by Aidan Wayne
Try not to think about it. He’d see Marcus soon. That would be nice. Even if he couldn’t tell him what happened, just his presence would be a comfort.
And he couldn’t tell him what had happened. Marcus had already been so unhappy with even the idea of people finding out about their relationship. About them bothering Taemin. With this….
He hoped Marcus never found out.
He ended up flopping down on his couch and closing his eyes. Tried to meditate, even if all he could see was the academy covered in broken glass.
The buzzer in his building rang out loud and startling. Taemin was grateful for the distraction. He let Marcus in and was suddenly walked backward into his foyer, Marcus kicking the door closed behind him before he enveloped Taemin in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re all right. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” He pulled back to cup Taemin’s face in his hands. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Taemin averted his eyes.
“Taemin, come on, please.”
“I didn’t want you to worry,” Taemin said quietly. “You already worry about so much when it comes to me. My health, our privacy, the school. You take it all on and blame yourself. I didn’t want to do that to you. It’s not your fault.”
Marcus scowled. “Of course it’s my fault. None of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for me. And this—this was an attack.”
And this was exactly why Taemin hadn’t wanted Marcus to know. He knew he’d internalize it. “The fault is with those who did it,” Taemin said. “It’s no more your fault than it is mine.”
Marcus’s eyes widened. “You—don’t say that—you’re the only innocent party here!”
Taemin stepped back and then took Marcus’s hand, leading him to the couch. “I love my school,” he said, voice still soft. “I love my students, and I love what my parents and I have been able to build. And I love you. Windows can be replaced.”
Marcus stared at their linked hands. “It’s not fair,” he said at last. “It’s not fair this happened to you. Or to me. But it’s also—” He cut himself off, frowning hard.
“Yes?”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I had to find out from Preeti. And—what, you just—you were going to try to keep me from going over to the school for weeks? Or give me the runaround about why you were suddenly missing all your building’s windows?”
“I—”
“I’m not stupid. And I get that—that you didn’t want me to worry, but—but I’m supposed to. I’m supposed to. I love you. I’m going to worry about you. In big things and little things. And… and you need to let me.”
It was a fair point. Taemin worried about Marcus too. Obviously he did. And he’d only been trying to protect him, but… he could admit that he’d been short-sighted. “I hadn’t even thought about what I’d say tomorrow,” he admitted. “Just that I didn’t want you to know today.”
“It’s… yeah,” Marcus said after a moment. “Yeah, I—you had a lot on your mind. I get it. But just… don’t try to keep me away like this. Please? I—I really have….” His fingers tightened around Taemin’s own before they relaxed. “I’ve really, really enjoyed being a part of your life these last few months. Of being able to love you. And I don’t want to be kept away from the bad stuff. That’s important to share too.”
“Okay,” Taemin said. “I mean, you’re right. Of course you’re right. I’d want to know about things that made you unhappy. I’d want to know when you were sick or scared. I should give you the same courtesy.”
This close to Marcus, he could see him swallow. “Thank you.”
They drifted into silence.
“Did you eat dinner yet?” Taemin asked, several minutes later.
Marcus looked up, startled. Then he smiled. “Wait, you’re asking me if I ate?”
“Well,” Taemin said loftily, “I’ve been a lot better.” He had, after all, had plenty of practice in the last few months. “So, have you?”
Marcus shook his head. “I haven’t, to be honest. I came here as soon as I was done on set. It was, uh, it was hard for me to really think about doing anything else.”
“Hm. Forgetting to eat because you’re concentrating on other things. I can’t imagine what that’s like.”
Marcus huffed a laugh. “Okay, okay. Would you like to order in?”
Taemin shook his head. “I have plenty of food in my fridge.”
“Oh, hey, do you have any of the baked ziti from yesterday left?”
Taemin gave him an amused look. “No, Marcus, I finished almost an entire baking tray of pasta today by myself.”
