So I finally decided to go back and edit this smh 

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Somehow, Mark Lee knew that when he met the new boy next door, his life would never be the same again. 

Okay, maybe he's being a bit dramatic. When he was five years old, it's not like Mark knew that the boy next door would wreck havoc upon his life on the daily. 

At five years old, Mark Lee was just a regular kid who laughed a lot and played well with his older brother, Jinhyung. However, his mom was always encouraging him to make new friends, since his brother was already nine years old and off playing with "the older boys". 

It seemed like a miracle when the old couple next door decided to retire and sell their house, deciding to live in their hometown, and a new family moved in. 

Mark was so excited to meet the new neighbours, as his mom had told him that the new neighbours moving in had a son around his age. 

So, with an eager heart and his mom's baked cookies, Mark bounded up the front walkway of the new neighbour's house, ready to make a friend. 

However, before he could knock in the door of the house (not like he could reach the doorbell, he was five years old, ok?) the door slammed open and Mark fell on his bum, and the cookies which he his mom had made from scratch had all fallen off the plastic plate he was carrying. 

Rubbing his forehead, Mark looked up and met the surprised expression of a child who didn't look any older than him, and the surprised expression quickly morphed into that of a mischievous smirk. 

"Mommy, someone tried to come into our house!" the boy exclaimed. He was busy laughing at Mark, who promptly burst into tears. 

"Sweetie!" The kid's mother came scrambling out after her son. "What have I told you about slamming the door open? Look, you hurt Mark! Apologize to your hyung!" 

Mark, who wondered how the mom knew his name, rubbed his eyes and looked up. 

"Hi Mark, sorry, I've already met your mother. Donghyuck, tell your hyung that you're sorry! Look, the cookies are all crushed too!"

Donghyuck, who had finally calmed down from laughing and was upset from being scolded by his mom, turned towards Mark, who was being helped up by his mom, and said, 

"What a baby" before entering back into the house, following by his mother who was busy both yelling at Donghyuck to come back and apologize properly, while Mark just stared, a little shocked by the other boy's behaviour. 

And that had been their first meeting.  

 

 

It's surprising that the two boys even became friends after their disastrous first meeting. It's probably thanks to their moms that Donghyuck eventually apologized properly, and Donghyuck's mother explained that the boy just missed his old friends from their last neighbourhood, unfortunately taking out his anger on Mark. 

Of course, Mark, as a five year old kid, just wanted to make friends, so he had forgiven Donghyuck for it. 

However, there was no way of getting around the fact that Donghyuck was definitely a brat. As the two boys grew up together, Mark was hellbent on his conclusion that Donghyuck was out to ruin his life. They were friends, and were often at each other's house as their parents would usually be busy at work. Donghyuck was always teasing Mark, annoying him until Mark finally learned how to feel angry. Before, Mark would have never thought he could be so angry at someone, but somehow, befriending the younger boy often got him feeling hotheaded. 

For example, in the seventh grade, Donghyuck had come over to his house to do homework together since he claimed that "it was too boring to do alone", and while they were practicing their Bruce Lee kicks, Donghyuck had accidentally knocked over an expensive vase. Unfortunately, Mark's mom had opened the door right when Mark had been panicking to clean up the mess, and Donghyuck had blamed it all on Mark. Mark's mom, of course, knew about the boy's naughty side, and Donghyuck had later explained that it was actually his fault, yet Mark was still angry that his friend would do something like that. Donghyuck also apologized to the miffed boy, but Mark realized that day that the younger boy could be bad for his blood pressure. 

Yet, Mark couldn't deny that the boy was the embodiment of the sun, and kind of a genius, always making Mark laugh. After all, they wouldn't be friends if Donghyuck was actually a bad kid. Donghyuck knew how to have fun, and often asked Mark to hang out with him at the park and cracked jokes that Mark would laugh at (even though most of those jokes were directed at Mark). 

Regardless of their rough beginning, the two boys were quite close and grew to be amazing friends. 

 

 

 

Everything started to change when high school hit. 

Prior to high school, everyone was friends with everyone. Yet, puberty became a thing, and everyone's appearances, feelings and friendship alliances started to change. Mark and Donghyuck remained as good friends, but they both were quite busy, and it didn't help that Mark was also a year older than Donghyuck, which Mark would never let Donghyuck forget, always reminding the kid to address him as hyung. Mark insisted that they needed to broaden their circle of friends, saying to Donghyuck:

"Donghyuck, there are more people that exist in this world than you and me, and I am going to graduate before you. So you need to make more friends that are your age so you won't be lonely when I graduate." 

After Mark had said this about halfway into their high school career, Donghyuck had started to distance himself slowly but surely from Mark. 

It's safe to say that after a week of Donghyuck ignoring him, Mark broke down and knocked on his door with a rented rom com movie in his hand and a stuttering yet endearing apology speech. They made up that very night. Mark had suspected that Donghyuck missed him too, yet after their argument,  Donghyuck had started to distance himself from Mark. 

Mark's final year of high school rolled around, and he realized how many new friends Donghyuck had made. Donghyuck, forever the extrovert, had met lots of friends through his drama club, and he made friends other than Mark in their music club, not to mention the fact that everyone somehow knew Donghyuck, as Mark was pretty popular himself, what with being on the school's basketball and swim team. Everyone knew Donghyuck, and he was such a mood maker and a fun guy to be around that Mark shouldn't have been surprised, but he felt a sense of wrongness when Donghyuck had turned down their normal Friday hangout session to go out for a dinner with the drama kids, who Mark vaguely remembered as Renjun, a Chinese transfer student who was the same age as Donghyuck, and some other drama kids that Mark didn't know. 

Mark was a bit pissed, since it was their tradition to hang out together on Friday, but he didn't think he had a right to tell Donghyuck who he could hang out with, since he had told the boy himself to make some other friends. 

Luckily, Mark's friends from swim team invited him somewhere and even though he had rejected their invite earlier because he thought he was going to spend his Friday with Donghyuck, his friends invited him again and he accepted. 

Now, he was sitting in the park near their school surrounded by his team members and a bunch of bags of McDonald's takeout. As usual, they cracked a couple jokes and talked about recent events. 

"Did you see Coach Park's face when Professor Byun walked into the pool room to take a swim? He looked like he was gonna combust from how red his face was!" joked Lucas, while Jeno did his regular eye smile and Jaemin smirked. 

"I don't blame him. Professor Byun looked pretty y walking in with his shirt off. On top of that, he blew Coach a kiss. What a flirt!" smugly stated Jaemin. Mark and his team members laughed some more. 

"Our school is full of good looking and fun people. Look at Donghyuck! Mark, isn't he your friend?" Lucas asked "You should invite him to hang out with us, he's pretty and looks like fun!" 

At this statement, Mark felt his gut twisting a little. Of course everyone would want to be Donghyuck's friend. But he couldn't wrap his head around something. 

"Pretty? He's just decent looking..." Mark couldn't even fathom the idea of Donghyuck being good looking. He had witnessed Donghyuck crying over trashy romance movies, as well as seeing Donghyuck with his weird bowl cut phase. How could people think he was attractive? 

"Dude, are you blind? Never mind, you have glasses, of course you're blind. Donghyuck is a super good looking dude!" Lucas exclaimed, and his eyebrows were so ridicously furrowed along with his humongous frown, that Mark was starting to get a bit defensive. Jeno absentmindedly nodded, agreeing with Lucas' statement, and Jaemin looked back and forth between Mark and Lucas' expressions before smirking to himself and turning to Mark. 

"Yeah, the way Renjun talked about you and Donghyuck, we all had the impression that you and Donghyuck were actually dating" Jaemin casually pitched in, before sharing a look with Jeno. 

"What? Me and Donghyuck? D-dating? You must be joking... we're just really close. He's just my best friend. And you know Renjun?" Mark stuttered a bit, feeling his face heating up. How could they think him and Donghyuck were like...that? They're just friends! 

