Chapter Text
Chapter Six
Before they knew it, it was late December. The weather had gotten much colder; it was very uncomfortable to leave the house without padding, gloves and a scarf at the present time. The boys were still working their butts off, even more so because they finally had a set date. They were going to debut as GOT7 on January 16, 2014 and they were all over the moon with excitement. They lived and breathed practice, wanting their debut to be nothing short of perfection.
It was late on a Monday night, two days before Christmas. The boys were all exhausted and had come home drenched in sweat. Rock, paper, scissors had decided the order of their showering, and then the boys had shoved down a quick meal before heading off to their own rooms to crash. Jaebeom thought he was the last one up, looking over the schedule that the manager had dropped off for them. It was the details of their photoshoots, music video shoots, and the tentative plan for their initial promotions. They had been given the next two days off for the Christmas holiday--a rare treat, since Jaebeom knew that once they debuted as idols their holiday season would be jam-packed with Gayo Performances (including SBS Gayo which fell on Christmas itself every year).
Jaebeom was by himself in his room, since Youngjae had fallen asleep cuddled up with Jinyoung in his bed. The younger boy had a rough day, feeling like his dance skills still weren’t up to par, and Jinyoung was doing his best to reassure the boy that he was doing a great job. Last Jaebeom saw them, they were both curled up around each other and snoring away.
A soft knock on the door startled Jaebeom from his thoughts, causing him to turn around in his desk chair to look at the doorway. It was a surprise to see Mark stood there tentatively, his pajamas oversized and making him look even younger and more vulnerable.
“Hey Mark hyung, what’s going on?” Jaebeom asked, putting down the highlighter he had been using.
Mark paused for a moment, seemingly trying to gather the words to explain himself. He stood there awkwardly before shaking his head and turning to leave muttering ‘nevermind’. Jaebeom shot out of his chair and over to Mark in a flash.
“Hey, come on,” Jaebeom said softly, grabbing on to his hand and leading the boy over to his bed. “You can tell me what’s on your mind.”
“I...it’s just…” Mark stuttered out, before attempting to take a deep and calming breath. “Well you had said that if I was getting homesick that I could talk to you anytime. I’m sure you’re exhausted, and you looked to be busy, I didn’t mean to bother you. I just didn’t want to ‘eff up like last time and then not be able to sit for a week.”
“A bit of an exaggeration there,” Jaebeom chuckled, trying to lighten the mood in the room a little.
“Your hand is like a friggin’ rock,” Mark replied, shaking his head. “You don’t know your own strength, man.”
Jaebeom rolled his eyes, but reached out and squeezed Mark’s arm in comfort.
“I’m really glad that you came to me,” Jaebeom said sincerely. “It means a lot that you trust me. Is it the holidays that are making it particularly worse?”
Mark nodded, playing with the edge of the sheet on the bed.
“My family are doing all the things that I used to do with them,” Mark explained. “And I know it’s not my first time missing Christmas. This isn’t my first Christmas away from home...I don’t know why these holidays this year are so much harder.”
Jaebeom could smell the subtle shift in Mark’s lime-like citrus scent. The scent became too sour--too pungent. He reached out to start rubbing up and down the boy’s back in comfort.
“Hey, it’s okay to miss them,” Jaebeom reminded. “And our emotions don’t always make sense. There could be a million reasons why it’s worse this year compared to last year. It could be that you are starting to see them get older and realize how much you really are missing. Or it could be that the stakes and the pressure have upped this year, now that you know we are debuting.”
Mark nodded in agreement. It did make sense. Jaebeom hesitated for a moment, before gathering his courage.
“I know that we are still very new to trying to act like a pack,” Jaebeom began. “But, would you be okay if I scented you? I think it could really help comfort and ground you. Maybe your mind just needs to be given a reminder that you have a place that you belong.”
Mark thought over Jaebeom’s words for a moment, thinking of the pros and cons. Pros: he would get great comfort and possibly feel even closer and more bonded with Jaebeom. Cons:...well honestly, what was he doing? There weren’t any cons really. The only time it sucked to be scented is if it was by someone unwanted.
“I would really like that, Jaebeom-ah,” Mark admitted.
“Okay, let me put the rest of my things away,” Jaebeom said, standing up and moving across the room to tidy up the desk a little.
