Work Text:
today is june twenty first, the day that mark has been waiting for for an entire semester. and when he wakes up that morning, he is greeted by two very pleasant messages from lee donghyuck.
[7:31:23AM] LEE DONGHYUCK: morning loser.
[7:31:50AM] LEE DONGHYUCK: i hope you’re ready for the worst night of your life!
no, donghyuck is not his boyfriend. he is very hesitant to even call him a friend. the most apt description falls somewhere between ‘rival’ and ‘complete pain in the ass.’
when he stumbles out of his room, still squinting at the texts on his phone, his obnoxious roommates don’t bother saying good morning before bringing up the bet .
“aw, that’s not the face of someone who’s about to go on an unforgettable romantic evening,” jaemin coos at him, grinning. he takes a lot of pleasure in his mark’s suffering.
“am i the only person who thinks it’s weird that donghyuck is going through all this trouble just to go on a date with you?” jeno asks, alluding to the conclusion that he had already come up with but mark completely refused to acknowledge.
“he’s trying to make my life a living hell, jeno,” mark answers anyway, not even wanting to imagine what horrors donghyuck has been dreaming up for the past four months. “and i haven’t fucking lost yet! the bet ends at noon.”
he will have to race against the clock to get to yukhei before he does, mainly because he has classes lined up this entire morning. at least he’s lucky to share two of them with donghyuck. for the first time in his life, he’s grateful that he’s stuck in the same major as that asshole.
as mark brushes his teeth, he thinks about how stupid he is for accepting donghyuck’s challenge in the first place, but four months ago, he was sure that this bet would already be a done deal by now.
-----
four months ago
“all i’m saying is, isn’t it extremely shocking that someone like me is still single?” donghyuck asks everyone at the table, and is met by discreet snickers and a few head shakes. “you’d think the useless boys at this university would be lining up to date me.”
“uh-” jeno starts and donghyuck cuts him off.
“and before anyone tries to disagree, hyejoo told me that everyone at work was sure i had a boyfriend until like, a few days ago. i’ve been working there for six months!”
it’s the last night before the end of winter break, and to cheer everyone up, jaemin offered to take their group out for dinner. unfortunately for them all, it didn’t take donghyuck long before he started going on a drunk tirade about how much he wants a boyfriend.
“i’m sure she’s just being nice to you, donghyuck,” chaewon replies, biting her bottom lip.
“you don’t need to sugarcoat it,” jaemin puts a hand on her shoulder before turning to donghyuck. “she could smell the desperation off you and wanted to throw you a bone.”
jeno shakes his head. “it’s actually because people think mark is the said boyfriend.”
mark, who had purposely kept himself out of the conversation, chokes on his water. “what the fuck?” he quacks just as donghyuck pretends to gag.
"you really didn’t have to say it,” hyunjin whispers to her boyfriend.
jaemin shrugs. “ i didn’t want to be the one to say it.”
“why would everyone think that when there’s a rumor going around that mark is in a romantic relationship with his guitar?” donghyuck defends himself after two excruciating minutes of him making the most disgusting noises he could muster from the back of his throat.
mark turns red. “people think that because that’s what you told everyone in our department!”
“i heard that one!” chaewon says. “he calls her….fullsun?”
“you made up a fake name too?” mark wants to hurl his spoon at donghyuck, who just looks away, stifling a laugh. no one finds donghyuck’s jokes as funny as donghyuck himself.
the greatest misfortune of mark lee’s life wasn’t him moving far away from his family, or having to give up music for a more ‘realistic’ major, or three members of exo announcing their departure from the group. it was the fact that he was stuck with lee donghyuck in both his academic and personal life until he graduates.
he can’t disagree with what donghyuck was saying earlier, he really was the full package: attractive, funny, charismatic, with a perfect gpa to boot. the type of person that mark would pathetically crush on from afar but never have the courage to talk to. and this was exactly what he did for the entirety of orientation week. making moon eyes at donghyuck as he charmed every single freshman in the english literature major.
but then jeno liked hyunjin, and hyunjin liked jeno back, and hyunjin just happened to be donghyuck’s best friend and roommate. the merging of their groups was inevitable, like an unstoppable force of nature.
by the end of his first month of being donghyuck’s friend, he seriously started looking at cheap flights back to canada.
donghyuck is pouting again. “not even making fun of mark cheers me up, it’s hopeless.”
“think of it this way, even if you managed to score a date with a cute guy, he’ll probably get tired of your obnoxious whining 30 minutes in,” mark finally says, hoping that will finally shut him up.
donghyuck ignores him, only throws his head back and closes his eyes. “no one here meets my standards anyways. i wish a tall, gorgeous boy would walk in and whisk me away in his arms.”
and whatever gay god is watching over donghyuck must have been listening in on this conversation, because his wish was instantly granted.
the most beautiful man that mark lee has ever laid his eyes on walks into the restaurant. around 180 centimeters, sunkissed skin, a head full of soft brown hair, full lips, and big round eyes that crinkle at the corners when his significantly shorter companion says something that makes him smile.
“uh, donghyuck?” jaemin whispers urgently. “you might wanna open your eyes.”
“holy shit,” donghyuck gasps, and mark feels a tiny pang in his heart. what the fuck?
the guy and his friend sit down close enough for mark to hear them speaking to each other in mandarin. he wishes his friends would say something and stop making it so obvious that they’re all trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. donghyuck’s expression goes from wonder to mild disappointment when he realizes that he can’t understand anything coming from his pretty mouth, and then to full on disappointment when he goes absolutely mute while the tiny boy orders takeout for both of them in korean.
“i know the short one,” hyunjin says after they finally leave. “i had stat with him last year.”
“i can’t believe people can just exist and breathe looking like that,” mark mumbles, mostly to himself. he feels like he just witnessed the epitome of human beauty and he still needs time to process that.
“hey, hands off,” donghyuck points a threatening finger at him. “i called dibs.”
mark had no intention of asking chinese adonis out, but he fights back. “what? when? all you did was stare at him with your mouth open.”
“jaemin! you heard me right?”
