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mark lee was a fairly average kid growing up, miles ahead of his classmates as he fantasised about life beyond the limits of planet earth. whether his obsession with the stars was born from a loneliness of the heart, or from his general curious nature, he knew that high up in the clouds was where he wanted to be.
the first time that mark connected with someone else was show and tell day in primary school. mark, in his usual haste, missed a step and tripped- his book flying out of his grasp.
all flustered, attempting to keep the tears that threatened to spill in his eyes, he searched around on the playground floor.
as his fingers shakily pushed his glasses frame back on his nose, his glossy eyes were met with a new boy he had never seen before.
"i’m haechan, lee donghyuck.. i see you like the moon, huh?"
the boy spoke, as he held out mark's precious book for him to take. mark blinked his eyes momentarily, nodding as he took the book from his hands with a half-hearted 'thank you'.
"you better keep that book safe hm, space-boy?" he laughs warmly, filling mark's insides with a warmth that he could only compare to the sun.
"i swear i'm not this clumsy, i just like reading... i-i'm mark" he fumbles over his words, brushing down his jeans as he stood.
he was surprised he had been noticed at all by this confident boy, and he felt pretty average in comparison.
"mark." he spoke his name out, his lips quirking up softly.
”you seem better than those idiots.. i'll see you later"
to donghyuck, mark was never just average, he was extraordinary. he was different to the rest. and once donghyuck moved into a terrace down the street, their friendship began to blossom until the pair were inseparable.
they soon learned everything about each other, and they were opposites in many ways, but they fell right into place naturally.
donghyuck was always a fan of drama, even insisting he climbed up through mark's bedroom window every time he came around to hang out. at the start mark was always flicking his forehead for making him worry, but he soon got used to the younger's antics.
and one day he surprised donghyuck after school with a set of walkie talkies.
"mum thought this was a good idea... they are tuned on the same line so we can always contact each other, no matter where we are in the world.. or the universe i guess." mark explained shyly as he handed one over.
"so can we have code names? like spies?" donghyuck's eyes lit up a little.
mark hummed for a moment, contemplating this before the corners of his lips tugged into an excited smile. "mhm.. i thought you'd be able to radio before coming over.. and if you're ever being attacked by an alien race"
and donghyuck loved the idea of talking to mark at any time so much, that they ended up practicing with them straight away. donghyuck stood in the garden, his walkie talkie raised to his mouth as he waited for mark's signal to try it..
"space boy, do you copy?" a giggle fell off donghyuck's lips as he gazed up towards mark's window with a lazy grin.
mark rolled his eyes a little, nonetheless picking up his own walkie, which he'd now decorated with little fruit stickers.
"yes.. idiot, i copy"
"WRONG ANSWER! how will i know i'm not talking to an alien when you're in space!" donghyuck shouts, his pout still visible, even with the longer distance and mark's glasses.
"shut up H! your spy letter idea is so lame no aliens would want to talk to you!" mark laughed before signing off, and calling donghyuck back in.
they both decided it was their best idea ever, even if donghyuck would radio through to mark at 11pm just wanting to go on a bike ride to get some boba. but mark secretly loved having those adventures, even if he never showed it when he turned up to school the next day with disheveled hair and bags under his eyes, grumbling about how he hated the sun.
but mark's absolute favourite moments with donghyuck used to arrive on those cool nights towards the end of summer. donghyuck would stay over, and insist on wrapping his lips around the coldest popsicle he could find in the freezer.
the strawberry lollies always disappeared first.
yet mark preferred when donghyuck had grape, and he could watch his friends lips tint purple under the moonlight.
"come on, you'll like this.. it's kinda salty just like you" donghyuck would giggle as he tried the newest salted caramel flavour that mark's mum had picked up from the store.
but mark never liked to try them, no matter how many times donghyuck would attempt to poke his lolly through the older's lips- they froze his brain and made him shiver as they sat out and looked at the sky. he guessed donghyuck was always too warm to have that trouble.
yet, he appreciated those nights so much because it made him feel important. it was their own summer tradition.
