Work Text:
"No."
"Maaaark! Please, it's just one party. You've said no to every one this month." Jackson whined, jutting his bottom lip into a pout as far as it would go while he hectically shook his roommates shoulders.
"Jacks, I'm not going to a party just to sit around and wait for you to suck Jinyoung's dick. I have to study." The American continued typing on his laptop, not looking away from his notes even when his best friend fell onto the floor and groaned like a dying boar. Mark hated parties. For one, he barely knew anyone there because it was all Jinyoung's friends, and two, house parties were where bad things happened. Mark didn't want any part of that crap. Suddenly Jackson was scrambling to his knees, tearing Mark's hands away from his keyboard and grasping them in his own like his life depended on it.
"If you come with me, just this one time, I will buy you ramen for a week straight." Glancing down at his best friend, Mark had to admit that Jackson's pleading face was hard to resist, but only pretended to consider the deal before yanking his hands back and deadpanning a sharp "no". The defeated stormed off with a huff, grumbling Chinese curse words under his breath as he flopped down on his own bed and began to text again.
After half an hour of typing and flicking frantically through pages and pages of notes, the brunette cracked all of his knuckles and stretched his arms back, a loud grunt ripping from his throat. He assumed that Jackson had spent this time to get ready and leave, but he noticed he was only half right when the male hurried to his side with his phone in hand. "Ramen for two weeks and-"
"Jackson, I'm not going to-"
"Jaebum will be there."
Whoever said best friends were amazing and the people you could trust with your lives and all your secrets were liars. The boy cursed himself for informing the other about his possibly forming but very tiny and probably will disappear in a few weeks crush on Im Jaebum, the mysterious and gorgeous 'bad boy' that sat behind Mark in his art class. He also happened to be the best friend of Park Jinyoung, the prince that Jackson was desperately trying to win the heart (and ass) of. The intricate pitch black ink that was painted onto Jaebum's arms and the silver piercings that glimmered across his ears did things to Mark's body and he would never admit his not so PG daydream/fantasy about him that he found himself fathoming one lesson. He hated himself.
"Ramen for three weeks, plus ice cream on any day I want at any time I want." The wicked grin that Jackson shot him was the first sign that Mark should regret what he just agreed to.
"You've got yourself a deal, Tuan."
____________________________
Mark kept his eyes fixed on Jackson's back, trying his best to ignore the sweaty and horribly smelling bodies that they were squeezing past in every room, their loud shouts and high pitched giggles getting under his skin while he avoided getting dragged into a drinking game. He already wanted to go home and he hadn't been there for 5 minutes. They finally reached the kitchen and the American sucked in a large breath as they entered the slightly more open space, following his best friend to the host of the party that he was already flirting with.
"Mark!" Jinyoung beamed, passing the brunette a bottle of (what he hoped was) beer. Mark didn't miss the way his free arm snaked around Jackson's waist. "Nice to see you out for once." He scoffed in response. "Aw come on, lighten up! It's Friday! And I think Jaebum is around here somewhere..." What was a scowl quickly turned into a look of horror and embarrassment, a prominent flush creeping up Mark's high cheek bones.
"You told him?! Jackson, you little f-"
"I was helping you out! Jinyoung's his best friend, I thought it would be good for you. And besides, Jinyoungie seems to think you might have a shot~". The Hong Kong native attacked his best friends sides with tickles, grinning widely at the small shriek that escaped the older's lips.
"Dude, stop! Seriously, I don't even like him that much. I just thought his art was cool."
"Yeah, and I'm straight. Fuck you, man, you totally want him."
"Come on, Mark. I really think it would be great for both of you, go for it!" Mark almost felt bad as he looked into Jinyoung's warm and encouraging eyes, but he shook his head and gulped down a chug of beer to occupy his hands.
"The only thing I'm going for is the door. I'll be outside, come and find me when you want to go home. Or...not..." Mark had to say that the blushes and wide eyes he left behind lifted his spirits a little. Mark, 1. Jackson, 0.
After winding past multiple couples making out and frat boys cheering as a jock was lifted onto a keg stand, the boy tucked himself away in the corner of the garden and perched on the cold stone porch. It was significantly quieter than inside the main storm of the party, just perfect for his thoughts to keep him company for the next few hours. Taking a tentative sip at his bottle and drawing his knees up to his chest, Mark titled his head back to look up at the sky and felt a comfortable smile tugging at the side of his rosy lips at the familiar view. The stars always helped spark happy thoughts and inspiration into the American's head, whether he was feeling homesick or was struggling on a drawing he was working on. No matter the problem, the twinkling lights and the patterns they created put him right back on track, over and over again. Sometimes he would even stay up late into the night, reading about and searching names of stars and constellations and memorising them and their features until Jackson yelled at him to turn his lamp off. Knawing at his bottom lip, the brunette brought a finger up and traced the shape of his favourite constellation, Orion.
"Taurus, right? Or was that Orion?" Mark yepled in surprise at the low somber voice that intruded his trance, clutching his chest as he looked up at the invader. "Nope, I know- Little Dipper."
