The pulsing spotlights situated around the outside of the runway coordinated with the strong beats of the music as the models advanced down the platform. As the cool beams of white light danced with each other, hitting the reflective ceiling, it gave the gorgeous effect of glitter falling from the sky, dazzling the audience and keeping them on the edge of their seats, wanting more. 

Donghyuck was astounded- the atmosphere leaving him breathless, as even after the show had finished, he stayed glued to his seat as he tried to recall his favourites looks and any familiar faces. He had felt as though he'd just run a marathon with the amount of adrenaline coursing through his body. The sensation was unlike anything he'd experienced before- and he loved it. 

"I take it that you enjoyed the show?" Rosé teases, walking back along the side of the deserted runway, stopping before Donghyuck. Her bedazzled jacket and combat boots were now replaced with scuffed trainers and jeans, making her seem a lot more approachable. Still, in her ordinary attire, you could tell that she had something that made her special, a spark, and Donghyuck wondered if he too had something that made him stand out.

"Does it always feel like this?" Donghyuck asks, literally breathless, looking up at Rosé with wide eyes.

The model smiles sweetly, moving to the seat next to him, "Better"

But Donghyuck shakes his head in disbelief, not thinking that it could be possible, "I can't even imagine it"

Rosé turns to look at the runway, however her eyes go further, scanning the empty seats on the other side of the venue- a venue that was packed only an hour ago.

"Maybe you won't have to...", She whispers, igniting a sense of hope in Donghyuck before he could be rational and discard the thought, "Come with me"

She takes Donghyuck's hand in her own before swiftly standing up, urging Donghyuck to do the same. Turning around, Rosé leads them both towards the backstage area, and Donghyuck feels his knees go weak when the man stood before them, a rather large guy with his arms folded, stands aside, letting them through without a second glance.

Rose manages to weave them in and out of the few stragglers that had stayed for as long as Donghyuck did- apologising quietly if they got too close, but she doesn't stop. Instead, she tugs him further into the masses of compact clothing racks and temporary make up tables, until Donghyuck recognises a familiar face.

"Anthony!" Rosé calls, only to have the same man that they had met recently at the hotel turn around, dressed in an elegant, tailored suit, his shoes so shiny that Donghyuck swears he would be able to see his reflection in them. The young model feels his fingers begin to tingle as he breaks out into a smile, taking in the creative director of Saint Laurent.

"Ah Rosé" He acknowledges, his arms open wide. Rosé lets go of Donghyuck's hand, only to fall into the director's arms with a grin, "You were amazing, my dear"

Donghyuck watches the interaction, his smile only widening at the prospect of one day being as close to the designers and their teams as his new friend, "And Haechan?"

Donghyuck's eyes go wide at the sudden calling, before he quickly regains his composure, bowing his head slighly "Uh, yes, it's nice to meet you... again"

"The pleasure is all mine", Anthony smiles warmly, "I trust that you enjoyed the show"

"It was incredible!" Donghyuck gushes, to which the director thanks him graciously.

"You were right, Rosé" Another figure makes himself known as he physically inputs himself into the conversation. He is also decked head to toe in all black, but something about him gives off an aura of intimidation- in the way he talks, in the way he stands, "He is very enthusiastic"

It's only when the man takes a few more steps forwards that Donghyuck gets a good look at his face, and when he does, Donghyuck swears he lets out a loud gasp, "I'm glad to finally meet you, Haechan"

"I, uh, Mr Yang, sir..." Donghyuck stutters, only to have Rosé saddle up besides him, giving his arm a comforting squeeze, almost as if she was telling him to breathe.

Yang Hyunsuk, the head of YG, looks from Rosé to Donghyuck, nodding as he says, "I have to say, Haechan, the photos looked very promising"

But before Donghyuck could respond, Anthony steps in, placing a hand on Hyunsuk's shoulder which has the CEO taking his heated gaze off of Donghyuck, "He might even be ready for Paris"

"Paris?" Donghyuck echoes, looking at Rosé who is sporting a wide grin.

