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Mark feels the exhaustion weighing down his body, every step he takes towards his room a huge effort to make. His fingers almost slip through the cool metal of the doorknob, wanting nothing more but to lay down and let his bed absorb the strained sensations from his muscles.
Relief overcomes his mind as he finds Jungwoo sleeping soundly under the covers. Mark makes his way to the edge of the bedframe, takes off the jacket suffocating his skin and plops it somewhere he can worry about cleaning up later. He’s dizzy, eyes closing in and heart thumping loud in his ears.
He pulls off the blanket slowly — a little peek, and a way for him to slide himself in without making Jungwoo shiver from the sudden absence of warmth. His chest is exposed, and his lips slightly apart uttering steady breaths. Mark thinks to himself, maybe he didn’t need to go back to sleep. Watching Jungwoo make himself feel at home right here is enough rest for his tired soul.
But as naturally as the rain stops after some time, and the clouds dissipate from the sky revealing the reassuring radiance of the sun — Mark leans into Jungwoo’s personal space and lifts his legs up a bit. Jungwoo is a heavy sleeper when he’s dreaming, but his body is as light as a feather when Mark gently scoots him to the side. He does stir in compliance, but lets Mark do the rest. They’ve done this before, there were no words needed.
And yet, Mark has the urge to whisper it against the quiet whirr of the room, and the synchronous beating of their hearts.
“I’m home.” Mark dips down on the bedsheets, making sure his whole body fits in the twin-sized mattress, tangling his limbs with the person who kept his bed warm, safe, and ready for him. Jungwoo might still be dreaming, but he provides space for Mark to let himself in a bit better, draws his arms in between their chests.
Mark takes this moment slowly, struggling to keep his mind awake and his eyes fluttered open for a few seconds longer. He hasn’t dreamed in a while, so if he were to do so now — he’d want it filled with Jungwoo’s peaceful expression.
“Welcome back,” he hears Jungwoo mumble, barely a sound from his pink lips but it shivers down Mark’s spine and he almost dozes off at the endearing response. Before he fully succumbs to the feeling, Mark wraps his arm around Jungwoo’s frame, fingertips dotting his skin like piano keys. A sweet melody, for the sweetest boy in his life.
With his unoccupied hand, he brings it up to Jungwoo’s face, grazing the side of his cheek and down to the lines of his cupid’s bow. Mark thinks Jungwoo is only half-asleep now, judging from the sudden change of his breathing pattern. He waits for him to react to his touches openly, but there was none. A sleepy smile paints Mark’s face at Jungwoo’s contentment, right here — with him. He was so dangerously close to losing consciousness, so he opts for a kiss to Jungwoo’s nose, his palm finding solace on rose-tainted cheeks.
He doesn’t know if he already started dreaming, but Mark hears a soft moan that can only be Jungwoo’s, and in an instant his lean body snuggling against him. Jungwoo relaxes thereafter, a deep, content sigh escaping out of his lips and Mark thinks — he’s glad to be home.