Work Text:
donghyuck is feeling good.
he’s fresh off a very solid movie date with none other than yena, yes, that yena, the campus goddess, the muse of instagram stories, the untouchable queen of every group project. and now here they are, sitting side by side in a cozy bar just a short walk from the theatre, bathed in moody purple lights and sipping fancy overpriced drinks like they’re in a low-budget k-drama.
he’s doing great. it’s going well. he hasn’t made a single self-deprecating joke about capitalism yet.
yena’s got this laugh that makes you think everything’s going to be okay. she’s teasing him about crying during the dog scene in the movie (he didn’t cry, it was just, okay, a sniffle, but the dog was dying, come on), and she’s smiling a lot, and donghyuck is thinking: this is it. this is the start of something good.
and then it happens.
the devil walks in.
he doesn’t actually have horns, not visible ones, at least, but he’s wearing a black leather jacket, and donghyuck thinks that should count for something. his hair is perfectly tousled, like he walked out of a music video. the one who makes everyone, everyone, look. including yena.
donghyuck's eyes track him like a moth drawn to a really smug flame.
he takes a slow sip of his drink and leans into yena.
“everyone’s staring at that guy, right?” he asks, voice low.
yena blinks, eyes scanning the bar lazily. “which guy?”
donghyuck subtly gestures with his glass. “leather jacket. walks like the floor is lucky to have him.”
“oh,” she says, then shrugs. “yeah. he’s hot.”
donghyuck chokes on his drink.
"i’m right here," he sputters.
yena just smiles. “don’t worry, hyuck. you’re hot, too.”
not hot like that, though. not hot like the devil.
mark slides up to the bar like he’s been doing it all his life. then, oh no, he moves closer. closer to them. and then, like some villain straight out of donghyuck's most unhinged internal monologues, he does the unthinkable.
mark leans in, smirks directly at donghyuck, and says, “i’d love to get your next drink.”
donghyuck freezes.
what the hell.
did this man, this beautifully tragic rockstar in a jacket, just flirt with his date? right in front of him? the audacity. the shamelessness. the sheer nerve.
he places a protective hand on yena’s shoulder, standing straighter. “well, she’s with me,” he says, and god, he hopes his voice doesn’t crack.
the guy doesn’t even blink.
“drinks for both of you then,” he says, totally unfazed.
the bartender slides a glass toward him, and he catches it with practiced ease. takes a slow sip, then licks his bottom lip as he sets the drink back down.
donghyuck’s breath hitches. just a little. barely noticeable, except the guy notices. of course he does.
a knowing smirk curls at the edge of his mouth. not loud, not cocky. just sure of himself in a way that makes donghyuck's blood heat and his brain short-circuit.
he glances at yena for reassurance, like maybe she also sees how insane this is, but,
she’s looking at the guy too. intrigued. amused.
donghyuck scoffs quietly. unbelievable. he’s right here and this guy’s still putting on a show, licking his lips and smirking like it’s an audition reel. like donghyuck’s invisible.
he’s so deep in his spiraling thoughts that he doesn’t even notice the guy sticking a hand out until it’s right in front of him.
“i’m mark lee, by the way.”
donghyuck stares at the hand like it’s a trap. like the second he touches it, he’ll be cursed or hypnotized or worse, flustered in high definition.
he takes it anyway. mostly because not taking it would make him look like a loser.
their fingers touch.
electric. of course it is.
donghyuck tightens his jaw. “i’m donghyuck,” he grits out, like he’s being held at gunpoint.
he could have anyone he wants. anyone. why yena, man.
mark’s smile widens just slightly. “nice to meet you, donghyuck.”
“can’t say the same,” donghyuck mutters before he can stop himself.
“ouch,” mark says, still smiling, still annoyingly calm, like he expected it.
donghyuck’s hand is still on yena’s shoulder, but he’s not looking at her anymore. he’s glaring at mark with enough heat to set that stupid leather jacket on fire.
mark? looks unfazed. smug. annoying. hot.
donghyuck wants to throw himself into the ocean.