"As you are aware, the fashion industry moves fast, we need to have the new line ready and shot before the old line is nothing but a memory" Anthony explains, "Paris is where our fashion house is located- it's where Saint Laurent came into being, therefore, Paris is where our big showcase will be when we reveal the new line"

Donghyuck nods along, a million thoughts racing through his mind, that's all very exciting, but what's it got to do with me?

Both men must've sensed Donghyuck's, confusion, as they share a single look, before Anthony clears his throat, gaining everyone's attention, "YG has offered to train you"

Train me? Donghyuck's eyes almost bulge out of his head, Train me? What does he mean? Surely it can't be... Donghyuck is absolutely floored, unsure what's going on, however he gets all the confirmation he needs when Rosé shakes his shoulders, letting out a little squeak of excitement.

"We don't have long, you'll need to be in Paris in a month, that's when we'll start training" Yang Hyunsuk announces, not waiting for Donghyuck's response before he's turning on his heel, "I'll set up a meeting with your agency, SM... I do hope to see you there"

Donghyuck is still frozen, when both men say their quick goodbyes, leaving Rosé to shout a quick thanks as they disappear from sight, their expensive shoes clicking against the polished floors of the venue.

"Oh... my... God...!" Rosé exclaims, giving Donghyuck's arm a squeeze in attempt to get the younger to react, "You did it!"

"I..." Donghyuck slowly moves his head, scanning the empty space around them, "I did it?"

"You're going to Paris to become a runway model, training with the biggest agency for modelling in Korea!" She laughs, watching as the realisation finally sinks in for Donghyuck.

"I... I'm.." Donghyuck's hands fly to cover his mouth, he's in complete shock, "I... I'm going to become a runway model... I'm going to become a runway model!"

