It's a week and a half later that Mark and Youngjae get to have the pleasure of meeting Jinyoung and Jaebum.

 

Kunpimook's already known them since, probably, kindergarden, seeing how blatantly they on him.

 

He's that social.

 

And Yugyeom's known them, too, since where Kunpimook goes - Yugyeom follows.

 

Yugyeom's like the Robin to Kunpimook's Batman, just that Kunpimook's too big of a prissy to be actual Batman, so he's basically Robin.

 

It was the same week, coincidentally, when Youngjae's skipped more than half of his classes and started looking even brighter.

 

Which, in Youngjae's standart, was practically impossible.

 

But when Mark thought about it, and when Yugyeom said it out loud and Kunpimook repeated it, they all agreed.

 

If Youngjae was a sunshine, something they called him to tease, before - now he was the actual sun.

 

 

 

"Why are you making me skip class again?" Youngjae whines, acting like he totally doesn't want to be here.

 

"Hey, we're skipping class, too, you know." Jinyoung tells him and Youngjae still whines something Jinyoung doesn't catch.

 

"I was gonna have so much fun with some highschool equations! Today was throwback day!" He shouts, arms flailing, and Jinyoung can't help but to smile.

 

He tells himself that he can't possibly not smile.

 

"That means you're not missing out on much, then." Jinyoung says and Youngjae still whines, head tilted up into the blue sky, and Jinyoung keeps pulling at his sleeve for them to go forward.

 

"I don't remember anything from high school!" Youngjae cries. Jinyoung rolls his eyes, just a little.

 

"Don't we all."

 

Youngjae's feet barely drag on the pavement and Jinyoung keeps on pulling.

 

"Where even is Jaebum?" Youngjae asks a minute later, changing the topic.

 

Jinyoung's afraid the sweater Youngjae's wearing to protect himself from the Spring winds is going to stretch, so he allows himself to let his hand fall slightly and cup Youngjae's hand.

 

Youngjae doesn't flinch, and the way he slips his hand out of Jinyoung's doesn't offend Jinyoung half as him wanting Jaebum.

 

"Oh, so you like Jaebum better than me now?" Jinyoung scoffs playfully, and Youngjae goes to follow him by his side instead of behind, this time walking by himself and without any additional effort on Jinyoung's part.

 

Youngjae keeps quiet for a couple beats.

 

"...No?" He says and Jinyoung rolls his eyes, Youngjae smiling at him, teasing.

 

Youngjae's heartfelt laugh that comes in a moment without a warning, hitting the breath out of Jinyoung's lungs, is contagious enough to get Jinyoung chuckling back at him.

 

"Jaebum's already there." Jinyoung says, soft.

 

"Good." Youngjae decides with a nod. "We don't want me hanging out with you alone without your soulmate. He might take it the wrong way." He laughs, awkwardly.

 

It's that self concious laugh Jinyoung's noticed Youngjae does when Youngjae recognizes he should laugh with good manner but doesn't feel like it.

 

It's almost like a defense mechanism Jinyoung wants to be gone, at least for Jaebum if not for him.

 

Yet.

 

"Why not?" Jinyoung asks, slipping past the glass door Youngjae holds out for him with a bow which makes Jinyoung smile again.

 

"Well. You have someone, you know." He says. "Well, now that I think about it, it's because that you have him he shouldn't feel threatened by me." He talks and Jinyoung keeps himself from flinching with how unintentionally harsh it sounds.

 

"He's not that type of person, anyway." Jinyoung says, trying to make the situation at least a bit better. At least not make it worse.

 

"He doesn't seem like he is, I'm not sure why I said that." Youngjae laughs that laugh again, and Jinyoung heaves a sigh of relief once he notices Jaebum standing there in front of the pocorn stand.

 

"He's nice, right? Jaebum, that is." Jinyoung asks, a second away from Jaebum who's smiling at them like they were a couple of pretty girls.

 

In his eyes, they might as well be.

 

"A little." Youngjae smiles, shyly, when they reach Jaebum and greet each other good morning.

 

And Jinyoung can take a wild guess and say that it's way past a little, but considering everything - he's not sure he himself would answer any different.

