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"Your word is staphylococci." Jeno said, a slightly puzzled look on his face. Donghyuck groaned at him and threw his head back.
"What the fuck does that even mean?" He asked before wiping his hand over his face. Jeno narrowed his eyes just a bit more, trying to get a better look at his phone. He was petting the cat sitting in his lap.
"Apparently it's some type of bacteria. Now spell it." He said.
"Where are you even finding these words? I highly doubt they're going to give me a word like staphylococci." Donghyuck frowned at him. Jeno pursed his lips and looked back at his phone.
"I googled 'big complicated spelling bee words' and this came up. Apparently some girl won with this word. Now spell it." Jeno said, pushing his glasses further up his nose. He looked up at Donghyuck whose face was completely blank. They had been practicing for the regional spelling bee that was coming up in the next week. Ask anyone how Donghyuck got there and they wouldn't be able to give you a proper answer. He was an intelligent kid, of course, he just wasn't interested in anything academic that wasn't required of him. Frankly, everyone was shocked to hear he was going out for it anyway. He had always just done the bare minimum in order to pass with high grades. "Hyuck, you need to-"
"I know I need to spell it, just give me a second. Staphylococci... staphylococci... okay I got it. Staphylococci, s-t-a-p-h-i-l-o-c-o-c-i, staphylococci." Donghyuck said before giving Jeno a nervous look. Jeno shook his head.
"Close. S-t-a-p-h-y-l-o-c-o-c-c-i, staphylococci." Jeno told him.
"Oh my god, whatever. Can we please take a break now?" Donghyuck asked as he pulled a bag of chips out of his backpack which was sitting on the floor next to the couch. He ripped it open and held it out to Jeno who took a few.
"Yeah, okay. I don't know how much longer I can feed you words I've never seen or heard before. If only Renjun were here. He could help us out." Jeno said before locking his phone and setting it in his lap.
"Jen, I love you, but I'm not exactly sure how you're fifty year old man boyfriend would make this much easier." Donghyuck responded.
"He's not a 50 year old man. Stop assuming everyone online is a 50 year old man. We've literally facetimed before. He's our age." Jeno insisted, not saying anything about the boyfriend comment. Donghyuck rolled his eyes. Jeno had been talking to a boy online for months now. His name was Renjun and he lived in China. Donghyuck had told him he was crazy but Jeno just brushed it off. "But, he won his regional spelling bee. Maybe he could quiz you since you're clearly not satisfied with my help."
"Too bad he's miles and miles away." Donghyuck said, throwing himself back onto his bed.
"Well actually, he's vis-" Jeno started.
"C'mon, gimme more. I need to ensure I beat Mark's ass." Donghyuck said, cutting the older boy off. No one was sure of how the feud between the two boys started, but they were very aware of how it had escalated over the years. Sure, Donghyuck wasn't the most involved student, but he was extremely competitive. Mark, on the other hand, was involved in as many clubs and activities as he could possibly take on. He was in every advanced class offered, was in a sport every season, had a major role in every drama club production, was vice president of student council, and still managed to work a part time job on the weekends. Donghyuck of course had been in every single one of Mark's classes since the day he had arrived from Canada. It almost infuriated the boy how perfect the other one seemed. No one could possibly be able to spread themselves that thin and still manage to keep their shit together. And the constant praise? Bullshit.
"I thought you wanted to take a break." Jeno told the other boy. Hyuck waved it off and Jeno began scrolling for more big, unnecessarily complicated words.
Donghyuck sat at a table in the far corner of the library, tucked away from everyone else. He was bent over a list of potential words that Jeno had printed off for him after Hyuck gave him a pout when he told him he couldn't help him study after school. Something about the airport? Who knows, he wasn't paying attention. He let out a heavy sigh and set his head on the table, regretting his decision to join in the first place.
"You can't sleep in the library, you know?" A voice said. Donghyuck groaned and lifted his head to glare at the boy who was sitting down next to him. Mark only smiled in response and began to pull a thick textbook out of his bulging backpack.
