JUST IMAGINARY - MARKHYUCK ONESHOT
word count : 6575 words
warning : mentions of child abuse, bullying, vulgar language
disclaimer : there isn't much bxb romance in this one shot, apologies to all the gay fic readers ;( it's more of a soft, platonic(?) story with lots of interactions between the two! there isn't any top or bottom skdjfgh they're kids in this story!
please enjoy! <3
. . .
"donghyuck-ah, do you know where you are?" a booming voice echoed through the sunbeam adorned clouds, startling the small, tan-skinned child.
"no, who is this?" donghyuck looked around frantically to find the source of the voice.
"this is the underworld, hyuck," the booming voice chuckled. "this is where all the good kids go and we test you."
"test? but i didn't study! oh no, mommy is going to be so mad, what if i fail..." donghyuck gasped, afraid to cry.
"no, hyuck. this is a special kind of test," the manly voice spoke a little softer. "i'm going to send you on a little mission."
donghyuck's eyes widened and began to sparkle. "like a superhero? am i going to save the world?"
the man laughed heartedly. "not quite the world, but," he paused and continued, a smile evident on his face. "you will save a certain someone."
donghyuck crinkled his face in confusion. "hm? what does that mean?"
the man shook his head. "i'm sending you on a quest to make a friend. there's this one boy down on planet earth. his name is lee minhyung, or mark, and he is a year older than you. he is having a very hard time down there because his parents hardly come home and he spends his life alone. he doesn't have many friends because he's made fun of for the way he talks. he needs a friend."
"so, i'm going to be his friend?" the six-year-old boy tilted his head.
"yes, but you're only imaginary. you are only visible to mark and no one else. i need you to make mark feel happy. until he is fully recovered from trauma and loneliness, your quest is yet to be fulfilled. it will take as long as it can."
"what if i fail?"
"you can only fail if mark believes you are nonexistent and is still unhappy. this is a risk for when he becomes older. try to grow with him and maybe he will let you stay." the man beamed.
"do i get an award?" the golden-skinned boy smiled widely. as a child, he was very known to receiving a little token of love or appreciation when he did something good.
the man laughed with his whole chest, glad to see the boy's enthusiasm. "if you pass the test and mark becomes happy and dismisses you with thankfulness, you will return to this very spot and we will give you a halo, signifying that you are now part of heaven's 127th family of angels." the man showed donghyuck a glowing, golden halo that emitted sparks from it.
his eyes widened with fascination. "it's so sparkly! so pretty!" he jumped up and down, puffs of clouds coming away from the bunches he was standing on.
"you can only receive this if you succeed. if you fail, you will have to start all over again." the man warned him.
"yes sir!" donghyuck pretended to salute and burst into a fit of giggles shortly after.
laughing with the boy, the man ushered him back to the gateway. "off you go, donghyuck. you will be sent right to mark's house as soon as you step out of the underworld. mark will notice you, so you have to make sure you persuade him."
"i got it!" donghyuck excitedly waddled over to the gateway, and with a burst of mist and clouds, he disappeared.
. . .
donghyuck found himself standing in a living room. he noticed a worn-out couch and an armchair with questionable patterns. the ceiling was scattered with popcorn bumps and there were newspapers, beer bottles, and garbage littered everywhere on the floor. he then noticed a small boy with dark hair in the corner of the room, drawing something in a sketchbook with some crayons.
donghyuck tiptoed over to the sitting boy and tapped his shoulder. mark whirled around, alarmed, then stared into donghyuck's eyes with confusion. "uh...who are y-you?"
donghyuck began to memorize mark's features. he had wide eyes that sparkled, but they seemed pretty dim, as if someone sucked out all the light in them. his lips were chapped and there were a few moles on his neck. at the moment, he was wearing a long-sleeved red shirt and some denim jeans. donghyuck also noticed a bruise marked on mark's hand.
"i'm donghyuck! or you can call me hyuck! i'm going to be your guardian! your friend!" he piped up cheerfully.
"i-i don't know you..." mark looked down in shame and returned to his drawing. "i don't have many friends either."