"do you think the stars get lonely? being so far away from each other.."
mark speaks softly one night, his feet shuffling on the ground as he attempted to calm the storms brewing in his chest. when the two of them sat together and donghyuck listened to mark ramble on about some new constellation he'd seen, it made mark feel like he had something special. donghyuck never had to endorse mark's interests, yet he would listen to mark as though he was explaining the key to immortality, and in mark's head this was the closest he'd been to best friend material.
"no.. because no matter the distance, star dust will always find its way back in the cosmos. everything is linked, mark. sometimes you have to be lonely to realise what you need the most"
donghyuck's words settled peacefully in mark's ears that night, making him feel less scared for the future. it even made mark think about taking a bite from his best friend's popsicle.. but that was most certainly a step beyond the limits of his human kind.
so even if mark refused to understand why donghyuck hated banana milk, when in his opinion it was the greatest drink on the planet, he learned to accept their differences. he learned that donghyuck was the full-sun in his world.
donghyuck just had sweeter preferences for everything, he was sweet and golden and he made mark laugh on cold winter's nights.
it was as if he'd arrived in mark's life at just the right time, and he thought he was there to stay.
that's exactly why mark had never wondered why donghyuck insisted he came to mark's place for every sleepover all those years.
not until that one warm summer's evening just before senior year.
mark had folded his legs up so small to perch on the windowsill as he watched the lightning dart across the grey sky, his walkie talkie by his side. he had no idea how long he stayed there, not until he was brought back to his senses by a persistent knocking on the door.
he groggily made his way down the stairs, careful to avoid the creaks in the floorboards. however, what he opened it to was something he wasn't prepared for in the slightest.
donghyuck had been acting strange for awhile. but turning up at two am with nothing but a letter was a whole new level of abnormal, his golden skin masked by the largest green hoodie mark could have sworn used to live in his own closet.
furrowing his eyebrows, he looked at his best friend with confusion spreading across his features.
"what the fuck , hyuck? it's two am, you usually radio you're coming first.." mark whispers aggressively, trying to hide the worry in his voice as he rubs his sleepy eyes to get them to focus more.
" mark, please.. just take this. i don't have long,, but i needed to see you one last time." he half pleads, sounding as though he would break in half if he had to look into mark's eyes again.
he still shoved the letter towards his hands.
it all felt so wrong, uneasiness creeping up mark's back and latching on to his shoulders.
in that moment, mark's mind blanked. his hands weakly took the letter, yet he was unaware of what he was doing. the phrase 'one last time' echoed around his empty skull as he tried to process what was happening.
"hyuck.. what's going on-"
donghyuck's eyes kept flitting around, he was tense and anxious, and this was so different to the carefree donghyuck he knew.
"i'm sorry, mark... forgive me. the letter will explain- please, just wait for me" he breathes out, taking a final step forward as he pulls his best friend closer, burying his fingers in the sleepy locks of mark's hair until their noses were almost touching.
"i'm so fucking sorry.."
donghyuck's lips ghost across mark's forehead, and mark's breath can only catch in his throat at their close proximity, any fears melting away.
and as quickly as he'd felt those rosy lips against his skin, his best friend had disappeared into the night, leaving mark dumbfounded. standing on his porch with butterflies filling his chest: he was stuck. his knees felt so weak as his brain tried to catch up with what he had just witnessed.
even when he should hate donghyuck for what he just did, the boy still made his heart race.
and the only thought that remained clear in his mind was that- he was in love with donghyuck.
he was in love with his best friend. and he had just lost him to something that was completely over his head.
mark couldn't bring himself to go back inside, instead closing the door behind him. he sat on the steps outside his front door, slippers shuffling against the ground as his eyes drifted down to the crumpled letter in his hands.
what was so important that donghyuck couldn't tell him in person? -mark thought they told each other everything.
the lightning had faded, leaving only traces in the grey sky that seemed to carry on endlessly. mark felt the cool breeze brush against his cheeks. although his heart had settled, he was now left with a pit, a growing hole in his chest as he began to wonder why donghyuck was leaving town in the middle of the night. with no trace.
a part of him was pleading for this to be a trick, another joke donghyuck had pulled.
but not this time.
