Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Ladies and gentlemen, we would be now be landing in Toronto Pearson International Airport. Hope you had an enjoyable flight, thank you for flying with us," the cool and pleasant voice of the head air stewardess permeated the speakers of the aircraft, waking a few disgruntled passengers.

Donghyuck woke with a start; his face pressed against the open window of the airplane, his breath fogging up the glass. He hastily wiped off the telltale signs of drool from the corner of his mouth and massaged his stiff neck.

"12 hours sure is a long ass flight," he thought to himself, disgruntled at the aches that were beginning to agonize his neck, back and shoulders after sleeping in such an awkward position for half a day.

As the picturesque city of Toronto started coming into view while the airplane made is descent onto the ground, Donghyuck brightened up, and smiled to himself. He was finally here. After two years of longing, missing, and wishing that he could finally visit the place his significant other resided and studied at, he had finally reached his destination. His heart was palpitating - not because of the rather choppy descent, but because of his excitement at the prospect of finally seeing Jeno after two years of insufficient Skype calls, being 6000 miles apart, and the unfulfilled promises of visiting him in Toronto. Donghyuck's heart fluttered at the thought of seeing his ridiculously handsome face and his adorable eye smile - something about that raven haired boy always made Donghyuck go weak in the knees, and his heart rate haywire. He had always prided with the fact that the two of them managed to maintain their long-distance relationship for two out of three years of being together - that certainly had to say something about the strength of their relationship, right?

Donghyuck exited the airplane, giving an awkward bow to the air stewardess as she bade him goodbye. He beamed around his surroundings, grateful for the change of air after two years of being holed up in a university campus in Korea, slogging over music sheets and overdue assignments. He stretched his arms out, as though embracing the new chapter ahead of him.

They were going to be much closer after this, right? All those nagging doubts Donghyuck had about their relationship during those two years went flying out of the window after he received a mail from Jeno, with an airline ticket straight to Toronto, where he lived. They were going to be the same again, just like how they were before Jeno went abroad, their relationship would be pretty much sealed after all the pains Donghyuck went through just to see Jeno again. Nothing would get in the way of them two.

Or would there?

Chapter Text

Donghyuck’s eyes scanned the crowd nervously, seeking a raven-haired boy amongst the blondes and brunettes walking past in the arrival hall. He was having a difficult time trying to adjust himself to the strange surroundings in the foreign country, being amidst so many white people who were around twice his height. Donghyuck shrank back slightly, intimidated, as a rather large man bumped into him, chattering away on his phone, when he heard a familiar voice.

“Donghyuck! Here, here!”

Donghyuck spotted Jeno in the crowd, waving his arm furiously and carrying a teddy bear in the other. His face lit up into bright smile as he charged forward and launched himself into his open arms.

“You’re here! You actually made it, after like, 2 years,” Jeno laughed, ruffling Donghyuck’s auburn hair.

“Missed you loads,” Donghyuck mumbled, clingy as usual, wrapping his arms around Jeno’s neck like a koala, and kissing the latter’s cheek.

After five minutes of lowkey headlocking Jeno, the boy pushed him away slightly, looking embarrassed. He thrusted the soft toy into a puzzled Donghyuck’s arms, smiling.

“This is for you. You can name him Ted, after that movie that you love so much. Something to remember me by when you go home,” Jeno explained, looking proud of himself.

“Wow, I - thank you,” he muttered, his heart fluttering at Jeno’s sweet gesture, hugging the teddy bear to his chest, beaming at him.

“Come on, I’ll take you to my place - Jaehyun and Renjun will be expecting you,” Jeno says, pulling Donghyuck’s luggage in one hand, and taking his hand in the other.

***

Jeno’s apartment - dormitory, rather - was located in the outskirts of town, nearby the University of Toronto, where he studied Theatre with his three other roommates, Jaehyun and Renjun. It was a rather small but cozy place - a plush sofa in the middle of the living room, a table perfect for four at the corner of the kitchenette, and a mini study area that was frequently fought over - evident by the papers and files cluttered on the desk, the chair and the floor. Donghyuck smiled to himself. Now this is cozy, he thought to himself. Initially, he wasn’t expecting much of the dormitory, seeing how he was used to living in the dingy and run-down one back in Korea.

He greeted Renjun - whom he was already acquainted with, and had a budding partner-in-crime relationship with over the many Skype calls he had with Jeno. The Chinese boy was lying slumped over the couch, grumbling about how Toronto does not have any television channels screening Moomin, his favourite cartoon character since his childhood.

“Ay, Donghyuckie! What’s up man!” crowed Jaehyun, the fluffy haired senior who had known Donghyuck and Jeno since their schooldays in Korea.

Donghyuck gave him a half hug, while ruffling his hair.

“Got rid of the perm, huh? Glad you did, I can take you a little bit more seriously now,” Donghyuck snorted, referring to the hairstyle Jaehyun fashioned for four months, which caused many fits of laughter for the younger boy upon seeing him.

“Don’t play with me boy, I have plenty of blackmail worthy photos to delegitimize you as well,” the older scoffed, and retreated to his room, to resume his video call with one of his ‘squad’ members on campus.

“So, where will I be sleeping?” Donghyuck enquired Jeno, observing that the two bedrooms were taken, and that the sofa could barely fit Renjun’s body, his feet dangling off it.

“Eh, what do you mean? You aren’t staying here,” came the puzzled response, catching Donghyuck completely off guard.

“Wh-what? Then where else can I go?” Donghyuck faltered, utterly bemused. This has got to be a joke.

“You can’t stay here! There’s the three of us, the place is really small, it’s gonna get even more cramped as it is and - and there are no more ] bedrooms, I don’t want to have you slog it out on the couch for three months....,” Jeno trailed off as he caught sight of the sour expression forming on Donghyuck’s face.

“So you brought me all the way here to tell me I’ll have to go to find a place to live on my own? In a foreign country? How’s that fair? You could have said something,” Donghyuck shot back, disappointment, worry and anxiety loaded in his voice.

Jeno took a few steps towards his boyfriend, wary that Renjun’s ears were pricked up for any tension between the two and that Jaehyun was eavesdropping by the telltale silence coming from his room. He took Donghyuck’s clammy hands and squeezed them reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, Hyuckie. I’ll find a place with you, it’s not that hard. We can search right away if you’d like. I heard there are many cheap rental apartments nearby, I can help you pay part of the cost if you’d need me too,” he soothed, his cresent eye smile winning over Donghyuck’s anxious heart almost immediately.

Donghyuck lowered his eyes. This is not starting off too well, is it, he thought to himself.

***

Donghyuck was disgruntled, Jeno was grumpy, Jaehyun was complaining endlessly about how they didn’t really need an ‘adultier adult’ to chaperone them on renting an apartment when they were already adults themselves.

“Shut up, Jaehyun! If this one’s not it, I’m sleeping in your bedroom, no more shits given,” said an annoyed and tired Donghyuck, weary of hearing Jaehyun’s complaints for the upteenth time.

They had been scouring the town up and down for an ideal place for Donghyuck to stay - yet, none had manifested itself. All they have looked through were either too ugly, too expensive, too creepy, too far away from Jeno’s, too big (Donghyuck was afraid of being alone in large spaces) or smelt like a drug alley. The trio trudged up the steps of the last apartment building on their list, hugging their coats against the frigid wind - the weather had been rough the whole day, windy, rainy and gloomy - much like how Donghyuck was feeling at that moment.

The apartment was a rather small building, with a nice brick exterior, which would be ideal for the upcoming winter in Toronto. It was located near the ports, giving the residents a picturesque view of the ports outside their windows.

They were greeted by a guy who looked slightly older than the trio, with long brown hair tied up into a man bun, introducing himself as Johnny and claiming to be the landlord of the building. Jaehyun could only raise a sceptical eyebrow, no more shits given about the whole debacle.

They followed Johnny into one of the units as he opened the white wooden door, revealing a sight that cooled Donghyuck’s eyes immediately. The apartment was cozy - and rather pretty, with its cream walls complemented by the oak colored furniture. There were two bedrooms - and when Donghyuck opened the door to the first one - he squealed in delight.

The room was small, but had a personal, cozy feel to it. There was a single bed sidled up next to the wall, a picture of abstract art (or rather, messily painted flowers) hung above it. But what delighted Donghyuck the most was the window - there was a window bed with an array of small potted plants and flowers lined up on the window sill. The best part was the view- the window was overlooking Toronto’s busy ports, giving him a full view of the hustle and bustle below, complemented by the sea breeze coming through the windows, leaving the white curtains flying.

“This is it. This is the one,” he declared, beaming at Jeno, who took it upon himself to lie on the bed and take a 1 minute nap.

“Eh?” he opened a bleary eye, unaffected by the beautiful surroundings.

“Johnny, I’ll take this. How much do you offer per night?” Donghyuck enquired as peered around the kitchen.

“The best offer you can’t get anywhere. Its $25 per night, no downpayment, no interest,” he smiled smugly, clasping his two hands.

“Hang on,” Jaehyun called. “I can’t seem to open this door,” he said as he tugged on the doorknob of the second bedroom. The door wouldn’t budge. “Is it spoiled?”

“OH! Really sorry about that. You see, my mother owns this unit and she’s away now, she kept some her stuff in there. She locked the room for privacy from other tenants, this is why the price is so cheap,” Johnny explained, bowing dramatically, with his hand on his chest.

“Uh, Donghy-” Jeno started, when said boy cut him off.

“It’s alright! It’s perfect, I’ll take it, I’m moving in right away,” he declared, smiling at the landlord, ignoring the boy who put him in that position in the first place.

***
Donghyuck settled in right that night, unpacking his luggage, and arranging his new closet. He smiled to himself, thinking, that maybe the whole debacle with not being able to live with Jeno and his roommates wasn’t so bad after all. He had found a nice apartment, small enough for just him (and had no space for ghosts), and a conducive enough environment for him to attempt to tackle his holiday assignments with the sound of activity in the ports as soothing background music.

For the first time, Donghyuck relished in sleeping alone in a comfortable bed, with good lighting and a comforting breeze caressing his cheeks.

***

The next morning, Donghyuck woke up confused and panicked, before he remembered his bearings, thus relaxing again. He rolled over in bed and sunk his face into the pillow, taking in the sounds of the sea when-

Clang!

Donghyuck shot up with a start, his heart rate quickening rapidly. He was almost certain he could hear sounds of someone moving, meddling, in his kitchen. He promptly broke out in cold sweat, fear gripping in his heart, his mind haywire with the many scenarios that were running through his head.

It could be a murderer- making his way to Donghyuck’s room right now to stab him! When that did not occur, he started contemplating the possibility of it being a robber looking for things to steal - but all of his belongings and valuables were in the bedroom with him. And-

“Why would a robber be looking for things to steal in a kitchen? Is he hungry?” Donghyuck wondered aloud.

He mentally slapped himself for the ridicule of it - and decided to man up and investigate for himself. He grabbed a vase from the desk to arm himself - it was all that was within his reach - as he quiet as a mouse, opened the bedroom door which led into the hallway. His heart gripped with fear with every step as he crept towards the kitchen, arms raise to deliver a blow with the vase. When he caught sight of the figure moving in the kitchen, he lost his senses and let out a shrill scream.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

The figure was wearing nothing- except a white towel clinging onto his waist, exposing his wet, muscular back. He also had a hair towel slung over his shoulders, as though he had just taken a shower. Most shockingly of all, he was so casually leaning against the counter, stirring himself a cup of coffee as though it were his own home. Upon hearing Donghyuck’s blood curdling scream, the figure whipped around, and promptly dropped his cup of coffee, letting it crash onto the floor, as he let out a similar scream.

“AHHHHHHHHHH!”

Donghyuck charged at him, raining blows with the vase on the unsuspecting man, who could only shield himself from being bludgeoned by a vase.

“HOW - DARE - YOU - PERVERT! BREAKING INTO MY HOUSE LIKE THAT - WHO - DO - YOU - THINK - YOU - ARE - GET OUT! GET OUT NOW!” Donghyuck shrieked, punctuating every word with a blow as he attempted to drive the cowering boy out of the kitchen.

“What the fuck mate, this is my - OW! STOP HITTING ME,” he yelled back, valiantly fighting Donghyuck’s cold blooded attempts to murder him with a miniature vase.

With surprising strength, the taller boy snatched the vase out of Donghyuck’s hands - accidentally hitting Donghyuck’s head with it in the process - and flung it onto the counter. He then grabbed Donghyuck by the wrists and pinned him against the wall, pressing his body against his, effectively mobilizing the latter.

Donghyuck’s eyes glazed over the man’s face, taking in the wide eyes, prominent cheekbones and most shockingly of all- kind features that definitely did not befit one of a murderer, robber or pervert. The man stared back, equally puzzled, his chest heaving from the physical scuffle. Their faces were in such close proximity to each other, it made Donghyuck extremely uncomfortable, and unable to articulate a single word or insult for the next thirty seconds.

