Mark was back in his dorm when Jackson returned, laying on his bed after finishing some assignments that were due the next day. He was quite bored, especially with Jackson out having fun with Jinyoung, but of course he couldn't let the younger know that.
"Mark~ I'm back~" Jackson sang as he entered the dorm, giggling.
If he could go out all the time with Jinyoung without a care, then Mark could do the same. He hadn't done it yet but, he definitely needed to do something to get his mind off of his roommate and show less interest in his and Jinyoung's way too close for comfort 'friendship'.
As Jackson entered the room, Mark quickly picked up his phone to make himself look busy. "Oh. Hello."
Jackson was still giggling as he set his bag down on the floor and walked toward his side of the room. "Jinyoung just made the funniest joke, you gotta hear it-"
"Gimme a sec." Mark interrupted. His eyes were glued to his phone that only displayed the home screen, but he could see out of his peripheral view that Jackson was interested in what he was doing.
"Who ya texting?" The younger asked, eyes glued to Mark who purposely paid him little attention.
"Oh... no one..." Mark mumbled, now randomly tapping the screen to make it look as if he was busy talking with other people.
Jackson clicked his tongue, stepping closer to the elder's bed. "Mark~ I don't like secrets."
Mrk let out a loud, exasperated sigh. "Just... Jaebeom."
The shock that masked Jackson's face was immeasurable. "Jaebeom? You got his number?"
Mark tapped his thumbs on the blank phone screen, pretending to be deep in a text conversation when in actuality him and Jaebum hadn't even said 'hello' yet. It did feel pathetic to be pretending to have a conversation with someone, but Mark wanted Jackson to know that his world didn't revolve around him either.
"Yup. Earlier today." The elder nodded, flashing his gaze up to gauge the younger's reaction.
"Wha- since when were you two close? Didn't you like, just meet him not long ago?" Jackson asked, now fully invested in Mark and Jaebeom's relationship.
Mark shook his head, dropping his eyes back to his phone. "Technically no. We had class together before."
The smile that Jackson had been wearing was long gone now and replaced with a confused frown. "Oh..."
Mark tried to ignore the look that tugged at his heart strings, deciding to fake a laugh as he tapped his blank phone screen some more. "He's so funny."
"Is he?" Jackson mumbled, suddenly getting a second air of confidence that Mark was used to him having. "Well... he can't be as funny as I am."
"Jackson, your jokes don't make me laugh." Mark retorted.
That hit Jackson like a punch in the gut. "What!? Are you kidding-"
Mark interrupted the younger's protest with another exaggerated laugh. "Oh my god he's hilarious!"
"Being funny is literally the biggest personality trait I rely on!" Jackson whined, that frown revisiting his face as he realized Mark was barely listening.
"Humor is subjective. Sorry." Mark shrugged, pretending to ignore the younger.
Jackson looked as if he were about to argue, but decided against it. Instead, he took a few steps back, his face darkened from its usual bright complexion. "Well um... you have fun then. I'm gonna go shower..."
"Okay." Mark replied, glancing up from his phone as Jackson headed off to the bathroom. He let out a soft sigh, feeling his chest tighten.
The mood between them felt cold now. But, Mark had the right to make other friends too, didn't he? It was Jackson who decided to start running off with Jinyoung, leaving Mark all alone. If he could do it without even a second thought, why did Mark feel so bad doing the same?
