Chap 3: Taking care of you

Exams were coming every week since they were now at senior year. Our boys were up to their ears in studying, homework. More staying up at nights, less hanging out and joking around. Even Mark, the sleeping one in class, had to fight his sleepiness to pay attention.

Today was no exception. They were having History and Mark swore it was the least interesting subject ever. He couldn’t hold it anymore. He felt like in a minute, he would collapse on the table and fell into sleep. At last, he gave up, thinking that dozing off for a minute or two wouldn’t cause much different.

But he didn’t get his way as a paper ball was threw towards his head. “Ouch” -Mark groaned slightly, turned his head and glared at the not-so-innocent boy sitting one table away. JinYoung pretended like nothing happened, still glued to the book. Mark picked up the paper and unwrapped it.

“Weirdo, stay awake. I’m not giving you my book to re-note everything AGAIN!”

Mark chuckled but he kept a cold face so that JinYoung wouldn’t notice. When the teacher turned to face the board, the red hair threw back the paper to his friend.

“Weirdo, isn’t that your duty? Letting me borrow your notes?”

Without looking, Mark could tell the black hair was pouting cutely right now, like he always did whenever he couldn’t argue with Mark. Still, the red hair couldn’t turn his focus back to the lecture though he didn’t feel sleepy anymore. His eyes wandered outside the window. Mark thought about his date with Yumi later this afternoon. He was having a headache on where to take her out, what movie they should watch.

He let out a sigh. Dating girls was sometimes tiring. It wasn’t like he had not dated anyone before. He actually always got the hot ones in school. He was the quiet type but somehow with his popularity, he tended to date popular girls too. As people would say they look good together? Mark wondered if he ever considered those gossips important… Maybe he did… You could say that the red hair was used to being the spot of attention of the school already.

He turned around, just to saw YuGyeom and BamBam drooled on the table when they were sleeping. He took a glance at JinYoung who was still , and probably the only one in class, listening and noting down what the teacher said. Mark smiled as he recalled their hangout few times ago.

The break bell rang and the students could never have been happier. They rushed out of class and Mark woke up the other two behind him.

“Hey, wake up. Let’s visit Jaebum and YoungJae’s class.” -he said excitedly.

“Ah, wae, it’s exam week, they must be studying their heads off like us. Lemme rest.” - BamBam whined and scratched his head.

“Mark’s right. It’s been weeks since we talked cause we’ve been so busy. We don’t have any important subject today either.” -JinYoung walked over from the other desk and agreed.

“But I’m tired.” -YuGyeom still refused to open his eyes.

“Oh common, it’s not like you were studying at all.” -Mark squished the big boy’s face and did a little aegyo. And both BamBam and JinYoung bursted out laughing. Aegyo Mark? Wow that was new? But a sparkle shone inside the black hair’s eyes when he saw how weirdly clingy the red hair was today. It was cute though, really cute.

“Okay, okay” -YuGyeom finally gave up and stood up. Four of them raced to the next class. YoungJae and JaeBum , as expected was sitting together doing their exercise.

“Hello, ~~” -JaeBum screamed loudly and quickly ran to his friends. YoungJae followed as he pulled Mark on one arm and JinYoung on the other to his seat. “Finally you boys came! We thought you forgot us already.”

“Smart !” -BamBam hissed and sat down as well. - “We are busy as you guys are okay? And remind me again why it is always us who have to go visit you guys, not the other way round? Ouch!” -the last hiss was because JaeBum flicked on the cute boy’s head.

“Because there are only us two here, we feel more lonely ~” -both of them nodded in agreement.

JinYoung sat beside Mark with YoungJae on the left of him as well. They started talking loudly and quickly to catch up with the weeks they have missed on. Mark always felt happy when being around his friend like this. And it surely made him became more different than usual.

“Do you know how tired I am right now?” -the black hair yawned and lay on the desk, eyes closed slightly. JaeBum sitting acrossed sympathized with his friend so he caressed JinYoung’s hair gently, like a puppy. “Poor you” -he said.

Mark wasn’t paying any intention. He was still busy poking on YuGyeom’s cheek and laughed at how clumsy the big boy was, having spilled water on YoungJae’s backpack.  “History is so boring but I have to take every notes carefully just because ‘someone’ said it was my duty to let him copy those.”

And the sentence caught the red hair’s ear. “Hey!” He frowned at the tiring boy. JinYoung seemed like he fell asleep already but Mark knew better. So he quietly slashed JaeBum’s hand away and placed his hand on the other’s head and patted gently. “What I said was true though, right guys? What’s the point of having a smart friend when you can’t use him?”

The words he said sent all of them laughing. JinYoung, who had no idea that he was being gently taken care of by Mark, sulked when his eyes were still close. “Oh, what a great friend I have, only know how to use me….” -he mumbled and pouted. The red hair found it so funny, and this was why he could never stop teasing JinYoung, though every one of their friends know how considerate he was to the black hair. Just like now when he was making JinYoung sulk but at the same time, quietly soothing the other.

YoungJae smiled knowingly at how Mark and JinYoung always bickered but however remained bestfriend. So the eyesmile decided to turn thing up a little by tickling JinYoung and woke him up.

“Aish, YoungJae!!!” -the black hair cried but jotled up. And right then, he saw Mark’s hand was the one which took care of him all that time.

“Aww Mark!” - he squealed and tried to hug the red hair but Mark simply slided away.

“You weirdo!!” -the boy stuck out his tongue but laughed eventually as the boys in group take side to pressed him back to seat, not letting him getting away.

