"Sean."

Jack felt something brushing against his neck.

"Babe. Open your eyes."

He did. Mark was looking back at him, his face so close that Jack could feel his breath. He could just make out the warm brown of Mark's eyes in the dim light. Mark smiled.

"There's my Sean."

"Hey, love!"

Jack could hear Mark's actual voice cutting in and out as he tried to speak. He felt Mark's fingers at the neckline of his shirt again, pulling gently. He lifted his head, briefly considered the wisdom of what he was about to do, and then kissed Mark's lips, supporting Mark's chin with his fingers. Mark's mouth felt dry and cracked, and scratchy stubble was growing in around his chin, and Jack loved every second of it.

"Mark…" He rested his thumb on Mark's lower lip, examining his face. "You look… better! How do yeh feel?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah, a little better." He cleared his throat painfully, but Jack was focusing on the alertness he could see in Mark's eyes.

"Ready to wake up fer a while?"

"In a minute." Mark pulled on the front of Jack's shirt again, and Jack kissed him, a bit more thoroughly than before. Mark slid his hand down Jack's chest, slipped his fingers under Jack's shirt to rest on his hip. Jack leaned into the pressure as much as he dared, the sensation of Mark's hand on his bare skin radiating in all directions, warming him from the outside in, his head swimming and spinning with affection and relief.

"Jesus. Mark. Can yeh just… Can yeh stay like that fer a minute?"

Mark smiled. He slid his hand slowly up and down Jack's side, and Jack pressed his forehead against Mark's, his eyelids fluttering closed.

"So lovely, Sean."

Jack sighed deeply, drifting, perfectly alone with Mark, just for a moment.

"Oh. Mark. Love."

"I'm here. I'm fine. Everything's ok."

They kissed each other, slowly, for a long time.

"Sean."

"Mm?"

"I'm sorry. I'm dizzy."

Jack gave Mark some room to breathe, examining his face. "Me too. Probably fer a different reason."

He rested two fingers against Mark's throat, feeling his heartbeat. "Let's take a break. Nice, slow breaths fer me, love."

Mark did as he was told, and Jack breathed with him until he was certain that Mark was feeling more calm.

"I think I should get someone to come check you out. Just in case."

Mark nodded reluctantly.

Jack kissed his forehead, climbed out of the bed, picked up the phone, and dialed the nurse's station.

"Hi, it's Jack. Yeah, he's awake. Great. Thanks."

Nancy came through the door a minute later, followed by a tall, dark-haired man who was also wearing scrubs.

"Jack, want to give us a few minutes? We're just going to make sure Mark's doing ok."

Jack looked at Mark, hoping the idea wouldn't upset him. But Mark smiled.

"Go. Eat something, I know you're starving."

Jack grinned. He always knows.

"I'll be right down the hall. And I bet yer parents would love to see yeh fer a bit. Y'know. Alone."

Mark frowned, but nodded his agreement. "Just for a bit, though."

Jack made his way back down to the waiting room, and was greeted enthusiastically by Mark's family and all of their friends. He blushed, embarrassed to feel like the center of attention, but put on the most confident smile he could manage.

"He just woke up. He already seems a lot better. The nurses are just checking him out now, and I think he'll be ready to visit some more pretty soon. Uhm… how long was I gone?"

"A couple hours," Wade said. "We went and got some food. We didn't know what you'd want, but we brought you a couple sandwiches and snacks."

"I'll eat literally anything. Thanks, guys."

Matthias had been sitting next to Wade, but he moved down a seat so Jack could settle between the two of them. Jack accepted a sandwich gratefully from Wade, noticing that he finally felt hungry without also experiencing the anxious nausea he'd been carrying since they'd left Seattle. Individual conversations resumed throughout the room as he started eating.

"So. Hey, Jack," Matthias said, somewhat awkwardly. Jack knew he should probably be feeling awkward too… but he didn't.

"Hey, man. Thanks fer coming. It's really good to see yeh."

"Yeah. You too." Matthias put a hand on the back of his neck, looking nervous. "Sorry if I was a little… intense… in there. I was just worried. And… confused."

Jack smiled reassuringly, chewing and swallowing a bite of sandwich. "Don't apologize. This whole thing is intense. I can't even tell yeh what it was like to just watch him open his eyes again…"

Matthias was staring, fascinated.

"Uhm. Sorry, man. He really wanted to tell yeh about… everything. We both did. The timing was just terrible. He felt strongly about telling yeh in person."

He nodded. "I get that. I just… I don't know. I've spent a lot of time with Mark. I just can't believe I didn't know."

"We weren't exactly shouting it from the rooftops, though. I certainly wasn't. And Mark… I mean, he's been through a lot, y'know? I think he might've reached some kind of breaking point, and he just went fer it."

Matthias' expression softened. "You're right. He has been through a lot. I didn't really think of it like that."