 

Youngjae walks in front of them when Jinyoung reaches out for Jaebum's hand to give it a short reassuring squeeze, and he's running after Youngjae who's a few steps away a second later.

 

Jaebum listens to them talk and laugh with an idiotic smile Jinyoung had just short of half an hour ago.

 

 

 

"Recently you've been hanging out with Jaebum and Jinyoung awfully often." Kunpimook says matter-of-factly, not bothering to put it as a question.

 

Youngjae keeps reading his book.

 

Or at least acting like he's reading his book.

 

"Have I?" He asks, turning a page and still pretending.

 

"You have." Kunpimook says.

 

"Oh, sorry. Does it bother you?" Youngjae asks, voice uninterested, and Kunpimook almost takes it as a challenge.

 

"It doesn't bother us." Yugyeom cuts in because the determined look on Kunpimook's face only ever calls for trouble.

 

"Why?" Kunpimook asks, leaning across the table as if to intimitade Youngjae, who pulls back and finally looks up to meet Kunpimook's eyes.

 

"Why what?" He asks, looking straight at him, not backing down.

 

"Why are you always with them instead of us? Are they more fun?" Kunpimook keeps asking and Youngjae doesn't know what to answer, so he gives the only answer which is not acceptable in this situation.

 

"Because I like them more than all of you combined." He says before he can stop himself.

 

Yugyeom's mouth falls open, but he doesn't get offended, because the look on Youngjae's face is more surprised and frightened than that of Kunpimook's.

 

"You know that they're soulmates, right?" Kunpimook asks, voice softer than before. He goes back to sit on the ground comfortably, hands on the table almost reassuring.

 

Youngjae closes his eyes for a second, to calm down. To not feel absolutely terrible about this whole situation.

 

"I know." He sighs. "Why are we talking about this, I thought we were supposed to be having a study date." He says and looks at Yugyeom for a save out of the situation.

 

But Yugyeom plans on siding with Kunpimook, like he usually does, so he ignores the laptop with a weird .pdf file he found on the internet on his lap.

 

"And you also have a soulmate." He says. Youngjae stiffens.

 

"I don't think I do." He answers and it hits Kunpimook harder than it looks like it did Youngjae.

 

"But-" Yugyeom tries, thinking of his next words carefully, but Youngjae talks before he can.

 

"And they don't like me like that, anyway." Youngjae says. "My feelings will disappear after a while. Don't make a big deal out of it, I know they have each other."

 

"They don't like you like that." Yugyeom repeats in a whisper and Youngjae would think he detects a trace of sarcasm if he didn't know any better.

 

But he does know better.

 

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure." Kunpimook whispers and Yugyeom wordlessly agrees with a nod to his burning computer.

 

Youngjae acts like he didn't hear it and throws a chip at Kunpimook which hits him in the eye.

 

The ear curling scream makes Youngjae regret he's ever stood against Kunpimook.

 

 

 

Jaebum and Jinyoung take Youngjae out for ice cream to the closest dog cafe once they learn he loves dogs.

 

And anything else.

 

Literally everything else.

 

They planned to use Youngjae passing his biochemistry test as an excuse for the random date, but Youngjae didn't even ask for one, finding no room to complain because dog.

 

He is a little surpised, though, when Jaebum takes his wallet straight out of his hands by the register and doesn't give it back.

 

"Am I about to get robbed here?" Youngjae asks, watching Jaebum pocket his wallet curiously. "I trusted you, you know." He tells Jaebum and Jaebum nods.

 

Jaebum knows Youngjae trusts him.

 

He knows Youngjae trusts him too much for someone who has only known him for a little less than a month.

 

But it's okay, because Jaebum trusts him three too much's as well.

 

Just like Jinyoung does, if not less, if he's being honest.

 

He smiles, taking out his own wallet and paying for both of them.

 

He turns to Youngjae with a cocky grin, knowing Youngjae wouldn't have let him pay if he asked.

 

Youngjae looks childishly offended, and gasps overly dramatically like those girls in dramas do.

 

He crosses his arms over his chest, refusing to take the paper bowl of ice cream Jaebum holds out for him.

