New Axis

good luck kiss | mark

The stadium is booming with a mixture of chatter and chants while the audience waits for the game to start, but despite that, I don't miss the whispers surrounding me as I struggle to find Renjun in the endless sea of red and blue.

I'm not sure what to expect— after all, it is my first hockey game. Mark had told me that I had nothing to worry about, that I would do just fine fitting in with the crowd, but now that I'm actually here, I'm having trouble believing him.

It's hard to miss the passing stares and murmurs while I navigate my way to my seat, finally spotting Renjun who is waving at me like a maniac at the far end.

"Took you long enough," he mutters before dropping to his seat, his eyes finally scanning my outfit. A suggestive smirk grows on his face. "Number 2, huh?"

"Shut up," I mumble as I keep my gaze on the ice. "Mark insisted I wear it. Is it normal to get stares when you're wearing a player's jersey?"

"It's normal when you're wearing Mark Lee's jersey. Sera, do you have any idea how many girls are dying to be you right now? The least you could do is look alive."

"Whatever," I sigh, playing with the hem of the shirt nervously. As antsy as I am, the faint scent of Mark's woodsy body spray and detergent still lingering on the material provides me with a little more comfort.

I hear the shrill sound of a whistle echo in the stadium, and the crowd erupts into cheers the moment the Dinosaurs appear on the ice.

The audience breaks out into a chant once more, one I'm not that familiar with— I knew I should have asked Mark to tutor me on this. Still, I join in the applause as I try to spot my fake boyfriend, my eyes finally landing on his fluffy brown hair as he stands in the middle of his team.

He doesn't have his helmet on yet, which gives me a clear view of his face. I could see his grin as he fools around with his teammates, and that unknowingly brings a smile to my face.

I'm not given the time to react when his eyes suddenly connect with mine, Mark's usual grin faltering into something softer. The action causes my cheeks to heat up furiously, but for some reason, I can't find it in me to look away.

In that very moment, it is only him and I.

It is only when I see Donghyuck nudging his shoulder do I realise that the game is about to start, and I snap out of my reverie immediately. I'm not so sure about Mark however, as he only nods distractedly to whatever Donghyuck is telling him, his eyes still on me.

I hear the faint voice of their team captain, Sicheng, calling the team into a group huddle. The sound of sharp metal scraping against the ice makes me cringe slightly, and upon opening my eyes, I see that Mark is skating towards the rink walls instead of his group.

"What the hell is your man doing?" Renjun asks.

I don't answer, keeping my eyes on Mark when he suddenly beckons for me to come over.

My eyes widen, and my first instinct is to turn to Renjun, who gives me an equally confused look.

I hear the people around me burst into a fit of whispers, and I turn back to Mark to see that he's calling my name.

"Go," Renjun says sharply, and before I could even react, I feel his hand on my lower back as he pushes me off my seat.

I stumble down the short flight of stairs before reaching Mark, who has a stupid grin on his face.

"What are you doing?" I hiss through my teeth. "People are looking."

"I know." Mark rests his gear-clad arms over the walls, his right hand holding on to his helmet loosely. "Hana is looking."

I purse my lips before turning my head, but Mark's gloved hand on my cheek stops me from doing so. I'm forced to look at him once more, but this time his face is only mere inches from mine.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Good luck kiss?" Mark tilts his head as he waits for my response.

A whistle blows, and I avert my gaze to the rink behind him to see that his team is waiting for him. Sicheng raises his hands in the air, as though questioning what is taking so long.

"Mark, your friends are waiting," I whisper harshly.

"So am I."

My lips part at his sudden boldness, and my mind blanks because I have no idea what I'm supposed to do.

Sure, kissing isn't totally off-limits in our contract, but right here? Right now?

Mark raises his eyebrow while he awaits my decision, and this is the moment when I think— fuck it.

I go on my tiptoes before leaning in, brushing my lips feverishly against his left cheek. I hear the crowd behind me erupt into cheers, and my ears feel red hot as I pull away.

I clench my fists to hide just how bad I'm trembling. Oh, the things I would do right now for a shovel so I could dig a hole for myself to rot in.

I had expected for Mark to finally leave, but I am met with his pout instead.

"What?"

"That wasn't a kiss." He frowns before tapping on his mouth. "On the lips."

I almost scoff in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Lee! On the ice!" A gruff voice interrupts from behind Mark, and I look up to see that the referee had finally decided to step in.

I clear my throat in embarrassment, taking a step back.

Mark rolls his eyes. "I'll be back to claim it," he says smartly before putting on his helmet, whizzing away to his teammates.

—

If you ask me just how many Mark drafts I have, the answer is: yes.

This is truly one of my favourites (I'm a super sucker for the fake-dating trope) and it didn't take me that long to write at all, but I find clichés super hard to write soooo... a one-shot it is haha.

Note: The name Sera is used as a placeholder whenever I write my drafts (because I lack the creativity to think of a new name every single time haha) so you will probably see it being used throughout this entire book! This isn't the same Sera you see in Supernerd!, so just take it as my own version of y/n, if you will. :-)

Also another note: I'm currently working on a part 3 for Neo House for Boys because seeing you guys like Yuta's one made me super duper happy and motivated to write more so yay, look forward to that! Any guesses as to who the next member may be? 🤔

This is a really long a/n so if you made it this far, thank you for reading! See you in the next update of Supernerd! this Saturday. <3