Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The idea that Mark would come home with a giant Cars cake was unthinkable, but here he was putting a knife through the face of Lightning McQueen. He never liked Cars and he never had any friends to celebrate with. Now he had a boyfriend who was bouncing up and down around the table for the anniversary of his first year of returning to drag racing.

“Come on, hurry up Broskii! I wanna have a slice! I wanna have one with his tongue out!”

Mark’s hands trembled as they guided the knife to the middle of the cake where Lightning stuck out his tongue over the finish line. He didn’t want to ruin the image. The pressure was too much. He bit his lip as part of the cake collapsed under the dull blade. “Okay,” he sighed, “but don’t eat too much. No stomach aches.”

“I won’t, I promise!” Jett held up a plate and Mark lifted out a big chunk of cake. The edges were messy, cream and strawberry sauce spilling out, but Jett didn’t care. His eyes narrowed into a smile behind his visor as the cake landed on his plate. The portion was way too big for him, but Mark loved seeing him so happy. In his excitement of realizing he could have a printed cake Jett ordered a whole family size, so now they were stuck way more than they could eat.

“Bro, this looks so fucking good! I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”

He ran over to his bed and crashed down onto the edge. For some reason he didn’t care about eating in his bed. The sheets were littered with crumbs, stains and wrappers. Mark had to be the one reminding him to change the sheets, because sharing a bed like that was impossible. Sleeping in a bed with crumbs scratching his skin made him want to poke his eyes out.

“Wanna share bites!?” Jett held up his fork after Mark cut out an equally big slice for himself and walked over to Jett. He’d taken off the snout part of his helmet and Mark could see him chewing with his mouth open.

“We’re eating from the same cake, what point is there in sharing?” Mark said. The bed creaked when he sat down. The mattress dented deeper where Jett sat and he was pulled towards him by gravity.

“You’re no fun broskii! I wanna put cake in your mouth!”

“Fine…” Mark didn’t want to argue. He opened his mouth and felt the heat growing on his face. “But don’t do it weirdly aga—”

Jett squished Mark’s cheeks and put a forkful in. “Broskii squish!”

“That hurts!” Mark whined. He slapped away Jett’s hand and glared at Jett, but softened up when he saw his handsome red eyes and heard his laughter. “Stop doing that,” Mark chewed, “it’s really annoying!”

Jett chuckled. He kicked his feet and continued his treat. They slowly ate their cake together. Jett was too busy enjoying his reward for a full year of competing on the dragstrip after his accident that he didn’t say anything, but he did hum the melody of Mayhem’s latest hit single. Mark glanced at him and saw his lips moving under the hole in his helmet. It looked weird. He got food all over himself. He should just take the entire thing off, but Jett insisted he preferred having it on.

Finally they finished the last bite. Jett licked his plate clean.

“I’m full already,” Mark said. The sweetness stuck to his tongue and made him feel nauseous. “I think I had too much actually.”

“Me too, bro. I guess we should put the rest in the fridge for tonight.”

“Maybe we can invite Eva and Cassidy again?” Mark leaned onto Jett’s shoulder and remembered yesterday. They’d gone for a picnic, the four of them, by a lake at the edge of the Eden’s Garden grounds. “I doubt they mind sharing some cake.”

“Oh dude, let’s make it a party! We should invite Des and Jean too, and Eloise and Diana! Fuck yeah, I’ll call the building people if we can have the rec room all for ourselves!”

”A party?” Mark groaned. “I thought we were just going to have a quiet night together…”

“Hey, it’s my anniversary, bro! I get to decide the rules! Chapter three of the bro code!”

“I guess so,” Mark sighed. At least it was a party with his friends and not a party with his racing buddies. They were really icky straight guys who kept making awkward jabs at Mark in a way that felt lowkey homophobic and made Mark uncomfortable. But their school friends were nice. He’d just have to find an excuse to leave.

Jett leaned closer. “But don’t worry bro, I’ll give you all the attention you need. When they’re gone, we can climb into your bed and you can play any game you’d like. I’ll watch!”

“Can I play horror too?” Mark’s eyes lit up. He tried mastering the puppy eye trick and it seemed to work a little too well on Jett.

“Uh, sure. But maybe not that one game you did last ti—”

“Amnesia!” Mark said excitedly.

“Brooo! I don’t know about that… You always find those really scary single player horror games I’ve never heard off. Can’t you just play like Dead By Daylight or something…?”

“That’s not scary,” Mark pouted.

“It’s pretty scary to me!”

Mark smiled at his drag racer boyfriend being scared of fake monsters. His last speed record was over 300mph going down a track that ended in a line of trees. He never got the tiniest bit nervous in his dragster, but anything horror had him shaking like a puppy. Bits of strawberry sauce stuck to his helmet. Mark wiped it with his finger and put it in Jett’s mouth, who grunted approvingly. Then he slid his arms around Jett’s shoulders and hugged him. His smile turned into a chuckle.

“Why are you laughing, broskii?” Jett asked.

“I don’t know.” Mark laughed harder. He pulled Jett down onto the bed so they lay next to each other. One hand rubbed Jett’s back, while the other gripped his side.

“Are you happy!?” Jett asked, an excited smile on his face now too.

Mark nodded, but didn’t say anything. Jett’s body was so warm and cozy he could cuddle up here forever, and it made him so happy he couldn’t think about anything but hugging him more. He didn’t know why Jett made him so happy. Of course, he was in love with him, but why? He stank, he was stupid, he wasn’t shaped what most people would find attractive… But it all made Mark just feel so comfortable. Maybe it was his unconditional love, how nice he tried to be, and if Mark was honest, how handsome he really was.

“Why are you giggling like that bro!? It’s weird!”

“You’re really… cool,” Mark mumbled.

“Woah, am I!? You never say that to me!”

“For…” The words got stuck behind his tongue. It was too hard to push them out. He tried hiding his face but Jett grabbed him and forcefully watched his face go bright red.

