Archive of Our Own

“ Attention please, this train has a twenty minutes delay due to a problem in the next station’s rail crossing. Sorry for the inconvenience”

“ Oh for fuck’s sake, I’m going to be late. Fucking fantastic. “

Donghyuck whispered to himself, as he took his phone out of his pocket so he could at least tell his friends to not wait for him. The boy really wanted to be at university on time, at least for the first day after the break he took due to his broken leg which still wasn’t completely healed. Not that he cared, he missed his friends way too much to really be able to wait another week. So here he was, with his crutches between his legs in a train that was already too fucking late for his first lesson. But that was okay, it was okay, no big deal, it wasn’t the end of the world. And to be honest, he didn’t really care about the first period, he just wanted to meet his friends and give them all the kisses they didn’t receive in the span of a whole month.

( kakao talk )

( from: choco ball )
jeno, can you please tell the other I won’t be able to eat breakfast with you all?? my train has a twenty minutes delay and I don’t really think they’ll go down any time soon. so please PLEASE GRAB A BRIOCHE OR A DONUT OR ANYTHING for me because I’m already fucking starving and you know how much I hate skipping breakfast.

 (  from: the only man ever )
you hate skipping every meal, donghyuck. but yeah, of course I’m going to buy you something sweet, you deserve it!! I missed you so much, please give me the biggest smooch ever as soon as you see me, ok?? PROMISE ME.
see you soon, personal sunshine ( ˘ ³˘(◡‿◡˶) 
( look!! the emoji is literally you with me!! )

• Read

Yeah, Jeno really was the only man ever. He was so kind, so sweet, so lovable .. he really earned the world biggest kiss ever. He didn’t specify where, but Donghyuck had this weird presentiment it was going to be on his head. Yeah, his best friend loved receiving kisses on his head, even though he acted like he hated them. He already could imagine Jeno’s face lighting up: cute. That’s exactly why it came with no surprise when Donghyuck found himself liking Jeno in more than a friendly way. How could you not fall for him? Not only was he a beautiful person on the inside, he was also a fucking handsome prince. The boy didn’t believe in God whatsoever, but he would still joke around the fact that the Lord really flexed on him the day Jeno was born. And it also shouldn’t come as a surprise the fact that pretty much every person in their university had a crush on Lee Jeno because c’mon, it was Lee fucking Jeno: a national treasure. But Jeno, unfortunately for Donghyuck, didn’t like him back. Which again, wasn’t the end of the world because Jeno enjoyed staying single. He kept on telling everyone that he wasn’t made for relationships and so everyone respected that . Well they all had to respect that or else they’ll be dead by the hands of the “ Jeno protection squad “ which was made of Renjun, Jaemin and Donghyuck himself. Especially Renjun, which was the smallest yet the deadliest of the group. That sneaky bastard could easily kill you and you wouldn’t even notice it. And yes, of course all three of them had had a crush on Jeno. It was inevitable since they all were best friends and they spent most of the time together.

“ The train will have a thirty minutes delay, sorry for the inconvenience “

“ Well fuck my life. “

Ok Donghyuck had no idea who said that but to be honest, same. I mean, of course he knew who said that since the voice literally came from the boy seated next to him, but he didn’t know his name so the whole “ had no idea “ was still valid. The tanned boy snorted when the old woman that was sitting right in front of the stranger started scolding him for his bad language. And he laughed as soon as he listened how sorry the boy was as he was trying his best to apologise. And oh man, the look the poor boy gave him didn’t help at all, making Donghyuck laugh even harder.

“ Late for work? “ he assumed the boy was heading to work, since he was wearing a suit. An expensive suit, maybe? Not that Donghyuck knew anything about suits, they weren’t his cup of tea. Too pricy for his broke university student’s ass.

“ Yeah .. second week and I’m not looking forward to being scolded again, this time by my superiors. “

Oh, so Donghyuck was right. Poor boy for real, then.

