Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandom:
Relationships:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Stats:
Published:
2017-02-01
Completed:
2017-03-19
Words:
2,721
Chapters:
2/2
Comments:
35
Kudos:
510
Bookmarks:
33
Hits:
6,485

Our Little Family

Summary:

A baby in Ireland, a baby in L.A. Mark's been taking care of them both for so long that the people at the airport recognize him almost always. But finally, Jack's coming to L.A. and Mark can have both his babies with him all the time. Ethan's nervous, Jack's excited, Mark is more than elated, and Tyler's just along for the ride.

Notes:

I hope you guys enjoy this! A lot of people wanted to see some Baby!Ethan in the Here for You story, but I figured why not just do a separate story? Please let me know what you guys think!

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

“What is up my Cranky Crew? It’s Ethan from CrankGamePlays. I wanted to take a quick minute or two to update you on some things that are going on here in L.A.” Ethan smiled into the camera, glancing past it where Mark was smiling at him encouragingly. “As many of you are aware, the infamous Jacksepticeye is moving to L.A in the next few days! You heard that right, my green-haired twin is coming across the pond to finally settle here in L.A. with the rest of us!”

Mark watched from behind the camera as Ethan enthusiastically told his viewers of their friend moving to town, nodding in encouragement every now and again. In the next room was a bag packed for Mark, just waiting to be taken to the airport later that evening.

The three people currently living in this house felt three very different ways about Jack coming to take the spare room. Mark was incredibly excited – finally both of his babies would be on the same continent, in the same house, able to be taken care of at the same time. It was a great stressor off his shoulders. Ethan was a little nervous, because he was used to being the center of attention, so to speak. He knew that Mark loved him and Mark also loved Jack, but until now, Mark could focus on just Ethan here, and then just Jack when he went to visit. Ethan wasn’t looking forward to having to share the attention. And Tyler? Tyler just felt like he was along for the ride. He was alright with Mark and his babies doing their thing, and he even helped Mark from time to time. But he was excited for Jack to come, sure.

“So be looking forward to a new generation of videos,” Ethan said excitedly, running his fingers through his fading blue hair. “Because with all of us in the same house, it’s going to be a little crazy all the time.”

Mark leaned back against the wall as Ethan began to wrap up his video, nodding again when Ethan stood to turn off the camera. “That sounded really good,” Mark encouraged. “Good video. Minimal editing, too. You could probably get it up in about two hours,”

“You think so?” Ethan smiled.

“Oh, yeah. And I bet if you ask nicely, Tyler will help you edit.” Mark smiled. “If you want.”

“I want you to help me edit,” Ethan pouted, leaning against Mark with sad eyes. Mark smiled sadly and leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on Ethan’s head.

“I know you do, but you know I’ve gotta finish packing,” Mark said gently. “Come on, let’s go find Tyler,” he suggested, wrapping his arm around Ethan’s shoulder and leading him out of the room.

“Can I go with you?” Ethan asked for what seemed to be the millionth time. “I want to go with you.”

“No, bud, you can’t. You’ve gotta stay here with Tyler,” Mark replied gently. “We talked about this.”

“But I’m going to miss you,” Ethan whimpered. “Why do you have to go?”

“You know why. Jack’s really stressed out and I just need to help get him over here. Just like I did to help you move here,” Mark explained again, just as patiently as he had the first five times Ethan had asked.

“I can help you,” Ethan frowned. “I’m a good helper!”

“I know,” Mark replied gently. “And you’re helping me by staying here and keeping Tyler company and helping him with Chica.”

“But…I know how to pack boxes, too,” Ethan murmured, frowning up at Mark with the saddest eyes he could muster.

“I know you can, love,” Mark whispered, kissing Ethan’s forehead. “But your job is to stay here and get ready for Jack to get here.” A few big tears rolled down Ethan’s face, and Mark smiled sadly as he wiped them away. “Come on, let’s go find Tyler.”

~*~*~

Three hours later Ethan’s video had been edited and uploaded, and Tyler had spent the afternoon trying to cheer up the weepy boy while Mark quietly packed. “Come on, Eth, we’re going to have fun while Mark’s gone. We can take Chica to the dog park!” he suggested.

Ethan just whimpered and hugged his stuffed turtle closer to his chest, curling tighter into Tyler’s side where they sat on the couch. “I know you don’t want him to leave. It must be scary to think about him being gone,” Tyler said quietly. Ethan didn’t respond for a moment, but then Tyler felt the meekest nod at his side. “And it must be scary to think that Jack’s going to move in here when Mark gets back, yeah?” Tyler continued. Another tiny nod.

“Well I think you’re really brave,” Tyler insisted, squeezing Ethan closer to him. “So brave for letting all this new stuff happen.”

“I don’t feel brave,” Ethan whispered. “Brave people don’t cry.”

