#in space with markiplier fic

[buc-eebarnes]

go in as a green light

He clears his throat. “Hi. Um. The crew told me you hadn’t gone to the mess hall to eat yet. I was wondering, if, uh…” he waffles a bit putting his words together, and when he’s finally able to speak, it’s a rush of, “D’youwannagetdinner?”

pairing: captaineer

tags: first dates, second dates, the romance route egos appear but it's comical, post-iswm, hold on ending

rated T || 4275 words

“Ah,” you glance back to where you had crackers and a hastily wrapped block of cheese on your dining table laid out. You’d been feeling sluggish all day and hadn’t wanted to leave your room. “Real food would be amazing right now.” The corner of his lips quirks up, and it changes his sheepish expression. “There’s something really good in the kitchen tonight. Chef says it’s your favorite.”

read on ao3 || buy me a coffee!

[99sin]

u ruined my life author

And It Starts Again — Echo_in_a_Sky

https://archiveofourown.org/works/40054140

[captain-nat-cat]

Sometimes I think the Captain should’ve been way more angry at Peepaw Mark at the diner in part 2.

I mean sure there’s the obvious reasons, the whole trying to kill you, destroying the universe so badly it needed to reboot, sabotaging the ship in the first place-

But doesn’t that mean he staged for the glass in the front of the ship to break when the Captain was awakened from their cryo pod?? Wasn’t he the one that killed YOUR Mark- your universe, your Mark that will never ever be the same Mark again no matter what new universe you’re spawned into?

Sitting in that diner in the booth across from the man that killed my original universe’s Mark…idk I’m just saying the Captain should’ve lunged with their own knife hand for that one

[desastre-fag]

it pisses me off when i see ppl write fanfic about who killed markiplier, a heist with markiplier, a date with markiplier and in space with markiplier and use explicitly she/her or he/him pronouns…. mark literally went to the lengths of making the viewer genderless so that ANYONE can feel like theyre involved and im like why are u taking away from that…… why are u actively changing what is intended !!!!!!! like u r never gendered and all compliments are like damn ur gorgeous,,, look at them grey eyes,,, i could go on and on about how good mark was at degendering the viewer so everyone could feel part of it but im just always so upset when i go to look for fics and its like wowie SHE !!!! everyone die actually this is a threat

[amee-racle-ofmyown]

quietly munching on the headcanon that they both have intensely bad nightmares and/or insomnia after the Wormhole Incident and are only at ease enough to get a good night's sleep when in each other's presence😭🤧

[clemblog]

wawawa captaineer short fic writing

You Can’t Catch Him Now

There’s blood on the side of the ship.

The Captain stood in shock, having watched Mark. Their best friend. Go flying out the window of the ship. There was no time for mourning. The ship was crumbling. They couldn’t save him. They needed to save everyone else.

There’s scratches all over the floor.

They brushed past the markings on the floor where he’d tried to hold on but had ultimately failed. Fixing lift support went off with a breeze.

Shadows of us are still dancing.

They ignored his name on their tablet as they paged the other crew leads. This needed everyone’s assistance.

In every room and every hall,

They promised they’d tell the group what had happened to Mark once the ship was safe. It was hard to focus when they saw him everywhere. Let alone recount what had happened too..

There’s tears falling over the ship,

They explained what had happened, tears rolling down their face under their helmet. Gunther looked like he was going to cry. So did Burt. And Celci. And Tyler. This was hell. This was a nightmare.

You thought that it would wash away.

The group had worked in a sad silence as they got the ship prepared to dock at the nearby habitable planet. Working didn’t make anyone feel better about what had happened.

The bitter taste of his fury,

The Captain laid awake in bed. Tomorrow the rest of the crew would be awakened and they’d have to explain what had transpired on the ship. And who they’d lost. They feared the level of grief that’d run through the ship and any anger that may be directed towards them. They hadn’t saved him…

And all of the messes he made,

They felt guilty for stepping into his quarters. It was an organised mess that was so Mark. They just needed something.. something of his that’d get them through this day.

Yeah, we think that he got away,

It was an emotional docking day onto the planet. The engineering team was a wreck. None of the other crews were much better. They’d only just managed to pull it together to get a camp together on the planet.

But he’s in the trees, he’s in the breeze

The Captain stared fondly at the night sky, the trees covering them mostly from the breeze that played with their hair. They liked this spot. The plantation was a dark red here. Mark’s favourite colour.

His footsteps on the ground,

They found their heart beating a little faster at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching them. Reminding them of Mark. But it was never him. Always just an animal. Or a passing crew member. But more often than not, it was Chica. Their newly adopted doggy daughter.

You’ll see his face in every place,

People with dark hair. Soft brown eyes. Overarching enthusiasm. It was so Mark. They missed him so much. And seeing said individuals made them hurt so much more. But you can’t charge a person for looking like the man you loved. Yeah… The man they loved..

But you can’t catch him now,

They sighed fondly at Chica charging around a field. The Captain held a bag on their hip full of her dog toys. Ever since Mark had… passed… She’d much rather chase the breeze out in the fields and bark at the wind. She never seemed able to catch what she was wanting however. She’d pad back over to them a little downtrodden but with a new determination each time they went back out to play.

Through wading grass, the months will pass,

Chica would slowly start to play with her toys with the Captain, the two wading through the long bladed fields together. When the Captain grew tired however, she’d go back to chasing the wind.

You’ll feel it all around.

Looking after Chica and their crew was slowly healing the Captain’s wounds. Accepting help and giving help was always rewarded with slow walks in the fields and kisses against their skin from a gentle breeze, wiping away their sweat from a busy day.

He’s here, he’s there, he’s everywhere.

It was a never soft day snuggled up with Chica under the night sky for the Captain. Staring up at the sky that had taken Mark away from them. It was so cruel. Yet so beautiful. It was so… Mark.

But you can’t catch him now.

They hoped wherever the universe had laid him to rest, that he was happy there. Maybe laid in a bed of flowers. Coated in a blanket of leaves to act as the coffin he’d never get.

No, you can’t catch him now.

He was something the Captain didn’t think they’d ever get over until the day they died. Their heart ached for him everyday. But it’d finally stopped hurting at least.

Bet you thought he’d never do it.

The pain had quelled so much that they opened Engineer Park with a fond smile on their face. A statue of their beloved, stood smiling in the centre announcing him as the beloved creator of the Invincible II. The man who’d achieved the impossible. And brought them all home.

Thought it’d go over my head.

They also headed and sorted through his belongings. A lot of it they’d keep. Some would be given to friends. The rest was gifted to colonists who needed it.

I bet you figured he’d pass with the winter.

With the statue in its prized position, every colonist and crew would remember Mark and his story. Children were given first and middle names matching the great head engineers, in hopes of inspiring the same charm and intelligence in them. The Captain was glad he was held so highly in their new home. It was what he deserved after everything.

Be something easy to forget.

The Captain would chuckle fondly, looking at the list of first generation children they’d mentor with M related names. The children’s eyes were filled with wonder that they were ready to nurture and enlighten. To help them find themselves in this new exciting world.

Oh, you think he’s gone cause he left,

There would still be hard days but the Captain would just walk out to the field with Chica, their old girl. And they’d always feel better.

