☦︎︎ 𝘿𝙀𝙄𝙏𝙔 [𝙈𝘼𝙍𝙆𝙃𝙔𝙐𝘾𝙆]☦︎︎

☦︎︎ 32 ☦︎︎

"So, how did your date with Haechan go, Mark?" asks Johnny to Mark over lunch.

"It was nice but," Mark sighs and plays with his food, "I wish he didn't have to leave."

"Even if he does have to go back home, you at least get to see him for the next 3 months, right?"

"Yeah but, I don't want him to go at all!" Mark pouts.

Johnny smiles gently at him and pats him on the arm. "It will be okay, Mark. I'm sure everything will work out fine. Did he tell you if he was moving for definite or not?"

Johnny doesn't know that Haechan is a deity - Mark's told the others that Haechan is going through family troubles and might have to move home in 3 months.

"He doesn't know for certain. He says he is conflicted - I told him to do what feels right for him and to not worry about me," Mark responds.

"But even if he does move, you can just text him or something? It won't be the end of the world surely."

Mark shakes his head, "if he goes home I can't ever speak to him again. His family are strict about stuff like that, no technology, no boyfriends, no nothing."

"Oh..." Johnny's voice trails off. "Well, this is a tough situation then."

Mark nods, his head hung low. "I'm going to miss him," Mark looks up at Johnny with watery eyes before looking down again.

Johnny wraps his arm around Mark comforting him. "I'm sure you'll work something out, you always do!" Johnny tries his best to reassure Mark but to no avail, his melancholic look still spread across his face.

"What's up you two?" Taeyong suddenly walks over, with Jaehyun trailing shortly behind him, carrying his stuff. "Mark, you good?"

"Taeyong, I think you spend more time at our University than anywhere else," exclaims Johnny, as the two take their seats.

"Yeah, that's 'cause he is obsessed with me," says Jaehyun dramatically, "look at all this I have to carry for him!" Jaehyun flops Taeyong's bags and his coat onto the table.

"You like it though, Jae," smirks Johnny. Jaehyun winks in response.

"So, what's up with you Mark?" asks Taeyong. "Let me guess, Haechan?"

"He has to move home soon and his family are like Mormon or something," begins Johnny, speaking on Mark's behalf, "Haechan has two options: stay here forever and never speak to his family again, or move back home and never speak to us again."

"Damn... That's a tough decision," starts Jaehyun, "but he's surely gonna pick his family right? I mean, blood is thicker than water."

Mark lifts his head, "his family aren't that nice to him, even though he loves them. He is so conflicted because he loves being here but, at the end of the day, it is his family and it's a big decision to never see them again..."

The others nod in agreement.

"Well, whatever he chooses, Mark," begins Taeyong, "you've always got us."

Mark smiles appreciatively at his friends, "thanks, guys."

"Hey, if he has to leave, we'll throw a going away party! One last goodbye, huh?" says Johnny excitedly to the group. "He liked that last party we had."

"Yeah, good idea!" starts Taeyong, "and if he doesn't go away, we can celebrate that he's staying!"

"So, any excuse for you to have a party and get drunk then, Taeyong?" smirks Jaehyun.

Jaehyun's comment sets the two off in a heated debate about who enjoys partying and drinking more. Johnny chimes in once in a while, stirring the pot. Mark watches his friends and feels a small sense of joy, but he still has this looming feeling of dread. Will he only get to see his boyfriend for the next 3 months?

~

The gang walks Mark home to Haechan's apartment and he trudges in slowly. He turns the TV on loud, drowning out the sound of his whirring thoughts, and falls asleep on the couch.

He wakes up groggily the next morning, the TV still blaring and yesterday's clothes still on. He leans over to the remote and turns the TV off before forcing himself up and to the bathroom. After a quick shower, he feels more awake and finishes off his morning routine with a brush of his teeth and a clean pair of clothes.

As he opens the bathroom door, he smells something burning from the kitchen. Thinking that Haechans old and broken stove had, at last, caught on fire, Mark sprints to the kitchen, his dripping hair creating a trail of water droplets on the way.

The smoke thickens as he nears. When he gets to the kitchen, the smoke fills the room, blocking all visibility. But, from somewhere in the smoke, he hears a cough.

Mark stands there frozen, watching the smoke dance around the kitchen before slowly dissipating out of the window he slammed open. As his visibility becomes clearer, he sees the source.

"Hi Mark, I tried to make pancakes," Haechan holds up a burnt pan to Mark and chuckles, "I'm not very good."

Haechan shoves the pan in the sink before wiping his hands together and smiling sheepishly. When he turns to Mark, he notices his deep stare.

Suddenly, Mark walks towards Haechan and engulfs him in a warm embrace, which Haechan soon returns. Mark buries his head into Haechan's neck and squeezes him tighter.

Haechan chuckles lightly, "you missed me, huh?"

The two eventually pull away but Mark keeps his hands resting gently on Haechan's shoulders. As he looks into Haechan's eyes, he is filled with love and compassion. It felt strange that someone so different to him could make him feel so good inside - he never wants him to leave, but, deep down, he knows he may never see him again.

"Haechan," begins Mark with passion in his voice, "please, tell me, are you staying forever?"

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A/N: [3/3/23] Hi. Gosh it has been so long since I have thought about this fic. To be honest, I haven't been on Wattpad at all since I made this! It feels weird to finally update this story I started over 2 years ago. If you're anything like me, you would have forgotten all about the plot and the story, so I do apologise for that. You might have to reread some chapters to refresh the brain (don't worry, I did too).
I'd like to thank everyone who reads this. Thank you so much for reading my work and supporting me. I'll let you know now, all though the story has been "ongoing" for the last 2 years, it is about to be completed! I've already written most of the new chapters so I could put an end to this story and finally complete it. The chapters should be published in the next 2 weeks or so, so is expected to be finished by ~20th April 2023. Once again, thank you ever so much for reading and I hope you have enjoyed!