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“Jaehyun-hyung?”
Eyes cracking open with sleep still clouding them, Jaehyun blinked and sucked in a breath before rolling over to face the soft voice that had stirred him from his sleep. The room around him was dark, with only a few rays of light breaking through his window from the streetlamps outside, meaning it was still early in the night. This assumption was proven true when he squinted at the alarm clock next to his bed, and 12:27 glowed back at him dully. Still confused and barely awake, the vocalist sat up and blinked several times, trying to get his bearings from being awoken so abruptly. He was lost in his thoughts, almost falling asleep once more when he was shaken by the small voice again. Yawning and finally opening his eyes fully, Jaehyun saw it was Mark who stood in his doorway.
“Mmm? What is it?”
The elder grinned as his dongsaeng shifted nervously on his feet, picking at the hem of his shirt, looking smaller than all of his eighteen years. Mark looked ready to scamper away at any moment, seemingly regretting his decision to come calling upon his hyung, for whatever reason he had. The youngest rapper seemed to be fighting a battle in his head, his mouth pressed into a thin line as he fidgeted. The air around him was tense and it was very obvious that he was unsure of himself, so much so that he turned tail and began to scurry back to his room.
“Hey, hey, where’re you going?” Jaehyun called after him, now completely awake from the fear that he had scared away the younger. Mark paused mid step in the hallway, frozen and unsure of what to do. While he pondered whether or not to make his escape, Jaehyun sat up and patted the bed beside him.
“C’mon in, it’s alright.”
In one final effort, Jaehyun opened his arms and offered a sleepy smile, and Mark made up his mind. Trudging into the room, he made it to the bed and sat beside his hyung, hands folded in his lap and determinedly not looking Jaehyun in the eye. It became obvious that Mark was not willing to speak first despite being the one that had sought out the elder; They sat in awkward silence for a moment or two, with Jaehyun occupying himself by scrubbing the sleep from his eyes until speaking up and slinging an arm around the younger's shoulders.
“What’s up? You can tell me, what’s going on?”
Mark bit his lip, eyebrows scrunching up as he leaned against his hyungs’ side, thankful for the comfort. He wanted to tell Jaehyun what was on his mind but he just...couldn’t form the words. It wasn’t something he wanted to share, he’d rather his hyungs think he wasn’t a baby, but he couldn’t see any other way around it. Apparently Jaehyun had sensed his internal battle and decided to try and solve it himself, pulling Mark into his arms and tucking him against his chest. The younger was surprised by the sudden movement and froze up, but after a moment relented and wrapped his arms around his hyung, burying his face in his hyungs’ shoulder.
Jaehyun traced patterns on his back, hoping to calm Mark from whatever it was that was upsetting him. They remained like that for sometime, neither saying anything but resting in comfortable silence, that was until Mark summoned the courage to break the silence.
“I...I wasn’t able to sleep..” Mark mumbled, words muffled by the shirt he had his face pressed to.
Jaehyun was mildly surprised. It wasn’t uncommon for one member or another to be plagued by a bout of insomnia, lord knows Taeyong had suffered enough. They got through it as a group though, all members coming together to shoulder the load of late night chores in order to allow the other to get the rest they so needed. It was only surprising now because none of the Dream members other than Renjun had ever suffered from sleeplessness. Most of them, especially Mark and Donghyuck, were out like a light as soon as their heads hit the pillow; but the Chinese boy had often found himself lying awake at night, too stressed to sleep and missing his parents too bad to close his eyes. Sharing their experiences in being so far from home and with time, Sicheng, Chenle, and Ten had helped him talk through his anxiety and homesickness, and soon he was able to doze off as he once had. Hopefully with Mark this was a one time occurrence and he hadn’t been affected by it for too long. When the younger made no sign to move and Jaehyun felt his eyelids beginning to droop, he pulled Mark in for one last hug before settling him on the mattress beside him, dropping back onto his pillow. When Mark only gazed down at him in confusion, the elder patted the other pillow beside him.
“You can sleep here if you’d like, sometimes changing where you sleep can help you fall asleep faster.”
