"Jeno, what the fuck was that?!" Mark yelled as he held his brother back from running after Jaemin.
"Leave me alone," Jeno shoved Mark away from him.
"Jeno, you just ripped Jaemin's fucking heart out," Mark scoffed as yanked on Jeno's wrist for the younger to face him. "You expect me to just let it go? Why the hell did you say all that stuff?"
"He started it," Jeno shoved Mark even rougher this time.
"Cut it out!" Mark shoved his brother even harder, the younger Lee almost falling over. "You need to apologize to him-"
"Since when do you care, huh?!" Jeno yelled in his face as he shoved Mark so had that he fell back onto the sand almost as hard as Jaemin did.
"I've always cared you brat," Mark growled as he got up and shoved Jeno to the ground. "Don't fucking push me again. You understand me?"
"You are a liar! You don't care about me," Jeno stood up again and clenched his fists. "None of you care about me."
"Jeno-hyung," Chenle looked close to tears when he heard that.
Mark glared at Jeno before looking at Renjun. "Take Jisung and Chenle home. I have to talk to Jeno alone."
Renjun glanced at Jeno before stealing the youngest two towards the parking lot.
"Why the hell would you say that?" Mark gritted his teeth together. "Are you going through some teen-angst faze right now? You have no reason to act like this to people who have done nothing but be kind to you. You seriously need to grow the fuck up right now-"
Jeno felt his fists tighten so much that his nails dug into his palms. "Shut up! I'm done with this. I dont need this."
Jeno bumped Mark's shoulder as he walked passed him.
"Keep fucking walking away," Mark scoffed as he crossed his arms. "That's what you always do isn't it, Jen? You quit and walk away when things get too hard for you-"
Jeno turned around and swung his arm. His fist punching Mark straight in the face.
Mark's eyes were wide as he stayed in the bent position. He could feel warm liquid pooling down his cheek.
Jeno's ring sliced his cheekbone and blood was dripping down.
"I'm sick of you playing the hero! I'm sick of hearing about you being the fucking good guy when you don't care about anyone but yourself-" Jeno started screaming at him.
Mark couldn't take it anymore.
He tackled Jeno to ground before he started pounding his fist into his brother's face.
Jeno raised his arms to protect himself at his brother's ruthless punches.
Mark heard Jeno cry out in pain but he didn't care as he felt his fist begin to hurt.
But soon there was another cry that made Mark freeze.
A name that Jeno hasn't called them since their parents died.
"Markie..." Jeno's voice was nothing but a hurt whisper but Mark could tell he was crying.
His thoughts were confirmed when Jeno slowly let his arms come down. The younger boy's lip was bleeding along with a bruised eye and cheek.
Mark looked down and felt a piece of his heart break when Jeno's lip wobbled and he soon began to sob.
"Jen..." Mark's own voice cracked as he got off his brother before pulling the younger boy up into a hug.
"I-I'm s-sorry," Jeno went to say but was soon crying into Mark's shoulder again clinging onto the back of his shirt for dear life.
"Hey, hey it's ok," Mark shushed him, one of his hands coming up to stroke the back of his head. "Calm down, breathe."
"It's not ok," Jeno shook his head roughly. "I didn't mean to hurt him..."
"Tell me what's going on Jen," Mark held his brother closer and stroked up and down his back. "Why did you say all of that stuff?"
"I didn't mean any of it," Jeno started slowly, refusing to let go of Mark's shirt. "I've just been so upset lately and I took it out on him and i just- I hurt him. He just had his back surgery over the summer and I hurt him!"
Jeno shoulders began to shake violently again but Mark kept him grounded.
"Jeno," Mark began but he heard his brother whine at his own name.
"Please not Jeno, a-anything but stupid J-Jeno," Jeno's hand was shaking against his back.
"What do you want then? Jen, samoyed, birthday boyyy," Mark said drawing a giggle out of Jeno.
Jeno started to calm down and Mark took that as his chance to pull away a little bit. Despite the protesting, he held Jeno away from him by his shoulders to look at his face.
"Let's take it piece by piece, yeah?" Mark raised his brows as Jeno looked away. "Why have you been upset lately?"
"Nobody cares anymore," Jeno pulled his knees up to his chest. "You say that you do but I know that you don't. Ever since Jaehyun left-"
Jeno closed his eyes and took a deep breath before trying to continue.
Mark frowned heavily but didn't interupt.
"Since he left it's like everyone is too concerned with other things to care anymore," Jeno clutched onto Mark's hand. "Taeyong is busy at work and at home. Yuta and Johnny are always off working on something. Ten is always at the dance studio and you-"
Jeno's voice cracked as he pulled Mark's hand closer. He laid his forehead on the back of Mark's hand.
"You stopped caring the day Jaehyun left," Jeno whispered as tears started flowing down his face again.
"Jen, that's not-" Mark tried to intervene but Jeno shook his head against his hand.
"It is!" Jeno's voice cracked. "You don't care anymore. You are always busy doing something and when you do have free time you never want to spend any of it with me. I always ask if you want to do something and you always turn me down."
Mark felt a piece of his heart break off.
"You haven't been to one of my basketball games in 2 years," Jeno slid Mark's hand down so it was covering his eyes. "We used to go the movies every month. You used to help me with my homework because of my dyslexia but now I'm practically failing no matter how much I ask for your help."
Another piece broke.
"When Jaehyun left I went to the one person who would understand and you shut your door in my face," Jeno's hands began to shake. "I had to go through a sexuality crisis by myself because everytime I went to talk to you, you said you were tired and closed your door. Do you know this is the first time you've hugged me since before he left?"