"I'm not sleeping. I'm very clearly studying." Donghyuck tutted.
"You were awfully close to the paper. Are you having trouble reading? Maybe you should get a pair of glasses." Mark suggested, opening up to a page and pulling out a notebook.
"My eyes are fine. I was just... thinking. Why are you back here anyway?" Donghyuck asked. In the three years he had been attending this school, he hardly ever saw anyone venture into this corner of the library. After all, not many students went to hard copies of encyclopedias these days.
"It's quiet. Plus, most of the tables were taken in the front. If you're studying back here, why can't I?" Mark asked. Donghyuck looked for an answer but struggled to find one. After a moment of silence, Mark gave him a grin. "Exactly. I hope you don't mind me joining you."
"Mind? Oh I mind." Donghyuck said, getting up and moving to the next chair over so he wouldn't be so close to Mark.
"Well I won't be too long anyway. Basketball practice starts soon and Jaehyun will have my head if I'm late." Mark told him, beginning to write things down on the paper.
"As if you even know how to be late. Now leave me alone. I'm trying to work."
"Donghyuck, I do believe you're the one who keeps responding to me." Mark said, barely looking up from the book in front of him. At that, Donghyuck pursed his lips and looked back down at the paper on the table. He read over a few of the words, stopping after each one and closing his eyes to see if he could remember their spelling. After a particularly difficult one, he sighed and opened his eyes. Before he even had a chance to look down at the paper, he caught Mark staring at him.
"Can I help you?" After a second or two without an answer, Donghyuck waved his hand at the boy who finally snapped out of whatever trance he had been in.
"Sorry, I was just going over something in my head." Mark quickly told him before looking back down at his book. Donghyuck raised an eyebrow at him but went back to reviewing his list anyway. He already knew Mark was a weirdo and there was no point in dwelling on the fact when there was studying to be done.
They worked in silence for nearly an hour. Donghyuck had abandoned the list long ago and had begun to work through the problems in his math textbook. He looked at his phone and saw the time.
"Hey, Canada." Mark's head shot up at this. "Don't you have a basketball to throw around?" Mark's eyes widened and he began to throw his things back into his bag.
"Oh shit shit shit. You're right. Fuck. Jaehyun is gonna kill me, oh my god." He scrambled to stuff the last of his things away into their rightful places. Donghyuck would be lying if he said he didn't find it amusing. As soon as Mark had everything away, he threw his bag over his shoulder. "Thanks, Hyuck." Mark said before rushing off and out of the library.
"Don't thank me. You're still late." Donghyuck groaned, pursing his lips and returning to the book in front of him.
Donghyuck buried his head in his arms, a dull ache sitting in the back of his head. Jeno had told him to meet him at the cafe by the school in half an hour to study. He had to admit, he was really starting to hate all of this studying shit. He was beginning to regret even signing up for the spelling bee anyway. Well, only a little bit. He knew the look on Mark's face would be worth it when he beat him. He tapped his fingers on the table. If you were going to tell someone to meet you, you might as well show up on time yourself. He was about to sit up and pull his phone out so he could text him, when someone came over to the table.
"Alright, Hyuckie. I've brought the big guns." Jeno said, sitting down across from Donghyuck. Donghyuck lifted his head to see two people at the table with him.
"Holy shit. He's not fifty. And he's not in China." Donghyuck said, looking at the boy sitting next to Jeno. Renjun smiled at him and gave a little wave.
"Hello, Donghyuck. I'm not fifty and I'm not in China. I actually came to visit Jeno." Renjun said before turning and looking over at the menu written above the counter. "Do you guys want anything? It'll be my treat." Donghyuck, still slightly in a daze, shook his head. Renjun nodded slightly and stood up before putting a hand on Jeno's shoulder. "Want anything, baobei?"