***
donghyuck cannot shut up about mark.
he's telling jaemin about it over breakfast. telling jeno during their roommate grocery run. texting renjun paragraphs mid-lecture.
"he had no shame," donghyuck whines, pacing the living room. "he looked at me like he knew. like he was challenging me."
"challenging you for what?" jeno asks, unbothered, munching cereal.
"for yena!" donghyuck groans. "he wants her. he wants my girl."
jaemin squints at him. “you’re not dating her, though.”
“yet, jaemin. not yet. i’m in phase two of the wooing process.”
renjun, who’s been nursing his tea and trying to ignore them, finally speaks. “if he’s so hot and such a threat, why do you keep describing him like you’re writing a love song?”
donghyuck gasps. “i am not. i’m describing a villain.”
“a sexy villain,” jaemin hums. “leather jacket. smirks. challenges you with drinks?”
“thank you,” donghyuck says, pointing aggressively. “that’s the problem. he could have anyone. but no, he comes for yena. while i’m right there. who does that?”
jeno looks up from his cereal. “maybe he was hitting on you.”
donghyuck short circuits again. “what?”
“yeah,” jaemin grins. “what if this mark was flirting with you, not yena?”
“you’re all delusional,” donghyuck mutters, cheeks warm. “he literally said, ‘i’d love to get your next drink’ while looking at yena.”
jeno: “you said he looked at you.”
donghyuck: “well, he was in the general direction of, anyway! he wants my yena.”
***
it is totally donghyuck’s bad luck that the next time they show up to a college party, they come across mark again , and worse, he ends up on the same couch.
right next to them.
they’re halfway through some drinking game donghyuck’s not even pretending to care about. he’s sitting close to yena, their knees touching, her hand resting casually in his under a throw blanket someone passed them. under normal circumstances, he’d be over the moon. focused on the way her fingers play with his. making her laugh. whispering dumb inside jokes just to see her grin.
but.
mark drops into the seat beside yena like he’s claimed it with divine right. who somehow looks stupidly good under hazy dorm lighting.
yena turns her head when mark sits down, giving him a polite smile. “hey, you again.”
“guess i’m just lucky,” mark says, easy and unbothered.
donghyuck resists the urge to roll his eyes straight into the back of his skull.
mark lifts his red cup, gives it a little swirl.
“either this is jet fuel or someone’s trying to knock us out early.”
yena huffs a laugh. “you got the wrong batch. jimin’s been mixing drinks like it’s a chemistry final.”
“great,” mark says, inspecting the cup like it just betrayed him. “guess i’ll see god before midnight.”
“bathroom floor, probably,” yena teases, and they both laugh, hers bright, his warm and easy.
yena’s still leaning into him, donghyuck reminds himself. her hand’s in his. their fingers are loosely laced under the blanket someone tossed across their laps. her body’s tucked against his side, not mark’s.
she’s just being polite. making conversation. it would be rude not to.
it’s fine.
he tries to convince himself.
tries not to notice how his chest has gone a little tight. how his grip on her hand tightens just slightly, and she doesn’t say anything. just shifts closer, like she’s trying to warm him up.
but that does nothing to comfort donghyuck.
he finds himself looking at mark again.
he doesn’t even know if it’s the same leather jacket or if mark owns a whole cursed rotation of them. it honestly doesn’t matter.
he looks like sex and confidence and bad decisions, sprawled across the couch like he owns the air around them. like he knows exactly what he’s doing.
so annoying.
mark leans into yena again, says something low, something only she hears.
she laughs, really laughs this time. head thrown back, eyes crinkled, full and unguarded.
donghyuck downs the rest of his drink in one go.
it burns. tastes like rubbing alcohol and regret. he needs more.
he’s hyperaware of everything mark is doing, how his fingers tap against the rim of his red cup, how his knee brushes against yena’s like it’s casual, how his voice is calm and just the right amount of low, how he throws his head back when he laughs like the world is already his.
like he knows he’s haunting donghyuck’s brain.
donghyuck stares at the opposite wall. nods at something someone says beside him. pretends to care.
but all he hears is mark’s laugh.
something twists sharp in his stomach. frustration, probably. or jealousy. or nausea. he can’t tell.