"I think he just wanted to make sure the timing was right. He knew how important it's been fer yeh to stay focused on Amanda and Luna. How are they, by the way? I didn't even get to say congratulations properly- I'm so happy fer you guys."

Matthias grinned. "Luna's amazing. You guys will love her." His eyebrows settled into a crease. "But… I mean, this is all a secret, right? Should I be trying to keep this from Amanda? And Joey and Bryan?"

"Uhm. Great question. That's one of the reasons we were hoping to talk it over with everyone in person. And I don't really want to speak fer Mark…"

"Ok. So just speak for yourself, for now."

Jack swallowed the last of his sandwich and sighed. "I'm getting pretty tired of keeping secrets, to be honest. It feels like a relief, every time we tell someone. I'm fine with it if yeh want to tell Amanda and the guys, but we should still ask Mark, first. And I'm assuming he'll want yeh to keep it to yerselves fer now, since we're not ready to go public with everything. Although…" Jack thought about it. "That conversation might be coming soon."

Matthias raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're planning on, like… coming out?"

"Yeah. I think we are."

"Wait. So you're not just, like, dating..."

Jack shook his head. "It's more serious than that."

Nancy appeared through the double doors, and Mark's mom and Tom followed her back to visit with Mark. Jack stared after them, sighing heavily, and Matthias took notice.

"You love him. Like, you love him."

"That's a fucking understatement," Jack said.

Matthias' expression changed to genuine concern. He lowered his voice.

"Shit, man… you must have been… I mean, I can't even imagine if something like this happened to Amanda… This must have been torture. Are you alright?"

Jack fidgeted with the sleeve of his shirt, Mark's shirt, feeling the bracelet Mark had given him underneath.

"Well, I'm wearing Mark's clothes, and I lost my shit in front of some poor nurse this morning. I was a wreck, at first, when I had to leave him. I'm starting to feel better, though. We had an actual conversation when he woke up a little while ago. I just needed to see that he's ok. Jesus, I just can't wait to bring him home."

Matthias smiled sympathetically. "You're living together."

Jack nodded.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Yeah, man, what can we do?" Wade added. He was sitting close enough that he'd overheard most of their conversation.

"Actually, I do have a couple ideas." Jack got Bob, Ken, and Felix's attention as well, and they pulled their chairs closer to listen to him talk. He described his plan to re-release some of Mark's old videos with friends' reactions and commentary, and everyone agreed to record a video when they left the hospital for the night, or the following day if necessary. Matthias volunteered his house as a home base for recording and editing, since it was much closer to the hospital than Mark and Jack's. Most of the guys already had videos in mind, so they scrolled through Mark's YouTube channel on their phones and texted the details to Jack. He made a mental note to start pulling files from Mark's media server as soon as possible.

"One other thing… slightly more embarrassing. I really hate asking…"

They all looked back at him expectantly, and he felt certain that they'd be willing to do pretty much anything he asked.

"…But I'm running out of clean clothes."

Matthias nudged him with an elbow. "Pack 'em up. I think the five of us can figure out how to do your laundry. I'll just bring your suitcase home when I go, and I can bring it back tomorrow."

Jack nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, guys." Dee beamed at him from her seat nearby.

They all looked toward the door as Mark's mom and Tom returned, followed closely by Nancy. Jack stood up from his seat.

"How's he doing?"

Tom smiled sincerely. "Better already, like you said. Dee, you're up. Take your time, and then I thought we could go get some dinner and head back to the hotel."

Dee stood up and took hold of Jack's arm. "Let's go!"

"Oh, Dee, I don't mind waiting-"

"Hush." She cut him off. "I'm pretty sure spending time with you will help him heal faster than any medicine can."

Jack blushed, nodded. "See you guys in a bit?"

His friends waved him on, so he picked up his backpack, and walked with Dee back to Mark's room.

When Nancy opened the door, Jack was surprised to see that Mark was actually out of bed, sitting up in a chair. He assumed that this was why Nancy had needed an extra set of hands; she and the taller nurse must have transferred Mark out of the bed when he'd left the room.

Why didn't they ask me to help? I could've…

Jack noticed the pained expression on Mark's face. He closed the gap between them and pulled a chair close to Mark, resting one hand gently on his arm.

"You ok, love?"

Mark nodded.

"Glad to be up. Just hurts a bit."

His voice was weak and raspy. Jack narrowed his eyes.

"A bit?"

Mark sighed. "A lot."

It occurred to Jack that it wouldn't have been safe for him to try to move Mark. He also wondered whether the nursing staff were protecting him as much as they were protecting Mark; how had Mark felt when they'd moved his damaged body? What had his face looked like? He liked to think he could've handled it, that he could handle anything as long as he was close to Mark, helping him… but he honestly wasn't sure.

Jack forced himself to smile. "I'm so happy yeh're up. Yeh look awesome, love."

