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Entry tags:
Fic: Every Heat Should Have A Beat - Part Two
Title: Every Heart Should Have A Beat
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
freakykat
Rating: NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Mark Zuckerberg/Eduardo Saverin
Summary: "One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye."
Mark is exhausted when he gets off the plane at JFK nearly eight hours later. The sun is setting and he's more than a little happy about that. His favorite time in New York is always at night. The lights rise up from the ground, scattered visions of reflected night against the thousands of window panes. He doesn't love it the way he does Palo Alto because everything he needs and wants is there.
Well, almost everything.
There's a driver waiting for him on the ground floor and Mark gets his attention. He only brought a carry-on, to avoid as many crowds as he could. The car is sleek and comfortable, the lull of the road makes him sleepy, and he rests his head against the seat. Mark dozes off and comes to when the car stops.
"We're here, sir."
He gets out, tips Henry, the driver, and asks if he'll be available tomorrow. Henry tells him that he's been booked for the whole three days Mark is in town. Sharon is a rock star; he knew that when he hired her, but it's always nice to be proven correct.
Stepping through the hotel door, he glances around and catches a group he thinks are probably with the conference. Mark makes a face at the stuffy suits and ties that remind him of his Uncle Chester, tired and truly boring, and wonders how Eduardo fits in with them. He could be so much more than that. He knows Eduardo has a plan, and he trusts him to know what he is doing. He bypasses the front desk, heads for the elevator bay and presses the number twenty-one.
Eduardo always leaves Mark his room numbers. (They can be found on the itinerary Wardo started leaving Mark after that first trip when Mark hadn't realized he'd left because coding disaster had kept him too busy to say goodbye. Mark had promptly freaked the fuck out when he realized Eduardo was gone.)
He steps out, finds the right door and knocks quickly. There’s noise from inside, someone fumbling around, and then Eduardo is there, clad in sleep pants and an old Harvard t-shirt. His mouth drops open when he sees Mark, but then something flares in his eyes and his whole face lights up. Mark pushes in, closes the door behind him, setting his bag on the floor.
"Mark, what are you--?"
Mark shrugs. "I missed you." He pulls Eduardo into a tight hug, buries his face right in the crook that Mark made his own between Eduardo's neck and shoulder. “Hi.”
Eduardo's arms fold around Mark and he leans his own head down, presses his cheek to the top of Mark's head, laughs out a sigh. “Hi. You have fucking excellent timing.”
Mark's eyes widen as he pulls back to look Eduardo in the face. “Wow. That bad, huh?” Eduardo rarely curses unless he is too angry to realize he's doing it or too overwhelmed to care that he's doing it.
“Hmm. I take it you know already.”
“You could say I heard a few things.” He frowns up at Eduardo but can't help but shuffle in closer to his warmth. “But not from you.”
Eduardo's face grows taut with a combination of frustration and anger that Mark hasn't been witness to in a long time.
“You said it didn't matter anymore,” Mark says.
“It doesn't. Not like it used to.”
Eduardo walks toward the small dining table in the suite, covers the dinner he was eating before Mark interrupted quickly. Mark knows perfectly well what Eduardo is doing: an old habit he falls back on. He moves across the room and places his hands on Eduardo's shoulders. They relax slightly under his touch. It thrills Mark that he can do that. That it's Mark that Eduardo can rely on to make it better not worse. He leans his head on Eduardo's back, dropping open-mouth kisses until the shivers under his fingers give way to moans.
“Mark.”
“You wanna talk about it?” he asks, lips skimming up Eduardo's neck. Mark stands on his toes to reach him.
Eduardo makes a noise that could be yes but is probably more like “Kiss me,” and Mark likes to interpret things his own way so he chooses to believe it's the latter. He guides Eduardo around until he faces Mark and then pushes up on his toes again and latches his mouth to Eduardo's. It's meant to be soothing, comfort that Eduardo needs, but hands are pushing Mark back until his back hits a wall. Eduardo buries his face in Mark's skin, licks a long stripe up his throat to his chin until their mouth are fighting for control.
Mark's hands fist in Eduardo's hair, pulling until he makes him gasp, Eduardo's eyes dark and wide when he meets Mark's.
“I hate him for making you this sad.”
The words sink inside Eduardo's mouth as their tongues duel, garbled between breaths, but Mark knows Eduardo understands when he whines, eyes shutting closed as Mark's hand works on the zip of his pants, undoes the button, and they both groan when Mark has Eduardo in his hold, stroking with a firm pace.
He'll make Eduardo forget, even if it's for a little while.
That's his job now.
– –
Later, as Mark’s skin starts to cool and Eduardo's head rests against his shoulder, he asks, “What happened?”
There's a long pause – long enough that Mark thinks Eduardo fell asleep – before he hears Eduardo say, “It didn't have anything to do with me.”
Mark leans his head up but Eduardo bites his shoulders, hands forcing him to stay lying down. He knows what Eduardo isn't saying, and that – he wasn't even sure Eduardo's father would have cared at all.
“He thinks that I made a mistake in marrying you because of what happened with Facebook,” Eduardo states plainly so Mark doesn't have to keep guessing.
“Ah, I would have thought the fact I'm a man --”
“Oh, no. That's not something he's thrilled about either, but it's more that he doesn't trust my decisions. Always been the problem.”
Mark plays with the loose curls on Eduardo’s head, threads his fingers between them as he thinks of a way to phrase his question without Eduardo –
“I don't regret it, Mark.” He moves his head a few inches, stares up at him from where his head presses against Mark's arm. “You make me happy. Everything else we can deal with along the way.”
And this is the reason Mark doesn't understand why Eduardo is here because he doesn't deserve that kind of – declaration. He should be making them.
“Your father is an idiot.”
Eduardo nods, yawns against Mark's neck as he presses his face in his favorite spot. “No argument from me.”
Mark stays quiet until Eduardo's breathing evens out, stares up at the ceiling, his mind whirling with a million and one thoughts.
– –
The next morning, Eduardo goes back down for the last day of the conference. Mark kisses him slowly against the hotel door, savoring the taste of Eduardo's mouth. He leans away only to have Eduardo follow him in, gripping Mark's hips and dipping in for more. Mark's eyes flutter shut when Eduardo sighs, dragging one hand up his side and stopping to curl it around Mark's neck.
"I have to go, baby."
Mark chokes against the way his heart skips whenever Eduardo uses that word with him.
He is ridiculous.
"Okay."
"I love you," Eduardo whispers against his lips, pecks them once more, and then is out the door before Mark can even form the thought to say it back.
-- --
He decides to stay in the hotel room while Eduardo is working. It's not like he doesn't have enough of his own work to keep him busy with the new Account Settings features rolling out in a few months. Mark can already hear the sound of hundreds of thousands of users’ screams, but he trusts his instinct with his company. It might be the only place in his life where he is sure.
Dustin asked him once if he was ever going to stop changing it, ever going to be satisfied, and Mark hadn't known the answer. Probably not. And if he ever did, then that was it. Mark would be done and he'd find something else to occupy the space in his head that was taken up by Facebook.
(The rest of it is taken up by Eduardo.)
-- --
Eduardo doesn't say much when he gets back to the room.
But the way he hugs Mark tightly to him says more than any words could.
-- --
Their flight leaves early in the morning (Mark doesn't want Eduardo to spend any more time near his father than he has to), but they decide to have dinner at Becco, one of Mark's favorites, and he watches Eduardo unwind, his eyes brightening and smile become freer as the night progresses.
Eduardo convinces Mark to take a walk with him through Central Park.
