20.

Jackson was totally overreacting, and yes, everyone knew it but still. Being in separate rooms with Mark isn’t terrible because they still spend all the time they are at the dorms together, which isn’t much to be honest. They stay in the common room or kitchen, or even in one of their bedrooms talking until one falls asleep, normally Mark.

But even if they do that, Jackson is most of the time too busy to even go home. Flying from China to Korea and back again, spending more nights in hotel rooms than in his own bed. All members of GOT7 are busy with the promotions, but Jackson always has something else in his agenda, and he isn’t the type to refuse a project when they come at him, always doing his best to make GOT7 more famous, knowing he is the one who can promote them in China.

Sometimes it’s just days away, yet some other times he spends weeks away from his second home, without seeing the faces of s, sometimes not even having time to call, which makes Jackson’s heart heavy with longing and homesick feelings. 

His busy schedule gets in the way of dating.

Jackson had never had any issue with that before, as dating wasn’t really an option, his job was his first and most important priority. Now, dating is something he is doing and he cares about it, he cares about Mark and doesn’t like being apart for so long.

In addition, the young idol knows Mark worries about him and how much he’s working, the fact he sleeps a couple of hours a day, from one schedule to the next, with a few minutes to eat only and so tired that he doesn’t even have the energy to check his phone when he’s done. Jackson doesn’t want to make Mark worry, but he cannot refuse job offers either, and he hasn’t found a balance just yet.

But it’s not all bad. As Jackson works himself to the bone, it actually works for the best that he doesn’t have the time to FaceTime Mark when he’s away, like that his boyfriend doesn’t see his bare face and the evidence his routine has on him. But he cannot go that many days without seeing Mark so eventually he ends up giving in and forcing himself to stay awake a few more minutes to call his boyfriend.

That’s how he ends up, after five days without calling any of s, sprawled on his bed, with low lights so Mark won’t notice the dark bags under his eyes or the way it seems his skin is glued to his bones, making his face look like a cartoon taken from one of Tim Burton’s films.

Sure that he doesn’t look half-dead but only half-asleep, he calls Mark, holding the gadget in front of his face and waiting for the other idol to show up on his screen. The moment that happens, Jackson is grinning widely, feeling his stomach tighten and his heart swell.

It’s been less than a hundred days since they officially started dating, but it’s felt a lot fewer days than that with how little they see each other. But even if they have gone in no real romantic date, or they have seen each other a total of, approximately, thirty days, Jackson’s feelings are as bubbly and sappy as anyone’s who’s just started dating. He cannot control his grins or the fluttering of his heart when he sees Mark, even if it’s only on his mobile screen.

“Gaga~” Mark immediately singsongs, his voice cheery and his eyes delighted. The older idol looks beautiful, even in a low quality streaming that it’s still settling for a better connection, even if he has no makeup and he looks ready to bed. Mark is always beautiful. “Are you there? I can barely see you.”

“I’m here,” Jackson’s replies, feeling the longing leaving a bitter taste in his tongue, but he pushes that down and just focuses on Mark. “I have a bit of a headache so I don’t want to turn on the lights.” That’s true, but not the full reason why he is in the dark, with only the nightstand lamp on. “It was a long day.”

“Are you too tired?” Mark asks, his brown knotting with concern, even getting closer to his screen as if like that he could see Jackson better. “For how many hours have you been awake?”

“I took a nap while we were heading to the studio,” Jackson replies. “So it’s been only eight hours since I last sleep.” His smile isn’t clear to Mark so it doesn’t help to dissipate the other idol’s worry.

“Gaga,” Mark speaks, his voice higher and strangled. “You’re going to get really sick this time. You need to look after yourself and learn to say no to some offers. You cannot do it all.”

Jackson sighs. It’s not the first time they have this conversation and honestly he’s too tired to have a fight over it. He hates arguing and having people being upset wi