“For what, broskii?” Jett grinned with eyes that enjoyed every moment of watching Mark struggle. “Having trouble praising me? Come on, you can do it! I know it’s intimidating to say all the good things about the Jett Dawson!”

“For going back to drag racing!” Mark blurted out. “Congrats, I guess…”

“Yippee! Thank you broskii.” Jett ruffled Mark’s hair until it was one big fuzzy mess. “I thought you almost forgot we were celebrating something! It’s my special day after all!”

Mark nodded nervously. “I… I like you.”

“Well, duh!? We’ve been bromancing for two years!”

Bromancing. If it was anyone but Jett talking like that, he’d cringe his bumper off. His bumper? Jett’s way of speaking was starting to infect him. It had been happening more and more, but he liked that. He should talk more like Jett and maybe he could be a lovable idiot too… If Mark was actually as likeable as Jett.

Mark took a deep breath. “Can you take your helmet off… bro?”

“Ohhh, smooching time! Kachow!”

“Yeah,” Mark smiled. “Smooching time… K-kachow!”

Chapter Text

Jett wasn’t a picky eater. He could eat a lot of shit as long as it wasn’t completely inedible and this cat food stuff looked intriguing. Wet and sloppy chunks of strange meat. Not what he expected from a brand that marketed itself as premium. Mark had way too much money to waste, so he only ever bought the best, but this looked like ordinary stuff. 

He grabbed a plate from the cupboard and put it on the counter. Mark’s house was filled with fancy plates, cups and cutlery thanks to his mom. 

Jett expected the presentation to be a little more appetizing out of the can. Maybe they left that job to the owner plating the food. Mark said Veronicat was a princess, after all. He was only her servant, and if Jett was to prove himself as a fellow servant tonight he’d have to do a good job plating it too! This wasn’t yet princess material, but the smell was there. Hearty, meaty, something a predator would enjoy. Jett knew all about it as a coyote himself. It had the aroma of…? Jett held it closer to his nose and sniffed. 

“Yeowch!” The stench made Jett retch. Pushing his nose into it had somehow made the goop disgusting. “This is what you eat, girl? Stinky meat slop?”

Veronicat had climbed onto the counter and pushed her little head into Jett’s elbow. She meowed impatiently as Jett kept sniffing the opened can of cat food. 

“This shit is ass. You need better taste, bro— I mean, uh, ladybro!”

He had to keep his manners up in front of her. 

She kept meowing and ordered him to put the food on a little white plate. Jett had seen Mark do this many times and he knew she wasn’t allowed to stand on the counter like this. When Mark did it, she never broke that rule so she knew she wasn’t supposed to! But now she was acting like a spoiled brat pretending she hadn’t had a meal in four days. 

“Bro, relax, I just gotta fork it out!” He pulled open a kitchen drawer and Veronicat immediately jumped in and sat on all the cutlery. “Grrr, give me some space! I can't prepare this with you honking that nose all over me.”

She was nothing like a dog. This cat was a fucking asshole. He shoved her off the counter as gently as he could manage, until she was about to fall off and forced to jump onto the ground herself. He let out a sigh of relief, but a few seconds later she jumped back on the counter and continued bumping her fluffy head into Jett’s arm. 

“Fuck, bro… How does Mark handle a creature like you!? I’ve pet wild coyotes more tame than you.”

She just looked up at him with her big yellow eyes. There wasn’t a hint of readable emotion in her face, other than the desire to get her food. Jett sighed and forked out the meat chunks onto her plate. Fuck presentation. “Here princess, eat this goop—”

She started eating right there on the counter before he could finish his sentence. 

Jett grumbled and folded his arms. “Ungrateful shit.”

He watched her lick up her evening meal. She was a very big cat at a glance. One time she escaped to the balcony and when Mark found her she sopping wet in the rain and it turned out there was nothing but a little gremlin hiding under all that fur. She was at least two thirds fluff. Her tongue smacked as she chewed the chunks of meat. She chewed thoroughly, and when she was done she slobbered her plate clean.

“How was it?” Jett asked.

She looked up at him licking her lips, made eye contact and closed her eyes really slowly, then she jumped off and walked towards the hallway. 

“Not even a thank you, huh? Sheesh, what does bro see in you…”

He cleaned her plate. One of the promises he made was that he’d do Mark’s dishes. Not for any particular reason, he just wanted to be a good boyfriend. So he’d already returned everything in the right cupboard, except her cat-sized plate. When he was done he stretched his arms and scratched his stomach. 

“Broskii better has some snacks lying around,” he yawned. He’d be back tomorrow from his trip. Until then Jett was watching the house and taking care of Veronicat. Tomorrow morning he’d scoop her litterbox and wipe down all the dust-caked shelves, maybe pick up some trash. This was the most productive he’d been in years. Mark would be really happy!

When he searched the pantry he found a box of strawberry chocolates. “Fuck yeah…”

Broskii’s house was pretty big. A living room and kitchen, a bedroom and an office, all on the 42nd floor overlooking the skyline of the city. Jett watched the lights of cars weaving through the gridded street while he snacked. The world-famous music producer salary had bought him quite the luxury apartment. 

There wasn’t a lot of fun stuff though. No arcade machines or toys. Only a fuck ton of Pokémon plushies, cat towers and cat furniture, and shelves filled with the thickest books Jett had ever seen. His finger trailed their backs and he shuddered at their cryptic titles. “Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics.” “The Phenomenology of Spirit.” Ah, there was one Cass handed him. “Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism.”

Broskii was a smart dude because the thought of reading one page made Jett’s head hurt. “The fun’s gotta be in his room.”

He walked towards the hallway where Mark’s room was. That’s where he kept his games. The door was left open. When he peeked in he saw the darkness of Mark’s room, a light still burning on his nightstand and his beefed-up gaming PC glowing in all the colors of the rainbow. He slept on a big bed with green covers, of course with little alligators woven into the fabric. Lying right by the foot end was Veronicat, all cuddled up like a shrimp.

“Oh ladybro, you know what’s up!” Jett flung the door open and barged in. Her ears perked up but she didn’t move. “Let’s hop in broskii’s bed! I bet he hasn’t changed the sheets in a month! It’s gotta be filled with his scent!”