They stop to get hot chocolate from a vendor, and Mark bites down on a smile when Eduardo burns his tongue and makes the most hilarious faces. He reaches out to wipe Eduardo's mouth with his fingers but Eduardo catches Mark's hands with his, pulling him in to kiss him, lips tasting sweet and dark.
Mark thinks I love you I love you I love you.
-- --
Sean meets them at the airport and hauls Eduardo into a hug. Mark laughs at the way Eduardo rolls his eyes and shoves at Sean to let him go.
They wait for Eduardo to grab his suitcase (Mark only took a carry-on; he hates waiting at an airport) and Sean turns to look at him. "Did you see him?"
Mark shakes his head.
Sean nods. "Probably a good idea."
Mark couldn’t agree more.
-- --
"Mark?"
He sets down his laptop, heading to the kitchen where he'd heard Eduardo's voice coming from, and stops at the doorway to stare as Eduardo sits on the counter, laughing into the phone. Mark's eyebrow raises and he shoves away the little bit of jealousy that flares that someone else is making him sound that way.
"I think Mark won't have a problem with that," Eduardo says, then glances up and grins at Mark. “And speaking of Mark."
He waves Mark over, and when he's close enough, Eduardo hands Mark the phone, kisses him once before leaning back, and keeps on smiling as Mark stares at him suspiciously, bringing the receiver to his ear.
"Hi, honey."
He looks up at Eduardo and scowls at him. "Hi, mom."
-- --
Apparently Eduardo and Mark’s mother have been talking when Mark isn't around, which is scary enough, but now they've been invited home for the holidays, and Mark can't seem to find any excuse to keep them away from what could very well be the thing that scares Eduardo off forever.
Eduardo rolls his eyes and swings his feet against their counter. "It's not like we're plotting against you."
Mark gapes at him. "It is exactly like you're plotting against me."
"It's just Hanukah, Mark. Really."
Mark snorts.
"Not with us, it's not."
-- --
Hanukah is a huge deal in Mark's house. They were never an overly religious family. His parents let them make their own decisions about what they believed. Mark doesn't, but he knows better than to force that on others, so he never says no to being told to come home for the holidays. It's the one time of the year they get to be a family. He loves them more than he can say (surpassed only by how much he loves Eduardo), so he never complains much when he receives orders to come home. Except this year he'd wanted to spend it alone with Eduardo. They were finding their footing as family and making some traditions of their own -- whatever those turned out to be.
But Eduardo looks so thrilled by the idea of going to his parents’ for the holiday that Mark doesn't have the heart tell him it's not that exciting or even fun. His extended family is hard to take and Mark usually ends up hiding out in the den, working.
This year, though, there's Eduardo.
Eduardo makes everything better.
Thanksgiving consists of dinner and a Halo marathon with Chris and Dustin. He falls asleep with his head on Eduardo's shoulder and wakes up with Eduardo curled up around him on the couch, Chris snoring on the loveseat, and Dustin twisted on the armchair watching all of them.
Sharon works her magic and manages to clear his schedule for a week. Eduardo eyes him suspiciously when Mark promises he won't even sneak away to double-check on the site. (He has his phone for that, anyway.)
They arrive in Dobbs Ferry early in the afternoon.
The taxi drops them off right in front of the house and Mark sees the driveway already packed with cars. Eduardo places his hand on Mark's back, rubs circles, and says, "Come on, let's go in."
His Aunt Mary opens the door, screams out when she sees him, and then envelops both him and Eduardo in a huge, perfume-scented hug, and Mark almost laughs at the frightened, wide-eyed stare he gives Mark over his aunt's shoulders.
Everyone comes out of every corner of the house, shaking hands and giving hugs and kisses. Eduardo’s cheeks are red when Mark's cousins coo over how cute he is. Mark stands back and lets it happen because this was really all Eduardo's idea.
They sit down for dinner, which is nothing compared to what will go down tomorrow night, and Eduardo gets seated between his cousin Genie and Randi.
Randi -- doesn't trust Eduardo, angry that he'd hurt Mark, even though Mark has explained numerous times that no, really, he had it coming. She is very much like Mark in a lot of ways. Stubborn and angry without any reason to hide it. Eduardo keeps sending glances toward Mark, and after several attempts to talk to her, he doesn't try to again.
When dinner is over, Mark corners his sister in the den, closing the door hard behind him.
"Randi, what the hell?"
"Look, I'm not going to pretend that this whole farce is okay, Mark."
He sighs, pinching his nose, and says quietly, "You have no idea what is going on. Trust me, Rand, okay? I am perfectly fine with everything."
She stares at him for a long time and then her face softens. "Oh, Mark. You're in love with him."
Mark leaves the room.
-- --
Everyone pretty much loves Wardo.
Even his Aunt Clara's annoying dog seems to warm up to him, which Mark thinks has more to do with Eduardo feeding him scraps under the table at dinner, but it counts. He has that effect on people without even trying. Sean says it's the fluffy hair and big eyes. Mark thinks it's because he’s Wardo and if you don't love him there's something wrong with you.
But then he is biased.
Anyway.
Everyone pretty much loves Wardo, so he knows -- without a shadow of a doubt -- that Randi's going to fall like everyone else.
It doesn't take very long.
He gives her credit for trying harder once she realizes that Mark is serious about this marriage. She mostly trusts his judgment. They are too alike and she knows he'd never try something he didn't think he could be good at eventually. Randi wants to ask questions, Mark can tell, but wisely realizes that this topic is not up for discussion yet. He'll tell her when he's ready to. He can also see that she isn't sure how Eduardo feels.
Mark could try to convince her, if he thought it would do any good.
But Eduardo does it all on his own.
They're sitting in the kitchen, listening to their dad talk about the new advances in dentistry (and really, Mark doesn't need to know that much about gum disease) when they hear the sound of a crying baby. Randi's youngest, Sarah, had been sleeping in the playpen they'd set up in the living room. She gets up to check on her. Mark lets his mom use him as a guinea pig for her brisket. He takes a bite and then heads for the living room, stopping when he finds Randi standing just inside the entryway.
"Hey, what's--"
She turns a little teary-eyed and says, "I really wanted to hate him."
Mark looks beyond her into the room and his heart expands in his chest. That's not something he expected. Eduardo is lying down on the couch, Sarah splayed out on his chest, her head nestled down, and he is talking quietly to her. Mark catches a few words as Eduardo's voice carries to him. He starts to hum a few notes of what Mark guesses is a lullaby. Mark's eyes follow the way Eduardo's hands cradle Sarah's head as he tries to sway.
He hears someone catch their breath. His mother is standing behind them, watery smile on her face as well.
Eduardo's reduced his family to tears. This is ridiculous.
"Okay. Let's just go. He's got this."
Mark doesn't acknowledge the fact that Eduardo with a baby does something funny to his stomach. He will not think about it. Not right now.
Randi looks at Mark as they head back into the kitchen, shaking her head as she bites at her lip, nervous tic they share. "You never had a chance."
He really never did.
-- --
Mark thinks he prefers Randi not liking Eduardo, because this thing where they are the best of friends and Eduardo is learning everything there is to know about Mark is so not okay with him. It's bad enough that his mother pulls out the photo albums (which, he really needs to get her to go digital, it's not the fucking eighties), but she ends up insisting that Mark and Eduardo stay with them in Mark's old room.
Eduardo sees the posters, the half-built computers, the shelf overflowing with books, old papers, leftover awards, and gives Mark a bemused look.
"I married the king of geeks, didn't I?"
