the door clicks shut behind him, and the world finally goes quiet.
mark drops his bag by the wall, shoulders sagging like theyâve been holding the weight of the entire day. his hairâs a mess, hoodie wrinkled, eyes tiredâbut when he spots you curled up on the couch, everything in him softens.
âyouâre home,â you say gently.
he doesnât answer right away. instead, mark crosses the room and folds himself around you, careful and slow, like heâs afraid the moment might break. his forehead presses against your shoulder, breath warm, uneven.
âcan we just⊠stay like this?â he murmurs.
you card your fingers through his hair, and he sighsâdeep, relieved, the kind of sigh that says iâm safe now. the noise, the lights, the cameras all fade away. itâs just the two of you, the steady rhythm of breathing, and the quiet comfort of being together.
a/n: HIIII, OMG OMG THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING MY WORKS! I APPRECIATE YOU ALL SO MUUUUCH!!! i hope yâall like this too! (credits to @/itsaliceeh on pinterest for the photo i used here to make this â)
â° MARK LEE
he rehearsed it like 57 times in front of the mirror. still tripped over his words.
âso⊠i was wondering if maybeâonly if you want toâi mean, iâd totally understand if not, butââ
âmark.â
âyeah?â
âi like you too.â
he nearly short-circuited. âwaitâyouâHUH?! wait, can we rewind??â
â° HUANG RENJUN
very chill. or so he claimed.
he handed you a small envelope. âopen it later.â
inside was a hand-drawn sketch of the two of youâholding hands. with a lil caption:
âwanna make this real?â
you turned around and saw him leaning on the wall, pretending not to stare at your reaction.
â° LEE JENO
straightforward. a little shy. puppy eyes at max power.
âyouâre my favorite person to talk to.â
you blinked. âaww, thanksââ
âno, like. youâre my favorite person. period. wanna be mine?â
and he smiled so softly it was illegal. thatâs it. youâre gone.
â° LEE HAECHAN
he would NOT go down without chaos.
âi had a dream you said yes when i asked you out.â
âoh?â
âyeah, so now i have to ask. you wouldnât want to break the space-time continuum, right?â
you laughed, and he smirked. âis that a yes or should I dream harder tonight?â
â° NA JAEMIN
smooth. so smooth you almost didnât realize he just asked you out.
âyou know,â he said while walking with you, âyouâd look really good next to me in couple pics.â
you blushed. âwhat?â
he smiled. âjust saying. letâs test the theory. friday night?â
HOW DARE HE BE SO CHILL YET SO EFFECTIVE.
â° ZHONG CHENLE
âletâs go out.â
you blinked. âlike... on a date?â
âyeah. obviously. what, you thought iâve been flirting for fun? iâve been laying groundwork!â
you laughed, and he grinned wider.
âso? yes? say yes before i embarrass myself more.â
â° PARK JISUNG
he practiced in front of his hyungs. they gave awful advice.
so when the moment came, he panicked.
âiâi like you. like⊠like-like. will you⊠maybe⊠wanna⊠date⊠me...?â
he covered his face.
you gently pulled his hands away. âyes.â
he squeaked. literally. then giggled. then said, âwaitâREALLY?!â
âokay, I really have to go,â you whisper, carefully trying to slide out from under the blanket. but the arm around your waist tightens immediately.
ânope,â haechan mumbles against your shoulder, âyou live here now. with me. in this bed. forever.â
you laugh softly, turning to face him. his eyes are still closed, hair messy, lips pouty. he looks too good for someone whoâs been drooling on your pillow for the past hour.
âhaechan.â
âi said what i said.â he opens one eye, narrowing it dramatically, âif you leave, iâll die. literally. gone. perished.â
you raise a brow, âbecause i went to get coffee?â
âyes. abandonment issues. yours now.â
you roll your eyes, but your fingers are already brushing through his hair, âyouâre so annoying.â
he grins sleepily, âyou love me.â
âunfortunately.â
âsay it properly.â
you pause, then lean down to kiss his nose, âi love you.â
he hums, satisfied, âgood. now shut up and cuddle me.â
cw: suggestive content, steamy tension, heated kissing, implied sexual content.
youâre on the couch with your laptop on your thighs, blanket over your legs, the clock blinking 11:42 PM. mark's been watching you for the last fifteen minutesârestless, fidgety, clearly not interested in anything other than you.
