My first and last (MarkRen)

9

When Renjun's phone finally rings, he drops it. He's been staring at it for at least a half hour. He quickly picks it up and answers kind of breathless.
"Hello?" He questions, just in case it's not him.
"Hi, is this a bad time?" Renjun giggles.
"No, I just. I dropped my phone." Mark chuckles.
"So, you said yes." He says, and Renjun can hear that he's smiling.
"I did." He says softly.
"I'm very happy about this." Mark reveals quietly.
"So is it possible for me to pick you up? I'm sure you don't want Yuyi to know?" Renjun holds his hand to his heart. He's so thoughtful when it comes to his son.

"He's going out to eat with my parents and they are taking him to a movie after, so you can." This makes Mark happy, he was hoping it could be this way.
"Good, is seven ok?" Renjun smiles to himself.
"Perfect. Can I ask where we are going? I need to know how to dress." He has a few different outfits picked for different occasions already, he started doing that as soon as he got home.
"I wanted to take you to this nice little Italian place. If you're up for that?" Renjun hums.
"That sounds nice. I'm going to have to hang up now though. I have to get Yuyi ready, then work on my beauty regiment." He hears an airy chuckle on Mark's end.
"Ok, I'll see you around seven then."
He saves his name in his phone and quickly sends his address before burying his face in a pillow and screaming. He feels like a teenager and he doesn't hate it.

When it's almost seven he's pacing the floor. He hopes he looks nice enough and he's just nervous and excited about tonight.
When the doorbell rings he has to take a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. He opens it slowly and sees Mark standing there with a pretty bouquet of yellow flowers. He hands them over watching as Renjun's eyes light up.
"Thank you, these are beautiful. Come in? I'll put them in water." Mark walks in and glances around. It's almost exactly how he would have imagined their home to look like. Very suitable for the two of them.
Renjun takes his flowers to the kitchen and finds a vase to put them in while Mark waits patiently in the living room.

"Do you want a drink? Or did you want to leave right away?" Renjun asks, poking his head out of the kitchen.
"A drink would be nice." He replies with a smile. Renjun nods and grabs a bottle of wine and two glasses.
"Is this ok?" He asks as he gestures for him to sit on the couch. Mark nods yes as he watches him pour.
"You look nice." Mark finally says making Renjun blush. He's wearing black dress pants and a silky white button up with a pretty silver necklace.
"Thank you. You look really nice too." He says softly. Mark is wearing brown plaid pants with a matching jacket and a tan button up shirt.
He hands Mark his wine and takes a small sip of his own.
"You have a nice place here." Renjun smiles and nods.
"I consider myself lucky to have gotten this place. It just opened up a day before I called, and I really like the neighborhood." Mark smiles as a small silence envelops them.

"You know, out of all the dates I've attempted, I've never brought anyone to my home. Not even when Yuyi wasn't here." Mark raises his brow.
"So this is new territory for you?" He asks.
"Yeah, you are the second one I've ever let pick me up even." Mark takes in the gravity of what he is saying with a pleasantly surprised face.
"So this other person? Were they special to you or?" He shakes his head.
"Nope, most definitely a mistake I swore I would never make again." Mark furrows his brow.
"So, is this a mistake too?" He asks carefully. Renjun smiles.
"No, at least not for me." He answers honestly. Mark touches his cheek.
"Renjun, I really like you, and each time I get to know you more, it only confirms those feelings. I'll wear my heart on my sleeve and tell you that, I'm really wanting this to work. I want to take you on special dates, spend quiet nights with you and spend time with you, and your son." Renjun can't help himself when he leans in and kisses his lips softly.
"Thank you, for always thinking of my child too." Mark smiles as he touches his lips, almost in a bit of shock from the kiss.
"I really like you too." He leans in again, their lips ghosting each others before Mark takes the initiative and presses his lips to Renjun's.

After a short, sweet kiss Renjun pulls away with a smile.
"I think I'm hungry now." He says with a giggle. Mark's eyes light up as he hears this.
"Me too. Should we head out then?" Renjun nods and takes their glasses and the bottle back to the kitchen.