Mark rolls his eyes, mouth quirking up at the corners. "We couldn't all be born wearing Hugo Boss and charming the pants off the nurses."
Eduardo snorts and mutters, "Get real."
Mark schools his face into an innocent expression. "I still don't know what you're doing here with me." It's meant as a joke but Eduardo's face goes serious, and Mark stops when he feels his hand on Mark's chest.
"You know I'm here because I love you, right? That you make me happy."
Mark swallows down on the burst of awe that bubbles in his throat. "I know. Me, too."
Eduardo leans down, kisses him softly, lingering for a few seconds, and then grabs his bag to change.
It takes a minute for Mark to realize that would have probably been the place to say I love you.
-- --
They settle into Mark's old room. Eduardo cuddles closer to Mark in sleep and Mark thinks how after all those years, his room is seeing some action.
They wake up earlier than everyone else and Eduardo talks Mark into helping him start on breakfast. He wants to make French toast, but when they get to the kitchen, Mark's mom is at the stove. Mark kisses Eduardo on the cheek when his face falls, but Mark's mom puts them to work, leaving them in charge of the egg casserole while she goes to the store for some ingredients she needs to make French toast with Eduardo.
Mark's sipping his coffee when he feels Eduardo's hands wrap around his waist and turn him around with a flourish. Mark yelps as his coffee almost spills, but it gets cut off as Eduardo seals their mouths together. He hums in the back of his throat as he sets his cup down on the table blindly. With his hands free, he threads them through Eduardo's hair and makes a surprised noise when Eduardo pins him to the table. Eduardo's mouth is slick and he takes his time as he tastes Mark.
He lets his eyes fall closed and groans when Eduardo's hands start to move under his shirt and up his back.
Someone clears their throat.
Mark and Eduardo jump apart to meet Randi's shocked but warm gaze.
"Good morning."
Eduardo's face is red as he mumbles a hello and leaves the room quickly.
Randi grins at Mark, wearing an adoring look on her face that Mark doesn't like and saying with much amusement, "I take it back. I am all for this farce."
-- --
The week flies by, which shocks Mark. He's normally crawling the walls by the third day, but as he predicted, Eduardo is the perfect distraction. He takes his sisters, Arielle and Donna, out shopping so that Mark can spend time catching up on work. (Eduardo had rolled his eyes when Mark started to explain that he needed to make sure an update went up right, and said, "Mark. I would worry if you didn't check on the site. That would be scary.") He watches football with Mark's father and cousins. Mark even joins them eventually and he's surprised how much Eduardo knows about the sport.
"I never knew you were so sport literate, Wardo."
Wardo grins and leans in to whisper in his ear, "I know how to use Wikipedia like everyone else," making Mark laugh into his shoulder while his father shushes them both.
Donna and Eduardo get along like two peas in a pod, which Mark kind of loves. Donna’s always been the quietest of his sisters. Their parents worry about her, but Mark knows she'll come into her own soon enough. Eduardo must find a kindred spirit in his little sister because they spend an inordinate amount of time talking on the front porch, sitting on the old swing with mugs of coffee.
His mother adores Eduardo.
None of this surprises Mark. This is Eduardo.
But that doesn't mean that Eduardo can't surprise him.
For example, Mark doesn't really know what to do when he overhears his father and Eduardo in the den on the morning they're going home. Eduardo's voice sounds very serious and Mark frowns. He shouldn't listen, but if something is wrong...
"So. You're asking for Mark's hand in marriage is what you're saying?"
Mark's eyes go wide. What?
Eduardo's laugh is nervous but real. "It does seem kind of late, but I -- he -- I want to do this right."
There's a long pause from his father.
"You're doing a good job at it, son."
"Thank you, Edward."
Mark has to leave before he does something crazy like jump his husband in front of his father.
-- --
Things are pretty much normal when they get back to Palo Alto. Mark stays at the office longer hours for at least one week. He feels like he's neglecting the company even though everyone seems to be getting along fine when he’s gone. Eduardo is home waiting when he goes home and that's something to aim for.
New Year’s Eve is spent at Dustin’s. He'd insisted on a party but Mark wasn't up to some huge, crowded, noisy, drunken get-together. Dustin made him promise to go anyway. He is pleasantly surprised to find a quiet gathering. Only the four of them and Sean, plus the new girl Dustin's been seeing. They sit around drinking from Dustin’s half-empty bottles of booze and eating the catered food Dustin brought in.
Mark watches the ball go down on the television. Eduardo hooks his chin over Mark's shoulder as they watch together, whispers in his ear, "Happy New Year, Mark." Mark turns his head and kisses Eduardo.
-- --
Sean and Eduardo's friendship is odd and mysterious to Mark. Mostly because while Sean insists that he is "Wardo's best friend, Mark, you can't be that anymore, you're married," Eduardo seems to mostly tolerate Sean, which is really the best any of them can expect. Truth of the matter is that Eduardo's come to -- and Mark's as surprised as anyone -- kind of like Sean. He won't ever trust him. But Mark doesn't either. It doesn't mean he doesn't think of Sean as his friend.
It's funny to watch Sean try to help Eduardo, whether it's with picking out his clothes or some problem at work that Eduardo can't quite figure out. He especially likes helping them with their relationship because he insists to this day that they don't know how to communicate (which really is bullshit; they've been married nearly two years now -- they communicate perfectly well).
Eduardo tells Sean to back off every time, but really -- it just goes in one ear and out the other.
Mark's not sure how Eduardo feels until the day he drags Sean into their house by the scruff of his neck. Eduardo's face is pinched with anger as Mark looks up at the noise they make coming in the door. Sean's barely standing on his own, Eduardo's grip the only thing keeping him from face-planting onto the floor.
"What happened?"
Eduardo scowls. "I don't have the first fucking clue. All I know is I was heading home when I got a call from Ben down at McLeod's telling me that Sean is pissed and I need to come and get him before he drives off, or better yet starts trouble."
Mark watches as Eduardo drags Sean up the stairs. He follows silently behind, stopping to watch from the guest bedroom's doorway as Eduardo deposits Sean on the bed. He takes the time to pull off Sean's shoes, discarding them without care on the floor, muttering to himself the whole time.
And it hits Mark.
Eduardo doesn't hate Sean. Not anymore. Somewhere along the way he'd found a way to forgive and even take him in as his friend. He steps back and into the hall when Eduardo pushes him out of the doorway and closes the door softly.
"He can sleep it off here."
Mark looks at him, searches his face for anything that clues him into what Eduardo's thinking, but there's nothing.
"Why are you doing this?"
Eduardo halts on his way down the stairs and gives Mark a concerned look. "Doing what?"
Mark motions to the closed door. "Helping him."
"I don't follow, Mark."
"You hate him."
Eduardo rolls his eyes. "I don't hate Sean."
Mark's frozen in his spot for several moments but manages to gather himself enough to follow Eduardo down the stairs, watching as he takes off his jacket, rolls up his sleeves as he heads into the kitchen.
"What do you mean you don't hate Sean?"
"I don't. Do we have any tomato?" Eduardo asks as he pulls their fridge door open, sticking his head inside. "Spaghetti sound good?"
"Wait, no. I -- how is it you don't hate Sean anymore?"
Eduardo stops taking out ingredients to look at Mark, searches his face before straightening up, closing the fridge door as he does. "Do you like Sean, Mark?"
Of course he does but that's not the point. "What does that even --"
"Just answer the question, babe, so we can get this conversation over with and I can cook, we can eat, and then I can get you in bed."
Mark feels a little thrown by that image but he recovers enough to say, "Of course I like him."
