A Markjin Fiction
a chaptered fanfic

“I thought everything was settled?” Mark leaned on his inclined chair as he massaged his temple, feeling his head throbbing from the headache.

Two years had passed since Jaebum and Jinyoung processed the divorce papers and with that span of time, Mark and Jinyoung had been consoling one another over face time and when Mark was very busy, they’d just resort to talking over the phone. Jaebum on the other hand had found comfort from the boys too, knowing every process was stressful. And in those two years, Jinyoung managed to move all his belongings to Mark’s condo, Mark was beyond happy that Jinyoung had preferred to stay in his condo.

And so, Mark, who had been up for the last 23 hours, was still sitting on his leather seat while listening to his boyfriend talking to him over the phone. The divorce papers were delayed for another month and Mark couldn’t help but heave a deep sigh “Alright, it’s okay” he replied as Jinyoung repeatedly apologized to his boyfriend “Jinyoungie, it’s not your fault. It’s fine”

“Mark hyung, you sound so tired. Have you been overworking yourself?” Jinyoung worriedly asked from the other line. Mark shook his head knowing Jinyoung might not sense his denial “No. Just don’t worry about me. You need to rest” Mark glanced on his watch, 3:50 AM “You just got out from your work, right? It’s 7:50 PM there”

“And it’s 3:50 AM there. Why are you still up? You should’ve been asleep at 12mn. I know you, Mark hyung” Jinyoung scolded, earning a light chuckle from the blonde “Ah” Mark gasped, feeling a painful pang on his head, hissing as he massaged his temple once more, trying to lessen the pain.

“Babe!” Jinyoung exclaimed over the line “Are you okay? What happened?” he panicky asked “Just a mild headache” Mark replied.

“You need to rest and take meds. I’ll hang up now so you won’t stay up all morning. This is for your health, hyung. Okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll go pack and rest”

“Good” Mark felt Jinyoung smiling on the other side of the line “I love you” Jinyoung said, earning Mark to chuckle once more “I love you, too. Talk to you soon”

“Any signs of doubt or did he believe it?” Bambam leaned in on Jinyoung who was sitting on the sofa of Mark’s condo which he had been living now for the past year. Jinyoung shook his head “He’s clueless”. Bambam clasped his hand then rubbing it together “Guess we are pushing it through?”

“Don’t say that out loud, we might get jinxed and our plan might fail” Yugyeom pouted, scooping a spoonful of ice cream to his mouth.

“Are you even sure you got to convince him?” Jaebum flopped on the sofa in front of Jinyoung. The latter stared at him wide eyed, feeling offended as he gasped “I’m the best actor among us guys. You all know that”

“But you let your guard down when you talk to him” Jackson barked, earning a nod from Jaebum “Jackson’s right on this one”

Jinyoung groaned in frustration “Trust me. I am pretty sure he had no single clue about our plans. Now will you just agree with me before I call Youngjae?” earning the rest to nod.

It had been already two months since Jaebum and Jinyoung got their divorce papers and keeping this important secret from Mark made him feel bad, he knew they were doing this for Mark, to make the latter happy but wouldn’t it be that unfair when you’ve kept this hidden for longer than a month?

“Don’t feel bad about it. Be a little optimistic” Jaebum exclaimed, patting his shoulder before Jaebum went to the driveway where his car was parked.

“Yes. I should at least be a little optimistic” he thought.

The thing is. The boys planned a surprise visit to Los Angeles without informing Mark, keyword: Surprise. Jinyoung was excited about the idea of it but it didn’t settle in right when he hid the important news from his boyfriend.

Be optimistic.

Instead of worrying about the negative scenarios in his head, he became a little optimistic; thinking about finally meeting his boyfriend in flesh once again, to feel him, hug him and kiss him so maybe a little sacrifice won’t hurt. He knew Mark would also be looking forward for the moment when Jinyoung would visit his hometown; he knew Mark would be planning a lot of trips, putting his responsibilities aside and it made Jinyoung want to fast forward to next week. D-day. The day the five of them would fly off to Los Angeles and surprise CEO Mark Tuan.

“What if...” Mark pouted, swivelling on his chair in his office on an early afternoon. Youngjae, who was sighting the building below from the glass window, turned to Mark with a curious look “What if what, hyung?” he repeated.

“What if I go visit Jinyoung tomorrow, in Korea” Mark beamed, swivel chair still as he rested his elbow over his desk, searching for a reply from Youngjae.

“T-tomorrow?! H-hyung. No! I-I mean you have w-work” Youngjae panicked, this will probably one of the critical moments in his life. There is no way in hell Youngjae would let Mark fly to Seoul at this time or the surprise might be one major failure, ending Jinyoung in California as to Mark in Seoul. There is no way, so Youngjae shook his head aggressively, wasting no time for Mark to linger on the thought of flying to Seoul.