The bed creaked as he cannon-balled in and he jostled the blankets to get comfy. Veronicat’s head perked up when Jett’s leg accidentally kicked her, but she still refused to move. He’d spent many nights under these blankets. It was a king-size bed and perfect for boyfriend sleepovers. He held the blankets to his chin and watched the white ceiling. All the memories went through his head, of Mark lying next to him, hugging him and holding him. It was a little lonely here alone, if he was honest. He missed his boyfriend. 

Veronicat stood up. Her back arched as she stretched. With her tail up high she walked up the bed and planted her paws on Jett’s belly through the blanket. Her feline face looked down at him.

“Hey girl! What’s up! Do you miss broskii too? I sure do…”

Not a single muscle moved in her face. She licked her lips once, then stepped forward to the space beside Jett’s shoulder and settled down. 

“Oh my god…” Jett gasped. Her endless fluff pressed against his neck like the grace of a queen. She whisked her tail against his cheeks and his nose got itchy. She liked him!? He’d never gotten this much attention from her!

He side eyed her as she got comfortable. “Hmm, how do I pet you?”

He only knew dogs, so he did what he was best at and gave her a slap on her belly. She turned her head around and stared at him with big pupils.

“Hmm, didn’t like that? How ‘bout a kiss?”

He twisted his head sideways to face her and leaned forward so his nose booped her pink little nose. She sniffed him. Her nose was so soft! It wasn’t wet like when he booped with dogs, but very clean and tidy. The smell of her fur was comforting, like sniffing an old blanket, and he understood why Mark loved inhaling her so much. 

She licked her paw, then turned her face towards Jett again, this time booping him all by herself!

“Rehehe, you’re so cute! I didn’t know you could be this nice! Broskii’s gotta see this!”

He grabbed his phone and turned it to the selfie camera. A little present for Mark to remind him of the two greatest buddies in his life! 

In the middle of a cold breeze and heavy drag from his cigarette, Mark felt a buzz of his phone. He watched the building lights reflect on the surface of the Eden’s Park lake as he got it from his pocket. 

A video from Jett. He clicked it. 

Look, we made friends!!

Veronicat and Jett lay in his bed. Jett’s messy hair spread around the green pillowcase as he wriggled about. She licked his nose and he was giggling like an idiot, biting his lip so he wouldn’t crack up. His pretty red eyes glittered, his smile forming dimples in his cheeks and the thin layer of prickly beard hid his scarred face. 

In an instant the cold dissipated and a flash of heat warmed up Mark’s body under his jacket. A smile took hold of his lips too. Jett…! He wanted to be there and join them. He wanted his Jett… And Veronicat… But he was stuck doing work. 

He opened his camera and took a selfie under the light of a street lantern. Nothing special, bad lighting and an ugly angle, but Jett liked anything. 

Cute he added to the photo. 

Jett immediately typed back.

Awooga!!

Chapter Text

A little cat and a little wolf kissed on the bench that overlooked the valley of Eden’s Garden campus. In the distance the roofs of the school buildings stuck out above the trees. The cat and the wolf smacked their mouths, while the moonlight reflected against their acrylic faces. One was held by Mark and the other by Jett. They were about the size of a fist and made from plastic. Little toys from a gachapon. 

“Rehehe, yours is such a freak bro! Why’s he biting Lightning Bolt’s neck like that?”

“Heheheheh… Freak…” Mark giggled. “Wh-who’s… Lightning Bolt??”

The smell of Mark’s breath was strong enough to get Jett drunk if he hadn’t been drunk already. Jett had four beers and felt sober enough to get the both of them home safely, but broskii on the other hand, he was absolutely drunk off his bumper after two tall cans of some sweet lemon drink. The poor dude struggled to walk in a straight line. 

“That’s this pup’s name!” Jett smacked the wolf figure on the bench. “Bolt! He’s got a brown lightning stripe down his back, look!”

“There’s already a dog called Bolt, you stinky fuck! You’re a… fraud!!”

Mark’s voice was way louder than normal and he laughed like a maniac. Everything he said sounded like he was yelling, but not in an angry way. He leaned clumsily against Jett’s shoulder and kept his balance by gripping Jett’s thigh, breathing down his neck as he fumbled with his cat figure. This was him at his most vulnerable, when all of his defense mechanisms were down. 

Jett loved it in a selfish sort of way. He got to see a side that Mark never intended to show. But they were boyfriends, so it wasn’t like he was intruding by seeing this, and Mark knew what he was getting himself into when he started drinking. Tomorrow morning he’d crawl into bed using his hangover as a way to avoid his embarrassment. 

“Hehehe, freaky cat… mreow…” Mark smiled so innocently. He wasn’t embarrassed about showing his happy side for once. His hair was pretty, a little bit smelly and unwashed, his shirt stained from their hamburger dinner, and some stray facial hairs rested on his jaw. Jett loved his broskii so much. 

They’d lost Mark’s jacket somewhere in town, before they walked the path back to school that led through the forest, so now he wore Jett’s oversized hoodie. They decided it was a good idea to take a break to play with their gachapon prizes they won at the arcade hall. 

“I love you broskii…” Jett sighed comfortably. 

Mark nodded with a grunt. He pushed the cat’s head into the wolf’s belly and continued giggling indecently as he made smacking noises. Jett’s cheeks got hot watching the wolf’s tummy get smooched. They were like the kisses Mark gave to him a lot too, when they were sleeping in the same bed, and even though they were very nice, they also made him self-conscious. 

A twist of anxiety grew in his belly. A lot of embarrassment, but mostly fear. It was the same fear he’d had for so long. After his accident it got a little better, but now it was back in full force. This feeling kept bothering him when Mark kissed him, and it happened even now at the thought of that wolf getting kisses. 

“B-bro, cut it out,” Jett laughed, rubbing his wrist. “Poor Bolt’s gonna be shy if you do that to him! Bro just had a lot of food for dinner, so his gut looks round, but you shouldn’t touch a random bro like that!”