"He is your friend."
"Yes."
"And despite what you say, you don't keep him around because he's useful to Facebook. Not anymore."
Mark sighs. Nothing ever gets past Eduardo. "No, I don't."
Eduardo gestures at Mark with the knife he's using to cut the tomatoes. "There you go."
Mark blinks.
"He is your friend, Mark. I know he's been there when -- he cares about you, which I think is rare for Sean. He isn't going anywhere. And I can't spend the rest of my life hating someone that is going to be a part of it."
"Are you saying you stopped hating Sean for me?"
Eduardo nods. "Yeah."
He doesn't think about it when he walks around the island. Eduardo turns his head and lets Mark kiss him thoroughly right there over the tomatoes.
-- --
Mark walks downstairs the next morning to find Sean with his head against the breakfast bar while Eduardo pours him a cup of coffee.
"You should tell her."
Sean's head shakes back and forth across the surface of the counter. "Amy isn't like other girls."
Eduardo laughs. "She couldn't be to put up with your shit."
"You are a cruel, mean friend, Eduardo Zuckerberg hyphen Saverin. Does your husband know how mean you are?"
"I am sure he is aware of it. My husband's a genius."
Sean laughs then groans as he holds his head in his hands.
Mark turns back up the stairs, grinning as he goes into his room to change.
-- --
Everything is going so well that something was bound to mess it up.
That something comes in the shape of Mr. Antonio Saverin.
Mark can't believe his eyes when he enters his office to find Eduardo's father seated calmly in one of his chairs. He glares at the sub they have working as his secretary while Sharon is away. "Call security," he snaps before walking around to stand behind his desk.
Mr. Saverin looks up at him, narrows his eyes as he studies Mark. "Mr. Zuckerberg."
Mark isn't bound to social niceties. "What do you want?"
Mr. Saverin seems surprised at Mark's bluntness but recovers quickly. "I have come to speak to you about your marriage to my son."
"That's none of your business."
"I think it would be in everyone's best interest if you end it now, Mr. Zuckerberg."
He is so through with this discussion, it's not even remotely funny. "You can leave now."
Mr. Saverin eyes him furiously. "My son will not make you happy, Mr. Zuckerberg."
Mark can't even begin to understand how that statement can be uttered by someone who made Eduardo, who’s seen the things he's done and the man he is. How someone who is supposed to love him can think that way. "He already does, so you're talking like an idiot right now." He stands up from his desk and stares pointedly at Mr. Saverin. "I'm not going to try and make you see how wonderful your son is. If you haven't seen that in the last twenty-four years, you never will. But I will warn you, if you break his heart anymore, I will make you regret it."
Mr. Saverin raises one eyebrow and Mark thinks he sees something like pride flare in his eyes. "I think you're under the impression that I fault my son for not meeting your expectations, Mr. Zuckerberg."
Mark loses his grip on his anger with that and blinks at Mr. Saverin.
"I don't follow."
"You took away his company, Mr. Zuckerberg. You hurt my son a great deal more than I ever could have. He never expected better from me."
It's a swift punch to his gut and Mark is impressed with how well Mr. Zuckerberg can land a punch without raising a hand.
"That might be true. But I'll make it up to him for the rest of our lives if that's what it takes. The difference between you and me is that you won't ever love him the way he deserves."
Mr. Saverin stares at him for a long while. "I do love my son, despite what you might think."
Mark shrugs. "Funny way of showing it."
Mr. Saverin stands, nodding at Mark. "I hope you know what you are doing."
He waits until Eduardo's father is at the door before he speaks. "One more thing."
Mr. Saverin turns to look at him.
"Do not try to interfere in our marriage, Mr. Saverin. If you even try, I will end you." It's a serious threat because Mark will do anything to keep Eduardo.
He thinks he sees the edge of a smile on Eduardo's father’s face, but the man is gone as abruptly as he'd shown up.
-- --
Eduardo is furious when Mark tells him.
"Filho da puta! How dare he come here and start acting like --"
"Like a dad?"
Eduardo snorts but then he looks sad. Mark moves closer, touches their foreheads together. "He doesn't show it, but he does love you, Wardo."
Eduardo doesn't say anything back.
-- --
Mark decides that for their two year anniversary they will celebrate together and alone. He mentions the celebrating part to Dustin, who starts to plan a party.
"We never got to do one for the first year."
Eduardo looks up from his lunch and frowns. "I don't think that's what Mark had in mind."
Dustin throws his hands up in the air. "C'mon!”
"Wardo's right," Sean agrees through a mouthful of white rice, and swallows before continuing, "They probably want to have lots of sex."
Eduardo rolls his eyes, takes a bite of his chicken and chokes as Mark says, "I plan to fuck Eduardo over every available flat surface."
Dustin covers his ears and yells at Mark, "That is -- oh my god, Mark! The images -- I cannot even!"
Sean laughs so hard that he falls out of his seat and Eduardo kicks him a little to shut him up. Mark shrugs and goes back to his work. Serves Dustin right.
-- --
They have a non-honeymoon at their own house. And Mark keeps his promise to fuck Wardo on every flat surface. (They are going to need to wash the island counter really well.)
-- --
"I was thinking we could get a dog."
Eduardo opens one eye, lifts his head from the floor and raises an eyebrow. "A dog?"
"We didn't kill the plants Mom gave us, so..."
Eduardo’s face lights up and he pulls Mark down to meet his lips.
"Dogs are awesome."
-- --
Mark watches Eduardo’s naked ass with interest as he walks toward their dresser, pulling something out before walking back to him.
Mark eyes Eduardo's cock with even more interest.
Eduardo plops down on the bed, presses his face against Mark's cheek, kisses him softly under his jaw and up to his lips.
Mark turns into him, sighs against Eduardo's mouth, curls one hand around his hip to bring him closer. "C'mere." He feels rather than hears the rumble of Eduardo's laugh and frowns when he pulls back. There's a box in Eduardo's hand.
He holds it out to Mark. "This is for you. Well, us."
Mark rolls his eyes but opens the box, stares at the silver rings, slightly heavier than the ones they wear. He glances up at Eduardo who pulls one out, hands it to Mark.
"Look at the inscription."
It's tiny and in French.
On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur.
He recognizes it immediately and his heart beats faster. Eduardo hands him the second ring, the one that he will wear, and Mark knows what he'll read, blinks at the burn in his eyes.
L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
Eduardo leans in so that Mark can see him, holds his gaze. "I know." He touches Mark’s face, traces it with his fingers and kisses his forehead. "I see clearly."
"Is that enough?"
Mark's head falls back as Eduardo nuzzles against his neck, leaving open-mouth kisses against his flesh. "You are and will always be everything I want, Mark."
His eyes sting, mouth falls open to say it -- finally -- but Eduardo presses his fingers against Mark's mouth. "All you have to do is kiss me, Mark, and I know."
So Mark does.
-- --
It happens in the bathroom on a Sunday because he is Mark and that's how it was supposed to.
He leans against the door frame and watches Eduardo shake his hips to the music playing from the small radio he keeps on the counter. (Mark worries he'll electrocute himself someday.) He follows the motion of Eduardo's body and glances up to see him watching Mark. Eduardo is brushing his teeth, making stupid faces at the mirror, hair everywhere, creases on his face from the pillow, and Mark can't.
"I love you."
Eduardo freezes, eyes going wide, toothbrush mid-stroke, and stares at him in the mirror.
Then all he sees is a mouth of toothpaste when Eduardo grins so hard it must hurt his face, and Mark grins back.
He tastes toothpaste in his mouth for the rest of the day.