“No! I strongly disapprove. Not on my watch, hyung” he sternly said, approaching the opposite side of the desk, facing Mark “You shouldn’t”

Mark creased his eyebrows “What if I won’t listen?” he stubbornly replied, causing for Youngjae to internally groan “Is it because you miss him?”

“Yes. I miss him and two years being away from my boyfriend is torture. So, I’m flying off to Seoul and you can’t stop me”

Youngjae began to panic, running out of excuses and plans as his mind began to blank out “N-no! Or... or else”

“Or else, what?” Mark challenged him, one brow raised as he waited for Youngjae to come up with something smart.

“O-or else I’ll tell your father!”

Mark squinted his eyes at Youngjae “I smell something off, something fishy”

“S-something fishy?” Youngjae nervously laughed as he played with his fingers “N-no fish here”

“That’s an idiom, idiot. I’m sensing something off with you today. Is there a reason why you won’t allow me to fly to Seoul? Is there?” he eyed him accusingly.

Youngjae shook his head “Of course there’s no reason. I just want you- just want you to focus on the company”

“Wait. Don’t tell me Jinyoung changed his mind?”

“What?” Youngjae looked at Mark in absurd “Why would he change his mind? You do trust him right?”

Mark nodded “But you’re being too jumpy, I couldn’t help but take a wild guess”

Youngjae shook his head “Just, don’t be too paranoid, don’t over think. I just want you to do a great job with your position right now as Jinyoung is doing his part, okay? Call him when you get home to ease your mind and your tensed shoulder, hyung” Youngjae patted Mark’s arm before exiting the latter’s office.

Youngjae scurried to the men’s bathroom, leaning on the counter as he searched for a familiar contact on his phone. Pressing the call button, the other line rang in seconds and after three rings, the person on the other line answered “Youngjae, what’s up?”

“Jinyoung hyung” Youngjae whined, alerting the person over the line “What happened, did something happen? What’s wrong?” Jinyoung panicked. Youngjae realized he was probably too dramatic, he calmed himself down “Nothing, hyung. It’s just that Mark hyung was thinking about visiting Seoul tomorrow...” he trailed and it took a couple of seconds for Jinyoung to sink the words in.

“What?! W-what did you say? You should convince him to stay or our plan will fail, it would be all for nothing”

“I panicked but I managed to insist him to stay. I’m going to keep an eye on him in case he does something unexpected or expected. I just called to inform you, hyung” Youngjae said, tapping his fingers over the marbled sink.

“Alright Youngjae, update me and see you soon. We’re on our way to the airport”

Youngjae beamed “See you soon” they bid their ‘see you later’ and ended the call before Youngjae went out the restroom back to Mark’s office.

“We’ll be arriving in LA around 10 in the evening, right?” Jaebum asked, Yugyeom shrugged beside him; clueless about time zones and calculations “Hyung, calculating makes my head ache. Ask Jinyoung over there” Yugyeom pointed at the other lane where Jinyoung was busy reading.

A kick behind Jaebum’s seat made the latter’s blood boil, “Hey” Jackson kicked Jaebum’s seat once more, earning a glare from the latter “What?” “You didn’t ask me. I know the time, I know how to calculate”

Jaebum closed his eyes and took a quick, deep breath “Okay, Jackson” he said, after calming himself down a bit “What time will we arrive there then?”

“10pm” Jackson smiled innocently from the back, Jaebum grunted in response “I shouldn’t have asked”

Jinyoung didn’t want to waste their time on stopovers so he made the right decision to choose the direct flight from Seoul to LA. He was itching to be with Mark once more, he needed to distract himself from the long hours of flight. Reading a book helped but his attention would often drift off to  once specific blonde with canines as sharp as a vampire and lips like the colour of strawberry, a specific blonde who has the warmest smile and the most alluring eyes. Every minute and every second felt torture to him, envying the rest for finally drifting off, Bambam beside him sleeping soundly, Jaebum and Yugyeom too, Jackson was comfortable sleeping on his seat, neck pillow around his neck.

Jinyoung sighed “See you soon, hyung” he softly whispered to himself, gazing at the dark sky outside the window. Plugging in his earphones and putting on his eye mask, he tried to force himself to sleep.

A nudge woke Jinyoung from his slumber, he ignored it thinking it was only Bambam shifting on his seat but then another nudge came but a little harder. Jinyoung grunted and took his eye mask off, looking for the culprit “What?” he annoyingly said, eyebrows creased and eyes squinting at the light, “We are landing in fifteen minutes” Bambam softly said, not wanting to wake the elder couple in front of them. Jinyoung sat right up on his seat and glanced at the window beside him; it was true, the Los Angeles night light welcomed him below and his smile grew as he prepared for landing, excited about finally meeting his boyfriend.

