atlas-arc

[atlas-arc]

“I brought you coffee” is a love language.

[atlas-arc]

Lmao YES. And he refuses to not cuddle. Like, sir pls. Idk what weird bug has made it into my system but one of us needs to be functional in this house and it is clearly not me 😂

Wait but Marcus being an incredible barista while simultaneously having no idea what drink to make you when you fall sick is plaguing my mind. He calls him mum up like ‘is it honey?? Is it lemon water??’ He knows it’s something about citrus but sugar doesn’t seem like the right thing to be giving you. Anyway I’m just laughing at the thought of Marcus panicking when you fall sick 😂 -k

Ahahaha I don’t know why but this is perfect for him but it is 😂 Also you telling him what it is and him being like nah, that can’t be right and proceeding to wrack his brain for even longer while you sit there mildly amused but still miserable and suffering

[atlas-arc]

♦️ Here’s your SI, college shit, self projecting, angst, and this-probably-needs-TWs warning ♦️

TW: sad things — think angst week warnings. (I genuinely don’t know how to trigger warn someone help me)

What you want to do is shut your laptop, crawl into a hole and never have to see the words ‘midterm’ ever again. What you want to do is curl up against Marcus on the couch with a documentary that you’re not paying attention to playing on the TV, pretending everything’s going to be okay. What you want to do is to be able to stop worrying for a minute about finances and deadlines and applications and ‘setting yourself up for success’.

But the ping of your calendar alert is the stark jolt into reality that you can’t have any of that. The reminder for your next class mocks you from its corner of your screen. You sigh, refill yours and Marcus’ coffee mugs, and get back to work. Because it’s the only thing you know how to do.

And when the results come out and reveal all that you already knew, you don’t cry. You don’t laugh in a twisted cover up of self loathing. No, you don’t do any of that. Because you feel nothing at all. So you close the tab, and keep doing the work that’s never going to amount to anything anyway.

Marcus notices. Of course he does. But he’s knee deep in his own deadlines and truthfully, too burnt out to pick up the pieces. So he keeps working away in hopes that it’ll all be worth it one day.

When the pair of you collapse into your bed, no words are exchanged. You just hold each other as if nothing else matters, as if there’s nothing else to hold on to. Because maybe there isn’t...

‘No pain no gain’ or so the saying goes. But no one ever talks about the ones who didn’t make it to the other side — the ones who endured the pain and gained nothing anyway.

a/n: I’m so sorry I’m just self projecting onto everyone in this thing at this point... anyway love you moose 💕💕 sorry this is whats greeting you on a Monday morning 😬😓😓

Oof. Hitting us all right where it hurts, huh? Please allow me to adopt the voice of Marcus (AKA allow Marcus to adopt my voice because that’s probably a more accurate depiction of what’s going on here):

So picture waking up the next morning, you trying to slip out of bed to get back to work but instead him throwing an arm around your waist, dragging you into his chest and telling you this. “I know everything sucks right now,” and you scoff cause that’s putting it a little too lightly, bud but he keeps going anyway cause he can be stubborn if he wants “and I know it seems like it’s never gonna end right now. That’s just what it does. It sucks the life out of you and I know it’s cliché and I know this isn’t the bright solution you want to hear but you just gotta keep swimming—” You laugh again because did this precious man just give you a finding nemo reference? And yes, yes he did. “—Cherish the moments when it lightens up— and it will, trust me— be realistic with yourself and your expectations, be kind to yourself and allow yourself to be imperfect. Cause that’s all we can do...” he pauses and you think he’s done but he squeezes your waist once again when you try to hurriedly nod his worry away. “I need you to do that for me because I don’t know where I’d be if you didn’t. Can you?”

[atlas-arc]

‘It’s you! I like you!’ Omg 😂😂😂😂 p e r f e c t i o n. Poor bby has a folder of things he lost his muses for 😂🥺 his favourite is the piece he never finished because you made cookies and he lost all sense of self control

Okay not to flip your thought but I’m gonna flip your thought 😂 Marcus snapping out of his flow when u call because you never call, you always text, or spam text if he’s taking too long.