“you were staring at him the whole time, it was actually pretty embarrassing for the rest of us,” jaemin replies.
“you can’t call dibs on someone, he’s a human being,” chaewon says solemnly. “how about you guys place a bet to see who can get his number first.”
mark begins to protest at the exact moment that donghyuck says “sounds perfect!”
i don’t want to get his number. “i don’t want to be subject to whatever horrible punishment that donghyuck comes up with.”
donghyuck grabs both of his hands. “if i lose, i’ll do all your assignments for an entire semester.”
he absolutely hates how the touch of donghyuck’s soft warm hands makes him go blank and gives him no choice but to respond with a shaky nod. it’s not like he even needs someone to help him with his assignments, especially not from him of all people. he likes doing them himself, even. he instantly regrets it when donghyuck’s puppy-like expression gradually shifts into a more sinister one.
“but if you lose, i’ll take mercy on you and take you on a date .”
mark has never dreaded anything more in his life.
-----
“good morning, i know you’re super excited to finally get the chance to go out with me, but please tone down the excitement.” donghyuck sounds a lot more cheerful than he usually does this early in the morning.
mark is frowning when he sits down next to him in the back of the lecture hall. “you really should be preparing to pull all nighters trying to write double the amount of assignments next semester.”
donghyuck sighs. “mark, markley, honey, sweetie. i won the second chaewon suggested the bet.”
mark scoffs. “you’re awfully confident for someone who has been unsuccessfully trying to get a boyfriend for the past year.”
donghyuck’s expression falls. “that’s pretty low, man. we’re still friends.”
“fuck i’m so sorry i didn-”
“no, no, it’s fine i’ve still got a date tonight. i’m not really sure about the guy but he looks like he really needs this so i’m going out of sympathy.” he winks at mark.
“i hate you.”
mark gets off his bike and runs to the cafe where yukhei works. it’s seven minutes to noon and the place is already bustling with other students who just got off class, but yukhei still spots him and waves to where he’s standing at the back of the queue.
he already begged hyunjin to give him the contact information of her former classmate, but she said that she doesn’t want to have anything to do with huang renjun after what she only referred to as ‘the choking incident.’ he was lucky to trip on his face on his way out of class one day and have yukhei help him up with his (very big and strong) arms a month later, and then apologized for not being able to walk him to the medical center because he was already late for work at one of the campus cafes.
(it takes donghyuck two months to find him.)
mark keeps looking back at the entrance, waiting for donghyuck to burst in at any second, but he never shows up. he did look suspiciously calm during this morning’s lectures. could it be that he already--no, if he did, donghyuck wouldn’t miss the opportunity to rub it in mark’s face the first chance he got. like literally, actually, rub the number in his face.
“mark!” yukhei fist bumps him when he finally makes it to the counter at eleven fifty nine. “what can i get you today?”
“i’d like uh, an iced americano,” mark thinks that if he says it really fast it will lessen the level of embarrassment that he was feeling right now. “and maybe your number?”
mark’s sure that yukhei will laugh in his face for even thinking he has a chance with him, but he just nods, smiling. “sure, i’ll just write it down on your receipt. it’s funny though, that other boy who also comes here often, donghyuck? just asked me for the same thing yesterday.”
all the blood drains from mark’s face. he thinks back to the texts and the taunting he got all morning.
“do you guys want to add me to a group chat or something?” yukhei wonders. “because i do have the best memes.”
that asshole. he told everyone except for mark, didn’t he? that’s why jaemin and jeno were talking about the bet like it was already a done deal. mark suddenly feels self conscious about every single move he made today. everyone must have been pitying him behind his back and he didn’t even notice a single thing.
just as he is about to take his drink and walk out in shame, yukhei calls out to him again. “i almost forgot! he also left you this note.” he slips it between the straw and napkin next to his americano.
don’t forget to bring flowers!
one month to find the mystery gorgeous boy, two months to go to the cafe enough times for said boy to remember him, and then another month to muster up the courage to ask for his number. the most annoying part of it all is that what’s really been occupying his mind all this time is donghyuck: what is donghyuck’s next move, has he found him yet, why he would suggest taking mark on a date in the first place (isn’t it a waste of his own time?), and the fact that he’s been fixating on someone else all semester.
someone else? what does that even mean?
seeing donghyuck pine after yukhei made him feel….weird. all he could talk about whenever mark was around was how he and yukhei were just made for each other. it was so annoying, donghyuck has barely even spoken to him. he doesn’t even know his last name. it made mark’s stomach churn, and he figured it was because he felt disgusted by him and wanted to puke.
“this is really playing out like a cheesy romcom, huh,” jeno muses to jaemin as mark approaches their table at the cafeteria.
mark slams his tray down. “you knew! you both fucking knew!”
“sorry dude. you looked so hopeful this morning we didn’t want to shatter your dreams,” jeno shrugs.
“and donghyuck paid us to shut up,” jaemin adds.
“that, also.”
mark glares at both of them. they wanted this to happen, he wasn’t stupid enough to miss all the secret looks and smiles they exchanged whenever he and donghyuck talked to each other. he wouldn’t be surprised to find out that they’re the ones who planted this whole date idea in donghyuck’s head in the first place. “did you guys do something weird, like lie and tell him my favorite places and things to do so he’d take me on a nice date?”
“oh my god, mark, we’re not that stupid.”
jaemin agrees. “yeah, we know that donghyuck already knows all that shit without our help.” jeno laughs and high fives him.
mark pouts and looks down sadly. “what did i do to deserve lee donghyuck? what evil force made us cross paths?”
“destiny? fate?” jeno contributes, and mark wonders what it’s like to be such a helpless romantic.
“destiny is you and hyunjin volunteering at the same animal shelter. what we have is more like god punishing me for something i did in a past life,” he replies, hating how he easy and natural that we rolled off his tongue. “it’s not a very sexy dynamic.”
“you’d have to be several levels of delusional not to see how much chemistry you two have,” jaemin says. “i mean look at you, all worked up over him like this, just like you have been for the past few months.”
“the line between love and hatred is paper thin, mark lee.”
he arrives at donghyuck’s place at six thirty sharp, with flowers in hand as promised.
it’s chaewon who opens the door. “i’m so sorry my roommate is the worst person on the planet.”