"well, you don't have to know me, do you? we can just be friends! now, you're not lonely! friend count is one!" donghyuck showed him the number one with his finger. "how do you feel now?"
mark shed a little smile. "nice...? but i don't know how to play with people. i play by myself."
donghyuck snuck a look at mark's drawing. he chewed on his lip, trying to figure out what he was seeing. mark quickly realized that the other was trying to sneak a peek, so he dove over the paper, hiding it from him.
"what's the matter? let me see!" donghyuck whined. "is it bad? i think it looks pretty cool!"
mark shyly unveiled the scribbles, his face dipped in shame and guilt. "i-it's not that good."
"why? is that a person? and another person? what are they doing?" curiosity piked the younger's interest.
"that's my dad. and that's me." mark pointed to the said drawn people.
"what's your dad doing?" donghyuck squinted. "is he...? oh." donghyuck realized what the drawing meant and he pulled out a piece of paper from the sketchbook. he looked at mark in the eye. the older seemed very ashamed, but also, confused.
"what are you doing?" mark asked timidly, tossing the drawing away and letting it slide against the floor.
"let's draw happy things!" he grinned innocently and pulled out a variety of colours from the crayon box. "mark, what do you like doing?"
mark shrugged. "i don't know."
donghyuck pouted. "it looks like you enjoy drawing!" he pointed to the big box of crayons excitedly. "what's your favourite colour from all of these?"
mark looked at donghyuck in surprise. he had never met someone who cared for him and wanted to learn more about him like this. "uh...red." he gestured towards his shirt and donghyuck made his mouth into the shape of an 'o.'
the tanned-skinned boy wrote mark's name in big red letters on the piece of paper. "m-a-r-k. is that how you spell it?" he pointed to the english letters, asking for the older's approval.
mark nodded, quite impressed. usually kids at his age didn't even know half the english alphabet.
"ok, mark, do you have any favourite foods?"
mark thought for a minute, slowly getting used to donghyuck's high spirits and persistence. he was still stunned, but he was accepting him, bit by bit. "i like watermelon." he smiled slightly, thinking about how he used to eat slices of watermelon on his front porch.
he watched as the younger drew pictures of watermelon slices. he then proceeded to draw to people, one with tanner skin and the other wearing a red shirt. they were sitting on a porch, eating watermelon, laughing. mark gasped. "c-can you read my mind?"
donghyuck looked at him innocently, as if he didn't know what he was talking about. "hm? me?"
"yeah, i was thinking about, uh, eating watermelon on my front porch, then you drew about it..."
donghyuck scratched his head. "no? i don't think so! i guess i'm just good at guessing!" he started laughing, then flashed a wink. "mark, let's be friends! i'll make you happy!" he outstretched his hand for mark to shake. "hm? what do you think?"
mark thought for a moment. he had never seen the boy in his entire life before. he was lonely and had pretty much zero friends. was he happy? the seven-year-old's thoughts were all jumbled up and he didn't have much thinking capacity. "u-uh...sure." he accepted the handshake hesitantly, making donghyuck smile so hard it looked like he was radiating sunshine.
"yay! from now on, we do whatever you want, however you want," donghyuck jumped up and down, chanting mark's name. "mark, mark, mark, mark, mark-"
the older male looked at the overjoyed younger in awe. "how do you even know me?"
donghyuck stopped his little victory dance and laughed. "i just do!"
and thus, mark's life began to change.
. . .
three months later
"mark! aren't you hungry?" donghyuck ran up to the older, who was splattering paint on a canvas. "i can get something from the store!"
