you, me, cellphones
"against unpopular belief, having a nicotine addiction really isn't all that cute, mark," donghyuck fake-smiles, coughing in an exaggerated way whenever a whiff of mark's cigarette makes it over to him.
the older ignores him, how he's been doing it for the last few hours. it isn't fun – especially for donghyuck's attention-loving, gemini self. ignoring him is honestly worse than all the tobacco stench in the world and he's honestly close to admitting that. (which says a lot, because he has self-worth. sue him.)
"mark, it's really cold," he speaks, sighing. mark smokes when he's stressed and the way the windows have been rolled down for over two hours sums up pretty well what the younger, too, has been feeling.
he'd tried to hide it from donghyuck. at first, donghyuck had been angry – jeno knew and jeno knows everything that donghyuck knows because him and mark are exes, but until then, jeno had never known more.
but it wasn't about him. it was about mark and the shitty relationship he had with his father ever since his mother passed away.
so, mr. lee remarrying was understandably hard on mark.
the older's grip on the steering wheel gets tighter and donghyuck wishes he'd shut up for once. if his best friend wants to have black lungs, that's okay. his mom is dead and his dad is a cunt. mark's always known what's best for himself, even if he'd hurt in the progress.
"i know. i'm sorry, hyuck."
he throws the rest of his cigaratte out of the car and immediately rolls up the windows, reaching for his untouched water bottle, holding it for donghyuck to open.
"you're part of the reason the world is dying, you know?" donghyuck asks and mark snorts. "sorry."
"don't apologize to me. apologize to greta thunberg. and leonardo dicaprio."
mark takes his eyes off the road for a second only to smile at the younger. "i will when i see them the next time. sorry for giving you secondhand lung cancer."
donghyuck rolls his eyes. "it's okay. at least we're in this together, right?"
"right." it comes out hesitantly but it still makes donghyuck feel warm inside.
when the car breaks down, mark cries a little. he just looks at donghyuck for a second, the air quickly turning cold between them. then he cries. donghyuck holds him, pulls him to his chest and rubs his cheek, until it's okay again.
they walk around two kilometres into the direction they've come from, trying to find a place to stay. it's really cold. at one point, mark grabs donghyuck's hand and doesn't let it go until they arrive, only to light himself a cigarette at one point.
the motel is shabby and smells old and musty. they ask for a single room and the lady at the counter looks at them in disgust. donghyuck tries his best to ignore the whispered curse once they leave with the key, but mark's even more angry.
"homophobic bitch," he mumbles the moment the door closes behind them. donghyuck bites his lip and searches for a towing service that he could call for mark's car. there's no service. of course.
when he tells mark, the older just shrugs. "was my dad's car anyway. let's just take the bus home tomorrow.
the next bus stop is half an hour away with the car, the lady at the counter had said, is what donghyuck doesn't say. he just nods.
"donghyuck?" mark whispers once they're intertwined on the twin bed, too close even for them. mark's breath smells faintly like toothpaste and cigarette. "sorry for being an ass. it's good you convinced me to go."
donghyuck doesn't respond, doesn't know what to say. doesn't know how to stop mark from leaning in. doesn't know how not to kiss him back. even the bitter taste of ashtray isn't enough to shake him out of it.
(at least we're in this together.)