“That’s not at all true,” Tyler retorted, shaking his head. “Brave people cry. Everyone cries. What makes you brave is still doing the thing even if it makes you cry.”

“But I’m not doing anything,” Ethan continued, shrugging sadly. “Stuff’s just happening.”

“That’s definitely not true,” Mark’s voice interrupted, and both boys on the couch looked up to see Mark leaning against the doorway. The red-haired man stepped closer and crouched in front of Ethan. “You’re doing a lot. You’re trusting Tyler to take care of you while I’m gone. You’re letting me go and take care of Jack. And you’re letting Jack into your life when he gets here. You told me you’re going to share your toys, that you’ll learn to share me with him, and that’s a lot to do. That’s a lot of adjusting and you’re being really brave about it.”

Ethan finally brought his face out of Tyler’s shoulder toward the end of Mark’s explanation, and the slightest smile graced his precious features. “Okay,” he whispered.

“That’s my lovely baby,” Mark smiled softly. Then he sighed and smiled sadly. “Are we ready to head to the airport?” he asked, sad to watch that tiny smile disappear just as quickly as it had appeared on Ethan’s face.

“Will you sit in the back with me?” Ethan asked.

“Of course,” Mark nodded, desperate to be close to his baby for as long as possible.

The ride to the airport was quiet but comfortable, with music playing softly up front while Mark sat next to Ethan in the backseat and rubbed the back of his neck with his thumb. But the closer they got to the airport, the more upset Ethan got. “My tummy hurts,” he told Mark sadly. “I want you to stay,” he whimpered as Tyler pulled up to the departure door at the airport.

“I love you, sweet boy. I’m going to be gone for just a few days and you’re going to have so much fun you won’t even realize I’m gone,” Mark promised, leaning forward to kiss Ethan’s forehead before he pulled himself out of the car.

“I love you, too,” Ethan blubbered sadly, tears rolling down his cheeks as Mark shut the door. They had talked about this though – Ethan was going to stay in the car and just let Mark go inside without all the fanfare.

Tyler sat quietly as Mark got his stuff out of the trunk, frowning as Mark slammed the trunk, making Ethan jump. “It’s okay,” Tyler murmured softly as he nodded to Mark, assuring him he had this under control. “Ethan, it’s okay, buddy.”

Ethan’s sniffling turned into whimpers with a few sobs as the boy watched Mark walk into the airport, his bright red hair disappearing into the crowd of people. “I want him to come back!” Ethan screeched to Tyler. “Tell him to come back! Please!” he cried.

Tyler frowned but said nothing, clenching his jaw as he began the drive away even as every turn of the wheels seemed to intensify Ethan’s crying. If this is what Tyler had to look forward to…

He was in for a long week.

Chapter 2

Notes:

I'm back, y'all! Thanks for being so patient <3 Please enjoy!!

Chapter Text

The rest of the evening was rough. Tyler couldn’t do anything to cheer up Ethan, which he’d kind of expected. The boy just sat and moped around, cuddling Chica or his turtle plush, answering Tyler in small nods and shakes of the head.

Tyler made Ethan’s favorite dinner – macaroni and cheese – which Ethan ate just a bit of before stirring the rest of it around his bowl and staring at the empty seat where Mark normally sat. “Ethan,” Tyler frowned. “You don’t want to eat?” Just a small shrug from the blue haired boy. “You sure? Because I know there’s a big container of ice cream in the freezer with your name on it.”

Ethan looked up at Tyler curiously. “What kind?” he asked. Tyler smiled and leaned toward Ethan.

“Cookie dough and mint chocolate chip. Your favorites,” Tyler replied. Ethan looked like he was thinking over the proposition before he picked up his fork and continued eating his food. “That’s a good boy,” Tyler encouraged, feeling relieved that he had convinced the boy to eat. That was one hurdle down, at least.

It was as if getting some food in his system seemed to help Ethan’s attitude, and by the time the two of them had finished dinner and Tyler had dished up ice cream, Ethan seemed to be in a decent mood. “Do you maybe want to watch a movie tonight?” Tyler suggested. “If you take a shower while I clean up from dinner we can put a movie on.”

“Can we watch it in my bed?” Ethan asked quietly, looking up shyly. Tyler nodded easily.

“Sure, I don’t see why not.”

“Can Chica come with us?” Ethan’s voice was hopeful. Chica wasn’t supposed to be in the upstairs bedrooms, and Ethan and Tyler both knew this, but Tyler was desperate to keep Ethan happy.

“Just for tonight,” Tyler relented. A grin popped onto Ethan’s face so quickly that it was contagious, and Tyler let out a little laugh. “Just for tonight,” he repeated.

“Okay,” Ethan responded sweetly, digging into his ice cream. Since the boy was occupied, Tyler pulled out his phone, surprised to see a message from Mark waiting.

How’s he doing?

Tyler carefully snapped a quick picture, capturing the image of Ethan all but shoving his face in the bowl of ice cream, sending it quickly.

