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“Listen here you pile of rotten bananas.” Kun snapped. “For the last time, this spot is for my truck.
“And for the last time, we agreed that this spot was for my cars.” Johnny sighed, rolling up his sleeves to air out his ridiculously sweaty armpits. It was a very odd sight, something like Jesus and Satan talking to each other, because Kun was dressed demurely in a dress shirt and green apron, while Johnny looked like he rolled in a tub of grease and just forgot to shower.
“They have been at this for three months.” Jeno shook his head in disbelief. “You think they would have this sorted by now.”
“The council should just designate a new parking spot.” Donghyuck said, arranging the potted plants by the window. “It would be so much easier.”
“Check out that kid.” Jeno pointed to the workshop opposite the street. Johnny’s Den was a mechanics plus wood shop of some kind, the latter owned and managed by Johnny’s boyfriend Ten, who was a furniture designer. Jeno was pointing at a young man, maybe one or at most two years older than they were, walking inside the workshop. Wine colour for his hair, which framed his handsome face that dangled long earrings from one side. He was wearing a thin T-shirt that was also rolled up at the sleeves, showing off his lean biceps as he slipped on a pair of gloves.
“What’s your point?” Donghyuck asked.
“I saw him last night, or at least I think it was him.” Jeno said. “I went out to do some shopping for my dad and I passed by this club. He was outside talking to a girl.”
“So?” Donghyuck shrugged. “A boy talking to a girl. Wow. Catastrophic. Mind-blowing. Someone call 911. Get Anderson Cooper on the line.”
“Stop that.” Jeno slapped him. “It’s the crowd he’s with. It’s bad news.”
“How do you know that?”
“Well they look pretty shady, hanging around late hours of the night. Besides, we have seen him almost everyday for three months and we don’t even know his name. That doesn’t freak you out even a little bit?”
“No.” Donghyuck shrugged. “Frankly I don’t give a shit. What they do or don’t do is none of my business.”
“So you wouldn’t care about getting to know him?”
“Unless he was John Legend, no.”
“Well I want to know what he’s doing with that cute guy from the wood shop.” Jeno pointed outside again. There was a young man walking out of the wood shop and into the mechanics next door. He gave Wine Hair a fist bump and the two of them started talking. Jeno had been pining for him ever since he started working at the wood shop. They didn’t know anything about him, except that he was an apprentice furniture maker.
“They are friends.”
“I wanna be friends with him too.”
“You want to ask him out and hold hands with him.”
“And you don’t?” Jeno teased. “You don’t think Wine Hair is hot?”
“What the fuck Jeno.”
“I’m just saying.” Jeno smirked. “Wipe your lips Hyuck you’re drooling.”
Donghyuck was about to drop a potted plant on his head when Kun came in, sighing heavily.
“I don’t know why Ten is dating that piece of shit.”
“Couldn’t come to an agreement?” Jeno asked Kun.
“Not yet.” Kun wagged his finger. “But I will get my way soon.”
“Kun hyung, do you know who that guy is over there?” Jeno asked, pointing at the wood shop apprentice.
“That’s Na Jaemin. He’s an apprentice furniture maker. Good kid, very talented with his hands. Ten saw his designs on Instagram and hired him.”
“And what about that guy?” he pointed to the one next to him.
“I think his name is Mark Lee. He’s a younger brother of one of the guys who works there.”
“Do you know a lot about them?”
“Hell no. I don’t even want to talk to them most of the time.” Kun shuddered. “I could smell their cigarette smoke a while away and they are always laughing and talking to themselves so loudly. You know their motor grease spills on the floor and ends up in my drainpipe? Fucking wax gets stuck and clogs the whole pipe. It’s looking like a street version of Venice outside.”
Kun patted the boys on the back. “If I were you, I wouldn’t waste my time with them. It’s not worth it.”
Jeno shrugged and went back to work. Donghyuck went back to reorganizing the potted plants by the window. He looked up and saw Mark staring back at him. They shared glances for a while until Mark walked away. Donghyuck could feel the hairs standing on the back of his arm.
************************
Donghyuck didn’t need a part time job, but he got it to get away from his annoyingly perfect family. His mother remarried to a handsome businessman and gave birth to perfect little twins, which she threw a perfect little baby shower with their perfect friends to show off their perfect family. Donghyuck hated it. He hated every second of it. If he could, he would take a blowtorch and burn every ‘perfect’ thing in the house.
