Work Text:
Monday, 7:08 AM
"So I was thinking," Jaebeom says in what he seems to think is a very nonchalant manner, "Since we're the, you know, very busy these days, maybe we should spend more time together." He leans oh-so-casually against the kitchen countertop and looks expectantly at Jinyoung.
Youngjae looks up from his cereal and blinks. Mark sips his orange juice and continued scrolling on his phone.
Jackson stares, because oh my God this cannot be actually happening.
Jinyoung continues stirring the eggs over the stove. "I don't think so," he replies absently, grabbing a shaker to add a dash of salt, "We're all with each other twenty four-seven. How much more time could we really spend together?" He turns the stove off. "Hey, can you move for a sec, the eggs are done."
Jaebeom visibly deflates, but scoots over to make room for Jinyoung. "What I mean is," he tries again, "Maybe we should spend more time alone together."
"Yeah yeah, sure," Jinyoung says, bustling past Jaebeom. He sets the plate of eggs down at the kitchen table. "Eat up, you guys. Remember, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"
Jackson very carefully scoots his chair back and starts to bang his head against the kitchen table.
"Um, Hyung...?" Youngjae asks, sounding hesitant.
"I'm fine," Jackson answers, nose squashed against the table, "It's just that, I kind of realized what a turn for the tragic my life has taken."
"Stop being such a drama queen," says Jinyoung.
*
Tuesday, 2:25 PM
"Jinyoung-ah I got your drink," says Jaebeom, beaming. He tosses a bottle of water at Jinyoung, who catches it.
"Hyung, where's my drink?" Bambam asks.
Jaebeom looks at him blankly.
"And mine," Jackson chimes in. "And Mark hyung's and Youngjae's and Yugyeom's" he adds when it becomes obvious that the other members are not going to contribute.
There is a long pause.
"Yah! You forgot their drinks? What kind of hyung are you to others?" Jinyoung chucks his bottle at Jaebeom, who, lacking any sort of athletic ability whatsoever, fumbles and drops it. "Don't come back until you have something for everyone!"
Jaebeom, properly chastised, shuffles out the door.
"So cruel," Jackson comments.
Jinyoung rolls his eyes and doesn't answer.
*
Wednesday, 7:49 AM
"Soooo sleepyyyy," Jinyoung mumbles, climbing into the backseat of the van after Jackson. He loops an arm through Jackson's, pillows his head on Jackson's shoulder, and immediately falls asleep.
"Um, Jinyoung-ah?" Jaebeom asks, turning around in the seat in front of them.
"Mmmwhuh?" Jinyoung stirs, lifting his head to peer at the older boy.
Jaebeom fidgets. "Uh, you left your book on the countertop. I know how much you like having it, and I thought you might want it for you to read while waiting backstage, so I brought it for you." He offers the book meekly.
"Hm? Oh. Thanks," Jinyoung snatches it from Jaebeom's hand and settles back down against Jackson.
Jackson glances at Jaebeom's kicked puppy expression.
It would almost be funny, actually, if it wasn't so very, very sad.
*
Thursday, 10:02 PM
"I've just finished watching He is Psychometric," Jaebeom announces.
Jackson glances up from his laptop. "Good... job?"
"All the respect in the world to all the actors and actresses, of course," continues Jaebeom, ignoring Jackson, "But, but... Shin Yeeun kind of fails at life. And her acting isn't that great, and, and—I don't see what's so awesome about her." He crosses his arms.
Jackson stares. "But you fail at life too," he says.
"Your mom fails at life," Jaebeom sulks.
*
Friday, 5:38 PM
"You're so beautiful... to me," Jaebeom sings in English, eyes fixed on Jinyoung.
"Yes yes, we know you have a nice voice. Pipe down, I'm trying to read," Jinyoung says.
Jaebeom tries not to cry.
*
Saturday, 6:08 PM
The group went out to dinner at a restaurant, wanting to celebrate at the success of their recent comeback.
They all wanted snacks to eat as they wait for their meal.
"Onion rings and a bottle of wine for the table please." Jaebeom added.
"White or red?" the waiter asked.
Jaebeom, trying to play it cool by leaning on his chair, slinging his arms on the backrest of the chair, "Whichever onion the chef prefers," and then not-subtly glanced at Jinyoung looking for his reaction.
Jackson is crying at the side - from the second hand embarrassment or in mortification of having to witness this, he doesn't know. Perhaps both since Jaebeom's the reason behind of the tragic turn of his life in the first place anyway.
*
Sunday, 3:11 PM
"I'm a puzzle," Jaebeom says, wrapping his arm around Jinyoung's shoulders.
Jinyoung stares at him blankly.
Jackson is watching them from across the room. He wishes that he isn't, but it's like watching a train wreck happen—in spite of the imminent disaster, it's hard to tear his eyes away.
"And baby, you're the only one who can unlock me," Jaebeom finishes with a huge grin.
Jinyoung keeps staring, and Jaebeom's grin falters a little. The boy slides away from Jaebeom and crosses the room to sit on the couch next to Jackson.
"Jaebeom hyung is being a dumbass again," Jinyoung hisses to him in what is probably supposed to be a whisper, but his voice travels across the room and reaches the leader. Jaebeom looks absolutely crestfallen.
Jackson thinks that if this goes on any longer, he is actually going to go insane.
*
"Oh my God, please please please do something about him. I think I'm actually going to go insane," Jackson says, flopping down on Bambam's bed.
"Stop whining, it's not attractive," Jinyoung asks, straightening the edges of the blanket on Yugyeom's bed. "And I actually have no idea what you're talking about."
