“Jackson just answer your phone already! It’s disrupting practice!”

“Sorry Coach!”

Jackson rushed over to his bag and slipped out his phone quickly, going to hang up whoever kept contacting him when he saw it was Bambam. He was going to press the hang up button but he felt too guilty to do so.

“Bammie, I’m in the middle of practice can it wait-”

“MARK HYUNG IS IN THE HOSPITAL!”

“-til-What, What?! WHAT?!”

“We-”

“ Where are you what hospital what happened oh my god areyouokayisheokay -”

“JACKSON HYUNG SPEAK IN KOREAN OR ENGLISH I DON’T UNDERSTAND CHINESE!”

Jackson swore and took a breath. He told Bambam he was going to put the phone down for a few moments before he started to strip out of his fencing armor faster than he’s ever done before. He turned to face his coach who was walking over, frowning.

“Jackson-”

“Coach, I’m sorry I have to go, Yien is in the hospital I have to go-” He said quickly, shoving the rest of his stuff in his duffel bag, uncaring, slipping out of his shoes and into sneakers.

“What? Go, go!” Coach shooed him. “Update me later.”

Jackson nodded before he grabbed his phone and ran out of the gym.

-

Jackson rushed through the hospital, legs tensing as he tried not to break out of a full sprint in the middle of the hallway.

He reached the ward where Bambam said they were at and stepped inside, scanning the room quickly, trying not to peek into curtains too carelessly, trying to respect other patients’ privacy. His head turned and motion was caught in his periphery, he turned and saw Bambam waving him towards him. Jackson sped walked towards him, rushing into the room Bambam pointed only to find Mark on the bed, arms crossed and making a face.

He was sitting, looking perfectly fine and unimpressed. He looked up when Jackson burst in and dropped his duffel bag on the floor; he turned to Bambam. “Bammie! You called Jackson!?”

“Hyuuuuuuung,” he whined, “I was freaking out okay!”   

Jackson let out a shaky breath, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He walked forward briskly and stood between Mark’s legs, cupping his face. “Are you okay? What happened? Why are you guys in the hospital?”

Mark glanced up at him sheepishly and moved to brush his bangs behind his ear when Jackson caught his hand.

“What happened to your hand?!”

Mark froze and smiled at him a little sheepish. “I ahh..might have punched a few people…” He glanced at Bambam before he turned back to Jackson. “That’s why we’re here, to check that nothing’s wrong with my hand and to...decide if we want to file a statement.”

“Statement? Statement for what?” Bambam fidgeted in place when Jackson kept questioning.

“The….guys….who I beat up are here. They were harassing us and I just kinda…,” Mark made a dismissive motion with his other hand.

“Don’t lie hyung!” Bambam pouted, teary eyed. Mark patted the spot next to him and Bambam crawled into the space next to him, grabbing his arm and burrowing in his shoulder. He glanced at Jackson, lips wibbling. “A few guys were just saying some stuff about me when I was walking with Mark hyung a while ago and he got mad and the other guys started getting more mad and suddenly Mark hyung was kicking their asses but then I saw a little bit of blood on Mark hyung’s hand and I thought he got hurt-”

Jackson glanced to Mark who shook his head minutely, arm now around Bambam, and mouthed “just split knuckles” at him.

“-and he got hurt because of me! And that’s not fair! I felt so bad and I freaked out and I called you cause I didn’t know what else to do and then suddenly campus security was there and the police and an ambulance came to take the guys away and ask Mark hyung and me what happened and I don’t know what to do-”

“Bammie, breathe,” Mark said, moving his arm from Bambam’s hold to pat him on the back.

Bambam turned and threw himself more against Mark, clinging to him. “I didn’t even do anything! Hyung! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!-”

“No no no! Bammie…,: Mark sighed, wiping Bambam’s eyes gently with the tissue Jackson handed him, minding his makeup.

“It’s-it’s waterproof,” Bambam blubbered, crying and sob-laughing at the same time. His lips twitched when he heard Jackson and Mark chuckle, still slightly sniffling.

“Bammie, it’s okay,” Mark reassured him, brushing a hand through Bambam’s hair. Jackson held out a hand and Bambam grabbed at it, leaning against Mark as Jackson squeezed his fingers. “I got hurt because I was stupid and lost my temper, okay? Not because of you. If anything it was for you, but I think now that everything has calmed down we-I should have just kept walking no matter how mean the comments they made were.”

Bambam pouted at him and right when he opened his mouth, Jackson interrupted. “Mark is right Bammie, he got hurt cuz of his actions and besides, the guys probably deserved it if he got mad enough to kick someone’s , right?”

“I guess…” Bambam trailed off, before he snorted wetly. “I’m surprised those fools didn’t their pants when Mark hyung got angry angry; he’s scary when he’s angry.”

Mark flicked him on the forehead. “No I’m not you brat!”

“Ow! Yes, you are hyung!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Noooooope!”

“Tell that to the broken air condition and that one laptop!” Bambam said, sticking out his tongue.

“....Touche…”

Jackson glanced back and forth between the two of them. “What are you guys talking about?”

Mark and Bambam looked at each other with wide eyed stares that belonged to the faces of children who got caught with their hands in the cookie jar before they turned to Jackson, eyes a little too doe-ful wide and grins a little too innocent as they answered simultaneously. “Nothing!”