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byunbaekcult · 19 days

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Volleyball for Dummies (In Love Edition)

CHAPTER 26: Mark and Y/N? Mark and Y/N.

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word count: 4.7K

content warning: a dog having as much screen time as our main cast/pair, fluff fluff fluff, humor, crack treated seriously, mildly suggestive content, vague implications of sex towards the end.

playlist: The Beginning — Alina Baraz // Gimme the Wheel — Alina Baraz (feat. Smino) // Natural — Sabrina Claudio // Get You — Daniel Ceaser (feat. Kali Uchis) // Honesty — Pink Sweat$

notes: maybe Mark was onto something when he said Daegal was weirdly smart for a dog 🤔 technically it is still Markus’ birthday when I post this so HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE ONE AND ONLY MARK LEE you deserve all the love you get on the daily 🥳🎉 This is a long one so I recommend having a drink or snack with you! and this is a rather sweet and humorous piece, which is a common theme in my works haha enjoy !!

“Well, this is definitely a problem,” Mark laughed as both he and Y/N watched Daegal put on a show of snarling her little heart out after they attempted to move past the growling, small ball of fluff guarding the doorway of Mark’s bedroom. “She doesn’t want us to leave.”

“She’s so cute though,” Y/N cooed. “She was fine the whole day and now she’s become this little demon. What’s up with our Daegal-ie, huh?” She dropped to a squat, holding out a hand and oddly enough, the bichon reverted into her usual sweet disposition, pink tongue lolling out as her tail wagged from the attention. “Are you asking for a treat?”

Daegal turned up her nose with a snuffle. That’s a no then.

Y/N peered up at Mark, “you took her out, right?”

“Like an hour after dinner, yep.”

She let out a thoughtful hum. “We gave her a bath.”

“Played with her a lot,” Mark nodded, listing everything down with each lift of his fingers. “Gave her lots of treats too—well,” he gave the setter a bemused look. “you did.”

“What Chenle doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Y/N giggled as her hands went to cup Daegal’s tiny face, then both gracing Mark—who was already wound up so tight from being around her the whole day, Christ—with the puppy eyes, Y/N blinking exaggeratedly with a sweet pout. “And you can’t say no to that face, now can you?”

He sighed through his nose. Fuck.

Mark was aware that Y/N was talking about Chenle’s darling ‘daughter’. That much was obvious already, but Y/N’s question (statement?) wasn’t exactly far from the truth. She was right to some degree. Mark had a hard time turning away anyone who’d purposefully make themselves look even more pathetic in that regard. When he was younger, his own mother told him that he had a heart too big for his body, and would often joke that it was a relief it hadn’t burst from his chest yet.

It’s not a bad thing, my love. Mom would reassure him the moment he started sulking. There will come a day where you’ll find someone you’d want to give your love to. It might take some time, but you will and I know they’d be the luckiest person in the world. I can only hope that you’d feel the same, because you deserve as much love as you are willing to give.

(Too late. Mark thought, wistful. Each and every piece of his heart was Y/N's begin with, leaving nothing behind but a space big enough for her to crawl in. She belonged there. Just like how Mark's heart belonged to her).

And Mark was lucky!

… sort of—Look, he felt lucky regardless even if Y/N didn’t return the feelings threatening to spill from the huge, metaphorical jug Mark’s been carrying around once he realized that this was more than just a crush on the brazen girl Donghyuck trained with at the local volleyball workshop back in middle school.

Lucky that the setter kept him around. Lucky that she even gave him the time of the day. Lucky that Kim Y/N went out of her way to actively be with him. Whether it was just to be in each other’s presence with the silence weighing on them like a blanket would; warm and comforting, or if Y/N wanted to burn the remaining energy she had by roping Mark into practicing with her.

The Mark then would have settled with just that. The Mark who was content with being on the sidelines, watching out for Y/N and only running towards her when it’s only absolutely necessary. Which, in the first place, wasn’t. Not really. Managers were only there as a precaution. Extra eyes and hands, if you will.