"b-but they can't see you!" mark exclaimed as he wiped paint on his leather smock. a shock of realization jolted his body and he stared at his invisible friend. "you're going to steal? that's...that's illegal!"
the younger thought for a minute, furrowing his eyebrows. "it is?" his eyes widened when he realized. "ohh, it is!" he burst into another fit of laughter. "i'm so silly, aren't i?"
mark grinned awkwardly. three months have come and gone since he found lee donghyuck in his house, asking him to be his friend. since then, mark would spend most of the time he spent alone with the tanned-skinned boy. donghyuck was very sweet; he was rambunctious and poked a little bit of fun at him sometimes, but mark could tell that he truly cared about mark's wellbeing. he made sure mark had something to do instead of lying on the couch all day, and he made sure he never starved. at night, when mark awoke from terrible nightmares that caused him to tremble and burst into tears, his imaginary friend was there to soothe him. he would sleep by his side, wrapping him into a gentle hug, and the two would doze off.
being young and not even in his double digits yet, it was hard for mark to understand feelings and how people responded to certain things, like having affection for one another. he never received much love during his life either, even from his parents. they didn't care much about him, only returning late at night when mark is fast asleep. it's been ages since mark had a goodnight kiss from his mother and a lullaby from his father. three years had passed since his life turned upside-down. just thinking about it made his heart flop around in his chest and nausea creeped upon him, making him feel dizzy. the only words that he could remember from his own parents were the following:
"no matter what they tell you; it doesn't matter who it is, don't think we're doing this because we hate you, sweetie. mommy and daddy love you so much."
"i-i feel a little sick," mark admitted and rushed to his bedroom, a confused donghyuck following him close behind.
"are you okay, mark?" donghyuck asked, concern lacing his tone. "do you need...um, your teddy bear, i guess? um, a glass of water? i don't know what medicine is, okay?"
mark shook his head. "i just need to...lie down." he stared at his ceiling, which was covered in glow-in-the-dark stars. his heart was beating rapidly and sweat trickled down his neck.
donghyuck nodded and lied down close to mark, snuggling up beside him. "do you think your life is a little better because i'm here?" he asked cheekily.
mark nodded slowly, his gaze touching each of the stars, one by one. "i think so. i used to not have anyone help me calm me down after i have a nightmare. i-i think i can sleep better...thanks to y-you."
donghyuck grinned widely. "that's good to hear!" he tapped at his chin with his other hand, his left hand entangled in mark's. "is there anything you want to do? school starts in a week i think. we can do all the things you never got to do during this time, what do you think?"
"there isn't much that i want to do," mark admitted, a pout forming on his lips. "everything i want to do requires mommy or daddy being with me."
"then we improvise!" donghyuck grabbed the crayons and sketchbook from mark's desk and titled the page, 'mark and hyuck's summer' in a blue and red pattern. "stuff we can do at home..."
mark grabbed the crayon from donghyuck's hand and excitedly wrote something on it. donghyuck leaned in to take a closer look.
MAKE A MURAL.
"a...mural? what's that?"
"i'm not sure," mark admitted in defeat. "i only remembered mommy telling me that one day she and i can make...a mural."
"is it like drawing?"
the older shrugged. "i think so? i think it's like...a really, really big drawing on a wall." he used his arms to show the younger how big.
"where is the wall though?" donghyuck chewed on his lip, thinking.
"mommy and daddy get mad when i draw on the walls, so what if we...take a large piece of wood and draw on that?"
"great idea!" donghyuck clapped and scribbled out a plan. "we can get big pieces of wood from the buildings down the street. i think they have lots of those. and we have tons of paint because you are an artist, so we can draw whatever you would like!"
mark beamed. "really? that's...that's great!" he was glad that he had another partner to work with for his dream mural, but he still felt ashamed that he was substituting his own mother for a younger boy he only met three months ago. then again, whenever he thought about how his parents treated him these days, he realized that having an invisible friend with high energy and determination was a lot better than having parents who neglected him with each coming day, covering it all up toxically with meaningless "i love you's."