Mark glared. "Don't lie to me, McLoughlin."

Jack giggled, tracing Mark's arm with his fingertips. "When have I ever?"

"He's telling the truth, Mark," Dee chimed in brightly. "You look better already!"

Mark managed a smile. "Thanks, Dee."

"D'you want me to tape yeh now? While yer up? You can keep it short. If yeh're happy with it, I can upload the two videos to yer channel."

Mark nodded. "Good idea."

He cleared his throat and let Jack smooth his hair. Then Jack took out his phone, gave Mark a thumbs-up, and pressed record.

"Hi guys. Mark here. Look! I'm fine! The surgery went great, and I have the most incredible people here taking care of me. You have nothing to worry about. I promise I'm in good hands. I'll upload more as soon as I can. Love you guys. See you soon."

Mark gave a small wave, and Jack stopped the recording. They watched the playback together, and agreed that the clip was ready for upload.

"I need to start pulling files from yer media server anyway. Maybe I'll work fer a bit while yeh visit with Dee?"

Mark had held his composure while he'd been recording, but all of a sudden he look like he was close to tears.

"Mark?"

"Give me a hug, please?"

Jack put his arms gently around Mark's shoulders, and Mark pressed his face into Jack's hair.

"I don't know how I'll ever thank you."

Jack kissed the back of Mark's head.

"Yeh've made me breakfast pretty much every day fer the last two months. I owe yeh one."

"I'm serious, Sean."

"So am I. Yeh gave me a home. How can I pay yeh back fer that? We're not keeping score. We're taking care of each other. And it's my turn, right now. Ok?"

"Ok."

Jack kissed Mark's forehead, and offered his seat to Dee. He set up his laptop at a nearby table, put on his headphones, and got to work. He uploaded Mark's two Vlogs first. Then he accessed Mark's Twitter and Facebook accounts and shared the links with a brief message:

Hi guys, sorry to say I'm in the hospital this week, but I'm fine! Don't worry! Check out my uploads for more info.

Then he logged into his own social media accounts and left messages on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram:

Just wanted to reassure you all that Mark is absolutely fine. I've seen it with my own eyes. He's surrounded by family and friends, and there's no reason whatsoever for concern. The best thing you can do is stay positive and keep sending your love and support, like always!

His phone buzzed. He checked his messages, and saw that Arin, Ross, and Danny had finally arrived at the hospital. Suzy and Holly had gone to pick up Chica and then met up with Marzia, Mary, Mandy, and Molly, who had driven a rental car to Arin and Suzy's house. Jack forwarded Arin's messages to Wade, hoping he could help the Grumps find their way to the waiting room, and then responded to all of the girls' questions and well-wishes.

He eventually got back to work, connecting to Mark's home computer remotely and pulling files from his media library to a cloud server, so he could grant access to each of their friends. He knew the process could take a while, but he guessed at least a couple of the videos would be ready by the time Matthias, Wade, Bob, Ken, and Felix got to Matthias' house.

He'd been consciously avoiding social media since leaving Seattle, hoping to distance himself and Mark from any additional fallout from the Revelmode panel. But he felt the need to monitor their communities' responses to Mark's videos, so he checked on the pages, looking for a consensus. Luckily, most people had taken his advice; the outpouring of support for Mark was already in full swing, and he knew Mark would enjoy going through the messages and posts when he was feeling up to it.

He decided to chance it and search through their tags to try and gauge their fans' responses to PAX, and he was pleasantly surprised. While he did find about a million different screen caps of Mark's unfortunate proposal, these were balanced out by a massive number of photos, videos, and GIFs of moments he remembered much more fondly: Wade's proposal. His solo signing. Himself and Mark chasing each other around in their capes, and hugging each other close amidst the cheers and flashing cameras.

His stomach twisted as he realized for the hundredth time how hugely he'd overreacted to Mark's misstep at the panel. In the end, nothing had changed; half their audience still speculated that they were secretly dating, and the other half still relentlessly defended their heterosexuality. The guilt he'd felt about inadvertently punishing Mark morphed and settled into a more persistent ache as he clicked through several heated Tumblr exchanges between fans. He'd mostly opted to turn a blind eye to this type of dissent within his community before he and Mark had gotten together, since his fans' speculation about their relationship had been unfounded at that point. Not only that – he and Mark had actively denied that their feelings for each other had ever, or would ever, extend beyond friendship. He knew that he would have to take responsibility for the fact that things had changed. His fans deserved better.

He looked over at Mark, who caught his eye and smiled sleepily. He looked pale and exhausted, like he might fall asleep at any time. Jack sighed, setting his other worries aside. One thing at a time.

He took his headphones off and moved back to Mark's side. He slipped his arm around Mark's shoulders, and Mark leaned heavily against him.

"Time to get back in bed, hun?" Dee asked.