Y/N was strong. Stronger than Mark could ever be since she was the one who braved the world with knee and arm pads to soften the blow of wooden floors, and the harsh criticisms hurled towards her. The setter had no qualms with the independence granted by her cocksure nature, long before Mark could even sort out just why his heart pumped faster than normal when Donghyuck dragged him along to watch Y/N play.

However, she wasn’t exactly one-dimensional as the articles wanted to claim. Y/N was more than the vicious words that was forcefully pushed onto her person despite the countless achievements she had received throughout the years. She’s a phenomenal athlete through and through, and she never let here-say shaped her identity.

Mark learnt that reputation meant nothing if you managed to see past it. After all, he got to unravel each and every layer that made Y/N who she was behind the curated image the volleyball community painted her as.

And if the world refused to see beyond that, then Mark wouldn’t entirely mind if it meant that the Y/N he’d come to know from being their manager was only for him to see.

Greed was a funny thing.

Greed rarely reared its ugly head. Mark had always thought he was somewhat generous. He didn’t mind sharing; he gave as much as he could when the time called for it, but he supposed it couldn’t hurt to be greedy—selfish even. Perhaps just this once to understand what it meant to want, to crave, to desire so much to the point of losing one's mind.

Because the sight of Y/N staring up at him with those eyes that could very well hold the entire galaxy—even if it was at the expense of imitating Daegal—had something greedy and possessive rise up his throat that he had to physically press his lips together to prevent it from spilling out.

Mark didn’t want to leave her hanging though and he managed to keep all that at bay with a wry smile, a fond look given to Daegal before settling his gaze onto an expectant Y/N.

“Susceptible to manipulation by anything cute, huh?” He came down to squat beside her too, reaching out to scratch Daegal behind her ear.

Y/N shrugged, “you tell me.” she said, following it up with a snort and a knowing smile. “Did you try it on me before, Manager Lee?”

Mark blinked. “are you—are you flirting with me?” and he was immediately rewarded with a soft string of laughter.

“It took you this long to realize?”

What the fuck.

Y/N didn’t let him answer though, not when she turned her full attention onto the small dog. “What is it, you little gremlin?” She asked, playfully giving the bichon the stink-eye as she booped her damp nose. “Did you wanna play some more?”

Daegal huffed, licking her nose as she sat back, all prim and proper as much as a dog could be.

“Not that either, huh?” She mused. “I’m not a mind-reader, Daegal. I really don’t know what you want.” With a sigh, the setter smacked her knees, standing to her full height.

And she seemed rather distressed by this too, at least it’s what it looked like to Mark as he soon followed her actions.

“I’m gonna check on the cats.”

Right. They should be in Jaemin’s room. Mark recalled that they’ll do just fine on their own, seeing that in spite of their clingy and affectionate nature, there was still some type of independence Jaemin’s cats harbored. Pets are very much like their owners. Very fascinating stuff. Nevertheless, Mark understood the setter’s sentiments. It didn’t hurt to be cautious.

Daegal didn’t though. Not that they expected her to, but it still was a surprise to both temporary fur parents when the bichon properly barked at Y/N’s attempt of taking a step forward.

It was a sharp kind of bark—high and sounding like a warning which had Y/N jumping back in pure shock and disbelief, both her and Mark’s jaws dropping at the small act of rebellion.

“Daegal!”

Mark’s tone was authoritative. He didn’t like yelling at any of the house pets if he could help it, but her sudden turn to stubbornness was very uncalled for. Especially when there was no reason to be. Earlier on, Daegal looked like she was faring well with Chenle’s absence. They encountered no problems aside from the fact that she had so much energy to burn, so this—whatever this is—is a little concerning.

Though it looked that the stricter route Mark took on worked, judging by how the bichon shrunk in on herself from his outburst. Small as Daegal was to many, that didn’t stop her. If anything, it spurred her on even further as she trotted towards Y/N with purpose and nosed at her calf.

This continued on for a handful of times with Mark and Y/N watching on with silent confusion, until Daegal realized that a simple series of nudges won’t be enough to knock-down a full-grown woman who takes hits from balls as a living (kind of). So she started pushing at Y/N with her front paws, doing an absurdly amazing job at balancing on her hind legs.