mark would often cry himself to sleep, wincing in pain from the bruises he received for not 'behaving.' his parents' gazes were malicious and merciless; there was barely any 'love' for him. they would stop the abuse only to wrap him in a hug that intoxicated the boy, telling him that these scars and bruises were there because they wanted to show him how much they cared about his future. mark was still young; he wanted to follow his parents and do whatever he was told because he desired to make them proud of him. he wanted to be a good son, a son they would want to hold onto forever and never let go. however, when he watched his parents pass out on the living room floor from the unbelievable amount of alcohol they consumed and when he watched how they yelled at him, used words that he was taught not to use, he became very confused. his parents said that they wanted his future to be bright and filled with happiness, but his future was looking dark and depressing instead. he wasn't even talking about the far future; he knew that the next day, tomorrow, also counted as the future, and if living like this, all alone with barely any care, was his future, then he didn't want it at all. he didn't want to live a life where he believed that hitting innocent people and drinking until unconscious was good in order to grow. he didn't want to live thinking that his parents loved him when really, they just wanted to wreck his entire life apart like a cannonball. "i love you," they would always utter with no emotion in their hearts, but mark believed them bitterly because he was still the naïve child who believed everything his parents said. millions of times he had forgiven them, and millions of times did his parents break his trust. those three words that meant so much to seven-year-old mark but meant absolutely nothing to his own parents would bite at his heart, aching him until all he felt was numbness.
but then there was donghyuck.
mark didn't even know how he slipped into his life. perhaps he was an angel sent from heaven or just a child in his neighbourhood. he knew nothing about hyuck's backstory, but he knew one thing about him: he cared. he genuinely cared about the older and just the words "i care" brought so much healing to mark's shredded mind and hole-covered heart. after three years of his life being brought down to dust and debris, he vowed to himself that letting anyone into his life would only hurt him more, but there was something different about this tan-skinned, energetic boy. mark couldn't exactly pinpoint on what it was, but he liked, no, loved it. just being with him felt like his parents were completely erased from his life and he was all grown up, recovered from the mental and physical pain. he was in his own utopia, his own little headspace when he was spending time with donghyuck.
he wasn't alone anymore. the countless days he spent in the school playground, curled up under a tree, reading a book or drawing pictures, were now nonexistent because he had a new friend.
an imaginary friend.
he was finally receiving love. the love he never felt assuredly was being passed onto him by a young boy.
and to mark, that felt miraculous. euphoric.
the abused child who never truly understood what love felt like was finally feeling it in his heart as he and donghyuck, his imaginary friend, drew in their sketchbooks and talked freely, as if they were friends since birth.
. . .
a year later
- mark is eight, hyuck is seven
"wait, where are we going? this isn't the way to school!" donghyuck exclaimed as he followed mark, who was taking the longer way. he cut through alleys and avoided certain houses.
"it's still the way, hyuck," mark muttered, pulling his yellow cap below his eyes. "i'm just avoiding some people."
donghyuck got the message and clung onto mark. "you can hold me if you want. i'm always here."
mark nodded, comfort spreading over his heart like a wildfire. he felt safe and sound when he was with the younger and believed that if donghyuck was with him, he wouldn't be bullied by a certain trope.
"hey, isn't that mark lee?" the familiar voice taunted the older as he gritted his teeth, quickening his pace.
"it is! see, i told you he takes the long way now!" another familiar voice alerted him and mark burst into a sprint, donghyuck following close behind. of course, since donghyuck was invisible, he was only visible to mark and no one else.
"hey, pipsqueak!" the oldest and tallest out of the three, hangil, shouted. "where you goin'? let us join!"
"no, leave me alone!" mark protested as he ran faster, hearing the middle schoolers' footsteps become rougher and rapider.
"aw, come on," changho, the one with the weird haircut (his bangs were messily cut and a side of his head was shaved off for some reason) chuckled, catching up to the boy. "we just want to play with you for a bit."
"it's not playing or having fun if someone isn't enjoying it!" mark yelled, clutching onto the straps of his backpack and donghyuck hugging him close.
"yada yada," dohwan, the shortest, teased him. "come on, what's in your backpack? show us, pipsqueak." his voice turned threatening, causing mark's blood to freeze.
"no! stop taking my stuff!" mark gasped, holding onto his backpack tightly and donghyuck even tighter.
