Requester: SMTownR


Pairing
Mark Tuan X Ara
 

Genre(s)
Romance, Fluff

Plot
Mark and Ara meet for the first time on a cruise ship and the find comfort in each other.

Ara brushed her hair as night had fallen.  She hummed a short tune while watching herself in the mirror.  She heard the front door open, signaling her that her mother must want to talk to her.  She stood up and put her brush down.  Walking down stairs, she let out a yawn that didn't go unheard.  Her mother looked at her with folded arms.

"Not very lady-like."  Was her mother's comment.


Ara shrugged her shoulders and straightened her shirt that went to her hips.  She looked at her mother with a part confused-part annoyed expression.  "What brings you here at ten o'clock?"  She asked, walking past her mom.

"Can't your mom visit you?" 

"There's visiting and then there's coming here for a different reason.  Why would you come so late at night?"  Ara said, taking a sip of water from the glass she just poured.

Her mother huffed and poured herself some water as well.  "You know.. It's not night time in America right now."  She gave a fact that made Ara confused.

"Why is that important for me?  I don't live there."  Ara mummbled, tiredness obviously evident in her voice.


"It's important because we're going on a cruise for my birthday.  And I want you to start packing because we leave tomorrow afternoon."  Her mom gave a sassy attitude.


Ara almost spat the water out of .  "Since when did I agree to go?"  She protested, but she knew it was fruitless - when her mom says something is going to happen, it happens.  She sighed when her mom gave her a look that said not to question her.

She looked at the floor, wanting to protest more.  She felt her mom's shorter arms around her, trying to say something to comfort her.  Ara wasn't listening in though - she wanted to spend her free week to do what she wanted.  Of course spend a day with her mom because it is her birthday in two days, but she wanted to celebrate here in Seoul rather than go on the ocean for days. 

She nodded to her mom and watched her retreat to the spare bedroom.  She had her bags in the living room with all of the things she'll need on the cruise.  Eight bags?  Really, Mom?  Ara inwardly commented before going upstairs.


She took a small suitcase out.  She put the laptop that was on her bed on her desk instead.  She then placed the open suitcase on her bed.  Taking some of her clothes out of her drawer, she let out a tired sigh. 

"Day time.. heh.."  Ara looked down at the hat she put in the suitcase.


She looked at the clock to see it was already an hour later.  She made sure everything was inside, and had enough room to put a book or two.  She zipped it up and put it against the wall that was next to her closet.  Good thing I don't have a job schedule this next week.  She sighed as it would probably hard to tell her boss that she'd be leaving for a week suddenly. 

Being that it was a 'summer break' for her place of work, she didn't have to inform her boss about it.  She sighed before turning off the lights in her room.  She plopped down on her bed and closed her eyes.  She slowly drifted off to dream land where she spent her whole vacation sleeping and relaxing.  She smiled into her sleep.
 

"Your to go to a cruise tomorrow, Son."  Mark heard his father talk.  "There's a co-worker that you need to meet there.  You know about the dilemma at the company, right?"


Mark simply nodded as he slurrped on some of the noodles he had made for the two of them.  He was ready to talk to this 'co-worker.'  He heard that there was some tough business deals at the company his dad works at.  Naturally, he got a job there as well.  He currently lives with this parents as he still attends college and such. Being at the a young age of twenty-two, he was ready to do business for his dad, even if that meant he was the 'bait'.  He doesn't exactly know what will happen on the cruise, but he knows that he needs to blend in.


"His name is Changmin, you need to earn his trust and he'll probably tell you what needs to happen."  The father said, finishing the meal.

"Right, he knows I'm with the company, right?"  Mark asked, he too finishing eating. 


"Yes, but he's really shy.  He needs someone about his age to talk to him, that's why we want you to talk to him." 


Mark nodded and took out his phone.  He set his alarm to go off at eight o'clock.  He needs to get plenty of sleep before he goes on the cruise.  The time zone will be changing from KST to PST easily - his bed time moving over twelve hours.

"I'll see you at the dock at one.  Night."  Mark said, putting his dish in the sink.


He takes out his contacts before turning off the bedroom light.  He lays down on his bed and stares at the moon through the blinds. 

"I never thought I would miss you,"  Mark laughed, "will the meeting go well though?"  he continued his monologue. 


He played with his nails a little bit as he invisioned the trip.  It'll be the first business trip he'll be going on.  It's also the first trip he'll be going on alone.  His dad is staying in Seoul due to work, and his mom gets sea sick to easily.  Of course he was the only child and he has no friends that want to go with him.  "Changmin will be there, though..."  Mark said to himself.  "He'll be good company, right?" 


He slowly drifted to sleep as tiredness was overpowering his body.  When he fell asleep, a slight whimper came out of his vocal chords. 

 

"Ara, wake up!"  Ara heard her mother call from the stairs.  She looked around and saw that it was already late in the morning. 