Y/N was so surprised in fact that it caused her to stumble on her own two feet, which was kind of funny since she was sturdy on court, yet it took only a small lap-dog for her to lose her footing. It would have been a hilarious sight, if Mark cared less about Y/N, but everyone knew he’d walk to hell and back to ensure her safety and it wasn’t much of a surprise when his fast reflexes kicked in.

(Not being privy to the incredible reflexes, Y/N was rightfully floored, letting out a squeak at his firm grip).

“Careful,” Mark grunted, bearing the weight of Y/N by holding her up with his hands on her waist.

“I’m not the one you should be saying that to.” She huffed, squirming in his hold so she’d be able to stand properly. “Seriously, girl, what’s up with you?”

Daegal barked, jumping up to push at Mark’s leg.

Y/N raised an eyebrow at this, “Mark?” Bark. “You want Mark to do what?”

The bichon turned towards the doorway and back at the pair at breakneck speed.

“Uh… I think she’s saying she wants me to go with you.”

Bark bark!

Both of their eyes comically widened at the immediate response, giving each other a brief glance and then staring down at the small pup in disbelief.

“I can’t believe we just argued with a dog, oh my goodness,” Y/N let out a laugh that sounded a little crazed, patting the hands that were still warming up her sides. “You can let go of me now.”

Never had Mark retracted his hands so fast.

“Sorry!”

It didn’t even register to Mark that he was essentially feeling her up, though it didn’t look like it bothered her. If Y/N could make out the embarrassed flush starting to bloom on his cheeks, she didn’t comment on it and instead tugged on Mark’s wrist, smiling sweetly at him.

“C’mon, before Daegal goes feral.”

Daegal went feral.

Well, no. That’s a bit of a stretch, but if the shoe—kind of—fits, then sure. The eight pound or so bichon has been compromised or whatever.

Checking on Jaemin’s cats wasn’t a difficult task. It went rather quickly since all they needed to do was take a peek into the man’s room and assess whether something needed to be done or not. Luna and Lucy made themselves comfortable in the very middle of Jaemin’s bed, eyes closed and already purring with content, while Luke took it upon himself to perch himself up on the highest point of the expensive cat tower he got for his ‘children’, acting as if he were scouting the room for any enemies.

It was when they left Jaemin’s room did Daegal start acting out again, simultaneously snapping and herding Mark and Y/N back into the former’s bedroom with newfound determination a small dog could exhibit.

“This is insane,” Mark started. Voicing it out wasn’t enough. He was already feeling like he was insane, letting Daegal dictate everything they should and should not do. Just what has Chenle been teaching her? “Are you seriously not gonna let us leave my bed?” He already had an inkling of what the answer was, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to poke the bear—er, dog.

Oh how wrong he was.

Daegal snapped again and Mark choked back a scream, pulling his hand back in disbelief.

“Why are you being such a demon,” Mark hissed, pointing an accusatory finger at her. “What are you trying to do, huh? If it’s pissing me off, then it’s working, you brat.” His ears burned at hearing Y/N snicker.

Wow, he’s absolutely lost it.

Daegal doesn’t even look the least bit guilty and it’s beyond Mark how it was possible for him to discern the possible thoughts she had in this situation. One of them could very well be murder if he dared to plant his foot on the carpeted floor.

Though Mark still had some self-preservation left and he would not risk having Daegal’s teeth leaving a permanent mark on his skin.

“I don’t think Y/N would like being stuck here either.”

“Oh, I don’t really mind.”

It’s a miracle Mark hadn’t got whiplash from how quick his head turned to give Y/N a similar look of incredulity and nothing could have prepared him from what he was currently looking at.

Y/N wasn’t kidding when she said she didn’t mind being forced to stay with Mark. She looked rather comfortable; already tucked in underneath the sheets with the pillows cushioning her back. Crazy as it sounded, this was like a direct manifestation from his daydreams.

“You sure? She’ll probably tire herself out and I can like, sleep somewhere else.”

Having the real thing right in front of him was disconcerting, to say the least. Here he was, being presented an opportunity served on a silver platter, yet all he could think of was doing the opposite of what he actually wanted.