Marcus almost looked like himself again when he said, “That sounds good to me, if it does to you.”
Dinner was still quiet, subdued, as the events of the day processed. Marcus had been too distracted on set to really pay attention to anything past saying and doing what he was supposed to when he was supposed to, so he didn’t have a whole lot to tell Taemin.
“All my downtime was working with Billy about what I want to release about what happened.”
“Release?”
“Yeah. That shit is not okay. I want to make sure my fans are fucking clear on that note.”
“So what are you going to do?”
Marcus sighed. “Not enough. Mostly just try to take over as much social media as I can. Paint things in as negative light as I can make it. Just… try to get that across. Is there anything you want me to say?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you know. Anything in particular you’d like me to mention.”
Taemin opened his mouth to say no, then hesitated. “I think it’s a good idea to make sure people understand that this didn’t just harm me. I have almost five hundred students who train at Choi’s every week. They’re from all walks of life and backgrounds and circumstances. Having the school closed suddenly doesn’t only mean that they lose the chance to be there, but they also have lost the safety that my school provided. I can sweep up glass and pay for windows. I can’t give back a child’s sense of safety.”
Marcus bit his lip. “Yeah,” he said at last. “That’s… that’s a point I didn’t even think about. I’ll make sure to call attention to that.”
They spent the rest of dinner bouncing ideas off each other on what and how Marcus could say what he wanted to. Billy had managed to arrange for a radio interview spot for the next morning. An early one, which would give the rest of the radio stations plenty of capability to grab sound bites of their own.
As for the reality of the situation, Taemin admitted there wasn’t a high chance of actually catching who had done it. “We don’t have security cameras on the property. There’d be no real way to trace the perpetrator.” That was obviously hard for Marcus to take.
He did also beg Taemin to let him go in on the contractor job to get the windows replaced. “I know you said that it’s not my fault. I won’t argue with you about how I feel. But I want to help. I need to be able to help. I have money. Please?”
“Why don’t we talk about it more later,” Taemin suggested. “Ms. Marissa’s husband just took measurements today, so I won’t have the estimate until tomorrow anyway. Once I have that, we can discuss that. Okay?”
“You promise that you’re not going to just try to put me off?”
“I promise,” Taemin said gently. “Now come on. It’s been a high-stress day. Why don’t we make it an early night?”
Chapter Fourteen
HELLO LADIES and Gents, readers of all types! We know you’ve been dying to find out what’s been going on with Hollywood’s biggest heartthrob, Marcus Economidis, in both his professional life AND his personal one! We already all know what’s out there: he’s working on a hot new movie, Volkor Rising. Big cast, big characters, larger-than-life sci-fi plot. With a scorching romance of course!
Speaking of scorching romances, the other hot new thing in Marcus’s life is his new boyfriend! After several less than savory sources splashed a pleasant evening across tabloid pages, Marcus has c
ome forward to confirm that yes, the rumors were true. Officially spoken for! He released a few statements (one of which was published in yours truly) about wanting their privacy respected but went pretty quiet on the details. This was especially interesting considering that Marcus’s man is very much an out-of-the-spotlight kind of guy. He’s got nothing to do with Hollywood and doesn’t work for the industry at all. Instead he’s the owner and Master Instructor of Choi’s Taekwondo Academy in Michigan. AND get this—that so happens to be in the area where Marcus grew up.
That’s right readers, we are happy to report a good ol’ fashioned homegrown romance has bloomed. But don’t take it from us, take it from the man himself! We’re happy to welcome Marcus into our midst today!
Popsugar: Hi Marcus! Good to see you. Thanks for taking the time to come and talk with us today.
Marcus: Thanks. And sure. I think there’s a lot of good stuff to talk about.
Popsugar: No kidding! And we have plenty of questions about how the new movie is coming, but first, we can’t help ourselves—are we allowed to ask you about your new romance?
Marcus: Sure. But you know… it’s actually not that new anymore.
