been you | mt+ijb ✓

10

Youngjae confesses that he has feelings for Jaebum the same evening that Yugyeom comes over in tears.

Jaebum knows it's cruel, but he's grateful that Yugyeom's unknowingly provided a distraction from the situation at hand. He asks Youngjae if they can talk about it later, when he and Mark have consoled their crying friend, and although the younger is obviously reluctant, he agrees and leaves.

When Jaebum closes the door and turns to his friends, Yugyeom has climbed into Mark's lap and is sobbing into his shirt. Jaebum thinks drily that, because the high-schooler is so much taller, it would be a comical scene if the situation weren't so serious.

"What's wrong?" Mark asks Yugyeom when the latter has calmed down enough to talk. Jaebum is impressed when he sees Yugyeom calm down just from the sound of Mark's voice. Maybe, after so long, Jaebum is just immune to his best friend's charm.

"We fought," Yugyeom tells them miserably, and they don't have to ask to know he's talking about Bambam. "He – he said he hates me."

Jaebum scoffs. Mark sends him a reproachful look.

"Why'd you fight?" Mark asks.

"Because I went out with some guys I dance with," Yugyeom says, which Mark and Jaebum both cringe at in realization, "and he got jealous about it, and I told him he was overreacting, and then we – we started yelling, and he said that he hates me – "

"That's not true," Mark assures him before he can dissolve into desperate cries again. "He loves you."

Yugyeom shakes his head and turns away to hide the tears welling in his eyes again, his lower lip quivering, and Jaebum sighs.

"Yugyeom, listen to me for a second, okay?" he requests, not bothering to wait for an answer before he plows on. "Bambam could never hate you. He's always going on and on about how great of a dancer you are, and how good you look in black, and how happy he is with you. I don't know if you've noticed, kid, but that boy looks at you like you put the stars in the sky."

Mark nods fervently as Yugyeom sniffles. "He adores you."

"I don't know," Yugyeom says weakly. He starts to cry again, frustrated and angry and scared, saying, "I don't know if he does anymore."

There's a knock from the other side of the door as Mark sighs and pets Yugyeom's hair. Jaebum gets up to answer it, and when he looks through the peephole, he's met with the sight of Bambam wringing his hands and bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet. Jaebum's conflicted for a minute, unsure of what to do, before he hears Yugyeom muffle another sob into Mark's shirt and decides to let Bambam in.

"Hyung," the Thai boy says immediately when the door swings open. "Have you seen Yugyeom? We fought earlier and I said something I didn't mean and he got really upset and left and I went to Youngjae's place looking for them but he wasn't there and I can't find him and I think he might've hurt himself and I'm really fucking worried – "

Jaebum sighs loudly to cut him off and steps aside. Jealousy flits over the Bambam's expression for a second at the sight of his boyfriend in Mark's lap, but it disappears almost instantly when he sees the tears streaming down Yugyeom's face.

"Fuck," he curses before rushing over immediately – Jaebum's heart hurts a little when he sees the way Yugyeom flinches – and sitting down next to Mark, who transfers Yugyeom into Bambam's arms. "I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry, don't cry – "

"Me too," Yugyeom chokes out. "I'm sorry too."

Jaebum and Mark both pretend not to see the tear that makes its way down Bambam's cheek as he wipes Yugyeom's cheeks. "I didn't mean what I said," Bambam says. "You're not a shitty boyfriend, you don't treat me horribly, I don't hate being with you – "

"You said that?" Jaebum can't stop himself from saying as he snorts. "No wonder he was so upset."

Mark stifles a giggle; Bambam glares. Yugyeom cracks a watery smile, wrapping his arms around Bambam's waist.

"So you – so you don't hate me?" he asks in a small voice.

"Why would I hate you?" Bambam asks, frowning. His eyes go wide. "Did I say I did?"

Yugyeom nods meekly, chin trembling dangerously again. "Y-yeah."

"Fuck, I'm sorry," Bambam whispers, pulling the other boy impossibly closer to his chest. "I was just angry. Of course I don't hate you."

All Yugyeom says to that is "Okay," but the despondence is gone from his voice, and Jaebum and Mark grin at each other when the couple isn't looking. Bambam thanks them both before leaving with Yugyeom's hand in his.

Jaebum lets himself flop onto Mark's bed as the door shuts behind the high-schoolers, exhaling loudly. "We weren't that dramatic in high school, were we?"

Mark laughs. "I hope not." His expression shifts slightly, worry taking over as he starts to pick at his neatly trimmed nails. "What're you going to say to Youngjae, though?"

Jaebum had forgotten about that.

"I don't know," he says honestly.

Mark's words are careful. "Do you like him back?"

Jaebum ponders the question. He thinks of Youngjae's lips on his that one drunken night and of Youngjae's voice belting out ballads during the boys' karaoke night when Mark had been in California and they had all been incredibly bored.

At the same time, though, he thinks of how angelic Mark had looked that night at the bar and of the fact that while the other five boys had spent the night yelling the lyrics to their favorite songs, he'd spent it missing Mark so badly that it had physically hurt.

Understanding washes over Jaebum. He doesn't know how to put into words the way he feels about Mark, but he knows he's being sincere when he says, "No," in response to Mark's question.

Jaebum is too proud of having come to his revelation to notice the way Mark visibly relaxes at his answer and intertwines their hands in a gesture that's probably only meant to be encouraging.

"Tell him the truth, then," Mark says softly, looking away and consequently missing the way Jaebum's eyes trail reverently over his features. Jaebum smiles and tugs on his best friend's hand until Mark lays down next to him.

It's incredible, Jaebum thinks, how their bodies fit together like pieces of a puzzle, but he'd rather die than say that out loud.

"Thank you," he murmurs against Mark's hair, "for the advice."

Mark hums sleepily, already dozing off, and Jaebum wonders when he'd developed such a soft spot for him.