Barriers (4/5)

Barriers

            Mark has trouble sleeping that night. He tries his best to lie as still as possible on the hotel bed, in order to not wake up Joey, who is occupying the same bed as him. The brunette’s attempts prove to be futile though, because he can’t stop himself from tossing and turning. Life’s cruel. He’s only got to spend time with Jinyoung for a little less than three days and now the boy’s going to leave him. Not to mention the fact that they kissed! How is he supposed to let that simple fact go? Mark can’t help feeling afraid that tomorrow would really be the end of the just-budding relationship.

 

            “Bro, are you okay?” he hears a whisper from his right side all of a sudden. Mark turns his head around to meet Joey’s open eyes. Even in the dark hotel room, he can see the curiosity and concern that sparks up his younger brother’s eyes. Mark wonders if he should just stay quiet and close his eyes as if he hasn’t noticed Joey’s question. But then he realizes he’s been caught anyway and has no choice but to answer.

 

            “I’m okay, Joey. Go to sleep before we wake up Grace and Tammy.”

 

            Joey turns the other way to check on his sisters, who are on the bed on the opposite side of the room. Fortunately for Mark, the younger male brings the blanket over his head and goes back to sleep. The brunette holds back a sigh of relief before shutting his eyes tight and hoping to sleep as well.

 

            He wakes up the next morning when the sunlight rays pierce through the hotel curtain and land directly on his face. Mark feels more tired as usual as he rubs his eyes to rid himself of the drowsiness still dwelling inside of him. He glances at his siblings only to realize that his sisters are already up, looking through a brochure to find the perfect breakfast spot for the family.

 

            “Maybe we can buy some to-go dinner tonight and eat beside the Han River,” Tammy suggests as she points out one of the well-known icons of Seoul shown on the folded sheet of paper.

 

            “I went there yesterday,” Mark says drowsily, stretching his arms before rolling off the bed. Memories of his uneasy sleep return to him at that moment and the disappointment starts running through his mind again.

 

            “Must have been nice,” Grace comments. “Hey Markie, how do Korean seafood pancakes sound for breakfast?”

 

            Mark’s in deep thought as he waddles to the restroom in his still-sleepy state. He misses Grace’s question, causing her to repeat herself louder. The brunette nearly jumps in front of the bathroom door when he hears his sister’s raised voice.

 

            “Huh?” Mark turns around. “Seafood pancakes? Yeah, brilliant.”

 

            He enters the bathroom, leaving his sisters confused by his blank actions.

 

            Mr. and Mrs. Tuan meet the kids in their hotel room soon enough, and while Joey is showering, Grace and Tammy show their dad the brochure and point out the list of Seoul attractions. They quietly whisper a few suggestions to him, to which he nods before settling himself down on the bed beside a quiet Mark. The boy is saved from any questions his father may have for him though, because Joey bursts through the bathroom door with a towel around him, asking for his boxers. Grace and Tammy groan as they look away while the youngest sibling rummages through the drawers for his undergarments.

 

            The trip to the restaurant doesn’t take long, since it’s only a couple of blocks down the street. Throughout the whole breakfast, Mark is effortlessly poking at his seafood pancake with no appetite to motivate him. He rolls the small slice of pancake he has cut earlier, forcing it to dance back and forth. It’s hard to hide his gloomy mood from the rest of his family, so he doesn’t even try to.

 

            “What’s up, son? From what I know, you’re not allergic to seafood,” Mr. Tuan asks concernedly.

 

            “I asked you if you were okay with seafood pancakes and you said it was a brilliant idea,” Grace adds, taking a sip from her glass of water afterward.

 

            “I did?” Mark blankly questions, finally forcing the piece he’s been poking at into his mouth. “Oh.”

 

            “Is this about the friend you just made?” Joey, who’s sitting right beside him, whispers. After all, the youngest sibling couldn’t forget his attempt at conversation with Mark in the middle of the night.

 

            “Kind of,” Mark replies. “He’s pretty cool but I’ve only hung out with him for three days and now he’s going back to his hometown.”

 

            “Can’t be that bad,” Joey tries to comfort his big brother. “You guys had trouble communicating anyway.”

 

            The brunette tries not to glare at the younger when he responds, “Yeah but from the talks we had, he’s really cool.”

