Mark stood next to Heiran as they silently worked on putting together a meal while Lucy did her homework in front of the television. 

Even though they spent so much time apart, they still managed to work next to each other without needing to speak. They somehow could be in a small space with each other without sharing a single word. Instead communicating through knowing each other's body language and personality.  

It wasn’t until she was frying the vegetables that a splatter of oil flying towards her had her stepping back, her heel catching water that had spilled on the floor. Before a gasp could leave , Mark’s hands caught her waist, stabilizing her. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, worried. 

She stiffened in his hold and he let go, putting space between them. She cleared , “I’m fine.” 

He watched her for a beat, his eyes pained but did nothing to put his hands back on her, already missing her heat. The silence continued as they went back to working on the food it went on like that until they started moving things onto the table. When Mark reached a hand across to set down plates, a loud crash had him spinning around. 

Heiran was staring at his arm with wide eyes, the cutlery she was holding was now by her feet, “What the hell is that?”

She pointed to his arm and he followed her finger until he was staring at the tattoo on his inner arm. 

One, in neat typewriter-style font, that spelled out a single word. 

D U C H E S S 

Mark pulled his sleeve down and turned away, “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“Did you get that in pri—when you were gone?” She asked, eyeing Lucy.

“Doesn’t matter.” He replied stiffly, bending down to pick up what she had dropped. 

Her hands shook, “Did you get that before or after you told me to stop visiting?”

“I said it doesn’t matter.” He repeated. 

She crouched down in front of him and cupped his face, tilting it up so that she looked into his eyes, “It matters to me. A lot.”

It mattered to her because if he got that tattoo after he made her leave, it meant that he still wanted her around, he wanted the reminder of her permanently because he wasn't ready to let go. And maybe he wanted her to keep coming back even when he said he didn't.

It mattered to her because even if she was angry at him and he was frustrated at her, they both still wanted the same thing. 

Each other.

He searched her eyes but said nothing, she could see the hardness in his eyes dimming. She kept one hand on his face and the other drifted back to his arm and he let her push the sleeve of his sweater up until she could see the letters again. She let out a stuttering breath, “Oh my god.”

“It doesn’t mea—“

"Mark, please." She whispered, her hands gently smoothing across his cheeks. 

He gulped and kept her stare, "After."

“Don’t move out.” She whispered and he knew then, that there was never any hope for him. This was it. She owned him, he was at her mercy. And frankly, he didn't want it any other way.

He wanted this moment, the way she looked at him like she needed him even though time passed and emotions faded. 

That’s all he wanted.

-----

Steps were slow. 

They didn’t reunite with dramatic declarations of love or romantic grand proposals. 

When she told him not to move out, he didn’t. That was the first step. 

Then they spent time living their own lives, treating each other like regular neighbours who would just smile and greet each other when they passed by. After a while, he came over for coffee a few times and once for wine. Then when Lucy twisted her ankle, he helped her carry her cello around. 

It got hard when he started running the bar full time. He often worked nights and was dead to the world in the mornings. Meanwhile, Heiran worked in the day and sometimes into the night before passing out on whichever surface she hit first.

But Mark would open his door ready to leave for work around 7PM and find a travel mug of coffee outside his door. Or Heiran would rush to leave for a last-minute meeting to find the ice had already been scrapped off of her car windows.

This was their love language when they weren’t ready to speak. This was their version of holding hands or shy kisses. It was him sliding her mail under her door or her hanging an umbrella on his doorknob when there was a downpour. 

But when they'd run into each other in person, they’d never acknowledge the acts of kindness. 

Not until Mark did one that knocked her off her feet. 

She had mentioned it in passing one day when they shared an elevator the way neighbours do. She had said that she thought she and Lucy were growing out of their apartment since the business was operating out of it as well. It was just polite small talk because she needed to distract herself from the overwhelming urge to slam on the emergency stop button and wrap herself around him. 

But Mark hung onto that piece of information for a week before the weekend rolled back around. He knocked on her door early in the morning and bit down on the laugh bubbling in his chest when she opened the door with messy hair and a scathing glare. “It’s 7AM.”

“I know, turns out I’m an early riser.” He said while holding two cups of coffee. 

