forgive me for choosing him

the following friday, mark texts donghyuck out of the blue.

mark: are you working today?

haechan: yeah, i'm on duty rn. why?

mark: just wondering

however, he's not just wondering, and as soon as he gets a reply from donghyuck, he's off to work. within half an hour, mark's house is spotless—or, at least, as spotless as he can make it in such a short amount of time.

saying goodbye to maple with a few scratches behind her ear, mark shuts his door and quickly gets in his car. even though it's well into the afternoon, it's freezing, and he shivers in his car for a solid few minutes before turning the key and starting on his way.

when he arrives at the library, he texts donghyuck.

mark: come outside

haechan: WHAT.

and then donghyuck is running out of the library, seeing mark in his car, and planting his face in his hands. mark gets out of the car simpering.

"c'mon, let's go."

"mark, i'm at work! i can't just—"

"but you can," mark quips, hand extended outwards.

someone—who mark assumes is donghyuck's coworker, maybe even his friend—pushes him forward. donghyuck stumbles a bit, but doesn't completely lose his balance. within a few seconds, his friend is gone, and donghyuck is sighing resignedly as he gets in mark's car.

"where are you taking me?"

"nowhere special," mark shrugs, driving into town. he grins a little at donghyuck's almost-childlike fascination with seoul, the way his eyes glitter a little when he stares at the store lights, which are barely glowing in the glare of the setting sun. 

donghyuck's face scrunches up when mark takes a left turn that leads them slightly out of the city.

"mark, this road just leads to your house."

when mark doesn't respond, donghyuck continues, "what are you doing?"

mark turns into his driveway and stops the car, then gets out. he beckons donghyuck to get out, and so he does, albeit apprehensively.

"come on." mark turns and hops up the steps to his door, unlocking it and swinging it open proudly. almost immediately, loud barking resonates from inside.

donghyuck laughs and follows him inside, then shuts the door. maple bounds down the hallway and tackles donghyuck, attacking him with as much love as she can offer.

"maple, get off him!" mark scolds, trying—and failing—to pull the dalmatian off of donghyuck. all at once, maple lets out a content whine and collapses on top of the boy in a large black and white heap.

"she's fine, honestly," donghyuck grins up at mark. his chest rises and falls with heavy breaths, they they push maple up and down. she seems to enjoy it. "this is heaven."

mark laughs a little and nudges maple with his foot. begrudgingly, maple rolls off of donghyuck's chest, and mark holds a hand out to help the boy off the floor.

"c'mon, i wanna show you what i made."

he leads donghyuck into the living room, where he's shut all the curtains and turned all the overhead lights off. he flicks a wall switch that turns on an outlet, which in turn lets the fairy lights he's lined the walls with blink to life. the room looks cozy and warm, especially with the bundles of blankets he's piled onto the table in front of the couch.

"you mentioned at the bowling alley that you love cheesy things. and then you mentioned that you loved movies, so i figured i'd combine the two," mark explains.

donghyuck puts a hand over his mouth, which is taut with a smile. his eyes crinkle. "...i think this is the most thoughtful date i've ever been on," he laughs. mark thinks it sounds beautiful.

"c'mon, i have snacks and stuff on the table and netflix is already open."

they take their seats on the couch, donghyuck lying almost entirely on top of mark. he doesn't mind. maple curls up at donghyuck's feet, resting her head on the edge of the couch and staring at the television like she's waiting for the movie to start.

they start with disney, and by two in the morning, donghyuck is fast asleep, his head tucked into mark's lap. mark smiles, turns off the movie, and lets his head fall backwards. he shuts his eyes and hums quietly in satisfaction. not once today did he feel guilty about him. he supposes that's progress.

sleep comes to him quickly, almost naturally. soon, he's dozing off, his hand tangled in donghyuck's hair and his heart warm.

something stirs him. "...hello? yes, this is him speaking," donghyuck speaks quietly, like he's talking on a phone. mark shuts his eyes and goes back to sleep in just a few seconds. and everything is fine, really, it's fine.

until donghyuck is shaking him awake, eyes wide and full of tears. his hold on mark's frame is gentle, like he's afraid mark will break into pieces if he shakes him too hard.

"hyuck?" mark asks softly, reaching up to wipe the tears from the younger's eyes. it hurts to see him upset.

donghyuck ducks away from the reach of his hand. "i'm really sorry to ask this from you, mark, but i need you to drive me to the hospital."

—

xodaniel