wingate gardens -got7 ✓

29- we have to go

it was impossible for mark to describe how amazing that walk back to wingate was. sure, the impending doom of potential death was hanging over their heads, and the journey would take them just under 2 hours, but there was something so utterly magical about seeing yugyeom again.

he and bambam were walking ahead of the rest of the group, shoulders bouncing against each other as they laughed and giggled. mark was so glad to see bambam happy again, the last week had been so painful, seeing bambam so empty and lost.

from where he walked next to park, things finally seemed to be turning out well. maybe, he thought, his run of bad luck would finally be over. they'd find jobs, get out of wingate and live happy lives together, or he hoped so anyway.

park looked glum, adamantly staring at the ground, too afraid to look at mark. and mark, too, was nervous of so much as glancing at the man he had kissed only hours prior.

the tension in the air hung thick, shrouding them both. but neither would bring it up as they just continued walking in silence.

jackson seemed okay from where he was off to the side by himself, walking with a spring in his step that mark had never seen before. it was offputting in a happy sort of way, seeing jackson in a good mood was a rare occurrence.

but nothing could top how happy yugyeom looked.

the boy was practically floating on air, and his mood continued the whole walk back, all 2 hours of it. it was safe to say that the members of the group were all significantly happier.

when they arrived back at their apartment, again making their way through the twisting, dark alleyways that mark had grown quite fond of, the happiness quickly dispersed. mark found himself feeling empty and scared.

it was as if the blues already knew what had happened.

their eyes were filled with scorn and a deep set kind of anger that made mark want to cower into a corner. some looked like they were ready to kill, which wasn't exactly comforting.

the group immediately split up to go their separate ways, leaving with murmurs of good luck to each other. park, jackson and mark practically ran to their building, with yugyeom and bambam entering the one opposite.

they were all scared.

"hey," park said as they were heaving up the many flights of stairs, "both of you, stay in my apartment tonight."

mark didn't have to be told twice, and even jackson looked relieved with the proposition- wingate had suddenly become a scary place, and neither wanted to be alone.

besides, mark had wanted to talk things out with park anyway. so he said, "sure," and the trio went to park's room.

park's room was just as mark remembered it, walls charred with soot, furniture worn and battered. park almost looked bashful as they walked in, kicking a pile of dirty clothes under his desk and staring down at the floor.

mark would've laughed if he wasn't so tense. he just couldn't relax, shoulders pulled high, stomach flipping at the thought of anything happening to any of his friends.

they stood around awkwardly for a while, each unsure of what exactly to say before jackson finally spoke up, "fuck."

mark cocked his head, "fuck?"

"this is really happening isn't it? we're really leaving."

jackson looked on the verge of tears, eyes scanning the floor so he wouldn't have to look at either park or mark. he was struggling, mark could tell.

"fuck in a good way or bad way?" mark asked.

"i dunno man.. just... fuck."

if you had told mark when he had first arrived at wingate that he would be sad to leave, he would've laughed in your face. purely and simply, he had hated every second he spent at the estate. and he was sure that everyone else felt the same way.

but watching jackson's tearful eyes flicker and dull, he couldn't help but feel sad himself. it was a weird feeling, knowing that he truly wanted to stay at wingate- jarring.

as he looked around at park, and jackson, and park's tiny room that looked so similar to his, he couldn't stop the emotions from bubbling within him.

and it was only then that he realised how warm he felt. in amongst yugyeom's trial and jaebeom's threats and his weird relationship with park, mark hadn't even noticed the cold he was feeling disappear.

but then, in that moment, with jackson crying and park glazed over in a kind of dazed state, mark knew he wasn't sad anymore.

in fact, he hadn't thought about joey for weeks.

he didn't want to leave it all, wingate was where he found himself, he now realised.

the thought of leaving made his eyes sting.

mark shivered slightly, "i don't wanna leave."

both pairs of eyes snapped to him, park furrowing his brows, "what? why? i thought you hated it here?"

"i just... i guess it feels like home.. and i like you guys,"

jackson smiled a little, though mark didn't really believe it, jackson was obviously too sad to smile, "i don't wanna go either."

park nodded, "same. it's been so long. i can't imagine anywhere else."

jackson looked like he agreed, fresh tears flooding into his eyes.

"do we really have to get jobs?" he stuttered out, "h-how?"

it was on mark's mind too. he could recall a conversation with bambam, in which the boy told him it was next to impossible for any of them to get jobs, and that they had been trying for months, some years, to do so.

afterall, they had turned to drugs just so they could afford food, though park assured him that was all in the past now.

"i don't know." park answered truthfully, "but i'm sure i can pull some strings somewhere... there's no other choice jackson, we'll have to get jobs somehow or we'll die here."

that wasn't a nice thought.

despite all the danger he was in at wingate, the thought of death had never crossed mark's mind, save for that very first day when jackson had come to greet him, warning him of the "others" and what they would do.

looking at jackson now, it was downright funny that he had ever been scared of him.

jackson paused for a long while before speaking up, "i could probably get a job at this bar me and bambam go to..."

"you go to bar?!" park sounded angry, as he should, he had no idea jackson and bambam were sneaking out.

"chill out park, it's only once a month. we.. mostly stick to your rules of staying here."

park shook his head, "unbelievable." though he didn't look nearly as mad as mark had expected him to be. perhaps he was changing.

"as i was saying... someone could get a job at that estate agents, i heard a yellow used to work there back in 2018."

mark nodded, "i wouldn't mind doing that."

"great. it's sorted then. you two work on that tomorrow, and i'll try and figure something out for bambam, yugyeom and myself."

soon after that, the trio decided to sleep. emotions had been running high for far too long, and mark was beginning to notice just how tired he had become.

it was nice, going to sleep that night, knowing that yugyeom was sleeping in his own bed again, and that jaebeom had replaced him in a prison cell. mark couldn't believe they had really pulled it off, it was insane.

but at the same time, he was painfully relieved. he wasn't sure if he could've taken any more stress or worry. but it was all sorted now.

all they had to worry about now was how on earth they were going to escape wingate... how they were going to escape their own home.

#unediteddddddd