Markiplier Ego Cuddle Headcanons:
Summary: Because I am tired and in a fluffy mood lol.
Included: Actor Mark, Simon, God of Night, Murderiplier/Murdock, Dave, and Darkiplier. Surprise guest appearance from Benjamin because I can and more people need to talk about the silly butler.
TW: Kidnapping (Blame the literal Murderiplier for getting that on here-), Iron Lung Spoilers
Actor Mark
Mark has this thing where he will never, ever ask for affection from anybody, but he very clearly wants it. He tries to somewhat fish it out of people, usually in the form of fishing for compliments. He only ever tries to get any sort of hugs or cuddles if he knows the person wouldn't be weirded out by it if they were to put two-and-two together to realize that's what he wants. So, expect a lot of "God, it's cold in here!"'s and "Woe is me! My day has been horrible! I miss how Celine would hold my hand through times like this..."'s, all while he's giving you some cartoonist side-eyes to check how you're responding. You're not sure why he does this, to be honest. Yet, considering you've stuck by his side all this time, you clearly don't mind it enough to leave.
The second you hold him, be prepared to be squeezed. It almost feels like you're the last life preserver and he's a drowning man with how desperately he starts clinging. Truthfully, he's somewhat scared that if he lets go, you'll leave. So, he needs to hold on tightly to keep you with him. He'll calm down slightly if you reciprocate by holding him tighter, too. Extra points if you ramble some cheesey, cliche, romantic words to him. He really wants that cliche "lovey-dovey" romance.
Look at this man and tell me that he doesn't like... bed rot for half the day from depression. Now, you might not be able to magically give him the motivation to get up, but he is far from complaining if you sit next to him and start holding him close. Or just sit next to him. Or be in the same room as him. Look, he's a bit desperate for anything, okay? Even just sitting and talking to him can help cheer him up a little bit, if you're not in the mood to be dragged down into bed for the next three hours.
One of his favorite things to do is just... nuzzle his face into your neck, loosely wrapping his arms around you. He's not quite sure why. Though, it almost feels like he's burying his face into your neck to hide from the world for a little bit, especially with how panicked he can get if you decide to try leaving his hold before he's ready. AKA: You're his security blanket now, whether you like it or not, so get back here-
Simon
Simon isn't very affectionate. In fact, he's a bit touch-adverse, at first. Living a life where physical affection is rare makes it a new, somewhat frightening thing, at first. So, just be patient with him.
He appreciates it if you wait for him to start any hugs or cuddles, at first. It helps him feel more in control of the situation. He holds you close, and that's your cue that you can do the same. Pretty simple on his eyes, but he can be a bit hard to read at points.
Because of this, physical affection, like hugs, cuddles, and kisses can be a bit sparse with him. However, he does try to "make up" for it in his own ways, like telling you how much he adores you or trying to give gifts when he can. As much as you can try to convince him he isn't doing anything wrong by not being more comfortable with touch, he still feels like he has something to make up for. The best you can do, for now, is just let him know you appreciate him.
Once he's more comfortable, though? He finds he loves having his hand held as the two of you relax under a blanket, with you leaning against his side. It's comfortable, relaxed, and it's just the right amount of contact to be comfortable without being overwhelming.
God of Night
You know how I said Simon is touch-adverse until he gets comfortable with it? This man is just touch-adverse. Do not touch him. Don't make any physical contact with him. No hands on his shoulders or grabbing his hand. Nothing. However, he doesn't mind touching you, though. Don't take it as an invitation, though.
Unlike Simon, it's not that he's frightened or overwhelmed by it. Night just... doesn't like it. He finds physical contact extremely uncomfortable, and anything that makes him too uncomfortable makes him mad. If any physical contact occurs, it's going to be because he initiated it, and you better not try returning it. Because of this, he's particularly partial to hugging your waist from behind, because you can't reach around him to return the hug. That's like... the closest to a hug you're going to get from him, outside of an arm slung around your shoulder for photos or at a council meeting.
That doesn't mean he doesn't have any moments where he wants to hold you, though. It's just that he absolutely despises it if you hold him. As mentioned before, he likes to hold your waist from behind. He mostly ends up doing this if you're doing something and he wants to watch. Night also enjoys locking his arm with yours at any events the gods are holding, leaning over to whisper any comments he has on what's going on to you. If he's feeling a bit more romantic, he'll even kiss the back of your hand.
There's only one time you're ever going to be allowed to touch him. That's when he sleeps, if you're a human. Due to him sleeping during the day and humans... well, sleeping at night, he will relent and let you hold him as he falls asleep to spend a bit more time together. He'll even seek it out, dragging you to bed so he can fall asleep with his head in your lap and your hand playing with his hair. He wants to be able to spend more time with you than he was able to with The God of Day, and she was never able to be there when he fell asleep. So, naturally, he wants you there every time he does, to the point of letting you break his little rule.
Murdock
You'd think that the serial killer would be somewhat distant, but no. Quite the opposite. He's extremely handsy and also prone to clinging. He somewhat takes after The Actor in that way, but it's moreso because he spent so long trying to get you instead of a fear you'll leave. If you leave, it'll be a chore to drag you back, but he's done it once and can do it again. He's tired from all that work he put in to kidnap you help you move in, so he deserves cuddles as his reward.