 

            “Hey, maybe to cheer you up, we can go somewhere today?” Mrs. Tuan, who has been listening to the family conversation, insists.

 

            “How about that museum you two suggested, Grace and Tammy?” their father adds.

 

            And with that, the family day is settled. Mr. Tuan organizes their schedule at the same time he’s eating his pancakes, claiming that they’ll rest a bit at home after the breakfast, and then get lunch before visiting the history museum. Mark nods absentmindedly.

 

            When the family returns to their hotel rooms, Joey quickly plops himself onto his shared bed with Mark before reaching over to the nightstand for the remote and activating the TV. He’s skipping channels nonstop, looking for something enjoyable while his brother is next to him surfing the net on his phone. Mark hasn’t updated his social networks for days, and he realizes this now while he visits them. After all, he has been too busy hanging out with a certain Korean boy. The brunette finds it sad that he doesn’t even have any memories of Jinyoung on his phone, besides the letter in the notes app which he can no longer even read because it’s written in Hangul.

 

            It’s 11am when he’s finally done checking through three days worth of updates on his Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Mark’s still pretty bummed out at this time, but decides that he really should take his mind off it by eating lunch and visiting a museum with his family. He gets off the bed and digs through the backpack that has been sitting in the closet for a couple of days. He finds the object he’s looking for and retrieves it from the bag—his camera.

 

            The camera is still in the camera bag, just the way he has placed it in there, and an extra memory card sits in the zipper pocket. Mark smiles a bit to himself at the thought of owning a camera himself. He hopes his siblings don’t catch it. Suddenly, he reminds himself so much of Jinyoung. Sure, his camera isn’t filled with breathtaking photos, but it’s filled with memories too. He takes the gadget out and scans through photos from a relative’s wedding just a month before. He had forgotten to transfer these pictures onto a computer, he realizes, but Mark is thankful that he’s brought an extra memory card. He replaces the old one with it, before hanging the camera around his neck.

 

            “Markie, what’re you doing?” Tammy asks from her own bed. “Dad brought a camera… You don’t have to bring yours.”

 

            Mark realizes she’s right. He doesn’t need to fill his camera of pictures from the museum or from anywhere else they’re going to for that matter. His dad has prepared a camera already. A light bulb flickers in his mind at that second and although Mark doesn’t know if it’s the best idea, he wants to pursue it. The brunette has no idea if his friend has left yet, but his heart has already taken over his mind.

 

            “Hey… I don’t think I’ll be joining you guys at the museum,” Mark blurts out. He immediately witnesses the surprised and confused looks on his siblings’ faces and is quick to explain himself. “I’m going to check if he’s still in town. Today’s his last day in Seoul, so he’s got to be here, right? Just one more day, and after he leaves, I’ll spend the rest of vacation with you guys, promise.”

 

            Mark’s siblings already know who the “he” that he’s talking about is, and out of all understanding, they let him go. The brunette thanks them happily before going to the room next door and giving his mom and dad the same story. Mark thinks the logic over and realizes that it’s quite reasonable; Jinyoung’s last day is today and even if they haven’t arranged a meet-up, Jinyoung must still be in Seoul. Mark laughs at the thought; the Korean boy has quite a messy room to clean before leaving after all.

 

            He takes the subway, and prays that the directions that he has in mind to Jinyoung’s hotel is correct. The ride doesn’t take long, and when he reaches the sidewalk surface again, he realizes that thankfully, his mind hasn’t betrayed him. Entering the hotel, he immediately approaches the elevator and heads to the twelfth floor, wishing that his hopes are true and that Jinyoung is still in his room. He’s a bit lost as he strides up and down the hallway, thinking hard to remember which door belongs to the black-haired boy. Mark’s memory is practically jogging, but unfortunately, all he can remember is the warm feeling of Jinyoung’s hands on his back that one day, guiding him to the Korean’s hotel room. He remembers the image of Jinyoung inserting the key into the door, but can only make out the image of Jinyoung’s cute expression as he twists the knob open. Come on, what was the number above the cute boy’s head?!

 

            “Thirty-two!” Mark exclaims when he finally recalls the digits. “It’s thirty-two!”

