“You didn't like my Insta update,” Mark says, disappointed.

“Your what?” Jinyoung questions, not looking up from his notes.

The two of them are sitting in one of the university's cafes, Mark scrolling through Instagram and Jinyoung flipping through the pages of his notebook. They meet coincidentally, Mark is waiting for Yugyeom so they can go to the skate park, and Jinyoung is stopping by for a quick iced coffee before heading to the library.

Mark invites Jinyoung to sit with him, but really he just wants company until Yugyeom shows up. Plus it gives Mark an opening to try and pry the bespectacled boy away from his books and join Mark at the park. He really wished Jinyoung said yes instead of declining on the basis that he needs to study. As if, Mark knows Jinyoung always scored high marks no matter what.

“My Instagram picture,” Mark says as he s his phone in Jinyoung's face. It's a picture of Mark and his best friend, Jackson, captioned “My mandu,” and it makes Jinyoung frown a little. He looks away before Mark notices.

“Right,” is all Jinyoung says, not really answering Mark's question.

“You didn't like it,” the older boy repeats. He does his best not to pout, but he can't help it. Friends are supposed to like each other's selfies. (He always likes Jinyoung's selcas, all two he has uploaded on his Instagram account.)

Jinyoung makes a halfhearted “mhm” in affirmation. He sighs when Mark starts complaining again.

“Hyung, I don't even use Instagram that often, you and Jaebum hyung made me download it so,” the younger boy pauses, looking at the door, “I'm sorry if I miss one of your updates, or all of them.” He offers a small smile, one that makes Mark feel a little better. Only a little because he knows Jinyoung is lying, he liked Youngjae's picture of a banana like an hour ago. (He doesn't get it, his face is way more attractive than a banana and Jinyoung likes that instead—the blasphemy.) Mark smiles back anyway, just because it's Jinyoung.

“And you should know, hyung,” Jinyoung continues, slowly gathering all of his things. From the corner of Mark's eye he can see Yugyeom approaching the doors of the cafe. “I don't like lying.”

Yugyeom appears next to Jinyoung and before Mark can ask what he means, the youngest of the trio catches Jinyoung in a tight hug.




“Something on your mind, Mark hyung?” Yugyeom asks, plopping down on his skateboard next to where Mark is seated on his own board. Mark had gone to sit under a tree after an hour or so of skating with him, leaving Yugyeom to ride around the park by himself. Of course he knew some of the people there, but the whole point was to hang out with Mark.

The other is staring intently at his phone, swiping up and down the screen with a neutral expression on his face. He rests his chin on the palm of his hand, looking at Mark with an easy smile on his face.

Until he realizes the older boy isn't going to respond to him.

So he leans over and peeks over Mark's shoulder to see what captured his hyung's attention so firmly.

Yugyeom rolls his eyes when he finds the other boy scrolling through Instagram again. (Though he can't blame him, social networking is the only way Mark keeps in contact with his friends in the States.) But still, it's a little ridiculous how many times the younger boy has caught Mark on his phone, scrolling and double tapping at the screen like a kid at an aquarium.

It's mostly Jackson and Bambam's updates, pictures of them individually or together. Mark's best friend and Yugyeom's best friend respectively made a really strange pair, but Yugyeom supposes the short ones have to stick together. Mark's in the middle of liking the duo's joint updates when Yugyeom pops a question.

“Hyung, can we take a selca too?” It's an innocent request, Yugyeom just hopes Mark hears him. He doesn't, not really anyway. Mark looks up with his mouth hanging open, an intelligent “huh?” leaving his lips. The younger boy can't help laughing at the dumb expression on his hyung's face, almost falling backwards off his board. It's when he starts doing that thing where he claps his hands and bends over laughing that Mark shoves his shoulder and tells him to knock it off. Yugyeom knows he doesn't mean it, he can see the smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.

“I said,” He starts after regaining his breath, “Let's take a selca together!” Yugyeom's already scooting over, throwing an arm around Mark's shoulder and daring him to say no. It's hard to refuse the youngest, and Yugyeom knows it.

Mark doesn't question it and just grins and gets his phone ready, switching on the front camera and finding the right angle to catch both him and Yugyeom. Matching smiles and “V” signs, he snaps the picture. Up on Instagram it goes.

My baby!



“What's with the sudden urge to take a picture with your hyung for?” Mark finally asks while they're walking back to the direction of the dorms and Yugyeom's home, skateboards tucked under their arms. “Not that I mind, but isn't the whole selfie thing more Bambam's thing?”

His question is met with a shrug. “I guess it rubbed off on me, I'm around him almost 24/7! Plus, Jinyoung hyung always takes a picture when we hang out, so I thought maybe I should do it with my other favorite hyung too,” Yugyeom says.

“So I'm your favorite, huh?” Mark bumps into Yugyeom playfully, laughing when the taller of the two stumbles and sends Mark a weak glare. “Other favorite, or nevermind, I take it back. Jinyoungie hyung is the only one for me.”

