upstaged || markhyuck

06. never enough.

"hey, renjun," jaemin said the following morning as they sat in homeroom, sounding like he was trying to be nice. "would you mind not humming gotta go my own way this early in the morning?"

"i didn't even realise," renjun said in horror.

"what about us? what about everything we've been through?" donghyuck sang, one hand over his heart.

"you. are. so. gay."

"since when?" donghyuck demanded, looking ready to throw a punch.

"as if he wouldn't know," jeno commented, making renjun look at him in surprise.

jeno caught the chinese boy's gaze and shot him a smile, making him blush.

"anyway, are you coming to practice?" jaemin questioned.

"yeah, sure, totally," donghyuck rambled. he frowned and scratched his head. was there something going on after school today? oh shit; dance.

***

in mark's homeroom across the school, yeri was singing loudly, chan was attempting to harmonise and minhyuk had his hands over his ears at how atrocious the noise was.

"guys, please," mark grumbled, rummaging through his rucksack in search of earphones.

"chan," yeri tutted, ceasing her singing, "what are you doing?"

"uh, harmonizing?" chan answered.

mark groaned and shook his head.

"thank god that's over," said minhyuk, uncovering his ears.

"i thought you liked me," chan pouted.

"chan, i-"

"fuck," mark muttered.

"huh?" asked yeri.

"forgot my damn earphones."

"i'd lend you mine but i'm not that nice. also i need them," minhyuk said with a shrug.

"great."

"why do you need them anyway?" chan questioned.

"mate, it's better if you don't open your mouth at all," yeri said, gesturing widely.

"you think i can live without music?" mark mumbled, scrolling through songs on his phone.

"is that the musical?" yeri asked him, leaning over to peer at his phone screen.

"yup," said mark, itching to listen to kim jongdae's version of universe.

"not lee donghyuck's version?" she teased.

"don't mention his name," mark grumbled.

"ooh," the other three said obnoxiously.

"why am i friends with you guys?"

"so that you're not a loner?"

"...thanks."

***

"nana," donghyuck whined.

"what?" jaemin asked suspiciously. "what's with the nickname? what have you done? i'm not giving you any money."

"jaemin," the peachy-haired boy snapped.

"oh, and after you subjecting me to high school fucking musical in my own house," jaemin added, frowning at him, "i don't think i'm going to even speak to you again."

"oh, come on," said donghyuck, rolling his eyes. "all i need if for you to tell coach that i can't make it to practice tonight."

"why?" renjun questioned, closing the lid of his lunchbox. jeno opened it again and took out a packet of crisps. then he started eating the crisps.

"i have a bad stomach," donghyuck said, grimacing.

"i'm not surprised after you took less than three minutes to eat those chips," renjun observed, accepting one of his own crisps from jeno when offered.

jaemin gave a short laugh. "fat-donghyuck never died."

"shut up and eat your fucking salad," donghyuck hissed. "i don't feel well so you'd better relay that message to coach."

he grabbed his bag and stalked out of the cafeteria.

"how come he wanted you to relay the message?" jeno asked.

"because you would forget it, dumbass," jaemin explained, patting the black-haired boys shoulder.

"jeno's not dumb," renjun said quietly.

"huh?" asked jaemin.

"nothing."

donghyuck stormed through the school, finding himself at the theatre before he even registered where he was. he wandered around the empty corridors and dressing rooms, knowing by the silence that the stage would be empty, too.

"i need this role," he muttered, running his finger over a scratch on one of the floor-length mirrors.

he looked at his reflection.

"i have to do it," he said, shaking his head.

donghyuck left the dressing room, finding himself in the dark recesses of the wings. surrounded by black curtains and painted walls, he wa suddenly at home as he neared the stage. his fingers brushed the side curtains as he walked out towards centrestage. it was where he belonged.

the piano was left untouched, the ivory keys reflecting the dim stage lighting. it was so quiet there, the sound of descending notes as donghyuck graced his fingers along the keys breaking the silence. slowly the notes drowned out. but donghyuck began singing instead.

"I'm trying to hold my breath," he sang quietly, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Let it stay this way... can't let this moment end."

He sighed, staring out at the empty seats.

"You set off a dream with me, getting louder now..."

the lights became rosy onstage as donghyuck's voice grew louder, the english words sounding out and almost echoing across the stage, painting the boy in a soft glow. he neared the climax of the song that had made him cry when he first heard it.

"'cause darling without you, all the shine of a thousand spotlights, all the stars that we steal from the night sky," he felt his voice crack as a lump grew in his throat but he belted the words out like his life depended on it, "will never be enough - never be enough!"

he barely registered the spotlight on him that slowly brightened as his voice swelled.

"never, never..."

mark lee sat high up on the lighting rig with a remote in his hands. he dimmed the stage lighting until donghyuck was bathed in that single spotlight.

tears welled in donghyuck's eyes.

"never, never! never, never..."

one by one they escaped, almost choking him.

"never enough... for me," he whispered.

mark shut off the lights, leaving donghyuck confused.

the peachy-haired boy looked out at the audience, around the auditorium, but saw no one. he sniffed and wiped at his face.

then he left the stage.

_____________________

i want to use this opportunity to 100% recommend the greatest showman

seriously please watch it

thank you

taellipses out x