Donghyuck practically jumps into Rosé's arms, the two laughing and cheering as Donghyuck keeps repeating in delight, 'I'm going to become a runway model', over and over again. He doesn't think of the consequences in that moment, as all he can focus on is just how insanely happy he is that all his hard work over the years is finally starting to pay off.

~~~

"Favourite class?" Jeno asks, his voice barely audible over the symphony of rolemodel's 'notice me' blasting from the car's speakers and the howling wind as they speed down the street, all windows open per Renjun's request.

Renjun laughs at the question, turning down the music a little so that they don't have to shout despite being sat right next to each other, "Art"

"Right, stupid question" Jeno smiles, sneaking a glance at the artist before diverting his gaze back to the road.

They were on their way back from their first proper date, a nice Italian place deep in the city, which served the most amazing pizzas, when Jeno insisted on this question game. Since they've known each other for years, neither of them thought that they'd need to get to know each other all over again, however as the date progressed both realised that because they'd drifted apart recently, they didn't really know each other as well as they thought they did.

"Okay, favourite... colour?"

"Pink" Renjun answers simply, resting his head on his arm so that he's leaning slightly out of the car, closing his eyes as he welcomes the cool breeze across his face.

"Really?" Jeno questions, "I thought it was red?"

Jeno remembers that when Renjun was little he'd always have something red with him- red shoelaces, a red backpack, and when he was old enough for them, he even had red braces. It was only a little trivial fact, but Jeno wonders what changed.

"It used to be" Renjun confirms, sighing as he leans back in his seat, letting his mouth run as he watches Jeno hang onto his every word, "Red is the colour of your basketball jacket... You were wearing it when you told me that you asked Sihyeon out... and she said yes"

"I'm sorry" Jeno apologises as the song comes to an end, feeling regretful, "I'm sorry I never noticed, I must've put you through hell"

But Renjun just shrugs, watching the other cars go passed, headlights blaring, "I never wanted you to notice"

"Why?"

Renjun sighs quietly, focusing his gaze on the road ahead, "I knew you'd never feel the same"

At the confession, and also because they were on a long straight road, Jeno reaches over, taking a hold of one of Renjun's hands that was resting on his lap, delicately running his thumb along the back of the artist's hand, "But I do... and we're here now"

"That we are" Renjun echoes, turning to look out of the car window as Jeno squeezes his hand, a smile stretching across his face, "That was a bit of a heavy answer for 'what's your favourite colour?', wasn't it?"

Jeno chuckles before intertwining their fingers, mirroring Renjun's smile as he hears the other gasp quietly at the contact, "It's alright... because now we're getting to the tough questions"

"Yeah?" Renjun turns to face Jeno, his eyebrow raised as the basketball player nods, a playfulness to his tone which hints that he's probably about to ask something really stupid.

"This question could make or break us"

"Bring it on" Renjun challenges with a smile.

"Okay..." Jeno clears his throat for dramatic affect, which has Renjun rolling his eyes fondly, "What's your favourite power rangers series?"

"Favourite series?" Renjun parrots, not expecting such a random question, "People have that?"

"Of course" Jeno answers seriously, causing Renjun to scoff.

"Who would've thought our basketball co-captain was such a nerd" Renjun teases, to which Jeno snatches his hand away, only to then poke Renjun in the side, which has the artist whining as he jolts slightly, cursing that Jeno remembered he was ticklish, "Why, what's yours?"

"Power Rangers Samurai, all the way" He answers confidently, to which Renjun makes a noise of disagreement.

"Samurai? When a whole Ninja Steel exists?"

"Especially when a whole Ninja Steel exists" Jeno argues with a laugh- truth to told, it's actually pretty good, a lot better than he thought it would be... but not as good as some of the others.

"Fine" Renjun huffs in defeat, "but Mighty Morphin was fire, you can't argue with that"

Jeno changes gears as he slows down, giving Renjun a smile, "Maybe this relationship has a chance after all"

Renjun begins to notice the familiar surroundings near his house all too quickly- he's had such an amazing time tonight that he really doesn't want their date to end- maybe he can convince Jeno to drive round the block one more time.

"I know what you're thinking, and unfortunately we can't" Jeno chuckles as Renjun slumps in his seat, dissatisfied with the conclusion, "I promised your dad I would have you back before 10, and if he kills me then we can't go on another date" Jeno explains with a smile, "Which I really want to do"

Renjun smiles bashfully as the car comes to a stop, he can already feel his cheeks warm up from Jeno's comment, "Y-yeah, me too"

Jeno turns the engine off and unbuckles his seat belt, before he then goes to open his door but Renjun quickly stops him, "You don't have to"

"But I want to" He defends, opening his car door and stepping out. Renjun throws his head back against the headrest momentarily, so incredibly happy as he watches Jeno make his way round to Renjun's side of the car, before opening the door for him.

"Don't even think about walking me to my front door" Renjun laughs, knowing exactly how sweet Jeno is.

"If that's what you want" He answers, smiling widely as Renjun unbuckles his own seatbelt and climbs out of the car, so that he's now stood next to Jeno.

They both fall into a comfortable silence, neither of them wanting to move nor talk- just content with basking in each others presence. Renjun silently looks to the time on his watch, 9:55, and sighs dejectedly for having a curfew.

"I meant it when I said that I'd like to do this again" Jeno whispers, breaking the silence between them, "It was nice and familiar, and yet I felt like I was meeting you for the first time all over again"

"We're different people to who we were as kids" Renjun shrugs, only to have Jeno shake his head.

"Not that different" Jeno murmurs, taking a step closer to Renjun, "You may have a different favourite colour, Huang, but I know you"

And Renjun can feel Jeno's breath against his face, his heart is beating so fast that Renjun thinks he just might pass out with how close they are. He feels Jeno rest one hand on his waist, his grip soft as he pulls Renjun into him, their chests pressed against one another's.

"Is this okay?" Jeno asks, and Renjun feels his knees buckle, swearing that if Jeno wasn't holding him then he'd probably fall to the ground. Renjun can't speak, he can't even breathe and so instead he just nods, welcoming Jeno's hand that comes up to cup his cheek- much like it did when they first kissed at Felix's party.

But this is different, it feels different. With the way that Jeno brings their lips together, moving gently, and how softly he moves against Renjun, slowly gaining his trust and waiting for his walls to crumble down. The way that he tips Renjun's head back to gain more access, deepening the kiss, has Renjun feeling like he's flying.

Renjun grips onto Jeno's jacket tightly, knuckles turning white as Jeno slips his tongue into Renjun's mouth.

The artist shivers, causing Jeno to pull away slowly, asking worriedly if he's cold, but Renjun just shakes his head.

"You're, you're just... really good at this" He answers, cheeks red as Jeno cradles his face in his hands, giving him a soft peck on the lips.

"As much as I'd love to continue..." Jeno gives Renjun another short kiss, "I can practically feel your dad watching us"

Renjun quickly pulls away, checking his watch- 10:02, and he already knows that if he doesn't get inside in the next minute, his dad will come outside.

"Yeah.." He takes a step back from Jeno, almost loosing his footing at how dazed he feels, "Well, thank you... today was... it was really nice"

"It was" Jeno watches as Renjun takes another step backwards, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Definitely" Renjun nods, before he turns around and quickly runs up his front drive, the door magically opening for him when he gets there.

See you tomorrow, Jeno muses, before he too returns to his car.

