Mark
I THOUGHT YOU WERE JOKING
WHEN YOU SAID JENO'S CUTE
Favorite Person☺️
JOKING???
BITCH WHERE???!!!
Mark
He looks so handsome in the
1st pic
And so good in the 2nd
And 3rd...
Favorite Person☺️
His mom sent me that, don't
tell him
Favorite Person☺️
Literally in love with him
(You know what I mean shut up)
But seriously, look at my cute boy
He's the cutest boy in the world
Mark
Got that from when you made that
his contact name in your phone
when you had a crush on him
Favorite Person☺️
🙄
Not done appreciating him yet
My baby boy
He actually loves that filter
Don't tell him you know that either
Favorite Person ☺️
Now you've been blessed
Mark
I...I really have
Favorite Person☺️
Oh my God he's so cute. He's
texting me about today
He had fun
Ooh la la, that's juicy
You're going hiking?🤨
Mark
What? I've done it before
Favorite Person☺️
Yeah, you also complained about
it
Mark
Well I'll be more prepared this
time
Plus I feel bad for making Jeno
rock climb by himself
Favorite Person ☺️
I'm sure you liked watching
him
Mark
Don't you have a boyfriend to go
flirt with?
Favorite Person☺️
You're not saying nooooo
And I always flirt with him
Mark
No
Favorite Person☺️
Sureeeee
➳
Haechan
Hey, are you busy?
Mark
No, why?
Haechan
I mean like are you available?
Mark
Yes
Whyyyy?
Haechan
Can we hangout?
Mark
Sure
This was unexpected though
Haechan
I've been meaning to try...being
friends or whatever but I did it
now cause I wanna feel normal
today
Mark
I think you are normal
Haechan
Don't hold your breath
Within Haechans cryptic messages, the two decide to meet up at a shopping center and just go from there.
Haechan breathes in the breezy, evening air, leisurely walking to the meeting spot. He only has to wait three minutes before Mark approaches, looking oddly attractive for someone just in a white sweater and acid-washed jeans.
"Hi", he greets.
"Hi."
"What do you wanna do?"
"Anything. I don't wanna think today."
Mark nods and starts walking, slowing down to make sure Haechan is walking with him.
He lets it be silent for a minute before speaking. "I don't think we should think too much." When Haechan glances at him, he continues. "I don't mean we should never think. You should be smart about your decisions and what you do but at the same time, when it comes down to, like, how it's gonna affect you or how others will affect you, I should say, we shouldn't focus on it too much. Like I'm a terrible dancer. I can learn a dance but when I'm happy and it's just me dancing, it's horrible. But how someone is gonna perceive me from seeing me dance like a happy chicken shouldn't be my worry. If it makes me happy, I should just do it, you know?"
"I'm like that too sometimes. But when it comes to other things...I end up up thinking about them after and then think I shouldn't have done it."
Mark nods in understanding. "People will say you shouldn't have regrets but most people do. And that's okay but I think you have to decide what's worth it and why you regret the things you do. And maybe, learn from it. If I regretted not telling someone my feelings then I think I should take that as a sign to be honest with my feelings moving forward. But if it's something I wanna take back, I gotta think about what the worst part of the outcome was. If you're honest with someone and they leave you and you regret it 'cause they were important, it makes sense but I don't think they were meant to be in your life any longer. I mean, I try to convince myself that but I have my own regrets so I'm kinda being a hypocrite right now."
"I like hearing your way of thinking."
"Oh", Mark says, glancing at him with surprise on his face. "Thank you."
"First-time compliment?"
"I heard something like that before but it feels pretty new."
Haechan nods as they continue to walk, sometimes glancing at the male next to him. He's not sure what's going on in Marks head but it appears that he also has something on his mind.
Before either one of them can fall down a rabbit hole of thoughts, he looks around and notices something that distracts him immediately.
"Look!"
"Hm?" Mark asks, following his gaze to where Haechan is pointing.
"It's an arcade that's open all night!"
Noticing the way Haechan is bouncing on his heels and smiling like he doesn't have something going on gets Mark to smile.
"I take it you wanna go?"
"Please, Mark?" He asks, clasping his hands together and making puppy eyes.
"Sure."
"Yes!"
Haechan takes off, leaving Mark behind, causing the boy to sigh.
They've got to stop running off
He lightly jogs after him and follows him into the building. He could see the arcade from the window but he wasn't expecting the eating area to be in the style of an 80s diner.
"This place looks so cool."
"You've never been her before?" Haechan asks, appearing out of nowhere with two gaming cards.