But he’s in the trees, he’s in the breeze,

Time would have its ups and downs. Especially when Chica finally grew too old to play in the field, the two opting to just relax out there instead. It’s where she’d eventually be laid to rest. The Captain would find the wind up there a lot stronger after such, like there were now two breezes passing through instead of the usual one.

Our footsteps on the ground.

The Captain would follow their beloved dog and dear head engineer not long after, being buried alongside their furry friend, looking up at the sky where the love of their life rested. The three united together at last.

You’ll see their faces in every place.

If you sat out in that lonesome field, you’d feel anything but alone as three separate breezes passed by your face and amongst the flowers.

But you can’t catch them now.

[ironwoman359]

The Secret History of the Invincible II

Chapter 1: Seams Pull Apart

Summary: “How much do you remember?” he asked suddenly. “About…you know.”

“About the wormhole,” you said, because one of you had to say it, and it may as well be you.

It's been months since the Invincible safely landed on a new planet to build humanity's first colony among the stars, and the Captain has been working very hard to ensure that the colony has everything it needs. But now that everyone's getting settled, it's time to sit down with the colony's official historian and give a report to send back to earth about the Invincible's voyage...and the Captain must choose how much to reveal about what really happened

Ships: Platonic the Captain and everyone, with an emphasis on the Captain & Mark.

Content Warnings: Just a lot of discussion of everything that went on in ISWM itself, and hurt/comfort as the characters try to process that and work through it. And guilt. SOOOOO much guilt. Fun!

Word Count: 2,857

A/N: I've had this idea in my head for a long time, of how the Captain and Mark would move on with their lives after everything they went through in the wormhole, and I'm excited to finally start posting it. Enjoy!

*If you like to read on AO3, check the notes for a link!

--- --- ---

With a sucking whoosh and a swirl of blue energy, you suddenly found yourself back in your cryopod. You looked around, heart sinking as the pod’s interface whirred to life in a painstakingly familiar sequence.  

*Software update complete*  

“Good morning, Captain! We are currently *error* years into our journey. Coffee is en route. Current ship status is absolutely catastrophic. In-in-initializing emergency wakey-wakey protocol.”  

The cryopod spat you out and you crumpled your hands and knees on the deck of the bridge. The alarm lights flashed an incessant red and the ship’s emergency klaxons blared in your ears, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You couldn’t even bring yourself to stand up. It wasn’t over. It would never be over. You’d thought that maybe this time, you’d actually done it, but who were you kidding? This would go on forever. 

“Reviving head engineer.”  

“Captain?”  

You looked up at Mark, who was stepping out of his pod with a frown on his face.  

“Does this feel-”  

The air warped around him and his form glitched between different versions of himself, settling briefly on one with a tattered uniform, skin marred by burns and his neck twisted at an unnatural angle. 

“You let us die, Captain,” he said, his voice low and distorted, before he glitched back into his normal self.  

“-familiar to you?”  

“Mark-” you staggered to your feet, but before you could speak, he glitched again, and Celci stood in his place. 

“It never ends, Captain,” she said, her face covered in frost and her goggles glowing blue. “No matter what you try, nothing can save us from this nightmare, and it’s your fault.”   

“Celci-”  

Her body warped and it was Burt now, digital rain running down his face.  

“I'll tell you what I know,” he said. “Storm clouds are gathering... the wind is gonna blow... the race of man is suffering .” 

“This is why we shouldn’t have trusted you,” Gunther’s voice said from behind, but when you turned, it was the alien from the Universal Stability Agency standing there, her clothes torn and blood pouring from her mangled eye socket.  

“It all comes down to bad leadership ,” the alien said in Gunther’s voice, then they continued in their own.  “All those worlds...all those people...gone. Because of you.”  

“Seeing things, Captain?” 

The voice was low in your ear and you whirled around, just in time for the bridge’s main control console to burst into flames. 

“Fire on the bridge! *Error* Life support systems failing. *Error* Automatic fire suppression system offline. *Error* Failsafes offline.”  

Instinctively, you turned towards the fire extinguisher, but found yourself stuck to the floor and unable to move, ice slowly creeping up your legs.  

“*Error* Captain offline.”   

A wall of fire and shrapnel barreled towards you as the console exploded, engulfing the bridge in flames. As the heat swarmed around you, you felt a deep despair settle in your heart, like a physical weight. It didn’t matter that the explosion would kill you. Nothing mattered anymore.  

Not even death could save you from your fate.  

--- --- ---

Your eyes flew open and you gasped, lurching upright to find yourself in your bedroom, safe and sound. Cool night air filled your lungs, a stark contrast to the blazing fumes from your dream.  

Dream? Or memory?  

You pushed the thought away and swung your legs over the side of the bed. You knew from an unfortunate amount of experience that there was no point in trying to get back to sleep after one of these dreams. You slid your feet into your slippers and made your way into the kitchen, overriding your coffee machine’s programmed start time to brew a pot right away.  

“Coffee always helps,” you muttered to yourself as you grabbed a mug from your cupboard.  

And it really did.  

True, coffee couldn’t keep the nightmares (or the memories) from rising up and plaguing your mind, but the strong scent and bitter taste was grounding, as was the gentle *drip drip drip* of the machine in the quiet hours of the morning. The caffeine boost didn’t hurt either, and throwing yourself into the next day’s work was typically enough to silence any lingering thoughts floating inside your head.  

Tonight, however, was anything but typical. 

Normally, you’d instruct your computer to read out tomorrow’s schedule for you, but there was no need; you already knew what it would say.  

*Senior Crew Meeting with Colony Historian – All Day* 

You cupped your mug in your hands, letting the warmth seep into your palms as you leaned against the counter.  

The historian had been nothing but cordial, assuring you that while they’d blocked out the full day for the interviews, it would most likely only take a few hours out of the morning, if that. You hadn’t argued the point, unsure of how to even explain why it might take longer to chronicle the Invincible’s journey than the historian expected. That was if you even decided to give the full, true account of what had happened.  

If, indeed, it had even happened at all.  

You shook yourself and rubbed your eyes. Suddenly, stuck within the confines of your apartment walls was the last place you wanted to be while you waited until it was socially acceptable to be out and about. Still holding your coffee in one hand, you grabbed a jacket from where you’d draped it over the back of a chair the day before and slipped out your front door.  

Your apartment building was one of the first permanent residences that had been built after the initial groundwork of the colony was laid. It stood near the center of the settlement and housed most of the Invincible’s crew, including her entire senior staff. As Captain, you’d been given a large unit on the top floor, which conveniently meant that you were only one flight of stairs away from the roof. 

The rooftop was little more than a barren expanse of concrete and loose gravel, though eventually there were plans to plant a garden, and you could see why. You’d only come here once or twice before, but the view of the colony below and the sweeping landscape of your new planet stretching out beyond it made it the perfect spot to create a cozy little gathering space. For now, though, it would be a decent enough place to wait out the rest of the night alone. 

Or at least, alone in theory. 

Illuminated by the dim glow of the streetlights below, a single figure sat on the edge of the rooftop, their legs dangling over the edge of the building. 

“Mark?” 