“Youngjae’s over the arrival area waiting for us” Jaebum said, gripping on his suitcase. Jinyoung nodded then looked at the younger boys at the baggage claiming area “I’m nervous” Jinyoung softly said, earning Jaebum to chuckle “Are you serious? What is there to be nervous about? Your boyfriend is probably in his office still. You should surprise him first, we don’t mind waiting” Jinyoung widened his eyes at Jaebum is disbelief “What? You’re also excited meeting Mark, Jae. I can’t just barge in without you guys”

“You should do it, hyung. It’ll be much more special if it’s you” Bambam joined them after claiming his baggage “Don’t worry about us. Mark will also be surprised once he sees us” the younger one chuckled. Jinyoung was sceptical about entering Mark’s office, his boyfriend’s privacy and also is nervous about the coming surprise “Is it really fine? You guys may be looking forward for it”

“What are we talking about here?” Jackson arrived together with Yugyeom, the former glanced at Jinyoung then at Jaebum “We told Jinyoung to surprise Mark first since we are okay with the idea” Jaebum replied.

“But I thought I was the first one?” Jackson pouted, the group grunted except for Jinyoung “Seriously hyung. Stop being so childish, let the boyfriend have his chance” Yugyeom scoffed, rolling his eyes at how dramatic his hyung was.

“I also am Mark’s boyfriend!” Jackson barked, another grunt came “Stop being dramatic, Wang. You’ll have your moment” Jaebum said, smacking him on the arm.

“Alright, alright. But hurry up, Jinyoung. Don’t do some monkey business like... like... making out over the desk or worse” Jackson glanced at Jinyoung who coughed at the mention of those explicit ideas Jackson nonchalantly blurted. Jinyoung shook his head, “I won’t, I swear”

With everything settled, the group made their way to the arrival area to meet Youngjae. Youngjae was patiently standing beside the pillar, waiting for his friends. It was the younger ones who shouted and dashed towards Youngjae, the latter was startled in place, and his smile grew when he noticed the familiar faces dashing towards him.

“Hyung!” Yugyeom whined while Bambam faked a cry while they gave their hyung a group hug which Youngjae gave back. Youngjae laughed then broke the hug as he waited for Jinyoung, Jaebum and Jackson. “Right on time” Youngjae beamed, glancing on his wrist watch.

“He’s in his office right now. Working overtime as usual” Youngjae said, facing Jinyoung who softly smiled “Thank you for being on the boat with us on this plan no matter how childish it is” Jinyoung chuckled, embracing Youngjae.

“Change of plan though” Jackson pouted “Jinyoung’s going to surprise Markiepooh first, I’m sad over it but whatever, it’s one against three” Jackson sulked once more, Youngjae laughed at the miserable hyung “It’s okay, hyung. You guys can stay in my office while waiting for Jinyoung hyung”

“I bet it will take them an hour. No making out or doing something explicit, okay?” Jackson warned Jinyoung, index pointing as a sign of being serious. Jinyoung shyly nodded “You don’t have to say it out loud”

The boys’ jaw dropped at how high the Tuan Company is, eyes glancing the summit of the building “I can’t believe he is this rich. Our markiepooh is this rich? I won’t again” Jackson said, Bambam on the other hand had his smile from ear to ear “I’ll list down the things I want him to buy for me” earning a nudge from Jinyoung “Don’t you dare, Bambam”

“Is he in the highest floor?” Jaebum asked, Youngjae shook his head “Second to the last floor, that’s where his office is at” Youngjae guided them after saying something to the security guards.

Jinyoung held his breath as Youngjae punched in the floor where Mark was at. Heartbeat fastened and palms sweating. “You don’t have to be nervous, hyung” Youngjae suddenly spoke, Jinyoung glanced at the younger one who had this calm expression on his face with a reassuring smile “He misses you a lot, too. Meeting him again would make your nervousness disappear. Just go inside and walk to his desk”

“I can’t help feeling nervous” Jinyoung bit his bottom lip as he wiped his sweaty palm on his denim jeans. He glanced at the levels and without a second, the elevator dinged and opened. They went out the lift to Youngjae’s office, just beside Mark’s.

“His office is just next door?” Bambam asked, leaning his ear on the wall; trying to listen to the other side of the room.

“It’s no use, Bambam” Youngjae said “It’s soundproof”

Jackson snapped his head towards Jinyoung once more “I’m warning you, Nyoung. No monkey business!” earning a smack across his head from Jaebum. Jinyoung smiled “Thanks, hyung. He was getting on my nerves”

“Are you ready? Or do you want to wait until 6am comes?” Youngjae moved to face Jinyoung. The latter creased his eyebrows “6am?” Youngjae nodded “Yeah. He goes home at 6am, take a rest and comes back at 10am” Jinyoung pouted at the fact, Mark didn’t lie to him but he didn’t also tell him his schedules “I think I’m going in now. And force him to go home and sleep for 8hours”

“Good luck, hyung” Yugyeom pumped his fist in the air, Jinyoung nodded then slowly made his way out Youngjae’s office to his boyfriend’s.

Standing in front of the door that says “CEO, Mark Yien Tuan” he suddenly felt nervous as his heart beat rapidly in his chest. He softly knocked on the wooden door as to not invade Mark’s privacy. “Come in” a deep, husky voice shouted from the other side of the door, making Jinyoung weak on his knees, grabbing on the door know to steady himself then slowly twisted it open, welcoming himself inside the office.

