When Mark broke the hug, his face was softer than usual. That annoying face of his is gone, letting behind a fragile kid which needs protecting.

Jackson should say something but he can’t find himself to say anything. He has comforted plenty of his friends in his life, but Mark isn’t a friend. He doesn’t know what to say to make Mark a little more like himself, being mean or whatever.

Some comforting words should at least leave his mouth, but he has his lips glued together. After all, what Jackson can say when he does not know what is going around?

“Can you promise me that you won’t tell anyone what you just see, I don’t want anyone to worry about me?” Even his voice seems a bit off. He isn’t talking with that confidence that always does. His voice seems broken and lifeless.

Jackson noticed that even if Mark is tough on the outside, on the inside he worries about his bandmates. He is more like a tough cookie.

“If you promise to keep mine,” Jackson replies, trying to bring the mood up. He knows that he chose the wrong words when Mark glares at him. He and his big mouth can’t form words when is needed, but it can annoy people when is not needed.

“I’ve never wanted the other to know that you aren’t Jayden,” Mark replies, wiping at his face. “I care about my band too much to let an idiot like Jayden destroy it.”

“But Jayden is in the band.” Jackson laughs, but it does not reach Mark, so he just zips his lips.

Besides the annoyance Mark threw in his way seconds before, Jackson know that Mark’s words are sincere, he can see in his eyes. Indeed now, you can read on Mark’s eyes millions of things. He is vulnerable now and doesn’t have the mask that covers his emotions.

Truth to be told, Jackson had noticed that Mark helped him before, even if in some way Mark is trying to mess with him. He takes Mark now as a playful character, but in a more different way.

“I’ll keep your secret, Mark. Isn’t my place to go around and tell people that…” He doesn’t even know what to say anymore. He had seen some scenes earlier with the older but what is going on Mark’s life, Jackson is not so sure. “-that I’ve seen the great Mark Tuan mask crushing down.”

“Thank you,” Mark replies standing up. “Let’s go, the others must be home by now.”

Mark said thank you, and that is all it takes Jackson to realize that he wears a big smile on his face.

Jackson takes a look around him, realizing again that is indeed nigh and late, and both of them are in a deserted park. Through this is not usually because Jackson always finds himself in different places and in different situations.

When he looks at Mark again, Mark façade is back in place. Now, Mark has that annoying face of his again, no trail of broken confidence. He looks stronger this way. Jackson must admit that it fits him well.

It must be hard for Mark to hide who those persons are, but Jackson knows that Mark is doing it for his friends. He is in the same situation.

Usually, he wakes up with someone yelling at him, knocking on his door until they broke it, but never had he woken up with flying notebooks on his face. Of course, he lives with Mark Tuan now. Leave it to Mark to wake people up like a normal human being.

“It’s time to shine superstar, we have a day off and what better way to spend it than compose a song?”

Jackson didn’t even open his eyes and Mark started to talk. He guesses that is better this way than being ignored, right? But still, Mark being this talkative gives Jackson chills.
“Come on, the song won't composes on its own.”

He can feel the weight of his bed changing, finally opening his eyes to see what’s going on. There on the other part of the bed is Mark cross-legged, looking down at him, with a notebook on his lap and a pen in his left hand, looking at him with a glint of happiness in his eyes.

Happiness? Did Jackson see right?

“What time is it?”

“It’s just seven and thirty,” Mark replies smiling sweetly at him, but Jackson can read in his eyes playfulness as well. This is weirder than finding out that Apocalypse will actually happen.

Jackson looks at Mark, trying to read his intentions and when he does not find anything he closes his eyes again.

“You are just awful, let me sleep,” Jackson relies turning on his side, covering his face with his pillow, finding this all kind of weird.

“You really like to sleep, Jayden always was up before me, this is a change, I guess.”

At the mention of his brother, Jackson opens his eyes again, knowing that he needs to call his brother to see how he is doing. He totally forgot about Jayden for a second here.

“, I need to call him.” He fishes his phone from the nightstand and presses the call bottom. It rings one than twice and in the end, it went to voicemail. “Why would he answer, of course?”

“What happened to him, why is he in the hospital?” Mark asks, glancing down at his notebook, scribbling circles on it.

“He got into a car crash and now is in the hospital, but nothing to worry about just a broken leg, he won’t be using it for a month and something,” Jackson says, looking how Mark's eyes are downcast the whole time, like he can’t