Once he did so, he turned off the desk lamp and returned to his bed. He pulled back the covers to allow for Mark to slide under them before joining himself.
“Please let me know if at any point you want me to stop,” Jaebeom reminded. “I’m not going to do anything that you don’t want me to do, okay?”
“Got it,” Mark replied. “Thanks again for taking care of me, Beom-ah.”
“Anything for you, hyung,” Jaebeom replied with a smile.
Jaebeom shuffled over so that he had Mark in his arms, The boy's scent gland, located where his neck and his shoulder met, was now perfectly placed for Jaebeom to nuzzle against. Jaebeom placed a soft kiss to the spot--Mark instantly melting at the feeling. It wasn’t long before he felt himself fully surrounded by the scent of bergamot. It mixed so well with his own scent of lime. Mark felt himself so relaxed that the next thing he knew sunlight was streaming through the window into the room. Mark took a moment to bask in the warmth that was surrounding him. It took him a moment to realize that he felt not one, but two pairs of arms around him. He could smell the bitter tangy bergamot scent that was enveloping him, but underneath that he could smell the floral and soft scent of orchids--Jackson. Mark squinted into the sunlight that was streaming right on to his face, to find that Jackson was curled up to his front, while Jaebeom was still placed with his chest to Mark’s back.
“Good morning,” Mark whispered when he saw Jackson’s eyes flutter open.
“Morning,” Jackson croaked out in reply.
“When did you join us?” Mark asked, feeling the arms wrapping around him tighten from behind--it seemed like Jaebeom was waking up as well.
“I woke up around 3 in the morning and felt lonely,” Jackson explained with a shrug. “I wanted to be with my two best alpha hyungies.”
Mark felt Jaebeom chuckle from behind him.
“So what’s on the schedule for today?” Mark asked, turning in Jaebeom’s arms so he was now pressed against Jackson’s chest and face to face with Jaebeom.
“Nothing official,” Jaebeom replied around a yawn. “I figured we would probably run over the choreography a couple times. We could do that in the dorm so that the managers aren’t taken away from their break.”
“We should make a nice big dinner,” Jackson suggested. “Make the most of the holiday season and all. I know that Mark is used to celebrating Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in a way none of the rest of us are, so why don’t we embrace it.”
“That would be really nice,” Mark admitted.
“Okay, let’s make it happen then,” Jaebeom replied with a smile. “Now as lovely as this moment is, I really have to go to the bathroom.”
Jackson and Mark chuckled and un-koalaed themselves from Jaebeom so that the man could escape.
“Are you doing okay?” Jackson asked, squeezing Mark tightly. “I’m assuming there was a reason that you came to Jaebeom hyung last night and not to me.”
“Jealous?” Mark teased with a chuckle, turning back around so that he was facing Jackson once more.
“Always,” Jackson replied with all of the seriousness that he could muster.
Mark rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face.
“You were sound asleep,” Mark explained. “And I promised Jaebeom that I would talk things out instead of just acting rashly. He helped me out and I saved my ass, so all in all a great decision.”
“Hyungs,” a whine came from the doorway to the room.
Jackson and Mark turned to look and see who was interrupting them. It was Bambam that had whined, while Yugyeom was in the doorway behind them.
“I’m hungry and we ran out of rice,” Bambam whined.
“We have a cupboard full of cereal,” Mark pointed out.
“I don’t want cereal for breakfast,” Bambam pouted in reply.
“Neither do I,” Yugyeom added on with a shake of his head.
“And what do you want us to do about it?” Jackson asked.
“Come with us to the grocery store,” Bambam replied. “Jaebeom hyung said we aren’t allowed to go out on our own since we are underage.”
“Hey, that’s the company’s rule, not mine,” Jaebeom said, walking back into the room from the bathroom. “What are they complaining about now?”
“A lack of food in the dorm,” Mark explained.
“Well, we need to go shopping anyway if we are going to do a big celebratory meal tonight,” Jaebeom reasoned, sitting down on the edge of the queen sized bed.
“We are having a celebration?” Yugyeom asked in excitement, looking like an overeager puppy.
“A celebration for what?” Youngjae’s voice was heard from the hallway.
