Head Down

◤seven◢

At Jaemin's name, Mark finds himself bolting out of class, for sure gathering the attention of everyone around him. He's running down the halls to try and find the boy who's already gotten himself into trouble (the stupid city boy stereotype isn't going anywhere soon), not knowing exactly where he is. But the halls are empty and most students are in class, so finding Jaemin shouldn't be that hard.

And it isn't, because Mark rounds one corner a few hallways into his search, and for sure, there Jaemin is, pinned against a wall of lockers by the boy who called Mark out for stepping on the sunshine boy's flowers.

Perhaps if it wasn't the pale boy, Mark wouldn't feel as angry as he is currently feeling. Maybe if it was someone who wasn't affiliated with Mark's negative image at the school, he wouldn't stomp right up to the pair and pry the boy off. For sure, as the other boy in class had said, his nose is bloody and his lip looks pretty busted. Mark is almost scared to look over at Jaemin, but does it anyways and is glad to see just a scratch under his eye. Sure, it wasn't ideal, especially since a pretty boy like Jaemin didn't deserve any scratches on his face, but at least it wasn't as bad as the other's.

"Mark," Jaemin calls, eyes wide with surprise that the boy had found him. He didn't expect anyone to find them, if he's being honest. "What're you doing?"

"Of course it's him you know, out of all people," the pale boy scoffs, words directed at Jaemin. The latter simply glares, and Mark swears he hears a growl leave the younger's mouth before he's trying to lunge at the pale boy again, but Mark simply puts a hand on his chest to hold him back. "Come at me!"

And Mark knows Jaemin would, Mark knows Jaemin wants to, but he doesn't want the younger to get himself into anymore trouble than he's already in.

"No," Mark says sternly, looking at Jaemin more than he's looking at the other boy. "Stop. It's only the second day. I'm surprised you got yourself into something so quickly." And Mark almost wants to take the words back when Jaemin ducks his head down in shame, picking at the hem of his clothes instead. But he hears someone make their way down the hall, and he's terrified that it's a teacher. Terrified for Jaemin, at least. "Leave." He demands, turning to look directly at the boy in question.

"What—" Jaemin asks, immediately about to protest, but before he can, Mark is pushing him around the corner of the hallway, hiding him away from the accusatory eyes of the teachers who are bound to find them.

"Go back to class or something," Mark says quickly, turning over his shoulder once to look and see if the pale boy is still there. He is. "Just— Don't get in trouble." And with that, Mark pushes Jaemin into the empty hallway, turning around back to where the other boy was. Mark places himself against the lockers where Jaemin was just a few seconds ago, glaring at the pale boy as he hears the footsteps get louder.

"Don't say a word." Mark hisses. All the other boy does is send Mark a glare, and Mark second guesses if he's really going to listen or not. "Or I swear to God—"

"Is there something going on here boys?" A loud, booming voice asks, deep with confusion and slight annoyance. Based off of looks, he looks like the principal of the school. Behind him is another female staff member, and Mark assumes that it's either the principal's secretary of the vice principal. Mark sends the other boy a final glare before answering the man.

"Nothing," he answers, keeping his tone clipped but polite. From behind the principal, Mark sees the honey suckled boy fidgeting constantly. It's the first time he's seen the boy look unsure of himself after his first encounter with the boy. But he quickly diverts his attention back to the pale boy who got himself into a fight with Jaemin, looking for a reaction to what he says. When the boy simply nods, Mark lets out an internal breath or relief.

"Don't let this happen again." The principal says sternly, clearly not believing the two boys. Mark doesn't know why he let them off the hook; if he was still in Vancouver, he would've faced at least two weeks of detention for fighting on school property. The evidence was all on the other boy's face anyways, all bloody and red. But then again, rules in places like this were always flawed. Before the principal turns to leave, he sighs heavily and faces the honey kissed boy. "Donghyuck—" He trails off, but the sun kissed boy, Donghyuck apparently, shakes his head as an interruption.

"Dad please," He pleads, eyes wide and tone low. So that's why Jeno was left off the hook, because Donghyuck's father is the principal. In turn, Mark was probably let go of too so that it could be fair. Mark has no idea what's going on. "Jeno..." He adds, pointing to the pale boy. Apparently, his name is Jeno.

With a stiff nod, the principal leaves, and Donghyuck is rushing over to Jeno, immediately placing his hands on his cheeks and wiping the blood off of his face with his shirt. Mark feels like he's invading when he notices that Donghyuck's tummy is just as honey as his face is. He immediately looks away, only to be met with an accusatory glare from Donghyuck, and a matching one from Jeno.

"Where is he?" Donghyuck spits, hands still on Jeno's cheeks. Mark doesn't quite hear Donghyuck's question in its entirety, too busy being taken aback by how different he looks when he's scowling. The lines which set onto his forehead and the downturn of his lips don't suit him at all. Mark is snapped out of his thoughts when an almost animalistic growl escapes Jeno's lips.

"Quit staring at my boy."

It's just then that Mark notices that Jeno's hand is on Donghyuck's waist possessively, and if looks could kill, Mark is positive he'd be gone for by now.

"Where's who?" Is all he asks, referring to the question Donghyuck had asked.

"Are all city boys this dense?" Jeno says under his breath, loud enough for Mark to hear. It was clear that that was his intention anyways. Before Mark could retort, Donghyuck is speaking.

"The idiot who did this!" He says exasperatedly, pointing to Jeno's face. There are a few scratches around his face, and his lip is busted for sure. Mark would feel bad if he didn't think Jeno was an asshole. "And you! Why did you take the blame for the coward who's actually guilty?"

"Don't call him an idiot," Mark immediately defends. For what reason, he's not sure. Probably because Jaemin is just like him, and understands being misunderstood and mislabelled. Mark is awfully hypocritical to be thinking like that, especially when he already has a prejudice about people here. "He's ten times the man you could ever be." He adds, once again, for a reason he's not sure of. It could be because Jaemin is Mark's first friend here.

Donghyuck opens his mouth to speak, but Jeno interferes first.

"Don't waste your breath of him. He's not worth it."

Mark simply glares, he has no clue how many times he's done that in the last twenty minutes, but it seems to work in ending the conversation.

"Don't touch a single hair on Jeno's head." Donghyuck seethes, finally turning around and leaving with Jeno in tow.

Mark doesn't know what he's gotten himself into.

Perhaps his luck really is fucked after stepping on Donghyuck's petals.