translucent [markson]

[Nineteen] Christmas

When Jackson came back to the room after going to the bathroom, Mark was at a loss for words. Jackson's arms were bare, his tank top revealing his muscles, and Mark couldn't lie -- he was pretty hot. Mark just watched as he put on a baggy sweatshirt over his tank top, which turned the sexy-Jackson into an adorable one.

"How did you change so quickly?" Jackson asked, glancing at Mark before walking around, clearly trying to look for something.

"I just get ready quickly," Mark shrugged. He couldn't help but smile at the fact that Yugyeom was still in the bathroom, since Jackson finally talked to Mark with him gone.

"Wipe that dumb look off your face and help me find my glasses." Jackson jokingly rolled his eyes at Mark before continuing his search. He pulled Mark up from his seat on the floor, only to be met with Mark's pout.

"That's so much work," he whined, leaning his head on Jackson's shoulder. "Since when did you wear glasses, anyway?"

"Since always. I just wear contacts." Jackson nudged Mark off his shoulder a continued looking.

"Wow, you really must be blind without your glasses. They're right there." Mark picked up the only pair of glasses he saw, which were sitting on the desk in front of them.

"I don't need your attitude, Yi En," Jackson joked, snatching his glasses out of Mark's hand. As Jackson put on his glasses, it took Mark all his effort not to squeal at how cute Jackson was without contacts.

"Why don't you wear your glasses more often?" Mark asked. His gaze followed Jackson as he set up blankets and pillows on the floor, making a comfortable space for everyone to sit.

"I can't wear my glasses for fencing, so I just got used to them, I guess." Jackson flopped onto the pillows on the ground, and Mark took the opportunity to flop on top of Jackson.

"Hi, Jackson." Mark twisted his body so he could give Jackson an innocent smile while Jackson glared at the boy who nearly knocked the wind out of him.

"You asshole," Jackson mumbled, cursing in English.

"Normally, I would defend myself, but what you said is very true." Instead of moving off of Jackson, Mark shifted around to get comfortable with his head on Jackson's stomach.

"You're the worst kind of person, I swear." His hands found themselves playing with Mark's hair, despite his annoyed tone. His hair was so soft and perfectly messy that Jackson couldn't not mess around with it.

"You still love me, I know it."

Jackson's heart leaped and his body froze. He knew Mark was only joking, but he still felt nervous and scared he had been discovered. While it was still too early to tell if he was in love, Jackson was sure that he truly liked Mark. He wanted nothing more than to be able to tell Mark his feelings and have Mark reciprocate them, no matter how unrealistic it seemed.

"Yeah, that's why it sucks," Jackson whispered, his hands falling to his sides. He suddenly felt uncomfortable with keeping physical contact with Mark, since he could feel himself growing sulky at the thought of his pathetic crush.

"No, keep doing that." Mark grabbed Jackson's hands and put them back in his hair, nudging Jackson's leg to encourage him. Jackson returned to gently running his hands through Mark's hair, but not without reluctance.

"Hey, I'm back," Yugyeom called out, walking through the door. He immediately paused after seeing Mark and Jackson on the ground, a sense of defeat sinking in. He was worried Mark would hurt Jackson after what had happened the past few months, but the look of content on both of their faces as they layed with each other gave Yugyeom a new set of concerns.

"Hi, Yugyeom," Jackson murmured, not bothering to turn his head to look at Yugyeom.

"What'd I miss?" Yugyeom approached the two with hesitance, taking a seat on the bed.

"Nothing. We're just laying around." Jackson finally glanced up at Yugyeom, who seemed to be confused as to what he should be doing.

"You're so comfortable," Mark breathed out, his words coming out in a muffled Chinese.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Yugyeom's question flew over both Mark and Jackson's heads, neither of them able to fully focus on anything other than each other.

"You should be grateful that I didn't shove you off when you decided it was okay to lay on me," Jackson joked, grabbing a tuft of Mark's hair and tugging it until Mark was looking at him.

When their eyes met, they both undeniably felt it. Their hearts skipped a beat and there was a somewhat nervous tug in the pit of their stomachs. Mark was left confused, wondering why a boy he used to find so unappealing was suddenly making him feel so strange; Jackson, on the other hand, almost didn't notice his heart racing due to that familiar sulky feeling returning once again. He was angry at himself for so terribly hiding the crush he said he'd keep to himself at any cost. Afraid he'd let something slip, he tore his eyes away to stare at the ground next to them.

"I'm grateful." Mark noticed that Jackson had looked away, and something in him desperately wanted Jackson to face him again. "You can't look away when I'm expressing my gratitude." Mark sat up and grabbed Jackson's face, leaning over him so he couldn't look away.

"What?" Jackson stuttered out, his heart beating inhumanly fast at how close Mark's face was to his.

"I'm grateful that you didn't shove me away. And I don't mean just now. Any normal person would have pushed me aside, considering the way I treated you. Thank you." Without realising it, Mark began to inch closer and closer to Jackson's lips. Jackson just watched, waiting to see if Mark would follow through with what it seemed like he was doing.

"It's midnight! Merry Christmas! Why don't we each open a gift?" Yugyeom cut in, clearing his throat and shoving past the two. Mark and Jackson were just about thrown to opposite sides of the floor, neither of them able to look at each other.

"Yeah! That's... um, that's a good idea. Let's go." Jackson walked over to the small pile of presents they had made under their mini Christmas tree. He handed them each a random present with their name on it, too rushed to pay attention to what was from who or how carefully he handled them.

By the time sunlight creeped its way through the dorm windows, Yugyeom was the only one who had gotten a lick of sleep. They had ended up opening all their presents from each other -- in other words, two each -- and watched a few movies. Mark and Jackson quickly got over their almost-kiss, followed by a sleepless night full of small talk and teasing.

When Mark left to his own room after breakfast, a sense of regret began sinking into both his and Jackson's gut. Neither of them fully understood why, and what they suspected was the cause was something neither of them wanted to admit. They only had a week and a half left before school started back up, so it was only a matter of time before they had to face that truth. A week wasn't enough time for Jackson to prepare, and he couldn't deny that he was scared out of his mind to see what would happen next.