“you’re saying this with a big smile on your face.” chaewon generally always looks like she’s having the greatest day of her life, but today she has a very specific smug grin that scares mark.
“i’m not smiling.” she says, trying to keep a straight face and failing after two seconds.
“you’re enjoying this way too much!” all his friends are terrible.
he steps inside and shrugs off his jean jacket. hyunjin, who is busy watching tv with her (and jeno’s) dog silently waves at him without looking up. out of the three inhabitants of this cursed apartment, mark likes jeno’s girlfriend the most because she’s the only person who isn’t annoyingly invested in his love life.
“he’s waiting for you in his room,” chaewon whispers to him.
“i don’t wanna go in there,” he whispers back, voice shaking. chaewon responds by smacking his butt and pushing him forward.
“you made it all the way here, can’t back out now!”
donghyuck’s face brightens up as soon as he walks in. his excited face is kind of cute. kind of . “you brought me flowers!”
“they’re marigolds donghyuck, they symbolize cruelty,” hyunjin yells from the living room, and donghyuck responds by shutting the door.
“that’s what the lady at the shop told me,” mark confirms.
“you’re such a gentleman,” donghyuck winks at him. “i’ll take great care of them, put them in a dry vase until they die so i could throw them out quickly.”
he takes his hand (what’s with this guy and holding hands? does he know it stirs some weird feelings in mark or what?) and drags him to sit down on the floor, right in the middle of the messy pile of clothes and makeup, most of which he assumes belonged to his roommates. he definitely saw that color on hyunjin’s eyelids the other day.
“let me remind you of the rules real quick,” donghyuck says, voice light. “number one, you’re mine until midnight, i get to pick where we go, where we eat, and most importantly, what you wear.”
it’s so easy for him to say things like this….things like you’re mine while mark has been stressing about this all day. he seriously contemplated running away and disappearing for a few days several times on his way here. it makes him a little bit angry, and a little bit of something else.
“rule number two,” he leans closer, making mark flinch. “you’re not allowed to fall in love with me.”
they’re still for a moment, and mark studies donghyuck’s face. his eyes serious, staring right into his soul. he almost wants to say that he can’t make any promises. how can he? not when donghyuck’s looking at him like that.
instead mark shoves him away. “gross, how long have you been saving that line for?”
donghyuck rolls back, laughing. “you should've seen the look on your face!”
embarrassed, mark quickly changes the subject. “so when you said that you get to pick what i wear….”
“that includes makeup, yes.”
“i’m secure in my masculinity donghyuck, you think a little bit of lipstick is some sort of punishment?”
donghyuck picks up a fan brush and twirls it in his hands. “who said i was going to make you look good?”
mark doesn't miss how awkward his grip around the handle is. “god, you don't actually know what you're doing are you?
“i’ve seen chaewonie do it enough times, you’re in capable hands. now close your eyes.”
mark is skeptical, but he complies, and quickly discovers that sitting alone in a room with donghyuck with obstructed vision isn’t as bad as he thought it would be. he can hear him pick up a palette and shuffle through different brushes. donghyuck props a hand on mark’s thigh as he leans in again. he wasn’t aware that you need to be this close to someone while applying their makeup, but seeing as it’s his first time, he doesn’t want to question it and sound like an idiot.
and, it really wasn’t that bad at all.
the swipes of the coarse brush hairs on his eyes were wide and rough, akin to a child scribbling with crayons than someone who had experience doing any of this. mark is barely bothered by this though, he’s busy focusing to the tiny frustrated sighs that donghyuck sounds out as he works, and his increasingly tightening grip around his thigh.
jaemin’s words pops into his head. just look at how worked up you are over him.
thankfully, donghyuck finishes up right before his thoughts go into that scary and unknown path. “alright open up.”
donghyuck adds a tiny bit of blush on each one of his cheeks, and then spends five minutes swatching every single lipstick in the room. mark is impressed at the level of trust that donghyuck’s roommates have in him to let him borrow all of them. he finally grabs mark’s chin and uses a pale shade of pink, a modest choice compared to all reds and oranges and purples that he just tested out.
“how do i look?” mark asks without thinking and instantly regrets it.
he braces himself for a biting response, an eye roll and a sarcastic remark about how much the colors compliment his complexion, but donghyuck, hand still holding mark’s face, just takes him in for a moment, his expression unreadable.
then, he finally mumbles, “absolutely terrible.”
a very tiny voice at the back of his head tells him that he’s obviously being lied to. not that he doesn’t look terrible but that donghyuck doesn’t think so.
he instantly shuts it down.
“are you ready yet?” donghyuck yells from the living room.
“i’m not going out looking like this!” mark answers, which prompts donghyuck to open the door and let out a loud gasp.
“you….look….absolutely….”
“squeaky?”
“lemme see, lemme see!” chaewon squeezes herself in from under donghyuck’s arm. “wow, which low budget punk rock music video did you escape from?”
mark steps out to enthusiastic whooping and cheering from jeno and jaemin, who had arrived while he was changing into a black band t-shirt, tattered black jeans, and a shiny leather jacket with little studs along the collars. he’s not sure what he hates more, the entire look or the fact that donghyuck had all these items ready in his closet. in contrast, donghyuck is wearing high waisted jeans that compliment his long legs along with a light yellow shirt that he tucked in at the front. he looks bright and youthful and not stuck in the fashion hell that was the cursed year of 2006 like mark is.
“everyone, i present to you the boy of my dreams,” donghyuck announces proudly. “or at least, the boy of 15-year-old donghyuck’s dreams. i was super into that emo look.”
mark rolls his eyes. “i thought that was yukhei.” it comes out a lot more aggressive than he meant it to be, and he hopes that the others don’t notice and think he’s jealous or anything. because he’s most definitely not.
“wh-i mean, of course he is!” donghyuck replies hastily. “he would be totally ideal if he dressed a bit more like this.”
“and had mark’s face? and mark’s voice?” jeno asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
donghyuck glares. “i brought you here to make fun of him, asshole.”
