Work Text:
The burning water running on his skin feels like heaven on his sore neck and tense shoulders.
Mark lets out a sigh of pure bliss, slowly washing the stress away in the shower cubicle. Inhaling and exhaling deeply in the steam, his eyes closed as he tries to chase away any thoughts in his mind. The school year had only begun, two weeks ago, and he has been so focused on the essay he was working on for the last week that he has barely taken the time to sleep. He had skipped diner a couple of time too, too immersed in his work to notice that the cafeteria was about to close, and realizing much later that he was starving.
Like tonight.
He has just prepared himself a cup of instant ramen in the microwave oven he has in his room, followed by an apple he kept from lunch. This will have to do, and he will make sure to have a proper breakfast tomorrow. Anyway, his very important essay is ready, he will only have to proof read it tomorrow to be sure there's nothing wrong with it, and then he'll be able to have a bit of rest... Until next announcement of another essay, that is. He hopes that the subject will be a little more thrilling than Arctic's geography this time, at least.
But hey, no need to think about it right now, all he has to do is unwind under this wonderfully warm water and then slip under his comfy duvet for a well deserved rest.
He takes the time to enjoy the unusual quietness of the building.
The student house isn't exactly a boisterous place during the day, as there are strict rules to apply there if you want to keep the room you've been assigned to, but there are times when it's a little too lively for his liking. He's learnt long ago, since it's the beginning of his second year in the house, that you have to avoid the showers areas between six and ten in the evening if you don't like noise and people. That's why he's taken the habit to shower around midnight, when he's sure nobody's around and he can enjoy a bit of time there all by himself. Just like he is now, slowly getting relaxed and ready for the night. Honestly, that's one of the best moment of the day if you ask him, when you can just imagine what it's going to be like, to finally be able to sleep for like 6 hours straight.
Mark takes some of his honey-scented shampoo and begins to massage his scalp slowly, a little bit of self care can't be too much, right ? He deserves to spoil himself a bit after all he's written, hunched over his laptop. He sighs again, his fingers doing wonders, and he's about to begin to rince-
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG !!!
He lets out a pityful yelp, jumping out of his skin and almost tripping in the shower cubicle, startled by the sudden furious banging on the door.
So much for his relaxing moment, really. Now his heart is going a thousand miles a minute, and his hands are shaking. What in the world... ?
« Yah ! In there !!! Have you finished already ? There are other people who would gladly be able to shower too, you know ? »
Mark grumbles under his breath. He's just put some shampoo into his eyes and it's stinging like crazy.
« Yeah right, it's not like you haven't had the time to shower before. » He mumbles, frustrated to have his relaxing moment spoiled.
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG !!!
« Hey dude ? Have you drowned ? »
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG !!!
Mark is beginning to lose any patience he could still have at this point, plus he can hear that the guy who's talking is a bit slurring his words. He's going to give the jerk a piece of his mind for his terrible timing, and a reminder of the rules of the house, beginning by the one who specified that if you were caught in the building drunk you would be fired and have to find a new room elsewhere.
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG !!!BANGBANG !!!
He hears another voice, urging the serial knocker to stop.
«Jackson, stop this ! We're all gonna be in trouble if someone reports that we're here making all that noise, and I don't know if you noticed but you're not exactly sober... »
« Oh yeah, you're right, sorry, Jinyoungie...»
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG !!!BANGBANG!!!BANGBANGBANG !!!
« Stop!!! Jackson! »
Mark slams the door open, making the boy who was knocking stop abruptly. His round eyes widen and he looks so stupidly surprised that Mark would have laughed if he wasn't so mad. And if he could see properly, which is not the case since his eyes are still sore from the shampoo abuse -What do they put in these product for them to sting that much ? Lemon juice or vinegar ? Markwill make sure to buy a new bottle of shampoo in the kids section next time, one that won't try to dig a hole in his eyeballs if he isn't careful enough- But for now...
« Are you a high-grade moron or what ? First you knock at this door like you want to smash it down, then you scream like you want to wake everyone, and on the top of it all you're drunk ? What's wrong with you ??? »
« Hey ! » The offended look on the guy's face could have been funny too, in other circumstances. Mark's eyesight is coming back to normal, mostly. And now he can see flushed cheeks -from alcohol or embarrassment, who knows?- on a ridiculously handsome face, with dark, intense, captivating eyes.