“ But it isn’t your fault if the train is delayed. Have you notified your boss, at least? “

The curse that slipped from the boy’s tongue made it extremely clear that in fact no, he didn’t notify his superiors. Poor boy was not in his best state of mind, maybe the stress got the best of him. That, again, was pretty relatable: Donghyuck also couldn’t really work well under pressure.

“ Rest assured, they won’t be rude to you. As I said earlier, it ain’t your fault. You aren’t the conductor of this train, are you? “

The boy seemed to relax a little after hearing those words which to Donghyuck was already an accomplishment.

“ Yeah, you are right, I’m not. I’m just professor, I teach history of music. What about you? If I can ask, of course. “

A professor? But he looked so young, how was it even possible? Maybe he was a researcher, and they let him teach? Or maybe he was a music prodigy? WAIT WHAT? MUSIC HISTORY?

“ Man, I am currently getting my degree in performing arts and music. It’s my last year but unfortunately I had to take a break due to my .. yeah – he spoke while pointing one of his crutches – but boy, I swear if you teach at my same university .. like, I literally just laughed at you .. am I fuc .. – a glance to the old lady – screwed? In my defence, you know, let’s blame the stress, yeah. “

This time it was the older ( at least Donghyuck thought he was older, since he was already teaching ) who snorted. It was a cute snort, nonetheless. His nose got all scrunched and his cheekbones flew up and – oh fuck, was he finding a teacher pretty? Like yeah damn, he was pretty hot in that suit but what IF HE WAS HIS PROFESSOR. NO WAY. So he quickly grabbed his phone just to text his friends again, this time on the group chat.

( kakao talk; to: Jeno protection squad + Jeno )

( from: choco ball )
boys WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK PLEASE TELL ME OUR MUSIC HISTORY PROF AIN’T CUTE, PLEASE TELL ME HE AIN’T CUTE

( from: tiniest of them all )
??????

( from: the only man ever )
I mean, he is pretty cute, yes.

( from: tiniest of them all )
jeno, I love you with all of my heart, but let’s be real here: you find everything cute

( from: kiss kiss fall in love )
yeah renjun is right jeno, buT OH MY FUCKING GOD DONGHYUCK NO, HE IS NOT CUTE TF ARE YOU TRYING TO CRUSH ON A TEACHER YOU THIRSTY HOE

 ( from: choco ball )
JAEMIN WHAT THE FUCK OF COURSE NOT I WAS JUST WONDERING CHILL

Oh thank god, at least he wasn’t his professor. Wait, why did that make him kind of sad? Was he hoping to see that  pretty face ag—DONGHYUCK PLEASE STOP THINKING THAT HE IS PRETTY FOR FUCK’S SAKE.

“ By the face you are making right now, I kind of feel like I’m not your professor. It’s sad, though, it would have been funny, don’t you think so? Maybe it’s because history of music is taught by two different professors? I take care of surnames that go from a to g, then the others are assigned to .. an old man who I’m not very fond of. I don’t like him, he is so stuck with the old ways of teaching and I’m so sorry but you’ll suffer a lot, I’ll keep your class in my prayers. “

And Donghyuck couldn’t really tell if he was lying or being serious about the praying stuff because he had this cute little smile on his face and it looked so genuine and yeah Donghyuck was an overall pretty affectionate person but he really wanted to kiss his little forehead right now anD OH MY GOD NOT AGAIN.

Thank god the old lady – bless her. Bless her, her life, her nephews, her dinner, bless everything about her – came to the rescue saying that in fact the train started moving again.

“ Oh look, maybe we both will be to university for the seco – wait. “

Why on earth was Renjun calling him? Was he worried? Did something happen? He needed to pick up as soon as possible.

( incoming call: the tiniest of them all )

Is everythi—.

LEE DONGHYUCK, JAEMIN HERE. SORRY MY PHONE DIED, I NEED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

Please Jaemin, why are you screaming?? Are you ok?? Is Renjun ok?? IS JENO OK??

YES, YES. Sorry yes, we all are ok, but listen to me extremely well ok?

Yes, of course. Spill.

Our professor is old and plain looking but remember when I told you they split
our course in half?

Yeah, I remember it very well.