"whatever," hangil grabbed mark's backpack and unzipped it, proceeding to rummage through its contents. "all a bunch of useless shit. his lunch, his homework, his water bottle..." hangil took mark's homework and stared at him with a glint of hatred in his eye. "hey, pipsqueak, how fun would it be if we ripped your homework right here, on the spot? would you cry? would you run to your mommy and daddy?"
"oh fuck, his parents aren't even home anymore, remember?" dohwan burst into hysterics, jabbing their leader in the ribs lightly.
"dammit, forgot about that. sorry, pipsqueak." hangil apologized with no guilt or regret in his voice at all.
"don't talk about my parents," mark managed to squeeze out, hurt clearly hinted in his tone and his body trembling. "give me back my stuff."
"or what, retard?" hangil, changho, and dohwan began approaching the helpless boy. their stares were like the ones of hungry wolves. usually, mark really liked wolves, but at the moment, he was placed in the spot of a prey. "what are you going to do? hit me? kick me? punch me? what can your fucking tiny hands do? nothing. you can't even do basic math, shut up."
"that's because i'm younger than you!" mark cried, placing his hands in front of him, stepping back slowly. "stop bothering me and give me back my stuff!"
"psh, all meaningless, shallow remarks," changho yawned, clearly bored. "why don't you try us, pipsqueak? try to hit us. come on, hit us."
mark thought about how his parents hit him and how he sometimes thought about what hitting someone else felt like. he couldn't bring himself to use his fists. and even if he did, it wouldn't do much. the eighth graders were much taller, much stronger than him.
"just leave me alo-" his arms were outstretched in front of him and spotted hyuck in the corner of his eye advancing towards the bullies.
mark couldn't believe his eyes.
"holy fucking shit!" hangil shouted as he crumbled to the floor. hyuck had just kicked him in the balls. right at the spot. "shit shit shit..." he grumbled under his breath and gasped for air. "what the fuck, mark lee?"
"i-i..." mark stuttered but didn't have to finish his sentence before he say changho and dohwan approach him, fists raised and faces ferocious and very predator-like.
"you fucking monster..." dohwan seethed and prepared to punch the younger square in the face, but couldn't even take another step before mark's imaginary friend sent another hit to the swimsuit area flying. "shit! changho, don't take another step!" dohwan warned his other friend, who was staring at mark with afraid eyes.
changho took dohwan and hangil's hands and dragged them down the street before mark did anything else.
donghyuck proudly returned mark's backpack, which was lying on the ground, all the contents still in place. hangil didn't even have the chance to rip his homework. the paper was still pristine and flawless. "now they won't bother you!" he smiled widely.
mark couldn't speak. what he had just witnessed may have been the best thing he had ever seen. it surpassed every single movie he had ever watched. "h-hyuck...you-"
"i used the very last approach," donghyuck grinned. "i'd say i did a pretty good job, don't you think?"
mark engulfed hyuck into a hug without thinking. tears were flooding from his eyes and he couldn't breathe. words couldn't describe how he was feeling at the moment. "h-hyuck...i, thank you so much!" he cried. his broken heart, the heart that began mending slowly just by being with the younger, repaired another piece of itself as their chests met.
"hey, it's nothing!" hyuck giggled, pulling away, placing his hands on mark's shoulders. "friends stay together. friends help each other when they're in trouble, isn't that right?"
mark nodded, wiping away his tears, the fat droplets still trickling down his face. "i...no one helped me when i got bullied, so thank you. thank you so much, h-hyuck..."
"good thing i'm just imaginary, am i right?" he laughed. "let's go to school, mark! you have class soon, don't want to miss it!"
as the two walked to school together, mark kept thinking about what hyuck said before.
good thing i'm just imaginary, am i right?
mark cracked a smile. a part of him was content with how only he could see him. that made him feel very special and that there was a person on this earth that no one else could see but him. the other part of him wanted donghyuck to be a real person so that people could see that he actually had friends and was doing so much better than how he was with his trashy parents.
but as of right now, he was perfectly happy with drawing pictures for hours with hyuck and talking about random things until sleep caught up to them.
. . .