She hopped out of bed and went to the bathroom.  She looked at her crazed hair.  She shook her head and turned the shower on, waiting for it to get warm before stepping in.  She sighed as she knew that her mom is going to complain her ear off because she woke up late.  They have to leave in an hour or two, and she hasn't even had anything to eat. 


She put on a pair of jeans and a shirt that went down to her mid-thighs.  She brushed her hair and put it up in a pony tail.  She walked out of the bathroom and put some random things in her luggage before walking down the stairs.  She put her one bag next to her mom's bags that seemed to have had a couple babies last night.  She walked up to the kitchen's island, seeing some fresh toast on the surface. 

She sat down and bit down into the whole wheat, humming a satisfied tune. 


"Didn't you set your alarm?"  Her mom asked.


"I can't remember."  Ara said with a smirk. 


Her mom shot her a mad glare before laughing.  "Yeah, I woke up about an hour ago myself." 


They laughed a bit before getting ready to leave.  Picking up her phone, Ara headout out to her mom's car (she can't afford a car due to her mom hassling her to buy a house instead).  She put some of the luggage she carried out with her into the trunk.  She saw her mom carrying the rest and putting it in the trunk.  She then put out her hand for her mom's keys.


"I can drive, you know."  Her mom said, giving her the keys.

"I know, but isn't it your birthday?"  Ara said, opening the driver's door.

"Tomorrow is, dear."  Her mom laughed.


She shrugged.  "We won't be driving tomorrow, remember?"  She said as she the engine. 


"Fair enough.." 



Ara took her phone and plugged in the address of the dock.  Due to them not going on too many cruises, she doesn't know her way to it.  She put it in the dashboard, and backed out of the driveway. 

During the ride, her mom put on some of her favorite songs, singing along to them.  Ara got annoyed, but found herself singing along after thirty minutes.  They stopped at a red light, and laugh about how they sang horribly.

"Your mother wanted to be a kpop idol~"  Her mom said in third person.

"Ehhhck, not with that voice!"  Ara teased.


She got a playfull tease on her shoulder.  "Like you're any better." 


They laughed as they drove on.  They finally reached the dock after an hour and a half of driving.  They saw people in line already for bag check.  Because there were so many people going on the cruise, they decided to just bring an airport grade baggage scanner instead of looking through every bag.  Ara put her one bag through and was accepted.  After about ten minutes, they were allowed to board the boat.


They reached their room and placed the luggage down.  "Woah, luxery!  How much did you pay for this?"


"I don't know, your father bought the ticket for us."  She said, unpacking some of the things from her bags.


"Oh?  How's he doing?" 


"He's fine..."  Ara sat down on the bed next her mom when she stopped talking.  "He said he would have come, but he can't go on a boat after what happened in his military service.." 


Ara nodded, remembering the story too well.  "Well I'm sure next year you two can spend time at a quiet resort."  She comforted her mom that was about to start crying.






It was evening on the boat as they were just a little while away from the shore.  Mark yawned as he was walking around his room.  He was waiting to get a text from his dad saying where Changmin would be right now.  When he heard his phone sound, he didn't hesitate to check right away.  Seeing the information, he nodded.  He should be in a secluded area.  Mark had wandered the boat when he got there this morning.  He knows exactly where the spot is.


He silently headed out of his room and went around the boat.  He went up the stairs to be met with a girl's back.  He widened his eyes.  This.. isn't Changmin, is it?  Mark narrowed his eyes and looked around, not spotting a boy anywhere near them.  He swallowed his spit silently and walked a little further.

"Changmin?"  He had to take a chance - what if Changmin is actually a girl?  Or just really feminine?


"Are you talking to me?"  The girl asked, looking at Mark.


"Uhm... yes.. I'm Mark?"  He introduced himself.


"Hmm.. I think you have me confused with a different person, my name is Ara."  She said, not accepting Mark's extended hand.


Mark took his hand back and looked at the ocean behind the rails.  He played with the rails a bit, feeling a bit awkward.  He looked back to see her having a skeptical stare.

"I'm supposed to meet someone here, that's all."  Mark explained.


"In this exact spot?"  She rose an eye brow.


"Yes... So.... Since he's not here..."  He started mummbling. 


She huffed with a slight laugh. 


He tapped his foot silently.  "So, what made you go on a cruise?"  He asked, creating small talk.


"It's my mom's birthday tomorrow.. I hate going places for it though.."  She said, leaning over the rail, looking down at some of the air bubbles being created by the engine.  "You?"


"Business."  Mark said simply.


"Business?  Isn't a cruise supposed to be for enjoyment?"  Ara said, turning to him.


"Supposed to be, but.. I'm not really a cruise person."  He said, looking at the sun that is going down on the other side of the boat.


Ara nodded, folding her arms.  "So, what happens if Changmin isn't even on the boat?"  She said in a joking tone.

"Then I might just have to confront him when he's not comfortable."  Mark laughed, making fun of Changmin's slight anxiety.




They talk a little while before parting ways.  Mark entered the buffet room, and saw a boy in business attire in the corner, looking around.  He narrowed his eyes and suspected this must be Changmin.  He walked up to the said kid, and looked at him in the eyes.

