Chapter Text
I wish I could enter your heart as easily as this note got into your locker.
Mark blinked as he tried to process the words printed on the small, innocent piece of paper that had fallen from his locker. He looked behind his shoulders and down both sides of the hallway, trying to see if anyone looked expectant or nervous at all.
Not noticing anything amiss, he inspected the little note. It wasn’t rare for him to get anonymous -with the occasional not so anonymous- letters or cards from people confessing their feelings of admiration and affection for him. He was used to the pink, sometimes glittery cards, however he had never received a neon green paper with uneven edges, clearly ripped from somewhere.
The bell rang, indicating that lunch break had officially started. He shoved the paper together with his books into the locker. While he wasn’t particularly fond of these notes, he still saved them until he was back home with no imaginary expectant eyes looking at him. He usually read them once then disposed of them if he didn’t have an idea of who it was from, and if he did he would gently let the person down.
“Mark Lee!”
Mark flinched at the loud voice that yelled his name next to his ear. His dark eyes looked behind his shoulder only to find a smiling Chenle.
“Jesus Christ, Chenle, you didn’t have to yell. I can hear you,” the older whined as he turned to face his attacker.
Chenle laughed together with Jisung, who he wasn’t surprised to see. The two of them were joined at the hip.
“What are you guys doing here anyway? I assumed you two would be the firsts at the cafeteria,” Mark said as he tried to get rid of the ringing in his ear.
“We were on our way when we saw you,” Jisung began.
“And then we remembered how you promised to get us ramen,” finished Chenle, while grabbing Mark’s arm and pulling at it.
“I don’t remember promising you guys ramen,” Mark said with a confused gaze.
“Now you do,” Chenle said mischievously. He turned to look at his tall best friend and the latter pulled his phone out. Jisung pressed something on the screen and soon Mark heard a recording of his voice saying everything except for the key word ‘don’t’.
“You were supposed to be the good one, Jisung!” Mark wailed as Chenle continued dragging him down the hallway and into the cafeteria, the youngest not far behind. “What happened to all of our years of friendship together?!”
“Sorry, Mark, but Chenle promised to get me one if I helped him,” Jisung said, not a bit sorry.
Mark knew there was a more powerful reason of why Jisung had helped Chenle, but he wasn’t going to get to the younger’s level of betrayal.
“C’mon, c’mon, all the spicy ramen is going to run out if we don’t hurry up!”
“What’s wrong with Mark?” Jaemin asked as he, Jeno, Renjun and Donghyuck approached the table.
Said male was grumbling something about “top ten anime betrayals”. In the meantime, Chenle happily slurped his second cup of noodles while Jisung was laughing at the older’s misery, his own cup laying empty by his side.
“He’s just upset he almost forgot to buy us ramen,” Chenle answered with a bright smile. “But since Jisung and I are very good friends with Mark we forgave him.”
Renjun poked the older teen’s cheek, only to get his hand swatted away. He laughed and the latter groaned.
“My children grow up so fast,” Donghyuck exclaimed with a sigh as he sat down. Mark kicked him underneath the table as revenge for making his sweet, younger friends become monsters. Donghyuck let out an pained squeak.