"look!" mark grinned and showed hyuck a page in his journal. on the piece of paper were mark's own hand-drawn pictures and words. "do you like it, hyuck? do you like it?"
hyuck read the words on the paper, his eyes sparkling.
this is my best friend, lee donghyuck, or hyuck.
he doesn't call me hyung but i don't really mind! his favourite colours are blue and purple. he is always happy and he helps me all the time!
we draw stuff together, we eat food, and we even do chores together!
i wish he would never leave and that we would stay together forever.
i love you, hyuck! <3 i hope you love me too. :D
- mark
donghyuck smiled widely, wrapping the older in a deep embrace. "i love it i love it i love it!" he jumped up and down. on the blank side of the journal paper was a picture of hyuck chasing away the three bullies. "i love you a lot, mark! lots and lots and lots!"
mark smiled shyly. "me too! i'm glad i met you!"
hyuck grinned and leaned his head against mark's shoulder, his arms still around the older's torso.
i wish it was always like this!
. . .
four years later
- mark is twelve, hyuck is eleven
donghyuck noticed some changes in mark's as they grew.
for the past few years, donghyuck had aided mark in finding friends and becoming braver. they had moved into his grandmother's house. mark's grandmother was still very young, only in her sixties, so she was able to take care of her grandson.
the two boys bonded very well and it has already been five years since donghyuck first made an appearance in mark's living room. they created a mural, which was now in grandma's hallway, walked to school together, and even ran errands together.
but something was off now.
they were spending less and less time together. the man in the clouds warned hyuck that this would ought to happen and that it was perfectly natural for mark to have and less time to spend with his invisible friend, but hyuck didn't feel in place.
he felt discarded.
he tried to understand mark's feelings because he was growing older and so was he, but he greatly missed the company. at first, he felt like he was forced to be mark's friend, but now, he wanted nothing else but mark.
he didn't want to leave earth yet.
he didn't even know if mark was completely content with his life yet, either. his parents were still out there and who knew if as soon as donghyuck left earth, his parents would make their son's life a hellhole.
"hey, mark!" donghyuck piped up, entering his room. mark was doing homework, and usually he would allow donghyuck's company, but today he said that this was an important project and he couldn't have any distractions. "are you done working yet?"
"almost," mark answered bluntly. "what were you doing?"
"just walking around outside," he answered. "mark, we should walk outside later tonight. there might be fireflies because grandma lives close to the country!"
"maybe," mark shrugged. "i might still be busy by then. we'll see. sorry, hyuck."
donghyuck slumped his shoulders, disappointed. "okay, then," he stepped outside to leave mark alone, but he opened his mouth to ask him something else. "mark-"
"i'm busy right now, okay? i'm so sorry, maybe later." mark apologized as he cut up a piece of paper, not even sparing his imaginary friend a glance.
"oh...okay," donghyuck turned the doorknob and left his room, an empty, lonely feeling churning in his gut.
he was originally sent to mark so that he could be less lonely, but why was he feeling lonelier than mark was?
he opened the front door and sat on the porch, moping. he didn't want to be a bother to mark. he never really was, hopefully, but all he craved was mark's attention. he was only imaginary. he wasn't even a real person, of course mark was going to forget him bit by bit.
i don't want mark to forget me, donghyuck thought, an overwhelming wave of sadness swallowing him up. i want him to be happy. i want him to be with me.
he was so stuck in his own thoughts that he didn't even realize that a car was pulling up in front of him. he looked up and saw a man and a woman with angry expressions printed on their faces. donghyuck gasped and realized who these people were.
oh no. mark's parents.
he scrambled off the porch and escaped into the house to warn mark, but these two adults were so much faster than hyuck had pictured them to be.
the father had a very large and muscular physique, with his biceps bulging and his abs peeking through his shirt. just by looking at him, donghyuck knew that the blows mark received as a child were definitely painful.
the mother was slim and sharp. her makeup made her look like a female serial killer, her lipstick as red as blood and her mascara accentuating her already intimidating eyes. because of the contrast between them and mark, any random person on the street would never guess the three of them blood-related.
they burst into the house and donghyuck quickly realized he had kept the door unlocked. he quietly cursed himself and hurried into the house to protect mark.
