"Close your eyes," Mark's voice whispered before covering Donghyuck's eyes with a hands anyways.
"Hell no," Donghyuck said trying to peel Mark's hands off but it was no use. "This is how people get kidnapped and shoved in a van."
Mark laughed in his ear before nudging Donghyuck's ankle with his foot. "We rode here together. I'm not shoving you in a van."
"Then where are you taking me?" Donghyuck raised a brow as they began walking, it was a little difficult with Mark's hands on his eyes. "And why do we have to walk if it's outside? I refuse to walk a mile like this either. I am a lazy bi-"
"Hyuckie," Mark whined in the youngers ear. "Don't you trust me?"
No.
Donghyuck didn't respond verbally but he just put his hands on the ones on his eyes.
"Donghyuck?"
"Just pay attention so I don't slip and fall," Donghyuck mumbled, his mind focusing a little too much on the fact that Mark's warm chest was almost pressed against his back.
"It's not too far now," Mark was definitely smiling. "We just hand to get across the parking lot."
"Are you telling me I could've gotten hit by a car?!" Donghyuck screeched as he realized he's been walking blindly across a parking lot filled with rushing cars.
"I wouldn't have let you get hit," Mark laughed again, his chest bumping against Donghyuck's back playfully.
"Maybe I should push you infront of one," Donghyuck snapped at him before completely stopping his feet making Mark stop abruptly as well. "I'm not moving anymore until you tell me where we are going."
"That's fine," Mark said before removing his hands from Donghyucks eyes. "We are here anyway."
Donghyuck blinked the blurriness in his eyes away before they widened at the sight.
What he didnt realize was that across the street from the mall was a beach.
The water was dark blue and both the water and sand glistened because of the sunset.
The orange and yellows of the horizon making a gorgeous view but it was softened with hints of pink.
It was beautiful.
Unbeknownst to Donghyuck, Mark was looking at the tan boy's expression. The way his caramel eyes lit up at the sight and how his whole face softened. His delicate features in their truest form.
"You want to sit up there?" Mark jerked his head in the direction behind him.
Since the beach was lower there was a concrete wall against the hill that separated it from the road.
"I can't get up there," Donghyuck shook his head before turning back to the scenery.
Mark grabbed on to Donghyucks hand before dragging him towards the wall.
"Mark, I just told you that-" Donghyuck let out a squeak when Mark picked him up by the hips, lifting him high in the air before setting him down at the top of the wall.
Mark put his hand against the tip of the wall before pulling himself up to sit next to the brunette.
"See, isn't it better?" Mark grinned before Donghyuck punched him hard in the shoulder.
"What the fuck, you asshole?" Donghyuck's ears were turning pink but he played it off as anger.
"What?" Mark pouted and rubbed his aching arm. "You said you couldn't get up here! Not that you didnt want to sit up here."
"That's not an invitation to use me as your personal weight lifting equipment," Donghyuck narrowed his eyes before huffing.
"You really are feisty all the time," Mark said before turning his body to Donghyuck. "Every time I try to figure you out it's like a whole 5 layers gers added on top of you...like an onion."
"You did not just compare me to an onion like in Shrek," Donghyuck gave him a side eye.
"You wanna be donkey?" Mark raised a teasing brow and smiled when Donghyuck's lip curved up.
"Didn't you want to stay with the others?" Donghyuck asked as he finally looked at Mark.
"Nah, I've been here too many times," Mark shrugged his shoulders. "Plus it isn't too far away. I usually come over here anyway."
"So that's why we're here," Donghyuck nodded his head towards the ground.
"No, I just assumed a beach is more your style," Mark said as he adjusted himself.
"My style? Going to a beach when it's almost snowing is my style," Donghyuck snorted.
He wasn't wrong.
The forecast said there would be a snowstorm starting way later tonight.
"You cold?" Mark asked as he looked Donghyuck up and down.
"I didn't say that," Donghyuck reported but nothing could hide the goosebumps on his bare arms.
"Here take my jacket," Mark shrugged off his black jacket and tried to hand it to Donghyuck.
"Thats disgusting," Donghyuck wrinkled his nose at it. "Really I'm good."
"It's just a black jacket," Mark said before throwing it over Donghyucks shoulders. "It's either that or freeze to death."
"Hell will freeze over before I do," Donghyuck stuck his tongue out at Mark before putting his arms through he sleeves.
The cotton material was warm against his skin. Mark had wider shoulders than him so the coat practically swallowed him up. His fingertips barely peeking out of the sleeves.
"Anyway, can't you tell me anything about yourself?" Mark's head been down to catch Donghyucks eyes.
"I hate Mark Lee," Donghyuck said with a tilt of his head.
Mark rolled his eyes before speaking again.
"I mean something personal," Mark said. "Something nobody knows about you."
Donghyuck let himself think about what to say but instead flipped it.
"How bout you, preppy?" Donghyuck tilted his head back. "I'll tell you something if you tell me something too."
"Alright," Mark let his shoulders relax a bit. "What do you want to know?"
Donghyuck went to open his mouth with question he's had for a few days now.
But he quickly closed it.
"What is it?" Mark raised a brow.
"It's nothing," Donghyuck shrugged it off.
"Just ask me," Mark said knowingly.
Donghyuck looked at him closely and the boy looked prepared for anything.
"I just...there was something Jaemin mentioned the other day," Donghyuck leaned back a bit on his hands. "Something about you and Taeyong's ex-husband."
Mark seemed to tense up at that like his entire world had stopped spinning for a moment.