« I'm- I'm not a... moron ! » The boy is shaking his head, frowning and trying to remember what it is that he wants to say. « I've... just begun my first year... here, and you surely know how hard... the selection is ! » He shruggs helplessly. « I just wanted to shower. And you were taking forever to finish ! »
« I was not ! And for your information, mister first-year here, there are two other shower-rooms at the end of the hallway. I could go to the janitor and have you fired for this, you know- »
« Oh my god, please don't ! I'm sorry for this, I should have prevented him from disturbing you, but- Jaebeom hyung, stop this, just come back here ! » Another guy, his arms full of clothes, shower gels and towels, appears and slides himself between Mark and the furious-knocking jerk. He looks really cute, pretty, even, a bit panicked- and totally exhausted.
Mark steps back and looks at him, narrowing his eyes.
« Please forgive him, ok ? Jackson's not a bad guy, and he worked hard to be here. It's just... It was freshman's initiation night tonight, and they went a bit overboard with the cocktails. I shouldn't have let him make all this noise, but I was busy with the others, and- »
Mark frowns again.
« The others ? »
Cute guy scratches the back of his neck, looking at his shoes and showing something with his right thumb half-heartedly.
« Well, yeah... »
Mark gets out of the shower room to look at where the guy's finger is pointed. There are two other boys there, sitting on the ground with their heads between their knees.
« Oh lord... » Mark sighs, feeling a bit sorry, now.
« If you were kind enough to let Jackson take his shower... » Cute guy hands his friend -Jackson- some clothes and a towel. « ...The two other shower-rooms are out of order if I can judge by the signs on their doors. Actually, all I want to do is help them to shower and tuck them in bed before I can finally collapse on my own. »
Mark goes out of the room, taking pity on the poor guy. He gestures to a sulking, petulant Jackson, still pretty much offended, pouting and frowning like a five years old, to go inside. He has his arms crossed on his chest with what his towel and pajamas. Yeah, just like a five years old, really.
« Go ahead, hu... -Jackson-ssi?-, at least this poor door won't have been abused for nothing. »
Jackson huffs and staggers his way into the shower room, and he would have slammed the door if only he'd had the strenght too. His friend knocks at the door softly.
« And please don't lock the door, I want to be able to enter if you pass away in there ! »
He then turns to look at Mark again, and bows in apology.
« Again, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let them drink that much, but I guess they were so nervous about this party, and so happy that we'd actually all been accepted here, they just let themselves be carried away... Please forgive us, I promise this won't happen again. »
Mark stares at him curiously, a bit sorry for the poor dude who had to handle his sloshed friends by himself. He looks genuinely embarrassed and is really cute. Mark wonders how close of a friend you must be to have someone so ready to take care of you when you are that drunk.
« It's okay. But you really have to be carefull, you know ? Some people got fired for less than this last year. It would be a shame to waste the chance to stay here because your friends love too much drunken nights ! »
« Oh my god. You were already here last year. That means that... You're our senior. I'm even more ashamed that you had to see us like this. You will have a disastrous opinion about us now. How embarrassing. »
« Hey... » Mark realizes he doesn't know the guy's name... « Hu... »
« Oh, sorry again, I didn't introduced myself. I'm Park Jinyoung. I'm a first year litterature student. Here, almost laying on the ground, is Choi Youngjae. He's our little genius maknae, studying science. He's the most hard worker I know, even if it's difficult to figure out right now. You already know Jackson Wang, he's a first year architecture student. Just like him... » Jinyoung looks fondly at the other boy who's sitting beside the shower room door. « Lim Jaebeom, my best friend. »
The boy lifts his head at the mention of his name, looking totally lost and hagard. His eyes seems to scan the hallway, and suddenly his blurry vision focuses on Jinyoung. His whole face lightens up, and he smiles broadly. He gets up on shaking legs and comes to hug his friend tightly.
« Cheenyoungie ! You're here ! I thought I lost you- » His slurred words makes it difficult to understand, but Jinyoung's chuckle interrupts him.
«It's ok hyung, I'm not going anywhere ! » And, talking to Mark, his cheeks dusted with a cute pink shade. « Don't mind him, he usually doesn't like skinship much when sober, but he can get a bit affectionate when he gets drunk. »
Mark smiles a bit.
« Seems so, yeah. I'm Mark Tuan, and I'm studying geography. You can call me hyung, if you want.»
The clingy boy - Jaebeom, right ?- , who hasn't let go of Jinyoung, begins to sway his body from right to left softly, humming a song under his breath and nuzzling his friend's hair.
«Cheenyoungie, please, I wanna go to bed, can you take me back to my room ? Pleeeeaaaase ? »
« Shhh, hyung, stop this, I will as soon as you've had your shower. You'll thank me tomorrow in the morning, you'll see. For now, be a good boy and just do what I ask you to, ok big baby? »
Jaebeom lifts his face from the crook of Jackson's neck where he'd buried his nose a few seconds ago, grinning delightfully.