“Wh-what? Who are you? And what are you doing in my kitchen? If you’re going to rob me, you’ll be disappointed I-I have nothing,” Donghyuck said shakily, still trying to resist the other guy’s unrelenting grip on his wrists.

“I should be asking you that. Who are you? And what the hell are you doing in my house?” he shot back, his deep voice sending shivers down Donghyuck’s spine, causing his heart to hammer a little faster. Maybe with fear.

“What blasphemy is this- this is my apartment! I bought it yesterday, Johnny can vouch for that!”

“What the hell are you on about?! Johnny won’t sell you this apartment," the other male replied, confusion etched on his face.

"I live here.”

Chapter Text

Knock! Knock!

Donghyuck rapped furiously and impatiently on the white wooden door, with the numbers ‘502’ emblazoned on it in gold. He pressed his ear against the door, straining to hear sounds coming from within. He could hear indistinct shouting, male and female voices blending together, trying to drown out one another. Donghyuck furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, unable to string two and two together.

“I thought Johnny lived alone,” he thought to himself.

He decided to wait it out and ran his weary hands down his face. The bizarreness and ludicrousness of the events that had unfolded the past two hours puzzled him to no end, and kept rewinding in his mind.

***

Donghyuck sat on one of the oak chairs at the table by the miniature fireplace, holding a hand to the side of his head, which he was pretty sure was starting to bruise after the accidental blow the vase gave him. The other male walked out of his room (now fully dressed) and Donghyuck caught a look of guilt flitting through his eyes as he glanced at him on the chair.

“Sorry about that. Want me to get you some ice?” he asked cautiously. Donghyuck, surprised, nodded slowly. He made his way into the kitchen and emerged a few seconds later, holding an ice pack in one hand and an (intact) cup of coffee in the other.

“You Korean?” he asked as he sat opposite Donghyuck, taking a sip from his cup. The latter nodded in response, avoiding his eyes, embarrassment building up in him.

“I’m Mark. What’s your name?” the other pressed on, his unrelenting gaze making Donghyuck feel like he was being X-rayed.

“Donghyuck. Lee Donghyuck,” the younger replied, finally lifting his head to meet Mark’s gaze.

“Interesting. My surname’s Lee too,” Mark replied, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“You’re Korean too?”

“M-hm. But I was born in Vancouver, moved here about three years ago.”

“Oh.” came the short reply and an awkward silence filled the space between the two again. Mark drummed his fingers on the tabletop, gaze shifting around the house, landing anywhere but on Donghyuck.

“Sorry for launching at you like that. You gave me a huge shock,” Donghyuck started with a small voice.

Mark burst out laughing, his eyes crinkling, and his nose scrunching in a most endearing manner. Donghyuck had to mentally pinch himself to focus on the mess he was in, not the inconveniently good-looking stranger sitting opposite him, who happened to be unfathomably kind to someone who just attempted to murder him in his own dwelling.

“Not your fault, anyone would have done it. Johnny can vouch for that, did you mention?” Mark questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, he sold me the place. Said he was the landlord,” came the dejected reply.

Mark snorted and choked into his coffee mug, coughing and sputtering, while trying to hold in his laughter at the same time. Donghyuck casted a puzzled look at Mark, who was now wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

“Idiot. He’s never been the brightest. He’s the landlady’s son, Madam Seo. He’s always been full of shit, though I’ve never expected him to pull something like this. I thought we were cool,” he scoffed, the ghost of laughter still etched on his face.

“Wh-what?”

“I can go talk to him if you like. He usually doesn’t mind listening to me, I’ve kept him at bay for three years now.”

“No, no, it’s okay, I’ll go sort this out on my own,” Donghyuck said resolutely, his mind mentally castrating a guy with long brown hair.

***

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Donghyuck’s fruitless attempts to get the inhabitants’ attention have been in vain for the past 15 minutes. Frustrated, tired, and annoyed, he lost all patience.

“JOHNNY! I CAN HEAR YOU IN THERE. OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR IF YOU KNOW WHAT’S GOOD FOR YOU,” he hollered at the top of his lungs.

The indistinct yelling died down. The door swung open.

“About fucking ti-,” Donghyuck started, before he was cut off by the sight of a short, middle-aged woman greeting him at the doorway. Her face was red with apparent anger, but she wore a kind smile as she looked at Donghyuck’s distressed disposition.

“Good morning. Sorry about that. I believe you are Mr Lee Donghyuck?” the lady asked, her head cocking to one side.

“Y-yes. I’m looking for Johnny, is he inside?” he replied, bowing his head slightly.

“He’d better be. Do come in, I believe my son has some explaining to do to you,” she answered, her eyes flashing dangerously at the word ‘son’.

Donghyuck was greeted by the sight of a completely dishevelled and utterly defeated-looking Johnny, whose brown hair was hanging limply down his face. He refused to acknowledge Donghyuck’s presence as he entered the room, focusing intently on the patternless carpet beneath his feet. Madam Seo stopped in front of Johnny, hands clutching her hips menacingly.

“Johnny Seo. I believe you have some things to explain to Mr Lee over here,” she commanded in a ringing voice. Johnny refused to budge, and kept his gaze fixated on the floor.

“Fine. If you won’t say anything, I will. My responsible son over here, had decided to knowingly rent you a unit that is being tenanted by somebody else for three whole years. Why you may ask? To fund his own personal, important gaming career outside of home, “ she hissed, her blazing eyes burning two holes through Johnny’s guilty frame. Johnny raised his face, a defiant expression on his face.

“Hey! It’s not my fault you and Dad won’t give me any pocket money anymore! A man’s got to hold his own,” he shot back at his mother.

“That’s because you don’t deserve it, you scoundrel! You’ve squandered all of it away on useless things, I fear putting money in your hands. And now you scam an innocent person into living in Mark’s house? What has that nice kid done to you to deserve that?” Madam Seo cried, wringing her hands, itching to reach out and hit every inch of her son.

“Err, Madam Seo, it’s fine, really. He can just give me back my money and I’ll leave by today. It’s no big deal,” Donghyuck stepped in anxiously, not wanting to see an altercation between mother and son.

Madam Seo took a deep breath, calming herself. She ran her hands through her hair and turned towards Johnny again.

“You see? He’s good enough not to threaten to sue you or something. Give him back the money Johnny, and find yourself a place to stay for the next month,” Madam Seo delivered her son’s verdict, her voice dripping with venom.

“Are you kicking me out?!” Johnny protested, a panic forming on his face.

“Yes, yes I am. I’m beyond grounding you now. You can leave,” Madam Seo declared, exiting the room in high fashion, leaving a sputtering Johnny and an uncomfortable Donghyuck in her wake.

***

“You’re leaving already?” Mark asked as he peered at Donghyuck through the doorway of his bedroom. Donghyuck was on his knees, surrounded by a disarray of clothes and belongings, attempting to stuff all of them in his luggage bag.

“Yeah. I got my money back from Johnny. His mom sat his ass down,” Donghyuck laughed in reply.

Mark hummed in acknowledgement, and retreated back to his bedroom, whereby typing sounds on the keyboard followed. Donghyuck reached out to check his mobile phone, where he saw a slew of missed calls and text messages from Jeno the previous night and the early morning.

From: JeNOjam

Hyuckie, how you’re holding up? How’s the place?

Sent at 10.30 pm

From: JeNOjam

Why aren’t you replying my calls? Are you okay?

Sent at 12.30 am

From: JeNOjam

Hey...are you still mad at me? I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to put you in this position.

Sent at 2.30 am

From: JeNOjam

I’m coming over in about 15 minutes

Sent at 11.15 am

Donghyuck widened his eyes and did a double take. He glanced at his watch. It was 11.30 am.

“Oh, shit!” he hissed and made a beeline to Mark’s room.

He knocked hurriedly on the closed door but there was no response. He pressed his head against the door and strained his ears for any noises indicating that Mark was sleeping, or typing as he had been the past 20 hours. Suddenly, the door swung open, causing Donghyuck to lose his balance and collide into a bleary-eyed Mark, who was rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

“Woah there, what’s the rush?” Mark mumbled, confused, stabilizing Donghyuck by his shoulders.

“My bad, sorry. Someone’s coming and I need you to not be seen until he leaves. Just this once, please?” he implored, hands clasped.

“Huh? Who is this person?”

“My-”

Ding!Dong!

“Shit.”

Donghyuck blanched at the sound of the doorbell, freezing on the spot. He charged to the door, Mark trailing behind him.

“No! Dude, stay inside!” he hissed, trying to push Mark back towards his bedroom.

“This is my house, I should see who’s behind my door,” he retorted, slapping his hands away.

“You don’t get it, he’s going to misunderstand, I can’t have him see you! Please, just-”

“Donghyuck?”

Donghyuck froze at the sound of Jeno’s voice in the hallway. Donghyuck mentally cursed himself for not locking the door behind him when he re-entered the house an hour ago. Slowly, he turned around and was greeted by the sight of Jeno staring at Donghyuck’s hands on Mark’s chest, his mouth agape in shock, the hand holding a bouquet of yellow roses trembling.

Donghyuck let go of Mark hastily and walked towards Jeno with his hands outstretched, a pleading look in his eyes. Jeno’s shock turned into rage as his he started breathing heavily, and promptly threw the bouquet down with such force it made Donghyuck flinch.

“Really, Donghyuck? I leave you for barely a day and you’ve already got your hands all over another man? And why is he in your house?!” Jeno bellowed, anger and disappointment loaded in his words. Donghyuck choked, panic consuming him, his tears threatening to spill any moment.

“No, no, you’ve got it all wrong, I can explain! Hear me out, please,” he implored, touching Jeno’s arm ever so slightly, as though trying to pacify him.

“Get off!”

Jeno detached his arm with force, accidentally knocking Donghyuck aside. Before the latter could comprehend what to do next, Jeno was already charging towards Mark, like a predator out for blood.

“No! Jeno, it’s not his fault!” he screamed.

He stared disbelievingly at the sight of his usually gentle, calm and composed boyfriend in such a fit of rage, attempting to rain punches on the unsuspecting boy. Mark was in self-defence, trying his best to hold him off as he attempted to yell some sense into Jeno.

“Dude, hear us out first - OW! Jesus, why do I keep getting attacked in my own house?” the Canadian hollered over the din of Donghyuck yelling at Jeno to stop.

With a grunt, Mark managed to shove the furious boy off him, causing him to land on the ground. Jeno promptly got up and brushed the dust off his pants, glaring daggers at Mark. He turned to a teary-eyed Donghyuck coldly and gave him the most withering look.

“I’m sorry I ever sent for you. You can take the return ticket home,” he spat and promptly exited the apartment, trodding on the remnants of the roses as he left.

Donghyuck’s silent sobs tore the ringing silence that followed the aftermath of what happened. He buried his face into his hands, shoulders shaking. Mark gazed at the pitiful figure crouched before him, whose sobs seemed to tear through his heart. He gingerly treaded over to the boy, before pulling him up gently by the shoulders, and led him onto the sofa.

Mark returned from the kitchen with a handkerchief and a steaming mug of tea in tow. He patted the sobbing boy on the shoulders comfortingly as he offered him the mug of tea. Donghyuck accepted it, gripping onto the sides of the mug til his knuckles turned white.

“Umm, do you want to talk about it?” he asked carefully, peering through Donghyuck’s tear-streaked face, eyes full of concern.

Donghyuck sighed and glanced up at him. He had no idea what exactly about this stranger that compelled him to trust him and talk to him comfortably, like they have been old friends. Maybe it was his extremely kind nature - Donghyuck had certainly never met someone who treated him so welcomingly and warmly given the circumstances that they had first met. Or maybe it was because somehow, he felt secure. In a way that Jeno had rarely succeeded in making him feel over the course of their three year relationship.

“I’ve never seen him act like that before. He’s never been the impulsive type,” said Donghyuck in a small voice.

“Is he why you came here?”

“Yeah,” Donghyuck laughed humorlessly, the irony of it hitting him. Jeno had told him to leave.

“We were getting distant. It was been 2 years since he went away, being in different continents was putting a strain on us. We both knew that it was going to end if we just kept it that way,” he continued.

“When he asked me to come here, I was elated. I thought it was a change, to start anew, to bring things back to how it was. Well,” he laughed bitterly, “I guess I blew that chance for now.”

He glanced up at Mark, who was listening intently, still unconsciously patting his shoulder. He smiled at him, and asked, “How about you, Canadian? What’s your story?”

Mark chuckled. “Nothing special. Parents were both from Korea, but they moved to Vancouver, where I was born. I wanted to be a writer, and I thought my chances were better in Toronto than back home. I miss it though. Gets a bit lonely after three years by yourself and unpublished manuscripts,” he heaved a sigh, and leaned back on the sofa with his hands clasped behind his head.

“You write?” Donghyuck asked, intrigued. “What kind of things do you write?”

“A variety- poetry, science fiction, romance. Still got to find my calling though. None of the publishers want to take me for now because of my indecision,” he laughed, referencing to the piles of unfinished manuscripts littering his bedroom.

“Well,” Donghyuck grinned, “You can always write a story about how a stranger attacked you for living in your own house, while thinking it’s his house.”

