Work Text:
Someone knocked on Mark's room's door.
One,
Two,
Three times.
Mark opened to a messy haired Donghyuck rushing into his room, walking around nonstop.
"What happened? How did you get in the apartment?" The older asked, visibly confused.
"Haven't you seen the news? They found out you like men, and so did I." Donghyuck looked at him with the widest eyes he's ever seen, ignoring the taller's question. "How come you've never told me? I thought I was you best friend."
Mark's mind blanked for a moment. He didn't know what Donghyuck was talking about. "Wow, wow. Wait- What?" How could the news have found out about his sexuality ? "Hold up. What are you talking about? Let me see what they wrote."
Donghyuck wanted to say something, instead, he took his phone out of his pocket. Searching quickly, he showed the article posted 15 minuets prior. It wasn't a Dispatch one, fortunately. However, it came from another well known kpop news site.
The whole article was about how some people found his messages with his — quote, unquote — current boyfriend and how he was spotted having a date with this person.
The texts were very convincing, in all honesty. The 144p photos looked like him too. Kind of.
Mark couldn't stop a big laugh coming out from his mouth as he layed eyes on Donghyuck's worried expression. How could they even find 'proofs' like those? Plus, It wasn't like he was dating anyone at that moment.
"First of all, I'm not dating anyone, what the fuck." Regaining some composure, he continued. "I really don't know what to tell you, other than I don't know what all that is about and that I didn't expect you to believe it before asking me."
The younger sat on the bed, seemingly not being able to look at his teammate.
"Whoever created those chats really knows how you text, because they looked so like you." Donghyuck finally raised his gaze, noticeably sorry. "I was stupid to believe this article without asking you first..."
Now, if Mark hadn't known Donghyuck for a long time, he would've assumed he was just looking into outer space, zoning out. But he could swear he could almost hear his thoughts.
"Don't be sorry, it's normal to panic sometimes." Mark sat next to his friend, passing a pillow to him so that he could hug it, as if to say 'I am not angry at you.'
"So... you really don't like men?" Donghyuck asks hesitantly.
"What if I do or don't?" Mark asks, playfully but also curious of what the other might say.
Donghyuck turned to him, then shifted back to his original position quickly. "It won't change anything for you, probably."
The older had an idea of what the other is thinking although he didn't want to jump into conclusions just yet. "Do you care to explain?" He questioned grinning.
"It's nothing, really. Don't think about what i just said." He went to sit up, but Mark held his forearm before he could do anything.
"if you don't tell me, then I'll think you have a problem with me liking guys."
At that, Donghyuck turns again, this time looking at the pillow in his arms. "Uhg..."
Mark swears he's never seen the other so nervous and shy in his lifetime. He almost opened his mouth to tell him that it was fine if he really didn't want to talk about it. However, Donghyuck spoke before him.
"The problem is if you don't..." He answers almost inaudibly while moving farther away from Mark and pulling away from his hold. "But, yeah, don't mind it. Now you know I have no problem with you being gay or bi... or anything, i guess. And it's fine if you're straight." He said while getting up from the bed.
"Wh-"
"I'm going back to my room. Make sure to tell the company that's not you. Bye."
Donghyuck left, also leaving Mark with too many questions in his mind.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
The next week was full of Mark trying to clear up his image.
The company offered him to have a dating scandal with some girl idol form JYP Entertainment, but he reasoned how it would only look more suspicious.
They came to the agreement that he'd just straight up say that he doesn't like men on IG live — even though it was far from the truth, however, that was the best he could do —.
Honestly, he felt like he wouldn't have cared to be outed as much if only he weren't a celebrity in South Korea, a country where people hold up an anti-pride event in June bigger than the parade actually made for that month.
But here he was, reassuring his crazy homophobic fans — especially the obsessed girls thinking they'd have that 0.00001 chance to end up with him — that he wasn't, infact, gay at all.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
He was finally going back to be in front of the cameras two days after to shoot a video for NCT DREAM's channel: a debate show — he'd never thought could happen, knowing how chaotic the group becomes when trying to discuss something—.
As soon as he arrived at the place and saw Donghyuck for the first time that day, he remembered the conversation they had the day the scandal began.
That was the last he'd heard from Donghyuck. Such behavior was very unusual, as Donghyuck would often start a talking with Mark about the most useless stuff, just to stay with him a bit more.
This kept Mark slightly distracted during the whole shooting and he thought he'd deserved the slight scolding he received from the director towards the end.
"Hey, Mark. Are you ok? You seem a little unfocused." Renjun asked him on their way to the car, heading for another schedule.
"Oh, yes. I'm fine, I just hadn't slept too much last night. Don't worry." Mark half lied as he sat in the backseat.
Renjun followed right after him, sitting next to him. "Stop saying it's fine. Sleep is important."