Anyway that is thought. ~k

Marcus picks up the phone and gets totally flustered cause ‘oh! It’s you! I like you!’ *Heart eyes* *heart eyes* *heart eyes* then looking back to his work afterwards and realizing he’s completely lost his train of thought like

[atlas-arc]

🥺🥺🥺 yes. Awkward bean Marcus who also doesn’t know how to words 🥺🥺🥺

I HAS THOUGHT. U know how u said Marcus scribbles in the margins and stuff?? Okay but what if he’s reading a poetry book or whatever and some remind him of your dates and he doodles them into the spaces that litter poetry books. Or he’ll dog ear the ones that put on a page the words he can never find the courage to say. 🥺 ~k

Okay but wait, thought to go with thought. Lil’ SI!Marcus is a soft nervous bean unlike grown up canon Marcus who just says it like he sees it (it took him a while to get there) so when he finds something that says what he’s feeling better than he knows how to he’s very shy and subtly brings it up in a conversation but he can’t just outright recite it to you, no, no, no. So instead he subtly hints at it. “Have you ever read [insert poet name]” ���I like [insert poem name]” and then he just hopes and prays that you go and look it up and know he means it for you 🥺🥲

Also in the deapths of Pinterest I just found the most SI!Marcus poem ever

[atlas-arc]

So I was listening to a podcast yesterday for research for one of my courses and they were talking about “living with a creative” and one of the points they made was about creatives getting in the zone and trying to drown out the world around them to hold onto ✨the muse✨ and they brought up being too polite to tell people they’re busy and it reminded me soooo much of Marcus so now I’m imagining you on your way back from class and calling just to check in and see if you should pick anything up from the grocery store for dinner and Marcus picks up while he’s right in the middle of something and he’s hanging onto this idea for dear life while you’re yaking away about your day and normally he’s a really good listener and really engaging in convos like that but this time he just keeps giving you really clipped answers but he’s too damn polite to tell you in the nicest way possible to fuck off and finally you realize he’s hardly said anything and you pause like “...I’ve done it again haven’t I” and he’s like “huh? What? Noooo” cause he doesn’t want you to feel bad meanwhile you’re like “it’s all good, I’ll see you in a bit” and instead you take the long way home and pick up some coffee and snacks to keep him alive while he works

I’m pretty sure there’s not a single period in that whole thing so... enjoy 🤷‍♀️😂

okay but this is so good 🥺🥺 and like, so very on brand for me 😂😂 poor boo just wants to get shit done and im all ‘pay attention to me! hewo!’ 😂 the fact that he doesnt tell you though 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

[atlas-arc]

Quarantine AU SI!Marcus (damn thats a mouthful) misses hanging out in book stores just for the vibes™️ and no one can convince me otherwise

yes. yes he does. ‘Digital books just don’t have the same effect’ he’ll say.

‘what about pirating books for free though’ i totally don't reply 

[atlas-arc]

Marcus collects things for you like a penguin collects rocks for its potential mate. Little snap shots of his day of things that made him pause and think, things that made him smile, things he thinks are so beautiful they remind him of you. A photo of the pattern the sunlight filtering through the trees made on the side walk on his walk to an 8am class, dog eared pages of the book he’s reading that inspired him, a piece of concrete from the old building being demolished across the street with the claim that ‘someone’s gotta remember it’. They don’t make much sense on their own as individual pieces until he starts to tell you about them as you dance around the kitchen trying to make dinner together, the gallery of his day emptied from his pockets and sat on the end of the counter. Before you know it he’s framed an entire tapestry of not only where he’s been and what he’s been up to but the thoughts and feelings that came with it. It makes you feel woefully uninteresting when you finally settle at the table and he asks you “So, how was your day then?” but there’s not a thing in the world you would change about it.

excuse me ma’am. this had no right to be this cute 🥺🥺 i love it so much 🥺

like a penguin collects rocks for its potential mate

I have no idea where this is going but I like penguins 👀

a piece of concrete from the old building being demolished across the street with the claim that ‘someone’s gotta remember it’.

🥺🥺🥺 this is so cute omg. okay but imagine if he takes like an intro architecture class or something and his prof finds out he does this and is so impressed cuz this man sees art and stories in everything and is fascinated with building history and all that stuff 🥺

the gallery of his day emptied from his pockets 

okay I have no idea what it is about this that just makes me go ‘ngaww’. also they're going to need a bigger apartment. or more walls/shelves 😂

It makes you feel woefully uninteresting when you finally settle at the table and he asks you “So, how was your day then?”

yup. actually just gaping like a fish all *shrug* ‘school, work. nothing new.’ i had angst thought but I'm shelving it for the minute

there’s not a thing in the world you would change about it.

