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When Mark found out he was going to be debut in a new boy group with the seniors he admires, he was ecstatic. It felt surreal when they all gathered for the first time as a group. It wasn’t as awkward as he thought it would be as he knew most of them personally. The senior members were friendly and a complete opposite of what he had thought about them. Especially Taemin and Kai.
What caught his interest lately was Taemin and Kai’s friendship. All of SM knew how close the two of them were but this was the first time he got to see it first hand. At first he didn’t seem to notice much as they tend to sit apart, but then he started noticing the unspoken words exchanged between them with their facial expressions. Were they telepathic? Occasionally he would notice the light brush of fingers between the two when they did stand close to each other or a whisper that sends the both of them into fits of laughter.
Mark thought he would have an early start to practice but when he got to the Dance Studio, he noticed Taemin and Kai were already there panting. From the doorway, he saw Kai helping his best friend wipe the sweat on his face while the other was simply in a mischievous mood and tried to pour water over Kai’s head only to be chased around. When Kai finally caught Taemin in his arms they just laughed and collapsed on the floor together. Mark doesn’t know why but he was feeling a certain kind of warmth watching them be this happy. He quietly wishes to have that kind of friendship with someone.
Time passes by rather quickly and overtime Mark's friendship with Kai blossomed. They would talk a lot about things and occasionally he would notice the sparkle in Kai’s eyes when Taemin was mentioned. He had the pleasure of seeing the synergy between the two when they practiced and he wondered if they ever noticed how their presence connects them all.
Mark was nervous but ready to take on LA. Just when he thought nothing was going to throw him off, he thought he saw his hyungs holding hands briefly as they looked at the vending machine at the airport. He overheard Baekhyun telling them to hurry up and stop holding hands. Taemin replied in a playful tone, “ Ah but we’re both magic hands, if we don’t hold each other we might lose each other.”
4 hours into the flight, everyone was asleep or so he thought. He was awaken by some movement. He open his eyes sleepily and saw Kai’s back heading to the toilet, but he also saw Taemin enter the same cubicle. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. He must be dreaming he thought as he slowly falls back to sleep and spoke nothing of what he saw when they landed.
The dynamics between Taemin and Kai were completely different once they landed. They were a lot more closer if that was even possible. When they reach their accommodations, they realise that someone has to share a room. The both of them volunteered in unison. At this point, Mark had a feeling that the two of them were definitely more than friends. He also started seeing Ten observing them closely too.
On the first night in LA, Ten couldn’t sleep and he decided to drop by Mark’s room incase he was still awake. Mark was indeed still up, with headphones in his ears.
“Hey…you’re still up.”
“Couldn’t sleep…saw…saw something.” Ten said not meeting Mark’s eyes.
Mark was concerned and pull Ten to sit him down on the bed. “…is it something….scary?” he said hoping that their place isn’t haunted.
“No…not like that.” Ten said with a soft chuckle.
“Taemin and Kai’s room…their door was slightly opened when i was passing by to get a drink…and I saw them both snuggling watching some show on their laptop. Is that normal for best friends?”
“I think…they’re together. Like a couple.” Mark said.
“I’ve never seen them this close though…and i think Baekhyun Hyung already knows about it.”
“Are you okay with that? I mean…i know you like Taemin Hyung.”
“Oh i’m okay…I admire him. I’m just a little jealous because it’s nice to have someone by your side like that.”
“Yea it’ll be nice. I hope they’ll tell us about it one day…so they can just be themselves around us.”
Ten nodded, “Can i sleep here tonight? I’m too lazy to go back to my room.”
“Come on in.” Mark replied inviting him to the other side of the bed.
Their debut went well and the mood was great when they return to their “dorm” to hang out a bit in the living room. This time Taemin and Kai weren’t really hiding anything. Prior to their performance , Kai had hugged Taemin and it was clear how they were supporting each other. It made Mark smiled and he felt lucky just being in this group. Taemin and Kai were just comfortably snuggling and holding hands and everyone just accepted it because frankly, it became normal. Maybe it was because they were in America that they felt alright to be this open.
Taeyong and Lucas wanted to do a night sightseeing tour that night and while the rest agreed to follow, the couple wanted to stay in.
Mark realises he left his wallet back in the living room after they left for quite some time. He went back in to claim in back but stopped in his tracks when he heard the sounds of a couple making a different type of music. He slowly back tracked and went out of the house quietly. Guess Baekhyun will have to pay for everything tonight.
Not long after, Mark got notifications from his Instagram, the two of them having twin posts. “Why are the both so cute?” he thought to himself.
“So are any of you Single?” Ellen asked on the Ellen Show.
Everyone by instinct just looked at Taemin and Kai. Mark panicked a little, “ Why do you always have to ask that?” he said hoping to distract people from what was going on.
When Kate asked Taemin and Kai if they learned anything new about each other now that they’re group mates, the two looked at each other smiling and contemplating. “We know everything, right?” Kai asked. Taemin agreed.
Mark was the first to say,“They’re so close,” and everyone nodded in agreement. Mark gave Ten a look and they both burst into laughter. To Mark, the M in super M doesn't just stand for Matrix and Master, it also stands for Super Married.