but i like you; markhyuck

twenty three

Donghyuck has been trying to make plans with him for the past 2 weeks, but to no avail.

Everytime he sees Donghyuck, Mark makes sure to stick to someone else to avoid being alone with him. Jaemin has especially bore the brunt of the burden, sending him a judgemental glance every time Donghyuck is gone, to which Mark ignores. He does the job the best—always distracting Donghyuck from Mark, even at least temporarily, with his mischievous nature and teasing insults that Mark has grown to appreciate recently.

"Mark, you gotta stop doing this." Jaemin whispers one day in a low voice when Donghyuck leaves.

He inspects his nails in an attempt to appear casual. "Doing what?"

Jaemin looks around before pulling Mark into an empty classroom, closing the door. Mark glances up, blinking in surprise at the undertone of anger in his dark eyes. "Don't act dumb. I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to do this to Hyuck. I know you don't either."

He freezes. "I…" He puts his hand down and sits on one of the desks. "I'm sorry. I just… I don't know how to face him. Everything's so different now that I know I like him."

Mark can feel Jaemin's eyes on him, the familiar weight of his piercing gaze. "If you like him that much, Mark Lee, you'd know that avoiding him is only hurting him." He steps closer and sneers. "If you're scared of him now that you think he doesn't like you back or you're scared he's gonna reject you, then maybe you don't deserve him—both as a friend and something more."

His body moves of its own accord, standing up to meet Jaemin face to face. "What would you know about being his friend? All you do is piss him off. You guys are barely even friends at this point. Sure, I'm avoiding Hyuck because I'm scared, but you're actively antagonizing him because you're just as scared as m—"

"You're so fucking annoying, you know that?" Jaemin smiles, though there's no humor in it. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I am a pussy, because there's no way I'm telling him. You're different, though. You're Mark Lee—student body president, straight A student, loaded with money, and top athlete of our school. You're his best friend. You have a… a chance. It's not like you're missing anything, fucking goody two shoes."

"But he doesn't like me back," he whispers, and voicing that fact out loud takes all the energy out of his voice, his body. He sits on the floor and leans his back against the wall. "He doesn't. He told me he likes someone else, but he won't say who. And I know I can't help it and that I should just accept it and be there for him while I still can. But, it's…" He lets out a shaky breath. "It's so fucking hard, Jaem. Because I've just realized that I've liked him since we met, and it's so fucking stupid that I've been pining for him this whole time without realizing it. And now I'm fucking miserable because throughout those 7 years, he hasn't liked me back even once."

His words hang in the air, voice cracking at the end of his final sentence. For the first time since they entered the room, he's met with silence, tension cold and palpable between them. He looks up to gauge the expression on Jaemin's stony face, lips pressed into a thin line and eyes darker than ever. He could never tell what was going on Jaemin's head, could never tell what emotions ran through his dark eyes, and he realizes just how little he knows about him, how little everyone knows about him. He wonders what happened to the animated boy in 5th grade who used to obsess over Spongebob, who used to cry over Disney movies.

Then, as if deciding something in his head, Jaemin sits next to him and wraps an arm around him, roughly pulling him into his shoulder. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, eyes avoiding Mark's direction completely. "Donghyuck just seems to do that to everyone, huh? Everyone is attracted to him in some way, romantic or not. He has all of us wrapped around his pinky without even knowing it."

Mark laughs. "Yeah. He really does."

Tentatively, Jaemin rubs his shoulder. Mark can't help but giggle at the awkward attempt at comfort. "Sorry. I'm shit at this. Just… just know that Donghyuck needs you, ok? You're the most important person to him, and he's your most important person too. So just… I don't know. Continue being there for him and stuff."

He looks down and smiles. "Thanks, Jaem."

"And also," Jaemin turns to face him. "I… I'm not trying to raise your hopes but… try making moves. And watch how he reacts. Open your eyes and don't be dumb." He stands up. "That's all I'm gonna say. Good luck."

"Wait."

Jaemin turns around, already halfway out the door. "Yeah?"

"Thank you, Jaemin," Mark whispers.

And for the first time in a long time, Jaemin's smile reaches his eyes.

"You already said that, hyung."

The door shuts.