Objectively, Donghyuck knows he’s attractive. he knows he’s funny and smart and worth someone’s attention.
but right now?
right now, he feels like he’s losing.
doesn’t even know what game they’re playing, just that mark’s winning.
and then, mark catches him staring.
just a flicker of eye contact. brief, but heavy.
mark doesn’t say anything. doesn’t need to.
he smiles. not fully. just the ghost of one.
taunting. smug. like he’s watching donghyuck unravel and loving it.
donghyuck’s breath catches.
he looks away instantly.
so annoying.
***
later, in the back of the uber, the air is cool and the window’s cracked just enough to let the night in. donghyuck’s head is spinning. too much to drink, too much to think about.
he’s dropping yena home first. gentleman that he is.
they’re leaning against each other, soft and sleepy. not too close. just enough.
“he was so hitting on you,” donghyuck blurts out. it slips out louder than he meant, whiny and a little slurred.
yena blinks at him. then snorts. “you’re overthinking, baby.”
he glares weakly. “he barely even looked at me,” she adds, rolling her eyes.
“he was staring at you, though.”
donghyuck rolls his eyes. right.
she goes quiet, frowning slightly, thoughtful. “...now that i think about it, you were looking at him too.”
he jerks back. “what?”
she narrows her eyes, mock serious. “do i need to know something?”
“you are not taking me seriously,” he groans, flopping his head back. “he’s trying to woo you so hard.”
yena laughs and leans in to press a kiss to his cheek. soft. easy. grounding.
“aww, don’t worry,” she murmurs. “even if he is, i’m not wooed at all.”
another kiss on his temple. one on his nose.
he finally laughs, letting himself lean into her a little more, holding her hand tighter like he’s won something.
the car slows in front of her building.
he closes his eyes, feeling the ghost of her kisses still warm on his face.
and then,
mark’s face flashes in his mind.
his stomach churns.
so annoying.
***
donghyuck has a routine now.
he wakes up. brushes his teeth. makes breakfast for the house. and then complains about mark lee.
“you know what kind of sociopath wears leather in june?” he says one morning, aggressively chopping scallions like they personally wronged him. “a narcissist. that’s who. a smirky-faced, self-obsessed, ”
“oh my god, you’re obsessed,” jaemin yawns, stealing a piece of egg toast right off the pan. “you’ve said his name more than yena’s this week.”
“because he’s literally trying to ruin my life,” donghyuck huffs, brandishing the spatula like a weapon. “he flirts with my date. then shows up at a completely different party two days later like it’s a coincidence. and yesterday, get this, he winked at me when we passed on campus.”
jeno tilts his head, frowning thoughtfully. “did you wink back?”
donghyuck glares at him. “jeno.”
“just checking.”
***
if donghyuck had any doubts about mark being a devil before, well, he definitely doesn’t anymore.
he sees him everywhere now. bars, campus events, late-night food trucks, even that stupid pop-up art show yena dragged him to. and every single time, mark’s there. looking like a walking pinterest board, leaning against walls like he invented posture, making eye contact with just enough intensity to send donghyuck into a full-blown spiral.
and the worst part?
he’s also nice.
infuriatingly, annoyingly, blindingly nice. so nice that donghyuck’s convinced it’s some kind of tactical warfare. angelic with demonic undertones. he buys drinks for the whole table. compliments yena’s earrings like he means it. and tells donghyuck, with a straight face, that his laugh is “kind of cute when it’s not aimed at insulting people.”
donghyuck’s brain short-circuits for the third time this week.
“he’s mocking me,” he hisses to renjun later that night, curled on the couch like a cursed victorian child. hoodie up. eyes unhinged.
renjun doesn’t even look up from his phone. “he said you have a nice laugh.”
“exactly.”
finally, renjun looks at him. slow. blank-faced. like this is the final straw in a very long list of grievances against donghyuck’s whole personality.
he sighs. deeply. like he’s aged twenty years in the span of one conversation.
“you’re so dumb.”
