"donghyuck, are you coming to the movie night?" mark questioned, poking his head round the dressing room door.
"bitch, what- oh, hey, hyung," he said with a grin.
the peachy-haired boy was standing on a step-ladder as doyoung fussed with the hem of donghyuck's white pants.
"hi, mark-hyung!" chenle squealed, waving his arms from where he stood on an even higher step-ladder with mr choi pinning his costume.
"careful, i might stab you with a pin if you keep flailing around like that," the textiles teacher sighed, pushing a pin into the pin cushion he wore on his wrist.
"sorry, mr choi," chenle said sheepishly. the small dancer had shown himself to be so good that he was one of the main five boys in the show, and all week he had been running about backstage, acquainting himself with the backstage staff. especially mark, who chenle seemed to admire greatly.
"hey, chenle," mark replied, smiling. "are you coming tonight?"
"if my mom says i can," the blond boy giggled. "i want to invite jisung along, too - are we allowed to bring a friend?"
"minki-hyung, please could you pass a pin?" doyoung asked the teacher as he held donghyuck's pant-leg in place, "i've run out."
mr choi just stretched out his arm and let doyoung help himself to pins.
"thank you," said doyoung. "hyuck, keep still, would you? i swear i just can't get this fucking seam straight-"
"language," mr choi tutted, tucking his long dark hair behind his ear.
"sorry, minki-hyung," doyoung mumbled.
"yah, chenle," said donghyuck, "which jisung is that?"
"jisung pwark!" the small sophomore crowed in a bad american accent, "he's the star striker on the soccer team and i honestly thought he'd never speak to me but he saw me dancing in the park a few weeks ago and said i was really good! he's amazing at soccer and..."
"i know who he is," donghyuck sniffed as chenle just kept rambling in his adorable broken korean. he looked at mark. "sorry, what did you say?"
"there's a movie night in the theatre later," mark explained. "Didn't your hear about it?"
"probably wasn't listening," donghyuck said dismissively. "hyung, are you done yet?" he asked irritably, "my knees are starting to hurt."
"weak," doyoung teased.
"you can't lift a bag of sugar," donghyuck sneered.
"i can now! i told you i-"
"stick," donghyuck interrupted. "have you finished?"
"yes," doyoung sighed. "take the pants off, then. your jeans are over there."
donghyuck gave an adorable grin, hopping down off the step-ladder and carefully taking off the pants, making sure he didn't get pricked by any of the pins sticking out of them. he grabbed his jeans and shimmied into them, fastening his belt as he walked towards the door.
mark tried his best not to be caught looking but donghyuck had really nice tan legs--
"oh, shoes," donghyuck muttered, picking up his trainers and stuffing his feet into them. "what movie are they showing, hyung?"
"les miserables," mark replied, his cheeks ablaze, as they walked down the corridor.
"oh, i'm there," donghyuck confirmed. "les mis is my shit."
"oh, really?" said mark, willing his face to cool down a bit.
"yeah, i think it might be my favourite one," he replied, smiling a little. "what's your favourite song?"
"uh... i actually haven't seen the movie," mark admitted. "i saw it live when i was much younger, but-"
donghyuck gasped. "bitch, you have to see it! you'd better be there tonight."
"i will," mark stammered. "of course i will."
"awesome, see you later, hyung!" the peachy-haired boy said cheerfully before running off down the corridor.
"o-okay," mark uttered, blinking. he exhaled and pressed his hands to his cheeks. he felt dizzy. what was this boy doing to him.
***
"no-no," renjun mumbled, tugging on jeno's sleeve. the two of them and jaemin were at jaemin's house playing video games after school, but renjun thought it felt wrong without donghyuck there too.
"yes, ren-ren?" the black-haired boy asked, taking his eyes off the screen for a second.
"are you busy later? the theatre guys are having a movie night-"
"jeno, you dumbass, i win!" jaemin crowed, throwing down his controller as the end screen showed on the tv.
"oh," jeno uttered. he grinned. "that's okay, jae-jae." he turned back to renjun. "what did you say, renny?"
"i was wondering if you wanted to watch les mis with me," renjun said in a small voice.
jeno put his arm around his shoulders. "when is it?"