 "Uh, I don't know Mark... weren't you even supposed to hang out with Donghyuck today? Renjun mentioned your weekly Friday thingy with Donghyuck whenever he complained that Donghyuck would turn him down. Also, you turned us down before until Donghyuck cancelled on you. Best guy friends usually don't spend their whole Friday night after school with their one guy friend." Jaemin spoke up, backed with Jeno's head nodding. 

"I swear, we aren't dating! We're just super close!" Mark defended himself, his gut churning at what they were implying. It did sound a bit strange, hearing about his weekly meetings with Donghyuck from the perspective of another person. 

"I guess you wouldn't be dating. After all, Donghyuck can be a bit too much to handle, or at least that's what Renjun has said" Jaemin baited while secretly smiling to himself. "Whenever we see you guys you're just fighting anyway" Jaemin added. 

"Oh, so you're not dating him? Sweet! Wanna introduce him to me sometime?" Lucas grinned widely. Mark stared wide eyed back at Lucas, while Jaemin and Jeno once again shared a conspiratorial look. Mark felt uneasy, knowing about Lucas' reputation of being a heart breaker. Not that the guy was a player, just that many girls and guys fell for him even though he never really actively pursued anyone. At least, that was what Mark was telling himself was the reason he was feeling worried. Right, he didn't want Donghyuck to end up heartbroken... 

"Uh, sure, I'll bring him along another time, I guess..." Mark trailed off. Luckily, Jeno changed the topic and started talking about the next swim meet, and they all chomped on their greasy take out food while joking about adopting Professor Byun as their assistant coach. 

As Mark ate his chicken nuggets, he couldn't help but feel a sense of wrongness, but decided to brush it off and think about it later. 

 

After another hour hanging out at the park, Mark headed back home, feeling a bit scatter brained from the things that Jaemin and Lucas had said, along with Jeno's agreement. 

Do me and Donghyuck not make a good match? Mark pondered. We're so close though... 

"Mom! I'm home!" Mark yelled as he walked into his house and took off his shoes, placing his shoes in the shoe rack while locking the door behind him. 

"Mooooooom" he yelled again. Looks like she's not home yet Mark thought, then remembered she mentioned something about a business trip in Japan. His mom was always flying all over the place as she was a coordinator for a fashion company, and therefore was out of the house a lot. As for Mark's father, he was probably also overseas, what with having his own business meetings. 

Accepting the fact that his parents weren't home and that his own brother was living on his campus at university, Mark trudged up his stairs, exhausted after swim practice and hanging out with friends. 

Swinging open the door to his room, Mark let out a (manly) shriek and jumped (just a tiny bit) as he saw Donghyuck sprawled across his bed. 

"What are you doing here? How did you get into my house?!" Mark was mostly confused. It's not like his parents were home to let Donghyuck in, and no matter how much the boy asked for it, Mark was not ready to give the boy a pair of keys to his house, because Donghyuck lived next door anyways and Mark's mom always let him into the house. 

"Oh, your window is open. Also, mom's in Japan and dad is out, and my siblings are being annoying so I came over" Donghyuck nonchalantly explained while turning so that his head was hanging off the front of the bed, looking at Mark upside down. Mark forgot that his mom and Donghyuck's mom work in the same company and even the same projects sometimes, and had known each other prior to Donghyuck moving in next door. That's probably why their parents persisted in getting the two boys to become friends. Although, Mark was currently regretting his decision, seeing as Donghyuck was taking up all the space on his bed and didn't look like he was getting off anytime soon. 

"Shouldn't you be taking care of them, then? Also, my window being open is not an invitation for you to come into my room" Mark fired back. Of course, Donghyuck crossed every boundary that Mark attempted to lay down. It's a miracle he even calls Mark "hyung" still (although lately, Mark is noticing that he sometimes forgets the "hyung" and reverts back to just "Mark"... Mark doesn't know if he should be offended by this). 

"Well, it's kinda of your fault for leaving it open. What if it was a robber or someone else  is trying to steal your stuff? I just saved you from potentially being robbed. You should be grateful, hyung" Donghyuck rolled his eyes, which was kind of funny since he was doing it while still being upside down, and then he proceeded to flip his hair out of his face, fanning himself for being such a good friend. 

As usual thought Mark. I'm never going to win a verbal argument with this kid.... 

"Thanks, then... Also, stop hogging the bed, it's not even yours" Mark, a little disgruntled from Donghyuck's prior reasoning for being in his room, shoved Donghyuck none too gently and claimed his space on his own bed, with Donghyuck indignantly squawking. 

"The things I do to keep you from being robbed, and you treat me so harshly? Markie-poo, I'm so hurt" Donghyuck dramatically wailed while making a show of fake crying. No wonder he's in the drama club... 

This time, Mark rolled his eyes and took out some of his McDonald's takeout. He had saved some chicken nuggets to give to Donghyuck anyway. 

"Here's your reward then..." Mark sighed. 

"Of course, my Markie-poo loves me! Thanks!!" Donghyuck squealed cutely before munching on the nuggets. What the hell? Did I just think he was cute? I must be really tired... Mark shook his head to clear his thoughts. 

"So why are you here? Didn't you go out with Renjun and the rest of the drama club?" Mark questioned, while leaning back into his headboard. Donghyuck didn't answer right away, too busy chomping his nuggets in happiness. Of course Donghyuck would be happiest while eating Mark thought amusedly, while observing his best friend who finally sat up to eat the McDonald's. 

"Dude, are you blind? Never mind, you have glasses, of course you're blind. Donghyuck is a super good looking dude!" Mark suddenly was struck by what Lucas had said. As he watched Donghyuck eat, he noticed the boy wasn't really a messy eater. He looked as if he was enjoying the food, and he neatly ate while sitting cross legged. Smiling to himself while looking at Donghyuck's eating position, Mark was a little stunned while looking at his legs. 

Have Donghyuck's legs always been so slim and slender? There isn't even hair on them... It was the beginning of April, and it was finally getting warmer outside, so that would explain why Donghyuck was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but Mark never remembered his legs looking this good. They even look like girls' legs... 

And his skin tone is so tanned, almost golden... Mark was a bit lost in this observations, unconsciously admiring his friend's figure. Trailing his eyes up his body, Mark was a little shocked to note that Donghyuck had shed some weight, not exactly having all of his baby fat from childhood. Donghyuck hated exercising, but he was still pretty fit, what with all of the dance classes that his mom had enrolled him in since early childhood. Continuing to gaze at him, Mark gaped at his collar bones, exposed by the large collar of Donghyuck's shirt. 

That's my shirt... Mark realized, as he noticed the slightly bigger size. He looks good in it, though... 

Eventually, Mark looked up at Donghyuck's lips, which looked to be glistening. He had a prominent Cupid's bow, but his lips looked quite soft and were naturally a little tinted pink. Girls would probably kill for lips like Hyuck's.... 

"-Mark? Mark? Hellooooooooo? Loser, are you listening to me?" Donghyuck was exasperatedly calling out Mark's name, trying to tell a story, before noticing Mark wasn't paying attention to anything he was saying. Frustrated, Donghyuck ran his fingers through his hair, the soft looking strands gently falling back into his sparkling eyes. The talkative boy had dyed his hair light brown for a change, and it had grown out a little, constantly falling into his eyes. Mark was transfixed by the motion of Donghyuck flicking his hair back, but he finally made eye contact with Donghyuck. 

Belatedly realizing that he had been ogling at his friend for a while, Mark flushed a deep red. Concerned, his best friend reached out and cupped Mark's face in his hands. 

"Mark? Hyung? Are you sick? You're really red right now and it's scaring me" Donghyuck looked so cutely worried. His nose was scrunched up a little, eyes widened and brows furrowed, looking at Mark so worriedly that Mark felt something fluttering in his stomach from all the attention he was receiving, although he denied this and attributed his weird stomach problems to the greasy take out food he ate earlier. And wait, did he just think his best friend was cute? Again? What's happening to him...

