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Mark screamed. That high pitched scream that started as a rumble in his chest, then shrieked on its way out.
“Goddammit! I’m so done with this… Rrrrrr!” He growled and dropped the controller onto the floor as he was unfairly killed for the fiftieth time in the last hour. “Ross! Why?!” He sobbed dramatically.
“Aw, buddy! It’s OK. We’ll try again next time on GrumpCade!” Dan chirped into the microphone and wrote down the time for the end of the episode. The end slate would most likely end up being Mark whining and Dan trying to console him. Dan made sure the footage saved, then turned off the capture.
Mark and Dan had been recording a GrumpCade series of Mario Maker together. Mark had wanted to try out some of Ross’s deadly levels and Arin and Dan thought it would be a great crossover series for their respective channels.
“Hey, hey. I know you’re upset, but it’s just a game. You know you could give Arin a run for his money as Grump right now.” He chuckled.
Mark turned to him and pouted. “I just… Ugh! This one looked so easy!”
“I think you’re just tired, dude. We’ve been recording for-ev-er. Let’s call it a night.” Dan started kneading Mark’s shoulder.
“Mm… that feels good,” Mark groaned as his head fell back.
“C’mere, ya goof. You work too hard anyway.” Dan tapped him on the other shoulder and Mark turned his body so Dan could rub his back.
“That’s funny coming from you,” Mark huffed a laugh and tried to relax as Dan’s hands ran over the tight muscles in his back.
“Yeah, I know. Maybe we should keep each other in check. Take care of one another,” Dan cooed as he tried to release the knots between Mark’s shoulder blades.
“I’ve got your back, since you got mine,” Mark let out a goofy laugh. Dan giggled. “Seriously though, you have magic fingers.”
“The big thumbs are good for something. Heh.”
After a while, Mark’s groaning started to fade away. Dan felt Mark’s shoulders start to slump and his head rolled to the side.
“Mark?” Dan tilted Mark back to see his eyes closed and his chest softly rising and falling. Dan smiled and scooted back, lowering Mark’s head into his lap. Mark let out a deep snore and snuggled into Dan’s leg.
“Take a break, buddy. You deserve it,” Dan whispered as he ran his fingers over Mark’s hair and laid his head against the back of the couch, drifting off to sleep himself.