 

            At that moment, the brunette sees an older Korean gentleman strolling to his room at the end of the hallway. The male gives him a weird look, leading Mark to apologetically bow. He can’t contain his excitement though, because as soon as the man passes him, Mark practically leaps over to Room 32. He knocks on the door when he reaches it and prays to whoever is watching that Jinyoung is still in the room. There’s no answer after his first attempt, but when he leans against the door, he hears rummaging sounds on the other side, as if someone is busily cleaning. Mark’s heart is pounding now as he raises his hand to knock again. Only he could do this. Jinyoung doesn’t even know where his hotel is, so the Korean wouldn’t be able to reach him. Only he could initiate another moment with the boy. His fingers are shaking as his knuckles knock once more. He hears the slight shuffling of feet and looks down joyfully to see the knob turning. Mark immediately backs away and takes in some air.

 

            The door slides open to reveal a familiar figure, dressed in a light teal flannel over his white tank top, as well as a pair of white jeans. His hair is down and his bangs are resting on his forehead; he has to flip his hair for a second before making eye contact with the person in front of him. Mark’s taken aback by the way the atmosphere of Jinyoung’s eyes immediately switch from dim and gloomy to sparkling and hopeful. He absorbs the other’s features and realizes that yesterday has taken a toll on both of them. Jinyoung seems just as overwhelmed as he has been the entire day, and suddenly Mark begins to feel guilty because even though he has been just as disappointed himself, his family has been there to comfort him all morning. Jinyoungie here was alone all night and all day.

 

            “I miss you,” Mark whispers, maintaining eye contact with the Korean native. He sees the shift in Jinyoung’s eyes and swears he can see the tears forming. It’s only been three days, Mark acknowledges this, but he can’t help but believe in love at first sight. Three days have been enough time for him to realize his feelings for the other male.

 

            “I… need to go…” Jinyoung says bitterly, opening the door out wider so that Mark can see the two packed suitcases in the room. It seems like all Jinyoung needs to do now is zip up the suitcases before leaving.

 

            “O-Oh…” Mark replies as he blankly stares at the floor in front of him, breaking apart their eye contact because he can’t stare at the other boy while he’s trying to say goodbye to him. It’s too painful.

 

            “Do you… need… thing, Markeu?” Jinyoung’s voice sounds so broken, just like his crushed heart, and although Mark knows he’s asking if Mark needs something in his faltering English, Mark can’t bring himself to reply.

 

            “M-Markeu?” Jinyoung calls him out again in the cute way that he usually pronounces it.

 

            And that’s enough for the elder as he takes off the camera hanging around his neck before pushing Jinyoung into his room, making sure not to hurt the boy as he closes the door and presses the Korean against it. He latches his lips onto Jinyoung’s, realizing that this is the thing that’s been driving him crazy all night and all day. His kiss is desperate and he refuses to pull away. Jinyoung’s bewildered; his eyes are open wide as he stares at Mark’s closed ones. It’s not long until the younger melts into the feverish kiss and returns it.

 

            Mark pulls away from him soon enough, breathlessly gasping for air.

 

            “Don’t go yet,” Mark pants. “Go tonight. Give me one more day with you.”

 

            “하루 만 더,” Jinyoung nods and says in his smooth, flowing Korean that Mark admires so much.

 

            Mark repeats him, “Haru man deo.”

 

            “One more day,” Jinyoung translates, smiling at Mark, who kneels down and picks up the camera that he had unconsciously dropped just a few seconds earlier.

 

            “I want pictures with you,” the American explains, pointing at his mind. “I want to remember you after you leave.”

 

            Jinyoung appears to be touched by this comment as he immediately pulls Mark out of the hotel room and rushes them to the elevator. It’s noon by then, and Jinyoung informs Mark that out of all honesty, he can only afford another five hours with Mark—no more, no less. They stroll down the streets until Jinyoung leads him into what appear to be a small café. Mark orders a rice cake soup that attracts his attention on the menu, while Jinyoung settles on a simple sandwich. Of course, the black-haired male also orders a caramel macchiato as well, but this time, Mark decides to join him with it, telling the waitress to make it two caramel macchiatos.

 

            “Sandwiches in America are really good,” Mark mentions as they wait for their lunches to arrive. “Maybe you can visit some time, and I’ll take you.”