He turned, surprise written on his face.

“Captain? What are you doing up here?” 

“I could ask you the same thing,” you said as you approached. “It’s nearly four in the morning.”

“Is it?” He asked, and you nodded. “Huh. Didn’t realize it’d gotten that late. Or, early, I guess.” 

“How long have you been out here?” 

“Oh...who’s to say? It’s easy to lose track of time with a view like this.” He gestured, but not down at the colony or the dense woods surrounding it. His eyes were fixed upward, and when you followed his gaze it was easy to see why. 

Thousands upon thousands of stars dotted the night sky, with nary a cloud in sight to obstruct them from view. The largest of the planet’s three moons was also fully visible, and one of its smaller sisters was just beginning to poke over the horizon. 

“Wow,” you whispered. “They’re so much brighter here than on Earth.”

“No major cities here yet,” Mark responded. “No light pollution to obstruct our view. And it’s gonna stay that way, if I have anything to say about it. What’s the point of a new planet if we treat it just like the old one?” 

You hummed in agreement, before folding your legs beneath you and sitting beside him.

“Yeah...it would be a shame to waste this second chance,” you said quietly. 

Mark glanced over at you for a moment, something unreadable flashing in his eyes before he looked away again.

“You never did say what you were doing here, Captain.”

“You didn’t either,” you countered, and he pressed his lips together in a firm line. 

You were both quiet for a moment, one beat of silence that threatened to stretch on into infinity with barely an acknowledgement before Mark sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

“Couldn’t sleep,” he said with a shrug. “That’s all.”  He looked over at you again, and this time he let his gaze linger. “...could you?”

“Not really,” you admitted. “Too many…thoughts in my head, I suppose.” 

“Yeah, I know the feeling,” he said with a nod. “Have you…” he hesitated, then seemed to steel himself. “Have you been having that problem often, since we…since our voyage?” 

The unspoken question hung heavy in the air between you, and you swallowed down your nerves.

“Fairly often,” you said quietly. “You?” 

“Yeah,” Mark said, sighing again. “Same here.” 

You fidgeted beside him, unsure of how to proceed. It wasn’t like the two of you had been avoiding each other since you landed, you worked together nearly every day of course. But aside from Mark’s quiet “ thank you” when you’d first arrived here months ago, neither of you had even remotely acknowledged what had happened between you in the warp core. You weren’t even sure how much he remembered, and aside from that brief moment on the bridge, Mark had seemed completely fine, throwing himself fully into building the colony without a single sign of discomfort. 

Though maybe , you thought now as you took in the tension in his shoulders and the tightness at the corners of his eyes, he was just very good at hiding it. 

You knew you should say something, you needed to say something; not only were you Mark’s captain and therefore responsible for his well-being as a member of your crew, but you were his friend. Or at least, you hoped that after everything, you were still friends. 

“Mark, I-”

“How much do you remember?” he asked suddenly. “About…you know.” 

“About the wormhole,” you said, because one of you had to say it, and it may as well be you. Mark winced, and you took that as a sign to continue. “Everything.” 

“ Everything everything?” Mark asked, and you nodded. “So…you remember what I did then,” he said, pulling his legs up and leaning his arms on his knees. 

“What you did?” you repeated, and he rolled his eyes. 

“If you’re trying to spare my feelings then I appreciate it, but you don’t have to bother. We both know that I...I caused all of it.”

"Mark, it wasn't-"

"Don't you dare say that it wasn't my fault," he interrupted, shooting you a glare. " I went back in time, I sabotaged both ships, I built the warp core. It was my fault." He laughed, hollow and empty, and for a moment you were back on the Invincible II , watching him fall apart in front of you all over again.

"You were just doing what you thought was right," you said slowly. "That's all any of us were doing. You had no way of knowing-"

"I did though," he insisted. "You told me, remember? You told me not to use the warp core, not to go back. But did I listen? No. I lost faith in you, trusted the word of that alien lady over yours, and I nearly destroyed everything."

It’s not like I gave you a good reason to have faith in me in the first place, you wanted to say, but you thought better of it. As much as you wanted to stew in your own guilt, trying to shift the blame onto yourself wouldn’t help Mark feel any better about his part in it all. 

"Do you know why I told you not to go back?" you asked instead. "How I knew that you would even try? You told me not to let you. You said that you lost hope, but you never stopped trying to fix your mistakes, right up until the very end."

Mark opened his mouth to speak, but he froze, confusion written across his face.

"I...I told you?" he looked down at his hands and nodded carefully. "I…I did tell you."

"Mark…” You frowned. “How much do you remember?"

“Um…everything,” he said slowly. “Or at least, I assume it’s everything. It’s strange…sometimes I can’t pin the memories down quite right. Almost like I’m trying to remember a dream.” 

“I almost thought it was a dream,” you said, leaning back to look up at the sky. “When no one acknowledged it when we landed, I thought maybe it was some side effect of the cryosleep. I asked Celci though, and she said that the brain doesn’t enter REM in cryo. So I just figured I was the only one who remembered.” 

“That’s what I thought too,” Mark admitted. “And it’s not like I could tell someone about it without them thinking I was crazy.” 

“It’s not the easiest thing to explain,” you agreed. 

“ Right? ” he said, so loudly and suddenly that you jumped a little. “How would you even do that, like, ‘oh, guess what, I was transported through a wormhole across space and time and can remember living and dying over and over and have the memories from a dozen different universes all jacked up in my brain! Take me to the looney bin!’” 

He grew more and more animated as he spoke, arms waving around before he finally let them fall back to his sides with a huff, and you swallowed. 

“Mark…you’re not crazy. You know that, right?” 

He hesitated, for just a bit too long for your liking before he answered. 

“I know. It just…it feels crazy. I don’t even know how to begin sorting through everything in my head.”

“I understand,” you said quietly. “Believe me, I do. I’ve been trying not to think about it, but lately I can’t help but wonder…” you trailed off, your gaze slipping from Mark’s face down to the mug of coffee cooling in your hands. 

“Yes?” he prompted, and you sighed. 

“The historian interviews are tomorrow,” you said bluntly. “And I’m not sure whether to tell them the truth.” 

Mark let out a breath, and you glanced over at him just in time to see him rest his chin on his fist. 

“I’ve been wondering the same thing,” he admitted. “Until tonight, I wasn’t sure that it was worth the risk. I didn’t want to lose everything I’d worked so hard to build…not again.” 

You opened your mouth to reassure him that he wouldn’t, but you couldn’t quite make the words come out. After all, how many times had the two of you lost the ship, the crew, the colony? How many times had you lost each other? 

“But you know what I think now?” Mark continued, looking over at you. “I think that that’s exactly why we need to tell them what really happened. To try and stop it from happening again, to somebody else.” 

“To somebody else?” you asked.

“As far as command back on Earth is concerned, this mission has been one hundred percent successful,” he explained. “I mean, it sure looks like it on the outside. Everyone is alive and healthy, the ship made it here safely, the colony is thriving. And the Invincible herself was a prototype...if she was successful then there were plans to fully reverse engineer the warp core for other ships, other missions…” he trailed off as your eyes widened, the full impact of his words settling over your shoulders. 

