✵ yizhou.

@✻ ⋰ mark l. "So that's what you were trying to do that night after we first went to the lounge?", Yizhou started to , only for her to let out a yelp when he turned them back around, all the air knocked out of her when her back hit the mattress, her eyes wide and doe-like while she watched him get undressed, her legs spreading easily for him again once he joined her on the bed once more. And perhaps she would have liked a little bit more time to explore his body, to appreciate that they had finally gotten to this point, but then again... she had waited too long to be patient.

It was cute, in a very weird and slightly inappropriate way, how he used the lube, as if Sue wasn't dripping wet for him, her body ready and waiting for him. She was his to take and yet he seemed as if he wanted to make sure he wouldn't cause her any discomfort.

"You should make me forget them, yet", she whispered while pulling him down towards her, one arm wrapping around his shoulders as he breached her, her moan stifled against his lips as she kissed him, her eyes squeezing shut at the initial push into her body that made her legs squeeze around his waist and her nails bite into his back where she was holding on to him.

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. did he mention that she was so lovable it kind of hurts everything inside him? a suffocation he gladly accepted as his fate.

small tremors spread out right, heaving as he found himself staring at the sight presented before him. she was so pretty, flushed slightly, and looking all soft, that mark had a hard time making out what she was even trying to say. the heat that was making direct contact above his clothed arousal didn't help at all.

yeah!

“right,” he reached down, pulled his hoodie above his head and let it fall somewhere on the floor, “and I need to cuddle you, , after we . god knows how much I want to hold you—”

his palms brushed over her dusty peak, a brief touch to console himself that he would have the time to appreciate them later, as for now he had an important task at hand. he looked back to her, a hasty peck to her lips, and they were back to their original position with yizhou laid out in the middle of the bed and mark between her legs after he got rid of his pants.

“should make you forget them,” a confession to his own ego, generous amount of lube poured onto his palm and he slicked up his .

“okay,” his eyes were back at her again, guiding the blunt head into her core.

@✻ ⋰ mark l. The kiss eased Yizhou's mind, her heart fluttering with something so far removed from lust, it could only be affection, her lips stretched so widely into a smile, it was near impossible for her to kiss him back and yet he did, raising an eyebrow at him when he moved away. And before she could follow his command and tug the shirt up and over her head, she broke out into little giggles, shaking her head while pulling herself up to her knees, pushing Mark down on the bed this time while climbing into his lap, unafraid of the fact that she was from the waist down and would surely make a mess of his joggers.

"Now", she said, her voice holding a teasing edge while she plucked the package of condoms out of his hold and dropped them to the floor, before she finally rid herself of her shirt, throwing it carelessly on top of the package of condoms, before her fingers slipped beneath the hem of his own, fingers traveling over his abdomen and chest, pushing the shirt upwards slowly. "Why would we need one? You don't think my mother would let me have control over my own body, do you? I appreciate it, Markie. But no. I want to feel you properly. Want you to fill me up and erase whatever is left inside of me from the times someone else touched me."

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. and just like that she diminished his regrets.

she was so lovable.

“you didn't,” he hummed, his lips curling into a smile that mostly mirrored her.

it was impossible to not kiss her. he kept his weight balanced on the sole hand propped beside her, leaning in for a kiss. a brief one, conveying his appreciation.

“now you do know. and I do. and god, it was torture,” he pulled away, tugging at the hem of his tshirt she put on, “off.”

and he realised something.

it was with reluctance written across his face that mark pulled himself away, curses falling in soft embarrassed whispers as he pulled out his half empty bottle of lube and and turned to face her, humiliation at last painting his cheeks. it wasn't the ideal position to be in while bearing an .

“as much as I want to hold you. like really, really, really bad…. need you to answer me,” he held the packet of , “yes or nah.”

@✻ ⋰ mark l. His words gave her pause, her desire filled and lust-sluggish mind trying to catch up with what he had said, only for her to let out a small, confused noise, reaching down with both her hands until she had wrapped them around Mark's cheeks, pulling him up so they were face to face again, before she reached down and pushed against his wrist, hissing when it made his fingers slip out of her body, nearly whining at the emptiness it left behind inside of her. She had wanted him for so long, she didn't want to stop. But she had to. There were too many things to be said.