Mark’s eyebrows shot up, actually considering what Donghyuck said. The latter laughed incredulously at his serious expression. Mark drummed his fingers together, and turned to face Donghyuck’s amused face.

“You know, that actually isn’t a very bad idea,” he hummed, earning a derisive snort from Donghyuck.

“So, where are you going to go now?” he asked, gesturing towards Donghyuck’s unpacked luggage, which was visible from the doorway of his bedroom.

Donghyuck hung his head and shrugged, “I have no idea. I was supposed to go to Je- his place but I guess that’s out of the question now.”

Mark watched the defeated profile before him, and concern for the boy diminished any selfish desire about having the privacy of his home to himself again.

“You- you can stay.”

Chapter Text

Donghyuck tightened his jacket around his shoulders and hugged himself in an effort to utilize more of his own body heat. He shivered as a gust of wind blew, scattering the dried leaves around him and messing up his hair. The air around him was chilly, and he had been waiting on the bench on the school campus for 15 minutes already. Donghyuck checked his watch for the upteenth time, wondering if Jeno was standing him up. He had received a call the previous day from said boy, asking to meet him after his class in the university campus. Donghyuck had gladly obliged, wanting nothing else but to clear the air between them, but he couldn’t help but feel the hurt and anxiety tugging his heart at the thought of the boy.

Just as Donghyuck was about to give up and leave, he heard a shuffle of footsteps behind him. He whipped around, and caught sight of Jeno, wrapped in a hooded jacket walking towards him, with a careful smile on his face. In an instant, Donghyuck’s memories of the prior incident rushed to his mind, making him feel the hurt all over again. But this time, he held back his emotions. He was sure that even Mark had gotten slightly worn out from comforting him everytime he broke down at the thought of Jeno.

“Hi,” said the raven-haired boy breathlessly. Donghyuck had not responded, instead, fixing his eyes at a point somewhere above Jeno’s head. He wasn’t sure he could look at him in the eye at that moment.

“Shall we sit down?” slowly, carefully, Jeno held Donghyuck by the arm and led him onto the bench. Donghyuck withdrew his arm, and looked at him expectantly. Jeno drew a deep breath and dropped his gaze onto his lap.

“I’m sorry Donghyuck. I really, really am. I shouldn’t have acted as rashly as I did. Jaehyun reckons I was way too impulsive as well,” he let out and reached for one of Donghyuck’s cold hands. When the boy did not resist, he slipped his fingers through the other’s and held it tight.

“I was irrationally jealous and I’m sorry. I should have trusted that you wouldn’t do a thing like that to me. Jae talked to Johnny, his classmate, and he told me the whole debacle is true, that you with that dude was none of your doing.”

"I’m really, really sorry, Hyuckie. Can we be okay again?”

***

The diner was bustling, with the air thick with conversation and laughter during the busy lunch hours. Donghyuck settled into a booth, soaking in the warmth of the place and the smell of food wafting in the air. Jeno, sitting opposite him, smiled at him and took his hands again.

“I always go here after classes. Let me order what’s good, I’m sure you’ll love it here,” he said with his signature eye-smile, and Donghyuck felt all the iciness melt away. He was caving in.

“By the way, you’re welcome to visit my place if you don’t feel comfortable around that guy,” he added, his expression darkening a little.

“I like it there. Though, I still don’t get why I can’t stay with you,” Donghyuck said petulantly. Jeno looked visibly uncomfortable at the subject and shifted in his seat.

“The time’s just not right, Hyuck. We have exams soon and we need all the space we’ve got, which is not much,” he stammered, then busying himself with the menu.

“Suit yourself. I’ll have to stay with Mark then, whether you like it or not,” Donghyuck said nonchalantly, resting his chin on his hand.

***

Donghyuck was laying in the armchair, a small fire crackling beside him in the fireplace, filling the silence in the apartment. Donghyuck had returned to their shared apartment that night, only to be met with disappointment in finding that Mark was not there. He found himself getting a little too accustomed and comfortable with the latter’s presence. He shook his head to rid himself of any dangerous thoughts involving Mark and diverted his attention to the frames on the mantel. He smiled to himself, recognising Mark in one of his family pictures.

It was photographed when Mark was still a child, presumably at Disneyland with his family, inferred by the two huge Mickey Mouse ears on his little head and the ice cream he was clutching. Surrounding him was an older boy who had the same gleeful smile and holding them, were a kindly looking couple hugging their sons in their arms. The photo struck a chord in Donghyuck, as he was hit by a surge of longing for his own family back in Jeju Island. He hastily put the frame back on the mantel.

Ding! Dong!

The sudden ring of the doorbell startled Donghyuck, causing him to almost drop the frame. He hurriedly opened the door, expecting Mark, but was greeted by someone else.

Johnny was standing at his doorway, holding a very visibly unstable Mark, whose head was resting on his shoulder. Johnny was barely holding his fidgety body up as Mark kept muttering unintelligible words under his breath. Johnny shook his head at him and greeted Donghyuck grimly.

“Johnny, what on earth is wrong with him?”

“Wasted. Dead drunk. Took too many shots at a bar saying he was ‘confused and stressed’ about something. I couldn’t catch what he was saying,” Johnny explained as he rid himself of Mark’s limp body onto Donghyuck.

Donghyuck caught Mark in his arms, while the latter promptly nestled his head onto his shoulder. His deep and slow breathing sent shivers coursing in Donghyuck’s body, as his breath tickled the latter’s neck.

“He puked before coming here, so you don’t have to worry about that. Catch ya later folks,” Johnny sniggered before closing the door on the two.

Donghyuck half led and half dragged the semi conscious Mark into his bedroom, almost breaking his neck as he tripped over multiple piles of manuscripts that littered his bedroom floor. He finally heaved Mark onto his bed with a grunt, and proceeded to remove the latter’s shoes and outerwear. After he hung up Mark’s coat on the hangers, he promptly tucked in the mildly shivering figure into the covers and turned to leave the bedroom. Suddenly, he felt a cold hand grip him on the wrist, pulling him back. Donghyuck turned around, and was tugged towards the bed with such surprising force he promptly lost his balance.

In a millisecond their lips met in an accidental, feather-light kiss and Donghyuck hastily drew his head back in shock, gaping at Mark. He was still in a state of semi-consciousness, seemingly unaware of what just happened as he peered at Donghyuck hazily.

“Woah… dude, what is it?” Donghyuck stammered, trying to get a hold of himself as a counter to his hammering heart.

Mark, who was still gripping Donghyuck’s wrist, pulled him closer, til the latter’s right ear was hovering above his lips. His breath tickled his ears, and Donghyuck swore he could hear his heart beating against his ribcage.

“You’re pretty cute,” he whispered and let out a little giggle. Donghyuck let out a slight laugh and shook his head a little, relieving his wrist of Mark’s grip.

“You’re drunk as hell, Mark. Go to sleep,” he laughed as he patted the boy’s shoulder. He had never pegged Mark as the type to drunk-confess, and was highly amused at the revelation. He turned to leave the room, and was about to close the door when he heard Mark’s voice again, this time, clear as day, and rid of the drunken slurring. He stopped in his tracks.

“You deserve way better.”

***

The next morning, Donghyuck was poring over the stove, his eyes tearing a little as he poured some sliced onions into the pot of boiling broth. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve, oblivious to Mark approaching him from behind.

“What are you doing?”

Donghyuck, startled out of his wits, jumped in shock and almost dropped the bowl into the pot. He gathered himself and turned to look at Mark, a blush creeping up on his cheeks. He took in Mark’s disposition, with his sleep-ruffled hair and dark eye circles, obviously hungover.

“I’m making chicken soup. My mom always made it for my dad when he got hungover,” he explained before shutting his mouth promptly, upon realizing the implication in his words. He turned back to the stove, silently willing Mark to ignore what he just said.

“Smells amazing. I haven’t had home-cooked food in way too long,” Mark smiled fondly, memories of his own mother’s cooking triggered by the smell wafting from the stove.

“And also, thanks for putting me in bed. Johnny texted and said that you took me in,” he continued before going over the the dish rack to pull out two bowls.

“It’s no problem.”

Mark made no allusions to whatever he said or did the night before, making Donghyuck wonder whether he remembered them at all. When Mark passed Donghyuck a bowl to pour the soup in, the fingers made contact, and none moved for a second, before the latter hastily shifted his fingers away. Donghyuck swore he caught a glimpse of a smile peeking at Mark’s lips as he looked at the younger’s abashed profile.

None moved or spoke as they ate silently at the table, the air thick with unsaid words between them. Donghyuck could feel something in the atmosphere change between them, but he couldn’t quite explain what it was. He glanced at Mark, who was devouring the soup as though it was the last meal of his life.

“This is amazing. I’ve never known that soup could taste like this. Do you cook back at home?” Mark gushed as he drained his bowl and licked his spoon clean.

“Yeah, I always helped my mom in the kitchen back home. And I had to keep myself alive when living alone in university, so I guess it’s natural,” he smiled, pleased at Mark’s response.

“You’re so good at this. You should teach me sometime.”

Donghyuck hummed in agreement and watched the snow flurries fall from the sky. He looked forlornly at the weather outside, thinking that he would have to cancel meeting up with Jeno that day. As though reading his mind, Mark asked, “Are you seeing him today?”

“I was supposed to. The snow’s kind of thick though, so I doubt we can today,” he replied, catching a slight look of disdain flashing in Mark’s eyes. He chose to ignore it.

“Do you have any plans today, then?”

Donghyuck shook his head. “The only people I know here other than you and him are his friends. And he seems kind of averse to me going to his place, I’d rather not intrude,” Donghyuck said bitterly.

Mark tilted his head, taking in Donghyuck’s stooped shoulders and the slight pout forming on his pink lips.

“How about you just stay at home today? We can watch movies together or something, it will be nice to not do it alone for once,” he suggested, a hint of hopefulness in his voice.

Donghyuck smiled, his face brightening considerably.

“I would love to.”

He watched as Mark rose promptly from his seat to scavenge from his collection of movies in his bedroom. He ran two hands down his face, trying to wipe the silly smile off his face. He was falling, falling again. This time, it wasn’t Jeno.

He was in trouble.

***

Donghyuck was never a fan of romance movies. He had always found them way too cliched in the endings, with the guy always getting the girl, or at least one of the kicking the bucket. But he laboured on, solely entertained by Mark by his side, whose sniffles were audible despite him half-hiding behind the pillow. Mark glanced over at Donghyuck with teary eyes and lightly punched him in the shoulder upon seeing the latter snickering at him.

One more hour into the movie, Donghyuck could feel his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. He tried to fight the heavy fumes of sleep by pinching himself and focusing on the bright screen, but sleep won over his valiant attempts. His body went limp and his head drooped, landing on Mark’s shoulder.

Mark glanced momentarily at him, wanting to focus on the climax of the movie, where the male lead was going to be revealed whether he had survived the car accident or not. He reached out to shake Donghyuck awake, before dropping his hand into his lap. He took in the sleeping boy’s long lashes, the defined slope of his nose, and his heart shaped lips which were highlighted by the light emitting from the screen. Mark didn’t have the heart to disrupt such peace. Slowly, he supported Donghyuck’s head in his arm and hooked the other under his knees, lifting him with ease, and made his way into his bedroom. He gingerly lay him down on the sheets and tucked him into the covers, just as Donghyuck did to him the night before.

The silver moon casted a ray of light on Donghyuck’s face through the window, leaving Mark struck by his beauty that he only vaguely noticed before. Hesitatingly, he shifted a lock of hair away from his eyes, careful not to wake him. He gazed a little longer at the boy, who was filling his empty house with his presence, and filling his lonely heart with even more longing.

“Sleep tight,” he whispered as he closed the door behind him.

Chapter Text

The rich, warm, buttery aroma wafted through the air and tingled Mark’s sense of smell, prompting him awake. He made an automatic beeline to the kitchen and was greeted by a extremely focused Donghyuck frosting trays of chocolate chip cookies. His nose was scrunched up and his eyebrows were furrowed adorably in an attempt to focus on getting the chocolate icing nicely decorated on the cookies. Mark grinned foolishly at the sight, content on leaning on the doorway of the kitchen, watching Donghyuck so concentrated on minute things such as cookie frostings. That was, until Donghyuck noticed him and got shocked out of his living senses.

“Damn it, Mark Lee! At least give a warning that you’re going to be standing there,” gasped Donghyuck, clutching a hand to his chest. Mark chuckled, and headed to the kitchen counter to inspect his masterpieces.

“Woahhh, looks fun, can I help?” he said eagerly, eyeing the chocolate frosting in Donghyuck’s hands.

“No way. The last time I asked you to help me crack eggs for baking, you fried them instead, and nearly sat the kitchen on fire,” Donghyuck retorted, the harrowing incident still fresh in his mind.

Mark held up his hands in defeat and remained in that position as he exited the kitchen. Donghyuck chuckled at the comical sight and called him back.

