Chapter Text
As a child of the sun, Donghyuck was radiating under the sun, always. But as he laid with his back against the cool, damp grass, gazing at the boy beside him touched by the light of the moon, Mark couldn’t help but think that Donghyuck was ethereal.
Donghyuck glowed just as intensely under the moon as he did under the sun. His eyes twinkled like the stars in the night sky and a smile brighter than anything else in the universe. Their hands were intertwined with one another, thumbs running across knuckles with care. But with Donghyuck’s free hand, he reached it out towards the sky, towards the stars.
“Do you know any of the constellations in the sky, Mark?”
Mark shook his head, eyes never straying from Donghyuck’s face. “No, I don’t.” Instead of following the lines that Donghyuck was drawing in the night sky connecting the stars in their constellation patterns, he was more focused on the ones that Donghyuck had scattered across his cheeks. Those constellations, he knew about, but not the ones in the sky. He didn’t have a single clue about any of the ones in the sky.
“Seriously? You don't know any of them?” Donghyuck exclaimed, his head snapping to the side to look at Mark in the eyes. “Can you at least point out where the North Star is? By Gods, you have to at least know that one.”
Unwillingly, he tore his gaze away from Donghyuck’s pretty face and turned to look at the night sky. He could feel Donghyuck’s eyes on him as he tried to search the night sky for this so-called North Star.
It was a clear night, the summer breeze caressing their skin. There were hardly any clouds, allowing all the stars to shine to its fullest. It was beautiful. But not as beautiful as Donghyuck. Nothing could ever be as beautiful as Donghyuck.
But as he searched the sky for the star that Donghyuck was talking about, he saw one that was brighter than the rest. Pointing towards it, he looked back at Donghyuck, whispering, “That’s the North Star.”
“Oh, good. Yeah, that’s the North Star, Polaris.” Donghyuck sighed out breathlessly. Then letting out a tiny giggle, he said, “For a second there, I was losing faith in your astrology abilities.”
“My apologies,” Mark rolled his eyes. “They didn’t teach us about the stars here.”
“Well, good thing that you have me as your teacher because I’m the best.” Donghyuck stated with a dazzling smile. Donghyuck moved a little closer to him until their shoulders were touching and his head was resting down on Mark’s shoulders. After he got comfortable, Donghyuck began to reach out towards the night sky again. “If you know where Polaris is, then you’ll be able to find a lot of the constellations in the sky. Not all, but most.”
“Okay. Find Polaris and I’ll find the others.”
“Yes.”
Donghyuck grabbed his hand and used his finger to trace the constellations in the sky. He heard him saying something about the Big Dipper. Donghyuck started to sprout some more things about the stars and their names, but Mark didn’t really pay much attention to it. Like the first time that Donghyuck had spoken about them, Mark was too focused on the constellations on his cheeks to see the actual stars that he was talking about.
Before he could try to attempt to understand the mini astrology lecture that Donghyuck was giving, it had already ended by the time he tore his eyes away from his sun kissed skin and looked back at the sky.
Donghyuck gave out a huff, dropping his hold on Mark’s finger instantly as he realized that the older boy hadn’t been paying any attention to anything that he had just said. “You didn’t hear anything did you?” Pushing Mark away from him, he crossed his arms and pouted. “I wasted my own precious time teaching you about the stars and you ignored it. Lovely.”
“No, I paid attention.” Mark countered.
“Sure, you did.”
“I did.”
“Fine, then point out the Big Dipper to me then.”
Mark propped himself up on his elbows and leant in close to the golden boy sprawled out on the grass. Gently placing his index finger on the beauty mark right below Donghyuck’s cheekbone he began connecting them. His finger moved from the mole on his cheeks to the one under his eyes and then down to the one by his nose. Words barely above a whisper, almost carried away by the summer breeze, he said, “There, the Big Dipper.”
Donghyuck was staring up at him with parted lips. Mark watched the way the glow of the moon reflected off of his brown eyes, illuminating his entire face. He looked beautiful, Mark thought. But Donghyuck was always beautiful.
He didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. Donghyuck laid there underneath him, eyes blinking owlishly. There was a glaze in his eyes as his mind was trying to process what Mark just did. Mark could see how his brain had practically short circuited, it was adorable.
The younger boy would always tease and joke about how easy it was to get Mark to become flustered but what Donghyuck didn’t know was that it was just as easy to make him flustered. A simple move could render him completely speechless as a rosy blush bloomed across his face.
“I can’t believe that you just did that…” Donghyuck managed to stutter out, his cheeks burning.
Mark grinned, leaning down even closer to say, “Well, I did. Am I right, the Big Dipper?”
“You’re completely wrong. But I’ll still give you full points for effort and for making my heart feel like it’s about to jump out of my chest.”
He flopped back down onto the grass and laughed, his voice ringing into the night. Mark could feel Donghyuck’s stare but he doesn’t mind because he was too busy clutching onto his stomach at the facial expression that Donghyuck had on his face. His cheeks were aching from how wide the smile on his lips was.
“Where did you learn to make a move like that? I know full well that you did not just come up with that on the fly. You’re not capable of being cheesy like that.”
“Hey, that’s mean, Hyuckie.” Mark said once he was able to stop his laughs and giggles. Pouting, Mark pushed Donghyuck further away from him, “I am capable of being cute too you know?”
“Yeah, I know now.” Donghyuck commented, inching closer to the older boy until his head was resting comfortably on Mark’s shoulders again. “And you’re mean too.”
“Not as much as you are though.” Mark wrapped his arms around Donghyuck’s body and buried his nose into Donghyuck’s hair, taking in his sweet, summer scent. Then threading his fingers through the hand that Donghyuck had resting on his chest, he said, “Alright, tell me all about the stars. I promise I’ll listen this time.”
Donghyuck looked up at him for a moment, wide eyes piercing into his soul. They stayed like that, lost in each other's eyes, neither one of them making a move to break the eye contact.
Mark had thought he was just imagining it but he swore he saw sadness flash across those eyes for a second. But he knew that he hadn’t mistaken it when Donghyuck simply tucked his head under his chin and tightened his fingers around Mark’s hand. Feeling the sudden drop in mood, Mark leant down to kiss Donghyuck once right on his temple.
He untangled their fingers to tilt Donghyuck’s face up towards his so that he could look into those eyes that he loved so much. “Baby? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
Stargazing was a thing that Donghyuck and Renjun had done a lot of when they traveled together. Renjun was also Donghyuck’s first love. A first love was always hard to move on from, he knew that firsthand, because they were your first heartbreak too. They gave you the raging butterflies within your stomach for the first time, a feeling so intense that you just want to throw up. It’s also the first time that you feel a warmth like no other, blossoming in your chest until it lit you up completely. Feelings like that are hard to forget.
Donghyuck hesitated and Mark had half the mind to move onto a new topic completely. But before he could suggest something else, the younger boy finally spoke up. “Alright, listen up then because I’m not repeating myself.” Donghyuck told him as he began to raise his finger back towards the night sky and draw on it.
His eyes lingered on Donghyuck’s face for a moment longer as he tried to decipher the emotions that Donghyuck was trying so hard to hide. The both of them had pasts that they hadn't fully disclosed with one another but Mark was okay with it. They both needed time to process and heal from it before they would even be able to tell each other about it. He knew that once he did, Donghyuck would be without a doubt the first person he would tell it to. And he could only hope that Donghyuck would do the same. Mark had an inkling that he would.
“Stop staring at my face. That’s not where the stars are dummy.” Donghyuck huffed out, eyes turning to meet his own again. Then with narrowed eyes, the boy added, “And don’t you dare say something cheesy again, Mark Lee.”
“Okay, I won’t.” He replied back, sniffling a tiny chuckle too. “Now, come on, tell me about the stars. That is only if you want to.”
