Mark woke slowly, comfortable in the cocoon of his bed. He was so warm and cozy, and he snuggled in closer to the warmth, feeling warm breath heating his ch...

Wait a minute.

Mark opened his eyes to be greeted with the sight of Jackson wrapped around him, softly snoring. Mark was facing Jackson's chest, his head pillowed on Jackson's arm, his hands gripping Jackson's shirt. Mark was so surprised that he froze, staring at Jackson and unable to move, only his heart beating rapidly. How did this happen? The last thing Mark remembers was falling asleep on Yugyeom's shoulder. Clearly, someone carried him to his bed.

Oh. Right. He told Jackson to sleep with him. He practically cried about it. Mark cringed a little at that memory. He hoped Jackson would just laugh it off as the alcohol talking.

Mark wasn't sure what to do. Obviously, Jackson slept in Mark's bed to appease him. He hoped Jackson didn't mind -- Mark would be mortified if Jackson found him weird for asking him to sleep in his bed.

While these thoughts were whirling around in Mark's head, he was staring at the younger boy. Mark couldn't help but admire Jackson's jawline, his pouty lips, his boyish good looks (angelic in sleep), his muscles...

Mark reluctantly pulled away from Jackson. It had only been a week, but Mark already knew what a good person Jackson was. He was his best friend now. Mark couldn't ruin that, not when he'd wanted a best friend for so long. Put those thoughts away, Tuan.

Running a hand through his hair lazily while yawning, Mark quietly opened his door and stepped into the shared living area. It seemed most people had headed back to their own dorms and suites, although BamBam and Yugyeom were still there asleep -- BamBam on the couch and Yugyeom on the floor, both facing each other.

Jinyoung was in the kitchen making coffee while Jaebum was, Mark assumed, still asleep in his bed.

"Hey, Junior," Mark whispered, not wanting to wake the younger boys. He sat down at the kitchen table, covering his hands with the ends of his sleeves.

"Oh, hey, Mark! Coffee will be ready soon." Mark could tell Junior was nursing a hangover -- he wasn't fully opening his eyes. "Once JB gets up, let him get to the coffee before talking to him. He's a complete grouch with a hangover until he gets some java juice."

"Noted." Mark smiled. 

"Hey...you seem to be perfectly fine right now. No hangover?" Junior asked.

"Uh, nope. I feel normal."

"Bastard. I hate you." Junior scowled at Mark. "I feel like I'm dying."

Mark grinned before saying, "It's probably only because I didn't have a lot to drink. Apparently, I'm a lightweight."

"That'll change, if Jackson has anything to say about it. He loves to drink, and he always manages to rope the rest of us into drinking with him."

Mark hummed in agreement -- he already knew too well that if Jackson wanted something, he got it. As if on cue, Jackson appeared in the door way to Mark's room, holding his head as if in pain. Mark buried his face in his arms to muffle his laughter, peeking out to look at the hungover boy once he thought he had himself under control. He felt bad for his hangover, but Jackson looked adorably grumpy like this.

"I know you're laughing at me, Mark Tuan," Jackson said, his voice a little scratchy. "Just know I hate you."

"We all hate him. He's not hungover at all," Jinyoung added.

Jackson's eyes widened at that. "Seriously? Now I really do hate you. You were totally out of it last night! That's it -- we're having another party where we get you hungover so you can feel our pain!"

"That's not very nice of you," Mark said with a taunting smile.

"You don't deserve nice Jackson right now. Junior, is the coffee ready yet? Please tell me the coffee is ready, or I might just kill myself right now."

While the other two tried to douse the pain in their skulls with caffeine, Mark went to wake up the younger boys, knowing they'd want some coffee while it was still hot. BamBam was rather peppy in the morning, but Yugyeom was slow to wake. JB eventually made it out of his room, only giving a passing grunt, before taking the coffee cup from Junior's hands and going back into the darkness of his room.

BamBam went ahead and made scrambled eggs and toast for everyone, making him the savior of the day ("Bless his soul," Jackson repeated over and over), and afterwards all the boys were more or less back to normal -- even JB, who had reappeared from his room at the call of food.

"So what should we do today?" JB questioned, sprawled on the couch with Junior and Mark. BamBam, Jackson, and Yugyeom all sat on the floor, although Jackson kept kicking Mark's feet when he thought Mark wasn't looking. Mark tried his best to hide his smile at the cute antics of the younger boy. He couldn't help but be a little jealous of BamBam though -- he was touching Jackson an awful lot, and Jackson didn't seem to mind at all. Mark wished he could be that free with his affection towards others, even if his affection towards Jackson had different undertones than his affection towards his other friends.

"It's a nice day -- we should probably go outside for a little bit." Junior commented, as though he wasn't entirely convinced his idea was a good one.

"Mmm, I want to play basketball," Mark added.

"Ooh, yeah, basketball!" Jackson and BamBam said at the same time, laughing at their synchronization.

"Just a lazy game, nothing competitive. I'll bring my skateboard, too." Mark let out a big yawn and stretched, arching his back over the couch before rubbing his eyes sleepily. He heard a small strangled noise and a sharp intake of breath. "Guess I better shower first to help wake up."

