best friend ꒱ markhyuck

seventeen

Donghyuck eventually got to hang out with Mark and Yeri a couple days later, and he was surprised to discover that he actually really enjoyed Yeri's company.

When he got out of his own head and was able to see past his jealously and possessiveness for Mark, he and Yeri actually got along quite well. They both had the same bratty spirit and affinity for jokes and pranks, which they bonded over quickly. Yeri recounted the ways she had tricked Mark when they were little kids, and Donghyuck also proudly relayed his own instances where he had teased Mark. Mark himself had blushed red all the way up to his ears during the entire conversation, but it was clear that he was just relieved that the two of them were getting along, even if it was at his own expense.

Donghyuck found himself feeling surprised again when Yeri invited him to hang out alone at her house. He had furrowed his eyebrows suspiciously when he had seen the text, debating for a long time whether to accept or decline, but eventually he decided there was no real harm in getting know her one on one. He showed up at her house right on time, smiling sheepishly and shyly greeting her parents as he was ushered inside and given a tour of her house.

"And this is my new bedroom! Pretty sweet, right?" She chirped, standing proudly in the middle of her freshly decorated room. It looked like a stereotypical teenage girl room, with an aesthetic bedspread that complimented the wall color and little plants on the windowsill, as well as the various scattered posters on the wall that somehow tied the whole ambiance together. Donghyuck glanced around while humming approvingly, nodding at her.

"Pretty cool, Yeri. Your new house is super nice."

"Thanks!" She grinned, sitting down on her bed and gently patting the space next to her. Donghyuck hesitated, looking at Yeri skeptically, but she just rolled her eyes and patted the mattress with more insistence.

"Come sit. It would be rude of me to force you to keep standing there awkwardly."

Donghyuck slowly sank down onto the mattress next to her, looking at her curiously. Yeri caught the look on his face and gave him a sheepish smile of her own.

"I know it must've been pretty random and confusing when I suddenly invited you over," she started. Donghyuck nodded a little. "Sorry if it weirded you out at all. I just thought you were super cool when we were hanging out with Mark, and I wanted to try and find an opportunity to get close to you without him."

"Oh..." Donghyuck murmured, feeling shy as he scratched at the back of his neck, "thanks. I think you're really cool too."

"I'm glad you think so," she beamed, "I really don't want our friendship to rely so heavily on Mark, you know? I want us to become friends even apart from him."

Donghyuck's heart swelled. He couldn't believe that he had judged her so harshly after first meeting her. Not many girls ever wanted to be just friends with him, they always approached him with the intention of trying to date him, so he felt excited at the prospect of being able to have a new friend like her that would diversify his existing friend group. "I totally get it. I would love for us to be friends too, separate from Mark and all."

"I'm so happy you feel the same!" She said warmly, pure joy etched into her face. "So... I know I literally just said I wanted us to be friends without Mark being involved, but I would love for you to tell me about how he's been these past few years. If you don't mind of course."

"Oh..." Donghyuck mumbled, suddenly flushing at the thought of having to talk about Mark. What if he slipped up and accidentally revealed his feelings for him? "Sure, I guess. What do you want to know?"

"Like, everything practically," Yeri giggled. "Was he able to transition here okay? Did he struggle at all with going to a new school? How has his personality changed from when we were eight? What kind of things does he like to do? What kind of girl does he like?"