you’re damn right there isn’t. this man deserves so much love 🥺🥺

[atlas-arc]

Ngaww I’m so glad you both enjoyed this! Thanks for the shoutout (& commentary) @ezrasarm 🥺🥺 but yesss art student!Marcus heheheh. It was Moose’s idea to begin with but now it’s a thing 😂 and yes, Zach is the ultimate best friend/wingman/chaos creator. I like to think that he gets protective of you on Marcus’ behalf if the man in question isn’t around and someone’s being an ass but is also a pain in the ass sometimes, as best friends sometimes are 😂 Many thanks for attention and love fwens! 🥺🥰🥰

Okay I’ve had thought. So it’s finals season and art student marcus had a couple essays and projects, one exam and an art exhibition to set up. Sorta. It’s more his entire class but it’s a class of 30 or so and it’s kinda of intimidating. Anywho, because we’ve established that profs have A* planning skills, this showcase is the weekend right before exams officially start. You’ve been talking him out of his nerves and insecurity and helping him pick out pieces to display (1/?) -kay

And he’s been practicing his ‘tell me about this piece’ speeches on you and every time he does you fall a little bit more in love with him cuz is this man real *and yours* just. hOw. Anyway. Apparently you’ve upset whatever higher power organises the exam schedules cause you don’t exactly have time to actually go to his showcase between your exams. He’s all 🥺😔 when you tell him and you’re like ‘listen I’m gonna do my best to be there for it okay I just, can’t promise anything’ (2/?)

He’s a ~~little~~ lot hurt but he understands. He knows how much pressure you’re under to do well and he knows your classes haven’t been the easiest. He tells you all this but you’re still sorry and both a little 😔 for the rest of the day... the day comes and he’s out the door pretty much at the crack of dawn to go set everything up. You roll out of bed with him and lounge around of the couch while he gathers everything, send him off with a goodbye and good luck (3/?)

At this point, he’s kinda accepted that’s all he’ll see of you. So you can imagine his surprise when he’s saying goodbye to the last of the visitors at his booth and he hears your voice. “Do you think you have the energy to entertain one more guest?” Not your best line, you know. But you don’t think he actually heard what you said judging by the grin on his face. He hugs you so tight you actually stop breathing for a second. He’s all excited and ‘you’re here! You came! Hi!’ (4/?)

Once he gets over the initial shock and swoon of it all, he’s back to being a dork about his art. Zach rocks up to you guys after a while and Marcus is like ‘oh my god, no. I’m not explaining it all again.’ Cause he just *knows* that zach was the one who whooped you out of your burn out and got you to grind through studying. And zach’s all ‘relax. They haven’t shut up about it the entire day. I could tell you all about your own pieces at this point’ (5/?, I think??)

And then you’re all laughing and Marcus pulls you a little closer to him and he’s so grateful for this little family he’s found 🥺 la fin. (Idk what happened here. This was a 2 part ask in my head 😂 anyways. Hope you enjoyed my stream of random thoughts) -kay

---

He’s all 🥺😔

You’re breaking my heart here! I can’t stand the idea of him being sad, it just shatters me all over.

At this point, he’s kinda accepted that’s all he’ll see of you. So you can imagine his surprise when he’s saying goodbye to the last of the visitors at his booth and he hears your voice.

Ah! never mind its all okay, I love this! I have such a vivid image of the smile that would spread across his face. This cute lil’ bean, I love him!

He’s all excited and ‘you’re here! You came! Hi!’

OMG he’s got the same excitement as a lil’ puppy, I love it, and the hug!!! How dare you make me this soft!

And zach’s all ‘relax. They haven’t shut up about it the entire day. I could tell you all about your own pieces at this point’

I can’t explain to you how much I love this friendship, they’re all a little confused, they don't know how Zach got there but he’s there and he’s there to stay. The ultimate Marcus x you shipper since day one and I love the fact that reader was so excited and proud of Marcus’s art that she couldn’t stop talking about it even when you were meant to be on the study grind. The idea that Zach is usually the one to stir shit up when you're studying but this time you’re being so damn distracting that he has to baby you through the chapter and bait you with the promise of going to see Marcus if you finish it all soon. SO CUTE! I love this whole thing! 

