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Mark's cleaning up the counter when he notices it. Haechan's Dreamiez doll, Jjopoo, his mind recalls, stands next to his collection of mugs, a cute little smile on his fluffy, embroidered face, and Mark feels a surge of dread rush through him.
Someone moved it. Someone, who's not Mark, must have moved it, because Mark last saw the doll in one of the unpacked boxes in his room.
A sasaeng? Even here, an entire continent away?
He's broken out of his thoughts by the sound of a muffled voice, high and cheery.
"Good morning, Big Eong!" The doll, the doll, speaks, jumping into the air and landing back down with a pop. He begins to move, waving his little arms around excitedly.
Mark screams.
The doll cowers, paws over his cheeks, and screams with him.
"You—You just talked! You just moved!"
"Big Eong also talks! Also moves!" the doll cries back.
"Yes, but I'm real," Mark answers in a daze. "You're—Is this a dream?" Was he hallucinating? Was this a side effect of getting proper sleep for the first time in a decade?
"Jjopoo is dreamiez, not dream," the little thing shakes his head.
"Right," Mark nods absently. What the fuck.
Then, the doll steps closer, and Mark instinctively steps back, hip bumping into the solid granite of the counter, and he curses in pain.
The doll, Jjopoo, gasps somehow, his previously stitched mouth forming an o, "Big Eong is hurt?"
"No, I'm fine," Mark replies cautiously, "you’re not going to like, kill me, are you?"
It seems like the wrong thing to say, because cartoonishly large tears start forming at the corners of his eyes, and Jjopoo begins to wail.
"No, hey, c'mon now," Mark panics, finally stepping closer. He reaches out his index finger, unsure of what to do, and the doll's paw lifts up to touch it. "Don't cry, c'mon, I was just making sure."
"Big Eong is so cruel!" Jjopoo weeps, his paw rubbing against fluffy cheeks. "How can Jjopoo kill Big Eong? Jjopoo loves Big Eong!"
"Okay, okay," Mark nods, "but, uh, you can just call me Mark, you know. It's kinda my name."
"Okay," the doll sniffles, wiping away his tears as he presses both paws against Mark's finger, "Big Mark will take Jjopoo to Eong."
"Just Mark—hey, wait, what?"
"Jjopoo wants to see Eong. Eong will give Jjopoo hug."
Mark tries to remember if he has one of his own dolls. He hadn't really brought much stuff, fully intending to return home after a few months anyway. The Jjopoo doll was a last-minute decision, one he really didn't want to unpack, and here it was coming back to bite him. "Uh, I don't think he's here? I mean, I guess I can have one shipped out for you, but—"
"No!" Jjopoo stomps his tiny feet, "not an Eong. Jjopoo's Eong."
"Right," he nods, dumbfounded, "where exactly is this Jjopoo's Eong?"
Mark thinks if the doll could roll his eyes, he would be doing so right now. He also thinks, faintly, that he already knows the answer to his own question.
"With Big Jjopoo."
Donghyuck brushes his fringe to the side. His hair won't sit right, no matter how hard he tries, so he decides to settle for a faded hoodie he'd left on the back of his chair. It's just errands, after all.
Still.
"Stupid hair," he mutters to himself.
"Eong thinks Big Jjopoo is pretty!"
Donghyuck turns around instinctively, and sees the little Eong doll he'd kept on his shelf, waving its paw at him happily.
What the?
The doll steps closer, and Donghyuck has no choice but to react.
He tosses the hairbrush right at him.
It hits the doll in the head, and the thing topples over with a pained yelp.
"Oh my god," Donghyuck murmurs under his breath, "oh my god."
"Eong is hurt," the damned little thing pouts. Donghyuck scrambles for the phone in his pocket, quickly dialing an emergency contact.
"Donghyuck, what—"
"Jeno," Donghyuck breathes out, "Jeno, oh my god, there's a talking doll in my room."
The doll valiantly stands up, and this time Donghyuck takes the cap of his perfume bottle, and aims it again at his head. The metal makes a clanging sound, and the doll falls sideways.
"It just moved!" Donghyuck shrieks. "It talked to me, and it moved, and oh, Jeno, you have to save me, you have to come! It's going to kill me!"
"Eong isn't going to kill Big Jjopoo. Big Jjopoo is going to kill Eong," he says, pointing his paw at the bottle cap.
"Jeno, did you hear that? It just spoke to me!"
"Hyuck, look, I really don't know what you're talking about," Jeno sighs, his voice warbled through the line. "You want me to come over?"
The doll shakes his head, "No, no, Big Jjed can't see Eong."