“we came here to see how much longer you’re willing to keep up this charade. you hate each other so much that you’re going on a date together? give me a fucking break.”
“it’s a bet! that i won!” mark has never seen donghyuck look this uncomposed. “tell them chaewon!”
“a bet that no one is forcing you to go through with,” hyunjin speaks up. that traitor. “the door is right there, mark.”
mark is standing there, with eyeliner and glittery eyeshadow and pants that were way out of his comfort zone, and more importantly, the chance to prove his friends once and for all that there is nothing between him and donghyuck.
but he strangely doesn’t want to move an inch. sure, the clothes are a little uncomfortable but they’re not as bad as he anticipated, and maybe donghyuck is annoying but his infectious energy has spread to him too, and he likes the shade of gold that donghyuck chose for his eyes, even.
“see, there’s your answer.”
“you guys are so fucking annoying. mark and i are going to have the worst night of our lives and you’ll all look like idiots tomorrow.”
he extends his hand to mark, who only hesitates for a second before taking it. and off they go.
“i don’t understand why you need to hold both of my hands in the subway.” it’s not that mark minds, it’s that the longer donghyuck does it the more flustered he feels, and he’s only getting worse at hiding his emotions.
“it’s for balance, so you don’t have to grip onto the disgusting pole that’s been touched by thousands of people today. besides, that’s what i see annoying heterosexuals do all the time,” donghyuck’s voice dips at the last sentence, but he still receives a nasty glare from a woman who was being back hugged by her boyfriend two seats across from them. “my goal is for us to become that obnoxious couple today.”
“like my lowkey emo look is not enough to attract attention?”
“you mean awe and admiration? please, i bet everyone’s dying to get into your pants.” donghyuck looks him up and down and bites his lips.
mark blushes and pretends that he didn’t notice. “that’s going to be hard, seeing as i can barely breathe in them.”
“don’t be like that,” donghyuck grumbles as they get off at the university station. the shopping area around their campus is a popular date spot for students, a boring choice in mark’s opinion.
“like what?”
“like you’re uncomfortable! your concept today is like, the cool brooding boyfriend.”
“wait, you didn’t tell me we had concepts. what’s yours then?” mark squints in a poor attempt to look more intimidating.
donghyuck clings to his arm and rests his head on his shoulder. “i’m your cheerful clingy boyfriend who you outwardly look annoyed at but secretly find adorable.”
mark thinks that his mother was right to tell him that watching makjang dramas rot your brain. “rest assured, donghyuck, being annoyed at you isn’t just a concept.” and the part about secretly finding you cute might not be either.
“shut up you fucking asshole,” donghyuck whispers in his ear in a chilling but sugary sweet tone. the cute boyfriend has a secret terrifying side, mark notes. an interesting dimension that really fleshes out the character.
they emerge from the exit that leads them straight to the entrance of the main street. it’s friday night and the place is flooded with young couples and large groups of friends. mark has been here with donghyuck countless times, but it was never just the two of them. it finally hits him that they’re all alone, and he doesn’t know how to be alone around donghyuck.
it’s honestly weird, where does the act end and their real feelings begin? donghyuck’s humiliating him for laughs, but there is no one to actually laugh. does he really just enjoy mocking him that much? they could spend the entire evening making out in mark’s apartment and then they could go and tell everyone that they had a sword fight in front of a seven-eleven and they wouldn’t have any reason not to believe them.
not that mark would actually want to do that.
he notices that donghyuck’s grip around his arm has loosened, and it feels a lot more natural, like he’s actually doing it out of his own volition.
“you’ve really thought this thing through, though,” mark says. “i might start to think that you’re a little obsessed with me.”
donghyuck stiffens and loses his easygoing pace. maybe it was the wrong thing to say. “i’m not obsessed. i just took ideas out of my 101 effective ways to torture mark lee manual.” the scary thing about him is that mark can’t tell if such a manual exists or not, and that he wouldn’t be surprised if it did.
“that really doesn’t help your case.”
“oh look, we’re here,” donghyuck yells, avoiding the subject. well, that’s the end of that of that conversation then.
the place he has chosen looks only slightly familiar. a pink house with a pastel blue roof and a neon sign that says ‘dream cafe.’ it’s a cafe he’s walked past a few times but never ventured inside before. it looks like the exact opposite of his ‘concept’ for today.
it’s just as bright on the inside: with shiny white tiled walls and sheer pink curtains. most of the pastel arm chairs were already occupied by other couples.
a place filled of annoying heterosexuals, mark thinks. donghyuck really did think of every detail.
two men emerge from behind the counter, smiling brightly at them. “donghyuck! right on time.”
“kun and ten hyung are the owners of this place,” donghyuck explains. mark notices the matching rings on their fingers. “they did me a favor and saved us a spot during the busiest time of the day.”
besides the overall cheesiness of the place, mark doesn’t understand what was so bad about it, that is, until he sees their table. kun leads them upstairs to a table with a flower wreath over it and three balloons spelling out M ♥ D.
“not just any spot,” kun brags to mark. “you got the super lovey dovey honeymoon premium corner.”
“god,” mark whispers as he takes his seat opposite donghyuck, feeling overly conscious of how out of place he looked there. it was as if he was the grim reaper sweeping through heaven. everyone looking at them could easily tell which one of them dragged the other to this place. “who would willingly do this to themselves?”
“annoying heterosexuals,” they both say at the same time.
mark buries his face in the velvet menu and prays that nobody in this place recognizes him. not because of how he looks, but because he’s there with lee fucking donghyuck. “do they have anything that has a normal name? and why are all the drinks so expensive?” he asks, trying to decide between the very berry summer splash special and doki doki sugar heart kiss.
“that’s because they all come in one large glass and two straws,” donghyuck answers without looking up from his own menu. “we could share one straw, if that’s what’s you’re concerned about.”
“why the fuck would i want to come in contact with your disgusting and most likely poisonous saliva?” mark hisses at him, and donghyuck responds by sticking his tongue out at him.