“Hey, hey, no need to be so hasty,” Mark hooks an arm around Yugyeom's shoulder, almost dragging him along, “We can be one happy family, you and your two favorite hyungs.” (In all honesty, Mark wouldn't mind being in a family with Jinyoung—as long as they weren't related or something. That'd be weird.) Yugyeom rolls his eyes, smiling anyway.

“You'd make a terrible dad.”

“Take that back or I'm telling your mom.”

“Like hyung would even believe you, he likes me better!” Yugyeom shakes Mark's arm off him and runs forward, sliding on his skateboard and riding off without Mark. The sound of laughter follows the two skaters the rest of the way back.




Mark sighs again, slumping over the table, attracting the attention of almost-best-friend-status Im Jaebum.

“What's up with you? You've been sighing for the past half hour,” he comments, giving Mark's pitiful position a once over. Jaebum already has to deal with Jackson's dramatics, he doesn't need more on his plate.

“Why doesn't Jinyoung go on Instagram,” Mark whines, burrowing his face in his arms, his phone open on Instagram user pepi_jr's page. Jaebum shoots him a look of disbelief.

“I don't use it often either and you're complaining about Jinyoung,” he scoffs. Now it's Mark's turn to give Jaebum a look. “Says the guy that takes pictures of the sky and adds some tacky love song lyric in the caption all the time.”

“Whatever, if you're so curious why don't you ask Jinyoung or something? I'm not his mom,” Jaebum says, ignoring Mark's comment about his Instagram. It's deep and more aesthetically pleasing than a bunch of selcas. He knows where this story is going, he's heard enough from Jinyoung whining to him about “ Mark hyung taking pictures with everyone but him,” and “Mark hyung is an idiot.”

“You know what, I will, and I'll tell him that he has a ty best friend,” Mark sits up, with a renewed sense of determination, and texts Jinyoung to ask where he is.

“Better than a ty love interest that doesn't even notice him,” Jaebum mumbles, deciding to send Jackson a message since Mark had his epiphany that wow maybe he should go ask the person his question was about rather than asking everyone else. He'll go hang out with Mark's best friend while Mark steals Jaebum's.

“What?” The other boy asks, not paying full attention to Jaebum, more concerned with replying to Jinyoung. He catches “love interest,” but shakes his head. He must've heard wrong, it doesn't even make sense.

“God, you're both so dumb.”

“You almost failed chemistry by setting your partner on fire with a bunsen burner.” Mark grins when Jinyoung agrees to meet him at his dorm in ten minutes. He doesn't catch the part where Jaebum said “both.”

“It was an accident and I didn't fail, and that was two years ago,” Jaebum corrects, not appreciating Mark bringing up that unfortunate moment of his life. He remembers seeing more of that guy than he liked to. “It still doesn't dismiss that fact that you're dumb.”

“Whatever, I'm gonna go now,” The other boy says, slinging his bag over his shoulder, “I'll see you later!” Jaebum barely has the chance to say bye when Mark's already walking out the door, clapping Jackson, who is walking in, on the shoulder on his way out. His roommate has no clue what just happened, and gives Jaebum a questioning look.

“Gonna go get his man,” is the simple reply. A look of understanding washes over Jackson's face as he nods.

“Cool, let's go shopping,” Jackson says, pulling Jaebum out of his chair and out the door by the wrist. “I've been getting new hat tingles.” And Jaebum thinks, why is he surrounded by morons.




“Hey,” Mark calls out, nearing his dorm room. Jinyoung's standing off to the side, playing on his phone. Probably Cookie Run or something, Mark knows Jinyoung's a er for games with cute graphics. He grins when Jinyoung looks up, his startled face being one of the cutest expressions Mark has ever seen. Jinyoung's like a baby bird, and Mark mentally laughs every time he thinks about it.

“Hyung,” Jinyoung smiles, when the older boy finally reaches him, “hey.”

Mark keys in, unlocking the door and ushering Jinyoung in. He drops his bag by his desk and turns on the air conditioner. Jinyoung doesn't know what to do with himself, despite the mount of times he's been over, but settles on sitting on the corner of Jackson's bed when Mark flops on his own. A t-shirt falls off the bed and onto the floor, adding to the splendid theme of college boy that doesn't know what a broom is.

“What did you ask me over for?” Jinyoung asks, watching Mark flip over on his back to face him. Mark doesn't think being honest will make him look not crazy. Because telling your friend to come over to ask him about something as trivial as Instagram is a little crazy. Maybe a lot, but he's sure Jinyoung will cut him some slack.

“Nothing too important, I just had a question, and I guess I just wanted to hang out,” he settles on saying, making it sound as casual as possible, “Unless you want to do something else?”

Jinyoung shakes his head, “No, that's fine. We haven't hung out in a while!”

“Because someone always says they have to study,” Mark replies, a smirk on his face when Jinyoung huffs. “Anyway,” Jinyoung starts to change the subject, “What did you want to ask me?” He crosses one leg over the other and leans forward, hand on his chin, staring at Mark.