 

"Just take it, don't be like that." Jaebum doesn't pout but his expression is as close as it'll ever get to that and Youngjae adores it already.

 

"I'm not looking for a sugar daddy." He says, taking the bowl begrudingly, and Jaebum chokes on his own spit, almost dropping his.

 

Youngjae watches him, amused, and Jaebum looks at him, eyes wide, not expecting Youngjae being capable of such speech.

 

He loves it.

 

"Get it? Sugar? Because it's ice cream? And daddy, because that's what you're called in Jinyoung's phone contacts."

 

Youngjae is amazing, honestly.

 

"Don't kink shame Jinyoung." Jaebum laughs.

 

"Who says that I am kink shaming him?" Youngjae raises an eyebrow and Jaebum howls with laughter once again.

 

They go to the second floor where Jinyoung's waiting for them, Jaebum holding his sorbet, because Jinyoung always has to be special, and his and Youngjae's small talk on the way hardly feels like small talk.

 

As much as he doesn't want to admit it, but he will, Jaebum could talk about the weather for all the s Youngjae doesn't give and Youngjae would still listen to him like he were his favorite song.

 

It's when they eat at a table, a dog by each of their feet and a tiny one in Youngjae's lap

 

(placed there by Jinyoung)

 

Jinyoung sitting by his side while Jaebum sits in front of Youngjae, does Jinyoung notice the neat line of silver zeros embedded in Youngjae's skin underneat a few silicon bands trying to cover it all up like a shameful scar.

 

Jinyoung says something mildly funny, then, to get Jaebum's attention.

 

It's a difficult deed because his soulmate apparently enjoys ignoring him like it were a good thing, but Jaebum does, eventually, turn to look at Jinyoung once he says something remotely dirty.

 

Jinyoung signals him to look at Youngjae's wrist with his eyes rappidly moving and Jaebum gets the hint, his gaze falling.

 

It would be funny to see Jaebum's eyes widening with shock and bewilderment if it weren't for the situation at hand.

 

The situation of Jaebum and Jinyoung both steadily falling for this person who apparently has a soulmate neither one of them heard about.

 

And Jinyoung thinks, tries to remember if any of Youngjae's friends have told him about this person, but he only remembers Jackson joking about Youngjae's silver wrist, saying something about his soulmate probably being a penguin.

 

Jinyoung slaps his forehead while Jaebum eats his ice cream acting like nothing mildly not good has happened and is currently happening.

 

Because neither one of the pair has forgotten that Youngjae did, indeed, like everyone else on this planet, have a soulmate, but they both acted like they did forget.

 

Youngjae eyes Jinyoung curiously, hoping for an explanation but ready if he isn't offered one.

 

"Youngjae, have you, by any chance, met your soulmate?" Jinyoung asks and Youngjae positively squirms in his chair.

 

His arm with the silvered wrist falls from the table down to lovingly pat the dog in his lap.

 

Yup. They definitely reached a point where they had to talk about things.

 

Though it's not one that could've been avoided have Jaebum and Jinyoung went forward.

 

And they couldn't see how they wouldn't go forward for Youngjae.

 

"I guess I have." Youngjae says.

 

Jaebum and Jinyoung exchange looks, neither one of them wanting to push Youngjae but both needing a explanation.

 

Please elaborate won't do it here.

 

But Youngjae is brave, they both know, so he doesn't stop talking only there.

 

"My clock just changed some time and I didn't notice it." He says as he lifts his arm back onto the table, the dog lifting his head up too to check where the warmth has gone, and takes off the bracelets to help the pair inspect his wrist. "I missed them."

 

"If you don't mind me asking, when was this?" Jaebum asks, looking for something in Youngjae's face, which he finds.

 

"I don't mind anything when it comes to you two. It's a little strange, sorry for being weird." Youngjae apologizes.

 

The zeros glisten in the sunlight coming through the window and Jaebum admires it almost like a wishful tattoo.

 

Jinyoung's heart melts a little more.

 

"It was last year. I don't even know where I met them." He talks and Jinyoung wants him to stop because it's not something anyone has told him about, which means it's not something Youngjae likes talking about.

 

Jaebum feels guilty for making him talk about it.