Popsugar: It feels like it, since we never got much info. Care to share? When did you two meet?
Marcus: We met right when I got in to begin filming, back at the start of May.
Popsugar: And it’s September now! That’s a good chunk of time.
Marcus: I know. I can’t believe it. I don’t know what I did to make him think I was worth keeping around, but I’m doing my best to keep it up.
Popsugar: Oh stop, you know you’re a catch.
Marcus: Thanks. I’ll tell him you think so.
Popsugar: So? When did those sparks start to fly?
Marcus: Pretty much since I laid eyes on him. I basically followed him around for a week. Managed to work up the nerve to ask him out and… and he said he’d give me a chance.
Popsugar: If you could see his face right now, readers. He’s absolutely lovestruck.
Marcus: I’ll freely admit that.
Popsugar: Have you had any issue with dating someone not in the Hollywood scene?
Marcus: Actually, yeah. Yeah, I have.
Popsugar: Oh no, what’s been going on?
Marcus: Well, we talked about a lot of what to expect. Particularly the lack of privacy. That’s really important, especially since Taemin runs his own business. If people go bother him to try to take pap shots and stuff, that really interferes with his job. And his job is mostly about kids. So that really, really isn’t okay.
Popsugar: You look like you have more that you want to say.
Marcus: Yeah, I do. I’m sure you heard what happened to his school. And for readers who don’t know, a supposed fan of mine smashed the windows in Taemin’s building.
Popsugar: It was awful. We’re so sorry.
Marcus: Yeah. Yeah, it was… not a good time. The building still isn’t fixed either. It’ll still be another six weeks before the windows are supposed to come in. We do know they’re in process though, at least.
Popsugar: That’s good news.
Marcus: Yeah. But on that note, I do want to say something to my fans and your readers?
Popsugar: Of course, go ahead.
Marcus: Taemin is one of the hardest working, most special people I know. He has dedicated his life to helping others. He has a scholarship program at Choi’s, he volunteers, and he works with homeschool kids. And that’s on top of running a school designed to boost self-confidence and build kids up. Whoever it was that tried to hurt him tried to hurt someone truly good. And on top of that, they hurt all the students Taemin had to turn away while the school was being repaired, all the students who showed up to a place they loved to find it damaged, all the students Taemin wasn’t able to make his usual time for because he was dealing with hatred and jealousy. I like to think I can forgive a lot, you know? I’d never forgive that.
Popsugar: Totally, totally understandable.
Marcus: I think so too. And I know it brought the mood down a little, but it’s something I’ve been needing to say. In a way I hope it gets heard.
Popsugar: Of course! We get it. He’s special to you. You want to protect that.
Marcus: You have no idea. Though in terms of protection, I think he’s got me beat in the “literal” camp.
Popsugar: That sounds like a story!
Marcus: Not a long one, but a funny one.
Popsugar: Please, go on.
Marcus: So as you guys know, I do most of my own stunts and fights, right?
Popsugar: We do, and we’re VERY impressed.
Marcus: Haha, thanks, good to know. I’m proud of myself too and what I can do, but for Taemin it’s a way of life and skill that I’ll never be able to touch. But, you know, I’m bold. I wanted to show off. So I offer to spar him. Build it up too; say I’m going to give him a real workout… maybe flirting. Maybe.
Popsugar: And??
Marcus: *laugh* He wiped the actual floor with me. A normal round is supposed to last two minutes. I think he tapped me out in points at thirty seconds. It was fantastic. I was in total awe. Still am. He’s amazing.
Popsugar: We heard a little whisper about him being an Olympic hopeful?
Marcus: Oh god, yeah. Not this year unfortunately. And that’s not my story to tell so I won’t go into details, but he’s got a shot in another four years. I’ll be rooting for him either way.
Popsugar: So will we!
Marcus: And I could go on about how much I’m crazy about him for ages, but I don’t think we have enough time for ALL of that.