“Come here, you. Try one.” he beckoned to Mark as he popped one cookie into the latter’s eager mouth. He so resembled like an innocent puppy waiting to be given treats, Donghyuck couldn’t help but boop a flour-stained finger on his nose.

“Now go to the living room and behave,” he laughed as Mark let out a wall-shaking sneeze upon contact with the flour.

***

“You’re walking there all by yourself? In this weather?” queried Mark incredulously as he watched Donghyuck fumble with the keys while cradling two boxes of cookies in his underarm. The latter was bundled up in layers of clothes and a red scarf that covered half his face, in preparation for the unforgiving snow outside.

“It’s alright, it’s only a ten minute walk. I’ll be okay.”

“No, you’re crazy, you’ll catch your death in the cold,” said Mark concernedly, his brows knitting together. “Let me drive you there.”

***

“You are such pop trash,” Donghyuck snorted as he looked through Mark’s stash of music albums. Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Eminem dominated his collection as Donghyuck sieved through his trough of albums, looking for something suited to his taste.

“You say it like its something wrong,” Mark pouted, eyes constantly flickering from the road to Donghyuck, who was seated beside him.

“I’m not, I’m just saying, don’t you have anything a little more RnB, or soul in here?”

“Don’t kid yourself, I heard you jamming to MJ the other night, and he is called the King Of Pop. Think before you diss,” Mark retorted, recalling the night whereby he walked into Donghyuck passionately singing his own rendition of ‘Man in the Mirror’.

Donghyuck, taken aback, conceded defeat to a very smug Mark next to him. He leaned against the car door and pressed his cheek against the warm window, enjoying the view outside. He never really had the opportunity to explore Toronto outside the proximity of their house, or Jeno’s apartment. He let the beautiful sights consume him, as though filling him with a breath of fresh air, and kept his eyes wide open til tears started to form.

“Enjoying the view?” Mark smiled as he observed the captivated Donghyuck beside him as he drove.

“It’s beautiful.”

“You haven’t even seen the best of it yet. I’ll take you around someday, you’ll see what I mean.”

Donghyuck paused, and turned from the window to look at Mark. “That would be wonderful,” he smiled appreciatively.

Suddenly, Mark braked, and the car slowed to a halt with a screech.

“We’re here. Should I follow you upstairs?”

“It’s okay, I won’t take long, I’m just passing the cookies over to him. He says they would be busy studying the whole day, I don’t want to distract them,” Donghyuck replied, getting ready to leave the car. He took one look at Mark’s eternally worried and stressed expression, and burst into a hearty laugh. He shoved him slightly.

“Don’t worry okay, I’ll be about 10 minutes. Anything longer than that, would mean I’ve fallen and broke my neck or something, then you can come rescue me,” he chuckled, and winked mischievously. He waved a quick goodbye and hurried up the steps into the building.

***

Knock! Knock!
Donghyuck’s heart started beating a little more quickly in his excitement in looking forward to Jeno’s reaction to his little surprise visit. He had been unable to meet him up for days now, and given the time he had left in Toronto, was a lot of precious days wasted. Too bad that university examinations were around the corner, making it harder for Jeno to spare free time after his classes to see Donghyuck. Donghyuck could only hope that his surprise appearance at Jeno’s doorstep could somewhat make up for their lost time together.

Renjun opened the door to greet Donghyuck with his usual wide smile on his face, which slowly faltered as his eyes went wide with panic upon seeing him. Donghyuck’s greeting was lost at his lips seeing Renjun’s reaction, and even more so when the Chinese male stepped out towards him, closing the door behind him hastily.

“Renjun! What-”

“Donghyuck, you can’t be here! Please, go back,” he took Donghyuck’s cold hands in his, and shook them a little in his urgency. “You can’t be here right now,” he repeated, eyes wide in earnest.

“What on earth - I’m just here to see Jeno for awhile, and pass these to him! You can’t possibly be so rigid that I can’t even enter for 5 minutes?” Donghyuck replied incredulously, not quite registering the ludicrousness of the situation.

“It’s not that - you don’t understand. But you need to go now, for your sake, please,” Renjun replied, urgency heavier in his voice as the minutes wore on.

“This is ridiculous,” Donghyuck scoffed, broke free of his hold and pushed the door open, deaf to the Chinese male’s panicked protests.

Jeno whipped around to look at whoever just entered the doorway from the sofa and blanched upon seeing Donghyuck. At first, Donghyuck didn’t register the panic in his eyes. Then, he saw the stranger cuddling up to Jeno. The person he had just quickly withdrew his hold from. And he understood. He understood everything then.

His senses went completely numb. A surge of emotions - betrayal, hurt, fury, balled up in his chest, congesting it, making him unable to breathe. The only sound breaking the loud silence was the boxes of cookies crashing onto the ground, crumbling in pieces.

The stranger got up immediately from the sofa, staring at Jeno, then Donghyuck and back again. He had wavy brown hair that rested like a crown on his stately head, and big, doe eyes that could win over anybody. He was, in short, breathtaking. But now, he looked utterly confused about the whole situation and spoke first.

“Jeno, what is going on? Who is this?”

Donghyuck wanted to scream, wanted to throw things at Jeno, wanted to run over and throttle the pretty boy who he so wanted to blame for getting in the way of Jeno’s love for him, but his body seemed to be paralyzed by the hurt that was tearing him apart, rendering him immobile. His lower lip quivered and his eyes were full of tears as he choked on his words.

“I can’t believe you.”

***

Mark fidgeted edgily in the driver’s seat and glanced at his watch for the upteenth time.

It had been 15 minutes.

***

Mark had never experienced an actual trainwreck before. He read it in the papers of such an incident in a third world country, where the worn out trains end up colliding in tunnels due to the high speed of the trains and instability of the tracks. He knew that a lot of people ended up wounded, and that it required a lot of patching up and reconstruction works due to the magnitude of the wreckage, but he never knew before what it felt like to experience one.

Well, now he did. The scene that unfolded before him registered only one word his hazy mind - trainwreck. And the experience was extremely unpleasant.

Donghyuck was crouched onto the floor clutching at his own shirt, shoulders shaking uncontrollably as he sobbed. Crouched on both of his sides were Jaehyun and Renjun, attempting to get him off the floor, and muttering useless comforting nonsense into his unhearing ears, looking at a complete loss what to do. Mark took in the crumbled cookies onto the floor and barely needed to watch scene of a doe-eyed boy furiously pushing and yelling at a cornered Jeno to understand what had happened. He strode over to Donghyuck immediately, beckoning Jaehyun and Renjun away.

“Move,” he ordered them as he reached out to Donghyuck, draping an arm around his shaking shoulders, rubbing comforting circles into it.

Donghyuck’s ears perked up as he heard the sound of that comforting voice again, willing him to pull him out of this mess that he had no means to bring himself out of. He wanted to launch himself into Mark’s arms, and hide in them til he could breathe again, but his body was unable to do as his brain commanded.

“Come, Donghyuck, let’s go now. Let’s go home,” Mark whispered into his ear, away from the prying eyes of Jaehyun and Renjun. Donghyuck nodded, and made to get to his feet, but stumbled, only to be caught and held tight by Mark.

“It’s alright, I got you.”

Mark lifted Donghyuck up promptly, and with ease, exiting the apartment without a care in the world about the trainwreck he was leaving inside. The real victim - the wounded one, lay in his arms as Mark made his way back into the car, broken, his soul crushed. His sobs pierced through Mark’s heart like a dagger the whole journey back home, and at that moment he swore, he had never felt so strongly for somebody before.

***

“Want some cocoa?” Mark offered steaming mug of hot chocolate to Donghyuck, who was huddled in a thick blanket, propped up against the wall on his bed, with his legs hugged to his chest. All he received was a blank stare through his bloodshot eyes, and the slightest shake of his head.

Mark nodded, and set the mug upon his bedside table. Donghyuck let out a little sob, and hid his face from Mark as tears began to stream down his face again. Mark heaved a sigh, and took the boy’s clammy hands, rubbing warmth and comfort into them.

“Come here,” he beckoned to Donghyuck and awkwardly pulled him into his lap, holding him tight against his chest. He felt Donghyuck grip the fabric of his T-shirt, as though it was the only thing keeping him together at that moment, as he let the boy’s silent tears wet his shirt front. Mark stroked his mop of brown curls gently and reassuringly, until the latter’s tears finally came to a stop. He peered down onto the boy’s pale face and wiped a stray tear from his cheek with his thumb and whispered, “Go get some sleep now okay? I’ll be here if you need me.”

With a minute nod, Donghyuck crawled under the covers, and shut his eyes tightly, as though willing the events of that day to never replay in his mind again. Mark turned to leave as soon as he made sure every inch of Donghyuck was covered under the duvet, but he felt a cold hand reaching out to hold him back. He did a double take immediately, worrying if the boy needed anything else.

“Please stay here.”

It came out in a choked, hoarse whisper, but Mark caught it nonetheless. Unsure of what to do, Mark didn’t move for a second, until he felt Donghyuck pull him towards the direction of his bed. Mark caved in to his touch and crawled under the covers with him, barely daring to breathe, his heart tight in his chest. He was stiff and rigid, afraid to cross the boundaries if there were any between them, until he felt Donghyuck shift to rest his forehead on his arm. Slowly, hesitatingly, he pulled his arm free to wrap it around the latter’s shoulders and patted it comfortingly. His heart loosened a little as he felt Donghyuck relax in his hold, and begin to breathe more deeply.

The night was silent and still, but Mark’s heart and mind were going absolutely haywire with all the confusing emotions and thoughts running through him. He glanced down at a now sleeping Donghyuck in his arm, and wondered to himself why the most deserving people fall in the hands of the most undeserving ones.

The night was silent and still, but it was the time where two boys, one lonely and one broken, found solace in each other’s presence.

Chapter Text

The sun rays peeked through the sheer curtains by the window and bathed the sleeping pair, who were entangled together, in its wintry light.

Mark opened a bleary eye, squinting at the bright light, slowly growing more and more conscious of the brown head that was resting upon his chest. His stomach did an uncomfortable flip upon seeing how Donghyuck’s head was so peacefully rested against his jackhammering heart, tickling his nose slightly, with his arms carelessly slung across his back. Mark stiffened considerably, noticing the manner in which their limbs had entangled with one another throughout the night, unconsciously seeking out each other’s warmth under the sheets. Mark withdrew his dead arm from under Donghyuck’s warm body immediately, the sudden lack of contact prompting the younger one awake.

Donghyuck jolted with a start, surprise in his eyes apparent as they flickered quickly to make contact with Mark’s. He swore under his breath and immediately put a distance between them, covering his reddening face with the sheets.

“Sorry.” came a small voice under the protection of the three layers of blankets from Mark’s view. Mark chuckled slightly, amused by Donghyuck’s embarrassment. He dismissed his apology with a twinkling laugh and responded with a, “Good morning? Did you have a good sleep?”

A derisive snort came from under the blankets, followed by a stray pillow flying in the air, heading for Mark’s face. He caught it effortlessly, smiling at the fact that Donghyuck should be feeling slightly better if he could muster the energy to hit Mark with a pillow. He crawled over to where Donghyuck hid himself on the bed, yanking the covers down to reveal his beet-red face.

“Come on dude, it’s cool alright? You can just pretend I was the teddy bear you hug every night,” he joked recklessly, forgetting the real reason why said teddy bear was not on the bed that night, instead, chucked away under the it to collect dust.

At the mention of the soft toy, Donghyuck’s mind immediately began replaying the events of the previous day and all the colour drained from his face. He looked away, willing himself to fight back the emotions that were beginning to rise, and swallow the lump that was forming in his throat. Upon realizing his mistake, Mark blanched and immediately clapped a hand over his careless mouth, outwardly cursing himself.

“Oh shit! Sorry, I’m so sorry, I fucked up man, that was hella insensitive. I’m really sorry,” he blabbed, wringing his hands a little and scrutinising the younger’s face, for fear that he fall into that dark place again.

The latter took a deep breath, and exhaled loudly, as though expelling any thoughts and sadness associated to Jeno away in one breath. He looked up at Mark, his face resolute and emptied of emotion.

“Forget it. No need to apologize, none of this is your fault,” he replied as he got up to dust the bed and straighten the sheets.

“Are you...alright?” Mark enquired uncertainly, afraid of his reaction.

“Yup,” came the firm response followed by an unnecessarily loud thump as the pillow dusted the sheets, “I’m heartbroken, and would really love to throw myself on a bed of nails right now, but other than that, I’m great,” he chirped, followed by another loud thump, resulting in a few feathers from the pillow floating in the air.

Mark shook his head slightly at Donghyuck’s facade, and felt the need to be responsible in making him feel less shitty. Only… he had no idea how to do that. Didn’t he go through the same thing before? Someone had unceremoniously left, leaving him to reel in his pain and loneliness for the next year or so, before he gave himself a reality check, and began to live again. No one had approached to pull him out of the gutter at that time. He had no idea how to do the same for Donghyuck. But at least, he was going to try.

