fic: Threads | The Social Network | Prologue
Masterpost | Art by eiirene | Art by lovesletyoudown | Art and Fanmix by sweetmadness379
Prologue | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Epilogue
Prologue
"I don't understand why you're in New York," Mark tells Eduardo. "You don't need to be there, you need to be here."
Sean keeps humming obnoxiously by the sink. Dustin, tired-eyed and on his way to bed, smiles at Eduardo encouragingly.
Eduardo closes his eyes. "Mark-"
That doesn't sound like it's about to be an agreement. "There's nothing in New York," Mark says. "Nothing but advertisers, and we can't have ads yet. We need investors. They're out here; you should be out here."
"There are internships in New York," Eduardo bites out, opening his eyes again. "Internships I need."
Mark scowls. Sean comes over with an entire pot of coffee and one mug and says, "Aw, do you need the money?"
"No," Eduardo says tightly. "Listen, Mark-"
"Maybe it really is the experience he's after," Sean says musingly, turning to Mark. "He could have a point. After all, he has no practical-"
"Sean," Mark says, cutting him off. Eduardo is looking cold and murderous again. "Wardo, you don't need anything from the internships. You can just come-"
"You shouldn't undervalue experience," Sean says. "If you don't have the instinct for it, you've got to learn-"
"He doesn't need-" Mark says, raising his voice to talk over Sean.
Eduardo interrupts them both and says, "I need the work visa."
Mark shuts his mouth. He and Sean both stare at Eduardo. "If I don't want to go back to Brazil," Eduardo repeats quietly, looking intently at Mark, "I need a job for the work visa."
Dustin, who'd been drowsing with his head propped on his fist, blinks his eyes open and says, "Well, shit."
They move into the living room, and Dustin refuses to let them talk until they shoo the interns away and get Chris on speakerphone. Or at least, he refuses to let them talk about what they're going to do. Nothing can prevent Sean from focusing his full attention on Eduardo and demanding his entire life story. He's offended by how little he knows, and he won't leave Eduardo alone. Eduardo is sitting stiff and still on the couch, staring straight ahead, ignoring him. Mark fields the questions as best as he can.
Dustin calls Chris three times before he picks up. Chris doesn't say anything until Dustin repeats - almost verbatim; Mark's nearly impressed - everything Eduardo said, and then Chris says, "But you're not really guaranteed a work visa through an internship unless you get one from a company willing to sponsor you."
"No," Eduardo admits, a little low.
"So you're two steps away from being deported," Sean says, looking too impressed. "I didn't think you'd be this interesting."
"Shut up," Mark says again, more sharply than he meant to, and Sean looks at him with raised eyebrows. "He's not going to get deported."
"What about a student visa?" Chris asks. "Why don't you have one of those?"
Eduardo hesitates. "It's complicated."
"You are actually enrolled at Harvard, right?" Sean asks snidely. Eduardo sneers back.
"Can't you get naturalized?" Dustin asks. "You've been here since you were a kid, right? Why aren't you a citizen yet?"
"That's not that simple, either," Eduardo says, sighing. He slumps back into the couch and scrubs his hands over his face. "I'm sorry," he says, muffled.
"It's okay," Mark says, surprising everyone. Eduardo stares at him. "It's fine," Mark says.
Sean snorts. "Yeah, if you don't mind having a CFO who's working from Brazil. You thought New York was far."
Eduardo flinches minutely. Mark reaches back without looking and slaps at Sean, who avoids him, squawking. "Wardo," Mark says. "It's fine. All you have to do is get married."
Eduardo doesn't look reassured. Eduardo looks, if possible, even more alarmed than before. "All I have to do?" he says.
"Mark," Chris snaps, crackling over the phone. Dustin has his eyebrows raised.
"I'll get right on that," Eduardo says, scowling.
"Actually, no, dude, we can get you some forged papers," Sean says, or starts to say, but Eduardo looks horrified and Chris yelps, "Don't even think about it!"