“pipe down, you’re ruining your image,” he replies calmly, and mark crosses his arms and leans back into his heart shaped cushion. why couldn’t he get assigned to a more talkative character? 15-year-old donghyuck’s taste in boys sucked.
kun returns to their table. “you two decide what you want to get yet?”
“yeah, i think we’ll have that uh, doki doki thing?” mark says. kun looks confused, like he doesn’t understand a word of what he just said.
“oh, i forgot to tell you about the rules of this place,” donghyuck clasps his hands together in excitement. “you have to state your order cutely. here, let me show you.”
donghyuck cups his chin with both of his hands and flutters his eyelashes. “donghyuckie wants the doki doki sugaw hawt kwiss, pwetty pwease.”
mark is horrified. “no.”
“come on, kun hyung is a busy man, he doesn’t have all day.” kun nods in agreement, looking apologetic.
“m-mawk wa- fuck no donghyuck i’m not fucking doing this!” he stands up, but donghyuck shoots him a terrifying glare that makes him sit right back down. he takes a very deep and long breath. “mawk wouwd wike the doki doki sugaw hawt kwiss too, pwease.” he balls his hands into paws and rubs them against his cheeks, and donghyuck squeals and claps in excitement.
“one sugar heart kiss for our honeymoon couple!” kun yells for everyone in the cafe to hear, just in case they didn’t see mark humiliate himself in public.
they sit in awkward silence for a minute, the heart balloon floating between them in dramatic irony. then donghyuck seems to suddenly remember something and takes out his phone. mark is somewhat flattered that this is the first time he’s touched it since they left the apartment.
“we should take some proof shots for the group chat!” he says and moves over to squeeze himself into mark’s seat, ending up mostly sitting in his lap instead and earning some stares from the other couples who were otherwise completely occupied with each other.
mark instinctively places a protective arm around his waist. donghyuck doesn’t react at all, he’s busy swiping through every single dog filter on snow. “i want one with a collar, so they know you’re under my mercy.” and leaving them open to hundreds of awful jokes from jaemin.
“the collar shows up on your neck too, dumbass.” donghyuck glares and moves on to the flower crown section.
he finally decides on one with hearts bursting out of their heads that also happens to make their eyes double in size, and donghyuck squeezes their cheeks together before snapping a few quick shots and sending them to the group.
[8:31:23PM] NA JAEMIN: wow, this is incredibly romantic. what a horrible date.
[8:32:00PM] LEE DONGHYUCK: i know right, mark is having the worst time ever.
[8:32:40PM] NA JAEMIN: i’m making fun of you, idiot. you really took him to the best cafe in the area? what is that supposed to accomplish?
[8:33:11PM] MARK LEE: no he’s right i am having an awful time.
[8:34:31PM] LEE JENO: nobody asked for your opinion.
[8:35:01PM] PARK CHAEWON: yeah, shut up mark.
[MARK HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE CHATROOM]
“what the fuck? put me back in!” donghyuck is giggling at his phone. “stop laughing and put me back in!”
“jaemin just changed the group picture to that ugly dog that looks like you.” his face falls. “i got kicked out too!”
“it’s fine i’ll just text hyunjin, she’ll put us right back i-” mark starts but then receives a notification before he even gets the chance to unlock his phone.
[8:40:27PM] KIM HYUNJIN: i’m not going to put you back in. i love the ugly dog picture and we’re keeping it.
“h-hyunjin chose a dog over me,” he mutters, devastated.
“don’t beat yourself over it, she does that to me all the time,” donghyuck comforts him as he returns to his own seat. “and are you really surprised? she’s dating the human equivalent of a golden retriever.”
ten is the one who returns with their drinks, along with an unexpected surprise.
“we didn’t order that,” mark says, gesturing at the omurice on the tray.
“that’s part of the premium honeymoon package.” ten winks at him. “enjoy yourselves, boys!”
mark recoils at the food. the problem isn’t the omurice itself, but the words scribbled on it.
MARK ♡ DONGHYUCK
LOVE FOREVER
in ketchup.
“please get it out of my sight,” mark chokes out. the smell makes him want to vomit.
“it’s your favorite!” donghyuck exclaims before taking a big bite.
it’s a well known fact among their friends that mark hates ketchup more than anything else in the world. if donghyuck and a bottle of ketchup were drowning, he’d save donghyuck. and he’s fantasized about drowning donghyuck countless times. “out of all the things you’ve done today, this is by far the most diabolical.”
“eat it,” donghyuck says, his tone turning serious again. but his intimidating glare has no effect on mark this time.
mark takes out his phone again and ignores him. maybe he lost the bet, but he’s not going to put up with donghyuck’s every whim. what’s next, is he going to make him get up, tear his shirt off, and give him a lap dance in front of everyone? donghyuck knew how much he hated the texture and smell, but still wanted to force him to gorge it down anyway for his own amusement.
when he looks up again, he finds that the dish is empty, with donghyuck struggling to swallow down the last bite. his half of their shared drink was all gone too.
“sorry for pressuring you into doing that, i didn’t realize it’d make you so upset,” donghyuck mutters as he wipes food off the corner of his mouth. “if something makes you seriously uncomfortable, you could just tell me and i’ll stop right away.”
he looks truly apologetic, fimbling with his fingers and avoiding mark’s eyes.
“uh- i-it’s alright. i wasn’t that mad anyway,” mark lied.
“so you’re not going to end things here and leave?” donghyuck says in a low voice, surprising mark. no matter how bad things got, he never considered leaving donghyuck all alone when he’s been so excited about all his plans for this date for god knows how long. even if these plans exclusively consisted of making mark miserable.
it’s a little fucked up, to care about someone enough that you’d let them tease you because you like seeing how happy they are when they do it. is there a name for this type of emotion? maybe lov-
nah, that can’t be it.
mark gets up and grabs his hand. “‘course not, you still have a whole horrible date planned, don’t you? let’s go.”
donghyuck smiles and nods.
after kun and ten bid them a very dramatic farewell that included a song and heart shaped confetti, they walk around aimlessly for the next hour, talking about anything and everything as the liveliness of the area begins to dwindle down. donghyuck doesn’t disclose their next destination, and mark is too preoccupied with their conversation to remember to ask.