***
donghyuck can’t escape mark.
which, honestly, might be some kind of cruel cosmic joke.
it’s his last shift before the weekend, and he’s clocking out, already dreaming about crashing on the couch wrapped in a blanket burrito and ignoring society for the next 36 hours straight.
“see you tomorrow, yangyang,” he calls, waving to his coworker, who’s deep in the zone rearranging pastries like it’s a sacred ritual.
he’s walking to the exit, bag slung over his shoulder, when he glances toward the trash bin, and freezes.
because there he is.
mark lee.
in a short-sleeve t-shirt, arms fully exposed, tossing his empty coffee cup like he’s in a dramatic cinematic moment. the kind with slow motion and an indie soundtrack. the kind that makes donghyuck’s brain go completely static.
and then, worse, mark looks up, notices him, and smiles.
donghyuck swears his brain does a full reboot.
“hey, donghyuck,” mark says, voice as smooth and unfair as ever. “you work here?”
“uh, yeah. i was on baking duty,” donghyuck replies, voice just a little too high, still recovering from the visual punch of mark’s forearms.
mark glances toward the back kitchen, then back at him. “cool. you always look this good after a shift?”
donghyuck blinks. what.
he opens his mouth. closes it again. is mark messing with him?
next thing he knows, they’re walking home together.
“it’s totally fine,” mark had said when donghyuck tried to protest. “it’s on my way. i want to.”
and donghyuck, who definitely does not care about mark lee or his casually charming forearms or his flirty little comments, somehow didn’t say no.
they stroll out into the early evening, donghyuck pulls out his earbuds, scrolling through his music before offering one to mark.
he might hate mark. and mark might be trying to steal his girl. but donghyuck is a polite person, okay?
they walk in silence for a bit, music filling the space between them. there’s the occasional sound of traffic, a couple kids laughing nearby. it’s weirdly peaceful.
“so… you listen to justin bieber,” mark says, grin audible in his voice.
donghyuck immediately feels his neck flush. traitor playlist. he wasn’t even paying attention.
“it’s okay,” mark shrugs, completely unbothered. “i listen to him too. totally not judging.”
donghyuck squints. “you sure?”
mark just nods solemnly, like they’ve made a sacred pact.
the song switches. grenade by bruno mars comes on, and donghyuck tenses, glancing sideways to see if mark is judging this one.
mark’s expression stays unreadable for a moment. then he looks at donghyuck and says, “i guess we do have very similar interests.”
donghyuck snorts. right. mark lee, of all people, listens to early 2010s heartbreak bops.
“really,” mark grins. “my friends would roast me alive for bruno mars.”
“same,” donghyuck laughs. “they say i’m stuck in 2010.”
then, without warning, mark throws his head back and belts, “i’d catch a grenade for ya, ”
his voice cracks halfway through. it’s loud. it’s horrible. it’s fully committed.
donghyuck doubles over laughing, nearly tripping over a sidewalk crack. “you’re crazy.”
mark just grins, eyes sparkling. it’s that grin again, half challenge, half what are you gonna do about it? and it’s doing terrible things to donghyuck’s blood pressure.
they keep walking, music playing softly between them. donghyuck is painfully aware of how sweaty and gross he probably looks after a six-hour shift, and how mark, of course, still looks like he walked out of someone’s imagination.
by the time they reach his street, the conversation’s drifted into dumb internet trends and niche tiktoks. somewhere in the middle of mark ranting about how oat milk is a scam, they’d exchanged numbers.
as donghyuck climbs the stairs to his place, still dazed, his phone buzzes.
unknown number:
a meme of a cat wearing comically large headphones. the caption says:
“please don’t stop the mew-sic”
with an added text bubble:
“kinda looks like you”
donghyuck stares at it for a beat. mark lee is dangerous, he thinks.
***
donghyuck gets home to his shared apartment to find the others in their natural state: jaemin and renjun on the floor with snacks they didn’t pay for, jeno upside down on the couch like gravity is a suggestion. friends is playing on the TV, but no one’s really watching.
“guys,” donghyuck says, dead serious. “mark lee is dangerous.”
jeno doesn’t even look up. “we know.”