"Oh no, I'm okay. I'm just going to talk to Hyuck about the bee." Jeno said, giving Renjun a big smile. Renjun walked off to the main counter and Donghyuck quirked a brow at Jeno.
"Did he just call you baby?" Donghyuck asked.
"What? No! He just... he said something in Chinese. You don't speak Chinese so that's just what you heard." Jeno pushed out. He seemed very insistent, but the blush on his cheeks said otherwise. Donghyuck decided to drop it anyway.
"So, you didn't tell me your not fifty year old man boyfriend was coming to visit." He said, causing Jeno to give him a rather unimpressed look.
"Dude, I must have told you like four times. I set a reminder in your phone." Jeno told him. Donghyuck looked at his phone. Sure enough tucked away in his notifications from this morning, he had a reminder that read 'Junnie arrives!'
"Oh, Junnie." Donghyuck huffed out, pursing his lips. "Well how was I supp-"
"Oh, c'mon Hyuck. Enough about you being an airhead. Junnie is going to help you with the spelling bee."
"And how is he going to help me anymore than you have been helping me?" Donghyuck asked, tapping his fingers on the table again.
"He has experience with this kind of thing. All I've been doing is looking up things on the internet. Maybe he can give you some of the words he had." Jeno offered. Donghyuck took a second to think it over. It wasn't a bad idea. It would actually be nice being quizzed by someone with experience. Renjun came back with two mugs and set one in front of Jeno.
"Caramel latte. You said you didn't want anything but I know you better." Renjun said as he sat down and took a drink from his own mug. Jeno smiled and nudged him in the shoulder.
"Remind me to pay you back later." Jeno insisted, but Renjun just rolled his eyes.
"You must be a fool to think I'd let you." Renjun told Jeno, giving him a flick in the forehead. "So, Donghyuck, Nono told me all about how you entered the spelling bee to spite the dude you like." Donghyuck's eyes widened as Jeno began to choke on his latte.
"Nono told you everything wrong then. I would never, ever, like Mark. I just want to beat him and maybe if that humiliates him, then it's a bonus." Donghyuck said, shooting a glare at Jeno.
"Ooooh, baobei. I see what you mean." Renjun said, smiling into his mug.
"Clueless, right?" Jeno asked, a big grin on his face.
"Oh, shut up! Mark is like the worst person ever. Honestly, I'm offended you would ever think I had feelings for that ass." Donghyuck spat out. Renjun and Jeno looked at him for a few seconds before bursting out into laughter. Donghyuck just pouted, annoyed they weren't listening to him.
"It's not my fault that you have three cats. You're just lucky I'm prepared and carry around tissues." Renjun said, handing one over to Jeno who was desperately trying to pick cat hair off of his sweater.
"It's not my fault you borrowed this hoodie yesterday and decided to let Bongsik rub all over you." Jeno teased back.
"She's just so loveable." Renjun said, taking Jeno's hand in his after he had put the small packet of tissues back in his pocket. Jeno pushed the door to the ice cream shop open with his free hand and let Renjun go in first. They walked hand in hand up to the counter before finally letting go. Renjun began looking in the case at all of the flavors while Jeno pulled out his wallet.
"Hey, Jeno. It's been a little while since I've seen you outside of school." The boy behind the counter said. Renjun looked up to see who it was that recognized his friend.
"Hey, Mark. Yeah, I've been pretty busy with school work and getting the house ready." He said, flashing the older boy a smile. He threw his arm around the Chinese boy next to him. "This is Renjun. He's visiting from China." Mark gave Renjun a little wave and smiled.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Mark." He told him.
"So you're the infamous Mark." Renjun said, his eyes looking over the boy behind the counter. Mark blushed and scratched the back of his neck.
"I don't really know about infamous. I guess some people know me." Mark told him, clearly not understanding what the Chinese boy meant. Jeno laughed at his obliviousness but moved on anyway.
"Can I get a triple scoop of double chocolate caramel crunch swirl?" Jeno asked.
"Alrighty, a triple scoop. Sounds good." Mark said, pulling open the case and grabbing a paper cup.
