Don't be near Mark/ Markhyuck

Part 30

Upon waking up, Donghyuck spends a good 30 minutes staring at the ceiling, reflecting on what happened last night. He feels his heart race as memories flood back, and his cheeks blush; he rarely felt so content and seemed to be on cloud nine.

The sensations linger on his lips and throughout his body; it was incredibly pleasant. He senses that his lips are slightly swollen this morning.

Donghyuck turns his head to look at Mark, who is still peacefully asleep. Donghyuck thinks it must be one of the rare occasions when he and Mark sleep for more than 5 hours straight. Donghyuck notices that their two friends sent messages a few minutes ago, asking if they both wanted to come down for breakfast.

Donghyuck replies that he'll be ready in 10 minutes. He gets up and looks in the mirror. He spots a hickey just below his jawline, and he bites his lips. He had told Mark to stop biting to avoid leaving traces, but apparently, the other didn't listen.

However, Donghyuck can't help but feel guilty towards Jaemin. He had just told Jaemin that nothing was going on with Mark, and right after, he finds himself kissing the other as if his life depended on it.

Donghyuck takes out his concealer with a sigh; thankfully, he's used to hiding these kinds of marks.

Mark enters the bathroom and seems surprised to see Donghyuck.

"I thought you had left," Mark says.

"I'm going to eat with Chenle and Jisung; you can come if you want."

"I have things to do; I don't have time for this," Mark replies.

Donghyuck nods; he tries to take his eyes off the other's body, but it's difficult. Mark notices and lets a small smile appear.

"I told you to not leave any marks," Donghyuck grumbles.

"By the way, about that, I'm sorry for last night. I got carried away; we shouldn't have done that. I feel like I took advantage of you, and it makes me feel bad about Jaemin."

"We just kissed, don't worry," Donghyuck responds. "And for Jaemin, I agree with you, especially since he's been willing to talk to me since yesterday."

Mark seems surprised by his words, nods, and leaves the bathroom, letting Donghyuck finish getting ready.

"I won't lie, Hyuck," Mark says before leaving. "I really felt a lot when I kissed you; it terrifies me a bit."

Donghyuck refrains from saying that he, too, felt a lot, much more than he had ever felt kissing someone.

"Let's forget about it," Donghyuck simply says. "You were just sad yesterday and needed comfort; that's why you felt so much."

Mark adds nothing and goes to sit down, responding to messages he received overnight. But like Donghyuck, the sensations from yesterday are struggling to leave his mind. Everything was so perfect; it's as if they were both on a little cloud of well-being.

They only kissed and gently caressed each other, but nothing more. Yet, it was more than enough to transport them to another world. It was enough to make them forget everything that was happening; they didn't even want to do more; the kiss alone was enough to make them feel good.

They stopped when Mark felt his body wanting much more than just the other's lips. He apologized, and Donghyuck just let out a small laugh that Mark can't get out of his head.

Mark went for a quick shower, and when he came back, Donghyuck was already fast asleep feeling relaxed.

"Do you need me today?" Donghyuck asks.

"No, I don't need you for now. I'm actually going back tomorrow; I'm not staying until Saturday, I didn't get permission," Mark replies.

Donghyuck nods, watching the other put on a T-shirt. Donghyuck notices Mark leaving without his medication.

"Mark, you forgot something."

"I don't need to take them anymore; I'm feeling better now."

"Take them," Donghyuck insists. "You're getting better, but you're not healed yet, so don't stop. Do it at least for the people you care about."

Mark doesn't like being given orders; he never really liked it. But this time, he makes an exception, putting the medication in his bag and making a mental note to take them later.

Mark leaves quickly after that, and Donghyuck goes down to join the other two eating in the hotel restaurant. Donghyuck is happy to see the two others laughing in the distance, looking at pictures on their phones and showing them to each other. He sits down with them, and Chenle wraps his arms around Donghyuck.

"Hyuck!" Chenle says loudly.

"What's going on with you two?" Donghyuck asks. "You seem cheerful today."

Jisung bites his lips but can't hide a huge smile from appearing.

"We both got accepted into a music school in England!" Chenle says with a big smile.

"We might leave for the next school year with Jaehyun," Jisung continues. "Even if our parents don't agree, we want to live for ourselves and not just for them."

Chenle grimaces slightly; he likes making his parents proud, but this time, he wants to prioritize his happiness. Donghyuck is surprised by this information; he didn't even know that the two had finally applied on this school. He thougt that the two didn't choose it changing their mind.

He forces a smile on his face, feeling his lips tremble slightly. He doesn't want his two best friends to leave. He doesn't want to lose Jisung and Chenle, even if leaving and cutting ties with their families is the right thing to do, they don't need to go so far away.

He doesn't want to lose his friends, he's scared, Donghyuck is scared of people leaving him. He wants to cry and beg them to find a school here not far from him.

Chenle and Jisung quickly notice Haechan's forced smile and his eyes starting to glisten. Donghyuck is genuinely happy for the two, but he is not happy for himself. And he can't really hide his emotion at that moment.

"We had applied, but we were planning to decline in any case," Chenle says. "But with what happened these last weeks, we thought we should leave here for good."

"Come with us, Hyuck," Jisung finally says. "You could start over from scratch without any problems and without all the things you've gotten yourself into."

Donghyuck is surprised by the sudden request; he sees Jisung and Chenle's eyes filled with hope that he'll accept.

"You both know very well that I can't," Donghyuck says. "If I leave, they'll go after my family or Mark, and I don't want to uproot my family again; we're already in debt for this house."

"We can find a solution," Jisung replies. "We have four months to figure it out. I don't want to lose you, Hyuck; you're our best friend. And if it's because of financial issues we can help you I don't care to lose money if it's for you"

It touches Donghyuck to the core; he doesn't know what to say but lets a big smile appear on his face. His heart is filled with happiness at this moment; he didn't know he could feel so happy.

"You guys are my best friends too," Donghyuck smiles. "I would really love to come with you if we find a solution, but at the same time, I worry about Jeno, Johnny, and Jaemin. I don't want to lose them either. I need to think about all of this"

"Johnny comes to see Jaehyun from time to time; if Jeno comes, we can all meet up," Chenle responds.

Donghyuck seems thoughtful about that. But he quickly dismisses all his thoughts and loses himself in the arms of his two friends.

"But it's so great that you guys got accepted!!" Donghyuck exclaims. "It's a dream coming true."

The three continue talking about the school for a while before heading out to enjoy the day. Chenle obviously notices the hidden hickey on Donghyuck's neck but chooses not to make any comments. If Donghyuck wants to talk about it, he will.

He just know that Mark and Donghyuck will never be friends, they just seems to be something more between them.