Bambam and Yugyeom walked into the room so that Youngjae and Jinyoung could join the conversation as well. The two youngest climbed onto the bed, Bambam flinging himself onto Mark’s lap and Yugyeom was pulled into Jackson’s.
“We are going to have a celebration for Christmas,” Jaebeom explained.
“Can we decorate?” Youngjae asked in excitement.
“I’m sure Daiso has some things left that we can pick up to decorate the place,” Jinyoung added in, moving to sit down next to Jaebeom and pulling Youngjae to sit with him.
“This is going to be so much fun!” Bambam exclaimed. “You guys are the best hyungs ever!”
--
The boys ran out to the grocery store and to Daiso to get all of the food and decorations that they needed. Upon returning to the dorm, they powered their way through the choreography practice. It wasn’t too tiring, since the dorm was small enough that they could really only mark the dances instead of doing the full out choreography. They most definitely could not participate in flips or tricks.
After that, they started cooking and decorating the dorm. Jinyoung, Jaebeom, and Mark were on the cooking team while Jackson, Bambam, Yugyeom and Youngjae were on the decorating team. It wasn’t long before the dorm looked like a Christmas Wonderland and smelled heavenly.
“I really appreciate you doing this guys,” Mark said softly while they were finishing up their cooking. “I know you have a lot of pressure on you as a leader and everyone as group members in general, so my being homesick shouldn’t be added to your already heavy loads.”
“Hyung, we all want the best for each other,” Jinyoung piped in from where he was spreading icing on a few cookies that they had managed to make in the toaster oven--since ovens in Korea were very uncommon and their mediocre dorm certainly didn’t have one. “Your mental health and wellness is as important as anyone else’s. You know that if it were Bambam or Youngjae, or honestly any of us, you would do the same.”
“Let us rely on each other like a pack and a music group should,” Jaebeom added in, giving Mark a supportive pat on his back. “We are all away from our homes, and our youngest are away at an exceptionally young age. We need to become each other’s support systems and family.”
Mark nodded in reply, honestly too choked up to say anything out loud.
“Is he doubting his worth again?” Jackson asked, walking into the kitchen and noticing the weird vibe.
“Yep,” Jinyoung replied. “But we are always going to remind him that he is worth it until it finally sinks in.”
“Hyungs are being sappy again, aren’t they?” Yugyeom asked, walking into the kitchen with Youngjae and Bambam trailing behind him.
“What are you guys doing here?” Jaebeom asked with a sigh. “Did you finish decorating?”
“Yep! And we are starving!” Bambam replied. “Like seriously, I think I could eat an entire cow and still have room for dessert.”
“You are literally a stick,” Jackson shot back. “You couldn’t even eat half a chicken.”
“Oh yeah?” Bambam challenged, puffing up his chest in a hysterical attempt to make himself look larger than he actually was. “I dare you to a chicken eating contest!”
“Guys!” Jaebeom shouted out. “Dinner is ready if you are done with your yapping.”
“YES! FOOD!” Yugyeom exclaimed, causing Youngjae to cover his ears with his hands. “That’s funny coming from you, hyung! You are literally the loudest member of this group.”
“Am not!” Youngjae protested. “Jackson hyung is a million times louder than me.”
Jackson clutched his chest in shock.
“How dare…” Jackson began to reply.
“Can we please eat, children?” Jinyoung asked, rolling his eyes at their antics.
“Yes, eomma!” Jackson, Yugyeom, Youngjae and Bambam all replied at the same time, causing the entire kitchen to almost fall over in laughter.
It took a few minutes to collect themselves, but they finally were dishing out their dinner onto plates that they were going to eat in the living room while watching Christmas movies together.
“Hey, if Jinyoungie hyung is eomma, does that make Jaebeom hyung appa?” Yugyeom wondered aloud.
Before Jaebeom could give any reply, Mark, Jackson, Youngjae, and Bambam all turned towards the leader and in their most whiny obnoxious voices possible called out: “APPA!!!!!”
Jaebeom sighed and reached over to hold hands with Jinyoung.
“Honey, I can’t control our children,” Jaebeom said with a mock seriousness that was very much betrayed by the upward curve of his lips.
“Guess they should be put up for adoption so we can get our quiet life back,” Jinyoung replied without a beat.
This was without a doubt going to be one of Jaebeom’s favorite Christmas memories...