FIC: don't love you (but I always will) (Mark/Eduardo, TSN Springfest) Part One of Two
This was written for the tsn_springfest. I had one of the funniest prompts which basically said: Wardo and Mark get married for Facebook and then stuff happens. danifangirl wanted to read it so HERE YOU GO, GIRLY!!!
Title: don't love you (but i always will)
Recipient: casey_sms
Prompt Number: 67
Characters/Pairings: Mark/Eduardo, lots of Sean Parker, Dustin and Chris
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 for sexytimes, some cursing
Word Count: 15,000 +
Disclaimer: This fanwork is based on fictional representations of the characters in The Social Network; I make no claims of ownership of the characters or concepts.
Summary: Eduardo marries Mark to save Facebook...supposedly...
Notes: So I have no idea if this was what you wanted but I hope it's at least close enough. I tried to keep to the prompt! This is my first time writing for these characters so I apologize if they are not themselves. Damn story got away from me and it didn't want to stop even where it did but I made it behave. Thanks to the mods running this awesome show. Big huge thanks and eternal gratitude to my beta, wouldbedorothy for tackling this. *crossing fingers* Let's hope it doesn't suck too badly. :)
part one
"There's only one solution to this."
Eduardo stares up at Mark's eyes, shuttered and wary as they lock with his. His stomach churns as he asks the question.
"What is that exactly?"
"We need to get married."
The room starts to shrink, walls closing in, and Eduardo shakes his head because he's pretty sure he didn't just hear Mark say that he… that they…
Eduardo breathes through his panic because there's nothing else to do with what Mark just said. He shakes his head, ignores the way his heart stuttered over a few of its beats, and stares at Mark.
"Excuse me?"
He sees Mark's face get that pinched, annoyed look it does when he has to repeat himself, but he does it anyway. Repeats what Eduardo thought he'd said.
"Marry me."
-- --
Losing Facebook and Mark's friendship wasn't the end of the world for Eduardo, not like everyone in the world (Chris, Dustin, his mother) thought it was. It hurt like nothing else ever had (except maybe his father's disappointment), but reports of his heartbreak were wildly inaccurate. He can tell most people (Chris, Dustin, his mother) don't believe him when he says that, but Eduardo can't change how they think, so he doesn't try. (He doesn't think about the fact that it takes him a month to leave his apartment and that it takes him twice as long to even look at his laptop again.)
There's no point in it.
What he does do is go back to Harvard, despite not wanting to face what others might say, and buckles down. (He tries to avoid Chris, because he doesn't want any reminder of his own stupid mistakes, but that's easier said than done. Chris refuses to let Eduardo get away with that. After a week of Eduardo ignoring his calls and avoiding him on campus, Chris shows up at his dorm room and yells at him for being a dick. Eduardo can't disagree. Their friendship survives.) He leaves the AEPi fraternity because he wants to concentrate on his studies (and it brings back too many memories).
He sets up a routine that keeps him busy as often as he can be, which helps him not think about the achy, hollow place in his chest where he knows Mark used to reside. He blocks as many thoughts about him out of his mind as he can (dreams don't count because he can't control those). Avoids any blog, article, or television show that might remotely talk about Mark or Facebook or anything relating to it.
It takes Eduardo almost nine months before he can talk to Chris about it, and when he does, they're both drunk. Chris apologizes for not knowing and Eduardo tries not to cry when he remembers that he'd once been a part of something more wondrous than a stupid website. The next morning meets them with a hangover and slight memory loss for which they both are thankful. Eduardo takes one look at Chris’ blond hair sticking up all over the place, the indent the table left in his cheek, and his slightly confused expression, and laughs and laughs until he can't breathe.
There's a pillow thrown at him, and Chris', "You don't look any better, Wardo, so shut it," but his own laughter joins Eduardo's. It seems to clear the air between them, for real and completely this time, and it makes Eduardo feel lighter. Chris broaches the topic of Mark once but the look on Eduardo's face makes him swallow the words back.
He isn't ready.
Chris sets him up on a few dates. He isn't interested until he meets Chris' friend Robert, a poli sci major with dimples and dark, curly hair. Their first date consists of arguing over the economy (Eduardo can talk extensively about the subject) and the merits of networking (social or otherwise, though Robert stays clear of the subject of a certain online networking site). Eduardo doesn't think twice when he finds himself in Robert's single, being pushed up against the wall with Robert's mouth pressed hot against his throat.
(They end up dating for a few weeks but decide that they make better friends than lovers. Eduardo knows he can't bring himself to trust anyone, not yet, and it's not fair to Robert.)
He graduates magna cum laude with a degree in economics. His parents show up for his graduation and his father shakes his hand, mouth set in a firm line of disapproval. Eduardo hadn't graduated with the honors or the connections his father expected. It still hurts more than Eduardo wants it to, but he finds that it matters less now than it had before. Maybe it would have made everything easier if he hadn't cared back when… The point is that he's fine with it.
Eduardo plans a quiet dinner to celebrate with only his mother, Chris, Dustin (who came up for Chris), a few friends from his study group, and Robert attending. (His father has business commitments he can't get out of and leaves as soon as the ceremony is over. Eduardo is perfectly okay with that.) It's the first time he sees or talks to Dustin since that day he'd walked out of Facebook with the sound of Mark's breaking laptop and his own angry words echoing in his ears.
Dustin approaches him cautiously, extending one hand that holds a wrapped present and giving Eduardo a nervous half-smile. "Congratulations, Wardo."
Eduardo glances down at the gift, then smiles wide and pulls Dustin into a tight hug. "Thank you, Dustin." He feels more than hears the sound that Dustin makes and holds on until Dustin starts to fidget. When he pulls back, Dustin's eyes are a little shiny, his smile wobbly. "I thought--"
He shakes his head. It's better to avoid that topic, so he wraps an arm over Dustin's shoulder and guides him to the table.
The next day, when everyone has gone back to where they belong, Eduardo is faced with what he's supposed to do with the rest of his life. He realizes that he doesn't actually have to decide right that second, but… he needs a plan. A goal to head towards. The thought that keeps rolling through his head is the last words he'd said to Mark.
"Lawyer up, asshole, because I'm not coming back for thirty percent. I'm coming back for everything."
He hadn't given the threat any real thought. The hurt had been too much. It isn't until he sits down in his empty studio apartment that he realizes he might have meant it. Time hasn't made the pain any less visceral or less humiliating, being thrown out of his own company. It hasn't helped with the instant flash of hate that he feels at the idea that Sean -- Sean fucking Parker -- had helped to do it to him. It doesn't stop Eduardo from wanting to shake Mark until he admits he'd been a cruel son of a bitch, that Eduardo wasn't a throwaway fact about his life.
Time did, however, give him a better perspective of his own behavior, and he knows without a shadow of a doubt that closing the account had been childish. He'd done it out of anger, because that was the only way to get Mark to listen sometimes.
Did he deserve to be taken as a threat? Maybe. Did he deserve to lose his company for it? No. Not the way that he had.
Eduardo takes a week to truly think it over before making a decision. He starts making appointments with attorneys two weeks after his graduation dinner.
-- --
It takes Eduardo almost a month of meetings and lunches to find what he is looking for. Most of the attorneys he encounters seem to have their own agendas for wanting to help Eduardo: Mark's money. They don't see the bigger picture, and Eduardo is at the end of his rope when he walks into Gretchen's office. She listens to his story, what he wants, and somehow understands the real reason behind it.
Folding her hands on top of her desk, she gives Eduardo a long, steady look, clearing her throat before saying, "You realize that you will be more than likely destroying any chance of ever recuperating your friendship, Mr. Saverin?"
Eduardo blinks at her, scowling. "I don't want--"
She raises one hand in the air. "Make sure…" When he starts to protest, she shakes her head. "Eduardo."
He freezes and stares at her.
Satisfied that she has his attention, she finishes her thought. "Make sure you don't want to salvage it. He took your company. You're going to sue him for it. These are things that you can't take back."
Eduardo nods.
"Take another week to think it over. If you still feel the same, then schedule a meeting and we'll get started on it."
He leaves Gretchen's office with his head buzzing, thoughts and feelings thrumming in his skull. His mind goes back to their time at Harvard, to late night study sessions where he made sure Mark ate at least once every eight hours through his coding tears, and bribes and threats to make him sleep. The memories were mostly good, at least before Palo Alto, and he wishes that Mark was more the heartless asshole Eduardo thought him to be.