Give Mark a hand, and he’d only hold onto one or two fingers. He never was the type to get more than what he deserved. Mark never thought he was deserving of them at all. Sometimes, he’d appreciate it if he was given that extra push just to get a firm grasp on what was handed to him. No matter that it was his for the taking.

“I’m sure,” Y/N said and all Mark did was blink when she patted the space beside her. “C’mere.”

This was that extra push, and just like the soft duvet underneath his palms, he caves in.

(Mark has never seen a dog look so smug ever in his life. It was kind of scary, actually. And a little annoying).

Perhaps Mark bit off more than he could chew.

He was given a hand, accidentally took an entire arm, and now he didn't know what to do with the extra flesh and bones attached.

He’s been staring at the same crack on his ceiling for what felt like hours now. As much as he tried his hardest, he couldn’t really get himself to doze off. Not when he was hyper aware of the warm body right next to him that one wrong move, he’d end up touching Y/N by accident. There wasn’t a pillow separating them and Mark’s double bed didn’t exactly provide the luxury of space he desperately needed to keep himself grounded either.

They did say beggars can’t be choosers, and a niggling thought at the back of his mind told him he definitely begged (manifested) too hard that he now has to deal with the consequences (manifestation of his delusions). Go figure.

Mark wasn’t sure if Y/N had drifted off. She had been quiet for the most part after dimming the lights. He didn’t want the risk of turning his head for a quick peek, only to see the freaked out expression once she was hit with the fact that this was probably a bad idea—sharing a bed with the team’s manager.

Y/N would have spoken up if it was a problem though, yet she never complained. Never said anything passive-aggressive either and if anything, she looked completely in her element. She looked very cozy in her small bubble of the shared duvet and pile of pillows behind her, petting Daegal who had calmed down and eagerly climbed onto her lap for extra snuggles. Y/N was content.

Aside from the low humming of the air-conditioning unit and Daegal’s occasional shifting a sighing in her sleep from the carpeted floor, it was silent. Mark might as well try and get some sleep. He had one dog and three cats to mind after all. Mark didn’t want Y/N to take the brunt of being a temporary, stressed fur-parent tomorrow.

So he tried. Tried evening out his breathing, counted sheep that oddly resembled each of his housemates/friends and a new addition, Y/N—that sort of thing, and just as he was about to count off the twenty-third Chenle-sheep, Y/N spoke.

“Has anyone told you that you think really loud?”

Mark’s eyes snapped open, rightfully startled and when he craned his neck, he found Y/N lying on her side, duvet pulled up right underneath her armpit, eyes twinkling even in the warm, dim lights of the bedside lamps.

“Sorry,” Mark mumbled. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

The setter giggled softly, lips tipping up into a coy smile, “wasn’t asleep in the first place. Can’t really sleep in these conditions.”

Then, Mark panicked.

“Seriously, I can like, sleep in Hyuck’s room for the night, if you want.” He probably stuttered through all that, but he’s done way worse things to embarrass himself. This is nothing. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything.”

He was just about to get up to give her more space when the setter’s hand shot out to grab onto his arm and gently tugged him back in place, pulling him closer too.

“And I’m serious too. I don’t mind. Stay.”

Just like that, he gets swept away by her. Like always.

Now both of them laid on their sides, facing each other. The setter had no problems looking Mark straight in the eyes, but him? He stared at anything but her eyes, which proved to be a difficult task when there was about a five-inch distance between their faces.

Thankfully, Y/N had this inborn skill of getting rid of the awkward atmosphere. She was someone who never let the awkwardness fester if she could help it.

“What are you thinking about, Mark?” She stage-whispered.

“Oh, y’know…” You. The team. Whether being a manager was worth it. You again. My future. Which has you in it. Hopefully. Lots of things. “Stuff.”

“Am I included in ‘stuff’?”

“If you meant the team, then yes..?”

Y/N clicked her tongue, “that’s not what I meant and you know it, Manager Lee.” She stared him down with narrowed eyes for a moment or two, and honest to God, Mark didn’t know what to feel. Scared? Excited? God forbid, turned on? Being in love with someone who fits the word ‘unconventional’ in more ways than one could make significant changes to your brain chemistry, he guessed.