***
The chilly November air whipped their faces as the car zoomed across the highway, making an unruly mess of their already-ruffled hair. Donghyuck closed his eyes, and felt the air caress his cheeks, feeling the weight of his emotions leaving his body bit by bit, the further they drove down into the city.

“Aren’t you cold?” Mark half-hollered across the whirling of the wind.

“No, I like it this way! Keep the windows open,” Donghyuck hollered back, never once tearing his eyes off the buildings and skyscrapers they drove past.

“You’re crazy,” Mark yelled as he could feel his face freeze as the minutes passed by. He gritted his teeth and told himself to put up with the cold, as long as it made Donghyuck feel better, seeing that the latter was perking up a little as time passed by.

Mark never really had any cause to drive down into the heart of the city, given he would have much rather stayed in the warmth and comfort of his home. Besides, he had no one, really, to go and explore the town with, after three years of being independent. But now, he could feel himself growing warmer with this emotion he couldn't quite place, but he was pretty sure was associated to the glowing male beside him, who made his heart stop every time he poked his head out of the window to get a better look at the next oncoming skyscraper.

“Would you stop doing that! You’re going to get yourself killed!” Mark yelled the tenth time Donghyuck poked his head out as another car whizzed by.

“I can’t help it, I can’t see properly,” came the muffled response, unheeding to Mark’s protests.

“That’s the CN tower, that’s about all you can fucking see!” He hollered back. Donghyuck made no movement to indicate that he heard him, and continued sticking his head out of the car window in that potentially suicidal manner.

He rolled his eyes, and made a sharp turn into the exit on the highway on his left.

“I’ll make sure you see the real things then.”

***

“Woah.” breathed Donghyuck for about the 1000th time that night.

“Woah.”

Mark cast a glance at him sideways, his lips settling into a satisfied smile as he warmed his freezing hands with his cup of coffee. Donghyuck had been absolutely enthralled by the view the moment they stepped into Humber Bay Arch. The monumental bridge overlooked the peaceful waters of the river, with the glow of the sunset making it quite a breathtaking sight. Donghyuck leaned across the railing and closed his eyes, his long lashes casting shadows on his cheekbones as his glowing face bathed in the golden rays of the sunset.

“Earth to Mark Lee.”

Mark snapped out of his daze with a jolt, just realizing that he had been staring at Donghyuck a little too long. Donghyuck sniggered; Mark could feel his cheeks warming with embarrassment. To cover up for it, he offered Donghyuck a sip from his coffee cup, which the latter gladly accepted.

“Let’s walk further down to the middle shall we, we can get a better view of the sunset there,” Mark suggested. Donghyuck nodded in agreement and fell into step beside Mark, hugging his coat tightly around himself. The November breeze was getting more chilly as dark fell, and both could feel the temperatures dropping drastically by the minute.

“Damn it, I should have brought gloves,” Donghyuck lamented as he rubbed his frozen hands together and blew on them, in a fruitless attempt to warm them up.

Mark looked at his gloved hands, and quickly glanced at Donghyuck’s bare ones. He swore the whole world could hear the inner war raging in his head: Do I take his hand or not? Impulsively, he reached out to grab one of Donghyuck’s hands, to slip on one of his gloves on it. Donghyuck, a little taken aback by the gesture, muttered a shy ‘thanks’, not really meeting his eyes.

“Show me your hand.”

“Huh?” Donghyuck’s brows furrowed at the sudden request. Complying, he raised his ungloved hand, palm facing the sky, near Mark’s face. Mark looked at the slender fingers and slowly wrapped his own around them, earning a startled look from Donghyuck. Mark lowered their interlaced fingers into his coat pocket, warming them, with a nervous yet pleased smile. He could feel Donghyuck tense up with the sudden contact, unsure how to react to it. Mark let out chuckle and lightly bumped his shoulder with his.

“Loosen up, I’m doing both of us a favour,” he joked lightly, as he proceeded on, Donghyuck’s now warm hand in his coat pocket, and the other hanging limply at his side.

***

The view was spectacular at night. The lights from the surrounding buildings cast reflections on the river, making it look like a strangely glittering jewel in the dark. Donghyuck rested his chin on his gloved hand as he felt the breeze caress his cheek, the other hand still being incubated by Mark’s hand and coat pocket. They were standing side by side at the railings, neither speaking a word, content with the comfortable silence. He cocked his head towards the older male and cast him a smile.

“Do you always come here when you have free time?” he asked the older, who seemed to be as hypnotized by the view as he was.

“Nope. I never really leave the house alone if I have no cause to.”

“You must have been lonely,” Donghyuck murmured, earning a seemingly indifferent shrug from Mark.

“I wasn’t always alone y’know.” Donghyuck raised his head slowly at his response, curiosity getting better of him.

“Wasn’t always? Meaning, you had someone before this?” he egged on. Mark ran his hands through his hair and sighed. Donghyuck drew back slightly, apologetic.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t probe.”

“Nah it’s fine. It’s in the past anyway,” Mark turned to his side to make eye contact with Donghyuck, and he swore he could see his eyes flickering to his lips before quickly fixating them back onto his face.

“I had a girlfriend of two years here. She was Korean too,” Mark shifted his gaze from Donghyuck’s face to the river. “Her dream was always to sing, and I supported her; her voice was beautiful, quite unlike any I’ve heard.” he dropped his eyes onto his hands, and fiddled with his thumbs. “Of course, I was ecstatic for her when she told me she actually made it in, given the tough competition she had to go against. But not too long after, she left. Without batting an eye.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“It’s no matter,” he waved his hand dismissively. “I’m over it now.”

“So, what are you doing in Korea?” Mark turned his attention to Donghyuck, changing the subject hastily.

“Music in university.” he paused. “Honestly, my dream was to be a singer too. I just didn’t have the means nor money to actually try it out, so I’m settling for being a composer, or something related to vocal pedagogy.”

Mark smiled slightly, the familiarity of it striking a chord in him. “Sing for me,” he prodded him in the arm.

Donghyuck stared at him open-mouthed, struck. “Hell no,” he refused immediately, shaking his head. “No way.”

“Come on, just once,” Mark pleaded, administering his best puppy face.

“Nope.” came the firm refusal.

“Pleaaaaaase.”

Donghyuck sighs, rolling his eyes and covering his face in his hands. “I’ve never sung in front of someone before,” came the muffled whine.

“I don’t care.”

Donghyuck raised his head and glared pointedly at Mark. “Fine, but if you need ear surgery after this, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Mark tilted his head to focus his full attention on Donghyuck, who looked away in embarrassment. The latter took a deep breath and closed his eyes, and began to sing. His voice was shaky and unsure at the beginning, from the lack of use and practice. But gradually, it transitioned into a melodic, dulcet and soothing, almost angelic sound; hitting all the right keys in the song - and Mark’s heart. By the end of it, Mark knew he was a goner. He was enamoured.

Donghyuck could feel his cheeks heating up in the loudest silence he had ever undergone. He hid his face in his hands and started blabbing, “I’m sorry, that was awful, don’t ever ask me to do that again, I-”

He was cut off by Mark, who pulled his hands away from his flaming face, and kept them in his.

“Your voice is beautiful.”

Both could feel the tension that filled the air when neither did and said nothing, except for hold each other’s gaze for what seemed like forever. In that moment, both could feel themselves being on the precipice of something, as though teetering on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the dark abyss of unexplored possibilities where their relationship could go.

Mark broke the tension by giving the younger’s hands a squeeze, and turning back to face the river. “So what are you going to do now?” he spoke quietly, approaching a rather dangerous subject.

Donghyuck wrung his head. “I don’t know.”

Mark raised an eyebrow questioningly. “You don’t know?”

“I want to go back home, to Korea. Start afresh. But,” he paused, and inhaled deeply, as though trying to collect himself. “I don’t know whether I should do that alone. Or together with him.” he choked out, the pain beginning to ebb inside.

“Do you remember what I said the other night?” Mark’s sudden question made Donghyuck turn to look at him, confusion apparent on his face.

“What night?”

“When I came home drunk, and you put me in bed.”

“Oh…” Donghyuck said slowly, the memory resurfacing back in his mind. “‘You deserve better.’”, Mark had said. At that point in time, Donghyuck had wanted to dismiss it as a typical, meaningless, drunken slur, the influence of alcohol pulling people under, causing them to carelessly say things they never really mean. But the alertness of his voice and the weight of his words had always made Donghyuck wonder, whether he had really been awake at all.

“I meant it.” Donghyuck got his answer.

“Don’t let a manipulative fool force you to make decisions you don’t want to make. And don’t ever make people like him underestimate your worth,” Mark said firmly. “You’re so much more than the person he is, don’t let him pull you down. He doesn’t deserve you.”

“Well...I -,” Donghyuck stuttered feebly, the emotional quaver in Mark’s voice throwing him off completely, making his heart ache as he spoke. “It’s not just him - I guess - I just want to go home. These three months here have been quite the emotional rollercoaster, and I’m just really, really tired. I want to go home,” he said quietly.

Mark looked crestfallen, his heart clenching into a fist. He wanted to hold himself back from saying anything, but he couldn’t any longer. So he did not.

“But I want you to stay.”

Donghyuck locked eyes with Mark’s - surprised. He could feel his inner being struggling with a whirlwind of emotions he could not quite comprehend - pain, yet extreme happiness and gratitude at his words. He could never quite recall the last time someone had made him feel so wanted, and needed. Certainly not Jeno.

And that was probably why when Mark leaned in, eyes on his lips, whispering an almost inaudible “Can I?”, Donghyuck threw away all the guilt and betrayal he felt associated with Jeno to the wind - and nodded. Mark pressed his lips onto his in a most gentle, pleasuring, tantalizing kiss; each cell of his body felt as though it was on fire upon the contact that Donghyuck had unknowingly craved for a long time. Donghyuck’s breath hitched as he felt Mark’s hands slip onto his waist to pull him closer, and kiss him deeper at the same time - robbing him of all the oxygen he had left in his lungs. The night was icy cold, but Mark’s touch burned like fire; making him want more, more of those touches that sent his heart flying into a frenzy and but at the same time, putting his mind at peace.

Donghyuck bit his bottom lip, and broke the kiss to gasp for air - he was getting dizzy. For a long time, both just gazed at each other, each not quite believing what had just happened. Donghyuck raised his ungloved hand tentatively to touch his red, swollen lips, as though he couldn’t believe that the person before him had just kissed him, and made him feel wanted, yearned for, loved.

Mark took both his hands and squeezed them, leaning forward to touch their foreheads together. He took a breath.

“I hope that will convince you to stay.”

***

The buzzing of his phone on his bedside shocked him from his peaceful slumber, jolting him awake. Blearily, he reached out for his phone and peered at the caller ID. He sat up from the bed immediately, the name sending shockwaves down his body and his mind in a whirlwind.

It was Jeno.

Donghyuck stealthily detached himself from Mark’s embrace, careful not to wake him. He made his way to the hall, anxiety beginning to tug at his heartstrings. What on earth could Jeno want in the dead of the night, after all that had happened?

Apprehensively, he clicked on ‘Answer’.

“Hello? Hyuckie.”

Donghyuck could feel anger ebbing in his stomach upon the shameless use of his old nickname.

“Don’t fucking call me that,” he snapped.

“I didn’t think you would pick up.”

Silence.

“I’m really grateful that you did.”

There was still no response.

“I need to see you. Can you meet me, please?”

“And why the hell should I do what you ‘need’?” he retorted, biting back all the insults and profanities that were on the tip of his tongue. He could feel himself losing patience as the phone call wore on.

“Please, Donghyuck. You need to hear me out. I need to explain to you if it’s the last thing I do. Please come,” there was a note of panic in Jeno’s voice. It was apparent that he had not expected Donghyuck to be that difficult to sway, unlike old times.

“You’d better have a good reason. I’m not putting up with this anymore.”

“I do, and I need you to hear it. Come to the verandah at the restaurant that I used to take you to. I’ll be there.”

***

They were at the verandah, which was ostentatiously decorated by the oddest assortment of flowers - dahlias, daisies, orchids and sunflowers alike. The instant Donghyuck got a glimpse of the venue, he had grown suspicious of Jeno’s intentions, the one thing that had been gnawing on his mind since the beginning. But he pushed it aside, as he always did.

“I’m really glad you’re here,” Jeno starts, looking at Donghyuck, who refused to look back at him.

“I’ll cut to the chase then,” he continued, nervous at Donghyuck’s lack of reaction.

“Make it quick.” came the biting reply.

“I’m really, really sorry Donghyuck.” Said male snorted, and got up, brushing his jeans.

“If that’s the pressing thing you have to tell me, you’re wasting your time. I’m through with it.” the tan male, ready to leave, took a step forward, but was held back by Jeno, who instinctively held his arm.

“Let go of me,” he said, voice of deadly calm.

“No. Not unless you hear me out.”

“I don’t fucking want to! You’re not going to wheedle me into listening to your crappy excuses again, I’m not your plaything, I’m through with-”

“I fucked up okay! I admit it! I totally agree with you - I’m an asshole, a jerk, and I fucked up majorly - the whole time we were away from each other!” Jeno yelled, cutting Donghyuck off, startled into staring at him.