he decided he couldn't wait, his curiosity was brimming over and he needed to know before he let himself cry. his stiff fingers shakily ripped open the envelope, recognising that handwriting anywhere.
for a moment he read the short page, forcing himself to breathe:
mark. i'm sorry if i woke your mom up.. she's always been so good to me. i best get to the point, i hate this town, mark- i just can't take it anymore. if i stay in this town, all my life will become is shit. i'm losing my sanity living in this house with my dad, its all so fucked up and i can't even breathe myself, speak for myself when he's around. and don't you dare say i could move into yours, space boy. you know i couldn't. and we wouldn't stay as best friends if that happened. i know leaving like this will hurt you, but i must do it to find myself and somehow make peace with the thoughts screaming out. it's hurting me too. maybe if you read it in the stars, your full-sun will return to you. i'm not sure what will happen, mark. i'm scared. please, just forgive me. -H.
mark couldn't help himself, balling up the letter in his fist as he let hot, angry tears stream out of his eyes. the heat piercing his cheeks as he let them run.
this didn't explain anything, only his worst fears. donghyuck had gone, before he'd even had chance to confess his real feelings.
he screamed out, his lungs unable to fill with air as he went through every possible reason donghyuck had to leave him out here alone in the universe. why did he never speak his mind around mark?
and that was how mark began to wonder for the first time why he'd never stayed over at donghyuck's place. why donghyuck had always been so eager to spend time with mark after school, on summer holidays, any time he could.
mark used to think it was just what best friends did, but now as he looks up at the blank sky he realises just how naive he'd always been.
it was as though donghyuck controlled the stars, and now it was settling in that he was gone- the sky was empty too. and the world, space, was just too vast that mark could never have conquered it, no matter how much he had wanted to.
the pain in his chest was too much as the memory of donghyuck settled behind his eye-lids, and every day he opened them- faced with the morning sun which beat down through his window.
donghyuck was everywhere and nowhere.. and it hurt so much.
a year later...
mark had never really moved on.
although his life progressed, and everything else seemed to change with it- it seemed as though donghyuck had been the glue holding mark's entire world together.
but mark still felt like an empty shell of the person he was.
and everyone around him saw it too. no one understood why mark still acted this way, after so long it seemed as though donghyuck was never coming back. but they didn't know that mark wasn't only missing his best friend, but he was missing the other half of his heart too.
still, he would let taeyong, his brother, drag him out to various college parties throughout the year; forcing the burning liquor down his throat in the hopes he might have some relief to the heartache in his chest. and it did, to some extent.
it made him feel as though he was living again, taking those risks that donghyuck had always pushed him to try.
it took him to certain heights he couldn't reach without it.
time had past, and mark was finally just starting to realise that donghyuck wasn't his lifeline.
he was alive, and he wasn't attached at the hip with donghyuck anymore. he didn't have to feel guilty about having fun without him.
he didn't need to carry his walkie talkie around in his backpack as though he'd get a code-red alert at any moment.
donghyuck had chosen his life, and mark had to get over it at some point.
so this was how mark found himself in the middle of a new summer, draped over the kitchen table of some jock's house as he chugged beer out of a keg. he'd gotten himself together enough to pass his exams, and now he just wanted to enjoy the last moments before adulthood and responsibilities.
"i wanna get out of this fucking town and find him, do you hear me?" he half-shouted over the bass that was blasting out of the speakers, his arm slung around one of his friends, lucas, as he let himself go in a crowd of people: not bothering to look after himself.
"dude, you've got to forget about donghyuck.." lucas slurred, passing him another shot as they danced amongst girls in the cramped living room.
mark soon lost count of how much he'd drank, stumbling out of the backdoor with a red solo cup in his hand.
he'd become good at drinking away his feelings.
his eyes found themselves fixated on the sky, perfectly clear and filled with stars. the moon was so bright that little mark would have been in awe. mark found himself leaning back against the wall, a throaty laugh leaving his dry throat as his mind was filled with all those times he used to bore the pants off donghyuck talking about the stars.
if he could reach up and tear down the stars with his fingers in that moment he would. because where was he? that's right.. mark was drinking alone again.
he no longer had someone around to spur on those same dreams he'd held so close to him as a child. e ven if he had a nice group of friends, he still felt so lonely that it crept up into every fibre of his being.
