3rd

The kiss is languid. The way Jinyoung slightly rubbing his nape while Mark's bottom lips betrays the overall feeling that this should be a bye-bye kiss instead of some opening to another naughtier act. Clingy Jinyoung appears once in every blue moon, and sometimes Mark got to enjoy that side of him too. Just like today.

Starting from bringing him coffee in bed, a in the shower, even so far insisting on driving Mark back to his apartment complex, complete with a fresh bread to go from Jinyoung's favorite local deli. And now, the lingering parting kiss inside Jinyoung's car in front of his apartment building drop off point. Sadly, not that Mark isn’t enjoying the kiss, but he should put an end to the kiss. The kiss is far too long to be suspicious enough for the valet man to start approaching Jinyoung's car.

When the valet man about to knock on the tinted glass, Mark purposely rolls down the back window to buy them sometimes. True to be hold, instead of knocking on Jinyoung's side, the valet man approaches the rolled-down side on the back. During all that, Mark parts his lips from a still passionate Jinyoung. Earning some whine from the later, when Mark dodges Jinyoung's attempt to catch back Mark's lips. He puts both his hand on Jinyoung's cheek to still his movement.

"I need to go in, Jinyoung."

Pouting, Jinyoung detangles himself from Mark's embrace. Running a hand to his hair, and giving Mark a small smile while Mark gets off from his car. It is never easy, to part with this Jinyoung. The pout and the sad eyes are making afloat an illusion of romantic feeling that actually does not exist. Mark never fooled himself, but there is a time that he wonders what if all this faux emotion turns out to be real. Will he finally be able to unbox his old self and be free, with Jinyoung as his wings? Okay, less likely. Mark with Jinyoung is more of the reserved Mark, rather than his old self. His real self that he miss. He is not sure whether Jinyoung will still find him worth the hassle enough to fool around with if Jinyoung met with his old self six months ago in that Wine Cellar.

Watching Jinyoung's car speeding through the coldness of cloudy Sunday morning, Mark shivers lightly. Still dressed in his last night club attire is sure not helping for such a breezy morning like today. Yesterday, Jinyoung got them some invitation to a newly opened club in downtown, insisting to pick Mark up and then going there together instead of meeting in the club as usual. The night turned out to be a little on the wild side for Mark's liking. In his drunken state, he even forgot to check out his coat when he left with Jinyoung past midnight.

That left him here, shivering without his coat. Only cladded in black skinny jeans, long-sleeved black V-neck cashmere shirt that cling onto his body like a second skin, plus his black chocker to complete the look. Anyone who looks at him right now will notice for sure that he spend the previous night not tucked inside his comfy blanket. He really needs to get in before throng of his neighbor starts tricking out for their Sunday morning sermon.

On his way to elevator, Mark briefly glances to the receptionist table. Noting that Mina has not arrived yet. The night receptionist, Youngjae, is far too bright for someone who stayed up all night. He gives Youngjae a small nod and proceeds walking faster to the elevator area. The concierge bids him a good morning while kindly pressing the elevator button for him.

He unconsciously pats down his jeans pocket to check if his key is still there. Damn, skinny jeans. Mark is getting too much comfortable in his work attire. He can't belief that now he prefers a pressed slack rather than a skinny jeans which he always wears back in his college days. He is having a hard time to fish out his key from the rather depth pocket. Wow, is it always this hard?

"DING~~"

Absentmindedly, Mark enters the metal box while still struggling with his too tight pocket. Ahh, I can grab it. At the same time he finally succeed in grabbing the key, he collides into someone. With his right hand still trapped inside his pocket, Mark is losing his balance. He ends up throwing all his weight into someone in front of him. Both of them staggers back until hitting the back mirror of elevator wall.

"As much as I love that you voluntary throw yourself like this at me, I have to say, sorry, I don’t do a sloppy second, Mark."

A familiar voice greets him. With his head still face-planted in the man's chest, Mark peers up to see if the owner of that voice is really someone he thinks about. And yes, there is in fact, a Jaebum that looks down at him amusedly while putting both hands up on each side of his own head. Trying to show your manner, huh? Keep your hand to yourself?

Mark staggers to regain his own footing. He gives Jaebum a glare before forcing his key out and standing to the left side of Jaebum. Sloppy second, who is him to call Mark that. What a crude mouth, and dirty assumption. As if Mark will allow Jaebum to do him. Not that he would reject a chance to spend the night with such a fine specimen, if Jaebum asks nicely. As if it is okay to tell someone he barely knew that he thought Mark is a bottom. Not that he minds bottoming for Jaebum. As if Mark really threw himself at him. What a jerk.

"Your boyfriend dressed you up?"