WELL BITCH GUESS WHAT.

The other professor is cute as hell??

THE OTHER PROFESSOR IS – EHY, HOW DID YOU KNOW?

I have eyes, Jaemin, and he is right next to me right now.

YOU ARE SO LUCKY THE FUCK I JUST SAW A PIC AND I SWEAR I STARTED DROOLING
PLEASE TELL HIM.

.. Jaemin, I love you but I’m not going to tell him that. But like,
if you continue screaming like this maybe he’ll be able to hear you.

You are right, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt your sweet
 sweet moment with your loml.

HE IS NOT MY LOML ARE YOU HIGH??

Donghyuck, you literally told him he is, and I quote, cute as hell. I mean,
you told me, but as you said before, he is right next to you right?

I –.

BET YOU ARE BLUSHING. NICE. YOU LOOK CUTE AS HELL WHEN THAT HAPPENS.
GO SNATCH HIM, BYE.

Ok, clearly Donghyuck wanted to die. Well not die, but an abyss to sink into would have been nice. And Jaemin was being so loud, the teacher probably heard everything. Yeah, ok, maybe dying was the best option.

“ Donghyuck I assume. Mark Lee, then. Please tell your friend that he is wrong about the drooling part because I’m not as handsome as he is trying to portray me, but he is right about you being cute when you blush. Oh, and thank you for saying that I also am cute. I guess now we’re even, right? Next stop is ours, you should start getting ready so we will not miss it and maybe, if you want of course, taking the walk to university together?? “

Oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Fuck, he was going to kill Jaemin, he was going to kill Jaemin and Renjun which lent his phone to him. Fuck he was also going to kill Jeno because he didn’t stop Jaemin from fucking screaming everything. You know what? Time to become a serial killer. Finally all of the hours spent watching true crime series would come in hand.

“ I guess we can, yes. “ and with that being said, Donghyuck stood up, picked his backpack and started walking towards the train’s automatic doors. He didn’t spare a glance to the older boy – man? – because he felt a little bit too embarrassed at the moment, which was the worst thing since they both agreed on walking together to their university.

The whole walk was an awkward one. They didn’t really talk to each other, unless you’d consider Mark being worried over Donghyuck leg and Donghyuck feeling extremely guilty because he couldn’t walk faster a conversation. It was cute, in a way. They decided to take it slow, to not rush, just hoping to make it in time for the second class. They were a weird pair: Mark in his black suit and his briefcase, Donghyuck in his baggy pants, his comfy sweater and his old backpack.

“ LEE DONGHYUCK, FUCKING FINALLY. “

Oh, of course, of course Jaemin would be the loudest of them all. Well, after Donghyuck, at least. The boy was oh so ready to jump on the friend, but thank god he stopped as soon as he saw the crutches, remembering the injured leg. Yet, he still hugged the friend so hard Donghyuck wondered if he’ll end up having a broken rib. Then it was time for Renjun, which started making fun of the crutches which?? Fuck him?? The crutches made him look a hundred percent more badass, in Donghyuck’s humble opinion. Renjun couldn’t care less about his opinion and continued to mock him, which was endearing in a way since they were holding each other’s hand. Well, one hand, because the other held the crutch for support. And then, then it was Jeno’s turn and oh boy was he beautiful. A month without him and he became even more handsome. Was it even possible, though? And – no, he was carrying the little paper bag with the donut Donghyuck wanted to eat for breakfast: a prince, a fucking prince. And so, Donghyuck tiptoed a little so he could leave a kiss on the friend’s head, as promised. It clearly was a chaste kiss, and they both were enjoying the moment and YET someone had the AUDACITY to cough and distract Jeno. Again, Donghyuck felt a murderous instinct.

Donghyuck let go of Jeno and started looking around to see which person to kill first, but he panicked as soon as he saw Mark staring at them with red cheeks. Fuck, he forgot about him, bet that made him feel uncomfortable as hell. The younger felt so sorry he bowed and apologised to him over and over again. The fact that the professor kept on telling him not to worry about that, made Donghyuck bow even lower: how could he even forget about someone in the first place. Like yeah, Jeno was a delight, but that was in no shape or form a rightful reason to just erase someone else’s life from the picture. For what, also? A kiss? Jeno and Donghyuck kissed all the time, he could have waited a bit. Damn he felt bad.