"Come on, I wanted to pay!"
Haechan smirks, finding the males whining adorable. "Don't be slow next time."
"I was not slow! You just took off! And it's getting dark, I might add-"
Mark cuts off when he hears the brunet giggling, a pleased look on his face.
"Didn't take you for the parent type."
"It doesn't work that well. My cousins never listen to me."
"You're Chenle's best friend, though, I assume you join in on chaos."
"Maybe sometimes."
Haechan chuckles before looking around and finding a game he wants to do. He starts to walk towards it before backing up and turning to dark.
"Permission to drag you around?"
"Sure."
Mark holds on his arm, getting surprised when Haechan pinches the sleeve of his sweatshirt and gently tugs on the fabric before clasping his hand around Marks wrist and fully pulling him towards the driving games.
"Let's do this."
"My brother is really good at this", Mark comments sitting down. "He was so mean about it, though. He'd play against me and go slow so it would look like I was winning and then on the last round, he'd always do it properly so he'd win."
Haechan bursts out laughing. "I wanna start doing that now."
Mark shakes his head, an amused smile on his face as he swipes the game card and selects everyone he needs to. Haechan does the same, watching what he picks so that the two will race together. It works and then he sits back, throwing up peace signs and tilted his head, sticking his tongue out for his selfie. Mark's camera captures the side of his face because he's too busy laughing at the male next to him.
The two focus right before the race starts and start driving, Haechan adding his own sound effects, unintentionally making Mark lose his focus.
Somehow Mark ends up still winning.
The brunet huffs, crossing his arms over his chest and glares at the screen through his pout, making Mark laugh. He's too busy being upset at the game that he doesn't realize Mark has taken a picture of him until his flash goes off.
"Oh, I see how it is", he says, pulling out his own phone, sending relief through Mark. He's glad he's not mad.
Haechan keeps his phone out, angling the camera towards Mark every once in a while. Mark isn't sure if he's actually taking a picture or not but he doesn't really care.
When they pass an air hockey table, Mark gently taps the males shoulder.
"Can we play that?"
"Oh sure."
The two get started, actually being surprised at well the other is doing. Haechan is determined not to let Mark win again but luck isn't on his side as the hockey pucks slide right into the goal. When it's over, he playfully rolls his eyes.
"Let's play a few more games and then I'll buy us a milkshake or something. Whatever you want."
"Mark, if you buy me food, I'll fall in love with you."
Mark laughs. "I think it's gonna take a little more than that but I'm glad to be on your good side."
"Stop that."
"What?"
"Being...like that. I have very fluctuating standards and right now, you seem perfect."
"Perfect doesn't exist, I don't think. And does that mean that your standards are low right now?"
"Kinda. I mean I think it's low if you like someone for doing the bare minimum, which is you being a decent human. Well, better than decent. But you're not like, fictional man decent. Unless you are?"
"Uh, I'm not sure. I don't read a lot. I have books but I never focus on it for long.
"I always start reading whatever book I'm interested in when I'm still at the library so if I'm not interested at all after like five chapters, I don't check it out."
"That's a good idea. But isn't it supposed to be the first chapter though?"
"Yes but I realized that the first chapter can be the most boring and it can be fantastic after that so I give myself more time to decide."
"I should start doing that."
"If you do go to the library, please take me with you. I don't like going to places by myself."
Mark nods. "I definitely will. I always feel awkward in the library."
"Yeah-", Haechan gasps, loudly staring at something behind mark.
He turns out and sees the claw machines all the way across from them. He assumes that Haechan is staring at the plushies inside of it.
Haechan goes for it, being sure to check that Mark is following him. He arrives at the machine and takes about five seconds to look at it before he swipes his card and starts playing. Since he's going for a bigger plushie, he struggles to find somewhere to grip it but eventually manages.
Only for it to slip right off the claw.
"Dammit", he curses.
"Let me try", Mark says.
He moves over and watches Mark try, who stares inside the machine with a large amount of focus. He sees Marks eyes scan around the prizes before glancing at him. Mark goes back to trying to grab the large plushie before switching to a smaller one next to it. The claw sits into the round-shaped creature and picks it up, slowly carrying over to the dispenser.
The plush falls out, landing with a soft thud. Mark pulls it out and silently hands it to Haechan before swiping his game card again and attempting to get the big plushy. With the absence of the smaller one, he pushes the plushy in the free space, allowing the plushy to be slightly more stable than before. He finds a place for the claw to grip and angles it right above it before pressing the red button to drop the claw.