Donghyuck did love one thing however, flowers. His father, before he passed, was a gardener, and he spent a lot of time with his father, tending to flowers and shrubs. His father jokingly named him Full Sun and often said to him “when you are around, flowers will bloom”.
Kun had just brought in a fresh batch of bluebell flowers from a nearby farm. Donghyuck spent all morning organising the pots on a shelf, even placing some on the counter. The bluebell flowers were beautiful, a soft azure colour with white tips.
“Welcome to Kun’s Flowers, how can I…”
Donghyuck was lost for words at the guy who just stepped in. It was Mark Lee from the mechanics shop. He had a plaid shirt tied around his waist, old dirty jeans wrecked with grease and huge boots on that thumped everywhere he walked, shaking all the flower pots on the rack. Donghyuck was worried they were all going to fall from the tremor.
“So this is what the flower shop looks like.”
“Were you expecting something else?”
Mark just chuckled. “Well it’s not exactly Macy’s is it?”
“Are you looking for something?” Donghyuck asked. And then please get out.
“My boss wants some flowers.” Mark said, fingering a yellow daisy. His hands were dirty and Donghyuck wanted to scream when he touched the pretty daisy. Don’t touch my flowers!!
“What’s the occasion?”
“Anniversary. Tomorrow.”
“We have some roses, if he likes that.”
“Sure.” Mark shrugged. “Just give me what you have.”
“O…kay.” Donghyuck tilted his head. He left his place at the counter to pick out some roses to make a little bouquet. He knew Mark knew nothing and probably didn’t care about them anyway. He made a quick bouquet and was putting on the final touches when he heard a loud smash on the floor.
“Shit.”
“Oh my god.” Donghyuck’s jaw dropped at two bluebell flower pots on the ground. “What have you done?”
“I was just walking and I…” a loud crunch sound came from underneath Mark’s boot as he stepped back. Donghyuck’s heart cracked at the sound and he stared in horror as Mark picked up the plant from under his boot and placed it on the counter. The bluebell plant was crushed, it’s beautiful colour fused into the soil and its petals looking more like worms.
“Not a very sturdy plant isn’t it?”
“Take your fucking roses and get out of my store.” Donghyuck shoved the roses at him.
“How much for the broken flowers?”
“Go fuck yourself.” Donghyuck growled. He spent all morning organizing them, watering them, tending to them and Mark the bull just came in and killed two of them. He wasn’t just angry, he was unbelievably furious.
“Really?” Mark raised an eyebrow. He looked around for a bit before pulling out some cash from his back pocket. He dumped them on the counter and leaned in to say:
“I would rather fuck you.”
Donghyuck’s blood ran south as his jaw unhinged. Mark took the roses and walked out of the store, slamming the door behind him so hard the flowers almost fell on their side.
That son of a fucking bitch. How dare he!!!! How…what the…
“Hyuck what happened?” Jeno came out of the back, still wearing gloves on his hands. He stared at the mess and back at Donghyuck. “Are you okay?”
“Uhm…ah.” Donghyuck snapped out of his daydream. “Mark came in. He broke these.”
“Did he pay for it?”
“Yeah.” he said, counting the money. Actually it was more than enough, even with the roses. Any honest businessman would return the money, but since Mark was an asshole, Donghyuck decided he didn’t deserve that business courtesy.
“Let’s just clean up the mess.” Jeno went back to grab a broom. Donghyuck fingered the dying plant on the counter and his heart broke at the sight. He looked back at the window and saw Mark in his workshop. He was resting on a little board, fixing something underneath the car. He rolled out from underneath to take a breather. Donghyuck saw him and raised a middle finger.
Mark just laughed and raised one back.
************************
Donghyuck focused on installing a new shelf in the store.
I would rather fuck you.
I would rather fuck you.
He shook his head to get rid of the voice. Mark Lee’s voice. His deep yet soft voice saying:
I would rather fuck you.
I would rather fuck you.
Donghyuck placed his drill gun on one side and went back to the counter to sip some coffee. Jeno entered in full spirit, which was very annoying, and ran up to him to ramble about something.
I would rather fuck you.
I would rather fuck you.
I would rather-
“Hyuck!” Jeno slapped his arm, almost spilling his coffee. “Were you listening to me?”
“Yeah sure.” Donghyuck lied.
“Okay, what did I say?”
“Uhm…ah…” Donghyuck mumbled. “You got a pet chimpanzee.”