"Markie", she whispered as she ran her fingers over his cheekbones, the arch of his nose and then his lips , a small smile dancing across her own. "Why would you need to excuse any of it? I never asked for an apology, right?" She paused, her head tilting against the cheeks as her smile widened, getting a little gentler around the edges. "And I just told you, didn't I? That every boy at the lounge was you and I closed my eyes and pretended until my mind told me that it was you, taking me. It's the only reason I went back there. Because I wanted /you/ and thought I couldn't get you."

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. his fingers were seated knuckles deep, twisting and turning, pressing against the velvet wetness, stretching her open. perhaps, more than he would admit it aloud, he liked the feel of her wetness and the obscene noises falling to his ears as he moved his fingers back and forth just a little.

“wouldn't.”

at that mark did look apologetic, and kissed the bruising patch he carved out on her flesh. it was nothing but his own fear that pushed him to do such a thing. it was then that he realised how flawed his plan was but maybe not that flawed since he did manage to erase the small barrier that kept him at bay.

“I did. I really did. honestly foolish of me. nothing can excuse that—”

he added a third, fitted snug inside and left it at that, allowing her the brief moment to adjust.

“but it helped? didn't it?” fingertips curled upward, pressing, “given how well you're adjusting.”

mouth pressed over the mound, a flick of his tongue, and a , he kissed his way up to her waist, relinquishing his hold on her other thigh to prop it beside her side.

“indeed, I made a mistake. I need to make up for it. a lot. and I hope you no longer need to find some boy from the lounge.”

@✻ ⋰ mark l. She couldn't imagine it, to be quite honest. She couldn't imagine that Mark had wanted her since she had entered his life. Yizhou hadn't even looked at him like this, back then. But god, did his words make her heart soar. And there were so many things she would have wanted to say, so many things she could have said - but they all flew right out of her head when she felt his fingers pushing into her, the sound falling from her lips nothing but filth, her fingers scrapping for a hold on his arm, fingernails sinking into unblemished, soft skin.

"You'd li-like it if I were so tight for you it's like you're the one ing me for the fi-first time, don't even try to tell me otherwise", she whispered back, her hips kicking and pushing down into his assault, her eyes opening so she could look at him again, open around soft little gasps and sounds of rapture. "Anytime, anywhere. But you never touched me before, did you? If you wanted me since I entered your life, why did you wait? I was yours for the taking for months and you made me wait. You let someone else me for the first time. What are you going to do about that?"

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. “mmhh—” mark looked up, mirth glinting in his eyes.

he didn't pull away immediately, pressing at the exact spot, had her thighs closing on him in sweet suffocation, more of her scent filling his lungs.

“I do,” a gentle admission, lips wet, as he pulled away, resting his cheek against her inner thigh, revelling in the moment of intimacy and the absurdity of his reality.

“I really do,” he unwinded his hand around her thigh and brought it up between her thighs, pressing his thumb at the edge of her, “been wanting since you came here. can you imagine that, yizhou?”

teeth caught the bit of tender flesh between them, ruining it until they would be tender and sensitive while he let his thumb slide deep into her core, hot and wet and carefully slow.

“but are you saying you are loose enough for me, baby? did you yourself out so you can take your markie's anytime and anywhere?” pulling his thumb back, he pressed two fingers at the same time, cautious and careful, grinning smug, “did you, baby?”

@✻ ⋰ mark l. It was pure insanity, how hot and warm his tongue was even through the fabric of her underwear, how her entire core started sobbing from this little bit of attention and how it made her blood boil, her lashes fluttering with desperation of staring open, did they not want to close on their own and without her permission. He hadn't even touched another part or her body yet and she was already set ablaze with desire, the need to feel him pulsing through her in hot, uncontrollable waves.

Yizhou lifted her hips for him easily, blushing bright crimson at the compliment, at the way he was looking at her, touching her, being her every which way to his own liking. And she'd be a liar if she claimed that she didn't like it. Didn't love it.