“Belly! Belly! Belly!” Mark hummed. 

He could be like this sometimes, a freak for Jett’s sake. He really didn’t have to do it though. It was awkward and it made Jett shy. 

Jett picked up his wolf figure and held it close to his helmet, away from Mark’s cat. He couldn’t say anything, not now the anxiety had him, and he didn’t feel like playing any longer. Whenever he didn’t feel cheerful or confident, there was only this overwhelming shitty feeling of uneasiness.

Mark sighed and lied down on the bench using Jett’s lap as a pillow. His hair spread around Jett’s thighs. “What? What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing, bro…”

“Was I not supposed to appreciate your wolf?”

Jett looked away from Mark’s bright eyes, towards the valley where the lights of the school were burning. Mark’s weight pressed on his legs, his boney hands reaching out to pat the center of Jett’s chest, prodding him to answer. 

He shook his head and growled. “No! It’s fine!”

This was dumb. He never felt this insecure before becoming Mark’s boyfriend, but it wasn’t Mark’s fault at all. It was his own issues messing with his head. The fear of his own body. Mark hummed the same noise over and over again, while he patted Jett’s chest and rubbed his arm, squeezing it and then smiling to himself. 

Jett let out a big sigh. “Honestly, why do you like me? This has been grinding my gears for a while… Like, you say I’m really handsome and stuff, but do you really mean that? You’re not just saying that out of pity, right?”

“Ew, no I’d hate that… I’m not that mean…”

“Then what is it, bro? My fame? ‘Cause I’m nice? There’s gotta be something I’m missing.”

“It’s because you’re really, really handsome!” Mark grinned. 

“Come on, bro! That’s what you always say. I know you don’t mean that. You can’t even see my face most of the time, so what the fuck do you mean I’m handsome? Be more specific at least!”

Mark’s face became redder than it already was. “I can be more specific…”

“Well? Bring it on!”

“I like you’re, uh…” He bit his finger and buried his face in Jett’s lap. “Bwwy…” said a muffled voice.

“What?? Talk clearly, bro!”

Mark lifted his head just long enough to say, “Belly!”

“Huh!?” Jett froze looking down at Mark’s beet red face. “You’re calling me fat!?”

Without a moment of hesitation Mark nodded. “Mhm, fat… and warm.”

His hands slipped between Jett’s belly and his lap. Then he hid his face again.

“What the hell…? You’re not kidding around right? You’re pretending you enjoy that!”

Mark shook his head. “No… I like your body.”

Jett paused. He studied Mark who seemed extremely shy at what he had said. It was hard to believe he was joking around. 

“So… that’s what that is? Is it like a kink?”

“Nah… maybe…?” Mark frowned. “I don’t knowww… Do you really think you’re that gross? That anyone who loves you for who you are is some kind of deviant? That’s depressing, Jett.”

The moon reached its peak above the valley. Jett stared into the black sky and he gently patted Mark’s hair. He’d never thought about it like that. Mark did constantly say that he wanted to hug the areas where Jett’s weight was most visible. But it always felt like Mark was trying to be nice, or pushing himself to make sure Jett felt loved even though he wasn’t really into Jett’s body… Of course that didn’t make any sense. Why would broskii pretend to love Jett? 

The negative thoughts towards his own body never really went away, not even after his accident. 

“It’s just attractive, I guess…” Mark broke the silence. He let out a yawn and looked up at Jett with his big green eyes. “But your thighs and hips, and your arms and chest too! It’s really nice… My favorite thing is when you lie on top of me.”

Jett liked hearing that a lot. He’d been doing that on purpose, acting like a blanket when Mark was cold, because broskii seemed to love it. “What about my scars?” he asked. 

“They’re cool. They don’t make you any less or more attractive.”

“For a moment I thought you were into scars too!” Jett chuckled. One hand kept patting Mark’s hair, while the other moved to stroke his chest bone. “Hold on… So that means I can make you happy by taking my clothes off!?”

“Uh… of course?” Mark sighed sleepily. His eyelids were half-closed. “That’s what I’ve been saying for months.”

“But like, genuinely happy? Like, if you’re into fat dudes, then I could just be myself!?”

“Mhm, please show me more of yourself,” Mark smiled. 

 “I didn’t think you were serious about that, bro! You should’ve told me earlier you think I’m handsome like that! We could’ve had so much fun together”

“We still cannn… Hehehehe… Fat boyfriend…” 

“Yippee,” Jett cheered. “That’s so much fun bro! Holy shit!”

The both of them stayed quiet, but Jett wiggled from side to side as he thought of all the things he could do for Mark with his body. Everything was great now. He continued patting Mark, who had pulled Jett’s hoodie close to himself like he was wearing a blanket while gripping his cat figure. Jett sat there patiently until it seemed Mark was about to fully start snoozing. 

He poked Mark’s cheeks. “Hey, broskii. Let’s get home, okay? Then you can take a nap.”

Chapter Text

“Nyoooommm…” Jett was sitting on the guest bed in Mark’s room, playing with his Lightning McQueen toy. He took it everywhere, so of course he’d take it to their sleep over too. He was already in his pajamas like Mark, which had a big yellow coyote on it. Mark thought it was really cool. “Nyooooommmm… Kapow! Boooom!!!”

By the way Jett made a sharp corner on the blanket and mimicked crashing noises, Mark knew he’d just bumped off a bunch of cars off the road and made a huge crash pile up behind himself. 

Mark got off his bed and climbed onto Jett’s bed. It was a bit smaller and weird looking, because it always sat in the attic, unless Jett came over. Nowadays that was a lot, so Mark’s parents decided to leave it here. They’d had dinner and now they were playing here before falling asleep. Mom said it was okay to stay up a little later since it was weekend. 

Jett looked up when the bed creaked under Mark’s weight and he smiled. His hair was red and his eyes were also red. He was the reddest boy Mark had ever seen.

“Hey bro! Do you wanna do the train again?”

