mark doesn't know how he gets home, but he knows none of his friends help him.

they're lying, they have to be lying, hyuck is just on a trip. he's been gone one day, there's no way he could be gone, he loved mark.

and mark loves him.

so mark pressed speed dial, hyuck's voicemail picking up before it rang.

"hello, thank you for calling the phone of lee donghyuck. seeing as i haven't been able to pick up the phone, i'm probably in a meeting or with a client. please leave your name, number, a brief message, and a call-back time, i'll make sure to get to you."

mark waited a second, knowing what was next, and smiled when it did happen. "and if this is mark lee i love you."

the soft noise of the click let mark know he could leave a message, and he exhaled into the phone.

"hey sunshine, the others were saying something weird today about how you're dead? i think they're playing some prank on me, so really i just want you to call me back and tell me they're lying. oh, and i forgave you already but you better be bringing a marriage certificate or some shit, otherwise you might not have a house to come home to." mark laughed, the bad feelings easing as he talked.

his friends had to be messing with him, because there was no way hyuck was dead. and for five months? mark knew himself, and he knew that he would have accepted it by this point. his mind wasn't fragile, it could accept things like that.

mark sighed, knowing that hyuck would call him back in time, and instead got busy making food.

he could cook some things, despite donghyuck warning him every time that if he cooked, and he burnt down the apartment, hyuck would absolutely castrate him. mark had always protested, saying hyuck loved his dick, and that usually ended with hyuck tickling him as mark squealed for mercy.

mark dumped the spaghetti in the pot, smiling softly as the spaghetti began to soften. he could remember when donghyuck made this for the first time, just spaghetti with alfredo sauce and crumbled sausage.

it had been after a disaster of a date when they were sixteen, and Donghyuck just threw stuff together and prayed it would work.

when it did, mark gave lavishing praise and made hyuck laugh so hard they had entirely forgotten the date and instead stayed up late cuddled together and watching movies until it was three in the morning.
when it was done, mark realised that he had made two portions out of habit and laughed at himself.

but he did grab his phone and text a picture of the meal to donghyuck, adding an unnecessary taunt about how he could keep his dick - but ended it saying that he missed hyuck and loved him.

"he'd be proud i didn't burn down the kitchen though," mark giggled, going to grab something else from the cupboard but stopped, seeing everything was in the same order, and there was a thin layer of dust.

"ah, i don't want to mess it up," mark murmured, not wanting to turn the perfectly organised items donghyuck used so much.

hyuck wouldn't care, he knew, but god, it felt weird to touch something donghyuck loved so much.
why did it feel weird?

mark's hands trembled as he tried to reach for the items, but something stopped him. like maybe this would change something, harm something, but mark had to be ridiculous about this.

nothing bad would happen, right?

it wasn't like donghyuck was gone.

his friends were messing with him, and hyuck was coming back.

he had to come back.

but what if he can't mark? a voice whispered, and mark shrugged it away.

he had to.

-

well denial is a strong medication