"Oh yeah, and whatever Junnie wants." Jeno said, a big smile on his face.
"O-Oh. I thought maybe you guys were sharing since you asked for a triple." Mark said, scooping the ice cream in the container.
"Nono has a particularly soft spot for sweets." Renjun said, eyeing the rest of the flavors. Mark finished piling the ice cream in the dish and hands it over to Jeno.
"And you?" Mark asked. Renjun tapped his finger against his chin.
"Hmm... just a single scoop of chocolate, please." He said. Mark let out a slight chuckle.
"You guys are quite different. Cone or dish?" He asked.
"I'll take a waffle cone." Renjun told him before looking over at Jeno who had already eaten at least half of his ice cream. Mark handed the cone over to Renjun and put their orders into the register.
"That'll be $7.82." Mark told them. Jeno set the dish down and began to pull the money out of his wallet.
"So you're going to be competing against Donghyuck in the spelling bee, right?" Renjun asked before taking a lick of his ice cream. A small blush formed on Mark's cheeks and it was very obvious he was trying to cover it up.
"Oh, yeah. Mr. Seo said it would be a good idea to enter so I thought 'why not?'" Mark told them, leaning against one of the freezers. "I didn't even know Donghyuck was doing it too until a week or two ago. I can't exactly say I'm surprised. He always does things like this." Mark sighed and gave a small shake of his head.
"Always?" Renjun asked before taking a bite of the waffle cone.
"He's always messing with me. Like now he's trying to beat me in the spelling bee. I guess I can't be mad or anything since I kinda mess with him too." Mark said with a shrug. Renjun nodded slightly, mulling over the new information. Jeno had told him all about the times when Donghyuck was a nuisance towards Mark, but he wasn't aware that Mark would give it right back to him. He looked over at Jeno who had already finished all of his ice cream.
"Well, I've been studying with Donghyuck so I'm sure he's going to give you a run for your money."
"And I look forward to it. It was nice meeting you, Renjun."
"And it was nice meeting you. Now c'mon, baobei. Let's go see that movie." Renjun said, grabbing Jeno's hand again. Mark's mouth fell open just a bit, but he shrugged it off and wiped off the counter.
Renjun had been in town for almost a week and he had helped Donghyuck study nearly every day. While he was surprisingly a lot more helpful than Jeno, it sure hadn't been easy. He almost amazed Donghyuck with how different he was then he appeared to be.
"Your word is chrematistic."
"Chrematistic, c-h-r-a-"
"Wrong. Again."
"Chrematistic, c-h-r-i-"
"Again."
"Chrematistic, c-h-r-e-m-i-"
"Again."
"FUCK!"
Donghyuck stood on the side of the stage, rocking back and forth on his heels. He had studied for an almost embarrassingly long time, but now it would be worth it. The look on Mark's face when he beat him would all be worth it. At least that's what he kept telling himself to calm the harsh waves causing a mess in his stomach. Why was he so nervous anyway? It was just some stupid spelling bee.
"You don't look okay. You can always drop out now." Mark said, walking over to him, a small grin on his lips. Donghyuck rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.
"It sure would make this easier on you, wouldn't it? Well it's not going to happen. I'm going to beat you and you're going to cry like the little baby you are." Donghyuck said, his eyes narrowed. He jabbed Mark in the chest. Mark laughed but shook his head.
"Makes no difference to me. Just another person who will probably get knocked out in the first round." Mark gave him a shrug.
"Oh, Canada. It amazes me how cocky you are. It's almost like you've actually convinced yourself that you're going to win. I've been working my ass off for this. When all of this is over," Donghyuck gestured at everything around them. "I'm going to be the last one standing."
"Damn, Hyuck. It's just a spelling bee." Mark said, sending Donghyuck a teasing smile. Donghyuck took a deep breath in and clenched his fists. It was taking everything in his power not to punch Mark right in his stupid fucking face. "I'll see you out there, yeah?" Mark asked before turning and walking off, leaving Donghyuck radiating anger.