"Sh-", she whined at the first touch of his mouth against her heat, finally giving up and letting her head fall back against the bed, her eyes closed and opened around soft moans of pleasure as he plundered into her wetness, her fingers nearly /yanking/ at his hair when he found a sensitive spot that made her spine arch and her thighs nearly clamp shut around his head.

"Markie, don't... I... p-please, I... I thought you'd want to me?"

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. there wasn't a single night when yizhou wouldn’t be occupying his thoughts, countless scenarios running in his head but all ended up with yizhou being a silent participant. so, the confession falling off her lips punctured his heart, leaving him breathless.

and she was nothing but adorable. heart wrenchingly endearing in her earnest plea. it brought a lopsided smile to his lips, for a moment his haze softening.

mark had been denying his own feelings for her for so long. it went from mild interest to simply lust. but at the moment he couldn't deny the bubbling emotion threatening to drown him as whole. couldn't deny the way he wanted to kiss every inch of her and praise her.

he wanted to spoil her. and spoil her, he would.

“it does, doesn't it, baby?” mark hummed, pressed the flat of his tongue against the thin fabric, probing around.

while he would have loved to play around and take his time, he couldn't wait.

just like the pair of shorts he got rid of, he lifted her legs up, dragged the thin away. he hooked his arms around her thighs, keeping them wide open as he lowered himself again.

“god, you're so pretty, baby,” there was no time wasted — and he shouldn't have when yizhou was waiting for him, trembling ever so softly — dragging his tongue along the pink folds then parting them open wider.

and she's so wet. so ing wet.

mark groaned, pressing in more as if possible, the tip of his tongue seeking and mapping.

@✻ ⋰ mark l. Perhaps a part of her was terrified. The part that sounded utterly and disgustingly like her mother, telling her what a vile creature she had become when her mother had done everything in her power to make a lady out of her. A lady wouldn't let out a soft giggle at the shock written all over Mark's face, nor the way he all but ripped her shorts down her legs and threw them away, a jolt of heat racing through her system and erasing her mother's voice from her mind. She breathed out, her cheeks flooding with color when Mark simply pushed her back on the bed as if she was as light as a feather, her fingers curling around the hem of her shirt as if she was trying to tug it down, trying to hide herself from him.

But she wanted the opposite, wanted him to see her again, wanted him to touch her where only two men had ever touched her before.

"That's nothing I can tell you", she argued, but her voice made it clear that it was not because she was shy, simply letting him know that all of these things were something she needed to show him instead. "I just... oh, God."

The words fell from like a moan and yet not quite there yet, her body twitching when he buried his face between her legs, his hot mouth pressing into the spot she wanted him most. Where it ached. Where she wanted him to touch and taste, where she had imagined him, time and time again. "Oh, , Mark... please.... please don't tease me."

Yizhou was strung tight from months of wanting him, from months of looking at him, from weeks of closing her eyes while someone else touched her and imagining it was him instead. She was twisting on the sheets, her fingers sinking into his hair to tug, nails scratching over his scalp harder this time as her head tilted back and she let out a desperate breath as if she had been under water. "Mark, please, I need you so had it actually hurts. Do-don't make me wait."

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. mark gripped the waistband for life, head tilted ever so slightly towards yizhou's touch. he paused, mouth still pressed to the warmth of her supple skin as he looked up, surprise written across his eyes.

“for me?” he was still, stomach void of air, as he let the admission sink into him completely.

mark pressed his face against her stomach, nonsensical noises leaving his mouth. it felt like a fever dream. but, he focused on the hand in his hair, the scratch of fine nails, the gentle pull of his hair. it wasn't a dream.

“all for me,” a utterance more to himself, the shock of it slowly leaving his system, and he filled his lungs with air that carried the comforting scent of hers.

“,” mark groaned, impatient, a bit of manhandling as he tugged the piece of fabric down to ankles and away with much less finesse.

he couldn't be bothered with being a gentleman at the moment. nor did he have the patience to wait.

