Mark unconsciously taps the blue pen on his desk, confusion and other emotions he can't decipher are slowly consuming his mind. He stares at his handwriting, eyes darting from word per word. He wonders if he really wrote those, or was he just in a trance this whole time?

His soulmate mark disappeared the other day, and although he didn't freaked out and was even surprisingly calm the whole time, it doesn't mean that he's not thinking about it. Everytime he looks at his wrist, he feels like there's something missing and there's an unfamiliar tinge of pain in his chest that he feels but chooses to ignore.

He doesn't notice Jeno standing in his room's doorway and has been calling him thrice already, so when his cousin throws at him the nearest item he can grab, Jeno almost fell on the floor laughing with the pure shock and horror on Mark's face. 

"Hey! What was that all about?" Mark asked, eyebrows knitting in curiosity. He looked at the clock hanging above his desk and his eyes bulged open to see that it's already 6:00 in the evening, meaning he has been staring at his journal for like, 45 minutes? 

"What are you thinking about?" Jeno asks. He closed the door behind him and sat on Mark's bed and grabbed the fluffy pillow near him. 

"Nothing much," The older blinks. "Something's just off lately."

Jeno raises his brow, "like what?" 

Mark looks up to stare at the younger. There's a hint of hesitation showing in his eyes. He's not sure if he can tell his problems to him because he's still the older one here. He doesn't want to pester the younger with his own problems because if there's someone who has to give some kind of support, it's usually the older one. 

"Hey," Jeno raises his arm to touch Mark's arm gently. "You know you can tell me anything, right? I'm not that good with giving advices but I can listen to you."

Mark sighs. 

"Right," The older clasps both his hands with the utmost energy left in his body. "I lost my soulmate mark."

Jeno nods involuntarily, not quite taking in what his cousin had just said. "Yeah, you lost your soulmate mar- what?! You lost your soulmate mark too?!"

Mark nods. He feels that slight tinge of pain again and it probably looks like he's trying not to cry right now with his face contorted in some way. 

The look on his cousin's face tells him that he's also worried too. "Since when?"

"I'm not sure. I think the day before yesterday? It was really random."

There's a moment of silence between the two of them until Jeno stands up all of a sudden, surprising Mark. The younger looks at his older cousin and there's a slight smirk showing on his face. 

"Hey, I'm betting ₩10,000 that I can figure out who's your soulmate faster than you." The smile that Jeno has on his face makes Mark weirdly nervous and before Mark gets to answer him, he runs away from his room with a laugh. 

Weird. 

~ 

Mark dreams of someone's voice again. And finally, finally, he can now tell who is the owner of the voice he's been hearing ever since. 

His heart soars from the happiness he's feeling, it's a beautiful experience. God, he's so in love and it's such a wonderful thing. 

A smile forms on his face. It's Donghyuck. 

~

Donghyuck woke up in a strangely good mood today. He had the most relaxing sleep he's had for weeks and everything just feels lighter to him now. Even Jeno looked at him weirdly with how he's almost skipping his way throughout the kitchen that morning. 

"What's gotten into you, Hyuck? You look very  happy." Jeno mumbles, eyes still laced with sleepiness. 

Donghyuck shrugs, setting his own bowl of breakfast across the older. "I don't know. I just feel like today's a really good day."

Everything's actually going great today. Well, besides from the fact that Mark is staying over at his brother's house and Donghyuck hasn't seen him for like, two days, still, everything's going great and he's hoping that all of this will continue. 

/"So, when will you be back?" Donghyuck tries to hide any trace of loneliness in his voice. He looks over at Mark who's packing his backpack earnestly, his forehead scrunched in concentration. 

The older looks up at him, "in five days, I think? My brother is telling me to stay longer though."

"Maybe he really missed you that much that's why he wants you stay longer."

"Yeah," Mark nods. "We haven't seen each other for months so I totally understand." 

