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Donghyuck loves art museums. There are few things that he enjoys more than being able to wander around long halls and various rooms, decorated with snippets of beauty and prose from times so different from his own. It's peaceful and absolutely gorgeous, which is why he forces his friends to come with him to the nearest art museum as often as he can.
Renjun never minds - he's way more of an art fanatic than Donghyuck is, though he tends to enjoy his own visits more when Jeno and Jaemin come along as well. Jeno comes whenever he has spare time, somehow managing to keep taking pictures of them all (but especially Renjun and Jaemin) without them noticing, and Donghyuck can't help but smile whenever he sees their designated folders in the older's photos app. Jaemin will come whenever they feel particularly soft (which is practically every day, but Donghyuck holds himself back from mercilessly teasing the other - Jaemin's absolutely brutal when they want to be, and a few minutes of teasing probably isn't worth the merciless hackling he'd get in return.)
Chenle only shows up to make out with her girlfriend in front of every single piece with a man and a woman, posting it onto her instagram with the phrase "girls do it better" followed by the word "part" and whatever number visit it is that she's been on with Jisung. They've gotten up to double digits by this point.
(Donghyuck pretends that he doesn't think it's a little cute, especially knowing how far Chenle's come in practically every way possible.)
Jisung - Chenle's girlfriend - had only been introduced to their group recently, but she's adorably enthusiastic about joining them on their museum expenditures - blushing cutely which does nothing but encourage all of the rest of the group to coo and pinch her cheeks.
They're a bit of a ragtag group, with all of their interests overlapping and diverging, but they're all able to enjoy visiting art museums together, wandering through unfamiliar architecture and admiring different pieces of work, content and able to enjoy each other's company in the silence.
It's another one of their frequent museum visits, after they've spent a couple hours at a nearby cat cafe, Jeno giggling even as his eyes start getting puffy and watering, sniffling and sneezing like they're the only things he knows how to do. Donghyuck laughs as Renjun rolls his eyes at his boyfriend, being the designated tissue-holder for the older this time around. (Donghyuck's incredibly grateful for the fact that the Take-Care-of-Jeno's-Allergy-Symptoms role is only reserved for Renjun and Jaemin- though he can't help but wonder why the two don't just start carrying around his allergy medicine.)
Donghyuck taps Jaemin on the shoulder, gesturing to the bathroom with his other hand, "I'm gonna touch up real quick, 'kay?"
Jaemin nods, waving him off with their pretty pink nails. "We'll probably be a room or two down when you come out."
Donghyuck hums in acknowledgment and speedwalks to the bathroom, pulling out his makeup pouch from his backpack and carefully setting it on the sink counter once he's certain that there's no puddles of water. His makeup is relatively simple, though he can never hold himself back from adding a little bit more glitter than is probably appropriate. He fixes his eyeliner first, making sure his wings are sharp and even, before carefully adding a bit more eyeshadow and blending it out with his fingers. It's only when he leans back to examine his work that Donghyuck finally sees someone a few sinks down, hands hovering over the faucet handles and undeniably staring at Donghyuck.
Donghyuck would normally take it as a compliment - they do live in a relatively queer area, and the fact that they're both in an art museum would only help to support the positivity of the encounter - but upon closer inspection the other's dressed more like a dudebro than Donghyuck would much rather have to see with his own two eyes. They're wearing a backwards baseball cap, for christ's sake, and dressed in some weird combination of attire from Puma, Adidas, and whatever brand makes those generic athletic sweats.
Donghyuck tries his best not to scowl and glare, but he can't help reapplying his lipgloss with a bit more aggression than necessary, putting it back into his pouch and packing his things back up quickly. The dudebro's still staring at him, not having moved a centimeter since Donghyuck last sideyed them, and Donghyuck sighs. He'd much rather have to deal with this sooner rather than later, so he hoists his backpack on and turns to face the other head on. "Hello?"
The stranger seems to snap out of their daze, flushing and moving to stare straight ahead. "Uh, h-hello."
Donghyuck squints. The stranger is, most definitely, blushing. Were they wearing the clothes as some sort of dare then? Or punishment? Because they were most definitely not acting like the typical straight boy who got insecure seeing a boy wearing makeup. He raises an eyebrow, still facing the other. "Did you need something?"
The other looks downright mortified, glancing quickly between their own hands and Donghyuck, before shaking their head quietly. "No, sorry, I just. Um." They take a deep breath before glancing at Donghyuck from beneath their lashes. "I just thought you were gorgeous."