But Mark doesn't know how to ask, because the more he thinks about it the more stupid it seems. Why does it matter if Jinyoung uses Instagram or not, he sees him almost every day, and what if he doesn't like Mark's pictures.....He's unconsciously tossing his phone around when Jinyoung sighs.

“Is this about Instagram or whatever again?” Mark's hand stills and his phone narrowly misses his face and lands on the pillow. He sits up and looks at Jinyoung with an incredulous expression on his face.

“Am I right?” He asks, not looking surprised at all. Mark just blinks and wonders if Jinyoung could read minds or something. The younger boy sighs again, “If you're wondering, Jaebum hyung was complaining that Jackson was complaining to him that you kept complaining to him about me, and that I should take responsibility or something.” He waves it off like it isn't a big deal, and Mark feels even dumber for thinking so much about it. And he should have known Jackson would open his mouth.

Mark still doesn't say anything, not wanting to actually hear himself ask and embarrass himself. Things are a little awkward now, he's not looking at Jinyoung but he can feel the other's eyes on him. If he did look up, though, he would see that Jinyoung isn't looking at him with an annoyed expression, or a pitiful expression, but more of a curious and sympathetic expression. Truthfully, he's a little bothered by something Instagram related too.

“Hyung,” Jinyoung calls out, trying to get Mark to look up, “remember what I said when you were talking to me about your picture?” The other boy nods, choosing to fiddle with his phone again.

“Did you get what I mean?” Mark has to think back to what he said, something about not liking to lie, and Mark remembers being confused. He still is, so he shakes his head, no. He looks up and is pleasantly surprised when Jinyoung's the one looking away, cheeks looking a little pink.

“Uhm, well, you see..” He starts to explain, and Mark doesn't take his eyes off the boy in front of him. “I meant that I, well, it would be a lie if I “liked” something when I—”

“When you don't really like it,” it finally dawns on Mark. Jinyoung slowly nods. “But if you're really bothered by it I'll—”

Mark cuts him off again, which earns him an unimpressed look from the younger boy. “Why?” He tries not to grin when Jinyoung gets visibly redder.

“Why what?” Jinyoung turns his attention to the loose thread on Jackson's blanket, tugging at it and not looking up at Mark.

“Why don't you like it?” He feels strangely giddy, slowly realizing why Jinyoung never really liked his selcas, especially since he was always with another person.

“B-because Jackson's face offends me,” Jinyoung stutters out, mentally kicking himself for stuttering. This isn't fair, he thinks. The conversation was definitely not supposed to turn out like this.

“Then what about my picture with Yugyeom? I know you like Yugyeom so why..?” Mark is starting to grin, throwing his legs off the bed to face Jinyoung properly. He watches as Jinyoung covers his face with his hands, tips of his ears bright red, and lets out a strangled cry. “Could it be...” Mark slowly gets up, “That you're jealous?”

He tackles Jinyoung backwards onto Jackson's bed and pulls Jinyoung's hands away from his face, pining them to the side of his head. Mark's looking down at Jinyoung with the widest -eating grin ever and Jinyoung wants to punch him.

“Idiot,” the younger nearly shouts, “you can't figure out what I said a week ago but you get this in like five seconds, idiot hyung! Stupid, idiot hyung!” He tries to sound mad, but ends up laughing at how ridiculous everything ended up. Mark laughs too, because Jinyoung is strangely cute when he tries to be mad, and because he's finally figured everything out. But there's still something he'd like answered...

Mark doesn't get up when they stop laughing, not even when Jinyoung's giving him weird looks and telling him that he won't hesitate to call the police on Mark. (He knows Jinyoung won't.)

“Why are you jealous, hm?” He cuts Jinyoung off in the middle of his I'm-going-to-friend-breakup-with-you speech, and leans down just a little closer, so much that he can see his own reflection in Jinyoung's eyes.

“W-what?”

“You heard me,” it almost comes out as a whisper, as Mark moves his face closer. Jinyoung can tell where the situation is going, and fights the urge to roll his eyes at the clicheness of it all.

“Are you really going to make me say it?”

There's a twinkle in Mark's eyes when he smiles, almost sparkling in excitement. He's been waiting to hear it for so long, and he can hardly believe he didn't notice earlier. He nods and this time Jinyoung really does roll his eyes.

“Because,” Jinyoung's looking down again, and with how close mark is, he can see how his cheeks gradually turn red, “I like you.” It comes out much quieter and softer than a whisper, but Mark catches it regardless.

“Good,” he says, closing his eyes when Jinyoung's widen, “because I like you too.” And he closes the small gap between them.



Jinyoung doesn't notice when one of his wrists is free, or when the hand that was keeping said wrist pinned grabs Mark's phone and snaps a picture. Later on when he's leaning against Mark's side and playing a game, he notices an Instagram notification.

Mark nearly gets shoved off the bed and Jinyoung moves to hide his face in one of the pillows. (He double taps the photo, though.)

My number one❤




“Hey, isn't that your bed?” Jaebum asks, showing Jackson a picture on Instagram.

“It's like Mark wants me to move the toilet sign to his bed, it's subliminal messaging, I'm sure of it.”