Save Me (Got7 Markson) (hiatus, possibly discontinued)

Chapter 4

Mark knew Jackson had done something to piss of Connor. And once he had forced Jackson to tell him the whole story, he'd promptly slapped the brunette upside the head and asked him if he had a death wish.

But he couldn't stay mad for long. Jackson's pouty face and puppy dog eyes were too hard to resist. He'd managed to be grumpy for about 2 seconds before bursting out laughing at the other's ridiculous antics to win him over.

Which were working magnificently, by the way.

Mark made a mental note to learn how to not be affected by those cute actions, as they were sure to screw him over in the future if he didn't.

But in the meantime, he would just enjoy the aegyo.

His mood turned serious again as he remembered what Connor had said, and Jackson seemed to feel the tension, because he stiffened and went silent.

"So he's after both us now, isn't he?" whispered Mark.

Jackson nodded. "I'll protect you, though. He won't be able to hurt us." He wrapped his arms around the redhead, something Mark found that Jackson loved to do.

And for the first time ever, the redhead returned the hug.

The two sat side by side on the rooftop, enjoying the breeze and listening to the melodious chirping of the larks.

Mark was just about to fall asleep when he heard a scream, followed by yelling and cursing. Both he and Jackson peeked over the edge of the roof to see, much to their horror, Connor and his friends beating up yet another kid.

Well, kids. Two to be exact. Both looked Asian, and on a closer glance, both were labeled "nerds" as well. Mark had seen those two around sometimes. They were quiet, shy kids who were actually very nice to people who made an effort to talk to them. Otherwise, they kept mostly to themselves.

Mark felt a pang of sympathy in his heart as he saw the two getting yelled at by Connor before the shorter one received a blow to the stomach.

He suddenly felt a tug on his sleeve and turned to see Jackson, flames in his eyes, shaking with anger.

"Oh, I am so gonna beat up that idiot Connor." Mark silently nodded and rushed after Jackson as they dashed down the stairs.

Bursting through the doors, they came face-to-face with a very surprised Connor. The two shy kids hid behind them, the shorter one sniffling and clutching the back of Mark's shirt tightly.

Connor's eyes slowly trailed from Mark to Jackson, and back again.

A smirk appeared on his face. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the other two Asian nerds who came to try and save the day. Look at you two. You're so pathetic, trying to stand up for those losers."

Jackson bristled and in the blink of an eye, darted forward and sent a staggering blow towards Connor, knocking the latter into one of his cronies. Everyone stared at Jackson for a split second.

And then chaos ensued.

Both sides began throwing punches left and right, hitting whoever wasn't swift enough to move out of the way. Even the two shy kids got in on some of the action, working as a pair to trip and punch Connor's buddies.

Eventually, Connor retreated, shooting them a glare that said: It wasn't over.

Mark and Jackson were about to leave the scene when the other two tackled them from behind, hugging them tightly. The shorter one who had been sniffling in Mark's shirt earlier looked up at Mark with puppy-dog eyes that were somehow cute enough to compete with Jackson's.

"Thank you so much for saving us! Please let us be your friends. We're scared he'll try and beat us up again." The little tugs on his sleeve and the pouty face were all Mark needed to agree to his pleads.

The kid clinging onto Jackson let go and straightened up. "I'm Yugyeom. I'm from Korea."

Mark looked down at the boy latched onto him. "Are you going to let go, or...?"

The kid released his hold and stared at the ground bashfully. "Hi, I go by Bambam, I'm from Thailand."

"I'm Mark, I'm Taiwanese."

"And I'm Jackson, I'm from Hong Kong."

The four boys acknowledged each other with gummy smiles. They all knew they would stick by each other to protect from getting beat up by Connor again.

And as each left on their separate paths, Mark thought, I've made friends. Real, trustworthy, loyal friends.