The place left Jinyoung at awe, the interior screamed Mark as the wall were a light shade of grey, a pot of plant in one corner, a sofa located at the centre of the office and Jinyoung could picture Mark taking a quick rest on the sofa before going to another conference or signing papers. Half of the office was windows, from ceiling to the floor that welcomed the beautiful night view of Los Angeles; lights dancing below as cars pass by and building lights flashes on and other LED light below flickering on and off.

His boyfriend was on the far left corner of the office where his desk was at, a desktop in front of him as he was busily typing. Mark had his reading glasses on, a sight Jinyoung had missed, breath hitched as Mark combed his messy, blonde locks with his fingers, then taking his glasses off to rub his exhausted eyes “Youngjae, have you distributed the files on the table for the conference? I can’t be there; my head is aching so badly so I called in Taeyang to attend it for me, okay?” Mark didn’t take a glance at the person approaching him as he quickly placed his reading glasses back on and went back typing.

Jinyoung’s frown deepened at how much of a workaholic Mark is, without wasting more time; he spoke “Your head hurts, so stop what you’re doing and rest” he pouted.

Mark halted typing; hearing the familiar voice then snapped his head towards the owner of the voice. Eyes wide and mouth agape at the presence of his boyfriend in front of him “J-Jinyoungie” Mark abruptly stood up and observed the person in front of him “Why are you here?” he softly asked, walking to the opposite side of the desk.

“Came to surprise you” Jinyoung smiled, breath hitched once more as his boyfriend approached him then palms softly resting on Jinyoung’s cheeks; making him shut his eyes close and heave a satisfying breath, leaning to Mark’s warmth “Did something happen?” Jinyoung opened his eyes, welcomed by Mark’s worried expression.

He shook his head “No, everything is fine, more than fine” his smile grew, making Mark more curious “I thought it was for another month?” Jinyoung shook his head once more “I’m sorry I lied, I came here to surprise you”

“Youngjae knew about this?” Mark asked then Jinyoung nodded. The latter giggled at Mark’s betrayed expression “I was so ready to go to Seoul” Mark pouted, Jinyoung giggle once more. “Are you having fun, huh? Is this a laughing matter?” Mark scolded him, earning Jinyoung to laugh even more “It’s amusing” he giggled.

Mark grabbed Jinyoung’s arm and pulled him in for a tight hug, arms enveloping around Jinyoung’s neck, Mark resting his chin over his own arm, “You have no idea how much I missed you, Jinyoungie” he tightly hugged the latter, inhaling the familiar scent as Jinyoung wrapped his arms around Mark’s waist and pulled him in closer, resting his cheek on Mark’s head.

“I missed you so much too, hyung” Jinyoung softly smiled, inhaling the menthol scent of Mark. Mark pulled away and clasped both his palms over Jinyoung’s cheeks again “its official is it?” the desperate expression evident in Mark’s eyes, Jinyoung wasted no time and nodded “Official. It’s official”

Mark widened his smile then crashed his lips against Jinyoung’s; a kiss of longing and accomplishment. Mark’s other hand landed on Jinyoung neck and the other one on the latter’s waist as Jinyoung wrapped his arms around Mark’s neck, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. “I miss you so much” Mark said in between kisses, Jinyoung’s smiled from the remark and giggled “I missed you a lot, hyung” Mark smile grew, canines visible as he gave Jinyoung lots of pecks on the lips, cheeks, chin, nose and lastly on the forehead “We should continue this later, right?” Mark brightly said then Jinyoung nodded. “I’m going to punish Youngjae for betraying me” Mark pouted, grabbing Jinyoung’s hand and pulled him out of his office to Youngjae’s office.

Just as Mark opened the door to the younger’s office, he was welcomed by loud screams and ‘surprise’ by the rest of the group, Mark’s jaw hung in surprise and his eyes widened, scanning the area and each of his friend’s face while holding on to Jinyoung hand “You’re all here” Mark softly said, “of course, brother!” Jackson exclaimed and is the first one to pull Mark from Jinyoung’s grasp tightened the hug and rocking Mark, “Missed you too” Mark grinned, hugging back his best friend. Each of the guys took turn on hugging Mark, telling him how much they missed him and his calls and of course, Bambam would talk about how much he misses going shopping with him when Mark was still in Seoul.

Mark caught Jaebum’s gaze, tensing the other members of the group; not knowing what they’ll do next, but they no longer need to worry about both relationships as Jaebum gave Mark a wide smile then approached him, giving him a hug “Have you been well, hyung?” Jaebum asked, “Just been busy” Mark replied, patting Jaebum on the back then broke the hug.

Bright smiles were evident on each of their friends’ face “We were nervous over nothing!” Bambam exclaimed, Jaebum chuckled at the comment “We are fine, everything is in fact; fine” he replied, reassuring everyone “Yes, indeed.” Mark said.

