A/N: Yes, another markjin. Don't worry, the next one won't be (though I'm sure you markjin shippers don't mind this xD). Prompt was daycare AU.

“Hyung hyung let’s gooooo,” Bambam was pounding on the door to Mark’s bedroom and Mark let out a slight groan, trying to pull on his socks at top speed.

“We’ve still got at least half an hour before we need to leave, Bambam,” Mark finally stood, opening his door to be met with the pouty face of his younger brother.

“But Jinyoung-hyung said he’d build a tower with me today! I want to get there fastly!” Bambam was now tugging on Mark’s shirt, pulling him down the hallway. “Let’s go let’s go!”

“First off, it’s either you want to get there fast or you want to get there quickly. Fastly isn’t a word,” Mark corrected as he was dragged down the hallway. “Second, who’s this Jinyoung-hyung? You’ve been talking about him nonstop lately.”

“He’s one of the hyungs there! Usually he’s there in the afternoon, but this week he’s there all day! That’s why I want fastly!”

Mark shot Bambam a look.

“What did I just tell you?”

“Ummmm, quickly?” Bambam corrected himself, earning an approving smile from Mark.

“Jinyoung-hyung is my faaaavorite.”

“Ok, ok, let’s go,” Mark relented as Bambam whooped. “Make sure you remember your gloves and hat and scarf, it’s cold today.”

It was winter break for the two siblings, and Mark was tasked with taking care of his four-and-a-half year old brother while their parents were out of town. They would be back in time for Christmas, but in the meantime Bambam was 100% Mark’s responsibility, which included taking Bambam to and from daycare.

Fortunately, the bus ride was a short one, and before long they were at Bambam’s daycare.

“JINYOUNG HYUNG!” Bambam yelled the moment they stepped inside.

“Inside voice please, Bambam. Even though you’re the first one here let’s still follow the rules, okay? But I’m glad you’re so excited to see me!”

Mark looked to his right to see a smiling male, probably about his age, greet Bambam. Bambam immediately launched himself at said male.

“Sorry hyung,” Bambam whispered loudly as he clung to Jinyoung’s legs, prompting an amused laugh.

“You must be Jinyoung,” Mark greeted as he stepped closer. “I’m Mark, Bambam’s brother. I’ve heard a lot about you, Bam’s always talking about you.”

“Ahhh, yes I remember your parents are out of town this week, right? And I’ve heard quite a bit about you too, Bambam’s always talking about how he wants to grow up just like his awesome older brother. Isn’t that right, Bambam?” Jinyoung teased as he ruffled Bambam’s hair fondly, who giggled in response.

Mark found himself unable to tear his eyes away from Jinyoung’s smile; the way his eyes crinkled and laugh sounded was contagious, making Mark grin himself involuntarily.

“Bambam, how about you go get the blocks out? I’m gonna help your brother sign you in, okay? I’ll be there in just a second.”

“Okay,” Bambam let go of Jinyoung’s legs reluctantly, but immediately dashed over to the toy bins.

Jinyoung led Mark over to the sign-in table, pointing out where he would need to fill in the times and sign.

“Are you a student, then? Bambam mentioned you usually worked afternoons only. He was so excited about you working all day we left half an hour early,” Mark laughed as he penned in the times.

“Oh really?” Jinyoung chuckled. “Yeah I’m in 11^th grade, I usually come here after school but I figured I could work more during break.”

“Aahh. I’m in 12^th.” Mark scrawled his initials then put down the pen.

There was a slight awkward pause as Mark racked his brains for something else to say, but thankfully Jinyoung beat him to it.

“What are your plans for the day? Do you work?”

“Nah,” Mark rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I don’t really have a job. I’m probably just gonna sit at home all day, to be honest. I actually offered to babysit Bambam this week since I didn’t really have anything going on, but our parents thought it would still be best for Bambam to come and interact with other kids.”

Jinyoung nodded. “That’s good. And Bambam really gets along well with the other kids.”
“That’s good to know, though I figured. Bambam’s a pretty outgoing kid.”

“Yeah, he definitely is!” Jinyoung agreed. “He’s always bursting with energy!”

Another awkward pause followed and Mark shifted slightly from foot to foot; for some reason he didn’t want to leave yet.

“Jinyoung hyunggggg you’re so slow!” Bambam called from the other side of the room and Mark exhaled in relief; he was saved from the awkward silence.

“Aahhh sorry Bambam, I’m coming!” Jinyoung called back apologetically, already walking over.

“Mark hyung Mark hyung can you play with us? Please?” Bambam now turned his attention to Mark.

“Uhhhh, I don’t think I should…”

“You can stay for a bit if you want,” Jinyoung offered. “Usually we don’t let parents hang around because some parents tend to hover, ya know? But we won’t be busy yet for another half hour and I don’t mind.”

“Oh, sure then. I’ll stay for half an hour.”

~~

Somehow “staying for half an hour” became a daily routine.

Mark never really saw himself as a “kid person,” so he was amazed by the way Jinyoung handled the children. His patience was incredible and he was always energetic, always ready to jump in and play with the kids. All the children seemed to love him, and even the shyer ones became completely open around Jinyoung. Mark felt as if he could just sit and watch Jinyoung interact with the kids all day, the gentle smile on his face stirring something deep in Mark’s heart, something paternal, and a warm and fuzzy feeling filled his chest.

