway through the movie when it happened. Jack had fallen asleep while snuggled up against Mark's chest. It had taken every ounce of Mark's being to make sure he didn't do anything to the sleeping Irishman. Instead he just turned off the movie and ran his fingers through his hair. "Jack," He said, "Jack, stand up so I can put you in the bed." The sleeping male said nothing, but he did wrap his skinny arms around Mark's neck. "J-Jack?" He whispered. When the sleeping male did nothing, Mark sighed and mustered the strength to carry Jack to his bed. He laid the male on his bed, listening to the soft breathes of the Irishman. He was about to go and grab a sleeping bag, but Jack took hold of his hand. Frightened, Mark turned towards Jack. He was still asleep, though.

"Jack…?" He whispered, not daring to pull his hand away.

He muttered something under his breath.

"What?" Mark leaned closer to his face to be able to hear better.

"He's still here…" He muttered, "You know what'll happen if you leave…"

"Jack? Jack?" He shook the Irishman's shoulders lightly. "Jack, are you okay?" Mark watched as a few tears escaped his left eye. The next thing he said was said with a shaky breath. "He'll kill you…" It was at that point when Mark decided to wake Jack up. He shook the male's shoulders, forcing him awake. "Jack! Jack, wake up!"

It took a few minutes, but Jack was finally awake. "Wha.. What?" He said, looking around and wiping his eyes in confusion. "Jack, are you alright?" Mark asked.

"I-I'm fine, why?"

"It sounded like you were having a nightmare. You were crying and mumbling things…"

"Like what?" He asked, looking quite worried.

"'He's still here', 'you know what'll happen if you leave', 'he'll kill you'."

A first Jack didn't say anything. He just looked at Mark with confusion painted on his face. It seemed to animated. Fake. "R-really? Did I say that?"

Mark nodded with a serious expression.

"It was probably just a nightmare… Sorry if I worried you."

"Jack," He said in a deep voice, "You better not be lying to me."

Jack put his hands up in a defensive manner. "I'm not, I swear!"

Mark looked at Jack in plead. "Please, Jack," He hugged the Irishman, wrapping his arms around his waist, "I'm worried about you."

The green-haired male ran the brunette's hair. "I'm fine, Mark."