Popsugar: That’s fair. In that case, can we talk a little bit about Volkor Rising? You’re almost done with filming it, aren’t you?
Marcus: Yeah, we’re slated to wrap up in October.
Popsugar: That’s only a month away!
Marcus: I know. We’ve been working really hard to make sure we finish within the originally estimated time frame.
Popsugar: Well, we believe in you!
Marcus: Thanks. I’ll be sure to pass that along to the team.
“PREETI,” TAEMIN said, exasperated, “I already told you that you don’t have to come by. We’re not running classes.”
“I know we’re not running classes. That’s because you’re finally getting the windows in. I want to see the new windows!”
“They’ll look the same as the old windows, except that they won’t be broken,” he said dryly.
“Master Choi,” Preeti said evenly. “I’m coming by today once I’m done with school. You can’t stop me.”
“I won’t even be at the academy by then. The contractors should be finished installing everything by five.”
“I have my own key.”
“Oh fine, if you want to see them that badly—”
“Thank you.”
“You know, they’ll be there tomorrow too. When you’re actually supposed to come in. They won’t be going anywhere. That’s rather the point.”
“Then I’ll see them tonight and I’ll see you tomorrow. And okay, I got to my building, gotta go. Have a good day!”
“You too,” he said before she hung up.
He shook his head fondly as he put his phone back in his pocket. Eight weeks after the incident at Choi’s and today they were finally going to be able to take down the boards and plastic. He doubted anyone was looking forward to it as much as he was, but Preeti could probably give him a run for his money.
Marcus too. He’d wanted to come in for it, paying no mind to the fact that it was in the middle of the day in the middle of the week. Taemin had quickly nipped that thought in the bud, but he had promised to text him pictures of the progress. It was little after ten now, and the contractors were supposed to come at ten thirty. He’d been told that it would take around half an hour per window to deal with the detailing and cleanup, maybe a little longer just because each one was so massive. He’d decided to err on the cautious side and factor in ab
out an hour per window, just in case. Even with that, they were supposed to be done well before five. And thus well before Preeti got out of her Wednesday classes and Marcus got out of filming.
According to Marcus, they were solidly in the home stretch of filming. He didn’t have a clear idea of when London decided things would be over, but they were shooting a lot of smaller scenes that didn’t need the same type of time and energy, even if the days were getting longer and longer. Marcus was spending almost every night over at Taemin’s now, if only because sometimes that was the only time they saw each other.
It was so nice, though, to see him even for that little bit. Just being able to sit quietly with him, sleep with him…. Taemin treasured every moment.
And he’d really miss them.
Marcus was, after all, going to be done with filming soon.
They hadn’t talked about it much. In passing, more than anywhere else. A few back-and-forth jokes about Marcus bringing Taemin with him to Hollywood—which was, of course, ridiculous, if only for the reason that Taemin could never leave Choi’s—or Taemin offering that Marcus just stay with him.
It’d been said lightly. In teasing, in passing. But it’d been said. And Taemin was starting to think about it more seriously, now that the weather was turning cooler. In the last month, Marcus had essentially moved in anyway; all he’d really brought with him to his short-stay apartment were his clothes and some accessories, so those just… all eventually ended up at Taemin’s. They weren’t always around at the same times, but they didn’t need to be. And sometimes one or the both of them weren’t up to talking, and that was all right too.
He simply so much enjoyed having Marcus around.
But Marcus had an entire life back in California. It was where his parents lived, it was where his friends all were, and it was where his main place of business was. Taemin felt selfish even bringing it up because he didn’t want to ask for something that Marcus might have to make himself refuse.
At the same time, however, he wasn’t about to deny his feelings. He loved Marcus. He wanted him in his life in whatever way he was able to have him. It was a big step asking him to move in—officially move in—instead of going back to California. Marcus always could say no, and Taemin would be the first to assure him that he respected that decision.