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"mark, ipaila sad saamo ning imong kauban! pogi nga bataa. " one of mark's distant relatives asks him, clearly referring to the man beside him who looked to mark for help in translating.
("mark, ipakilala mo naman sa amin 'yung kasama mo! poging bata.")
taken aback by the sudden warmth swarming inside his stomach, mark looks at donghyuck with his mouth slightly agape.
"uy, mark! naunsa naman ka? " like cold water poured over him, mark quickly snaps out of his daze and turns to his relative.
("uy, mark! napaano ka?")
"uyab nako." he says jokingly, snickering a little after. his uncle seems satisfied with the answer, bumping shoulders with mark letting out other teasing remarks he's no longer familiar with. soon enough, when his uncle left to refill the ice bucket, donghyuck pinches mark's arm to gain his attention.
"your relatives are sweet, but i'm curious about what your uncle told you. can you tell me? pakiramdam ko tuloy tino-talkshit mo ako," donghyuck whines, and mark feels his stomach going mayhem again with the weird, jittery feeling he can't seem to label just yet. sure, mark's had his fair share of stomachaches and pre-activity jitters, but this one feels different.
he doesn't hate it one bit.
mark shakes his head, fondly smiling at donghyuck. reaching out, he touches his cheek with the back of his hand before saying, "wala, tinanong niya lang kung sino ka. sabi ko kay tito na kaibigan kita.”
donghyuck nods, dropping the subject.
it didn't take a while for mark's relatives and younger cousins to warm up to his friend, especially when not only donghyuck was a new face, but the younger was also good with kids.
"tayô naman yung magaling sumayaw diyan! naa ta’y premyo sa pinakahawd musayaw!" yaya ng host sa harap. mark playfully points at his friend who kept on shaking his head vigorously, making an ‘x’ sign with his arms.
(“may premyo ang pinakamagaling sumayaw!”)
to the younger’s dismay, hindi nakinig ang host at niyaya siya sa harap para sumayaw along with a few of mark’s cousins. the older looks at him fondly, his phone already pulled out to take a video. pulang pula na ang tenga at mukha ni donghyuck, and he could only pull a few shy moves. nakakahiya naman sa mga batang todo effort sa pagsayaw, diba?
on the other hand, the host continued to hype the contestants kaya walang nagawa si mark kundi matawa, letting out cheers for donghyuck every now and then.
"sama ng ugali mo," donghyuck says habang nakakunot ang noo, playfully hitting mark sa braso pagkabalik niya sa kinauupuan nila. "ang sabi mo, sasamahan lang kita sa family reunion niyo, pero wala naman sa usapan natin ang sumayaw ako sa harap ng mga relatives mo."
…and there's that flip again.
mark swallows down that feeling, giving donghyuck a grin. "nag-enjoy man kaha ka, langga?" lightly bumping shoulders with him. the younger tries to fight off the smile that's creeping up to his face by pursing his lips, shrugging.
(“nag-enjoy ka man kaya, langga?”)
“sakto lang,” donghyuck says. the older doesn't push further, alam niya naman ang katotohanan based on how donghyuck was smiling from ear to ear, unable to stop himself.
-:-
"kuya pogi, hello po! kinsa ka? " donghyuck was taken aback when he was asked in bisaya by a kid (he’s guessing he’s around 10 years old, give or take). his personal translator best friend, mark lee, left to buy soft drinks at the nearest sari-sari store kaya naiwan siya ngayong kasama ang isa sa mga pinsan ni mark.
(“sino ka?”)
donghyuck fumbles to find the right words. "langga, i'm sorry. 'di ko gets…" he scratches his nape awkwardly.
the kid, whose nickname he discovered only recently was actually mino after getting called by his mom, raises an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side. "kuya, how come ‘di ka makasabot pero gitawag ko nimo ug langga?"
at this point, gusto nalang magpalamon ni donghyuck sa lupa. nakakahiya, wala siyang alam ni isang bisaya word maliban sa langga na ni si mark ayaw sabihin sa kanya kung ano ang meaning nito. napaka-gatekeeper talaga kahit kailan.
"um, ano?"
mino sighs, “ang sabi ko po… how come ‘di ka po nakakaintindi pero tinawag mo akong langga?” he asks, confused. donghyuck’s mouth forms an ‘o’. shouldn’t he be calling the kid that? was it offensive?
"hala, hindi ba dapat?" donghyuck panics, a worried tone in his voice. he could probably be cursing a child all this time.
mino shakes his head, giving the older a small smile. "it means dear po… beloved, pinakamamahal. natutunan ko po sa vernacular subject namin." he says proudly, showing off a toothy grin as he grips his ipad closer to his chest.
donghyuck, who has always been so fond of kids, reaches out to give mino a soft pat on the head. "ang galing naman ng mino langga na ‘yan." not long after, they engage themselves in a conversation of… well, things donghyuck is not familiar with like roblox and minecraft youtubers.
he tries to pay attention to what mino was saying, but the thought of mark calling him beloved in his mother tongue made donghyuck warm, the feeling sitting inside his chest nicely.
no wonder he says it so gently with me.