âyou good?â you ask without looking up.
âmm-hmm,â he hums, still watching you. âjust wondering how long youâre gonna keep ignoring me.â
âi am not ignoring you,â you reply, tapping away, âiâm justâah!â
you let out a sharp breath when mark tugs your blanket off, throws your laptop gently onto the other side of the couch, and straddles your legs.
âmarkââ you start to protest, but heâs already kissing down your jawline, slow and deliberate.
âyouâve been studying for hours,â he whispers, voice dropping. âmy patience is dying.â
you grip the hem of his shirt as his fingers slide up under yours, warm palms against your bare skin. your heartbeat skips.
âjust one kiss,â he says, lips already brushing yours, âthen iâll behave.â
heâs lying. you know it. but you kiss him anyway.
and the moment your lips touch, he deepens itâhungry, hot, his hands now under your thighs, pulling you closer until you're practically in his lap. your fingers tangle in his hair. his breath hitches when your hips shift against his just slightlyâand thatâs when you feel it.
"you're such a liar," you whisper against his mouth, grinning.
he grins back, breathless, âokay, fine. maybe two kisses.â
you push him lightly by the chest, but he grabs your wrists and pins them above your head, gaze dark and amused.
âtake the break,â he murmurs, âiâll make it worth it.â
you sighed then nodded, âokay, fine.â
your back presses into the couch cushions as mark hovers over you, wrists still gently pinned above your head. his eyes scan your faceâdark, hooded, but soft around the edges. like he wants to devour you and hold you at the same time.
âyou sure you wanna play this game?â you tease, breath shaky, âiâm competitive.â
mark leans in so close, his nose brushes yours.
âso am I.â
then he kisses you againâdeeper, slower this time. Like he wants to memorize how you taste. his hands let go of your wrists, sliding down your arms, your sides, until they settle firmly on your waist. he guides your hips to roll against him, just enough pressure to make your stomach flip.
you gasp into his mouth, and he chuckles, lips brushing yours.
âyou feel that?â he murmurs, âthatâs how much I missed you.â
your fingers sneak under his shirt, palms against his warm skin. you can feel the muscles flexing as he leans closer, mouth now trailing kisses down your neckâhot, open-mouthed, and maddeningly slow.
âi have a quiz tomorrow,â you whisper, even though your hands are already pulling his shirt off.
âand I,â he says, between kisses on your collarbone, âam a very distracting boyfriend. you knew this when you signed up.â
you laugh, but it turns into a breathless moan when he sucks gently at a spot just under your ear.
âmark,â you warn.
he lifts his head, lips swollen, eyes full of mischief, âsay the word, and Iâll stop.â
you look at himâcompletely flushed, slightly messy, but full of love.
ââŠyou're not gonna stop.â
he smirks, âexactly.â
ge kisses you againâdeeper, needierâand everything else fades. the notes, the deadlines, the clock blinking into midnight.
thereâs only you, mark, and the steady rhythm of your hearts racing against each other.
your eyes flutter open to the sound of birds chirping softly outside the window, the morning light slipping through the curtains. you stretch under the covers, only to feel a warm arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you back against a familiar chest.
âwhere do you think youâre going?â markâs voice is rough with sleep, and there's a smile in itâlazy, teasing.
âi was just gonna get water,â you mumble, but he tightens his hold.
ânope,â he whispers, pressing a soft kiss to the back of your neck. âfive more minutes.â
âyou said that fifteen minutes ago.â
âthen five more on top of that,â he chuckles. âmath is hard in the morning.â
you laugh, and he finally opens one eye to look at you, hair sticking up in every direction. he looks so soft, so real, like thisâno cameras, no bright lights. just mark. your mark.
âstay with me,â he murmurs, brushing a strand of hair from your face. âi like waking up to you.â
and even though your throat's dry and the bed is a little too warm, you let him pull you back in. because five more minutes with mark lee will never be enough.