“No you idiot.” Jeno rolled his eyes. “I said that I got to talk to Jaemin on my way over here. I finally talked to him!! He knows I exist now!”
“Hallelujah.” Donghyuck clapped his hands dramatically. “Pop the champagne. God is great.”
“You seriously need to stop doing that.” Jeno groaned. “And you wonder why no one has picked you up yet.”
“I’m not interested in dating.” Donghyuck said, finishing his coffee. “The guys I like are either straight, closeted gay in a straight relationship, or just plain assholes. Forget it. I’m going to be single for life.”
“And what? Surrounded by flowers?”
“If you ask me that’s a pretty good life.”
“That sounds like a funeral arrangement.” Jeno rolled his eyes.
“Besides, it’s not like anybody finds me attractive.”
I would rather fuck you.
Donghyuck had to slap his head to get Mark’s voice out of his head.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You are a hell of a catch.” Jeno said. “You just need to get out there and find someone who does.”
I would rather-
“Welcome to…” Jeno turned when he heard the door open.
“Hey.”
“Oh.” Jeno stared at Mark, this time wearing a muscle tee and leather jacket. He was wearing sneakers instead of boots, one hand tucked in casually. Donghyuck bit his lip and hardened his jaw. It almost killed him to admit that Mark Lee was fucking hot indeed.
Satan, why are you testing me today?
“What do you want Mark Lee?” Donghyuck snapped. Jeno was stunned by his friend’s hostile behaviour, and he knew he had to back off.
“You know my name?”
“Yeah, because you’re on my hitlist.”
“And yet I don’t know yours.”
“You want to know the name of your killer?”
“Yes.”
“You are dumber than you look.”
“His name is Lee Donghyuck.”
“Fucking hell Jeno!!!” Donghyuck yelled at him. Jeno just shrugged and ran for his life.
“I came to apologize for what happened.” Mark said, tucking both hands inside his jacket.
“You’re apologizing for the flowers or the harassment?”
“I’ll apologize for both and only mean the first one.”
“Get the fuck out my store.”
“Hang on a minute.” Mark said. “Let me buy you lunch later, just to show how sorry I am.”
“I’m sorry but I need you to leave.” Because if you stay in here a minute longer I’m going to lose my mind. I can’t stop staring at your face and how sharp your jawline is. I can’t stop looking at your lips and wondering what they taste like.
“Donghyuck…”
Donghyuck couldn’t stand it anymore and stepped out from behind the counter to push him out the door. He had two hands on Mark’s chest and he pushed him. He heard a rumble from above and he saw the shelf he had installed in the morning come crumbling down towards him.
“Watch out!!” Mark grabbed his hands and pulled him close to him. He cradled Donghyuck’s head in the crook of his neck, the other arm wrapped around his waist. Donghyuck froze in shock as he felt Mark’s heartbeat under his fingertips. His scent wafted into his nose, a mixture of honey and cigarettes. He turned his head and saw the mess before him.
“Sweet Jesus! Is anyone hurt?!” Kun screamed as he ran from the back to investigate the sound of the crash.
“We’re fine.” Donghyuck peeled himself from Mark, hands shaking at the incident. “The…the shelf collapsed.”
“It wasn’t screwed in well.” Mark said, picking up the shelf and the remains of the screw. “Someone did a half-assed job at this.”
Donghyuck’s face turned red with embarrassment. “It was because of you I couldn’t do it right! You wouldn’t stop haunting my mind!”
Unfortunately, those words never came out.
“It’s alright Hyuck.” Kun reached for the shaking boy. “It’s just a shelf. No need to freak out over it.”
“I can get these done for you.” Mark said, picking up the drill gun. “It’ll be easy.”
“Would you?” Kun said, wrapping an arm around Donghyuck. “That’s very sweet of you. I’ll pay you for your services.”
“No need.” Mark shook his head. “I want him.” He pointed at Donghyuck with the drill gun. “For lunch.”
Fuck. Donghyuck saw the glint in Mark’s eyes and the way one side of his lips curved upwards. He felt all of that in his blood travelling south.
“Of course.”
“What?!?!?!” Donghyuck turned to Kun in shock.
“Nice.” Mark grinned.
“Are you seriously pimping me out just to get him to install our shelves?!” Donghyuck dragged Kun to the back of the shop.
“At least when he does it, I know it won’t drop.” Kun rolled his eyes back at him. “Besides, he looks like a nice guy.”
“Yeah, and he’s hot.” Jeno grinned. “Like fuckboy hot, but also like not that level of badass hot.”