Everyone was staring at him oddly (and Jackson, rather intensely -- was Yugyeom blushing?) and he stopped rubbing his eyes. "What?" Mark asked with a slight pout.

Junior took the opportunity to shove his foot in Jackson's face while JB just laughed his head off. That seemed to snap Jackson out of his reverie, and Yugyeom's face burned even more red than before. BamBam was wide eyed and smiling when he stood up and pinched Mark's cheeks. "Mark, you are really too cute for all of us." Then BamBam pouted. "How can you be cuter than me?!"

"No one's cuter than you, Bam. Don't worry." Mark chuckled. BamBam just looked back and forth between Yugyeom and Jackson, as if searching for an answer to an unasked question.

"I could help you wake up." Jackson said suddenly with a devilish grin, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Ewww!" came a resounding chorus from the group before they all burst out laughing. Mark knew his face was turning red, but thankfully no one seemed to notice as they had decided to barrage Jackson with couch cushions and pillows for his ridiculous comment.

-------------------------------

Jackson wasn't sure if he was in heaven or hell. 

This is his day so far:

1) Hangover killing his brain

2) Sleeping in Mark's bed, but sadly waking up after him

3) Seeing Mark peeking at him from the cover of his arms, his bed hair so ily mussed up Jackson probably would've done something inappropriate if it hadn't been for said hangover

4) Mark stretching -- no, arching -- over the couch, revealing a tantalizing sliver of stomach (hello, abs) while ing rubbing his eyes like some kind of cat. Yugyeom had also noticed, as he made some strange kind of noise (which Jackson hoped overrode the sound he made) and Jackson wanted to hit him, but at the same time couldn't look away from Mark. Until Junior shoved his nasty foot in his face, that is. Jackson is so getting back at him for that one.

And now Mark was playing basketball, getting sweaty and taking off his ing shirt, and pouring ing water over his head. Jackson was thankful they were taking a break, otherwise he would've tripped over himself while running. He wanted nothing more than to the water off the older boy -- and what the hell, when did Jackson start thinking things like that!? Mark Tuan was either the devil or an angel -- was this torment or pleasure?

Sadly, Mark put his shirt back on after cooling off with the water. Now he was playing one on one with Yugyeom, and Jackson was able to push his jealousy aside for a minute to watch Mark laugh and genuinely enjoy himself. Jackson loved Mark's laugh -- it made the normally quiet boy smile wide and scrunch his eyes cutely. Soon BamBam and JB had joined in for another round, and after a couple more hours they were all spread eagle on the court, panting from their exertion, but happy.

Jackson absolutely lit up inside when he reached for Mark's nearby hand, and Mark smiled at the sky at the contact. It was even better than Mark's earlier awe at Jackson's arm muscles. But then BamBam came over and sat on him, poking and tickling until JB also appeared and dumped his large bottle of ice water right in his face. Jackson only had thoughts of revenge after that.

Later, while walking back to their dorm, dropping off BamBam and Yugyeom along the way (and Jackson almost ripped Yugyeom's arm off for where it was wrapped around Mark's neck in a too-long hug, and Jackson wasn't sure, but BamBam's pat goodbye to him seemed to make Mark's eyes narrow grumpily), Mark stepped up to Jackson and began to fluff his hair back into decent shape. Jackson stood still while Mark worked, taking the time to stare at Mark's face and lips (lord, did he have a thing for Mark's lips) and enjoying the feeling of Mark's fingers in his hair. Jackson grabbed Mark around the waist when he was done, hugging them close together side by side.

Jackson knew he needed to work harder to stay away from Mark, to not let this attraction burn any deeper. He knew he was only going to get hurt again, like last time. He knew it wouldn't end well and then he'd lose a friend -- it's what always happened. He hated to think of Mark hating him, of no longer being friends. It felt like they'd known each other forever, rather than just a week.

But the pull from Mark was so strong, Jackson wasn't sure if he could really resist.

Maybe he'd start trying harder tomorrow.

He was going to enjoy giving in for today.

------------------------

A couple weeks later, Mark was walking toward the Art Hall to meet Youngjae. He had finally agreed to be a model for the art students -- he felt weird doing it, but Youngjae had begged so fervently, and it was just to give them something new (and no required, or he definitely would've said no). Mark had to admit it was a good challenge for himself too -- to survive all eyes on him. He didn't tell the others he was doing it, though. Youngjae still hadn't met his other friends yet, although Mark was hoping that would change soon.

Stepping inside, he spotted Youngjae right away. Youngjae smiled wide, and Mark thought relief flashed across his face. Did he think Mark was going to bail last minute?

"I'm so glad you're doing this for us, Mark. Thanks again. The other students are really happy too."

"No problem, Youngjae."

The younger boy led Mark to a small studio room where the art students were arranging their easels and paper. Youngjae gestured to the chair in the middle to sit, and Mark nervously sat as directed. He just had to stay still, right? That was easy. Mark bit his lip, a nervous habit, and rubbed his hands on his jeans.