"why are you two in here?" grandma was outraged. "you two left your son alone and neglected, i had to take him in! you two should be in jail by now!"
"where the hell is mark lee?" the father asked, ignoring his own mother's statement. "he left the house unattended! who even does that? if he's going to move in with you then you might as well clean it up and tell me!"
"anyone in the right mind wouldn't tell their abusive parents where they are headed," grandma shot back spitefully. "you two go back to your car or else i'm going to call the cops. i should have ages ago, but since you didn't change, i might as well do it today. end it once and for all, just for your poor son's sake."
"no! get him down right here! we need to teach him!"
hyuck ran up the stairs at the speed of light and burst into mark's room. "mark! mark!"
"what is it?" mark took out the earphones in his ears and looked at his imaginary friend obliviously. "i told you, i'm-"
"no! your parents are downstairs! we have to leave, right now!" he pulled mark by the hand and opened the bedroom window. "trust me and jump!"
"wait, what?" mark cried as hyuck made the leap and braced for a hard landing.
the two landed on the dirt ground, mark groaning in discomfort and hyuck panting from all the adrenaline. "come on! there's no time to waste!"
the duo sprinted. hyuck was headed to the forest and mark swiftly followed, madly confused and alarmed.
"why are my parents here?" he asked worriedly, clinging onto hyuck's arm.
"i'm not sure, but it's not a good thing!" the younger answered as they dived into the forest. "let's hide in deep. under a bush of some kind would suffice."
mark and donghyuck weren't even wearing anything on their feet. mud slathered their feet and legs as they jumped over logs and ran through bushes. twigs and thorns cut their feet, making them grimace. sweat trickled down their faces and mark was puffing, running out of energy.
"i think...we should stop...here..." mark panted, leaning over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath.
"y-yeah...here is fine," donghyuck answered in between shallow breaths.
the two hid behind a bush, trying to blend in with the surroundings as hard as they could. both were silent except for their breathing and their hammering hearts.
finally, mark broke the silence. "hyuck, uh, thank you for telling me about my parents," he rubbed his nape. dirt dusted his strands of hair. "if you didn't, who knows what could have happened."
donghyuck shook his head. "no problem! i'm your imaginary friend, i'm supposed to help you whenever and however i can."
mark's eyes dulled and saddened at his friend's words and he looked down in shame. "h-hyuck...i've been wanting to say this but..." he sighed. "d-don't you think i'm a bit too old to have an imaginary friend now?"
the words bit at the younger like a piranha, but for some reason, it didn't hurt as much as he expected it to. "i suspected you were going to say that someday," he sighed, avoiding his glances. "yeah, we're getting older, you're making friends, and you've become braver and happier."
mark nodded, almost feeling a little guilty that he said the words so straightforwardly. "uh, yeah. i'm really sorry. i just think i haven't been spending much time with you compared to when i was younger. i felt really bad but i think it's because i'm growing up and learning how to find myself. i'm not like how i was when i was younger, aren't i?" he chuckled awkwardly, ruffling his hair. "tell you what: once my parent situation is all sorted out and we spend a couple more days together, alone, how about we say goodbye...?"
donghyuck nodded, trying not to let his voice crack. "y-yeah. how about a week or so? and then...goodbye."
the two agreed silently and scooted closer together as the sun began to set.
. . .
the following week
mark's parents were arrested that day for child abuse, child neglect, and to mark's surprise, they were even part of a drug deal, explaining how late they would come home.
he had to go to court and was extremely nervous because his parents were giving him these lethal stares, but he was able to make it through because hyuck was right next to him.
he had to admit that having hyuck for five years of his life definitely impacted him. he was able to make new friends and his stuttering began to cease overtime. hangil, changho, and dohwan never picked on him ever again, and he smiled a lot more.
did hyuck make him happier?
yes. yes, he did.