Mark nodded. They did "the train" a lot. That was when they climbed under the blankets and pretended their bed was a train that could go everywhere. Mark loved trains a lot and he always did it when he was trying to fall asleep. He’d pull the blankets all the way over his head and pretend he was the driver controlling the train. 

“Yay!” Jett cheered. “I wanna be the guy in the engine room again! I wanna make it really fast so we can go 1000 miles per hour!”

“Okay,” Mark smiled. “But you can’t make the train stop again! If it breaks we won’t be on time!”

“I won’t break it! I promise! Sometimes there’s just a lot going on in an engine and I need some time to fix it!”

“It’s okay,” Mark said. 

They both crawled under the blanket. It was only a twin bed, so there wasn’t much space, but Mark didn’t mind it. It made it feel just like a real train. At least it wasn’t his own bed, because he hated when his bed got dirty. Under here it smelled just like Mark’s bed, like laundry soap, but a little different because of Jett. His mom always scolded him for not showering, and he wore the same clothes for days on end, so he was always a little “grimey” as mom called it. Mark just thought he smelled like grass and ivy and dirt. But he did leave a mess of plant bits and mud wherever he went. 

“Oh no,” Jett giggled. “There’s beetles in the engine!”

“What!?” Mark asked.

“Bro, I left my sandwich in here. They must’ve comed ‘cause they smelled it. They’re eating the bread!”

“Why did you do that!?” Mark grumbled. 

“I forgot my sandwich! People can make mistakes, Mark! But it’s okay, I’m scooping them out! Hehehe…”

That laugh was ominous. Jett always laughed when he was up to something. 

“Why are you laughing…” Mark asked.

“I’m keeping one in a little jar, but don’t tell anyone! I’m putting it on the table outside the engine room! If they find him they’re gonna squish him!”

“O-okay, well!” Mark pressed buttons on the inside of the blanket, and pulled a lever on the mattress.  “The train is starting so you better put your ear plugs in!”

Jett settled in and bumped into Mark’s side as he also got into his position. The engine room was to his side of the bed. He started shaking and making sounds, “Vroom vroommm bbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!! We’re ready to go! All aboard!”

“We’re not at a station yet, idiot!” Mark grumbled. “There’s no one getting in! Just make sure we keep going!”

“Y-you can’t call me an idiot! I’m gonna tell your mom!”

Mark pouted. Jett always took way too long to get going, only ever paying attention to fixing the engine and he never actually cared where they were going. Mom said that was the perfect team, since Mark didn’t want to do any maintenance to the train and trains needed engineers too, but it was really annoying.

“…I’m sorry,” said Mark. 

“It’s okay,” said Jett. 

They always ended up fighting but they also always ended making up. And for some reason Mark had more fun with Jett than that the times he couldn’t stand him were annoying, so they kept sleeping over and having play dates. The train continued along its track and Mark imagined all the fields, hills and mountains they were crossing. 

The blankets were a little hot and Jett kept farting, so Mark had to enable the air filter. Which meant taking breaths through a gap between his pillow and his blanket. It was just about bearable. 

The destination was the Nether. They’d made a train station out of a Nether fortress so they were gonna go there now and pretend to stop there. 

“Gah, it’s so hot here! Watch out for the lava, bro! If it gets into the exhaust, we’re done for!”

“I can steer just fine,” Mark sighed. He had a full view of all the caves and lava streams coming from the ceiling, so there was no way he’d crash it. The train did follow a track, but the track just kind of went wherever Mark wanted it to go. 

And there it was! The Nether fortress!

“We’re almost there!” Mark yelled excitedly.

“Yippee!”

But then there was a knock on the door. All the energy immediately left Mark’s body and he groaned. The door opened.

“Boys? Are you still awake? Oh, look at you two,” she chuckled. “Adorable!”

It was Mark’s mom. Jett flung the blanket off and sat up straight. Mark kept lying on his bed, now blinded by the ceiling light of his bedroom and feeling cold in the room temperature. 

“Hi, Mrs Berskii!” Jett smiled. 

Mark refused to look at her. He turned around and pressed his face into the pillow. 

“It’s almost 11PM! You boy should really sleep now, or you will be very tired tomorrow.”

“Go away mom…” Mark grumbled. 

“Not after you put the lights out and go to your own bed, Mark!”

Mark sighed loudly so she heard. He got up and stomped back to his bed, jumped onto the mattress and covered himself in the blankets so she couldn’t see him anymore. When she leaned in for a good night kiss, he jostled so she couldn’t do it. 

“Alright then,” she laughed. “Good night boys. Don’t start playing around again, okay?”

“Okay, Mrs Berskii!” Jett said. Mark really didn’t want him to respond to her, though… 

The lights went off. Jett’s bed creaked. Finally, Mark took his blankets off and took a peak through the room. Through a crack in the curtain a little bit of light entered and he could see Jett’s eyes looking up at the ceiling. 

“Hey, Mark…!” He turned to look at Mark. “I still have the bug still, hehe! I’m gonna call him Carburetor!”

Mark nodded, “Okay.” He tried to imagine what the bug looked like. He'd seen many beetles in Jett's hands before. 

Jett smiled and pulled his blankets close. “See you tomorrow, Mark!”

Mark grabbed a plushie from the side of his bed. “Good night.”

Chapter Text

The morning was so early the sky was still this weird blueish yellow and the grass was covered with a misty layer of dew. Mark held Jett’s hand as they walked through the park, along the playground that was fully deserted. Only a few cars passed along the road in the distance, the rest had no signs of people. The air smelled sweet and earthy from the decaying leaves under the treeline between the path and the lake, enhanced by the wetness of the grass.  

“Eva and Diana sure picked a bad time to get going,” Jett yawned. He grabbed Mark’s full arm and tugged him closer so they were pressed against each other. “I’m so cold…”

“You’re cold? Since when are you cold?”

“It’s like 46 degrees bro… Even I can get cold sometimes.”