“Aren’t you into Jaemin?” Donghyuck snapped at him.
“Hey, hot is hot so I call it as it is.” Jeno smiled innocently. “I know you feel it too, the way he held you from the crash…”
“Fuck off Jeno.” Donghyuck pushed past him and slammed his way into the bathroom.
“He says fuck off but the front of his pants say fuck yes.” Jeno beamed, laughing loudly.
************************
“Is this the face you give to the man who saved your life?” Mark teased as he came out of the mechanics to meet Donghyuck for lunch.
“Just so you know, after today, we are even. So don’t come into my shop looking for anything anymore. If you need flowers, pick the one a few blocks away.”
“I’m not sure I can do that.” Mark said. “I’m bad with following rules.”
“Then what do you follow?”
“Whatever I want.” Mark shrugged. “I only follow rules at work. Outside of that, fuck no. I’ll do whatever the hell I want.”
“You must be an angel to your parents.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.” Donghyuck shook his head. The two of them went to a sandwich restaurant. Donghyuck wasn’t lying when he said he saw the girls pull their skirts higher, tuck in their tummies and flip their hair when Mark walked into the restaurant. It was hard not to. Mark was the kind of person you couldn’t stop looking at.
“Welcome to The Sand Witch!” a perky, over-enthusiastic girl chirped. Two seconds in and her voice was enough to give Donghyuck a headache. “How can I help you?”
“I’ll have the Witch special with extra hot sauce.” Mark said.
“You must like it spicy sir.” The girl quipped.
“Damn right.” Mark smirked. He turned to look at Donghyuck. “I like the way it burns on my lips.”
Donghyuck could hear the girl behind the counter make a funny wheezing kind of sound. He turned to the menu board and pretended to read the menu.
“And you sir?” the girl asked, fanning herself a little.
“Uhm…one Meatball Mania.”
“Any side orders?”
“Uhm no but can I have no cucumbers in mine? Miss?”
“Excuse me but I would appreciate it if you could focus on my date.” Mark snapped at the girl. “Do your job and stop eyeballing men you can’t have.”
“Mark!” Donghyuck slapped his arm. The checkout girl turned red in embarrassment and apologized to Donghyuck profusely. He looked around and everyone was staring at them.
Satan just kill me. Take me now.
“Why did you do that?” Donghyuck asked as they took their seats. “You didn’t have to be so mean to her.”
“She was an unprofessional bitch.” Mark grunted. “If I were her boss I would fire her instantly.”
“You didn’t have to be so rude about it.”
“Got a problem with that?” Mark rolled his eyes. “I’ve been here for a few weeks and I know her kind. She treats those she like with care and those she didn’t give shits for like trash.”
“It’s not up to you to punish her.”
“Really? Because it seems like no one else will. And besides, this is nothing. My punishments are much more severe.”
“Like what?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Mark teased, raising an eyebrow. “It requires a date and a non-disclosure agreement.”
Donghyuck threw a ketchup packet at him, which he just tossed back. Thankfully their orders arrived and Donghyuck could bury his head in his sandwich and not look up for a bit.
“How’s your sandwich?”
“It’s great. The sausages are really big here.” Donghyuck wiped the corner of his lips with a napkin. “The meatballs are delicious too. Nice and big, properly…why are you looking at me like that?” It took him a few seconds to realize why and when he did, he threw another ketchup packet at him. “Get your mind out of the fucking gutter.”
“I work in a mechanics shop. You can’t expect us to be clean anywhere.” Mark grinned. “If you knew how many sex jokes Yuta hyung makes while we’re screwing…”
“I don’t want to know. Stop talking.” Donghyuck held a hand between them. “You need to go to church or something.”
“Now you sound like my mother.” Mark rolled his eyes. “As if God can do anything about my sins now.”
“Issues with your mother?”
“It’s complicated.” Mark sighed. “Basically she and my dad decided to become this Jesus-loving we-want-to-be-good-Christians-and-enter-heaven and that stuff shits on me. Our pastor once said homosexuality was a disease that needed to be eradicated.”
“So? You’re not gay are you?”
“Me? Hell no.” Mark shook his head. “I’m fucking gay.”
Donghyuck almost snorted lettuce out of his nose. He laughed quietly at that. “That’s the first time I’ve heard someone describe themselves as fucking gay.”
“I like that word. Just four letters to describe my constant mood, irritated and horny.”
“Which one are you now?”
