He doesn't know where he is.
After storming out of Jaemin's house he thought he would head back to his own, but one look at the exterior of the house, knowing what lied beyond those walls made him shiver. He walked around his neighborhood aimlessly before catching a bus and getting off at a random stop. He wasn't paying attention to where he was throughout his travelling, keeping his head ducked low and replaying the events of earlier that day in his mind.
He got off the bus at a random stop, looking up and examining his surroundings for what felt like the first time in hours. He continued walking around aimlessly for another half hour hoping to see where he was, but to no avail. He had no idea where he was which is how he ended up in front of the store with a deep frown and his hands shoved in his pockets to keep warm.
The fall weather was beautiful during the day, the mix of colors painting the sky and decorating the leaves of trees accompanied with a light breeze. But after the warmth of the sun had set, the darkness of the night took over and in came the cold bite of the nighttime autumn air. It chilled Donghyuck's ears, cutting across his face and nipped at his nose to the point of him shrinking inside of his jacket—which wasn't as thick as he would've like it to be.
He frowns up at the flickering neon lights of the corner store, sucking his teeth when one of the letters twitches out.
"Good," he mutters. "you were starting to piss me off."
He pulls his phone from his pocket with to check the time, seeing it was fifteen past ten and he sighs. They had to be worried about where he was, and if they weren't at least he knew Jaemin was. Maybe even Jeno, too. He knows they blew up at each other before, but Jeno was far too emotional to stay mad at him longer than a few hours.
The thought warmed him and filled him with guilt for how he reacted earlier. He knows he's going to have to make it up to him—to both of them whenever he makes it back to the familiar side of town.
If he makes it back.
In order to know how to get back, he needed to know where he was.
He starts to pocket his phone when he hears the sound of footsteps behind him. He tenses on instinct, not daring to investigate where the sound was coming from. He wasn't a complete idiot, he'd seen enough horror movies to know that ignorance is bliss, even if you do die in the end.
"Donghyuck?"
He pauses. He recognized that voice anywhere.
He turns slowly, his assumption being proven correct when he finds Mark standing no further than an arm's length away. A beanie covers his dark hair, his ears peeking out from underneath. His eyes shimmer in the semi-darkness, a sight Donghyuck would find annoyingly cute if he wasn't grateful to see a familiar face.
"What are you doing here?" He asks harsher than he intends to.
"This.. it's my neighborhood." Mark speaks softly. He glances to his side and Donghyuck notices a male. He wonders how he didn't see him before but decides not to dwell on the thought.
He spares a nod in his direction, finding the male's eyes narrowed and he frowns. "The fuck is your problem?" He says before he can stop himself.
Mark's eyes widen and he sucks in a breath at the bluntness of the question. He parts his lips as if to speak but the male at his side beats him to it.
"I can't see. That's my fucking problem." To Donghyuck's surprise the male laughs, his expression morphing from serious to being replaced with a smile. If Donghyuck were a weaker man he'd swoon at the sight.