"I'm fine, just hot and tired, I guess? It's been a long day... what were you saying?" Mark quickly lied. Donghyuck looked a bit suspicious, but before continuing, he went to crack the window slightly open, before climbing back into Mark's bed. 

"Better?" Donghyuck asked. Mark, feeling embarrassed, just nodded. 

"Anyway, since you weren't listening to me, I was saying how I did go out with the drama crew and we had fun eating out and hanging out, but I felt bad because obviously you would've missed me because Friday is Mark and Donghyuck day, and it didn't feel right not seeing you before the day ended." Donghyuck stretched his legs out in front of him, turning his face away from Mark. Mark felt taken aback by the sincerity in which his best friend said these things. A warm feeling enveloped him, and Mark was too busy feeling this sudden strange warmth that he didn't notice the slight blush on his best friend's face.

"Of course, who else would willingly befriend a brat like you?" Mark joked in an attempt to shake off the sudden emotion he was feeling. 

"Oh shut up, I'm only your friend for the free food and place to stay to avoid my siblings" Donghyuck scoffed, suddenly laying back down Mark's bed. 

"By the way, I'm sleeping here because I'm too tired and too lazy to go home, and my siblings are too loud." Donghyuck declared, while pulling the covers up. 

"You literally live five seconds away, you could leave through my window and climb up into your room using your window! And it's only ten pm!" Mark was suddenly flustered. "If you're so tired just sleep in your bed" Mark protested, but Donghyuck was already closing his eyes. 

"C'mon, what's the big deal? We slept together all the time when we were kids" Donghyuck pointed out, which Mark couldn't deny. They had sleepovers at each other's places when their parents were out of town, which was admittedly often. 

"But-" Mark once again tried to urge the boy to head back to his own house, when he got interrupted. 

"Mark," Donghyuck opened his eyes, half lidded and gazing sleepily and cutely at Mark, "Come sleep with me" 

And with that final statement, Donghyuck shut his eyes, but not before dragging Mark and hugging him around the waist, cuddling into Mark. Donghyuck fell asleep rather quickly, and Mark, not wanting to wake up his best friend, simply lay still while trying to slow the beating of his heart which he could feel had sped up rather significantly. He also came to a conclusion. 

Lucas was wrong. Donghyuck isn't pretty, he's gorgeous. 

With that thought in mind, Mark drifted off to sleep. 

 

 

 

The next day was a Saturday, but Mark's internal clock always managed to wake him up at an early time on the weekend. He wished he was like Donghyuck, who always managed to sleep in for as long as possible, even during school days. Mark remembered when his best friend would sleep over on a Sunday, and wake up totally frazzled and showering, then summon his ability to brush his teeth while picking out his clothes for the school day. Mark chuckled to himself softly while thinking of Donghyuck's early morning antics. Right now, Donghyuck was still asleep. Mark couldn't move a lot because Donghyuck's legs were wrapped around his own legs, and Donghyuck's arms were still holding onto Mark. 

Although Donghyuck sometimes reminded Mark of the devil, he really did look angelic while sleeping. The sunlight was also hitting Donghyuck's skin in a way that made him look like he was covered in glitter, and his mouth was slightly opened, looking like he was pouting. His hair was in a cute bed head style, and Mark was staring again! 

Mark shook his head to himself, trying again not to think about everything him and his friends had talked about yesterday, especially with Donghyuck looking so pretty in his bed. It felt nice to have him like this- 

What am I imagining?!  Mark was a little horrified at where his thoughts were going. No, he's not my boyfriend, I don't want to date him either- 

"Mark hyung? Hyung?" While Mark was deep in his thoughts, it seemed like Donghyuck had woken up. He drowsily opened his eyes, looking like a soft bear. Mark felt his heart pounding in his chest. 

Dammit, he's freaking adorable... Has he always been this cute? 

"Uh, morning" Mark awkwardly rubbed his neck, stretching as if to act like he wasn't just staring at Donghyuck sleeping. Because that's totally what best friends do... watch each other sleep... to make sure they are alright... yeah... 

"I'll go make breakfast because you're useless. Thanks for letting me use your bed" Donghyuck proclaimed, as he rose up and out of bed, stretching his tanned arms above his head, giving Mark a nice view of his legs. Later, Mark realized Donghyuck was mocking him again for not knowing how to cook, as Donghyuck's ongoing complaint was: "Mark, you're the hyung you should know how to cook, how would you ever live without me?" To which Mark never had any reply, because the younger was kind of right. 

After brushing teeth, Mark descended down the stairs and saw Donghyuck getting cozy in his kitchen. The boy always looked like he belonged in the kitchen, and his food was always so good. It seemed like their parents weren't back yet, but Mark was used to the younger cooking for him. This was usually the case. 

While eating their simple but delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs and rice, Mark chatted with Donghyuck about his swim team friends, omitting the whole discussion about Donghyuck. At the mention of Lucas, Donghyuck suddenly perked up. 

"Lucas? You mean the 6 foot tall Lucas?" Donghyuck questioned. Mark was surprised by Donghyuck's sudden interest, but answered back, 

"Yeah, that Lucas. He wanted to meet you and told me to invite you next time," Mark calmly explained. Why does he look so interested all of a sudden? Does he... does he like Lucas? 

"Oh, cool! Can I bring Renjun too? I think he wants to meet Lucas too!" Donghyuck suddenly smiled so radiantly, that Mark choked on his food. What's the big deal about meeting Lucas? Like sure, he's a cool guy.. but still... 

"Hey, Hyuck, do you-" 

Mark got interrupted by the ringing of Donghyuck's phone. 

"Sorry, it's mom. Whoops, I think I'm in trouble for ditching my siblings. Sorry, Mark, I gotta go! Text you later? Bye!" and with that, Donghyuck sprinted out the door.

So does he like him or not? Mark sulked as he finished his breakfast. 

 

 

Even though Donghyuck said he would text him later, Monday rolled around without a single call or text. This was strange to Mark, since Donghyuck never failed to annoy him on the weekends. Feeling slightly annoyed, Mark waited in front of Donghyuck's house like he did every morning. No surprise that Donghyuck was running late again. 

"MOrk!" Donghyuck yelled as he strolled out of his home, casually walking out even though they were late and would have to run to school. Mark didn't even know if the boy had brushed his hair, but he was strutting very attractively out of his home. What am I even thinking about? Mark thought to himself, and then he remembered that they were late. 

"Ya, that's hyung to you! And hurry up we're going to be late! Why are you especially late today?" Mark scoffed and started walking at a brisk pace. 

"Fine, hyung. I was up talking to Renjun all night. Slow down, will you? My legs are long but I don't wanna sprint to school" Donghyuck whined, while rolling his eyes. Mark felt a surge of annoyance pooling in his gut. 

So he can talk to Renjun all night but he can't send me a single text? Mark felt irritated, and walked even faster. 

"Hyung? HYUNG! Slow down!" Now Donghyuck was running after Mark, screaming at him to slow down. Donghyuck caught up to him and tackled Mark. 

"YA! Get off!" Mark tried to shake off the boy, but he was really like a clingy bear. They spent the next of the walk to school with Mark trying to push off Donghyuck and his best friend clinging even harder. 

It turns out that they weren't too late as they approached the school, seeing most of their friends crowding the hallway. They entered the building still "play fighting", as that's how they saw themselves. To their friends though, they saw something different. 

"Ya! You said you weren't a couple!" Somehow, both Mark and Donghyuck's friends from swim team and drama club were hanging out with each other in front of Mark's locker. After Lucas had all but screamed it in the hallway, they started receiving some curious glances from other students. Hearing what Lucas said, Mark pushed Donghyuck off harshly. 

"I told you, we aren't dating!" Mark was particularly red in the face, while Donghyuck was slightly hurt from being pushed off ad a little bit confused from what Lucas was implying. 