~~~

Mark takes a quick sip of his milkshake before straightening up, brushing his jacket down. He felt anxious for their call today, and he didn't know why. Maybe it was because of what Jae said, or maybe it's just because he's looking at his milkshake, at the raspberry sauce dripping down the side of his glass and he feels an itch to reach out and lick the sauce, its slow movements only agitating him more.

Mark looks at his phone and sees that it's still connecting, and so he quickly reaches out and cradles the cup in his hands, ready to neaten it up. However, as he does so, he fails to notice the call connect, only being brought back when a shrill voice exclaims, "Ooh Mark, you're going to get me all hot and bothered"

"Ohmygod, shut up, Hyuck" Mark groans, feeling his face heating up at his boyfriend's comment. Donghyuck just smiles smugly at how fast Mark puts the drink down, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He's not in the mood for Donghyuck's teasing and so Mark is desperate to change the focus of their conversation, "So how have you been? How was the show?"

"The runway? Yeah, it was really good, yeah..." Mark succeeds in wiping the smile off of Donghyuck's face, however he doesn't feel victorious in the slightest- not when Donghyuck's face drops, Mark catching the expression before Donghyuck covers it up with a smile, "I actually wanted to talk to you about that- but first, tell me about your day, how did it go?"

"Uh..." Mark thinks back to what his co-workers were saying earlier- 'good luck getting him back', and suddenly he feels his stomach hollow out, "yeah, uh, fine, it was fine... but... what did you want to talk about?"

"I, uh..." Donghyuck knows somethings happened, but he can't keep dancing around this anymore, he needs to tell Mark, and he needs to tell him now, "YG and Saint Laurent have offered me a contract to become a runway model"

Fuck. Mark feels as though the floor has given out with the way that his heart drops, "A- A runway model?"

"Yeah..." Donghyuck answers, his gaze lowering to his lap, not wanting to see Mark's face right now as his boyfriend has never been good at hiding his emotions, "It's in Paris... I'd have to go after my schedule in China..."

Mark feels the blood rush to his head, making him instantly dizzy at the news- his fears were coming true, Donghyuck was leaving. Suddenly, all rationale about wanting Donghyuck to get cast and achieve big things went out the window, as Mark blinked at the screen, trying to understand what this would mean, "But... wait, I thought you said you didn't want to become a runway model? I thought you were happy being a... what you are now"

"I mean, I am!" Donghyuck defends, and yet Mark knows that his boyfriend is lying, especially with how he's refusing to look Mark in the eyes, "but this is just... I didn't think it would ever be a possibility and technically I said-"

"Don't start with technicalities, Hyuck.." Mark utters, he remembers it like it was yesterday, Mark saying that he was happy writing songs and Donghyuck was happy as an editorial model... so what changed? Why now?, "If you're flying to Paris after China, then how long is it going to be until we see each other again?"

Donghyuck brings a hand up to rest on his neck, finally looking up at Mark sheepishly, "I mean... we've done long distance before"

"But... Why are you only just mentioning this now?" Mark questions, still hooked on what's made Donghyuck change his mind... was he being honest with him in the first place? Why would he want to accept a deal which meant that they couldn't see each other for another couple of months, when yesterday they'd both cried about how they want to see each other again soon, "Hyuck, why are you suddenly running off to Paris, I thought we were okay?"