“ Oh, lover boy here mr professor Lee is jealous. I see. Interesting development don’t you think so too, Renjun? “

“ Jaemin, shut up. Let’s help Donghyuck: if he keeps on bowing lower, he’ll end up dig a hole with his own forehead. “

And with that said, both Renjun and Jaemin started walking so they could save the friend’s neck. The problem was, the professor didn’t want to part ways. He kept on telling them he wanted to escort them to their room which?? Why?? It wasn’t even that far away nor it was a dangerous path for Donghyuck.

“ It’s ok if you want to spend more time with our friend, sir, but please refrain from doing that in the university buildings. We don’t want other people to think that you are playing favouritism, right? “ Renjun said, causing Mark to almost choke on his own saliva. Thank god he saved himself in the nick of time.

“ I’m not even your professor, boys .. but you are right, I’ll be more professional. I just want to be sure you won’t be late for class, I swear .. “

“ Yeah ok lover boy, then please, as you said before, escort us. “ Jaemin added, just so he could make the overall conversation even more embarrassing for both Mark and Donghyuck.

But again, Mark tried his best to not lose its composure for the whole route that separated them from the classroom. He spent all the time walking next to the younger, being sure everything was fine and asking if he was in pain every five minutes.

“ Mark, please. I’m not going to drop dead anytime soon, relax. “ Doghyuck reassured the older, in hopes he would stop. The professor and him weren’t even friends and yet he was that worried over the younger. Like damn, was that how he lived his life? Then he’ll probably end up bald even before turning thirty.

“ Sorry, it’s just—“

“ Perhaps the professor here wants to carry you to class, Donghyuck. Be more grateful and just let him hold you bridal style and go, damn it ain’t that difficult. “ Mark was cut short by Renjun, which was being a little bit too mean towards the new teacher.

“ Jaemin, Renjun, let’s tone it down a notch, you are scaring the poor man. “ Jeno replied, causing both of the boys to shrink in their shoulders, but Donghyuck knew that wasn’t the end, and they’ll be back again with their tantrums.

“ Professor Lee, right? I’m sorry for my friends, they tend not to think before speaking. “ then Jeno continued, in hopes to make the older feel at ease. “ The other students told us it is your first time teaching at our university; I wish you all the best for this year and for all the other years you’ll spend in this place. “ After that, Jeno withdrew himself to go next to their friends that  already went inside their classroom because Jaemin implied the professor and the student needed some time to “ fraternize even more “.

Then it was time for Donghyuck to speak up. Well, it was more of a murmur, but still.

 “ Also, as Jeno already said, I apologise deeply on behalf of Jaemin and Renjun. They mean absolutely no harm nor disrespect, I – I think they just want me to find a boyfriend at this point and you kind of became their target?? I’m sorry if this whole situation was distressing for you and I’m also extremely sorry I’ve been so troublesome to look after. Still, thank you so much for taking good care of me even though you really didn’t have to: I can already tell your students will be oh so lucky to have you as their professor. I hope you’ll have a nice day at work, Mark. “

The younger’s words made the older shy, they embarrassed him because he was complimenting him and for Mark that was the first time since he started this new work. He found himself thinking that he would really love to pamper Donghyuck more because the kid – the boy?? the man?? yeah, the man, they had only one year apart so they both were men – deserved those types of attentions. He was a kind person, Mark could already tell that, even if they only spent no more than two hours together. Oh but wait, he just noticed his friends already went into the class which only meant that .. oh yeah, time to part ways, right? Or maybe not?? Maybe they could – yeah, let’s give it a chance.

