Eh, I'm not worried about the slow start. It is my first Septiplier, after all. And, spoilers, it won't be my last. I actually have another thing planned, but I don't know when it'll go up, so don't expect it any time soon.

...

A thousand thoughts ran through Jack's mind when he first felt Mark kissing him, none of which wanted to be fully formed. And for good reason. Would you form coherent thoughts when your best friend suddenly kissed you out of the blue? Jack would give you five bucks if you could. And it wasn't like Jack hadn't thought about kissing Mark either. He had. A lot more than was considered normal. But usually he was pretty good at beating away those feelings.

Right now though, not so much. It didn't help that, in Jack's eyes, Mark looked and acted perfect. Which is why the fact that Mark thought that of him left him shocked. After all, he didn't have that high of an opinion of himself. He had a lot of confidence, sure, but his own portrayal of himself wasn't the best. After all, who could possibly like the goofy Irishman with a weird, almost thick accent, neon green hair, and positively lanky frame? Apparently Mark could, and was doing so.

"Mark?" he mumbled at last, pulling away from his friend slightly. Mark's eyelashes fluttered open, and he smiled lazily at the green-haired lad. Jack felt heat rising to his cheeks. Which would definitely stick out, because he was also a pale bastard. "Wh...What was that for?" Mark simply stared at him. "I mean..." Jack continued, not having a clue what he meant. "How can you possibly love me?" he asked at last.

"How could I not?" Mark asked. "Jack, I know how you feel about yourself, but believe me, you're perfect. I don't care what other people say. In fact, don't listen to them." Jack bit his lip. While most people at school tended to treat him nicely, a few bothered him to no end. It started because of his accent, which Mark had once told him was one of the first things that he'd liked. Which Jack found really weird, since, to his own ears, he didn't speak any differently. In fact, most of the L.A crowd had the accent to him. It sounded...very American. He wasn't even sure what he meant by that. It just sounded like the way Americans were portrayed on TV.

"Th...Thanks," Jack stuttered at last, glancing away. Yes, that had been completely random. But, he was glad it happened. "Let's play," he said at last, turning back to the computer screen. He knew Mark had another desk chair somewhere, and for a moment he debated going to get it. But when the dark-haired boy slipped his arm around his waist again, the thought instantly vanished. He laid his head on Mark's shoulder again, watching him interact with the girls. It was an incredibly sexist and offensive game. But it was funny at the same time. Maybe Jack couldn't enjoy it to the fullest since he didn't pine after girls, but still.

"You okay Jackaboy?" Mark asked after Jack hadn't said anything for awhile. Jackaboy had been Jack's nickname since day one. Mark didn't exactly remember how he'd gotten it, but almost everyone called him that at some point. Jack still didn't say anything, instead drawing patterns on the back of Mark's hand. "Jackaboy, come on, talk to me," Mark pleaded, turning him around. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no," Jack hurriedly assured. "I just..." How could he possibly explain he just didn't know what to do? "Sorry Mark, I'm sort of ruining everything, aren't I?" he asked quietly.

"Not at all silly," Mark replied. "Here, you play for a bit." He watched as Jack turned himself around, playing the game. Love, as far as the game was concerned, was something a lot like candy crush. He watched as Jack's tongue peeked out while he was concentrating, trying to get the best combos. He rested a hand on the green-haired lad's stomach, occasionally drawing a pattern of his own. And every time, without fail, he'd shudder. Mark smiled to himself. He briefly wondered if it felt good, and then he decided it probably tickled more than anything.

"Whatcha thinking about Mark?" Jack asked, looking back. Mark decided that the game wasn't nearly as interesting as the conversation, so he switched off the PC. Jack looked at Mark quizzically, then squeaked when he felt himself being lifted into the air. But soon he was laying on Mark's bed, staring up at the dark-haired boy, who smiled down at him. "Mark?" he asked uncertainly. What was he going to do?

"Let's just lay here," Mark said at last, lying beside the green-haired lad and wrapping his arms around him. Jack hadn't expected this to go like this at all, but he was sort of glad it was happening. "What's on your mind Jackaboy?" Mark asked.

"I still don't understand what you see in me," Jack said quietly. Yes, he still had trouble seeing what Mark liked about him. After all, in his own eyes, he wasn't perfect. Not even close. Mark, on the other hand.

"Jack, I wish so bad you could see what I see," Mark said at last. "But I can't make you see. But believe me, you're perfect. I could list off all the ways you are, but you'd probably never believe me." Jack shook his head. Mark closed the gap between them, kissing him softly. "But believe me when I say that I love everything about you."

That one, Jack could believe, because Mark had repeatedly told him things he loved about him, all while making it seem like he didn't have a crush on him (when it was so obvious he did). One thing that did baffle the green-haired lad, however, was his accent. He didn't think it made him sound at all attractive. In fact, he thought it made him sound silly. But, it was one of those things that Mark really loved. He did understand the reason behind why Mark liked his eyes. The green-haired lad liked them himself. He loved the color blue they were.

"Maybe I do see, at least a little," Jack replied at last, wincing. "But this thing..."

"Your accent?" Mark interrupting, looking as confused as he sounded.

"Yeah, that," Jack said, trying to swallow it back down his throat. "That I don't understand." He glanced up when Mark rested his forehead against his.

"I wish you wouldn't bash your own accent," Mark said. "Yes, it sounds strange at times. Hey!" he protested when Jack glanced away. He pulled the green-haired lad in close, capturing his chin in his fingers. "I never, ever said that was a bad thing. It's one of the main things I love about you. It's so unique and so you. I wouldn't trade it for anything. And you shouldn't want to throw it away. After all, why would you want to be like everyone else?" Jack smiled hesitantly. Really, Mark was too good for him.

"I guess," Jack mumbled. "I still don't think so."

"Well I think so," Mark replied, giving him another kiss. "One day I'll make you see. That's all that matters." At that, Jack really did smile. That meant he had a lot of time together with Mark. And yes, maybe he didn't see himself as perfect. But, as long as he had Mark, he could almost see it that way.

...

Aww, what an adorable little ending. I hoped everyone liked my first Septiplier story.