Hybrid Markiplier One-Shots

Cookies in the Sun (Part 1)

Summary: Mark deals with both his insecurities towards favoritism as well as a nightmare of a new sitter.

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" . . . Felix? Can I . . . Can I have a cookie too?" Mark asked shyly as he watched his owner putting groceries away. The hybrid stared at his fidgeting fingers as he waited on Felix's reply.

"Hmm? A cookie? Yeah sure, there's some in the cabinet over there," he pointed to the tall pantry next to the wall.

Beaming Mark quickly thanked him and scurried over to grab the treat. There were a couple different kinds, but Mark knew which one he wanted. Felix has just recently started buying a type of sugar cookie Mark had only seen in stores. They looked and smelled so good with their thick layer of colored frosting and perfectly shaped cookie. A box of the cookies with pink frosting and red sprinkles sat unopened in the cabinet. Mark grabbed the box and ran a claw through the sticker keeping it closed. He grabbed one and returned the box before making his way to the living room where Jack was.

A cartoon was on the tv, one Mark wasn't familiar with. He munched on his cookie, eyes brightening as it tasted just as good as it looked, and settled down next to Jack who was still eating his cookie. They watched in silence until Jack happened to glance at Mark and the treat he was eating.

"Oh! Felix let you have one of his cookies? What did you do to get him to let you have it?"

Mark startled and as he processed Jack's words, he tried to push down the anxiety that was building in his stomach, "I - I just asked if I could have a cookie. He didn't say any where off limits." Mark didn't know Felix had a cookie preference even though he'd lived here longer than Jack.

"Hm, maybe he doesn't really care anymore," Jack thought aloud. He noticed the queasy look on Mark's face and was quick to comfort him, "It's just one cookie! I'm sure he won't mind. Forget I said anything, let's keep watching the show."

Still feeling unsettled Mark quickly ate the rest of his treat, hardly tasting it in an effort to not be caught with something that could get him in trouble. After a few minutes of no one yelling his name, Mark relaxed and him and Jack snuggled into a blanket.

He'd nearly forgotten about the whole thing as the show ended and Jack suggested they play. Eager, Mark happily followed Jack upstairs to his room. Jack had more toys to play with and rarely let Mark come in. Something about respecting Jack's boundaries because his old home didn't. As usual Mark and Jack played with stuffed animals and building sets from Legos. They were having fun until Mark crawled under Jack's bed to grab a stray Lego and strayed too close to some of Jack's most important things, memories from his first family. Jack yelled at Mark to leave, suddenly feeling too exposed with someone else in his space. In his rush to get out from under the bed, Mark scratched his back against the metal bed frame. He didn't have time to inspect it as Jack chased him out of his room and slammed the door in his face.

Mark's eyes burned as he stared at the closed door for a moment before hurrying to his room. Felix had told him not to take it personally when Jack got too crowded, but Mark hated the familiar sting of rejection. It was a harsh reminder how hard he had to work, how much of himself he had to hide, for anyone to like him. One mistake could be the end of a relationship or even a home.

In his room, Mark finally allowed a small sob to escape him. He went to his bathroom, wiping his eyes on his sleeves as he went. He wanted to check the scratch that stung on his back and distract himself from how bad he felt. All of his insecurities were so neatly packaged in him until one small thing brought them all to the surface. It was so hard to hide it from Felix and Jack. He just knew if they found out about how much he cried over stupid things Felix would send him back to the shelter.