Black and Blue | Markmin

𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚢-𝚏𝚒𝚟𝚎.

Jaemin closed the door between him and Mark and shut his eyes, taking another deep breath as the cold wind bit at his exposed skin. Then he straightened up, turning to look at Jeno, the boy rubbing the back of his neck and leaning against the railing of the outside corridor.

"Jaemin listen I didn't mean-" Jaemin stalked forward and grabbed Jeno by the collar, pulling his fist back and gritting his teeth before his fist struck Jeno's face. Right where he had hit Jaemin.

As indirect as the punch was, Jeno was also aware that Jaemin and Mark were soulmates and, with that knowledge, had still chosen to hit Mark. Now regardless of the fact that he had hurt Jaemin, the pink-haired boy was also angry about a multitude of things regarding the friend in front of him.

The fact that he had hit Mark. The fact that he had up and ignored Jaemin for weeks on end after finding out one of the most important secrets of Jaemin's life. The fact that he hadn't had the proper time to explain himself and his reasoning.

But as Jaemin pulled his fist back, readying himself for another punch, he felt his heart break at the downcast expression in his friend's face. Jaemin stepped back. Jeno looked up.

Jaemin's felt tears fill his eyes as a hand came to rest over his mouth. Jeno was here. In front of Jaemin. There he was, with his brown hair and stupid crooked glasses and stupid half-hearted smile and stupid crescent eyes looking all ruffled like a puppy.

"Jeno," Jaemin croaked out and he pitched forward, pulling his friend into his arms and holding him as if he'd never let go. A smell of teakwood and tobacco but it was Jeno's, and Jaemin buried his head into the boy's chest. His friend. His best friend.

He could feel Jeno trembled in his arms, the older's arms wrapped tightly around Jaemin's crying body. "I'm sorry for hitting you," Jaemin started, "I shouldn't have-"

"No no," Jeno pushed Jaemin back so that they could look at each other, his eyes red and puffy from lack of sleep and Jaemin's probably much the same, "It's my fault. I guess I had it coming, karma and all that."

At the words, an awkward tension formed between the two. Jaemin did have a right to be angry. Jeno had ignored him for weeks and hadn't bothered to explain himself. But Jeno also had a right to be angry after everything that Jaemin had held from him.

"Jaemin I really want to apologize," Jeno started, moving back and twiddling nervously with his fingers, "What I did was shitty and it must have stressed you out so much and I shouldn't have ignored you without having talked to you before. I'm sure you had your reasons for keeping everything to yourself, even if they aren't good, and I hope that you'll also understand that I have reasons for being upset with you."

"I- I know Nono," Jaemin muttered, his stomach rumbling with lack of food and his hands shaking from the cold, "I shouldn't have kept as much from you as I did and, I mean I should probably explain myself." He said and Jeno nodded, the other reaching his hand out and taking one of Jaemin's shaking ones.

"Jeez your hands are so cold," Jeno muttered before frowning deeper, "You should go inside, you um," Jeno's eyes looked at Jaemin's exposed skin and coughed awkwardly, "you should probably cover up too. Maybe grab a turtleneck."

Jaemin frowned but then his eyes widened and he clapped a hand over his mouth, his face burning red when he realized. Images of Mark's burning lips ghosting over his collarbone, neck, and chest came to mind, Jaemin flushing a deeper red as the feeling of the small bites came back to him.

"Y-yeah," Jaemin managed to stutter out and Jeno nodded, "Do...do you want to come inside? We can talk more and you could have breakfast."

To Jaemin's dismay, Jeno shook his head, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I don't think it's a good idea for Mark or I to ever be in a room together. I've always disapproved of him and the way he treats everyone at school, even if he's your...boyfriend...," he hesitated to say the word 'soulmate' out loud, "There's always going to be a tension there. I'd rather not spend more time with him than I have to. We can talk some other time."