“We can’t let that happen,” you whispered, and he nodded.

“We have to tell them. We can’t…. I can’t let my mistakes be repeated. No matter the consequences.” 

He wrapped his arms around his legs, shrinking in on himself, and you swallowed. Slowly, you reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder. 

“Our mistakes,” you corrected quietly. Mark shot you a small smile, and you returned it as best as you could. “I’ll be there to back you up, one hundred percent,” you continued. “And…”

You paused, unsure if you should complete your thought, but Mark made the choice for you, reaching out to return your gesture, taking your arm in a steady grip. 

“And I’ll do the same for you,” he said. “I’m behind you all the way, Captain.” 

You looked at him, his face illuminated by starlight, and for a moment all you could think of was all the times you’d failed him, all the times he’d suffered because of you. But his gaze held none of that anger, that resentment that you’d seen from him before. And if you could trust him, after everything, was it really so inconceivable that he could still have faith in you? 

“We got into this mess together,” you finally said, squeezing his arm. “And we’re going to get through it the same way.” 

Mark nodded as the first rays of sunlight began to peek over the planet’s new horizon. 

“Together.” 

--- --- ---

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed, please consider reblogging, it means a lot to me <3

[queenofthequillandink]

Celci just wanted an easy-access space to communicate with her coworkers in a timely manner. Unfortunately for her, she's stuck with these four idiots in a group chat of her own making. AKA none of these motherfuckers has a single brain cell or an iota of self control as soon as they can relax even a little, which means the group chat devolves into chaos literally immediately.

Lol I lack self control, so here's an ISWM chatfic.

[puppeteered-poetry]

Unauthorized appearance.

Hey so what if Darkiplier in space, lol. Adaptation of an rp between @blood-falling and @stagenameouroborus

------------------------------------------

Another loop. Another loop in a long line of loops, another round and fall from the mortal coil. Trying in vain to make it right, to change anything.

   Another loop, another universe, another death, another sacrifice, another set of blood covering your hands, another futile attempt at making everything right again. Your options laid out before you like every single time before, and there is a tiredness in the very centre of your being. 

    Fix it from the outside. You think. You could at least get a moment’s solace among the stars. 

    You hurry forward, barely acknowledging your surroundings or the announcement the Engineer is revived. Off to the airlock again. Running away from the problem, justified by some vague sense it will move things forward.

    But it never does.

    You turn towards the bridge door, halted only by the meek, hopeless voice of the only companion who knows.

     “... Captain…?” He called behind you. The joy, the enthusiasm, everything that made your Head Engineer him has been gone a long time. Replaced by clinging dread, and deep eye bags that are the only thing to persist, anymore. You half wonder if you’re the same story.

    He was looking at his beret, scratching at the applique’s stitching. “... The airlock’s compromised. Your say is final, of course, but… Could you… Could you maybe go with me?” 

     He doesn’t like being alone. Never did, but especially not now. He depends on you.

     You halt in place, exhaustion barely manifesting into concern. He’s trapped in this loop, too. Along for the ride. You can’t just leave him alone.

      You place your hand on his shoulder, before wrapping your arm around both. Of course you will. 

      Besides, it’s something different. A part of you feels guilt for the excitement being much more than the worry for Mark.

      Mark sighed in relief, like you lifted a large weight off his shoulders. “Great, right- Okay! Let’s do this!” He tries to mimic his normal excitement. “Captain and Mark, the best duo to ever live forever and ever in a hell of our own making!”

     You walk down the hall together, the atmosphere… Changing. The lights are dimmer, and there's fog, like Cryo. That wasn’t normal.

     Mark laughed, trying to force himself to make a sound. “Hey, that’s weird, who turned up the… A… C…” 

     He trailed off from his attempt at a joke, looking down. You followed his gaze to find a clump of snow on the floor.

    You hesitate, reaching out to grab Mark by the back of his jumpsuit and gently pull him a little closer. This was new. This was different. This was better wake up Captain, before you forget how to. You look around, trying to see if there was anything to do with Cryo around, maybe a burst coolant pipe or even Celci wandering around. The snow... felt familiar in a way you couldn't quite fathom. Somewhere some part of you knows, but it’s not the you in this room, at this moment.

    Slowly, you edge towards it, poking at it with your boot.

    Wrong choice, Captain.

    As soon as you touch the snow, Mark nearly doubles over, recoiling and covering his ears. The lights flickered, dimming and humming, sparking in some places. You try to ask what’s wrong, when you hear it too.

    Your ears are ringing.

    "U-uh... Captain? I don't... I don't mean to worry you, but something about this seems... Weird... W-we should hurry up and fix the airlock, I think." Mark tried to push forward, to continue despite the pain. But he was shivering, from fear and from the cold.

    The ringing must be dampened by your helmet, because it’s not as seemingly painful to you. You can still walk, it’s just like a bad case of tinnitus. You’re much more worried about the hairline fractures in the visor of your helmet.

   You can’t abandon him to worry about it though, so you follow Mark closer to the airlock. Was the Airlock’s corridor always this long?

    Mark pressed his hand to the scanner, jumping in. He didn’t notice what you notice, an odd, looming shadow in the corner. The long, needle-like claws grasping his shoulder. You try to get his attention as he pops open the maintenance panel, but he notices the long, deliberate rip in his uniform from the claws first.

    He looks to you in dead silence.

    “Run. Shut the airlock and run.”

    The hand pulls at him, but you’re pulling too. You’re not abandoning him anymore. Not again. He shakes his head, smiling.

    “I’ll come back, I promise. Just run. I’ll buy you time.” He gripped the doorway, both of the shadow’s hands pulling now. He doesn’t even look scared. That gives you a special kind of hurt.

     “I love you, Captain.”

     He… Mark shut the door on himself, your hands retract instinctively. You couldn’t even say it back. You couldn’t speak at all.

     The lights in the airlock broke, and all you could hear were his screams.

     You do as you were told, and you run. You run, but why? Why not die and loop again, Captain? Why are you crying, when death has no meaning, now?

      You’re so… Passive. So… Hopeless. Though… You really had no choice back there. The story is continuing, and you are audience to it. You take a backseat in your own story.

     And you just found a new way to kill your best friend.

       Or… You thought you did, when Mark called after you.

       “Captain! Captain!!” He hurried after you, looking fresh out of the cryo pod. He wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug. “You made it… Good.”

       Your stomach sinks as you return the hug, relief only temporary as dread and questions return. Your loops were normally synchronized. Both had to die to get a new start, but… He was back. You squished, pinched and prodded his face to make sure it was him.

      “O-ow! Captain, Captain it’s me!” He pouted, swatting at your hands, before laughing. “Oh… I’m just glad to see you again so soon.”

     You hug him tighter now. Your tinnitus faintly hums still. You try to think about what this could mean for you both, when he beats you to it.

     “Do you know what this means? Freedom from the loop! As long as one of us lives, we can keep going!” He grinned… Maybe it’s just the lights, but his uniform looks more desaturated than usual. 

     Why does that make you afraid?

     “Now if we can just fix the ship and get to the warp core without us both dying, we can fix this! We should head to the bridge, run some diagnostics.” You start to see choices, when he shakes them away. “No, no time to think for thirty seconds just standing there, bridge now!” 

