Jackson escapes the other members’s questions by rushing inside his room before any can attack him, but that’s just for the night. The rapper can’t escape the others’ curiosity for much longer and he shouldn’t be surprised when the next morning when he is getting his breakfast, the maknae line is standing in the way the main room.

“What?” Jackson asks suspiciously, dread settling in his guts as he stares at the three youngest in their group.

It makes him incredibly uneasy when all he receives from the boys are knowing smirks and teasing looks. Jackson actually groans and goes in his head over the possibilities to get rid of the young boys.

“So you and Mark hyung…” Yugyeom begins, actually rocking on the ball of his feet and looking incredibly devious.

“Had fun on their date?” BamBam continues, wiggling his eyebrows while Youngjae, by his side, smiles brightly and too happy for any normal human being at seven in the morning.

“Why do you make it sound like a romantic date when we just went to dine out,” Jackson questions out loud but the incredulous looks he receives back make him consider things the other way around.

Things with Mark are… complicated. They are honestly trying to get along and become friends, but the fact they’ve made out can’t be ignored. That can’t be just a mistake or getting caught up in the moment, it was so… intense and there was a desperation and longing in the way Mark held on to him. For that reason the ghost of a romantic possibility haunts every interaction between the rappers.

However, considering any interaction as romantic is very conflictive as well due to their past. For years Mark and Jackson were in a war and even if Mark never really hated the younger, he still was constantly hurt. How could they just overcome all that past, all those wounds and ache overnight?

Even if Jackson thinks about it, he can’t wrap his mind around it because it’s too absurd. Thinking of Mark having those sort of feelings doesn’t make sense based on the way Jackson has treated him. And in Jackson’s case, it’s too ridiculous he could harbour some other feelings when he’s claimed to hate the older for so long. No one can change that fact.

No, there can’t be romantic feelings there. At least not yet.

“What are you doing?” another voice asks, getting Jackson’s attention and making him snap from his train of thoughts. When the rapper looks up, he finds Mark standing behind the maknae line, looking suspicious at the three.

There’s a tug in Jackson’s gut, a bubbling excitement that tingles but he hushes immediately. It’s too early for that.

Mark looks past the younger idols and meets Jackson’s eyes, and in that moment his smile changes. It becomes softer and warmer, there’s a different, happy glint in Mark’s eyes as he holds Jackson’s stare.

Jackson woke up a while ago, hit the gym for a while and just recently came back so he wasn’t in the room when Mark woke up. And for that reason, Mark’s “good morning” isn’t weird at all.

“How are you feeling?” Jackson asks, knowing how tired Mark was the night before after such demanding practice. 

“I had a good sleep,” Mark replies, still smiling as he slowly approaches Jackson, never breaking the eye contact. “You weren’t there when I woke up. For how long have you been awake?”

“Since five thirty, I guess,” Jackson replies with a shrug, watching how Mark’s eyebrows lift in surprise. “Gym.” Mark only hums but continues staring at Jackson and the younger starts to feel a bit nervous, his body feeling a bit hot under the close inspection. It’s always nerve wracking when someone looks at you so closely, especially when you just came out of the shower and are bare faced and with the largest dark circles under your eyes because of exhaustion.

At that point, Jackson has completely forgotten about the other idols in the kitchen and even if he feels so anxious with Mark’s gaze focused on him, the younger can’t look away. It’s actually Mark wh