A little better as of a moment ago. He misses you though.

I miss him too. Thanks for taking care of him.

Of course, dude! How’s Ireland? Jack?

He’s stressed out – afraid he isn’t going to finish everything in time. He’s got a good amount left to pack, but I think I can make a dent in it tonight after he goes to sleep.

Well good luck. Want Ethan to call before bed time?

Only if he asks – I don’t want to upset him more. If not tonight, I’ll call around lunch tomorrow.

Sounds golden. Talk to you soon.

Tyler slipped his phone back into his pocket and stood to clear his and Ethan’s dishes, considering that Ethan had already demolished the bowl of ice cream. “Alright, buddy, go take a shower and get ready for bed, okay? Then we’ll watch a movie,” Tyler told him.

Ethan nodded and headed out of the room, leaving Tyler to clean up the mess in the kitchen. As the boy climbed the stairs, he sniffled sadly as he realized once again that Mark was gone. It was like every time he forgot, the feeling came back with a vengeance, even worse than the time before.

As Ethan walked past Mark’s closed door, he stopped in front of it contemplatively. Listening to make sure Tyler was busy, just so he could be sure he wouldn’t get in trouble, Ethan slipped into Mark’s room and hurried into his closet.

Looking through the shirts hanging in Mark’s closet, Ethan came across one from the charity live stream he and Mark had done just a few months prior. Ethan smiled and pulled it off the hangar and then scrambled from the room.

After Ethan had showered and brushed his teeth, he emerged from the bathroom in a t-shirt that was much too big and some shorts and ran nearly straight into Tyler. “Whoa, hey buddy.” Tyler laughed, reaching out to steady Ethan. “You all done?”

Ethan nodded to that and leaned against Tyler with a small yawn. “Good man. Why don’t you go lay down and choose a movie while I take Chica out one more time and then I’ll change into pajamas and we’ll get started,” Tyler smiled.

“Okay,” Ethan nodded and headed into his room, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of his TV stand, looking through all the movies he had. There were so many choices, and he didn’t know which one to grab! Ethan was trying to decide if he should try to choose a movie that Tyler would enjoy too or if he should choose a movie that would make himself happy. Biting his lip nervously, Ethan pulled out Captain America first, and then pulled out The Descendants.

He crawled back into his bed, leaving both movies by his DVD player, deciding he would let Tyler choose the movie. He occupied himself by creating a makeshift nest for all of them, stacking all his pillows at the head of the bed and unfolding all the blankets and laying them around the bed. Then he rolled himself in a blanket and kept his turtle hugged to his chest, waiting for Tyler and Chica.

Tyler made his way back upstairs with Chica at his heels, smiling as he entered the room. “You comfy?” he asked, and Ethan nodded. “You choose a movie yet?”

“I chose two. I want you to pick the one we watch,” Ethan smiled. “Chica, come here!” he giggled, and the dog happily obliged, curling up with her head on Ethan’s lap.

Tyler looked at the two movies on the shelf, hardly even looking at Captain America after he saw The Descendants laying there. It was no secret that was Ethan’s favorite movie when he felt little – everyone in the house knew the songs by heart.

After putting the movie in the DVD player, Tyler made his way to the bed, curling up under the covers with his arm around Ethan. “You comfy?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Ethan admitted before letting out a sigh. “I wish Mark was here though.”

“You want to send him a picture?” Tyler asked, and Ethan nodded immediately. Tyler smiled and pulled out his phone, quickly pulling up his camera. “Smile!” Ethan did so immediately, cuddling even closer to Tyler and even Chica looked up at Tyler’s extended arm.

Meanwhile across the globe, Mark was sitting in Jack’s office, beginning to unhook all his recording equipment while Jack sat a couple feet away with a coloring book and a dummy in his mouth. Drying tear tracks were still present on the Irishman’s face, which made Mark’s heart ache, thinking back to just a few minutes ago when Mark had heard crying from down the hall and came in to see Jack sitting amongst a pile of wires, crying in frustration.

“I don’t know how to put it all away!” Jack screeched, throwing the wire in his hands down on the floor. “There’s too much of it!”

“Let me do it,” Mark said, his voice gentle and quiet, moving forward to grab Jack’s hand and pull him to his feet. “You take a break. Come here,” he insisted, guiding him to the corner where Jack had left a coloring book. Jack sat and sniffled sadly, nibbling at his lip until Mark pulled a dummy from his pocket and pressed it to Jack’s lips. “You’re okay,” he promised, petting Jack’s hair. “You don’t have to worry about anything.”

So Mark had just gotten him calmed down when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Looking at the picture of Tyler and Ethan looking so happy warmed his heart, but also made Mark’s heart hurt even more. He couldn’t wait to have them all together.

So he tried to channel all that emotion into rolling more computer wires, because the sooner Jack was packed, the sooner they could go home.