“I am not going to be your property! I won’t be anyone’s property!” There is a loud smack following Jaebum’s words and Yugyeom’s hand automatically flies to his hurting jaw as he stumbles away. The youngest looks up, prepared to confront the fury in his hyung’s eyes with his own slowly rising temper, but everything he wants to shout out sticks to the back of his throat when he sees the person before him.
The terrified confusion written all over Jaebum’s face as he glances at Yugyeom, then back at his trembling wrist tells the alpha more than he asked for.
“Yo, what’s the commot-“ Jackson doesn’t have the chance to finish the sentence, with Jaebum pushing him out of his way, as he storms out of their pack’s shared apartment, not sparing them a second glance.
“What’s gotten into him… Oh man, Yugyeommie, your face! Jinyoung-hyung!”
Jinyoung is like a lightning, especially when a member of their little group gets hurt, lost or is just in a bad mood, so it doesn’t take long for him to appear in the living room. With just a quick glance he assess the damage and then comes back with a pack of ice. He ushers Jackson away, trying to pick out clues about what happened from Yugyeom’s face, because Jackson’s ‘Jaebum-hyung went bat crazy’ explanation is obviously not enough.
“I suggested marking,” Yugyeom says with his head hanging low when they are finally alone. “He probably thinks that I want to claim him and take his position away,” the bitterness in his own voice makes him wince.
“Do you?” Yugyeom stiffens at the question, the lid on his bottled up feelings slowly slipping away. He meets Jinyoung’s steady gaze as he puts away the pack of ice the other brought for his aching jaw.
“I don’t care about this stupid position, I care about him and he refuses to acknowledge that!” It’s a low, dangerous growl that Yugyeom lets out and it makes Jinyoung lean away from him. Yugyeom realizes that he crossed the line, so one more time he bows his head before the older man and sighs tiredly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that. I don’t want to hurt him or force him. I just- I just really, really want him to want me back and to let me- ugh… To let me stay by his side.”
There is a moment of loaded silence between them, with Jinyoung slowly sitting down beside the younger boy. After a couple of seconds he lets out a breath and smiles, and it somehow brings Yugyeom something akin to hope.
“Oh, he wants you alright. He just needs some time,” Jinyoung’s words are gentle, like always, his hand going to pat Yugyeom’s shoulder softly.
Jaebum is a stubborn man, Yugyeom knows it all too well, really. He’s prideful, has anger management problems and refuses to admit his mistakes.