[atlas-arc]

so apparently i forgot to hit post when i read this the first time round but like asldkfjhasdfhsdfkasdhflasdkfhdkhsakfhsadkfhsd i am swoon. i mean. i dont even know why but this hit very close to home right now and i just 🥺🥺🥺 i love this whole thing so much 🥺 the way ‘you’ can’t help but snap at him but then immediately regret it. ooof. guilty. getting too caught up with work and ignoring all life forms.. oop. but the way they fixed it and made up for it AKJSFHDFLKJADHFADLF. TOO CUTE 🥺🥺🥺

Can’t Sleep

A/n: it started out angsty but i think i redeemed myself 😂

written by: @ezrasarm

You’re nearing the end of your degree when work starts to become too much. Marcus is normally right by your side but the longer you work and more detached you become the harder it is for him to act like he’s not hurt. He knows. Logically he knows that this is short term, you’ll be done soon and he’ll have you all to himself for a while but it’s becoming harder for him to remember that one night when he snaps at you. “I just feel like I hardly see you anymore!” He cries out, a little ashamed for raising his voice when he sees the tears stinging your eyes. “Where do I stand to you?” He asks, stepping in front of your path when you go to brush past him.

“Right in front of my desk apparently.” You say, cringing at yourself for letting that slip and managing to catch his wrist before he walks away.

“Marcus- Marcus, wait!” You plead. “Just because you’re not my number one priority at the moment, doesn’t mean you aren’t at the top of the list.” You say but he manages to wriggle out of your grasp despite it.

Neither of you were in the right. Both of you knew that as you lay in the bed that felt far too empty with Marcus having opted for the couch tonight. You couldn’t sleep without him anymore- you couldn’t sleep knowing he was mad at you. So you found yourself climbing out of bed and padding into the living room, expecting to find him out cold but instead finding him wide awake and watching a documentary on the tv. “I couldn’t sleep.” he admitted, taking a moment to mute the tv when you flopped down next to him.

“Neither could I.”

“I’m sorry I was such a dick earlier.” You say after a moment. “I’m sorry I haven’t made more time for you-“

“You shouldn’t have to apologize. I shouldn’t have been acting so possessive, I just… I miss you.” He says, his fingers seeking out your own when you shift a little closer too him.

“I miss you too.” You admit through a relieved smiled. He takes the opportunity to pull you into his chest and press a kiss to the top of your head as you settle into him and rest you head on his chest. “What are we watching?” You ask, nodding at the screen.

“Blue Planet.”

And that’s how you fell asleep.

[atlas-arc]

Can’t Sleep

A/n: it started out angsty but i think i redeemed myself 😂

written by: @ezrasarm

You’re nearing the end of your degree when work starts to become too much. Marcus is normally right by your side but the longer you work and more detached you become the harder it is for him to act like he’s not hurt. He knows. Logically he knows that this is short term, you’ll be done soon and he’ll have you all to himself for a while but it’s becoming harder for him to remember that one night when he snaps at you. “I just feel like I hardly see you anymore!” He cries out, a little ashamed for raising his voice when he sees the tears stinging your eyes. “Where do I stand to you?” He asks, stepping in front of your path when you go to brush past him.

“Right in front of my desk apparently.” You say, cringing at yourself for letting that slip and managing to catch his wrist before he walks away.

“Marcus- Marcus, wait!” You plead. “Just because you’re not my number one priority at the moment, doesn’t mean you aren’t at the top of the list.” You say but he manages to wriggle out of your grasp despite it.

Neither of you were in the right. Both of you knew that as you lay in the bed that felt far too empty with Marcus having opted for the couch tonight. You couldn’t sleep without him anymore- you couldn’t sleep knowing he was mad at you. So you found yourself climbing out of bed and padding into the living room, expecting to find him out cold but instead finding him wide awake and watching a documentary on the tv. “I couldn’t sleep.” he admitted, taking a moment to mute the tv when you flopped down next to him.

“Neither could I.”

“I’m sorry I was such a dick earlier.” You say after a moment. “I’m sorry I haven’t made more time for you-“

“You shouldn’t have to apologize. I shouldn’t have been acting so possessive, I just… I miss you.” He says, his fingers seeking out your own when you shift a little closer too him.

“I miss you too.” You admit through a relieved smiled. He takes the opportunity to pull you into his chest and press a kiss to the top of your head as you settle into him and rest you head on his chest. “What are we watching?” You ask, nodding at the screen.

“Blue Planet.”

And that’s how you fell asleep.