Donghyuck watches him as he packed the last of his things and zipped his bag. Wow, they are not even a couple but the younger is feeling very...down and dejected that he's not going to see Mark for days. It makes his heart swell with sadness and it's probably showing on his face because the next thing he knows, Mark is kneeling in front of him asking if he's alright. 

Donghyuck just nods, dumbfounded. "Yeah, I'm good. Just spacing out."

"You sure?"

Maybe it's the sincerity of the moment or their hearts beating at the same time, that Donghyuck finds himself drawn to the man in front of him. He looks at Mark with the utmost adoration; lets himself fall deeper. It's an unknown world that he's willing to wander; it's dark, dangerous even. But if it's Mark waiting for him at the end of all the darkness, then, he's more than willing to go through it./

He's absentmindedly playing with his hair when he noticed /it/. He almost missed it, if he weren't paying attention enough and seeing it almost made him shriek. The sudden burst of excitement, happiness and nervousness are making him feel all tingly and weird in such a good way. It's so strange. 

On his wrist is his soulmate mark, now replaced with his soul mate's initials. His heart pounds from his chest upon seeing the letters, 'ML', marked on his wrist. 

It makes him feel relieved. Relieved from the thought that finally, he's not going to be all alone in this big and lonely world. He's actually destined to someone and-

Wait. 

Realization dawns on him. He can't believe it. All this time, all this ing time, he's being stupid. They're being stupid. God, how come he didn't figured it out sooner? 

Donghyuck grabs his journal and reads through it again, confirming his suspicions and almost hitting his head on the wall because what the , was I really this stupid before? How did he not noticed everything? 

Before he can even run to Jeno's room to tell his best friend that finally, he figured out who his soul mate is, his phone rang, making him jump from surprise. 

Without looking and clutching his chest on one hand, he answers the call. "Yeah?"

"Lee Donghyuck."

Donghyuck failed to function properly after hearing his voice. It's probably the realization that makes him act like this; the moment of realization that all throughout this time, destiny already made a way for them to meet. They were destined to meet; destined to be a part of each other's lives. It's already written in the cluster of stars and written at the lines on their hands. They're meant to be. 

"Mark Lee." He's whispering, and he doesn't know why. "Our soulm-"

Mark shushed him, shutting Donghyuck up. "Don't. Just..don't say it, yet. When I get back home, let's..let's say it there. Can you wait for me?"

The sincerity in Mark's voice fills Donghyuck's heart with so much adoration and love that he finds himself nodding, "yes, I'll wait for you Mark."

Maybe it's a soulmate thing, or maybe he's already in love with the older for a long time now that he just feels it - he can hear his smile through his voice and now, he understands why people say that falling in love is beautiful. It's a different kind of beautiful. It's the kind of beauty that you really have to look for, you have to have patience because otherwise, you won't be able to see the beauty in love. You have to open your heart, make it listen and reach out your hand to connect. 

"Hyuck, I..." He hears Mark trail off on the other line. To say that the younger was not anticipating that Mark will say those three words to him was a big, fat lie. The next thing he hears is Mark clearing his throat and he can imagine him scratching the back of his neck out of nervousness. "I'll see you in two days, Hyuck. I...miss you."

Before he even gets the chance to reply, the call already ended and the only thing he can hear is the sound of the bleeping of his phone. 

Donghyuck ends up smiling. His soulmate is so cute. 

~

Jaemin smirks annoyingly at him, his arms crossed and eyes never leaving Donghyuck. "See, I told you. Mark hyung is your soulmate."

"Okay, first of all, if you were in my position, you'd be as stupid as me," Donghyuck ignored Jaemin's protests, his hand flying up to hit his friend on the back. "Secondly, everything was really confusing. You can't blame me."

"How was it confusing?" Right now, Jaemin is straight up whining already. "We literally told you all the clues but you two were so stupid to figure it out."

Donghyuck looks at him, offended. 

"Wow, thanks for that. That's really motivating."