"Bullshit," Jackson tells him. "You're not that stupid, despite all evidence to the contrary."
"Now that was just uncalled for," Jinyoung huffs, kicking Jackson as he moves on to Bambam's bed, "I will have you know that I am an intelligent person with a deeply philosophical mind—"
"Look," Jackson cuts in, ignoring his friend, "I don't know why you've been pretending that you don't notice. If you just said something, it would put us all out of our misery. I mean, unless, unless—" A truly terrifying thought is starting to take shape in his mind, and it won't go away. "Oh. Oh. Ew."
"What is it now?"
"You like it. You like that he flirts with you!" Jinyoung's head snaps up to stare at Jackson.
"What? No, of course not."
"You actually like that he follows you around," Jackson continues, undeterred, "and says weird pickup lines and falls all over himself trying to please you, and and—"
"And I already said I don't, so would you please shut up about it?" Jinyoung asks, an edge to his voice, his fingers drumming against the bedpost. Jackson has never seen his friend look so tense before in his life, barring their debut, and that could only mean—
The horrifying entirety of the truth finally hits Jackson with the force of a concrete brick, and he points an accusatory finger at Jinyoung.
"Oh my God. You like him!"
"What? No. No. No!" Jinyoung exclaims, waving his arms in denial.
"You're lying! You like him!"
"No. No, I don't!" Jinyoung voice is taking on a tone of deep, deep panic, and Jackson swoops in for the kill.
"That's why you act like a bitch to him half the time! To cover it up! You like Jaebeom hyung!"
"No!" Jinyoung wails, burying his face in his hands.
Jackson watches his best friend's breakdown in awe.
"You having a thing for that grandpa, of all people. Who would've thought?" he marvels, sitting down on the bed next to Jinyoung, who has curled up into a tight ball of pathetic teenage boy. He reaches over to grab Jinyoung's hand and intertwines their fingers together. "Hey, don't worry about it so much. There are worse people in the world to like than him, I guess."
"Like who?" Jinyoung's voice comes out muffled against Yugyeom's comforter. Jakson pauses.
"Well, at least Jaebeom hyung is a nice guy," he amends.
Jinyoung whimpers.
Jackson grins and pokes his friend in the ribs. "So, what do you find attractive about hyung? Is it his natural grace and elegance (take note of my sarcasm btw)? Is it the natural dumbness he has? Did you start liking him since his emo phase with all that bleached hair with random pink highlight?"
"I hate my life," Jinyoung says.
Jaebeom, with flawless timing, chooses this moment to burst into the room. He steps on a stray sock, slips, stumbles, and grabs the doorknob just in time to pull himself upright with a sunny grin. Jackson and Jinyoung stare. "Hey, guys! Did someone call for me a few minutes ago?"
"No, no one said your name," Jinyoung answers automatically at the same time Jackson replies, "Yes, actually, we were just talking about you." Jinyoung turns to glare at Jackson.
Jaebeom frowns. "Uh, wait, what? I don't get it. Is something wrong?"
"No, everything's fine," Jinyoung replies at the same time Jackson says, "Yes, there's a small problem."
There is a long, awkward silence, in which Jinyoung tries to crush the bones of Jackson's hand with his grip, and Jackson beams up at Jaebeom.
"You guys? You're weirding me out even more than usual. What's going on?" Jaebeom asks.
"Um," Jinyoung says. He shoots Jackson a look, one that says oh dear God don't you dare do this to me or so help me I will—
"Is that Mark hyung I hear calling for me?" Jackson asks brightly, yanking his hand from Jinyoung's grasp. "Gotta go, bye!" He hurries past Jaebeom out the door.
"Mark hyung never even talks!" Jinyoung shrieks after him.
Jackson snickers.
*
"I hate you so much," Jinyoung says later that night.
"Aww, you love me," Jackson coos, petting Jinyoung's cheek. There is a figure sneaking up behind Jinyoung in a terrible attempt at ninja-like stealth.
"Hyung, I can hear you," Jinyoung says.
Jaebeom pouts, but slips his arms around Jinyoung's waist anyway. "Hi, honey," he says with a truly nauseating grin, and pecks Jinyoung on the cheek. Jinyoung makes a face and wriggles out of Jaebeom's arms, but the tips of his ears are red.
Jackson rolls his eyes. "You two disgust me," he informs them, "I clearly need new friends."
*
(There is, of course, the inevitable Coming Out to the rest of the band, but it ends up being much more anti-climactic than anyone had expected.
"Oh, we knew it'd happen eventually," Yugyeom says, blinking.
"W-wait, you knew? Wha—when—how?" Jinyoung splutters, waving his arms around in dismay. Jaebeom ducks to avoid being decapitated by the ruler in Jinyoung's hand.
Yugyeom tilts his head to the side and purses his lips in thought. "Well, I guessed, but I wasn't really sure, so I asked Mark hyung about it," he amends.
Jinyoung whirls to look at Mark, who shrugs.
"B-but that guy didn't even know!" Jinyoung exclaims, pointing his ruler at Mark.
Mark stares at him. "Yes," he says slowly, as if to a five-year old, "but Jackson isn't very smart."—"Hey!" Jackson yelps, and sulks when no one pays attention to him—"and you two weren't exactly subtle."
Jinyoung looks mortified, and Jackson is afraid that there is going to be more arm flailing.
Jaebeom obviously feels the same, because he very carefully plucks the ruler out of Jinyoung's fist and puts a placating hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Jinyoungie," he starts, "It's okay, don't be—"
Jinyoung flings himself at Yugyeom. "Our maknae is so observant!" he wails, crushing the maknae's head against his chest.
"Um," Mark says.