[atlas-arc]

More SI + TA-ing + online school thoughts: so Marcus is doing a rainbow Dino piece and he’s in the background of your frame but he’s so focused with his headphones in and everything so you’re like ‘eh, it’s just office hours. It’ll be fine!’ A couple kids rock up to office hours and one of them is like ‘is that a rainbow dinosaur?’ And you’re casually like ‘yea! It’s my roommates! He’s an art student ☺️’ full on trying-to-keep-it-professional-and-not-gush vibes (1/?)

LITTLE DO YOU KNOW, his music is on low cuz he likes listening to you do ur TA-ing thing and being all smart with ur field and what not and he hears ‘roommate’ and is like 💔😢 cuz he thinks you’re ashamed of dating him and he’s all sad and distant for the rest of the day. Initially you’re just like ‘it’s probably just one of those too-many-assignments-not-enough-time’ phases that has him a little drained but then he doesn’t wanna cuddle anymore and he pulls out of your hugs too fast (2/?)

So you ask him what’s wrong and naturally he’s like ‘nothing.’ And you’re all ‘is it something I did? I can’t fix it unless you tell me babe’ and he’s like 🥺😢🥺 *sigh* ‘are you ashamed of me? To be in a relationship with me?’ And naturally you’re dumbfounded, like a deer in headlights, no idea where this is coming from. So you’re like, ‘wha- of course I’m not. I didn’t go through weeks of pining just to be ashamed of you! What’s brought this on?’ (3/?)

And then he mentions the call and the roommates thing and you’re like 😳🤦‍♀️ ‘oh my gosh Marcus! I wasn’t about to gush about my relationship to students I barely know! They haven’t earned that right. Heck I don’t even remember their names yet!’ And hes a little less upset now but he’s still sorta pouty cuz he loves telling people about you (if they ask. Cuz he’s respectful like that and doesn’t wanna flaunt his happiness when it’s not asked for) (4/?)

Labels hadn’t really been a huge deal for you but you guess that they matter to him. You don’t get it, but you don’t need to know why. If it matters to him, it matters to you. So you’re all ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realise it meant that much to you.” And he’s all “it’s a stupid thing to be hung up about” so you reply with, “it’s not. I’m so damn lucky to get to call you my boyfriend. It’s about time I start showing that.” (5/6)

And the teeniest tiniest of smiles tugs at the corner of his lips and you’re all ‘that’s not good enough, come here’ and u drag him to the couch, dim the lights, put on his favourite show and give him cuddles and kisses. You fall asleep in each other’s arms, on the couch (yes, your bodies hate you in the morning) but it’s worth it cuz Marcus wakes up with the widest grin on his face and you just lay in each other’s arms, bathing in the morning warmth and enjoying each other’s company (6/6)

I DIDNT HAVE ROOM FOR AN a/n BUT OH MY GOSH THAT GOT LONGER THAN I MEANT FOR IT TO BE. I also had no plan so that might have been a hot mess 😬😬 anyway imma go to sleep now. I hope my delusional word vomit wasn’t too bad 😂💗 ~kay

—

Okay this one was long so I decided I would put them all together so they wouldn’t get too scattered 😂

I seriously can’t believe how freaking long it’s taken me to respond to this. Literally every time I had “reply to asks” on my to do list it was about this and it’s seriously not like I was avoiding it because I love it so freaking goddamn much I think I just saw how full my inbox was and went AH 😂 Anyway I’m sorry I am disaster bean and withheld this masterpiece from the world

and he hears ‘roommate’ and is like 💔😢 cuz he thinks you’re ashamed of dating him

OH MY GOD POOR MARCUS HOLY SDFVHKAGCSKLAJVVS MY BABY NO NO ONE COULD EVER BE ASHAMED OF YOU 🥺🥺🥺

and he’s like 🥺😢🥺 *sigh*

I find this line simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking 😂

he’s still sorta pouty cuz he loves telling people about you (if they ask. Cuz he’s respectful like that and doesn’t wanna flaunt his happiness when it’s not asked for)

Oh my god this precious bean I seriously can’t handle him and think of how damn considerate he has to be for that 🥺💕

(5/6)

I can’t quote just one part from this so I’m quoting the whole damn thing I read it about fifty times because 🥺😢🥺 *sigh*

The softest ending for the softest boi 🥺💕 He does not deserve the problematic emotional termoil we put him through

