Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

             Yes! First comment 100 times in a row on Markiplier's videos, of course you watched the full video and didn't just write "first comment" like others did. You spoke on things he could do differently, tips on the games if you've played it, and even told him of some cool games you'd heard about. It meant the world to you, you felt like a leading member of the Iplier family. Unfortunately you knew Mark probably didn't know about you as there are so many comments that get favorited above yours. You closed the video and smiled at your ticket, PAX wasn't ready for (Y/N). You ran your hand through your (H/L) hair, you dyed it two months ago. Ombre (F/C) in to red, the same shade as Mark's old hair. A Bing echoed from your laptop and you knew it was from YouTube. It was a reply to your comment, you squealed a bit happy to answer any questions for other Ipliers and sometimes you got subscribers from it. You never directly advertised on Mark's video, you found it rude and disrespectful but some checked out your channel name and were interested. You post videos but it wasn't a full time job for you. You posted videos on theatre and games, Theatre was your major and you were graduating just before PAX. You were thinking about doing it full time but there wasn't enough money to put into it.

Remembering to look into the reply, you smile and as you read it it slowly dropped.

Comment reply:

Markilpier: Hey, TheatreSkirts. Do you have an Insta? I really appreciate all the tips and suggests for the last 100 videos! Congrats and Thanks! I'm allowing permission for you to post your Insta! I'll follow you and I enjoy your content on your channel!"

You hit yourself, "Fuck me. He really fucking..." You quickly typed out your Insta handle.

TheatreSkirts: "It's the same as my Channel name. Thanks so much. You always inspire me to be a better person. I’m so flabbergasted"

You wait for a bit as your phone vibrates with a notification; Twenty-minute later, your phone refuses to stop vibrating with following requests on your Private account. You spent your time going through the requests, some of them were just being mean and hateful on your photos so they were blocked as fast as they were accepted. Others congratulated you and soon you were at the bottom of the list. Markiplier wants to follow you. You hesitate, "What if he doesn't like me? Oh, well. I hope this doesn't bring too many crazies." You hit accept and breathe deeply. "That wasn't so hard." A message pops on your DMs and you click the message.

Markiplier: Hey, so wow. You are a lot more gorgeous than I originally thought. Would like to skype? I would really like to talk to you.

You grew hot at being called gorgeous by your favorite YouTuber, it was incredibly unrealistic but images of Mark smiling widely and kissing you flashed through your mind. Shaking out the inappropriate thoughts, you replied quickly. You opened Skype on the side and turn your online status to available.

TheatreSkirts: Hey, Yeah, my skype name is (Y/N)_(L/N)_1298. I'd love to talk to you and thank you.

        A bubble sound called from your skype window. You hit accept and immediately a call came through. Mark’s gorgeous face showed up and you smoothed down your (H/C) hair down. "I'm sorry for my appearance, I was getting home from class when I got to your request on Instagram." He smiled wide and you began to overeat.

"Nah, you're lovely...I'm honestly very...Uh ya know. How long have you been with the Iplier Family?"

"About 5 years now, I believe."

"Wow, you're an original. You're like a leading member." You smiled and nodded. You both continued to talk about random games, singing--how you specialize in Musical theatre and him wanting to be coached vocally-and if you're ever going to L.A., California. "I got a ticket to PAX but I need to book a place to stay." Mark’s face began to flow with blood, the blush overtaking his coloring, “You know, I wouldn’t mind if you came and stayed with me. Sean is coming from Ireland anyhow, I don’t mind putting another person up."

"No, I couldn't do that. I'll be fine, although it would be awesome to hang out with you." You replied softly, feeling a bit awkward. Mark smiled softly, "Hey, I don't mind, sweetheart. Hey, it's okay. I don't want to strong arm you but it's cheaper and a lot more comfortable. Also I would like you there." You sat there quietly thinking it over jumping slightly when Mark spoke again, "You could even be in a video or two." Your (E/C) eyes widen at the thought of being in a Markiplier video. It would be a dream come true. "Yes, fine. I will stay with you. Happy?" Mark did a small dance, "Of course I am. I am going to plan some things. I also promised to be in a NSP video if you wanna come along."

