Work Text:
When Jungwoo wakes, he sees nothing but white.
He definitely knows he’s not in his room because the lights are too bright and whatever bed he’s in feels too stiff and strange beneath his body.
Speaking of, he wills the muscles to straighten his back, wiggle his legs under the covers so he can sit up straight and further investigate his surroundings. Jungwoo doesn’t recall dreaming prior to consciousness which usually means his rest was nothing short of only a few hours at most.
His left hand twitches in his wake and he struggles to lift it from the sheets as there’s something attached on the back of his palm. Jungwoo finds enough strength to turn his head and peer at the contraption right beside him, some sort of pouch hanging from a narrow post, a long singular tube drawing straight down the side.
The skin covered by the IV starts to feel itchy, but Jungwoo surmises no amount of willpower in his weak condition can remedy that at the moment.
The bright cast of light above him doesn’t help the looming sense of confusion either and he starts to feel pressure on his temples. Jungwoo would like to know where he is and what is going on with him, if only his throat wasn’t dry enough to spout a single word of help to whoever’s behind the door.
His silent plea is met with a familiar face emerging in the room, and there’s a wave of relief that treads his anxious mind back to safety. He tries to call his name with his chapped lips, but Mark beats him to it.
“Hey.. you’re awake.”
Mark approaches Jungwoo’s side and places a hand atop his head. The gesture of his fingers caressing the tousled hair soothes the anxiety building up in Jungwoo’s chest. His eyes begin to well up as emotions start to overpower his senses and yet no strength comes through his arms nor his hazy mind.
“The nurse said not to overdo it if you feel like you can’t, but you should be feeling better soon.”
“Wh.. happen..”
“You don’t remember anything?”
Jungwoo tries his best to shake his head no, following the rhythm of Mark’s hand guiding him to a safe place. It’s not exactly his favorite spot to b confined in the sterile walls of a hospital room, and thankfully Jungwoo isn’t a frequent visitor, at least to his recollection.
Which is why he continues to question what he was doing here, and if Mark had to feel any burden prior to this moment.
Leaning into his touch, Jungwoo struggles to piece together the mosaic of events he thinks had transpired earlier today. He concentrates hard, eyes closed and lips tight, flashbacks of him and Mark staying in bed together despite the sun hitting their faces, eating breakfast on the dining table, and somewhere along the way getting dropped off at work with a short kiss goodbye.
Nothing short of the ordinary, but Jungwoo knows he’s missing the important parts.
“I was at work..” He croaks, head back into the pillow. Mark nods, encouraging him to continue.
“We.. went somewhere.. Off site to shoot…”
“That’s right. Do you remember where?”
“No, but..” It was as much as Jungwoo can handle. He sighs into the palm of Mark’s hand, making its way to the side of his face. He starts to feel lightheaded as Mark rubs his thumb gently onto his cheek. It was enough to keep the urge to stay awake. Mark watches him try, gaze softening at the sight of Jungwoo’s pale skin under the harsh bright light.
“It was hot. Like, really hot,” Jungwoo remembers, his mind beginning to form a better and clearer story. They were filming something for a promotional product scheduled to release a few weeks after. The theme was summer, so it was obvious to take advantage of what they thought was great weather outdoors. It was for the authenticity, they said. And a good excuse to sweat off without a workout.
Clearly, that didn’t go so well on Jungwoo’s part.
“I don’t know when I passed out,” he admits.
“Shortly before the crew started packing up. Your co-worker said you were pouring drinks for everyone from the tent, and next thing he saw was you laying on the ground with juice spilled on your shirt.”
“That’s pretty.”
“I came as soon as I could,” Mark lets go of his face, earning a pout from the other but he quickly finds Jungwoo’s hand from under the covers. He gives it a small squeeze, and it makes Jungwoo’s heart ache for many reasons.
He may have been the one hurt, but he thinks about how Mark felt. In that moment he got the emergency call and the frantic ride to the hospital must have made him fear the state of Jungwoo’s situation. It breaks his heart just imagining how worried Mark was having to rush to his side.
“Is everyone else okay? Not as weak as me?”
“They’re fine. Your boss says to take a few days off for good measure, too.”
“But the project—”
“Is something you don’t have to worry about for now,” Mark insists.
“I feel like I let them down.” Jungwoo’s voice shakes in his honesty, feeling Mark’s grasp tighten around his own. He uses this opportunity to sit up better, leveling Mark’s gaze. There was nothing but love in those eyes, Jungwoo thinks, and his tears had nowhere else to go but cascade down.
“I feel like I let you down,” he adds, choking up.
“Jungwoo,you have never, in any way, let me down. Can you trust me on that?”
“Not when I’m confined in a hospital gown and an IV sticking in my veins like this.”
“They can’t leave you out in the heat without calling for help, dummy. None of this is your fault.”
“Did they get mad at you?”
“Who, baby?”
Mark wipes the tears away from his eyes. Jungwoo sniffles.
“Your work, having to leave in the middle of the day.”
“If they did, I better send in my two weeks.”
“Stop,” Jungwoo pushes him away weakly, however he smiles at the thought.
Mark sits on the edge of the bed as Jungwoo makes space. He wishes they were in the house, lying in the familiar scent of their favorite blanket cuddled up in each other’s arms instead.
“Can we go home yet? I think I’m good to go.”
“I can tell the nurse so she can validate your discharge. Are you sure nothing else hurts?”
“Mhm.”
“I need a definite yes or no, please.”
“I need a kiss from Mark Lee to answer properly, then. Please.”
The sound of Mark’s laughter cheers Jungwoo up more than whatever medicine was flowing through his body. It’s also contagious as he feels the pout on his lips turn to a smile. They lean in simultaneously, Mark placing a hand behind Jungwoo for extra support.
Jungwoo lays one on Mark’s shoulder, massaging the knots as he goes. Their lips meet with Jungwoo sensing hesitation from Mark’s end, always treating him with so much care and respect. It’s indicative of how he pours the same amount of love and kindness into their relationship. Mark loves not overwhelmingly, the kind that takes it over the top and makes Jungwoo suspicious of his real intentions. No, Mark Lee loves enough to send tingles down his spine with a mere touch but also becomes his pillar of stability when Jungwoo just needs him to be there, existing in each other’s presence.
It’s lovely, freeing, and allows Jungwoo to take care of the rest, of what Mark needs from him, and how much he wants to offer the whole of his body, mind and soul.
They part in content silence, forehead against forehead. It’s not the time for words, as Jungwoo is sure the one thought that is clear in his mind delivers to Mark with ease. His smile says it all.
“I don’t feel anymore pain. I wanna go home with you,” Jungwoo whispers.
“That’s a yes?”
“I didn’t hear a proposal, did I? I think I’ll save that answer when the time comes.”
Mark laughs again. Jungwoo feels himself blushing for even bringing it up, the warmth on his cheeks maybe too much to handle with how close they are. He was always a smooth talker, it’s a both a talent and a curse. He’s taken it down a notch over the years, thinking that part of him might get Mark too antsy or unwilling to accept.
But he’s proven time and again he’ll stay, and Jungwoo trusts this isn’t going to change that.
“I’ll hold you to that answer, Jungwoo.” Mark gives him another kiss, and Jungwoo can taste the bliss of the life they’ve shared thus far, noting the sweetness of what tomorrow brings for them both.
“But for now, let’s go home.”