“what did you learn?” more of a rhetorical question but mark wouldn't refuse the answer to it as he dipped a knee at the edge of the bed.

his hands were on each side yizhou's thighs, grabbing her firm and sliding her weight up, bunching up the sheet underneath her weight — he was sure no one would mind an unkept bed at the moment, as he made some room for himself at the edge.

mark barely looked back at her, his gaze fixated on the stark black against her skin. taunting.

mark briefly remembered how he snuck out one of those sorry excuses of that barely covered anything.

“did they,” he didn't waste more time, diving down to plant his lips right over the clothed folds.

and he inhaled deep, made no attempt to hide the way took in lungfuls of her essence.

@✻ ⋰ mark l. It wasn't as if she hasn't imagined this moment, countless times. But still, she felt herself blush, the wind knocked put of her when he picked her up as if she weighed nothing, as if she was as light as a feather, setting her down in his bed as if she belonged right there. And in this moment, she did. Biting down on her bottom lip, Yizhou watched as he sank down onto his knees in front of her, her insides fluttering nervously while she spread her legs for him, her voice caught in for several moments.

"Everything", she confirmed then, that simple word doing her in real dirty, voice breathless and her legs spreading a little more for him, her body shifting nervously, not sure if he would take her shorts off or not. "It was always yours, even if it was someone else touching me, Mark."

And it was true, no matter how ed up it all seemed in her head. But there was no denying it anymore and she didn't really care anymore, either. Reaching out, she ran her fingers through his hair almost tenderly, tugging on the longer strands on top of his head. "Learned all of it just thinking about you. So give me everything. All of it."

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. one after another, yizhou's mouth poured out admissions, warm like her breath, soaked into him. feverish heat spreads underneath his skin. he felt the heat slowly coiling below and he pulled her closer as if possible, the barely noticeable swell pressing against her front.

it wasn't an act to allow her another chance to bail. his vicious grip on her would not let her escape. he had waited — pathetically, to add — long enough for this moment. unexpected, but he had no intention of letting it slip away.

it was a glimpse of his intentions.

"good," mark breathed out, lips brushing, as he simply couldn't pull himself away from her, a task too difficult and painful.

his hands on her back travelled lower, secured her weight below her hips and easily lifted her up, making his way to his bed and despite the urgency in his voice, he deposited her gently at the edge of the bed.

"because I want to give you everything," and he settled on the floor on his knees, made room for himself between yizhou's limbs, reaching for the waistband of the shorts.

"and you," he tugged the elastic down, revealed a bit of her pelvic, leaned in, pressed a kiss upon it, "are you going to give me everything, yizhou?"

rationality went out the window long gone.

@✻ ⋰ mark l. Kissing Mark should feel wrong and gross her out, make her skin crawl and her stomach churn. And her stomach /did/ lurch, yet it was not disgust that was making her cling to him, kiss him harder and tug on her hair, hot wax in his hold with the way she was melting against him, into his kiss. This was what she had waited for, what she had wanted for forever and here he was, giving her and kissing her in a way that made her feel as if he had desired her for just a ing long. And damn, she wanted him so bad right now, it hurt. Her insides were throbbing, warmth already pooling between her legs just because they were kissing and Mark was holding her as if he wanted to eat her alive. As if she belonged to him and nobody else.

"Don't stop", Yizhou whispered desperately, sounding almost panicked by the thought of him stopping right then and there when this was all she had wanted for /months/. "Please, no, don't stop. Need you, Markie. Please, please, need you so bad it hurts."

She knew her eyes were feverish and her cheeks were flushed crimson, her body pressing closer to his as she hooked a leg across his hip, leaning in to press her lips back against his, before she whispered: "I won't... I won't ask you to stop. But I don't know what to do. All I know is that I don't want to stop, want everything you want to give me. Please, Markie, wanna be good for you so bad."