“ It was a pleasure meeting you, Donghyuck, really.  I’m still a professor so I’m not sure it’ll be the greatest idea for us to date, please tell that to your friends. But this is your last year, right? So maybe after that, you know--. Oh sorry, please don’t blush I didn’t want to make you embarrassed nor uncomfortable it’s just .. yeah, let’s stop with me saying it was a pleasure having the chance to talk to you and just forget everything else I’ve said. Have a nice day, Donghyuck, hope to see you again in these corridors. “

The younger had no other choice than to step into the lecture hall in which his lesson would take place. He wasn’t even able to follow what his professor was saying, too busy thinking about what Mark told him before going to his morning lecture.

( kakao talk; to: Jeno protection squad + Jeno )

( from: the only man ever )
donghyuck!! you look sad, want an hug?? (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃

( from: tiniest f them all )
sorry to crush your heart, jeno, but I’m not sure you are the one
he wants to receive an hug from

( from: kiss kiss fall in love )
care to share what lover boy told you to make you oh so sad??

( from: choco ball )
that it’s better if we don’t date yet because he is a professor and I’m still a student??

( from: tiniest of them all )
WHAT??? FOR REAL??

( from: kiss kiss fall in love )
HE IS A SMOOTH MF WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN

( from: the only man ever )
oh, that’s so cute, hyuck!! he likes you!!
ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊˚ ( look, it’s me cheering for you and professor Lee!! )

( from: choco ball )
jeno, you are so precious but no, he doesn’t like me
AND I NEVER SAID I WANTED TO DATE HIM BOYS PLEASE
GET BACK ON TRACK

( from: the tiniest of them all )
yeah then tell that to your sad face

( from: the only man ever )
also, this is our last year as students, right? so next year you’ll be able to kiss him!!

( from: choco ball )
jeNO YOU ARE NOT HELPING

( from: kiss kiss fall in love )
donghyuck and mark
sitting in a tree

( from: tiniest of them all )

K – I – S – S – I – N – G

( from: choco ball )
shut THE FUCK UP

it was a meaningful day, to say the least. Donghyuck had the luck to meet his best friends again and spend time with them after a whole month of being far from each other; he met a new friend that turned out to be one of the professor in his university and?? He apparently flirted with the younger?? Or was he reading between the lines?? Better go grab a sandwich with the boys and not worry about some cute professor’s avances. The problem? Donghyuck stumbled upon Mark once again into the mini market in which he and his friends were buying something to eat. This time he wasn’t alone, the older wasn’t alone. There was another man with him, and oh damn was he the most handsome face ever.

“ Donghyuck, close your mouth, you are supposed to drool over just one boy, not two. Choose your lover and go. “ Jaemin implied, to which Donghyuck responded only with a punch on the friend’s shoulder. That was a huge mistake from his side, because in order to do that, he had to stop holding one of his crutches that fell on the floor. Sure enough, Mark saw the whole scene, at least the part in which the tanned boy lost his crutch, so he decided to come closer in order to help him. Lucas, his friend, had to tag along even though he noticed nothing, too busy trying to decide which type of ramen would be good enough to make it out alive the afternoon. Still, as soon as he saw the boy struggling to keep his balance due to the missing crutch, he tried his best to assist him providing some support just by holding his arm. And like?? The man was buff?? Straight up herculean, in the younger’s humble opinion. Donghyuck found himself thinking that maybe Mark was friend with a semi-god and now he was stuck in some Percy Jackson shit which like, bless?? Bless the gods, then. But the overall mystical experience was cut short by Mark coughing again to get Donghyuck’s attention which again, worked perfectly fine. And it worked even better if you count that, again, it made Donghyuck feel guilty. Why was he so remorseful every time he found himself not noticing the older?

“ Thank you again, Mark. You are kind of becoming my saviour. Sorry to interrupt your shopping time with your friend and oh, thanks to you too, sir. Bet all of Mark’s friend are as kind as him, right? “

“I’m Lucas and you are right – the friend implied – it’s like a necessity in order to be his friend. If you don’t have a pure soul, then you are not allowed to come near Mark. “ and then he laughed. So not only was he god like in his appearance, he also had an handsome smile. Damn, Donghyuck just realized he was literally surrounded by people that had a masterpiece instead of a face: Jeno, Mark’s friend, MARK. And also, since his mama raised no liar, Jaemin and Renjun. Yes, they were extremely handsome too. Yet, Donghyuck found himself staring at Mark the most, maybe because of how kind he had been towards the younger, yeah, of course that was the reason.