he was still lost in the universe.
soon his vision was glossing over as he realised that he might never be happy. he was still yearning for someone who hadn't bothered to contact him once in an entire year. it hurt. he couldn’t forget him.
he didn't have a single idea how to breathe again by himself.
and what was worse was mark could have sworn he'd seen donghyuck tonight in the crowd. when mark had been dancing amongst all the sweaty bodies, he'd felt those eyes boring into the back of his head.
the alcohol in his system was making donghyuck appear real, and it seemed that even when he was exacerbated, mark couldn't stop thinking about him.
he didn't even like the taste. yet, mark still went back inside for another drink, misjudging his steps as he walked straight into someone.
“fuck.. i'm s-sorry i-" he cursed, pushing his glasses back up on his nose as he looked to see which of the football team he'd poured his drink over.
"jesus- slow down there, space boy.. you might just crash land"
a voice laced with honey, and so familiar to mark's ears sounded out. no, no, no.
there was no way that this was donghyuck stood right in front of him.
mark's eyes widened as they landed on those all too familiar set of eyes. everything else in the room blurred out, but he was crystal clear, as clear as any of the stars in the sky were. why did he look so real? he couldn't be having hallucinations..
"you're not real, donghyuck. s-stop it, just fucking stop!!"
mark stepped back, his fists balling up against his eyes in the hopes he'd look back at one of taeyong's friends instead. he felt as though he was completely losing his grasp on reality. was his mind really conjuring up this image of donghyuck to torment him?
and donghyuck could only stand and watch as his best friend broke down.
" mark.. mark, it's me. i'm real- come on, look at me" he voice remained calm and sweet, as he stepped hesitantly closer, eyebrows furrowed.
" no. you- you can't just come back. have you any idea, hyuckie?"
he tried to stop his hands from shaking, his throat suddenly closing up. surrounded by all the chaos of the party, with the bass from lucas' loud speakers vibrating right through to mark's core, he lost himself completely in donghyuck's eyes. drowning in the sweet honey that swirled behind those eye-lids.
they were still full of stars like mark remembered, and he wondered if he was still as warm as the sun had felt earlier in the day.
he felt confused. part of him wanted to hit the younger's chest whilst the part of his brain that seemed the most switched on in his drunken haze wanted to pull donghyuck closer by the shirt and kiss him.
his head was spinning, and not just from the sweet strawberry scent of donghyuck that was filling his space. so he turns on his heels, grabbing the younger's hand as he pulls him back through the crowd and out the door.
"mark.."
there was that honey voice once again, invading mark's ears and making him feel like jelly. he squeezed his hand gently before letting go.
mark began to giggle, throwing his head back to look at the sky with a shudder. he laughed with his whole body, his voice raspy and oozing with confidence as he realised he was about to confess his love to a ghost. the absurdity was way too amusing.
there was no way donghyuck was actually here.
whether it was the alcohol, or mark's lack of will to care anymore, he felt freer than he had all year round; even more so than he had done the time last summer when donghyuck had dragged him to a lake in the middle of the night to smoke weed..
"mark did you know your eyes look so much brighter like this.. come on, lets dip!" donghyuck had giggled, cupping his friends cheeks as they stared at each other with blown pupils. neither of them wanted to get caught, but mark's ego made him strip, diving into the freezing water of the lake with a loud laugh and splashing donghyuck until he was just as soaked.
when mark came to reality once more, he came face to face with the only person he had wanted to see for over a year. those eyes he never thought he'd see again.. and it felt so real it was insane.
"g-god, i miss you H, i love you so much hyuck-ie, are you real?"
donghyuck was lost for words as he watched his old best friend standing in front of him, hiccuping giddily and looking back with heart eyes.
whilst it was clear that mark had no idea what was real or not, for the slightest moment he saw all the pain behind those alcohol-abused eyes. donghyuck sensed all of the emotions going on in mark's brain- he knew him inside out.
it was only now that he realised how much older mark looked, with the moonlight fanning across his jawline, his usual lazy smile flashing.