Mark rubbed his temple from the sleepless nights, working on his papers and staying up worrying about his friends especially Jinyoung “Hyung, you should take a break. You’ve been working non-stop” Youngjae suggested.

“Hyung, why don’t you retreat back to your home and take a full night’s rest?” Jinyoung grabbed on to Mark’s arm, pleading him to take a rest since Mark’s eyes was already red for being extremely tired.

Mark sighed in defeat “okay, okay” he nodded and before letting Jinyoung drag him to the ground floor to the parking lot, Mark reminded Youngjae about Taeyang attending the meeting for him. Youngjae nodded “Noted, hyung. Just take the whole day off, I’ll call you if something really important comes up” Mark trusted Youngjae’s words so he decided to take the entire day off.

“See you later, guys” Mark waved at the boys before Jinyoung could finally drag him towards the elevator.

“Your house in Seoul looks so much better” Jinyoung said, observing every corner of Mark’s house. Mark chuckled at Jinyoung’s observant nature, he eyed the younger one who was studying each of Mark’s furniture, lights and even went to the kitchen.

“How are you rich yet your fridge isn’t even full? There’s nothing to cook for you here” Jinyoung exclaimed from the kitchen. Mark made his way to his kitchen and stood beside Jinyoung, both hands on his hips; observing the almost empty fridge.

“Babe, you know how I usually eat dinner and lunch in my office. I only come home to sleep and shower” Mark pouted, moving to close the fridge door and take Jinyoung’s hands on his own “Why don’t we sleep together in pyjamas? Hmm?” Mark softly smiled. Jinyoung huffed, still couldn’t believe how his boyfriend isn’t eating proper meals and enough vitamin intakes, no wonder how skinny he looks. “Okay, but we’ll do groceries during the day” Mark nodded “Whatever you want” he replied, Jinyoung softly smiled as Mark led him to his bedroom on the 2^nd floor of his house.

Jinyoung sat on Mark’s comfy, king sized bed while Mark went and get them some proper pyjamas to wear before sleeping. Jinyoung wasn’t really sleepy since he just woke up from the very long flight they were in, but he’d do anything just for Mark to have a proper rest for at least 8 hours or more.

“Here, you can fit on to these. I bought them months back, thinking you might someday come here and sleep with me like today” Mark explained, the fact that Mark was really honest and went to an extent doing this made Jinyoung’s heart warm, what did he do to deserve this angel in front of him?

“You really did that?” Jinyoung’s smile grew when Mark shyly nodded; Jinyoung let out a soft giggle and approached his boyfriend, giving him his best, warm hug “thank you” Jinyoung smiled, kissing Mark’s temple. He took the pyjamas and stalked off to the bathroom to change, he could easily change in front of Mark but he felt it was too early for that. He’s here for Mark, making sure the older one gets a lot of rest and is comfortable.

Jinyoung came back to Mark’s room and the latter already was settled on his bed, tucked under the duvet; he was disappointed seeing the older sitting with his glasses in front of his cell phone. Jinyoung pouted “Hyung, what are you doing?” he asked, walking to Mark’s left side of the bed then settled himself beside him also tucking himself under the sheet. “Emails” Mark simply said and Jinyoung had enough of Mark’s workaholic attitude; he fully faced Mark and slowly took the latter’s phone. Mark lifted his eyes on Jinyoung, clearly asking what he was doing “This can wait, let’s go to sleep” he got Mark’s phone, setting it on silent mode then took Mark’s eyeglasses, setting both items inside the drawer of Mark’s nightstand beside him.

“Cute” Mark chuckled, Jinyoung gave him a judging look and then proceeded to ask the older one “You know what’s cuter” Mark shook his head “No”.

“Sleeping; now, that’s adorable” Jinyoung seriously answered but burst to giggles hearing his self, Mark grinned at Jinyoung’s cuteness, he agreed; sleeping is way cuter. Mark turned off the lights in his bedroom then scooted closer to Jinyoung, hand on the younger’s hip as Jinyoung rest his head over Mark’s chest; listening to the steady beat of his heart.

“How’s work?” Mark suddenly asked, breaking the silence. Jinyoung hummed in response “typical editor life. Funny thing happened; Bambam became a little more responsible and serious. I knew it had something to do with you” Jinyoung snickered, poking the elder’s waist; making the latter giggle hard. Mark shook his head, “I have nothing to do with Bambam’s recent change of attitude” Jinyoung snorted, he could hear through Mark’s lies “Don’t lie to me, Tuan. You seriously were responsible for it, spill” he demanded. Jinyoung’s rose up and down from the movement of the older one as he heaves out a loud sigh “Okay. I’ll spill since I love you too much” Jinyoung would be lying if those words didn’t make his heart leap, he warmly smiled over Mark’s chest; waiting for the latter to continue his sentence “I may have told him about not stressing you out. If he’ll be more responsible and serious, I might have told him that I would recommend him to one of the famous fashion magazines in Asia” Mark squeaked at the last sentence.