      He pulls you forward, and you want to feel relieved, but you just can’t. Something feels wrong.

      “Computer, run diagnostics.” He puts his hands on his hips proudly, and for once the computer actually listens.

      “Asteroid Defense System is Online. Cryogenics System is Online. Reactor Core is Online. Airlock is.. Ü̸͔̤͕͖̹̬̒̄̿̓̽̊̇̏̈n̸̢͍͔̣̻̖̯̪̳̘̙̣͈͔̤͆̇̆̾̓͗̇͐͛͒͂̍͜d̷̡̞̲̻̣̼̱̞̖̥̝͙̣̣̱̳̪͋̿̅͒̆͘̚ẽ̷̦̗̹̯͈̘̯̰̔̿͆͛̈͌̾͌̎̆̕͘ẗ̸́̽̃̊̀̇̋̃͆̽̉̂́̽͘͜͠ḝ̴̛̳̙̟̪̝̦̬̓̓̎̓̾́͑̾͜ç̸̳̤͍̼͕͖̟̻̙̪͎̒t̶̢͍̲̯͓͈̟̹̣͂̋̄̏e̷̢̮̼͎̺̙̰͓̮͖̙̯̞̮͖͗̐̓̒̓̉̅̽̋̐̎̌̑͜d̷̫͛̑͗́̈͌̌͐̽̉͘͝.̵̡̧̢͓̹͇͉̫̹͍͖̘̪́ Online. Ship status is optimal.”

      “Oh! Well… That was easy.”Mark turned towards you with a smile. 

      Without thinking, without knowing how, without having it before, you present two bowls of ice cream. Chocolate… And… Vanilla. You look at Mark with confusion.

      “Oh! Ice cream? Don’t mind if I do!” His silly finger wiggling and laugh feels forced. He seems happy, but his eyes are so dark.

      …. Dark…

      S̶͚̺͕̏ẗ̷̘̦͝a̷͛̀͜r̸͖̃t̸͕̹̥͌̆ĩ̵̱̮̪̋͝n̴̽̑̉͜ǵ̴̙̼ ̶̡͓̥̊t̶̝̺̪̉̀o̶͕̼͐̚ ̷͎͚̰̌͂r̸̻̰͛̈͗ͅe̸̻͆̀̍m̸͇̩͍̃͝e̴͇͆ṃ̵͉̼̀̇͌b̸̟͇̀̀ḛ̷̻̤͂̇r̵̡̐̚͜ ̸̙̯͗ṡ̸͍͖o̷̮͛̈͠m̸̨̻̿͐ḙ̶̣͍̋́̚t̷̰̪̥͆h̴͍̳̿̐̒ͅi̴̙͝ͅṉ̵̾ǵ̶͖̹̗̽͠,̸̯͊͋ ̴̢͔̇̒̚C̶̟̭͆̒ͅạ̵̹͂́͊p̷̤̅̑̉t̷͍̐͐̚a̵̮͓̿̂͝î̴̤́͠n̵̞̓͐͊?̶̣̮̃̔

      He takes the bowl of vanilla, leaving you with chocolate. You stare down at the bowl, confused. Your ears start to hurt from the ringing. You look up, and drop your bowl.

      Dark. Dark sits on the ship console, eating the vanilla ice cream. They wear the same uniform, only entirely gray, with the chest tag reading backwards, and a few new pins. A red and cyan skull, and a pink mustache.

      “Did you miss me, Captain?” They smile, one that doesn’t reach their eyes. The Bridge is dark, bathed in red and blue light from solitary, opposite corners.

      “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t notice, but here you are, our little monster, back to the games.” They sneer. “And did you have fun? Were you able to forget?”

      They flickered, appearing next on their feet.

      “I thought Dorene would be enough, but maybe you just clung too hard. You don’t want to wake up from the pretty dreams he weaves you, anymore.” They cracked their neck.

      “I’m glad you don’t really talk, these days. I don’t want to hear your excuses.” They stood still, but flashes of them enraged kept appearing around them.

      You turn to try and open the bridge door, but the hand scanner is broken.

      “You’re bold, I will admit. Thinking I wouldn’t block you off from means of escape is a new low. Really. I’m honestly insulted.” You’re pulled away from the door, and smashed back into it, one, two, three times. You slump to the ground, they’re still at the console. They haven’t laid a finger on you.

       “As I was saying. You wouldn’t wake up, so I took away the only piece of the puzzle you pay attention to, anymore.”

       Dark unfurls their hand, a marionette of the engineer dangling on strings revealed.

       “Don’t worry. He’s safe… For now. He’s in his dressing room, rehearsing his lines and sipping his coffee. He’ll return soon, and I will depart.” They looked at their watch. “But first… You have something of mine.”

     They walk towards you, kneeling down. You weakly reach out to them, and they snatch your hand, their claws wrenching the warp crystal from your palm. You bleed black, your vision blurring.

     The void and the ringing of your ears are all that remain, before you enter the next loop.

[emilyrox]

ooo, now i kinda wanna hear your mack headcanons specifically-

Mack Headcanons/Theories :D

Gender/Sexuality

Trans man + Polysexual

Real reason: because I said so

"Logical reason": Mark and Mack are similar, but not the same. I headcanon Mark as a cis man + pan. So Mack, being similar but not the same, is a trans man + poly.

When we First Meet Him

I like to think that Mack had a feeling that we were from a different universe. That we were not his captain in that universe. But he chose not to say anything about it.

So like...you know how when we point out that he's not Mark he glitches out and is replaced with Mark? And how in every other universe we're in, whenever we mention the warp core or not going back in time to Mark, that universe glitches? What if...if someone were to tell us...that we weren't that universe's captain, we would also glitch out?

Now I'm not saying Mack didn't say anything because he wanted to "protect" us or anything. Kinda sorta the opposite.

I think Mack is such an a-hole to us because his captain in his universe is a mega asshole.

You know the "ending" in part 1 where we constantly beat up/boss around/bully Mark to the point of driving him insane? Yeah. That's Mack's captain but like...50x worse.

So when he sees us, while he has a feeling that we aren't his captain, and sees that we aren't acting like his captain right now, he thinks that we may start to act exactly like them once we reach the new planet.

And he's fucking sick of it.

He decides the only way to prevent us from going dictator on him...is to become a dictator himself.

"Great Job, Mack!" Route

In the route where we do let Mack take the lead, while he is dictator, the only person he seems to be actively hurting is us. He does use our torment as an example to the other colonists as what will happen if they also go against the colony, but no one else seems to be actually punished in that scene. The other colonists celebrate when we are about to be killed by firing squad, as they also believe we had caused them much harm.

Not saying no one else was harmed by his rule as dictator, but it seemed like the only person he truly wanted to torment was us. Because he thought we were similar enough to his captain.

Remember when I mentioned the "ending" in part 1, where we constantly bossed Mark around, blamed him for everything, punished him for every little mistake he made, etc.?

Yeah, this scene is the reverse of that. We are now the ones being constantly bossed around, blamed for everything, and punished for every little mistake we make.

Because that's what Mack's captain did to him.