 

"I'm sorry if it's making you feel weird or something. I realize you two are soulmates but I really like being with you two." He says. "Sorry for this."

 

"Stop apologizing so much." Jaebum says, voice quiet and full of pity he tries masking as guilt.

 

Because he'd much rather take on the pain Youngjae's feeling than watching him suffer through it.

 

Youngjae doesn't understand how Jaebum and Jinyoung can both look as sad as he is feeling.

 

Maybe they are something special.

 

"We're sorry, too, for being weird, because we really like you, too." Jinyoung says, reaching for Youngjae's hand on the table where Jaebum's holding just the tips of his fingers.

 

Jinyoung runs his cold fingers over the bracelet of zeros as if he could heal it, and Youngjae doesn't flinch this time.

 

It doesn't get healed, and it never will, but for now Jaebum and Jinyoung can hope.

 

And Youngjae can pretend like it will.

 

 

 

"Mark told me you've been pulling Youngjae down to your earthworm levels. Let him live." Jackson tells Jinyoung and Jaebum one day, eating cereal in their dorm room like he owned the place.

 

"Excuse me?" Jinyoung asks, offended, but Jaebum just chuckles.

 

The toilet flushes and Mark comes out to sit in Jackson's lap on Jaebum's bed like he owned the place.

 

"I quote." Jackson adds and Mark slaps Jackson's thigh, making Jackson drop his spoon into the bowl with a loud clank.

 

"You didn't quote. I did not say that." He looks at Jinyoung sitting on his bed in front of Jaebum's apologetically and Jinyoung nods at him.

 

He likes Mark. He likes Mark more than he likes Jackson.

 

Mark isn't half filled with , he's about one fourth , which makes him better than all of the people sitting in this cramped ing room.

 

"Why are you here, anyway?" Jaebum asks, leaning against the door of the room.

 

"You know, you're so lucky to have a dorm room with a bathroom." Jackson says, admiring the door he's already broken and fixed with his own two hands twice.

 

"We paid for it." Jinyoung answers.

 

"Yeah. With our bodies. Jinyoung, here, ed for this bad boy for two weeks." Jaebum says, nonchalant, and Jinyoung throws the first object his hand reaches at him, which, this time, is an ancient PSP.

 

It hits Jaebum's shoulder as he ducks and he curses, but does nothing.

 

Though he won't admit it - he's deserved it.

 

"Wow, only two weeks?" Mark says, faking awe, and Jackson snorts into Mark's puffy hair.

 

"With a body like this I could've done it in one." Jinyoung answers, calm, glaring at Jaebum. "But this dude right here told me we had to eat somehow."

 

It's a deathly silence for about five seconds before everyone bursts with laughter and a person rooming beside starts hitting the wall for them to shut up.

 

"So, what did you come here for?" Jaebum tries again, and this time it looks like people are finally willing to listen. "If it's nothing important then get out."

 

"Youngjae." Mark's answer is simple, but it manages to make the room go quiet again.

 

This time laughter doesn't follow, as much as Jackson had hoped it would.

 

Jinyoung and Jaebum exchange glances Jackson definitely notices but doesn't comment on.

 

"What about Youngjae?" Jinyoung asks, voice still stale but this time it's laced with seriousness.

 

"What are you doing with him?" Mark says, not as upset as it could've come out but it's still makes Jaebum uneasy.

 

He definitely could've worded it better.

 

But Mark never was one to sugarcoat things. Maybe it was just his general lack of feeling towards other people.

 

Who knows anymore which is which.

 

"What are we... what?" Jinyoung asks, taken aback.

 

"We like Youngjae. Me and Jinyoung are in love with him. He's the only thing we think about nowadays."

 

He wants to add that it's ruining their life in more ways than one, but then he feels like he would be in the danger of Jackson slapping some sense into him.

 

And he would probably do Jaebum a favor if he did decide to say that.

 

"What the ?" Jackson looks at them, strangely angry.

 

He looks angrier than Mark and he hardly has any reason to.

 

Jackson has nothing to do with Youngjae, and neither does he have anything to do with the relationship between Youngjae, Jaebum and Jinyoung.