“ Don’t worry Donghyuck, it’s nothing. But I can’t stop myself from thinking that, maybe, it’s fate that we’ll keep on meeting each other, don’t you agree?? It’s a shame you still are a student, I’d love to spend more time with you. “

Well fuck then, why was Mark so confident in himself now?? Did he take a shot of alcohol? Donghyuck started thinking he would have gladly drunk some too, maybe something strong to help him have the strength to answer the flirting. Oh but wait, WAIT, Donghyuck was the best at flirting, right? He was good to a point where if you’d search for the definition of flirt, you’ll literally find a pic of him, so he breathed in and decided to counterattack the older.

“ Oh so you are not able to wait for no more than six months? That’s what you are implying? You are weak, Mark. I would have never imagine you’d be one of those men. “

“ Wh—of course no, wait. Wait what? So like .. should I wait till your graduation? That’s what you are trying to say, Donghyuck? “

“ Oh no, Mark, that’s not what I’m trying to say “ which caused the older to frown and become gloomy “ That’s exactly what I’m saying. Or maybe are you worried you are not cut out for waiting, professor Lee?? “. This time Donghyuck’s words made the older smile, but it wasn’t one of the same smiles the younger used to receive, it was different: wait, was he taking the challenge?

“ You caught me red-handed, Lee. Ok then, you win: six months till your graduation, I can wait. But after that, we’ll have a date, deal? “

“ Deal, Mark Lee. Now it’s time for the both of us to go, right? Six months from now, we’ll see if you’d still want to take me out. But from now, have a nice day, professor. “ and with that being said, Donghyuck and his friends ( that ended up looking at the view in silence, if you don’t count the random laughing you could hear here and there ) left the shop.

A meaningful day nonetheless, Donghyuck had to admit to himself.

( kakao talk; to: Jeno protection squad + Jeno )

( from: kiss kiss fall in love )
ok but who would have thought donghyuck would have been the first
one to find his other half?? should we kick him out of the jeno protection squad then??

( from: choco ball )
don’T YOU DARE, JAEMIN. I’M LITERALLY THE FOUNDER OF THIS GROUP

( from: tiniest of them all )
all jokes aside, mark seems determined to be with you, I’m kind of happy but also jealous,
not gonna lie

( from: choco ball )
oh renjun, please don’t be: I still love you!!

( from: kiss kiss fall in love )
what about ME THEN

( from: the only man ever )
and me??  o(TヘTo)

( from: choco ball )
I love you all, sillies! I’ll never stop, you know it!!
now please, pay attention to this lecture!! we all need to graduate together!

( from: tiniest of them all )
of course donghyuck, we would never for the love of god miss your first interaction
with your future husband, right boys?

( from: kiss kiss fall in love)
yessir, I want to see mark become a blushing mess because of our own
special confident gay mr lee donghyuck

( from: the only man ever )
but I swear if mark will end up patronizing you, he’ll catch those fists!! (ง •̀_•́)ง

( from: choco ball )
I love you all so much, you can’t even imagine
let’s grab something sweet at the end of the day: I’ll pay!

( from: the only man ever )
fuck, we love a sugar daddy

( from: choco ball )
JENOSDFGHJCVBNJFGHJ

As the six months went by, it was finally time for their graduation. They all did their best and even more to be able to get a degree in music, which is what they loved deeply. Donghyuck would have never thought he would have been able to meet people as kind and supportive as his friends were. After all these years, it was their turn to get their degree for good. And Donghyuck was so proud, oh so proud of all of them. After the whole ceremony was over, he stood up and started hugging and kissing them: they were free, it was the beginning of their new lives. The tanned boy wasn’t sure they’d be able to meet after they all would have started working, and that made him bitter but he tried his best not to show that to them. He knew Jaemin wanted to teach music to young children, while Jeno wanted to do the same, but at university. Renjun already received some job applications from different symphonic orchestras in order to be their orchestrator. Donghyuck, on the other hand, only knew he wanted to sing. He didn’t care about the fame, he just wanted to sing his emotions out loud, and thank god an entertainment company already reached out to him. It wasn’t a famous one at all, but again, Donghyuck couldn’t care less.

