Following the debut of GOT7 were numerous planned fan-meets, radio interviews, and filming dates. The days would progress as a commotion of events and travelling, and then unceremoniously conclude with a wordless drive back to the apartment late at night. Upon arrival, the line-up for the shower was immediately dictated by a series of sleepy declarations. This was a ritual that no boy contested unless they sought to suffer the cruelest of punishments. So while the shower line-up became a dreaded recurrence in the routine of GOT7, it was the last thread of order and civility amidst an otherwise chaotic daily routine.

Luckily for Jinyoung, along with the debut came the completed renovation of another bedroom and its en-suite bathroom. This room was immediately claimed by Jinyoung, demonstrating that good things come to those who wait (or more specifically, who suffered the living room couch for five months). Hence, Jinyoung was free to shower as soon as he arrived, and then retire to bed shortly after.

This became a problem for Mark -- before the debut, Mark could walk into the living room, and converse with Jinyoung, just the two of them. Even if it was never long before another member decided to join in, for Mark it was those private moments with Jinyoung that made the better part of his day. With the room change and all, it became uncommon for anyone to see Jinyoung at the apartment, besides at breakfast. It also became uncommon for Mark to have anything to look forward to each night.

That was until, Mark decided to knock on Jinyoung’s closed door with his bath towel and a resolution.

Tonight, I’m gonna tell him.

“Come in,” Jinyoung responded from within the room.

Mark turned the knob and pushed. Inside, Jinyoung was sitting upright in bed, on his laptop.

“Hey Jinyoungie…” Mark greeted, “…may I please use your shower?”

Jinyoung stopped typing. Whenever anyone asked, Jinyoung would remind them of how difficult it was to sleep in the living room when people stumbled through at the ungodliest hours of night. In anticipation, Mark put on his pleading-aegyo pout in the hopes of appealing directly to Jinyoung’s maternal side.

In response, Jinyoung appeared to be amused. “Alright, get in before the others see you.”

Whereas the communal bathroom was fraught with everyone’s collective everything-hygiene, the en-suite bathroom was a temple in comparison, undefiled by countless shampoo bottles and loofahs. As a bonus, the air smelled faintly of potpourri.

So he’s also an interior decorator.

Mark promptly got undressed and hopped into the shower.

If I hurry, I can still talk to him before he sleeps…

The initial spray was freezing, to which Mark mimed his agony to avoid screaming. Then the water got warmer, and the boy proceeded to wash up using the soap and shampoo that were already in the shower – the bathing products that belonged to Jinyoung.

Hmmm…. he smells like flowers. Like really nice flowers.

A soapy lather and a thorough rinse later, Mark hopped out of the shower and dried off. While putting on the shorts and tank-top he wore when he came in, he noticed a pair of bright pink briefs hiding within the netted mesh of a laundry bin.

Oh dear.

Mark’s imagination ran wild, slowly forming a racy picture of his dongsaeng, thus prompting Mark to dash out the bathroom and draw his focus to the mission at hand.

Jinyoung was lying in bed comfortably in bed with his laptop on his stomach, and his head propped up against two pillows. He laughed softly in response to the flickering lights emanating from the screen and reflecting off his glasses.

Mark grinned. “Hey, what are you watching?”

Jinyoung paused his video to focus on the face hovering above the screen’s edge.

“The latest episode of Real GOT7. Do you want to see it?”

Mark smiled. “Sure!”

Jinyoung drew back a portion of the blankets. “It gets pretty cold in here.”

And so Mark,doing his best to bottle his delight, crawled into bed next to Jinyoung. Immediately, warm memories came rushing back to the boys as they watched the recording of their cheese pizza extravaganza. For Mark, his face blushed at the moments in which the camera focused on his soulless spotlights. Jinyoung, on the other hand, was all the more entertained by Mark’s shyness.

“Why are you so serious all the time, hyung?” Jinyoung teased. For Mark, he could giggle knowing his performance made at least someone laugh.

