Work Text:
'i wanna be your billionaireeee', mark summed to himself as he was standing in front of his mirror in the bathroom, fixing his blonde curly hair. well, it wasn't really fixing - it was actually just trying on different hats and deciding which matches his outfit. he had a bad hair day, his hair looked like a mess, but at least his clothes were looking fine.
and he was feeling fine, too.
a year ago, marks mind was exactly like his hair - a big, exhausting, mess.
he dropped out of school with no perspective at all, didn't know which way to go, what to do. all he knew was he had to drop out in order to be himself, to be happy, to live like he wants to.
as if it was for fates sake, he found an apprenticeship place advertisement in his local library only a few days after dropping out. it definitely wasn't his dream job, but on the other hand: did he even have a dream job at all? the answer was no.(and still is, but that's not the matter.)
exactly a month after dropping out, he started his apprenticeship.
the first few days were kinda boring if he was honest - he expected more - but there was this one customer who catched marks attention any time he went to the library, which happened to be almost every day.
he kinda creeped mark out. "don't you think he got a weird book taste?", mark asked his co-worker chanyeol someday, and he agreed. both of them were watching the dark haired boy from a safe distance.
but then again, he didn't care about it and told mark to not care too much about the boy either. "it's just a customer, mark. we got loads of them. i don't wanna know what some of them do in their free time so this mans book taste is probably fine", chanyeol said laughing. maybe chanyeol was right.
the boy who got all of marks attention was lee donghyuck, a student, a loner. donghyuck found comfort in books and the library, found comfort in fantasy worlds, other peoples imaginations and minds. he would find comfort in anything that was new to him, and of course in some familiar places.
his best friend would describe him as annoying, yet a loveable and sweet person.
jaehyun was his best friend.
they've known each other since kindergarten, maybe even longer. neither of them can actually remember the first time they met, but it didn't matter anyway. all they had to know is that the other one always got their back.
jaehyun was donghyucks only friend. hyuck barely let anyone in his life, not because of bad memories or whatever others might think when they hear about this, but because he likes his privacy.
he likes being a stranger, not being known by everyone.
nowdays, mark guesses that's why you'll find donghyuck rather in the next bookstore or in the next library close to him. no one cares too much about you, at least not unless you look lost, want a specific book, or are too loud.
but then again, mark cared a lot for hyuck the first second he saw him:
firstly because of his 'so weird book taste' (which he doesn't find weird at all anymore - but that's another story)
secondly: because he always looks lost, even though he knows exactly what he wants (mark adored this quite a lot, but of course he would never admit it)
and lastly, because he looked very cute. like, as cute as a puppie. so cute that marks felt like he was gonna pass out at any second whenever he was near donghyuck, like his heart is gonna explode.
he truly cared a lot for donghyuck, and does care even more now.
"maybe i am an exception", he told hyuck who was just smiling at mark.
"you probably are. i would never know, i don't really care about and of my surroundings at all"
"you did care a lot for me, though. otherwise we wouldn't be where we are right now", mark said mockingly, earning an annoyed look from donghyuck.
"maybe you're not the only exception, mark lee."
mark was right, and donghyuck would be kidding himself if he said he wasn't.
whenever he entered the library, the first thing he checked for was mark. if mark was working, what he was wearing, what he was doing, how he was probably feeling.
when he saw the blonde haired guy for the first time, he couldn't believe his eyes. he was absolutely whipped for the librarian, and he couldn't take his eyes off him.
only a few days later he told jaehyun about mark.
"hyuckie! you're blushing!", jaehyun said teasingly.
"no, i am not. it's just..it's hot in here"
"yeah, of course. and your bright smile also got caused from the heat?"
donghyuck shut up, didn't argue, just sat there and smiled to himself. he noticed jaehyun giving him a small wink, which got followed by giggles.
"you should try to have an actual conversation with him, hyuckie!"
and that's what donghyuck and mark had on the following day. an actual conversation.
donghyuck waited for marks lunch break because he didn't want to interrupt him during his work time, and because he knew they would have more time in marks break, than in the library when he was there for work.
they talked about books.
for almost two hours.
shortly before mark went back to the library and hyuck home, they exchanged numbers, and eventually they texted each other at the same time.
"that was kinda embarrassing, but also cute", mark said smiling. donghyuck was laying in his lap now, hands linked with mark.
"definitely, but it also was kind of an icebreaker, wasn't it?"
"it was! and im glad about it."
mark and donghyuck started to spend every of marks breaks together, and their conversations also evolved from time to time.
a few weeks later, they found themselves at a date in a fancy restaurant.
"you're absolutely whipped for this guy, aren't you?", chanyeol asked mark grinning.
"damn, just ask him out already!", jaehyun said frustrated and hyuck just sighed.
only a few months later, they actually started dating.
donghyuck asked mark out on their probably 100th date.
"hey, uh, mark. i just wanted to ask if you'd like to be my uh, boyf-"
"oh my god, finally. yes, i want to be, donghyuck. fuck yes", mark said with the biggest grin ever.
donghyuck could swear mark had literal heart eyes.
mark could swear donghyuck was the happiest he's ever been around him, in this moment.
they were so happy, they almost forgot their surroundings. the people around them looked at them like they've just murdered someone.
"let's go to my place, pretty boy", mark said and took donghyucks hand.
everything else that happened this night is history - but let's say they got the closest they've ever been.
"our first night together was kind of..wild", donghyuck admitted laughing. he was still laying in his boyfriends lap, and their hands were still linked.
"but also fun! you were so good, too.."
"mark lee, stop right there."
"fine, pretty boy" mark said grinning and placed a kiss on hyucks forehead.