Donghyuck was surprised to see Taeyong calling everyone to dinner and them actually sitting at the dinner table.
Together.
It was a new experience for him.
He quickly moved to sit next to Mark who had left a space open between him and Jeno.
He was also shocked to see that their plates were already made for them. It was a full plate and looked both delicious and nutritious.
"Ok so today we have a new guest eating dinner with us," Taeyong said from the head of the table. "His name is Donghyuck."
Donghyuck felt his cheeks turn a little pink as everyone turned to look at him.
"We always have extra people eating dinner with us," A man with blonde hair next to Taeyong snorted.
Taeyong smacked the blonde's hand before giving him a look.
Donghyuck felt a little amused at how animated Taeyong was.
He looked like a mother scolding his kids.
"Taeyong do we have to do this every time?" Johnny, who was sitting next to the blonde man whined. "It gets so boring after a while."
"Yes we do," Taeyong huffed. "Then find a way to make it not boring."
Donghyuck found himself leaning into Mark's space to whisper, "What are they talking about?"
"You'll see," Mark whispered back, not even uncomfortable that Donghyuck was in his space.
"I vote version 2!" A shorter man sitting on Taeyong's other side said. He had black hair and round glasses perched on his nose.
"Fine but please no fighting," Taeyong smacked his forehead, preparing himself for the worst. "I'll start."
"Donghyuck, This is Ten," Taeyong pointed to the person on his right. "He works with me as a dancer. He likes cats and is from Thailand. He is inappropriate at times and hates Johnny."
"Damn straight," Ten commented, throwing his tongue out near Johnny.
Johnny on the other hand just winked at him causing Ten to roll his eyes.
Ten glanced around the table before finding someone else to introduce.
"This is Jeno," Ten gave a mischievous smile. "He looks like a dog. He likes porn and his 'precious' Jaeminnie-"
"That's not true!-" Jeno yelled from across the table, his face turning bright pink.
"Which part?" Mark snorted.
"Neither you-" Jeno went to hit his brother but remembered that Donghyuck was sitting between them.
"He hates admitting his feelings and is allergic to cats," Ten finished with a teasing smile at the younger.
Donghyuck was taken back by that introduction and almost let himself laugh.
Almost.
Jaemin however couldn't stop giggling into his arm at the word "porn."
"Oh yeah?" Jeno huffed before pointing at Jaemin.
"This is Jaemin," Jeno said loudly while pointing at the pink-haired boy. "He acts like a bunny. He likes photography and smells like strawberries despite the fact he hates them-OW!"
Jeno yelped in pain when Jaemin pinched his side.
Taeyong gasped before looking at Jaemin, "But you told me you liked strawberries-"
Jaemin went to explain but Jeno was already finishing his sentence.
"He is bad at sports and hates thunderstorms-OW! STOP PINCHING ME NANA!"
"Shut up!" Jaemin whisper yelled before giving Jeno another pinch to the side.
"This is Taeyong hyung," Jaemin pointed towards the elder. "He's a professional dancer. He likes animal crossing and roses. He isn't bad at anything."
Taeyong's eyes softened at that. "Ah yes, I am. I'm not good at driving and I'm currently going through a divorce."
The table had a quick silent moment.
"But anyway," Taeyong proceeded. "I already went. Who wants to go?"
"I will," Mark said raising his hand and pointing at the blonde man. "This is Yuta Hyung. He's a businessman. He's from Japan and likes dyeing his hair. He can be a little aggressive at times and hates losing."
Yuta nodded his head at Donghyuck before groaning when he realized he would have to introduce someone.
"This is idiot," Yuta pointed to Johnny.
"Agreed-" Ten chimed in.
"I am not," Johnny made a face at Yuta.
"He's the CEO of Neo Zone relations," Yuta said lazily. "He eats too much garbage and used to fight a lot in high school-"
" I don-" Johnny went to argue but Taeyong cut in.
"You kinda do," Taeyong raised a sympathetic brow.
"Oh yeah?" Johnny frowned. "Well I'm Yuta and I drove my motorcycle into Taeyongs rose bush-"
"You did what?!" Taeyong screeched at Yuta.
"That's not an innuendo, right?" Donghyuck whispered to Mark.
"No," Mark smiled shyly and shook his head.
"I did not-" Yuta tried to defend himself as he glared at Johnny.
Johnny raised his brows before standing and grabbing the bread on Yuta's plate and shoving it in his mouth.
"That's my favorite bread you asshole!" Yuta yelled before jumping up and onto Johnny's back. "Spit it out."
Taeyong stood and tried to calm the situation but they weren't listening. "Stop fighting!"
