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He thinks he has been swallowed by a black hole . he remembers the craft approaching the hole . The red lights flashing , the crash the loud sounds and the swallowing silence which followed . He was definitely in one .
There was gravity but it felt like being underwater . where the corners were and the length of the walls made it feel more like a fish tank .
where he had fallen from above had created a strike of colours . wherever he punched , kicked , screamed at ; these colours would appear . like those you’d see on a broken screen.
Mark’s sight was getting poorer , he was getting weaker from the shaking at sleepless nights, but it was always night . on long night .the more time he spent lying down the more it felt like a dream , a sickening one that would never end .
But maybe he really was in a stimulation of his own creation . in this net of time and space calling it once upon a day didn't make sense because it was always the same but according to the flashing image that played on a wall of his fish tank , it was day.
It showed a room with beige walls and a red chair . perhaps it was a spring’s morning . the light clothes with short sleeves were thrown on the ground and the light breeze made the curtains covering the window on the right dance . that made more light get into the room.
The weather and light were reflected where mark was and seeing all these changes made his body replicate how it would feel to be there.
He didn't know what was happening but he was already tearing up and a little light headed from concentrating too hard . he approached the wall with heavy steps and as he did , a boy was unlocking the door.
The boy’s movements were too quick . he got inside made a right turn there was the bed , he dropped his bag by it . walked in front of Mark took off his jacket and placed it on the chair that faced him , they were on the same level but one couldn't see the other nor sense his presence.
The rushing memories of his childhood clouded his mind
“Hyuck?” he asked himself
“Donghyuck!” he cried .the hot breath and tears fogged his plastic bubble . his heart hurt .He had been praying for a sign whatever it may be , He wasn't sure if this was it . but Donghyuck couldn't hear him anyway .He followed him along the line as he continued to scream his name , it was an apparent thin wall but actually many light years between them .
He doesn't remember much about Donghyuck . He was oblivious to the fact that Donghyuck grew fond of space hearing Mark swoon over it . He’d act like he found it silly and would ask Mark to talk about something on earth and visible to them but remind himself to look up what Mark was talking about later and on that laptop faced away from him were several folders on theories and presentations he had made with his friend or on his own on things related to space .
Even though they had been parted , Hyuck was invested in what Mark was.
From that day , Mark had been a watcher of hyucks life . the downfalls , the uproars , the summers to winters . He slept and rose with him . He saw way too much , and spoke back even more . He’d even shout at how dumb the other sounded , which was often . He almost forgot about his situation . He was attracted to his only escapade .
It passed in the blink of an eye to mark , but it was more to hyuck.
Donghyuck woke up early one day , really early around dawn time . He had dreamt of Mark . He saw him in an astronauts suit outside his window , where land had turned into dark blue water and when He moved his lips static coming from the radio would get louder and once Hyuck would tune it .“Help” He would hear Mark ask him.
The dream would visit every night., same scenario . through sickness and health the same dream and for his dismay He hadn’t been able to look him up or do anything in the nationwide internet breakdown. So for a whole year , He had been writing down the dreams He had trying to lace them together , search for a solution.
Only his friend , Renjun , that knew of this dream and actually decided to help him .
He had been looking at space magazines for a while now . just a thought in hopes to find anything.
“It’s dated back to 2018 though” he told Donghyuck whilst showing him an old article about a space mission of under the constellation programme .
“New planet , behold!” was the headline underneath it was a picture of 4 boys standing in front of rocket from right to left Taeyong Lee, Minhyung Lee , but Hyuck didn't bother resuming for it had Marks name , and his own professors name . The article spoke about the exploration dated to june 2018 , nothing else. He flipped through all the monthly editions then the yearly ones 2019,2020,’21 all to his day 2030 , no updates .
“Did it not land?” he spoke at last to Renjun , who shrugged .
“You can try asking him “ the pointed at Taeyong in the magazine before them ,which neither of them was excited for ; as he wasn't the friendliest professor at their university .
Normally huck would say he'd rather do unlawful things than that . however, there He was in front of his desk waiting for him the following day , magazine in hand folded on the article.
“You cant be here “ was the first thing He told him after shutting his door .
“What do you know about Orion 10?” Hyuck hasn't prepared what to say and he didn't want to lose his only source of information , he didn't want him to kick him out and or actually make him fail his class but he couldn't say what was on his mind .
“The mission?” he clarified pointing at the magazine that was now on Taeyongs desk.
There was a pause in Taeyongs world. He hasn't spoken about it , no one actually asked ever . He quit being an astronaut so he doesn't hear of it .