 

            It’s a bit too quick for Jinyoung to comprehend, but the Korean eventually catches on to what Mark is saying, replying with an enthusiastic nod. The conversation is kept simple; Mark asks Jinyoung if he’ll ever return to Seoul, to which the black-haired male replies that he is not sure. Jinyoung asks him when he plans to leave Korea, and Mark informs him that he’s spending two weeks in the foreign country. Eventually, the food arrives, and Jinyoung eagerly prepares himself to pick his sandwich up; however, Mark stops him by taking the younger’s hands and setting them back on his table. Jinyoung stares at him confusedly before he notices the elder taking out his camera and snapping a photo of the entire table, filled with everything they have ordered. It takes Mark about three tries to get a perfect picture. Jinyoung laughs at this and asks Mark if he needs help, but the elder is too prideful to say yes.

 

            Jinyoung seems to be in deep thought throughout the entire meal, Mark assumes, because the younger doesn’t say much. This confuses Mark, so he asks, “What are you thinking about, Jinyoungie?”

 

            The Korean replies with a shrug of his shoulders. “Where to go?”

 

            Mark mutters an “oh” and returns to his rice cake soup. It’s quiet, but Mark doesn’t really complain; he’s simply more than happy that he can spend just a few more hours with the other.

 

            They pay for their meal (Mark wants to treat Jinyoung to this lunch, but the younger absolutely refuses) before heading to the nearest subway station. Apparently, Jinyoung already has a location in mind, as he seems completely comfortable on the vehicle while Mark sits behind him confusedly. He trusts Jinyoung’s opinion though and knows wherever the location is, it’ll be fun.

 

            They get off soon enough and reach surface again; it appears to be an intersection, but Jinyoung isn’t bothered because he knows where they’re heading. This time, Jinyoung doesn’t just grab Mark’s wrist to lead him; instead, he boldly reaches to interlace their fingers. This shocks Mark, who almost wants to pull away from surprise, but Jinyoung’s grip on him is tight, as if he doesn’t want Mark to leave him. It’s ironic, Mark thinks, because Jinyoung is the one that’s going to leave him soon. Mark thinks it’s even more stupid that he’s even afraid to hold the younger’s hands, because he had been the one to initiate the kiss earlier.

 

            They walk for a little while before their destination appears. Jinyoung turns around to flash Mark a smile when they arrive. He’s quick to introduce the location, “This is Seoul Forest!”

 

            “Seoul Forest,” Mark repeats. He’s fascinated by the scenery; there is none of this around his home city, for Arcadia is filled with building after building. Mark’s astonished by the fact that despite being a modern city, Seoul still holds such a beautiful and well-preserved forest.

 

            “C’mon, let’s go,” Jinyoung squeezes Mark’s hand a bit as he attempts to lead the other onto the pathway; however Mark lets go of his hand, which disappoints him a bit. Jinyoung soon realizes that the elder simply wants to take a photo. Jinyoung tries to get himself out of the image, but Mark sternly says “no” before beckoning him to stand there and smile. The Korean native suddenly appears so shy, and Mark finds it so adorable that he almost feels bad for making Jinyoung pose. The picture’s taken quickly and efficiently though, and Mark immediately reaches out for Jinyoung’s warm hand.

 

            Their stroll is quiet as Mark stops occasionally to snap a few photos of the magnificent trees and clear blue sky. There aren’t as many people at the Seoul Forest today, probably because a summer afternoon is much too hot for a walk through the woods. Mark and Jinyoung don’t seem to mind though, as they cherish every single moment. They step onto a small bridge eventually and Jinyoung stops them so that he can look down at the flowing creek below. He counts two cute ducks and insists Mark take a picture of them, which the elder does. He then flips the camera around to attempt a selca with Jinyoung, but upon revealing the photo, all they can see is a blur. Jinyoung practically breaks into a fit of laughter at the brunette’s complete failure. Mark simply lets him have his moment before handing the more experienced photographer his camera. They take a picture together with the two ducks behind them before standing for a while longer.

 

            Jinyoung seems to be entranced by the two creatures in the creek, for he doesn’t even notice when Mark slips away from him to purchase two ice cream cones from a vendor pushing his cart throughout the forest. He sneaks up behind the Korean and wraps his arms around Jinyoung, carefully so that no ice cream gets on the younger male. Mark makes sure one of the ice cream cones is right in front of Jinyoung as an offer, which the black-haired boy gladly takes with a “thank you.” Mark lets go of him to enjoy his own ice cream cone. The ducks begin to approach the pair. Feeling bad for the probably hungry animals, Mark quickly finishes his ice cream so that he can break some pieces of his cone and throw it down for them. Jinyoung’s eyes open in shock.

