FOR THE FUTURE ⋮ nohyuck/markhyuck/markhyuckno

Chapter One

Eating breakfast was never as awkward as it was at that time.

Renjun spoke about school matters, and Donghyuck tried to join him by saying one or two rods. But neither he nor Renjun cared about it. They just tried to get their minds away from something more troubling. Studies were in second place now, if not third.

Donghyuck was glad that Noram wasn't affected by any of this. He didn't play with his food like his Papa. Instead, he ate everything he had on his plate and even finished first.

"Can I watch TV, Uncle Renjun?" he asked afterward.

The brunette glanced at his future son, noticing ketchup on his cheek. What a messy eater!

"Noram," he called for the boy so that he could wipe it off.

The kid didn't hear as he was already in front of Renjun, who, with furrowed eyebrows, wiped the stain off.

"Go, but don't watch it for too long," Renjun chuckled, letting go of the kid. "Electricity bills are no joke."

He turned back at the table, noticing Donghyuck staring at him.

"What?"

"You're good around kids," the brunette commented. "You only need time to adjust to them."

"I fucking hate kids," Renjun rolled his eyes. "So do you."

"You'd be even better in the future," Donghyuck mumbled, recalling what Noram told him about Uncle Renjun.

That was honestly so heartwarming, both Renjun and Jaemin, taking care of the kid. But remembering this, Donghyuck also remembered what situation he was in.

Either Donghyuck's latest expression was too expressive, or Renjun could read minds. He cleared his throat and, in a low voice, spoke, "I remember what we talked about yesterday, but you have to stay away from Jeno."

Donghyuck was confused.

"I can't. I have to tell him."

"Tell Mark first," Renjun said. "If Jeno really loves you, he'll find a way to see you and surely agree to everything you say."

"Woah," Donghyuck scoffed. "Why do I feel like getting advice from a love expert or something?"

"I'm just applying a theory. What do people say? Absence makes the heart grow fonder? Let's see if Jeno really loves you or if he's someone who's sure he has a spare boy and is always calm."

Donghyuck knew Jeno wasn't like this but didn't want to argue. It was great to have Renjun on his side. He feared ruining this.

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He remembered it clearly as a day that he promised to text Jeno all the details. He hadn't done it yet. Hearing Renjun's advice made him think about whether it was a great idea. Donghyuck from the future advised him to do everything that's possible and even humiliate himself if needed. Would avoiding Jeno have a positive outcome? What if he grows mad when Donghyuck appears on his doorstep with bad news? It'll look like he came to Jeno only when he needed him.

But that wasn't the only thing that concerned Donghyuck. He realized that he loved Jeno, and the time he was alone, stuffed with all kinds of anxieties, made him weak. He wanted to have Jeno next to him, here, in a library where they could hug, and Donghyuck could spill everything that was bothering him.

"How fast everything changed," the boy mumbled. "I wasn't so desperate before."

Not knowing what to do, he replied to Jeno's twelfth message by texting that he had a lot on his mind and needed a day to gather his thoughts. Jeno reacted just in a few minutes, expressing that he was okay with this as long as they'd meet afterward and talk things out.