This was Mack's revenge on the captain. Although we are not his captain, we are similar enough that it still feels satisfying to him.

"You're Not Mark" Route

Speaking of "similar enough"

I mentioned how when we say he's not Mark, he glitches out of existence because it's that bad of an identity crisis.

The line "You do not get to choose whether or not I exist!" still hits hard for me bro.

For multiple reasons:

1. He realizes that we know he's not our engineer, also confirming to him that we aren't his Captain.

2. He's meeting the fate that we would have had if he pointed out we weren't his captain.

3. Us dismissing his identity not only hurts him because of the paradox/warp core, but because of how his captain treated his identity.

Headcanon that Mack's captain, along with already being a mf asshole, was also transphobic. Constantly deadnaming and misgendering Mack just to piss him off and invalidate him.

So when we dismiss him like "You're not Mark. You're not real", he loses it.

We unknowingly just did exactly what his captain would do.

Miscellaneous

I know I said that it seemed like we were the only ones Mack wanted to hurt while he's dictator. But I also hc that he immediately sent all homophobes and transphobes to death.

Fav drink: Diet Coke (he's played by MatPat it has to be)

Fav food: Mac and cheese (No it is NOT just for the pun. I'm also projecting my favorite onto him.)

Doesn't know what fnaf is, but if he were introduced to it he would become OBSESSED. (Once again, MatPat)

In this universe, Mark is Theory Crew.

In our own universe, Theory Crew's real name is Mack.

So Mack and Mark basically just swapped places in this universe.

If the Captain knew that they probably would've just gone out to seek Mark as theory crew.

As a bonus, you get a fic idea I've thought of that takes place after the ending of ISWM! :D

Post-Canon Fic Idea

At some point after the true ending of ISWM, the captain somehow ends up in Mack's universe again. I imagine some kind of conflict/battle/whatever happens, including them running into Mack's captain.

(I headcanon that this universe's captain is played by Jacksepticeye, since he was originally cast to play Mack but couldn't due to Covid)

They're both appalled by each other. Mack's captain thinks we're weak and not as strong as them and a pushover. We realize they're a gigantic asshole and the reason why Mack treated us the way he did.

Doesn't excuse his actions towards us, but an understanding is made.

The Cap tries to convince Mack to leave this universe and join us in ours.

"...Why?! Why should I?!"

"Because things will be better there. You won't be trapped with that asshole anymore!"

"...No...things won't be better...because you're just like THEM!"

"How!? How am I like them?!?"

"You both think I don't exist!"

[flashback to the "You're Not Mark" route]

"...I'm sorry."

"...wait, what?"

"I'm sorry. I was just...trying to fix things in my universe...I needed to get to my version of the head engineer so we could fix a paradox. I guess I just...assumed...based on your attitude towards me, that you wouldn't help if I told you..."

[there's a pause for a moment]

"...Well, then...maybe I...shouldn't have assumed you would act like my captain...maybe then, it would've worked out better for you...for us...I'm sorry..."

"...Maybe your captain shouldn't have been a lil' bitch."

[Mack releases a small laugh]

"So...wanna join my crew?"

[Cap reaches their hand out to Mack, offering him to grab it, if he wants. Mack hesitates. Suddenly they both hear a distant shouting. It's this universe's captain giving orders to someone]

"That lesser version of me will not get away with this! Find them now! Oh, and if [deadname] is with them...bring [improper pronoun] to me as well. I'm sure helping an alternate version of me disrupt my colony counts as treason. And both of them will be severely punished."

[Cap and Mack both exchange terrified looks. Mack looks back at Cap's hand. He grabs it.]

"Please..."

[They run off together. Possibly more action happens idk. Wormhole/portal opens. They jump through. We're back in our universe. With Mack.]

That's what I got so far, @frayro-called-frey!

[buc-eebarnes]

heavy on my mind

Inebriation undoubtedly led to it.

pairing: captaineer

tags: drunken confessions, mutual pining, fluff, light angst

1289 words || rated T

But, you think, as you perched on the arm of the sofa, looking down at your head engineer comfortably sat on the couch cushions, smiling idly at anything and everything, it was very hard to resist in the first place.

read on ao3! || buy me a coffee!

[franklyshipping]

In His Thoughts ~ A Markiplier Ego Fanfic

This here fic comes from a delightful anon prompt involving Noir-Mark from ISWM, and our favourite detective boi Abe - I’m VERY exciting to be writing Noir-Mark for the first time, and throughout the fic I shall simply call him Noir! With that said LET’S DO THIS!

The Invincible II… was grounded. Don’t worry, it was neither in danger nor being punished like a badly behaved child. The ship was merely recuperating on Earth for repairs, and as a result every single land and sea-faring ego had descended, eager to see inside the great vessel. Of course, the crew were eager to oblige. The whole place was bustling as about twenty mini tours were going on at once, everyone chatting in their little groups or pairs. One pair, however, had managed to get away from the rabble, entering into the reality of black and white and finding themselves at a much quieter version of the ship’s bridge. What made them enter this reality? Well, Noir Mark was playing tour guide to Abe, and so naturally thought his reality was the only one worth showing off. Abe had been biting back a grin the whole time, because since they’d first shaken hands Abe had been privy to Noir’s excessive mental monologues.

‘And here is my bridge. Magnificent isn’t it?’

Noir said, and Abe bit the inside of his cheek as Noir’s following thoughts slipped into his head.

‘Obviously it’s magnificent, it is my design after all.’

Abe glanced around the space, and admittedly… it was pretty magnificent. Everything was sleek, completely pristine and clearly functioning to perfection. Abe trailed a few fingers over the gleaming console, and sent Noir a grin.

‘Very impressive, you design all this yourself?’

‘Indeed I did, how d’you guess?’

‘Intuition.’

Abe replied, smiling innocently, and then he had to force down another laugh when Noir grinned, and his thoughts flared up loudly.

‘I knew he’d be impressed. Clearly he has a fine set of senses… come to think of it, he’s pretty damn fine all over.’

Noir’s eyes flicked over Abe’s profile, and the detective had to hope Noir wouldn’t notice the little blush appear on his face. However as time went by, amidst Noir showing Abe all the details of his bridge… it got harder for Abe to keep it together. Not only were Noir’s thought about him flustering, but every bit of self-praise and self-compliment revealed to Abe that this guy was used to people thinking he was the crème de la crème of men. As the pair of them looked out into space, Abe glanced at Noir and mused.

‘So ah, you ever get any insubordination from the rest of crew?’

‘Oh they would never dare! I know what makes them all tick, so they know better than to cross the line with me.’

Noir replied with pride lacing his voice, making Abe hum thoughtfully.

‘Huh…’

Abe turned to face him fully, crossing his arms casually as his eyes trailed up to lock with Noir’s. Needless to say, the locking of their eyes was nothing short of intimate.

‘And… what about you?’

Noir’s mouth curved into a subtle smile.

‘What about me?’

Abe smiled back, a hint of playfulness in his voice.

‘What makes you tick?’

Now, to anyone with a regular sense of perception, Noir would have seemed like his normal charming self, entirely unaffected by Abe’s little query. But Abe was a seasoned detective with the added talent of thought perception… he could see and hear every little detail of a person. So when Noir replied, Abe took note of the way his jaw briefly clenched.