His mind was fogging , there were hot and cold flashes again . He breathed out .
“Get out” he calmly said pointing at his door not making eye contact with Donghyuck who had been eagerly waiting for the past 18 hours and 6 minutes .
“Please , i need to know” Donghyuck repeated that sentence each time adding a detail lastly with “Please , I need to know what happened to Mark” . that had Taeyong stop typing on device .
In reality , even Taeyong didn't know and If he escorted hyuck out , he won't ever stop mentioning it. After all he had proof of the mission . Taeyong was the only remaining thing of it .
“ I don't know , Donghyuck . donghyuck , right?” he looked up at him
“ actually no one knows . and according to science he cant be alive.”
Taeyongs seriousness which he had gained throughout the past years allowed him to say that without stuttering before or during it nor shed a tear
“Actually maybe he has turned into a star , or a particle forming a new planet . I don't know donghyuck but why are you asking? “
Instead of his own sniffles , he heard Donghyuck’s . the had turned into sobs which in between he told his professor of his childhood friend , perhaps the first he had ever developed feelings for .
“I had been having this dream of him , he asks me for help through my radio . I could only dream of this . all year long Mark calling me for help and I told Jaemin , he said maybe Mark has been thinking of me too ,he studies psychology and I really believed that . It really has been my only dream , Professor . goddamn 330 days so far .” he took his glasses to wipe his tears better . “ I really shouldn't have listened to jaemin but sometimes he really sounds like he knows what he's talking about “ he scoffed
He had brought sadness to the room and made ice cold taeyong tear up , cry actually . He looked for tissue in his bag , trying to fix what he had done . Taeyong motioned him out and while hyuck was putting the magazine inside he told him not to and to leave it for him to keep . he did . he didn't need it anymore .
For the rest of the day , Hyuck was completely out of it . hasn't spoken about and avoided to .
But on his way home , he walked past it , way past it . reaching the hill where the view of the city was beneath him and the sky was clear and less polluted . He saw many stars with a few twinkling . all of which then moved and he realised they were planes .
“ I’ll just think of the star scenario , i dislike that one the least” he told the ground he was playing with his feet in .
“You really made me dream of him just so I know he's not here anymore ?” he asked the sky to which a star twinkled . an actual star this time .
He sighed at it and left to a very annoyed Renjun in his bedroom holding the radio pressing all its heavy buttons .
“Finally! Where the hell have you been?” he asked blinking rapidly , he had been staring down at the radio for a while, with all his senses .
“Up the hill , there are like , way too many stars seen from there did you know that? “ hyuck smiled widely , how you'd smile when you're trying to switch topics which the other wasn't having any of.
“Thats cool , there are a lot of buttons on this thing and all the labels have been washed out did you know that?” he copied his tone and smile.
He kept on clicking buttons while hyuck changed his grass stained clothes and over the stream of the shower head he heard him cry of excitement . loud music was blurring out the radio .
He had lost his hope but he was turned off the water and got half dressed .
As he worked the button , it felt similar . as he turned the button he waited for the silence .
“Hello?” he couldn't help but ask ,
“Mark?”
“Mark , Are you there?”
“Go by the window , like in the dream” Renjun whispered like Hyuck was having an important phone call .
“No! . I won't do this again . I wont build false hope . Professor Lee said he is dead . I won't listen to any of you again! ” he screamed then threw the radio at the wall opposing his standing figure .
It made sounds it would make with tape that was stuck in it , over and over clicking .
the red light was gone . he broke it . It wouldn't flicker back no matter how many times he plugged and unplugged.
Renjun watched him go mad then decided to pull him away , he was heavily crying . he hadn't seen him ever like that .
“It just feels like he was sending an sos and i couldn't help him . I feel so helpless , Renjun”
He spent the night over and in the morning he didn't ask but Donghyuck told him he doesn't remember if he had a dream or not, then it elongated to a week and he hasn't dreamt of anything and later on when he did , it wasn't the same one instead some dream of him going to an exam late . which he had during summer vacation.
Renjun watched him slowly become less sensitive and falling back into himself . He would still go to that hill at night , sometimes spend the entire evening there , without Renjun .
As his friend he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do . Even Donghyuck’s mother wasn't sure what to do , she didn't know anything but he was visibly down and gloomy .
There had been a lot of news about this meteor shower and once he heard over the news that it would be visible in seoul , he thought hyucks hill would be the perfect spot . He stayed at the spot from noon just to make sure no one would take it and once he found their professor there too he made sure to ask him over , he had gotten used to his students over time or only hyuck and his friends.
