WHO: Jack Donovan & Mark Sheffield WHEN: Night, last night, probably last night WHERE: Jack's room, since he lives there and all WHAT: Mark decides that he really doesn't want to sleep in the scary pods. Posted in the wrong comm before because Kait is retarded.
So, uh. Mark? He wasn't sleeping on the floor. Not now that he knew about Jack and him. And the nice bed that Jack slept in. In the room that Mark had seen. That wasn't in the floor. With blankets and more than one pillow.
So Mark did something that would widely be regarded as stupid. With the schedule all fucked up and no work coming in and the Actives not being zombies, they didn't go to bed in synch anymore. Or take co-ed showers. It wasn't hard to slip off and sneak into the staff dormitories.
Right into Jack's room.
Jack had had a rough day. He'd walked Mark around all day and then they parted ways in the evening, when Jack had a meeting with a few of the other Handlers. He needed time to digest all this. How to handle this. How to deal with the fact that Mark was Mark and not Bravo, but without memories, without any recollection of who they were together. Just instinct.
He'd showered and changed into a pair of boxer shorts and an I Heart NY t-shirt, wearing a pair of white socks because his feet have been cold lately. He was just turning down his bed when----
"Shit!" Jack jumped, jerking back and grabbing a pencil off of his nightstand. Oh. Wow. No. Hey, that wasn't an Active trying to kill him, wasn't anything else. "Mark."
"Hi." Mark slipped in, closing the door behind him. His hair was still a little damp from the shower and he was back in those pajamas. "I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't want to sleep in the floor, I figure I can sneak out in the morning before anyone else wakes up."
"Um. What?" Jack set the pencil down. "What do you mean, sneak out?" Hey, now.
"Of the room. I want to sleep here." He said it with that innocent smile and those big brown eyes. How could you say no, Jack?
Easy! "No."
"Come on." And yet, Mark still wasn't leaving. "...You know when I say sleep, I mean sleep, right? No one has to know."
"You have a room. You have a place. The pod, you sleep in the pod, I hear they're very comfortable." Jack looked incredibly nervous. He babbled when he got nervous. He had often thought about taking Bravo out of the pod and just bringing him to sleep in his room. Just to sleep, because it was comfortable. And how wildly inappropriate it would be.
"They're really not. It's hard to sleep. Someone found out that they used to pump sleeping drugs into the pods so no one notices that we're on a mat with no blanket and a shitty pillow." Mark stepped in, gently touching Jack's shirt. "Please? Just to sleep."
"Really? I wish they'd give me some, I don't sleep well." Jack was always an insomniac. It really didn't improve upon coming to the Dollhouse. His environment wasn't controlled and nice like the Actives' was. "I can't let you sleep in my bed."
"Why? No one would know the difference."
"Because I----" Jack rubbed his hands over his face, shivered like he was cold. He was usually cold. "Damn it, Mark, I don't----" He didn't know if he could keep his hands off Mark. He didn't know if he could behave himself. But Mark needed a bed. He didn't want him sleeping in that pod anymore than Mark wanted to sleep there.
Jack sank down into bed and threw the blankets off the other side. "Come on."
"Thank you." Mark locked the door behind him, moving over to the bed. "Don't be so nervous. I'm not going to molest you."
Jack chuckled shortly. "Hm. I don't know how we're pulling checks for Actives. Everyone's locked in, no one's getting out... each Handler's looking after his own." He was using the terminology around Mark. They'd all hear it or read it eventually.
"You're my Handler? That sounds kinda dirty." And it made Mark grin. He'd started ... looking at Jack at some point. He didn't remember sleeping with Jack specifically, but Mark knew that he'd had sex before. He knew he was gay and that he enjoyed sleeping with men. The details were just ... fuzzy. And now they were alone and Mark was considering recanting that promise not to do anything untoward.
Jack was tall, broad-shouldered. Like this, out of his suit, he looked less impressive. Muscular, yeah, but he seemed kind of twitchy and unsure of himself. Picky, maybe neurotic. He rubbed the back of his neck, making a face. "Like an animal handler, Mark."
"...Right." So much for that. Mark let out a breath he didn't even remember holding. Instead, he fiddled with the drawstring on his sweatpants, slowly untying the knot. "I guess it could be worse."
Jack slid under the covers and pulled the blankets up. He had to give it to the Dollhouse. The beds in the dormitories for staff were awesome. Soft and cushy and even Jack could get a little more rest than usual. There was so much money pouring into this place that they could afford the best. Take care of their employees. "It could. You could be sleeping in a pod tonight." Jack smiled lightly and switched off the light.
"This is true." Mark slipped into bed, curling up on his side facing away from Jack. "Mmm. Much better than a pod."
"It's... yeah, it's a perk." Jack settled in. For about five seconds. Then he got up, switched on the light, and went rummaging around. He pulled put a bottle of pills and grabbed an empty glass from his nightstand.
Mark looked over and sat up, squinting. "What are you doing?"
"Ambien. I have problems sleeping." Even in this awesome bed. Jack went to the little adjoining bathroom to get some water, then returned to take two pills. He'd leave the half-full glass of water by his bed. Just in case he got up in the night for being thirsty or whatever reason.
"Wait---" Mark pushed himself out of bed, grabbing Jack's hand before he could take the pills. "Don't."
Jack frowned, hand still closed around the pills. "Hey, what." Mark had always hated Jack taking the Ambien.
It didn't feel right. Mark had never slept well before the Dollhouse, but he didn't take drugs either. They made him sick and Jack always got loopy and strange when he was on Ambien. "Just ... not tonight."
Jack always took the pills, anyway. There were a few times when he'd listened to Mark, but it was his life and his sleep he was looking after. They helped him get to sleep. He needed that. But tonight, with Mark here, being told not to take them was familiar. It made him feel ... like Mark was really here. "You know what? Okay." Jack just took a sip of water instead, put the pills back. He climbed back into bed and shut off the light.
Mark watched him, even after the light was off. And instead of crawling in on his side of the bed and going to sleep, he scooted over, leaning in to gently kiss Jack on the mouth.
Jack's chest ached. He kissed him back, slowly. Chaste. "Good night, Mark." He touched Mark's cheek and settled in.
And Mark, the bastard, didn't back off. He leaned in for another, sliding his hand around to the back of Jack's neck.
"Mark..." Jack knew if Mark continued he wouldn't be able to stop himself. Mark was familiar. He smelled familiar. He touched him in the same way. It was killing him. It felt wrong to go any further than a kiss like this. It felt like abuse. It felt like a lack of consent. Mark wasn't himself, even if he acted like he wanted this. He'd wake up when his contract was up and not remember. It just... it was sketchy. He kissed him again but kept his distance. It was clearly difficult.
"What...?" Another kiss. "I'm not braindead." He wanted this. He knew this was something they used to do and he wanted a bit of his life back.
"No, you're not, and you're supposed... you're not supposed to be like this. Not for another four years. Mark, please." Jack presses his hand to Mark's chest. "Tell me what you remember."
No, don't push him back! "I remember your name," he said. "I remember cigarettes---mine, I think---and watching the History Channel with you and that you really liked it when I kissed your neck. I mean, I know stuff, what's fuzzy are just personal details---"
Jack slowly wrapped his arms around Mark. It made him feel better to know what Mark remembered. "Just... stay with me. All right? I've gone a year without you, I just want to sleep next to you again." He was rubbing firm circles against Mark's shoulder, his back.
"Jack..." Oh, wow, that felt good. "All right. All right."
Jack pulled Mark close against his body, watching the wall in the darkness. He wasn't going to sleep tonight.