love maze - nct, marknohyuck

➶ 18 ➶

three days had passed since jeno's long talk about how much he loved everything about his boyfriend.

mark and him still hadn't talked.

by now, jeno came to school, but he would just avoid the older boy.

and this meant staying with donghyuck as much as he could.

not that the brunette minded.

donghyuck's heart was confused.

it kept beating for jeno, and it did even more with all the time they spent together.

but at the same time, donghyuck felt bad for mark.

his boyfriend was hanging out with their supposed enemy, leaving him on his own.

but it didn't really seem like mark minded.

him and donghyuck often shared eye contacts, and small smiles.

those always sent butterflies through donghyuck's stomach.

it was as if mark encouraged him to stay close to jeno.

"hyuckie?" jeno called his name.

"yeah?"

"wait for me for a minute, i need to give mister kim something." jeno explained.

"i'll be waiting here." donghyuck nodded, leaning against the lockers and looking as jeno walked away, a sheet of paper in his hand.

donghyuck sighed, closing his eyes as he used this thumb to caress the two names tattooed on the insides of his wrists.

this soulmate thing was making him go crazy.

"hello."

donghyuck opened his eyes, turning his head to the side and smiling shyly when he saw the raven-haired leaning against the lockers, just next to him.

"m-mark." he mumbled. "hi."

"how have you been doing?"

donghyuck gulped.

he didn't want to tell him about those mixed feelings he's been starting to develop for his boyfriend – and maybe for him too.

"g-good..."

"and jeno? i see he's beaming when you're around." mark told.

donghyuck bit the inside of his cheek and lowered his head. "i'm sorry..."

"don't be sorry, donghyuck." mark said, using his hand to lift donghyuck's head up.

donghyuck looked into mark's eyes as mark studied every detail of donghyuck's face.

both their hearts were beating at an incredible speed at the moment.

this feeling was all-too familiar.

as stupid as it sounded, it felt like love.

"i-i don't understand how jeno can stay with someone like me when he has a boyfriend like you..."donghyuck murmured, his face dangerously close to mark's.

the older boy smiled, his eyes wandering around the perfection of donghyuck's face. "i understand why..."

during the past week, after mark and donghyuck had 'solved' their problem, mark had been looking at donghyuck from afar. call it spying if you want.

he learned lots of things about the younger boy.

donghyuck was very caring.

he truly cared about jeno.

he treated him as his soulmate.

but he never wanted to exclude mark from jeno's life.

it was as if jeno and mark's relationship was his priority.

let's say that during those long hours mark spent admiring donghyuck from afar, he couldn't help but notice how much of a good person donghyuck was.

he even started to doubt the soulmate link.

could donghyuck actually be something else than their enemy?

maybe a soulmate?

no... it was impossible...

but these were facts.

mark was falling for donghyuck, and he couldn't do anything about it.

he hadn't believed jeno when he had first told him, but now he understood.

mark's whole body was being drawn towards donghyuck.

a boy he was supposed to hate.

a boy who was stealing his boyfriend.

but, no.

mark was developing feelings for him while enforcing his feelings for his boyfriend.

"thank you, donghyuck." mark told.

"w-what for...?"

"for taking good care of my boyfriend." mark explained, his eyes staring right into donghyuck's soul. "and doing what i can't do." he added, slowly pulling away, as if he wanted to leave.

"j-jeno loves you." donghyuck let out.

"i love him too." mark nodded.

"no, but... when he talks about you... he's... he's so in love mark... and you are too... i don't want to tear your relationship apart..."

mark approached donghyuck again, his hands reaching for donghyuck's wrists.

his long fingers wrapped around the wrist joints and he allowed his thumbs to caress the two soulmate tattoos donghyuck had.

this simple action almost made donghyuck faint.

his heart was beating erratically, and his knees were weakening.

mark wasn't in a better state.

he had no doubt anymore. donghyuck and him had to be soulmates too.

this could explain why he was feeling so overwhelmed with such a simple action.

"donghyuck..." mark whispered. "jeno loves you too."

"w-what...?"

"you're not tearing our relationship apart. you're making it better, stronger." mark assured.

"b-but..."

"i swear everything will get better between the three of us. but for now, don't tell jeno about this, about us."

donghyuck nodded slowly, looking into mark's eyes.

"meet me tonight at the park in front of jeno's house. at 8:00pm."

donghyuck nodded again.

mark smiled, leaning in and dropping a kiss on donghyuck's forehead, making donghyuck stop functioning.

"see you, love."

and with those words, mark disappeared, leaving donghyuck on his. own, with messy thoughts and a racing heart.