“Oh come on! I know you love me!” -the words came out of JinYoung’s mouth were nothing but a joke. Even JaeBum, YoungJae, YuGyeom and BamBam didn’t find it weird. JinYoung was the clingy and affectionate boy. It was normal of him to say that. It wasn’t like he had not said it to any of them before.

But to Mark it was shocking. And a blush naturally crept up on his face as he froze right there, letting his guards off. However, JinYoung still thought he was gonna avoided the black hair’s skinship as always so he didn’t hesitate to move forward, wrapping his arms around Mark and planted a kiss on the red hair’s cheeks.

Both were surprised. JinYoung let go immediately and covered his mouth. “Mark, I … didn’t mean to….” -he knew the red hair was never fond of this type of skinship. Today he was easier than usual but that didn’t mean getting a kiss from his friend, a boy, would not shock him. His face turned as red as a tomato. Mark stood up, his eyes glued to the ground as he walked away without saying anything.

“Why did you do that? You know Mark disgusted all of this skinship.” -YuGyeom complained, looking worriedly towards where Mark’s left.

“I didn’t do that on purpose. Usually, he would avoid it already. How am I to know he froze there just on time.” -JinYoung protested. - “He is always this thick. You guys never have problems when I do that to you, right?” -he said and planted a usual kiss on BamBam’s cheek while the said boy just chuckled heartily.

“The thing is you are always this clingy when Mark is clearly not that type. I wonder how you two are best friends though.Or maybe you should kiss him more often then he’ll get used to it” -YoungJae pointed out just when the bell rang again as their classes came back.

“More often?” -JinYoung wondered with a mischievous smile on his face.

*

At the end, Mark’s date with Yumi that afternoon got cancelled. Partly because he was not in the mood but mostly because it started to rain as soon as their classes ended. Mark grabbed his stuff and dashed out of the room, ignored JinYoung’s apology to him. He didn’t know what to react if he had to talked to the black hair. He wasn’t really mad, but at the same time more like embarrassed. Then there was this unfamiliar type of feeling. The beating in his heart of nervousness as he recalled all eyes was on him when JinYoung kissed his cheeks.

Mark shook his head and wiped the rain splashing on his face as he rode home without a raincoat whatsoever. “This weirdo….” -the red hair sighed. Maybe they would talk again normally tomorrow. And no one would remember this incident. Yes. They have to forget about this. Or else , I would burying my head in the ground for the rest of my school year. It couldn’t be that bad right?

He remembered JinYoung performing skinship with each of their friends. Kisses, hugs, holding hands as well. Mark never used to doing that publicly,especially when they were both boys, it was always weird to Mark.

He arrived home without realizing the time. His body was soaking wet and even before stepping inside, he could hear his mom nagging already. Suddenly, he felt tired, and exhausted, freezing cold but his body was scorching hot. After this, Mark thought he should never think too much again. It always led to this. A fever.

*

“How was your day, sweetheart?” - a messaged already popped up on his screen when JinYoung reached home. He put his bag down and answered.

“Tiring. I rarely had time for you know right? I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. You and the boys must be preparing for exams right? How are they anyway? They never contact me!”- from the way he said, JinYoung could tell his lover was a little self-centered.

“Cause they know if anything happened to you, they would know by me first. They are such jerks they keep teasing your poor boyfriend everyday.” - from the other place across the world, Jackson could tell JinYoung was putting on his signature pout.

“Especially Mark right?” -he replied, knowing too well JinYoung would move on to complain about Mark as their next topic, as always.

“Well, Mark was kinda mad at me today.”

“Why?”

And it was then when JinYoung paused his typing. Should he tell Jackson that he accidentally kissed Mark? His boyfriend already knew he kept kissing his other friends around. But not Mark….Jackson never knew JinYoung kissed Mark. It was new, and shocking, and probably shouldn’t be told.

Jackson wasn’t the jealous type. But the black hair guessed he shouldn’t push the lines. And it’s confirmed that Jackson felt different when JinYoung was with Mark than others. So the Korean boy decided to lie. A little white lie.

“Silly things. Nevermind...We’ll make up eventually.” -and while typing that JinYoung meant it himself. He and Mark could never be angry at each other for long.

After a few hours chatting, Jackson went to sleep as his timezone was different. JinYoung then picked up his phone and dialed Mark’s number. It is weird, the way  the red hair acted this morning, and the fact that he had not called JinYoung to make up yet.

He heard a long ring but no one answered. He pressed re-dial again and again, started to get worried. Finally, a woman picked up.

“JinYoungie? It’s me , Mark’s mom.” -she said and the black hair quickly greeted her politely.

“Can I ask where Mark is?” - JinYoung continued. And he got his answer right away when a groan was heard on the other line. The black hair boy glanced out of the window as rain was still pouring hard. He finally understood.- “He’s sick right? Can I come over?” -he suggested without any hesitation. Mark’s mom agreed.

JinYoung put his phone down, changed his clothes quickly, grabbed a raincoat and rode his bike to Mark’s house. It was always like this. It has long become a habit. Of Mark to take care of JinYoung silently. Of JinYoung running to Mark whenever the red hair needed. It has become their nature instinct, something that had developed deep inside that they didn’t even know…...or maybe just yet to realize how important those feelings were.

A/N: This chapter was at the same length with the other 2, still it felt short too me :(( Will make it up to you guys on the next chap! Thank you for your comments and subscribe! <3