"Dating? Like I'd ever date this loser. I'm too good for him" Donghyuck boasted, with Lucas, Jeno, Jaemin and Renjun snickering. Mark, faking an offended look, just rolled his eyes. But really, Mark was thinking: Why doesn't he want to date me though? Something must've been on Mark's face, because Renjun and Jaemin shared a devious look. 

"I believe we haven't met yet. I'm Lucas, you must be Donghyuck. You're really pretty, but you probably know that" Lucas smirked as jokingly shook Donghyuck's hand. Slightly flustered, Donghyuck took his hand and joked back, 

"You don't look too bad yourself. Mark mentioned you wanted to meet me?" Donghyuck batted his (short) eyelashes, just playing around, but he had a soft red flush on his face. Donghyuck knew he was decent looking, but not many people had straightforwardly complimented him like that. Mark, who never really saw Donghyuck feeling embarrassed, gaped openly at his best friends' flushing cheeks, while simultaneously turning to glare at Lucas, although Mark wasn't self aware of this. The whole interaction was interesting to the other three friends watching. 

"I'm going to class, Professor Kim gets grumpy when people come in late" Mark stated offhandedly, grabbing the things he needed out of his locker and slamming the door closed. Everyone flinched and watched Mark stalk off. 

"Professor Kim isn't the only grumpy one..." Renjun muttered, everyone but Donghyuck hearing him, who was too busy glancing back confusedly at his best friend who had stormed off. 

What's wrong with him today? Donghyuck mused. Right then, the five minute warning bell before class rang, and they all shouted goodbye, deciding that they should sit together at lunch, and also planning to hang out sometime during the week. 

Mark ended up being annoyed the whole day, until Donghyuck screamed at him to stop ignoring him during lunch. After that, Mark didn't have the energy to fight with Donghyuck, and he stopped feeling grumpy too. 

"So, the drama club is preparing their final performance before the summer break?" Jeno asked, before biting into his sandwich. Lucas had left their table to go scream with some other basketball guys, while Renjun and Donghyuck absentmindedly nodded. 

"Yeah, it's gonna be so good. Me and Renjun are working on our own singing parts and practicing our lines." Donghyuck replied. If Mark was being honest, he didn't care much about the activites of the drama club, but the way Donghyuck sounded so excited while talking about them made him happy. Donghyuck always looked like he had stars in his eyes whenever he talked about singing or drama productions. They continued to talk about the play, Mark just smiling happily at whatever Donghyuck was saying. Noticing that Mark wasn't really paying attention, Jaemin pulled him back into the conversation. 

"Mark, aren't you graduating this year? Man, that . You're really just gonna leave us like that, huh?" Jaemin accused. 

"It's not like I have a choice. I'm a year older." Mark reasoned. 

"Hey, Mark, how many clubs are you even part of? You're already a part of student council, but you're also part of the save the bees club, swim team and basketball team." Jeno inquired. This was all true; Mark had been super busy this year, and that had also been why he hadn't been seeing Donghyuck a lot at school, even though they lived right next to each other. 

"Yeah, just wanted to do everything before I graduated. Plus, it looks good on my college application" Mark breezily replied. He applied way back, and it was now late May heading onto June. 

"Where did you apply?" asked Renjun. 

"Just the regular Korean universities; The big 3, Seoul National University, Yonsei and Korea University. My parents want me to study abroad, probably Canada, since my grandparents live there, so I applied to some universities there too." 

"You're going to study in Canada?" Donghyuck questioned. That's when Mark realized he was stupid. He had not told Donghyuck that he was planning to move abroad, and this was probably the worst way for him to find out. 

"You never told me this! You said you were applying to music programs... Don't your parents want you to study business? Is that why you're going to Canada?" Donghyuck looked so betrayed at the moment, and he had every right to be. After all, it was now April, and college applications were way back in December, so Mark had been hiding this since last year. 

"Uh, yeah... " Mark hesitated. He wasn't sure what to say, since Donghyuck seemed furious. The three other occupants at the table sense does the tense mood, and just talked amongst themselves. 

"When were you going to tell me? When you got on the plane? Or would you have called me when you were already there?" Mark shivered as he met Donghyuck's eyes. There, he was met with barely concealed rage, and worst of all, Mark could see the hurt glistening in his friends' eyes. When he saw this, his stomach dropped. 

"I was going to tell you before I left, I swear! I-I just couldn't think of the right time, and it's not a big deal anyway! I'll still call and text you all the time, and plus, we're going to be separated anyway, since I'm graduating first. Just get used to it, Donghyuck!" At this moment, Mark knew he had said the wrong thing. Donghyuck's expression shuttered closed, and it was like looking at a block of ice. Mark hated whenever Donghyuck shut him out and played this poker face, but Mark had no one to blame but himself. 

"So that's how it is, huh?" The tone in whichever Donghyuck said this caused everyone at the table to feel a chill. His bad feeling multiplying by tenfold, Mark desperately tried to grab onto Donghyuck. 

"Wait, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant-" 

"No, I understand. I guess you're right, I should just get used to it. Starting today, I'll prepare myself for when you leave." After saying this, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Donghyuck wasted no time and swiftly grabbed his bad, stuffing his lunch containers back into his bag and walked out of the cafeteria without looking back. The four occupants left at the table stared dumbfoundedly as they watch Donghyuck stalk oout, before a silence came over them. 

"..."

"Hyung, wasn't that too harsh?" Jeno gently asked. Mark, who was still staring out the door, guiltily turned his head back. Renjun was glaring at him, and Jaemin was looking at him as if he had never seen him before. 

"I... I gotta go" Mark ran out of the cafeteria, slinging his bag onto his back, attempting to look for Donghyuck in the crowd, but he was gone, probably already in his classroom. Mark knew he was screwed, though. 

 

The next couple of weeks was torture. It was as if their friendship had come to a standstill. Mark had tried apologizing, and had knocked on Donghyuck's door, demanding to speak to him, but Donghyuck's younger sister had come out of the house instead and had yelled at Mark to go away, saying that Donghyuck didn't want to talk to him. Mark tried calling and texting him, but Donghyuck either was ignoring him or he had blocked him. And when Mark waited for Donghyuck the next morning, Donghyuck's mom came out to tell him that Donghyuck had already left. Feeling discouraged and even guiltier, Mark had trudged alone to school, hoping to find Donghyuck there, but Donghyuck was pretending like he didn't exist. 

And it wasn't just one day. This went on for weeks. Mark tried every morning, lunch and and after school to get Donghyuck to talk to him, but the boy's curtains were permanently covering his view into his room, and Donghyuck's phone kept ringing and ringing without an answer. If that wasn't bad enough, Donghyuck was ignoring Mark but talked to every single one of his friends. Even more irritating, Donghyuck looked so close to Lucas nowadays, those two always high fiving or patting each other on the back.  Donghyuck wouldn't even sit at their lunch table anymore, instead sitting with Renjun and the drama kids at another table. 

Eventually, Mark got annoyed and stopped trying to reach out to Donghyuck. Mark could understand he was probably hurt and angry, but now Donghyuck was just plain being petty. 90% of the time when they fought, it was always Mark bending first and apologizing. If Donghyuck didn't want to talk to Mark anymore, then so be it. 

Jeno, Jaemin and Lucas still hung out with Mark, but they were seeing how affected Mark was by Donghyuck's lack of attention towards him. Mark constantly had a frown on his face, and kept mistakenly calling them Donghyuck. Also, whenever Lucas wandered off to the drama club's table during lunch they noticed how Mark would look very triggered and clenched his jaw whenever he saw Donghyuck hanging out with Lucas. This obviously wasn't just some friendship. Sure, it was normal for best friends to feel betrayed whenever they found out their friend was hiding something from them, but Jaemin and Jeno, and even Renjun, had noted hat Donghyuck looked like he was getting closer to Lucas just to piss Mark off. Something about seeing Lucas and Donghyuck together really seemed to set Mark on the edge, and it was to the point where their friends couldn't just pin this as a 'possessive best friend' sort of reaction. It was definitely more than that.  