just reminiscing about all the times he and hyuck had the time of their lives brought a big smile on his face. he still didn't know how hyuck even found him, but he remember a certain conversation wherein he told mark about his mission and how he was sent to make mark feel like home.
clearly, it worked.
he couldn't thank the tan-skinned male enough. if he hadn't been sent to mark's house, mark would have continued living a dreadful life of being hit by his parents, being given false hopes, and his entire life would have been a train wreck. because of his imaginary friend, he was able to go on adventures he wouldn't have been able to go on alone.
he and hyuck were sitting on the front porch, gazing at the night sky. they were eating watermelon, mark's favourite food to this day, and not exchanging many words. even the silence filled mark up. sitting quietly while eating and looking at the stars was enough for both of them.
"mark," hyuck finally said after swallowing a bite of the pink summer fruit. "i need to ask you something."
"hm?" mark nodded while eating his slice. to this day, hyuck hasn't called him hyung. ever. not even once.
"are you happy?" he asked while looking deep into the older's eyes. "are you genuinely happy with how your life is right now? think about it. if i hadn't made you happy enough and you are still unsatisfied, i can't leave."
mark bit his lip. he thought about how hard it was to make friends at first, but now he was able to communicate with all of his classmates. he remembered how class presentations freaked him out to the bone, but now he was able to share his thoughts during discussions and deliver an astounding presentation to the rest of the class without overthinking. his parents were now serving their sentences and soon, he would be sent to his aunt's house to live because his grandmother shouldn't spend his elderly days looking after a kid. years ago, he hadn't imagined his life to be this free, this perfect. when he was still very, very young, even before hyuck came into his life, he thought about how he didn't want a future that was dark and depressing. now, he was in the future. was this the kind of future mark would have wanted when he was seven years old?
mark nodded. "i'm happy. genuinely. and i'm not saying that because i want you to leave. i really, really, truly am happy. and it's all thanks to you, hyuck," he smiled at him, chucking his crust into the bowl. "i really appreciate you. a lot. you made five years of my life paradise and i can't even put my thanks into words probably..."
donghyuck smirked and nodded. "i'm glad," he laughed and sank his teeth into the watermelon. "i'm glad i was able to meet you, mark. and i'm glad i made you happy." he engulfed him into a hug which caught the other off guard, but mark returned it delightfully. what even caught mark even more off guard was the little peck hyuck gave him on the cheek.
"h-huh?" mark jumped in surprise, his hand on the area donghyuck kissed him. "what was that?"
"a goodbye present i guess," he answered, shrugging. "it was great being your imaginary friend mark hyung."
mark's eyes widened at the word "hyung." "y-you-"
donghyuck nodded, his mellifluous laughter filling the night. "bonus points," he shrugged again, then waving him goodbye. "bye, mark hyung."
mark suddenly felt sorrow swallow him like a whale, but he sucked it up and waved bye. "bye, hyuckie."
and with that, donghyuck, mark's imaginary friend of five years, disappeared into thin air.
. . .
back in the underworld
"congratulations, lee donghyuck," the man's voice rang through the clouds once more. "it's been a good five years, how do you feel?"
"i feel...glad," donghyuck smiled proudly. "i'm glad i made mark hyung happy."
the man's voice chuckled. "that's good to hear."
"well...my prize?" donghyuck drawled, asking for the halo.
the voice laughed wholeheartedly. "of course, donghyuck. i can't forget your special token," he placed a golden halo on top of the boy's head and for a split second, donghyuck felt whole again. he felt like he belonged once more. "congratulations, lee donghyuck. welcome to the 127th family of angels."
. . .
THE END!
fin! thank you for reading 'just imaginary!' it's my first one shot of markhyuck, and even though there wasn't much romance in it, i tried to make it as soft as possible hehe :)
please vote and comment to show your support and i'll see you in another one!
while you're waiting, check out these other books from matchabars and melonabars !
MATCHABARS
- getaway | nct jaemin short story
MELONABARS
- ghost boy | nct jaehyun ghost! au
- paranormal | nct detective! au
...and more to come!
ty for reading, see you soon!
matchabars