 

            “그러지 마!” Jinyoung says and Mark drops another piece before looking at him in puzzlement. Jinyoung’s expression just gets worse upon seeing another piece of Mark’s cone fall down below. He translates, “Don’t do! Trouble…”

 

            “O-Oh!” Mark backs away from the edge of the bridge and quickly eats the rest of his cone in order to erase all evidence. Jinyoung forgives him immediately, breaking into more laughter at the elder’s cute actions. He finishes his own ice cream cone soon enough and the two continue their stroll.

 

            Mark suggests they sit on a bench somewhere down the pathway, which Jinyoung agrees to. The elder takes a few more pictures of the scenery before handing the camera to Jinyoung so that the younger can take another photo of them. The Korean seems tired after, for he doesn’t hesitate to lie himself onto Mark’s lap. Mark doesn’t mind though as he stares at the other’s drooping eyelids below him. He reaches forward and fixes Jinyoung’s bangs, unconsciously caressing his cheek with afterward. The brunette only notices his actions when Jinyoung starts giggling.

 

            “Shoot, sorry!” Mark quickly pulls away, causing the younger’s laughter to grow.

 

            Jinyoung shifts his position so that he’s facing Mark, looking straight up at him. “I will miss you, Markeu,” he says in his cute accented English.

 

            Mark’s facial expression changes at that moment because he’s sad that this will be their last couple of hours together physically. But then Jinyoung asks him a question that Mark doesn’t know he could even formulate with his limited vocabulary.

 

            “What will happen to us?”

 

            The elder’s breath hitches at the question and he feels a painful guilt build up inside of him because he isn’t sure how to reply.

 

            “I don’t know, Jinyoungie…” Mark answers honestly. But I really really like you.

 

            Jinyoung sighs, getting sleepier by the second. Mark suddenly hears Jinyoung mutter something.

 

            “I think…” the younger says, but he can’t continue because he’s too tired and sleepy.

 

            “Hm?” Mark asks.

 

            The rest comes out as a whisper from Jinyoung before he drifts off to sleep, “사랑해요, 마크…”

 

            Mark wants to wake Jinyoung up and ask him to translate what he’s just said, but at the same, the angelic sleeping face tells him not to be such a jerk. So Mark sits there awkwardly, letting Jinyoung sleep for twenty minutes as he takes in as much as he can of the beautiful environment. He eventually has to wake the younger up though, because it’s four o’clock and Jinyoung needs to hurry back, so he can prepare his belongings.

 

            When they finally reach Jinyoung’s hotel room, Mark follows him in and helps the younger clean up whatever he can. Jinyoung mentions something about using the bathroom before he goes, and Mark quickly nods before bending down to zip up the suitcases. He doesn’t see Jinyoung bring a sheet of scratch paper and a pen with him. The younger male comes back in three minutes, ping the suitcase just a centimeter so that he can messily shove the pen inside before closing it. Mark helps roll one suitcase to the door while Jinyoung takes the other one. The elder opens the hotel room door, but Jinyoung quickly stops him.

 

            “잠깐만요!” Jinyoung blurts because his mind is too jumbled up to think straight. Mark closes the door and looks at him with a confused tilt of his head. The Korean translates, “Wait a minute.”

 

            “O-Okay,” Mark says, not knowing what’s on the other’s mind. The elder’s too disappointed by the thought that he might never see Jinyoung again.

 

            That’s why he doesn’t expect it when Jinyoung lets go of his luggage and throws himself upon the elder. The younger wraps his arms around him and Mark can feel his body trembling. He doesn’t want to believe what’s happening, but he eventually has to when he hears Jinyoung’s choked sobs being released into his shoulder.

 

            “I don’t want to go now,” Jinyoung whispers under his shaking breath, and Mark understands his pain as he embraces the Korean.

 

            “We’ll see each other again,” Mark lies, because he’s not even sure of this himself. What are the chances?

 

            “한 번 더, 키스,” Jinyoung says in Korean because he can’t muster the strength to translate what he wants to say.