"say something, do anything, please ..?" mark whispers, broken. he'd known rejection would hurt, but this felt so much worse.
donghyuck's expression crumpled, in all the years he'd known mark- he'd never heard him talk in such a small voice.
it broke his heart.
so he stepped forward and clasped his arms around mark's chest, despite the older's protests, holding him tight until the struggling ceased.
it seemed like donghyuck still had that soothing power to calm mark down, and it took him back to the old days when mark would radio during a storm that he couldn't breathe- his anxiety overwhelming him amidst the sound of the rain.
"fuck, y-you were meant to r-radio, anywhere in the universe, you idiot.." mark whimpers, fisting at donghyuck's shirt in a tired rage. he had no willpower left to fight him.
donghyuck hushed him softly, running his fingers soothingly through the older's hair as his own eyes glossed over. he hadn't known mark was this badly attached to him, and the guilt was eating away at him.
"i'm sorry, i'm so sorry.." donghyuck whispered repeatedly until mark's sobs reduced to a hiccup.
mark lifted his head slowly, blinking away the odd tears that were threatening to roll down his cold cheeks as he tried to get his vision to focus on the boy in front of him.
"is it really you, H?"
donghyuck cups his cheeks gently and nodded, brushing away the last remains of tears as he looks at the boy in front of him. "i'm right here.."
with the yellow haze that poured out of the back door, mark was able to see the shimmer of donghyuck's tanned, golden skin. and quite possibly it was just the heat rising to his cheeks in his drunken state, but mark was certain he was feeling the warmth, the light of the sun finally re-entering his world.
the pair didn't need words in this moment, their expressions made up for everything left unsaid. mark was scared that any words would bring him out of this daydream, and rip donghyuck out of his arms again forever.
mark gently turned his head slightly to nose against donghyuck's cheek, taking the opportunity to be even closer to donghyuck than he'd ever reached. his breath lingering alcohol. when their glossy eyes met, mark felt like he was soaring in a rocket heading straight for the sun.
"mark.." donghyuck warned, feeling his hot breath fan against his skin and sending a shiver down his spine. it's not that he didn't want to kiss mark's lips silly in this moment, but he knew better than to take advantage of the older's state of mind.
everything would be different in the morning when mark was sober, there's no way he'd get the chance to be this close again.
" donghyuck.. please, let me feel you"
without thinking, mark gradually started to close the remaining distance between them. his mind felt dizzy from being reunited with his soulmate, and it filled with only one thought- donghyuck.
somehow donghyuck was right in front of him. he hadn't walked away. the only thing that made sense to mark's intoxicated brain was finding out if donghyuck still loved him in the same way too. he wanted this so badly.
but the kiss never happened, mark turned his cheek the other way just seconds before their lips were to meet.
"fuck, i think i'm about to be sick.."
mark groaned, clutching onto the younger's shoulder for support as he felt his legs try to give way underneath him. now everything was truly spinning and the ground seemed to disappear as he looked down, he scrunched his eyes closed in fear of falling into the depths of another dimension.
"jesus mark.. okay let's get you home.." that same honey voice now sounded so faintly in marks brain as he tried to steady himself, pushing off the hands stabilising his waist as he attempted to stand by himself.
"no.. i need- i need to find tae.. he's l-looking out for me" mark slurred, pressing his fingers to his temples as he tried to remember the last time he saw taeyong. he couldn't remember anything before this and his head was exploding.
he wasn't about to let some random stranger take him home, no matter how much they smelt and sounded like donghyuck. but he could barely walk straight, and the voice of honey just empowered his senses entirely.. making him feel weak at the knees.
"i'll let them know you're safe, space-boy.. jeez, taeyong never actually looks out for you, does he? you're a mess.."
donghyuck knew mark never liked the taste of alcohol, forever calling his whiskey the 'spawn of satan' when they attempted shots of it and refusing to drink heavily with him if they went out the previous year. so as he supported mark's weight up, walking him down a few blocks to their street, he wondered just why mark let himself get this wasted. he didn't think it was the first time either.
"h, hyuckie.. im gonna-"
mark mumbled out, stumbling towards what seemed like the nearest bin as he threw up his entire stomach on the side of the road. he felt disgusting, and the heaving of alcohol contents did nothing to stem his headache.
