The way Mark’s fingers naturally gravitated to the ring on his pinky never ceased to amaze him. It’d been almost three months since Jackson had bought it for him and he still found himself touching the cool gold every chance he got. Something about it made Mark feel warm whenever he looked at it. It was so simple, no extra designs or carvings aside from the imprint on the top. But, even with it's simplicity, it matched anything. It would go with just a t-shirt and jeans or with a full suit without looking out of place. It was always just right.

It reminded him of Jackson.

Just thinking about the idol made Mark’s heart clench a little. Their constant texting and almost nightly video chats helped curb the pain that came with them being thousands of miles apart again, but nothing really made it completely disappear. Every time Mark saw Jackson’s face on his laptop screen, he felt happy to see him, but he couldn’t touch his cheek. He couldn’t wipe away the tears that sometimes welled up in Jackson’s eyes when one of them had to go. He couldn’t be there to celebrate when TITAN got another win or hug him when Jackson said he got a role on a new TV show.

He usually found ways to forget about the pain for a while. Somedays, he buried himself in schoolwork, getting all his assignments done for the next month just so he couldn’t think about anything else. Other times he took on extra shifts at the club, focusing on piecing together new mixes and trying not to get dragged off the stage by drunk people for at least one whole shift. That never happened, but it was at least something to concentrate on.

When even the distractions didn’t work, there were people around that could help at least ease the sadness. Jinyoung would make him soup and turn on the latest ridiculous indy film he’d found or drag him to the gallery downtown whenever there was a new art exhibit. Most of the time, Mark didn’t even care that all the paintings looked exactly the same to him because, so long as Jinyoung kept talking, it was enough of a distraction for him.

Jaebum had somehow managed to get Jackson’s contact information from Mark’s phone, so whenever he noticed Mark seemed a little more down than usual, he’d just text the idol and, usually within the hour, Jackson would be flooding Mark’s messages with silly selcas or cute pictures of penguins. It was an indirect way of helping, but Mark appreciated it none the less.

Mark’s phone lit up, shining like a beacon in the dark, stuffy club. Thursday nights were always packed to capacity, plus a little extra. College students and the concept of Thirsty Thursday were like a magnet for bars and clubs. It was also the only day that Mark needed a bouncer next to his booth, because some guys liked to get particularly wasted and insist they could play better music.

Markie, you done with work?

A smile crept onto Mark’s face as he read the message. He still remembered the first time Jackson said the new pet name, whining it right after they connected on their first video chat. Mark’s entire face turned the most embarrassing shade of red and Jackson had started teasing him, saying the pet name over and over again until both of them were giggling like idiots.

Soon. Last call in 15 minutes.

Mark already knew what Jackson would text next. He was predictable in that he sent lots of sad emojis when Mark wasn’t available to talk right away. It wasn’t a way to pressure Mark or anything, so much as just a cutesy thing he did. Like a child pouting when they had to finish their dinner before they could watch TV.

:( :( :(
Markiiieeeeeeee
I miss youuuuuu

A giggle escaped Mark’s lips. He moved his hands to the mixer in front of him, focusing on transitioning from the end of one song into the next before looking back at his phone.

Vidchat when I get home?

There wasn’t much for him to pack up once his shift was done, and the club was only a few blocks away from his apartment, so it would really be no time at all until he could hear Jackson’s voice again.

For the next twenty minutes, Mark couldn’t stop fidgeting. It was something that happened before every video chat they planned. Nerves still coursed through him every time he thought about seeing his soulmate. He found himself checking his hair and his face, something he’d never done before, to make sure everything looked okay. The entire walk home, which he did at an excessively quick pace, Mark mindlessly played with his ring as he tried to come up with topics ahead of time. It wasn’t until he was a block away that he even remember to text Jackson.

Almost home. Call you in 5?

He didn’t wait for a reply, pocketing his phone and continuing into his building. Their apartment was on the fourth floor, something that Mark both loved and hated since it meant he had to take the stairs. When he finally reached his floor, though, he paused, noticing a figure sitting outside of his door. It took Mark a minute to process why the figure looked so familiar. When he recognized it, though, he straightened up. “Jackson?”

The figure looked up and Mark finally saw the warm, smiling face that he thought about more than just about anything else. “I told you I missed you, Markie,” the idol said as he smirked, no doubt at Mark’s completely dumbfounded expression. He stood up and held his arms out. “Are you just gonna stand there?”

It only took a few staggering steps before Mark felt the warmth of Jackson’s arms around him again. As Mark nuzzled into the younger’s neck, he felt Jackson gently kiss the top his head. He soaked in the feeling of Jackson being there for a minute before leaning back, letting his eyes meet the other’s calmly. “How… What…” Mark tried to form any sort of a question, but all he could do was spit out a few words, still marveling over the fact that Jackson was even there.

Laughing lightly at the stammering boy in his arms, Jackson placed another quick kiss on Mark’s forehead before turning him around. “Let’s go inside,” he said, lacing their fingers together.

Mark didn’t even begin to ask why his apartment door was unlocked or how Jackson even knew where he lived, just deciding to follow him in and collapse on the couch in the living room. Jackson took a seat next to him, immediately pulling Mark to his side, and smirked.