 

            Mark hears him though and is quick to ask, “What do you want, Jinyoungie?”

 

            “One… more… time,” Jinyoung translates half of his request, tightening his grip on Mark’s shirt. “One more time, Markeu.”

 

            “One more time what?” Mark questions again because even though he’s trying, he can’t understand Korean.

 

            “한 번 더, 키스,” Jinyoung repeats. He pauses for a bit, inhaling deeply before repeating it slowly. “Han… beon… deo… ki-seu.”

 

            “Ki-seu?” Mark ponders on this Korean word that he hears for a while. It reminds Mark of the way Jinyoung adds the –eu at the end of his name, making it Markeu when it’s only Mark. Using whatever functional part of his brain that is left, Mark removes the –eu from Jinyoung’s Korean.

 

            “Han beon deo,” Mark repeats what he has heard and attempts to connect it with Jinyoung’s translation. “One more time…”

 

            He feels Jinyoung dig his head deeper into his shoulder and nod. Mark finishes it, “Kiss?”

 

            The nodding in his shoulder continues and Mark smiles in accomplishment before pulling the other away from his body and locking their lips together one last time. They’re both even more desperate than before, acknowledging the fact that they had less than half an hour left together. Mark raises his hand to hold onto the younger’s cheek as Jinyoung refuses to let go of Mark’s shoulders. The elder pulls away, not wanting Jinyoung to be late to whatever subway he was planning to board. He leads them to the lobby, where the younger checks out, before escorting Jinyoung to the rightful subway station.

 

            They’re waiting awkwardly now; Mark shifts back and forth on his feet like a broken mess while Jinyoung tries to find the right words to say. Mark doesn’t notice the black-haired male retrieving the sheet of paper from his pocket until Jinyoung calls him.

 

            “Hey Markeu,” Mark looks up at the sound of his name, only to see Jinyoung with his arms open wide, asking for a last embrace. “I’ll see you, Markeu.”

 

            Mark gladly accepts the offered hug, sneaking one last kiss on Jinyoung’s cheek when no one’s looking. He fails to notice the Korean tucking the sheet of paper into his pocket. Jinyoung backs away from him and smiles as sincerely as he can despite the bitterness he is feeling. Mark is the first to initiate their formal farewell.

 

            “Be safe, Jinyoungie, Goodbye.”

 

            Jinyoung hesitates for a bit and Mark can see the struggle in his eyes as he forces out his words. “Bye, Markeu…” this is followed by more hesitation, but then Jinyoung adds one more line, unfortunately in the language that Mark cannot comprehend. “사랑해요.”

 

            Mark knows the phrase sounds familiar and he desperately wants to ask Jinyoung what he’s saying, but by then, Jinyoung has already turned away from him and boarded the subway. It’s tragic, Mark thinks as he walks in the opposite direction to find his way back.

 

            He eventually finds himself walking down the side of the Han River, reliving the memories he has just experienced there yesterday. The brunette is a bit surprised when he hears people calling his name.

 

            “Mark, come here!”

 

            Mark looks up to see Grace waving at him from a little further down along the river. How can he forget about the family dinner they have planned?

 

            “I said I’d be gone today,” Mark comments as he approaches his family. “Is there enough for me?”

 

            “We always buy enough for Markie,” Tammy replies, causing the brunette to smile sincerely despite the situation he has just been through.

 

            “Thanks, sis,” he says, accepting the bowl of rice his sister offers him.

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Author's Note: I just wanted to thank everyone for the overwhelming amount of support I've received for this fic. I really didn't expect any of this, since this is my first GOT7 fanfiction, but I am so touched by your subscriptions, comments, and upvotes! Thank you! ♥

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nemofishyyy
Just in case anyone is anticipating the update, I'll be out of town until Saturday, so the last chapter will be up hopefully by Tuesday! Thank you~ ^^

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kosuek
#1
Chapter 5: This was so cute and just AAFSJFL
kosuek
#2
Chapter 4: nooooooo
kosuek
#3
Chapter 3: no jinyoung don’t leaveeee
kosuek
#4
Chapter 2: awww this is so cutee
markinpeach
#5
Chapter 5: Idk i could cry this much for a PG fic that isn’t tagged as angst ;;;;
This is so simple yet so beautiful sobs
Thanks for writing <33