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donghyuck can’t believe it.
scratch that.
rather, he can’t believe his best friend, who insists on bailing on the only thing he’s been looking forward to all year. okay, so maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but the only reason donghyuck has been happy all month is because of lee taeyong’s grand halloween party. it only happens once a year, and it’s probably the biggest and best kick off to the greatest two months of the year. it’s stuffy, scary, dirty, and loud, just the way donghyuck loves it.
mark lee is quite the opposite. although he adores his best friend to shreds, he can barely understand why the younger would want to stay in a stuffy, scary, dirty, and loud room for five hours, only to either get kicked out or get wasted. mark tells himself, that’s just who donghyuck is. and after ten years of getting to know the younger, mark probably knows his best friend better than he even knows himself.
yet that’s the thing. they’ve known each other for ten years . exactly ten years ago, mark found donghyuck ringing his doorbell on halloween, baffled that this strange, sassy kid who he had never met before, was asking for more candy than the three packets of m&m’s mark had put in there. what began as a spark of annoyance ignited a flame of friendship. he found out that donghyuck had, in fact, just moved in the day before into the house across his. he also found out that donghyuck was nine years old, a year younger than he was. he also found out that he and the younger were near polar opposites.
so mark didn’t understand why donghyuck couldn’t quit this stupid halloween party for just one year. the younger had been attending the party for the past three years, and mark didn’t understand why not going was such a big deal.
“but you don’t understand!!” the younger boy shrieked into the phone a few days ago when mark decided to call. there was rustling in the background, and mark assumed he was getting his costume ready. it was a whole week before halloween and the party, yet donghyuck was already getting ready.
“hyuck, it’s not like you won’t go next year. i’m just asking you to skip out this one year.” truthfully, mark was slightly hurt that donghyuck had forgotten about their anniversary, but donghyuck had honestly stopped remembering since he turned fifteen, which was four years ago. he didn’t expect anything different from the younger.
now, two days away from the party, mark is sulking on his best friend’s bed, watching donghyuck pace back and forth, trying to get everything ready. he has already seen the younger re-arrange his makeup, take out his costume, ask mark for his opinion (in which mark had already said that it looked great about twenty times the last week), and now donghyuck is applying his makeup, clearly too excited about the whole thing.
mark is studying his best friend, his gaze drags from the thick, black socks on his feet, to the grey sweatpants donghyuck is wearing, to the loose white t-shirt that adorns his torso, capturing every essence of the younger’s beautifully tanned skin. compared to mark’s milky, pale hue, donghyuck sticks out in a captivating way, causing many heads to turn and look at the younger when they walked down the street or through the halls of their college dorms.
he knows he’s too attached to the way that donghyuck carries himself with confidence, the way his best friend walks around like the world is a fucking fashion show, but mark is drawn to him, drinking him up as though he requires it. and donghyuck doesn’t even know how much he affects the older, not that he would ever know. the younger will never know the ridiculous way mark’s heart chases after him, the shortness of breath when donghyuck leans on his shoulder, or the cheek kisses that the older tries to avoid. not because he doesn’t like it, but because they make his heart go into overdrive.
donghyuck feels like home, he feels like all he has known his whole life. when mark is away from him, a sick feeling sinks in him, a glum feeling of hiraeth. so when donghyuck was accepted into his college, mark immediately pleaded the younger to stay with him in the same dorm (the younger accepted in a heartbeat).
“ you can go anywhere babe wherever you want
because i know we’re written in the stars
you can go any which way
don’t matter how far because i know we’re written in the stars ”
the younger sings by instinct, his english laced by a heavy korean accent, but mark is taken nonetheless. donghyuck’s voice is ethereal, full of emotion even if the words come out in a mumble and maybe the younger doesn’t exactly know what he is saying. his voice is wrapped in such sincerity, a deep emotion that mark didn’t know what capable of coming out of one’s mouth. donghyuck had always liked singing, performing, and suddenly, mark’s mind lights up with an idea.
he quickly takes out his phone and texts renjun. they aren’t as close as mark and donghyuck, but he’s close enough to the chinese boy that the latter knows all the struggles he has with his best friend. the feeling of chasing… after his best friend.
as mark sends his message, donghyuck turns around. “how does this look?”
the older looks up, and for a second, mark is speechless. donghyuck is dressed as some sort of anime character (he assumes it’s yuri from yuri on ice , only because the younger has been obsessed with the series lately, and mark isn’t really an anime fan), and the older’s entire world screeches to a halt. his hair, which had been dyed black a couple days ago, brush over his eyelashes. his eyes are lined with black eyeliner, blending out the edges with a dark brown shadow, creating a mysterious, alluring look. perched on top donghyuck’s nose is a pair of black, thin-rimmed glasses.
“close your mouth, i know i’m hot, but you don’t have to be that obvious about it,” the younger teases, and mark clenches his jaw together. his gaze flickers to donghyuck’s lips, lingering on them a little longer, before he looks back at his face, taking in every bit of the younger’s masterpiece.