“What do you think?” Mark raised an eyebrow, smiling evilly.
“Touch me now and I’ll kick you in the balls harder than I am biting this meatball.”
“Fair enough.” Mark raised his two hands.
“I get that part about your mother though.” Donghyuck nodded. “Mine keeps wanting to do tea parties and taking perfect family photos for her Instagram profile.”
“The deny-reality-mother huh?”
“Yeah, and yours is the-Christian-mother.”
“I bet mine’s worse.”
“Your parents don’t know you’re gay?”
“No.” Mark shook his head. “It’s not like they care anymore. My brother and I moved out on our own and it’s been much better for us.”
“That’s nice.”
“Yours? I bet you’re still trying to play the nice kid.”
Donghyuck only sighed as he finished his sandwich. “It’s complicated.”
“Well, we finished lunch and survived through it.” Mark grinned. “This isn’t as bad as you thought it was right?”
“I guess.”
“Can we do this again?”
“I guess.” Donghyuck was reluctant to admit but he did have a nice time with Mark. The two of them walked back to their shops while passing by the wood shop. Johnny, Ten and some of the guys were outside loitering around, and they caught sight of Mark and Donghyuck walking back together.
“Woah there!!!” One of them yelled, cracking a cheeky smile. “Had a nice date there Mark Lee?!?”
“Fuck off Yuta hyung.”
“Control your hormones boy, he looks too soft for you to fuck right through!” Yuta made an obscene gesture and Mark picked up a wrench and threw it at him. The other guys just laughed at them.
“Jesus Christ.” Donghyuck muttered.
“I know. Men, right?” Mark groaned. “They are animals.”
“And you’re not?”
“Unless you’re interested in that.”
“Forget it Mark Lee.” Donghyuck scoffed.
“I’ll see you around.”
“See you.”
Mark walked back to the mechanics, his fellow colleagues teasing him from across the street. He gave them all the middle finger as he walked in.
“Hyuck! How was your lunch date?” Kun asked.
“It was okay.” Donghyuck said. “Actually, it was kind of fun. He’s not as bad as I thought.”
“Is Lee Donghyuck the florist falling for Mark Lee the dirty bad boy?” Jeno teased. “Mark Lee with his sweaty arms glistening in the sun, grease marks on his face, sweat dripping down his neck…”
“Stop it Jeno.” Kun laughed. “Don’t tease him like that.”
Donghyuck glared at him as Jeno went back to work. He went back to the counter and ruffled his pockets for his belongings. He felt a piece of paper in one of them, with a set of numbers on it and the word MARK in all capitals.
Mark Lee you sly son of a bitch.
************************
“It’s just absolutely gorgeous isn’t it?” Donghyuck’s mother fawned over the baby clothes for one of the twins.
“Made of elegant silk, only the best for precious queen.”
Donghyuck focused on the batter in front of him. If he threw up inside no one would know, since vomit and cake batter share the same colour, but he wasn’t that mean.
“Thanks for helping out tonight.” Donghyuck’s stepfather said. “This party is really important to get us into the social scene.”
“As if I had a choice.”
“Stop putting on that face. You’re going to turn off our guests.”
“Hyuckie baby!” Donghuck’s mother rushed towards him and kissed his cheek. “Honey I left some clothes for you on the bed. Wear them to tonight’s party.”
“Why can’t I wear what I like?”
“Sweetheart the stuff you wear are T-shirts and ripped jeans. We need these people to think we are a classy family.”
“Why the fuck do we even have to impress these people?”
“And watch your mouth. No cursing.”
Donghyuck was finally done with the stupid batter and stormed into his room. The clothes his mother laid out for him were on a bed, and he hated it the minute he saw it. A dress shirt with long sleeves and an ugly tie.
10 minutes in and Donghyuck hated the party even more than his outfit. His house was filled with old ladies, rich wives and their pretentious husbands flitting about going ‘dahling you look marvelous’ and ‘I spent the summer in Cancun’. Wherever the bloody fuck Cancun is.
Donghyuck kept himself hidden by the kitchen, stealing canapes from the tray before him. One lady, dressed in a long off shoulder gown and tall heels, came to the kitchen.
“Can I have some canapes?”
“Help yourself.” Donghyuck shrugged carelessly.
The lady stood there, not moving an inch.
Donghyuck stared at her in confusion.
“I’ll need a plate.”
She thinks I’m the help.
“Go get it yourself.”