But he knows it isn't everything Mark had once been.
Maybe he is at this point, but his friend with the curly hair and clear blue intelligent gaze had been more.
Is Eduardo ready to forget all that and take Mark at face value for what he'd become?
He gives himself more time to think it over, another month passing as he mulls it over between lunch meetings and interviews with prospective employers. Gretchen understands what he wants and her words keep coming back to him.
"Make sure you don't want to salvage it. He took your company. You're going to sue him for it. These are things that you can't take back."
He understands what this will mean. But he knows he can't go down without a fight, either. Sighing, Eduardo hails a cab after another unsuccessful interview and arrives at his apartment building -- to find Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss waiting in his lobby, a lawyer at their side and court order in their hands.
It takes him a moment to understand what they're saying, but when he does, Eduardo has to push down on a wave of rage.
"You're suing Mark and Facebook?"
"And you, of course."
Eduardo raises an eyebrow, bites down on the curses that want to spill out of his mouth and grabs the envelope that Cameron hands him. "Me? I'm not a part of Facebook."
Tyler takes a step closer and Eduardo resists the urge to retreat, straightens his shoulders and stares back.
Cameron joins his brother and says, "Why don't we talk?"
-- --
This can't be Eduardo’s life.
"Basically you need me to testify on your behalf? This is what you're saying?" Eduardo stares down at the papers in his hand, reading and rereading the words, anger churning in his stomach. He can't even…
"Why are you having such a hard time with this? He cut you off. Shouldn't you be jumping at the chance?" Tyler -- Eduardo is pretty sure it's Tyler with the temper -- leans forward, eyes narrowed, lips curled in a sneer. "You can't let that little shit win, Saverin."
Eduardo pushes down the urge to punch the smirk off his face, throws him a bland smile instead.
Cameron gives his brother a hard stare -- and it's so disconcerting having them sitting there side by side -- then turns to bestow a charming smile on Eduardo. "My brother tends to get a little emotional about this, you understand? We're men of Harvard. Like you are, Eduardo. We know right from wrong, we understand honor. Mark Zuckerberg doesn't. Never has."
He feels his hands close into fists as he breathes through his nose. They really don't know Mark in any way. Mark is loyal -- to Facebook. That's all that matters to him. He would never sacrifice that for getting one over on the Winklevii. "I'm not sure how my testimony could help you, Cameron. I wasn't there for most of it. Just the beginning."
"That all we need." Cameron smiles, nodding once when his brother touches his shoulder, and glances over before standing up. "We won't go ahead with filing those papers, Eduardo, until Monday morning."
Eduardo rises to his feet, keeping his gaze locked on Cameron. "Meaning?"
"You have until then to decide whether to join us or -"
"Not."
Cameron shakes his hand, nods at Eduardo once as he says, "We know you'll do the right thing."
He watches them walk out the lobby doors, hail a taxi and disappear into the night. Eduardo drops into the chair he'd been sitting in, leans back against the cushion and closes his eyes, head spinning. They have enough evidence to claim theft, he realizes that. The cease and desist letters, emails from Mark, promises that were broken. None of that, Eduardo knows, is enough, but--
They want him.
They want him to go up against Mark, help them take Mark down, and he would be lying if he said a part of him didn’t want to do just that. Hurt Mark like he'd been hurt.
But Cameron's voice echoes in his head.
"We're men of Harvard."
"We know right from wrong."
"We understand honor."
Eduardo doesn't think they do.
He runs one hand through his hair, rubbing his eyes with the other one. Eduardo knows that he could just do what the Winklevii want.
But he isn't them.
He pulls out his phone and finds the right name, pushing the call button. It only rings once.
"Eduardo?"
Eduardo clears his throat. "Chris. I think we have a problem."
-- --
The silence that follows his breathless rambling is long and stretches out until Eduardo is restless, fidgeting in his seat as he waits for Chris to say something... anything.
He hears the deep intake of air and then, "I'm booking you the next flight out. You better be on that plane, Eduardo."
"But--"
"No. You called me because you wanted to do the right thing. You being here is the right thing. Get on the fucking plane."
Then it's just dial tone, and Eduardo can't find a reason to call Chris back and tell him no. The decision is already made.
He is siding with Facebook. With Chris and Dustin.
With Mark.
It's done.
Packing quickly is easy enough. He grabs his traveling bag, stuffs it with underwear, a pair of jeans and couple of t-shirts, his toiletry bag, two pairs of shoes. At the last minute he pulls his garment bag down and packs two suits. He hopes he isn't gone long enough to need all the clothes, but there's a nagging voice in the back of his mind that says he's probably going to need to go shopping while in California. His laptop bag is by the door.
He locks up, takes the elevator down, and nods at his doorman when he motions to a taxi.
Eduardo narrates all of this in his head because he needs to. He can't think about the fact that he's about to get on a plane to help the man who broke his trust.
He closes his eyes and forces his mind to clear away all thoughts of Mark.
One thing at a time: get on the airplane.
-- --
Eduardo's eyes are dry, itching as he disembarks from the plane and breathes in the stale terminal air. The flight had been packed and he'd been forced to check in his bags. He rolls his neck, tries to rub the sleep from his entire face, and heads to baggage claim.
He steps off the escalator, checking for the correct baggage carousel, and freezes at the last second. Someone knocks into his back and he skids a few steps forward. He can't even form an apology to the person he just blocked because barely twenty steps away from him, laptop balanced on his knees, sits Mark Zuckerberg.
Eduardo is aware that he was going to have to face Mark during this whole -- whatever the hell it is they are doing -- but this is -- this was not what he -- his brain can't actually understand any of it.
"Mark?"
He hates the way his voice breaks in the middle of Mark's name, but it's nothing compared to the way his chest aches when Mark glances up at his name.
He closes the laptop, cradling it in his arms as he stands and sends Eduardo a nervous half-smile. "Wardo."
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Mark frowns, lines of confusion evident on his forehead. "I came to pick you up?"
Eduardo blinks.
This is not his life.
Now Mark decides he’s worth the effort. Of course he does. Eduardo is here to help him keep his precious website. The anger is so sudden that Eduardo wavers on his feet. He takes two steps toward Mark but stops when Mark shrinks back slightly and clutches his laptop tighter to his chest.
Whatever is on his face is enough to give Mark flashbacks, and Eduardo -- he doesn't want to do that. He doesn't want to scare Mark or hurt him. It's not who he is.
Forcing himself to calm, he swallows down the fury and breathes in deep, closing his eyes for a second before opening them again to look at Mark. "Of course you did." He can hear the bitterness in his voice and cringes. So much for keeping his anger in check. Shaking his head, he waves toward his bags and heads to the carousel.
Mark follows without a word.
They actually say nothing while Eduardo picks up his belongings, while they walk out of baggage claim to the parking lot, while Mark puts Eduardo's things in his trunk, while they drive out of SFO and toward Palo Alto.
It's almost half an hour before Mark clears his throat and says, "I-- I don't know why you decided to tell us about the Winklevii."
Eduardo rolls his eyes and snorts. "No, I suppose you wouldn't."
He catches the way Mark's hands grip the steering wheel. "Just… I appreciate it."
He does look over at Mark now, studies the way his face is pinched, his mouth pursed in discomfort. Mark actually means it and Eduardo isn't sure what that means. He shrugs it off and turns his gaze out of the passenger side window. "It doesn't mean anything."
"That’s not true." Mark is annoyed and Eduardo's lips twitch in amusement. He always enjoyed doing that to Mark, if he was honest.
Sighing, Eduardo glances over at him, meeting Mark's flitting gaze. "I'm not you, Mark."
Mark flinches, faintly.
There's nothing else to say.
-- --
He doesn't expect to be taken straight away to the Facebook offices, but Eduardo supposes that makes the most sense. This is a red-level emergency kind of problem, and the sooner they work to fix it, the better it will be for everyone.
Eduardo stares up at the non-descript building he knows houses this thing that has changed the face of communication. His chest feels tight, the loss of it a little heavier now that he is looking at it. He turns to see Mark watching him, his own face completely blank, and Eduardo isn't sure what that means. He doesn't know this Mark, and a part of him -- the angry, bitter part -- doesn't really want to. Ever.
Mark motions to the doors. "They're waiting for us."
He doesn't know who "they" are, but he follows Mark toward the entrance, hesitating for a second before he walks in. The security guard greets Mark with a nod as he approaches.
"Hey, Rodney."
