the car ride home was silent. the car would usually be filled with both donghyuck's and his mom's laughter, both of them having wide smiles on their faces. it was like the little boy was in a completely different car with a completely different parent driving him home.
"donghyuck."
he could hear the icy tone in his mom's words and he flinched. he has never been afraid of his mom before, she was always the one protecting him from the outside world. today was different.
"what were you doing with mark?"
donghyuck chose to stay silent. he didn't know why she sounded so mad at what they were doing. they were just cuddling, just doing things that best friends usually do. they just kissed each other. best friends always kiss each other, especially on the lips.
"do you like mark?" she made her voice calmer, luring her son in with a false sense of security.
"what do you mean?" donghyuck asked even though he knew well what his mom meant.
"well, you know how a dad loves a mom? do you like him like that?" the impatience in her voice was growing, but she hid it well.
"yes, i like mark."
"so you like boys?" donghyuck's mom's voice trembled and cracked, but it went unnoticed. "or do you like girls?"
"i like mark." donghyuck raised his voice slightly. he felt his blood heating up and it made him uncomfortable. he didn't understand why he felt so scared to say the words that came out of his mouth.
donghyuck's mom sighed and put a hand on her forehead. she sniffled and looked at her son from the rear view mirror. donghyuck noticed her eyes were shining and wet, just how mark's eyes were whenever he accidentally hurt himself.
"i do like mark, i like mark a lot. he makes me really happy and i'm sure i make him really happy! we kiss each other a lot and i really like it!" donghyuck spilled out his words excitedly and his mom could hardly understand him, but she caught a few words.
"you kiss each other?" the horror and anger in her voice was now evident and she stopped trying to sound comforting towards the boy.
donghyuck nodded happily, his eyes closed and his mind dreaming about how it felt when they kissed. he opened his eyes when he felt the car steadily increasing speed. he looked at his mom's expression and saw that it was blank. her lips were in a thin line and her eyes lost the life in them. it scared donghyuck, it truly did. he felt hot tears streaming down his face as he watched the blurry scenery pass by through the window.
"mom! slow down! please!" he begged, his sobs making it hard for him to talk.
his mom immediately slowed down, slamming on the breaks and sending donghyuck flying, his head hitting the back of her seat. donghyuck cried even harder, wetting the leather seats and his hands. he heard sniffles coming from the front of the car and he realized his mom was crying too.
the rest of the ride home was filled with lots of crying from the both of them. donghyuck wished mark was there with him, he knew exactly how to make him feel better.