Jaemin makes a face at him before facing Jeno who is currently having fun watching his friends banter in front of him. "When's Mark hyung getting here? I can't wait to see these two love birds finally meet." 

"He texted me an hour ago so he's probably here by any minute now." Jeno answers, smiling at Donghyuck because he can see the tanned boy getting nervous at the mere mention of Mark arriving at any minute. Renjun is trying hard to calm Donghyuck down because he knows Donghyuck plus nerves is not a really good combination. Trust him, he knows. (The last time he remembers is Donghyuck throwing up all over the place because of nervousness and he doesn't want to repeat that scene again, thanks, he just ate.) 

Renjun turns to the younger boy, "are you nervous?

Donghyuck chews on his bottom lip, he also shakes his legs unconsciously out of habit while looking at Renjun. "Yeah, I am."

"Mark hyung may act all cool and suave when he comes here but I can definitely assure you that he's not, he's probably more nervous than you, Hyuck." Jeno supplies thoughtfully. "I actually think you'd be the calmer one between the two of you, to be honest."

"What? Donghyuck the calm one? I beg your pardon, Jeno." Jaemin argues. "Donghyuck and the word calm cannot be in one sentence."

Donghyuck should be laughing by now, but his phone vibrating is telling him otherwise. He just received a message. From Mark. 

/hey, hyuck. I'm here already/

/I'll see u in three/

"Mark hyung just texted me." 

His friends all stopped what they were doing and instantly turned their heads to him. If he wasn't feeling nauseated from nervousness right now, he'd be laughing out loud from the look on their faces. They all look like they were caught stealing something, with Jeno gaping his mouth like a fish, Renjun blinking continuously and Jaemin just looks dumbfounded. 

"Alright! This is it, Lee Donghyuck! You're finally gonna meet your soulmate! I'm so happy for you!" Jaemin shrieks, shaking the poor boy with so much force that he ends up lying on the bed. They end up throwing pillows at Donghyuck as a form of 'celebration' until he was all red from laughing so much. 

Maybe they were making too much noise that they didn't notice the door of Donghyuck's room opening, revealing Mark, who is now staring at them with a small smile on his face. He looks healthier, Donghyuck notes, he looks more lively and fluffy now than when he saw him last two weeks ago. 

"Hi." Mark mutters, eyes darting from one boy to another, trying to take in what was happening before he came. "I see you guys are having fun."

"Yeah," Jeno chuckles and puts the pillow back on the bed. "How was your trip? Did you have fun?" 

Mark takes off his cap, "yeah. My brother missed me so much and he made me eat a lot, said I was too skinny." 

Renjun tries not to gag. These two, clearly referring to Donghyuck and Mark, are so painful to watch he can't even stand being in the same room as them right now. It's so...nauseating to see the two of them trying to catch each other's gazes just to look away when they /actually/ end up looking at the other. It's so cringey. And very unlikely of the two. Maybe this is what love is really like, huh? Renjun thinks. 

Jaemin pulls at Jeno's sleeves harshly and whispers, "we should leave." 

Renjun clears his throat, "we're going to try the newest flavor at the ice cream shop, want us to get you guys something?" He says, standing up from his seat and grabbing his wallet on the process. 

Donghyuck raises his brow, "is this your treat or...?"

"No, no," Mark quickly interjects. "Let me treat you ice cream this time. I mean..I'm the oldest and uh, you've been a really great help to us so yeah..." He trails off, looking at the distance because he suddenly feels mushy and weird. He hands his wallet to Jeno, "you can buy any ice cream you want. Just please don't leave me bankrupt."

Jaemin's eyes lit up, "that's great! We'll bring some snacks too then let's watch a movie or something later."

After a quick goodbye, the three left the room, leaving Donghyuck and Mark alone. They were facing opposite sides of the room and and for the first time ever, Donghyuck has never felt so silent in his life ever. 

"Hyuck.." 