 

Jinyoung wants to comment on it, but Jaebum's faster to speak.

 

"If he isn't our soulmate it doesn't mean we can't love him. It doesn't mean he can't love us, too." He says.

 

Jinyoung looks down, not finding it right to look at Mark who's staring at him almost accusingly.

 

The atmosphere's way too heavy for any of their liking, but Jackson hardly sees how he can lighten up the mood like he would usually do.

 

Soulmates are no joke. They never were.

 

"Do you realize what you're talking about?" Mark asks. "Youngjae lost his soulmate, he's the only person in this world who we know who didn't deserve it and he lost them. Stop playing with him, he's been ed over enough."

 

"We're not playing with him, do you think we don't feel ty about loving a person whose soulmate is somewhere out there waiting for him." Jaebum argues, not trying to make his anger show.

 

Getting angry now would result in nothing good, so Jinyoung does his best to calm down as well.

 

"Maybe his soulmate moved on, too." Jinyoung offers, hoping it will pass as an excuse.

 

"Maybe they didn't." Mark shrugs back, sarcasm dripping down his lips.

 

Those lips Jackson should probably kiss and get the venom out.

 

Instead Jackson keeps quiet and does nothing.

 

"And what if one of us is his soulmate?" Jinyoung asks. "What if both of us are?"

 

"Neither one of you is a silver." Jackson says, first words to leave his mouth.

 

Jinyoung bites his lip. He knows that neither one of them is Youngjae's soulmate.

 

He knows Youngjae can do so much better than them.

 

Maybe not Jaebum, but Jinyoung's aware he's the weak link here.

 

But even Jaebum couldn't compete with the person the universe has literally picked out for Youngjae.

 

He knows there's a special person, there only for Youngjae, but for now, Jinyoung wants Youngjae to be his and Jaebum's alone.

 

And Jaebum knows that Youngjae can do so much better than him.

 

Like Jinyoung, who could easily be Youngjae's soulmate but isn't.

 

And Jaebum agrees that two wrongs don't make a right, but they might as well.

 

"Look, Youngjae wants to be with us and we with him. If he does meet his soulmate again, for sure, we're not keeping him locked up." Jaebum says, tone forcefully soft. "He's always free to leave."

 

"We've told him this." Jinyoung adds.

 

"And what did Youngjae say?" Mark raises and eyebrow.

 

Jackson's bowl of cereal sits discarted on Mark's lap where Jackson's placed it.

 

He taps at Jackson's arm wrapped around his waist and tells him to finish the soggy cereal, which Jackson does with a weak protest.

 

"He kissed us to shut us up and then told us to stop being ridiculous."

 

"We both want Youngjae to be happy. Right now we want him to be happy with us." Jinyoung says, eyes so sincere Mark feels bad for ever doubting them.

 

Jackson, then, leans down to whisper something into Mark's ear and it makes Jinyoung habitually shudder.

 

Jaebum notices and it would honestly make him snort with a laugh if the current situation didn't call for his serious face.

 

Mark nods at Jackson and Jackson hides his face in Mark's shoulder.

 

"If you add a forever in there I'm getting off your case." Mark says, almost a threat.

 

"We don't need your permission." Jinyoung says, and the way Mark looks at him, Jackson following, makes him doubt he's ever been right about anything.

 

"We want Youngjae to be happy with us. Forever." Jaebum says, not having any more energy to fight.

 

And a forever with Youngjae and Jinyoung doesn't seem all that long, anway.

 

"We're gonna make sure of it." Jinyoung adds with a curt nod.

 

"Good." Mark nods at him, satisfied.

 

"Now, get out. Youngjae's coming over soon." Jaebum says, stepping away from the door.

 

"Is that why your mini fridge is packed with alcohol?"

 

Jinyoung nods at him with a look almost judging that it took him so long to figure it out.

 

Jackson opens his mouth in response, acting offended, and he places the empty bowl he's been nervously holding on the nightstand.

 

"I cannot believe." Jackson mouths.

 

Just then the door swings open, Youngjae standing in the doorway, an angry Kunpimook and Yugyeom behind him.

 

"Hey, guys." Youngjae greets with a smile which Jinyoung copies, and then he notices Jackson and Mark.