Jinyoung gasped, chin resting on top of Mark’s chest as the younger gave him a surprised look “That’s a big deal!” he exclaimed “What magazine?”

Mark replied in a soft voice “Grazia”

Jinyoung released a loud gasp again “Hyung! Wow, I didn’t know you were this rich!” he exclaimed, making Mark snicker in reply. Jinyoung rest his head back over Mark’s chest “Wow, I didn’t know you were this influential”. “I’m trying to keep it humble” Mark chuckled. “You won’t disappoint Bambam, right? I mean, you’re a man of your word. I know that” Jinyoung said, Mark hummed in reply. “Bambam’s a hardworking kid, I can see that; and I am thankful you drove him to even prove himself that he is responsible, even our seniors acknowledged the kid’s hard work. Thank you about that, Mark” Jinyoung said, he was only answered by the silence of the room “Mark?” Jinyoung called again and when he hadn’t heard a reply, he lifted his head and saw Mark’s peaceful features in the dark. When he saw Mark a while ago, stress and exhaustion were evident in his face which Jinyoung couldn’t help but worry, now he no longer have to worry anything, seeing Mark peacefully sleeping, his features relaxed and his steady breathing made Jinyoung contented. He laid back again, head over Mark’s chest; feeling his steady breathing and he was getting close to slumber.

Jinyoung imagined his first morning with Mark in LA would be a warm good morning greeting from each other and a sweet kiss despite their morning breath; guess he can’t have everything he wishes when he got woken up by a loud bang downstairs followed by an all too familiar voice, shouting his lungs out a good morning. Jinyoung groaned; obviously annoyed as he rubbed his eyes, he glanced at Mark; checking up on his boyfriend if he was also woken up by the intruder’s voice, noticing how the older one was still in a deep sleep, guess he wasn’t bothered by it at all.

He rose from the bed, heaving a deep sigh; he didn’t want to leave Mark in this beautiful morning but he had to at least meet with the intruders downstairs. Jinyoung kissed Mark on top of his head before heading his way downs the stairs. There he spotted the culprits, lazily sitting on the sofa and the others can be heard making a ruckus in the kitchen. Jinyoung cleared his throat as he stood at the bottom of the stairs. The boys snapped their head towards Jinyoung’s direction and their grin grew as they stood up from their seats.

“Jinyoung hyung, good morning” Youngjae greeted, Jinyoung nodded then gave the younger a confused expression, telling Youngjae what the hell was going on.

Youngjae sheepishly smiled, scratching his head “They want to go to the beach”. Jackson hooked his heavy arms over Youngjae’s fragile shoulder as he nodded aggressively “Yes, Nyoung!” he exclaimed “The beach! I miss the saltiness of the beach”

Bambam and Yugyeom sprinted towards the group of guys from the kitchen as they chanted “Cali Beach” in unison making Jinyoung roll his eyes. Jinyoung glanced at the time and noticed how he and Mark had actually slept in and skipped lunch. He then glanced at Jaebum about the sudden topic of the beach, the latter gave him a simple shrug “It’s Cali after all, so why not?”

Before Jinyoung could come up with an excuse to refuse, a raspy Mark came from behind him “I heard beach” Mark hoarsely said, combing his messy hair. Jackson beamed at the appearance of his best friend and tackled the poor Cali boy “Markiepooh, let’s go to the beach!” Jackson squealed, jumping up and down as Bambam and Yugyeom came to join afterwards “Hyung! Beach! I need a break from a monochromic life and see the beauty of what we call California Beach” Bambam excitedly said. Jinyoung could tell Mark was fond at the boys before him and as long as Mark’s cool about it, he then will also be cool about it. After all, he had to admit it, he was tired of seeing skyscrapers, cemented roads and monochromic atmosphere in Seoul; he needs to feed his eyes with the colours of nature.

Mark nodded happily “This will be so fun” the latter exclaimed. Mark looked up at Jinyoung, asking him if he was up for the idea of a fun time at the beach and Jinyoung couldn’t have it any other way especially when he could see the glint of excitement and shine in his boyfriend’s eyes; anything just to keep him happy.

Jackson, Yugyeom and Bambam dashed towards the grainy sands of the beach under the blazing sun, seconds after Mark parked on the empty space of the parking lot.

“They aren’t excited at all” Jaebum snickered beside Mark as the former got the cooler out, carrying it with him. Mark looked at him then chuckled “Go and have fun, Jaebum. I know you’re also itching to plunge yourself on the beach” Jaebum grinned, Mark really knows how to read people “I’m going to keep it cool”.

Mark helped Jinyoung carry some of their food and mostly are burgers, pizzas and more pizzas as requested as usual by the 3 active boys. They set the foods over their blanket as Jaebum placed it over the sand; just beside the blanket.

The beach was also filled with locals, reading a book while getting a sun tan, playing Frisbee and people spending their family day out at the beach. Jinyoung still had to get used to seeing blue-eyed people enjoying their youthful life instead of the brooding mood he usually felt inside the vicinity of his workplace.