But what was most obvious was that Jinyoung truly cared for each and every child. He wasn’t there for the money, for the job experience. Jinyoung genuinely loved every one of them, and Mark found himself being infected by Jinyoung’s kindness, wishing for himself to become a better person.

And perhaps he’d really been infected. Mark found himself growing fond of the few kids he played with in the mornings, becoming especially attached to a shy, adorably fluffy little boy named Youngjae. His parents always dropped him off soon after Bambam arrived, and Mark found himself doing puzzles with him each morning.

“Hmmm, seems like we need a green piece here…can you find it?” Mark prompted.

“Here!” Youngjae clapped his hands together happily after setting the piece into place.

Before long the puzzle was completed, revealing the image of a cute tabby cat, and Youngjae was grinning so widely Mark thought he would burst with pride.

“Jinyoung hyung! Look what we did!” Youngjae was now running full speed on his short little legs towards Bambam and Jinyoung who were building with blocks as usual on the far side of the wall. “We made a cat!”

“Be careful Youngjae!” Mark called out in alarm, pushing himself up to follow the eager child but it was already too late. Youngjae’s feet slipped on the carpet and his momentum carried him forward, leading him to face-plant hard, his arms not coming down in time to break his fall.

“Youngjae!”

Somehow, Jinyoung made it to the little boy even before Mark, and by the time Mark had knelt down beside him Jinyoung was already cradling him in his arms.

Mark winced as he saw two matching floor burns on each of Youngjae’s cheeks, but thankfully they didn’t seem too serious and nothing seemed broken.

Youngjae, however, was inconsolable as his face scrunched up, heartbreaking wails echoing in the almost empty daycare center.

“Oh, honey,” Jinyoung pulled Youngjae into a secure but careful hug, one hand coming up to cup the back of his head. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m here and you’re okay. You’re okay, I promise. I’ve got you.”

Jinyoung’s hand moved down from Youngjae’s head to now rub his back in soothing circles, the comforting words never stopping.

“I know it hurts, it must hurt, huh? You’re such a strong boy, Youngjae, you’re so so so strong. You’re okay, you’re okay,” he cooed. “I’ve got you.”

Mark watched with awe as the Youngjae’s sobs slowed to hiccups, and then even the hiccups nearly stopped within a minute. Mark suddenly felt useless as he just knelt there, doing nothing to help.

Jinyoung finally pulled Youngjae away from his chest, not caring a single bit about the tears and snot now covering the front of his shirt. He leaned forward, planting a light kiss on each cheek beside each wound.

“Let’s put band-aids on these, okay?” Jinyoung said as he scooped Youngjae up. “You said you like puppies, right? Let’s see if we can find some puppy band-aids for you.”

Mark’s jaw nearly dropped when Youngjae giggled. Granted, it was a weak, slightly choked up giggle, but it was a giggle nonetheless.

“How do you do that?” Mark asked Jinyoung ten minutes later, still awestruck as they watched Bambam and Youngjae playing together with the new arrival, Yugyeom. Youngjae seemed perfectly fine now, two round band-aids with puppies on them now decorating his cheeks. “It takes me hours to calm Bambam down once he starts crying.”

Jinyoung shrugged, but a pleased smile gave away his pride. “I just know what to say, I guess.”

“You’re incredible.” Mark insisted.

Now Jinyoung was embarrassed, a barely perceptible flush creeping up his neck.

“Not really. I’ve just had a lot of experience I guess. And I love kids.” The last sentence came out as a content sigh, Jinyoung’s eyes lighting up just talking about his love for kids. He turned to look at Mark, smile turning into a grin. “And you’re not bad yourself. You know, Youngjae’s been talking about you all the time now. He even told me yesterday that he wished you were here all day. He’s really starting to open up more, I think you’ve got a lot to do with that actually.”

“Really?” Mark swallowed as he smiled back, his heart fluttering at the blinding smile Jinyoung directed at him.

“Do you have any plans tonight?” Mark suddenly blurted.

Jinyoung looked slightly taken aback at the sudden change in subject, his eyebrows furrowing in thought before his brow smoothed again. 

“No, I don’t think so. Why?”

“Ah, I was just wondering, well, I,” Mark was suddenly spluttering and Jinyoung raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching up, amused.

“Yes?”

Mark stopped, took a deep breath, then tried again.

“Well, I was thinking about taking Bambam out to dinner tonight and I was wondering if you’d join us,” Mark said in a rush. “If you don’t mind and if you want to, of course,” he hastily added on.

Jinyoung laughed, eyes turning into two beautiful crescent moons.

“I’d love to!”

A/N: Please comment, subscribe,and upvote if you enjoyed, and don't forget to check out 7fics for more got7 fanfics! If you've got requests, that would be the place to leave 'em!

Thanks y'all who gave feedback on the markjin vs jinmark dilemna I had. As you can all see, I've decided to just go with Markjin now. And like I said at the author's note at the top, don't worry the next one will be a different pairing. ^^