 

Mark offers him a wave.

 

"Oh, what are you doing here?" Youngjae asks, a little surprised.

 

"Are you not happy to see us?" Mark questions.

 

"Being a good protection squad?" Jackson offers Youngjae and he hears Jaebum sigh. "Shut up."

 

"What are you protecting?" Youngjae tilts his head sideways in question.

 

Oh, Youngjae, you sweet, sweet Youngjae.

 

It takes Jaebum this much not to kiss Youngjae then and there because if he did - the wrath of the world would befall on him.

 

"Hey! We're his protection squad!" Kunpimook shouts, pushing past Youngjae into the room, pointing at his chest angrilly.

 

"No, we are!" Jackson shouts back, standing up and lifting up Mark with him.

 

Youngjae hits Jaebum's chest like a falling domino.

 

They greet each other with a hey and a short kiss Jackson and Kunpimook miss with their bickering.

 

After which he's pushed across the small room and straight onto Jinyoung, where Jinyoung sits him in his lap in a heartbeat.

 

Everyone stares at them, and Jinyoung watches them from behind a blushing Youngjae's shoulder, looking for people picking fights.

 

Nobody does, and Jinyoung's glad. He doesn't want a dead college student haunting his dorm room, much less two.

 

"Get out!" Jaebum shouts when he's had enough, straight out pushing Kunpimook out of the room for Yugyeom to catch.

 

Jinyoung has his face in his hands.

 

Mark escorts a screaming Jackson out himself.

 

Jaebum slams the door shut and locks it, feeling bad for Youngjae who has his face in his own hands.

 

His ears looks about ready to explode with the alarmingly red color, though.

 

 

 

"We don't need the universe telling us to only love one person!" Jaebum barks, angry, voice slurred.

 

The empty bottle of beer slips out of his sweaty grip and hits the ground, luckily not shattering.

 

Youngjae giggles, laying squished on the single bed between Jaebum's hot body and the wall.

 

"It never did." Jinyoung yawns, walking out of the bathroom wearing shorts and his large sleeping shirt.

 

He falls onto Youngjae and Jaebum.

 

Jaebum whines into the pillow, not finding air to breathe and not doing anything about it.

 

Youngjae huffs and puffs for about twenty seconds.

 

" a ." Jaebum says into the bed, his voice barely audible.

 

Jinyoung reaches down to tease Youngjae, who's unable to escape, with his brushed teeth and mint smelling lips where all of Youngjae's been washed down the drain.

 

Where Youngjae tried proving that Jinyoung isn't any less important than Jaebum, which was strange, because Jinyoung didn't really tell him that he felt that way.

 

Jinyoung tries to mark his lips with Youngjae again, and once their lips touch Youngjae hums happily.

 

He smiles at Jinyoung, eyes closed, Jaebum probably already passed out a while ago while squeezing his thigh like one of those screaming rubber chickens.

 

"Even if my soulmate were to appear I'd never leave you two." Youngjae says, surprisingly concious and in tact after having around too many beers. "I hope you never leave me behind either."

 

With a lovestruck grin Jinyoung notes Youngjae's the philosophical type drunk.

 

"What makes you think that we will?" Jinyoung asks, finding his position to be perfect for blowing lightly on Youngjae's neck.

 

Youngjae squirms, his shoulders shrugging.

 

"Nothing at all." He says and Jinyoung can clearly hear the smile in his voice. "Just making sure we're on the same page here."

 

The identical yeah's Youngjae hears make him realize that he definitely chose the right people to love.

 

Especially when one person practically talks to him about his insecurities while sleeping and the other's hand is running cold fingers around his hipbone just above where his jeans have ridden up at some point in the evening.

 

And maybe one of them is his soulmate, maybe both of them are.

 

But maybe they're not and Youngjae just likes imagining that they could be so he wouldn't be afraid of that person still being out there.

 

But for now, and for forever, they might as well be.

 

The last thing he sees before falling asleep piss drunk are the arms wrapping desperately around his body and the wrists, both adorned by two differently bright lines and identical tattooed bracelets of glittery baby yellow zeros just above their original ones.

 

A color they have both chosen for him.