"You haven't made up with him yet?" Jeno inquired. Sweet, usually quiet Jeno, was sort of the peacemaker. If he was butting in, that meant things were especially bad. 

"No. Why should I make up with him? He obiviously doesn't want to talk to me anymore. I'm leaving in a few months anyway, what's a few more weeks not talking to him?" 

"You're being stupid. You two miss each other. Just make up already." Jaemin interjected. "The drama club is going to start performing their play soon. You should come to support him." 

"You're joking with me. I don't miss him, and he doesn't miss me. Maybe we're better off this way, we always fought all the time." Mark's expression became more and more sour as the conversation continued. 

"Hyung, stop lying. It's so obvious that you miss each other. You're always sneaking glances at each other, and Renjun mentioned how Donghyuck keeps unconsciously looking around for you. Be the hyung that you are and harder!" Jaemin insisted. 

"I don't care! He doesn't miss me! I don't need him! Why does it always need to be me bowing to him? It's always been like this. It's his problem now if he wants to still be my friend or not!" With that final note, Mark exploded. The cafeteria went dead silent. 

Here's the thing about Mark Lee. He never got angry. He was such a friendly guy and he got along with everyone, and he was also very patient with everyone. Yet, when he did get angry, it was super rare, and it was usually for a good reason. Everyone looked up from their lunch, glancing at Mark a little terrified and confused. What reason did their student council president have for suddenly exploding? 

The only person who wasn't curiously glancing at Mark was Donghyuck. Mark turned to look at he boy, and he wasn't even looking at him. In fact, Donghyuck just continued to chat with Lucas as if nothing was wrong, but Lucas obviously wasn't paying attention, eyes fixed on Mark's angry outburst. Finally, Donghyuck glanced up to meet Mark's eyes, and all Mark saw was cold indifference. Feeling even more irritated, Mark stormed out of the cafeteria for probably the millionth time. 

 

 

The day of the drama club's production came around, and Mark was deadset on not going. Jaemin, Renjun, Jeno, and Lucas had all urged him to go, and as the student council president, Mark was definitely encouraged to go, but he really was not ready to see his former best friend's face. He still could feel the emptiness that Donghyuck had left behind, and he was afraid that he would feel worse if he ended up going to the play. To make matters worse, him and his parents were starting the process of helping Mark move in with his grandparents in Canada, and were starting to buy all the things Mark would need. 

Mark's refusal to go to the drama production angered his friends. 

"Hyung, now you're the one being too petty. We all know Donghyuck is hotheaded and stubborn, but we expected more from you. You know what, maybe you're better off not being friends. You guys are toxic for each other." That was Jeno's last call to Mark ten minutes before the play had started. They had even bought a ticket for Mark, but at Mark's adamant refusal, they gave it away to a freshman boy, named Jisung, as his friend Chenle was also in the play. 

After his call with Jeno, Mark felt even more hurt and flabberghasted, and most of all, even guiltier than before, if that was even possible. Athough he had denied missing his best friend, he realized how lonely he actually was. 

He couldn't deny it anymore. He missed Donghyuck's presence in his life. His laughter; that stupid smile that was so bright. The boy's funny jokes, even though sometimes they could be borderline rude. He missed the way Donghyuck would talk cutely to him, he missed Donghyuck's fun handshakes and his fun games that he came up with. He missed his cute begging, he missed his voice. Did he mention that Donghyuck's voice was amazing? The boy could definitely sing... He missed having Donghyuck in his house, where he felt like Donghyuck belonged. He missed eating the food that Donghyuck cooked for him whenever his parents weren't home, he missed the mornings and nights they would spend together, talking about the randomest and deepest topics. Most of all, although he would rather die than tell anyone, he missed Donghyuck in his room, most specifically in his bed. He hated to admit it, but he missed the feel of Donghyuck against him. He missed his beautiful best friend who had somehow annoyed his way into Mark's heart and carved a Donghyuck-shaped hole there. 

At this moment, with this sudden whirlwind of longingness for his best friend, Mark realized just how much he missed Donghyuck. But, it wasn't just a need for his best friend in his life again. Mark realized it was much more than that. This feeling in his chest, this pain, it couldn't possibly be just for a best friend. He did need Donghyuck, after all. 

Not knowing what this feeling was, Mark still knew that he had to get his friend back. Grabbing some spare money to buy a ticket, his keys, and his phone, Mark ran out of the house, hurriedly locking the door, hoping he didn't look too shabby in sweatpants, a hat, and his ugly "lounging around the house" t-shirt. He had to get going, because they play was starting in...

Mark checked his phone... 

"Seven minutes?! Shoot!" 

Luckily, Mark made it to the school with only a few minutes to spare, hurriedly throwing his money at the student selling tickets, yelling "Keep the change!" and ripping a ticket off the roll on the desk. The female student at the desk just looked shocked, before shaking it off and clearing off the desk to go watch the show herself. 

Mark didn't even check the name of the play, but maybe he should've, because it looked like they were performing Romeo & Juliet. Near the beginning of the play, he noticed that Donghyuck had gotten the role of Romeo, which Mark vaguely remembers from his constant talk about the play. 

Needless to say, Donghyuck was stunning. If Mark hadn't known before that Donghyuck was attractive, he definitely saw it now. Donghyuck really looked like a handsome teenage boy, strutting around stage in his rich-boy, noble looking outfit. His honey skin seemed to be glowing under the numerous stage lights, and his figure looked amazing dressed in his outfit. Mark had no clue which era it was supposed to represent, but Donghyuck looked regal. 

The way Donghyuck delivered his lines, Mark thought that anyone could fall for him. His somewhat nasal sounding, yet honey tone was so smooth he could see other people in the audience also becoming entranced by him. 

Mark was captivated by his former best friend, and was solely interested in his performance. It was undeniable that the other cast members were doing an amazing job, but Mark just couldn't take his eyes off of Donghyuck. His performance commanded attention, and Mark was a helpless bee to his honey. 

The final scene, where Romeo drinks the poison, and Donghyuck delivers his final woeful speech of not being able to live without Juliet, Mark felt it. Then, Donghyuck started shedding tears, and Mark's breath stopped short. Donghyuck rarely cried, and between the two of them, Donghyuck hated showing any sign of weakness. Not that crying was weak, but Donghyuck didn't like expressing his emotions too openly. So it came as a kind of a shock to see Donghyuck, as Romeo, weeping on stage. The pure emotion rolling off of Donghyuck in that moment was suffocating, and to Mark, it felt like it was actually Donghyuck crying, not Romeo. On stage, Romeo ended his life, not being able to bear being apart from his Juliet. 

Mark shed a few tears watching, then immediately felt stupid for being so effected by a high school drama production, but he couldn't help it. Donghyuck controlled a lot of his emotions, whether Mark liked it or not. 

The last scene finishes up, where Kim Yerim, the student playing Juliet, wakes from her coma and sees her dear Romeo is no more, and she also weeps while taking her own life. 

Finally, the play finishes, and Mark feels like he just had an out of body experience. For a horrible moment, he really had imagined that he lost Donghyuck, and the sudden fear and pain gripped him. He had to shake it off, telling himself to get out of it. The curtains opened again, and the cast members came out holding hands and bowing. 

Ah, that smile... Donghyuck looked so proud of himself, and his happiness was radiating off him in waves. Mark didn't feel himself smiling, but he had a wide grin on his face, looking so fond of his former best friend. Unknowingly to him, Jeno, Jaemin and Lucas had turned around and spotted his grin in the crowd, and both were relieved that Mark had shown up. 

While admiring Donghyuck, the boy actually looked up and saw Mark. Instead of the cold as ice stare that Mark anticipated, Donghyuck's expression softened into an almost fond looking stare, and Mark's heart skipped a beat. Donghyuck was still smiling, but it was more subdued and more of a calm grin from spotting Mark in the crowd. 

Mark decided that it might be a good idea to try talking to Donghyuck again, so he waited in the changing room, which was really just the drama room, while he waited for Donghyuck to come in. 