“no,” donghyuck says, tossing a throw pillow aside like it offended him, “listen.”
he starts pacing. this is a presentation now.
“he’s not just hot. he’s insanely hot. like, unfairly hot. stupid face. stupid arms. stupid voice. and, charismatic.”
renjun doesn’t blink. “you’ve been saying that.”
“but also,” donghyuck insists, raising a hand like he’s about to make a courtroom objection, “he’s a dork. a genuine dork. he literally burst into ‘i’d catch a grenade for ya’ in the middle of the street. voice cracked. full volume. no warning.”
there’s a beat of silence.
jeno exhales slowly, like he’s watching someone walk off a cliff in slow motion. “you’re gone.”
“i’m not!” donghyuck cries. “i just, I have to step up my game, okay? or he’s gonna steal yena from me.”
jaemin immediately facepalms. “oh my god.”
renjun groans, gets up, and walks straight into the kitchen like he needs to be as far from the stupidity as possible.
jeno flips himself upright just so he can glare at him properly. “hyuck.”
“what?”
“you’re not losing yena to mark.”
donghyuck blinks. “...i’m not?”
“you’re losing yourself to mark.”
donghyuck gapes. “no, it’s not like that, I am telling you, ”
jaemin, still facepalming, mutters through his fingers: “this is so much worse than i thought.”
from the kitchen, renjun yells, “we need to stage an exorcism!”
“i don’t need an exorcism!” donghyuck shouts back. “i need a plan!”
jeno sighs deeply and reaches for the remote. “no, what you need is to admit you’ve got a full-blown crush on the guy.”
“i don’t.”
donghyuck’s phone buzzes.
another meme from mark.
this time it’s a cat wearing glasses, staring very seriously at a laptop. the caption reads:
“when you google the lyrics of a song and realize you’ve been singing nonsense for the past 6 months.”
donghyuck stares at the screen, thumb hovering.
his lips twitch.
jeno doesn’t even glance up from the tv screen. “you’re smiling again.”
donghyuck, defensively: “it’s a cat meme?”
“sure,” jaemin says, gesturing at the TV. “this is literally ross and rachel but if ross were emotionally repressed and rachel was mark lee.”
donghyuck hurls a pillow at him. “shut up.”
“i literally have a thing with yena!”
“you’ve hung out with mark more than yena this week,” jaemin points out.
donghyuck opens his mouth to argue. closes it. frowns.
...oh.
***
it’s saturday, officially the weekend, and donghyuck’s in mark lee’s room instead of doing literally anything else.
this should’ve been weird. it’s not.
the windows are cracked open, letting in sunlight and the occasional sound of traffic. there are guitar picks scattered across the bed, notebooks lying half-open on the floor, and mark, mark is sitting cross-legged, busking quietly on his guitar like they’re not two hours deep into singing random throwback pop songs.
donghyuck’s on the floor, head leaning against the edge of the bed, watching the dust spin in the sun. he’s singing.
“all i need is a beauty and a beat, who can make my life complete…”
mark hums along, completely unfazed. like this is just another saturday.
and maybe it is.
but somewhere in between the second chorus and mark’s completely off-key harmony, donghyuck has a crisis.
because.
wait.
where is yena?
like, not physically, he knows she’s out of town this weekend. but when did he stop trying to text her? or stalk her instagram stories? or care about whether mark was trying to steal her from him?
he’s been seeing mark more than yena lately.
and now that he thinks about it…
maybe mark wasn’t trying to steal yena after all.
maybe donghyuck’s just been circling his own disaster this whole time.
and to make matters worse, mark isn’t even wearing the leather jacket today. he’s in a plaid shirt, glasses perched on his nose, looking like someone who stays up late annotating poetry books and cries over sad movies. he looks like a nerd.
so why, why, does donghyuck still want to kiss him stupid?
why is his heart fluttering like he’s some extra in a high school romance?
he swallows hard and shifts, looking anywhere but mark.
and for the first time, just a little, he lets the idea in.
maybe.
just maybe.
he’s got a tiny crush on mark lee.
