Quick Stop
Noir!Markiplier x reader
AN: Set around 5-6 months before ISWM takes place. reader is the captain (obv) and Mark is still head engineer bc his ship lmao. but it's also noir mark bc it's my favorite and I'm tired of waiting for other fanfics, there is a bit of Gunther slander lmao. you are shorter than Mark today enjoy it.
the beginning of iswm is different from the actual start in the videos bc yeah.
it doesn't go into the full multiple choices thing bc I'm too lazy for that.
in conclusion I am a noir mark simp and a little touch starved 😁👍
Warnings: Some mentions of guns and a gun range because Gunther is kinda there, also mentions of cigarettes bc also Gunther, there are mentions of food towards the end,
Word Count: 4.1k
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Just another day on the Invincible II. Not a day goes by that something goes wrong with the ship that I have to send Mark to fix. He's charming and all, but he is doing a lackluster job of keeping all of his fixes, well, fixed.
I walk out of my cryo pod and am greeted by some of the crew sauntering about the place. They aren't doing much but socializing, which isn't great for productivity. They might get a few demerits later if I am feeling like it.
I had been awoken because of one of the many stops that happened aboard the Invincible II. The stop could have been calculated, or because it had simply ran out of fuel. Mark had designed this thing with a gas tank as large as a motorcycle. He had apologized swiftly as soon as I was made aware of this fact, but it had been a while since this discovery, and no changes were made to the design.
I take a peek at the fuel tanks levels, and see that they are near full, and I am brought to the conclusion that some imbecile had awoken from cryo and figured out how to pilot the ship. A large demerit for sure. The only thing to find out now is, who has done it.
I take a look over to where Mark is standing and pause. Have his gray eyes always looked so beautiful, so calm? I looked away before I became too enraptured with his appearance. Being the leader of the colonists makes things a little harder when you want free time, or enjoyable things, like spending time with, certain people.
I head to the main console and begin searching for an answer as to why we had stopped. I quickly became frustrated because I wasn't given an answer at all. The computer decided to be moronic today and only wanted to talk about his failed marriage, and how his wife left him and how nothing can fix his broken heart. He wouldn't even tell me our location.
I rolled my eyes and moved on because the computer was obviously not going to be of any assistance. I figured my next best move was to ask Mark to help me. I sauntered 5 steps as I approached Mark, not wanting to attract too much attention. Nobody else seemed to be too worried about the sudden awakening of the crew and the stopping of the ship, so I didn't want to cause any distress. I looked at Mark as I approached and saw him adjust his hair under his lovely hat. That hat is a staple of his attire, I have never seen him have it off for more than 10 seconds.
Having just stared for long enough without feeling creepy, I tapped Mark on the shoulder to bring him out of what looked like some kind of trance. He blinked twice and slightly shook his head as if he had a fog over his eyes he was trying to rid.
"Everything alright Captain?" He said to me with a slight tilt of his head. I gave him a look that had my eyes squinted, eyebrows looking concerned, and my mouth in some kind of grin that was half disgusted half forced smile. I titled my head as my face contorted into this expression and held my hand out flat and wiggled it. "So, not great. I see that we've stopped and by your expression I'm guessing you want to know why." I nod, seeing as he is totally correct. That's an admirable thing about Mark. I might be the only one who admires that feature, but I'm fine with being the head of that fanclub.
I figure that I should actually say something to try and explain what I'm after.
"Well, a few minutes ago, you may have seen me looking at the stats of the ship on the main console, only to see me turn around and walk up to you." He nods and gives a short hum. "I was checking the fuel tanks because you of all people would know how small those things are. It appears that they are near capacity, which is odd since we are immobile at the moment. I suspect someone had a pod malfunction and was ejected and decided it would be a smart idea to bring us to some obscure location." As I had finished speaking, Mark had started moving. He walked down the hall and I followed closely. He looked as if he was thinking deep about something, and I didn't ask about what.
As we made our way down the hall, we came to a stop in front of ADS. I don't know the reason, but I have a suspicion. I hold my hand to the pad and the door opens slowly. I pulled out my tablet and made a note for Mark to have all of the doors go faster when opening. As I put the device away, Mark walks in and takes a look around the small room. He turns back to face me and gives me a look. I can't help but look at his eyes for longer than necessary, they draw me in, it's almost supernatural.