"And that concludes round 13. We'll take a short break and resume." Mr. Kim said into the small microphone set up in front of the teacher's panel. Donghyuck smirked as he saw the last two girls walk off of the stage to join their friends in the chairs below. He looked over at Mark who was sitting to his left. Somehow, much to Mark's dismay, they were the last two up there, the lights burning down on their faces. Donghyuck scanned what little he could see of the crowd under the glaring lights and saw Renjun and Jeno sitting front row, sending him thumbs-ups.
"Well I didn't think I'd be seeing you here." Mark said, hands folded in his lap, legs crossed at the ankle. "Honestly I didn't even think we'd get to round 10. Thought this would be easier."
"I already told you I'm going to be the last one standing. This is just child's play." Donghyuck insisted. He was slouching in his chair, one leg thrown over the other. Mr. Kim cleared his throat and got everyone's attention.
"We are now entering round 14. Contestants will come up to the microphone and we will give them a word. The contestant can ask for a definition, sentence, part of speech, language of origin and alternate pronunciations. As we only have two contestants left, this will be the final round. We will continue to give each contestant until one of them gets it wrong. Then the next contestant will receive the same word. If the other contestant spells it wrong, we will start again with the other contestant and provide a new word. Without further ado, Contestant 5, please step up." He finished. Donghyuck took a deep breath and stood before approaching the microphone. He looked at the table of judges. Mr. Seo was on the end, an encouraging smile on his lips and the packet of definitions and origins in front of him. Mr. Lee sat at the other end of the table, writing something down in a notebook, a tape recorder sitting next to him. Mr. Kim sat in the middle. He clearly wasn't expecting it to go on this long either as he sat there looking completely uninterested, but physically present nonetheless. "Your word is acquiesce."
Donghyuck let out a small sigh of relief. This was one of the words Renjun had beat him over the head with. The amount of times he had ended that damn word with a double S. He could practically feel Renjun's eyes boring holes into him. He wouldn't dare get this one wrong.
"Acquiesce, a-c-q-u-i-e-s-c-e, acquiesce." He said, confidently. He looked down at where Jeno and Renjun sat. Renjun was giving him a satisfied smirk while Jeno was beaming and sending him thumbs ups.
"That is correct. You may be seated. Contestant 6, please step up." Mr. Kim said. Donghyuck shot Mark a glare on his way back to his seat. Mark, seemingly unphased, continued past him and up to the microphone. "Your word is mezzanine." Mark was silent for a few seconds and Donghyuck saw him doing something with his fingers. He quirked a brow slightly.
"Mezzanine, m-e-z-z-a-n-i-n-e, mezzanine." He finished with a small sigh.
"That is correct. Contestant 5, please step up." Donghyuck pushed himself up and out of his chair. He ignored Mark's look as he passed him. It seemed a lot more obvious why Mark hadn't cared when he passed him the first time. Everyone in the audience, though it was admittedly small, could see you. God it would be embarrassing to be caught taunting the other contestants in the middle of a round. "Your word is gubernatorial."
"Gubernatorial, g-u-b-e-r-n-a-t-o-r-i-a-l, gubernatorial." His lips seemed to move on their own. He could actually remember exactly when he first saw the word. It was the same day Mark had joined him while he was studying in the library. He thought of how stupid Mark looked just zoning out, his cheeks pink. It must have been really hot in there that day.
"That is correct. Contestant 6, please step up." Donghyuck turned and stuck his tongue out at Mark as he passed. He suppressed a laugh, finding the way Mark's eyebrow twitched slightly amusing. It was good to know he was still getting to him. He needed to be kept in his place. Donghyuck sat and watched Mark. It was barely noticeable, but the older boy was rocking side to side ever so slightly. "Your word is saccharin." Donghyuck scoffed quietly. Mr. Kim was feeding Mark all of the easier ones. Either way, Mark was doing that weird thing with his fingers again.