Mark looked skeptical, eyebrows scrunching up as he tried make up his mind. Eventually he seemed to come to a resolution as he plopped down on the other pillow with an exhausted sigh. The next few minutes were filled with shuffling as the youngest rapper tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. Eventually it became too much for Jaehyun and he reached out to still the younger. As Mark flipped and flopped frustratedly, he suddenly froze when he felt a hand pat his head. Turning to glance at his hyungs’ silhouette, he felt himself relax as Jaehyun’s mumble reached his ears.
“Minhyung-ah, it’s alright, you can sleep. Just try to relax,”
With those kind words soothing his mind, soon enough the room was filled with soft breathing as Mark drifted off, and Jaehyun grinned, glad to have been able to coax him to sleep.
The next morning when the alarm on the nightstand screeched and Jaehyun took a last snuggle of his pillow before dragging himself out of bed, he was surprised to find another lump snoring on the bed beside him. It took the vocalist a moment to remember his late night visitor, confusion dissipating. Rounding to the other side of the bed, a smile crept onto his face at the sight of the dozing kid. Mark was curled into a ball on his side, cheek pressed to the pillow under his head with a gentle smile curling his lips; he just looked so at peace, Jaehyun thought. Mark was very bubbly and excitable, but he was too often left exhausted and lacking in energy after their long schedules, it was nice to see him looking so well rested. As much as Jaehyun would have liked to have let him sleep, they had practice that morning and unfortunately they couldn't dance in their pajamas. Shaking the younger's shoulder softly, he soon had Mark blinking and yawning as he fought his way out of the blankets he had stolen from his hyung and wrapped himself in the night before. As he sat up it took him a moment to take in his surroundings, confusion evident at why he was in a room that wasn’t his own, until he remembered the early hours of the morning. Turning to his hyung with a sleepy smile, he stumbled out of bed and offered a hug as thanks. Jaehyun pulled the younger into his arms with an even wider grin, glad to see his dongsaeng energized and refreshed.
“Thank you, I haven’t slept that well in a couple of days!”
This profound statement left Jaehyun taken aback, wondering if insomnia was becoming a real problem of Mark’s, and if so, what he could do about it. But before he was able to press the issue, Mark was bouncing out of the room after Donghyuck who had dashed by trying to disguise the fact that he was wearing Mark’s favorite sweatshirt. As Jaehyun watched him go, he could only hope that this was a one time deal and that there wouldn’t be any further midnight meetings.
Unfortunately, there were, and every few nights for the next few weeks, Jaehyun would be awoken by a soft knocking at his door and the sight of the younger shifting on his feet until his hyung let him in. At first Jaehyun wasn’t bothered by this at all, it wasn’t until when the visits became more frequent that he became concerned. The boy was hopping into bed beside him every other night, promptly dropping off into dreamland and skipping out of the room the next morning. Soon enough Jaehyun would not be awoken by a knocking at his door, instead just by the bed dipping beside him as Mark let himself in, and it became obvious that he found it tedious to ask for permission each night when he knew he would always be let in. Sometimes the vocalist would wake to find Mark curled up against his side, fast asleep and looking as snug as ever. Jaehyun was fine letting him share his bed, and Mark didn’t snore or kick in his sleep so all was well, except for his growing concern for the younger and why sleep eluded him so often. It was puzzling, but he honestly couldn’t find a way to bring it up or confront the younger about it. No one else seemed to notice, at least he thought no one did.
Weeks later, slouched at the kitchen table, Jaehyun was munching on his cereal as he tried to rouse himself from his drowsy state, when Johnny meandered in. For a while it was just the two of them as the other members wandered off to change out of their pajamas or brush their teeth, leaving them in silence. Jaehyun thought nothing of it as he reached for his orange juice, Johnny placing bread in the toaster.
“So you and Mark have been bunking together, huh?” The elder’s words drifted over to where his dongsaeng sat at the table, and it took them a moment to sink in. When they finally did, the younger fairly choked on his drink, coughing and sputtering as he gasped for air. Johnny watched bemusedly from the counter as Jaehyun slowly turned violet. By the time he was finally able to suck in a few breaths, Johnny’s toast had popped out of the toaster and was being thickly buttered before settling on the table across from the vocalist. When Johnny plopped down in the seat across from him, he waited with unwavering patience for his question to be answered.