Eduardo's brow raises slightly. The fact that Mark knows the night security means that he spends way too much time at work, because otherwise Mark would never remember his name.
"Make sure that Mr. Saverin has full access to the building."
Rodney nods and gives Eduardo a pleasant smile. "Welcome to Facebook, sir."
Eduardo starts to shake his head but Mark is already moving, and he doesn't know where he needs to be so he runs to catch up. He wants to know what the hell that meant but it's not the time. He glances at his watch and is surprised that it's only one in the morning. He feels like he hasn't slept in days.
They weave through the desks, past the night shift, and the sound of keyboards clacking makes Eduardo’s shoulders relax. It's familiar, something he used to love to be around, almost like home, and he hadn't realized he missed that until that moment.
There's no time to ponder what that means because Mark is guiding him into a conference room, one of the few Eduardo thinks has actual walls and not glass, and before he can gather his wits, the air is forced out of his lungs by a Dustin-shaped being hugging him so tightly Eduardo swears he hears a rib crack.
"Wardo! You came!"
Eduardo attempts to respond, but with no air coming in, all he can manage is a loud groaning noise as he squeezes Dustin back.
"Jesus, Dustin, let him go. Don't kill him. We just got him back," Mark says just off to Eduardo's left, and the words shock him enough that he goes limp in Dustin's hold.
"I think you might have damaged him, Dustin."
Dustin pulls away, manic grin on his face despite the circumstances, and Eduardo can't help but cough out a laugh as he draws in much needed oxygen. "But it's Wardo, Chris. Wardo." He can't stop smiling, apparently, and it's contagious enough that Eduardo does it back. He has missed Dustin.
He pats his friend's shoulder. "Hey, Dustin. Calm down before you hurt yourself."
Dustin shakes him. "Wardo. This is crazy. Who would have thunk you'd be our savior?" His face blanches as he says the words and Eduardo knows his own can't be any better. "Not that you weren't -- I didn't -- shit."
Eduardo knows. He knows that Dustin didn't make the decision, and even when he stayed with Mark, Eduardo knew it wasn't about them -- their friendship. Mark needed someone. Dustin was that person.
"It's okay, Dustin." He tries to smile, but then he notices movement right behind Chris' shoulder and everything goes fuzzy, white noise in his head.
Sean Parker stands up, walking toward Eduardo with that stupid smirk and his annoying face and all Eduardo can hear is all the ways Mark told him Sean was better. He remembers all the ways Sean helped to screw Eduardo. Every single moment that Eduardo felt thislittle next to him.
"I can't say I feel the--"
Eduardo's fist connects with Sean's face seconds before Eduardo even realizes it's going to do exactly that.
His breathing is harsh, stuttered, and he feels the ache of his hand all the way up to his shoulder, but damn it if it isn't satisfying to see Sean Parker laid out on the floor at his feet, eyes wide with shock (and a glint that Eduardo is going to ignore because he does not need Sean fucking Parker's approval), a line of blood dripping from his lip.
He turns to see Dustin's mouth gaping open and Chris’ lips trying their best to stop from turning up. When he meets Mark's gaze, he takes a step away from Sean, smoothing out his shirt and raising an eyebrow. But Mark doesn't say anything more than, "Is it out of your system now?"
Eduardo thinks for a second, then nods. "Mostly."
"Good. Let's talk about your meeting with the Winklevii."
-- --
Eduardo lays it all out for them.
It doesn't take a lot of time (and he doesn't wonder too much why Chris insisted that Eduardo come to Palo Alto when this could have been done over the phone).
"Wait, so why did they think you'd be on board with this?"
Eduardo glares at Sean. "Beside the fact I was screwed out of the company?"
Sean nods. "You never showed any indication that you were going to-- oh. Huh. Didn't think you had in you, Eduardo." He rubs at his jaw and smirks. "See, you should have been like this before."
Eduardo counts to ten and does not allow the fantasy of punching Sean a few more times to take him out of the conversation. "You didn't know a lot of things about me, Parker." He glances at Mark, sees the way his jaw is tense, and straightens his shoulders. "Yes, I was getting ready to sue you."
Dustin’s face falls slightly and Eduardo sends him an apologetic look. He couldn't lie and say it wasn't personal, because that was the only thing it really was, but he would have felt bad dragging Dustin and Chris into it.
Chris and Sean accept Eduardo's statement without a word, but Mark's face is blank -- the kind Eduardo knows he uses when he's hiding disappointment -- and that makes the anger thrum through his blood. "It was my company, too, Mark. You took it without a fucking second thought."
"You weren't here. You didn't build it from scratch," Mark snaps, and Eduardo shakes his head at that, because what?
"I wasn't-- you know, why don't we focus on finding a way to keep your company safe from Naranda and the Winklevosses, okay?"
"And then what? You'll turn around and sue us?"
He shakes his head. "Plans change."
Mark snorts. "And I'm supposed to believe you?"
Eduardo opens his mouth to tell Mark to shove it (something he has never said in his life), when Sean raises a hand.
"Shut the fuck up. This isn't helping."
The fact that it's Sean being reasonable is enough to get Eduardo to actually shut up.
Chris leans forward. "Surprisingly, I agree with Sean."
"It's the end of the world," Dustin mutters and Eduardo looks over at him, catches the smile he gives him and returns it.
"Right?"
"Whatever. You all know my idea are fucking flawless and brilliant. That's why I'm the shit."
Chris takes a deep breath, pinches the bridge of his nose and locks eyes with Eduardo. "Are you planning to help them? Was this just a heads up before you go?"
He can feel Mark vibrating in his seat, his glare sending heat at Eduardo, and he takes a moment to make sure the decision he made back in his apartment lobby is still the one he wants. "No. I won't be testifying for them."
Chris nods. "Good. How long until you have to give them an answer?"
"Monday." Mark is staring at him, face unchanged, and Eduardo glares back at him. "What?"
"I find it hard to believe you want to give up the opportunity to get the money you deserve back." Mark spits the words out through clenched teeth.
It was never about the money but he won't say that. "I can deal." He turns to Chris. "What the plan?"
-- --
There isn't much of a plan.
"So, he's screwed no matter what," Dustin says as he shoves another slice of pizza into his mouth. Eduardo doesn't even know where they managed to get pizza at four in the morning.
Chris chews on his own breakfast pizza and makes a face. "Basically. I mean, even if Eduardo doesn't agree to testify for their side, they can just subpoena him."
"And sue me along with Facebook."
Sean's head is resting on the table. "Can we make Eduardo sign something that makes it so he can't talk? Non-disclosure?"
"Won't hold up in court, though. It's legal proceedings. It would be more problematic for him." Chris sighs and closes his eyes. "I don't know what to do. Sydney is trying to figure out some loophole but he wants to focus on preparing for the depositions that will likely come."
Mark hasn't said a word in almost an hour, so when he finally speaks, Eduardo jumps a little.
"Everyone but Eduardo, out."
They all stare at him.
"You heard me. Out."
Chris gives Eduardo a sympathetic smile as he wrangles Dustin and Sean out of the doors. When they close the door behind them, Eduardo turns toward Mark.
"There's only one solution to this."
Eduardo stares up at Mark's eyes, shuttered and wary as they lock with his. His stomach churns as he asks the question.
"What is that exactly?"
"We need to get married."
The room starts to shrink, walls closing in, and Eduardo shakes his head because he's pretty sure he didn't just hear Mark say that he… that they…
Eduardo breathes through his panic because there's nothing else to do with what Mark just said. He shakes his head, ignores the way his heart stuttered over a few of its beats, and stares at Mark.
"Excuse me?"
He sees Mark's face get that pinched, annoyed look it does when he has to repeat himself, but he does it anyway. Repeats what Eduardo thought he'd said.
"Marry me."
Eduardo starts to laugh.
-- --
It takes Eduardo a good ten minutes to compose himself enough to realize that Mark is completely serious. The scowl on his face tells him that much.
"Mark, have you gone crazy?"
"Look, Chris and I--"
"Chris? Chris is in on this?"
Mark glares at him, nodding. "It's the easiest way. They can't make you testify against your spouse."
Eduardo's ears are ringing. "Won't it look suspicious if we end up getting married, Mark?" He watches the way Mark’s gaze flits around the room and Eduardo isn't sure he wants to hear what it is Mark doesn't want to say. "There's more."
"Chris has a friend -- Basically, we can get married to make sure it's legal, and Chris will make it seem as if we've been married for some time."
"Isn't that falsifying documents?"