Or Maybe it’s just the effect Y/N had on him, which was definitely the case.

“You do know I like you, right?”

What.

“What?”

What do you even say to that? Holy shit! Should Mark consider that as confession? It’s some kind of confession, right? A very odd one if it depended on whether or not Mark knew. Which he didn’t… explicitly. He saw hints, but he wasn’t one to assume things right off the bat.

Y/N wasn’t even fazed by Mark lacking an answer to that. It’s like she expected it, so she kept talking.

“Dude, I made it so obvious that I did,” she laughed. Laughed and if there was a way for a black hole to materialize, Mark wished it could do so right this very second. “Why do you think I fought hard to keep you on the team?”

“Because you were being nice..?”

“Partly, sure, but you gotta think beyond that,” Y/N still found this entire situation funny and Mark was still stuck on her liking him. “Why do you think I stuck around you?”

“‘Cause—because I’m your manager? It’s kinda my job to—“

The setter was quick to rebut that, “oh but I also have Ten and Dejun. I could have asked them too, but if you noticed—which I doubt you did—I kept asking for you.”

“I—I thought you were just being… polite.” That was probably the least appropriate synonym for this context. Damn. “Keeping me employed and shit like that.”

“Employed,” Y/N snorted in a way that should be unattractive, but it only made her impossibly cuter in his eyes. Oh he is so fucked. “I’ve said I wanted to kiss you like, twice? No three—point is, I want to kiss you. Period. How’s that being nice?”

“Maybe you pitied me or something,” he mumbled, gazing at her hand still holding onto his forearm with a self-deprecating smile. It wouldn’t be the first time, really. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t… don’t say that.”

Warmth settled on his chin. Grabbed made much more sense as he was slowly lifted up so Y/N could get a proper look at him and oh, that’s definitely new.

Being bold meant that Y/N was also shameless when it came to the staring. And she did it. A lot. Perhaps it came with being alert on court. Your sense of sight was an important factor and it was constantly tested too.

Y/N liked to stare at Mark, specifically, and he would be lying if he said her stares didn’t burn him or anything, because Mark knew when he was being looked at. It was terrifying at first, definitely. He didn’t know what it all meant, but he got used to it and had gotten good at deciphering what went on behind those watchful eyes of hers.

And this… this—what he’s looking at; swimming behind the brightness of her hues was decidedly new. Her gaze was softer for sure, yet stern at the same time, with a third unnamed emotion binding them together that made Mark feel so seen.

“You’re anything but pitiful. Believe me when I say that,” and he wanted to. The way she spoke was enough for him to hang onto every syllable her lips curled around with so much reverence. Mark wanted to believe her.

But before that—before he lets himself be fully consumed by Y/N, he had to come clean.

“I became manager because of you, Y/N.” He took a deep breath. “I didn’t know shit about Volleyball, but I joined anyway because back then, I thought that was the only way for me to get close to you. It was a spur of the moment decision. I was walking aimlessly around campus and for some reason, I ended up standing in front of the bulletin board just outside of the coaches’ office. Saw that the team was looking for an extra manager and it… pretty much went unplanned from there.”

“I admit, It was selfish on my part to join with that reason. Like, who does that? But the longer I stayed, the more I started to see just why you and the girls loved the sport so much and I—I wanted to make sure all of you get to play without any complications or any injuries.” Mark smiled at the look of absolute bewilderment on Y/N’s face. “And hey, I did learn a thing or two about Volleyball, so all of this is kind of a learning experience, too.”

“I’m not an athlete. I will never know what you guys feel whenever you’re out there on the court, fighting to take a win home. But I know what it feels like to want something—want someone so much that I’m willing to do the stupidest shit for them and face the consequences later.”

This is the most vulnerable Mark has ever been in front of anyone in his life. Confessing didn’t come often to him. Before Y/N, he only had fleeting crushes that didn’t even last a week before he refocused on Y/N. It’s always been her no matter how hard he tried to get his stupid heart to listen to him and the seconds the silence went on for longer, he wondered if it was worth letting all that out, in his bed of all places.

