Despite it being almost four days since Mark had returned to the States, fans still continued to tag Jackson in all the airport photos they took of him. Jackson stayed hyper-aware of himself, making sure he didn’t like any of the pictures on accident. The would just let the whole world know that, when he wasn’t working, he sat around staring at pictures of his soulmate. It probably looked really pathetic from the outside.

A part of Jackson had hoped that his little one-on-one with Jaebum would lead to Mark talking to him again. Knowing the whole situation now, he knew how bad everything probably looked to Mark, but he thought Jaebum would’ve explained it all to Mark by now. In his fantasies, Mark even admitted that he liked Jackson. That thought always made Jackson’s chest tighten nervously. He for sure liked Mark, no doubt much more than he should after only one very last minute date. He was in so deep already.

Sighing, he nestled himself even further into the couch. The group had the morning off before resuming their usual schedules in the afternoon. The half days off here and there were much-needed opportunities for the three to do whatever they wanted, but never had the time to do.

Jackson scrolled through his tagged photos, staring at angle after angle of Mark in a slightly-frayed tank top that showed off the edges of his collarbones and a studded black snapback that he tried to hide his face under. About 30 photos in, though, something caught Jackson’s attention.Suddenly, the photos started switching between Mark in the tank top and him in a white shirt and red plaid flannel. Jackson sat up, scrolling back through the newer pictures, looking at the captions and location tags for some hint at what was going on.

Spotted mystery boy at Taipei International. Asked what his name was, but he didn’t say anything.

Breath caught in Jackson’s throat. He was less than three hours away. Mark Tuan, the boy he couldn’t stop thinking about since they’d said goodbye at that hotel in Hong Kong, was so close. Even though it had only been a couple weeks, it felt like months to Jackson. Now, knowing that the boy was so close again, his heart started racing.

Before he knew what he was doing, Jackson was on his feet and moving back into his room. He pulled a couple shirts and pairs of jeans out of his closet, piling them into a bag as he dialed his manager.

“Jackson?” The surprise in the man’s voice would’ve annoyed him if his mind wasn’t flying at a thousand thoughts a second.

“Hyung, I’m going to Taiwan. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.”

“What?” His manager was understandably frantic at the statement. “You can’t just up and leave for another country. That’s not how this works.”

“I’m going no matter what you say,” Jackson retorted. He felt bad for sounding so petulant. His mother had taught him better. But nothing else mattered to him at that moment. All he could think about was seeing Mark face-to-face, having one last chance to explain himself without relying on anyone else.

He grabbed a couple pairs of socks and underwear and tossed them in the bag as well. “I have to go. I’ll tell Bam and Yugyeom to say I’m sick or something. No one else will know I’m gone.”

“As soon as someone see you at the airport, everyone will know.”

“Well then no one will see me.” The man scoffed in disbelief. To be honest, even Jackson wasn’t sure he could make it through Incheon without getting spotted. But he had to try.

“Look, hyung,” Jackson started again, “I didn’t call to ask anything. I just wanted to let you know what was going on. I’ll explain everything when I get back.”

“You’re putting a lot on the line for this, Jackson. You’re putting my career on the line.” He sounded strained, but all the animosity in his voice had disappeared. “It better be worth it."

“It is,” was all Jackson could say before he hung up.

He called Yugyeom and BamBam from the back of a taxi, relieved for probably the first time ever that the two were, quite predictably, hanging out together even on their morning off. After explaining the situation at breakneck speed, the other two cooed and giggled. They sounded much more supportive of Jackson’s spontaneous trip than their manager had, for which Jackson was grateful. He couldn’t take another guilt trip.

As soon as he stepped out of the car, he went into hyper-aware mode. A few people started watching him as he waited in line at the ticket counter, but after making a show of digging earwax from his ears and sniffling loudly, they looked away. People never associated idols with disgusting habits. It’s like they thought idols could never act gross. It was a stereotype that worked in his favor.

Even when the first flight he could get on was in mid-flight, Jakson didn’t relax. He wouldn’t be able to fully relax until he was secluded in a building, away from prying eyes. Or maybe he’d relax when he saw Mark again. No, he’d definitely relax.

He suddenly felt more relieved as the plane taxied to the gate after having landed safely in Taipei. Knowing where to go once he’d landed in Taiwan never crossed his mind until he was already on the plane. But he remembered Mark telling Jackson the name of the small village where his family lived when he’d been there just days ago.

Just one quick car ride stood between them now.

