Mid Summer

nine,

"I went to the convenience store across the corner, I wanted to buy you the blueberry flavour medicine, since I know that's the only one you'd take. I bumped into two boys there—" Jaemin's eyebrows raise at the mention of two. "One of them was Donghyuck... And the other was a boy, Mark Lee, who had my name tattooed on his thigh—"

"You saw his thigh?" Jaemin asks, abruptly sitting up and ignoring the way his head spins.

Jeno's eyes widen, as if he was a deer caught in headlights.

"No!" He immediately denies, waving his arms across each other to prove his words. "I did not! He just told me!" Jeno assures, and Jaemin decides to trust him.

"Is that all? You met your soulmate and a dude who has you as their soulmate?" Jaemin asks in a bored tone, too tired to even think about what it meant, now that someone other dude had Jeno's name inked into his skin.

That was two people who Jeno and Jaemin (mostly Jeno) were connected to through soulmates. Four of them in total.

"That's all that happened, yeah," Jeno starts, and splutters a bit at the end before finishing his sentence. "But I think this a messy situation."

Jaemin already knows this is a messy situation. He doesn't need Jeno telling him that personally.

He knows that Jeno has Donghyuck's name inked onto his skin, that some random boy named Mark Lee also has Jeno's name inked onto his skin and that he still hasn't received his tattoos.

He knows how messy this whole situation is.

"Because I don't think Donghyuck's likes me. And I think that Mark dude is like Donghyuck's boyfriend or something. When I told him I had Donghyuck as a tattoo his eyes turned black, oh my God Nana it was so scary."

Jaemin thinks Jeno is stupid for thinking that Donghyuck not liking him is the biggest problem, and not that he's now with three people.

"What about me?" He mumbles, once again, picking at his cuticles.

"What about you?" Jeno asks, his tone dripping with genuine curiosity, which kills Jaemin on the inside.

These past few weeks, Jeno has been drifting away from Jaemin, as the latter sees it. Even if Jeno doesn't think so, Jaemin sees the way he's acting differently.

Changing conversation topics too easily, zoning out all the time and forgetting about Jaemin sometimes.

Of course, Jaemin knows that Jeno loves him.

Just... It wouldn't hurt Jeno if he could show it more often than not.

"Why don't you look excited?"

"Because I'm not," Donghyuck admits, playing with Mark's fingers while they're both sitting cross legged on the bed.

It was June 6th, and Mark took Donghyuck out to all the famous places in Seoul, treating him to delicious street food and buying him a new stuffed toy and a new pair of couple's rings.

Mark made sure Donghyuck had a great time during the day, showering him with endless kisses while Donghyuck thanked him with his 'I love you's.

The elder brought Donghyuck back to their hotel at around 10:00pm, and surprised him with a strawberry cheesecake hiding in the hotel's fridge.

The two teenagers have been enjoying that while speaking about anything and everything, until now.

11:45pm.

Fifteen minutes before Donghyuck gets his soulmate tattoo. Or tattoos.

"No?" Mark frowns, looking at Donghyuck with the biggest puppy dog eyes that the latter may have ever seen.

"Just nervous," the younger weakly smiles, slumping his shoulders and crawling into the space between Mark's open legs. "I could get your name... Or Jeno's name... Or Jaemin's name..." He sighs shakily. "Or someone else's name..."

There were three names which Donghyuck could have.

His boyfriend's, and the two other names on his boyfriend's body.

It's not like Donghyuck felt a connection with Lee Jeno and Na Jaemin which told him that they were potential soulmate candidates, it was just that since Mark had them, there was a chance that Donghyuck would have them, right?

"So what?" Mark asks, playing with Donghyuck's hair in order to keep him calm. "You're still my soulmate Hyuckie."

Donghyuck thinks Mark is so sweet, the sweetest person he's ever met, and doesn't know how to tell the elder that sometimes. He just hopes his actions are enough most of the time.

Like right now, as he looks up at Mark through his eyelashes with wide eyes and leans up to tenderly kiss his lips, he hopes it's enough to convey his feelings. To let Mark know that even if he's been a complete pain in the ass this entire week, he appreciates Mark taking him out to Seoul and making him feel special.

"I love you," Donghyuck mutters, his fists tightening on the back of the elder's shirt. "Please don't forget that."

Mark brings his hands up to cup Donghyuck's face, rubbing his thumbs softly on his cheekbones.

"I won't forget, don't be silly," he whispers, looking at Donghyuck so fondly with shining and loving eyes that it makes the younger feel fuzzy inside. "You're so special Lee Donghyuck. You're so perfect for me."

The way Mark specifies that he's special for him makes Donghyuck feel like the luckiest, most loved person on earth.

"And if you get someone else, even if it isn't me, or Jeno, or Jaemin, you'll still be my baby. My angel. My Donghyuckie."

Just as Mark says that, just as Donghyuck leans closer for a kiss, he feels it.

He feels his collarbones tingling.

His breath hitches in his throat as he watches Mark train his eyes onto Donghyuck's neck.

Mark always said that his name would appear on Donghyuck's collarbones.

He knows he can't see his own collarbones, so he doesn't even try, instead he looks into Mark's eyes, knowing he'll get his answer of who's name is inked there by the elder's eyes.

They're dull, but he still smiles.

He still smiles, because he won't let Donghyuck feel bad, knowing that he would if Mark let on any signs.

But Donghyuck reads his eyes so well.

When the younger opens his mouth to speak, his wrist starts to tingle.

He feels dizzy because of how much is happening right now.

This time, he can look at his wrist, so he does, watching how the name 'Lee Minhyung' inks itself onto his skin.

Which means he has someone else on his collarbones.

Donghyuck feels his eyes well up with tears.

Everything was just so... Messy and complicated.

Donghyuck puts his head on Mark's chest, letting a sob rip through his throat.

He's grateful that he has Mark, that Mark is on his left wrist, but the fact that he has two already makes things complicated.

"Who is it?" He asks, refusing to lift his head. He hears Mark sigh before the elder puts his hands on the younger's back soothingly.

"Lee Jeno."