"Really? Red?"

"Uh huh. Trust me. You look awesome in red."

Mark pulled the shirt down over Jack's head. He looked him over: gray sneakers, black fitted jeans, dark red t-shirt. He nodded.

Jack checked out his reflection. "Huh. Yep, yeh're right, as usual." His phone buzzed, and he checked the message. He sighed. "That's Suzy. Gotta go, love."

Mark nodded. "You're going to have an amazing day. Say hi for me." He kissed Jack, sweetly, then watched him disappear from the bedroom.

It was early Wednesday morning, and Jack was scheduled to spend a few hours at Blizzard. He hadn't wanted Mark to lose half a work day driving him back and forth, so he'd asked Suzy if she wanted to make the trip with him, and she had made herself available. Mark would've gone with Jack, and he'd acted disappointed about the whole arrangement, but he was secretly happy to have the house to himself for the day. He had plans.

But it wasn't time for fun yet. He walked to his recording space, sat down in his chair, stared at his phone for a few minutes, and finally tapped at the screen to call his brother.

"Mark!"

"Hey, Tom."

Tom was an artist to his core: quirky, cool, open-minded, and infinitely accepting. Mark was predicting that Tom would handle this phone call fairly well, but he still felt the awkwardness of having to steer the conversation to such a personal topic. He was reminded again of how incredibly different this scenario felt compared to past relationships he'd been in, because of the way his own identity and preferences were inevitably examined and scrutinized. He wondered if he would ever get used to it.

"How have you been? Everything alright?" Tom asked sincerely.

"Yeah, everything's great. How are you?"

"Fine. Same old. Mom's been asking for you, I told her I hadn't heard from you in a while."

"I figured. Sorry." Mark was legitimately apologetic. "I've had a lot going on."

"Seems like it. Ireland, huh? Was that a last-minute decision?"

"Yeah. Kind of. Jack decided to move here, so… I went back with him for a few days."

"I heard! I'm sure he appreciated that. How's he doing? Have you seen him much since you guys got back?"

Tom had never actually met Jack in person, but he followed both of their channels, and was aware that the two of them had been close friends for quite a while.

"Yeah. I've seen him a lot. Uhm." Mark paused. "Tom. I have to tell you something kind of serious. Not serious in a bad way, but, like… people keep expecting me to be joking all the time, and I just want to tell you up front that I am not joking about this. And it's incredibly awkward, so you can make it a lot easier for me if you just believe me the first time around."

"Um… ok… but if you end up pranking me after all that, I'll be pissed."

"I'm not. No pranks. I swear."

"Ok. Go for it."

"I'm assuming you've seen Jack's videos about moving to LA?"

"Yeah."

"So, you know how he mentioned dealing with some things in his personal life? And that was part of the reason why he decided to move?"

"Yeah…"

Mark tried to sound confident. "I'm the reason he moved here. Our friendship kind of… turned into a relationship."

Silence for a moment. "…Relationship. Like, the dating kind?"

"Yeah. And, like, the living together kind."

"Wow… ok… I can see why some people would think you were joking."

"Yeah, I know. It's not like I was blabbing to the whole world that I was having confusing feelings about my best friend. But I was, and here we are. You believe me?"

Another pause. "Yeah, I do."

"Oh, thank God."

Tom chuckled. "So… want to talk about it?"

"Maybe a little. I could use the practice. I suck at explaining it. It makes me feel so guilty."

"Why guilty?"

Mark thought about it. "I feel like I need to handle it right. For Sean. Jack. He deserves it. I would hate it if he thought I was embarrassed, or something, but it's just so awkward to explain. It's not like I can just say, Hey, meet my new girlfriend, and have everyone be like, Hey, Mark dates girls, this is the most normal thing that's ever happened. It's like, Hey, here's my brand new, painfully complicated identity, and a bunch of awkward sexual implications. You're welcome and thanks for not outing me on the Internet."

Tom was laughing. "Dude. I'm sure Jack understands that it's a big adjustment. He's probably going through the same thing."

"Yeah, that's true."

"And as for the rest… I mean, you don't really owe anyone an explanation, unless you want to give them one. People make all kinds of assumptions about any kind of relationship. You just have to decide what information you're comfortable sharing. People will probably try to label you, and a lot of people think that simplifies things, but it can actually make everything a lot more complicated."

The awkwardness Mark had been feeling was starting to dissipate. He was grateful for Tom's perspective. "Yeah, I noticed that. We've both looked into it. The labels don't really fit."

"Do you mind if I ask… is it guys in general, now, or just Jack?"

"Just Jack."

"That is… adorable. But, yeah, a little messier than people typically prefer."

"Yeah. And I'm sure there are plenty of people who won't think it's 'adorable.' Including Mom."

Tom was quiet for a minute. "How serious are you guys?"

"Very. As serious as it gets. I am, anyway. I'm pretty sure Jack is, too."

"Yeah. I think it might take her some time to process that."