« Oh I like it when you call me baby ! I want you to only call me that from now on ! »
Jinyoung blushes further and pushes a strand of Jaebeom's hair behind his hear, shaking his head with a sorry look.
« I doubt your sober self would appreciate much, hyung. »
« My sober self is stupid. »
Jinyoung chuckles half heartedly, letting Jaebeom holding him tight and resuming his motionless slow-dance. He looks apologetically at Mark from behind Jaebeom's shoulder.
« Yeah, for that you're not totally wrong. Maybe you should go back to sit next to Youngjae, and keep an eye on him? Would you do that for me ? »
Jaebeom mumbles something they don't understand, then lets go of Jinyoung's body with a small nod.
Jinyoung lets out a sigh, still blushing.
« Jaebeom-hyung is the cuddly-type when drunk. Jackson is more a dorky drunk, and as for Youngjae... » He frowns slightly. « ...He is more an unpredictable drunk. Unpredictable and crazy, truth to be told. I'm rather thankful he seems so out of it tonight, it 's easier for me ! »
Mark still has his attention on Jaebeom, who sits back next to their maknae, but is still staring at Jinyoung with a look of sheer adoration.
« You two are cute. How long have you been together ? » Mark asks with a little smile.
« Oh, no, no, we're not ! » Jinyoung pales and shakes his hands frantically before himself. « And, we're not hu...gay. »
Mark raises an eyebrow skeptically. The scene he just witnessed is not the more straight thing he's ever witnessed. Jinyoung then lets his arms fall, and looks at his feet shamefully.
« Well, at least Jaebeom hyung isn't. He's as straight as one could be, and has more ex-girlfriends than we have books on our shared shelf, and that's a lot to say. He's just like this when he's drunk. »
« Oh, okay, sorry for assuming things. » Mark shruggs and adds, seeing how miserable Jinyoung suddenly looks. « It is none of my busines, okay ? Besides, I'm not judging or anything. »
Jinyoung looks comforted by his words, a relieved half smile appearing on his face.
« Thank you so much, Mark hyung. You've been really kind with us all tonight- »
The opening of the door interrupts him.
« Tadaaa, I'm done ! » Jackson steps outside the shower room with a dazzling smile, attempting to dry his hair with his towel. His steps are hesitant and he still looks dizzy, but the pouting and sulking are nowhere to be found.
Jinyoung lifts his pointing finger at Mark as if to excuse himself, and enters the shower, picking up Jackson's clothes that were scattered all around the small room with a frown and a crinkled nose.
He bundles everything up and hands it to its owner.
«Take this, I'm not your personnal maid for fuck's sake, Sseunie. » He pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes for a second. « Well, now you're going to wait for me here and be really, really quiet or we're gonna have problems, okay? Which one am I going to help now?... -Oh my god ! Youngjae, no ! »
They haden't checked on the two other guys from the moment Jackson appeared, and the one who'd been passed away a few minutes ago is now bare feet, his tee shirt discarded on the floor, and currently taking off his trousers-his underwear coming along with the skinny jeans. Before anyone can react, Youngjae is naked in the hallway, stretching his arms above his head with a loud, satisfied sigh.
And what a glorious sight it is.
Mark can't help but stare, his eyes wide and his mind blank, as the boy is displaying his naked body shamelessly. He is gorgeous and Mark swallows hard when he turns back to look at them with a dreamy smile. Damn.
He feels a bit sorry when Jinyoung wraps his friend in a towel and leads him to the shower-room, scolding him without raising his voice.
« You can't just undress in the middle of the hallway, you dummy ! What got into you, seriously ? You're gonna get us fired ! I'm so done with y'all tonight ! »
Then, turning to Mark and Jackson who'd stayed silent during the incident, he gives an imploring look Mark's way.
« I know we've only been a pain in the ass for you tonight, Mark hyung, but would you be kind enough to just stay here a few minutes more while I'm trying to help mister pervert here to clean himself ? Just in case Jaebeom hyung orJackson would decide that they didn't piss me off enough already and tried some stupid idea only their twisted mind could conjure ? Please ? I will find a way to make it up to you, I promise ! » Turning to Jackson with a deadly glare : « SSeun-ah, I swear to god, if you do anything wrong, be sure I'm gonna kick your pretty ass ! Please be nice with Mark hyung! »
Mark is still a bit shocked by Yougjae's sudden strip-tease, but he manages to nod before Jinyoung closes the door. He puffs his cheeks, thinking about how his six hours of sleep were slowly melting, when Jackson speaks and takes him by surprise.
