𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡 | markhyuck

seventeen

"Look what I got!" Mark laughed childishly and shook the bag of sweets in front of Donghyuck, who had only just spotted him. Additionally, he had a coat on and another one tucked under his arm. A blanket bundled up like a stumpy roll was under his other arm.

Donghyuck sat cross-legged with his back to him, but now his head was turned around and his eyes lit up like mini galaxies. He shuffled around and reached his hands out to grasp the sandwich bag with a collection of little sweets in it. "I remember these!"

The navy-indigo sky was dotted with constellations that seemed close enough to touch. The stars were all different sizes and twinkled at irregular intervals. "I bought some the other day. I thought I'd indulge in them but I wouldn't do it alone."

The other smiled brightly and eyed, through the plastic, the orange-flavoured ones. "You were quick."

"At this hour, the streets are deserted."

"Are you sure you want to stay the night? It'll be colder than last time..."

Mark nodded, producing the second coat, which was lined well and had a furry hood. He let go when Donghyuck grabbed ahold of it and then lifted out the blanket. "I'm prepared. I just don't know how you don't get cold."

"I'm practically immune, what with how long I've been here." He slipped his arms through and waited for Mark to zip it up, since he didn't know how to. The older ruffled his sandy hair and chuckled at the blush that he couldn't see but sensed.

"Regardless, a cold night is a cold night."

"I can't die though..."

"But I will if I worry about you too much," he pouted and pulled the hood over Donghyuck's head. It was a bit big and shadowed his eyes. His head was tilted upwards as he tried to look through. "And besides, I had it spare at home." He knelt down and shook the fuzzy blanket out, laying it over them as they both lay back on the grass, snuggled warmly. The material was soft against their skin and trapped the warmth.

"I like this," Donghyuck decided and blinked up at the purple and black sky with round eyes. "Comfy."

"T'is very comfy," Mark added and turned his head to the side, where a speck of light rose from the grass. It ascended but never came close to him. "Are the fireflies always here?"

"All-year-round. The seasons don't bother the animals living here. Including myself."

Mark's hand moved under the blanket to find Donghyuck's, interlacing their fingers and giving his hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. The younger boy closed his eyes and snuggled closer to him with his body turning in towards him. His breaths evened out serenely but he wasn't tired. He was just very content with the situation. The spread night sky above twinkled down on them while they and the fireflies resided in their own ways.

There was a buzzing sound in his ear after a moment and he turned around, seeing an orb of light hovering on a nearby blade of grass. "Mark, look," he whispered softly.

Mark sat up and looked over Donghyuck at the close creature. He badly wanted to reach out and catch it like they had last time, but just like he needed rest, the insects probably didn't want to be bothered. A small smile settled on his lips and he lay back down, this time facing Donghyuck instead of the sky. He brought their intertwined fingers up from underneath the blanket and held them between them, looking at the smaller hand in his. "Pretty," he answered, referring to the glowing insects floating around them undisturbed. He lifted their hands closer and kissed Donghyuck's knuckles.

Donghyuck beamed and wiggled his fingers in the grip. "Do you want to open the sweets?"

•・•・•

"Ursa Major," Mark yawned and pointed his arm vertically at the glittering lights above. "I remember learning about the stars in the scouts when I was younger."

There was a mystified silence as the other boy followed the finger pointing and tried to spot the constellation. "Which?"

"The weird-looking group over there." He jolted his arm upwards to re-point out the bear in the sky. He turned his head and saw that Donghyuck was nodding in agreement but his eyes were still darting over the dark canvas, unable to connect with the constellation. He chuckled and dipped his hand into the bag of sweets which were on the other's chest.

"Once I heard a visitor tell me about....was it a lawnmower? Something like that."

Mark stifled an amused laugh and cleared his throat of the tickle. He shook his head exaggeratedly. "You mean the Plough?"

Donghyuck scratched his chin and shrugged, diving his hand into the sweets bag. "Maybe? It sounds semi-familiar."

There was another silence as they watched the shifting sparkles. The blanket was tucked around them and the coats were keeping them warm, although Donghyuck didn't really need it. Every now and then, a flash would disturb them from somewhere deep into the forest where teenagers were lighting fires for stories and marshmallows. The older boy watched as the other's eyes lit up really wide when he seemed to have spotted something. He pointed at it excitedly and looked at Mark. "Is that Venus? I heard that Venus is really bright. It must be."

But as soon as he mentioned this, Venus flew away. "It was a firefly."

"O-Oh. My bad."

Mark pulled him into a side-hug and felt them both warm up quicker. "That was adorable."

Donghyuck chewed on the cola-flavoured sweet and kept a silent embarrassment. His hand reached out and brushed over Mark's, a poignant glint in his eyes. Their hands connected to envelope simply and the warmth of Mark's spread through Donghyuck's. The bag of sweets slid off his chest and onto the grass between them the more he turned over and curled into the older boy beside him. Mark turned in too and threw his other arm over the sandy-blonde's back, pulling him closer for a hug.

They stayed like that, Donghyuck closing his eyes and nuzzling into Mark's chest, who kept his eyes turned to the guardian stars and Ursa Major. He smiled and patted the younger's hair and watched as fireflies took from the grass or descended into it. There was a gentle hum in the air. Melancholic.

"Thank you, Mark."

He kept him close and patted his hair again, untangling the waves.

"I've never felt so lonely than when you aren't around. I hadn't felt that way before. I'd never had a friend who I could miss." He hugged into Mark tighter, squeezing his eyes shut.

Mark's small smile was stuck to his face but he wasn't really smiling. Internally or externally.

"Just...thank you. For always being with me even though I was so adamant on keeping you out at the beginning." He lifted his head. He met Mark's glassy eyes.

"I was lonely too," was all he said as he lay his chin on top of Donghyuck's soft hair. There was a lump in his throat that threatened him not to say anything more.

And he didn't need to.