Selfish *Markson AU*

Chapter Two

Wow, talk about neglect. I'm almost done school for the year so I will be updating more frequently.
Sorry!!

Chapter 2

Mark opens his eyes to find that the room is still dark, the street lights faintly lighting the bedroom. He turns his head to see Jackson sleeping beside him, his features barely visible in the dim light. Just dark hair and pale skin. Mark smiles at seeing how peaceful Jackson looks while he is sleeping, but that happiness is quickly erased when he tries to sit up. There's pain in his back from being thrown to the floor and the right side of his face hurts from taking a couple of hits. Mark looks back at the sleeping boy beside him and wonders how one person could be so different.

  Mark gets out of bed, trying not to wake Jackson as he walks into the hallway, towards the kitchen. He stops in the hallway to look at his favourite picture of Jackson and him at the beach in Los Angeles, when they went to go visit his parents. The smiles on their faces were genuine, so happy to get out of the busy life in South Korea and take a break. Mark's unbruised, perfect face just proves how long ago that happy day was, and how much Jackson has changed over time. Mark sighs and continues walking to the kitchen, wishing for that day at the beach to happen again.

  The unopened pizza box still sits on the counter beside Jackson's keys and phone. He pushes his blonde hair out of his eyes as he looks for his phone around the room. The phone lays by the wall on the floor, a small crack on the corner of its glass screen. Mark sighs again as he picks up the phone. It turns on and the message from Jinyoung lights up.

  So that's what set him off. Damn you Park Jinyoung!

  As much as Mark wants to blame Jackson's outburst on someone else, it's no ones fault but his own. It's his fault for not ever standing up to Jackson, or even having enough courage to leave. It would be very hard for Mark to leave Jackson, not with what they have been through.

  Mark was just 18 when he got off the plane in South Korea. It was his dream to move to Seoul and when a crappy translating job got offered to him he gladly accepted it and booked the next plane out. He got a small, cheap apartment and lived off of barely nothing in order to pay for it.

  When the company shut down and Mark lost his job, he could no longer afford the apartment and he ended up being thrown to the streets. Hungry and no place to go he ended up laying in an alleyway, hoping that death would approach him quickly. Instead of the cold arms of death, he felt warm arms embrace him.

  "Um sir are you okay?" Jackson was walking home when he stumbled upon mark's freezing body in the streets. When he got no reply, he assumed that Mark was just a drunk that passed out in the alleyway. Not wanting to leave him there, he tries to get Mark to stand up, but fails and tries again to get him to talk.

  "I can help you get home, I really don't mind."
  "I don't have a home." Mark croaks and Jackson nearly stumbles backwards, astonished at how broken the other boy sounded. Immediately Jackson pulls out his phone and texts his roommate to let him know that he was bringing someone home. Since his roommate was leaving to go to university in the morning he didn't really care.

  "I can help you, you just have to come with me."
  "No."
  "Please? You will die out here, it's not safe and you don't look like you are in good health."
  "I want to die."
  "I'm not leaving you here. What's your name?"
  "Just go."
  "Not until you tell me your name."
  "Mark." Mark sighs in defeat. He knows this boy won't leave him alone and going home with him started to seem like a better plan then rotting in the streets.

  "Well hello, Mark. My name is Jackson Wang. I'm not originally from here and judging by your name I don't think you are either. I'm 18 and I just moved here from China. I live in an apartment ten minutes away from here with a roommate that's moving out tomorrow. I'm a very friendly person so I don't like to be by myself. Would you like to keep me company?" Maybe it was the way he worded it, or his friendly smile that made Mark nod his head and agree to go home with this stranger.

  Jackson took care of Mark and helped him get back on his feet. He worked  at one of the offices his dad owned from China and He was able to pull some strings and found Mark a well paying job. They decided to continue to live together since it was cheaper that way.

  Mark knew he was in love with Jackson, but he didn't know how to tell him. When Mark got his first promotion he jumped into Jackson's arms and kissed him on the lips. Jackson laughed and kissed him back and since then they have been together.

Mark knew Jackson had anger issues, but he never laid a finger or even yelled at Mark for anything. When Jackson moved up in his job and it got harder and more stressful, he started to crack under the pressure. Mark still remembers the day the first slap came, and the first punch not long after. On the really bad days Mark would get dragged to the closet, most of the time by his hair, and get fully beaten. No one can hear him scream in there.

  Mark would just stand there and take it, knowing that the good times outweigh the bad, even though they are less frequent these days. It's been years since that day in the alleyway  and yet Mark still feels as if he owes Jackson his life. He can't just leave Jackson, that's why he has a plan.