Would You Run? Crankiplier high school AU

Chapter 24

A/N: hi loves :)
My mental health has been ABSOLUTE SHIT recently so it's been taking me longer to update, but don't worry I'm not giving up on this story or anything :)

So as it turns out, it didn't hurt like hell. That experience was the farthest thing imaginable from hell, it was amazing. They say that your first time usually isn't great, but their first times mustn't have been with Mark.

Over the course of our suspension, Mark and I had sex two other times, each better than the last.

Mark wasn't allowed to tutor me anymore, so I was assigned some random girl and Mark just kept working with Julien. He still helped me out with math after school when I needed it though. He's a great teacher and he actually helped me to understand the material.

The next time I saw him was the following Thursday. Things had been pretty platonic up until I beat him at Mario kart and he pounced on top of me, attacking me with kisses in retaliation.

I remember the feeling of him just holding me in his arms. We were watching more anime and he was wearing a dark green sweatshirt. The fabric was soft against my cheek as I rested my head on his chest, just snuggling him up and holding him close.

Worrying about sexuality was a constant struggle when it came to Mark. It sounds dumb, but I'm too afraid to ask if he's given anymore thought to his preferred gender. I know that labels don't matter and that he most definitely isn't straight, but there's a constant worry in my mind that he'd like me more if I were a girl.

"Hey Mark?" I asked. My fingers were tracing random patterns into his arm as I spoke and his eyes were still glued to the tv.

"Hm?" He asked.

"Are you gay?"

The words came out before I had time to stop them. A weight was lifted off of my shoulder after I'd asked the question that'd been driving me insane for weeks, but my hands got clammy and he grew tense.

He thought for a second before coming to a conclusion. "No," he said confidently.

I know he isn't straight. I know it. There's no way he can be straight and look at me the way he does and kiss me the way he does and speak to me the way he does, but I can't think rationally when it comes to him. If I were able to think rationally, I'd never have let him shelter me the night of the robbery and I'd never have agreed to go back to his house to study and I'd never have allowed myself to close the gap between us when his lips brushed against mine.

I know that he isn't straight, I really do, but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to ask. He's bi. I'm sure.

Instead of inquiring further about his sexuality, I just snuggled into him and took a deep breath.

"Hey Ethan?" He asked. Something about the tone of his voice made me uneasy.

"Yeah? What's up?" I tried my best to sound normal, but I don't think I succeeded.

"Do you have feelings for me?"

The question rolled off of his tongue with ease and without hesitation. I didn't want to lie to him, but I didn't want to tell the truth either, so I opted for the best in between I could think of.

"I... don't know," I said. "I guess I just never really thought about it." I toyed with the fabric of his sweatshirt as I spoke, a habit I've developed with him.

Mark didn't answer, but I looked up and saw the smirk on his face.

"What?" I asked, to which his smile just grew wider.