"Oh, that's a good pose, Mark! Stay like that, if you can!" Mark could hear a few squeals from some girls in the class, his face turning red at the attention, his teeth worrying his bottom lip even more.

Mark sat still for the next 20 minutes, his face becoming less red as time went on. Mark realized that all he had to do was stare at a fixed point above everyone's heads and it was much easier to handle the stares. The sounds of pencils, chalk, and other materials on the paper was a kind of soothing sound as well.

"Ok guys, let's call that a wrap for now. You okay, Mark? You did really well!" Youngjae said, clearly very happy. The other students milled around, admiring each other's work as well, excited with their new model.

"Yeah, I'm good. That wasn't as bad as I thought."

"So you'll come again next week?" Youngjae asked excitedly.

Mark nodded in affirmation. Youngjae gripped Mark's hands tightly. "Thank you, Mark!"

At that moment, JB's head suddenly appeared in the art room. "Mark?"

"JB? What are you doing here?"

"I overhead someone saying something about you being in the art building, so I came to get you so we could walk back to the dorm together. I didn't think it was true, though. Are you..." JB inspected a couple nearby easels. "Are you modeling for them?"

"Um...yeah. My friend Youngjae asked. Youngjae, this is JB. JB, this is Youngjae, a junior."

Youngjae stuttered out a hello and JB had a strange look on his face as he shook hands with the younger boy.

"Please don't say anything to the others." Mark pleaded.

JB focused back on Mark. "I won't." Mark breathed a sigh of relief. "But you owe me one." Crap.

Mark tried pouting but JB shook his head with a grin. "You're cute, Tuan, but I'm not as easily swayed as Jackson or Junior with that pout. Put it away. It won't work on me." That just made Mark grumble and pout even more.

Youngjae laughed and patted Mark's back. "I'm surprised anyone can resist that pout. If it helps, I totally would've caved."

JB had that odd look on his face again. "Hey, Youngjae, if you aren't busy you should come back with us for dinner. Junior's a great cook."

Mark was surprised. JB rarely invited someone over, especially someone he didn't know. "Ah, I wish I could, but I have to help clean up here. Maybe another time?" Mark smiled at Youngjae. "Of course. You're welcome any time, Youngjae. Although I apologize in advance for Jackson." That just made Youngjae laugh loud again, and JB smiled.

Mark and JB left then to walk back to the dorm, but before they reached the doors Mark was tackled by BamBam, who laughed as he raced around the pair, Jackson chasing the younger boy. "Mark, save me!" BamBam yelled, but Mark could see the mischevious glint in his eyes, so he knew whatever this was, it wasn't serious.

"Don't try to hide behind Mark, you little punk! Get over here and take your punishment like a man!" Jackson yelled, reaching for BamBam around Mark.

Over the past couple weeks, Jackson had been acting hot and cold towards Mark. Mark figured he was just stressed -- Jackson had an important fencing competition coming up -- but he'd seem distant towards Mark for a while, and then suddenly it would be as if Jackson couldn't physically keep himself away from Mark. Jackson was odd like that though, so Mark tried not to let it bother him during Jackson's more distant moments.

It didn't escape his notice, however, that Jackson and BamBam seemed to be spending a lot of time together. It was easy to love BamBam, so Mark wasn't surprised, but Mark couldn't help but let it hurt that Jackson seemed to prefer BamBam's company over Mark's.

At the moment, though, Mark did his best to try to get out of being between the two bickering boys. He knew BamBam was probably the one in the wrong, so he tried to twist his head to find where BamBam was so that he could grab him properly, but before he could find him he felt a sharp pain on the side of his forehead.

Mark hissed through his teeth at the pain, immediately clutching his head, surprised to find wetness there. Clearly, he was bleeding.

"Oh , Mark! I'm so sorry! I didn't expect you to turn that way!" Jackson appeared in his vision, panicked, his hands cupping Mark's face. "It must've been my rings. Oh, , seriously, I'm sorry!"

"It's fine, Jackson. It was an accident." Mark really hated the stinging feeling, and it seemed like it was an awful lot of blood coming from his head. Jackson immediately wrapped an arm around Mark's shoulders and used his free hand to grab Mark's free hand, leading him back into the dorm, BamBam's worried voice following them inside.

After they got Mark cleaned up (just a couple long, shallow gashes above his eyebrow, Mark cringing at the sting of the antiseptic and trying to will his heart to stop beating so loudly when Jackson blew air softly over the wounds), Mark got to enjoy a clingy Jackson evening. They all sat down to watch a movie and Jackson pulled Mark into the seat next to him. Mark couldn't help but rest his head on Jackson's shoulder when he started gently kneading Mark's shoulder muscles, and Mark blamed his head injury when he fell asleep like that. He wasn't awake for the moment when Jackson entwined their hands together tightly, as if someone was going to pull Mark away from him. He wasn't awake for the moment that after everyone left for bed, Jackson settled Mark down on the couch, throwing a blanket over him and lightly kissing the bandaged scratches, reluctantly pulling away. 

Mark wasn't awake for any of it.

He still dreamed of Jackson anyway.