Mark shakes his head. "No, just dates, really. And, no, it won't be illegal, because the suit hasn't even been filed yet. It won't count."
Eduardo stares at him, heart racing in his chest, and something tugs at him, the agreement on the tip of his tongue and he doesn't understand why. Why he wants this as badly as he seems to. It's a lie, all of it. Mark hurt him, took away their company, his friendship and left him. Left him alone. Eduardo doesn't know what to feel.
Before he can speak, however, Mark does. "We'll have to stay married for a respectable amount of time. Chris says a year, but we can get an annulment when the time is up."
Eduardo's head is spinning and he can't think of anything to say.
"You'll get compensated."
He glances up at Mark then. "Excuse me?"
Mark shrugs. "There's no time for a prenup, Wardo. You'll get half of everything I own. Half of my part of Facebook." Eduardo frowns but Mark turns away from him, pulling up some forms on his computer. "It's what you want and I never cared about the money."
It's on the tip of Eduardo's tongue to say he didn't either, but he can't bring himself to be that open with Mark, to let him know what he really wants. Hell, Eduardo doesn't even know what he wants. "Half of everything?"
Mark's shoulders slump forward slightly, and when he throws a look over his shoulder at Eduardo, it's guarded, cold. "You decided to help us. It's worth it."
Facebook has always been worth everything to Mark. Eduardo knows that.
He looks at the closed door. "And it's the only way?"
"The only one that's quick enough to be efficient, yes."
He should say no. He should walk out of that office and go home. He should call Gretchen and tell her that he wants to proceed with the suit.
"Okay."
Mark's head jerks up, wariness shining in his eyes. "Okay?"
"I'll marry you, Mark."
-- --
"No one but Chris can know that--"
"Yes, I understand. We have to pretend this was something we did when we-- before."
Mark’s mouth twitches at the corners. "Kids do stupid things, don't they?"
Eduardo locks his gaze with Mark's. "Like get married without telling anyone?"
"Among other things."
He doesn't care to know what that means.
-- --
The process is supposed to be way easier than Eduardo would have expected. They'll get blood work done and processed, file their application and be at City Hall before lunch to see the justice of the peace.
Dustin and Sean stroll back in with Chris trailing behind them. He meets Eduardo's stare, nodding in question, and Eduardo does the same in response. He seems relieved, the worry that's been etching across Chris' face easing some, and that's something. Eduardo doesn't really hear the excuses that Mark makes to Dustin and Sean. They decide to have a meeting with Thiel and a few other prominent investors, shareholders that afternoon.
Enough time for Mark and Eduardo to get hitched.
Eduardo grips the edge of the table at the thought but he can't back out. This is -- he wants to prove that he can take care of his end of this bargain. Half of everything.
Dustin and Sean seem put off by Mark's insistence that they go home to rest.
"Since when do you let us sleep when we're in crisis, Mark?" Dustin asks, eyeing them suspiciously.
Sean agrees. "Yeah. You're like a fucking robot, Mark. No way is this normal behavior for you."
Eduardo glares at Sean. Mark wasn't a robot and he hated when someone called him that. Not that Mark was the greatest human in the world, but he wasn’t a goddamn machine.
"Um, Wardo. You're, like, growling at Sean, man."
He blinks, turning to look at Dustin, and has the shame to blush a little. "I was clearing my throat."
Chris hides a laugh behind a cough, looking over Eduardo toward Mark. Eduardo doesn't want to see what Mark might be doing so he keeps his gaze aimed out the window. The morning is going from light gray to blue and he wonders if he has time to make a call.
Mark convinces Sean and Dustin to leave, Eduardo has no idea how, then pulls Chris to a corner. They seem to be having a heated discussion. He's pretty sure he knows why. It's as good a time as ever to do what he has to. He pulls his phone out, scrolling through his recent calls until he finds the number he needs. Taking a deep breath before hitting the call button, he closes his eyes as he waits for the line to be picked up.
"Olá, meu querido menino."
"Olá, mãe." He realizes how early it is in Miami and cringes. "I'm sorry. I woke you up, didn't I?"
His mother’s laugh is light and sweet, makes Eduardo's churning stomach ease slightly. "Of course not. Your father has an early flight today. I have been up for some time to make sure it goes smoothly." Eduardo hears the warmth in her tone and smiles despite his own complicated feelings about his father.
His father loving his mother is never anything Eduardo has doubted.
"I won't keep you long. There's something I need to tell you. I wanted you to know first before you read it or heard it from anyone else."
"What is it, filho meu?"
Eduardo closes his eyes and lies to his mother. "The news and -- you're going to hear about my marriage, mãe."
"Your-- what, Eduardo? Your marriage?"
"Yes. I-- it was a mistake. It happened a while ago but-- it's going to become public soon and I didn't want you to get caught unprepared about it."
His mother is silent for several seconds, but when she does speak again, her tone is gentle. "It's that boy, isn't it? Mark?"
Eduardo shakes his head. How in the world --
"Yes. How did you know?" Because what what what?
"I remember how you talked about him, namorado. Your heartbreak when he hurt you." Her voice is steely as she talks about Mark. "I do not think he deserves you."
"Mãe, por favor. This is not the time. I have to take care of some errands, but I will call in a few days to give you more details."
"Eduardo, you should speak to your father."
"No. I don't need to hear what he has to say. I already know what that will be."
"He might surprise you."
"I'm not sure that's true, mãe." He turns to see Mark standing behind him, curious eyes falling on Eduardo's face. "I have to go. Eu te amo."
"Eu também te amo garoto, doce. Be careful."
"I will. Adeus, mamãe." He presses the end call button as he turns to face Mark. "I wanted to warn my mother. This isn't going to stay quiet very long."
Mark shakes his head. "I doubt that." He pauses a moment before meeting Eduardo's gaze. "What did your father say?"
"I didn't speak with him."
Mark looks surprised, one eyebrow raised. "Isn't he going to be angry that you didn't?"
Eduardo meets his gaze. "He's always upset about one thing or another. I can't be bothered to worry about that right now.
"You always needed his approval," Mark says simply. Eduardo understands it's not an insult. It just a fact and Mark is good at stating those.
Eduardo shrugs. "That was before."
Mark nods then motions behind him to where Chris is speaking on the phone. "Chris thinks he can get a JOP to meet us at the house. He'll be the witness."
That seems a better plan than the two of them striding into City Hall where anyone could recognize them. It would blow the whole "we've been married forever" part of the plan.
"Fine. Let's do this."
-- --
Everything is taken care of in the blink of an eye. Apparently, Chris has connections with a doctor and someone in the city's hall of records. They get all the paperwork taken care of quietly and quickly. The JOP arrives a little before noon and starts the proceedings once he sees to the validity of their certificate.
He instructs Mark and Eduardo to stand in front of him while Chris waits silently in the background. Eduardo imagines they make quite a sight, with Mark in his hoodie and flip-flops, while he fidgets in a wrinkled suit. He hasn't slept in more than thirty hours, so when the JOP asks him to take Mark's hand, he does.
Mark blinks at him but doesn't remove his hand from Eduardo's.
It's like every scene he's ever seen in a movie (though he can't ever recall seeing anything quite like this in any of them). He repeats his vows as he is asked to -- they are the common "Do you take Mark to be your legal husband?"-- watches the way Mark's mouth moves as he does the same, and then he's looking at the JOP's amused gaze.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Rings?"
"Oh." Eduardo looks at Mark, who shrugs and shakes his head. They forgot rings.
"I've got them."
Chris steps up, smiling wanly at them as he drops a ring in each of their hands. They are simple, silver bands, nothing extravagant.
"Good. Exchange rings, please."
Eduardo fits the ring on Mark’s finger, his own fumbling with nerves, and lingers at the warmth of his hand. He glances up to see Mark's face flushed slightly pink and bites back a smile. It's nice to know that Mark isn't immune to nerves. He lifts his hand for his ring and then tangles his fingers with Mark's after he's placed it on. He purposely doesn't look at Mark and waits as the JOP goes through his last part of the ceremony.
"By the power vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husbands." The JOP gives them an encouraging smile. "You can kiss now."
Eduardo glances back at Mark, who seems to have retreated behind a blank wall, and something inside his chest clenches. He leans forward, pulling to get Mark closer, and then his lips are pressed against Mark’s. Mark's breath hitches almost imperceptibly and Eduardo swipes his tongue against Mark's lips before pulling away. He watches Mark's eyes open, dark blue, and can't seem to breathe.