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. there was the loud buzzing in his ears, his heart beating wildly against his ribcage, prickling heat and goosebumps all over. yet all his senses focused on one thing — the soft pair of lips against his. sweet. the hint of chocolate and vanilla and the expensive wine.

he tugged her close. impossibly closer. felt every contour or her frame pressing against his with no regard for maintaining the gentleness he had been displaying so far. he wanted her. he wanted her so ing bad. and he let it be known, bruising grip on her hip.

he wet stripes along the pretty pair before he ran his tongue along the tip of hers, short and quick, experimental, a silent confession of what he wanted. he dove in, swept along the roof of , then every surface of that inviting warmth he could reach.

"—" he pulled away for the much needed breath, blown pupils gazing back at her.

flushed, breath hot, his grip still unrelenting.

"say it. and I'll stop."

"I'll stop."

"but if you don't, I won't stop even if you ask me later."

and while mark knew it was bluff, he also feared how much of it might be not empty words.

@✻ ⋰ mark l. For just a second, Yizhou wanted to start giggling and tell Mark that she had been joking, that she didn't actually want a birthday kiss and all of this had just been a joke. But no words left , no laughter. All she could manage was a nod in confirmation, her eyes large and her body pliant when he pulled her in, her hands resting hesitantly on top of his shoulders, even as her eyes fluttered to a close.

Was she this drunk? Did she only imagine all of this and she was already in Mark's bed, passed out cold after probably crying her makeup off on his expensive pillow case? But no... no, this felt real. The way her lips molded against his, soft and warm and tasting like something she had known a long time ago. It was over all too soon, her eyes flickering back and forth between his own, an unspoken question written all over her features. Were they really... doing this? Because that one kiss was enough to set her insides on fire, her fingers sliding from his shoulders into his nape and into his hair, his name falling from her lips so softly, it was barely more than a breath.

And, yeah, this.

When his lips met hers for the second time, Yizhou was ready for it, her head tilting a little bit to the side as she let out a shuddering breath, almost a sigh while her fingers threading into his hair to pull him closer, falling open against his ever so slightly, tongue pressing into his bottom lip as if to get a taste of him. Properly.

If this was her one chance to kiss him, she would take it and she would savor every single second of it, before he could come to his senses and push her away, tell her that it had been a birthday kiss and there was no in hell this would ever happen again. If this was her /one and only/ ticket to heaven and hell, she needed to not back out and for once do what she really wanted. Take what she really wanted. And that was, as ed up as it was, him. Him and only him and it had been Mark for so long now, this simple kiss was enough to light her up with desire as quickly as a wildfire could spread from a single spark and a gentle breeze.

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. it was not the first time yizhou's touches landed in places that were simply out of options between siblings. not the first mark felt like screaming and withering at the same time. and he mentally prepared himself, willed his body to not act up like a stupid teenager' while unaware the physical response he displayed was akin to a thief caught in the act.

"birthday kiss—" he repeated slowly, allowing the meaning of those words to settle down.

"birthday kiss?" he was already in motion, barely registered what he was doing.

it was like watching the sand castle he carefully built about to get wrecked by the waves of his own stupidity.

and wishful thinking. and desires.

and stupidity.

he pulled her close with an arm around her waist and the other cupped her jaw, holding her in place and dove in for an experimental press of lips.

that alone was enough to leave him holding in his breath, the sound of his own heartbeat loud in his ears. he would either come out unscathed or sink to the bottom of his doom.

maybe he could laugh it off as a joke. if she were to get upset.

it was a fleeting one, lasting no longer than a couple of seconds.

he would probably never recover from this.

" this—" his lips brushed over hers.

he already committed a stupid deed. might as well savour it.

yizhou hadn't slapped him yet. nor spat on him. maybe he wasn't that stupid at all. maybe he was good at deceiving himself. not that mark spared himself the luxury of over thinking.

and there was little distance to be covered, setting his mouth firmy upon hers. uncertain and imploring, his lips glided upon hers.

@✻ ⋰ mark l. It was kind of funny, how Mark though that she was talking about her father's assistant when she said everything she wanted was just out of reach and stupid. The dark reality of it all was that she hadn't been thinking about that guy for months now and it had been /Mark/, who had been occupying her thoughts, her desires, the things she thought about as she closed her eyes while someone else ed her. She had opened Pandora's box and she had so many regrets... and none at all at the same time, as well. Because Mark was rambling, almost as if he was nervous to even talk to her while she was crying - although this wasn't the first time she was crying in front of him and it certainly wouldn't be the last, either.