I blink a few times to get focused on the task and walk into the room. It was strange to see an empty room instead of Gunther sitting down with his legs up looking for asteroids, or really anything to shoot. I was a little bewildered about the current situation for a couple reasons. 1: Why was Gunther not in ADS, 2: How did Mark know he wasn't there, and 3: where is Gunther?
I turn to Mark and give him a smile, a very heartfelt smile to try and communicate that I was happy with him."Thank you Mark. You have made my job much easier." I leaned in for a hug and he stood there and didn't reciprocate for a few seconds. It was as if he was in shock. I had no clue why, but that can be sorted later. He wrapped his arms around me and ducked his head into my neck. We stood in the hallway just being for a minute and I then realized we were in the hallway.
I didn't want anyone thinking I would pick favorites, which I totally do, but I don't want the crew knowing that, so I slowly backed off of him and gave him a pat. We stood awkwardly for a minute and I pondered about the event. I didn't give myself too much time to think about it, otherwise I would be conscious of how close I was to the beautiful man draped in a gray trench coat with a loose tie. I tap Mark to signal I'm going to walk off.
I look out the various windows to try and get some bearings of where we are. I turn and look and the first thing I see is the range. The gun range where we would drop Gunther off every fourth Thursday to let him de-stress. It floats on a nice island that moves every once in a while because, we're in space, things move.
I bring my hand to my forehead to smack it slightly. It was so stupid that Gunther would take himself to the range without getting permitted to go. I pull out my tablet and pull Gunther's tab onto the screen. I give him all of the proper demerits and then ping his wrist communicator. Everyone on the ship had some form of portable comms, sometimes it was just, not as visible.
I look at Mark and jerk my head in the direction of the door to the range. Seeing as we were docked in their port, it wasn't all too hard to do so. We didn't even need to put on suits because of the airlock. We walked in side by side and went up to the front desk.
"Oh hello captain! Hello to you too Mark. Are you here to pick up Gunther? I thought it was kind of strange that he was here today seeing as it is Tuesday." The receptionist giggled a bit and ringed Gunther's section of the range. He doesn't like to pay attention to his communicator apparently because Janice had to ring the bell.
I look over at Mark and slowly start to lean against him, crossing my arms. Getting out of cryo is usually tiring for the first hour after being awakened. I felt Mark's body go rigid for a second before laying his hands on my arms, trying to keep me steady.
I closed my eyes for a minute, tired from all of the thinking I had to do earlier and waking from cryo. I felt comfortable against Mark, seeing as he had stopped being rigid and started to support me more. I heard slow footsteps approaching, but I didn't move. It was too comfortable laying against Mark.
"Well captain. I didn't know being around Mark made you all soft." He said while taking his cigarette out of his mouth. "If I knew that prior, I would have done something about it." He mentioned with a smirk. I opened my eyes and glared at him. I felt Mark tense up again as Gunther was speaking. He put his hands up as if surrendering. "Woah there. Just messin' with you. I coulda kept my mouth shut but I had an opportunity to mess with you." He responded, smirking.
As I stopped leaning on Mark, I gave him a sympathetic look with a small smile. I turn to Gunther and roll my eyes at him. I sauntered up to him and harshly grabbed his ear and dragged him out of the range, saying goodbye kindly to the receptionist on the way out. Gunther was whining because I was "hurting him" but I just pulled out my tablet and gave him a demerit for whining.
As we boarded the ship, I had let go of Gunther's ear and he had started rubbing it. "Aye Cap'n, what was that for?" Gunther asked as if annoyed. I roll my eyes and pull out my tablet once more to give him a demerit for complaining. Putting away my tablet, I look up and see Gunther staring at me looking vexed.
"You decided it would be a grand idea to get out of your cryo pod and steer the ship down to the range. You know for a fact that doing so will get you in trouble, and yet you did. Has inhaling all of that gunpowder finally gotten to you, or are you just looking for a quick way off of the ship?" I explained quite peeved. I sigh and send Gunther away back to ADS, and lean against the wall.
I take a breath and close my eyes, glad to no longer be stressed about who has done it. I open my eyes and look up and see Mark looking at me. I feel my face gain a little warmth and look back down. Jesus Mark, what on earth am I becoming.
I clear my throat in an attempt to calm myself and motion for Mark to follow me back to the main console. I start walking and he follows in pursuit.