Now, Murdock isn't stupid. If he were, he would've been caught by now. He's aware you're scared, and smothering you in cuddles is going to make that so, so much worse. So, as much as he adores the idea of lying down on top of you and resting his head on your chest as you both watch a movie, wrapping his arms around you completely... he's going to wait for you to relax. Instead, he'll settle for sitting next to you and wrapping his arms around one of yours in a hug, placing his chin on your shoulder as he watches you. After all, if you're uncomfortable, you can just pull your arm from him.
Just small things that give you a sign that you can leave... even if, realistically, you think he might throw a fit if you tried. It's a 50/50 chance that he does. And he does these things constantly. He's simply holding your hand, but he constantly does that. He's placing a hand on your shoulder as he peeks to see what you're doing, but it's the third time today he's done it. If you sit on the couch, you bet he's immediately sitting next to you, so close that his arm is brushing against yours. He genuinely thinks it's romantic, by the way. He doesn't realize how intimidating it actually is.
Murdock is clingy and he's somehow worse than The Actor on that front. At least The Actor will bait you into giving him affection. Murdock will just grab you and hug your arm, expecting you to be fine with it despite the fact that A. He has just kidnapped forced you to move in with him, and B. He is covered in blood. He, again, genuinely thinks he's being romantic in that moment. What's more romantic than cuddling the man covered in the blood of your enemies?
Dave
Would you be shocked if I told you he might fall asleep if you cuddled him? Like, he does mention having troubles sleeping alone after Katie left, so I can see him passing right out if you're there. He's a bit too tired to reciprocate it a lot of the time, but he genuinely appreciates it.
When he's more awake, Dave likes to pepper your face in kisses. He'll lazily drape his arms around you, talking about his day and such. He's just extremely relaxed, all around, since he feels comfortable and safe with you.
Dave also likes when you lay your head on his chest and listen to his heart, while he wraps his arms around your shoulders. He swears, it always makes his heart rate speed up a little. It also makes him feel like he's protecting you, in some way.
Yet, nothing ever beats lying down next to you in bed, letting you hold him close to protect him from... whatever dreams might pop up. Dave is always willing to fight for you during the waking hours, but he is practically helpless when he sleeps. So, knowing you're there? That you're willing to return the favor? He melts.
Darkiplier
Dark, as always, is way more complex than he shows. Damien, Celine, and The Entity each have their own favorite ways of going about cuddling, specific amounts of affection they want, or how they process it.
Damien adores the idea of simply sitting next to you after a long day, pressed against your side as you both discuss whatever is on your minds. On the rare occasion, when he's in control, he might even tug you into his lap to hold you close. Again, that's rare, though. I'd describe his affection as more physically distant, but in turn, also more sentimental than the other two. He's just not the type to enjoy extremely close contact, since he likes having room to breathe. Yet, it also allows for a peaceful, quiet moment in a way Damien just wouldn't be able to achieve if you both were sharing a blanket and tightly nuzzled together on the couch.
Celine, on the other hand, cannot get enough of physical affection. It's part of what drew her to Mark in the first place - they both are on the same page when it comes to the idea of holding tightly and never letting go. As Dark, she definitely gives off a more possessive vibe than she ever did before, though. She'll gladly take your hand and pull you in to have you sit on her lap when you're walking by the couch. She's also always big spoon. No questions. She's a very physically and emotionally close cuddler.
The Entity, on the rare occasion that it is solely in charge, is an odd creature. It doesn't exactly understand human emotions, even if it knows what to say and when to say it in order to manipulate someone. It understands what it likes and that it has a desire to understand human emotions, though. So, it is a physically close cuddler, but emotionally distant. It'll hold onto you as you sleep, understanding that you enjoy the comfort it provides when it does that, but it doesn't understand why you feel that way. It also doesn't fully understand the love it feels towards you, either, so it sort of... stares with dead eyes at you while holding you tenderly. It does love you, just in it's own way.
Bonus Benjamin (Plz I love him hear me out-)
Benjamin is a butler, and so it means he doesn't have much time for breaks... well, unless he's working for you after Mark dies and you make him take one. That then means he has time to spend with you more casually, if he can drop the air of professionalism.
He's not used to having personal relationships, since his work gets in the way of that. That somewhat bleeds into any physical affection and cuddles he gives, since they're a bit more awkward and stilted. He's seen a lot as a butler, and knows how to handle himself in most situations, but it's not often that he needs to know how to "properly" cuddle someone. Yes, he thinks that's a thing...
An easy way to get him to relax into it is to simply be the one initiating it. He feels as though there's less pressure on him to make sure you're both enjoying yourselves and that it's now in your hands. If you have the time and patience to like... idk sneak up on him and drag him to the couch to relax, he wouldn't complain about it. Well, he'll give a half-hearted "but I'm working and need to do this thing over here", but he's not going to seriously argue.
His favorite thing, though, is getting a warm drink and a blanket, then cuddling next to you on the couch, sofa, bed, or wherever. It still sort of feels like he's tending to your needs with the blanket and drink, which makes him feel fulfilled, while also letting himself relax by enjoying it with you. It's even better if you have snacks, but then there's crumbs... and crumbs means more clean up...
