It has been a little over a year since Jack passed. Mark is still having problems adjusting to him not being around. Matt and Ryan tried to help the best they could, but not much was changing. He wasn't posting as many videos and wasn't as energetic as he used to.
Ever since Mark made that video, his fans gave their support which he was grateful for. He just didn't really know how to function anymore, and he knew that Jack would be pissed at him if he knew how moppy he was being.
Today is Halloween and Mark had opted to stay home instead of going to a party the Grumps were having. Matt and Ryan felt bad about leaving, but Mark insisted they go have fun while he passed out candy to the kids. It took quite a bit, but they left while giving sad smiles as they hopped in their car.
It didn't take long for there to be a loud knock on the door after the two left. It felt slightly early for kids to be out, but Mark got up from the couch grabbing the large bowl of candy. He sighed trying to put on the biggest and most believable smile he could while slowly opening the front door.
Mark couldn't believe his eyes, and the smile faded instantaneously. The person on the other side of the door wasn't a little kid in a costume like he expected. Instead the figure was all too familiar to him. Bright green hair that faded into a light brown color, a small round head that matched their slightly smaller frame, and wide smile that showed off the person's teeth all of which Mark could never forget.
It was Jack. Mark felt his heart beating out of his chest. He felt like all of this was some terrible hallucination and he was just staring at some kids in a really weird way. He didn't know whether to hug the man in front of him or run away in fear.
There was something different about this Jack though. His eyes weren't as bright as they used to be and one was extremely green with a red pupil. Mark ignored that because he was beginning to shake as he could feel tears starting to fall from his eyes. Plus he just couldn't believe that Jack was standing in front of him. The devious smile on Jack's face faded and turned rather serious from seeing Mark like that.
"Are you going to let me in or just gawk at me like an arse?" Jack asked crossing his arms over his chest. Mark moved to the side and Jack strolled into the house. He looked around the space before turning to Mark and giving him his usual smile.
"Wh- I... Is that really you Jack?" Mark asked carefully through trembling lips. He stuttered harshly unsure if he could believe the sight in front of him. Jack was exactly how Mark remembered him. He was wearing his red sweater, twelve bracelets, beanie, and ripped skinny jeans that he was the last time they saw each other.
"Who else would it be ya doof?" Jack asked back chuckling at the other's oddness. He didn't seem to remember what happened. Mark looked at him with such awe and pained confusion which caused Jack to raise his eyebrow in his own confusion. "What's wrong?"
"You... you died..." Mark whispered turning his gaze to the side unable to look at the Irishman anymore. He nervously scratched his arm, crossing them lightly. "You've been gone for over a year..."
"Mark... What are you talking about? I was visiting my family because we had that fight." Jack said sounding even more confused than he already was. "I told you I'd be back on Monday didn't I?"
"You did... Do you not remember that your plane crashed?" Mark asked getting partially concerned. He looked at Jack and saw that he was being sincere when he said he didn't remember. Mark started crying again until he felt rather long arms wrap around him. He hadn't even noticed that Jack was now standing next to him.
"I'm sorry if I worried you." Jack whispered tightening his grip around his boyfriend. Mark tensed in the other's arms unsure of how to feel about this. "I swear I was gone for only a couple of days."
Mark pulled out his phone and opened the article that broke his heart a long time ago. He showed it to Jack who broke away from Mark to read it. The younger man's mouth fell open, and he started repeating "no"s as he opened a different app.
"I - you... It really has been a year... I can't believe that..." Jack started shaking handing the phone back to Mark. They both stared at each other for a moment. That's when Mark noticed the different eye that Jack had.
"What happened to your eye? And how can you not remember dying?" Mark asked raising an eyebrow to the brunette in front of him. Jack shrugged still clearly not believing that he died.
"I don't know. I-I remember our fight, leaving for Ireland, and waking up being dropped off at your door." Jack said running fingers through his still bright green hair. His tone was getting rushed and panicky.
"Jack that's not possible... You've missed a whole year of your life? I'm not sure I can believe that." Mark said moving his arms around as he spoke. "It makes absolutely no sense! No one can just forget what happened in a year especially since you were in a plane crash no one survived!"
"SHUT UP!" Jack yelled slamming his fist down on the couch. Mark flinched and looked down to the floor whispering an apology. Jack turned and looked at the faux-redhead with tons of anger and confusion.
"I-I should go..." Mark said before heading to his room. He was stopped by a hand gripping his arm. He turned to look at Jack who was now behind him. The American opened his mouth to say something but was stopped when they heard the front door open.
"Mark! Ryan forgot his fake blood. Have y-" Matt was cut off when both him and Ryan saw Jack holding onto Mark's arm. They stood there wide-eyed and mouths open. Jack slowly removed his hand from the older man and let it fall to his side.
"H-how...? Jack... Jack is that you?" Ryan asked taking a step toward his two friends. Mark and Jack both nodded looking at each other unsure how to proceed. "What happened to you?"
"Jack... Go to my room and check my YouTube channel. Watch the video that was posted a few days after you left." Jack nodded exiting the room without looking back. Mark sighed and turned his attention to the men still in the doorway.
Mark proceeded to explain what Jack had told him, and his friends expressed their concerns about the situation. He explained that he would be fine and that they should go back to the party so that he could handle it. Begrudgingly Matt and Ryan agreed grabbing what they came for before leaving again. He sighed lightly trying to find the courage to face Jack again.
"You in there Jack?" Mark cautiously knocked on his bedroom door. He slid it open only to be attacked with a giant hug from his green haired friend. Jack was sobbing harshly against Mark leaving tear stains on both of their shirts.
"I-I'm so sorry Mark. I'm sorry I left, made you lonely, and caused you so much pain." Jack shakily said through tears and sniffles. Mark began to tear up and wrap his arms around Jack. They stood there just crying and holding each other for a while.
"Could we maybe go to bed and sort this out in the morning?" Jack asked pulling back from the hug still sniffling slightly. Mark nodded giving a sad smile to the man he loved. They changed and laid down with Jack nuzzling into Mark.
Halfway through the night Jack awoke and headed for the bathroom with a massive headache. He stared at his reflection for a moment taking in his green eye to see that it had started bleeding. The headache quickly increased causing him to collapse to the floor. A voice very similar to his own filled his head.
"It's my turn to take over. I know how to make Mark pay for what he did to us." The voice said before his vision started fading. He tried to fight the darkness that was setting in, but all that caused was more pain in his head. "Don't fight me. You know I know what's best for us." And with that everything faded away and went completely black.