Donghyuck stares.
"Hyuck? You there? Let me just get my keys—"
"No, no," he decides, frantically shaking his head even though Jeno can't see him, "it was supposed to do that. Silly me, didn't read the instructions," he laughed.
"Right," Jeno replies slowly, "you don't need me to go over there? I'm free."
"It's fine, really. I'll call you back later," he assures, then hangs up without waiting for an answer. He rummages through his vanity without looking and procures a small makeup brush, traces of glitter still clinging to it as he points it at the doll threateningly.
"You," he says sharply, "what do you want?"
"Eong wants to see Jjopoo," the doll replies calmly.
"You're seeing me right now," Donghyuck accuses, "so go back to being a doll and don't come near me again."
"No," Eong shakes his head. "Eong wants to see Jjopoo. Not Big Jjopoo."
Donghyuck tilts his head as he catches on. Unfortunately, he lost the Jjopoo doll he kept alongside Eong a few months ago. My sister probably took it, he thinks, but it can't be that hard to find another one. "So, you want me to get you a doll? You want a playmate, is that it?"
"Eong has Jjopoo. But Jjopoo is far away." The doll suddenly crumples to the ground, a sulky expression on his fluffy face as he whines, "Jjopoo was taken away from Eong. Jjopoo will be alone. Eong will be sad if Jjopoo doesn't kiss Eong."
The doll continues to cry, sounding a bit like the baby lion roar compilations their fans used to post about Mark.
Donghyuck flushes as he asks, "W-Where is he, then?"
"Big Eong took Jjopoo," Eong hiccups, "Big Eong can't take Big Jjopoo, so Big Eong took Eong's Jjopoo instead. Jjopoo will take care of Big Eong."
Then, he shakes his large head pathetically. "Jjopoo loves Big Eong more than Eong! Eong will never see Jjopoo again!"
Donghyuck's brain tries desperately to catch up. If he's Big Jjopoo, then this Big Eong must be—
That jerk.
He sets the brush down and steps closer, hands reaching out to carefully lift the still-weeping doll up to meet his eye. He's a cute little thing, all things considered.
"I'm sure that's not true," he coos softly, petting the little doll on his head. "What does this Big Eong have that you don't? You're much cuter than him, aren't you?"
"B-But Jjopoo went with Big Eong!"
No, Big Eong is a filthy thief who stole Jjopoo without even saying anything, Donghyuck seethes internally. He sends a silent apology to his poor little sister, accused of a crime she didn't even commit.
"Hm, but you've got Big Jjopoo," he answers in a placating tone, trying not to cringe at his own words, "I can take care of you for now. I'm sure Jjopoo will find his way back to you."
"Eong misses Jjopoo," Eong says sadly.
Donghyuck sighs. Curse his stupid heart for being weak to cute things.
"Okay."
He sets Eong down on the bed and reaches for his phone.
Mark's been staring at his phone for nearly ten minutes now.
"Does Big Mark need help?" Jjopoo says, his paw reaching to touch the keyboard. Mark hastily swipes it away with a shake of his head.
"No! No to using my phone! Do you even know how to type?"
Jjopoo shrugs, sitting down carelessly, "Big Mark also doesn't know how to type."
"Just Mark," he corrects, "and I do know how to type."
"Then why is Just Mark not typing?"
The phone in Mark's hand buzzes and he nearly jumps out of his skin. He does jump when he reads the contact name on the screen, one he hasn't seen in a few weeks now, one he used to see almost every hour of the day.
fullsun: mark hyung did you take my son
What?
His first thought is, wait, Donghyuck's too young to have a kid. He's 25, the rational part of his brain reminds him, and he doesn't have a kid. Even if he did, why would he be with Mark? He's about to type out a reply, when Donghyuck messages again.
fullsun: can you get him shipped
fullsun: your son wants him back
His second thought is, I have a son?
He's distracted from his train of thought when Jjopoo jumps excitedly, staring at his phone.
"Big Jjopoo!"
"Huh?"
"Big Jjopoo says Eong wants Jjopoo to come back! Eong misses Jjopoo!" he cheers, then his expression falls, "Eong misses Jjopoo! Oh no! Poor Eong!"
And the doll is crying again. Figures.
"Jjopoo has to go back to Eong," he hiccups, wiping away his tears.
"Okay, well, I can ship you there, I guess?" Mark scratches his head. "I mean, it's probably safe to fly a sentient plushie—"
"Fly? Jjopoo can't fly!" Jjopoo jumps in alarm. "Too scary! Jjopoo can't go!"
