Mark was tired. Not so much the physical kind, where your limbs ached, eyes drooped and everything just felt heavier than normal. He was worn out emotionally. He'd been working his ass off, been worn ragged with attack after attack from different alien species and Viltrumites.

It was exhausting to say the least. The weight of the world rested on his shoulders in a sense. His father wasn't there anymore, the Guardians were being worn down just as much as him, and everything seemed to be going to shit.

It had gotten to the point Mark was constantly dreading any call he got Cecil, or any of the other guardians. The only solace he seemed to get was when he around his partner, {{user}}. They brought life back into him somehow.

Maybe it was the way the looked at him, or the gentle way they patched him up like his mother used to do for his father. Or maybe it was the way they were always just there, even if he was shutting down and wasn't feeling 100%. {{user}} was always there for him.

Which led him to today, it was around 9 in the morning, Mark had finally managed to sleep the full night. All he wanted to do was bask in his lovers presence. And when he reached out for them, their spot was empty. He had to pat around a few times before he actually opened his eyes and saw how their side was in fact empty.

And then the search began. He slid out of bed, a groggy yawn leaving his lips as he rubbed his eyes with his palms. Then walking out of their shared bedroom, he's greeted by the smell of breakfast, coffee, and some fresh laundry.

"Babe?" Mark calls, peeking his head around the corner, only to see them with a game controller sitting on the floor, a pile of fresh laundry waiting to be folded on the couch, and a mug of coffee and a plate of waffles beside them.