Eventually, the drama cast all flooded in, and Mark congratulated a few of them before making a beeline straight to Donghyuck. Donghyuck spotted Mark making his way towards him, and had a slightly shocked expression, but he also looked a bit weary. 

"Hyuck" Mark breathed out. This time, Donghyuck's heart did something funny. It had been a while since he had heard the nickname, and Mark didn't say it that often. Also, it was the first time in a while that Mark had not addressed Donghyuck with a harsh tone. 

"Let's go home, okay?" Mark continued, and Donghyuck slowly nodded. 

"I'm just going to change, I'll be back" Mark hummed "Okay", then watched Donghyuck's retreating back. 

"Oh, so you're talking again" Kim Yerim, also known as Yeri, was a good friend of both Donghyuck and Mark. 

"Good job back there. You guys were amazing!" Mark enthusiastically commented. Yeri giggled, then leaned in to say, 

"But I don't think you were really looking at us, huh?" Then she leaned back, grinning devilishly, while she watched Mark becoming a tomato. 

"Seriously, though, I'm glad you guys are talking again. Donghyuck didn't really show it, but everyone knew he was upset. He just pretended to be okay, as he always does whenever you guys fight. None of us can decide if you guys are secretly dating or if you really do hate each other" Yerim continued, not even paying mind to the fact that Mark was incapable of speaking to defend himself. 

At this moment, Donghyuck finished changing and was back, although Mark noticed some make up was still on his face. He looks gorgeous without it, though... But he looks even prettier... What did they do to his lips? They look so luscious... 

"Hyung, are we going?" Donghyuck softly asked, and Mark felt so good hearing Donghyuck calling him hyung again. 

"Bye, Donghyuck! Great job today! And Mark, think about what I said, ok? I'm sure I'm not the first person to bring it up!" Yeri winked, before disappearing to go bother her older sister, Joohyun, who had come to watch the show. 

"What was she talking about?" Donghyuck questioned, to which Mark shook his head. 

"Nothing much. Let's just go," he replied, but Donghyuck didn't quite believe him. The flush on Mark's face was still visible. 

 

 

 

 

The walk home was pretty quiet. Mark and Donghyuck kept subtly bumping their arms together, yet they weren't looking at each other. They were both glancing ahead, down, up, basically anywhere but not at each other. 

They stopped in front of Donghyuck's house, but before Donghyuck could open his own front door, Mark interrupted:

"My house?" and Donghyuck had no choice but to follow, especially when Mark had on his best puppy dog face on, paired with the genuine sincerity in his eyes. Submitting to Mark, Donghyuck followed behind, carefully untying his shoes and placing them next to Mark's on the shoe rack. Donghyuck had been over often enough that he even had his own place to put his shoes. 

After trudging up the stairs, Donghyuck followed Mark in, slowly closing the door. Mark urged Donghyuck to sit with him on the bed, and they sat cross legged, sitting in front of each other. 

"..." The silence was heavy, as neither boy knew how to start. 

"I'm sorry." Mark decided to get on with it. This had been going on for too long. 

"I'm, I'm really, really sorry. It's true, I kept it from you. I really wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how to. I was afraid of how you'd react, and when the thing happened, I yelled at you... I'm so, so sorry". Mark rambled in one breath, speaking quickly. Donghyuck still wasn't looking at him, and was wiggling his toes while looking down into his lap. 

"Hyung" Mark met Donghyuck's gaze, who was finally looking at him, and Mark felt his heart skip a beat. Donghyuck looked so innocent and pure, and a little hurt and regretful, and all Mark wanted to do was hug him and never let him go. 

"Hyung... I'm sorry too" Donghyuck whispered. Mark could sense his embarassment, but also his determinedness to fix this argument. 

"I shouldn't have ignored you. We both know I'm petty, but I took it to the extreme. I was afraid that you were going to leave me forever... Canada's so far away, and what if you decided to live there forever? I couldn't... I couldn't bare that thought. I thought it was easier to just cut you out of my life. I was so hurt when I had to find out from Jaemin asking you..." Donghyuck held Mark's gaze the whole time, and Mark felt his heart squeeze from the younger's confession. He realized just how much he had hurt him. 

"Hyung, please don't leave me...No matter how much I annoy you, or ignore you, please don't leave me" Donghyuck whispered, finally slowing his speech to a stop.

"Hyung, I missed you so much" And at this statement, Mark finally moved forward and hugged Donghyuck, enveloping him in his arms and patting his friend's soft hair. 

"I'm so sorry... I won't do that again, I'm so sorry... forgive me, please. Hyung is sorry" Mark repented, Donghyuck's hair, as he could feel the boy under him trying not to cry. 

Eventually, they both calmed down, and just lay holding each other. 

"Sleep, okay?" Mark urged, and Donghyuck, too exhausted to even joke around or pretend to refuse Mark's offer, immediately fell asleep, lulled by the soft warmth of Mark's arms and his body heat. 

Once again, Mark was holding his best friend as he slept. However, Mark's heart was thumping hard in his chest. He gazed down at the boy laying asleep, unaware that his hyung was looking at him so adoringly. 

In this moment, Mark had an epiphany. He loved this feeling of holding Donghyuck. He didn't ever want to let go of him. It felt right, it felt so right... 

I'm in love with my best friend.

 

 

 

 

 

Mark didn't get a wink of sleep that night. Coming to the realization that he was in... in love with Donghyuck, immediately got him thinking about everything else that was contained in him and Donghyuck's "friendship". Of course, it couldn't be normal to want to hold your friend in bed, or even kiss his forehead while he was sleeping, which Mark had done ashamedly, but could he really be blamed? This beautiful creature was sleeping in his bed... 

"Mark hyung?" Donghyuck had risen, and was cutely yawning while pouting. Ever since Mark had finally sorted out his feelings, he now felt even more attacked by Donghyuck's cute behaviour. How had I not known I was in love with him the whole time? 

"Mhm, go back to sleep, it's a Saturday" Mark assured, and Donghyuck attempted to go back to bed, when the doorbell rang. 

"Did you invite anyone?" Donghyuck asked, confused. 

"No," Mark answered back, even more confused. Mark went downstairs to open the door, and was greeted by Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, and Lucas. 

"Why are you guys here?" Mark asked, sincerely puzzled. 

"Rude. Invite us inside! We came to congratulate Donghyuck, but his mom said he must've slept over here, since she said he wasn't at home. Finally talking now, are you guys?" Renjun rolled his eyes, plopping down on Mark's couch. Lucas shrugged and followed Renjun inside, while Jaemin and Jeno just sent him suspicious smiles. 

"Who's here?" Donghyuck was making his way down the stairs. Immediately, all eyes whipped around, watching Donghyuck as he descended the stairs. Donghyuck's hair was a mess, and his oversized shirt he had changed into after the play was definitely Mark's, although neither had noticed before. It wasn't surprising that half of Mark's clothes always ended up in Donghyuck's closet. The thing was, Donghyuck looked like a hot mess, and Mark knew it was just because he slept well, but obviously, their friends didn't know that. 

All of their friends took in the sight of Donghyuck, Lucas having a difficult time taking his eyes off of him. Renjun, Jeno, and Jaemin looked at Mark for explanation, but Mark was oblivious to everyone's stares and was following Donghyuck with his eyes. Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin and even Lucas took note of this, but Donghyuck was blissfully unaware of the eyes following him. He plopped onto the couch, seated on Lucas' right while Renjun was on Lucas' left. 

"Hey guys, did you enjoy the show yesterday?" Donghyuck was smiling faintly, even a little smug. He knew that him and the crew, including Renjun, had done a fantastic job yesterday. Now, he was just fishing for compliments. 

Jeno, in his usual fashion, ruffled Donghyuck's hair, telling him how well he and Renjun had done, while Jaemin gave a thumbs up, also saying, 

"Someone enjoyed it quite a bit. Mark hyung was even crying!" Jaemin sniggered, while Renjun kept asking if it was true, to which Jeno just gave his regular eye smile. Lucas broke into huge laughter, while Mark couldn't even deny any of it. 