Wow that gif quality though 👀👀👀 I have no idea who made it but kudos

KAY I CANT DEAL AND IM SORRY IT TOOK ME A DECADE TO RESPOND YOU AND SOFT MARCUS DIDNT DESERVE THAT I LOVE 💕💕💕💕

[atlas-arc]

paring: SI!Marcus Pike x science student!reader

warnings: angst, I hurt Marcus I’m sorry

a/n: to all the art students reading this, im so sorry. I didn’t mean for it to go like this and you guys are worth so much more than us science students. Seriously most of us are idiots. No idea what we’re doing. Also I do plan on writing a part 2… at some point. So there’s that! Please don’t hate me

Marcus is an artist. He’s known since he could hold a pencil in his grip that art just felt right. When he sketches, the world get a little brighter; his mind gets a little calmer. The sound of graphite scratching against paper brings almost as much serenity to him as being held in your arms. The bloom of colour across the page as his vision comes to life makes his heart beat with almost as much excitement as when he sees you walk through the shop doors. He loves the craft almost as much as he does you.

Which is why it’d hurt infinitesimally more when he noticed you pulling away from him. There were no obvious signs. For much of the day, you were yourself. You still left him little notes on his desk — reminding him to take breaks and that you loved him. You’d still snake your arms around his waist and press your cheek into his shoulder blade, eyes still half closed, while he made the pair of you your morning coffees.

But loving someone wasn’t about the obvious. It was about the subtle things. The miniscule actions that they try and hide when they pretend they’re okay.

“Are we okay?” You stop writing and he stops typing. Your brows furrow together as you stare at him dumbfounded. “I feel like you never talk to me anymore.” You shift in your chair to face him fully, pulling your earphones out as your do.

A pang of guilt washes over you. You know exactly what he’s talking about, you just didn’t think he’d notice. At least… not this soon. “We’re talking right now!” you answer instead. He doesn’t bite.

“No, I mean, you don’t talk to me about things you care about anymore.” You play with the string of his hoodie, avoiding his gaze. He sighs. “A couple months ago, I felt like I was taking your classes too ‘cause you were always so excited about them — not that I understood anything but-”

“That’s just it!” Marcus flinches at interruption. “You never understand any of it. I made the most ridiculous yet genius pun the other day and I couldn’t say it to you 'cause it wouldn’t make sense to you.”

Marcus’ breath hitches in his throat. He’s heard the whispers when he walks you to your class, that he — a simple art student, didn’t 'deserve’ to be with a capable science student like yourself. There’d been times where he’s believed them but he always found a way to reason them away. He just never thought he’d receive that judgement from you.

When Marcus drops his gaze and mumbles an apology, you realise the implications of what you’d just said. “I didn’t mean it like that.” You reach for him as you stand from your seat but he moved away from you faster than you can get to him.

He feels both his heart and his self-confidence shatter all at once. He thinks you call out after him but he slams the bedroom door shut before his brain can fully process the sound. He wants to cry or scream or punch something. But the latter options aren’t feasible.

So he sketches. He sketches and shades until his pencil is blunt and his fingers are dusted with silver flecks. He draws his pain. His anger. His self-doubt. He paint his mind onto a page, as he has always done.

Marcus is an artist. No matter what anyone else thinks. The craft chose him and he chooses it everyday.

[atlas-arc]

ahh you're so welcome love 🥰  Its nice to know my glasses knowledge is being put to use somewhere 😂 thank you for sending stuff in 💗💗

Thank you so much for the TA scrbbled ink! It is perfect! And as I'm greedy here my next idea (no pressure!).. It's him to first notice that you needed glasses by the way you squint and ask him if he can read the letters, it's him to remind you to wear them though you hate them😁

a/n: ah you’re so welcome hun! keep ‘em coming. i love indulging in the scribbled ink au 🥺 so I was going to like.. actually write this but my brain didnt feel like cooperating so um.. here's a fic in bullet point form?? hopefully thats okay! also ive never dealt with seasons in my life so im really just winging it with the temperatures here 😂

he gets suspicious when he notices you squinting at the take out menus with increased frequency

the fact that you're complaining about your eyes hurting is adding to his suspicion

you also keep passing stuff to him to read for you...

not that he minds! But y'know, he's seeing you struggle and he doesn't like that

you're squinting at your laptop with your email open on maximum zoom and he thinks now's a good time to.. pop the question, so to speak

"Hey babe?" you hum in response, only partially paying attention. "Do you think you might need glasses?"