Mark hummed. "I'll rest a bit now, then." He understood that Renjun was worried about him, especially after what happened, so he didn't want to upset the younger even more.
"Go ahead. I'll wake you up when we arrive." Renjun smiled.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
After 2 days of being in the same room Donghyuck was in and talking the bare minimum with him — also after almost two weeks of stupid worring and unanswered questions in his mind that kept him up at night—, Mark decided he was done with this avoiding shit his friend was doing.
He knocked on the other's room's door.
"Can I enter?"
He didn't hear any reply from inside.
"I know you're in there, I'll open the door if you don't say anyth-"
"What do you want?" Donghyuck stood next to the doorframe, without leaving enough space for Mark to get in. His eyebags were very visible now that he didn't have any make up on.
"Listen, I want to know why you've been avoiding me. I want you to be honest before I start losing my shit... I want to solve whatever I did because I care about you, and I don't want you to be hurt by me."
"And what if you can't solve this problem?" Donghyuck crossed his arms, looking everywhere but at Mark.
"I still want you to tell me. We'll never know if you don't tell me."
The younger sighed heavily, shifting after some seconds to signal Mark that he could enter the room.
"You know I'm the first who always tells you can be honest and vent to me your feelings, whether they're good or bad, and you know I do it to you too..." Donghyuck slowly walked towars his desk, his back facing Mark. "However, there is this pressure I thought I could ignore and keep deep inside my heart forever and I never told you, or anyone else."
Mark took a light step forward. He wanted to hug the younger, regardless of what his problem was. He was ready to let him cry on his shoulder, tell him they'd find a solution no matter what, and maybe that was the first time this reaction came strong yet uncertain.
But what if he was the problem?
His heart threatened to sink but he tried to keep his cool.
"Hyuck, do you want to explain a bit more?"
"Do you remember four months ago after shooting the Glitch Mode music video?" Donghyuck turned to Mark without facing him, keeping his gaze down to the other's feet.
"Probably? We did a lot of things during that day." The older regretted the answer he gave the moment Donghyuck sighed heavily. He froze for a second.
"Right after finishing,"
a second-long pause that felt like an hour.
"You and Renjun were talking about something that didn't really matter before going away from the shooting site, and I have to get to the point before I start going into useless details to avoid what I have to say."
The smaller let a bitter laugh escape his mouth. "Shit, I already am avoiding what I have to say."
Mark could feel the nervousness filling the other to the brim, making him all jittery, so he took a step forward to squeeze his shoulder with his hand, that was pulled away shortly after by Donghyuck.
With that gesture, his suspicions about how he could've done something wrong grew even bigger. Maybe he himself was the reason his best friend wasn't feeling well and that made him feel like shit. "... I can wait, don't worry."
"You... Renjun whispered something to your ear and you laughed, and you pinched his cheek, and you hugged him, and I know it probably was meaningless, but that made me feel so bad I felt sick to my stomach for no reason." Donghyuck looked up to the ceiling. Mark could notice sparkles in his eyes, but he continued nevertheless, gaze low.
"Don't get me wrong, I wasn't disgusted... I just..." A tear after another formed in Donghyuck's eyes, which he tried to cover with his hands, turning around once again. "It's just that it kept happening everytime you got touchy with anyone. I couldn't bare seeing you hugging someone who wasn't me and laughing to a joke that wasn't mine."
Mark understood, although he didn't know what to do apart from standing two feet behind Donghyuck. He wanted to speak up but the other started again, his voice still trembling.
"When the news came up and I read that maybe, just maybe you like m- you- ... ugh." He paused for a moment.
"I was hoping I'd have a chance with you, but then you talked to me as if all of it was false and I probably jumped to conclusions too fast, but I couldn't talk to you, of face you, or even see you from afar. My heart c-"
Donghyuck got startled from Mark's hug and his voice.
"You don't know how much I've been thinking about you these weeks, Hyuck... I just want to hug you so much even if I was a shit not to be clear to you."
Tightening the hug, Mark continued and Donghyuck couldn't help but feel his heart race a hundred miles per hour.
"The answer is that I like men, Donghyuck. Sorry for the misunderstanding."
"You- You do!?" Tears suddenly stopped streaming down Donghyuck's face.
"Yes. I also realized not long ago I don't like much you being touchy with anyone if it isn't me. The feeling got even stronger when you where ignoring me and joking with the others..." The taller whispered.
"Hyuck. Donghyuck. Can we please go back?" The older stopped for a second. "No, let's move on and create something new in our relationship. Always if you want."
Donghyuck turned in the hug, pressing his head between Mark's neck and shoulder, saying, "I've wanted this so bad, you don't know how much I've wanted it."
"I want more than best friends, Mark."
The taller laughed softly, "Be my boyfriend, then?"
Mark felt Donghyuck nod against him, replying with an audible grin.
"Yes, boyfriend."