"Aw, my Markie-poo loved our performance! I'm so happy" Donghyuck joked, before going to hug (or more like suffocate) Mark, who wasn't trying very hard to escape. In fact, he even looked like he was enjoying it, which everyone excluding Donghyuck noticed. 

"So you guys are talking now? Finally!" Lucas suddenly screamed, and everyone laughed. 

"So we're all going to prom together, right?" Renjun said as the laughter was dying down. 

Right, prom! Mark had completely forgotten. How could I have forgotten about it? I'm the student council president! We've been planning this since forever! 

"Yes, Injun! We're going! I stil would've gone if this loser and I hadn't made up though" Donghyuck was back to teasing Mark, and Mark found that he didn't dislike it as much as he had before. 

"Well, I would've gone anyway too, student council president ring any bells?" Mark reminded the rest of them. 

"Great, he's back to flexing his title. This is capitalism," Donghyuck stated, causing another round of laughter. 

"I can't believe it's almost June. Then, this year will really be over," Mark said, sounding wistful. Everyone solemnly nodded, while Donghyuck suddenly looked away, remembering that Mark would be moving to Canada soon. 

"We just have to have a lot of fun, then, before you and Lucas graduate. Stop talking like you're an old geezer. You're old, but not that old" Renjun sassed, and this helped to bring the mood back up. They spent the rest of the morning eating the food that Donghyuck had cooked and then they went out to just hang out at the park. 

 

 

With Mark and Donghyuck talking again, the friend group went back to eating altogether. Prom was a couple of days away, and students were asing other students to be their prom date. The six of them were just joking around at their table, when a senior student came up to their table. 

"Hi, Donghyuck. Will you go to prom with me?" Donghyuck knew this guy. Ong Seongwoo was part of the dance club that Donghyuck was also in. He just never expected the boy to ask him to be his prom date. 

"Sorry, Seongwoo! I'm already going out with these losers. Maybe try asking Kang Daniel? I heard he's still available!" Donghyuck winked, while Seongwoo was disappointed, he was glad the rejection wasn't harsh. Watching the interaction, Mark felt uncomfortable. He liked Donghyuck too, and seeing other guys confess to Donghyuck made him annoyed. It looks like other people were starting to be enlightened by the wonderful person known as Donghyuck. 

"Wow, thanks for calling us losers," Renjun bickered for a while with Donghyuck. Jeno suddenly turned to Mark, and asked him, 

"You wanted to be the one to ask him out, no?" Jeno said. Mark just glared back and didn't say anything. He didn't want to give Jeno anything else to make fun of him with. The last Saturday when they had all hung out, Jeno, Jaemin and Renjun had cornered Mark and got him to confess that he liked Donghyuck. At that time, Donghyuck was too busy goofing off with Lucas near a socer field, so luckily, he hadn't been there to witness Mark stutter and turn extremely red as he murmured that, yes, he was in love with his best friend. 

It seemed like Renjun and Donghyuck had finally stopped bickering, and then Jaemin suddenly decided to start talking. 

"Donghyuck, you've rejected so many people already. Who's your type anyway?" Jaemin asked, pretending to be curious but he was really just provoking Mark. As expected, Mark looked over at him and scowled. Wait a second, "so many people?" how many people have asked out Donghyuck?!

"Jaemin, you know I'm not easy," Donghyuck smirked, and then continued, "my type is the kind of guy who looks cute wearing glasses and is involved with a lot of school things, and who takes good care of his friends". 

"Wait, you like guys? I thought you were straight!" This was a new piece of information to Mark, who had screamed this out. He had never heard this from Donghyuck himself!

"Mark hyung, get on this boat already, I mean, it doesn't really matter, i just prefer guys I guess," Donghyuck nonchalantly shrugged, seeing this as the end of the discussion. Mark's head was still reeling from Donghyuck admitting he had a preference for guys, while at the same time, Renjun, Jaemin and Jeno thought about what Donghyuck had said. 

Doesn't his type... sound a lot like Mark?

Mark was too busy grinning at the possibility that Donghyuck liked guys, and Donghyuck was stealing glances at Mark, with a light blush on his face. Seeing this, their friends realized just how complicated Mark and Donghyuck's "friendship" actually was. 

"They fight like an old married couple.... Are they really not secretly dating?" Jeno asked himself, to which Renjun overheard and shrugged. 

 

 

 

A couple of days later, it was finally prom. 

Mark wore a nice black suit, paired with a light blue collared dress shirt, with a matching black tie. He didn't care much about fashion. The only reason he was even wearing a suit was because Donghyuck kept complaining that "it was a formal event" and "MoRk you have to try at least".

Needless to say, Mark was whipped for the boy and bought the dress suit. His mom was so happy when she saw him all dressed up, and even his dad was giving him a supportive thumbs up with a proud look, so Mark thanked Donghyuck in his head, even though the suit was kind of hot. 

Now, Mark was waiting in front of Donghyuck's door, and he could hear people shuffling around. It's probably just Donghyuck's family members. 

After what felt like an eternity, the door opened. 

Mark was definitely not ready for what he saw. 

Between the two of them, Donghyuck had always been a bit of a fashionista. He liked his skinny jeans, and his oversized shirts, sometimes looking stylish with just some sweatpants-shirt combo, but Mark was not expecting his best friend to look as good as he did right now. 

Donghyuck was wearing a light blue silk shirt, which had a ribbon decoration at the collar instead of a bow tie, and he was wearing slim-fit black dress pants, similar to Mark's but they seemed to be a bit too tight on Donghyuck's thighs. 

Although, that wasn't what shocked Mark the most. Donghyuck had done something to his eyes; they looked almost hypnotizing. It looked like eye-liner, and there seemed to be eye shadow which accentuated Donghyuck's eyes. Donghyuck's eyes are really pretty... Donghyuck's hair was settled into a soft looking wave, slightly pushed back but still falling into his face. And his lips. Oh my gosh, his lips... thought Mark. It's not like Donghyuck's lips were big, in size, they were truthfully average sized, but they looked so plush, what with the light sheen of what looked like pink lip gloss. 

He's gorgeous... I just want to kiss him... 

On the other side, Donghyuck had never seen Mark like this. Mark didn't care much about his outward appearance, and usually didn't put in any effort to look good. Not that Donghyuck was saying that he didn't look good, because a fact Donghyuck didn't like to think about was that Mark was really handsome. 

Mark had switched his round Harry-Potter-looking glasses for a pair of contact lenses, and Donghyuck admired his big round eyes that always looked so innocent and pure. Mark wasn't wearing make up because he just didn't like it, but he must've cleaned his face with something because his skin looked pure white. Mark looked so handsome and manly in his suit that Donghyuck felt like he was melting. 

"Ahem!" fake-coughed a voice behind them. Donghyuck and Mark turned around to see Donghyuck's little sister rolling her eyes at them. 

"Are you guys gonna go or what? Mom wants a picture before you leave, and Mark, your mom wants one too" stated the girl. Donghyuck stuck out his tongue at his little sister, and Mark and Donghyuck stood shoulder and shoulder, looking very awkward. 

"Mark, put your arm around his waist! Donghyuck, put your arm around his shoulder! And smile more happily! You guys look like statues!" instructed Mark's mom, and a few moments later, they got into a better position. 

"Aw, you guys look so cute!" squealed Donghyuck's mom. The two boys both blushed, Donghyuck rolling his eyes at his mom, whie his mom pretended to smack him for it. 

"Off you go! Mark, take care of Donghyuck, okay?" Mark's mom called, and Mark bashfully nodded when Donghyuck turned to smile up at him. Mark was just a little bit taller than Donghyuck still, something that hadn't changed throughout childhood. 