“So you’re wondering what’s going on, right?” he asked. Mark just nodded. “Well, when I got back to Korea, I couldn’t just sit by and hope that the opportunity to see you again would pop up. That’s not my style. So I talked with my managers and, since I somehow managed to go undetected when I went to see you, they agreed that I could take a few days off once all my filmings and TITAN’s promotions had wrapped up. It gave me enough time to plan everything. I wanted to surprise you.”

“But, how?” Mark asked. There were so many questions connected to just that one. How did he get to his apartment? How did no one know he was coming? How could he expect to hang around unnoticed when one of his biggest fans lived right next door?

Jackson cocked an eyebrow, unsure about what exactly he was referring to. “Jaebum helped,” he admitted. “I told him everything I had planned out, which was basically just the days I had off and how I wanted it to be a surprise, and he helped with the rest.” His hand moved nervously to the back of his neck, rubbing it slowly as he waited for Mark to say something.

“So you’re here just for me?” Mark said, stunned. “I’ve got work the next few days, and classes, but I think I should be able to miss those at least for a little while and-”

“Mark,” Jackson interrupted, placing his hands on the other’s face. “Calm down. I know you’ve got things to do. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be here whenever you have time. As long as I can see you, I’m happy.”

Smiling weakly, Mark nodded in Jackson’s hands and took a long, deep breath. He didn’t handle surprises very well, especially when it came to making plans with other people. The pressure of not letting the other person down always got the better of him. But Jackson’s words mixed with the calming way his thumbs were running back and forth on his cheek made Mark feel a little better. Like maybe he wouldn’t be letting the idol down if he couldn’t spend all day with him.

As his body relaxed a little, Jackson leaned forward again, this time going in for a kiss. Mark melted at the feeling of Jackson’s smooth lips against his own. Everything felt just like he remembered, slick and passionate and perfect. His hands dropped to rest on Jackson’s thigh. The unforgettable salty-sweet taste of Jackson’s lips made Mark forget about everything he’d been worrying about, giving in to the moment completely. Jackson’s hands moved away from Mark’s face after a few moments, one sliding around to the back of Mark’s neck while the other dropped to prop himself up on the couch.

Part of Mark wanted to readjust, to get in a better sitting position that would make both of them a little more comfortable. He wanted to remember what it felt like that night in Taiwan, where they’d ended up panting and flushed from the intensity. But his entire body was exhausted. His sleep cycle had been a little messed up recently and, with having to work until 2:30 every morning, the lack of rest had started to catch up to him.

After a few more minutes, Jackson broke away, leaning back just enough to look at Mark. “You’re tired,” he said.

Mark looked down, embarrassed, but nodded in response. “I haven’t been sleeping that much recently,” he admitted. “But you’re here. I don’t want to waste any time I have with you.”

Jackson smiled, pure joy spread across his face. His eyes glanced away, glazing over as he seemed to get lost in his thoughts for a moment. “How about we talk, then?” he suggested. “I can even get you a snack, if you’re hungry.”

As if on cue, Mark’s stomach rumbled a little. It wasn’t the loud, obnoxious sort of rumble that happens when he could eat a whole pizza and then some, but just a gentle discomfort. It was his body’s way of saying, “Eh, I could eat something”. He half-smiled as Jackson looked back his way and nodded.

“Okay,” the younger said, leaning down to place another quick kiss on Mark’s lips before getting to his feet. “I’ll get something real quick. Don’t get too comfortable.”

Even though Jackson clearly meant the last part as a joke, Mark took it to heart, trying to sit in a more uncomfortable position to keep himself from falling asleep. His eyelids felt so heavy, though, drooping down over his eyes every now and then before he’d jolt back awake. Jackson was here, in his apartment. He couldn’t fall asleep. Not now. Mark crossed his arms in front of him, digging his nails into the opposite arms to try and make a little pain to keep him awake. Nothing could stop the weight of his eyelids, though. He eventually let them drop, determined that he wouldn’t fall asleep just because his eyes were closed.

When Jackson came back from the kitchen, mug of green tea and a plate of crackers and cheese in hand, Mark was curled up on the couch, fast asleep. He smirked, watching the other’s chest slowly rise and fall a few times before setting the snacks down so he could pick his soulmate up and carry him to his bed.

Wohoo! I'm getting this out a few hours later than expected, but I got it out nonetheless! I wanted to kind of show how Mark was coping with the separation, since we kind of got a look at Jackson overanalyzing everything the last time. It turned out to be a lot of exposition with not very much dialogue this chapter, but I promise there will be more in the next now that they're back together again.

Also, I want to note that I don't know how quickly I'll be getting to the next chapter. It really all depends on if inspiration strikes, or if I want to focus more on my newest novel that I'm working on outlining right now. I also feel like I'm overdue for a oneshot, so maybe I'll crank one of those out, too. I'm not sure. But I just wanted to let you all know that it might be a couple weeks before my next update. To keep up to date on what exactly I'm working on, you can always follow me on Twitter.

Let me know what you thought of the chapter (and what you think will come next in the story) in the comments!