Oh well, at least he was still able to have Y/N this close to him. It could be the very last before both of them pretend this never happened and they could create a normal manager-athlete bond—

“Oh my God, I need to kiss you right now, or I will die.”

“Huh—“

Y/N grabbed Mark by the cheeks and kissed him.

There were only two people Mark had kissed in his life.

One of them being Donghyuck which didn’t count as it was all, but an unfortunate accident that resulted from Mark tripping on air (how the fuck that happened, no one knows) and the other being a girl he kissed on a dare at some random frat party Jaemin dragged him to against his will—yeah, you see the pattern?

Both had one thing in common, and that was not giving him the necessary experience he may need when it came to kissing the girl of his dreams.

But Y/N was patient. As she has always been with him. Y/N let him take his time to learn and adjust throughout the tender push and pull the setter subjected his trembling lips to. Y/N kissed him so gently, full of the tender purpose of pouring every bit of her unspoken response into Mark’s very being that he honestly didn’t know what to do with himself. Y/N was always one step ahead of him and before he knew it, she had him sit up and resting against the pillows while she straddled his lap, mouthing silent promises against his lips, with Mark sealing them with as much vigor.

It was a relief that they weren’t doing this standing, or else his knees would have buckled and that would have been a possible injury too mortifying to imagine explaining it to the team.

They pulled away at the same time for much needed oxygen intake because knowing himself, he’d keep going until either of them passed out.

Y/N huffed out a short laugh, probably thinking of the same thing. “You are absolutely precious, Mark Lee.”

Mark shuddered at the feeling of her nails scratching at his undercut. “You don’t think I’m… weird?”

“I think you’re determined, and I really really like that.” she leaned in for a quick peck on the lips. “I liked you the moment I saw you.”

Huh. Well there you have it.

Mark was properly blushing at this point. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you too. Especially after that confession.” She looked lovely like this, all happy and giggly where it looked like it hurt to smile so bright. Knowing that Mark was the reason for her current elation just added to that, and as Y/N said, he was determined to keep that from waning. “You really do know what to say to make me fall for you even more.”

“Wanna know a little secret?”

Y/N hummed.

He gathered as much courage as he could to pull her even closer to him. “I’ve been in love with you since middle school.”

“Why chase me now?”

“The opportunity was there,” Mark mumbled, nudging her nose with his, “and hell if I’m letting you slip through my fingers.”

Y/N pressed her lips at the corner of his mouth. “How about you prove it to me?”

She didn't need to ask. Mark had a hard time saying no after all. More so when it came to Y/N and so he kissed her.

Again.

And again.

Until she started asking for more. Until he’s reaching under what was once his crew neck Y/N wore to memorize every dip and curve. Until she’s arching under him, gasping you’re doing so good, Mark. So good for me wetly into the hot, damp skin of Mark’s neck.

Until Y/N’s lips pressed hotly against Mark’s for one final kiss of the night, whispering the words I love you.

a/n: I'm running on little to no sleep just to get this done so pardon me for any errors! Anyways, everybody say thank you Daegal! (praying that she was deep in her sleep to not hear... all that) and I love Mark very much 🫶🏼💗 it’s an experience writing in his eyes omg 10/10 will do it again with anyone else

taglist [CLOSED]: @maiverie @jaylaxies @cherriegyu @criceofpain @justalildumpling @makiswrld @liumoonlight @stopeatread @vantxx95 @saythenameseventeen178 @heeliopheelia @suhnnyskiess @w3bqrl @13isacoolnumber @dokiyeom @suneonu @jishyucks @glamourizz @neozon3nha @soonyoungblr @anothershorthuman @markonthemoon @hibernatinghamster @pleasetellmenow @sukistrawberry @kikookii @ohdudehesflirting @tddyhyck @luvenshiti @minluvly @scintillasofbeomgyu @sxndmemes @kuic0re @ddazed-lhs @the-poetic-side-of-me @chaerybae @ohwonzz @haechology @dammit-jjk @mowchiie @meltinghershey @m-arkmywords @ckline35 @ferxanda @sungookie @kissesfrmwonwoo @manooffline @svtglitch @en-dream (can’t tag: @shwizhies)

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