“W-what do you mean? You’re my roommate, not Mark,”
How could the elder have known? Johnny slept like a log and snored like a saw mill, he couldn’t have heard Mark knocking for entry; it often took Jaehyun a good five minutes to drag his hyung out of bed. Taking a bite of his toast with a small grin, Johnny tossed his bangs out of his eyes before plucking a banana from the bowl beside him.
“Like you said, we’re roommates, and yet you think that I wouldn’t have noticed him curled up next to you nearly every night?”
Jaehyun didn’t have a response to that, so he sat there dumbfounded as he stared at his hyung, cereal still midchew in his mouth. Johnny woke naturally when he wanted to, sometimes that being as early as he wanted and sometimes as late as he could before being badgered to get out of bed. There had been a few occasions in the last few weeks when Jaehyun had woken to find Johnny already down the hall cheerily making breakfast instead of fast asleep, so it’s possible he noticed Mark. Either way, now he knew. Face turning serious, Johnny put down his toast to regard his dongsaeng carefully.
“Has he mentioned anything to you about why? I mean, he has his own bed and
he’s not one much for skinship or anything, and no one else has mentioned him asking to let him share their beds, so why all of the sudden is he staying with you?”
Now that was a question. In truth, Jaehyun didn’t know himself, and wasn’t quite sure how to answer. He had spent the past few weeks turning that very same question over in his mind, wondering just why the younger had chosen him and why his sleep had been so troubled. One phrase that Mark would mumble as an excuse whenever his hyung asked why he had come calling on him came to mind.
“He did mention a lot that he’s been having trouble sleeping for a while, that might be why?”
An exasperated expression crossed his hyung’s face as Johnny reached across the table to flick him lightly on the forehead. Yelping and rearing back, his hand flew to his forehead as Jaehyun shot Johnny a wounded look.
“What was that for?” He cried indignantly.
“You should have told us sooner, idiot! This might be something serious, you can’t neglect to share that with us!”
Despite Jaehyun’s negligence, Johnny seemed to mull over what had been said as he sat back in his chair, munching on his toast thoughtfully. But as he opened his mouth to question the younger further, Donghyuck came skidding to a halt in the kitchen doorway, still dressed in his pajamas, before diving under the kitchen table. Not far behind was Yuta, face flushed scarlet in frustration as he clenched two pairs of jeans, a dress shirt and a sweater in one hand, the other hand clamped onto the back of Mark’s collar as he was dragged into view, looking sour and miserable...and still in his pajamas. Neither of those seated at the table had a chance to fathom the situation presented to them; Jaehyun responding with an amused grin and Johnny quirking an eyebrow. While Mark wasn’t necessarily a troublemaker and usually kept in his hyung’s good graces, Donghyuck had a habit of dragging him into his schemes. Now it seemed there were two possible options for his most recent plot: To try to stay in their pajamas as long as possible, or to see if Yuta could get so angry his head would explode.
“Lee Donghyuck, you have five seconds to come and get dressed before I drag you out from under there myself.”
As Yuta began to count down from five, Donghyuck poked his head out from under the table, scowling, but the fear that flashed in his eyes when Yuta got to three was obvious.
“Three-”
“You’re not the boss of me! And your hair looks stupid!”
It was true that his dark locks stuck up in all directions, probably from chasing his mischievous dongsaengs around the dorm, but it was clear that Donghyuck had crossed the line. It didn’t seem possible, but Yuta’s face deepened further to a dark crimson as he struggled to maintain what little composure he had left. Mark cowered in his hold, trying to twist away from his hyung’s impending wrath. Yuta closed his eyes, and it seemed to take everything he had to open them again and bite out,
“Two,”
Donghyuck scooted back as far as he could until he bumped against Johnny’s leg, panic growing on his face as Yuta stalked toward the table with a murderous look in his eyes, dragging Mark in his wake.
“One.”