you stare at him like he's grown another head

"No. That's ridiculous. I can see perfectly fine! I've just been staring at a screen for too many days in a row."

neither of you believes it but he lets it drop.. for now

a week later you're both out and about and you very nearly get on the wrong train because you're in a rush and couldn't read the signs properly

Marcus is tugging you in the right direction while flashing you an 'i told you so' look

you schedule your appointment the next day

no, you absolutely do not rehearse what you're going to say at least 5 times before actually making the call. nope, not at all. didn't happen.

and you totally don't pick up the phone and walk away from it several times before actually hitting ‘call’

Marcus thinks it's cute but makes no move to step in and help. The bastard. (In his defence, he has an assignment to complete)

anyway, you make the call, go to your appointment and a week later, you're picking up your new glasses

for the first week or so, the world is ever so slightly warped as your eyes adjust to the prescription

you almost tripped down the stairs within the first hour of wearing them

Marcus holds your hand anytime a staircase comes into view now

you're not a fan of the glasses, to say the least.

you always forget to put them on in the morning and he ends up bringing them to you along with your coffee

you leave them somewhere as you do your routine ‘im ignoring my work while walking around the apartment aimlessly’ and then end up spending hours searching the apartment cuz you can't see

Marcus is half tempted to get you one of those glasses neck chords as a joke

he gets zach to add it to his sippy cup package 

but seriously. How do people live with these things?

you can't pull an impromptu 'im gonna shove my nose into the crook of your neck because it cold' without getting dirt onto your glasses anymore??

they fog up when you move from the warmth of your apartment into the not-warm-at-all outdoors??

you can't comfortably lie sideways anymore???

Though you must admit, it a very cute hair accessory

"Nice headband," Marcus says as he catches you squinting at your laptop again. "Pretty sure they make the words on your screen less like smudges and more like letters if you put them over your eyes though."

You stick your tongue out at him but move them over your eyes nonetheless

...turns out they work better when they're used 'correctly'

despite all the teasing, he does actually love the new glasses look

he's thanking every higher power there is that his portraits class didn't have strict rules on his portfolio because he's filling most of those slots with sketches of you and your new glasses

[atlas-arc]

Thank you so much for the TA scrbbled ink! It is perfect! And as I'm greedy here my next idea (no pressure!).. It's him to first notice that you needed glasses by the way you squint and ask him if he can read the letters, it's him to remind you to wear them though you hate them😁

a/n: ah you’re so welcome hun! keep ‘em coming. i love indulging in the scribbled ink au 🥺 so I was going to like.. actually write this but my brain didnt feel like cooperating so um.. here's a fic in bullet point form?? hopefully thats okay! also ive never dealt with seasons in my life so im really just winging it with the temperatures here 😂

he gets suspicious when he notices you squinting at the take out menus with increased frequency

the fact that you're complaining about your eyes hurting is adding to his suspicion

you also keep passing stuff to him to read for you...

not that he minds! But y'know, he's seeing you struggle and he doesn't like that

you're squinting at your laptop with your email open on maximum zoom and he thinks now's a good time to.. pop the question, so to speak

"Hey babe?" you hum in response, only partially paying attention. "Do you think you might need glasses?"

you stare at him like he's grown another head

"No. That's ridiculous. I can see perfectly fine! I've just been staring at a screen for too many days in a row."

neither of you believes it but he lets it drop.. for now

a week later you're both out and about and you very nearly get on the wrong train because you're in a rush and couldn't read the signs properly

Marcus is tugging you in the right direction while flashing you an 'i told you so' look

you schedule your appointment the next day

no, you absolutely do not rehearse what you're going to say at least 5 times before actually making the call. nope, not at all. didn't happen.

and you totally don't pick up the phone and walk away from it several times before actually hitting ‘call’

Marcus thinks it's cute but makes no move to step in and help. The bastard. (In his defence, he has an assignment to complete)

anyway, you make the call, go to your appointment and a week later, you're picking up your new glasses

for the first week or so, the world is ever so slightly warped as your eyes adjust to the prescription

you almost tripped down the stairs within the first hour of wearing them

Marcus holds your hand anytime a staircase comes into view now

you're not a fan of the glasses, to say the least.

you always forget to put them on in the morning and he ends up bringing them to you along with your coffee

you leave them somewhere as you do your routine ‘im ignoring my work while walking around the apartment aimlessly’ and then end up spending hours searching the apartment cuz you can't see

Marcus is half tempted to get you one of those glasses neck chords as a joke

he gets zach to add it to his sippy cup package 

but seriously. How do people live with these things?

you can't pull an impromptu 'im gonna shove my nose into the crook of your neck because it cold' without getting dirt onto your glasses anymore??

they fog up when you move from the warmth of your apartment into the not-warm-at-all outdoors??

you can't comfortably lie sideways anymore???