"We are" Donghyuck sighs, "... I guess"

"You guess?" Mark reiterates, only to have Donghyuck intercept with wide eyes.

"I... nothing, no, Mark, this is just an incredible opportunity-"

"One that you didn't want in the first place" Mark snaps, feeling himself getting more worked up as Donghyuck just slumps in his chair, looking rather idle, "it sounds like you're just taking it because.."

"Because of what Mark?"

Mark sighs, sliding his glass from one hand to the other, feeling the need to do something with his hands to stop him from fidgeting, "I know... I know we've had a few bumps Hyuck-"

Donghyuck lets out an exasperated sigh, sitting up in his chair, "This has nothing to do with it!"

"It has everything to do with it!" Mark counters back, unable to understand why Donghyuck can't just talk to him honestly.

"Look.." The younger starts, bringing his hands up to rub at his face, "let's just, let's not talk about this now"

"No, we need to talk about this now" Mark decides, his tone a lot harsher than it was before, "We can't keep pretending that everythings always going to work out perfectly- you did this before you left for Japan-"

"So it's my fault we are arguing?" Donghyuck cuts in with a scoff, "It's my fault that you couldn't be bothered to come to the airport?"

"You're still angry about that?" Mark questions in disbelief, "I said I was sorry!"

Donghyuck just shakes his head, not wanting to drag in drama that he thought they'd already buried, "This is completely different, Mark, this is an incredible opportunity, why can't you just be happy for me?" Like Jaemin, like Rosé, like the rest of NCT, Donghyuck adds in his mind, why is Mark the only one opposing this?

"Because you keep making decisions without consulting me first"

Donghyuck furrows his eyebrows, a million and one arguments about how he's a strong, independent man on the tip of his tongue, however in the moment he just settles for screaming, "It's my career!"

"And it's our relationship!" Mark fires back, his chest heaving, "It's... it's our life together, Hyuck, I love you, I really do and I want to be with you- I've made sacrifices to be with you... but now you want to leave and go to Paris..."

Donghyuck takes a moment to arrange his thoughts, feeling his chest tighten as he takes in Mark's words. He had sacrificed a lot to be with Donghyuck- he moved to Seoul away from his family and friends, he turned down being a trainee, just for him. Mark, who never complains, who Donghyuck always looks to in hard times, who he always leans on... that Mark is sat with tears in his eyes back in Seoul, telling Donghyuck that he loves him and that he'll sacrifice anything to be with him.

"We'll make it work" Donghyuck promises, his voice scratchy from emotion, only to have Mark let out a bitter laugh at his naivety.

"How?" Mark interrogates, lowering his head with a sigh, "How can we Donghyuck, because I don't know if I..."

"If you what?" Mark's head snaps up at the fragility of the younger's tone, Donghyuck sounding as if he was about to cry.

"No, its nothing-" Mark tries to back peddle but Donghyuck won't even let him try.

"You dont know if you what, Mark?" He repeats.

Mark watches as Donghyuck bites his bottom lip, trying to stop it from wobbling, but ultimately failing, "Its nothing just... just come back after China, please, come back to me and we can work this out"

"I can't just give this up, Mark" The younger whispers, his eyes beginning to glass over with all the unshed tears. If he passes up on this opportunity, it's unlikely he'll ever be offered anything like it again.

"But you'd be okay with giving up on our relationship?" Mark regrets snapping at Donghyuck almost immediately, as a singular tear rolls down Donghyuck's face- the model making no move to wipe it off as he sits there in shock. Mark has to stop himself from reaching out, reminding himself that Donghyuck isn't really there- that he's in another country.

Donghyuck sniffles loudly, bringing his hand up to finally wipe at his face, trying to calm himself down, "When did I say that?"

Mark watches as Donghyuck tries to collect himself, his stomach churning painfully as he realises that he's just made Donghyuck cry with his harsh words. He was scared and rash, he wanted Donghyuck to stay... but he never meant to make him cry.