"And meet Danny? Dan Avidan? Of course I will. I am glad I am driving to L.A. I can stay out there as long a I need then." You blushed. Mark ran his hands through his hair, "Where do you live? I didn't even ask, I'm a numskull." "Illinois. Oh gosh its like 1 A.M. here. I've got class in the morning." You look at the clock and sigh, you didn't want to end the call but if you didn't sleep you were gonna be dead on your feet. "Go on to bed, Sweetheart. Dream of sweet things. I know I will." Mark mumbled softly looking at you a little longer than the other times. "Goodnight Markimoo." You yawned out, using his beloved nickname. "Goodnight, (Y/N) Sleep Well." The call ended and you crawled slowly into your bed. Maybe you should extend your time in L.A. so you could really enjoy it. "He's cuter than on his videos," was the last thing you mumble before falling asleep.

Chapter Text

"God, just a little longer," You moaned as you rolled in bed. The Skype incoming call sound echoed, you knew he wasn't going to stop calling until you acknowledged him. Mark and you had been talking every day even if it was only 5 minutes over text and while it was magically, you've come to realize that your idea of him flirting was not what was intentionally thought. You begrudgingly stood and made your way to your computer. "Helllllooooo, Bedhead Betty," Mark chimed as you answered the call.

"Yes, Mark? It's," You look at your clock, "7:30 in the fucking morning."

Mark glares, "And you were still sleep?"

You shrug, "Classes were cancelled and I take my finals tomorrow. Why are you up so early." Mark's face blushes and you smirk, "Just wanted to see me huh?" Mark tilts his head as his shoulders raise to meet his strong jaw, "Kinda but actually, I just uh talked to Dan and Amy will be at the shoot for the majority of the time." Your heart stopped, were they getting back together? They fought and talked about it you remembered but neither said they were getting back together. "Y/N?" Shaking your head, you smiled and nodded, "I need to wake up, I'm sorry. Yeah, why would that be a problem?" Yeah, why would it be, Y/N? 'cause you've got a crush?  It sucks but you'd be happy for him if hes happy. You watch his face twist about as he thinks about that question for a bit.

"Well I don't know, she still edits some of my videos and we have a history as you know." Mark turned red with embarrassment. You shrugged gently, "It is just fine. I am just a fan, ya know? A lucky fan but a fan all the same." Mark nodded as if taking note but didn't question the drag in your voice. "Anyways, I was happy for when I first heard and then when it happened I was...shocked, you both were so cute and vocal about each other." Mark gave an awkward smile, remembering, "It was a long time coming. Near when wade got married was the time we just knew...it was too toxic. Anyhow just wanted to make sure you were okay with the update. Dan is excited to meet you, he listened to some of your original content on your channel. Said your voice is unique and you write well." You dazed off into happiness with that. Next to Mark your biggest YouTube crush was the one and only Leigh Dan Avidan. What a hot menorah he is when he's lit. Yeah, you liked your guys weepy but so what? A man who can cry is man who will fly.

"That means a lot to me. I can't wait to meet him and swap some ideas." 

"I'm glad, he seemed super into your channel, honestly. Didn't know he was such a Theatre Nerd."

You spoke to Mark for a bit longer before going to shower and change then began making a large breakfast. (H/C) hair fell wet onto your face without much thought. You sat on your couch going over your list of stuff to pack. You began applying to places in the wild wild west coast. A Midwestern girl like you couldn't begin to imagine the luxury lifestyle that L.A. required from all it's residents but hey, you were ready to make it. Moving to L.A. was a dream come true, expensive as it was. The plan was get a job, get a place to live and then start some auditions but that could all go wrong in an instance. You were amazed with how few times you had to delete a word with the speed you were typing at.
You had successfully sent out 19 resume and cover letters in 2 and a half hours. You had a week or two left before graduating and 4 weeks before PAX. You began to panic silently, what if Mark didn't like you? He wouldn't kick you out but it would be too tense to remain right? What if he did kick you out? It would probably be fine besides, maybe he would be distracted by Amy and pay no attention to you. You sighed as you stood rigidly and grabbed your keys, taking a moment to look at the YouTube key chains you've made. Should you take them with or even make duplicates for everyone? Surely, no one would be upset over handmade merch, it's not like you sell it. You smiled and took a deep breath. Things are going good, (Y/N). DO NOT OVER THINK THIS! You nod once and with a wave to your bearded dragon, (D/N) who bobs his head, you're  on your way to the mall.

