~~~~~~Later That Week~~~~~~

One day while practicing, JYP came into the room and told all the boys that they would debut early 2014.  It was February of 2013 so they had a little under a year to continue preparing.  Everyone was excited and nervous for the debut.  However, Mark and Jackson were even more nervous about the debut.  In previous talks they had had, Mark had told Jackson that he wanted to tell the rest of their members about their relationship before their debut.

“Hey guys, we’re just gonna go out to get snacks. You guys want anything?” Mark asked.  He and Jackson were putting their shoes on at the door. After taking all the snack requests, Mark and Jackson left to go to the store.  Mark skated ahead and circled around Jackson making him smile.  He finally hopped off and held Jackson’s hand tightly with his skateboard in the other.  While walking together, they didn’t talk much.  Then, Mark broke the silence and, while staring down at the ground and swinging their arms, asked, “So how do you feel about telling them now?”

“I don’t know babe,” he said while drawing circles on Mark’s hand, “we debut soon and I don’t want to risk anything with us being us.  You know how hard it is to be gay in Asia.  If anyone, especially if JYP found out, we could get kicked out.”

“Jackson, you promised that we would tell them before debut though.  I don’t like lying to the members.”  Mark let go of Jackson’s hand and stopped in the middle of the park they were walking through.  Jackson turned to face Mark and said, “I know, and neither do I, but I really think it’s best if we hold off a little longer.”

“How much longer Jackson?!  There will always be people judging us.  No matter if or when JYP finds out there’s always a chance that he’ll kick us out.”

“Do you honestly care more about our relationship than our career?!?”

“I--- I-- That’s not a fair question.  I love you and I love what we’re doing and it might seem selfish, but I don’t see why we have to choose between the two.  Why can’t we be who we are and do what we love?!”

“I’m not asking you to choose.  I just don’t see why we can’t wait until we have a stable career or until we debut.  We aren’t choosing between loving each other and loving what we do.  I’m just saying that we should put more interest in our future.”

“You are my future Jackson! Why can’t you see that!?” Jackson’s expression softened and he just stared at Mark.

“If you want love so much, why don’t you go to Junior?  He could be your future since you’ve been spending so much time together.”

“What are you even talking about?  Are you seriously getting jealous?  There’s nothing going on between us.  I love you Jackson!”

“Oh, really?” Jackson rolled his eyes and scoffed. “How do you explain the other day?  I left to take a quick shower and I come back to see you touching and laughing with Junior!  How the hell will that not get me jealous?”

“We were just playing around!  I don’t like Junior that way.  There’s no reason for you to get jealous!”

“How am I supposed to believe that?  You’re so desperate for love that you will do anything.  You’re trying to make me jealous so that we would have this conversation right now, to guilt me into telling everyone.  Well, guess what?” Jackson threw his arms in the air, gesturing to the empty park.  “Nobody is here to find out and nobody will until it is time.  If it is time.”

“I am not desperate!  And I’m not trying to guilt you into anything!  I just don’t want to keep hiding from our friends!  All I want is for us to be honest with them and for us to be together!  I’ve said that a million times Jackson!”  At this point, they were both yelling at each other.  Mark’s voice was shaking when he said, “Why aren’t you listening?!”

“Because it doesn’t make sense!  Ok, so we tell the guys, then what?  You think it’ll all be good from there?  Once we get comfortable in front of them, then what if someone like the 2pm sunbaenims come in?  What do we say then?  It will all eventually get to JYP and there may be the slightest chance that he won’t care.  What about the public?  There is no way we won’t get hate.  Then the group won’t get the attention they deserve and I’m not about to be the reason that all of their hard work goes to waste for something like this.  Look, I love you but if the only way to get you to stop is to end this, then so be it.”  Mark took a few steps back, processing what he thought he had just heard.  

“You-- You’re breaking up with me?”  He said.  All the anger that was in him had disappeared and was replaced with confusion, denial, and sadness.

“If that’s what it takes, yeah.”  Mark blinked tears away as he backed away even more.  

“ you Jackson!  I never want to see you ever again!” He yelled.  He didn’t wait for Jackson to reply.  He set his skateboard down and rode off.  He had nowhere to go.  He couldn’t go back to the dorm, not in his condition.  His eyes were red and teary and he was physically shaking.

All Jackson could do was stare at Mark’s skating figure getting farther away from him.  Should I go run after him? he thought, nah.  He hates my guts and seeing me will only make it worse.  Jackson turned and started walking back to the dorm when he took out his phone.  His lock screen was his mother and he smiled slightly, looking at her beautiful smile.

“I’m doing this all for you, you know?”  He unlocked his phone to reveal another wallpaper of him and Mark hugging in a bench at their local park back in California.  “I hope you don’t do anything stupid.”  He sighed while he put his phone away and walked on with his hands in his pockets, suddenly remembering something.  “Oh , the snacks.”

Mark was continuously skating around the park, not knowing where he was going or having the slightest idea of how to get back home.  His legs were getting tired so he sat down on a bench and rested for a little.  He realized that he and Jackson never got the guys their snacks.  He got back up and skated to the closest store.  While crossing the street, he saw someone come out of the store and walk the same direction as the dorms were.  They were far away, but it looked like Jackson.  Distracted, Mark kept skating but stopped short when he heard a loud honking noise.  He turned to see a car coming straight towards him.

Boom