“it wasn’t me! you did it first!” mark says as they turn from the crowded street and into a quieter alley solely lit with flickering neon signs.
“no it was definitely you, i remember it clearly,” donghyuck replies. they’re still holding hands for some reason, but the feeling of donghyuck’s interlocked fingers around mark’s has already become so comforting and familiar that he barely notices it anymore.
“the first thing you ever said to me was ‘what? canada? that’s a funny way to pronounce loserland.’”
the topic of the conversation had shifted to their first meeting, and contrary to what mark previously believed, the two of them had different versions of what happened. for the past year and a half, donghyuck has been under the impression that mark initiated the hostility between them.
donghyuck suddenly stops walking and shoots him a puzzled look. “wait, you think the first time we met was at orientation?”
“what do you mean? where else- oh fuck.” before mark could finish his sentence, he feels rain dripping over his head, and the tiny drops quickly escalate into an angry avalanche.
“let’s just grab some umbrellas from the convenience store,” he suggests, but donghyuck shakes his head.
“the nearest one is far away, you’re going to ruin my clothes! and your makeup!” he drags mark into the nearest building for shelter.
-----
a year and a half ago
it’s 3am, and donghyuck is only just leaving the dorm building after spending the entire night playing with one of his high school classmates, jinyoung, and his roommate. he would’ve spent the night in, but the security threatened to kick him out and he promised hyunjin and chaewon that he’d help them with grocery shopping tomorrow morning.
the harsh february wind hits him the second he walks out, and he shivers, puts on a face mask, and pulls up his hoodie from under his coat. the residential complex is creepy this late into the night. it’s cold, dark, and there is faint music playing in the distance.
wait, what?
he walks a little further towards the mysterious sound, a simple guitar melody accompanied with a soft voice singing along. there isn’t anything special about that person’s voice, but donghyuck inexplicably feels himself drawn to it. maybe it’s just curiosity, or maybe the romantic side of him was taken over, telling him that this is destiny leading him straight to the love of his life.
he finally finds a boy sitting alone on a bench under a tree. he’s wearing a padded jacket over his pajamas, and has round glasses perched over his red nose. he doesn’t react when donghyuck silently sits next to him.
“i like your voice,” donghyuck says quietly when the song ends. “whose song is that?”
“mine,” the boy answers curtly. “and i have a cold, but that was nice of you to say.”
he doesn’t seem to be in the best mood, and donghyuck wishes that he had met him at a different time, because then he’d feel a lot more confident asking for his number.
they sit silently for some time, and then donghyuck notices that the boys shoulders are shaking.
“a-are you crying?” why couldn’t you just mind your own business donghyuck? why didn’t you just go straight home like you should have?
he has zero experience dealing with cute crying boys, or any cute boys in general.
“i miss my parents,” the boy chokes out, partially covering his face in his guitar in embarrassment. “i’m cold and lonely and homesick and i miss my parents.”
“oh, i’m so sorry man. wasn’t today move-in day though?” donghyuck is confused. the boy looks and sounds korean, wouldn’t that mean that he just left home today? he’s been living happily with his two best friends for months now, so he couldn’t really relate to what he was going through.
“what, do you have a problem with that?” he looks up at donghyuck, angry. “you think i can’t cry just because it’s the first day?”
donghyuck is taken aback by the sudden hostility. “what the fuck? i’m just trying to be a nice person even though you’re out here being a fucking baby.”
the boy sniffs and wipes his nose with the sleeve of his jacket. “so much for being nice! can you let me sob in peace? don’t i even get to do that?”
“fine, fuck you and your stupid guitar. your voice isn’t that great anyway,” donghyuck yells as he gets up to leave.
“i know that’s a lie!”
“it’s not! go fuck yourself!”
-----
“that’ll be 30,000 won for an hour.”
“isn’t that a bit too much?” donghyuck protests.
the man standing behind the counter looks at the two of them, and then their at their linked hands. “it’s past ten and i don’t know what you two will be up to inside my noraebang, so 30,000 won.”
mark lets donghyuck go immediately. “it’s not what you think!”
the owner rolls his eyes, like he’s been through this a hundred times. “thirty or get out.”
they end up splitting the bill, and mark looks around the small booth in wonder.
“man, it’s been a while since i’ve been to a noraebang,” he says as he takes off his leather jacket. finally, freedom. no more of that obnoxious squeaking.
“really? i thought you went all the time, since you love to sing so much.” donghyuck takes the control panel and starts typing the name of a drama soundtrack that mark has vaguely heard of before.
mark scoffs. “when have you ever heard me sing?” he’s played his guitar at parties plenty of times around donghyuck, but he always felt too embarrassed to sing and let one of his friends do it instead. the only people who have heard him were jeno, jaemin, and that douche from-
wait.
“no way,” mark whispers.
“yeah,” donghyuck says with a raised eyebrow. “can’t believe it took you this long to remember.”
mark does remember that night very well. he couldn’t sleep because of the jet lag, his roommate was opposed to him playing music in their room, and the fact that everything he has ever known and loved was now thousands of miles away had finally dawned on him. and since it was right before he met jeno and jaemin, he had no friends to speak of.
so when a stranger sat next to him and sounded all judgemental about him crying, well, that was the very last straw.
“it’s not that i don’t remember, your entire fucking face was covered! i had no idea who i was talking to!”
donghyuck thinks about that for a second. “huh, fair enough,” he shrugs, like he didn’t just realize that his reason for tormenting mark was a sham all along, and hits play. a dramatic piano intro fills the room.
well, they’re alone again. really, actually alone this time. and there is nothing to distract him or keep him from running away from his feelings. mark could just about say anything now.
donghyuck looks really ethereal under the soft blue and purple lights, and contrary to what mark expected, he chose a sweet and gentle ballad. it goes really well with his voice, and mark finds his tiny bobbing along to the beat absolutely adorable.
this was the most fun he’s actually had in a long time, mostly because of donghyuck. the sense of dread he’s been feeling earlier quickly evaporated as soon as they were together, and if he was (finally) being honest with himself, it stemmed from the fear that he will finally give in and do something stupid.
and he’s not sure if donghyuck is aware of it or not, but his cute and clingy boyfriend really works on him. exactly mark’s type.
there is no use denying what’s been obvious to everyone else but him for a while now.
without thinking, he leans closer to donghyuck’s face, who lets out a surprised squeak into the mic before lowering it slowly, silently giving mark permission.
their first kiss is a chaste and short, a simple confirmation of feelings. a way for mark to break that barrier so they could finally honestly talk about what’s going on between them.
donghyuck’s lips just feel so right on his. he kisses him back shyly, and it makes the hair on the back of mark’s neck stand up. his hand is still tightly gripping the mic, letting mark take the lead.
they smile at each other knowingly when they break apart.
mark decides to say the dumbest possible thing at that moment. “b-but yukhei?”
donghyuck blinks at him. “what about him?”
