It can’t all be sexy time.

Mark lets me out of the **** device, gently pulling out the dildo as I gasp from the aftershocks of my orgasm. We both look down at the pillow I was sitting on, now soiled by my own juices. “Thatha… Sasha really likes those pillows.”

Mark snorts in surprise at my comment, “yep. I wasn’t expecting you to squirt so much.”

“… do you think the extractor will work on it?”

“I hope so.”

“… you made me cum, you clean it up.”

“But I already did the couch!”

“You also chose to have me sit on the pillow.”

“I was being considerate, the floor isn’t exactly soft.”

“I was only down there to make you happy.”

“You offered! I didn’t ask you to do it.”

“… you still made me cum.”

“I…” Mark sighs, resigning himself to the inevitable. Yay for being too hot and sexy to argue with… I’m still near naked. I blush and go get my sweater dress, although by now it’s been a while and I have to look around to find it.

By the time I locate it, still lying on the floor in the master bedroom’s closet, Mark is already almost done doing his best to make the extractor work on the pillow. For all of our concerns, it actually seems to be working just fine. In my defense, I don’t have much experience with extractors and what they can clean. Considering how fast he has been today in using it to clean up, he clearly has had plenty of practice with it… that lucky bastard. My mind quickly connects the dots; Sasha has had a sexual awakening triggered by our break up, and Mark is extremely comfortable with where the hand held extractor is that’s perfect for cleaning up sex related stains on fabrics. Yep, I’m back on board the “Mark isn’t allowed to complain about anything” train.

The bastard in question interrupts my thoughts, “by the way, congratulations on Carcin becoming famous.”

“… huh?” I tilt my head to the side and raise one eyebrow to emphasize my confusion.

“… how do you do that with your ears?”

“Do what?”

“Your ears, they move around a bit. You haven’t noticed?”

“… of courthe I’ve notithed, I jutht didn’t know what you meant.” I lie through my teeth, and my stupid mouth makes it obvious. I don’t know why, I’m usually truthful to a fault… outside of omissions. I’m just surprised to learn I’ve been moving my ears around without noticing. How long has this been going on… no, focus on Carcin. With burning cheeks, I get back on track, “what about Carcin getting famous?” I emphasize the two s sounds to ensure I get them right.

Mark smirks at my obvious self consciousness, but otherwise continues, “Sasha mentioned seeing your YouTube video show up in her feed. I kind of want to watch it. Why didn’t you tell me you made one? I would have loved to see it sooner.”

… oh fuck oh fuck. I had kind of forgotten about that. How the hell did Sasha see it? It’s probably not been seen by many people at all. Why did Sasha have to be one of them?! That thing is a terrible video! I have no editing skills whatsoever! I gulp and am reminded Mark is still waiting for an answer… “it, um… I didn’t… I don’t know…” … and shit. Now that he’s mentioned it, I can totally feel that my ears are drooping down significantly. Damn you, ears! How dare you snitch on my internal feelings of confusion and embarrassment! I don’t care how obvious my words make it, I don’t need you making it more obvious!

Mark chuckles, clearly reading me like a book. Although now that I know about the ears, maybe I shouldn’t be as impressed with that ability of his. He says, “let’s go watch it. You can check how well the video is doing.”

He casually picks me up, and I let him. Stupid smug Mark. He’s lucky he’s actually pretty good at carrying me in a comfortable position. I silently pout with my uncharitable thoughts towards him as he carries me to the guest room with Carcin and the computer I’ve been using. Mark sits down at the computer desk and places me in his lap… which annoyingly actually makes it easier to reach the key board and mouse than when I’m sitting in the seat alone. Stupid Mark. He turns on the computer, but otherwise lets me take charge and log on with my accounts.

Despite not really wanting to, I nervously log into YouTube and… holy fuck my video has over 20,000 views. Okay… why?!! I squirm uncomfortably at the idea that so many people saw my first, only, and worst video ever.

“Congrats, that’s pretty good for a beginner!” Mark hugs me lightly in a rare moment of failing to read my emotional reaction to something. Or maybe he did read me right and is trying to help me view this in a positive light. Well, no dice! This is terrible!

“No, I… it’th bad. Thith… this video is bad. Why did so many people see it?!” Yes, focus on speech. Then I can talk.

“Well, I don’t know… can I watch it?”

Flustered, I just pull my hands away from the mouse and keyboard. Mark takes that as assent and he clicks on the video. I’m instantly reminded of all the stupid little things that were unreasonably difficult to figure out, like how to get the text boxes in and edited with a color that stood out from the background for easy legibility, among other things.

A few minutes of painful silence later, and Mark asks, “so, you were serious about Carcin’s claw sparks?”