“I’m just not naturally funny on camera like you or Jackson.”

“But still...” Jinyoung answered. “You’re more than just a pretty face, you know.”

Aside from his own blunders on film, Mark was drawn to how Jinyoung expressed different characters on camera, from the class president, to the bubbly princess, to the wise matron. For Mark, that was the beauty he saw in Jinyoung -- every furrowing and raising of his brow, the wrinkles in every laugh, and every moment Jinyoung's pout only foretold of a grander smile. Mark adored it all.

Then came part of the broadcast which Mark vividly remembered – when Mark kissed Jinyoung’s wrist before inflicting punishment for cheating in one of the games. Mark’s heartbeat quickened, pumping blood to his brain in anticipation of the question that Jinyoung would be bound to ask in response to Mark’s display of affection.

But Jinyoung simply giggled. “Kisses for umma!” he remarked.

Mark chuckled dryly.

A few moments later and Jinyoung let out an unapologetically long yawn.

“Are you sleepy? Here, lemme take the laptop.” Mark said, as he lifted Jinyoung’s computer off of his body.

“Oh no I’m still watching,” Jinyoung answered with a sleepy enthusiasm “Can you take the laptop, though?”

And so Mark placed the laptop on his own stomach instead, permitting Jinyoung to lie on his side with his torso curled towards the screen. From Mark’s vantage point, Jinyoung was reduced to a mop of black hair and muffled giggles. Although Mark couldn't see him smile, he snuck several sniffs of the flowers as time went by.

As the broadcast went on, Mark noticed himself holding onto Jinyoung’s hand for a moment. Since childhood, Mark had never been good with words. He was much more comfortable revealing himself in small displays of affection. At times he felt destined to be the awkward third grader who nervously grabbed hands and forgot to let go when hugging. Yet as Jinyoung continued to watch with no apparent regard to the action or its intension, Mark began to realize he would have to put his feelings to words.

I can do this. It’s simple, just tell him “I like you”.

Mark stretched his leg, inadvertently grazing Jinyoung’s lightly-haired calf.

Woah, his legs are smooth… Oh shoot I need to concentrate.

Subsequently the ball of hair shifted closer to Mark’s face, nearly encompassing all of Mark’s line of sight. Moreover, Jinyoung’s leg travelled on top of Mark’s. Bending at the knee, his calf slid up the length of the other boy’s leg as if it were claiming territory. Jinyoung’s thigh landed close enough to Mark’s hand, his fingertips came in contact with what Mark deduced to be a bare thigh –Jinyoung wore nothing below but underwear.

Or I can just die here, happy.

A few minutes later, the broadcast concluded.

This is my chance! Should I say “like”, or will that scare him off. What if he doesn’t like me that way?

Mark gulped down hard. “Jinyoung, to tell you the truth I came here tonight… to tell you something important. It’s been on my mind a lot… Jinyoungie I care about you a lot and ---”

“Hhnngghhzzzzzz”, Jinyoung snored.

Mark scrunched his face. “.” He mouthed.

Mark repeatedly called the name of the boy who fell asleep. To his dismay, no response was given.

Knocked out cold... This kid’s a heavy sleeper.

Defeated, Mark closed the laptop. Deciding it was getting late and Jackson might soon call a search party find his missing roommate, Mark carefully moved out of Jinyoung’s leg trap and got out of bed.

Before he left, Mark removed Jinyoung’s glasses from his face and tucked him in proper.

“Hyyyuunngg?” Jinyoung murmured, barely conscious.

“Get some sleep, Nyoungie.” Mark replied.

Jinyoung smiled, though still with his eyes shut, before nuzzling into the warm spot where Mark’s body was prior. Mark softly grasped Jinyoung’s hand once more and sat by Jinyoung’s side until he started dozing off. He then concluded his farewell with a gentle smooch to Jinyoung’s forehead, before turning off the lights and leaving Jinyoung to his slumber.

Gosh, he’s adorable.