“aren’t you- don’t you have a big fat crush on him? how does that work?” mark says in a panicked voice, he can’t believe he forgot about the reason they even went out in the first place.
donghyuck sighs deeply and takes his hand. “do you know why i got mad and yelled ‘hands off’ that night? honestly, i was a little bit jealous when you said he said he was hot.” he winces at his own words, like it took him every ounce of effort inside his body to get them out.
“you? jealous? you’re the one who’s been drooling at him all semester!” mark can’t believe this, he’s been watching donghyuck pine after someone else like a sad kicked puppy all along. he can admit how jealous he was now, because honestly? it did make him pretty fucking upset.
“yeah, because it fucking pissed you off every time i did it!”
silence.
“oooooohhhhh,” they both go at the same time.
mark contemplates this information. “alright, so i called another guy hot once, and you proceed to make it your life mission to let me know that you also find him hot whenever i was in earshot, and you saw how annoyed it made me, but instead of concluding that it was because i liked you, you just decided to piss me off even more?” it sounds even more stupid when he says it out loud.
donghyuck shakes his head. “but if you think about it, didn’t we both know? like deep inside, just a little bit?”
he’s right. it’s not like his attraction to donghyuck magically evaporated after they became friends, and it was his deep denial that kept him from seeing donghyuck’s playground pigtail pulling flirting tactics for what they really were.
“we’re both so stupid,” mark says. his head feels a little light, and he’s not sure if it’s because of the kiss or donghyuck basically admitting that he likes him. he decides that it’s a mix of both.
“speak for yourself, i’m the one who took you out on a date first, in the most romantic cafe in the city, ” he mocks jaemin in a high pitched tone.
their eyes lock again, electrifying the air between them, and donghyuck doesn’t hesitate before wrapping his arms around mark’s neck and catching his lips again.
donghyuck kisses him aggressively now, more in line with the way they’ve been at each other’s throats all this time. and mark finds that he likes it a lot, it fills him with adrenaline, and he pulls him closer but still feels like it’s not enough.
“you’re so, so good at this,” donghyuck says, fingers stroking mark’s face, inhaling him in. “should’ve done this a long time ago.”
mark peppers kisses along his jaw. he’s always been a little obsessed with that jawline. “and instead you wasted your million chances on making fun of my glasses.”
“hmm, your glasses. wear them next time.”
he feels a lot warmer with donghyuck’s body pressed against his, and he almost forgets about the rain still pouring outside. like a monsoon, mark feels like he’s being filled up and overwhelmed by donghyuck, drinking him up the way he couldn’t admit to himself he’s been desperate to for almost two years.
and now donghyuck’s looking only at him, kissing him, not yukhei and not one of the five hundred idols he’s been crushing on and not the imaginary ideal boyfriend that he keeps talking about.
donghyuck chose mark.
“you broke rule number two,” he suddenly remembers.
donghyuck shuts him up with a kiss. “i wouldn’t call it love .”
mark pulls away from him, feeling dejected, and the look on his face doesn’t go unnoticed by donghyuck. “fine, maybe, just maybe, i have been a little bit in love with you this entire time.”
it’s funny how quickly they drop their guard and give in to each other the moment they’re trapped somewhere alone where no one can hear, how they shed their designated characters and stopped feeling conscious about what their friends might think. and now that they’re at this point, mark realizes that it’s just so easy, transitioning from vicious insults to shy declarations of love.
and all mark can do is laugh. his life really had been playing out like a bad romcom. “i can’t believe jeno was right all along, i hate him.”
“jeno knows i’m in love with you?”
“no, but he knows that i am.” he feels a twist in his heart when donghyuck cracks a tiny, shy smile. he can’t wait to tell him about how cute he is and how much he likes him every single day from now on. “i guess i broke the rule, i wonder what my punishment is.”
he expects (hopes for) donghyuck to make out with him again, but donghyuck maintains that timid look. “you have to go on another date with me, minus the glittery eyeshadow.” they both laugh. “i know you’ve grown fond of it now.”
“umhm, you should get more practice and try again.”
“you don’t need to come up with excuses for me to touch your face, mark lee,” donghyuck whispers and kisses his nose. “i’ll gladly do it for free.”
“speaking of dates, what else did you have planned for me?”
donghyuck sighs and presses his head against mark’s chest, who runs his fingers through his brown curls. “does it really matter anymore? how about i tell you my other plans.”
“other….plans?”
“new and improved, straight from my 101 effective ways to seduce mark lee manual,” donghyuck explains. it must have the the exact same content as his other manual, because he got the same desired results.
donghyuck already knows all that shit without our help.
“i know you hate crowded places, so i’d take you to the han river around this time with packed lunch boxes and beer. you could bring your guitar, or we we’d just play our favorite songs for each other, complain about school, talk about our dreams, and make out a lot.
as for the outfits, i don’t care what you wear as long as it shows off your broad shoulders, but i’d steal one of your sweaters and you’ll complain about it the whole way there but i’ll ignore you because i know you secretly like it.”
mark is speechless, he goes in for another kiss but donghyuck puts a finger on his lips.