"that's it, baby.." donghyuck uttered out, the words rolling off his tongue without a thought. his hand rubbed comforting circles into mark's back until he was no longer being sick. it was strange to see his best friend like this, when it had always been the other way around.
mark whined a little embarrassed he'd been so sick, clinging onto donghyuck's arm the entire way home.
it took awhile, but he finally got mark settled in his bed on the pretext that donghyuck would stay by his side until he fell asleep. most of the room had changed, donghyuck assumed along with mark's interests, but he still noticed the walkie talkie shoved into the bedside table. it clenched as his stomach to see it again.
"hyuck.. will you stay this time?"
mark's voice was vulnerable as he caught the younger's gaze, his eyes harbouring a deep sadness as his hair stuck out in all directions against the pillows. he needed to know that this wasn't a dream, that he would see him again.
donghyuck sighed quietly and leant down to place a chaste kiss on his forehead, his fingers gently raking through the top of mark's hair as he watched him curl up into the sheets.
"i promise. sweet dreams, mark"
but as the sunlight shone through mark's window, he woke up cold.
a raspy groan left his lips as he forced his head up from the pillows, the light felt blinding as his mind weighed down like a tonne of bricks. how much did he drink last night? how did he get back here?
but when he searched around his bedside for his phone, he instead saw his old walkie talkie. yet, mark could have sworn he'd pushed that right into the rubble of his books, and not left it out in plain view for him to mope over. it made his brain whir at new speeds, despite his raging headache.
donghyuck.
suddenly mark's head was filled with a camera roll of donghyuck- picking up his walkie talkie with a nostalgic joke, the image of donghyuck, with disco lights illuminating his face, his silk shirt, the moon casting shadows over his tanned skin, his soft eyes peering down at him, hair travelling in all directions after mark's touch.
the scent of strawberries consuming him so much that it made mark lose his mind.
all of these images floating around mark's tired brain sat uncomfortably in his mind like a fuzzy memory.
he bent his head down to smell his shirt: strawberries.
his pillows, his whole room seemed to be filled with this familiar, sweet scent. it made mark's stomach tie in knots as the realisation came flooding over him, the haze of the previous night finally passing into what mark could only describe as intoxicated stupid shit.
"did you feel alone too? i know you don't think stars get lonely, but i mustn't be a star because fuck, when you were gone i missed you like crazy. being away from you is so hard. why didn't you take me with you?" mark rambled sleepily, spreading himself out over his sheets with a lazy smile as he leant into donghyuck's touch- occasionally attempting to kiss the younger's hand, giggling to himself when he missed due to being drunk out of his mind.
he had confessed to his life long crush. his best friend had truly been in his room, in this town. he had tried to kiss donghyuck, fuck-
and suddenly mark felt the same wave of nausea wash over him, stumbling blindly out of bed as he raced to the bathroom to heave.
so where was donghyuck now?
that's when he had the most brilliant idea. so grabbing his walkie talkie he flicked the switch on to see what would happen.
"fuck, fucking batteries.." he cursed under his breath, hitting the side of it a few times in the hopes it would work.
he didn't have time to waste finding new ones.
mark felt his entire being light up as the green light began to blink, slowly waking up after a year of being untouched.
he moved to sit by his windowsill, his heart thundering as he let his eyes wander out to the great unknown beyond his bedroom window. it made him feel like a child again as twirled the walkie talkie over his fingertips.
the fruit stickers had faded now, just as his contact with donghyuck.
"well here goes nothing.." mark mutters to himself as he lifts the radio to his mouth, a part of him only hoping that donghyuck would pick up.
but as his walkie talkie searched for a signal, continuously for minutes, mark knew that he'd never be on the receiving end. he felt ridiculous, for thinking after all this time his best friend would walk right back into his life.
but the party- it felt so real that mark could almost picture donghyuck standing in front of him, could almost feel his warm arms closing in.
there was no way he was losing his mind.
mark traced his fingers over what remained of the fruit stickers, climbing all the way up the side of his talkie, it filled him with a lingering nostalgia for the times he'd taken for granted. so he stayed stuck in his memories for god-knows how long before the faint whirring snapped him back to present.
tingles spread throughout his body as he shot up from the windowsill, clutching his walkie talkie in his hand. mark couldn't quite understand what was happening, since the range was so far surely donghyuck should be able to radio through if he was in town.
it might have seemed even ridiculous to mark, but he couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps donghyuck hadn't left him again at all.
shrugging the previous nights shirt off, he found the nearest plain t-shirt to throw on as he ran downstairs, wanting to see if he could bridge the connection. it was insane, mark didn't even know if donghyuck still owned his talkie.