“you look like art.”
donghyuck’s face flushes red as he shoves mark away.
-
it’s finally the day of halloween, and it’s around four in the afternoon when mark returns from his last class of the day. he’s happy that it’s a friday, and he is about to rush back and just lie down on his bed, but upon opening the door, donghyuck’s panicked face is a reminder to mark, and a cage of butterflies are released in his stomach.
“mark!” the boy sobs, running over to hug the older. “taeyong’s party is canceled,” he cries. mark (pretends to) gasps in shock, and simply hugs donghyuck.
“i’m so sorry hyuckie, i know how much you were looking forward to this.
“taeyong and jaehyun broke up and apparently taeyong got sick too, so he’s not in the mood to hold a party.” mark pulls back. what? this is new to him. he had selfishly told renjun to tell taeyong to call off the party or hold it somewhere else, but he had no idea that something had happened to the older and his boyfriend.
“they broke up yesterday, taeyong had to send a sorry email to almost two hundred people,” donghyuck sobs, “including me!!”
“it’s okay, hyuckkie. we can have our own celebration!” mark tries his best to cheer his best friend up. “just because taeyong and jaehyun can’t be there to host our party, doesn’t mean we can’t have our own party! in fact, doyoung just invited us to a party tonight at his place.” now that isn’t a complete lie. after texting renjun that day, their friend group of seventeen people excluding donghyuck had decided to hold an impromptu party.
“really?” donghyuck immediately perks up, the smile that mark loves growing wider on his face.
“mhm, so go get ready! we’ll be leaving at six in the evening.”
“wait! what are you wearing?”
mark smirks. “that’s for me to know and for you to find out,” he says.
mark
are we still on?
doyoung
you bet
jaehyun
yup, tae and i will be there
mark
wait
didn’t you guys break up
taeyong
you’re so gullible
awe
thas cute
mark
OH
mark smiles to himself before heading into his room to change. he pulls out the halloween costume he had put together a few days ago. since donghyuck was so fond of anime, he had managed to create a costume out of (near) thin air. he puts on khaki pants, tucks in a white button-up shirt, wraps a black belt through the loopholes and around his waist. mark throws on a navy blue blazer and puts on a blue and yellow striped tie before unbuttoning the first button on his shirt. he heads to the bathroom, relieved to see that donghyuck’s door is still closed. mark runs his fingers through his black hair, tousling it to make it messy. he then lines his eyes with a bit of black eyeliner, before putting on a black leather watch.
he had gotten the inspiration from jaemin a few days ago, who suggested for him to dress up as another anime character. jeno, jaemin, and renjun were sitting in mark’s dorm waiting for donghyuck to return from his class so that they could hang out together.
“are you serious?? i literally don’t even watch anime,” mark was appalled, arguing with the younger.
“okay but don’t you watch it with him?” jaemin had argued back, in which renjun scoffed in response.
“do you really think mark watches them? he probably just stares at hyuck the entire time.”
“wow, okay. go ahead and attack me like that.”
“am i wrong?” renjun raised an eyebrow, and mark sighed, giving up.
“do you even slightly remember some of the shows you’ve watched with him? jeno asked.
“there’s a lot of them he watches with like, cute school guys i guess.”
“wear something like that!!” jaemin seal clapped, a bright smile spreading on his face. “i’ll totally help you. oh my god, that’s gonna be so cute!!” he squealed and mark didn’t know whether to scream with him or cringe with renjun.
so now mark is awkwardly standing in the living room, waiting for donghyuck to come out. it had been half an hour since mark had finished changing, and he’s now just scrolling through his phone, not really looking at anything.
the door to his best friend’s room finally opens, and mark finds himself staring at donghyuck (the younger is too, but he’s too whipped to realize). they stare at each other for a good minute before donghyuck finally stutters, “h-hey mark. you l-look good… wow, uh-okay,” he awkwardly rubs the back of his neck, and mark smiles.
“hey hyuckkie. you look good too, but i think i’ve told you that multiple times.” the younger sheepishly grins.
“shall we go?” mark says, stretching out a hesitating hand to donghyuck. the younger (thankfully) takes his hand and a huge smile is plastered on his face.
-
mark has to give it to doyoung. for a party on such short notice, he did a great job with preparations. everyone is at his apartment, all eighteen of them scattered through the one-floor, three-room flat. there aren’t many halloween decorations, but there is an array of food, beverages, and snacks. doyoung’s roommates are jaehyun and taeyong, who have disappeared off to somewhere mark can only imagine.
loud music is playing through the flat, everyone clustered in mainly in pairs or fours. mark and donghyuck run into sicheng and yuta first, the latter being already tipsy from the alcohol sicheng claimed he had too much of. mark catches lucas and jungwoo making out on the couch, and he nearly feels like shielding donghyuck’s eyes. renjun, jeno and jaemin are gathered together in a corner of the room, talking to doyoung. then there was chenle and jisung, barely legal, but neither of them had drunk much either. mark doesn’t feel like drinking much, and his best friend isn’t much of a drinker (his tolerance is just really low, honestly), so they retreat to the living room and start up a conversation with ten and johnny.
about an hour into the party, taeyong abruptly pulls donghyuck away, asking to speak to him, and mark immediately stands up, their plan in action. he’s nervous and pacing around, jaemin and johnny try calming him, but there’s not much they can do.
donghyuck doesn’t know why he’s in taeyong’s dimly lit room, and frankly, it looks like the older isn’t sure why either. the younger’s gaze flickers to the corner of his eyes, and rest on the messy bed and the small, ripped up packages on the floor.