“I was lost without you - the whole time we weren’t together I felt like I was grasping at something, something that didn’t exist anymore. All those videos calls felt like barely anything. It’s almost like they weren’t real,” he paused, his breath hitching. “I needed you by my side, and when I didn’t have that, I couldn’t take it. I needed somebody.”

Donghyuck, enraged, shot back, “So, you needed a replacement. And you found one. Great job. I pity the guy, he doesn’t deserve a jerk like you either.”

“Yes, you’re right. And wrong. He wasn’t a replacement. No one can ever replace you, Donghyuck. He was a reminder to me, of the both of us when we were still together. I know that that is a shitty reason but,” he waved his hand dismissively, “he was so uncannily alike to you. Being with him felt like being with you. And that was when my realities blurred, and I got lost.” He walked over to a bench and sat down, his shoulders drooping.

Donghyuck could feel his resolve crumbling by the minute.

“I broke up with Jaemin. I told him the truth. That you’re the only one for me.”

“That doesn’t make everything okay, Jeno,” Donghyuck’s voice was reduced into a whisper.

“I know, and that is why I want to fix them myself.”

He got up, his face set. He strode over to where Donghyuck stood, and got down on one knee, pulling a ruby red velvet box out of his jeans pocket.

“No way,” Donghyuck whispered, his fragile resolve shattering into pieces.

“Yes.” Jeno opened the box, revealing a single, diamond ring shining under the moonlight. “I need you, Lee Donghyuck. Because I love you. And I wouldn’t want anyone else to spend the rest of my life with, but you.”

“Come back home with me, Donghyuck. Come back home, and let’s start over together.”

Chapter Text

The last article of clothing was tossed into the luggage bag and was promptly shut and zipped before its contents could spill out. Donghyuck ran a weary hand across his forehead and stole glimpse at the closed door down the hallway. His insides squirmed with guilt, and in an instant, he felt like a perpetrator in a heinous crime. He wanted to steel himself to approach that door, to knock on it, to fling his arms around neck of the owner of that bedroom. But he dare not. His immense guilt was holding him to the ground, rendering him unable to move a single step.

Mark’s bedroom door had been closed on him ever since he saw the glittering diamond ring shining on Donghyuck’s ring finger - one glance was all it took for him to understand the decision that Donghyuck had made. It almost felt as though he had closed the door on their relationship, completely halting them from going any further. Mark had avoided being in the same vicinity as him for the past few days, hurt and betrayal apparent from the way his shoulders drooped as he stalked past Donghyuck, barely blinking in his direction, and the way his eyes lost their usual shine and eagerness around him. Donghyuck could feel his heart breaking. Again.

He had tried to convince himself over and over, that he was making the right choice, that starting over was the only way for him and Jeno to recover what they had lost and regain back their relationship. But every time he tried thinking about a potential happy future with Jeno, his thoughts never failed to stray towards a certain Canadian boy, with bright, eager eyes, and the most contagious smile and laughter.

Beep! Beep!

From: Jeno

I’ll be picking you up in 10. Be at the porch.

Sent at 10.30 am

Donghyuck sighed and thrust his phone away from his sight. This is really it then, he thought to himself. I must at least say goodbye to him, or I’ll regret it forever.

He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, taking a few determined steps towards the direction of Mark’s bedroom. Before he could raise a hand to knock on the door, it flew open, causing Donghyuck to take a few steps back in shock. He scanned Mark’s profile, and he felt as though his insides were clenched into a fist upon seeing him. His face was impassive, empty of emotion, but the look on his eyes told a different story. It was full of melancholy and cold hurt; and Donghyuck felt as though he was being punched in the gut upon seeing the manner in which his shoulders drooped dejectedly upon catching sight of his luggage bag in tow.

“Oh.” was all he could say.

“You’re really leaving then,” it sounded more like a bitter statement, than a question. Donghyuck felt as though the iciness of Mark’s voice was seeping into his heart as he avoided Mark’s gaze.

“Yeah,” he replied to his feet.

Mark retreated back into his bedroom, and Donghyuck was about to reach out, to pull him back, when he returned, holding something thick in his two hands. It was a manuscript.

“For you.” Mark said quietly, thrusting it into Donghyuck’s hands.

“What’s this?” he asked, taking it carefully.

“The story you said I should write. About us.”

“Oh.”

There was a silence.

“Don’t you need this? To be sent for publishing, or something?” he asked in a steady voice, quite unlike the turmoil he was feeling inside. He couldn’t believe Mark had taken his words seriously. He couldn’t believe he had actually taken the effort to pen down their moments and experiences into one story, into actual print, which lay in his undeserving hands right that moment. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he finally looked up at Mark.

“No. I didn’t finish the story. I didn’t want to.”

“Why ever the hell not?”

Another silence.

“It didn’t have the ending I wanted. You weren’t supposed to go,” Mark finally let out, the quaver in his voice causing Donghyuck’s face to crumple, all facade of holding back his emotions crumbling away. A stray tear rolled down his cheek, and he brushed it away crossly.

“I’m sorry.” was all he could manage.

“I don’t want you to go.”

“Please don’t make this harder than it already is,” Donghyuck whispered, valiantly fighting back his tears.

“Am I? You’re the one who decided to put yourself in the hands of that manipulative scum again,” said Mark hotly, his tone changing drastically to an angry one.

“Don’t call him that! I’m giving him a second chance. Three years is not something you can easily throw away. You wouldn’t do that if you were me, would you?” Donghyuck pleaded, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

“And yet he did throw that away, very easily in fact, when you were gone. He didn’t seem to bat an eye before deciding to cheat on you,” Mark said matter-of-factly, his face impassive.

Donghyuck was silent, refusing to listen to the facts Mark were throwing at him; they felt like knives piercing his gut. He couldn’t let up.

“He says he loves me,” he replied in a shaky voice, all resolve crumbling. “That was all I wanted to hear from him the past three years.”

Mark shaked his head and stepped forward, placing his hands on Donghyuck’s shoulders.

“Listen here,” he said firmly. “I’ve met many people in both Korea and Canada. And I can vouch for one thing. I’ve never met someone as forgiving, as caring, and as loving as you are. Don’t let one selfish person take advantage of those good things. You can’t let him take them away from you.”

If Donghyuck thought he was feeling conflicted before that, nothing could compare to how he was feeling right then. The feelings of guilt were brewing with a renewed ferocity inside of him; he felt he could not live with himself at that moment.

Honk! Honk!

The sound of Jeno’s car arriving as it revved into the front porch caused dread to drop into his stomach like a stone. He shut his eyes and exhaled, feeling Mark’s hands slide off his shoulders slowly.

“My ride is here.”

He stepped forward towards Mark, until there was barely a distance between them. Guilt bubbling in his stomach, he leaned forward, knowing he was already going to regret what he was about to do.

“I’m sorry.”

Gently, he cupped Mark’s face in his hands and stroked it softly, leaning in closer, to capture their lips in a chaste kiss. He felt Mark grip him by the sides and pull him closer, as he kissed him back; as though trying to imprint the feel and memory of Donghyuck’s lips on his. The kiss was hurried and urgent, compared to the one they shared on the bridge; speaking words that they could not bring themselves to articulate, words that were unlikely to ever be said.

The incessant buzzing of Donghyuck’s phone in his coat pocket caused him to break the kiss as he reached into his pocket to turn it off immediately. He threw his arms around Mark’s neck and buried his face in the crook of his shoulder, breathing deeply, inhaling the scent of his aftershave as though it was the only thing soothing the turmoil inside of him. The latter’s arms hesitantly snaked across the younger’s waist and embraced him tightly, feeling the younger tremble a little in his arms.

At last, they broke apart. Donghyuck mumbled one last apology before taking one last look at their shared apartment. He took the suitcase by the hand and stalked out of the door, not trusting himself to have the strength to look back.

And he was gone.

***

The sound of the front door shutting rang in Mark’s ears as he stared helplessly at the closed door. He could feel his blood boiling in his ears, his entire being itching to move, to do something; they spoke of unfinished business.

He couldn’t do this to himself again. Not too long ago, he had let something slip between his fingers. He couldn’t let that happen again. He knew by doing nothing, he was letting go of something precious, something too valuable to be so easily given up. He knew, if he did nothing this time, there would be many years of regret and heartache ahead of him; he couldn’t put up with that anymore.

He wasn’t going to sit idle this time.

He ran out the door and flew down the steps, knowing that this was his last chance.

***

Donghyuck watched wordlessly as Jeno loaded his suitcase into the trunk with ease, shutting it with his toned, muscly arms. He could not focus on anything at hand except for the lingering feeling of Mark’s lips on his, and the way his embrace made him feel so shielded, protected. When was he going to feel that way again?

“Our flight is scheduled in about two hours. We’re due in the airport by 11,” said Jeno casually, completely oblivious to the fact that Donghyuck had not been paying attention to what he had been saying the past five minutes.

“Also, I-,” he paused, finally taking notice of Donghyuck’s dazed expression. “Donghyuck? Why do you look like that?”

He snapped out of his reverie immediately and gave him a weak smile, which ended up looking more like a grimace.

“Nothing, just lost in thought, that’s all. I-” his words died in his throat when he caught sight of someone dashing down the steps of the front porch most urgent way possible.

Jeno whipped his head around to find the source of Donghyuck’s distraction. His face darkened as he caught sight of Mark running towards the pair, his neck reddening with anger. He drew himself up to his fullest height as he crossed his arms across his chest, in an effort to look most intimidating.

“What do you want?” he snapped, all niceties forgotten, the moment Mark had reached them.

The latter completely ignored the jibe, his eyes fixated on one person only.

“You can’t go Donghyuck. Please.”

“Mark,” the auburn haired male gasped, “You can’t do this. It’s too late.”

“No, it’s not,” he insisted. “I can’t let you get hurt all over again. I can’t sit back and let you sign up for a life of bullshit with him. I just can’t. You matter too much.”

At that, Jeno stepped forward, his chest heaving with fury as he gripped Donghyuck’s wrist in a show of possessiveness. Donghyuck visibly flinched at the sudden pain from the force of his grip; for the first time, he felt afraid of Jeno.

“Leave. You have no business telling him what to do. Donghyuck belongs to me, and he’s not going to be swayed by someone like you,” he spat, his grip on said boy’s wrist unrelenting. Mark, however impassive to the insult, did not miss Donghyuck’s wince upon Jeno’s aggressiveness towards him. He could feel his blood boiling.

“You have no right to Donghyuck, as no one else does. He does not belong to anybody, he is his own person. Let go of him.” said Mark, in a voice of deadly calm.

“You’re hurting me, Jeno,” said Donghyuck quietly, finally breaking his silence. Said boy released him immediately, panic and guilt flickering in his eyes momentarily before shooting Mark one last disdainful look.

“Come on, Donghyuck. We’re wasting our time. Let’s go.”

Donghyuck however, was unable to move, his feet ground to the cement path under him. His body could not do as his brain commanded; it simply refused to take one step towards the car.

“You think that’s love, Donghyuck? Is that what he convinced you to think is love?” asked Mark, disdain dripping in his voice as he shot Jeno a venomous look.

“He says he does. And I want to believe him,” was his reply, but his heart was definitely telling him otherwise.

Mark took a step forward towards the younger, his face set and his intentions clear. If this didn’t work, nothing would, and he was going to leave it at that.

“That isn’t love, Donghyuck. It’s manipulation. He’s playing you for a fool. And you’re too good to tell him otherwise. He doesn’t love you,” said Mark softly, his words shooting Donghyuck right where he was weakest.

“I do.”

At that, Donghyuck could feel all his doubts and insecurities washed away in an instant, leaving his conscience clearer than before. The validation and affirmation he so longed to hear his whole life was right there, handed onto him in a silver platter, so willingly and sincerely in fact, that there was no way he could have denied himself of it any longer. And standing right before him was somebody who was more than willing to give him that validation, that sense of security, and affirmation - that he was worth it and that he wasn’t just a second choice.

Donghyuck’s face slowly broke into a happy, broken smile.

“Hyuckie, please. Don’t get swayed,” Jeno pleaded, panic rising in his voice. “Give us a second chance.”

“Donghyuck,” Mark said softly, as he stepped forward to gently take his hand. “Just give me one chance.”

Chapter Text

Donghyuck turned over from his side and flipped onto his belly as his hand blindly searched for his phone on the bedside table. He rubbed his eyes and squinted at the screen of his phone as its brightness pierced his eyes in the room blanketed by darkness. Dang. It was only 4 am in the morning, two hours away from his stipulated wake up call. Donghyuck hated it when he woke before the time he was supposed to, because there was no way he could fall asleep again. Especially not this day.

He flipped onto his back and sighed, the uneasiness beginning to crawl in his insides again the longer he stayed awake. He silently willed himself to sleep by counting sheep (but that never worked for him) and at last, he sat up, unable to take the butterflies anymore. He picked up his phone and pressed on the speed dial. Three rings in, and the other end of the line picked up almost immediately.