“Excuse me?!?!” she was taken aback by the cruel lack of service as Donghyuck stripped the tie off his neck and stormed off.
“Hyuck!! Where are you going?” his mother yelled after him.
Donghyuck just gave her the middle finger as he left the house.
************************
Donghyuck had no clue where he was arriving to. He took the bus out of his neighbourhood and stopped at wherever he felt like stopping. He walked around the streets wondering if his parents even bothered to look for him. That damn dress shirt was suffocating on him as he unbuttoned the first two and rolled up his sleeves.
“Donghyuck?”
“Mark!” Donghyuck gasped in surprise when he bumped into Mark, lining up just outside a seedy looking club named Fantasies.
“Why do you look like a runaway groom?”
“More like a runaway busboy.” Donghyuck rolled his eyes. “Stupid party at home.”
“Let me guess.” Johnny slung his arm around Mark’s shoulders. “You’re here to look for the real party.”
“Actually I just…”
“Why don’t you join us?” Johnny said, beckoning him. “Entrance and drinks are on me. We’re just going to drink, dance, have a good time, forget about the accidental dent I left in your flower truck.”
“You what?!?!!”
“I’ll fix the dent myself. You won’t even notice it.” Johnny pulled the kid with him and they were all ushered into the club. The instant smell of cigarettes filled the air and Donghyuck coughed at the stench.
“It’s not the best kind of night club.” Mark explained. “The guards don’t even check your ID; the toilets are shit and they charge 5 bucks for a condom.”
“Then why are you guys here?”
“It’s cheap. Plus, Taeil knows us so well first round drinks are on him.” Mark grinned. He waved at Taeil behind the bar, who gave them a nod and a smile. Donghyuck had never been inside a club before so he was lost. Mark pulled him down next to him as they found their seats.
“The music is so loud!” Donghyuck screamed on top of his lungs.
“I know!! Awesome isn’t it?!” Mark grinned. “This is my brother Jaehyun. He’s head mechanic.”
“Sup.” Jaehyun was just as good-looking, maybe even more than Mark. He was wearing a leather jacket and a thin T-shirt inside, and when he stood up his legs seemed to go on forever.
“You know Yuta, professional asshole. That’s Doyoung, head accountant and Ten from the woodshop.”
“I’m the only sane one here.” Doyoung rolled his eyes.
“Come here babe.” Jaehyun beckoned, pulling Doyoung into his arms.
“Yuta! It’s so good to see you!” Donghyuck looked up to see two girls coming to Yuta and placing kisses on his cheeks. They spoke to him in rapid fire Japanese. Yuta was smiling at the two of them as he wrapped an arm around each of their waists, pulling them close to him.
“Who are they?” Donghyuck asked.
“Mina and Momo, two Japanese sisters. They run a restaurant a few blocks from here.” Mark said. “Yuta’s the only Japanese man in the radius so he’s a big catch.”
“He’s dating them?”
“Nah. He flirts with them and fucks Sicheng hyung when he goes home.” Mark shrugged. “He’s a professional flirter. It boosts his ego.”
The arrival of drinks distracted everyone. Donghyuck opened a can of beer for himself while Mark took a cigarette from Jaehyun. Donghyuck watched Mark take a drag from the cigarette and blow smoke rings with his lips.
“Wow.” He mumbled.
“Cool huh?” Mark grinned. “I can do a lot more with my mouth.”
“Get a fucking room Mark.” Jaehyun laughed. “No one wants to see your tiny penis in public.”
“No wants to see your extra toe either hyung.” Mark snapped back. Jaehyun made a face and flipped him off.
“Does he really have an extra toe?”
“Nah, he’s just messing with me.”
“And you don’t really have a small penis?”
“I’d show you but I’m afraid it might be too much.”
Donghyuck pushed him playfully and laughed. He was about to say something else when Yuta pulled Mark from him.
“It’s dance time!!”
The whole gang left their seats and proceeded to the dance floor. Johnny was unceremoniously grinding into Ten’s behind, Doyoung and Jaehyun were dancing with each other and Momo and Mina argued over who got to dance with Yuta first. Mark himself was having a good time too. He found a circle of friends on the dance floor and they all started dancing together.
Donghyuck was going to stand up and join them, but he felt a familiar pit of discomfort in his stomach, the same feeling that plagued him when he was at an earlier party. A feeling that he didn’t belong.
