Mark had a habit of staring at Youngjae whenever he had the opportunity to do so.

It didn't matter what Youngjae would be doing, if Mark could, he would watch him all day. Youngjae could literally just be standing and not doing anything at all, but Mark would still stare at him as if he were the most interesting thing in the world.

Now, with someone staring holes into your entirety every chance they get, it's only natural that Youngjae soon caught onto his boyfriend's cute yet slightly creepy habit. It's not that he minded that much when Mark would look at him with adoring eyes when he thought he wasn't looking; hell, he does it, too. He just thought that it was odd that someone found him to be worthy enough to stare at all day. Either way, Youngjae was just glad that it was Mark staring instead of some random creep.

It was one of those peaceful evenings where the couple was spooning in bed, just on the verge of falling into deep slumbers, after a lazy day of watching movies all night on the sofa when Youngjae felt it again. With Mark's arm draped loosely across his waist, Youngjae could also feel the elder's eyes boring holes into the back of his head. Any other night, he wouldn't have minded the intense stare, but tonight, Youngjae's curiosity was at its peak.

"Mark hyung," Youngjae said, turning over to face the older boy. He looked up at him, who was unsurprisingly already looking right back. "Why are you always staring at me?"

It had been a question Youngjae had been dying to ask ever since he found out about Mark's excessive staring. At first, he thought it was because Mark was starting to regret moving in with him, which he concluded was highly unlikely, considering the fact that Mark always showered him in love and affection.

So, why?

Mark stayed silent, for he, too, didn't know why he enjoyed gazing upon the younger. He studied his face for an answer, but no matter how beautiful the boy next to him was, he knew that it wasn't particularly his face that caught his attention. Even his endearing laughter and his bright smile weren't the specific reason as to what caused such a habit.

Then, his eyes began to travel farther down. He loved how Youngjae's body looked and how perfectly it seemed to fit together with his whenever they cuddled, but again, it wasn't why his eyes were always drawn to him.

Mark began to trace his fingers gently along Youngjae's arms until they somehow ended up caressing his cheeks. He rubbed his thumb along the soft skin and contemplated if it was his skin.

It most definitely was not.

Mark sighed and pulled the boy closer to him, so that Youngjae's head was resting comfortably against his chest. Mark planted a gently kiss on the top of his head and rubbed his hand along his back in a soothing manner. Mark knew that Youngjae was close to falling asleep at this point, but he didn't want to leave his question unanswered.

"I don't know," he whispered into the silent air of the evening. He stopped, trying to put together his feelings into words. He loved so many things about Youngjae, more than he can count, yet he didn't know exactly why he developed his staring habit.

Even now, in this moment in time, where the two are happily snuggled against one another, Mark still couldn't pinpoint one specific reason as to why he loved staring at the ethereal boy next to him.

All he knows is that,

"I just really love you."