She scoffed, “If you’re the earlier riser then why am I the one being woken up?”

“I was wondering if you had some time this morning to go somewhere with me.” He asked with a smile. 

She woke up a bit more at that, accept the cup of coffee and rocked on her feet, “I guess since I’m already up. But I can’t leave Lucy alone.”

“That’s fine, in fact, bring her along.”

-----

They all piled into Mark’s car as he drove them 20 minutes outside city limits. Heiran watched, intrigued as to how quickly the concrete jungle turned into lush greenery. Mark turned into a dirt road that had morphed back into the pavement as he wove between tree trunks. 

“Where are we?” Lucy asked in awe as she pressed her nose against the window. 

He glanced at her through the rearview mirror and smile, “Just a little while longer. We’re almost there.”

Heiran turned away from the trees around them and looked over at Mark. She loved catching glimpses of him now. He glowed whenever she saw him. Even when he was dragging himself out of his apartment for work, his face was brighter, fuller. He didn’t look like he dreaded walking out the door every day. 

He seemed truly genuinely happy, he took joy in the little things that he never had the time or care to appreciate when he worked under GOT7. She was sure adjusting to a more 'normal' life must've been hard but seemed almost at peace now. Seeing him now, it was like he was more honest to himself and it was different than the version she had fallen in love with before. 

He was different but she had still fallen for him the same. 

“Here we are.” 

Heiran looked ahead where a beautiful little house sat amongst the trees, “What is this?”

“Get out and I’ll show you.” He said with a grin. 

Heiran watched in wonder when Mark pulled out a key and unlocked the door. They all stepped in and Heiran took a sharp breath at what was inside. It was beautiful and spacious with plants in every corner. Lucy ventured into the house, looking around the living room that managed to look both pristine and lived in at the same time. 

Soft cushions, terracotta and beige coloured rugs, her eyes didn’t know where to look at first. She followed Mark as he showed her the kitchen, the dining room, took her up the stairs to show her the bedrooms and home office. 

It wasn’t until she was inspecting the beautiful decor, minimalist paintings hung on every wall, burnt orange blankets draped over furniture that she realized he had been giving her a tour, “Wait, so what is this? It’s beautiful but I’m confused. Is this your new place? Did you buy this?”

“No, not technically.” He said as they made their way back to the living room. They stood with Lucy in front of the window that displayed the backyard, it was large with a modest patio. She could already map out a small garden with her eyes.

She loved every inch of the house and envy nibbled at her that someone got to the property first. “What does ‘not technically’ mean?”

“It means I didn’t buy the house. I bought the land. I built the house.” 

She stared at him with wide eyes, “What? How?”

“Well, I hired professional people to build it. I just designed it.” He said while staring out at the field.

“When?” He had been out of prison for a few months, there was no way the construction went that fast.

He looked over at Lucy before turning back out the window, “I came up with the design when I was gone and gave the plans to Jinyoung who passed it onto the contractors. He was my eyes and ears when I couldn’t be there myself. Turns out I have a knack for architecture and design.“

It took a moment for it to sink in, he had designed a house while he was in prison and got it built so that it’d be ready for him when he got out. 

“Wait, if you have this house why have you been living in the apartment?” She asked, 

He turned to her and smoothed her hair back, taking great care and tenderness with the action, an action he didn’t do as much as he used to, “Because this house isn’t for me. I built it for you.”

“What?!” She exclaimed. Her heart leapt into , men barely bought her flowers, she could confidently say this was the first time a man bought her a house.

But he just gave her a soft smile that squeezed her heart until she couldn’t breathe, “It’s your happy place, your mind palace for your emotions but in real life. A private place for you and Lucy, with plants and paintings and a big backyard.”

“Mark.” She breathed out. She couldn’t believe he remembered something she had said in passing. He turned a coping mechanism into something she could touch and live in.

He hummed, his fingers trailing down the side of her neck before letting his hand drop, “The house is already in your name. Jinyoung kept me in the loop in case you went and bought your own house, luckily you didn’t. When you mentioned possibly needing a new space, I thought maybe you’d want this one.”

She grabbed his arm, her eyes frantically flickering over his face, “You’re not serious.”