Jett was usually sweating bullets. His suit didn’t help, but even when was very lightly dressed he still got hot very easily. He said it was because he was a big guy. But Mark on the other hand, he would start shivering as soon as the temperature dropped below 70 degrees, so he wore a lot of extra layers on top of his usual layers. 

“I wanna have a chocolate croissant and chocolate milk and something else from the convenience store…”

They hadn’t eaten anything yet and Jett’s stomach growled. Mark was starting to feel it too, slightly nauseous but also hungry. He needed to eat soon or he’d feel like shit. 

“I wanna have two cigarettes, coffee and like… cake.”

“We really should eat something better than cake and sweet stuff,” Jett chuckled. 

Mark agreed though he didn’t want to say it. 

The path curved between the trees and the fields, going uphill towards the train station they would catch their train from. They were going on a camping trip with Cassidy and Eva. Just as they almost made it to the top, they walked past a pond with a flock of ducks swimming and quacking. 

“Broskii… Look at them! Aren’t they so fucking cool!”

Jett ran towards the edge of the pond. The ducks scurried away and flapped their wings as Jett crouched down and closely watched them kick their webbed feet through the water. They tumbled forward, showing only their butt while their entire head was underwater, then flipped back to float horizontally. 

“Rehehe!” Jett giggled watching them. “I love ducks!”

Mark joined him in watching the ducks. “Don’t fall in,” Mark said as Jett reached forward to splash some water. 

“Of course not! I’m just playing around.” The ducks all swam away from him. “Damn if only I had something to feed them. Like peas or something.”

“Well we have a train to catch so—”

“Did you know there’s a special technique for picking them up?”

“By using your hands, I assume?” Mark said. His snarky levels were getting a little too high. It must’ve been the tiredness from waking up at 5:30AM, but he really had to watch or he’d turn into a negative asshole again. 

“Nah, it’s way more complicated than that. You try, bro! There’s a nice little duck buddy over there! I bet you won’t be able to catch them.”

Mark followed Jett’s pointing finger and saw a white duck sitting all alone in the grass. They were standing, wiggling their butt and slowly stomped through the grass. It almost seemed cruel to pick the little thing up, since it had no way of getting away. Of course Mark would be able to grab it; he was a human with tall legs so the duck stood no chance.

“You think I wouldn’t be able to catch it?” Mark asked sceptically. 

“Nope! They’d run away before you’d get to them. Trust me, bro.”

“Because you’d know,” Mark smirked. 

“I know a lot about animals. What do you think I was doing before dad let me drive or tinker with engines? I was grabbing wild bugs and other creatures! I’ve befriended whole flocks of ducks before!”

“Well, I think I could easily pick up a duck.” Mark said confidently and he folded his arms. 

Jett balled his fists. “A challenge!! Let’s fucking go!”

Mark turned towards the duck. It was still sitting there, digging its beak between the blades of grass, probably looking for a snack to eat. They weren’t looking at Mark, or maybe they were? Their beady eyes were seemingly pointing in two different directions at once. 

“Okay duck…” Mark whispered. He slowly approached, stalking it like prey. Like an alligator did, slowly getting closer until he could jump out and strike! Of course he wouldn’t eat the duck or harm it, but he wanted to use the same hunting strategy. “Don’t embarrass me in front of Jett.”

“Watch out for the mud, bro!” Jett yelled after him. “I’m pretty sure these ducks shit everywhere too, so you’d better not fall.”

“Thanks for the foreshadowing…” Mark sighed. 

Right as Mark started creeping forward, the duck began waddling away. 

“What the…” Mark grumbled. He couldn’t sneak up like this. The duck wasn’t supposed to flee. 

Jett started giggling. “Hehehe, see what I mean!”

He wasn’t deterred though. A little faster this time, he kept creeping towards the duck, but the duck also started waddling faster. He went even faster, and the duck kept up the pace. When Mark started running the duck began wildly flapping its wings and jumped into the pond, away from Mark’s reach. 

“Shit…” Mark sighed. His shoes were completely soaked now, and mud was clinging to his pants. 

Jett strutted over and flung his arm around Mark’s shoulder. “Rehehe! You’re doin’ it all wrong, broskii! I’ll teach you the technique! It’s an old duck chasing technique passed through the Dawson family but I perfected it when I was eight years old!” 

Jett let go of Mark and walked up towards another duck sitting in the grass. This one was all brown and gray. “First you gotta introduce yourself to the duck!” He crouched down in front of the duck and stuck out his hand. “Hi Mr Duck, my name is Jett. How’s it quacking?”

The duck made a soft and low noise, kind of like a growl. They stretched their neck and kicked their feet against the air. 

“See? Now they’re friendly! They trust you’re not gonna eat them!”

“This is stupid…” Mark said. People were passing by them, joggers taking the calmness of the morning to go for a run and other people who also had places to be this early, and Mark felt their eyes boring into them. This was really stupid… 

“So, now you try! Once you win their trust, you can figure out the rest. Make sure you meet them from the front, not the back! When you meet them from the back, some kind of flight instinct kicks in and they start running. And make sure to be nice to them too!”

“I’m not gonna introduce myself to a duck…” Mark groaned. 

“Well then you lose the challenge, buddy! Free chocolate milk for me if you lose!”

“We didn’t agree to that!”

“Don’t worry, I know you can do it! And then I’ll buy you all the cake you want!”

Mark sighed and his shoulders drooped. Was he seriously going to talk to a duck?

“H-hello there…” Mark said, meeting the brown creature at eye level. “My name is Mark Berskii. How are you?”

It tilted his head, opened its beak and another growl came out. Mark cringed back when it flapped its wings, but it didn’t seem to flee this time. The duck just stood there, watching Mark with curious black eyes. 

“Now stick your hand out!” Jett whispered loudly. “Shove it under its chest and gently raise it!”

Mark did as Jett said. His hand slipped under the duck’s chest and surprisingly it didn’t resist being picked up. Its little orange feet dangled as it sat on Mark’s hand. The feathers were soft and smooth, a little bit wet too. A warm touch of affection spread through Mark’s chest and he smiled as the duck began wriggling. 