"Congratulations."
He turns to look at Chris, who seems amused for whatever reason, and nods. "Thanks."
Mark leaves the room.
part two
Title: don't love you (but i always will)
Recipient: casey_sms
Prompt Number: 67
Characters/Pairings: Mark/Eduardo, lots of Sean Parker, Dustin and Chris
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 for sexytimes, some cursing
Word Count: 15,000 +
Disclaimer: This fanwork is based on fictional representations of the characters in The Social Network; I make no claims of ownership of the characters or concepts.
Summary: Eduardo marries Mark to save Facebook...supposedly...
Notes: So I have no idea if this was what you wanted but I hope it's at least close enough. I tried to keep to the prompt! This is my first time writing for these characters so I apologize if they are not themselves. Damn story got away from me and it didn't want to stop even where it did but I made it behave. Thanks to the mods running this awesome show. Big huge thanks and eternal gratitude to my beta, wouldbedorothy for tackling this. *crossing fingers* Let's hope it doesn't suck too badly. :)
part one
"There's only one solution to this."
Eduardo stares up at Mark's eyes, shuttered and wary as they lock with his. His stomach churns as he asks the question.
"What is that exactly?"
"We need to get married."
The room starts to shrink, walls closing in, and Eduardo shakes his head because he's pretty sure he didn't just hear Mark say that he… that they…
Eduardo breathes through his panic because there's nothing else to do with what Mark just said. He shakes his head, ignores the way his heart stuttered over a few of its beats, and stares at Mark.
"Excuse me?"
He sees Mark's face get that pinched, annoyed look it does when he has to repeat himself, but he does it anyway. Repeats what Eduardo thought he'd said.
"Marry me."
-- --
Losing Facebook and Mark's friendship wasn't the end of the world for Eduardo, not like everyone in the world (Chris, Dustin, his mother) thought it was. It hurt like nothing else ever had (except maybe his father's disappointment), but reports of his heartbreak were wildly inaccurate. He can tell most people (Chris, Dustin, his mother) don't believe him when he says that, but Eduardo can't change how they think, so he doesn't try. (He doesn't think about the fact that it takes him a month to leave his apartment and that it takes him twice as long to even look at his laptop again.)
There's no point in it.
What he does do is go back to Harvard, despite not wanting to face what others might say, and buckles down. (He tries to avoid Chris, because he doesn't want any reminder of his own stupid mistakes, but that's easier said than done. Chris refuses to let Eduardo get away with that. After a week of Eduardo ignoring his calls and avoiding him on campus, Chris shows up at his dorm room and yells at him for being a dick. Eduardo can't disagree. Their friendship survives.) He leaves the AEPi fraternity because he wants to concentrate on his studies (and it brings back too many memories).
He sets up a routine that keeps him busy as often as he can be, which helps him not think about the achy, hollow place in his chest where he knows Mark used to reside. He blocks as many thoughts about him out of his mind as he can (dreams don't count because he can't control those). Avoids any blog, article, or television show that might remotely talk about Mark or Facebook or anything relating to it.
It takes Eduardo almost nine months before he can talk to Chris about it, and when he does, they're both drunk. Chris apologizes for not knowing and Eduardo tries not to cry when he remembers that he'd once been a part of something more wondrous than a stupid website. The next morning meets them with a hangover and slight memory loss for which they both are thankful. Eduardo takes one look at Chris’ blond hair sticking up all over the place, the indent the table left in his cheek, and his slightly confused expression, and laughs and laughs until he can't breathe.
There's a pillow thrown at him, and Chris', "You don't look any better, Wardo, so shut it," but his own laughter joins Eduardo's. It seems to clear the air between them, for real and completely this time, and it makes Eduardo feel lighter. Chris broaches the topic of Mark once but the look on Eduardo's face makes him swallow the words back.
He isn't ready.
Chris sets him up on a few dates. He isn't interested until he meets Chris' friend Robert, a poli sci major with dimples and dark, curly hair. Their first date consists of arguing over the economy (Eduardo can talk extensively about the subject) and the merits of networking (social or otherwise, though Robert stays clear of the subject of a certain online networking site). Eduardo doesn't think twice when he finds himself in Robert's single, being pushed up against the wall with Robert's mouth pressed hot against his throat.
(They end up dating for a few weeks but decide that they make better friends than lovers. Eduardo knows he can't bring himself to trust anyone, not yet, and it's not fair to Robert.)
He graduates magna cum laude with a degree in economics. His parents show up for his graduation and his father shakes his hand, mouth set in a firm line of disapproval. Eduardo hadn't graduated with the honors or the connections his father expected. It still hurts more than Eduardo wants it to, but he finds that it matters less now than it had before. Maybe it would have made everything easier if he hadn't cared back when… The point is that he's fine with it.
Eduardo plans a quiet dinner to celebrate with only his mother, Chris, Dustin (who came up for Chris), a few friends from his study group, and Robert attending. (His father has business commitments he can't get out of and leaves as soon as the ceremony is over. Eduardo is perfectly okay with that.) It's the first time he sees or talks to Dustin since that day he'd walked out of Facebook with the sound of Mark's breaking laptop and his own angry words echoing in his ears.
Dustin approaches him cautiously, extending one hand that holds a wrapped present and giving Eduardo a nervous half-smile. "Congratulations, Wardo."
Eduardo glances down at the gift, then smiles wide and pulls Dustin into a tight hug. "Thank you, Dustin." He feels more than hears the sound that Dustin makes and holds on until Dustin starts to fidget. When he pulls back, Dustin's eyes are a little shiny, his smile wobbly. "I thought--"
He shakes his head. It's better to avoid that topic, so he wraps an arm over Dustin's shoulder and guides him to the table.
The next day, when everyone has gone back to where they belong, Eduardo is faced with what he's supposed to do with the rest of his life. He realizes that he doesn't actually have to decide right that second, but… he needs a plan. A goal to head towards. The thought that keeps rolling through his head is the last words he'd said to Mark.
"Lawyer up, asshole, because I'm not coming back for thirty percent. I'm coming back for everything."
He hadn't given the threat any real thought. The hurt had been too much. It isn't until he sits down in his empty studio apartment that he realizes he might have meant it. Time hasn't made the pain any less visceral or less humiliating, being thrown out of his own company. It hasn't helped with the instant flash of hate that he feels at the idea that Sean -- Sean fucking Parker -- had helped to do it to him. It doesn't stop Eduardo from wanting to shake Mark until he admits he'd been a cruel son of a bitch, that Eduardo wasn't a throwaway fact about his life.
Time did, however, give him a better perspective of his own behavior, and he knows without a shadow of a doubt that closing the account had been childish. He'd done it out of anger, because that was the only way to get Mark to listen sometimes.
Did he deserve to be taken as a threat? Maybe. Did he deserve to lose his company for it? No. Not the way that he had.
Eduardo takes a week to truly think it over before making a decision. He starts making appointments with attorneys two weeks after his graduation dinner.
-- --
It takes Eduardo almost a month of meetings and lunches to find what he is looking for. Most of the attorneys he encounters seem to have their own agendas for wanting to help Eduardo: Mark's money. They don't see the bigger picture, and Eduardo is at the end of his rope when he walks into Gretchen's office. She listens to his story, what he wants, and somehow understands the real reason behind it.
Folding her hands on top of her desk, she gives Eduardo a long, steady look, clearing her throat before saying, "You realize that you will be more than likely destroying any chance of ever recuperating your friendship, Mr. Saverin?"
Eduardo blinks at her, scowling. "I don't want--"
She raises one hand in the air. "Make sure…" When he starts to protest, she shakes her head. "Eduardo."
He freezes and stares at her.
Satisfied that she has his attention, she finishes her thought. "Make sure you don't want to salvage it. He took your company. You're going to sue him for it. These are things that you can't take back."
Eduardo nods.
"Take another week to think it over. If you still feel the same, then schedule a meeting and we'll get started on it."
He leaves Gretchen's office with his head buzzing, thoughts and feelings thrumming in his skull. His mind goes back to their time at Harvard, to late night study sessions where he made sure Mark ate at least once every eight hours through his coding tears, and bribes and threats to make him sleep. The memories were mostly good, at least before Palo Alto, and he wishes that Mark was more the heartless asshole Eduardo thought him to be.
But he knows it isn't everything Mark had once been.
Maybe he is at this point, but his friend with the curly hair and clear blue intelligent gaze had been more.