"But you just said—"
"Just Mark has to help Jjopoo go to Eong! Since Just Mark took Jjopoo away from Eong," the doll says with an air of finality, and really, Mark can't argue with that. It was his fault, after all.
Sue him for wanting to take Haechan's cute little doll. It's not like he asked permission to keep Mark's doll, either.
Mark sighs, opening the conversation and typing out a response.
me: so, we've got a problem
me: your son doesn't wanna get shipped. says he's too scared
He waits a few more minutes, his hands trying to avoid the doll pacing around the phone in circles.
fullsun: we've also got a problem
fullsun: your son doesn't wanna get shipped either
fullsun: he's attached to me
fullsun: [image attached] clingy baby
"Eong!" Jjopoo cries, and Mark barely holds him back from hugging the screen. He also has to hold himself back, if he's being honest, because Donghyuck looks adorable in the picture, holding the doll up to his cheek as he smiles brightly at the camera.
Mark opens his own camera, angling the phone so it captures Jjopoo and himself. The doll smiles instantly, with a camera-ready pose that is so incongruous to his previous tantrum that Mark has to laugh while he takes the picture.
mark lee: [image attached]
That jerk.
Eong's pushing his face closer to the screen, patting the virtual doll and cooing happily over his long-lost partner. Donghyuck's mouth simply twitches, brows furrowed in annoyance as he stares at the picture.
God, he misses that stupid face.
Freedom looks good on Mark, as most things do, and Donghyuck can't help the way his eyes soften as he studies him. It was a painful thing for him most of all, still is, but it was worth it, if it led to Mark smiling the way he did right now.
"Jjopoo is so cute," Eong repeats for the hundredth time. He's rubbing his fuzzy face all over Donghyuck's screen protector, and Donghyuck has no choice but to pull him back before he scratches it up.
Before he can second-guess himself, he presses the call button.
The screen loads for a few moments, and the Jjopoo doll's equally fuzzy face comes into view. From behind him, Donghyuck can make out Mark's worn-out hoodie and the stubble on his chin.
"Jjopoo!" "Eong!"
"Jjopoo!" "Eong!"
Donghyuck sighs, pulling Eong's tail slightly, and the doll jumps in surprise. "Don't you have something you want to say?"
Eong nods in agreement, turning back to the screen. "Eong misses Jjopoo! Jjopoo is the cutest! Eong loves Jjopoo's picture!"
Jjopoo paws over his cheeks, clearly shy from the barrage of compliments, and even Donghyuck can admit that the sight is adorable. "But Jjopoo misses Eong more! Jjopoo loves Eong! Jjopoo will give Eong lots of kisses!"
"Okay," Mark cuts in, drawing out the word as he leans down and makes himself visible in the screen. "Hi, Donghyuck-ah."
Donghyuck does not blush at that, he's a professional idol for god's sake. "Mark-hyung," he answers as calmly as he can manage, "how’s America?"
"It's been different," Mark says, "I've been working on stuff lately. Just, trying to get things together, you know?"
Donghyuck hums in response, "I'm happy for you, hyung."
And it hurts, it always will, but there's nothing but truth in Donghyuck's words.
"When is Jjopoo coming home?" Eong interrupts innocently.
"Jjopoo comes home when Just Mark comes home," Jjopoo announces. Donghyuck raises an eyebrow at the nickname, and Mark bashfully rubs the back of his neck.
Donghyuck looks away. He wishes he was brave enough, like the stupid doll who could carelessly ask when his other half was coming home without worrying whether he'd be too much. This is the first time in years that Mark's had time for himself. Donghyuck isn't going to be selfish, not when Mark has never been anything but selfless in the last decade they've known each other.
But it doesn't matter, because Mark decides for him.
"Two months, give or take," Mark says suddenly, "I'll be home soon, Hyuck. I promise."
"Take your time," he replies. Don't. Come home to me. I miss you.
"I won't," Mark laughs. Donghyuck misses the sound, loves it more than all the songs in his record collection combined. "Can't miss your birthday, right?"
Donghyuck nods. "I should go, hyung. I have practice."
Eong whines in protest, but he doesn't say much more, still occupied with petting Jjopoo's cheeks through the phone.
"Yeah, okay," Mark nods, already reaching out to pull Jjopoo away from the phone. "I'll see you when I get back?"
"Of course, hyung." He smiles softly as he turns away to pack his things for his schedule. Water bottle, his wallet, his ID card, a granola bar for himself, a granola bar for Mark—
"Hyuck?"
"Yes?"
Mark's voice grows quieter. "I miss you, too."
The call ends.