Jinyoung’s eyes darted up to the stove across the room and he cringed at the shrill whistle of the kettle set upon it. He rushed over and moved the kettle onto another burner before he poured the scalding water into one of the mugs sitting on the counter, leaving just enough for another mug if need be. He picked his mug up, leaving the adjacent mug with the tea infuser still in on the counter.

He sat back down on the loveseat on the right side and it still felt weird to be sitting there. Mark always sat on the right side with Jinyoung cuddled against him on the left. Two weeks ago he wouldn’t have dared to sit on this side, but now it’s the only thing that feels comfortable. He went from feeling like it wasn’t his place to sit there, to feeling like it was at least better if someone was there. It was the same with the bed.

Jaebum and Youngjae had told him they were going out that night and asked if he wanted to join, but he wasn’t really feeling up to it. He wouldn’t let them know that, though, so he just told them he was busy with some work at home. He didn’t want to have to paste on the fraudulent smile he always did when he was forced to go out and actually interact with people lately. He didn’t want to be a third wheel anyway.

It’s not like he disliked Jaebum and Youngjae – it was quite the opposite actually. Jaebum had always been his best friend since they were kids and he was happy when Jaebum found Youngjae. He had never seen Jaebum smile so earnestly. With Youngjae, however, came Youngjae’s then-roommate Mark.

Jinyoung and Mark’s relationship was so dissimilar to Jaebum and Youngjae’s. Jaebum and Youngjae didn’t actually seem like they went well together at all. Youngjae was more of a teddy bear with his fluffy strawberry-blonde hair and cozy oversized sweaters, holding hands with Jaebum in his slicked back blood-red undercut and leather moto jacket. From the outside, they probably looked mismatched and incompatible, but anyone who knew them could see the sparkle in Jaebum’s eyes any time Youngjae let out that ridiculously loud laugh of his or smiled in the former’s direction. Anyone who knew them could see that, even though Youngjae was much more reserved, he still looked at Jaebum as if there was no one else in the room with them.

Jinyoung and Mark’s relationship, however, wasn’t such a contrast. They were both quiet and soft-spoken. They looked like they fit together as well. It was awkward at first, neither one of them daring to take the first step, especially with Jaebum and Youngjae around them most of the time on “double-dates.” Most of their time getting to know one another was spent late at night alone in their rooms without their respective roommates next to them.

It wasn’t long before both relationships were going well and it was getting a bit awkward for all four men to be staying all night at one another’s apartment, so naturally the roommate dynamics changed to Mark moving into Jinyoung’s apartment and Jaebum moving into Youngjae’s.

The awkwardness that Jinyoung expected to move in as well never came. The quiet was nice for both of them. Jinyoung often sat on the left side of the loveseat reading whichever book he was working on that week and Mark would scroll through his phone to the right of him. Other times the two would sit and watch dramas or scary movies. Jinyoung wasn’t too fond of movies with a lot of jump scares, but any time Mark felt Jinyoung tense up he would tighten his arm around Jinyoung’s waist a little more and hold him a little closer, so Jinyoung decided he could handle it.

The bedroom that Jaebum used to sleep in was converted into an office area for Mark to do paperwork for his job. Sometimes Mark worked late into the night to meet deadlines for his boss, but Jinyoung usually stayed up and read on the loveseat until he was finished, even when Mark told him it was okay to go to sleep without him.

Despite the fact that the shower in their apartment was much too small for two people, they showered together almost nightly. Showering was already one of Jinyoung’s favorite things to do prior to being with Mark anyway. The hot water washed away any stress from the day and to have someone you love there with you added so much to the intimacy, regardless of if anything ual even takes place. Most of the time the two waited until they were in bed for anything like that, the tight space of the shower was nice for being close to one another but definitely not nice for getting on your knees or bending over. Shower wasn’t exactly the best anyway.

Their time in the bedroom was the one time Mark wasn’t his usual quiet self though, and Jinyoung never could get enough of it. Mark didn’t talk much during , but he made up for it with and panting. He didn’t even try to be quiet despite being in an apartment. There was no designated top or bottom in their relationship. It was really just whoever felt like doing what that night, but Mark was definitely louder when Jinyoung topped than vice versa.

Mark wasn’t shy either. He had no qualms asking for exactly what he wanted and he was willing to try anything Jinyoung asked for. Mark seemed to want to try everything and explore every inch of Jinyoung’s body with his hands, his lips, his tongue. He made Jinyoung feel so w