‘Ah… nothing, hah, no weaknesses here!’

Noir said… but then his mind quivered, and expressed something far different.

‘Alright now Noir, just relax. Yes he’s an incredibly handsome detective, but there’s no way he could know… right?’

Abe bit back a smirk. So Noir was hiding a little weakness. He took a pointed step closer to Noir, so they were truly chest to chest. Abe tilted his head at Noir, his words coming out in an innocent, flirty fashion.

‘Nothing? Not one little thing that makes you weak at the knees?’

Noir’s breath hitched, but he covered it with a charming chuckle.

‘I’m afraid I must disappoint you, detective. Thanks to my extensive multiversal and quantum travels, I have developed immunity to a great many ills and vulnerabilities associated with the common man.’

Abe nodded along as he took a casual step closer to Noir, but in reality he was listening to the dialogue of Noir’s mind.

‘Oh lord he’s getting closer, relax Noir relax, he’s probably just doing some innocent flirting. Just because your crew has a habit of tickling doesn’t mean he does! Although, his expression does look rather mischievous… could he be about to tickle me?’

Abe had to use his willpower to not smirk as he realised what Noir was so flustered about. His weakness. He was ticklish. Abe had no hesitation in his head as he slowly smiled at Noir.

‘Y’know Noir… I like you.’

Noir smiled, but then he paled when Abe lowered his voice.

‘And to answer your question… yes. I am going to tickle you.’

Before Noir could even process Abe’s words, determined fingers reached out and dug into his abs. A howl of shocked laughter flew out of Noir’s mouth as he bent double, practically folding like a lawn chair, as the surge of ticklishness made him crumple to the ground. Abe let out a laugh of his own, finding his reaction to be the most adorable thing he had ever seen! Noir’s eyes were wide as he spluttered out laughter, wriggling on the ground as Abe straddled his legs and continued tickling him.

‘Whahahat the hehehehell?!’

Noir exclaimed as Abe’s fingers danced over his taut dress shirt, pinching at his muscles effectively as he chuckled.

‘You ought be more careful with your thoughts buddy.’

Noir’s eyes went wide as the realisation hit him through his mirth.

‘Yohohohou’re the thohohought reheheader!’

Noir had heard tell that one of the land-living egos had the ability to detect the thoughts of those in his proximity, but he hadn’t known precisely who it was.. until now. Now, Noir went beet red, realising that Abe would have heard all his thoughts about him being ticklish, all his self-brags, his comment about­–

‘About how you think I’m attractive? Oh yeah, I heard that one too. I gotta say, I’m pretty flattered.’

Abe chuckled, his eyes sparkling as he blatantly enjoyed the feeling of tickling all over Noir’s muscled abdomen, letting out a low, playful whistle as he did so.

‘Wow, strong and ticklish? I like you more and more every second.’

Noir, completely taking off guard by the flirting and compliments, accidently let out a stream of higher pitched giggles amidst his guffaws. Usually he was the charmer, the smooth-talker with liquor in hand and the gleam of intimacy in his eyes. He’d never really been the one on the receiving end before, and as a result he felt more flustered than he ever thought possible!

‘Ohohoho my gahahad stahap wihihith the teheheasing!’

Abe laughed warmly, taking some time to scratch at Noir’s stomach, drawing out more guffaws and high-pitched yelps as he replied.

‘Teasing? I’m just stating facts over here, not my fault if you get flustered.’

‘Ihihihi ahaham nahahat fluhuhustered!’

Noir retorted, making Abe raise an amused eyebrow. He let his fingers teasingly drag down Noir’s stomach and hips, until they drummed playfully atop Noir’s thighs.

‘Oh you’re not flustered? That’s interesting… because your mind’s kinda racing with how you feel more flustered than you ever thought possible.’

Abe winked, and let his fingers squeeze and pinch the flesh of Noir’s thighs mercilessly. Noir howled with laughter, trying to tug at his legs and bat at Abe’s hands, but he was too frantic to truly dislodge the detective in any way. Noir was used to getting sneaky tickles and jabs from his crewmates, but no-one ever dared to try and take him down like this! He’d actually forgotten just how deathly ticklish he was.

‘Ahahahalrihihight ahalrihihight I’m fluhuhustered! Stahahahahappit!’

On the tail-end of his reply Noir let out a snort, making him blush furiously as Abe laughed, finding it so damn endearing.

‘Aww, y’know you’re pretty cute like this. There’s somethin’ real special about a big strong guy bein’ so sensitive, don’t you think?’

Noir continued to laugh and snort, his heart racing as Abe’s teasy, flirtatious compliments made butterflies swarm in his stomach. Noir’s hands weakly held Abe’s arms, but at this point he wasn’t even trying to push him away… honestly, a big part of him didn’t want to.

‘Ihihihi’m gohohoing toho… gehehet yohohou fohohor thihis!’

Abe laughed warmly, and let his hands slide down playfully to Noir’s kneecaps as he leaned in closer to him, his face hovering close to Noir’s as he whispered.

‘Oh yeah? You wanna do it over dinner, or are you a long walk on a galactic beach kind of guy?’

Noir’s breath hitched, and before he could reply with anything remotely coherent, Abe squeezed his kneecaps. Noir let out an honest to God shriek of laughter, his whole body jolting as he babbled.

‘AHHH NONONOHOHO NAHAHAT THEHEHERE!’

‘Ohh is that a good spot, you like it here?’

Abe teased as he kept squeezing his kneecaps, his nimble fingertips pressing in nice and deep as Noir writhed with truly hysterical laughter. Abe didn’t need to sense his thoughts to know that he’d found the absolute jackpot of tickle spots on Noir. Noir looked up at him pleadingly, a huge grin on his face.

‘PLEHEHEHEASE HAHAHAVE MEHERCY!’

Abe chuckled, raising a playful eyebrow down at him.

‘You sure you want me to stop? You kinda look like you’re enjoying yourself.’

Noir blushed even hotter, since it was true that he’d given up in his struggles and had completely stopped even trying to grab Abe’s hands. But Noir could also feel himself losing his energy the more he was tickled, so he gave Abe another pleading look.

‘IHIHI CAHAHAN’T TAHAHAKE MUHUCH MOHORE!’

Abe’s expression softened, and he sensed that Noir was being honest. Abe slowed his touch until the tickling stopped altogether, allowing Noir to calm down his laughter into residual chuckles as he got his breath back. After a few moments, Noir looked up at Abe and grinned with every ounce of his charm restored.

‘God… you’ve got to be the mohost villainous detective I’ve ever met. It’s attractive, by the way.’

Abe laughed, his eyes gleaming.

‘Oh yeah? Well you’ve gotta be the most pride-centred flirt I’ve ever met… and you’re pretty attractive too.

Noir’s grin grew as his eyes flicked over Abe’s face, taking in his worn, yet warm, features as his heartbeat got a tad faster. Then he cleared his throat softly, and spoke in a quieter voice.

‘What you said before… in case you’re interested, I’m more of a dinner kind of guy.’

Abe’s smile softened. He stood up and helped Noir to his feet, and their hands lingered on each other’s arms as the detective replied.