“It’s the beach, Jinyoung. You should take you shirt off” Mark said, half sitting over their blanket, elbows propped below him; supporting his weight as he tugged on Jinyoung’s shirt, the latter shook his head; he was never the type of person to show a lot of skin, it wasn’t because he was conscious or wasn’t confident, he just never had the reason to. Mark snickered at Jinyoung’s refusal “cute” Mark mumbled earning a beat red face from Jinyoung “S-shut up, Tuan. Put on some shirt will you? Nobody wants to see that” Jinyoung pointed at Mark’s exposed, milky white chest. Mark threw his head laughing and glanced at Jinyoung then to his own exposed chest then back at Jinyoung “I know you do” he winked at the tongue tied Jinyoung as Youngjae, who was seated beside Jinyoung, laughed at the couple’s cute antics.

“Same goes to you, Youngjae. Take that shirt off” Jaebum barked beside Mark, propping both elbows on the ground, supporting his weight as he teasingly glanced at the younger. “Oh burn” Mark laughed, Youngjae could only pout; a blush sporting his cheek as Jinyoung patted him on the back, softly “Don’t listen to those jerks, Youngjae”

“Was your jerk” Jaebum teased, Mark laughed along, a genuine laugh as he added “And you present jerk”

Jinyoung couldn’t count how many times he wanted to roll his eyes at the boys beside him. If he was dedicated enough, he would bury both of them under the sand. His train of thought was gone when the three boys were back from dipping themselves on the beach.

“This feels good!” Jackson exclaimed, sitting down in front of Mark, “Markiepooh, can you adopt me so I could live here forever?” he pouted but sounded very serious. “Why don’t you marry someone there?” Mark replied, lazily pointing at the locals around them “and then you can live here forever”.

“I have a better idea” Jackson beamed and Jinyoung knew a better idea from Jackson meant a stupid one, a very stupid one. Jackson glanced at Jinyoung then at Mark. Oh no, Jinyoung thought.

“Why don’t I marry you?”

Talk about a better idea. Jinyoung got a fistful of sand and threw it at Jackson, making the latter laugh out loud then sprinted away from Jinyoung; hiding beside Mark. “I’d shut your mouth if I were you, Wang” Jinyoung warned him. Jackson grabbed Mark’s shoulder, mildly shaking it as he asked the older one for help against the scary Park Jinyoung.

“I’d shut my mouth, too” Mark replied, a defeated Jackson pouted as he put both arms up in defeat “Okay okay”.

“Just marry one of those dreamy American girls, Jackson and you’re ready to go” Mark suggested.

“If you don’t want then let me be your guest!” Bambam exclaimed, dashing farther and farther away; looking for his perfect American girl. Jackson and Yugyeom followed after, making it suddenly a competition and the rest of them rolled their eyes over how energetic they were especially Jackson, since he’s three years older than them. “How about let’s take a dip on the beach?” Mark suggested, Jinyoung agreed as he got up; getting ready to head over towards the glistening body of water.

“I’ll catch up” Jaebum said, “Go have fun you both” he said, motioned on shooing them away. “I’ll catch up, too. Let me apply some sunscreen” Youngjae said. Mark and Jinyoung then walking on the grainy sand, hand in hand, approaching the beach.

Youngjae squirted a right amount of sunscreen on hi palm then evenly spread it over his arms, he glanced over at Jaebum who sported a warm smile as he observed the couple on the beach, Mark and Jinyoung. Youngjae knew he wasn’t in the right place to intrude and interfere about Jaebum’s feelings but he felt like he wanted to.

“Are you okay?” Youngjae asked, busying himself spreading sunscreen on his legs. He noticed Jaebum giving him a confused look then to a soft smile “Yeah, I am. The weather is good. What about you?” Jaebum sent a questioned look and Youngjae just knew Jaebum was playing around when he noticed the latter smirked. Youngjae rolled his eyes, “You know what I mean, Im Jaebum”.

Jaebum snickered “wow!” he exclaimed “Now we’re using surnames, huh?” Youngjae shyly lowered his head noticing how the words just slipped out of his mouth.

“It’s fine” Jaebum reassured him before he could apologize. “I know we haven’t spent a lot of time together with our friends since I flew out so early; leaving you guys but you know how much I care about you guys and I just want you guys to talk about your worries to me or even as your ear whenever you guys are stressed. So believe me when I say I also care about your emotions, Jaebum hyung”. Those words were sincere coming from Youngjae and he felt so light and calm after releasing those words and he also felt like Jaebum needs to hear it.

Jaebum warmly smiled at him “You know what? I feel like I’m doing the right thing here. Giving happiness to two guys I love and care for is also giving happiness for myself, too. Thinking about the whole journey, I think I would’ve still chosen to let them be happy. I’m not lying; I’m not sugar coating anything, I’m genuinely happy for them and myself. Thank you for worrying about me, Youngjae-ah” Jaebum gave him a light ruffle on his hair as the younger one nodded at him “Like I said, I care about you guys”.