"One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye." -- The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupery
End.
Author:
freakykatRating: NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Mark Zuckerberg/Eduardo Saverin
Summary: "One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye."
Mark is exhausted when he gets off the plane at JFK nearly eight hours later. The sun is setting and he's more than a little happy about that. His favorite time in New York is always at night. The lights rise up from the ground, scattered visions of reflected night against the thousands of window panes. He doesn't love it the way he does Palo Alto because everything he needs and wants is there.
Well, almost everything.
There's a driver waiting for him on the ground floor and Mark gets his attention. He only brought a carry-on, to avoid as many crowds as he could. The car is sleek and comfortable, the lull of the road makes him sleepy, and he rests his head against the seat. Mark dozes off and comes to when the car stops.
"We're here, sir."
He gets out, tips Henry, the driver, and asks if he'll be available tomorrow. Henry tells him that he's been booked for the whole three days Mark is in town. Sharon is a rock star; he knew that when he hired her, but it's always nice to be proven correct.
Stepping through the hotel door, he glances around and catches a group he thinks are probably with the conference. Mark makes a face at the stuffy suits and ties that remind him of his Uncle Chester, tired and truly boring, and wonders how Eduardo fits in with them. He could be so much more than that. He knows Eduardo has a plan, and he trusts him to know what he is doing. He bypasses the front desk, heads for the elevator bay and presses the number twenty-one.
Eduardo always leaves Mark his room numbers. (They can be found on the itinerary Wardo started leaving Mark after that first trip when Mark hadn't realized he'd left because coding disaster had kept him too busy to say goodbye. Mark had promptly freaked the fuck out when he realized Eduardo was gone.)
He steps out, finds the right door and knocks quickly. There’s noise from inside, someone fumbling around, and then Eduardo is there, clad in sleep pants and an old Harvard t-shirt. His mouth drops open when he sees Mark, but then something flares in his eyes and his whole face lights up. Mark pushes in, closes the door behind him, setting his bag on the floor.
"Mark, what are you--?"
Mark shrugs. "I missed you." He pulls Eduardo into a tight hug, buries his face right in the crook that Mark made his own between Eduardo's neck and shoulder. “Hi.”
Eduardo's arms fold around Mark and he leans his own head down, presses his cheek to the top of Mark's head, laughs out a sigh. “Hi. You have fucking excellent timing.”
Mark's eyes widen as he pulls back to look Eduardo in the face. “Wow. That bad, huh?” Eduardo rarely curses unless he is too angry to realize he's doing it or too overwhelmed to care that he's doing it.
“Hmm. I take it you know already.”
“You could say I heard a few things.” He frowns up at Eduardo but can't help but shuffle in closer to his warmth. “But not from you.”
Eduardo's face grows taut with a combination of frustration and anger that Mark hasn't been witness to in a long time.
“You said it didn't matter anymore,” Mark says.
“It doesn't. Not like it used to.”
Eduardo walks toward the small dining table in the suite, covers the dinner he was eating before Mark interrupted quickly. Mark knows perfectly well what Eduardo is doing: an old habit he falls back on. He moves across the room and places his hands on Eduardo's shoulders. They relax slightly under his touch. It thrills Mark that he can do that. That it's Mark that Eduardo can rely on to make it better not worse. He leans his head on Eduardo's back, dropping open-mouth kisses until the shivers under his fingers give way to moans.
“Mark.”
“You wanna talk about it?” he asks, lips skimming up Eduardo's neck. Mark stands on his toes to reach him.
Eduardo makes a noise that could be yes but is probably more like “Kiss me,” and Mark likes to interpret things his own way so he chooses to believe it's the latter. He guides Eduardo around until he faces Mark and then pushes up on his toes again and latches his mouth to Eduardo's. It's meant to be soothing, comfort that Eduardo needs, but hands are pushing Mark back until his back hits a wall. Eduardo buries his face in Mark's skin, licks a long stripe up his throat to his chin until their mouth are fighting for control.
Mark's hands fist in Eduardo's hair, pulling until he makes him gasp, Eduardo's eyes dark and wide when he meets Mark's.
“I hate him for making you this sad.”
The words sink inside Eduardo's mouth as their tongues duel, garbled between breaths, but Mark knows Eduardo understands when he whines, eyes shutting closed as Mark's hand works on the zip of his pants, undoes the button, and they both groan when Mark has Eduardo in his hold, stroking with a firm pace.
He'll make Eduardo forget, even if it's for a little while.
That's his job now.
– –
Later, as Mark’s skin starts to cool and Eduardo's head rests against his shoulder, he asks, “What happened?”
There's a long pause – long enough that Mark thinks Eduardo fell asleep – before he hears Eduardo say, “It didn't have anything to do with me.”
Mark leans his head up but Eduardo bites his shoulders, hands forcing him to stay lying down. He knows what Eduardo isn't saying, and that – he wasn't even sure Eduardo's father would have cared at all.
“He thinks that I made a mistake in marrying you because of what happened with Facebook,” Eduardo states plainly so Mark doesn't have to keep guessing.
“Ah, I would have thought the fact I'm a man --”
“Oh, no. That's not something he's thrilled about either, but it's more that he doesn't trust my decisions. Always been the problem.”
Mark plays with the loose curls on Eduardo’s head, threads his fingers between them as he thinks of a way to phrase his question without Eduardo –
“I don't regret it, Mark.” He moves his head a few inches, stares up at him from where his head presses against Mark's arm. “You make me happy. Everything else we can deal with along the way.”
And this is the reason Mark doesn't understand why Eduardo is here because he doesn't deserve that kind of – declaration. He should be making them.
“Your father is an idiot.”
Eduardo nods, yawns against Mark's neck as he presses his face in his favorite spot. “No argument from me.”
Mark stays quiet until Eduardo's breathing evens out, stares up at the ceiling, his mind whirling with a million and one thoughts.
– –
The next morning, Eduardo goes back down for the last day of the conference. Mark kisses him slowly against the hotel door, savoring the taste of Eduardo's mouth. He leans away only to have Eduardo follow him in, gripping Mark's hips and dipping in for more. Mark's eyes flutter shut when Eduardo sighs, dragging one hand up his side and stopping to curl it around Mark's neck.
"I have to go, baby."
Mark chokes against the way his heart skips whenever Eduardo uses that word with him.
He is ridiculous.
"Okay."
"I love you," Eduardo whispers against his lips, pecks them once more, and then is out the door before Mark can even form the thought to say it back.
-- --
He decides to stay in the hotel room while Eduardo is working. It's not like he doesn't have enough of his own work to keep him busy with the new Account Settings features rolling out in a few months. Mark can already hear the sound of hundreds of thousands of users’ screams, but he trusts his instinct with his company. It might be the only place in his life where he is sure.
Dustin asked him once if he was ever going to stop changing it, ever going to be satisfied, and Mark hadn't known the answer. Probably not. And if he ever did, then that was it. Mark would be done and he'd find something else to occupy the space in his head that was taken up by Facebook.
(The rest of it is taken up by Eduardo.)
-- --
Eduardo doesn't say much when he gets back to the room.
But the way he hugs Mark tightly to him says more than any words could.
-- --
Their flight leaves early in the morning (Mark doesn't want Eduardo to spend any more time near his father than he has to), but they decide to have dinner at Becco, one of Mark's favorites, and he watches Eduardo unwind, his eyes brightening and smile become freer as the night progresses.
Eduardo convinces Mark to take a walk with him through Central Park.
