𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙛𝙡𝙮 / 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙝𝙮𝙪𝙘𝙠

chapter one

You'd think after all the trouble he went through to get to the airport, that maybe the universe would spare him and make sure his flight would be on time, but alas, no. Donghyuck sat towards the back of the airplane with his earbuds in blasting Zimzalabim, the new Red Velvet song which had dropped the morning prior, and placed his backpack on the empty seat next to him. After most of the aircraft started to fill up he assumed he would have the row to himself.

Donghyuck reached into his bag and searched around for a minute until he finally found his eye mask. He lowered it over his eyes, closed them, and leaned his head back ready to sleep the duration of the trip away.

Other than the hour delay, which was due to bad weather meaning they'd have to sit on the runway until clear, Donghyuck's day was pretty nice and according to plan.

Until he was tapped on the shoulder right as he was about to sleep. Donghyuck reached and pulled an earbud out along with taking off his mask to face a boy, maybe his age maybe not, standing expectantly in front of him. Donghyuck pointed to the seat beside him that his bag was taking up and the other boy nodded with a shy smile.

He watched as the other boy took his suitcase and lifted it up into the overhead bin above. As Donghyuck scooched out of the way, he sat down and buckled his seatbelt immediately. His knee was shaking up and down slightly, but noticeable enough to Donghyuck who was sitting meer centimeters away.

He ignored it for now, but it was in the back of his mind. Donghyuck plugged his earbuds back in and went back to losing himself in the artist, which was now EXID. He checked the time on his phone.

3:01 PM

The boy next to him was sitting in the window seat which meant Donghyuck wasn't going to be able to take a picture of the clouds, which was a habit of his.

"My name is Mark, by the way." The other boy randomly announced to him. He held out his hand with that same expectant glow as before.

Donghyuck shook Mark's hand, a bit of an odd gesture, but he didn't really mind. When he did so, however, he noticed Mark's hand was also shaky.

"I'm Dongyhuck. Nineteen as of two days ago." Donghyuck gave him a smile to maybe stop the boy from shaking or whatever he was doing. It didn't work.

"Happy late birthday. I'm nineteen too, almost twenty." Mark replied with a nod.

Donghyuck concluded to himself that would be the last of his conversation with Mark, as he's a stranger, but Mark didn't seem to think so.

"Do you know why the flight is delayed?" He asked Donghyuck.

"Probably because it's raining in Vancouver."

"Oh, will it stop?" Mark asked.

"I don't know, do I look like a weatherman?" Donghyuck replied with a little laugh.

"Oh, sorry." Mark's ears flushed a soft pink. "This is my first airplane ride." He admitted and Donghyuck honestly should've been able to guess that sooner.

"I could tell. Nervous?" He asked and Mark nodded. "Don't be."

"It's really not that simple, but thanks for your advice." Mark's nerves only seemed to increase with his finger now tapping his knee repeatedly. Donghyuck watched Mark for more signs of worry. His eyes focused on Mark's eyes, which were staring at his lap. Donghyuck desperately wanted to look the other boy in the eye, but it seemed as though that wasn't gonna happen. Unless of course, he were to lessen Mark's nerves.

"Oh but it is. Just distract yourself, like read a book, or listen to music, or talk to someone." Donghyuck suggested.

"I don't have a book and my airpods are out of battery. I guess I'm out of luck then." Mark feigned a pout and that was the first time they actually made eye contact. Donghyuck noted that Mark's eyes weren't just addictive to look at, but that his eyelashes were long. Before too much, Donghyuck pressed his own glare away off to the window behind Mark. He felt heat rise all up over his body due to the small interaction they had, but he liked it.

"Here, have some gum." Donghyuck said and pulled up his backpack onto his lap to dig inside it once more. He felt Mark's eyes waiting for him. It was as if Mark had magically transferred his nerves to him. Donghyuck knew what he was doing. He was developing a crush.

Not a real crush of course, just one that happens every so often and lasts a day. Such as when you spot an attractive stranger across the street and it feels like the world is colliding as you pass them. Or when you have a funny waiter who is probably much too old for you but you can't help but blush when they take your order. Or when you bump into a stranger on a train and you know you should apologize but instead you become numb because damn, they're hot. Or when the boy next to you on the airplane happens to be very cute and somehow makes you flustered which is impossible because you're Lee Donghyuck. You don't just get flustered by anyone. You make others flustered. But, Mark? He didn't even do anything and Donghyuck is already wanting to know everything about him.

Dangerous is what it is, especially because this isn't any typical situation. This is on an airplane that takes people places far away for who knows how long and who knows where they'll go from then on. Basically, after this he won't see Mark again therefore getting attached is just heartbreak (if that's what you can even call it this early on) waiting to happen. But Donghyuck was bored too, so there's that.

Donghyuck found the gum package at the very bottom of his bag. It was watermelon flavored and he had about a full pack since he didn't like the taste that much.

He reached out to offer it to Mark. Mark's expression had changed the last time he made eye contact with the boy. Mark was smiling as if he weren't almost twenty years old but instead five.

"Watermelon! God bless you." He exclaimed, maybe a bit too loud for an airplane environment.

"Take the whole pack then. I hate it." Donghyuck replied with a disgusted tone followed by a gasp from Mark.

"Hate? Watermelon? Wow, okay then." He replied and faced away to the window.

"Okay, hate is a strong word. I don't hate watermelon, but that watermelon flavored gum is not pleasant." Donghyuck defended, wanting Mark to turn back. He did.

"Fine, maybe we can still be friends." Mark said and Donghyuck noticed that Mark was no longer shaking any of his body parts.

They shared a smile and Donghyuck proceeded to take out his earbuds once and for all and put them in his pocket.

"What were you listening to?" Mark asked.

"Oh, I uh," Donghyuck felt his body heat up again. It was becoming ridiculous but he couldn't find a way to make it stop. "I enjoy Kpop actually."

"Kpop?" Donghyuck was prepared to be met with many questions as he usually is when he brings that up. "I like Exo a lot."

"Exo? You like Kpop? Me too." Donghyuck smiled as he was very happy to have music in common with the airplane cutie. Plus, he could've assumed Mark was Korean and therefore knew Kpop but you never know these days and he didn't wanna be rude.

"I wish I was a more avid Kpop listener, but I don't have anyone else who likes it to talk to so it gets hard to stay involved." Mark explained shyly.

"You got me now, right? Do you like anyone else?"

"Not really, I listen here and there."

"We'll change that, don't worry." Mark looked down at his lap again at Donghyuck's flirting.