Donghyuck grinned. “No, I want to. So, listen.” His finger was pointing to the North Star again, “Since you know where the North Star is, you can use it as a reference point to look for the other constellations in the sky. You can also use the Big Dipper as a guide to find the next one.”
“Which other ones are there?”
“A lot,” Donghyuck answered before he pointed to another set of stars right below the Big Dipper, “but I think you’ll like this one. This is the Leo.”
“My birth sign.” He whispered. Mark focused on the cluster of stars that Donghyuck was pointing at, trying his hardest to make out the shape of the Leo, but he saw nothing.
“Yeah, it’s your birth sign. If you follow straight down from the two stars that make the end of the Dipper, they’re called Dubhe and Merak, you’ll reach the Leo constellation. The main star of Leo is Regulus. The head of the lion kind of looks like a backwards question mark, with the mark being Regulus. Do you see it?”
Mark followed the imaginary lines that Donghyuck had drawn, connecting all of the stars together. At first, it just seemed like Donghyuck was just drawing random lines in the night sky. But as he continued to watch his finger trace the Leo in the sky, from the top of it’s head to the bottom, he began to see the image of the lion a little clearer.
Reaching up towards the sky, he began to connect the stars too. He started at the top of the backwards question curving downwards until he reached Regulus, then ending it at the bottom. “Yeah, the Leo, I can see it now.”
“See, that wasn’t so hard was it?” The boy in his arms said through soft giggles.
Making Donghyuck’s smile, Mark shook his head. “Nothing is ever hard when it’s with you, baby.”
He chuckled when he saw the way the red color appeared on his skin, even in the dark he could see how flustered Donghyuck had gotten. It was cute when he was able to render the talkative boy speechless. Mark took pride in his ability to do so.
“Shut up…,” Donghyuck stuttered out, hiding his face back into Mark’s chest.
“You’re so cute when you’re embarrassed, Hyuck.”
“It’s great to know that you live off of my pain and suffering.”
“You do the same too, Hyuck. And don’t you dare deny it because you know it’s the truth.”
Although Donghyuck hadn’t uttered a single word in response, Mark knew that the younger boy had admitted defeat. Instead of adding more fuel to the fire and further embarrassing Donghyuck, Mark decided that he would stop his teasing for the night.
Two points for Mark Lee, zero points for Lee Donghyuck, only for that night though. For their actual running score though, Donghyuck had his ass whooped.
Donghyuck was always the best one when it came to coming up with witty and snarky insults on the fly. He was also fiercely competitive whereas Mark wasn’t, which was fine because he loved the happiness that radiated off of Donghyuck when he would beat Mark in anything they did. If his pride and ego needed to be a little beaten down in order for Donghyuck to be happy like that, he’ll take the hit anyday. He would do anything to keep that beautiful smile on Donghyuck’s face and to keep the fire burning within those honey brown eyes.
When Donghyuck finally overcame his embarrassment, he gazed back up at the stars and whispered into the night, “Ad astra per aspera.”
“To the stars through difficulties.” Mark answered back as he held Donghyuck a little tighter in his arms.
.
Mark woke up to a mouth full of curly brown hair and warm arms wrapped so tightly around his body that it was almost hard to breathe. Despite his obvious discomfort, he didn’t dare to make any movement, fearing that it would wake Donghyuck up. Honestly speaking, if he hadn’t had a mouth full of hair and the air squeezed out of his lungs, he would have enjoyed cuddling a lot more.
Donghyuck was warm. He was always warm because he was Donghyuck and Donghyuck embodied the sun. Mark loved the feeling of his body pressed into his side. Their hearts were in complete sync with one another, beating as one.
Carefully sliding one hand from out under Donghyuck, he gently pushed back the tuft of hair away from his face. As he did so, he caught sight of the way Donghyuck’s lips were slightly parted, letting out a cute snore every so often. Donghyuck’s face was squished against his chest in a manner that made his cheeks even more pinchable than before. Mark had to fight the urge to reach out and pinch them for they were so damn adorable.