Mark nodded against Jack's side.

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door, and Nancy came into the room with the same tall nurse Jack remembered from earlier in the day. Nancy's voice was brisk, but friendly.

"How are you feeling, Mark? Ready to get back in bed?"

He nodded again, managed a quiet Yeah.

Dee stood up and kissed the top of his head. "Love ya, Mark. I'll plan to be back tomorrow, but if you need anything sooner, just call Tom."

"Love you, Dee," Mark forced out.

She picked up Jack's hand and squeezed. "Call if you need anything, too."

Jack grinned. "Thank you. I will."

She left them alone, and Nancy and the other nurse approached. The tall man extended his hand to Jack, and Jack had to remove is arm from Mark's shoulders to shake it.

"I'm Theo. It's nice to meet you."

"Same here," Jack replied.

"So," Nancy started, "want to give us a few minutes, Jack?"

Jack hesitated, looking between Mark and Nancy. "Is he just going to get back in bed?"

"Yes. But we need to assist him to do that safely right now."

Jack looked down at Mark. "I'll go if yeh want me to."

Mark shook his head, then looked at Nancy.

"Can he stay?"

"That's entirely up to the both of you."

Jack studied Mark's face. "If it's what yeh want, I'll be right here."

Mark nodded, looking nervous.

"All right." Nancy's no-nonsense tone was exactly what Jack needed to hear. "I need to encourage you not to be alarmed. The process can be painful. That's why two of us are here, to make sure Mark is safe."

Jack managed to tell her "Thanks, I'll be fine," despite the twisting sensation in his abdomen.

He rested his hand on the back of Mark's neck briefly, and then stepped back to give them some space.

Nancy moved to Mark's side while Theo approached him confidently from the front. "Hey, Mark. Same as before, just in reverse, ok? You ready?"

"Yeah."

"Great. Don't try to move or turn. Just let me support your weight."

"Got it."

Theo put his hands on Mark's shoulders and leaned him forward slightly in the chair. Then he looped his arms under Mark's and, in one fluid motion, lifted him from the chair and into a sitting position on the bed. Mark's face contorted in pain, and he made a sound that broke Jack's heart. Jack held his breath, felt his eyes filling with tears as Theo finished the transfer, supporting Mark's upper body while he pulled his legs up and onto the bed. The whole thing was over in a matter of seconds, but Jack felt like he'd aged about a year. He was still holding his breath, watching silent tears fall down Mark's face as Theo stepped away from the bed.

"You did great, Mark," Theo said reassuringly. "I'll adjust your pain meds, ok?"

Mark nodded, still silent, staring at his lap.

Theo made some adjustments to Mark's IV and made some notes in his chart.

"Ok. Hang in there, and call us if you need anything," Theo said matter-of-factly.

"You're doing great, Mark," Nancy chimed in. "You can visit with friends for a while longer, if you're up for it, but you should get some rest soon." She turned toward Jack, who was trying to figure out how to breathe without sobbing.

"Keep an eye on him?"

He managed a nod, and Nancy and Theo left them alone.

Jack looked over at Mark and found him still staring into his lap, weeping soundlessly. For once he was grateful that Mark wasn't looking back at him; he wiped at his eyes as discreetly as he could and moved back to Mark's side. He grabbed a handful of tissues from the bedside table, and climbed carefully onto the bed, curling one arm over Mark's head. He pressed his lips to the side of Mark's face, then dabbed gently at his cheeks. Mark continued to stare straight ahead, and Jack was fairly certain he was pouring all of his energy into maintaining as much composure as he could. Jack took a breath and spoke quietly, praying that his voice would sound steady.

"Listen, love. Theo seems like a nice guy and all, but I will mess him up if he tries to make a move on yeh."

Mark made a noise that sounded like half-sob, half-laugh. Jack smiled, encouraged.

"I mean, I know he's got the height going fer him. I get it. But, c'mon. I'm so much prettier than that guy."

Mark laughed softly, and finally turned his head to look in Jack's eyes.

"Sean, you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Yeh're Goddamn right I am." Jack kissed Mark's face, high on his cheekbone, and stroked gently at his hair. "And you are a legitimate badass. Yeh're doing awesome, love. I promise yeh'll feel better soon."

"I already do. Thanks for staying. Were you scared?"

Jack hesitated. Seeing Mark suffer so intensely had been deeply disturbing. He scrambled for something to say.

"Doesn't matter. I'll never leave yeh when yeh need me."

Mark shifted slightly to rest his head against Jack's shoulder.

"I need you."

Jack found Mark's hand and squeezed. He rested his head against Mark's.

"I'm here. Stay like this fer a while. Everyone else can wait."

And Mark did. He let himself drift, surrounded by the warmth of Jack, swallowing the pain until he felt the medication starting to take hold, thinking nothing except He's here, he's here, he's here.