***
“you’re so stupid,” renjun says. not for the first time.
they’re walking back from the corner store, sharing a bag of hot chips. the street is quiet. the sky is smeared with late-afternoon blue. donghyuck’s been unusually silent the whole walk, which is how renjun knew something was up.
“thanks?” donghyuck replies, chewing.
“you’re stupid and blind.”
“okay, rude.”
renjun tosses a chip at him. it bounces off his shoulder.
“you like him.”
donghyuck blinks. “who?”
“don’t do that.”
“i’m not doing anything.”
“you’re literally falling in love with him and still trying to be in denial”
donghyuck scoffs, wiping his fingers on his jeans. “that’s dramatic.”
“so are you,” renjun deadpans. “and so is this whole thing.”
donghyuck groans. “it’s complicated, okay?”
renjun shrugs. “doesn’t have to be.”
but donghyuck’s already looking away, the chip bag crinkling in his hands. already thinking about yena.
***
it’s tuesday. yena has no classes tomorrow.
donghyuck is not going to his.
he feels guilty for spending so much time with mark, especially since he and yena “have a thing.”
and lately, that “thing” feels messier than ever, because there’s this tiny crush on mark he’s trying to shove down.
he borrows his uncle’s truck for the night.
he surprises yena with a makeshift beach movie date in the back, fairy lights, her favorite snacks, Titanic playing on his laptop, starry night sky above.
it’s really romantic, and donghyuck’s proud of every detail.
he really likes her.
she’s smart, funny, and her laugh still makes him feel like he’s home.
but when yena leans in and kisses him, while Jack’s kissing Rose on screen, it’s supposed to feel perfect.
but all donghyuck feels is a churning stomach and how wrong this feels.
all he can think about is mark.
and the last indifferent “hmmm” mark sent after donghyuck showed off the whole date setup.
he knows he should feel sorry for yena.
that everything’s perfect and yet he’s thinking about mark.
but honestly?
donghyuck can’t stop wishing it was mark beside him instead.
***
donghyuck worries that mark will treat him differently now but two days later, mark is waiting for him after his cafe shift.
“wanna grab ice cream?” mark asks, looking dangerously handsome in a white shirt with sleeves bunched up to his elbows.
donghyuck thinks it’s unfair, he just finished a six-hour shift and probably looks terrible, but mark doesn’t seem to mind.
they sit in the ice cream parlor. mark’s got a plain vanilla cone, donghyuck’s having chocolate.
they talk about nothing. something dumb on tiktok. a weird customer from earlier. it’s comfortable.
then mark gets a little smear of ice cream on the corner of his mouth, and donghyuck points without thinking.
mark grins, leans in a little.
“do the Secret Garden scene to me,” he says, voice full aegyo and zero shame.
it’s so dumb. so very mark.
donghyuck’s heart stutters in his chest.
and then, before he even processes it, he leans in and kisses mark.
it’s quick. soft. barely a brush.
but it’s real.
he pulls back just enough to see mark’s eyes wide, lips parted, completely stunned.
the realization hits like a punch.
shit.
donghyuck stumbles out of the booth, almost knocking his knee into the edge of the table.
he doesn’t say anything. doesn’t look back. just walks out into the warm night air, everything inside him in chaos.
he leans against the wall, heart pounding. presses his fingers to his lips.
they’re still sticky. still sweet.
he likes mark.
he knows it now.
maybe he’s known for a while.
and he feels like the worst person in the world, because there’s still yena.
still this thing between them he’s been pretending isn’t falling apart.
he exhales shakily.
he can’t keep running from this.
before anything else, before mark, he needs to talk to her.
he should’ve done it sooner.
and now, it’s too late to pretend he doesn’t know what he wants.
***
the next day, donghyuck meets yena at their usual café.
he has a speech prepared.
he’s practiced it in the mirror.
it was full of dignity and maturity and phrases like mutual emotional respect.
instead, what comes out is:
“i kissed someone else.”
yena blinks. then blinks again. “what.”
“it wasn’t planned!” donghyuck says, panicked. “i- it was like a possession. he said a thing and then i- ”
yena throws her iced latte at him.