"That's one of the reasons I wanted to tell you. Other than the fact that, well, obviously I wanted you to know, and I knew you would handle it really well. So, thanks. But, yeah. I was hoping you could talk to Mom. After I tell her, I mean."

"Sure. Are you coming home for Thanksgiving?"

"I'm not sure. Definitely for Christmas. I want to tell her a lot sooner than that, though. I want to bring Jack home with me when I come."

"Ok. Then, yeah, I would tell her soon. Hey, should I send Jack a message, or something? I'm sure this hasn't been easy for him, either."

Mark felt a wave of appreciation for his brother. "He would love that. I'll text you his number. Also. PAX West? Can you come?"

They discussed the details, and Tom promised that he would try to make it work. Mark heard a notification come through on his phone, and said goodbye to Tom so he could check the message. As he had expected, it was Arin, letting him know that he had just pulled up to the house. Mark told him to let himself in. He sent a quick message to Jack, letting him know to expect a message from Tom, and then headed downstairs to meet Arin.

"Hey man, thanks again for helping me out today."

Arin grinned. "No problem. I honestly didn't know you were this nice of a person. I like to encourage good behavior."

Mark let out a short laugh. "Maybe I wasn't that nice of a person, before. I don't know."

Arin looked at him seriously. "I was joking. But you do seem different, you know? More serious. In a good way. But maybe that's just the existential trauma of actually boning one of your best bros."

"Oh my God. Can we not?"

"What? Too far? You know I'm cool with you guys, right? I think it's great. For real."

Mark nodded. "Thanks, man. You didn't take it too far. I'm just… adjusting."

"I get it. You're not used to being buried in actual dicks. I'm sure you'll get used to it."

"SUCK MY ENTIRE COCK, DOUCHEBAG."

"There's the Markiplier I know and love! See? We can joke about it. The world won't end."

Mark grinned. "Yeah. You're right."

"Good. So. What's the plan?"

Mark checked the time on his phone. "They should be here any minute. Let me show you the room…"

Mark was sitting on the front steps when Suzy and Jack pulled into the driveway later that afternoon. Suzy got out of the car to give them both a quick hug before driving away. They waved goodbye, and then Jack pulled Mark into a tight hug.

"Hey Sean. How was your morning?"

"Awesome. Missed yeh, though. How're you?"

"Better now."

Jack gave him a squeeze. "I got a message from Tom." He took his phone out of his pocket, tapped into his messages, and showed Mark the screen.

T: Hey man, welcome to the family. Hope to see you soon.

Mark grinned. "He's a great guy. I know you'll get along really well."

Jack nodded. "I'm really glad he took it well. I'm proud of you fer telling him."

"Thanks."

"So. I'm getting the feeling that yeh're trying to stop me from going inside the house. Should I be worried?"

"No, but I do need a favor."

"Anything."

Mark kissed his nose. "I need you to let me boss you around for the afternoon. Will you trust me?"

Jack smirked. "I'm guessing I'll enjoy it, so, yes."

"Ok. I did a thing. And you're not allowed to look at most of the house until we're both done working for the day." Mark pulled something out of his pocket and held it up.

"Is that a tie? Are we dressing up?"

"Yes, it is. And no, not this time, but I couldn't find anything else to use. Stay still." He started securing the piece of fabric over Jack's eyes.

"Are you blindfolding me?!"

"You're Goddamn right I am. No peeking."

Jack giggled.

"I'm serious!"

"Mark, as much as I'd love to fool around-"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, McLoughlin. We're still on the clock. I'm just bringing you to your recording room."

"Will there be food?"

Mark laughed. "I'll make you something. But you have to stay in there. You'll have to text me if you want to leave. The blindfold goes on if you need to walk around."

"Got it."

Mark took a moment to admire the way Jack looked with the black fabric covering his eyes. He brushed a thumb across Jack's lips, then kissed him. He felt Jack smiling against his lips.

"Feels good, love, but-"

"I know, sorry, couldn't help myself. Come on."

Mark opened the door and led Jack to his recording room. He untied the blindfold, gave Jack another kiss, and went to the kitchen to make them both some snacks. They ate together while Jack described his morning, and then separated to work on recording and editing for a few more hours. They were learning to anticipate each other's work habits, and Mark was wrapping up when Jack finally texted him.

J: blindfold me now?

M: Oh yes.

He ran downstairs to Jack's space and closed the door behind him. Jack grinned and handed him the blindfold. He secured it over Jack's eyes again and started to lead him toward the door, but Jack stopped him. He felt for Mark's hands and secured them around his own waist, smiling.

Mark watched Jack for a moment, then leaned down and pressed his lips against Jack's throat. Jack sighed. Mark covered his neck in slow kisses, pulling Jack's body closer to his own. He rubbed his nose against Jack's hair.

"Can I surprise you now?"

"Yes please."

"Ok. Come on. No peeking."