Mark felt another huge piece break off.
"I'm s-sorry," Jeno began to cry again. "I j-just m-miss my big brother."
His heart shattered into a million pieces.
"Jeno," Mark felt tears in his own eyes as Jeno sobbed.
Mark pulled Jeno towards him so they both fell back on the sand.
Mark wrapped his arms tightly around him and held him close to his chest as he cried.
This was his brother.
His little brother.
The one person he promised to protect.
He was supposed to be his superhero.
Flashback
"Mark baby," Taeyong reached out for him.
"Love, we already talked," Jaehyun said from behind Mark. "Everything is ok. There is no need to lecture him anymore."
"I wasn't going to," Taeyong let his eyes soften.
He heard their conversation from outside the bedroom door.
His heart dropped at the thought of Mark thinking nobody loves him.
"I was just going to see if he wanted to talk to Jeno," Taeyong looked at the way Mark's face dropped. "He's been crying nonstop since he got home."
Mark shook his head violently.
He wasn't ready to talk to Jeno after the way he yelled at him.
Jeno was only trying to tell him about his new friend and he snapped at him.
"Mark," Jaehyun sighed before kneeling down so he was facing Mark. "You should talk to him."
"But-" Mark went to say but was cut off by Jaehyun cupping his face in one of his large hands.
"Jeno needs you," Jaehyun tried to reason with him. "Out of all the people in the world your job is to protect your brother."
"But he probably hates me," Mark let his lower lip come out. "I was so mean to him."
"Oh please, kiddo," Jaehyun laughed. "Jeno loves you to pieces. He looks up to you like you are a superhero that makes the world spin. He's just a little sad that his superhero yelled at him."
"Superhero?" Mark looked up at that.
Mark and Jeno would watch a superhero movie every Friday night. They would take turns saying the lines of movies they already watched.
"Mhm," Taeyong pet his hair from behind. "Why don't you go save the day, baby?"
Just like that Mark was running off the Jeno's room, banging on the door heavily.
When the door opened, he came face to face with a tear stained face.
"I'm sorry!" Jeno wailed as he threw his little body into Mark's arms. "I didn't mean to make you mad at me!"
"No I'm sorry Jen," Mark pouted into his hair as he held onto him just as tight. "I had a bad day and didn't mean to take it out on you. I'm happy you made a friend."
"His name is Jaemin," Jeno said into his chest. "I tried to ignore him but he wouldn't leave me alone. He's really fluffy. He reminds me of the rabbit we used to have."
Mark laughed as he held his brother tighter. "Is that so? Just don't go forgetting about me."
Jeno gasped and looked up at his brother. "Never! You are my best friend!We can all be friends and we can all do things together but he's a little shy-"
Mark smiled as his brother started ranting.
He will always save the day for Jeno.
Jeno's superhero.
End of Flashback
"Jaemin was all I had," Jeno said into his chest. "He's been the only one there for me and he's been acting so strange lately. He's been ignoring me and not letting me hug him and...After today, I just got scared he was going to leave me too."
Mark didn't say anything as he held Jeno.
Jeno's been feeling lonely and he didn't notice.
"And the girl I was with...it was after I called Jaemin and he told me we couldn't hang out that day," Jeno said gently. "She told me she could make me feel better and the next thing I knew she was kissing me. I tried to kiss her back but it didn't feel right. I didn't know Jaemin caught us."
Mark ran his hand up and down Jeno's spine.
"I thought tonight was going to be the end," Jeno pressed his forehead against Mark's heart. "That's why i said all that stuff. I thought if I broke his heart first it wouldn't hurt as much when he left and broke mine. It wouldn't hurt as much as when Jaehyun left."
But it does.
Mark finished in his head.
"Jeno, I love you," Mark whispered into his hair. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry I haven't been a good brother lately but I'll try harder from now on, okay?"
Jeno hiccuped against him but otherwise didn't respond.
"As for Jaemin," Mark sighed. "Do you think maybe he's going through something like you are?"
Jeno shook his head before taking a deep breath.
"I'm in love with him, hyung," Jeno confessed.
"You're the last one to know, Jen," Mark laughed when Jeno looked up with his mouth dropped.
"And he loves you too," Mark chuckled when Jeno's mouth dropped even wider. "You're also the last one to know about that too. Hell, Donghyuck definitely knew the first time he met you two-"
"I need to find him, hyung," Jeno's eyes filled with tears.
"We will," Mark smiled before pulling the both of them off the the ground.
Jeno fingers latched onto the fabric near Mark's elbow.
Clearly not wanting to let him go.
"Get on my back, Jen," Mark smiled fondly as he down a little bit.
Jeno slowly got on his back and Mark started walking in the direction Jaemin and Donghyuck ran off to.
"I'm sorry for hitting you," Jeno said as he placed his lips on the top of Mark's head.
"I'm sorry for hitting you too," Mark patted Jeno's thigh gently.
"Hyung?" Jeno tightened his arms around Mark's shoulders. "Was it really that obvious that I love Jaemin?"
"Jen, everyone we know is gay," Mark laughed. "It would be a surprise if you weren't atleast bi."
Jeno was silent for a minute.
"Are you gay too?" Jeno asked in a whisper.
"I kissed Donghyuck two days ago," Mark let a smirk appear on his face.
He didn't exactly know what the kiss meant but-
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
Mark laughed loudly as he slapped Jeno's thigh.
Despite Jeno's constant questions and wiggling he kept a tight grip on his brother.
Carrying him to find the love of his life.
Yeah...
He'll always be his superhero.