“Nice work bro! Now put the little dude down again! Gently!”

The duck’s feet landed on the grass and it waddled off quickly once it was released from Mark’s grip. Jett cheered loud enough the entire park could’ve heard him. 

“Fuck yeah bro!” He ran over and hugged Mark, gripping him so tight he could lift him from the ground and he spun in a circle. “You’ve become a duck whisperer like me! Now it’s time to lift my own ducky!”

Mark’s eyes shot around at the people who walked by, staring at Jett’s affection. “P-put me down! I’m not a duck!”

“Rehehe!” He booped the snout of his helmet against Mark’s lips. “Time to buy you some duck food! Lot’s of cake for the train journey! And hey, you didn’t even fall into the mud!”

“My shoes are still dirty as fuck though,” Mark groaned.

“We’ll get you some napkins!” Jett tugged him along back to the path and Mark wiped his wet hands on his pants. “Let’s hurry up before Eva and Cassidy wonder why we’re late, rehehe!”

Chapter Text

What were the chances of finding a someone who didn’t think Mark was weird and unpleasant? And instead of wanting to get away from Mark, someone who actually liked him and wanted to talk more. He’d dreamt of making a friend many times when he was locked up in his room making songs. Not since elementary school did he have anyone to talk with. Now he had Jett. 

The chirps of crickets accompanied the dark night’s sky. The campfire was smoldering and crackled lightly. Cassidy and Eva had gone to take a shower in the shower rooms, leaving him along with Jett. He sat on a tree log, leaning back on his hands and he looked up, tracing lines between the stars to see if he could find any constellations. 

“Rehehe…” Jett giggled. Mark turned to look at him and their eyes met. “You’ve been staring at the sky for hours. Seen any spaceships yet?”

“No,” Mark said. “Spaceships don’t exist.”

They’d had such a nice dinner of roasted vegetables and meat, that he felt content and he couldn’t keep the smile down seeing his boyfriend. He had stickers all over his helmet, after Cassidy and Eva bought a bunch of puppy and rainbow stickers to decorate him. 

“Oh boy, you’re wrong about that!” Jett folded his arms and proudly started talking. “My old pup Baxter disappeared one night. Just straight up gone! He was an old boy already, around fifteen years old and a very pretty golden retriever. Well, my dad told me he walked off the property into the forest, and no one should ever go into the forest, so a spaceship got him and beamed him up and made hotdogs out of him.”

“And you believed that?” Mark asked, raising an eyebrow. “You sure they didn't just die and your dad lied about it?”

“I— Uh…?” He scratched his helmet. “How’d I never thought of that before?”

Mark chuckled and leaned against Jett’s shoulder. “I think the alien story is a lot nicer, though. I’d probably tell it to my kid too.”

Jett looked the other way. “Shit, this is embarrassing.”

Mark kept quiet for a while, watching the trees sway in the wind. Everything was so dark, but the campfire gave a surprising amount of light, along with a few lights they’d set up around the tents. One for Mark and Jett, and one for Eva and Cassidy. 

They could hear everything. Mark had to fall asleep to the sound of the girls laughing and kissing, and they probably had to put up with him and Jett doing the same. Yesterday they arrived and set up the camp. Today they'd done lots of hiking today and they were all very tired.

Mark wrapped his arm around Jett’s middle, so his hand settled perfectly on his belly button. It was a lot of fun cuddling Jett. Everything about his body was perfectly shaped for affection, not to mention he was a very attractive guy in general. 

“Can I scratch your beard later?” Mark asked.

“Eh, it’s a bit greasy. I haven’t showered in a while.”

“I don’t mind.”

Jett shrugged and nodded. He folded his arms, but instead of his confident self, he hunched forward and sat inwardly. “C-can you like… think about what I asked?”

“What did you ask?” Mark genuinely couldn’t remember. 

“Like… about not shaving?”

“Oh, right.” Mark did remember Jett asking him to stop shaving. For some reason Jett liked the way Mark’s wispy beard looked, and he always shaved it because it just looked awful. “I’ll look like a weirdo though… I can’t grow a beard like you. Mine’s like thin and ugly.”

“That’s okay!” Jett assured. “I think it just looks really sexy, rehehe!”

The feeling of being attractive to Jett did mean the world to Mark. He’d do almost anything, wear anything or change anything to his appearance, if Jett really liked it. Not because he wanted the validation per se, but because the feeling of making Jett happy gave him so much satisfaction. 

“What if I…” Mark thought of a compromise. “…shave less? Or if I use your trimmer?”

“You wanna use mine?”

“Just so I can keep it short. But you’ll still have some hair to play with.”

“Okay, bro! I can’t wait!!” Jett bounced up and down at the thought of touching Mark’s facial hair again. 

“Alright.” Mark planted a kiss on a little husky sticker on Jett’s helmet. “Because if I don’t do anything at all, I’ll look so gross. Last time I didn’t I stayed in my room for three months and I ended up looking like I needed to be on a list…”

“The list of handsome dudes of course!” Jett chuckled. He wrapped his arm around Mark too and they hugged quietly. 

Eventually Jett huffed. “Poor broskii, stuck in your room for three months?”

“I didn’t wanna leave.”

“No parties bro? No one to hang out with?”

“No…”

“Well, you got me now! And we have loads of friends!”

“I don’t like your friends.”

“Me neither,” Jett sighed. “They’re the biggest assholes ever, but you gotta have your connections when you’re in the racing world. And I think it just pisses them off that they can’t get a girlfriend but a fat ugly mutt like me can get a boyfriend!”

“You’re not ugly…!”

They kept enjoying their hugging position and watched the fire. Tonight they’d sleep together again and Mark would be able to hug Jett all he wanted. There was a time where Mark slept with his body pillow every day, and truthfully he still did it now sometimes because he liked the character that was on it, but a real guy like Jett was way better than any pillow. 

The crickets chirped and kept the silence at bay. Finally, Eva and Cassidy came back from the shower room dressed in their pajamas and a jacket. Cassidy’s was dark green and had a yellow hammer and sickle on her chest. Eva’s was almost all black with some frills. 