“ Let’s promise each other something, ok? Let’s promise we won’t end up losing touch, ok? You are my best friends, afterall. I don’t mean we should meet every day because I know it’s impossible with a job, but once every two weeks, maybe? Does it sound like it’s too much to ask? Please be honest. “

But his friends never really answered him, they started holding him in a bone crush hug, which meant more than every other word. Then, a cough.  Donghyuck started wondering if that was the only way Mark knew to make the other aware of his presence.

“ Not to interrupt your sweet moment, but I kinda want to .. “

“ Get yourself a boyfriend? “ Donghyuck stopped him, trying his best to not laugh at how the older was already blushing “ Are these flowers, professor Lee? Did you gift them to all of your students or am I the only exception?? “

“ Of course you are the only one .. I waited six months, you know? “ the teacher answered, while handing the bouquet to the younger “ They are Asters and they mean – oh fuck, no wait. I prepared a whole speech on why I choose them but fuck I’m—“

“ Nervous, I can tell Mark. They mean patience, like the one you needed in order to wait for six months, right? Thank you for being patient. Did you know  a Greek legend claims that when king Aegeus’ son, Theseus, volunteered to slay the Minotaur, he told his father he would fly a white flag on his return to Athens to announce his victory? But Theseus forgot to change the flags and sailed into port with black flags flying so king Aegeus, believing his son to be killed by the Minotaur, committed suicide. It is believed that Asters sprung forth where his blood stained the earth. “

“ .. Donghyuck, we all know how much you love flowers and their legends but I’m not sure this was the best story to tell Mark, he looks scared. “ Jeno implied after noticing how the older literally froze in his place. Poor boy, probably he had no idea those flowers hid that myth. He even approached the professor and started rubbing his arms in hope to reassure him and maybe grab him in case he fainted.

“ Oh man, sorry. It’s just that I really like knowing each and every story about them and sometimes I can’t keep all of my knowledge to myself!! Asters are beautiful, thank you so much. Come near me Mark, will you? I promise I won’t terrorize you again. “

The professor wasn’t so sure it would have been the right thing to do the whole “ come near me “ stuff. He was so taken aback by the story Donghyuck told him, he would have never imagined a flower as tiny as Aster could mean so much, could have this tragic background. And yes, yes Mark knew it was a myth, yet he still got shivers imagining a father killing himself just because the son forgot about a stupid flag: what a sad ending. Then, he started wondering about how guilty Theseus must have felt after discovering he killed Aegeus. Oh, the poor son must have been heartbroken.

“ Mark, we can talk about the whole Theseus and Aegeus thing, you know? I like having a conversation about myths too, but maybe later? I thought you wanted a boyfriend, or was I wrong? Come near me, I won’t repeat myself another time. “

Those words were more than enough for Mark to snap out of everything he was thinking and finally please the younger. As soon as they both were in front of each other, Donghyuck slowly but surely leaned in so he could give the older a kiss on the cheek, which caught Mark off guard. It was a nice kiss, a delicate kiss, even pure. Donghyuck lips felt soft over the older left cheekbone and he ended up not even thinking twice about the possibility to discover how they would feel over his lips, so this time it was his turn to lean him and kiss him. The kiss, again, was a pure one, it didn’t last more than three second because Mark started freaking out and telling the younger how sorry he was for not asking for his permission before doing something so reckless.