“… yeth…” stupid tongue!

“Well, have you read the comments? The whole video is just asking for people’s comments about it.”

I just shake my head, too embarrassed to even consider actually looking at the comment section. Mark’s smarter than this, he has to know you never look at the comment section. Especially if you’re me. Why did I make this video?! I was perfectly happy to forget it existed almost immediately after I made it!

I can feel Mark shake slightly with a stifled laugh at me. Jerk. He hugs me gently and says, “why don’t I read it. If there’s anything useful in it, I’ll let you know.”

“… fine.” I lean back against his chest in a huff and cross my arms and close my eyes. I’m not looking at any comment section. I am internet savvy, I know better than that.

We sit in an uncomfortable silence. Mark finally says, “These are actually pretty nice comments.”

I open my eyes in disbelief. I lean forward and do that which I swore not to… huh. As I read more, it’s actually mostly people genuinely interacting with the central question of what the strange red sparks could be. None seem to be able to verify a similar sighting, but at least most are willing to take my word for it and conjecture what might be going on if my senses are accurate. The only slight point of concern is how many people clearly are just assuming that I’m one of the changed. I don’t show myself in the video and make no mention of it. Obviously Carcin is changed, but there shouldn’t be any hint that I am… except that I can see a weird spark no one else can… Damnit.

Still, aside from a few comments demanding I show my face so they can know what kind of freak I am, it’s mostly people just enjoying the mystery of what the spark might be. This still doesn’t explain how my video from a YouTube nobody suddenly went… well, not exactly viral, but still way more successful than any first video has any right to be.

I take a breath to make sure I don’t make any mistakes, “Sasha saw this too?”

“Yeah, she skims YouTube sometimes on her breaks. Don’t tell our boss.” I snort. Who doesn’t do that? … okay, maybe I’m not the best person to ask about normal work etiquette. My work wasn’t exactly a normal office job, and certainly wasn’t Sasha and Mark’s white collar, fancy college degree type job.

“… what’d she say about it?” I try not to sound too self conscious. I don’t know why I bother, Mark and Sasha both know by now that I’m just a mass of insecurities bundled into a little goblin shape.

I need to stop sitting in his lap, it makes it hard to ignore all the times he chuckles silently at my questions. I turn my head to glare at him, and his body shakes some more. “She liked it. She said it was very… academic sounding. She just wished you’d shown off your cute face. And worn the maid outfit she got you.”

I put my face in my hands. Of course Sasha would want me to do cosplay in a video. Why didn’t I expect that? And there goes Mark’s body shaking again. It doesn’t matter if you can keep a straight face and be silent, when I can feel you laughing! I slap his chest in a huff without looking at him, but that just makes him shake more… “jerk.”

He doesn’t bother denying it, instead he wraps his arms around me and pulls me back against him gently and nuzzles his face against the top of my head, “she’s right. You’d look amazing in any of your outfits, and you’d have half the internet begging to help you figure out any mystery you asked of them.”

“And the other half demanding I die.” I sound bitter enough to even surprise myself. The room gets awkwardly quiet as I’ve definitely killed the playful mood.

After a moment, Mark hugs me tighter. He doesn’t say anything, he just holds me while I stew in a hefty pool of self pity. Before long I feel my eyes begin to tear up as I’m reminded of all the videos and news channels I’ve had to hurriedly turn off recently.

I try to keep it in, but Mark chooses that exact second to murmur, “it’ll be okay.” Regardless of his intentions, I know full well this is just a platitude no matter how much he might want it to be more. I feel my chest heave in a soft sob. Embarrassed, but not able to hold it in, I pull my legs up to my chest and hide my face not just in my hands but behind my knees as well while I sob and cry quietly. Mark wordlessly adjusts his arms around me to hold my legs as well, and continues to just hold me silently. Probably scared of making me cry louder. I don’t mean to put him in this position, it must be awkward, but thinking about that just makes me feel more pathetic and helpless.

Mark slowly adjusts one of his hands to my back and slowly rubs it up and down, trying to give what comfort he can. Honestly, it doesn’t seem to help at all. Still, I appreciate the effort. I’ll have to thank him later when I can stop sobbing. Stupid news. Stupid comment section, at least the part calling me a freak. They don’t even know me!

I manage to reduce my soft sobbing to quiet sniffling and whining. I feel small and pathetic. This sucks, I want to feel small and cute again. Mark slowly and gently slides his arm under my legs so he can stand up and carry me. He takes me away from the computer and grabs a blanket from the guest bed before carrying me to the living room recliner and letting me cry myself to exhaustion under a blanket in his lap.