"I want this Mark... I want you and I want Paris and I just want everything to be okay"

Mark slumps in his chair, willing his own tears away, "We don't always get everything we want, Donghyuck", his voice is a lot softer than previously, any traces of venom are gone, and instead it's replaced by a tired whimper.

Donghyuck just sniffles into his jumper one last time before he looks back up at his phone screen, eyes red from when he rubbed them frantically, "There must be something you want-?" In your career, was the question, however, the second half is lost as soon as Mark speaks up.

"I want to be able to hold my boyfriend in my arms" Mark whispers, "I want him to be here for me, I want him to stop running away every time we disagree on something, damnit, I just want to be more important than some fashion show!"

"You are, Mark-!"

"Then come home" Mark sighs frustratedly, beginning to feel a wave of hot tears run down his cheeks. He can't tell if he's crying because he's frustrated or because he's upset, but he doesn't let himself dwell on his own feelings too much, his main concern right now is getting Donghyuck to stay, "Come home to me Hyuck, please"

Donghyuck squeezes his eyes shut at Mark's pleas, hoping to block them out, but by doing so, it just results in more tears escaping, replacing the dried tear tracks with new ones. He didn't dare look up at the screen, he could hear Mark sniffling like he was a moment ago, and he knew that he couldn't bare to see Mark cry with his own eyes. He felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest as he continues to listen to Mark's cries.

He wanted to go back home to Mark, he didn't care much for Seoul itself because it was Mark who was his home- but he can't, he can't go back. He knew Mark wouldn't understand why, not when they're both so emotional, but he was doing this for Mark's own good- which seemed rather ironic at this moment in time. They were both chasing different career paths, and as long as they were both tied to each other, they couldn't fulfil their full potential. Mark had sacrificed a lot to be with Donghyuck, and Donghyuck felt so guilty about that. They needed time apart to figure themselves and their careers out, and so Donghyuck couldn't go home, not yet.

"When we talked before, when we were on about the future..." Donghyuck begins, still not daring to look at his phone screen, "y-you said that to have a life with me you'd have to compromise on your career... everytime we call, every video chat, I see how much music means to you Mark, and I know that you still haven't found a rapper for the station with Xiumin yet... and I know you'd be perfect for it, that you want to do it"

Mark shakes his head at what Donghyuck was saying, unable to form words right away, yes part of him did want to rap for the station, but that wasn't a possibility, "I'm not a trainee, Hyuck, I can't"

"Because you compromised for me" Donghyuck points out softly, "You were asked but you turned it down"

"I don't regret turning it down, Hyuck" Mark promises, and Donghyuck can tell that Mark's wanting him to look at him- yet Donghyuck's afraid that he's not strong enough to go through with this if he ends up meeting Mark's gaze, "Yes, I've compromised but I did it for us"

Donghyuck sighs, taking a moment to arrange this thoughts. Mark is already meeting and working with some of the biggest names in the industry, yet he has the potential to do so much more... and who was Donghyuck to hold him back?

"I don't want you to get to a point in your life where you look back and regret not trying" Donghyuck mumbles, covering the bottom half of his face with his hand which trembles slightly, "and don't want you to resent me or yourself for being held back-"

"I wouldn't-"

"I'd hate myself if I stood in the way for you, Mark" Donghyuck continues, hiccupping gently as a few more stray tears make their way down his face. Donghyuck takes a few shallow breaths, going over what he was about to say a couple of times in his head.

He was ready, he can do it, but as soon as he looked at Mark, as soon as their eyes met, Mark's expression fell further- just by looking at Donghyuck did he know exactly what the younger was about to say.

"Don't" Mark warns, his voice wavering as he feels a set of fresh tears gather in his eyes, "Don't say it, Hyuck, I know what you're thinking-"

"Let's take a break" Donghyuck announces, breathing out slowly as he does so, as if to stop himself from sobbing uncontrollably.

"Hyuck, no-!" Mark tries to argue against such an extreme decision, but Donghyuck just shakes his head, he's made up his mind.