"Saccharin, s-a-c-c-h-a-r-i-n, saccharin." Mark said, before giving a slight little nod, trying to assure himself.
"That is correct. Contestant 5, please step up." Donghyuck stood and looked at Mark who was glaring right at him, his nose scrunched up. Desperately trying not to laugh, Donghyuck stopped in front of the microphone. "Your word is eudaemonic." Eudaemonic, eudaemonic, eudaemonic. Seemed easy enough, but he couldn't remember coming across it before. Renjun had never given it to him and it certainly wasn't on any of the lists Jeno had printed out and given to him.
"Eudaemonic, y-u-d-a-e-m-o-n-i-c, eudaemonic." Donghyuck finished. He looked down at Renjun and his heart stopped. Renjun was looking up at him, a slight grimace on his lips. That was definitely not a good sign. Oh god no no no no no. He did not just mess up.
"I'm sorry, that is incorrect. Contestant 6, please step up." Mr. Kim said. As impartial as he tried to seem, you could sense the disappointment in his voice. Donghyuck turned and walked back to the chair, completely avoiding Mark's gaze. He wasn't in the mood to be mocked. He sat down and stared at Mark's back, cursing himself. How the hell did he spell it wrong? How was that not the correct spelling? "Your word is eudaemonic." It was silent for a minute more. Mark wasn't doing the weird thing with his fingers, but rather shaking his hands.
"Can I have the definition?" Mark asked, sounding nervous. Mr. Kim pushed the microphone to Mr. Seo who leaned in.
"Eudaemonic, conductive to happiness." He said before sliding it back. Mark nodded and took a deep breath.
"Eudaemonic, h-u-k-y-c-w-i-l-l-y-o-u-g-o-o-u-t-w-i-t-h-m-e, eudaemonic." Mark finished. The auditorium got silent. Donghyuck, zoning out, stopped for a second and thought over the words again. Mark was actually asking someone out? During a damn spelling bee? Well whoever hukyc is better be happy because wow that's tacky as shit. He actually intentionally spelled the word wrong so he could ask someone out. It took another minute before Mr. Seo stood up and started clapping, the other students following suit. Donghyuck continued to mope in his chair, desperate for the moment to be over so they could just move on. Really, Donghyuck had been saved by Mark's idiocy.
"I'm sure you know that's not how it's spelled. Also, you spelled his name incorrectly. I mean you got this far and couldn't spell his name correctly?" Mr. Kim asked, completely unimpressed. Mr. Seo hit him on the arm before taking his seat again.
"I'm just... really nervous." Mark said before turing and looking back at Donghyuck. Donghyuck wasn't quite sure why Mark was looking at him with that dumb look on his face. He just looked back at him for a moment before everything hit him. Purposefully losing the word, the dumb look, the incorrectly spelled name.
"Oh shit, you meant me?" He asked, a hand pointing to himself and earning an annoyed 'Language, Mr. Lee' from Mr. Kim.
"Yes you, idiot." Mark teased, laughing at the bewildered look on the younger boy's face.
"You couldn't spell my name, but I'm the idiot." Donghyuck said, rolling his eyes. Mr. Seo leaned over Mr. Kim and grabbed the microphone.
"So, kid. Is it a yes?" He asked. Mr. Kim pushed him off and slapped him in the arm.
"Okay, yes."
Donghyuck stood outside the entrance to the movie theater and pulled his sweater tighter to his body. It had been just over a week since Mark had beaten him in the spelling bee. As soon as it was over, Donghyuck had attacked him, demanding to know why he had put him on the spot like that.
"I can't believe you did that!" Donghyuck practically screamed. Mark just laughed and crossed his arms over his chest.
"You can't?"
"No! That was so embarrassing! I looked like a total dumbass." Donghyuck hissed.
"Maybe I can make it up to you when we go on a date." Mark told him, a smirk on his lips.