Before Yuta could dive under the table, wrestle his devious dongsaeng out, and inflict his rage upon him, Jaehyun was putting a hand out to hold him back and Johnny was pulling the cowering gremlin out to stand next to him. The elder plucked both the outfits and Mark from Yuta’s grasp, settling them on the table and herding the younger rapper to the other side of the table, keeping a Yuta at a decent distance.
“Instead, why don’t you go and see if Taeyong needs anything?” Johnny proposed carefully, hoping to coax the furious Japanese boy into cooling off, the leader seemed to have that effect on the members.
“But...but...you can’t! He-” Yuta sputtered, eyes bulging as he gestured at the younger two who smirked triumphantly from the other side of the table.
“I think Taeyong-hyung said he was having trouble finding his jacket, you should help him.” Jaehyun supplied, never having heard such a thing, but Yuta seriously needed to calm down. Said boy glanced between them, lips pressed into a thin line as he finally came to a decision and stomped off down the hall, the tension bleeding from the room with his exit. Mark and Donghyuck high fived, cheering at having avoided certain death while still in their pajamas. They were torn from their reverie as they were each grasped by the collar and tugged down to meet Johnny’s eyes from where he sat at the table. Their giggles died on their lips at the look on their hyung’s face, Johnny eyeing them evenly.
“Enough with these shenanigans, we have practice in fifteen minutes,” Releasing them temporarily, he handed them their corresponding outfits with a calm yet stern look.
“Get dressed, and don’t dilly dally or I’ll set Yuta on you.”
Horror transformed their previously smug faces at the threat, scurrying out of the room as fast as their legs could take them. Jaehyun let out a sigh, sometimes the members were too rambunctious for their own good, after all it was only five in the morning. The pair sat in silence for awhile, each returning to their breakfast respectively while taking in the happenings of the last few minutes. While Jaehyun was still caught up in his recollection of the steam that had nearly come out of Yuta’s ears, Johnny stood up to clean up his plate and toss away his banana peel. Just as he was ready to head back to their room to gather his things for practice, he paused in the doorway, turning back to face him with a slightly perturbed expression, worry creasing his brow.
“Just...make sure you find out what’s up with him, alright?”
Jaehyun could see the concern in his eyes, and he knew that it was in everyone’s best interest that he and Mark had a little chat.
“Sure thing, hyung, I’ll make sure to talk to him,” Jaehyun agreed, hoping to soothe his well intended anxiety, and it seemed to work as the tension in Johnny’s posture bled away with a sigh. Nodding and proceeding on his way, he left Jaehyun alone with the overwhelming question of what was Mark’s dilemma.
Jaehyun spent that day trying to formulate a plan on how to approach the younger, and that night after his shower when he was drying the water from his sandy locks, he came to a decision as he tossed the towel into the laundry bin. Mark was a private person, and while he had a warm demeanor, sharing his personal issues wasn’t exactly something that enthused him. Jaehyun didn’t want to bring it up and have the younger shut him out, but he knew that they were very close. The boy was like his shadow, always trailing in his wake, and their conversations were always in good humor, so he hoped he felt close enough to be open with his hyung about something such as this. He would have to bring it up with Mark, but he couldn’t just barge into his room and demand answers; he decided that if Mark should decide to call upon him, he would prompt him as to why, but if not he would wait until he did. And so, with that solution, he settled into bed, immediately tuning out Johnny’s snoring from the other side of the room as he had become accustomed to; As he settled himself among his pillows and let the stress drift away, content with his choice.
As sleep overtook him, the other members of the house all settled in for a goodnight’s sleep, leaving Taeyong, as usual, to be the only member left awake. He was busy setting out food for breakfast, gathering everyone’s belongings that would be needed for the next day, and taking care of last minute chores. The other members didn’t even realize he had been left with such a workload so late at night, and if they had known, they would be hurrying to help him out in completing their tasks before heading back to bed, but Taeyong decided to let the others sleep as he tidied the dorm; after all, he was a stress-cleaner and it helped him release all of his worked up nerves from the day before bed. Unfortunately, Johnny and Taeil had spoken with him about staying up into the late hours of the night to finish unimportant chores, and had forbid him from doing so for the sake of his own health (after all, and exhausted Taeyong is a grumpy Taeyong, and nobody wished to wake that sleeping giant).