The first thing Jackson felt when he heard that Mark and his mother were at a funeral was a deep, heart-wrenching sadness. The cemetery was the beautiful kind that only small villages could have, covered in trees and grass all around. As he entered the grounds, Jackson spotted a congregation on top of a small hill. Among the group was the thing, perfectly shaped figure that he’d memorized at this point.

Soft, quick sobs resonated from the group. Everyone seemed so lost that even a shift in the wind could disturb them. Jackson hung back, leaning against a tree at the bottom of the hill. Waiting was all he could do for now.

A few minutes later, people started making their way back to the cemetery entrance, walking alone or in small groups. Jackson waited patiently, never taking his eyes off of Mark’s back. He was one of the last people to leave, turning back with an older woman Jackson could only assume was his mother. She was shorter than Mark, but her face was warm and caring, even in such a sober place. The two made it about halfway down the hill before Mark looked up.

“Jackson?” His voice was raw, matching the puffy redness of his eyes.

Shifting to stand up straight, fears of rejection washed over the younger. If Mark started saying he shouldn’t have come, Jackson would really feel like an idiot.

But Mark didn’t even stop when he saw the other. Instead, his pace quickened a little. He walked right into Jackson, latching his arms around the boy’s waist. His face buried itself in Jackson’s neck, tears flowing again.

“Jackson,” he whispered into his neck.

The sound made Jackson’s already aching heart shatter. He wrapped one arm around Mark’s torso, the other moving to the boy’s hair gently.

“I’m here,” he said. “I’m here. Just let it all out.”

Mark relaxed at the words, letting his body weight fall into Jackson’s arms. There was something about the way he leaned into him so completely that made Jackson’s chest tighten up. It was something so small, but, to Jackson, it showed faith. It showed trust. It showed love.

As he held Mark, Jackson started to notice the grass and trees more clearly. The green became more and more intense, growing to a level he’d never seen before. It was overwhelming, a visual replication of the feeling rushing through him. The feeling of love, intensifying with every second Mark was in his arms.

The two stood there like that, Jackson soothing Mark as the older dampened the shoulder of Jackson’s shirt with his tears, until Mark calmed down again. Even after the tears stopped, he kept clinging to Jackson for a few moments, his arms tight and a little desperate around Jackson’s waist. It was like he was floating away and the only person that could keep him grounded was his soulmate. Jackson wished he could see Mark’s face, wished he could have any clue how he was feeling now.

“I missed you.” He felt Mark’s words more than he heard them, the older boy pretty much muttering them into his neck. They were words that made Jackson’s whole body go numb. He hadn’t expected to hear them, let alone only a few minutes into their reunion.

“I missed you, too,” he admitted. Not that it was any sort of secret.

Mark slowly pulled away, taking a tiny step backward to put some space between them. “Where are you staying? I’m sure we can drive you,” Mark continued, motioning to his mother who stood halfway between them and the entrance. She’d been waiting patiently ever since Mark first started toward him. Jackson remembered Mark saying that his mother was a fan. But it was more evident that, first and foremost, she was a mother. One that would give her son all the space he needed without abandoning him completely.

“Oh, I, uhm…” Jackson trailed, his hand moving up to rub the back of his neck. “I don’t really know yet. This was all sort of last minute.”

Mark raised an eyebrow. “Last minute? You weren’t in town already?”

Heat rose to Jackson’s face. Already being in town would’ve been a lot more understandable in this sort of situation. It would’ve made him seem a lot less desperate, too. But Jackson couldn’t bring himself to care. Besides, maybe Mark would see his desperation as endearing. “No. I got in about an hour ago.” His eyes shifted from Mark’s face to the grassy ground between them. “I needed to see you again. I needed to explain.”

“You can stay with us,” Mark offered. His voice was calm and relaxed, but Jackson could tell he was anxious by how quickly he said it. “We’re all sleeping on the floor, but I don’t think anyone will mind adding one more.” He paused for a moment, thinking something over before reaching out and grabbing Jackson’s hand. Their fingers automatically laced together like it was something they’d done a million times before. “Besides, we definitely need to talk.”

Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter! I had a bit of a struggle with it, but it got to the point to where the more I tried to work on it, the more harm I did than help. I really enjoyed the sudden appearance of impulsive Jackson, though! Did you all see that coming? Mark sure didn't. Haha.

Anyway, assuming things go according to plan (no guarantees there), I think you all will really enjoy the next chapter. ;)

Oh! And quick note: Bringing Color surpassed 5k hits on AO3 and 4k hits on AFF, so THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I'm really glad that you guys enjoy it and hopefully you'll keep enjoying it until the very end.