"Let's take a break" He repeats, his voice a little stronger this time, "Let's focus on our careers, become a trainee Mark, perform the songs you're creating, become an idol-"

"No, no!" He exclaims, his shaky hands reaching out from where his phone was stood up, pulling it closer to his body, as if he would suddenly be able to feel Donghyuck through the screen, "we're too emotional right now to make such a decision, no, we're fine, we're not going to-"

"We're not fine, Mark..." Truth be told, they haven't been fine ever since Donghyuck left for Japan. It was too earlier in their relationship and their careers, they weren't strong enough yet for them to be testing their bond like this.

"Dammit, Hyuck" Mark spits, running a hand through his hair, pulling on the ends slightly as he does, "no, okay go to Paris, go and I'll come with you-"

"Mark..." Donghyuck reprimands regretfully, this being exactly what Donghyuck was on about, "You can't keep doing this for me"

"I love you-"

"And I love you" Donghyuck cuts off Mark's desperate appeal- he knew that Mark loved him, of course he did, and he loved Mark, so much... but he wasn't changing his mind, "I love you and it's because I do that I'm letting you go... I want you to focus on your music, to become the biggest idol in Korea-"

"Hyuck" Mark cries, his voice cracking with heavy emotion as he lets his tears fall, almost hoping that if he cries enough then Donghyuck won't leave... but he knows his boyfriend too well, he's stubborn, incredibly so, and unfortunately Mark can't help but always give Donghyuck what he wants, "you can't, please don't-"

"Mark, I believe in you, so much" Donghyuck soothes, watching painfully as Mark wipes his tears desperately, only for new ones to replace them, "You need to stay in Seoul and focus on your career, I can't- I won't have you compromising anymore for me-"

"Hyuck, I can't do this without you-" Mark feels like he's drowning, choking on his tears as he can't seem to level out his breathing, he feels frantic, like he's about to have a panic attack.

"Yes you can..." Donghyuck urges, whispering for Mark to breathe in and out with him as he feels his own heart squeeze painfully, "you are capable of so much more than you think you are, I love you Mark, I really do, you have to know that, and I will always support you, I promise"

Mark listens to Donghyuck, he closes his eyes and he counts slowly, trying to match his breathing with Donghyuck's. one...two...three...four, and in, one...two...three...four, and out, Donghyuck loves me, two...three...four, in, he loves me, two... three... four...,

"I- I can't say goodbye..." Mark gasps, his hands wound tightly around his neck as his whole body moves as he tries to take deep breaths.

"We're not" Donghyuck reassures, praising Mark on his breathing, before he clamps his own mouth shut, whimpering as he purses his lips together to try and fight off his own crying, "... we'll come back to each other, eventually... This isn't goodbye, we're not saying goodbye..."

He loves me, Mark muses, his eyes still closed as his body shakes violently as it becomes painful to even breathe, he loves me and we'll come back to each other.

"I love you, Mark, I do" Donghyuck snivels, tilting his head back and blinking feverishly to try and tame his tears, "We're not saying goodbye, instead we'll say... we'll say, see you later, I'll see you when I return"

"See you later..." Mark echoes, feeling a new wave of emotion course through him as his shoulders lurch forwards, his body reacting before he almost chokes on his own tears, I love you too, Hyuck.

"I know you do" The model reassures, reaching out to touch the screen, his fingers running over the image of Mark's face, "I know you do and this isn't goodbye"

"See you later..." Mark parrots, opening his eyes to take in Donghyuck one last time. He makes a mental note of the younger's fluffy brown hair, messy from this outburst, and his soft, red cheeks, now glistening in the hotel room's lighting... he tries to remember how safe he felt in Donghyuck's arms and how when he sang it was like a breath of fresh air, calming and refreshing.

He notes down how soft and pink the model's lips were, rather than how chapped they are now, and again how clear and deep his eyes used to be. He remembers how his moles were arranged like constellations on his skin that Mark would spend hours upon hours kissing... he makes a note of how happy Donghyuck made him, and about how he should look forward to that feeling once again, when they finally reunite.

——————————————————————-
Notes-

so.... everyone okay?

I feel like I'm not the greatest at writing sad scenes and I'm still not happy with this but hopefully it's okay ??

also I haven't done noren before this book but they kinda cute oop- 😳