“Wassup dudes!” Cassidy said excitedly. She sat down on the log opposite of Mark and Jett. Eva sat down next to her holding a bag of something that made the sound of scrunching plastic. 

“We bought snacks for everyone," Eva said, taking out bags of potato chips and handing them out.

Jett unscrewed the mouth part of his helmet and opened a bag. “Fuck yeah! Broskii, you want some too” He patted Mark’s back.

“O-okay…!” Mark was jolted upright by Jett’s paw slap.

They all ate under the moonlight, as the fire kept smoldering. And Mark felt happy being with his friends. 

Chapter Text

When the fire had died out, all four moved to their tents. It was a small tent for just two people, where they could sit upright, but not fully stand. A light hung above them, brightening up the inside enough to see everything well. Jett loved the vibe. It was so cozy! He had so much fun last night cuddling with Mark and listening to the sounds of nature, while crawling deep in his sleeping bag. 

They did need sleeping bags. The air was colder here, away from the fire’s heat. Jett didn’t need it as much as Mark though, who was wrapped deep under all the blankets to stay at least somewhat comfortable and warm. Mark watched a video on his phone with his earphones in and all Jett could see of Mark was a head of black hair sticking out, while Jett sat in his own sleeping bag playing a game on his phone. He had to do his dailies, then grind for materials before the event ended, so he’d be up late.  

Mark wriggled his way out from the blankets, popped out like a little rodent and sighed. “I’m still cold.”

“You need me to warm you up?” Jett put down his phone. Mark’s hair was all fuzzy now. 

“No… I’m okay.”

“Why not, bro? We’re boyfriend, right!? Let’s do some boyfriend things!”

Mark’s face blushed red. “I think it’d be easier if we kept a little distance tonight.”

Jett knew exactly what Mark meant and he grinned from ear to ear to make sure Mark knew that he knew. This little tent was where he’d take his helmet off, so Mark could see the grin and he immediately hid his face under his sleeping bag. Laughs came from the neighboring tent. Cassidy and Eva were still up too. 

Broskii just got a little tense from cuddling and this wasn’t the place for such cuddles, so they had to be patient. 

“Damn I guess we need to wait until we get back home,” Jett shrugged. 

“Yes please.”

“Rehehe,” Jett chuckled. 

He settled back into his sleeping bag and grabbed a bottle of ice cold chocolate soda. They’d bought it along with lots of other snacks, Cassidy’s recommendation. The moment he took the cap off, it slipped from his hands and spilled all over his sleeping bag. 

“Fuck!” Jett grabbed the bottle and put the cap back on but half had already soaked into the material. “Brooo, you’re fucking with me.”

Mark popped his head out again. “Oh. That sucks.”

Jett groaned. The soda was seeping all the way to his pajama pants. Before it got any worse, he slipped out, wrapped his sleeping bag up and put on his helmet before opening the zipper of their tent. Once he was outside, he unfolded the bag and assessed the damage. The air was cold out here.

“Nyeh, I guess we’ll have to wash it once we’re home. Maybe I can sleep in it once it dries up.”

The girls’ tent zipped open and Cassidy’s head peaked out. “What happened, dude?”

“I spilled my soda.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah,” Jett sighed. He hung the sleeping bag on a tree branch. “Broskii I guess I’m forced to crawl into yours now!”

When Jett made his way back to the tent, he saw Mark unzipping the bag and making space for Jett. 

“Okay, I guess…” he said, his face red again.

“Thanks, bro!” Jett smiled. 

He took his helmet off and sat down beside Mark. The bottom of the tent crunched as he pushed his legs into the bag. It was a tight fit, but it could just about hold them both. Mark’s legs pressed against his. They were so lanky and bony, though way hairier than Jett initially expected from him. Mark preferred wearing only underpants, even in this cold because he couldn’t stand the feeling of long sleeved pajama pants, so every bit of skin and hair was there to feel. 

“I don’t think this is meant for two people…” Mark said. 

“We’re like a burrito!”

“Y-yeah,” Mark chuckled. His face was only an inch away from Jett. His green eyes sparkled with happiness and a want for Jett. He gulped, then slowly pressed his lips against a smooth layer of scar tissue on Jett’s cheek. “You’re really pretty, hehe…!”

“Of course I am, bro! I’m Jett Dawson, kachow!”

“No, like… your face is just, really pretty.” Mark was giggling very nervously. He could barely get the words out. “It’s like you’re a model!”

“Wow, thanks bro! I should be saying that about you!” Jett smiled.

“No I’m ugly,” Mark frowned. “There are always bags under my eyes and my cheeks are so… thin.”

“Hell no!” Jett kissed Mark’s cheekbone. “You’re perfect! Your face is handsome and you smell like cheese and potato chips!”

“Thanks.”

They were quiet. Mark’s hands slipped around Jett, pressed between the sleeping bag and Jett’s back, until they were positioned into the perfect hug. Jett’s stomach and chest pressed firmly into Mark and through the pressure he could feel the rhythm of Mark’s heartbeat. It was very fast, like a mouse.

“We can go looking at frogs tomorrow!” Jett remembered. “I heard lots of croaking at the lake!”

“I wanna go watch frogs!” Mark’s eyes lit up. 

“We’ll make it a picnic! Before we go home tomorrow evening, okay!? And then we’ll buy loads of food so we have something to eat while watching the froggies!”

“Ooh, another picnic!” Cassidy excitedly yelled from the next tent over.

“Can you love bird shut up!” Eva yelled after her. 

“Rehehe! We’re sorry!” Jett leaned in for one last kiss. Mark looked flustered and sad at the same time, his face frozen like he didn’t want it to end. ““Hey I got a game to play, so why don’t we do our own things, huh?”

“Okay.” Mark said meekly. He grabbed his phone and continued watching his broskii things. 

Jett twisted around, so his back faced Mark. It made it a little easier to both hold phones and see the screen. Then he continued his game while feeling Mark’s warmth spreading through him.