After wandering for half an hour, you decided to finally start getting things you needed; First stop: Torrid. Upon entering the store, you are hit with the soft sounds of an acoustic version of All About That Bass. You wiggle your hips a bit to the rhythm as you shuffle through the rack picking out items. You are inspecting a sundress when your phone begins to blow up, so you put the item in your basket and check the insufferable rectangle of technology. 

danny_avidan: Have you guys heard about @TheatreSkirts? The girl is killing me with her range....and she might be pretty.

You sucked in a sharp breath as once again your instagram gained followers. Thankfully, after last time you put a lock on certain words and comments. You typed out a reply to Dan.

TheatreSkirts: Aww Thanks so much! You have much smooth tone than I do though! Can't wait to meet up! @danny_avidan .

Clicking the side of your phone, you went back to your shopping. After checking out, you stopped at a few other stores, grabbing anything from face masks to a new necklace earring set. You stop in front of Sephora and a girl walking in bumps into you. "Oh, I'm so sorry." You look over at her and smile softly, "It's okay." She was pretty in a traditional sense, petite, fair, with blue eyes and box brown hair. "You're TheatreSkirts! Danny just posted about you! Can I take a picture with you?" You nod, feeling weird about it but decide it wasn't doing any harm. So you thought.

Chapter Text

That picture with the girl turned nasty very quickly. She had captioned it on Instagram with "She's fatter in person. I don't understand why she caught Dan's attention." You reported her photo but it struck a cord in you. "Fucking hell," you grumbled at yourself. You had a good conversation with her so why the switch? You shrug this thought away as you looked at your list of what to pack. Clothes, Underwear, Bathing suits, accessories, shoes, towels and hygiene products all went in one of the three giant suitcases. After wrestling with the zipper you finally got it closed. You heard the smooth voice of your phone singing, "waving through a window, Ooh." You picked it up and answered, "Hello." "hello, is it me your looking for?" Mark's deep voice cooed to you. "Always in a million different ways," you sing to him, "What's up, Mark?" You hear a deep breath with a hitch in it. "I've never heard you sing outside of your videos," his voice is slightly deeper as if he was introducing a horror game. Well, that did it for ya. "Oh, you'll be hearing more when I give you lessons." A cough and a soft hmm came from the phone, "About that, how long are you going to be in L.A.?" You set down the camera bag in the suitcase before closing it, "I say about two weeks. Maybe two and a half." "Great, Sean will probably be here for a week than going to hang with some other of our friends." Mark says quickly and distractedly. "Oh okay, that's cool. He seems like a great guy to hang with." Mark chuckles, "Don't try to drink with him." You giggle, "With an Irish man? Never thought to." "Well I've got to go, I'm waiting for someone and I think they just arrived. Chica stop it. I'll text you Okay? And don't listen to the assholes online." He hung as soon as he finished speaking not giving you a chance to respond. So he has seen it, the hateful and rude comments. Somehow knowing that, despite seeing it, he still wanted you around made you feel good. You turned on some Hamilton mixtape songs and jammed out as you finished packing. You look at the last list of things and see it.

19-Fairy Lights

20-50mm Lens

21-Box of Condoms. 

Your eyes widen as the brazen nature of the implication that you have. You were just being safe but what were you thinking? A full big ass box of them? The little folded line would've been a lot. You really truly were wishfully thinking but still you put it in the case and zipped it closed. "All...done." You stuck the P.A.X ticket in the front pocket of your clothing suitcase. Laying in your bed you look at your flight ticket. In Three days, you were going to be in L.A. having a good time. In three days, you'd be in Mark's arms...home... in Mark's home.

Chapter Text

You'd been in and out of sleep with nerves and excitement. One small commitment had made you soar into your dreams. You boarded your plane at...you look at your ticket on the bedstand beside you....at 2:45p.m. in business. You were so excited to see California and all it has to offer, so much so that you decided you didn't wanna be tired from driving so flying it was. You picked up your phone and typed out a text to Mark.

You: Hey, you awake?

Mark: Yeah, had some editing to look over. What's up?

You: Can't sleep anymore, but it's 7 a.m. so no reason to get up.

Mark: Well Make some breakfast and wait about an hour and a half. Watch the new video

Mark: It may or may not be about you. And addressing somethings. And how adorable you are.

Mark: it's definitely about you lol. 

