“Well isn’t this something like déjà vu?” Mark couldn’t help the hint of a smile that cracked on his face as he approached his step-brother, Johnny, who was at a soundboard yet again. “We have roughly an hour before sound checks. What’s up?”

“Why are you always skeptical that I want something from you every time I come here?” he asked, rolling his eyes and feeling his phone vibrate twice – one with a new post from Yeri and another with an incoming text message from Donghyuck.

Naturally, Mark opened the text message from Donghyuck first.

My RANDOM Haechan

How do sunflowers sound?

“Who is it? Your girlfriend?” He heard Johnny ask him and scoffed, shaking his head at the type of flowers that his boyfriend wanted.

“I wish,” he replied, leaving his brain on autopilot as he sent two messages over to Donghyuck.

My RANDOM Haechan

Omfg you’re asking for a lot

 But I’ll see what I can find

“That’s a new one,” Johnny commented, leaning over his shoulder and seeing the new text message before Mark could even scream.

My RANDOM Haechan

I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUU

<3

“You sure this isn’t your girlfriend?” Johnny asked him and Mark hurriedly pulled the phone to his chest, blocking it from Johnny’s view best he could.

My RANDOM Haechan

Hyuck…no…

Send it back

“I’m sure,” he answered with gritted teeth and typed quicker than he had in months while Johnny tried his best to get a peek at the incoming messages.

My RANDOM Haechan

<3

*sigh* why do I bother arguing

I love you too Hyuck

“Yo, Mark Lee!” Mark flinched when he looked up to see Johnny’s face being uncharacteristically close to his and couldn’t hold in his nervous giggles. “Who are you texting that’s got you smiling like that?”

“Smiling like what? I’m not sure what you’re on about…” he mumbled, peeking down at his phone and seeing Donghyuck’s new message of two hearts and then a photo that, when loaded, showed Donghyuck giving the camera a kiss. “I-I’m not smiling.”

“Yeah and I’m not dating Wendy,” Johnny said lowly, causing Mark to look up immediately, searching for any lies within the elder’s face. He remembered Wendy – Wendy Son, a very short girl with a heavenly voice when she attended the same school. Mark remembered how kind she was to him when he used to visit the showcases to see Johnny act as a tree in the new plays. Now, Mark went to the showcases to see Donghyuck not only sing the opening song but also act as the lead.

“You’re dating Wendy-noona?” he asked, voice equally as low as Johnny gravely and they both burst into fits of giggles, happiness spreading through his chest. “Congratulations, hyung! How long?”

“Just a month but at least we’re dating,” Johnny answered, and Mark smiled at the response, his smile softening when he thought about how he should spend his one month with Donghyuck. “Mark, you’re smiling again. Seriously, who is this girl?”

“Uh…it…” he mumbled, watching as Johnny moved back to the soundboard and began checking his cue sheets. “It’s not a girl.”

“It better not be Jeno again,” Johnny said offhandedly, putting one sheet down and scribbling a few words over some of the cues. “That’s no fun.”

“Trust me, hyung, it’s not Jeno,” he let out, chuckling after and shaking his head as he peeked at the photo of Donghyuck giving the camera a kiss again. Maybe the first step to being comfortable with telling people is…well…to tell family. I can start with Johnny-hyung. “It’s someone else.”

He could feel Johnny’s eyes on him now, so Mark took a deep breath and faced his older step-brother, giving him a sweet smile.

“It’s my boyfriend.”

Mark continued smiling as Johnny simply raised his eyebrow and turned back to his cues.

“You out of all people got a boyfriend?” Johnny asked and Mark was snapped out of his happy trance, curiosity filling his veins at the reaction that was the polar opposite of most of the school’s student population.

“You’re not freaked out?” he asked cautiously, stepping closer and trying to get a peek at Johnny’s expression. “Not creeped out by me?”

“Why would I be?” Johnny asked, looking up at him with an odd expression. “That’s not cool…Mark, has anyone reacted badly to this?”

“Hyung…you have no idea…” he forced out, remembering the voice recordings that were played over the school’s speakers and the isolation that had happened after. “A lot has happened recently.”

“Tell me,” Johnny said softly, his hands putting down the pieces of paper as the older transferred all of his attention to him. “If that’s okay with you.”

“I…I’m gay,” he whispered, still scared of those words and the reaction that they could cause. However, Johnny simply hummed and leaned against the table that the soundboard rested on, crossing his arms.

“Okay,” Johnny said softly, shrugging his shoulders lightly. “That’s completely okay.”

“But no one knew until one day, a recording of something I said to Yukhei was played over our school speakers,” he continued, trying his best to ignore the static of the speakers that played through his mind. “Someone had gone into the broadcast room to play it and the recording…it…it revealed to everyone about my then secret crush on this one guy…”

“Mark…that’s…that’s horrible,” Johnny let out, his arms dropping to his side as the elder made his way over. “Tell me you beat them up.” Mark couldn’t help jumping a little when Johnny gripped his shoulders tight – as if he were mad.

“Uh, no,” he mumbled, prying Johnny’s hands off his shoulders and coughing. “No one beat anyone up, well I didn’t beat anyone up. I made a friend – I texted them accidentally and we were fine without knowing who was who but he knew all along and he was my then secret crush who became my boyfriend and, basically, a bullying trend went around and a whole bunch of other people were outed and lies were shown and-”

“Hey, breathe,” Johnny cut him off, opening his arms and Mark tried his best not to cry as he entered them, remembering the times when Johnny would hug him like this – times where Mark missed his biological father too much. “What happened after that?”

“The people who did it, they…they moved away,” he whispered, remembering the glint in Koeun’s eyes when she had said farewell to him for the last time in the principal’s office. “Koeun…do you remember her?” He was relieved when he saw Johnny nod. “She was behind it all, wanted the English scholarship that I applied for.”

“, that’s…Mark, I’m so sorry,” Johnny apologised, his arms wrapping around Mark tighter and making him warmer. “Why didn’t you text me? I could have helped you-”

“You’re bus