Is Eduardo ready to forget all that and take Mark at face value for what he'd become?
He gives himself more time to think it over, another month passing as he mulls it over between lunch meetings and interviews with prospective employers. Gretchen understands what he wants and her words keep coming back to him.
"Make sure you don't want to salvage it. He took your company. You're going to sue him for it. These are things that you can't take back."
He understands what this will mean. But he knows he can't go down without a fight, either. Sighing, Eduardo hails a cab after another unsuccessful interview and arrives at his apartment building -- to find Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss waiting in his lobby, a lawyer at their side and court order in their hands.
It takes him a moment to understand what they're saying, but when he does, Eduardo has to push down on a wave of rage.
"You're suing Mark and Facebook?"
"And you, of course."
Eduardo raises an eyebrow, bites down on the curses that want to spill out of his mouth and grabs the envelope that Cameron hands him. "Me? I'm not a part of Facebook."
Tyler takes a step closer and Eduardo resists the urge to retreat, straightens his shoulders and stares back.
Cameron joins his brother and says, "Why don't we talk?"
-- --
This can't be Eduardo’s life.
"Basically you need me to testify on your behalf? This is what you're saying?" Eduardo stares down at the papers in his hand, reading and rereading the words, anger churning in his stomach. He can't even…
"Why are you having such a hard time with this? He cut you off. Shouldn't you be jumping at the chance?" Tyler -- Eduardo is pretty sure it's Tyler with the temper -- leans forward, eyes narrowed, lips curled in a sneer. "You can't let that little shit win, Saverin."
Eduardo pushes down the urge to punch the smirk off his face, throws him a bland smile instead.
Cameron gives his brother a hard stare -- and it's so disconcerting having them sitting there side by side -- then turns to bestow a charming smile on Eduardo. "My brother tends to get a little emotional about this, you understand? We're men of Harvard. Like you are, Eduardo. We know right from wrong, we understand honor. Mark Zuckerberg doesn't. Never has."
He feels his hands close into fists as he breathes through his nose. They really don't know Mark in any way. Mark is loyal -- to Facebook. That's all that matters to him. He would never sacrifice that for getting one over on the Winklevii. "I'm not sure how my testimony could help you, Cameron. I wasn't there for most of it. Just the beginning."
"That all we need." Cameron smiles, nodding once when his brother touches his shoulder, and glances over before standing up. "We won't go ahead with filing those papers, Eduardo, until Monday morning."
Eduardo rises to his feet, keeping his gaze locked on Cameron. "Meaning?"
"You have until then to decide whether to join us or -"
"Not."
Cameron shakes his hand, nods at Eduardo once as he says, "We know you'll do the right thing."
He watches them walk out the lobby doors, hail a taxi and disappear into the night. Eduardo drops into the chair he'd been sitting in, leans back against the cushion and closes his eyes, head spinning. They have enough evidence to claim theft, he realizes that. The cease and desist letters, emails from Mark, promises that were broken. None of that, Eduardo knows, is enough, but--
They want him.
They want him to go up against Mark, help them take Mark down, and he would be lying if he said a part of him didn’t want to do just that. Hurt Mark like he'd been hurt.
But Cameron's voice echoes in his head.
"We're men of Harvard."
"We know right from wrong."
"We understand honor."
Eduardo doesn't think they do.
He runs one hand through his hair, rubbing his eyes with the other one. Eduardo knows that he could just do what the Winklevii want.
But he isn't them.
He pulls out his phone and finds the right name, pushing the call button. It only rings once.
"Eduardo?"
Eduardo clears his throat. "Chris. I think we have a problem."
-- --
The silence that follows his breathless rambling is long and stretches out until Eduardo is restless, fidgeting in his seat as he waits for Chris to say something... anything.
He hears the deep intake of air and then, "I'm booking you the next flight out. You better be on that plane, Eduardo."
"But--"
"No. You called me because you wanted to do the right thing. You being here is the right thing. Get on the fucking plane."
Then it's just dial tone, and Eduardo can't find a reason to call Chris back and tell him no. The decision is already made.
He is siding with Facebook. With Chris and Dustin.
With Mark.
It's done.
Packing quickly is easy enough. He grabs his traveling bag, stuffs it with underwear, a pair of jeans and couple of t-shirts, his toiletry bag, two pairs of shoes. At the last minute he pulls his garment bag down and packs two suits. He hopes he isn't gone long enough to need all the clothes, but there's a nagging voice in the back of his mind that says he's probably going to need to go shopping while in California. His laptop bag is by the door.
He locks up, takes the elevator down, and nods at his doorman when he motions to a taxi.
Eduardo narrates all of this in his head because he needs to. He can't think about the fact that he's about to get on a plane to help the man who broke his trust.
He closes his eyes and forces his mind to clear away all thoughts of Mark.
One thing at a time: get on the airplane.
-- --
Eduardo's eyes are dry, itching as he disembarks from the plane and breathes in the stale terminal air. The flight had been packed and he'd been forced to check in his bags. He rolls his neck, tries to rub the sleep from his entire face, and heads to baggage claim.
He steps off the escalator, checking for the correct baggage carousel, and freezes at the last second. Someone knocks into his back and he skids a few steps forward. He can't even form an apology to the person he just blocked because barely twenty steps away from him, laptop balanced on his knees, sits Mark Zuckerberg.
Eduardo is aware that he was going to have to face Mark during this whole -- whatever the hell it is they are doing -- but this is -- this was not what he -- his brain can't actually understand any of it.
"Mark?"
He hates the way his voice breaks in the middle of Mark's name, but it's nothing compared to the way his chest aches when Mark glances up at his name.
He closes the laptop, cradling it in his arms as he stands and sends Eduardo a nervous half-smile. "Wardo."
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Mark frowns, lines of confusion evident on his forehead. "I came to pick you up?"
Eduardo blinks.
This is not his life.
Now Mark decides he’s worth the effort. Of course he does. Eduardo is here to help him keep his precious website. The anger is so sudden that Eduardo wavers on his feet. He takes two steps toward Mark but stops when Mark shrinks back slightly and clutches his laptop tighter to his chest.
Whatever is on his face is enough to give Mark flashbacks, and Eduardo -- he doesn't want to do that. He doesn't want to scare Mark or hurt him. It's not who he is.
Forcing himself to calm, he swallows down the fury and breathes in deep, closing his eyes for a second before opening them again to look at Mark. "Of course you did." He can hear the bitterness in his voice and cringes. So much for keeping his anger in check. Shaking his head, he waves toward his bags and heads to the carousel.
Mark follows without a word.
They actually say nothing while Eduardo picks up his belongings, while they walk out of baggage claim to the parking lot, while Mark puts Eduardo's things in his trunk, while they drive out of SFO and toward Palo Alto.
It's almost half an hour before Mark clears his throat and says, "I-- I don't know why you decided to tell us about the Winklevii."
Eduardo rolls his eyes and snorts. "No, I suppose you wouldn't."
He catches the way Mark's hands grip the steering wheel. "Just… I appreciate it."
He does look over at Mark now, studies the way his face is pinched, his mouth pursed in discomfort. Mark actually means it and Eduardo isn't sure what that means. He shrugs it off and turns his gaze out of the passenger side window. "It doesn't mean anything."
"That’s not true." Mark is annoyed and Eduardo's lips twitch in amusement. He always enjoyed doing that to Mark, if he was honest.
Sighing, Eduardo glances over at him, meeting Mark's flitting gaze. "I'm not you, Mark."
Mark flinches, faintly.
There's nothing else to say.
-- --
He doesn't expect to be taken straight away to the Facebook offices, but Eduardo supposes that makes the most sense. This is a red-level emergency kind of problem, and the sooner they work to fix it, the better it will be for everyone.
Eduardo stares up at the non-descript building he knows houses this thing that has changed the face of communication. His chest feels tight, the loss of it a little heavier now that he is looking at it. He turns to see Mark watching him, his own face completely blank, and Eduardo isn't sure what that means. He doesn't know this Mark, and a part of him -- the angry, bitter part -- doesn't really want to. Ever.
Mark motions to the doors. "They're waiting for us."
He doesn't know who "they" are, but he follows Mark toward the entrance, hesitating for a second before he walks in. The security guard greets Mark with a nod as he approaches.
"Hey, Rodney."
Eduardo's brow raises slightly. The fact that Mark knows the night security means that he spends way too much time at work, because otherwise Mark would never remember his name.
"Make sure that Mr. Saverin has full access to the building."