“You don’t have to keep it, I know it’s a big commitment, you can always sell it or rent it out.” He suggested when he saw the look on her face. 

“This is too much. You built me a house, Mark. I can’t accept this.” She whispered. He went from getting her mail for her to building her an entire house in a second. 

He shook his head, “Please take it. I won’t pressure you into it because I have no idea if you like it enough to live in it, but this place is meant for you. It's yours.”

“I don’t know what to say.” She said quietly, “No one’s ever done something like this for me…for us.”

Lucy was staring up at him with the same awestruck look Heiran had on her face. “We get to live here?”

“If you and your mom like it.” Mark said. 

Lucy looked at her mom, “Mom, can we?”

“I'm not sure. Sunshine, why don’t you go explore a little bit while I talk to Mark.” Heiran said. 

Lucy raced off to the room that she guessed would be hers and Heiran faced him, “You built me a house.”

“I thought we already covered this.” He said with a little smile. 

She shook her head in disbelief, “Why?”

“The same reason I tattooed the word duchess on my arm.” He said simply. 

She gave him a dirty look, “You haven’t told me the reason for that.”

His lips quirked, “Because you are the love of my life."

She was speechless, so he just continued, “I realized it in prison. That there wasn’t ever going to be anyone else for me. You were all I wanted. There wouldn't ever be anyone else. You could show me a woman with all the same qualities that I love so much about you and I wouldn’t lay a finger on her because she wouldn’t be you. And you’ve somehow re-wired me in a way where I can’t want anyone else but you.”

“I’ve dated other people.” She admitted. 

He nodded slowly, “I understand. You were single, you don’t need to explain anything to me.”

She shook her head, “It was awful. Being with other men, I dated them just to spite you because you wanted me to move on but it was terrible. None of them spoke to me the way that you do, none of them touched me the way that you did. God, Mark. I missed you so much.”

He cupped her cheeks, thumbing at her skin, “I missed you too, baobei.”

There was tension in the air, maybe it was the name she hadn't heard too long or maybe it was the disbelief and sudden sense of urgency that they were standing too far apart but when she pulled him close enough that all she had to do was push up onto her toes for their lips to meet, it melted away.

They'd known each other for a while and been in love with each other for much longer but when they kissed it felt like the lightness of a new honest, real love. Not the heaviness of a kiss goodbye or the swan song of a one night stand. It was raw, stripping them of anything that wasn't each other, ridding them of any self-control.

They both moaned the minute their lips touched like they could finally release everything that had pent up inside of them all this time. It was like a switch flipped and they both just gave in. The sound tumbled shamelessly into , his entire body coming alive as his fingers slipped to the back of her neck. She pulled him towards her, taking steps back under her spine hit the window. Heiran let out a please hum as she moved her lips with his, 2 years worth of frustration, anger and longing managed to melt into one long kiss. Her fingers trailed up his neck and twisted into the thick waves of his hair. She into his mouth, heat flushing through her body when he parted his lips with a plaint groan.

Mark’s hands bound around her waist and smoothed his palms up her back, exploring the span of her body. His touch left little sparks that still sizzled when he moved on. In the entire time that they’d known each other, they had only kissed twice yet somehow it was like she knew the feeling so well. When he kissed her the third time, she felt nostalgic. It was a sensation that she knew like the back of her hand that still had the trepidation and tenderness of someone exploring unknown territories. 

After memorizing every inch of the inside of his mouth, she pulled back to give them a chance to catch a proper breath.

“Mark?” She panted, her eyes were glassy and her cheeks were rosy and Mark couldn’t give a about the lush field in her backyard. Not when the best view was in front of him and out of breath. “I love you.”

His eyes widened and his first reaction was to shake his head, “You don’t mean that, baobei. It’s been almost 3 years.”  

“Of course I mean it.” She pressed with knitted brows. 

He shook his head, “It’s okay, I know that telling you that I love you before I went away wasn’t fair. I know you think you have to say it back now but so much time has passed, we’re not the same people.”

“You’re right but I still love you.” She said firmly. “No amount of time will change that.” 

He dug his fingernails into the base of her skull, massaging her gently, “I don’t deserve that kind of unconditional love.”