"It's proper name is Ursa Minor, and no, you were right the second time. Orion." Jaebum hummed in understanding, nodding as he rocked back and forth on his heels. He was dressed in tight (and, God help Mark, they were tight) black jeans that were ripped at the thighs with heavy Doc Marten classics, his broad shoulders stretching a white t-shirt that showed off his chest so aggressively that Mark thought it should be illegal. Hastily snapping shutting his mouth that had fallen open while he gawked at the sight of the other male, he focused his attention back down to his own bottle and shuddered at the memory of his pecks- that was his first mistake. "Are you cold? Here, have my jacket." And then, before he could protest, Jaebum, his crush, was kneeling by his side and towering over his immensely smaller frame while he wrapped his leather jacket around the older's shoulders.
"U-uh, oh, um...thanks." The grin that the taller offered him had Mark thanking the Gods that he was sitting down as he felt his knees weaken.
"No problem. Mind if I join you?" Jaebum gestured to a space to his classmates side, slumping to the ground once he had nodded quickly- Mark's second mistake. They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, each taking turns in sipping at their alcoholic drinks and stealing glances at each other while they pretended to not be bothered by the other's presence. It was the newcomer that spoke first. "So...stars, huh?" Marks eyebrows furrowed together and he locked eyes with Jaebum for the first time that night- or ever, really.
"What?"
"The stars. You know a lot about them."
"How do you know that?" The younger's laugh sent shivers down Mark's spine as he basked in the angelic sound of it- how could someone that looks that intimidating be that adorable?
"You did a presentation on them in class, and the piece you're working on at the moment is the girl with the galaxy in her hair, right?"
"Oh." Good one, Mark, he cursed in his head.You just made it sound like you thought he was creeping on you. Idiot. "Yeah, I guess."
"How come?" The smaller bit his lip, looking up at his friends in search for some sort of guidance and reassurance that would make his heart stop fluttering in his chest.
"My Granddad, mostly." He shrugged before taking a sip from his bottle and shaking his head. "It's a long story." Jaebum, admittedly gathering a whole lot of courage, dared to raise his finger and poke the side of the other's head, causing him to bring his attention back to his piercing eyes, but this time accompanied with a soft and encouraging smile.
"I have time."
The older stared Jaebum down for a few moments, but when he realised that the other was genuinely interested, he let out a quick sigh and turned his attention back to the sky. "My parents used to go away for weeks at a time quite a lot, for business reasons, so I had to stay with my grandparents. I had my siblings with me so it wasn't like I was alone, but sometimes I'd find myself sitting outside at random hours in the night just to look at the sky and cry. I still don't know why, really, but I tell myself it's because I missed my parents." Mark shrugged, playing with the hem of his shirt, the action drawing the younger's attention (and admiration) towards his beautifully nimble fingers. "Something like that. Anyway, one night my Granddad found me sat in the garden. He didn't say anything about it, just pointed to the sky and started telling me about the stars and their stories. What he believed was beautiful, really. He said that everything is set; it's all fixed. That the lives of everybody who's ever been born, and the lives of everybody still waiting to be born, it was all set in the stars the moment the world began. The time you're born, the time you die. Even what kind of person you're going to be in your life; good or bad. He told me, 'if you know how to read the stars, if you can talk to them, you can read the story of people's lives'." The smaller male scoffed, shaking his head lightly to mask the way his eyes began watering. "Crazy man, really. But I loved him. And on the last night that we read the stars together he gave me his small celestron, so I could always look at the sky and remember him when he wasn't there." Mark turned his head, locking eyes with Jaebum and allowing himself, for once, to drown in the dark orbs that looked at him like he was a piece of art. "You know, I bet he knew he was sick, that his time was up. I think I knew, too, but I wasn't angry. He did teach me how to talk to the stars, after all."
Jaebum nodded, wearing the softest and most understanding smile across his mouth. It didn't cross Mark's mind that he just opened up more than he ever had before, even to Jackson, but whether he did or not didn't matter at that moment when he found the story of the galaxy in the boy's glassy eyes.
"And what are the stars saying tonight, Mark Tuan?" A playful grin danced across the addressed rosy lips, matching with his rouged cheeks that were tinted from the cold and slight alcohol influence.
"They're saying they think you should kiss me, Im Jaebum."
Jaebum wasn't one for waiting, immediately cupping the older's cheek in his palm and bringing the face he had admired for so long closer to his own, taking a second to inhale the sweet and warm scent of the boy before pressing their lips together. Mark whimpered into the kiss, leaning in to the touch and allowing his crush's other hand to find it's way around his waist. They didn't move unless to mold their lips further together, helping each other find a comfortable position that allowed them to be as close to each other as humanly possible. Neither wanted to pull away from their innocent embrace, but in the end Jaebum nibbled on Mark's lower lip, swiping it with a sooth of his tongue before pressing their foreheads together. The air between them was balmy and heavy, but the colossal grins they gave each other was a clear sign that neither males minded. "Wow."
"Yeah." Mark agreed, stifling a giggle.
"I...I mean...do you wanna, maybe, go on a date? Possibly?" The older burst out laughing, the sound high pitched and one to turn heads as he threw his head back dramatically, but Jaebum watched him with adoration, something twitching in his chest- and he knew he was falling in love.
"Yeah. Yes, I would love that."