As we approach the console, I begin restarting the course of the ship. The search for a habitable planet was still ongoing, so I started heading in a new direction. I told all crewmembers in the area to get everyone into their cryo pods, for we were going to start going at a speed too high for standing about. I turn to Mark and pat him on the shoulder and quickly pull him into a hug. I squeeze his torso for a second and pull back to go into cryo.
I watch as Mark stands there for a minute, seemingly shocked. He slowly turns and goes to put his hat into his locker, and steps into his pod and looks over and waves before closing the door. I close mine and drop into a sleep that held me for a few months.
[timeskip sigh, this is now right about iswm or a bit before]
I am brought out of my pod by Celci who always wakes first. She helps walk me out, for some of my joints are still stiff from being in the same position for months. I thank her and go to help Mark out of his cryo pod.
I grab the handle and yank hard to be able to open it, because it gets cold. I see him rouse from his long nap and I grab his hand to slowly bring him out. I help him stand against the pod after closing the door and steady him with my hands on his waist, not thinking about anything besides being helpful because of my prolonged sleep.
"Ah thank you Cap'n. I'm feeling a little stiff after that ice nap. I appreciate your assistance with helping me out." Mark said groggily, opening his locker and grabbing his glorious hat. I nod at him and move back, watching to see if he would topple. He stays standing so I move to stand in front of the main console, looking to see our coordinates. I hadn't the faintest idea of where we were so I left the console and turned to grab Mark's sleeve to bring him with me while I checked up on the ship.
I move my hand down his arm and toward his wrist and hand and grip his gloved hand lightly. He was slightly lagging behind me, so I justified my action with this explanation. He caught up quickly and seemed tense once again. I realize what I've done and dropped my hand in embarrassment, leaving it at my side. I don't look over at Mark in fear of what could be said.
We keep walking through the halls of the ship, and I feel something against my hand. I look down to see Mark slowly gripping my hand back. I grip his hand back as we walk down the hall to get to the end. I smile slightly to myself, almost giddy because it's Mark. I was feeling a whole lot in this moment, not even taking a moment to think about if people were watching us.
We made it to the end of the hall to do customary after cryo checks. We always start at the end so we can make our way back to the front of the ship because that's where we spend the most of our time, besides the canteen. We went into the first doorway, separating hands unfortunately, and made sure everything was working as it needed to. We said goodbye to those crewmembers and moved on, doing this at least 8 more times.
We were almost done with our rounds when I remembered to grab his hand again. I did so and had a little grin on my face. Closing in on the front of the ship, we parted hands once more so as to not draw attention. We enter the room and No one looks over and I let out a relieved sigh.
For the first time since Mark came out of his pod, I looked up at him to see him staring at me with his wonderful eyes. They looked so nice and kind. I reached my hand up and ruffled his hair, smiling at him. I feel him lean into my hand slightly and I continue to run my hand through. He hums slightly at my action and that makes my smile grow wider.
Unfortunately, we both had duties to attend to, so I sigh and bring my hand slowly down to the side of his face. He leans in once again and I am brought to the conclusion that he also enjoys affection. I take a second to think if the whole crew is like this, but I don't waste too much time on those thoughts when Mark brings a hand up to mine that is one his face.
He lets go after a few seconds and looks at me with a soft smile. I return the gesture and turn slowly to the main console once more. We were supposedly getting a parcel today but, now we had been thrown off course by one gun fanatic, so we probably wouldn't get it until the end of the week.
There aren't many things that go wrong on the Invincible II unless some window breaks. They are all actual glass and not protected from the vacuum outside because Mark liked the Aesthetics that it gave. He wasn't wrong, but he could have reinforced the glass.
I don't fault Mark for things that go wrong because all he did was design the ship to look nice and function. He didn't plan for it to break down every once in a while. I know Celci will get on his case anytime something breaks down because they dislike each other somewhat. I never quite figured out why but I'm not gonna ask them.
I shake my head and focus back down at the console. Everyone else was doing their job correctly, and nothing had been broken, so there was nothing for me to send Mark to do. We were now standing there with nothing to do. I wanted to lie down and take a while to just relax. I know cryo always seems like you sleep and it's very restful, but it's like if you were to lay there semi conscious while freezing.
I lean back and stretch my back and walk down to the canteen. I was feeling hungry and wanted a snack to keep me going. I made my way down the hall and hummed a song that had been stuck in my head for a while.