Silence enveloped them as Youngjae admiringly watched Mark and Jinyoung out the distance. They were playfully splashing water at each other, bright smiles and their eyes screamed nothing but happiness. Mark splashed a couple of water towards Jinyoung and the latter screeched when the saltiness of the water got inside his eyes, burning it. Mark quickly stopped and approached the younger one, worry was evident on  Mark’s face and as soon as Mark checked on Jinyoung, the latter dumped Mark in the water; clapping his hand at Mark for falling for his acting.

Both Jaebum and Youngjae snickered at the playful couple. Noticing how both of them were watching the couple, Youngjae couldn’t help but comment “They’re pretty silly. They bring out the inner child in each other” Jaebum nodded in agreement “You’ll someday meet someone like that, Youngjae” he said; making Youngjae chuckle “I’m willing to wait. You’ll also find that right person, hyung” Jaebum just hummed as he kept his gaze on Mark and Jinyoung; he indeed was genuinely happy.

Jinyoung laughed at Mark as the latter rose from beneath the water after being dumped by Jinyoung, Mark shook his head “You got me there” he snickered, hitting himself on the temple; trying to get rid of the water inside his ear. “I’m sorry” Jinyoung giggled, approaching his boyfriend as he fixed the latter’s hair “Are you alright?” he asked, Mark nodded “Never been better” Mark assured him, grabbing Jinyoung’s hand then kissing it at the back of his hand “Never been better” he repeated.

The couple went and sat on the seashore, just meters away from the waves crashing, taking a rest from the tiring activity they did and just observe the scene before them. Mark rubbed small circles on Jinyoung’s knuckles as their fingers intertwined; it felt so good to finally be with the one you love and a sense of relief on how things had turned up. Jinyoung smiled to himself, because looking back at the emotional rollercoaster he experienced through the journey, he could not have it any other way; this was worth it. He felt a poke on his cheek and as he glanced at his side, he was met by Mark’s fond smile “Why are you smiling by yourself?” Mark seriously asked, “I’m just thinking about the journey we had, the emotional rollercoaster and those stressful nights I couldn’t sleep from thinking too much” Jinyoung said. It was rough and tough, Jinyoung glanced at Mark’s breathtaking beauty and it seemed those times didn’t matter anymore; Mark is his sense of peace and warmth, his happiness and his support. Mark tightened his hold on the younger one “I won’t take this chance for granted. I want to make you happy, I want to see you smile when you’re happy and I want you to not to hide your tears from me when you’re frustrated or when you’re stressed, I want you to get angry when you’re angry and pissed. I want you to be more comfortable and feel at ease with me, because I love seeing every part of you. Don’t hide every bit of your emotions from me, okay?” Jinyoung choked on Mark’s words, Mark wasn’t a man who talks a lot but when he does, it takes your breath away at how honest and sincere his words are, he didn’t know tears were slipping from his eyes not until Mark wiped his tears gliding down his cheek. Mark warmly smiled at him “You’re pretty emotional, huh?” Jinyoung playfully smacked the older one’s arm. Teasing aside, Jinyoung was so thankful for Mark and without knowing, he leaned in; capturing Mark’s lips, Jinyoung felt the Mark smile over the kiss, a short chaste kiss that sends a message of thankfulness and I love you.

“I love you” Jinyoung wanted Mark to know how much he loves him and Mark knew as he nodded “I know you do and I love you, too. We’ll be happy as long as we love each other, lean on each other and when the right time comes...” Mark paused, Jinyoung creased his eyebrows; confused as why Mark suddenly stopped “When the right time comes, what?” Jinyoung repeated.

Mark looked at Jinyoung seriously then said “When the right time comes, I’ll marry you” wave of emotions came coming at once as Jinyoung fought another tears from forming, instead he held on Mark’s hand tighter and with the most brightest and warmest smile he said “I’ll be waiting”

The short silence disappeared when Jackson threw a handful of sand at the couple and just like Mark’s competitive self, stood up and chased Jackson. Youngjae and Jaebum joined in the fun, chasing Jackson and as they caught him with the help of Bambam and Yugyeom’s betrayal; they carried him and threw him on the beach with a huge splash, earning a burst of laughter from the boys and Jinyoung himself. This is the scene he wanted to see in such a long time, the seven of them together once again, smiles on their faces as their eyes are filled with life and colour. Jinyoung joined in the fun; this was the time he’d take a break from thinking a lot and just enjoy the moment while it lasts.

a/n: were you guys surprised at the additional pov from youngjae? anyways, i wanted to thank you guys for giving my fic worth a read, thank you for putting up with my dramatic and thank you for being so patient; your understanding selves made me push through with my updates and also your comments made me want to write more, spoil more. this was supposed to be a one-shot but look at my foolish self, i've written my first ever markjin chaptered fic. thank you guys again. I LOVE YOU ALL. if you want to talk to me more and more personal just click on the links ( twitter & curiouscat )