"Mark", she interrupted him softy, but he kept going, talking about ice cream and push ups and painting nails. And then, she pressed a finger to this lips, soft and gentle but enough to effectively put an end to the stream of words flowing out of his mouth so quickly and so hastily, as if he wasn't even really thinking about what he was truly saying. Her eyes were dark and yet gentle when she took another step forward, until her toes touched his and they were /almost/ chest to chest. "What I want aren't these things. It's not that kind of stupid. Maybe..."

Yizhou cut herself off, biting down on her bottom lip as her eyes followed her finger, the pad of it tracing the gentle cupid's bow of his upper lip. So pretty... and not for the first time, she wondered what his lips would feel against her own. "I wanted a birthday kiss, but nobody kissed me at midnight, or today. And it's a little silly, I know, but... I really... really wanted that birthday kiss."

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. "well, birthdays are overrated. the fancy celebration I mean. should be spending quality time with people who love you and care for you."

mark couldn't mask the heaviness in his voice, overwhelmed with the confession caught in his throat. and he shouldn't be thinking about his own misery when she was the one who went through hell. and he certainly shouldn't be thinking about holding her and kiss her sadness away.

he shouldn't be the thing she had to worry about.

he maintained his composure, used the sleeve of his hoodie to pat at her eyes gently, "no. don't say that. I am sorry for saying that guy is your stupid mistake. it isn't. you have done nothing that is stupid. so maybe do something stupid."

"whatever you want. just within my budget and capability. I can't do fifty push ups while you sit on my back, if you want that kind of stupid things. nor eating too much ice cream. it's getting cold. I can definitely let you paint my nails. or you can cuddle with me and I'll sing you a lullaby—"

@✻ ⋰ mark l. It came a little surprising, that kiss to her cheek and then their foreheads pressed together, her eyes fluttering to a close and her tears ceasing, albeit her body didn't stop shaking from her little sniffles, despite the fact that she didn't even try to resist Mark picking her up to carry her away, her purse and heels abandoned in the hallway right behind the door. He wasn't the first one to offer to get rid of her mother and as tempting as it sounded, they all knew it was impossible.

"I appreciate the thought", Yizhou joked lightly as she buried her face in his neck, one hand clamped down his shoulder for balance as she inhaled his familiar, calming scent. "But no more food, please. All I need right now is you and some down time. I socialized more than enough for another year. Seriously, no more food or I'll throw up."

As soon as they had crossed the threshold of his bedroom, though, she started wiggling in his hold until he let her down, quickly making her way over to his closet so she could pick out a shirt and a pair of joggers - which wouldn't fit her, but alright. She just needed to get out of this blouse and skirt combo.

"I hate my birthday, actually", she told Mark softly while slipping into the shirt, undoing the slicked back ponytail her mother had insisted on, running her fingers through her hair until it was flowing across her back and her shoulders, before she turned to face him again, her eyes shining with tears again, even as a soft smile graced her lips and rounded her cheeks just a tiny bit. "It's just... never really about what I want. And maybe that's for the best. If I don't get what I want, you know? What if I do something stupid? What I want is just... always stupid and something I can't have."

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. again that woman proved mark right. she brought everything but peace and happiness to the people around her.

"you know, I'm actually considering hitting your mother with my car. accident. or maybe spiking her drink and sending her to ER," mark swiftly got her heels off her feet and put them aside, uttering with unadulterated disdain, "respectfully, your mother."

amd before he knew it, mark leaned in, pressing his lips gently upon yizhou's tear stricken eyes while patting her knee in silent consolation, "well, I'm home exactly because it's your day. thought I'd at least get you home by eight but no."

he sighed, pressing their foreheads together, "ruined my plans. but happy birthday."

"and welcome back home. I missed you," mark stood and the next thing he did was scoop yizhou up in his arms securely and made his way toward his room, "terribly a lot. her visit is over right? please tell me you've no stupid business to attend to."

he hugged her close, pressing fleeting kisses to the side of her head and temple.