“ Mark, please, breathe. I love the fact you care about having my consent, but trust me, it’s ok to do impulse things. And besides, I really enjoyed that kiss, can we do that again? “

Mark didn’t answer, he just smiled at the younger because of his words, because now it was him who asked for permission before kissing him. And Mark, oh Mark wasn’t made for saying no to that face, that voice, those lips, so he kissed him again. And again, it was an innocent one, a sinless kiss. There was something so marvellous in that kiss, even though it lasted for just a bunch of seconds. It made Mark want more, more kisses, more touching, more talking. Him and Donghyuck spent those six months texting each other pretty much every day and the professor discovered a profound soul with an enormous heart hiding behind the façade of the always happy, cheerful and a little bratty boy Donghyuck wanted to portray himself as. Mark once even found himself talking about the bible with the younger, about religions in general and bigotry. The older didn’t enjoy spending time talking about his beliefs because he didn’t want to be mocked, yet Donghyuck never made fun of them, of him. The younger was a good listener, but he would also not refrain himself from giving his opinions regardless of the matter, like that one time they ended up discussing over different types of sexualities and Donghyuck decided to take upon himself teaching Mark about all of the different kinds of relationships people could have. The older still remembered vividly their first quarrel because he wasn’t able to understand the whole polyamorous stuff. But the younger would always say something along the lines of “ well, they aren’t hurting you nor hurting one another, right? So even if you can’t comprehend their dynamics, you still have to respect them, don’t you agree with me? “ and of course, of course Mark could only agree with him. Donghyuck was just so open minded with everything and everyone, so respectful and kind towards everyone, you just couldn’t argue with him, it just felt wrong. And Mark, Mark also learned to be more inclusive thanks to him. On the other hand, Donghyuck also learned the importance of religions for other people. He grew up being an atheist so the whole “ worship God “ stuff had always been something a little too hard to get the gist for him, but Mark taught him about that and he still felt grateful towards him for it. So in the end, they both ended up being more tolerant thanks to one another.
They were a weird pair, right? Six months and they talked about everything except their relationship. Mark felt like he knew Donghyuck to the bones, but was it the same for the other man? Was the younger ready to date? They talked about all kind of relationship, all kind of sexuality but – oh fuck, he didn’t even know if Donghyuck was into boys. Oh no, like, they kissed so clearly he was AT THE VERY LEAST into him and like?? Why was he having so many doubts now?? Now that they were literally standing in front of each other??

“ Mark, “ Donghyuck called him, after placing his hand over the older one “ you are shaking. Is everything ok? Do you need some time to yourself? Should we go sit on the bench .. yeah, come with me. “ He said, as he dragged the professor to a nearby bench, away from prying eyes. All of his friends were already too busy talking with other students, but still, he wanted to have some alone time with his soon to be boyfriend.

“ Mark, you know I can listen to your struggles and help you if you want to talk to me, right? You can trust me: you trusted me for six months of us pining over each other, you can still trust me as your boyfriend now. “

“ Wait .. Donghyuck, you called yourself  my boyfriend, you know? “ the older asked, a little too shocked for Donghyuck’s liking.

“ Well, aren’t we? Wasn’t it the deal? Well I know you said you wanted to take me out on a date before, but we have texted for six months and I just thought we were far after the whole ‘ try and see if we are comfortable around one another ‘ thing. Sorry if I overstepped .. “

“ WHAT, NO “ Mark shouted, but a while after recomposed himself and held the younger hand tightly “ I am sorry, I was just having some .. I was being insecure, let’s say. Since you never told me if you liked guys or not, I kind of freaked out a little. “

And Donghyuck really didn’t want to laugh, but he couldn’t help it: Mark was afraid of what, now? Of him not liking guys? Please. “ Oh my poor handsome professor Lee, first of all, I literally called you cute on our first meeting, remember? Second of all, I flirted back with you in person and online. Third, I asked you to kiss me and I would gladly ask the same over and over again. But I get it, it’s my fault because I didn’t tell you my sexuality. To be honest with you, Mark, I don’t know what I am, if I like boys, girls, everyone, or something in particular. I just never felt the need to put a label on myself, I guess. But yeah, just so you know, right now I like you and that’s what matters the most, am I right? “

“ You are right, Donghyuck. And for instance, I also like you. Now, can I kiss you again? “

“ Oh Mark, consent is sexy. Please do. “