As he swept the dirt from many pairs of feet from the floor of the kitchen, avoiding using the vacuum in fear of waking the others, Mark took in the soft swishes of the broom and the leaders soothing humming, hoping it would help him doze off. He spent a couple of minutes flipping onto his belly, lying there for a moment before flipping onto his side, then his back, then repeating. He hated that he couldn’t sleep, he absolutely hated it, and he was exhausted but he just...couldn’t. He’d spend hours just lying there with his eyes closed, time passing torturingly slow, until it was one in the morning and simply hoping for sleep wasn’t going to work. He knew sleep was evading him for a reason, and not one he’d want to admit, he wasn’t a baby after all. But none the less the longing and turmoil in his heart failed to cease and each night he dreaded facing it. Sometimes if he laid there long enough, he’d be able to drift off before two, but he could tell tonight wasn’t going to be one of those nights. Taeyong’s soft melody was torn from his ears as he heard the elder gasp and mutter,
“Hyung! I was just-I was-well you see, I needed some water and-”
It became obvious to Mark that it was Taeil that had discovered the leader, as the quiet sigh that broke the silence sounded tired and exasperated and exactly like his eldest hyung.
“Water? Come on, Taeyong-ah, we’ve talked about this. You can’t stay up this late, it’s not healthy,”
“Really, I was just finishing up a few things, I promise I’ll head right back to bed when I’m done!”
“You and I both know that you were never in bed in the first place, now come with me. If you’re feeling stressed, come talk to one of us, alright?”
Mark was able to make out mumbles of affirmation from the leader as he was lead down the hall back to his room, the dorm falling silent once more with the shut of the bedroom door. It was this silence that seemed to keep him up, becoming hyper aware of every little noise that echoed through the dorm. Soon it became too much to bear, and he clambered out of bed, careful not to disturb Chenle or Donghyuck who slept in the bunkbed across the room as he slipped out the door. Scrubbing a hand over his face and grimacing at the small pounding in his head, the boy made his way down the hall to Jaehyun’s room, seeking rest and refuge. He paused before the closed door, uncertain whether or not to go in, if he could handle this himself, but the throbbing in head head and the pain in his chest was too much, so he reached for the door handle. The room would have been quiet if it hadn’t been for Johnny’s snores, and Mark wondered how he had insomnia and Jaehyun didn’t. It was like any other night, he thought with a sigh as he carefully closed the door behind him. Crossing the room and lifting the covers, he slipped into bed beside his hyung, already beginning to feel at ease. Just as he was adjusting his pillow and ready to lie down, he heard Jaehyun rustle beside him and felt the covers shift as he sat up. After a moment he rubbed his eyes, blinking profusely to adjust to the sudden change in light. Mark paid no mind to this, Jaehyun often woke when he shared his bed, shaken by the dipping of the bed beside him no matter how careful he tried to be; proceeding to settle in amongst the pillows, he felt immediate relief and sighed, when he felt a hand on his arm shaking him lightly. Peering up at his hyung, he still remained unfazed, if a little curious at what the elder wanted.
“How come you’re sleeping here tonight?”
Mark felt a little put off by the question, wondering if he was suddenly unwelcome to bunk with his hyung, but he waved away those thoughts; surely after the many nights he’d been allowed to share a bed with Jaehyun it was still alright. He convinced himself that his hyung was just concerned why he wasn’t sleeping, as he often was, and began to feel at ease once more.
“I just had a little trouble falling asleep, that’s all,” He assured the elder with a forced grin as he flopped back against his pillow, hoping to nod off quickly so he had at least a few hours of rest; But Jaehyun was persistent, shaking his arm again to rouse him. Sitting up with a huff, Mark was beginning to become annoyed, wanting sleep and sleep only. When he glared pointedly at his hyung he was shocked by the stern expression that had settled there; his mouth was set in a firm line with his eyebrows furrowed in worry. This expression was very unlike his normally sunny hyung, and it set him slightly on edge as the tension in the room rose.