They stop to get hot chocolate from a vendor, and Mark bites down on a smile when Eduardo burns his tongue and makes the most hilarious faces. He reaches out to wipe Eduardo's mouth with his fingers but Eduardo catches Mark's hands with his, pulling him in to kiss him, lips tasting sweet and dark.
Mark thinks I love you I love you I love you.
-- --
Sean meets them at the airport and hauls Eduardo into a hug. Mark laughs at the way Eduardo rolls his eyes and shoves at Sean to let him go.
They wait for Eduardo to grab his suitcase (Mark only took a carry-on; he hates waiting at an airport) and Sean turns to look at him. "Did you see him?"
Mark shakes his head.
Sean nods. "Probably a good idea."
Mark couldn’t agree more.
-- --
"Mark?"
He sets down his laptop, heading to the kitchen where he'd heard Eduardo's voice coming from, and stops at the doorway to stare as Eduardo sits on the counter, laughing into the phone. Mark's eyebrow raises and he shoves away the little bit of jealousy that flares that someone else is making him sound that way.
"I think Mark won't have a problem with that," Eduardo says, then glances up and grins at Mark. “And speaking of Mark."
He waves Mark over, and when he's close enough, Eduardo hands Mark the phone, kisses him once before leaning back, and keeps on smiling as Mark stares at him suspiciously, bringing the receiver to his ear.
"Hi, honey."
He looks up at Eduardo and scowls at him. "Hi, mom."
-- --
Apparently Eduardo and Mark’s mother have been talking when Mark isn't around, which is scary enough, but now they've been invited home for the holidays, and Mark can't seem to find any excuse to keep them away from what could very well be the thing that scares Eduardo off forever.
Eduardo rolls his eyes and swings his feet against their counter. "It's not like we're plotting against you."
Mark gapes at him. "It is exactly like you're plotting against me."
"It's just Hanukah, Mark. Really."
Mark snorts.
"Not with us, it's not."
-- --
Hanukah is a huge deal in Mark's house. They were never an overly religious family. His parents let them make their own decisions about what they believed. Mark doesn't, but he knows better than to force that on others, so he never says no to being told to come home for the holidays. It's the one time of the year they get to be a family. He loves them more than he can say (surpassed only by how much he loves Eduardo), so he never complains much when he receives orders to come home. Except this year he'd wanted to spend it alone with Eduardo. They were finding their footing as family and making some traditions of their own -- whatever those turned out to be.
But Eduardo looks so thrilled by the idea of going to his parents’ for the holiday that Mark doesn't have the heart tell him it's not that exciting or even fun. His extended family is hard to take and Mark usually ends up hiding out in the den, working.
This year, though, there's Eduardo.
Eduardo makes everything better.
Thanksgiving consists of dinner and a Halo marathon with Chris and Dustin. He falls asleep with his head on Eduardo's shoulder and wakes up with Eduardo curled up around him on the couch, Chris snoring on the loveseat, and Dustin twisted on the armchair watching all of them.
Sharon works her magic and manages to clear his schedule for a week. Eduardo eyes him suspiciously when Mark promises he won't even sneak away to double-check on the site. (He has his phone for that, anyway.)
They arrive in Dobbs Ferry early in the afternoon.
The taxi drops them off right in front of the house and Mark sees the driveway already packed with cars. Eduardo places his hand on Mark's back, rubs circles, and says, "Come on, let's go in."
His Aunt Mary opens the door, screams out when she sees him, and then envelops both him and Eduardo in a huge, perfume-scented hug, and Mark almost laughs at the frightened, wide-eyed stare he gives Mark over his aunt's shoulders.
Everyone comes out of every corner of the house, shaking hands and giving hugs and kisses. Eduardo’s cheeks are red when Mark's cousins coo over how cute he is. Mark stands back and lets it happen because this was really all Eduardo's idea.
They sit down for dinner, which is nothing compared to what will go down tomorrow night, and Eduardo gets seated between his cousin Genie and Randi.
Randi -- doesn't trust Eduardo, angry that he'd hurt Mark, even though Mark has explained numerous times that no, really, he had it coming. She is very much like Mark in a lot of ways. Stubborn and angry without any reason to hide it. Eduardo keeps sending glances toward Mark, and after several attempts to talk to her, he doesn't try to again.
When dinner is over, Mark corners his sister in the den, closing the door hard behind him.
"Randi, what the hell?"
"Look, I'm not going to pretend that this whole farce is okay, Mark."
He sighs, pinching his nose, and says quietly, "You have no idea what is going on. Trust me, Rand, okay? I am perfectly fine with everything."
She stares at him for a long time and then her face softens. "Oh, Mark. You're in love with him."
Mark leaves the room.
-- --
Everyone pretty much loves Wardo.
Even his Aunt Clara's annoying dog seems to warm up to him, which Mark thinks has more to do with Eduardo feeding him scraps under the table at dinner, but it counts. He has that effect on people without even trying. Sean says it's the fluffy hair and big eyes. Mark thinks it's because he’s Wardo and if you don't love him there's something wrong with you.
But then he is biased.
Anyway.
Everyone pretty much loves Wardo, so he knows -- without a shadow of a doubt -- that Randi's going to fall like everyone else.
It doesn't take very long.
He gives her credit for trying harder once she realizes that Mark is serious about this marriage. She mostly trusts his judgment. They are too alike and she knows he'd never try something he didn't think he could be good at eventually. Randi wants to ask questions, Mark can tell, but wisely realizes that this topic is not up for discussion yet. He'll tell her when he's ready to. He can also see that she isn't sure how Eduardo feels.
Mark could try to convince her, if he thought it would do any good.
But Eduardo does it all on his own.
They're sitting in the kitchen, listening to their dad talk about the new advances in dentistry (and really, Mark doesn't need to know that much about gum disease) when they hear the sound of a crying baby. Randi's youngest, Sarah, had been sleeping in the playpen they'd set up in the living room. She gets up to check on her. Mark lets his mom use him as a guinea pig for her brisket. He takes a bite and then heads for the living room, stopping when he finds Randi standing just inside the entryway.
"Hey, what's--"
She turns a little teary-eyed and says, "I really wanted to hate him."
Mark looks beyond her into the room and his heart expands in his chest. That's not something he expected. Eduardo is lying down on the couch, Sarah splayed out on his chest, her head nestled down, and he is talking quietly to her. Mark catches a few words as Eduardo's voice carries to him. He starts to hum a few notes of what Mark guesses is a lullaby. Mark's eyes follow the way Eduardo's hands cradle Sarah's head as he tries to sway.
He hears someone catch their breath. His mother is standing behind them, watery smile on her face as well.
Eduardo's reduced his family to tears. This is ridiculous.
"Okay. Let's just go. He's got this."
Mark doesn't acknowledge the fact that Eduardo with a baby does something funny to his stomach. He will not think about it. Not right now.
Randi looks at Mark as they head back into the kitchen, shaking her head as she bites at her lip, nervous tic they share. "You never had a chance."
He really never did.
-- --
Mark thinks he prefers Randi not liking Eduardo, because this thing where they are the best of friends and Eduardo is learning everything there is to know about Mark is so not okay with him. It's bad enough that his mother pulls out the photo albums (which, he really needs to get her to go digital, it's not the fucking eighties), but she ends up insisting that Mark and Eduardo stay with them in Mark's old room.
Eduardo sees the posters, the half-built computers, the shelf overflowing with books, old papers, leftover awards, and gives Mark a bemused look.
"I married the king of geeks, didn't I?"
Mark rolls his eyes, mouth quirking up at the corners. "We couldn't all be born wearing Hugo Boss and charming the pants off the nurses."