Although it was summer year round at camp, the mornings were still fairly chilly, especially when they had spent the entire night outside underneath the stars. The grass that they laid on was wet from the morning dew, soaking the back of his t-shirt the longer they laid there. The skies had faded out from the dark purples from the previous night. Now streaks of red and orange were coming in as the bright morning sun followed right behind it.
The sun’s golden rays began to touch the edge of camp, casting away the darkness with its light. Mark watched as the sun continued to climb higher and higher into the sky, until it shone down right on them, warming them up. As the sun kissed his cheeks, he glanced down at the still sleeping boy in his arms. Even with the sun shining down on his face, Donghyuck was still fast asleep. The change in light didn’t affect him at all, but then again he was a child of the sun. Donghyuck must have been immune to its effects.
Donghyuck wore the sun’s rays like it was his purpose in life to glow as radiately the golden sphere in the sky. He took it and drowned in it until he shined from head to toe, inside and out. He had captured the sunshine so well that everywhere he went, he left the remnants of summer in his path, filled with loud laughs and warm hugs. Donghyuck was a golden thing that held so much love and goodness in such a dark, heavy world. He was the light that Mark needed in his life. Donghyuck was his own personal sunshine and he was perfect.
Mark had never believed in soulmates until now.
He had never believed in it until he met Donghyuck.
From the moment that he had met Donghyuck, Mark knew that he was special, he just didn’t know just how special Donghyuck would be to him. When he saw those cute eyes, Mark felt it in his heart, in his soul, a connection that he hadn’t felt with anyone else. He knew deep in his heart that although they had just met, Mark knew that their souls had met before in previous lives that he could not remember. The connection he felt pulled him closer to the golden boy, like gravity, putting them in constant orbit around one another. Mark was the planet orbiting around the sun that was Donghyuck. No matter where Donghyuck would go, he would follow along blindingly even.
The longer he stayed in orbit with Donghyuck, the greater the love he felt and the deeper it grew, until he had doubted that he had experienced a love like this with anyone else. Donghyuck understood him in ways that no one else could ever do. Donghyuck connected with him in every way and level possible. They were each other’s perfect halves and they came together to make a perfect whole. Donghyuck gave him a sense of peace and calmness that he had always dreamed of.
With Donghyuck, Mark had found a place for his love to call a home. He hadn’t been sure at first but he knew it now. Donghyuck was a blessing to him, one that he didn’t think he would ever deserve but he did. He had many thoughts and questions about love, ones that he searched and wanted answers to. As he stared down at Donghyuck, he didn't really care to find them anymore, for they had found each other and that’s all that really matters.
Mark had never believed in the timing of things until now.
He had never believed that there was such a thing as perfect timing until now.
Time is a hard thing to handle because it had a mind of its own and it listened to absolutely no one. Time is a fickle thing. It is controlled by no one, but it controlled everyone. It slowed down for no one. It sped up for no one.
His timing was never right, always a little too soon or a little too late. But with Donghyuck, it was always perfect.
Many people in his life have spoken about how timing was everything. One second could mean the difference between life or death. One second could mean the difference between winning and losing. They also spoke about the perfect timing of things, where there was a fleeting rightness of time and place that will create the most delicate, crucial moment.
And Mark was sure that he had experienced a perfect moment with Donghyuck.
It was the reason why nothing he ever did matched up with time. He was never able to find that perfect timing until Donghyuck appeared in his life and he understood why things never worked out until now. Every choice he made was always off, especially those regarding love because they were never with the right person. The Gods must have seen that, so they made him fail each time he tried because they knew there was going to be someone else for him, he just hadn’t seen it back then. He had been clouded by the idea of love and rushed into it head on even when it wasn’t, at least not in the way he had irrationally thought it was.
As he looked down at Donghyuck, Mark couldn't help but feel thankful that his timing was never right because if it had been, then he would have never met him. And that would have been a terrible loss for him because Donghyuck was the most perfect thing in the world. If he wasn’t, then Donghyuck was the most perfect person for him to spend the rest of his life with, in this one and the next.
Forever and always.