"Wait, you were serious about that?" Donghyuck asked, his eyes widening. Mark's arms fell and his cheeks grew very pink.
"I-I-I mean yeah. I really do want to go out with you." Mark said, suddenly very nervous.
"Then fine. Maybe we will."
Here he was, on an abnormally chilly day, waiting outside for his 'mortal enemy.' He sighed and pulled out his phone, checking to make sure he was actually where he was supposed to meet Mark. He had just unlocked his phone and opened their conversation when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked and saw Mark smiling at him.
"So you did show up." Donghyuck said, slipping his phone back in his pocket.
"I could say the same to you. Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to." Mark told him, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets.
"I'm not an asshole, Mark." Donghyuck said. Mark nodded and they began to walk into the theater. "You know, you look stupid in your dumb jacket." Donghyuck teased. Mark looked down at his letterman's jacket, decorated from all of the activities he was in.
"Stupid?" He asked, pulling at the sleeves.
"Like a stereotypical dumb high school jock. Plus the colors are..." Donghyuck trailed off, gesturing widely at him.
"It's red and black, that's like the least ugly color combination for these jackets. I've seen purple, green, and gold ones. Like all three color's at once." Mark said.
"Yeah, that's fair. That sounds ugly as fuck." Donghyuck added. And if he was being completely honest, Mark looked really good in the jacket. Not good enough to admit it to him, but good nonetheless.
"I hope you don't mind that I already bought tickets for us. I wanted to make sure we got seats." Mark held open the door for Donghyuck and followed after him. Mark showed the man their tickets and led Donghyuck up to the snack bar. "Do you want anything?" He asked. Donghyuck looked up at the menu and pursed his lips.
"No, I'm fine. It's all really expensive." He said.
"Hyuck, I'm not worried about the price. It's fi-" Mark started but Donghyuck cut him off.
"Mark," He pulled open his jacket slightly, revealing in inner pocket with two boxes of whoppers in it. "I'm fine." Mark laughed and stepped up to the person behind the counter.
"Just a large popcorn." He ordered. The man behind the counter nodded as Mark set the money down on the counter. "Isn't that like... illegal?" Mark asked before tapping his jacket pocket.
"Maybe, but I've been doing it for years. I've got whoppers in this pocket and goobers in the other." Donghyuck said with a wink.
"Goobers?" Mark questioned.
"Oh my god, don't tell me you have never heard of goobers before. They're only the best candy to exist. I refuse to go on a date with someone who has never had goobers before." Donghyuck joked.
"Well maybe I should try them soon." Mark said. The employee slid the popcorn across the counter and Mark thanked him as they walked off, headed to the theater.
The movie itself was rather unimpressive. Actually, it was completely and utterly boring. The two boys were actually quite vocal about it as they walked out of the theater.
"And that was the highlight of the movie! You can't think your movie is good when the most exciting thing that happens is they have a successful move and arrive at their new home completely unscathed and satisfied. Where's the conflict? There was not an exciting moment in that whole entire fucking movie." Mark complained. Donghyuck was laughing and struggling to breathe. Mark's face was getting red. Donghyuck grabbed onto Mark's hand to steady himself, only to make Mark's face even more red.
"Okay okay, yes the movie was shit." Donghyuck said, trying to catch his breath. "So what do you have planned now, casanova?" He asked, beginning to swing their hands, not even noticing he was doing it.
"Being completely honest with you, I didn't think I would get this far. Like I didn't think you were even going to show up." Mark told him. Donghyuck pouted, a tad bit disappointed.
"I told you, I'm not an asshole." Donghyuck said before shivering just a little.
"Shit, it's cold." Mark let go of Donghyuck's hand and shrugged off his jacket. "Here." He draped his jacket over Donghyuck's shoulders, causing him to blush.
"What is this, some cheesy, coming-of-age, high school rom com?" Donghyuck asked, not making any move to take the jacket off. Mark laughed and grabbed his hand again.
"Yeah, I guess it is. So, food?"