Work Text:
Mark doesn't know how to flirt. He’s not even sure if he wants to be flirting with this auburn haired freshman but it seems like said freshman, Lee Donghyuck, doesn’t know any other way to talk to someone. He’s standing way too close for one. Close enough for Mark to smell the sugary sweet perfume wafting from his wrists, which were currently being waved animatedly around. It was very distracting.
“Are you even listening to what I’m saying?”
“Huh?” Shit, Mark thinks. He’s done for.
“Wow you’re hopeless.” The smirk on his face is dangerous. And when faced with danger, Mark always chooses to run. Sputtering out an excuse about being late for his next class, he sidesteps Donghyuck and speedwalks away. Behind him, he hears a loud, “This discussion is not over! Michael Jackson remains the best pop singer of all time!” and he almost turns back around. Almost.
xxx
Getting Johnny’s old drum set as a birthday gift can only mean one thing: Mark has to start a band now. Not doing so would be criminal really. It was the quintessential thing to do in high school, after joining a team sport (basketball) and falling hopelessly in love with someone you couldn’t have (Dong Sicheng of the dance team who was unfortunately very happily attached). And Mark was eager to get the full high school experience. He had watched Troy Bolton sing in an empty golf course too many times to count.
There was no doubt in his mind that he would ask Donghyuck to join. They always sang together, random bursts of song that the other would pick up and continue. And they always sound pretty good, in Mark’s humble opinion. Mark pushes away the stray thought of how being in a band means increasing the time they could spend together, pushes away the feeling he keeps getting when he sees Donghyuck and Renjun huddling together with an earpiece each at the lunch table, cooing over the latest kpop band.
He gets to work almost immediately, pulling out all the half finished songs he had been saving for “someday”, and starts practicing playing the drums. Playing it was fucking difficult, but it felt so worth it when he finally managed to get through a cover of Billie Jean.
It’s really only 3 weeks after he receives the drum set that he gathers up the courage to send the text to Donghyuck. He’s met with overflowing enthusiasm from the get go, and even waking up the next day after only sleeping for 4 hours doesn’t sink his buoyant mood. He can even congratulate himself for pretending as if he doesn’t already have a name in mind, or a complete vision of who he wants in the band and what songs they could play together.
Mark knows what he wants. He would just much rather plan for it and be sure that everything would work out instead of jumping straight into anything.
That’s why it’s a bloody mystery to him why he likes Donghyuck so much. Impulsive Donghyuck that hasn’t stayed in any extracurriculars since he started out in freshman year. He did soccer for half a year before announcing that he was joining the school newspaper. After realising his relationship with Yeri was better off as friends instead of colleagues, he made his way firmly through the doors of the music club. He got through a decent amount of months learning the keyboard and making friends with Renjun, but after that he bowed out gracefully in search for “more adventure”. Mark reckons he just wants to try everything just to prove he can do it.
A mere month and a half after The Arrival of the Drum Set and suddenly Mark is sitting in a circle of 7 people in a garage that only has a standing fan blowing hot air into their faces. Sweat trickles down the back of his neck, and he’s swiping at his upper lip self-consciously. All eyes are trained onto the brown haired boy strumming a guitar.
Na Jaemin. Also a freshman and owner of the garage they were currently sitting in. Mark didn’t know too much about Jaemin. But he did catch his teammate, Jeno, direct his famed eye smile to the boy as he sailed pretty smoothly through the hastily scribbled sheet music that Mark had written. Donghyuck was already humming along when Jeno began the bass line.
It was quiet, in the sense that the music, with the addition of Renjun’s soft keyboard chords swelled to fit the garage and Mark thought to himself: this is it.
He had to apologise to Chenle and Jisung for coming down to audition but they seemed chipper enough about it. Donghyuck had slid in, uncalled for to tell them that they could be the band’s ( The Millennials, Mark had announced, and the big smile Donghyuck shot his way felt like the triumphant win) first groupies. Chenle had unleashed a shriek high pitched enough to rival a dolphin but Jisung’s eyes shone fervently. They sat throughout the rest of the jamming session, and the next and the next until they really did become part of the band.
xxx
“God can we take a break already? We’ve been at it for hours and we haven’t gone further than i can’t remember my favourite song lyric / but i remember every single thing you’ve ever said. And that’s not even good!”
Mark stares at the google doc blinking back at him, in hopes that the blinking cursor could suddenly fly across the page on its own and give him words that he could put to the melody that’s been haunting him all week.
How had he ever imagined that writing lyrics was a good chance to spend more time with Donghyuck? I’m an idiot , he thinks wistfully, because it's been more whining and getting frustrated with each other than it has been leaning over each other’s shoulders to peer at sheets of paper and singing sweet things aloud.
See, it’s not that they don’t have any ideas. It’s just that there’s way too many ideas and all the words overflow and run into each other like pedestrians at an intersection determined to get somewhere and unwilling to make way. And while Mark was practically a pushover where Donghyuck was concerned, music was the one thing that he couldn’t simply compromise on. So they butted heads, with many torn sheets of music and loud sighs that grated on frayed nerves.
But every time the words fell into place, Mark still gets that same swooping in his stomach, if not stronger every subsequent time. The urge to grab Donghyuck and kiss him, half out of senseless relief and half out of pure affection for the way Donghyuck could twist Mark’s words and his words dexterously between his fingers and his mouth to produce a perfectly arranged line.