Mark pulled Jack into the hallway and guided him to the huge living room at the back of the house. He positioned Jack in the middle of the room.

"Stay right there." Jack could tell that the room had gotten dimmer, and assumed that Mark must have turned off the lights and pulled the blinds on the sliding doors. He heard some noises he couldn't identify, and then music that he recognized right away. He grinned.

"Are we watching a movie? Pixar?"

The music became much louder, and he started to feel confused. There hadn't even been furniture in this room when he'd left the house that morning.

"Mark? What did you do?"

He heard Mark moving toward him, felt Mark's fingers at the back of his neck. "Ready?"

Jack nodded. Mark slid the blindfold off of his eyes. Jack saw stars.

A large portion of the huge wall was now covered with a massive screen. It was almost like being in an actual movie theater. Jack grinned stupidly. He turned around to see a projector mounted on the wall, then turned back to watch scenes of stars and galaxies playing across the screen. It was the opening scene of WALL-E, one of his favorite movies.

He was legitimately speechless. He turned his head toward Mark, staring, his mouth hanging open. Mark grinned.

"I'm going to assume you like it? If you don't, we can change it. I just thought-"

He was forced into silence when Jack grabbed his face and covered his mouth with a kiss. Jack steered him toward the couch, pushed him into a sitting position, and straddled him, kissing his mouth insistently as he settled into his lap. His lips traveled to Mark's neck, and Mark sighed, smiling.

Jack eventually straightened up, holding the line of Mark's jaw with one hand.

"This is incredible. How did yeh do it?"

Mark grinned. "I can't take all the credit. I asked Arin to help me find the equipment and some people to help with the install. I already knew the furniture would be delivered today. He came to the house to answer the door and supervise so no one would know who was actually living here. He helped me set up the speakers, too."

"Mark. I don't even know what to say. I love it. I love you."

"Love you too, Sean." Mark kissed the side of his face. "So. Movie night?"

Jack nodded. "Not yet, though." He reached across the couch and grabbed the blindfold.

"Close yer eyes, love." He kissed both of Mark's eyelids, then tied the fabric securely around Mark's head. He shifted his position and guided Mark sideways until he was laying down on the couch. He straddled Mark again, picked up both of his hands, and leaned forward to pin his arms over his head. He kissed both of Mark's wrists, then hovered above his face. He nipped at Mark's bottom lip. He licked at Mark's open mouth.

"I'd like to leave some marks on you. How does that sound?"

Mark nodded.

Jack moved down his body, settled between his knees. He eased Mark's shirt upward, tugged at the waistband of Mark's shorts, and sucked aggressively at the crease of Mark's hip, teeth sharp against warm skin. Mark let out a muffled moan.

Jack worked his way downward, redness blooming across tanned skin in a vague pattern. He could feel Mark throbbing through his shorts; he ran his hand over the tight fabric, felt Mark pressing against him in response. He tugged Mark's shorts down and wrapped his right hand around Mark's cock, his lips and tongue still firm on Mark's lower belly. He stroked slowly. He breathed against Mark's skin.

Jack looked up at Mark's face. His chin was tilted back, and faint light from the screen reflected across the smooth fabric that was pulled over his eyes. Jesus. The image was stunning.

"Mark."

"Sean?"

"I'm going to make yeh come so hard."

A smile spread slowly across Mark's face.

"Please."

Jack was true to his word. He sucked at Mark until he was arching his back so sharply, he was practically lifting the both of them off of the couch. Jack pulsed with energy and poured all of it into Mark, aroused and excited by the idea of Mark being… bound. He thought about the way Mark had looked at him, lingering as he wrapped wires around his wrists a few days earlier. He thought about Mark blindfolding him, and the anticipation he had felt- a handful of beautiful seconds between the sudden darkness and the feeling of Mark's lips pressing against his own. He thought of all the lovely things he'd done to Mark's body, and all the things they hadn't tried yet.

He sucked hard and fast, and dug his fingers into Mark's hip as he came.

Jack swallowed, adjusted Mark's clothing, and climbed up his body. He lingered, watching the rise and fall of Mark's chest. He kissed Mark's lips. He pushed the blindfold up and off, and looked in Mark's eyes.

"Hey Sean. Want me to take you upstairs?" He held Jack's chin with one hand.

"No. I can wait. I want to watch the movie."

Jack pulled Mark into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around him. Mark hugged him close.

Mark had carefully selected this couch for a very specific reason. It had a wide lounger at one end, which meant that he and Jack could lay down comfortably together and look right at the screen or the skylights. He retrieved pillows and a blanket from the bedroom, and snuggled onto the couch with Jack resting comfortably on his chest. They restarted the movie.

"Mark. This is the best ever. Thank you."

Mark hugged him tightly.

"YOU are the best ever. When you're happy like this… I can feel it on your skin. It's my favorite thing in the world."

Jack kissed his hands.

They watched the movie. They watched the sky. They slept, together, as the stars burned above them.