Rodney nods and gives Eduardo a pleasant smile. "Welcome to Facebook, sir."
Eduardo starts to shake his head but Mark is already moving, and he doesn't know where he needs to be so he runs to catch up. He wants to know what the hell that meant but it's not the time. He glances at his watch and is surprised that it's only one in the morning. He feels like he hasn't slept in days.
They weave through the desks, past the night shift, and the sound of keyboards clacking makes Eduardo’s shoulders relax. It's familiar, something he used to love to be around, almost like home, and he hadn't realized he missed that until that moment.
There's no time to ponder what that means because Mark is guiding him into a conference room, one of the few Eduardo thinks has actual walls and not glass, and before he can gather his wits, the air is forced out of his lungs by a Dustin-shaped being hugging him so tightly Eduardo swears he hears a rib crack.
"Wardo! You came!"
Eduardo attempts to respond, but with no air coming in, all he can manage is a loud groaning noise as he squeezes Dustin back.
"Jesus, Dustin, let him go. Don't kill him. We just got him back," Mark says just off to Eduardo's left, and the words shock him enough that he goes limp in Dustin's hold.
"I think you might have damaged him, Dustin."
Dustin pulls away, manic grin on his face despite the circumstances, and Eduardo can't help but cough out a laugh as he draws in much needed oxygen. "But it's Wardo, Chris. Wardo." He can't stop smiling, apparently, and it's contagious enough that Eduardo does it back. He has missed Dustin.
He pats his friend's shoulder. "Hey, Dustin. Calm down before you hurt yourself."
Dustin shakes him. "Wardo. This is crazy. Who would have thunk you'd be our savior?" His face blanches as he says the words and Eduardo knows his own can't be any better. "Not that you weren't -- I didn't -- shit."
Eduardo knows. He knows that Dustin didn't make the decision, and even when he stayed with Mark, Eduardo knew it wasn't about them -- their friendship. Mark needed someone. Dustin was that person.
"It's okay, Dustin." He tries to smile, but then he notices movement right behind Chris' shoulder and everything goes fuzzy, white noise in his head.
Sean Parker stands up, walking toward Eduardo with that stupid smirk and his annoying face and all Eduardo can hear is all the ways Mark told him Sean was better. He remembers all the ways Sean helped to screw Eduardo. Every single moment that Eduardo felt thislittle next to him.
"I can't say I feel the--"
Eduardo's fist connects with Sean's face seconds before Eduardo even realizes it's going to do exactly that.
His breathing is harsh, stuttered, and he feels the ache of his hand all the way up to his shoulder, but damn it if it isn't satisfying to see Sean Parker laid out on the floor at his feet, eyes wide with shock (and a glint that Eduardo is going to ignore because he does not need Sean fucking Parker's approval), a line of blood dripping from his lip.
He turns to see Dustin's mouth gaping open and Chris’ lips trying their best to stop from turning up. When he meets Mark's gaze, he takes a step away from Sean, smoothing out his shirt and raising an eyebrow. But Mark doesn't say anything more than, "Is it out of your system now?"
Eduardo thinks for a second, then nods. "Mostly."
"Good. Let's talk about your meeting with the Winklevii."
-- --
Eduardo lays it all out for them.
It doesn't take a lot of time (and he doesn't wonder too much why Chris insisted that Eduardo come to Palo Alto when this could have been done over the phone).
"Wait, so why did they think you'd be on board with this?"
Eduardo glares at Sean. "Beside the fact I was screwed out of the company?"
Sean nods. "You never showed any indication that you were going to-- oh. Huh. Didn't think you had in you, Eduardo." He rubs at his jaw and smirks. "See, you should have been like this before."
Eduardo counts to ten and does not allow the fantasy of punching Sean a few more times to take him out of the conversation. "You didn't know a lot of things about me, Parker." He glances at Mark, sees the way his jaw is tense, and straightens his shoulders. "Yes, I was getting ready to sue you."
Dustin’s face falls slightly and Eduardo sends him an apologetic look. He couldn't lie and say it wasn't personal, because that was the only thing it really was, but he would have felt bad dragging Dustin and Chris into it.
Chris and Sean accept Eduardo's statement without a word, but Mark's face is blank -- the kind Eduardo knows he uses when he's hiding disappointment -- and that makes the anger thrum through his blood. "It was my company, too, Mark. You took it without a fucking second thought."
"You weren't here. You didn't build it from scratch," Mark snaps, and Eduardo shakes his head at that, because what?
"I wasn't-- you know, why don't we focus on finding a way to keep your company safe from Naranda and the Winklevosses, okay?"
"And then what? You'll turn around and sue us?"
He shakes his head. "Plans change."
Mark snorts. "And I'm supposed to believe you?"
Eduardo opens his mouth to tell Mark to shove it (something he has never said in his life), when Sean raises a hand.
"Shut the fuck up. This isn't helping."
The fact that it's Sean being reasonable is enough to get Eduardo to actually shut up.
Chris leans forward. "Surprisingly, I agree with Sean."
"It's the end of the world," Dustin mutters and Eduardo looks over at him, catches the smile he gives him and returns it.
"Right?"
"Whatever. You all know my idea are fucking flawless and brilliant. That's why I'm the shit."
Chris takes a deep breath, pinches the bridge of his nose and locks eyes with Eduardo. "Are you planning to help them? Was this just a heads up before you go?"
He can feel Mark vibrating in his seat, his glare sending heat at Eduardo, and he takes a moment to make sure the decision he made back in his apartment lobby is still the one he wants. "No. I won't be testifying for them."
Chris nods. "Good. How long until you have to give them an answer?"
"Monday." Mark is staring at him, face unchanged, and Eduardo glares back at him. "What?"
"I find it hard to believe you want to give up the opportunity to get the money you deserve back." Mark spits the words out through clenched teeth.
It was never about the money but he won't say that. "I can deal." He turns to Chris. "What the plan?"
-- --
There isn't much of a plan.
"So, he's screwed no matter what," Dustin says as he shoves another slice of pizza into his mouth. Eduardo doesn't even know where they managed to get pizza at four in the morning.
Chris chews on his own breakfast pizza and makes a face. "Basically. I mean, even if Eduardo doesn't agree to testify for their side, they can just subpoena him."
"And sue me along with Facebook."
Sean's head is resting on the table. "Can we make Eduardo sign something that makes it so he can't talk? Non-disclosure?"
"Won't hold up in court, though. It's legal proceedings. It would be more problematic for him." Chris sighs and closes his eyes. "I don't know what to do. Sydney is trying to figure out some loophole but he wants to focus on preparing for the depositions that will likely come."
Mark hasn't said a word in almost an hour, so when he finally speaks, Eduardo jumps a little.
"Everyone but Eduardo, out."
They all stare at him.
"You heard me. Out."
Chris gives Eduardo a sympathetic smile as he wrangles Dustin and Sean out of the doors. When they close the door behind them, Eduardo turns toward Mark.
"There's only one solution to this."
Eduardo stares up at Mark's eyes, shuttered and wary as they lock with his. His stomach churns as he asks the question.
"What is that exactly?"
"We need to get married."
The room starts to shrink, walls closing in, and Eduardo shakes his head because he's pretty sure he didn't just hear Mark say that he… that they…
Eduardo breathes through his panic because there's nothing else to do with what Mark just said. He shakes his head, ignores the way his heart stuttered over a few of its beats, and stares at Mark.
"Excuse me?"
He sees Mark's face get that pinched, annoyed look it does when he has to repeat himself, but he does it anyway. Repeats what Eduardo thought he'd said.
"Marry me."
Eduardo starts to laugh.
-- --
It takes Eduardo a good ten minutes to compose himself enough to realize that Mark is completely serious. The scowl on his face tells him that much.
"Mark, have you gone crazy?"
"Look, Chris and I--"
"Chris? Chris is in on this?"
Mark glares at him, nodding. "It's the easiest way. They can't make you testify against your spouse."
Eduardo's ears are ringing. "Won't it look suspicious if we end up getting married, Mark?" He watches the way Mark’s gaze flits around the room and Eduardo isn't sure he wants to hear what it is Mark doesn't want to say. "There's more."
"Chris has a friend -- Basically, we can get married to make sure it's legal, and Chris will make it seem as if we've been married for some time."
"Isn't that falsifying documents?"
Mark shakes his head. "No, just dates, really. And, no, it won't be illegal, because the suit hasn't even been filed yet. It won't count."