Through all of Mark’s woeful pining concealed behind his nervous grin, Donghyuck remained oblivious, singing his heart out in a bedroom with the fan whirring away.
xxx
It’s almost winter break. The past 4 months have brought The Millenials close enough to start lounging around Jaemin’s garage as if they own it, make pointed comments about how Jeno and Jaemin need to “get a room” and “no PDA during band practice for god’s sake” and Chenle initiating dance battles during breaks even though Jisung danced them all into dust. Renjun took a little longer to crack but soon enough the Chinese boy was proclaiming that he would “sell all of you for a corn chip” if he could.
Mark was disgustingly happy.
Enough that he considered finally telling Donghyuck how he felt. He’d started looking for part-time job, because he wanted to save and take the younger one out for a proper date. Movie and then ice cream at Baskin Robbins because that was his dessert of choice.
He’d even started practicing what he would say. “I think we make a great team. Your smile makes me want to write all the love songs in the world and I know, me saying this makes you want to puke but it’s true. And I know you’re just pretending to be grossed out because you love it when I shower you with attention.”
So maybe the speech needed some work. Mark’s timing however, needed a lot more work. Because he’d totally missed it. Suddenly, with almost no warning whatsoever (or any that Mark could catch), Donghyuck was dating Lucas Wong, Mark’s classmate and fellow basketball teammate.
Donghyuck was also disgustingly happy.
And Mark couldn’t do anything about it, knew he had missed his chance and he had no one to blame but himself. It takes weeks of messing around with Jaemin’s guitar, who knew of course Jaemin knew everything, writing one stupid heartbroken song after the other before he comes up with a brand new song for the band to play at their first official gig at some frat party Johnny had helped them secure.
Seeing Donghyuck stumble across the dance floor 5 minutes before they were slated to go on, giggly and tugging on his collar, was somehow less painful than having 30 odd people dancing to the sound of Mark’s heart falling apart.
xxx
The year ends and a new one begins and The Millennials get a healthy amount of practice with the number of gigs they do for frat parties. Mark throws himself into classes and basketball practice and convinces himself that he’s over Donghyuck, and yes, he does it while high as hell in Jeno’s bedroom and Jeno swears he saw tears but it still counts okay?
And Donghyuck is still disgustingly happy until he’s not. Lucas has to move away, not even to a different state but a different country altogether and they’re breaking things off to make it easier.
That afternoon Donghyuck comes over for a first time in a while. Doesn’t say anything and just flops onto Mark’s bed. Mark strums absentmindedly on his guitar unsure of what to say. There’s that weird little sprout of hope in his chest. He consciously avoids watering it.
“You know, I don’t think I loved him.”
“Hmm?”
“Yeah. Lucas was amazing and I liked him, so much, I’m gonna miss him like crazy but. I don’t think I loved him.”
The setting sun casts a shadow over Mark’s face so he’s pretty sure the younger can’t see his expression. But he looks at Donghyuck for the first time in a long time and he just wants to see his smile again.
So he plays a song.
“Mark Lee, are you honest to God playing Carly Rae Jepsen’s Real Love right now?”
“ I’m not even scared about it, all I want is real real love! ,” his voice cracks on the high notes but the peal of laughter that erupts is pretty worth it.
“Here I am telling you my absolutely tragic love story and you just go ahead and play Carly as if I won’t sing along.”
“ But I don’t know a thing about it, all I want is real, real love! ”
“ REAL REAL REAL LOVE! ” Yup, there he is. Lee Donghyuck, not an auburn haired freshman he just met but his effervescent pig-headed best friend screaming along with him.
xxx
Donghyuck finally does it, the last week of summer break. Under the bleachers of the basketball court is somewhere they’d taken to hanging out after Mark’s holiday practices. The past 6 months Mark had been there for Donghyuck exactly how he needed, seemingly without a clue at how it tugged at Donghyuck’s heart.
It had gotten to the point that everybody else in the band had noticed his mooning eyes and increased need to be close to the older boy. Honestly Donghyuck had turned his flirting up to 75% and he was willing to endure Renjun and Jaemin’s synchronized looks of disgust if Mark could just open his eyes and see.
In the end he’s left with no other option but to tell Mark straight to his face.
“I’ve liked you for so long. How did you not notice?”
He’s met with a disbelieving laugh, sees Mark’s tiny teeth make an appearance and he’s delighted but he reigns in the urge to coo. Focus on what he’s saying.
“Hyuck you fool. I’ve liked you since I met you. How did you not notice?”
For once in his 16 years of living, Donghyuck is struck dumb and even when he’s being hugged (tightly, carefully, gently like he’s precious) he’s still reeling.
It only truly sets in when they out for their first date, in the car Mark got from his parents as a birthday gift. Donghyuck is nervous as fuck. He had no idea why. This was Mark, who was geeky and dumb, despite what everyone thought about him being a talented drummer and decent basketball player. Mark who always had a pun for Donghyuck that him want to bang his head against the nearest solid surface. Mark who had let Donghyuck cry into his bedsheets that one time many months ago after they had listened to the entire Emotion album.
Mark who was looking at him right now, because they’re parked and he’s asking if Donghyuck’s ready to go.
“Wait. I want to give you your present now.”
“O...kay. What is it?”
He probably could have done it with more finesse but he figured launching himself across the seat was romantic. He didn’t miss but Mark was laughing so hard he might as well have.
“Oi, stop laughing! I was trying to be cute!”
“You’re plenty cute Hyuck.” And then, Mark kisses him properly and oh. Okay. Donghyuck’s definitely gonna add “excellent kisser” to the list of why he’s dating Mark Lee.
xxx
Mark stares at the poster for Battle of the Bands he’d gotten from school earlier, as he’s walking to Donghyuck’s place to see him and do some homework (read: make out) before his shift at Baskin Robbins. He has a good feeling about it.