« So, our Youngjae has... a nice ass, right ? »
Mark chokes on his saliva and turns to face Jackson , looking like a deer in the headlights. The boy is leaning against the wall, a smirk on his face and a playful gleam in his pretty eyes.
« What ? I... I mean... I didn't look. »
« Oh yes you did... And your jaw fell on the ground, Mark-ssi. But it's okay... You know, I too think Youngjae's butt is quite something... What a shame, really, that our beloved maknae only likes girls, right ? » And he winks, obviously delighted that he's making Mark blush and stutter.
Jinyoung was right, Jackson was a dork when drunk.
« Hey... Where... Where's Cheenyoungie? » Jaebeom just noticed that his friend isn't around.
Jackson rolls his eyes.
« He is helping Youngjae in the shower, you nerd. Don't worry, hyung, he'll be back in a few minutes. »
« But... Why is he helping Youngjae? I'm the one he should help ! I don't want him in the shower with Youngjae! » Jaebeom's offended tone makes Jackson huff.
«Okay, okay, hyung, you big baby! Just close your eyes, count to one hundred and he'll be right here. »
« You sure ? » Jaebeom sniffs.
« Goddammit, hyung, just do what I told you, will you ? »
Jaebeom lowers his head back between his knees, following his friends instruction, but not without letting a whine out.
«I want my Cheenyougie back... »
Jackson narrows his eyes at him, shaking his head in disbelief.
« Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with this guy. He's one of my best friend, you know, but- » Jackson stops his mumbling abruptly, looking at Mark with surprised eyes. « Wait a minute. Are you here in the hallway only wearing a bathrobe ? »
Markis sure he hasn't blushed that much in the last six months or so. He crosses his arms on his chest in defense, and frowns.
« Well, yeah. I am. Actually, I didn't planned to spend time in this hallway at all, or I would have taken some proper clothes with me. I was just interrupted while I was showering in peace, by the most loud and annoying guy who was knocking at my door like a madman. »
Jackson looks genuinely shocked, shaking his head again with a frown and a disgusted face.
« Really ? How rude ! Man, kids really have no manners these days, you know... »
Mark can't believe him.
Jackson doesn't even remember he was the culprit who disturbed him like half an hour before.
Kids these days.
He is distracted by the way Jackson is looking closely at his body again, wrapped in his white fluffy bathrobe, and begins to feel very self conscious.
« You shouldn't walk around like this, anyway, you know. First, you could get sick. And then, well, maybe it would give perverted people twisted ideas, because bathrobes are things you're not supposed to wear in public. Besides, this really suits you... » Before Mark can even react, Jackson is tilting his head on the side, much like a puppy would do, his eyes widening at the realisation. « And you're very pretty, too. »
Okay. This has to stop before his poor heart just decides to have a stroke.
Mark has been single for so long, choosing to focus only on his studies and to forget everything that wasn't related to them, and in less than an hour he'd been assaulted by images of a perfect naked body and now this boy was …
The door opens again, and Youngjae appears, his hair wet and grinning. He is now -unfortunately, if you ask Mark- fully dressed up in... koala pajamas ? Really ? And is holding his clothes against him.
Jinyoung is following closely, anxiously looking at Mark.
« Mark hyung? You're okay ? Tell me they didn't do anything stupid... »
« No, no, don't worry- »
« I was just telling Mark-ssi that he shouldn't stay in the hallway in only his bathrobe, because it's unwise. That's not safe to walk around almost naked when you're that pretty and all... »
Jinyoung facepalms.
« Oh my god Jackson, please just shut the fuck up. Your stupid ass didn't just tell Mark hyung that he's pretty, did you ? »
« Well that's not very nice Jinyoung-ah ! And of course I told him, I don't see what's wrong in telling pretty people they're pretty, there's no law against it ! »
« I don't know what's wrong either ? » As Youngjae has come to sit down at the exact same spot than before, Jaebeom comes to stand next to them and is frowning, adding his two cents. « Is it wrong if I say you're pretty, Jinyoung-ah? »
Mark and Jackson look at each other with matching smirks, Jinyoung's face exploding in all shades of red.
« Errr... No, there's nothing wrong, hyung. But you shouldn't say this, you know, I'm not a girl, and- »
« Well I know you're not ! » Jaebeom giggles, and Mark wonders how this group of friends is so absurdly attractive. « But you're still prettier than any girl, and than... » He points at Mark and frowns again, trying to remember if he knows his name, but shruggs, looking at him apologetically. «Him ? Sorry, dude, no offense. »
Jaebeom dismisses him with a wave of his hand and a chuckle. « None taken. It's okay. »
Jackson is outraged. « I don't agree with Jaebeom, I just think that Mark-ssi- »
Jinyoung claps in his hands, still clearly embarrassed.