"Don't be stupid," Mark says. "He's going to marry me."
Part One
Prologue | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Epilogue
Prologue
"I don't understand why you're in New York," Mark tells Eduardo. "You don't need to be there, you need to be here."
Sean keeps humming obnoxiously by the sink. Dustin, tired-eyed and on his way to bed, smiles at Eduardo encouragingly.
Eduardo closes his eyes. "Mark-"
That doesn't sound like it's about to be an agreement. "There's nothing in New York," Mark says. "Nothing but advertisers, and we can't have ads yet. We need investors. They're out here; you should be out here."
"There are internships in New York," Eduardo bites out, opening his eyes again. "Internships I need."
Mark scowls. Sean comes over with an entire pot of coffee and one mug and says, "Aw, do you need the money?"
"No," Eduardo says tightly. "Listen, Mark-"
"Maybe it really is the experience he's after," Sean says musingly, turning to Mark. "He could have a point. After all, he has no practical-"
"Sean," Mark says, cutting him off. Eduardo is looking cold and murderous again. "Wardo, you don't need anything from the internships. You can just come-"
"You shouldn't undervalue experience," Sean says. "If you don't have the instinct for it, you've got to learn-"
"He doesn't need-" Mark says, raising his voice to talk over Sean.
Eduardo interrupts them both and says, "I need the work visa."
Mark shuts his mouth. He and Sean both stare at Eduardo. "If I don't want to go back to Brazil," Eduardo repeats quietly, looking intently at Mark, "I need a job for the work visa."
Dustin, who'd been drowsing with his head propped on his fist, blinks his eyes open and says, "Well, shit."
They move into the living room, and Dustin refuses to let them talk until they shoo the interns away and get Chris on speakerphone. Or at least, he refuses to let them talk about what they're going to do. Nothing can prevent Sean from focusing his full attention on Eduardo and demanding his entire life story. He's offended by how little he knows, and he won't leave Eduardo alone. Eduardo is sitting stiff and still on the couch, staring straight ahead, ignoring him. Mark fields the questions as best as he can.
Dustin calls Chris three times before he picks up. Chris doesn't say anything until Dustin repeats - almost verbatim; Mark's nearly impressed - everything Eduardo said, and then Chris says, "But you're not really guaranteed a work visa through an internship unless you get one from a company willing to sponsor you."
"No," Eduardo admits, a little low.
"So you're two steps away from being deported," Sean says, looking too impressed. "I didn't think you'd be this interesting."
"Shut up," Mark says again, more sharply than he meant to, and Sean looks at him with raised eyebrows. "He's not going to get deported."
"What about a student visa?" Chris asks. "Why don't you have one of those?"
Eduardo hesitates. "It's complicated."
"You are actually enrolled at Harvard, right?" Sean asks snidely. Eduardo sneers back.
"Can't you get naturalized?" Dustin asks. "You've been here since you were a kid, right? Why aren't you a citizen yet?"
"That's not that simple, either," Eduardo says, sighing. He slumps back into the couch and scrubs his hands over his face. "I'm sorry," he says, muffled.
"It's okay," Mark says, surprising everyone. Eduardo stares at him. "It's fine," Mark says.
Sean snorts. "Yeah, if you don't mind having a CFO who's working from Brazil. You thought New York was far."
Eduardo flinches minutely. Mark reaches back without looking and slaps at Sean, who avoids him, squawking. "Wardo," Mark says. "It's fine. All you have to do is get married."
Eduardo doesn't look reassured. Eduardo looks, if possible, even more alarmed than before. "All I have to do?" he says.
"Mark," Chris snaps, crackling over the phone. Dustin has his eyebrows raised.
"I'll get right on that," Eduardo says, scowling.
"Actually, no, dude, we can get you some forged papers," Sean says, or starts to say, but Eduardo looks horrified and Chris yelps, "Don't even think about it!"
"Don't be stupid," Mark says. "He's going to marry me."
Part One