"no pizza on me right now because I wanted to take you out to the local street and all but.. yeah. we can order whatever you'd like."

@✻ ⋰ mark l. She shouldn't be this relieved and instantly soothed by his voice, the sight of him, the warm smell of him all sleepy and perhaps a bit sleepy - which should be grossing her out and not crave his touch even more. Her tipsy brain only wanted him even more, seeing him this unkempt and ruffled from sleep, a crease line indenting his cheek from where he had his face pressed into the pillow. And somehow, that only made her cry even more, the tears finally spilling over from where they had been held back by her lashes, rolling down her cheeks like tiny crystal pearls.

"My mom was basically shoving me at all of these men I never met... like I'm a piece of meat. A priced horse to be sold", she muttered as she ducked her head down low to hide her tears from him, her fingers winding into fabric of her skirt, twisting it. Or maybe she was desperately trying to hold on not to kiss him, not to reach for his face and give in to that horrible desire to be close to him, to get a taste of those slim, pretty lips.
"All I wanted was to stay at home. All I wanted was for someone to actually care about my birthday. She bought me some fancy jewelry and I couldn't care less about. Some cake that I didn't even like. We had /caviar/, you know? I wanted pizza. Why does it have to be fancy all the time? I don't get it... why can't I just stay at home with you a dad and play boardgames or something?"

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. mark was let off earlier, his father noticed the sour expression he kept all day. he assumed mark was upset because he had to work when it was yizhou's birthday. one, the man had no idea what lunatic plot his ex-wife was brewing, and two, it was an open secret how much mark adored yizhou.

"take the afternoon off. go out with her." his dad said.

keep an eye on her.

mark didn't bother spilling madame ning's plan and instead left earlier. if nothing, he could sleep away the frustration. he already got his colleagues acting careful around him because he snapped at them too many times.

he occupied the couch in the living space so he would know when she arrived, watched the clock tick away, frustration building up. and he waited. waited until his eyes gave in and closed on him.

"yizhou is that you?" mark asked, his voice groggy, as he the lamp light next to the couch.

"you are back?" mark was in no better state, unkempt hair, sleep laden eyes, worn out clothes.

"how…." he hesitated to ask while coming to crouch in front of her, his hands already reaching down for her fancy hill, when he noticed her tears.

"what happened?"

the answer was obvious.

@✻ ⋰ mark l. Needless to say, Yizhou hadn't known about any of it. Her mother's reply of 'don't be ridiculous, she's rightfully picky' had gone unnoticed by her - as had the entire conversation, but as soon as she arrived at the party, she suddenly thought that perhaps all of this explained her mother's mood. And Mark's. He had openly spoken about the fact that he did not appreciate or like her mother and if Madame Ning had said something strange to him, that would certainly be cause and explanation for his rather /odd/ mood when they had left for Yizhou's birthday party.

Which was, as expected, filled with a bunch of people she barely knew. If at all. And not to mention the men that fought for her attention while Yizhou was glued to her phone, be her fate to her friends - and Mark as well.

By the time she came home, she was tipsy and frustrated, angry at her mother for shoving all of these boys in her face as if she's magically fall in love with one of them and sing a romantic Disney duet right then and there. That would never happen, honestly. But apparently that was what her mother thought would happen and Yizhou had never hated her birthday as much as she did this year.

"I'm home", she called out weakly into the apartment, yet she barely moved away from the apartment door, sitting on the small bench she often used to put on her shoes, a sudden burst of sadness having tears well up in her eyes. Who cared if she got expensive presents and they had been singing for her? None of that really meant something, in the end. Nobody really cared about her birthday, after all.

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. the day he called off work was the only day he got to have yizhou to himself for the entire day. twenty-four hours spent with his beloved yizhou before mother gothel got a hold of her. it was expected. yizhou lamented how much she would be dragged around like a pet to show around carried in a purse.

while he could spend his days in peace, lack of yizhou to tempt his sinister desrires, it felt empty. mark once thought his life would be much better with yizhou out of the picture but the opposite happened.

every night he returned to an empty apartment, he felt lonliness wrap itself around him. he had to sleep in his bed without yizhou to keep him warm.

mark looked depressed.

and to make things worse, madam ning dropped by the apartment — she usually chaperoned yizhou over to her place — and mark knew bad news awaited him.

there was no pleasantries exchanged, never between them, while yizhou was busy getting ready.

