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 . “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 ! 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 mustache, 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 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 go