Donghyuck almost gave himself whiplash from turning his head so fast to the older, "yeah?"

Mark chuckles, "please tell me why we're so awkward?" 

Donghyuck grins sheepishly, playing with his fingers out of habit. "Probably because we just knew we were actually each other's soulmates and now we don't know how to interact with one another and oh my God, what am I even saying."

The older stands up, taking the initiative to end this awkward situation between his soulmate and him. He doesn't want to waste any moment now that he knows Donghyuck is his soulmate, all he wants to do is to cherish all of the memories they have together. And it starts now. 

Mark momentarily thinks when did he became sappy like this because it doesn't sound like him. Oh well. 

"We were really destined to meet, huh?" 

Donghyuck looks up at him to find the most genuine smile he's ever seen on Mark adorning his face. It makes his heart fill with joy and love and gosh, he doesn't want to sound like a love strucked teenager but guess what he is? Definitely a love strucked teenager. 

"I don't want to sound too emotional but I'm really happy you are my soulmate Mark hyung." The younger replies, his checks heating up in embarrassment. 

Mark ends up sitting beside him, their bodies so close that they end up feeling each other's body heat. It's so comfortable and calming to be in one another's presence like this, Mark thinks. He's so glad he was able to experience it early like this. 

Slowly, Mark closes the gap between their hands and held Donghyuck's hand carefully to his. The feeling is indescribable. It's euphoric - to finally know that you're not alone in this big and lonely world, to know that love has found its way into your hearts and now the two of you are there, sharing the same beats of your hearts. 

They feel it. The connection. The relief of knowing that they're destined together. And in such a young age, they finally met each other to spend their growing days together.

A sudden thought appears in Donghyuck's mind, disturbing the peaceful atmosphere that they share. He tries not to laugh about it, but Mark notices his shoulders shaking so he has no choice but to say it. 

"Remember that morning when you tried cooking something but you end up burning the food?" Mark nods, his eyebrows scrunched. "I actually dreamt of that. I didn't knew you were such a bad cook!"

"Oh wow. Ten minutes ago we were just so awkward with each other and now you're back to teasing me?" Mark says, pinching Donghyuck on the nose lightly and ignoring his small noise of protest. "But actually though, I can't really cook. And I dreamt of omelettes, by the way. Clearly, my dreams were telling me that you make the best omelettes."

"Wait. You write your dreams in a notebook too, right? Why don't we just snap our note books together and read our dreams about one another?" The younger suggests, clasping his hands together. 

"Well," Mark coughs to hide an incoming blush on his face. "Let's do that next time, yeah? I have a gut feeling that Jaemin and the others will arrive soo-"

He wasn't able to finish what he's saying with the door bursting wide open and revealing their three friends with plastic bags at hand. 

"I told you they will hold hands." Jeno smirks, holding out his palm. "Give me my money."

"Wow, you guys really did a bet on us." Donghyuck fake gasps, his free hand flying up to cradle his chest. 

Jaemin shrugs, "I just bet that you guys will be kissing as we arrive, guess I'm wrong."

"It's too early for a kiss though, Jaemin. But we'll definitely get to that - after a few years." Mark laughs, playing along with their friends. 

Soon, they are all huddled on the living room watching a movie, with Donghyuck and Mark cuddling on the couch. Their friends are all seated on the floor, discussing all about the last scene. 

Donghyuck sees the older's soulmate mark and in a hushed voice, he whispers. "LDH..Lee Donghyuck..wow, I'm really your soulmate."

"You still can't believe it?"

He shrugs, "I don't know. It just feels a bit surreal."

Mark holds Donghyuck closer to him. He's his warmth and light and he's Donghyuck's strength. They complement each other in so many perfect ways and fill each other's spaces and they are really, made for each other. 

They still have a long way to go, hardships to conquer and happy memories to spend, but one thing that Mark and Donghyuck is definitely sure of, they will always cherish the love that they share together and grow old in one another's arms. 

•••