"Do you know how worried we were?"

"You should've called either of us, Mark."

As soon as Mark got home, his parents scolded him non-stop. He sort of expected this. This was uncharacteristic of him. He should've given his parents a call or where he was, in the first place. As much as they weren't very strict with him, they were still parents. Though, he never thought that Jackson would be dragged into this. 

They actually stopped by a convenience store, because Jackson did promise ice cream. He blamed his love for sweets for this one. And, they even stayed for another hour or so, prolonging his parents' worries even more. He reminded himself to never let this happen again, because the Doctor's strictly reminded them that his dad should have a stress-free environment, for his father's quick recovery.

Thirty minutes had already passed, and it looked like his parents ran out of things to say. He had heard everything, some phrases were even repeated. He kept quiet, of course. He was not in the position to say anything, anyways. This was his fault. 

"Where were you, anyways? Did you know that Jackson even dropped by earlier?" His mom said.

"Mom, I was-" But, Jackson had cut him off. 

"We were at Jinyoung's, Mrs. Tuan. I was supposed to pick him up here. But, we had a change in plans. I was already here when they texted me."

Jackson was covering up for him. That wasn't really necessary. He would gladly accept all the consequences of his actions. He was bad at lying, and he was basically an open book to his parents. 

But, either way. It seemed that they had believed Jackson.

"Just, next time. Give us a call, okay?" He nodded. "So, have you guys eaten?"

He was going to say they already did, but it seemed that Jackson here had other plans.

"Actually, we haven't. And, I'd like to taste your cooking again, Mrs. Tuan."

"Come on, then. We have plenty." Jackson grabbed his hand, pulling him to the dining area. 

Jackson was either using this as an excuse, or this guy really loved his mom's cooking. 

Maybe, it was a little bit of both.

***

They had already finished eating, and Jackson couldn't stop complimenting his mother's cooking. He wasn't taking anything away from her skills or anything. He just felt thay maybe, this guy right here was missing the feeling of being taken cared of by a mother.

"Are you staying over, Jackson?" His mom asked, like it was a normal thing. 

Both of his parents were used to having people around. When in fact, this was actually the first time, in a long time, that he did have people over. 

He didn't have time for friends. Or maybe, people never actually tried to stay with him.

"Some other time, Mrs. Tuan. I have early classes tomorrow."

"Well, okay. You and Jinyoung can drop by anytime you want. Might as well add Jaebum to the list. I'll cook something, for all of us to enjoy."

"Thank you, Mrs. Tuan." 

"Anytime, dear." She stood up, assisting his dad up. "Good night, boys."

"Get well soon, Mr. Tuan. And, thanks again Mrs. Tuan." Both of his parents smiled at Jackson, before making their way to their respective room.

"Let me walk you out." He offered. Jackson linked their hands, as they made their way to the front door. "Thanks, for covering up for me."

"Actually, I'd have to charge you for that."

"That's unfair. I never asked you to do that." He pouted, but the other didn't show any signs of leaving without a reward. "Fine, what do you want?"

"A kiss" 

It was funny. Behind that chic and cool look, Jackson was actually pretty adorable. Just like a puppy.

Wang Puppy.

"On the cheek"

"On the lips"

"What?" He shook his head. "Cheek"

"Lips"

"Fine, fine. A peck." The other nodded. Their lips met, but only for about three seconds. "Happy?"

"Very" Jackson smiled. "Maybe, I should always do you favors."

"Don't push your luck, bub."

"Good night. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Drive safely."

He watched as Jackson entered his car, waving one last time before driving away. His body craved for rest, but he needed to study. Exams were coming up, and here he was. Drinking and giving people kisses. What happened to his quiet, serene life?

He was about to enter his room, but a knock was heard from their front door. Did Jackson possibly leave something? Or, was this Jinyoung? Either way, he had to ask by the door.

"It's me" That wasn't very informative, but the voice was all too familiar for him not to know who this was. He opened the door, and he was right. "Hey, Marky."

"Hey, Jaebum." He then noticed the feline by the boy's pair of crossed arms. "Hey, Nora." 

He petted the cat's head, who purred in satisfaction. He moved to the side, as Jaebum entered their house. 

"What brings you here?"

"Where's mom and dad?"

"Sleeping"

"I'll be sleeping here. It's kinda lonely at home." This was normal, too. The other used to sleep at their house countless of times. "Come on."

Jaebum took his hand, whilst carrying Nora with the other. He was dragged into his bedroom. The former placed the cat on the floor, closing and locking the door afterwards. Was that really necessary?

"Mark?" He wasn't really paying attention to the other, since he was in his bed, reaching out for review materials.

"Yeah?" He looked up. The other was slowly approaching him. "Jaebum?"

Jaebum reached the edge of his bed. And soon, the boy started to crawl like a cat. For some reason, he found himself moving back, as the other moved forward.

This wasn't like Jaebum at all. Soon, the other was positioned in-between his legs. He wasn't sure how this happened, but this was very uncomfortable. 

Jaebum was too close, dangerously close. 

"J-Jaebum, what are you doing?"

Without saying anything, Jaebum closed the little gap they had, connecting their lips.

---

Jinyoung was on his way to the Tuan's. Why? To fetch Mark. The redhead was clearly disappointed last night. And, well. Maybe, some sweets would actually make up for that.

Though, he wasn't sure if Mark had a class this early. It was only eight in the morning. What if the redhead was still asleep? That would only irritate the other. He should've thought this through. But, he was already in front of the Tuan's. It couldn't be helped. He exited his car, noticing another one in front of his. Whose car was this? He was sure that this wasn't Jackson's. He quickly