« Well. I think we should postpone this whole « who's the prettiest » challenge to later- or never. Yeah, never is good. Never seems perfect. I'm gonna tuck Youngjae in bed before he decides to do something weird again. Jackson, can you please help Jaebeommie to begin to shower ? I'll be back to take care of him next and then we'll-»
« No ! » Jaebeom stomps his foot. « I don't want you to go. You spent enough time with Youngjae. It's my turn now ! »
Jinyoung looks startled at Jaebeom's outburst. What the hell is happening with him tonight ? He would gladly have taken the time to coax his best friend into doing what he asks him at any other moment, but now, his exhaustion and the stress of the evening are beginning to have the best of his patience, and he can't help but growl in aggravation.
« Look, hyung. We won't go anywhere if nobody's helping, you know ? You're acting like a spoilt kid now, I can't be everywhere at once. Please be kind and do as I said, will you ? »
The stubborn frown on Jaebeom's face melts into a dejected expression, the boy letting his head fall in defeat. Jinyoung has never snapped at him before.
« You just had to say it, if you didn't want to take care of me... » And he turns towards the shower entrance, but not before anyone can spot his bottom lip trembling. Jinyoung feels something squeaze painfully in his ribcage.
He's quick to catch the boy's wrist, making him turn again.
« What are you talking about, hyung ? » Jaebeom's head is still down, his eyes refusing to meet Jinyoung's concerned ones. The boy catches his chin gently, lowering himself to be able to look into his friend's eyes. « Hey. I don't know what got into you tonight, you're being weird. Of course I want to take care of you, that's the reason why I didn't drink tonight, remember ? But as I said, I can't take care of all of you at one time. So I'm gonna take Youngjae to bed, and I promise to come back for you after, okay ? » And as it crosses his mind, Jinyoung adds with a chuckle. « Let's say I'm keeping the best for the end ? » It wasn't even a lie, right ?
« You promise ? »
« I do... Is it okay... Baby? »
Jaebeom's grin is back full force, and he nodds eagerly.
Mark -who whitnessed the whole scene with fondness, deciding that these two were the cutest thing he'd seen since forever- steps in the conversation. He is growing incredibly uncomfortable as Jackson keeps on staring at him with a dreamy look and a half smile.
« Hum, Jinyoung-ah, if you want, I can keep an eye on Jaebeomwhile you take Youngjae AND Jackson back to their rooms. So that you will only have to focus on Jaebeom when you come back ? »
He knows that it would have been better for him to just let Jinyoung deal with his friends from now on, and just don't give a damn to what could happen to them, but he also knows that letting Jackson keeping an eye on Jaebeom alone is probably going to lead to a disaster of some sort.
And for some reason, he doesn't want the efforts Jinyoung made all evening to keep his friends out of trouble go to waste. So he just resigns himself to lose a bit more of his precious sleep time in order to help them a little more.
« That's very nice of you, Mark hyung. We don't deserve all you did for us tonight. Thank you so much. I will do just what you suggest. Hyung, please be a good boy, okay ? I'm coming back asap, I promise...»
Jaebeom comes to stand next to Mark, and looks at Jinyoung as he's grabbing Youngjae's arm, dragging him on the hallway, all the while asking Jackson to follow them. Jackson waves childishly at them before leaving, sending a stunning smile Mark's way that threatens to make his heart stop.
« See you later, hyung. Good night, pretty Mark-ssi ! »
Jinyoung's exasperated voice comes from the hallway.
« Damn Jackson! Shut up. Haven't you all embarrassed ourselves enough already ? Come on ! »
Jaebeom giggles, and turns his head to look at Mark curiously, slurring his words.
« Isn't Jinyoungie cute ? »
Mark nods, smiling.
« He sure is. »
Jaebeom smiles proudly at his answer, before frowning suspiciously.
« You... You are not having a crush on Jinyoung, are you ? »
Mark shakes his head frantically, blushing. For someone who spent the majority of his time alone and not interracting with anybody, he's had his share of crazy exchanges with people, tonight. Were all the students in this house that weird ? Mark has to admit that he has no clue of it whatsoever. He hopes not, because damn, this little group of friends are kind of completely nuts.
« No, of course not. »
Jaebeom seems to let out the breath he's been keeping, smiling again with satisfaction.
« Ah. Good. Okay. » He shoves his hands deep in his pockets, beginning to swing on his heels quietly, his eyes avoiding Mark's. « Will you tell him I've been good ? Because I'd really want him to be proud of me. »
« Don't worry for this, I will. »