“not done yet! then we’ll go back to your place and i’ll sleep over, the third time that week, which would annoy the shit out of jeno and jaemin. the next morning we’ll wake up around the same time and make breakfast together and they’ll forgive me because i make the best pancakes in the world.”
that boy is magic, he thinks. in the exact way that he knew how to push his buttons, he also held all the secrets to being the best partner for mark. it makes sense in a way that he never considered before.
“please let me kiss you now,” mark sighs. it’s really hard, once he’s gotten a taste he can’t stop himself anymore. his roommates will be sick of them alright.
donghyuck’s about to, but then his eyes dart to the screen. “wait, we’ve only got 5 minutes left! we wasted all that money and only played one song.”
“i wouldn’t really call it a waste,” mark mumbles.
“i guess not,” donghyuck blushes. “but let’s make the most of it while we’re still here. i’m going to choose something that you love, but also happens to perfectly represent how you feel about me,” he says confidently.
mark is confused for a second as donghyuck hands him the mic, but when the words flash on the screen, he throws his head back laughing.
exo’s lucky.
they arrive back at the apartment at around midnight to find that everyone has been waiting for them the entire time. they’re all sitting together in the living room, watching a marvel movie that was just about to end.
“welcome ba- you’re holding hands? holy shit everyone they’re holding hands!” jeno yells and startles hyunjin, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder.
jaemin fake sobs, and chaewon plays along by wiping his nonexistent tears. “this is really happening, i actually lived long enough to see mark and donghyuck stop being idiots for once in their lives.”
“we’ve helped you with your essays, like, countless times dude,” mark replies. he just stopped by so he could take his stuff quietly and leave without making a fuss. they wanted to announce their relationship over text specifically to avoid this commotion, but it seems that their friends had other plans. “and i’m only here to pick up my clothes, can you all just calm down?”
“i don’t think you have to worry about leaving your clothes at my place anymore,” is the first thing that donghyuck says since they came in. rather than being embarrassed, he’s happily soaking in the attention.
everyone in the room collectively oooohs , and jeno and hyunjin’s dog barks in agreement.
mark kisses donghyuck’s cheek. “you guys know how annoying he was when he kept whining about wanting a boyfriend? you don’t even know what’s about to come.”
“yikes, looks like i’ll start looking for flights to canada now,” chaewon grumbles, and donghyuck turns to mark, looking scandalized.
“you’ve done what?”
“nice going, you just initiated their first fight!” jaemin screeches.
“it’s only appropriate, i’m the one who suggested the bet in the first place,” she shrugs.
mark quickly looks for a way to change the subject.
“oh, babe,” the word slips out of his mouth without him realizing it, and his cheeks turn red when he everyone cheers again. “you need to call yukhei and explain everything.”
he feels bad about turning him into a pawn in their little stupid game, and they owe him an explanation as to why he hasn’t been added to any group chat. plus, mark has grown fond of the coffee that he prepares for him every morning (not that he’d ever admit that to donghyuck.)
their friends exchange looks. “they haven’t stopped being idiots at all,” jeno sighs.
“what do you mean? we’re just trying to do the right thing.” would telling yukhei somehow be worse? now that he thinks about it, they’ll both look like complete assholes trying to explain what they were doing.
jaemin shakes his head. “you don’t get it. remember the guy who was with him the first time? renjun? yeah, that’s his fucking boyfriend.”
“and….”
“we all knew, yes. that’s why hyunjin withheld his contact information from you.”
“the choking incident is very real though, and very traumatizing,” hyunjin shudders. “the sheer power that his tiny body possesses….”
before mark could imagine what this renjun did to bring such terror to her eyes, chaewon speaks up.
“and that’s not the full extent of our involvement,” she admits.
“remember who gave you the idea to go to dream cafe?” jeno asks.
“you were the one who introduced me to kun and ten hyun- wow.” donghyuck looks shaken by the fact that he’s been outsmarted by lee jeno of all people.
mark wants to feel mad at them for meddling so much in his love life, but their nosy ways have actually worked, and he just can’t find it in him to complain. if it weren’t for their (unsubtle) pushes in the right direction, mark would be lying down alone back home, overthinking every single word that donghyuck said to him that day.
once they’re alone in donghyuck’s room again, he turns his cutesy boyfriend act back on.
“can’t you just stay?” he pout and clings into his arm, and mark has a very hard time resisting it.
“i mean,” he’s seriously dying to. “everyone is outside trying to listen in to our every move so….”
donghyuck sulks again, so mark pulls him closer by his waist. “we’ve still got all summer to spend together, and i’m definitely going to make up for our lost time.”
he feels lucky that his parent chose to come to korea this year instead of having go back home.
donghyuck cups his face and kisses him. “you look like a mess, get changed while i grab some cleansing wipes from the bathroom.”
mark quickly changes back into his more appropriately sized jeans and blue t-shirt that were folded neatly on donghyuck’s bed. he picks up the jacket and pulls it close to him before taking a long whiff. it smells like rain and donghyuck. he thinks of taking this one home. it’s not like he plans on wearing it again, but it now possessed a precious memory that he wants to hold on to forever.
it all still feels like a distant dream, just hours ago he was sitting here, terrified of what was about to turn into the best night of his life. and donghyuck, donghyuck’s touches, and donghyuck’s lips, and donghyuck’s smile. he’s just too good to be true.
it’ll take him forever to process it all, probably even longer to get used to calling donghyuck his boyfriend.
“sniffing my clothes, you pervert?” donghyuck peaks his head into the room without warning, making mark jump in his spot.
“not yours anymore,” he says firmly and holds the jacket closer. “i’m keeping it.”
donghyuck smiles and pushes him into the edge of the bed. “alright alright, i’ll decide which one of your sweaters i want to cop later. now close your eyes for me.”
mark complies. the wet swipes of the tissue are gentle and slow, nothing like the rough strokes from earlier tonight, and donghyuck takes his time lovingly uncovering his features. he doesn’t ask mark to open up again, just lingers a hand on his neck and presses another soft kiss on his lips.
“yup, there you are,” he whispers. “still the boy of my dreams.”
donghyuck isn’t his enemy. he is very hesitant to even call him a friend. the most apt description falls somewhere between ‘longtime crush’ and ‘soon to be greatest boyfriend in the universe.’