Donghyuck looked around him, and as if life was in slow motion, everything slowed down. The people dancing, screaming, drinking. The dark room, strobe lights, smell of cigarettes. The can of beer in his hand. Donghyuck had never been in a situation like this, and part of him felt like he never will be.
He looked at Mark and he was having the time of his life. Girls and boys were instantly attracted to him and started dancing with him. He had a big smile on his face and he was happy. The last time Donghyuck remembered smiling like that was with his father.
His father. The man who thought him everything about flowers. Who died and left him. Then his mother proceeded to marry someone else as if the man she swore to love her whole life never existed.
Mark had found a place he belonged in. Where was his then?
“Hyuck? Are you okay?”
“Huh?” Donghyuck looked up to see Mark talking to him.
“You’re not having fun are you?”
“I…well…”
“Let’s blow this joint.” Mark pulled him up. They made their way through the thick crowd of dancing bodies and left the club.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
************************
“Ten lets you have the key to the workshop?”
“Not really.” Mark shrugged, pushing the front door upwards. “He just doesn’t notice them.”
The wood workshop was very different from the unkempt car workshop next door. It was fairly tidy, save for a few bits of wood shavings on the floor. Ten’s works were on display, ranging from funky chairs to sleek tables.
“You know how you guys keep your plants on shelves right?” Mark said, grabbing a piece of wood from a stack behind him and placing it on the table. “Wouldn’t it be better if you guys had barriers on the shelves, you know to stop any potential klutzes from breaking anything?”
“You mean you?” Donghyuck smirked.
“Maybe.” Mark shrugged.
“That sounds nice, but it’s hard to find shelves like that.”
“I could come up with something.”
“You can design furniture?” Donghyuck asked in genuine surprise. “I thought you fixed cars.”
“I spent quite a bit of time here on the weekends.” Mark shrugged off his jacket, revealing his muscle tee. If there is anything Donghyuck learned after months of friendship, was that Mark loved muscle tees. It was rightfully deserved, because Mark does have impressive muscles.
“Do you need help?”
“Just hand me the tools I ask you for.” Donghyuck stood up to watch him. Mark measured the wooden blocks with a ruler, then proceeded to cut them according to size using a table saw. Donghyuck wasn’t quite sure what was going on as he just focused on Mark. There’s a certain kind of fluidity to the way he moved from station to station, carefully placing the pieces to make sure they became what he wanted. Donghyuck realized making furniture was a craft as much as any other, and it definitely required more skill than he thought.
“You must be bored.”
“Huh?”
“I was saying you must be bored.” Mark said, wiping his brow. “Stuck in a club you didn’t like and now stuck here watching me hammer something.”
“It’s fine.” Donghyuck sighed. “I learned to live my life that way.”
“Just hang on a bit. I’m almost done.” Mark said, polishing the edges. “Here, what do you think?”
“How do you use it?”
Mark grabbed a random object and put it onto the caged shelf. “Now, when someone knock into it,” he pushed the shelf with his hand “It won’t fall over.”
“That’s actually really nice. Can you make more of these for the shop?”
“I can get Ten to draw up a plan for a full-length shelving unit just like this.”
“I need Kun’s approval, but I think it’s fine.” Donghyuck pushed the shelf, watching the object rattle but never fall. “With you coming in all the time I think this is a solid investment.”
“Ouch.” Mark groaned. “I said I was sorry, didn’t I?”
“Sorry won’t bring back those bluebells you killed.”
“I paid for them.”
“Whatever.” Donghyuck rolled his eyes. Mark took out a set of paints and a brush.
“You can help yourself for a bit. I’ll just go wash up.”
************************
When Mark emerged again, it took Donghyuck a few seconds to realize he was staring. Mark’s wine coloured hair was combed messily to one side, his hands were clean and his shirt untucked. He was busy brushing off sand from his shirt when he realized Donghyuck was staring at him.
“Take a picture. It lasts longer.”
“Fuck off.” Donghyuck said, laughing as he said it for the first time.
“I didn’t know you could paint.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
“What are these?” Mark asked, pointing to one of the red flowers he painted.
“That’s a red pansy, one of our most popular spring flowers.”
“And this?”
“That’s a pink rose. We sell them mostly on Mother’s Day.”
“What’s this?”
“Puschkinia or known as Russian Snow drops.”
“How do you know so much about flowers?”
“My dad was a gardener. He thought me everything I know.”
“Bet he would be pretty impressed to see this.”
“I hope so.” Donghyuck smiled wistfully. “He passed away many years ago.”
