“Yah, you can’t just harass Jin Ae like that,” Peniel scolds Sungjae, who makes a sound of protest.

“I was just excited,” he argues. “Noona didn’t seem to mind.”

A little short-circuited by the maknae’s use of the honorific towards you, Peniel falls into silence, turning instead to look at you right as you make your way towards Mark.

“Oh, no,” Peniel exclaims lowly, but fervently. “Jewel...” He takes a few strides towards you, but doesn’t make it in time.

“Teach me, sensei,” you say as Peniel comes up behind you.

He locks eyes with Mark, whose gaze is panic-stricken. The stark relief in them as they meet his is heart-shattering, and Peniel needs to choke down a sob. Fate is so cruel.

You take a step back, smile disappearing. “I... I’m sorry.” Turning in a hurry, you run out of the room, oblivious to the flock of boys who watch you leave, and the two, three, then four who follow a beat later. Even though you’re sprinting, you barely make it out before the first tears well up in your eyes.

***

Yoseob and Gikwang lean against the wall in companionable and appreciative silence, watching you banter with the others.

“That’s one interesting lady,” Gikwang murmurs.

Yoseob nods.

Their brows furrow in sync as they watch Mark’s face change, and yours go from happy to heartbreak. Together, they push off the wall and are following you the second you turn and bolt.

***

“We’ve been pract–” Jinyoung cuts off while speaking to Doojoon, distracted by Mark’s newly terrified expression at your approach. Per usual mothering fashion, he’s been keeping tabs on the shy eldest, worried by his lack of appetite and dark circles. As the member doing the most dangerous and frequent flips, he can’t afford to be in anything but peak condition. “One moment.”

Before Jinyoung can do anything but take a step in Mark’s direction, however, your face crumples and you choke out a sound he can’t quite hear. As you run out of the room, he reaches out and grabs Jaebum, who has also tuned into the situation. “Go see what’s wrong. We’ve got Mark.”

Jaebum nods, darting a quick glance at Mark. I wonder what just happened. “Got it.” 

***

Minhyuk is coming back from the bathroom when he sees you run out, followed by Gikwang, Yoseob, and Jaebum. What the... Is she okay?

A split second of decision results in him sprinting after you.

***

“I hope that girl is okay,” Nam murmurs, standing by her husband. Poon pats her arm comfortingly, then looks at BamBam.

“Do you know what’s going on?”

 “Not really... But she’ll be fine. The hyungs will take care of her.”

***

Mark, I can’t do this, your heart cries, longing to see Mark’s bright eyes and cheeky grin, feel his arm around you as you walk together, watch MMA matches together. Gone are the days when he used to ruffle your hair, teasing you and calling you short. This Mark is terrified to even look at you, much less be anywhere near you.

You forgo the shoes and run directly outside, then just keep going, blindly picking sharp turns and little streets, more for psychological safety than because you think anyone is following you. Innumerable turns later, your feet react belatedly to contact with the unforgiving ground. The first sharp pains make themselves known and you collapse, legs folding out as you stretch your arms out to catch yourself on your hands, scabs opening up anew.

Physically stopped, you let out the remaining tension in a pained scream, throat straining and fingers scraping the asphalt.

Gikwang and Yoseob run up, followed shortly by Minhyuk and, surprisingly, Jaebum, who has your shoes. Concerned and pitying in turn, with a patina of confusion, their expressions make you turn away and try to get up, but pain shoots up from your feet and you’re unable to stand.

“Just leave me be,” you rasp, still struggling to rise.

Gikwang and Yoseob look at each other, then silently come forward and ease you back down against the wall, making you take pressure off your feet. You gesture weakly for them to go, revealing your skinned palms. Minhyuk and Jaebum’s eyes widen when they see your hands, and the four of them hiss when your bleeding soles are revealed.

“Um...” Jaebum murmurs, looking doubtfully at the shoes he’s holding..

“Yeah, I don’t think those are a good idea right now,” Minhyuk agrees with Jaebum’s unspoken qualm.