‘So am I.’

So, in a perhaps unexpected twist, all it took was a few teases and tickles to bring together the detective and the time-spliced engineer. A man hardened by his detective work who liked his liquor, and had an insatiable charm… combined with a man hardened by his space-faring exploits who liked his liquor, and who too had an insatiable charm. Thinking about it, perhaps such a pairing is not such a wild twist after all. Perhaps it’s simply two similar souls with two similar hearts… whose thoughts brought them together in the way they both deserved.

WOOO HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS FIC LEMME KNOW IF YA DO, LUV YOUS!!

[faecaribou]

Thinking about that one fic I should be working on but I’m drawing future plans for it instead of writing it 😭

[fullmoonandstar]

Those are just Bad Dreams

Mack & The Captain (Reader) Fandom: In Space with Markiplier, markiplier connected universe Rating: T Word count: 1.1 k CW: Angst, Swearing Summary: You can't sleep and meet a fellow insomniac in the kitchen. Or Mack confronts you about the happenings on the Invincible II A/N: This is one of those stories that no one will read but I had to write 🙈

Back home you had taken a few camping trips but this was different. The vegetation was so dense that it was impossible to leave the clearing that you had made on this side of the river. On earth, you had never thought about how much humans had shaped the planet to suit their needs. Even the wilderness was not really wild, but just a less well-maintained part of a garden. While the plants here looked vaguely like something that grew on earth, with green leaves and familiar leaf patterns, they were not quite right and the biologists warned that anything in this world was potentially deadly. You, on the other hand, had different things to worry about. As captain, it was your responsibility to oversee the construction of the base camp, regardless of your qualification for this job. This would be hard enough even with proper sleep. 

You pushed the blanket to the side and slid out of bed. Your quarters were lit by dim lights that lined the floor and ceiling. Only they stood between you and the absolute darkness of the night. When the yellow G-class star sank under the horizon, the night devoured the world, until only the dim lights of the base camp remained. Back on earth, you had wondered how the people of the old times could believe in gods, but here in this bubble of light staring into the void beyond the clearing you understood. The gods of darkness were just outside, waiting for the lights to go out. 

You shook your head as if that could dispel the things, you saw in the darkness. 

Maybe a midnight snack could help, you thought.

To your surprise, the kitchen that the crew used was not dark and empty. The light strips washed the room in twilight, not bright enough to disperse your sleepiness but enough to avoid any obstacles. You knew all crew that was on board the Invincible II even by just their back and you immediately knew who slouched on the high stool at the center kitchen island. 

"What are you doing up so late," you asked and Mack jumped in his seat. He turned to see you standing at the door to the empty hallway. 

"Captain?!"

You raised an eyebrow and carefully stepped into the kitchen. Even in the low light, you could see all color had drained from his face as if he had seen a ghost. 

"You okay, Mack?" you asked while opening the refrigerator. "I haven't seen you around much."

He smoothed his wrinkled t-shirt and combed the stray hairs out of his face. 

"I’m fine," he said in a tone that was a good imitation of his usual smug way of speaking, but not quite right. "Just busy with ... work."

Mack always did his work with ease where others would struggle but this also made him notoriously difficult to work with. Even you had a hard time dealing with Mack’s superiority complex, especially when you also had to keep your Head engineer in check and prevent Gunter from blowing things up because he got bored. All in all, you let other people handle Mack and hoped that it would not blow up in your face. 

You grabbed an undefinable snack and a bottle of water from the fridge. 

"Well, good night then," you said and turned. "Don't stay up too late, Mack. You have to work tomorrow too."

The lights in the hallway flickered on as you moved toward the door. 

"Captain?"

Mack’s voice made you pause and you looked over your shoulder. He was still standing by the center console in his loose pants and crumpled t-shirt, shoulders tight as if he was bracing himself and avoiding looking at you directly.

"Yes?"

"Do you have strange dreams?"

His quiet voice send chills up your neck. Dreams. You licked your lips and asked:

"Did you have strange dreams?"

Mack looked at you without moving his head, gauging your counter-question. You clutched the bottle tighter and waited. A dark memory, that was not your own, rose from the depth of your subconscious. 

"Captain," he said in a sharp tone, "what happened on the invincible II?"

"I don’t know what you mean."

Playing dumb was not the right call. Mack locked eyes with you and took a few steps forward like a cat getting in position to pounce on an unsuspecting bird. 

"Oh, I think you do,  Captain ."

Don’t let him see that you are scared , you told yourself and faked a relaxed stance as convincingly as you could. Mack was only an arm's length away now and the bags under his eyes stood out from his ashen face. Your mouth was dry and you swallowed without breaking eye contact. 

"What do you dream about,  Mack,"  you ask again. 

He stares at you. The silence in the room is deafening. Even the hum of the refrigerator had faded. You only hear your breathing and the blood rushing in your ears as Mack’s dark eyes bore into yours.  Mack is dangerous, run!  your brain screamed but your feet stayed glued to the ground. 

"I dream," he whispered. "I dream about you."

Your whole body felt cold as if you had been submerged in the icy oceans of your former home world. 

"You’re in shackles."

You wanted to run but your body did not move. The skin on your wrists tingled with the ghost of unyielding metal and you were frozen in place under Mack’s stare.

"You’re a traitor," he continued. "You were executed."

You held your breath. You could almost see the weapons pointed at you, just a moment before it happened.

"And I made it happen," he whispered. A deep wrinkle appeared between his brows.

"Captain," his voice quivered and he swallowed audibly. "was that real?"

He sounded fragile as if he could break with one wrong move. You opened your mouth but no sound came out. Mack waited, his face frozen in a mask of despair, ready to flip at any moment.

"M-m-mack …" you stuttered. He exhaled and stumbled backward. 

"Fuck," he breathed. Mack sank to the floor; he had no longer the strength to stand. His hands covered his face and his rapid breathing sounded almost like he had trouble breathing. This was bad, you had to do something. 

"Mack, look, they are just dreams."

You sat down on the floor next to him and slowly reached out for his shoulder. 

"Just breath in deep."

When your hand made contact, he squirmed away. 

"No," he hissed. "You’re lying."

"Please ca-"

"Don’t fucking tell me to calm down!"

He sat up, shaking, his face with angry red swatches. 

"What the fuck happened out there, Captain? And Why -" he took a deep breath. "Why do I remember your death."

You swallowed hard. Under his burning stare, you caved. 

"I thought only Mark and I remember."

You told him. You told him everything.

A/N: I hope you liked it :)

Masterlist

Send me requests?

[amee-racle-ofmyown]

this one goes out to all my fellow Captains suffering through their time of month😩 (or any physical pain really. hang in there! you're tough and I'm proud of you!!)

[chipzle]

What in the Name of God Can I Be?

Chapter 8 - Hold On

Updated daily :)

Warnings: Canon-typical attempted suicide

Word count: 3985

Chapter 8/9

Celci wasn’t quite sure what to make of the situation. “I mean they’re talking again,” She ranted to Burt at lunch one day, “But are they together? I can’t tell.” “You guys could’ve been wrong, I guess.” Burt suggested, as uninterested as usual.

Read on Ao3 :)