“I want the real answer, why are you having trouble falling asleep?”
Becoming defensive, he scooted a little away from the elder boy, uneasy at the question.
“What do you mean “real answer”? I told you, it’s just a little sleeplessness, it’s nothing,”
This excuse failed to convince Jaehyun as he shook his head. It was obvious that he was getting suspicious and Mark became panicked, unwilling to share the reason he was kept up at night. Arms coming to wrap around himself, he looked away, not wanting to press the issue further. Jaehyun let out a little sigh and scooted to the other side of the bed, tucking the younger against his side in a half hug as he had the first time Mark had come to take refuge in his bed. It wouldn’t do to put the younger on the defensive and push him away, and no one wanted to share their feelings with someone who they felt was upset with them. Mark shifted uneasily in his grip, surprised at the sudden movement and still a little unnerved. Letting warmth slip into his words, Jaehyun pressed Mark closer as he spoke.
“Minhyung-ah, I need you to be honest with me,”
Mark’s breath caught in his throat at that, at the earnest concern in his hyung's’ voice, and all of the feelings that had been tugging at his heart were suddenly trying to burst from his mouth. He bit his lip, beginning to feel tears pooling in the corners of his eyes, and he wasn’t quite sure why, but he knew he couldn’t let them fall. It was hard to maintain his composure as he sucked in a stuttering breath, and he gulped at the next few words that drifted out of his hyung’s mouth.
“You can trust me, just please, let me know the truth,”
That all but shattered the youngers’ resolve as he sniffled and let a whimper escape his lips. Jaehyun’s face softened as he pulled Mark in his arms. Burying his face in his shoulder, the younger felt tears begin to slide down his cheeks as he felt all the tension that had been brewing in his chest go. He felt a hand settle on his lower back, rubbing soothingly to try and ease him through his tears. As Jaehyun held the trembling boy in his arms, he sighed but didn’t feel the least bit better about the situation. After all, the younger still hadn’t relented and shared the answer with him, but that was less of a priority at the moment. Mark very rarely cried and for him to break down so suddenly was setting off alarm bells in Jaehyun’s head. He held the boy in his lap as he sobbed, becoming short of breath from the tears that never seemed to stop. When he let out a raspy cough Jaehyun decided that that was enough, and gently pulled the boy away from his shoulder. Patting his back softly, he cooed,
“Shhhh, shhh, Minhyung-ah, you’re going to make yourself sick.”
Hands still wrapped around Jaehyun’s neck from when he had been pulled into the embrace, Mark’s sobbing transformed into soft sniffles after a minute or so. As he began to regain his breathing, he glanced up at his hyung with red rimmed eyes, tear tracks zigzagging down his cheeks. He really knew how to tug at his heartstrings, Jaehyun thought as he pulled the boy back in close to rest his head against his chest, and Jaehyun felt himself beginning relax as Mark quieted, glad that his dongsaeng was calming down. Hugging the boy in his arms closer, he paused for a moment before mumbling,
“So, do you wanna tell me what’s been keeping you up?”
The blond boy paused, waiting for an answer, and when none came he glanced down at the bundle of limbs in his arms promptingly. Seeing that the younger was still fighting off tears, cheek smushed against his chest, Jaehyun decided he would have to play the guessing game.
“Are the others too loud?” He queried, implying the other dreamies (Donghyuck and Chenle) who had a tendency to be quite noisy. Sadly, this was denied by a shake of the head from the one pressed against his chest.
“Does anything hurt? Do you have migraines, or are you sore from practice?” He tried, but this was not the answer either.
Wracking his mind, Jaehyun wondered just what else could cause the younger to break down in such a way.
“Is it stress?” He ventured, and as he waited for another shake of the head, it never came. Glancing down at Mark, he waited, and after a moment, a faint nod was produced.