"god damnit, H.. where are you?"
mark sighed exasperatedly into his radio, pulling the door open with a force unbeknown to himself, only for his determined steps to stop dead, right on the porch.
standing right there, with a sheepish expression on his face was donghyuck.
"fuck, donghyuck.."
mark let go of his walkie talkie, crashing down as he stared wholeheartedly at his best friend. in the light of day, a sober mark could tell perfectly that this was his best friend. the boy he'd been pining over. the boy he still loved. and in that moment his universe stopped altogether.
donghyuck was the first to move, taking his chance forward he engulfed the older in his arms and mark only melts.
he was meant to scream at him, to punch the air out of his chest.. but mark instead felt like crying in relief.
"since when did you dye your hair?" mark breathed out, a leap of joy filling his chest right up to the brim as he stared back at the boy in front of him, so close his strawberry cologne was almost too much to breathe.
but he didn't let donghyuck answer, tugging on those beautiful locks instead to bring him close enough to seek more. brushing his lips tenderly over the younger's.
boy did donghyuck seem real now.
mark dragged him inside, never once disconnecting their lips if not to giggle. the pair of them soaring high into the galaxy, as their souls reunited once more.
that was until mark's brain began to work again, the euphoria dipping until he was brewing in his pain. he needed answers.
"donghyuck... where did you go? all this time you never checked in once"
mark struggles to work out what to say, he has so many questions but all he can do is shuffle his feet in the ground, sat in those oh-so familiar garden chairs.
donghyuck's eyebrows creased, once again the guilt was eating him alive. now that he could see mark clearly, it was obvious how much he'd neglected himself in his absence.
"mark.. i- i never realised i meant this much to you"
"i wondered if you were dead in a ditch somewhere, an alleyway after getting too high. well fuck, you have no idea what i feel donghyuck, you can't blame this on me. you left."
donghyuck was lost for words, speechless for the upmost time because of his best friend.
"i was sick in the head, mark.. so many thoughts were lingering in the back of my mind it was hard to hear anything else- i just had to get out. i'm sorry i never gave you the chance to understand. i didn't want to drag you down to rock bottom with me. the problem is i'm gay, mark. and living in that fucking house- it made me despise who I am. that's why i ran. i could never tell you, because what would that have meant for us? i needed to go and accept myself"
mark anxiously tapped his hands as he listened, it felt strange to finally have the answers he'd been longing for all this time. he felt like there was so much he'd missed out on of his best friend's life, it made him question whether the donghyuck he knew was the same in reality, or if he'd just fabricated an image of who he'd wanted him to be.
"donghyuck, i don't care if you're gay. you could have told me anything, you know?"
but they'd still kept their promises. mark had waited for him, somehow knowing that like magnets- donghyuck would be drawn back. and looking across at his best friend now, he was glad he never moved on.
"so you're in love with me, huh space-boy?" donghyuck grinned, a grape popsicle hanging out of his mouth.
mark just groaned a little, hiding his face in his palms. the embarrassment of the night before washing over him once more.
"you haven't the slightest idea, haechan" he whispers, ripping the grape popsicle from the younger's lips and replacing them with his own.
kissing donghyuck felt so familiar, as though in an alternate universe he'd done this so many times before.
"when you'd gone i could barely think about the cosmos. that's when i realised who you are to me, you idiot- i could never seek out the galaxies above us when the centre of my universe is right here, lee donghyuck..."
mark whispered as he gazed into the eyes of the man of his dreams. it gave him faith that the universe really did have those special powers he'd always thought it had as a child.
because the universe, and his walkie talkies, had brought donghyuck home to him.