Eduardo snorts and mutters, "Get real."
Mark schools his face into an innocent expression. "I still don't know what you're doing here with me." It's meant as a joke but Eduardo's face goes serious, and Mark stops when he feels his hand on Mark's chest.
"You know I'm here because I love you, right? That you make me happy."
Mark swallows down on the burst of awe that bubbles in his throat. "I know. Me, too."
Eduardo leans down, kisses him softly, lingering for a few seconds, and then grabs his bag to change.
It takes a minute for Mark to realize that would have probably been the place to say I love you.
-- --
They settle into Mark's old room. Eduardo cuddles closer to Mark in sleep and Mark thinks how after all those years, his room is seeing some action.
They wake up earlier than everyone else and Eduardo talks Mark into helping him start on breakfast. He wants to make French toast, but when they get to the kitchen, Mark's mom is at the stove. Mark kisses Eduardo on the cheek when his face falls, but Mark's mom puts them to work, leaving them in charge of the egg casserole while she goes to the store for some ingredients she needs to make French toast with Eduardo.
Mark's sipping his coffee when he feels Eduardo's hands wrap around his waist and turn him around with a flourish. Mark yelps as his coffee almost spills, but it gets cut off as Eduardo seals their mouths together. He hums in the back of his throat as he sets his cup down on the table blindly. With his hands free, he threads them through Eduardo's hair and makes a surprised noise when Eduardo pins him to the table. Eduardo's mouth is slick and he takes his time as he tastes Mark.
He lets his eyes fall closed and groans when Eduardo's hands start to move under his shirt and up his back.
Someone clears their throat.
Mark and Eduardo jump apart to meet Randi's shocked but warm gaze.
"Good morning."
Eduardo's face is red as he mumbles a hello and leaves the room quickly.
Randi grins at Mark, wearing an adoring look on her face that Mark doesn't like and saying with much amusement, "I take it back. I am all for this farce."
-- --
The week flies by, which shocks Mark. He's normally crawling the walls by the third day, but as he predicted, Eduardo is the perfect distraction. He takes his sisters, Arielle and Donna, out shopping so that Mark can spend time catching up on work. (Eduardo had rolled his eyes when Mark started to explain that he needed to make sure an update went up right, and said, "Mark. I would worry if you didn't check on the site. That would be scary.") He watches football with Mark's father and cousins. Mark even joins them eventually and he's surprised how much Eduardo knows about the sport.
"I never knew you were so sport literate, Wardo."
Wardo grins and leans in to whisper in his ear, "I know how to use Wikipedia like everyone else," making Mark laugh into his shoulder while his father shushes them both.
Donna and Eduardo get along like two peas in a pod, which Mark kind of loves. Donna’s always been the quietest of his sisters. Their parents worry about her, but Mark knows she'll come into her own soon enough. Eduardo must find a kindred spirit in his little sister because they spend an inordinate amount of time talking on the front porch, sitting on the old swing with mugs of coffee.
His mother adores Eduardo.
None of this surprises Mark. This is Eduardo.
But that doesn't mean that Eduardo can't surprise him.
For example, Mark doesn't really know what to do when he overhears his father and Eduardo in the den on the morning they're going home. Eduardo's voice sounds very serious and Mark frowns. He shouldn't listen, but if something is wrong...
"So. You're asking for Mark's hand in marriage is what you're saying?"
Mark's eyes go wide. What?
Eduardo's laugh is nervous but real. "It does seem kind of late, but I -- he -- I want to do this right."
There's a long pause from his father.
"You're doing a good job at it, son."
"Thank you, Edward."
Mark has to leave before he does something crazy like jump his husband in front of his father.
-- --
Things are pretty much normal when they get back to Palo Alto. Mark stays at the office longer hours for at least one week. He feels like he's neglecting the company even though everyone seems to be getting along fine when he’s gone. Eduardo is home waiting when he goes home and that's something to aim for.
New Year’s Eve is spent at Dustin’s. He'd insisted on a party but Mark wasn't up to some huge, crowded, noisy, drunken get-together. Dustin made him promise to go anyway. He is pleasantly surprised to find a quiet gathering. Only the four of them and Sean, plus the new girl Dustin's been seeing. They sit around drinking from Dustin’s half-empty bottles of booze and eating the catered food Dustin brought in.
Mark watches the ball go down on the television. Eduardo hooks his chin over Mark's shoulder as they watch together, whispers in his ear, "Happy New Year, Mark." Mark turns his head and kisses Eduardo.
-- --
Sean and Eduardo's friendship is odd and mysterious to Mark. Mostly because while Sean insists that he is "Wardo's best friend, Mark, you can't be that anymore, you're married," Eduardo seems to mostly tolerate Sean, which is really the best any of them can expect. Truth of the matter is that Eduardo's come to -- and Mark's as surprised as anyone -- kind of like Sean. He won't ever trust him. But Mark doesn't either. It doesn't mean he doesn't think of Sean as his friend.
It's funny to watch Sean try to help Eduardo, whether it's with picking out his clothes or some problem at work that Eduardo can't quite figure out. He especially likes helping them with their relationship because he insists to this day that they don't know how to communicate (which really is bullshit; they've been married nearly two years now -- they communicate perfectly well).
Eduardo tells Sean to back off every time, but really -- it just goes in one ear and out the other.
Mark's not sure how Eduardo feels until the day he drags Sean into their house by the scruff of his neck. Eduardo's face is pinched with anger as Mark looks up at the noise they make coming in the door. Sean's barely standing on his own, Eduardo's grip the only thing keeping him from face-planting onto the floor.
"What happened?"
Eduardo scowls. "I don't have the first fucking clue. All I know is I was heading home when I got a call from Ben down at McLeod's telling me that Sean is pissed and I need to come and get him before he drives off, or better yet starts trouble."
Mark watches as Eduardo drags Sean up the stairs. He follows silently behind, stopping to watch from the guest bedroom's doorway as Eduardo deposits Sean on the bed. He takes the time to pull off Sean's shoes, discarding them without care on the floor, muttering to himself the whole time.
And it hits Mark.
Eduardo doesn't hate Sean. Not anymore. Somewhere along the way he'd found a way to forgive and even take him in as his friend. He steps back and into the hall when Eduardo pushes him out of the doorway and closes the door softly.
"He can sleep it off here."
Mark looks at him, searches his face for anything that clues him into what Eduardo's thinking, but there's nothing.
"Why are you doing this?"
Eduardo halts on his way down the stairs and gives Mark a concerned look. "Doing what?"
Mark motions to the closed door. "Helping him."
"I don't follow, Mark."
"You hate him."
Eduardo rolls his eyes. "I don't hate Sean."
Mark's frozen in his spot for several moments but manages to gather himself enough to follow Eduardo down the stairs, watching as he takes off his jacket, rolls up his sleeves as he heads into the kitchen.
"What do you mean you don't hate Sean?"
"I don't. Do we have any tomato?" Eduardo asks as he pulls their fridge door open, sticking his head inside. "Spaghetti sound good?"
"Wait, no. I -- how is it you don't hate Sean anymore?"
Eduardo stops taking out ingredients to look at Mark, searches his face before straightening up, closing the fridge door as he does. "Do you like Sean, Mark?"
Of course he does but that's not the point. "What does that even --"
"Just answer the question, babe, so we can get this conversation over with and I can cook, we can eat, and then I can get you in bed."
Mark feels a little thrown by that image but he recovers enough to say, "Of course I like him."
"He is your friend."
"Yes."