Glad to have come to a conclusion, the elder took a moment to mull over this new information. Stress was a given when one became an idol, and many of the other members had been plagued by bouts of anxiety. Occasionally on the days leading up to a big performance or another demanding event, one could find Taeyong talking things through with Taeil or Johnny to calm his mind, or Donghyuck tucked into Doyoung’s welcoming embrace as he let the elder reassure him and soothe his worries. Mark often became stressed over performances and the many responsibilities that were placed upon him, and frequently came to Jaehyun for reassurance of his own, but it had never affected his sleep before. It was puzzling for such a problem to come up out of blue, as they were in a fairly mellow period of schedules, so what was so taxing on the boy?
Softly rubbing his back, Jaehyun gently tilted Mark’s head so that his eyes met his hyung’s once more. He let his tense expression soften at the sight of the younger’s trembling lip and tearstained face, inquiring with sincere concern,
“What’s stressing you out?”
Brushing a few stray tear drops away from the youngers cheek, he waited for an answer, but none came as the boy tucked his face back against the elder’s shoulder. At this point Jaehyun was becoming exasperated, and became certain if Mark didn’t tell him the problem now, he never would; but the words that the younger mumbled into the fabric of Jaehyun’s T-shirt easily brushed these thoughts aside,
“I miss...my hyung…”
To say Jaehyun was confused was an understatement. He was completely perplexed, after all, he, the hyung, was right there, holding Mark in his arms. Maybe the younger was becoming sick? Nothing else could explain the delusional sentence that had come out of his mouth. As he was about to raise a hand to feel for a fever on the younger's forehead, Mark seemed to read his mind as he repeated what his statement,
"My hyung,” he mumbled, and it took a moment for the elder to realize the emphasis on my.
“Do you mean...you miss your big brother?”
This seemed to be the answer that he had spent the past fifteen minutes searching for as he felt the younger go slack in his grip, leaning heavily against his chest with a faint nod.
“Haven’t you spoken with him in awhile? What-”
He was cut off by a sniffle as Mark tried to swallow the tears that had gathered in his eyes once more. Refusing to let them fall, he took several stuttering breaths before elaborating.
“I lost his number when I switched phones, and I’ve been so b-busy that I haven’t been able to talk to him or my parents, and I...I just want to go home,”
Before Jaehyun was able to open his mouth, Mark was stumbling over himself to explain his turmoil.
“I don’t wanna stop b-being an idol, I just want to go back to Canada and see my family again. I love my parents, but my hyung and I are r-really close, and ever since I was little, he’d let me sleep with him if I had a nightmare or couldn’t sleep and...I just miss them so much and know that might be babyish, but-”
He was cut off by his hyung this time, being pulled back into a tight hug. The hand was rubbing his back soothingly once more, and he decided he’d let his hyung speak for the time being. Jaehyun finally knew why sleep was evading the younger, and he felt touched that Mark felt so close to him that he felt the same kind of contentment with him that he felt with his own hyung.
“It doesn’t make you a baby to miss your family, I miss my parents all the time, I know Gongmyung and Doyoung hate to be out of touch, and Taeyong misses his parents and his sister terribly; we all love our families, and it’s hard to leave those people that are so special to you, but that doesn’t mean you won’t ever come back to them. We’re here for you. Minhyung-ah, and we’ll help you see your family again.”
By the end of his speech the younger had quiet tears rolling down his cheeks once more, but this time the sorrow was absent from them. Pressing impossibly closer, Mark found himself only capable of nodding, clearly settling down as his rigid body finally released his remaining tension, letting go of the pain in his heart. All the emotions that had stacked up inside of him had melted away, and while he felt exhausted, both physically and mentally from all the tears, a sense of contentment settled in his heart, now reassured that he would be taken care of. Jaehyun felt the distress in his own mind go as well, the confusion and worry for the younger that had been plaguing him for days had finally dissipated, and he was satisfied in knowing that he could put Mark’s dilemma to rest. They shared that moment together, that quiet promise to reunite parents and son, hyung and dongsaeng, left hanging in the air.
“Don’t worry, Minhyung-ah,” he whispered to the boy who had begun to drift off in his arms.
“You’ll see your hyung soon,”
A soft smile crossed his face as he closed his eyes and carefully settled back onto his pillow, Mark still tucked in his arms and fast asleep.
“I promise,”