The ride there is filled with a comfortable silence as both are feeling content with their little confessions.
Mark is of course a gentleman and opens the car door for Renjun who blushes a little at his sweet gesture.
The restaurant he chose is nice, not too busy for a Friday night which is good.
When they get to their table Mark pulls Renjun's chair out for him and earns a soft appreciative smile from the other.

"So as we agreed before, I expect you to do all the talking this time." Renjun says cutely to Mark.
"You don't really know what can of worms you are opening here do you? I've been told I can really talk a lot." Renjun giggles.
"Ok well, start from the beginning. Childhood, teenage years, whatever." Mark hums in thought.

"My childhood was fairly ordinary. We moved a bit, I spent a small amount of  time in New York, but mainly we lived in Canada. We moved here when I was probably fourteen. What about you?" He asks just as the waiter comes up to take their order.
"Could you just bring us your best red wine and we will look over the menu a bit more?" He nods and walks away.
"I guess we should look these over." Renjun says shyly.
After deciding on a simple penne in a roasted garlic sauce for Renjun and an Alfredo for Mark, they are ready to order.

The waiter comes back and pours their wine before taking their order. Renjun takes a sip and hums.
"Wow, that's good." He says before licking his lips cutely. Mark tastes his and nods.
"Really good." Renjun smiles softly as he just looks in his warm eyes.
"So, since you pretty much know my whole, sad dating life, what about you? You don't have any crazy exes that are going to come after me do you?" Mark chuckles.

"No crazy exes. In high school I dated a few girls. Nothing serious. It wasn't really until college when I decided to explore boys. Like you I kind of hid my sexual preferences from everyone, including myself for a long time. My parents are pretty heavy into religion and I was always taught that a man is to love and marry a woman. Same old trope, you know?" Renjun nods along.

"I had a few boyfriends and experimented sexually and decided to be the true me." Renjun smiles as he proudly tells his story.
"I fully came out in my third year of college. My friends were all pretty accepting. My family on the other hand, still haven't recovered from the news. They are so disappointed that they won't get a grandchild from me." He shakes his head.
"They don't hate me, and they treat anyone I bring to meet them with respect but they like to call and ask every now and then if I've changed my mind yet." Renjun takes his hand and rubs his thumb in his palm.
"I feel like one day, they will truly accept it. I think, from what it sounds like, they love you so much, they just want some little Mark's running around." He smiles softly and squeezes Renjun's hand.
"I think you are right."

Their food comes and they eat slowly as they keep talking about things from their past.
"I bet you were a cute child. So energetic, and you probably talked their ears off." Mark chuckles before frowning.
"I'm not doing that to you am I?" Renjun smiles warmly.
"No. You are talking just the right amount. I like hearing your story. It's nice." Mark smiles.
"I think that's why teaching suits me well. I can talk all I want and they have no choice but to listen." Renjun giggles.
"Yeah, Yuyi likes to talk about how fun you are. How you engage them in things. He really likes you." Mark can't wipe the proud smile off his face. Part of dating a single parent is getting along with their child so he's happy that they already have a good relationship.

After their plates are taken away they spend another hour sipping wine and talking. Neither want this to end but Renjun does have to get home for his son and to relieve his parents so they can go home.
When they get to his building Renjun is surprised that Mark wants to walk him all the way up. When they get in the elevator Mark takes his hand. Renjun leans just a little closer. They walk slowly to his door, hoping to squeeze out a few extra minutes.
When they finally get there, Renjun turns and takes his other hand too.
"Mark, I had a really nice night. I'll look forward to next time?" He questions softly. Mark nods, smiling just as soft.
"It was so nice. Thank you for accepting my offer." Renjun giggles.
"I suppose I should get inside. Thank you for dinner and your company." He leans up on his toes and softly connects their lips. Mark sighs into it as he is now holding his waist.

When Renjun pulls away slowly he feels like he lost something. He leans in once more and leaves a lingering kiss on his lips.
"Good night Renjun." Mark whispers.
"Good night." He says as he gives a small wave and backs into his door.
This night was everything each of them had hoped for. Both walk away with a feeling of being closer to each other and both love this feeling.