“Shit babe.” Mark sat up straight, looking at Donghyuck with concern on his face. “I’m sorry.”
“Well.” Donghyuck sighed, filling the room with a sombre mood. “Wait, did you just call me babe?”
“Do you like it?” Mark grinned. “I got more where those came from.”
“Shut up.” Donghyuck pushed him, hiding the blush on his face.
“But I mean I get it, how you feel about your parents. You don’t fit in at home, so you try to find a place outside to fit into.”
“I didn’t fit in with my mum’s new classy, stuck up crowd. I didn’t fit in with the drunkards and whores, even though I know if my mum found out she would have an aneurysm.” Donghyuck chuckled weakly. “Maybe I don’t fit into anything.”
Maybe I don’t belong. The only person I did belong to was my dad, and he’s gone.
“You fit in with me.” Mark said, reaching for Donghyuck’s wrist and rubbing it softly. “Does that help?”
“A little.” Donghyuck smiled. “Thank you.”
“Come on, I’ll show you the rest of this place.”
Mark took Donghyuck next door into the mechanics workshop. There was a car seated inside, obviously still in progress. It was exactly as Donghyuck pictured it, messy, greasy and it smelled of gasoline. If he struck a match in here they would burn instantly.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Mark asked, sitting against the hood of the car.
“No.”
“An ex-boyfriend maybe?”
“I had one.” Donghyuck shrugged.
“Bad breakup?”
“Not really. He was confused. He didn’t even know if he was gay or not.”
“Well, lucky for you,” Mark grabbed Donghyuck’s hands and pulled him towards him. Mark’s hands were rough in contrast with Donghyuck’s smooth palms. He closed his eyes to imagine what they would feel like on other parts of his body. “I know what I am.”
“What?”
“I’m gay. I’m fucking gay for you Lee Donghyuck.”
Donghyuck couldn’t help but melt at that. Mark stood up to cup his face, pressing his nose against his. Donghyuck closed his eyes, feeling Mark’s breath on his. He had spent nights fantasising about this, about having Mark close to him, feeling his skin on his, feeling his heartbeat, tasting his lips. Donghyuck leaned forward to kiss him.
Mark cradled the back of Donghyuck’s head as they pressed their bodies together. Donghyuck wrapped his arms around Mark for support. The kiss was everything, and the tension between them was unbearable. Pretty soon Mark’s hands grew impatient. He pulled Donghyuck’s shirt and his hands snuck underneath. He pushed Donghyuck onto the car and leaned down to suck his neck. Donghyuck’s eyes rolled backwards, moaning in pleasure as he bucked his hips upward to meet his.
“Are you sure you want to do this now?”
“Huh?”
“I don’t want to force you.” Mark said, panting as he supported himself on his elbows. “Once I start I won’t be able to stop. I want you so much it hurts.”
Donghyuck didn’t answer. He was so breathless from just how real it was, how electrifying all the sensations were. He touched Mark’s handsome face as if he was dreaming, trying to check if he was even alive.
“We can wait. We have time. I’m not going anywhere.”
Donghyuck closed his eyes and kissed him, fingers wrapped his hair.
I’m not going anywhere.
I’m not going anywhere.
I’m not going anywhere.
************************
“GUYS!” Jeno literally barged through the door, shocking Kun and Donghyuck. “I have amazing news!!”
“So do I! I…”
“Na Jaemin, the sunshine of my life asked me to lunch. Can you imagine that?! My dreams are…”
“Good morning.” Mark greeted.
“Hi Mark.” Donghyuck smiled. “Need something?”
“Yeah. Ten asked me to pick up something from you.”
“Oh yes.” Kun reached underneath the counter and pulled out a box. “The delivery man left this for him.”
“Thanks.” Mark said. “Actually, I do need something.” He leaned across the counter and grabbed Donghyuck’s head. He kissed him on the lips and smirked afterwards. “I’ll see you later.”
“See you.” Donghyuck sputtered out, sounding like a motor boat whose rudder was stuck with seaweed. He was well aware that Jeno and Kun were now staring at him.
“Did he just… are you two…oh my god you nasty creature!!!” Jeno slapped the counter excitedly. “You know your parents are going to have a heart attack if they knew you were seeing a mechanic.”
“I know. Isn’t it awesome?” Donghyuck grinned.
“Oh but you haven’t told us your amazing news yet.” Kun said.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“Not what, but who.” Donghyuck smiled. “He just kissed me and left.”