NCT Imagines (Requests Open!)

Right Under My Nose (Mark)

You swallowed the lump growing at the back of your throat as you tried to clear your mind.  You had convinced yourself that if you squeezed your eyes shut tight enough, you could block out any memory of him.  Funny enough, your tactic worked.

"Hey, you okay?" you heard a familiar voice ask, and you opened your eyes to see Mark sitting on the bench next to you.  The boy had known all about your crush on Haechan.  You had tried to keep it a secret, but since Mark was Haechan's best friend and pretty close to you too, he realized your feelings for him soon enough.

"I'm totally fine," you grinned, and Mark shook his head.

"No you're not.  That smile?  Totally fake."

You dropped the act, your hands instinctively covering your face as you felt your eyes tear up.  You weren't crying because you had found out Haechan didn't like you.  You were crying because now you doubted yourself.  Maybe you would never be good enough.  Maybe you were meant to stand alone forever and watch as everyone around you found someone to share their love with.  

"Y/N," Mark sighed softly as he wrapped his arms around your shoulders.  He pulled you into him so that your head was resting on his chest.  

His polo muffled the sound of your sobs, and Mark bit his lower lip as he felt a pang of pain in his heart.  He hated seeing you like this.  Each tear that left your lashes shattered his heart.  He loved his friend Haechan to pieces, but Mark believed you deserved someone who treated you like the queen you were.  To Haechan, you were just another person.

"I'm not good enough," you sniffled, and Mark had to stop himself from running his fingers through your hair.

"Of course you are.  You're more than good enough.  This is Haechan's loss for not seeing that."  Mark gave your shoulder a comforting squeeze.  You're so cute and talented.  How are you so oblivious to how amazing you are?  Mark thought to himself.

The whimpering stopped, and Mark felt you shift so you were now looking him straight in the eyes.  His heart pounded as he studied your glistening, tear-rimmed eyes.  You were beautiful.  

"Thank you, Mark.  You being here means a lot to me," you managed a weak smile.  

That night, you laid in your bed, staring at the ceiling as thoughts drifted through your mind.  For some reason, you couldn't get the feeling of Mark holding you and drying your tears out of your head.  It was almost like you could still feel one of his hands on your shoulder, rubbing soothing patterns onto it to calm you down.  You shook your head in disapproval.  No.  You couldn't be having these feelings.  Mark was just a friend who was helping you get over a hard time.  But the more you thought about it, the more you realized Mark was always there for you.  He had seen you at your best and your worst.  

Quickly, you grabbed your phone off your nightstand and started texting him.  You were surprised by how quickly he replied, and a smile lit up your face.  

You: Sorry about today.  I didn't mean to cry.  I swear I'm over Haechan.  I just need to work on loving myself.

Mark: Ofc!  And don't worry about it.  If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I'm always here for you.  But don't cry too often.  It makes me sad.

That last text made your heart thump.  Why did it make him sad too?  Well obviously friends hated seeing each other sad, but like... maybe there was something there?  You mentally slapped yourself for letting your mind wander like that again.