"You don't have to-" Donghyuck went to say after a monet of silence but Mark cut him off.
"No, it's ok. I'm ready to talk about it," Mark swallowed roughly before taking a deep breath. "His name is Jaehyun..."
"When my parents died. I had a hard time trying to digest the information. I mean, I had no parents and a little brother who couldn't even understand anything that was happening. The worst part was before they died, they had already abandoned us. They left and just never showed up for weeks."
Mark breath hitched a bit but he kept going.
"Jeno kept crying and I couldn't even do anything. I had no idea where they went. The next thing I knew the police were at the door saying our parents died and I just- It didn't hurt me as much as them abandoning us did."
Mark's eyes closed.
"They left me and Jeno alone. We were children. After a year, Taeyong got us and brought us to his home. We had a hard time adjusting at first. Being around new people was weird. We didn't really talk much, didn't play or really do anything beside sit in our rooms or go to school."
"After a while, we opened up to them. It was hard not to. Taeyong was always so sweet. Johnny was always super funny. Yuta was cool. Ten has a way with kids and Jaehyun...he was like my dad. He was a better dad then my dad was. He-"
Mark's voice cracked but he pushed on.
"He taught me how to play sports. He taught me how to drive. He taught me how take care of my younger brother. One night, I came home in tears. I marched straight up to my room and sobbed on my bed. Not even Taeyong could make me stop. No kisses or cookies would make me stop crying. I remember it like it was yesterday. This one girl broke my heart. She snapped it right in two. Puppy love kind of stuff but a first none the less. I got in to a big fight with Jeno on the way home. He was telling me about his new friend and I snapped at him and made him cry. He said he hated me and ran home. I couldn't even blame him. I couldn't handle all of it..."
"Jaehyun came up the stairs after a whole and sat on the bed next to me. I remember asking him why nobody loved me. Why I make people leave or cry. I told him I didn't deserve anything because the world would just rip it away. He hugged me hard that night. He held me to his chest and told me everything I said wasn't true. He said that I deserved to be loved and happy. He promised me that no matter who came and left in my life. He would never leave me and he-"
"I came home a couple months ago and Taeyong was at the kitchen table crying. He told me...he...he said "I'm sorry, baby....Daddy's not coming back..." and then he hugged me and cried even harder. He hasn't even come back for the divorce papers yet. He-"
Mark leaned forward and sighed into his hands.
"He left me...that bastard left me."
There was a moment of silence and Donghyuck could tell Mark was trying to get himself together.
Donghyuck just stared at the boy.
Mark just spilled something so close to him.
He trusted Donghyuck enough to tell him a large part of his troubles.
Mark, the same boy who got straight A's and teachers loved just....no.
Mark Lee, the boy who had a chaotic family and saved him from jumping out a window, doesn't deserve any of the bad things that happened to him.
Donghyuck slowly reached over and laced Mark's fingers with his own.
Almost like he wanted to ground the older boy.
"I lied to you about before," Donghyuck spoke but raised his eyes towards the sky.
Mark didn't raise his head from his free hand. Donghyuck didn't even know if he was listening but he kept on.
He wasn't good at this whole comforting thing.
For fucks sake, he can't even say the words 'I'm sorry.'
"The rumor wasn't true," Donghyuck's cheeks were cold from the wind. "I didn't actually kill a man."
Donghyuck felt rewarded when Mark let out a wet laugh.
"That's as personal as it gets with you, huh Donghyuck?" Mark gave him a smile and it reassured him despite the tear marks on his cheeks.
Donghyuck bumped his shoulder against Marks and let it rest there.
"No but seriously..." Donghyuck used both of his hands to play with Mark's larger one.
A nervous habit.
"None of the rumors are true," Donghyuck didn't dare to look at Mark. "I don't know where most of them even started. I haven't actually started a fight before. I've gotten the shit kicked out of me, sure. But it was never me who threw punches."
Mark stared intently as Donghyuck spoke, his pink lips matching his soft voice.
"I...I wanted to be in the advanced music class this year," Donghyuck ran his finger tips across Mark's palm. "I was really close...I even had a spot but there was one kid...he had a cheerleader put a fake black eye on him and he blamed it on me. Got me removed from the course and everything."
"Im in the class," Mark spoke up quickly. "Im sure if we just explained to the teacher-"
"No," Donghyuck said gently and shook his head. "It won't matter anyway. Most of my teachers hate me. There is a bet going around the teachers lounge when I'll finally drop out..."
"That's so fucked up," Mark shook his head in disbelief before closing his hand around Donghyuck's.
"I do good on tests and everything but I don't own any school supplies besides a pencil," Donghyuck looked towards the sky to see that the sun was almost completely down. "I have to rely on my memory or else. I won't have a choice but to drop out."
"Is that what you want?" Mark asked carefully.
Donghyuck immediately shook his head. "No."
"You don't deserve any of that," Mark's thumb stroked over Donghyuck's knuckles.
Donghyuck turned his head and was shocked when Mark's nose brushed against his own.
"You don't know what I deserve," Donghyuck swallowed, his breath mingling with Mark's.
"I think I have an idea..." Mark's eyes were half lidded as he stared at Donghyucks pretty lips.
They didn't even realize they were leaning in.
But before their lips could touch, a loud sound rang out.
Mark's phone was ringing.
"Shit, sorry," Mark apologized as he dug his phone out of his jacket pocket. "Hello?"
As Mark awnsered the phone, Donghyuck pressed his hands to his burning face.
What the fuck just happened?