Mark stays silent. Not even acknowledging the question that Jaebum throws a new at him. He knows for a fact, with his blood boiling like this, some unpleasant retort would come out as soon as he opens his mouth. So, he opts to stay silent. Retaining some dignity after a crude accusation that somehow hurts his pride a little. Let Jaebum think whatever, Mark will not satisfy his curiosity by offering him an easy answer.

"He did you good, huh? Lips too bust up, too swollen like that, so you feel too hurt to move it for answering my question? Or he ed your throat raw, so you lost your voice?"

Mark ignores the jab. Fully knowing that Jaebum purposely did that so he could make Mark opens up. But hell, didn’t it hurt to hear it.  All the assumption. Does he really look like that type of man in front of other people? In Jaebum's mind? That, he is the type of man who’s willingly to be used like that during ? Is that how fragile he looks in front of Jaebum?

"Nah, I don’t think so. Your boyfriend probably too vanilla to do that. Looking at how you could walk and go about totally fine each morning I met you in this elevator."

Mark risks a glance at Jaebum direction from their reflection in the metal door. What he sees there totally out of his wildest imagination. How fuming Jaebum is. Gone was the suave and layback man Mark accustomed to during their encounter before. Mark sees a man dressed in a plain black V-neck T-shirt with a sinfully tight leather pants, moving his jawline front and back in a furious way. Jaebum is looking at him, eyes wild and jaw tight, tracing every bit of Mark movement. Searching for a reaction that Mark fitfully denied of him. His eyes locks with Jaebum's fiery one through the reflection. Something changes in them.

Like a graceful movement from a feline creature but fast as the wild one in a jungle, Jaebum's hand clutches Mark's jaw. The grip is not hard enough to be painful, but strong enough for Mark to feel uncomfortable in. Jaebum tilts Mark's face towards his direction. Fiery eyes meets his stubborn one straight on. The annoyance is palpable. The annoyance, Mark thinks, is a good look on Jaebum. More suitable for the sharp feature of him rather than the usual laidback and carefree expression Mark has been seeing. The fire in Jaebum's eyes enlightens something in him. He wants to be burned in it. He wants to touch the fire and see if it is as hot as it looks like from here. From the outside. Surrounding by that fire, Mark could see the box, which he built to trap himself in, burnt and turn into a pile of pitch black ashes. He sees himself burnt, but never scream for any pain. Instead he feels an immense relieved feeling. A possibility. A chance.

"I don't like to be ignored, Mark."

A minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. Mark stares right on to the fire. Head on, never flinching, refusing to back down. While, the owner of the fiery eyes, keep asserting his annoyance, keep standing his ground, keep staring and willing Mark to succumb in each passing minutes. The fire is getting bigger, turning the black orbs into a completely dark abyss. Mark is so close to look down, to look away, to relent into the fire, to let himself be burnt. But something tell him, the games just begins. And he doesn't want to turn into ash right from the start. Not when the box that trapped him still intact. The box needs to turn into ashes first, and after that, Mark will let himself be burnt alongside the fire inside this man.

"DING!"

Save by the bell. Mark jerks himself out of Jaebum's grip and moves to the elevator door immediately. But right before his left foot bring him out of the metal box, Jaebum grabs his hand. Mark looks down, staring at the hand that hold him back.

"Where is the little fireball that talking back to me from last week? Don't hide it Mark, I know it is there in you."

This man. This stranger manages to figure him out only after three encounters. Three times, and still Jaebum always get to say the final word that never failed to make Mark stunned.

Upon hearing the words, Mark's eyes snaps up to Jaebum. What he sees there, manages to stay on his mind for the most part of his following weeks. Instead of the fiery orbs, Mark meets with a compassion and a determination. As if, from the look alone, Jaebum wants to apologize about his earlier rude talks and wants to explain that he did it for Mark. To coax the real Mark that he met last week. The Mark that managed to render Jaebum speechless. It is too much. Mark overwhelms. He needs to run before he interprets Jaebum's stare into something that it is not. He jerks his hand in time with the metal door closing separating him from Jaebum.

What was that?

###

Freshly showered with a hot chocolate filling up the mug he holds on his sweater paws, Mark curls into himself on his comfy white couch. Jaebum. The dark orbs that always stares at him so deep inside, figuring him out with a curiosity that scare him every time, every each of their encounter. It is almost if Jaebum could see through this facade that surrounded Mark for years since he arrived in Seoul. Coax him to play like an old friend they aren't. The way Jaebum talks, the way Jaebum knows just the right thing to say to make the snarky side of Mark desperate to come out and play. All of these, as if Jaebum knows Mark for far too long to be fooled with the good boy mask Mark constantly wearing around him, around everyone. When in fact, they are nothing but a mere stranger. A neighbor he occasionally meets during his walk of shame every Sunday morning. Nothing else, nothing more.

That grip on his chin, Mark can still feel it. Feel the burn it left on his skin, the pressure it asserts on his bone. Also the deep of Jaebum voice saying that he doesn't lik