Home [Markhyuck]

23

"You don't have to come to school today if you aren't ready! Are you sure? I mean if you feel even a little bit of pain you should stay-" Mark was rambling and hovering around him.

"I'm fine," Donghyuck said as he waved him off with one sweater paw.

Oh, right.

Mark lent him clothes to wear today. An oversized black hoodie and sweatpants with the strings pulled as tight as possible along with his own tore up and broken sneakers.

"Hyuck!" A cheerful voice said before an arm was thrown over his shoulders.

Donghyuck flinched slightly in pain before turning his head.

"Jeno!" Mark groaned at his younger brother. "You need to be gentle. You are hurting him."

"I'm sorry!" Jeno pulled away quickly and his face dropped into a sad pout.

Damn.

Donghyuck couldn't find it in him say anything mean to the younger Lee.

Who can be mad at a face like Jeno Lee's?

"Mark," Donghyuck glared at him. "I'm not fragile. If I minded I would have said something, stupid."

Mark sighed before turning back to his younger brother. "Sorry, Jen..."

"It's ok, hyung," Jeno went back to eyesmiling before excitedly speaking. "Do you think Donghyuck can come to the group hangout tonight? Minnie was asking and I thought maybe he could be friends with out friend group and-"

"Jeno, slow down," Mark chuckled. "You should be asking him instead of me."

Jeno turned his puppy like eyes to Donghyuck.

"I...I'll think about it..." Donghyuck said with a tight lipped smile.

Jeno's face dropped.

"Boy's come get your lunches!" Taeyong's voice floated from the kitchen.

Jeno beamed again before running to the kitchen like a track athlete.

"Can you please come join us tonight?" Mark said softly with a tilt of his head. "My friends are having a little bonfire at the beach-"

"No," Donghyuck shook his head a crossed his arms.

There was a silent pause before Donghyuck looked into Mark's eyes.

"I think it would be better if you pretended not to know me," Donghyuck said sadly, his gaze going back to the floor.

"What? No, thats not gonna happen," Mark frowned before grabbing onto Donghyuck's hand. "Why the hell would you say that?"

"Mark, I hate to break it to you but I'm still a school menace," Donghyuck went to pull his hand away but Mark intertwined their fingers. "Things may be different here but they aren't at school. People don't like me. You don't need to get caught up in anything like that."

"Those people don't matter and I don't care what people think," Mark tried to reason with him. "Nobody knows you. Not like how I know you. Everyone judges you based off of false rumors. Donghyuck, people are bullying you by spreading things like this and hurting you. You aren't the problem."

There was silence as Donghyuck took a moment to let his words sink in.

"...what if your friends don't like me?" Donghyuck's voice was a soft whisper, choosing to ignore Mark's sweet words.

He didn't know how to deal with them.

"Impossible," Mark smiled before running a finger down Donghyuck's nose and booping the tip.

"Ok..." Donghyuck felt his face heat up before speaking again. "If they don't like me...can I leave?"

"We can leave if you get uncomfortable," Mark agreed before squeezing his hand again.

"Are you both ignoring me?" Taeyong interrupted as he walked towards them from out of the kitchen. "Here is your lunches."

"You didnt need to pack me one," Donghyuck shook his hand at the lunchbox.

"Of course I did! I better see most of it eaten when you get back," Taeyong lectured, clearly still stuck on the incident at breakfast last week.

"Thank you," Donghyuck took it before his ears turned red.

"Mark, go get your brother," Taeyong said before Mark dragged his feet to the kitchen.

"I almost forgot," Taeyong reached into the hall closet beside him before pulling out a shoe box. "These are for you. I joined your shoes were a bit big and worn down. I estimated your size."

Donghyuck stared at the box but didn't reach out to take it. 

"I bought them at the mall when we went," Taeyong smiled before opening the box. "You like red, right?"

Nestled inside was a pair of red sneakers with white laces the white lining on the bottom had sunflowers drawn on them.

"Do you not like them?" Taeyong furrowed his brows as he looked at the sneakers. "We can take them back and get a different pair if you don't-"

"No. Thats not it. They are very pretty. I just...I- I can't accept them, hyung- it's too much," Donghyuck sheepishly tried to back up.

"It's a gift," Taeyong stretched the box out again. "Ten hand drew the sunflowers himself."

"Damn straight I did!" Ten's muffled voice yelled from upstairs.

"But-"

"Please?" Taeyong tilted his head, his big brown eyes twisting something in Donghyuck's heart.

"Thank you," Donghyuck finally took the box.

Taeyong beamed.

"Hyung, we gotta go or we are gonna be late," Jeno said trudging out of the kitchen with Mark in tow.

"Bye my babies," Taeyong pressed a kiss to Mark and Jeno's cheeks before turning and pressing a kiss to Donghyuck's forhead.

Normally Mark and Jeno would have groaned at the kisses but both their mouths dropped at Donghyuck being included.

They knew what that meant.