“Mark.”

“Hey Donghyuckie.” His voice was raspy and heavy with sleep, sending even more butterflies in his stomach. Donghyuck was never going to get used to that.

“Did you just wake up? Sorry, I thought it’s still afternoon in Canada,” Donghyuck smiled silently to himself at the thought of Mark sleeping in when he wasn’t around.

“It is. What are you doing up in the dead of the morning?” the older male asked.

“Can’t sleep. I’m nervous as hell,” he lamented, biting his nails out of habit when he was anxious.

“Come on Donghyuckie, it can’t be that bad. You just gotta get your degree, shake hands with the important dude and bow to the audience, that’s all,” a glint of humour was apparent in Mark’s voice as he attempted to comfort the younger.

“I know, I know. I just get jittery over little things nowadays” he sighed, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

“You’ll be alright. How’s home?” asked Mark.

“Great. Feels good to be back, but my mom’s cooking got me putting on five pounds a day.” he mock-grumbled, prodding at his tummy in an irksome manner. “You won’t be able to recognize me when I get back.”

“I’m sure you’ll look great as usual,” came the smooth reply, and Donghyuck could feel his cheeks reddening, with Mark’s oh-so-casual stream of compliments for him.

“I miss you,” Donghyuck blurted into his phone, finally succumbing to the universal inclination to confess our deepest longings and feelings in the dead of the morning.

“I’ll take care of that.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Donghyuck sat up, confused.

“See you soon, Donghyuckie.”

Click.

***

“You’ll be alright, honey,” his mother cheered him on as she went on her tiptoes to kiss him on his cheek. She straightened his hat and brushed down his gown before giving him one last hug.

“Thanks mom,” Donghyuck mumbled, holding her tight.

“I’ll be sitting over there,” she pointed to a row of seats to the left side of the stage. “Look out for us!”

“Us?” Donghyuck questioned, cocking his head.

“Me,” his mother corrected herself, and cleared her throat. “See you later, dear.”

She retreated back to her designated row of seats, leaving a bewildered Donghyuck staring after her small figure.

***

“Lee Donghyuck, Bachelor of Arts Major in Music,” the announcer finally called.

Donghyuck, whose legs have turned jelly like, dragged them uselessly across the stage that never seemed to end. Get your degree, shake hands with the important dude, smile for the camera and bow to the audience, he chanted to himself like a mantra. He reached out his lifeless hand for a handshake with the ‘important dude’, feeling as though his bones were crushed upon impact with the larger male’s grip. He smiled toothlessly at the camera as the flashes blinded him temporarily, before something moving wildly in the audience caught his eye.

He could see his mother standing on her chair to compensate for her short height, clapping harder than anybody else, but beside her was… his jaw dropped and Donghyuck choked on air.

Mark.

Before he could react properly, he was already being ushered to the side to give way to the next graduate. Donghyuck shook his head and mentally slapped himself to get himself together, because there was no way Mark could have flown to Korea within one day to catch his graduation ceremony. He must have been hallucinating.

***

He wasn’t hallucinating.

After minutes of searching aimlessly for his mother amongst the throng of people and excited chatter, he finally heard someone call, “Donghyuck! Over here!”

He turned to see his mother beaming at him, with a shamelessly grinning Mark in tow. Donghyuck felt like a cross between wanting to hit the older male for giving him such a shock and burying himself in his arms; a testament to how much a month away from each other was taking a toll on him. So he opted for the latter.

Mark’s arms were wide open for him, as they always are, and Donghyuck flung his arms around his waist, burying his face into his chest. Mark squeezed his shoulders and rested his chin upon the fluffy auburn head, rocking them back and forth slightly, and winked at a smiling Mrs Lee. Their plan had succeeded.

When they broke apart, Donghyuck took no time to hit Mark in the chest. He grunted in pain dramatically and clutched his heart, casting him a rueful look.

“You asshole! You could have said something, I almost had a heart attack onstage,” he whined.

“I know, your face was priceless,” Mark laughed gleefully, head in the clouds upon the success of his plan.

Donghyuck glared at him and Mark raised his hands as though in surrender.

“Hey, don’t blame me, your mother was in it as well,” he defended himself, throwing the ball in her court.

“Mom?” Donghyuck rounded on her, eyes narrowed.

She burst into laughter and ruffled his hair. “You were pining for him, I thought you’d feel better after seeing him in person,” she explained, her eyes glinting with mischief.

“Well, I’m not complaining,” Donghyuck mumbled to his feet, his cheeks reddening, somewhat shy upon his mother’s knowledge of how weak he was for his lover. Mark pulled him into a one-armed hug which seemed more like a headlock than anything. Donghyuck wiggled free and tidied his hair.

“I’m gonna go mingle. Wanna come?” asked Donghyuck, holding out a hand to Mark.

“Nah, I’m good. I’ve had enough of your mates asking me if I’m the ‘Canadian boyfriend’ they’ve all heard about,” Mark replied, earning a snort from Donghyuck.

“Fine then, I’ll catch y’all later.”

Mark and Mrs Lee silently watched Donghyuck get engulfed by a crowd of his excited friends, much of the excitement surrounded around the infamous Canadian boyfriend who had finally materialized from the shadows. Mark laughed slightly, watching Donghyuck attempt to divert their attention away from Mark as they ogled at him as though he was a rare species in a zoo, when he felt a nudge at his side. Mrs Lee gestured at him to bend forward to reach her height, and he obliged.

“When are you going to ask him?” she quasi-whispered, or more like hissed, into his ear.

Mark straightened up, bewildered, scratching his head. “Ask him what?”

“You know,” she nudged him painfully in the ribs repeatedly, her eyes glinting as she wiggled her eyebrows.

Oh.

“Oh, um, I haven’t really thought about it yet, since we’re still young and stuff,” Mark mumbled, fixating his gaze on anywhere and anybody but Donghyuck’s mother.

What a lie.

The thing is, Mark has thought about it, thorough and through. It plagued his thoughts every time of day, waking, sleeping, working. He knew that there was no one else beyond Donghyuck, and yet, he couldn’t quite bring himself to say the few words. Especially when Donghyuck always seemed to dodge the subject whenever Mark hinted at anything involving their future, as though he was afraid of it. Mark didn’t want to force the subject on him, especially if the younger wasn’t ready. But now, he felt the burden of the task quadrupling on his shoulders with Donghyuck’s mother egging him on.

“Nonsense!” she exclaimed. “There’s no such thing as too young dearie, I say, y’all are a perfect fit for each other, so what’s the point in waiting?”

“Not so loud, please!” Mark begged her to keep her volume down, as a few curious heads turned towards them. “Of course I’d want that for us, but I don’t think Donghyuck is ready.”

“Of course he isn’t, no one ever is ready for something that big. But I can tell you this,” her voice dropped as she reach to grab Mark’s hand and squeeze it. “I don’t think there is anyone else he would rather spend his future with but you. So you will have to do it, eventually.”

“Anyway, it is my wish to see my son with someone who can make him this happy forever,” she smiled a little wistfully as she gazed at Donghyuck with misty eyes.

Mark nodded, swallowing hard as he watched Donghyuck smile widely and laugh with his classmates. He felt his lips quirk up into a small smile as he put an arm around the small woman’s shoulders.

“I’ll do my best.”

***

They were sitting across each other at the kitchen island in their apartment, basking in the warmth of each other’s presence and the steaming mugs of coffee in front of them. Donghyuck was stirring his coffee and blowing on it repeatedly, hesitating to take a sip lest his tongue and lips got scalded (for Mark always made their coffees too hot). He grew increasingly aware of the other’s eyes on him, and pretended not to notice until he looked up suddenly, catching him red handed in the act of staring and grinning at him foolishly.

“What?” Donghyuck snapped, a little defensively.

“Nothing,” Mark replied, grinning into his mug.

Donghyuck rolled his eyes, stretching his body across the small kitchen island to press a kiss on Mark’s foam moustache, wiping the silly grin off his face. That settles him, Donghyuck thought triumphantly, until shouts and banging sounds broke the moment between the two.

“Is that Johnny?” Donghyuck wondered aloud, head raised to the ceiling.

“Seems like it,” Mark deadpans, scenes of chaos always common in the Seo household on the days leading up to Christmas.

“What do you think he did now?” he wondered casually, finally taking a sip from his steaming mug.

“He told me he has a stash of booze in his closet which he nicked from his mom. The ones she saved for a Christmas gathering, or something,” he replied. An indignant yell was heard from upstairs. “I guess she found out,” Donghyuck shrugged nonchalantly, taking another sip of coffee.

“Oh, Johnny. He will always be that idiot, you know,” Mark let out a rueful laugh, his hopes that his dumb friend would get his shit together crashing down yet again.

“Technically, we have him to thank,” Donghyuck smiled at Mark. He took the older’s hand between his sweater paws and fiddled with his fingers as the latter watched him silently, his demeanor calm, but one question raging at the back of his mind. Mark felt like he was fighting a losing battle, with the younger’s casual actions constantly sending his heart into a frenzied state, and his mother’s words niggling in his head everyday.

“Donghyuck…” he started, but his voice seemed to die in his throat. He cleared it and tried again. “Donghyuck.” he said a little more loudly, his voice still throaty from anxiety.

The latter looked at him with his hazel eyes questioningly, tilting his head to the side. “Yeah, what’s up?” he replied, still not letting go of Mark’s hand.

“I was thinking…” Who was he and where was he again? He couldn’t think straight. He tried one more time. “I was thinking that maybe…” He couldn’t do it.

“Thinking about what?” Donghyuck raised an eyebrow, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“That maybe you would like toseemyparents?” Mark blabbed, tongue twisting on its own, his words not coming out the way his brain had intended.

A look of bewilderment flickered on Donghyuck’s face as he peered at Mark. “Um, I already have though?” he replied, a hint of laughter in his voice. “And we are visiting them for Christmas, or have you forgotten?”

“Oh, um, that’s right,” Mark mumbled, dropping his gaze onto his lap, disappointment crushing within him. He mentally cursed himself for chickening out last minute; when was he going to get the chance again? He sighed aloud, earning a concerned gaze from Donghyuck.

“Mark, you alright? You seem out of it today,” the younger said as he comfortingly squeezed the hand held captive by his paws.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” he replied absently, unable to look him in the face lest Donghyuck read his mind - the younger tended to do that a lot. He wistfully watched the snow flurries fall slowly from the kitchen window, creating a soft pile on the ground as the screams of gleeful children pierced the air, signalling the beginning of a mass snowball fight congregation.

***

The door creaked open slightly, followed by an almost instantaneous dip in his mattress, indicating that someone had invited himself to his bed. Mark put his book down just in time to see Donghyuck snuggling up to him under the sheets, his hood pulled low over his head and his sleeves tugged over his freezing hands. He laughed at the younger’s attempt to utilize his body heat as he slung an arm over Mark’s stomach and buried his face into his neck; his short, warm breaths in contact with his skin making Mark go weak in the knees.

“You know, I didn’t buy a two bedroom apartment for you to invade my personal space every night,” he laughed, stowing his book away in his bedside drawer.

“Don’t lie, you enjoy it,” came the muffled reply as the younger threw his leg over Mark’s as if to prove his point.

Taking being bodily trapped by the younger as his cue to go to sleep, Mark reached over to turn off the bedside lamp, engulfing the room in darkness. He turned to his side to face the younger, whose peacefully resting face could be made out under the moonlight that peeked between the gap in the curtains. The peaceful atmosphere between them seemed to present the perfect moment to him - and Mark attempted to take advantage of it.

“Donghyuck.”

“Mhm.”

“Have you ever thought about-”

“Mh.”

“That maybe we should-”

Mark paused, squinting at the younger as his silent snores filled the room. Mark smiled slightly at the sight of a sleeping Donghyuck, feeling a mix of yearning and affection. He kissed the younger lightly on his forehead, and willed himself to sleep as he thought, maybe next time.

***

“MARK! MARK, YOU CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED, LOOK-”

Donghyuck burst through the front door of their apartment, his scarf flying behind him, greetings all forgotten, as he flew over to where an unsuspecting Mark was lounging on the couch, eyes shining and cheeks flushed with excitement.

“YOU DIDN’T TELL ME IT WOULD BE OUT TODAY, YOU COULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING- LOOK!”

He thrusted something right in front of Mark’s nose, causing him to get a little cross-eyed while trying to focus on it. He squinted at it for a few seconds, until-

“Holy shit!” he exclaimed, shooting up from his seat and grabbing it from Donghyuck’s hands. He looked at Donghyuck in amazement, his mouth wide open to form a perfect ‘O’.

“Right??”

“The publisher said it would be out tomorrow, I didn’t know - holy -” he ran out of words to capture his amazement as he held the product of his long, hard work in his hands.

“It was on the best new arrivals section! I had no idea- I just happened to walk into the bookstore and it was the first thing I saw - God, I flipped out in public when I saw ‘Mark Lee’ on this thing,” he gushed, eyes full of pride and glee as he looked at the older’s speechless profile.