Eduardo stares at him, heart racing in his chest, and something tugs at him, the agreement on the tip of his tongue and he doesn't understand why. Why he wants this as badly as he seems to. It's a lie, all of it. Mark hurt him, took away their company, his friendship and left him. Left him alone. Eduardo doesn't know what to feel.
Before he can speak, however, Mark does. "We'll have to stay married for a respectable amount of time. Chris says a year, but we can get an annulment when the time is up."
Eduardo's head is spinning and he can't think of anything to say.
"You'll get compensated."
He glances up at Mark then. "Excuse me?"
Mark shrugs. "There's no time for a prenup, Wardo. You'll get half of everything I own. Half of my part of Facebook." Eduardo frowns but Mark turns away from him, pulling up some forms on his computer. "It's what you want and I never cared about the money."
It's on the tip of Eduardo's tongue to say he didn't either, but he can't bring himself to be that open with Mark, to let him know what he really wants. Hell, Eduardo doesn't even know what he wants. "Half of everything?"
Mark's shoulders slump forward slightly, and when he throws a look over his shoulder at Eduardo, it's guarded, cold. "You decided to help us. It's worth it."
Facebook has always been worth everything to Mark. Eduardo knows that.
He looks at the closed door. "And it's the only way?"
"The only one that's quick enough to be efficient, yes."
He should say no. He should walk out of that office and go home. He should call Gretchen and tell her that he wants to proceed with the suit.
"Okay."
Mark's head jerks up, wariness shining in his eyes. "Okay?"
"I'll marry you, Mark."
-- --
"No one but Chris can know that--"
"Yes, I understand. We have to pretend this was something we did when we-- before."
Mark’s mouth twitches at the corners. "Kids do stupid things, don't they?"
Eduardo locks his gaze with Mark's. "Like get married without telling anyone?"
"Among other things."
He doesn't care to know what that means.
-- --
The process is supposed to be way easier than Eduardo would have expected. They'll get blood work done and processed, file their application and be at City Hall before lunch to see the justice of the peace.
Dustin and Sean stroll back in with Chris trailing behind them. He meets Eduardo's stare, nodding in question, and Eduardo does the same in response. He seems relieved, the worry that's been etching across Chris' face easing some, and that's something. Eduardo doesn't really hear the excuses that Mark makes to Dustin and Sean. They decide to have a meeting with Thiel and a few other prominent investors, shareholders that afternoon.
Enough time for Mark and Eduardo to get hitched.
Eduardo grips the edge of the table at the thought but he can't back out. This is -- he wants to prove that he can take care of his end of this bargain. Half of everything.
Dustin and Sean seem put off by Mark's insistence that they go home to rest.
"Since when do you let us sleep when we're in crisis, Mark?" Dustin asks, eyeing them suspiciously.
Sean agrees. "Yeah. You're like a fucking robot, Mark. No way is this normal behavior for you."
Eduardo glares at Sean. Mark wasn't a robot and he hated when someone called him that. Not that Mark was the greatest human in the world, but he wasn’t a goddamn machine.
"Um, Wardo. You're, like, growling at Sean, man."
He blinks, turning to look at Dustin, and has the shame to blush a little. "I was clearing my throat."
Chris hides a laugh behind a cough, looking over Eduardo toward Mark. Eduardo doesn't want to see what Mark might be doing so he keeps his gaze aimed out the window. The morning is going from light gray to blue and he wonders if he has time to make a call.
Mark convinces Sean and Dustin to leave, Eduardo has no idea how, then pulls Chris to a corner. They seem to be having a heated discussion. He's pretty sure he knows why. It's as good a time as ever to do what he has to. He pulls his phone out, scrolling through his recent calls until he finds the number he needs. Taking a deep breath before hitting the call button, he closes his eyes as he waits for the line to be picked up.
"Olá, meu querido menino."
"Olá, mãe." He realizes how early it is in Miami and cringes. "I'm sorry. I woke you up, didn't I?"
His mother’s laugh is light and sweet, makes Eduardo's churning stomach ease slightly. "Of course not. Your father has an early flight today. I have been up for some time to make sure it goes smoothly." Eduardo hears the warmth in her tone and smiles despite his own complicated feelings about his father.
His father loving his mother is never anything Eduardo has doubted.
"I won't keep you long. There's something I need to tell you. I wanted you to know first before you read it or heard it from anyone else."
"What is it, filho meu?"
Eduardo closes his eyes and lies to his mother. "The news and -- you're going to hear about my marriage, mãe."
"Your-- what, Eduardo? Your marriage?"
"Yes. I-- it was a mistake. It happened a while ago but-- it's going to become public soon and I didn't want you to get caught unprepared about it."
His mother is silent for several seconds, but when she does speak again, her tone is gentle. "It's that boy, isn't it? Mark?"
Eduardo shakes his head. How in the world --
"Yes. How did you know?" Because what what what?
"I remember how you talked about him, namorado. Your heartbreak when he hurt you." Her voice is steely as she talks about Mark. "I do not think he deserves you."
"Mãe, por favor. This is not the time. I have to take care of some errands, but I will call in a few days to give you more details."
"Eduardo, you should speak to your father."
"No. I don't need to hear what he has to say. I already know what that will be."
"He might surprise you."
"I'm not sure that's true, mãe." He turns to see Mark standing behind him, curious eyes falling on Eduardo's face. "I have to go. Eu te amo."
"Eu também te amo garoto, doce. Be careful."
"I will. Adeus, mamãe." He presses the end call button as he turns to face Mark. "I wanted to warn my mother. This isn't going to stay quiet very long."
Mark shakes his head. "I doubt that." He pauses a moment before meeting Eduardo's gaze. "What did your father say?"
"I didn't speak with him."
Mark looks surprised, one eyebrow raised. "Isn't he going to be angry that you didn't?"
Eduardo meets his gaze. "He's always upset about one thing or another. I can't be bothered to worry about that right now.
"You always needed his approval," Mark says simply. Eduardo understands it's not an insult. It just a fact and Mark is good at stating those.
Eduardo shrugs. "That was before."
Mark nods then motions behind him to where Chris is speaking on the phone. "Chris thinks he can get a JOP to meet us at the house. He'll be the witness."
That seems a better plan than the two of them striding into City Hall where anyone could recognize them. It would blow the whole "we've been married forever" part of the plan.
"Fine. Let's do this."
-- --
Everything is taken care of in the blink of an eye. Apparently, Chris has connections with a doctor and someone in the city's hall of records. They get all the paperwork taken care of quietly and quickly. The JOP arrives a little before noon and starts the proceedings once he sees to the validity of their certificate.
He instructs Mark and Eduardo to stand in front of him while Chris waits silently in the background. Eduardo imagines they make quite a sight, with Mark in his hoodie and flip-flops, while he fidgets in a wrinkled suit. He hasn't slept in more than thirty hours, so when the JOP asks him to take Mark's hand, he does.
Mark blinks at him but doesn't remove his hand from Eduardo's.
It's like every scene he's ever seen in a movie (though he can't ever recall seeing anything quite like this in any of them). He repeats his vows as he is asked to -- they are the common "Do you take Mark to be your legal husband?"-- watches the way Mark's mouth moves as he does the same, and then he's looking at the JOP's amused gaze.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Rings?"
"Oh." Eduardo looks at Mark, who shrugs and shakes his head. They forgot rings.
"I've got them."
Chris steps up, smiling wanly at them as he drops a ring in each of their hands. They are simple, silver bands, nothing extravagant.
"Good. Exchange rings, please."
Eduardo fits the ring on Mark’s finger, his own fumbling with nerves, and lingers at the warmth of his hand. He glances up to see Mark's face flushed slightly pink and bites back a smile. It's nice to know that Mark isn't immune to nerves. He lifts his hand for his ring and then tangles his fingers with Mark's after he's placed it on. He purposely doesn't look at Mark and waits as the JOP goes through his last part of the ceremony.
"By the power vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husbands." The JOP gives them an encouraging smile. "You can kiss now."
Eduardo glances back at Mark, who seems to have retreated behind a blank wall, and something inside his chest clenches. He leans forward, pulling to get Mark closer, and then his lips are pressed against Mark’s. Mark's breath hitches almost imperceptibly and Eduardo swipes his tongue against Mark's lips before pulling away. He watches Mark's eyes open, dark blue, and can't seem to breathe.
"Congratulations."
He turns to look at Chris, who seems amused for whatever reason, and nods. "Thanks."
Mark leaves the room.
part two