“Yes, you do.” She wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Let me date you.” He whispered. “Let me do this right with dates and first kisses and hand-holding. I want to take my time so you get to have all of that.”

She frowned, “But…the house.”

He hugged her back, “Is yours. Dating me isn’t a condition of owning the house. It’s 100% yours regardless of how you feel about me. I made it for you and Lucy. I’m not moving in, not until we’re both ready and it’s what we want. So for now, I’m going to live in the apartment and we’re going to do this the right way.”

“You said that you built this house to be my happy place.” She said against his chest.

He nodded, his thumb drawing lazy circles again the side of , “That’s true.”

“But I told you that you were a part of my happy place.”

He let out a stunned laugh, “I like you so much, wow.”

“Move in, then.” She pled, “It’s been 2 years without you. Live with us. Be my family. Make this my happy place.”

He didn’t think she’d so convincing but he knew, deep down, that for this gift to sit right with him, she had to live in it with Lucy on their own first. He didn’t do it to trick her into being with him. “I promise one day I’ll move in with you, but until then let’s wait. I swear that I’ll be your family long before I ever come live you.”

“Okay. Fine.” She breathed out, she hadn’t realized he was practically holding her up with his body, she had basically gone limp. “But I’m going not going to stop convincing you to stay.”

He smiled, “I’ll get Jinyoung and Taeyong and a bunch of those guys to help you and Lucy move in whenever you’re ready."

“Mark?” She called out quietly.

He bumped her head with his, “Yeah, baobei?”

“You’re the best thing to ever happen to this family.” 

-----

The moving in process wasn’t as stressful as Heiran thought. Maybe because this time she wasn’t juggling a young Lucy and the movers on her own. 

Instead, she had a group of friends who played loud music while carrying in furniture and boxes. Mark, Taeyong, Ten, Jinyoung, and Yeonhee all helped out until everything was in its place. Star and Eun had come over once the move was complete to toast to the new place. 

By the time that everyone went back home, Heiran’s feet were sore, her back ached but as she walked around her new living room where Ten had hung photos of her, Lucy and friends, she didn’t remember what it was like to feel lonely anymore. 

“Hey, I put the leftover pizza slices in the fridge. Everything else is clean, so I think I’m going to head out.” Mark said as he put his coat on. 

Heiran followed him to the door, “It’s late, why don’t you just stay the night? It’s not safe to drive in the dark.”

“Nice try.” He snorted. She was relentless but he never persuaded her to stop trying to find creative ways to get him to spend the night. “Where’s Lucy?”

She crossed her arms over her chest, “For someone who didn’t do any actual moving, she was really tired and fell asleep.” 

“Think she likes her new room?” He asked. 

Heiran nodded with a small smile, “You did a really good job, the easel, the reading nook. She’s never going to leave her room.” It nearly brought tears to her eyes that he paid such close attention to how much Lucy had grown and changed and incorporated all of it into her room.

“What about your room?” He asked. 

She took a deep breath and met his eyes, “The bed’s nice. Big.”

“You’re good.” He said with a shake of his head, knowing what she was trying to do. Enticing him with images of her alone in a bed that she wanted him to share with her. He would be lying if images like that didn't keep him awake late at night. Sometimes he'd turn on his side and imagine her next to him, close enough for him to reach out and pull her warmth into his.

She tilted her head, “Is it working?” 

“Do you want to get dinner, tomorrow?” He asked instead.

Her eyes widened, her stomach fluttered as she looked up at him. His hair had grown out a little, a mop of black hair that softened the hardened look his tattoos gave him. 

“A date?” She asked. 

He grinned, “The first of many, I hop—“

“Yes!” She blurted, making him laugh. 

A knock on the door pulled them apart. Mark opened the door and stilled when Yugyeom stared back at them. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, “I brought a vase.”

Heiran looked at Mark worriedly, she knew that Yugyeom had eased off the topic of her and Mark but they hadn’t spoken about it ever since Mark was released. She wasn’t even sure he knew that the house was a gift or that Mark had lived across the hall from her. 

“Hey.” She said softly, “Come in.”