"hey, jeno," jaemin said. "wanna sleep over? it's the weekend tomorrow."
"sure!" he said excitedly. "ren?"
renjun clasped his hand in his lap. "actually, i can't tonight. sorry, jae."
"but we could watch the movie here-"
"we should have an avengers marathon," jaemin exclaimed. "is it just gonna be me and jeno? come on, renjun."
renjun shrugged and got up from the sofa, pulling on his sweater. "maybe next time. bye, no-no."
jeno watched with sad eyes as renjun went to the door. he leapt up and ran after him.
"renny?" he said softly.
"i'll see you monday," renjun told him, brushing jeno's hair back from his forehead with gentle touches.
jeno quickly pecked renjun's lips, whispering, "i'll miss you."
renjun went bright red. "jaemin's right in there!" he hissed.
jeno gave him an eye smile and hugged him tightly before renjun left jaemin's house.
"bring it on, stark," he joked as he went back into the lounge.
"it's on, cap," jaemin said with a wink. "go grab avengers one."
***
"hey, hyuckie!" xiyeon said, running towards the peachy-haired boy as he walked into the theatre.
"hey, xi," he replied with a grin. "hi, kyla," he added to the mousey-haired girl who trailed after xiyeon.
"hi," she said shyly.
xiyeon grinned at her and linked their arms. "i just found out that kyla lives too blocks from me! we can walk home together!"
"that's great," said donghyuck, throwing xiyeon a knowing look. she rolled her eyes at him.
"red!" sanha shouted.
"the blood of angry men!" chenle screeched from across the auditorium.
"black!" xiyeon piped up.
"my world when she's not there!" donghyuck sang loudly.
"that's fucking wrong, donghyuck!" sanha yelled.
"well, maybe it's just the truth!" donghyuck retorted as he followed the girls towards the front of the rows of seats.
sanha picked up the ball he and chenle had been throwing to each other and ran to catch up, the small blond running after him.
"oh? who's the lucky lady?" sanha teased.
"or guy," said xiyeon.
"or non-binary person," chenle added.
"okay, inclusive," sanha drawled. "but who?"
donghyuck smirked. "that's for me to know," he told him.
"no fair," sanha said with a pout.
"just because you'll always be on your own," xiyeon snickered.
"not my fault life has killed the dream i dreamed, you nasty," sanha snapped.
donghyuck laughed and went ahead, walking straight into mark.
"hey," he said, catching the bag of crisps from the top of a very precarious pile mark was carrying. "careful."
"thanks," mark said, blushing.
"let me help with that," he said, grabbing most of the snacks.
"uh, where did you want to sit?" mark asked, "i mean, not that we have to sit together."
"let's sit right in the middle," donghyuck suggested, leaving most of the snacks on the front of the stage and pulling mark by the wrist further back from where the screen was. "here's good," he said, flopping down in one of the cushioned folding chairs.
mark hesitated before deciding it was a good idea to sit next to donghyuck. he quickly realised it was not, as donghyuck was lounging in his seat, his arm leaning against mark's side.
"hey, everyone!" umji called from the front. "we'll start the movie now, hope everyone has enough snacks and has already been to the restroom - we won't be pausing the film."
"be right back!" chenle screeched, climbing over jisung and sprinting off.
"okay, we'll start it in two minutes," umji said with a shrug. "enjoy, guys! the photos of the cast look great on the website, too, and we've had a positive response towards universe online, so we've got a good chance of selling out after christmas."
"nice," donghyuck remarked.
"hey, guys," xiyeon said, turning around from where she, kyla and yehana sat a few rows in front.
"hey," donghyuck said sarcastically when he saw xiyeon's expression.
"where's all the other guys?" she questioned.
"they wanted to sit at the front," donghyuck drawled.
"you can literally see them," mark muttered.
"you guys look like you're on a date," she cooed.
"i'm third-wheeling," yehana piped up.
"shut up, yehana," xiyeon said, before glaring at donghyuck and turning back round to face the front.
donghyuck stuck his tongue out at the back of her head as the lights dimmed.
"jisung?" chenle hissed, "where are you? i can't see."
"i'm right here, you idiot."
"shut up, it's starting!"
"alright, jeez."
donghyuck giggled quietly and mark tried his best to stay serious as the intro music began.