"Changmin?"  Mark asked with an amused smile.


"Where have you been?  I've been standing here for thirty minutes."  The person responded, looking around.


"Waiting for you at the railing.  That's where dad said you were."  Mark said, picking up a plate on the table next to them.


"Oh.."



They grabbed something to eat before sitting down at a secluded table.

It was the next evening, Ara was in a reserved room with her mother and some of her friends that bought tickets when they heard she was going.  She kept her eyes on how much cake everyone ate - they at least went through half of the triple-layer cake.  She looked down to see that she was only halfway through her first piece.  She sighed and listened into the conversation they're having.


"My Ara, she isn't as feminine as I want her to be - she's like her father, all grumpy!"  She heard her mother say before taking a huge fork of cake in .


Ask Ara five years ago what she would do, and she would be crying her tears out right now.  But she knows she doesn't meet her mother's expectations.  No kid really does meet their parents' desires, but that doesn't stop Ara from breathing.  She only got uspet because they went on and on about it for another hour.  Of course they weren't the only people in the room - there were boys about her age that were whispering idiotic things.

The reserved room had two parties going on - her mother's birthday party and some old man's birthday party.  She heard so many laughs around her as the other party listened into her mother's tales.  Being that she was the only young, female at the table, she was picked out very easily.  She sighed and hung her head low.


"Ara?"  She heard a familiar voice sound beside her.  She looked up to see the boy she saw last night.  Ara took notice that the cackling ladies were too busy with the other party to even notice someone talking to her. 

"Yeah?"


"Let's go out by the rail."  Mark said as he took her wrist.


They walked out to where they were standing the night before.  Ara breathed in the cold air, but then snickered at the salt she smelled with it.  She noticed that Mark was leaning back agains the rail.

"You're going to fall, you know..." 


"So you are caring."  Mark said with a slight chuckle.


"What?"


Mark got off of the rail and faced Ara.  "Your mom said that you don't care about anyone." 


Ara looked down at the floor while folding her arms.  "How did your meeting with Changmin go?"  She asked after some silence.


"Turns out he was waiting for me in the lunch room...  I suppose business went well.. He invited me to his father's birthday party, that's why I was in there."  Mark explained, earning Ara's attention.


"So you heard eveything?"  She asked in a small voice that was almost inaudible.

"Yeah.. but I wouldn't exactly call me the trademark guy, either.  I'd just call me Mark." 


Ara laughed slightly at the joke.  After the laugh, it seemed like it lingered a bit too long - she started a laughing fit that made her sit down on the floor with her hands in her face.


Mark smiled while watching her laugh at the silly joke he came up with last year on his birthday.  All of his family members just stared at him with a blank face.  But she was laughing at it.  We have the same humor, don't we? 


"Mark, Mark!"  Mark looked at Changmin who was approaching them.  He stopped when he saw Ara on the floor, not laughing anymore.  "Hey, you're Ara."  He pointed. 


"Your business here?"  Mark asked, putting his hands in his pockets. 


"Uhm... what was it again?"  Changmin asked, scratching his head.  Mark held his forehead with one hand and extended the other to Ara.  She took it and stood up while watching Changmin have a confused expression.


"Oh yeah!  I wanted to tell you that I thought a lot about what you told me last night.  I will stay with the company longer."  Changmin remembered, giving a small smile.


Mark nodded and patted Changmin's head.  "Good boy, now run along, you have to go gossip with the ladies." 


Ara looked over to see Changmin looking at her.  "I think that you're a nice girl, despite what they say."  Changmin said with a teeth smile.


"How do you know?"  She asked with one eye brow raised.


"Mark probably wouldn't talk all night about you if you weren't."  And with that, Changmin left their presence.


Mark felt a someone stare into his soul - he wasn't thinking that the shy boy he met yesterday would bring that up.  He slowly looked over at Ara to see her tapping her foot and folding her arms. 

"I hope they were nice things.."  She said after some silence.


"They were.. why would I bad mouth someone that made me feel comfortable?"  Mark said with a slight smile, looking down at the floor.


"Mark,"  She gained his attention, "how could a stranger make you comfortable?  It's even a conundrum for me to figure out." 


Mark's eyes went wide.  She was thinking about me?  He felt her arms go around him.  He slowly rose his arms to bring her closer while closing his eyes.  He felt her chest rising and falling at an pace that made him confused.  Is she crying?  He didn't want to ask though - afraid that she would get upset. 


"I honestly don't know how much more I could have taken..."  She said after a few minutes of hugging.  Her breathing went back to normal.

"Me neither.." 



They break the hug and look into each other's eyes.  They don't even notice that their lips formed smiles. 



 

Woooaahh, so cheesy.  I'm sorry! >.<'  I'm also sorry that it took forever for me to post this.  It was ready to be posted Saturday, but I wanted to re-read it a couple more times.  I hope you enjoyed reading it!

You can always request again!  Thank you! =^.^=