AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hi all! So, I got a detail wrong in the last chapter, and realized it shortly afterward. Even though I tried to research it beforehand, I still missed the fact that Jack actually DID meet Holly the first time he went to LA. Even though this has basically no impact on the overall plot of the story, it would have bothered me to no end, so I made a minor change to the last chapter to correct it. If any of you read that part and were annoyed by it, I apologize- I do try to get the details correct, but I'm inevitably going to miss things sometimes. Thanks for your patience!

Mark woke up slowly, gazing up at a largely unfamiliar ceiling. They had contemplated spending another night down in the living room, but Mark had concluded that Jack would be more comfortable sleeping on an actual mattress. He had put the bed together, tucked Jack under the covers, and held him until he'd fallen asleep.

He looked around to see bright daylight glowing around the edges of the blinds, and hoped that Jack was still sleeping. He knew how badly they had both needed a good night's rest. He rolled over and found Jack stretched out in a crazy configuration. He was fully on his stomach and had slid halfway down the bed. His head was resting on the mattress instead of a pillow, and his arms were stretched out at odd angles. Mark smirked and shook his head. It was adorable, but it couldn't possibly be comfortable.

He reached over and rested his hand lightly between Jack's shoulder blades, feeling Jack's muscles through his t-shirt.

"Mmf."

"Hey Sean. You ok?"

"Uugh."

Jack shifted slightly and turned his head toward Mark.

"Am I black and blue all over? I feel like a giant bruise."

Mark moved closer to Jack and carefully pulled the neckline of his shirt to the side, examining his neck and shoulders. He found two small bruises and one more pronounced bite. He hadn't broken the skin, but he could see red indentations that matched his own teeth. He brushed his fingers over the mark. He fought a wave of arousal.

"I got you pretty good there. It's fucking sexy, though. Jesus." Jack smiled.

Mark sat up and slid Jack's shirt up from the bottom, examining his back. His skin was pale and smooth.

"How's it look?"

Mark kissed the small of Jack's back as gently as he could, barely touching Jack's skin with his lips.

"Perfect."

He traced the line of Jack's boxers and rested his fingers on Jack's hip.

"How's it feel back here?"

Jack shifted his hips, testing the sensation. "Different than I thought. Not so bad. My muscles ache more than anything."

Mark nodded. "Ok. Bath or pool? Either would probably feel good."

"Mm. Bath first, once I remember how to walk."

Mark kissed his forehead. "Stay here for a minute."

"That won't be a problem."

Mark went to the bathroom and filled the tub with hot water. He went around to Jack's side of the bed and moved his hand lightly over Jack's back. "Think you can get up?"

Jack rolled slowly onto his back. "UUUGGHH."

"I can carry you, if you want."

Jack nodded. "Yes please."

Mark undressed him first, then picked him up as carefully as he could. He carried Jack into the bathroom and stood him up in the tub. Jack settled into the warm water and leaned his head against the edge of the tub. Mark kneeled on the floor, and Jack looked over at him.

"Why're you out there? And fully dressed?"

"I thought you might want some space. And maybe pancakes?"

Jack scooped up a handful of water and splashed it all over the front of Mark's shirt.

"Nope."

Mark laughed. "You absolute nerd. You could've just asked!"

Jack smirked. "You could've said no."

Mark put his face close to Jack's "You really think I'd say no to you?"

"Wasn't worth the risk."

Mark kissed him. He forced himself to be gentle. He stood up to take his boxers off, and Jack scooted forward to make room in the tub. Mark slid into the water behind him, his legs on either side of Jack. He put his hands on Jack's shoulders and held him in a sitting position.

"Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere?"

Mark chuckled. "You don't have to trick me into feeling you up. I'll be all over you as soon as you're feeling better."

"Promise?"

Mark leaned forward and pressed his lips against the back of Jack's neck.

"Promise."

Jack sighed. "Ok. Shoulders, please."

Mark rubbed gently at Jack's neck, shoulders, and back, until Jack took a slow, deep breath, and finally leaned back against Mark's chest. Mark wrapped his arms around Jack's torso and Jack rested his head against Mark's shoulder. Mark covered Jack's neck in slow kisses until Jack's breathing was slow and even. Mark held him while he nodded off.

Jack dozed for about twenty minutes before he finally lifted his head.

"Hey Sean. How are you feeling?"

"Did I fall asleep?"

"For a little while."

"I feel better."

"Hungry yet?"

"Starving."

They both stood up and climbed out of the tub, Jack stretching tentatively. "Jesus, so much better. Thanks, love."

Mark wrapped him in a towel and kissed his forehead. "You should get back in bed. I'll make breakfast."

"I should help."

Mark shook his head. "You should start studying for your driving test."

Jack sighed. "Yep. Yeh're right." They had researched it together. Jack needed to pass a written exam before he could get a learner's permit. He and Mark couldn't practice on the road until that happened, so the longer he put it off, the longer it would take him to get his actual license. "How long do yeh think I'll need?"