Donghyuck went in for a bear hug and Mark lifted him off his feet, twirling him around, earning giggles from the former as he protested for the older to put him down; all propriety abandoned. Mark obliged, still holding the younger in a tight embrace as they stayed that way for many moments, not wanting to break the peace and happiness that settled between them. He took the younger’s face between his hands and thought flickered in his mind - maybe this was the time - but he stopped himself before he could say anything else.

He can’t keep waiting for the moment to present itself to him - he had to make it happen.

And he was going to create the perfect one.

***

Donghyuck was having a particularly hard time of it.

He hated grocery shopping - and he especially hated it during the holiday season. The malls were so jam-packed with people doing the same last minute shopping as he did - and more often than not, the items he coveted were sold out by the time he had reached the store. This time, he had arrived early in the morning, to avoid the soul-sucking and swear-inducing crowd, but to his dismay, many people seemed to have the same idea as he did. To add onto the misery of it all, Donghyuck was all alone on the quest to get ingredients for the Christmas potluck with Mark’s whole family - in addition to getting gifts for his parents which was the most daunting of all tasks on that day.

Grumbling, shivering, and trying his best not to run over a stray child who had broken away from its mother’s clutches with his fully-loaded trolley, he maneuvered his way down the aisle, craning his neck for the last item on his list scrawled in illegible handwriting - cranberry sauce.

His eyes zeroed in on the last bottle standing on the shelf on aisle four, and instantly, he made a beeline to it - just this last damned thing and I’m done here - when someone else whipped it out of his sight in less than a few seconds. Donghyuck stayed rooted to the ground, stumped, and glared holes into the offending person’s back until said person turned around, leaving his expression to change from irritation to shock. He could recognize the male any day, but what were the odds of bumping into him here of all places?

Donghyuck approached him cautiously, unsure what to do next. That was, until Jeno caught sight of Donghyuck standing a few metres away from him, his eyes widening in shock.

“Hello,” greeted Donghyuck cordially, knowing that the best way was to not avoid the situation. It was going to happen anyway.

“Hi,” replied Jeno albeit breathlessly, gripping the cranberry sauce so tightly his knuckles turned white.

“You got the last one,” Donghyuck nodded towards the bottle, laughing a little to ease the tension.

“Oh this?” Jeno laughed too, holding it up. “Actually, you can have it, I never liked it anyway, it was Jaemin who told me to get it,” he handed the small bottle to Donghyuck casually, not fully aware of the implications of his words.

Donghyuck raised an eyebrow. “So y’all are together again?”

“Yup.” came the short reply. Donghyuck didn’t need anymore then that.

“I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you went back to Korea.” Jeno started, his eyes flickering somewhere above Donghyuck’s head.

“I did. I came back a week ago,” Donghyuck replied, looking over his shoulder as though expecting someone to be standing there.

It was Jaemin. The boy looked exactly like how Donghyuck last remembered him, with his wide smile and large, doe eyes crinkling up into crescents as he smiled at his direction. He cocked his head towards Donghyuck and uttered a single “Hello” in greeting before walking towards a dumbstruck Jeno.

“Jeno, I think we’re done here. Let’s go now.” he chirped, laying a hand on his arm.

Donghyuck took the gesture as his cue to go, but not before he gave the pair one last smile and nod before he walked away.

“I wish you well.”

***

“Mark Lee, what is your motive behind making me wait for 15 minutes in sub-zero weather?” asked Donghyuck indignantly as he yanked his scarf further up to cover his nose, which he was pretty certain was a shade of ruby by then.

The offending male yelled his apologies to the howling wind as he jogged towards the glowering Donghyuck, who was lugging bags of groceries half his weight while trying his best to not get blown off by the unyielding wind. Mark stole a chaste kiss from the younger’s pouty lips as he relieved the boy of his load. Donghyuck gratefully entered the heated car, letting out a sigh of relief as he warmed his hands over the heater.

“Where are we going?” he asked the instant Mark sat on the driver’s seat, revving the engine back to life.

“You’re freezing,” he said as he reached over to squeeze the younger’s hand, his face apologetic. “Sorry to make you wait, but I got off work pretty late, and I had to rush over.”

Donghyuck waved away his apology and a comfortable silence settled between them. Donghyuck kept stealing glances at Mark, as though teetering on the edge of saying something, but not quite able to bring himself to say it. As though he was psychic, Mark shot him a sideways glance and asked, “Something on your mind?”

“No-yes” Donghyuck changed his answer midway, deciding it was better to be honest. He could never tolerate bottling up his feelings anyway.

“Whats up?”

Donghyuck sighed and twiddled his thumbs, not quite sure how to phrase his feelings. He wanted to go with a simple “I met Jeno and Jaemin today”, and yet his feelings weren’t as simple as that - but if he were to try explaining them, he would definitely go off tangent with a long ass rant bordering on verbal diarrhoea which would wind up making no sense at all. So, he settled for the easier, but still the truth.

“I met Jeno and Jaemin today,” he started, taking a deep breath as though steeling himself.

“And?”

“I didn’t feel anything. It’s like my system has rid itself of any Jeno-centric emotions,” said Donghyuck sardonically, earning a laugh from Mark.

“It’s just strange,” he muttered.

“What is?”

“I just find it strange to see us live separate lives from each other. Given everything that happened. Even more strange that I don’t feel anything - no bite, no heartache, no twinge of jealousy - nothing.”

“Well,” said Mark as he pulled the car over into a stop, “You can say that you have moved on. You’ve let go. A feat that I -” he stretched over to plant a kiss on the younger’s cheek - “strongly admire, because as much as people say to ‘forgive and forget’ - they all struggle to make the first part, very few make the second. And you’ve done just that. Which shows that you, above all, have the biggest and strongest heart I know out there, Lee Donghyuck.” Mark finished, casting a warm and soft smile at the younger, who averted his gaze shyly.

“What can I say -,” he began, reaching out to take the older’s hand, “you’re truly good with your words, Mark Lee.”

“And that is why my main occupation is writer,” Mark winked mischievously, as he flung open the door of the car, inviting a gust of cold wind into it.

“Brr. Where are we, by the way?” asked Donghyuck, accepting Mark’s helping hand as he hoisted himself out of his seat.

“The beach. You’ve always wanted to come here, but we rarely had the time.”

“Yeah, but in mid-winter?” Donghyuck raised a sceptical eyebrow.

“Quit complaining. Be grateful,” Mark mock-chided as he held out a gloved hand to the younger, the latter accepting it.

The night was chilly, but not as bitingly cold as the previous nights were, with the pleasant sea breeze caressing their cheeks and ruffling their hair as the pair walked on the sand. The waves came crashing at the shore, the sound welcome as music to their ears, after weeks of being in the hustle and bustle of the city. The pair held each other’s hands tightly, as they did a year ago on the bridge, but this time, nothing holding them back - their hearts and minds were free, free to love, to care for one another, free to fill their thoughts with one another - something which had been seemingly impossible a year before.

Donghyuck smiled up at Mark, whose breaths were making little puffs in the air as the older told him anecdotes of his parents taking his younger self and his brother to play on this very beach, his eyes lighting up the way they usually did when he talked about his hometown and his family - two things he cherished most in his life before Donghyuck. They settled down at a spot below a tree which Mark apparently insisted was where his family had always set up camp - and sat down, using its thick, sturdy roots as their makeshift chairs. Donghyuck rested his head on Mark’s shoulder, the latter doing the same on his head, and both stayed that way, quiet for a long time.

“The beach is always more peaceful at night - why is that?” Donghyuck wondered aloud, breaking the silence between them.

“I dunno. Maybe cause there’s usually no one around. Makes a hell lot of difference in the peace department,” Mark deadpanned, earning a pinch from the younger.

Donghyuck leaned forward to draw circles around the sand with his finger, his mind obviously preoccupied with something else. As usual, Mark got there first.

“You okay?” he asked, rubbing circles into the younger’s bent back.

“I got your parents some gifts. For Christmas,” he blurted, as though it was some ugly secret he had kept under wraps for a long time.

“Is that all that’s bothering you?” Mark chuckled. “Don’t worry, they aren’t particular about these things. They like you.” he comforted.

“Yeah, that’s what’s bothering me. Do they like me enough? Do they really like, like me? Or do they just like me because they have to, because you like me,” the younger rattled off, all his insecurities rearing its ugly head as Mark slowly broke down his walls.

“That’s a heck lot to take in,” Mark laughed, patting the younger. He took a deep breath. “They really do like you. Like, really like, like you. They would probably still like you even if I didn’t,” he attempt to soothe the younger humorously, unwittingly failing to at the same time.

“I tend to wonder a lot nowadays whether your parents would like it whenever I do things,” Donghyuck lamented, resting his chin between his hands. “It nearly tore my brains out thinking what to get your parents for Christmas.”

“You don’t have to try to please them all the time, they’re pretty chill. Anyway, I hope you didn’t spend a bomb on those gifts. How much did they cost?”

“Almost my entire monthly salary.” Donghyuck deadpans, causing Mark to turn to face him so fast his neck cricked.

“Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“What if I wasn’t?” Donghyuck teased, looking mischievously at Mark, who was rubbing his nape.

“You won’t have to get me a present then,” Mark shot back, glaring at him.

“Don’t be silly, my presence is your present,” Donghyuck grinned, clinging to his arm and swinging it like a child.

Mark bit back his retort and swallowed, thinking deeply. Should I?- he started but he willed himself to stop. He was not going there. If he did, he would never do it, he was going to stall again and again until he no longer had the balls to do it, and by then, it may be too late. He was silent for a moment, his brows furrowing into a deep frown, taking Donghyuck aback slightly. He found the moment, at it was time to create the perfect one.

“Uh-”

“How would you like to be my present forever?” asked Mark finally, slowly, and carefully so that Donghyuck wouldn’t miss a single word. He took Donghyuck’s hands and held them, as he looked into his eyes, conveying the seriousness of the question. All the laughter vanished from Donghyuck’s eyes as he pondered Mark’s words, his mouth falling open slightly.

“You don’t mean that I-”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I mean.” Mark squeezed the younger’s hands which were starting to tremble slightly, as he leaned in closer. “I had thought about this for the longest time - feels like forever, but I think it’s time now. I’m not sure if you want the same things as I do, but I am certain of this,” he took a deep breath to steel himself and continued, “That there is really no one else I would want to be with for the rest of my life but you. Honestly. When you first came into the picture, you filled my empty house with so many beautiful things - so many precious moments, memories, that I had always been afraid to lose, that I never want to let go of. You gave me the chance to learn what’s it like to love so dearly, and I want to return the favour. Just having your presence is enough to make me happy, but to have it forever would be the best thing in my life.”

“And that’s why I’m asking you now, Lee Donghyuck - if you haven’t got the gist of it yet - whether you would marry me.”

Mark had closed his eyes the instant he had uttered the last few words, as though he couldn’t quite bring himself to see the younger’s reaction. But he felt the grip of the hands in his slacken and quaver, forcing his eyelids to fly open and stare at the boy before him, his heart beating so loud he was sure the whole silent beach could echo it.

Donghyuck eyes were brimming with unshed tears, biting his lower lip to conceal its quivering as he stared right back at Mark, as though not quite believing his ears.

“You don’t have to answer now if you don’t want to - I mean-” Mark was cut off as Donghyuck placed his fingers over his blabbering mouth - completely over it with his nonsensical stuttering.

“Are you kidding me?” the younger hissed, lightly hitting him in the chest. A stray tear rolled down his cheek. “Of course I would!”

At that, Mark’s eyes lit up in the brightest of smiles, his lips breaking into a happy, broken smile as hope reignited in his chest, and his heartbeat plummeted to the sky. He opened his arms wide for the younger, as they always had been, as they always would be. Donghyuck threw himself in Mark’s arms as they embraced in the tightest and warmest of hugs, his body trembling slightly from the happy and grateful tears he was shedding - though unknown to him, the older was shedding some tears of his own too.

When they kissed, it felt like their first time, but now, instead of signalling the beginning of their love, it indicated the start of a new chapter in their lives, a new journey only they could entrust in one another to take together. A journey to write their own new story together, with more precious moments and memories only the future could bring. And both of them wouldn’t want it any other way, than with one another.

***

“So, was that what you were ‘whispering’ about with my mother back at my graduation?” Donghyuck asked teasingly, making air quotes with his fingers.

“You saw?” Mark asked incredulously. He had honestly thought they were out of earshot and sight of Donghyuck back then.

“You guys weren’t exactly being discreet,” the latter laughed, as he clung onto Mark’s arm tightly, careful not to slip on the icy road.

“Okay, but seriously though, what did you buy for my parents?” Mark asked for the umpteenth time, for the younger refused to give him a straight answer.

“As I told you. Something that cost me my monthly pay.”

“Fine, since you won’t tell me. I won’t be getting you a Christmas gift then.” Mark pouted and crossed his arms in a huff, his breath making little puffs in the air.

“Oh, but honey,” Donghyuck said sweetly, tiptoeing to kiss him on the cheek, “You’re the best present there is. And I get to keep it forever.”