“so, uh… you and jaehyun made up?”
taeyong’s face flushes red, and he nods. “yeah. i mean. i guess. but anyways, i wanted to say, i’m sorry for canceling the party so suddenly. mark told me you were looking forward to it.”
“ah,” donghyuck smiles briefly, “mark told you?”
“what’s that smile?” the older smirks.
“nothing!” he immediately bites the insides of his cheeks, stopping himself from smiling.
“it’s okay,” taeyong laughs. “we all know how smitten you and mark are for each other.”
“huh?” donghyuck feigns ignorance, his face flushing red. “no we aren’t!! i-i don’t think he feels the same way anyways.”
the older just smiles softly, and gently says, “let’s go out now then?” the younger nods and they walk out, the apartment eerily quiet. it isn’t until donghyuck turns the corner to the living room, that his jaw drops and he’s frozen in place.
the living room is dimly lit with fairy lights, paper lanterns are placed on the floor, and everyone is sitting around the sides of the living room. in the middle of it all, mark and renjun are sitting on wooden stools, mark holding a guitar, strumming it lightly.
“ ‘seems like we’ve been here before
your eyes are seeing straight right through my core
it’s kinda strange, but i like it
ain’t no reason tryna’ fight it, yeah
might be déjà vu
first time we met, but i remembered you
we were creepin’ in the night time
maybe in another lifetime ”
renjun’s three musketeers’ costume (that he was matching with jaemin and jeno) strangely suits his sweet, honey-like voice that enthralled donghyuck to the core, nearly bringing tears to his eyes. it was as though he was entranced in a spell, not sure where to go or how to get out. but the minute mark started to sing, donghyuck fell deep, his eyes focused on his best friend and him only. mark’s eyes shined with tears, but his voice was full of love.
“ don’t tell me you don’t feel what i feel right now
whoo, it’s written all over you
don’t tell me you don’t feel what i feel somehow
oooh, i keep findin’ my way back to you
you can go anywhere babe wherever you want
because i know we’re written in the stars
you can go any which way don’t matter how far
because i know we’re written in the stars ”
everyone around them was clapping or snapping together in sync, and donghyuck was left standing as taeyong went to stand next to jaehyun, their arms around each other. soon, everyone’s arms were linked together, and they were all swaying and clapping to the beat. when mark and renjun started to sing the last chorus, all of the boys sang along, causing tears to well in donghyuck’s eyes.
“ you can go anywhere babe wherever you want ”
mark.
“ because i know we’re written in the stars ”
lee minhyung.
“ you can go any which way don’t matter how far ”
his best friend.
“ because i know we’re written in the stars ”
donghyuck hopes they are written in the stars.
mark gets off his stool, cutely jumping off because his legs couldn’t reach the floor. he walks over to donghyuck and smiles, faint red blushing across his cheeks. he grabs the younger’s hands and looks at him.
“i-i’ve kind of loved you since you fell on your butt that time we went ice skating, like five years ago? and it’s our tenth-year friendversary b-but i don’t really want it to be a friend thing, s-so… uh… i guess what i’m trying to say is, will you be the yuri to my viktor?” donghyuck’s eyes are on mark, but he can literally hear everyone facepalm.
“why did you let him say that??” renjun harshly whispers to jaemin, who simply shrugs, the shock on his face mirroring everyone else’s.
“i’m speechless,” jaehyun lets out.
but donghyuck, being the kind soul he is, tiptoes up to press his lips to mark’s, kissing him briefly before saying, “no shit, sherlock.” the older smiles into a kiss again, and the entire apartment goes wild.
+bonus
mark is sitting on the couch, scrolling through the channels on the t.v, and donghyuck’s lying down, head on his lap. the older’s hands are instinctively brushing through the younger’s hair, when suddenly donghyuck sits up.
“baby? what’s wrong?” mark asks, eyes wide.
“did you know that taeyong and jaehyun broke up and made up-uh, or really, made out-in two days?”
mark furrows his eyebrows. “they never broke up, though?”
this time, it’s donghyuck’s turn to be confused. “huh? but you told me they did?”
“and taeyong calls me gullible,” the older scoffs. “it was all a plan for me to confess to you”
“o-oh. wow. okay, i was not expecting that ,” donghyuck’s eyes are widened, cheeks burning up. mark laughs as the younger buries his face into his shoulder.
mark was limerent over donghyuck. the younger made him feel like he was floating in the clouds, and he hoped they were destined to be intertwined together, hoped that their story would be written in the stars.