You: LOL thanks for the warning. I'll do that. And workout! Why not? Probably should also double check everything

He didn't reply after that but you felt like any more words and he'd ruin the surprise. You dragged yourself out of bed and made a bowl of oatmeal and fruit. It was oddly satisfying for you giving you more energy for the day's antics. You typed Mark's channel in to the search bar after taking a peek at GameGrumps and Trisha Paytas (not your favorite but you admire her confidence.) The video was uploaded a mere ten minutes ago. It was titled, "A Pretty New Friend." The breath in your lungs stilled for a moment before you pressed play.

"Hello." Mark's voice was immediate in the video, no pauses, no bit, just him. "I wanna clear the air, address something, and make an announcement. This video is about a new friend of mine. You all have heard, or seen some of things out there about here. And to those who welcome her or pat her back, Thank you. She means more to the iplier family than you may realize. " He smiled is genuine, full and bright but not for long as it falls. " However there's some hurtful things being said, done, and threatened. So I want to clear it up for everyone. She was a fan just like you, she's not a gold digger or user, she isn't out to ruin me."

He clears his throat as if he doesn't want to say the next part. He takes a sip of his water. "All romantic theories should stop now, Private life matters have never been something she's had to include a world into, so let it be." He takes a breath and when he looks up his face is stony. "And finally, I will make myself clear on this. She is gorgeous, Beautiful, smart, talented and beautiful. Anyone who decides to take out their disgusting body shaming on her will be blocked by me immediately. " It was clear that the past antics had upset Mark. "I will not tolerate anything but kindness and love on this channel. You don't have to like her but please, please respect any guest I have on or am friends with. " He brought back that big bright smile as he clapped his hands together.

" Last but not least, The Announcement! As you could guess, this video is about Theatre skirts. She's been an amazing community member, a great fan and the best friend I could have right now. Her link will be down in the description! But come catch her at my panel at PAX and on a few streams and channel video collab. Thank you and as always, I will see you.... In the next video! "

You were sobbing, thankful you hadn't done your make up quite yet. But soon, you'd have to get ready board a plane and meet Mark. That's what you did, finished gathering your things and thought before showering and doing your make up. By time you got to the airport it 2 and boarding would soon begin. It was a little close but better that then not going at all. This was it! You were going to meet Mark, someone you'd come to trust immensely. As you board you could only think of the plans you had. "Look out West Coast, Theatreskirts is whipping into town. "

Chapter Text

It took no more than 10 minutes into the plane ride to realize you would need something to distract you. You settled in your seat and put your headphones in before calling Mark. You knew he had finished up loose ends before PAX and some other events so you had no worries about talking to him for a couple of hours. 

"Hello, dear. Are you on the flight already?" His voice was soothing as it had always been but the reality of meeting him had given it an edge that was dangerously addictive. "Yeah, Boarding went as smoothly as it could have. How are you, Markimoo?" You have fallen into calling him nicknames effortlessly. "I'm excited, nervous, and overall ready." You giggled keeping your voice soft and low, "How much of that is because of me?" His deep chuckle joined yours, "All of it, Sweetheart." Heat flooded your body before taking a deep breath and responding, "What's on the Itinerary for when I get to your place?" You pulled out your small planner and pen as you waited patiently. "Well I was thinking I'd show you around the house and introduce you to Chica then we could do a light snack before Sean gets to the house. After that, Movie night, with takeout and cuddles." You smiled jotting the plan down, "I assume Sean gives great cuddles?" Mark laughed loudly, vibrating the speaker in your earbuds. "Yes, ma'am but he's not quite built for my intensity." You bit your lip shyly, "Best of luck to Chica then." You chuckled softly as you skillfully dodge the insinuation. 

Before you realized how long you'd been talking, majority of the flight was over. It wasn't until a voice over the intercom clicked on that you hung up. You had planned on renting a car the moment you landed but both Mark and Sean agreed it made more sense to Uber or Lyft around L.A. traffic. The Midwestern in you demanded that it wasn't a bad drive but what did you know? As you made your way through the airport attempting to find an affordable Uber, a familiar voice yelled across the parking lot. "TheatreSkirts, Your chariot awaits!" Bright against the drab metropolitan landscape, Mark waved his arms around calling to you. You ran (as fast as one could run with 3 heavy bags) towards him as he met you halfway. One more second and I'll be in his arms, you thought to yourself. And it was the truth of it. The minute he could his arms thick and warm wrapped around you. His hands landed squarely on your hips as he pulled you closer, "You're real....so real." You laugh softly looking up at him, "Just as real as you, Markimoo."