-:-
"wala man lang ka nag-ingon na magdala ka’g uyab? gipa-ila ila unta na nimo dayon samoa e," mark’s distant cousin nudges his shoulder before downing the drink he’s holding in one go. "lahi kayka’g aura kapag kauban nimo siya, min. ayaw na na biyai, ah?"
(“hindi ka man lang nagsabi na magdadala ka ng kowa? pinakilala mo na sana sa’min kagad,”)
(“iba ang aura mo kapag kasama mo siya, min. ‘wag mong iwan ‘yan ah?”)
parehong nakatingin ang dalawang magpinsan sa kung paano makipaglaro si donghyuck kasama ang mga pinsan at pamangkin nito. mark feels the jittery feeling inside his stomach rise up to his chest, and as if it’s found its right place, that jitter soon turns into warmth. mark also knows that if he lets it, it’s going to end up consuming him.
a little while later, donghyuck's eyes meet mark's kaya napahinto saglit ang play session niya kasama ang mga bata before trudging towards the older's direction. mark's cousin excuses himself, not forgetting to greet donghyuck before going back to kitchen to get a drink and to give the two their privacy.
"mukhang nag-eenjoy ka ah?" mark grins at donghyuck who has his arms crossed over his chest.
"galit ako sa'yo," donghyuck says as a matter of factly, his forehead creasing as he frowns. and god, mark wants nothing to do but kiss it so it smoothes out. "you could've just said something, you know?"
"huh?" mark snaps out of his trance, concerned. may nagawa nanaman ba siya? may nasabi ba siya? may nalaman ba si donghyuck na ‘di niya dapat malaman mula sa kamag-anak niya?
"sabi ni aying na sabi ng papa niya sa kanya — which, if i may add ah? — na sabi mo, jowa mo raw ako," donghyuck squints his eyes, his stare boring into mark’s soul. para bang wala na siyang kawala. “ah, ‘di pala jowa yung term. uyab."
“mark, bakit? sana sinabihan mo nalang ako? hindi ko tuloy alam paano ko sasabihin sa mga relatives mo na walang namamagitan sa’tin dahil ang saya nilang tingnan na may dinala ka na rito sa inyo.” donghyuck is upset. more than upset, he guesses that the right term for it is confused.
mark rubs the back of his neck and lets out an exasperated sigh. “it slipped out… i’m sorry.” he apologizes, squeezing his eyes shut. the thoughts currently running through his head right now makes mark want to throw up. "do you…" he starts.
"do i what?" hyuck almost snaps, and it took so much for mark not to visibly flinch.
"do you really hate the idea of being in a relationship with me? even if it's fake?" mark asks, sadness evident in the tone of his voice.
the question seemed to take hyuck by surprise, the younger unable to answer mark. the latter balls his hands to a fist, head hung low. he lets out a sigh before lifting his head and giving hyuck a pained smile. he'll consider the younger's silence his answer.
"it's fine, sorry. i shouldn't have as—"
"hate? do i hate the idea? mark, matagal na kitang gusto, and you know what upsets me? it's not how you called me your boyfriend, it's probably how you would settle for something— shit," donghyuck cuts himself off, rubbing his face with his hands. he has said something he knows he shouldn't have.
mark swears he felt his world stop. he could only blink, staring at hyuck in complete silence. "gusto mo ako?"
"sa lahat lahat ng sinabi ko, ‘yan lang ang nakuha mo? mark naman," donghyuck whines in complete frustration. “oo, oo! gusto kita, kaya noong nalaman kong you would settle for a fake one, it made me think about how you probably wouldn't want a real thing with me.”
"langga," mark calls out and hyuck wants to melt right then and there. it's really something in the way he says the word and the way he's only saying it to hyuck makes it… well, special when it's just a common endearment. "of course i want that with you. 'di lang ako sigurado if you're comfortable with it. i'm sorry sa ganoong paraan mo pa nalaman."
hyuck looks away, still crossing his arms na para bang nagtatampo pa ito. mark almost bursts out cooing with how cute he looks right now. “so does this make me your uyab if you like me as well?”
and so, mark does something he usually wouldn’t do— he places both of his hands on the younger's waist, gently pulling him closer. “yes, baby, and my palangga as well.” mark says as his eyes trail down to hyuck's lips before completely closing the gap between them, placing a tender kiss on the younger's lips. they can both feel each other smile through their shared kiss, fondness taking its place in the midst of what they have.
“hala ma o, si kuya min! igat!”
(“hala si kuya min! malandi!”)
"mino! bibig mo!"