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“Night, Mark. See ya next week!” Jeno waved as he turned to leave with Donghyuck.
“See you, Jeno, Hyuck.” Mark looked up as he put his skates back into his locker.
He grabbed his bag and started walking towards the exit by the rink. He exhaled into his palms, warming them up. The sound of the ice resurfacing machine filled the facility but his mind was elsewhere. He had a game in a few weeks and he was excited because he was in the starting lineup.
Even though he was attending college on the side, his goal was to play for the National Hockey League someday. He was interested in many things, but he felt truly alive when he was on the ice with a scoreboard lit up above.
It was a Friday evening and he couldn’t wait to go home and get some rest. He rode his electric skateboard after exiting and let the cool breeze envelop his entire body. The rush of adrenaline from earlier was still hitting him as he passed through the roads.
He basked in the city’s atmosphere with the sounds of cars honking, people chattering, and street musicians performing at the intersection. Upon stopping to wait for the green light, he pulled out his phone, tapped on Spotify, and found his favourite playlist for commutes titled “Dazed Nights”. He chose to shuffle and the first song landed on Off My Face, a new Justin Bieber song that he had recently listened to at home. The repeated guitar pattern set a relaxed, calming mood with the imagery of a sunrise tinted in shades of lipsticks.
Your touch blurred my vision
It's your world and I'm just in it
Even sober I'm not thinkin’ straight
‘Cause I'm off my face, in love with you
I'm out my head, so into you
And I don't know how you do it
But I'm forever ruined by you, ooh-ooh-ooh
He hummed along while imagining his boyfriend, Jungwoo, singing along to it while they were at home just lounging around. The two shared a passion for music and would always jam out together whenever they had the chance. He adored the pretty tone of Jungwoo’s voice. Just remembering that memory made him feel fluttering butterflies inside his stomach. For him, Jungwoo was the light of his life.
Finally arriving back at his apartment, he unlocked his door with one motion. The lights were already off and it was completely silent. He guessed that Jungwoo was probably asleep by now since it was around eleven in the evening.
Quickly, he discarded his sweaty clothes into the laundry basket outside of the bathroom to take a quick shower. He walked into the bedroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist to grab some clothes to change into.
He glanced at the bed and saw that Jungwoo was soundly asleep with arms and legs spread out like a starfish on their bed. Mark smiled at the sight of his boyfriend in such a peaceful state. Just knowing that Jungwoo was waiting for Mark every night in their shared apartment gave him warm feelings inside.
He went to brush his teeth and with the toothbrush still in his mouth, he walked around the apartment checking over a few things. He first opened up the fridge to see if they had enough food for the week and then checked if they had clothes hanging out on the balcony because it would rain in the morning.
After making sure everything was fine, he went back to rinse in the bathroom sink. Mark knew that Jungwoo was busier lately as he was getting used to a new job so Mark took responsibility for their house duties.
“Jungwoo,” he called out in a hushed tone while gently tapping the sleeping figure’s arms. “Hey…” Mark laid down on the little space left on the bed and made himself comfortable. Mark’s eyes were wide open as he observed his boyfriend’s breathing rhythm.
After a few moments, Jungwoo woke up slowly while he rubbed his eyes, looking innocent, “Marky?”
“Hey.” Mark leaned to place a gentle kiss on the lips.
Jungwoo’s dazed expression quickly turned into a blissful one as a soft smile formed on his face. “Welcome back. I missed you.”
“I missed you too, baby.” Mark returned the smile as he let his hands hover over Jungwoo’s cheeks before lightly pinching it affectionately as a habit. His hands moved up to Jungwoo’s head, running his fingers through the soft black locks of hair before gently patting. He kept the motion going for a few silent moments. It was just the two of them and the world.
Jungwoo regained consciousness and realized how little space he left Mark on the bed. Without any hesitation, he shifted and made more room for the shorter man. Silently, he stretched out his arms, welcoming Mark to cuddle.
Mark quickly caught onto the gesture and moved closer, enjoying the warm embrace of his boyfriend. “How was your day?” He caressed Jungwoo’s head as the elder hummed in response into Mark’s shoulder.
“It was good! Jaehyun hyung taught me how to use the software and I got the hang of it. Then, I had lunch with my coworker hyungs on the patio. I got to try a bit from each of the hyungs’ cooking. Yuta hyung brought Japanese bento. Johnny hyung brought kimchi stew. Oh, and the watermelon fruit punch my supervisor brought was really good! I wish you could have tried some.”
“That does sound pretty delicious.” Mark’s eyes lit up thinking about the watermelon and then said in a softer voice, “I’m glad you’ve made friends, Jungwoo.”
“Yeah, me too. They’re super nice... It makes me look forward to work.”
Mark felt relieved knowing that his loveable boyfriend already had coworkers who took a liking to him. He sometimes worried that he couldn’t be there for Jungwoo when they were apart because Jungwoo was a person that didn’t like being alone and sought after companionship.
During high school, they met when Mark was in 9th grade and Jungwoo in 10th grade at their school’s dance club. Both liked dancing to R&B and hip-hop and would often do dances together with their friends Ten and Shotaro. They spent more time together as they lived close and quickly became best friends. Mark would often study with Jungwoo who was one of the smartest students in his grade.
Their relationship progressed gradually as the lines between friendship and romance blurred out. Eventually, they put a label on it when Mark confronted him. Since then, they’ve been inseparable.
Jungwoo pulled apart to look Mark right in the eyes. “Babe, we’re going out early tomorrow for Jaehyun hyung’s tennis match, remember? Let’s get some sleep.”
“Okay. Good night, Jungwoo,” he murmured while he felt Jungwoo nuzzle his face into Mark’s chest. They drifted off into their slumbers as the moonlight shone through the curtains.
It’s filled with you
The place I’ve been searching for a long time
Rest comfortably here before you go
I don’t wanna fall asleep without you
“You can do this!” Jungwoo cheered from the top of his lungs from the bleachers as Mark got the puck from Ten’s pass. He maneuvered around the opponent, dodging the incoming block and skated towards the goal.
“Go, Mark!” Several voices called out. With one swift motion, he hit the puck and shot it into the net. The buzzer beeped and it was the end of the overtime round.
Mark looked back at the bleachers at Jungwoo and his friends and raised his fist in the air as a sign of victory. He let Donghyuck, Jeno, and the others jump and hug him as they broke the tie at last. The bright lights were almost blinding and the thrill he felt kept rising as his heartbeat sped up.
“Mark, you did it! Congratulations!” Jungwoo jumped into Mark’s arms, almost breaking his balance. Their friends, Jaehyun and Doyoung, followed, giving high fives to Mark’s free hand.
“Thanks, Jungwoo.” Mark buried his face into his boyfriend’s chest, inhaling the sweet scent of citrus.
He felt at peace with Jungwoo by his side.
.
.
.
Although it was just a dream he had that night, it eventually came true the week after.