"A few hours, I'd guess. If my sixteen-year-old self could pass, you should be just fine. God, I was an idiot back then."

"But you took a class fer it, right?"

"Oh, yeah, and it was totally useless. Don't worry, I found you some videos and a practice test."

"You're the best."

Mark put Jack back to bed and set him up with a laptop before he went downstairs. He played with Chica in the backyard for a while, then made breakfast, and brought it upstairs to Jack. Jack had been alternating between the videos, the practice test, and his own typed notes, but he set the work aside and ate with Mark.

"So. I had an idea."

Jack stopped chewing. "Oh Jesus, how worried should I be?"

Mark chuckled. "Only slightly. I was thinking of giving Matt and Ryan a call."

Jack nodded. "What d'you want to tell them?"

Mark thought for a moment. "I know I haven't talked about it a lot, but I was not in a good place before I moved out. All three of us were having a rough time. We didn't exactly leave off on bad terms, and we've been in touch on and off, obviously. But I think I should try to let them know what's been going on. I'm not sure how they'll take it, but I'd rather give it a try than just let it go."

Jack nodded again. "Whatever you want. Sounds like the right call to me."

Mark called Ryan's cell phone, and was surprised when he actually picked up. He asked if he and Matt could be free to hang out for a while, and he said they could make it work. Mark hung up and texted him the address. He sighed.

"I'm going to take a quick shower. Will you be ok for a while?"

Jack smiled. "I'm fine, Mark. Don't worry about me. Don't worry in general. It'll all be alright."

Mark showered, dressed, and headed downstairs to play with Chica while he waited for Matt and Ryan. Eventually his phone buzzed, and he went to the front door to let Matt and Ryan into the house. They greeted each other somewhat awkwardly, and Mark led them into the kitchen to sit down.

"Where's Jack?" Ryan asked. "Isn't this his house?"

"He's upstairs. And yeah, kind of. That's what I wanted to talk to you guys about."

Mark looked at both of them. "Ok, I have some things to say to you guys. I'm hoping you'll hear me out."

They both nodded. "Sure," Matt said. "What's up?"

Mark took a breath. "So. We went through a lot together. I'm guessing you could tell that I was having a really hard time before I moved out. I didn't feel like myself at all. I'm pretty sure I was probably miserable to live with, and selfish, and generally a total asshole. And I want to say I'm sorry for that. The fact that you guys still kept in touch, and agreed to watch Chica for me, was a huge deal. Thank you."

Ryan was shaking his head. "We all could've handled things better."

Matt nodded. "Yeah, man. Don't worry about it."

Mark tried to smile. "Thanks. So, I'm trying to be less of an asshole, and I'm trying to be more honest about things. I have to tell you something else that might be surprising, but I'm hoping it will help explain why I was having such a hard time keeping my shit together."

Mark paused. His friends were looking at him seriously. He took another deep breath.

"Obviously, Jack is living here now. This is his house. But it's mine, too. We're living here together."

Ryan nodded. "I thought this looked like your kitchen table. Are you guys partnering up, or something?"

Shit. Neither of them had gotten the message. He shook his head.

"Not for work. Jack came here for me. He's not my roommate. He's my…" The word boyfriend hung in Mark's mind, unspoken. It didn't sound right, for some reason. He didn't feel like it captured the seriousness of what was going on between them.

"I love him."

Matt and Ryan stared.

Ryan finally broke the silence. "Normally, I would tell you to go fuck yourself, but I get the feeling you're not joking."

"I'm not. I swear."

Matt was nodding. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not surprised. And, you're right. It explains a lot."

Mark let out the breath he had been holding in. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Fuck, that must have been hard. How long has it been going on?"

Mark thought about it. "I felt it for a long time, but I didn't tell him until a couple weeks ago. It was definitely affecting me, but I thought things would get even worse if I told him and it went badly. So I moved, tried to change things up, tried to move on. It didn't help. I basically waited until I couldn't handle it by myself anymore. And then… well, I got lucky. He came to see me, and now here we are."

Ryan looked like he'd come to a realization. "So he moved here to be with you?"

Mark nodded.

"Oh, wow. So this is a really big deal."

"Yeah, it is."

"So." Matt was smiling. "How's it going?"

Mark grinned. "Really good. Seriously. I feel… I don't know. I feel like myself again. But better. I'm sorry it took so long to get here, and I'm sorry if all of my bullshit affected either of you. If you can get over the awkwardness, I hope we can still be friends."

"Jesus, dude. We're cool. Don't make it weird." Ryan was grinning.

Matt nodded in agreement. "So what's the plan? Should we all hang out?"

"I had a couple ideas. We need tons of stuff for the house. If you guys are up for it, I thought we could go buy some stuff. If you help me build a grill, I'll make dinner later."

They both nodded. "Deal."

"Cool. Sean – uhm, Jack, I mean – he's studying, so I think he'll probably stay here. Want to say hi before we go?"

They both laughed. "Obviously," Ryan said.

Mark took out his phone and sent Jack a message. He appeared in the kitchen a minute later. Mark, Ryan, and Matt all stood up to greet him.