Though you must admit, it a very cute hair accessory

"Nice headband," Marcus says as he catches you squinting at your laptop again. "Pretty sure they make the words on your screen less like smudges and more like letters if you put them over your eyes though."

You stick your tongue out at him but move them over your eyes nonetheless

...turns out they work better when they're used 'correctly'

despite all the teasing, he does actually love the new glasses look

he's thanking every higher power there is that his portraits class didn't have strict rules on his portfolio because he's filling most of those slots with sketches of you and your new glasses

[atlas-arc]

oh god 😂😂😂 this would totally happen. you get shooed away and his fbi partner hooman whatever-ness is like ‘oh my god, these idiots.’ and partner ends up rescuing him for both of you, all the while wondering how the both of you ever ended up getting together cuz you're both disasters 😂

hi okay picture this: someones flirting with Marcus and they're not backing down no matter what he does. He's desperately signalling to you to get this clingy human off of him but you're just there like 'wHaT aM i sUpPoSe tO dO?! i dOnT kNoW hOw tO bE sOciAl?! i dOnT kNoW hOw tO sCaRe oFf oThEr hUmAns!?' so you're both just there like 🙃🤡🙃 -kay

Skdjdksndbs moOD 😂 Bonus points if you actually go over there at some point and are successfully shooed away by his assailant 🙈

[atlas-arc]

breaking point

A/n: look there is not an ounce of consistency in this entire thing but I don’t even care at this point. I just needed to get the thought down 😂

Author: @ezrasarm

There was something off when Marcus got home. He was quieter than usual, not as cheerful. When you asked he seemed to shrug it off as ‘nothing’ but you knew him well enough to know it wasn’t.

“Did something happen in class?”

”No,”

“How about your exam? You were worried about it.”

”It was fine- it was great actually” he grumbled back.

”Me? Did I do something wrong?”

“No! Of course not! Can we just drop it?” He blurts out uncharacteristically before murmuring an apology. You tried for a good two seconds, you really did but then a thought struck you. It didn’t make any sense, he loved his job but-

“…work?” You ask and he hesitates.

Marcus didn’t like to admit it but sometimes he let other people’s opinions get the better of him. That’s why when a particularly difficult customer decided he’d take out his frustrations on the nearest person, Marcus was the one to take the brunt of his outburst. And on top of the slowly accumulating mountain of school stress and his parents constant stream of questions over when he was gonna get a real job, he cracked. It’s why when you hit the nail on the head, he tried to make an excuse to get away from you. He didn’t want you to see him break. But he had dried your tears more times than you could count at this point and it was your turn to return the favour.

“Woah, Marcus, hey!” You say catching his wrist when he’s half way into his coat and he freezes when he looks at you through watery eyes. “Slow down.” You plead, taking the opportunity to wrap your arms around him, one arm around his back while the other gently pulls his him closer to bury his face into your shoulder. He actually has the gall to try and sob an apology out. It makes your chest ache. “Don’t do that. You’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.” You scold him lightly, pressing a kiss to just about any part of him your lips can reach when he’s pulled this close to you. “Sometimes things just get a bit too much. It happens to the best of us.” You murmur into him after a while, your fingers toying through the unruly curls on the top of his head. “Even the invincible Marcus Pike.” You smile against the shell of his ear and manage to catch a broken scoff from him.

“I feel pretty far from invincible right now.”

“Maybe,” You shrug “But I know you’re gonna get right back up anyway.” You say, “And that sounds pretty damn invincible to me.” You feel his arms squeeze just a little tighter around your waist when breathes in a deep inhale before lifting his head to look at you.

“Thank you” he whispers, a weak smile on his face when you lean up to press a kiss to his forehead. “Hey that’s my move.” He he says, pulling away slightly in mock offense, a goofy grin starting to overpower the sorrow in his features.

“I thought it would help,” You shrug, knowing it always worked when he did it to you.

“Maybe you should try again just to be on the safe side.” He proposes, leaning his head down until you oblige. There he was again.