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there are streaks of gold and warm fingers holding him. there's giggles and the aroma of flowers and home in the air and he feels something velvety on his cheek. pink lips quirking up and he knows them very well, he wish he knew how they taste. lips that are now right beside his ear, whispering “wake up".
mark wakes up startled.
his head is spinning and he almost smashes his phone on the wall trying to stop the alarm.
his heart is pounding, the same dream again . if anyone saw him right now would think he just had a nightmare, but it was far from it.
after taking a couple of deep breaths, mark sits up, blindly searches for his glasses on the bedside table and scratches his head.
his phone makes another sound and his lips instantly form a small smile.
he knows it's a text from donghyuck, he knows because donghyuck always texts him in the mornings saying some unimportant things like “i had a dream about ducks today. what kinda symbolism…” but for mark they meant the world.
he texts back a string of sun emojis, and starts his day.
dejun is the only one at the kitchen as always (mark swears the dude doesn't sleep), and he slides mark a bowl of cereal after he sits down.
“what's up?” mark asks after five minutes pass and dejun is still looking at him as if he's waiting for something.
“we're out of coffee.” he says “and food, too.”
mark only hums for him to continue because of his mouth being full of soggy cereal.
“can you–”
“sorry, man,” he cuts him off quickly “i work late today.”
“ah, that's fine,” dejun sighs “i think yukhei is free today.”
“i can go tomorrow, though?” mark stands up and goes to wash off the bowl and spoon he used “hyuck said something about grocery shopping so maybe i'll go with him.”
“of course.” the other boy smiles.
“yeah, he said he needed a new body wash,” he explains “i hope he gets the same one though, 'cause it smells really good, have you noticed? i told him once and he said it was vanilla but it's not that sweet, like sickeningly sweet, you know?”
“mark's rambling about donghyuck already?” yukhei yawns as he sits on the counter.
“i wasn't! i'm just saying—”
“he was.”
mark only groans and leaves for the bathroom, leaving for dejun the duty of telling yukhei that they ate all of the cereal.
his classes pass by quickly and uneventfully, as they almost always do.
donghyuck doesn't have morning classes on tuesdays but they meet up under their tree at campus for lunch as always, and mark absolutely does not get a little sad because jeno and jaemin tagged along. but when donghyuck notices him as he gets closer and smiles his sun smile, all bad thoughts leave mark's mind, all he can think of is how bright donghyuck looks.
big t-shirts and gym shorts shouldn't look so good on anyone, no one should look so good naturally, no one should make mark's insides burn with just a look and a smile.
mark likes the way it's so easy to fit behind donghyuck, so easy for donghyuck to lean back into his chest and rest his head on his shoulder, just like it's nothing. it is nothing. the world keeps spinning and jaemin keeps talking about the new bakery near campus.
“can we do the groceries tomorrow?” he almost whispers.
“it’s a date.” he smiles up at him and offers the tupperware of fruit salad. mark takes a cube of watermelon.
mark works as a cashier at a pharmacy. it's a great job, but really fucking boring. the good thing is that the owner is nice enough to let mark use his phone or do his assignments or eat when there aren't any customers, so he spends most of his time there texting donghyuck.
they're talking about what they're going to name their dog when taeil, the pharmacist, snorts a laugh from where he's seated behind the medicine counter, legs up and arms crossed.
“what?” mark asks confused.
“are you in love?”
mark almost falls of of his chair. taeil laughs like it's the funniest thing he's ever seen.
“i'm gonna take that as a yes, then.” he sips his iced tea calmly “is it your loud friend? the cute one?”
all of mark's friends are loud and cute but somehow he feels like he knows exactly which one taeil’s talking about.
“yeah.” mark answers quietly “how did you notice?”
“you were blushing while texting.” he explains.
donghyuck had texted him something about living together and mark's mind immediately imagined waking up to donghyuck everyday.
“does he know?” taeil asks.
“i think so.”
“does he feel the same?”
“i think so.” i hope so.
taeil asks more about donghyuck and that's the one subject mark never gets tired of talking about, so he answers gladly, about when they met, about when mark caught feelings, about his favorite memories together.
he tells about donghyuck’s first boyfriend and how when they broke up, donghyuck said it was because it didn't feel right like it did with mark.
he tells about getting his license back when he was seventeen and taking donghyuck out for ice cream all the time.
he tells about their petty fights and bigger arguments. about the summer they spent without talking and how it was the worst of his life.
he tells about how the made up when summer was almost over and they held each other for hours on donghyuck's single bed and mark kind of confessed, and donghyuck kind of confessed too.
mark takes double shifts on tuesdays so he gets home almost at midnight, completely drained and starving.
dejun is watching something on the television because he never sleeps and he tells mark there's takeout on the microwave for after he showers.
donghyuck always waits for him to go to sleep so mark asks if he wants to call him while he eats. he does.
donghyuck is already in bed, probably looking adorably tucked in, and he sounds sleepy and cute over the phone. mark gets breathless thinking about it.
they talk about their day and some unimportantly important things, like superheroes and vampires.
mark finished eating but stays on the phone at the kitchen table.
“my coworker asked about you today.” mark feels drowsy. donghyuck giggles.
“what did he ask?”
“if i’m love, 'cause i look like a fool.”
“he's right, you do look like a fool.”
“i said i am.” donghyuck giggles again and mark knows they're both blushing “you know i’m such a fool for you.”
“and i'm in so deep.” donghyuck sighs dramatically.
mark laughs and gets up to go to his room.
“i’m going to sleep.” he waves to dejun who only hums in acknowledge “you too.”
he's already on his bed, phone still on his ear, listening to donghyuck's breathing and occasional yawns, feeling weightless as a feather.
“mark lee, i adore you.” he murmurs as if it's a secret “i really do.”
mark smiles and curses the fact that he can't hold donghyuck to his chest.
“kiss me tomorrow.” donghyuck says, he doesn't ask for it, doesn't have to “i think we've waited long enough.”
“anything you want.” mark complies because he's in love and he wants to know if donghyuck's lips taste like honey.
he's most certain that they do.