"Hey, guys, thanks for coming." Jack extended his hand, and they both shook it.

"We heard you've been rehabilitating our friend," Matt said, smiling.

Jack giggled. "That's one way of putting it."

"Seriously. Thanks," Matt went on. "How are you doing?"

"Well, I feel like I'm going to burst into flames every time I walk outside. And I'm about to apply fer a learner's permit, so there's that. But otherwise, I'm awesome. Thanks fer asking."

"I can't believe you've been keeping up with your channel, with all this going on," Ryan said sincerely. "You too, Mark. I'm really impressed."

They both thanked him, embarrassed.

"So, Sean, we were going to go grab some stuff for the house, and maybe grill later? That ok with you?"

"Oh my God. Like, hamburgers and stuff?"

Mark laughed. "Please tell me you've grilled before."

"Irishmen don't grill, Mark. It doesn't stop raining long enough."

Mark stared at him. "You're joking, right?"

Jack giggled. "Yeah, I'm joking in a general sense, but grilling is totally foreign to me. I'm excited. Knock yerselves out."

"Ok. Text me if you need anything."

Jack grinned. "Thanks." He put his arms around Mark's shoulders and hugged him briefly, then tensed, pulled back, and looked over at Matt and Ryan.

"Sorry guys…"

They were both shaking their heads.

"Nah, man, it's fine. Proceed," Ryan said.

Mark smiled gratefully and pulled Jack into a proper hug. He kissed Jack's lips briefly before letting him go. "See you later?"

Jack nodded, then turned to Matt and Ryan. "Thanks fer being cool, guys, it's really good to see both of yeh." They said their goodbyes, and Jack headed back upstairs.

"Wow," Ryan said. "That'll take some getting used to."

Mark grimaced. "Too much?"

"No, no… you guys are fucking adorable. That's what I mean- I'm not used to thinking of you as being adorable." He looked Mark up and down. "It suits you. You seem… good."

Mark nodded. "Thanks, man."

Matt drove the three of them to rent a small truck, and they spent the next couple of hours buying patio furniture, a grill, and several other things Mark had wanted to keep secret from Jack for the time being. After sending some photos to Jack for his approval, Mark also purchased a couch and chairs for their empty living room, which would be delivered directly to the house in a couple of days. They made a final stop at the grocery store before heading back to Mark and Jack's house.

Mark, Matt, and Ryan started assembling the grill as soon as they arrived, and Jack took a break from studying to help out with dinner. Matt and Ryan jumped in the pool to cool off while Mark and Jack finished up, and then they all ate together in the kitchen. The mood was light; they all enjoyed each other's company.

Afterward, Matt and Ryan helped Mark store the rest of the items from the truck in the garage. Mark drove the three of them to return the truck, and then Matt and Ryan dropped Mark back at the house. Mark let them know that the Grumps would be visiting the following day, and invited them to join. They already had plans, but assured him they would be back another time. They both hugged him goodbye before they left, reassuring him that they would be careful to keep Mark and Jack's secret for as long as they needed to. Mark felt confident that they were telling the truth.

He found Jack in the bedroom with his headphones on, scrutinizing the laptop screen. Jack grinned when he saw Mark, setting the headphones and the laptop aside.

"Hey, love. Seems like that went well, yeah? Want to tell me about it?"

Mark sat criss-cross on the bed in front of Jack. He smiled. "Yeah, it went really well. I feel so much better. I can't even remember the last time we all had fun hanging out like that."

Jack picked up one of Mark's hands and squeezed. "I'm proud of you."

Mark squeezed back. "How are you feeling?"

"Really good. I mean, a tiny bit sore, still. But fine." He held Mark's gaze. "I actually… kind of like it."

"What, being sore and miserable?"

"Do I look miserable to you?"

Mark looked him over. He shook his head.

"I like that yeh're strong. I like that I can always feel you, all over me…" He picked up Mark's other hand. "I love it. I love that I can always trust you. It's like this truth that's with me all the time."

He leaned forward and kissed Mark's lips.

"Did yeh like it? Losing control with me?"

Mark took a deep breath, resisting the urge to tackle Jack onto the mattress. "I don't think I can even describe what it felt like. It was… fucking… insane." He hooked his fingers into the neckline of Jack's shirt, pulled him forward, kissed his lips firmly. He felt Jack tracing his upper lip with his tongue. He smiled.

"Sean."

"Mmm."

"I'm trying to be… gentle."

"Oh. Right." Jack put his arms around Mark's shoulders and hugged him. "I just wanted you to know I loved it. I want to do it again. Y'know. Eventually."

Mark kissed his neck. "No rush. I can be patient. I mean, it'll be torture. But I'll behave."

"Not too much, I hope."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Bonus points for anyone who can identify the following reference:

"How are you feeling?"
"Did I fall asleep?"
"For a little while."

The end of the quote goes:
"Shall I go now?"
"If you like."

HINT: Joss Whedon fans will have an easier time.