It's Donghyuck's turn to blush now, though he tries to laugh it off. He turns away, fighting back the bright red that threatens to consume his entire face. "Oh. Well, thanks." He chances a look at the stranger, focusing instead on their face rather than their still-questionable attire. "You're not too bad yourself." Understatement of the century. Even while wearing arguably the worst outfit Donghyuck's seen in his entire life, the other is cute, eyes wide and round and prominent cheekbones the perfect resting spot for the rosy flush that seems determined to never leave.
Donghyuck grins, gaining his confidence back when they laugh nervously, lips turning up into the most precious smile. "I've gotta go, but I'll see you around?" He says it like a question, because no matter how attractive and endearing the stranger is, they've only just met and he isn't sure if the other is intrigued enough to want to pursue whatever it is they've got going between them right now.
But it must be his lucky day, because they nod so quickly Donghyuck worries for their neck. "Yes, definitely."
"Well," Donghyuck readjusts his backpack and shoots the other a small smile, "I'll be going then."
He gets a shy wave in return, and Donghyuck uses all of his self control to walk out normally instead of hightailing it out of there to scream about the encounter to his friends.
It takes him a bit to find them - he supposes he took longer in the bathroom than he had thought - and Chenle waves at him as she's attacked by what looks like a dozen little pecks and kisses, all courtesy of a giggly, sugar-high Jisung.
Donghyuck rolls his eyes and skips over to them, gesturing them all to gather around him. He speaks before any of them have the chance to interrupt him, desperate to vent. "Okay, so there was a Major Cutie in the men's bathroom."
Jeno squeals, and Jaemin slaps him to get him to quiet down, though the smile on their own face negates their action completely.
"Tell us more!" Chenle exclaims, Jisung nodding enthusiastically behind her.
Donghyuck grins. "Alright, so listen." He recounts the events that had happened a couple minutes before with incredible amounts of enthusiasm. His friends listen with rapt attention, laughing and making comments throughout. By the end of it, Chenle's jumping up and down and Renjun is doing his best to stop Jaemin and Jeno from cooing too loudly.
Jaemin's smile drops after a second, and Donghyuck looks at them with confusion painted over his features. "What?"
"Hyuck," the other begins slowly, "did you ask for their name?"
Donghyuck freezes, and that's all the answer the others need.
"Oh come on, Hyuck! You meet a majorly cute boy you may or may not see again, and you don't even know his name?" Renjun groans, shaking his head at his friend. "I thought you were the designated Confident Gay of our group."
Donghyuck whines. "Hey! Excuse me if I was too surprised by the fact that they weren't actually a typical straight boy to flirt properly!"
Their banter continues, only interrupted when Jisung raises her hand shyly.
"Yes, Jisung?" Donghyuck turns to the youngest of their group with a sigh.
The girl points to somewhere across the room from them with a furrow in her brow, "There are two guys staring at you. They look pretty intense."
Their entire group whips around to face the aforementioned individuals. Donghyuck recognizes the shorter one as the cutie from the bathroom earlier, but the person next to him is a completely unfamiliar. They certainly are attractive, though - tall and muscular, with big, sharp eyes and gorgeous plump lips. Donghyuck gulps.
From beside him, Chenle gives a hum of appreciation, probably having just given the tall stranger an uncomfortably long once-over, and Jisung pulls the shorter girl closer to herself, giving her a back hug and pouting.
Donghyuck ignores his two friends and tries to figure out why exactly he's being stared at, before his sleep-deprived brain comes up with a theory. "Oh my god." He pulls his friends closer, whispering conspiratorially, "What if that's Bathroom Cutie's boyfriend? Oh my god, is he going to beat me up? I'm too young to die!"
Renjun heaves a heavy breath. "Relax, Hyuck. I doubt they're even dating! I mean, look at the taller one! They're the epitome of a Straight Student Athlete. Although Bathroom Cutie's dressed kind of similarly, so-"
"But that doesn't mean anything!" Jeno interrupts, giving his boyfriend the best stern glare he can with his still-watery eyes. "If you're that concerned about your safety, we can go somewhere else? I doubt we'll have to leave the museum or anything, but- oh crap they're coming this way, they're coming this way, oh my god, Hyuck I promise I'll say something nice at your funeral-"
"Hey," what must be the deepest voice Donghyuck's ever heard comes from behind him, and when he turns towards it, he's brought face to face with Bathroom Cutie's possible boyfriend. "Were you in the men's bathroom three minutes ago?"
Donghyuck's brain completely shuts down after the prolonged eye contact with the gorgeous yet terrifying stranger, and his body moves on autopilot to nod minutely in response, self preservation be damned.