"I love version two," Ten sat in his seat laughing his ass off behind his wine glass, clearly enjoying the drama.
"Yuta sit down right this instant!" Taeyong smacked Yuta's shoulder from his spot on Johnny's back.
"Not till he spits out the bread," Yuta sounded murderous.
The shouting when on for a solid minute before Mark stood up from his chair.
"AND IM MARK," Mark said loudly to get everyone to shut up.
"...you can Mark me in your heart," Jeno said quietly but it didn't matter anyway.
Mark was already trying to choke Jeno and the chaos started again.
Donghyuck looked around the table at everyone.
They are all weirdos.
He let a small smile take over his face for a minute.
After Taeyong had finally calmed everyone down enough to eat, he turned his attention to Donghyuck.
"What about you, hun?" Taeyong asked as he put a fork full of food into his mouth.
"Hm?" Donghyuck hummed in question.
"Introduce yourself?" Mark said quietly to him and patted a hand on his but Donghyuck caught it in his grip and shoved it away.
"Uhm," Donghyuck said quietly. "My name is Donghyuck."
Ten laughed a little in the middle of chewing causing him to choke a bit.
Taeyong slapped his hand before smiling at Donghyuck again.
"I mean what do you like to do?" Taeyong said as he raised his brows in interest.
Donghyuck opened his mouth but shut it quickly.
He didn't really know what he liked.
Nothing?
"He's really good at singing," Jeno chimed in, his mouth full of food as he smiled with his cheeks puffy. "He had an amazing solo at the end of the year in our music class."
"Is that so?" Taeyong perked up. "Do you think you could sing for us sometime?"
Donghyuck shrugged his shoulder, playing with the food on his plate before mumbling, "Maybe."
"Mark here sings a little bit," Johnny pointed out. "But he's super good at rapping and playing the guitar."
"Rap?" Donghyuck asked as he looked at Mark.
Mark's ears were red as he shrugged. "Yeah."
Donghyuck almost thought it was cute.
By the time dinner ended, Donghyuck had only eaten a small bit of his plate. He felt a little sick at the thought of finishing it all.
"Ah, it's getting dark out," Johnny said as he looked out the window. "Donghyuck, you need a ride home?"
Donghyuck shook his head.
"Are you sure?" Ten asked as well. "It can be dangerous walking home at night. Especially if you live far away."
"No, I'm ok," Donghyuck shook his head again as he stood up from his seat. "It's not too far."
"Markie, why don't you walk him out," Taeyong nodded his head to the door as he began cleaning up the table. "It was so nice to meet you, Donghyuck. I hope to see you again soon!"
The rest of Mark's house members said goodbye as they made their way out the door.
"So?" Mark gave him a little smile as they walked down the driveway. His hands were shoved in his back pockets as his feet dragged against the concrete.
"So what?" Donghyuck rolled his eyes to look at the other boy.
"Did you like it?" Mark raised a brow, his smile refusing to go away.
Donghyuck thought about the night in his mind and gave his head a little shake. "It wasn't a terrible night."
Mark's smile got bigger as he stepped a bit closer to him. He felt Mark's body heat from the small distance between them.
"What about me?" Mark's voice got a bit quieter since he moved closer but that stupid smile was still on his face.
"What...what about you?" Donghyuck narrowed his eyes but the words were whispered between them.
"Did I prove you wrong?" Mark raised both of his eyebrows. "Y'know about me?"
Donghyuck let out a small amused huff before shaking his head and stepping back. "No, you didn't and now I'm leaving. Peace asshole."
"Hey wait," Mark said, grabbing his wrist and turning him back around.
Donghyuck felt something small being deposited in his hand.
He looked down to see a house key sparkling in his palm.
"The hell?" Donghyuck looked at Mark like he was completely nuts.
"Look," Mark softened a bit but didn't take the key back. "I don't know how you got that bruise but you are always allowed in the here. Whether you're running from something, upset about something, or even just need food and a nap you can come here."
"Yeah right," Donghyuck scoffed but his heart sped up a bit at the offer, his stomach twisting painfully.
"Seriously," Mark's face turned genuine as he looked Donghyuck in the eye. "Even if I'm not home you can come here. My hyungs don't care. Hell, they would probably enjoy it way too much."
Donghyuck stared at Mark for a minute before sighing and closing his hand around the key.
"Just so you know," Donghyuck glared. "I will never be taking you up on that offer."
Mark smiled before stepping back and waving to him.
"I'll see you in school tomorrow!"
Donghyuck couldn't help but shake his head before slowly making his way home.
Tonight wasn't terrible.