"she is going to meet her husband candidate. " madam ning informed mark as she stood rudely in the living room while mark fixed himself coffee.

"and?" mark shrugged his shoulders, keeping up the facade of a brother.

mark eyed the kitchen knife and madam ning, wondered if he could get away with a harmless prank in the name of spooky season.

"does….does she know?"

maybe the answer would finally set mark free from his misery.

@✻ ⋰ mark l. "Duh we have some at home", Yizhou told him as she skipped past him in nothing but one of his shirts and a pair of rather cold-weather-inapproptiate pair of shorts that had at one point belonged to him as well and that had fallen victim to a pair of her scissors. "You just have to know where to look."

She threw a wink across her shoulder as she hurried into her bedroom, only to return with four bottles wedged under her arms -two flavored and two unflavored kinds of soju - and heading straight for the couch once more. "You know, we should play a drinking game or something. A shot every time someone does something stupid in a horror movie."

Patting the spot right next to her, she pulled up her Halloween movie list on Netflix, wiggling around happily when she selected one of the classic 'Halloween' movies. Michael Meyers just hit different. For someone whose mother deemed her to fragile to even wear pants in public, she sure had a rather unhealthy obsession with everything spooky. Maybe it wad because she was born so close to Halloween, but still. Spooky month was spooky month, no matter what her mother said.

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. mark let out a sigh, always vocally appreciating her small touches. he glanced back at the mirror, the reflection staring back at him snapped him out of his daze and he schooled his expression to be more appropriate — less like a starved dog eyeing a piece of meat and bone.

/walk around ./

a sight that would certainly bring his doom. he snipped the thought before it took the shape of his nightmare and created another embarrassing problem for him.

no he did not stare too much at her almost back.

"what a bummer. but I guess it can not be helped. they seem so difficult to walk around. anyways, what spooky movie do you have in mind?" mark slowly back tracked out of the closet, his phone in his hand ready to order, "we have soju at home?"

@✻ ⋰ mark l. "Do you have any idea just how terribly uncomfortable this is?", Yizhou asked right back, her tone just a tiny bit pouty because he had kissed the side of her head like she was nothing more than an unruly child, who had said something borderline stupid. She took hold of one of his wrists, the hand precious tugging on her collar now reaching up and behind so she could slide her fingers into his hair, her eyes closing while she tilted her head into his shoulder.

"Your eyes have to be unhealed until tomorrow, because I don't want to spend my free day and evening in something I hate wearing because it's stiff and uncomfortable. We're at home, aren't we? If it wasn't for you, I'd walk around all day."

With that, she pushed away from him to turn around, looping her arms around his neck before pecking him on each cheek, grinning brightly before she walked away completely, undressing down to her underwear once more to slip into something he had picked out.

"It's spooky season and it's my birthday month. We should watch a spooky movie, drink some soju and eat. How does that sound?"

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. "your mother is so, no offence, stupid. pants at least protect your pretty legs."

did he pull away from the source of his doom? no. did he shy away? no. regardless of his frustrating feelings, he was drawn to yizhou, seeking comfort and familiarity. his hands slid down to the middle, hugging her around her stomach, pressing himself to her back. he looked at their reflection. she fitted so perfectly against his frame.

"yeah," mark breathed, the vivid images flashing before his eyes, "you were so pretty that day, yizhou."

it was him who signed up for the torturous voyeurism yet envy still consumed his thoughts. he thought seeing her begging for like any other girl would break his disillusion about her, might be able to check her off as another girl he found pretty but instead he spiralled.

he wanted her. he wanted her so bad it took everything in him to not let his hands linger, feel around her chest. he held her tightly, instead of kissing her neck like he wanted, he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

"you look pretty. wear this for the evening. it heals my eyes."