SPIDER-MAN: MARK LEE

14

𝟭𝟰: 𝗠𝗢𝗢𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘

The basketball match was cancelled, and had to be rescheduled some other day, all because of Mark Lee.

I still recalled how disappointed the principal was when he walked into the gym, and experienced the catastrophe before his very own eyes. It was priceless. I also recalled how everybody fell silent during the entire thing, and meanwhile, you could hear somebody's dolphin laughs echoing in the background. Though those dolphin laughs halted immediately when the principal told everybody to return home, as a result of the cancellation. Everybody, and I meant everybody, shot Mark Lee their nastiest glare ever before leaving the gym with pom-poms and self-created banners in their hands.

Of course Mark got a scolding from the principal for his behavior, and so did Flash.

Taeil and Taeyong had planned on making dinner for all of us to feast on, supposedly after watching the basketball match but because of the cancellation, we walked into them who were amid their cooking session. We had no other options, but to help them out. Well, at least Donghyuck and Naomi did.

I and Mark had other plans.

We were found in my mansion's dimmed living room, perched next to each other on the colossal, white couch with materials essential for tending on wounds and cuts. As I was opening up the kitbag that rested on my thighs, Mark slouched on his seat, his arm on top of his eyes which showed how fatigued he was feeling.

Everybody talked much more about how entertaining it was to watch Flash get humbled and embarrassed.

Nobody seemed to question about how Mark leapt from the ground, and how strong he must've been to be able to demolish the entire basketball hoop.

It was freaky.

I pinched on the cotton, before dabbing a bit of disinfecting alcohol. Once it was dampened, I cleared my throat to gain Mark's attention. He winced lightly on the couch, eyeing me instantly before offering his hand. His veiny, pale hand was practically covered with red cuts, almost resembling red gloves. Fortunately, the cuts weren't too deep so a mere disinfection would do the work.

"Jeez Mark. You're always such a mess." I mumbled, my head slightly shaking.

I grabbed onto Mark's hand and pulled it closer to me, before placing it on top of my lap. It felt so difficult to resist a smile, and pretend as if my stomach wasn't performing somersaults again after the direct contact I and Mark were having. I had to keep it all in. And when I did, I started cleaning his cuts, one by one.

"What the hell were you thinking, Mark?"

"You really think I was gonna just let Flash talk to you like that?"

My face yet again flushed into a vivid red color. I thanked the dimness of the living room for not exposing it though. "I mean... you demolished the basketball hoop like that? Was that really the plan? It even got you hurt."

Mark tittered lowly. "These are nothing." He shrugged, then proceeded talking. "And yes, that was exactly what I planned on doing. I knew they'll cancel the match. And I knew that Flash would be furious by it, and he was. That's what he gets for being such a jerk."

From practically being non-existent to Mark Lee, to him showing that he genuinely cared for me. What an upgrade.

Attempting not to appear flustered about the concern and care he was showing, I decided to slightly divert the conversation. "Okay but... Are you not gonna mention about how you did that?"

"How I did what?"

"How you won against the most strongest guy in Midtown, and how you practically flew up in the air, and how you broke the entire backboard and the rim?" I paused, secretly stealing a glance at him. "If you ask me, I think that appears a bit too supernatural... Right?" And my mind flashed back again to the theory of Mark Lee being Spiderman.

Mark's face scrunched up into a perplexed one. "What are you saying Juli? That I have powers? Sounds a bit stupid, don't you think?"

I bit my inner cheek, not fond about Mark perceiving me as stupid for this assumption of mine. "Stupid or not, then explain to me how you did it."

Mark's eyes flickered. His shoulders shrugged. "Puberty?"

I gave up. I sighed it off and focused on tending instead. With each stroke of the dampened cotton, Mark didn't flinch a single bit, he remained still and watched me do my thing. At first I thought he was watching the process of the tending, but I came to notice that he was watching my face instead, I could see it from my peripheral view.

Of course we knew what that resulted in: Boom, boom, my heart said. Fast and hard.

Heavens. I knew it would be hard to merely be friends with Mark Lee, and perceive him as just one too. People said a girl and a boy could never be friends, because always one of them have romantic feelings. In that case, it was me. I hoped he wouldn't hate me for this. It was uncontrollable.

"There." I mumbled. "All set-"

"I have some cuts on my face too." Mark interrupted fast.

I turned around to inspect his face, but I was a bit too distracted by the eye contact we held. It was addicting. The more I stared, the more I felt the warmth spreading throughout my chest, and it was pleasant, so I desired the eye contact for longer. But of course, that would expose too much of how I genuinely felt for Mark.

I quickly looked away. I tried focusing on what I had to, and so I did, I noticed a somewhat deep cut on the left side of his temple. The shattered glass from the backboard must've grazed him, when it poured down on him.

I dampened another cotton with disinfecting alcohol before lightly pressing it against his cut, this time, he winced. "Oh- Sorry."

"No. It's okay." Ensured Mark.

It was an approval for me to proceed, despite him suffering the sting. So I did. I tapped it cautiously, and afterwards, I plastered steri-strips on it to prevent it from opening even wider. "There we go." I said, a small grin appearing from my lips.

Mark never took his eyes away from mine. He kept the eye contact for as long as I could recall. He returned a smile too. "Thanks Juli."

I heard strides coming from the entrance, suggesting a new presence. It was Donghyuck. "Hey food is ready-" He stopped himself from talking as he stepped into the dimmed living room, only to see I and Mark sit so close to each other while grinning. "Oh?" He rose an eyebrow suggestively, before leaning against the doorframe with his crossed arms. "Am I interrupting something here?"

I immediately scooted further away from Mark, but his gaze didn't seem to budge.

I turned to look at my best friend, whom wiggled his eyebrows teasingly with a smirk on his lips. "Food is ready?" I repeated to try changing the topic and stood up from the couch. "It's about the damn. I'm famished." I said and dashed out of the living room.