Over my humming, I hear a second pair of footsteps, moving quicker than my own. I turn around to see Mark walking at a pace to catch up with me. I smiled at him and slowed my pace. When he caught up, I reached out for his hand and softly grabbed it, squeezing slightly as we made our way down to the canteen.
There was such an air of joy around us that I was smiling wider every minute, my cheeks nearing pain but I didn't care. Mark was next to me, and holding my hand. Even if I were to be thrown out of the ship violently, if Mark was there, I wouldn't mind it so much.
We went into the canteen and grabbed a snack from a small counter manned by one of the crew members. We walked to a table in the corner of the room away from the door. I sit first and wait for Mark to sit down, seeing as he had set his snack down and went to get a napkin. I stared at him as he walked away, trench coat swaying, as I usually do when I'm around him.
As he turned back around to walk back, I didn't make any effort to not watch him. We made eye contact and neither of us backed down. He sat down and had a little smirk on his face as he took off his hat, setting it down on the table. My smile grows and I take off my hat and set it down.
"So Captain," He started while moving to eat his snack, "how are you doing this fine, snack break?" I giggled a bit at the way he hesitated when saying snack break. It's almost like he didn't know that it was 1:27 pm.
"Well Mark, at this fine hour I am doing swell, mostly because I get to spend time around you." I tell him, and I take a second to realize the meaning behind my words. I look down at my snack and start picking at it, taking bites every once in a while. I hear Mark clear his throat and I look up at him. His eyes meet mine only for a second before I go in for another bite.
"Well Captain, I'm glad I get to spend one on one time with you too. You are a wonder to be around and I don't know how I can stay so calm when you are right there, being so handsome and/or beautiful." He said to me, looking at me fondly.
I put my head down on the table, not used to a whole lot of affection of this magnitude. Sure I would be complimented a ton by the crew because of being captain, but this felt different. A good difference to be sure, but I wanted to get used to this.
I lifted my head up and looked back at Mark who was slowly picking at his snack again. I moved my hand to be over his and squeezed lightly. He looked up from his scraps and gave me a questioning look. I sighed and leaned forward and gave him a small peck on the cheek and sat back down in my cafeteria chair.
He looked a bit flustered as I got resituated in my seat and I giggled at him. I let go of his hand and grabbed all of the trash from the table and put it into the garbage can. I walked back and Mark was still sitting in the same position I left him, mouth agape.
"You're going to catch flies." I say giggling as I bring my hand to his chin to close his mouth. He finally took another breath, after what seemed like forever, and looked at me like I had 3 heads. I looked down a little at the table, and felt myself wanting to monologue but decided against it. I look back up at Mark and he is staring off once more, his hat back on his head.
I stand up, grab my hat and put it on as I hold a hand out for Mark. I wanted to walk a bit with him because we didn't have anything to do thankfully.
He seemed to fall back out of his trance as he stood up slowly and walked by my side. As we left we turned to say goodbye to the canteen manager and made our merry way out of there.
We walked with no real place to go besides somewhere that was secluded. I had a thought and started walking a little quicker towards the destination in my mind. Mark seemed to be able to keep up, so I didn't think to stop.
The lounge was a place visited mostly by myself because everyone else needed to be there constantly to make the ship run. If anyone needed guidance, I trusted Mark to go help them. I was usually the only one there, but seeing as nobody else would be, I thought it to be the best option.
We entered and I let out a sigh as I passed through the threshold. I turn and look up at Mark and give him a wide smile. I motion for the coat rack and he takes his trench coat off and puts it on the rack. He takes his hat and does the same and turns back towards me.
I walk over to the couch and sit down and close my eyes for a moment. I look up slightly at Mark and I see that he is in one of his trances again. I softly brush his hand and he comes to sit next to me. He doesn't sit on the opposite end of the couch like I was guessing. No, rather, he was sitting right next to me, his shoulder brushing mine.
He brings his arm up around my shoulder as I lean over into him. I wrap my arms around his torso and put my head on his chest and yawn, my tiredness finally catching up to me. I feel his arm raise and move to my waist. I hum, very content with this circumstance I am in. If anyone, Gunther per say, mentions anything about it trying to make fun, will get demerits, but right now is not the time to think about that.
I start to slowly drift off, very comfortable on this man. I feel him hum lightly and fall further into slumber. The last thing I remember before falling unconscious was the feeling of Mark leaning down and a small kiss being placed upon my head. I am certain I had a smile on my face right after. It was just another day on the Invincible II.