“I’ll be fine,” you insist, stubbornly placing your hands directly on the asphalt and trying to get up again. You ignore the shooting pains this time, pushing up relentlessly until you’re standing on your abused feet, the men unable to stop you. You reach over and grab your sneakers from JB, and brace yourself on the wall to put them on, legs buckling a little. As your soles come into clearer view, however, Minhyuk makes a sound of dissent and steps forward to snatch them out of your hand, handing them to JB.

“Yah,” you snap, in too much pain to bother with formalities.

It seems you’re also in too much pain for Minhyuk to bother with formalities, as he picks you up bridal-style, with little fanfare or effort. To the side, Gikwang frowns, Yoseob makes a little sound, and Jaebum looks mildly surprised. “Let’s get those looked at,” Minhyuk says nonchalantly, striding out of the little alleyway.

“Let’s,” the three others echo meekly, subdued.

Unable to argue, you merely turn your head into Minhyuk’s chest, unable to refrain any longer, and finally cry, soaking his shirt with overdue tears.

***

It’s too much. Mark stands as close to the wall as he’s able, trying to block out the fact that you’re in the same room. He’s been sick to his stomach ever since this morning, and it only got worse once the unwelcome surprise was sprung on him. It makes him both giddy and distraught to see you, knowing that any second could potentially be the start of your panic attack, and that you no longer know who he is.

Lost in his own pain, he barely registers Jackson’s calling of his name, then blanches at its content. He looks up only to be faced with your brilliant smile, those familiar eyes curving in delight, and the split-second joy he feels is immediately replaced by stark fear and immense despair.

“Teach me, sensei.”

He tries to back away, but the wall thwarts his escape. All he can think is, I don’t want to hurt her anymore. Desperate to get away, yet helpless in front of you, he calls to the only one who knows the true story, who looks resigned over your shoulder. Peniel.

“P-Peniel,” he calls weakly. “Peniel?”

He watches your face change, crumple. “En, I-”

The world disappears in a roar for one Mark Tuan. “En,” your voice echoes in his head. “En,” you say. “En.”

“En, let’s go see that new movie this weekend.”

“Of course, Precious. We can get the caramel popcorn.”

“En, what’d you get on that homework?”

“Not telling you. I treasure my self-esteem.”

“En, I got tickets to the hip-hop convention in Seattle! Want to come?”

“I want to! But I’ll have to ask my parents.”

His parents said no, and you ended up going alone on that fateful night.

Blankly, Mark slides down against the wall and only remotely notices JB, Minhyuk, Gikwang and Yoseob running out of the room. Distantly, he hears Peniel’s voice asking him, “Are you alright?”

Is it possible?

***

You cry for the first minute or so of being carried in Minhyuk’s arms, and then cut yourself off. There’s nothing cathartic about crying while being carted off somewhere. Inhaling sharply, you untuck your head from his chest.

“Thanks, you guys,” you rasp. “I bet you think I’m a little screwy.” Laughing a little, self-deprecatingly, you sigh and wrap an arm around Minhyuk’s neck so you’re not as limp. His shoulders tighten minutely, then relax. He looks down at you.

“It was no problem,” he says, smiling slightly.

Murmurs of assent from the boys keeping pace.

“Are you feeling better?” Minhyuk asks.

You nod, looking around. Unfamiliar surroundings.

“Where are we going, by the way?” you ask. No way are they tactless enough to bring you back to the restaurant.

“Uh... Back-” Gikwang begins, then backtracks furiously as you tense and reflexively try to sit up in Minhyuk’s hold. “-to Cube!”

And that was that– the boys ended up taking you back to Cube. Sure of your safety, Jaebum hands your shoes to Yoseob and takes off.

***

“Let’s just go back to the dorm,” Jinyoung says, looking around at GOT7, sans JB. “I think we all need a rest.” BTOB and Beast, whom they’ve been having awkward chitchat with for the past while as they waited for their missing members, agree.

“But practice,” Youngjae protests.

“Don’t worry. We’ve been working hard– we deserve half a day off.”

Mark looks at the mother of the group with haunted eyes and a grateful smile. He stands, slowly, with Jackson’s arm around him.

“JB?” he asks.

“Here,” the leader announces, swinging through the door.

Yugyeom asks, “Jewel?” JB nods.

Mark sighs, and sags a little in Jackson’s hold. Everyone pretends they don’t notice.