(half lands on his shirt. the other half on the table. it’s deserved.)
“was it him?” she asks, voice sharp. “is it mark, donghyuck?”
he hesitates. looks down. “...maybe.”
“maybe?”
“...yes.”
yena groans like she’s being tortured by the gods themselves. “oh my god. i told you he liked you.”
“i didn’t know! he was, he was all smirky and confident and too hot! i thought he was flirting with you!”
“you’re unbelievable,” she says, standing and grabbing her bag.
“are we still friends?” he asks, guilt pooling in his chest.
she stares at him for a beat.
“we will be. but right now? you’re an asshole.”
***
mark is waiting in his car.
because of course he is.
he’s been blowing up donghyuck’s phone all night with the world’s most annoying texts.
“choose me”
“u like me more”
“let’s kiss again for confirmation”
“i’m objectively hotter. ask anyone.”
donghyuck, halfway to losing his mind, had finally texted back:
“i have to be honest to yena first.”
which should’ve shut mark up.
it didn’t.
instead, mark doubled down and insisted on coming “for emotional support,” claiming he’d just wait in the car like a well-behaved bystander.
and donghyuck, because he’s weak and stupid and really bad at saying no to mark, had let him.
now he’s dripping in iced latte and emotional shame, slinking into the passenger seat like a soggy cat.
mark blinks at him. “wow. that bad?”
donghyuck slams the door shut. “she threw her drink at me.”
“i mean, fair.”
“you said you’d stay in the car and not talk.”
mark laughs.
donghyuck hides his face in his hands. “you’re laughing? it was so embarrassing. everyone was looking at me.”
mark reaches across the console and pats his thigh, comforting. “it’s okay. at least the latte was iced, not hot.”
donghyuck peeks from between his fingers, glares. then groans into his hands. “i ruined everything.”
“hey.” mark shifts slightly, turning toward him. “look at the bright side. now you can kiss me as much as you want without feeling guilty.”
donghyuck scoffs. what kind of logic is that? “i don’t want to kiss you at all,” he says, pouting.
“ouch. and here i was hoping you’d finally take responsibility for stealing my heart.”
donghyuck’s ears go red.
he’s not stupid. he knows now, clearly, that mark likes him. they haven’t had time to talk about it. not properly.
but just hearing it out loud?
it’s making him melt.
he likes me back. oh my god.
“just drive, mark. i want to shower.”
they drive in silence, donghyuck can feel mark glance at him every now and then, like there’s something he wants to say but doesn’t know how to start.
“what?” donghyuck asks eventually.
mark keeps his eyes on the road. “you know i’m proud of you, right?”
donghyuck blinks, caught off guard.
“i’m serious,” mark says, his voice softer now. “i know it wasn’t easy for you. but donghyuck, thank you. thank you for giving me a chance.”
he glances over briefly before continuing, “if it wasn’t already obvious, i’ve been kind of crazy about you since the beginning. so crazy i was convinced you were my soulmate.”
there’s a pause, quiet except for the hum of the engine.
“and besides,” mark says, eyes still forward, “you did the hard thing. you didn’t lie. you didn’t pretend. that matters. she’ll come around- eventually.”
donghyuck stares down at his lap. his shirt’s still damp, but his heart feels just a little lighter.
“…i like you,” he mutters.
he’s pretty sure he’s falling in love.
mark’s quiet for a beat.
then: “i like you too.”
and this time, his smile is nothing but real.
***
“so how’s yena?” jaemin asks one lazy sunday, flipping through a magazine.
“she’s fine,” donghyuck says. “she’s dating a girl now. named rina. they’re really cute.”
“do they know you thought mark was trying to steal her?”
“yes. they laughed in my face.”
jaemin smirks. “so did we.”
“i’m surrounded by traitors.”
jeno hums. “well, at least the story has a happy ending.”
“yeah,” renjun says with a grin. “turns out it was always: hands off mark, not hands off, mark.”
donghyuck flips them all off with both hands and a smile on his face.
mark texts him:
“hey, wanna come over? i miss u.”
donghyuck replies:
“on my way, thief.”