"And despite what you say, you don't keep him around because he's useful to Facebook. Not anymore."
Mark sighs. Nothing ever gets past Eduardo. "No, I don't."
Eduardo gestures at Mark with the knife he's using to cut the tomatoes. "There you go."
Mark blinks.
"He is your friend, Mark. I know he's been there when -- he cares about you, which I think is rare for Sean. He isn't going anywhere. And I can't spend the rest of my life hating someone that is going to be a part of it."
"Are you saying you stopped hating Sean for me?"
Eduardo nods. "Yeah."
He doesn't think about it when he walks around the island. Eduardo turns his head and lets Mark kiss him thoroughly right there over the tomatoes.
-- --
Mark walks downstairs the next morning to find Sean with his head against the breakfast bar while Eduardo pours him a cup of coffee.
"You should tell her."
Sean's head shakes back and forth across the surface of the counter. "Amy isn't like other girls."
Eduardo laughs. "She couldn't be to put up with your shit."
"You are a cruel, mean friend, Eduardo Zuckerberg hyphen Saverin. Does your husband know how mean you are?"
"I am sure he is aware of it. My husband's a genius."
Sean laughs then groans as he holds his head in his hands.
Mark turns back up the stairs, grinning as he goes into his room to change.
-- --
Everything is going so well that something was bound to mess it up.
That something comes in the shape of Mr. Antonio Saverin.
Mark can't believe his eyes when he enters his office to find Eduardo's father seated calmly in one of his chairs. He glares at the sub they have working as his secretary while Sharon is away. "Call security," he snaps before walking around to stand behind his desk.
Mr. Saverin looks up at him, narrows his eyes as he studies Mark. "Mr. Zuckerberg."
Mark isn't bound to social niceties. "What do you want?"
Mr. Saverin seems surprised at Mark's bluntness but recovers quickly. "I have come to speak to you about your marriage to my son."
"That's none of your business."
"I think it would be in everyone's best interest if you end it now, Mr. Zuckerberg."
He is so through with this discussion, it's not even remotely funny. "You can leave now."
Mr. Saverin eyes him furiously. "My son will not make you happy, Mr. Zuckerberg."
Mark can't even begin to understand how that statement can be uttered by someone who made Eduardo, who’s seen the things he's done and the man he is. How someone who is supposed to love him can think that way. "He already does, so you're talking like an idiot right now." He stands up from his desk and stares pointedly at Mr. Saverin. "I'm not going to try and make you see how wonderful your son is. If you haven't seen that in the last twenty-four years, you never will. But I will warn you, if you break his heart anymore, I will make you regret it."
Mr. Saverin raises one eyebrow and Mark thinks he sees something like pride flare in his eyes. "I think you're under the impression that I fault my son for not meeting your expectations, Mr. Zuckerberg."
Mark loses his grip on his anger with that and blinks at Mr. Saverin.
"I don't follow."
"You took away his company, Mr. Zuckerberg. You hurt my son a great deal more than I ever could have. He never expected better from me."
It's a swift punch to his gut and Mark is impressed with how well Mr. Zuckerberg can land a punch without raising a hand.
"That might be true. But I'll make it up to him for the rest of our lives if that's what it takes. The difference between you and me is that you won't ever love him the way he deserves."
Mr. Saverin stares at him for a long while. "I do love my son, despite what you might think."
Mark shrugs. "Funny way of showing it."
Mr. Saverin stands, nodding at Mark. "I hope you know what you are doing."
He waits until Eduardo's father is at the door before he speaks. "One more thing."
Mr. Saverin turns to look at him.
"Do not try to interfere in our marriage, Mr. Saverin. If you even try, I will end you." It's a serious threat because Mark will do anything to keep Eduardo.
He thinks he sees the edge of a smile on Eduardo's father’s face, but the man is gone as abruptly as he'd shown up.
-- --
Eduardo is furious when Mark tells him.
"Filho da puta! How dare he come here and start acting like --"
"Like a dad?"
Eduardo snorts but then he looks sad. Mark moves closer, touches their foreheads together. "He doesn't show it, but he does love you, Wardo."
Eduardo doesn't say anything back.
-- --
Mark decides that for their two year anniversary they will celebrate together and alone. He mentions the celebrating part to Dustin, who starts to plan a party.
"We never got to do one for the first year."
Eduardo looks up from his lunch and frowns. "I don't think that's what Mark had in mind."
Dustin throws his hands up in the air. "C'mon!”
"Wardo's right," Sean agrees through a mouthful of white rice, and swallows before continuing, "They probably want to have lots of sex."
Eduardo rolls his eyes, takes a bite of his chicken and chokes as Mark says, "I plan to fuck Eduardo over every available flat surface."
Dustin covers his ears and yells at Mark, "That is -- oh my god, Mark! The images -- I cannot even!"
Sean laughs so hard that he falls out of his seat and Eduardo kicks him a little to shut him up. Mark shrugs and goes back to his work. Serves Dustin right.
-- --
They have a non-honeymoon at their own house. And Mark keeps his promise to fuck Wardo on every flat surface. (They are going to need to wash the island counter really well.)
-- --
"I was thinking we could get a dog."
Eduardo opens one eye, lifts his head from the floor and raises an eyebrow. "A dog?"
"We didn't kill the plants Mom gave us, so..."
Eduardo’s face lights up and he pulls Mark down to meet his lips.
"Dogs are awesome."
-- --
Mark watches Eduardo’s naked ass with interest as he walks toward their dresser, pulling something out before walking back to him.
Mark eyes Eduardo's cock with even more interest.
Eduardo plops down on the bed, presses his face against Mark's cheek, kisses him softly under his jaw and up to his lips.
Mark turns into him, sighs against Eduardo's mouth, curls one hand around his hip to bring him closer. "C'mere." He feels rather than hears the rumble of Eduardo's laugh and frowns when he pulls back. There's a box in Eduardo's hand.
He holds it out to Mark. "This is for you. Well, us."
Mark rolls his eyes but opens the box, stares at the silver rings, slightly heavier than the ones they wear. He glances up at Eduardo who pulls one out, hands it to Mark.
"Look at the inscription."
It's tiny and in French.
On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur.
He recognizes it immediately and his heart beats faster. Eduardo hands him the second ring, the one that he will wear, and Mark knows what he'll read, blinks at the burn in his eyes.
L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
Eduardo leans in so that Mark can see him, holds his gaze. "I know." He touches Mark’s face, traces it with his fingers and kisses his forehead. "I see clearly."
"Is that enough?"
Mark's head falls back as Eduardo nuzzles against his neck, leaving open-mouth kisses against his flesh. "You are and will always be everything I want, Mark."
His eyes sting, mouth falls open to say it -- finally -- but Eduardo presses his fingers against Mark's mouth. "All you have to do is kiss me, Mark, and I know."
So Mark does.
-- --
It happens in the bathroom on a Sunday because he is Mark and that's how it was supposed to.
He leans against the door frame and watches Eduardo shake his hips to the music playing from the small radio he keeps on the counter. (Mark worries he'll electrocute himself someday.) He follows the motion of Eduardo's body and glances up to see him watching Mark. Eduardo is brushing his teeth, making stupid faces at the mirror, hair everywhere, creases on his face from the pillow, and Mark can't.
"I love you."
Eduardo freezes, eyes going wide, toothbrush mid-stroke, and stares at him in the mirror.
Then all he sees is a mouth of toothpaste when Eduardo grins so hard it must hurt his face, and Mark grins back.
He tastes toothpaste in his mouth for the rest of the day.
"One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye." -- The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupery
End.
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