 

 

 

 

Mark drove him and Donghyuck to the prom reception, which was about fifteen minutes from their houses. It was a quiet area, surrounded by a beautiful garden and it looked like a posh hotel lobby. The ballroom was huge and the ceiling was way above their heads. They met up with Jeno, Jaemin, Lucas, and Renjun, all of them complimenting each other and taking pictures. 

The prom food was okay, just some steak but it didn't look very expensive. It was a highschool prom anyway, they don't have the funds for good food. 

All six of them hung out and laughed at their table, commenting on how nice the venue was, before they started splitting off into pairs. Jeno and Jaemin went off to the dance floor (typical dance club members) while Renjun and Lucas decided to stay at the table and continue talking together. 

"Mark, I wanna go to the garden" Donghyuck begged, so Mark let himself be led outside, catching Renjun's smug grin as they made their way out. 

He and Donghyuck strolled around, Donghyuck admiring the flowers, while Mark admired Donghyuck who was admiring the flowers. 

"Sunflower," Mark suddenly blurted out. Donghyuck looked at him in adorable confusion, scrunching his nose. 

"Hyung, there are no sunflowers here. What are you looking at?" Donghyuck turned to look again at the flowers, trying, and failing, to spot a single sunflower. 

"Nothing... Let's take a seat? I have something to tell you." Donghyuck was puzzled again, but let Mark guide him to a cozy looking bench which was surrounded by a dome of flowers. It almost looked like a tiny gazebo. They sat down and relaxed. 

"So, I'm not moving to Canada," Mark started. 

"Okay," Donghyuck said, as he was still too distracted by the beautiful gazebo. A couple seconds later, Donghyuck whipped his head so quickly to Mark that Mark was afraid that he hurt himself, before Donghyuck yelled, "What do you mean you aren't moving to Canada?!" 

Mark stole a second to glance at Donghyuck, as if he wasn't stealing glance all night. His best friend looked so shocked that Mark couldn't help but chuckle, while also moving a strand of hair that had fallen into Donghyuck's eyes back behind his ear. 

"I'm not going to Canada," repeated Mark, enjoying the shock, but happiness that was on Donghyuck's face. 

"Why the hell not? My mom even told me that your mom was preparing things for you to go..." To Mark, it seemed as if Donghyuck had still not grasped the idea that Mark could be staying. 

"Well, I had some reasons... my grandparents are old and I don't want to burden them to take care of me, and there are still good opportunities here, so I don't really need to go. I can just study business and music here," Mark explained, but those weren't all of the reasons. 

"That can't possibly be it. Mark, you were deadset on this, why the sudden change of mind?" Of course Donghyuck was too smart to take those reasons, Mark chuckled to himself. 

"You asked me not to leave you," Mark explained patiently. Donghyuck looked very dumbstruck.

"Mark, I can't be the one keeping you here, though..." Donghyuck pouted. Had Mark gone crazy? He wondered. 

"Yeah, I think I'm a little crazy these days," Mark slyly grinned. 

"Oh, I asked that out loud, didn't I?" 

"Yes, you did". 

"So tell me why, again, you're staying?" 

"I like you."

"Mark, give me a real reason."

"For why I like you? There are so many, though. You're funny, talented, smart, and pretty. What else?" 

"Mark, stop playing. Tell me the real reason why you're staying." 

Lee Donghyuck, you're dumber than I thought you were, Mark thought. 

"Lee Donghyuck. Look at me. I like you, okay? I don't just see you as a friend." Mark stuttered a bit. Donghyuck looked into his best friend's eyes; this friend of his who he had known for more than ten years, who shared everything with him, who gave Donghyuck confidence and company and attention whenever Donghyuck craved it. And Donghyuck couldn't hold it in anymore too. 

"Mark Lee, I've liked you this whole time. Stupid idiot." Donghyuck had a stupidly big smile on his face, and once again, Mark felt entranced. Now it was Mark's turn to feel shocked. 

"What?" Mark's voice cracked. 

"You're so dumb, hyung. I wouldn't have been so upset that you were going away if I didn't love you," now it was Donghyuck's turn to confess a few things. 

"You love me?" Mark was just like a parrot, constant repetition seemed to be his forte. 

"Stop looking so shocked, admit it, you love me too," Donghyuck's confident streak was back, and he was flirting away. 

"What about Lucas though?" Mark stuttured; he still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Donghyuck loves him. He loves me?!?!?

"What about Lucas? Mark, you were cute at first but now you're just being annoying," Donghyuck sassed back, "And Lucas is with Renjun." 

"Oh." Mark felt happy for them, but if he's being honest, he was mostly just happy that Lucas and Donghyuck weren't anything that he was imagining. 

"Wait a second, when I first met Lucas, is that why you were so angry? Because you thought I liked him? Aw, my Markie-hyung is jealous!" Donghyuck pulled on Mark's cheeks, teasing him, while Mark looked thoroughly embarassed. 

"Don't worry, I only like you," Donghyuck winked, and Mark blushed red. 

"So are we gonna kiss or what?" Donghyuck flirted, what a naughty kid... Mark thought. 

"So are you gonna be my boyfriend or what?" Mark sassed back. 

"We've basically been dating this whole time, get with the schedule Mark! And where's my kiss? Just do it already!" Donghyuck whined. 

"Come here and take it yourself." Mark smirked so slyly that now Donghyuck was the one blushing and feeling shy. 

"Who do you think you are, anyway?... Where's this confidence coming from, I want my shy Mark-hyung back-" 

Donghyuck couldn't even finish his sentence, because Mark was too busy claiming his lips. He was so attentive and slow, that Donghyuck felt even more aroused by it. They kept kissing and only really stopped when Donghyuck had to take a breath. 

"You're stunning, babe," Mark suddenly spoke. Indeed, Donghyuck looked amazing, panting quietly and flushed so prettily, for Mark's eyes only. 

"How dare you do this to my heart," Donghyuck spoke again when he got his breath back, and attacked Mark this time with his own lips. Mark should've known that this was how Donghyuck would react. The boy hated to lose, afterall. 

But in this game of love, I guess we both win and lose at the same time, thought Mark. 

 

 

 

 

They were gone for such a long time that prom was about ready to end when they got back. The light blush on both Mark and Donghyuck's faces didn't go unnoticed by their friends, not to mention Donghyuck's smeared lip gloss. 

"About time!" screamed Renjun, who went to go interrogate Donghyuck. Mark couldn't stop smiling, while Jeno, Jaemin and Lucas talked with him. 

"I'll never understand you guys..." Jaemin started. "How can you fight so long and hard, then still end up falling for each other anyway? Thank goodness me and Jeno aren't like that," Jaemin said as he went to backhug Jeno, while Lucas congratulated him. 

Mark just smiled, because what he and Donghyuck had was something not many people could understand anyway. 

They made their way home, and their families knew right away that something must've changed between their dynamic. Their moms were especially ecstatic to know that they were dating, almost fake crying to each other that "our babies were all grown up now". Mark and Donghyuck merely shrugged, while they went to Mark's bed to go change and sleep. 

"You looked pretty today," Mark said to Donghyuck as they were settling in bed. 

"Just today?" teased Donghyuck, as he cuddled in next to his boyfriend. 

"Everyday." Mark was so at peace, knowing that he would keep holding Donghyuck in his arms. 

"That's what I thought." Donghyuck nodded arrogantly. "I guess you're handsome too" 

"Mhm" Mark replied, feeling too content to speak. 

"Mark?"

"Yes, Hyuck?" 

"I love you"

"I love you too, Hyuck." 

"Sweet dreams,"

"I'll dream of you, then."

"Ugh, you're so cheesy." 

 

And with that, they went to bed. 

I'm a psycho for you, but that's okay, Mark thought, as they slowly drifted to sleep, lulled by the moonlight and each other's calming heart beats. 

 

---

Bruh this was supposed to be a short story, but its like 12,000 words smh 

Anyway, I hope anyone who read this enjoyed, I was supposed to write Onho but I got hit by markhyuck feels oop 

I had fun writing this though lolololol 

Im probably gonna have to go back and edit this later but this will do for now loolololol