The claw sinks into the soft, plushy, squishing it as he begins to pull it up. Dangling precariously from the claws edge, the toy gets led over to the dispenser.
Right before it gets there, it starts to wobble, sinking Haechans hope. The claw moves all the way over and then the plushy falls on its own, right before the claw opens up.
"Yes!" Haechan tears, launching himself at Mark and jumping while holding him.
Mark holds Haechans waist to stabilize him—and because he's suffocating him—and smiles at the happy male. He reaches down and pulls out the plushy, presenting it to Haechan like it's an award.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Too caught up in gratitude and happiness, Haechan kisses Marks cheek. It only takes about thirty seconds for the action to fully hit him.
He looks at Mark with wide eyes, horrified. "I'm sorry."
Mark chuckles, trying to ease him. "I didn't mind."
"If you said that to Jaemin, he'd kiss you every time he sees you."
The comment slips out so fast Haechan doesn't have time to communicate to himself that he doesn't plan on mentioning any of their friends.
Mark notices the way Haechans expression falters after his words. It confuses him. Haechan and Jaemin are close and they seem fine.
It's not my business
"Affection is nice", he decides on. "Let's take a break, I want something sweet."
Haechan nods and hands Mark the other plushy so he can carry the larger. Which he does, looking adorable as the plushy is big enough to cover the top of his torso.
Mark picks a random booth, seeing as there's only one other person at a table and it's further down from them. A waitress, dressed out of uniform except for the apron and a hat comes over to them and smiles.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"What can I get started for you?"
Not feeling too hungry, Mark orders a sundae and then looks at Haechan who orders a milkshake, fries, and a water.
"Are you one of the people who dip fries in their milkshakes?"
"Yep. Are you one of the people who think that's weird?"
"I did. And then I tried it and it wasn't like, bad, but I just not a fan."
Haechan shakes his head, tut-tutting him. He looks around the diner area and outside to the what parts of their darkened city they can see.
"Tell me more about you."
Mark raises an eyebrow. "Was that supposed to sound flirty?"
"I don't think so..."
"You don't think so?"
"Sometimes I flirt by accident and other times, I say something that could be normal or flirtatious and depending on the person, just let them decide how I mean it."
"I suck at flirting. I tried once and-", Mark hesitates, with a newfound uncertainty. "My ex-er one of them, liked it. She found it cute. My other ex, I'm uh, on better terms with him, would just joke that I'm a cute dork but he never said much when I would attempt to flirt."
"I've never dated anyone before", Haechan admits as the waitress places his water down on the table.
"Really?"
"I've tried but it never gets far enough to be an actual relationship. I've never kissed anyone either."
"Really?" Mark asks with wide eyes.
"Mhm. I've wanted to. I always wanna be in the relationship for cute, cheesy couple things but I just don't. Jisung tells me I don't let myself and he's not exactly wrong. I'm not looking for rejection every time I like someone."
Haechan gets distracted with the sugar packets in the sweetener caddy next to the condiment caddy. Mark stares at him, not meaning to but not really being able to look away. He feels like he's unlocked a part of Haechan and it's more than he would expect. He likes it. But now he's also curious. But he knows he has be careful not to overstep his boundaries.
As he thinks of things he wants to ask, the waitress comes with their dessert and Haechans fries.
The two get busy with their food. After a few fries, Haechan thinks to offer some to Mark. Mark just grabs two and offers some of his ice cream. Haechan unrolls his utensils and takes a scoop, leaning back against the seat with a smile on his face.
They continue sharing their food, mostly being quiet. But it's nice.
And then Mark asks a question which leads to more conversation than the male was prepared for but something about Haechan rambling on and on, animating his words with his expressions and gestures. It's endearing and cute but also just captivating with the way he expresses himself.
"Why are you looking at me like?" Haechan asks when he notices the way Mark is smiling at him.
The male shrugs. "I just like listening to you talk too."
AHHHHHHHHHHH
WHO'S SCREAMING WITH ME? I CANNOT BE THE ONLY ONE FEELING THIS WAY
Ngl this is one of my favorite chapters just because of the Jeno spam
Also wasn't expecting this chapter to go here but I'm vibing with it.
But like I really didn't mean to make this chapter right after the one with Jeno. Is it too much? Idk if I'm overthinking or if I need to like...pace it? Idek anymore
I've decided this one of my favorite chapters in general.
And thank you to those who comment and even my silent readers. I can just tell that y'all are some of the cutest people in the world and I love you so much.
MWAHHH!💙💚
Not proofread:)❤️