The taller grins, morphing their face into such a bright and puppy-like expression Donghyuck gets whiplash. "Cool! I've got three different names, but you can call me anytime." A boisterous laugh fills the otherwise-quiet room, and Donghyuck can't do anything but stare blankly at the stranger. "Sorry, sorry, I've always wanted to use that line. I typically go by Lucas here, since, y'know, but my boyfriend calls me Yukhei or Xuxi when he's feeling particularly affectionate."
Donghyuck's mind is finally able to return to his body, and he nods slowly. "Right. Well, does your boyfriend know you're here using really lame pick up lines?"
Lucas (?) laughs, waving away Donghyuck's concerns without a moment's hesitation. "Ah, don't worry, I'm not a cheater. Mark was too shy to come over with me, but he's right over there!" (Donghyuck distantly hears Chenle whisper-shouting about how Donghyuck actually was right with his theory.) They point to Bathroom Cutie, waving enthusiastically and booming laughter bouncing off the walls at the bright flush they get in response. Lucas gestures for Mark to come over to them, and while it takes a bit, the other finally agrees, shuffling forward and giving Donghyuck an embarrassed smile.
"Sorry about him," Mark nudges Lucas with his elbow, lips quirking up when the taller mimes being savagely hurt by the touch, "he tends to not know people's boundaries. Um. I'm Mark, by the way. I don't think we exchanged names earlier."
Donghyuck shakes his head, cheeks warm from the attention by the two beautiful strangers, even if they're probably only being polite and not meaning to flirt with him. "Yeah, guess it slipped my mind. I'm Donghyuck."
Lucas pokes Mark's side, probably trying to be subtle but failing completely considering his massive size, and Mark worries his bottom lip in a way that probably shouldn't be as endearing as it is. "Right. Well, Lucas has probably already introduced himself, and uh. He's my boyfriend?" He says it as though it's a question, and Donghyuck has no clue as to what the answer may be.
So he settles for staring blankly at Mark, who fidgets and looks to Lucas for help when he realizes he won't get a response any time soon.
"Um." Lucas tries to come to Mark's rescue, although he looks a bit sheepish and nervous himself. "Do you wanna hang out some time? Like get something to eat or watch a movie?"
Donghyuck blinks. "Like- like a date?"
Mark and Lucas' faces are both bright red, the former furiously avoiding any and all eye contact while the latter shifts his weight back and forth worriedly.
Eventually, Mark's able to croak out a "Yeah. If you're okay with that."
Donghyuck blinks again. And again. He looks back and forth between the two boys in front of him, trying to process the situation. "I- yeah. I'd like that."
Lucas perks up immediately, Mark giving a quiet little sigh of relief beside him. "Really? Great! When are you free? Mark and I have sports practice Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, but if you want-"
"Hold your horses, mister." Donghyuck chuckles, a little breathless at the turn of events and whatever situation he's in. "How about you give me your numbers first, then we go from there?"
Lucas freezes for a second before nodding so fast Donghyuck's concerned that he'll give himself a concussion. "Right! Good idea. Um, you can put your number in here." He hands his phone to Donghyuck carefully, smiling oh-so-cutely as the youngest types in his contact information and saving his name as "cute art museum boy" with a bunch of heart and kissy face emojis.
Donghyuck's phone gets a little ding! a second later, and he opens up the notification to see a groupchat with him and two others. The text reads "hey! im lucas!!!!" , and Donghyuck does his best to fight back against the wide smile that threatens to split his face in half. He saves the two contacts to his phone immediately - "bathroom cutie mark" and "puppy sweetheart lucas" - before pocketing it.
"Well. Guess I'll talk to you two later? My friends are probably getting impatient just standing around here-" Donghyuck turns to give said friends an apologetic smile and is met with nothing.
"Oh, your friends kinda ditched after I introduced myself." Mark says, and Donghyuck rolls his eyes.
"I should've figured. Well in that case, would you two mind if I stayed with you?"
"Not at all!" Lucas exclaims. "We're only here because we somehow won some free passes here, and none of our friends who'd usually be into this stuff are available."
Donghyuck smiles, confidence and joy overflowing. He steps between the two boys, linking his arms with their and shooting them both a grin. "Well, allow me to show you around!"
It's difficult trying to keep pace with each other, and their arms tend to bump into each other more than not, but it only takes a few minutes before they're holding each other's hands instead, pointing at different paintings and sculptures to ask questions and listening attentively when Donghyuck speaks.
It makes for quite a beautiful picture, and Donghyuck can't even find it within himself to be shy or embarrassed when he asks Jeno to take a photo of the three of them. He makes it his lockscreen and background, sending it to their groupchat with a single heart emoji.
It's a little cheesy, sure, but it's wonderful and warm and theirs . Donghyuck wouldn't trade it for the world.