Gift for sweetnbitter

Gift from ???

Title of the gift: Intruder alert

Pairing(s): markson

How many words: 2322 words

Rating: slightly T 

Warnings: none


Note to my giftee: hope you enjoy!

Intruder Alert

“Movement detected in L2, Sector 5,” came Youngjae’s calm voice over Mark’s earpiece.

“Copy that,” murmured Mark into the microphone that was fitted into his helmet as he skirted a pile of wooden crates to peek around them. A quick glance showed him that the room was deserted and the doorway was clear. But before Mark made his move, he took a few vital seconds to assess the situation.

Among his team, he was the closest to the target so he knew that whatever was in Sector 5 was an anomaly which meant one thing – they were not the only outsiders on the premises. Mark’s teeth clenched. He disliked such situations. It was already enough to coordinate a covert operation, having to account for the target’s own defences along with an unknown presence just made everything so much more complicated. If he knew it was going to be like this, he would not have agreed. However, Mark thought as he squared his shoulders and adjusted his grip on his gun, he was never one to back down after he had committed himself and he was not about to begin now.

Sector 5 was a few chambers away and Mark would rather do something ridiculous like wear a tight red miniskirt with a long blonde wig and dance to a factory-produced girl group pop song than allow the opposition to get to the target first. Jackson had mentioned something about that, about how Mark’s extreme competitiveness caused him to be reckless. Mark had laughed it off, arguing that competitiveness was a good thing in their business. Plus, he was level-headed and way less impulsive than Jackson so Jackson really had no basis to criticise him. At that, Jackson would fall silent and pout but then Mark would delight in cajoling Jackson to smile again. Being able to bring a small smile, a sparkle, a giggle, a laugh, in short any reaction out of Jackson was something that always made Mark feel special.

It was strange how Mark felt drawn to Jackson, attracted by the high energy that Mark himself had but only showed in rare moments. To many people, Mark had been a reserved introverted trainee who would be a brilliant assassin due to his ability to distance himself from the moment and focus only on the task at hand, not to mention the cold iciness that Mark’s eyes could slip into that could even make Jaebum wary. If one were to ask Mark why he had chosen to pursue this path, he would have said ‘just because’ but because of what? Because Mark was bored. Because Mark lived on adrenaline and thrill. Because Mark wanted change, different targets, the more challenging the better. So all the training to get there was just an ordeal he had to go through, the entire thing a routine he wished would end as fast as possible. Training was, in a word, a drag.

Until, that is, Jackson Wang showed up at base as a new recruit. Jackson’s arrival provided Mark with a new subject to observe and since Mark could read people quite well and figure out what made them tick very quickly, Mark thought he’d be done with observing Jackson after a couple of weeks.

As things turned out, weeks became months. Months became years. Never once did Mark tire of watching Jackson. Everything about the younger man attracted him – the man’s voice that ranged between high-pitched excitement and solemn heartfelt words that came from his heart, the man’s eyes that sparkled with life, as if he saw a funny and positive side to anything and everything, and yet could draw into a sharp gaze when he was serious, the man’s touch that could range between friendly nudges to the most sensual of physical intimacy – yes, somewhere along the way to becoming commissioned agents, they became more than friends. Jackson held nothing back from Mark, baring every single inch of his soul to the older man and all Mark ever wanted to do was to love Jackson in the same way, a vow that Mark renewed constantly whenever he gazed at Jackson’s peaceful face as the younger man slept with his head resting in the crook of Mark’s neck. Indeed, he renewed the vow every time Jackson even smiled at him, smiles that were precious because they were unguarded and projected absolute trust.

How was it that Mark became the one Jackson chose? Jackson was so often the one who made others laugh that being the one who could make Jackson’s eyes shine the brightest, smile the widest and laugh the loudest was a privilege.

Argh, thinking about Jackson won’t help him right then. Especially since the younger was on a mission and would not be back from at least a month.

Giving himself a mental slap to focus on the situation, Mark slipped out from behind the boxes and flattened himself against the wall right beside the door’s frame. After a cautious peek around the corner, ears alert to detect even the slightest of sounds, Mark inhaled and rushed into the next room, gun held at ready. His sure and agile steps stopped as at the entrance to the next chamber just as the earpiece crackled to life again.

“Anomaly detected in Section 2,” Youngjae informed him, a slight note of urgency this time because Section 2 was the area right next to the target, Section 0.

. Mark was running out of time. Trusting his instincts and agility, Mark rushed through the next few Sections, eyes peeled for any movement, body ready to duck at the slightest sign but he met nothing until he got to Section 1 and even then, there didn’t seem to be anyone else. Mark peered at Section 0 and there the target was, seated at the one desk in the space, back towards his entrance point. Usually, he would have waited for backup but he was not going to let whatever upstart take this mission from him.

Inhaling, Mark launched himself into the room, twisting his body to aim a direct shot at the target but before Mark could shoot, he caught a movement from the corner of his eye and instinctively ducked, firing a shot over his shoulder at the source of movement without looking. The act seemed to have bought him time enough to seek cover that was close to the target. Mark could just take the target out before dealing with the intruder. When Mark glanced at the target, however, his stomach sank. The target had been compromised, a clean gunshot wound painted right in the middle of the target’s forehead.

