cassiopeia ꒱ markhyuck

thirty

Donghyuck found himself feeling nervous as he made his way down to the royal gardens later that night.

He had met Mark like this countless times before, had spent many nights curled in his embrace or on the receiving end of some sweet romantic gesture that made his heart flutter annoyingly in his chest, but it all felt different now after his recent realization.

He couldn't bring himself to deny it any longer. He was in love with Mark, the kind of love that left him breathless and made him ache with desire, the want to always be close to him and never leave his side. He was head over heels, completely and hopelessly, and in his opinion, it was arguably one of the worst things that could possibly happen to him in this situation.

He was supposed to return to his own world, sooner or later. He had always known that, he had been acting under the assumption that what he did in this world ultimately wouldn't matter because he would eventually return to his own and leave it all behind. He couldn't stay, it wouldn't be right.

But, then, what was he supposed to do about his feelings? How was he supposed to leave Mark after all that they had been through together? He couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life without Mark, and he came to the gut wrenching realization that he actually wanted to become Mark's mate, more than he'd ever wanted anything else in his entire life. He wanted to get married, to wake up every day next to him, to feel the king's lips against his own and his arms wrapped securely around his waist, safe and warm.

The realization had him feeling more distressed than he could've predicted. He didn't know how to navigate his new feelings, and reconcile them with the inherent need to return back to his world, the one goal that was the motivation behind every action and decision he'd made in this world so far.

So he walked down into the gardens and prepared himself for the metaphorical worst, expecting to be swept off his feet once again and to have his emotions muddled even further. He internally cursed as he saw the twinkling fairy lights hanging from the tops of the bushes, making the stone path glitter with refractions of light. There were rose petals lining the way, guiding him to the spot where Mark was undoubtedly waiting for him, and his stomach swooped with adoration even as his brain lamented.

Why did Mark have to be so sweet and thoughtful? It would've been so much easier to leave him if he was the selfish, spoiled asshole he had believed him to be when he first arrived.

He bit into his bottom lip and poked his head out around the corner of the stone wall, peering into the space the rose petals guided him towards. He immediately spotted Mark sitting in the center of an open clearing, surrounded by candles with a small picnic basket sitting in his lap. Rose petals were laid around him in the shape of a heart, and Donghyuck should've thought that it was tacky and corny, but much to his frustration, he didn't. He thought it was adorable, the cutest thing he had ever seen. He hated that he was so easily swayed by Mark's romantic gestures.

When Mark spotted him, his face lit up into a bright smile, making the omega's heart stutter again.

"Donghyuck!" Mark called cheerfully, waving him over. The omega gave him back a strained, tight lipped smile, shuffling over towards the center of the clearing. Mark scooted over to make room for him, and Donghyuck sunk into his spot, keeping his hands clasped in his lap and pointedly not looking in Mark's direction.

"Do you like it? I set it all up, just for you. I may have overdone it a little, though," Mark chuckled, his voice lilted with nerves and a hint of hopeful expectation.

Donghyuck squeezed his eyes shut and bit back a sigh. Mark was so cute, it was unfair.

"It's... gorgeous, thank you," Donghyuck murmured, staring down at the checkered blanket beneath them. In the low light of the setting sun, he could just barely make out Mark's shadow inching closer to him, and he held his breath in anticipation.