“Hyung, do you think Renjun-ge will ever be the same again?” Concerned, Donghyuck turned to see Chenle’s worried expression. They had already done their sound check for levels and Donghyuck had been lost in his own mind, wondering if Mark would be able to find sunflowers so soon.

“What do you mean, Le?” he asked, knowing that Renjun was having a difficult time but firmly believed that his best friend would return to be the old Renjun that he had hung out with before everything happened.

“I…I don’t know…sometimes when we go to the library for Chinese bonding time,” Chenle started, looking at the floor and fidgeting with his fingers. “He…he cries.”

“Cries?” he echoed, not remembering Renjun saying anything about crying when he wasn’t in his presence. It had been a few days since Renjun’s tears over losing Soeun had stopped and Donghyuck had started to think that Renjun was finally starting to heal.

“Please don’t get mad at him,” Chenle said quickly, probably after seeing Donghyuck’s slightly betrayed expression. “He just doesn’t want you to worry. You know that.”

“…he should still tell me,” Donghyuck grumbled, pouting slightly and staring up at Chenle who sighed at his childish behaviour. “What does he cry about?” Donghyuck didn’t like how Chenle was hesitating to answer his question.

“Not helping you more when everything was going on,” Chenle revealed and Donghyuck felt immense relief flood through his being – at least Renjun wasn’t still crying about Soeun. Although they all liked her and she was the perfect other for Renjun, Donghyuck couldn’t help but think that if she had truly loved Renjun, she would have been willing to try.

Like how Mark-hyung and I are trying now.

“I’ll talk to him later,” he decided, smiling up at the younger who nodded warily. “Thanks for telling me, Chenle.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Chenle pointed out, blinking owlishly at him as he waited patiently. “Do you think Renjun-ge will ever be the same again?”

“Of course, he will,” he answered, hoping with all his might that he wouldn’t be proven wrong. “Once he gets his head out of his and realises that he’s got a chance.”

“With what?” Donghyuck chuckled just as the backstage crew members entered their area, telling them that the show would start soon and that all first acts must move to the wings of the stage.

“Not what, Chenle,” he started, standing up and stretching before shooting a smile at the younger. “Rather, who.”

As he walked away, he hoped that his instinct would prove to be right once more.

It was only a short wait before he was walking out on the stage as the opening act again.

The nerves were exactly the same as they were the year before but…

…Donghyuck couldn’t help but feel like this time, he had another reason for singing with all of his heart since his boyfriend, the Mark Lee, would be watching him.

Gripping the mic, he opened his mouth but instead of the usual ‘welcome to our showcase’, his next words couldn’t be any less similar.

“This is for my boyfriend who isn’t really my boyfriend but he’s my boyfriend.”

Knowing that he screwed up, Donghyuck decided to go big or go home after he saw Mark bring the palm of his hand to his forehead.

“And if anyone has a problem with that, they can fight my best friend because even though he’s short, he’s really scary.”

He couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of content when he saw Renjun hide his face his Jeno’s shoulder as they were right next to Mark in the crowd.

“Now,” he started, locking eyes with Mark and smiling as cutely as he could among the nerves that threatened to make his face red. “Let’s begin!”

He sang – he sang with all his might, placing as much passion as he could into his words and never once letting his eyes stray away from Mark Lee, the boy who had endured so much and yet still came out victorious.

He really is something, isn’t he, Donghyuck? He’s smart, he’s handsome and he’s got an awesome boyfriend, if you do say so yourself.

Finishing the song and giggling to himself at his thoughts, Donghyuck waited for the lights to dim as that was his cue to go offstage but they never dimmed.

Instead, they lit up in a soft yellow hue, flower-like shapes illuminating across the crowd and looking li