Mark snarled in frustration. He had lost. It was when he heard the crunch of boots on sand that he remembered there was someone in the room. Spinning around, Mark kicked a pile of crates over in a move calculated to make the other party reveal his or her whereabouts while he took cover behind the solid desk. True enough, the other figure chose to change his station and Mark caught sight of a figure that was fully covered in gear. On the figure’s body, Mark discerned at least two guns and a sheath for what looked like a dagger.

What followed next was a confrontation with someone Mark had to admit was just as skilled as he was. Whatever Mark threw at the intruder, the man managed to evade but at the same time, Mark dodged the man’s attacks as well. It came to a point when Mark ran out of bullets and judging from the lack of shots directed at him, the enemy was out of ammunition as well. All the time they had exchanged fire, Mark had inched closer and closer towards the intruder, leaping from one shield to another, even rolling on the dust at one point, all with the aim of being within range to incapacitate the enemy. Finally, he felt he was close enough. One more leap and he’d have the ingrate who stole his mission from his grasp. Tensing his leg muscles, he gathered strength and pounced, ready for anything the other might throw at him – it might be a blade, or the of a gun, or perhaps the other would be unaware in which case he’d have the upper hand.

What he got, alas, was empty space.

Alarms went off in Mark’s head – the other had anticipated this and he had fallen for such a simple trick! Before Mark could react, a blindfold was wrapped around his eyes, rendering him blind and though he aimed his heels and elbows at the one behind him, his limbs made no contact. Grunting, Mark threw his entire body backwards, hoping to force the other to release his grasp. He heard the other stumble but then the enemy shifted his footing to use Mark’s momentum to bring him to the ground. The situation was growing desperate, especially when the other climbed on top of him to pin him to the ground. How was this going to end? What was going to happen?

Mark’s full survival instincts were activated. At that moment, Mark knew that the enemy was using all his limbs to keep Mark on the ground. If the other were to lessen the grip of even one of his limbs, Mark would have the chance to throw the other off balance and free his hands. And the first thing he’d do is whip off the blindfold so that he could see the bastard who dared do this to him.

So Mark waited, nerves on end. All he could hear was the other man’s breathing. It was controlled but, odd as it may sound, there was something recognisable about it. Yet, how weird is that – to think he could recognise another man’s breathing. This very man above him had just attacked him while the man who breaths in a similar manner was somewhere far –

“Nice try, Mark,” came a voice near his ear, the words murmured in a tone that was achingly familiar. The next thing Mark knew, a pair of lips met his, swallowing Mark’s gasp of surprise in the midst of a gentle kiss. Mark’s thoughts were confused, his reason baffled but his physical senses were not. He knew those lips and he returned the tender coaxing with fervour. The other man hummed in delight and it was when Mark felt the other’s lips curling into a smile that Mark wrenched his wrists from the other’s grasp and in a fluid move, rolled the other unto his back, Mark following so that he was the one now seated on top the other’s abdomen.

Wrenching off the blindfold with one hand, Mark punched the chest of the man beneath him with the other.

“You idiot! Wang Jia Er!” Mark growled, his tone clearly showing his annoyance but at the same time, how delighted he was that Jackson was back.

“Hello, love,” grinned Jackson before going off in another bout of laughter at Mark’s increasingly bewildered expression.

“What are you doing here?” Mark asked, his need to understand being his priority at that point.

“Missed you too much,” replied Jackson with a cheeky grin but it only earned him another hard smack on his chest. “Ow, Mark, seriously,” pleaded Jackson, trademark Wang puppy look in place, “I did not take a 16 hour flight, head straight to base, worm my way into a training exercise to say hi to my boyfriend and only get attacked in return.”

Mark could not help but glare at Jackson, his heart leaping at the knowledge that Jackson was home and in his arms. Every time Jackson went away on a mission, Mark worried and since he himself was not occupied by an actual mission at that time, Mark thought that going for a bout of simulation training would be able to make some productive use of his time. Actually, come to think of it –

Jackson gasped when Mark swooped down to capture his lips in a deep, hungry kiss. Meanwhile, one of Mark’s hands slid to the back of his neck to cradle his head at just the right angle while the other caressed his abdomen, threatening to go lower and lower. Jackson could barely keep back the moans that Mark was drawing out from him. He did moan, however, when Mark broke the kiss. He wanted more of those lips, of those hands, of that man he was head over heels in love with. His heart that had begun thundering stilled at the words Mark next murmured into his ear.

“I can think of better ways to say hello,” breathed Mark, his intent all too evident.

“Oh yeah?” gasped Jackson, his hands settling on Mark’s hips with an eager grip.

“Yeah,” answered Mark with a coy smile. He tucked in his chin to look at Jackson through his eyelashes, giving Jackson such a come-hither look that it made Jackson chuckle nervously. Slowly, Mark leaned down, his eyes roving over Jackson’s face but always returning to the younger’s sensuous lips. Jackson his own lips in response but when there was only a hair’s breadth between them, Mark abruptly stood up to signal that the simulation was over.

Alarms sounded and the lights came on to illuminate the premises. Mark was almost out the door but Jackson still had not moved from where he lay on the floor.

“Well,” Mark called, “you coming or are you going to hit the bar alone tonight?”

Jackson huffed and scrambled to his feet. “Oh, I’m going to hit something alright,” he called out as he broke into a quick jog before he could pull Mark’s arm around his shoulders while he wrapped the other around Mark’s waist. “Missed you,” Jackson said, his tone and words heavy with emotion.

“Missed you too,” replied Mark, “and what’s more –” Mark broke off to peck Jackson’s cheek, “love you.”