“But I don't want to come” hyuck told him over the phone
“ excuse me what , you know how long I have been out here?” he noticed the stares of others but cared to only smile at taeyong.
“ get your sad ass here or I will-” and before he could finish he heard the other mumble ‘fine’ .
“He’s coming” he told Taeyong with a smile
“How is he?”
“I'm not quite sure yet , but seemingly getting better?” he said with a confused look on his face .
he didn't know whether donghyuck was hiding his sadness or has healthily recovered he wasn't sure and there wasn't a certain way to find that out so he had just been trying to make him better regardless.
“ I’m actually not sure if anything related to space will excite him anymore . He even thought about switching majors but i managed to snap him out of it but its still there , the desire to”
“He wont” Taeyong calmly replied then sipped his beverage . They both let the conversation die at that while the sun began to set and the purple hues covered them all and Donghyuck’s head with the hood covering it .
The crowds were gathering still, all trying to get there before 8 o'clock . Taeyong praised renjun for the spot away from the huge cameras placed on tripods while Hyuck remained silent between them with his legs crossed picking the blanket threads , eyes focused down .
“Oh , Look!” someone exclaimed behind them , the shower had begun . The quietly watched the lines fall over far from the cityline .
“Where do you think this will fall ? ” Taeyong said pointing at the biggest one they had seen
“Is it possible to go after it?” Donghyuck asked specifically looking at taeyong
“Not nearly as fast but we can go once they know where it fell” Donghyuck was curious for once in a while and something about wanting to know where it's at made his heart flutter .
“C’mon” Renjun got up holding Hyucks hand that correspondingly had taeyong ask where they were going
“I messaged a radio channel , I know where it fell . well still hasn't .”
He showed Taeyong the text and apparently it was too far for a bike ride and he offered them the ride there . They left their blanket and bikes there and followed taeyong .
Throughout the ride they watched the meteors clearly , heads out their windows . then he found that big one . It was almost down . “Hurry!” they both shouted in one breath with hyucks heart beats growing louder . it's probably just the adrenaline from Renjuns excitement , he told himself .
“Stop!” Renjun shouted , it was out of sight . Hyuck was the first out the car , not looking around before crossing , fast enough making his hood fall.
He was first to reach the edge of the hole . It was deep , it fell at great speed . in awe he couldn't see before him and was about to fall . No renjun to catch him nor Taeyong to alert them .
He fell hard but not enough to faint . wincing he got up , there still wasn't anything only white fragments with little burnt pieces . there was a limp he resisted . the further he went the more pieces he noticed making him run despite his limp and racing heart.
He really couldn't push the thought that maybe it was something , he couldn't dare say it or think of it .
He didn't know why his eyes were teary nor why he was shaking but he knew he was by it .
Not a stone. He got closer . certainly not a craft .
“Mark?” more of a whisper than of anything . can't be , he battled to push the thought . but with his hand going over it , not an it its a he .
“Please?” his hands were still shaking .
What Hyuck didn't know that Mark survived a black hole , and falling from space to earth . all because of his company and despite his closed eyes he could hear his voice , but he didn't have the energy or any in fact to hold his hand back nor wipe his tears nor confirm that it really was mark .
He was 11 years older than hyuck now , not just by one year but still the same mentality. a little too smart still . and thankfully due to technology and few modifications Taeyong had made on the suit , he wasn't a ball of ash .
They managed to ride him to the city hospital , away from the news reporters they saw going where they were with Renjun loudly making sure this was all thanks to him .
Weeks of recovery , he was able to finally open his eyes and move his face around and first thing he made sure to do was to kiss hyuck all over and press his face against his whenever he got the chance .
More time has passed, he was able to sounds words and took him forever to tell Hyuck he was with him all the time .
Donghyuck and his friends took shifts on Mark and tried to get him to form sentences fast so he would tell him what happened and through that time Taeyong was contacting everyone he could firstly the others parents and secondly their crew .
He was slowly learning how to walk now with his arm wrapped around hyucks shoulders , he wanted to see him graduate and get his postgrad degree. He wrote his dissertation on black holes and Mark’s miracle .
He made it on the news , he made it everywhere . He turned into a star like they said , eventually he did .
He had fully recovered by now . He made sure to visit Hyuck’s room , that had become his little universe . He told him stuff that had become memore to Hyuck and could hardly remember but Mark could recall as if it was yesterday . He told him how , in the whiteness he could only see and think of him .