Yugyeom gave her a tight smile before stepping in. She hugged him before taking the vase out of his hands, “It’s beautiful, Yugyeom. Um…you remember Mark.”

He glanced over at him and exchanged a small nod before facing her, “Sorry I didn’t call ahead, I wasn’t even sure I was going to be able to get out of work.”

“Don’t worry, you’re always welcome.” She said brightly, hoping her smile eased the tension. 

Yugyeom looked around her house as she led them to the kitchen, “This place is amazing, Heiran.”

Heiran didn’t know how he’d react if he knew it was a present from Mark, so she fluttered around with her words, “Yeah, it’s perfect.”

“The office space is my favourite.” Yugyeom said as he leaned over the sink to look into the backyard. 

Heiran nodded, “Mine to—wait, how do you know what the office looks like?”

Yugyeom turned and leaned against the counter before nodding at Mark, “He showed me the design before it got built.”

She looked at Mark with wide eyes, “You two met?”

“He visited me in prison.” Mark said. He hadn’t moved from the door. 

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked Yugyeom. 

He just shrugged, “I wanted to see what you saw in him.”

“And did you?” She asked quietly. 

Yugyeom smiled and looked over her shoulder at Mark who looked at Heiran like he was holding his soul out to her, “Yeah, I did.”

-----

A Few Years Ago

Mark and Yugyeom had been sitting in silence for 5 minutes and he didn’t know how he was going to make it through the other 40 minutes if they were going to keep up this stalemate. 

Ever since he told Heiran to stop visiting him, his only visitors had been Jinyoung and Taeyong, though the latter spent most of the visitation yelling at him for keeping such big secrets from him for so long. So, when Yugyeom was seated, waiting for him, Mark didn’t know what to think. 

“Why are you here?” Mark finally asked. 

Yugyeom’s brow jumped, “Not sure, to be honest.”

“Oh.” Mark said blankly. 

Yugyeom pursed his lips, “I just don’t get it.”

“Get what?” Mark asked. 

He shook his head, “I still don’t understand why you did it. You had the resources to jump on a plane and fly far, far away. We had nothing concrete to arrest you but you just turned yourself in without anyone asking you to.”

“I already said it during the interrogation. I wanted to take down GOT7 for trafficking and I had my own -ups that I needed to pay for.” He said. 

Yugyeom didn’t believe him, “I think you’re lying to me. I think even the most righteous person wouldn’t willingly go to jail. Not when you had the chance not to.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” Mark said plainly. 

Yugyeom leaned forward on the table, “Heiran’s my best friend, I’ve known her for a long time and I’ll always be protective of her. But I trust her, I trust her enough that if she put Lucy’s life in your hands, there must’ve been a good reason. So, I think there’s more to whatever relationship you two have.”

Mark said nothing and Yugyeom just sighed in annoyance, “She said you told her you love her. Those aren’t words she takes lightly. But all of a sudden she’s crying and miserable. She hasn’t visited you in ages either. I started wracking my mind trying to figure out why you’re here, why she’s hurt and what you did wrong. I think it has to do with you coming into my precinct. So why don’t you stop lying and skip to the part where you tell me the truth.”

“I’d always pick Heiran over myself.” He said simply. 

Yugyeom scrutinized Mark’s face, “You turned yourself in for her, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” Mark said, “But I also did it because I deserve it.”

He tilted his head curiously, “And you think she’s going to wait for you until you get out?”

“No, I don’t.” Mark replied without missing a beat, “I told her not to bother.” 

"You don't want her back?" Yugyeom asked curiously.

Mark snorted, "I want her back so badly it doesn't make sense to me. But that'd be selfish."

Yugyeom nodded to himself like he had gotten what he came for before standing but Mark stopped him, "You knew long before I became a wanted person, didn't you?"

"You can't be surprised that I figured it out when you have the name of the criminal organization you worked for literally tattooed on your knuckles." Yugyeom deadpanned.

Mark tilted his head, "So why didn't you arrest me the minute you found out?"

"It was too late."

"For what?"

Yugyeom smiled slightly, the first one in a while, "She was already in love with you. Arresting you would have meant losing my best friend."

"So you waited until I came to you?" Mark asked incredu