"ouch..." mark groaned as his head hit the ground and then donghyuck's forehead bumped against his.
he had made sure to keep donghyuck securely against his chest so that the boy didn't get hurt by anything.
"ouchie..." the boy above him whined as he started crying softly. "hyuckie hurt..."
mark tried sitting up, making donghyuck sit on his lap too as the boy continued crying and speaking in a baby voice.
at the moment, mark wasn't very aware of donghyuck's weird comportment because the only thing he was feeling was his leg that was starting to hurt really bad.
as he looked down, he noticed that his trousers had been torn open, and that he had a huge bloody cut on his shin. he didn't need long to understand that donghyuck's skate had cut him when they had fallen on each other – his skate was bloody red, and a piece of mark's trousers was still attached to it.
"mark! donghyuck!" a voice caught mark's attention.
"j-jeno..." mark replied. "come and help, please."
jeno didn't hesitate to pass on the other side of the barrier to help his friends.
they were leaving the rink, and he was the one in charge of calling mark and donghyuck.
good thing he had seen their fall from the other side of the rink.
"oh my god, you're bleeding." he stated, looking at mark's leg.
"daddy bleeding?" donghyuck's voice asked, catching the two other boys' attention.
donghyuck's eyes fell on the open wound on mark's leg and he started sobbing loudly after seeing his own skate that was red because of mark's blood.
"hyuckie hurt daddy!" he cried loudly.
"shh, donghyuck..." mark whispered, trying to shush the boy screaming awkward things.
"but daddy hurt... because of hyuckie!"
jeno approached the two boys sitting on the floor and picked donghyuck up easily, making him sit a few meters away on a chair.
"daddy!" he cried.
"calm down, hyuckie." jeno said, taking his skates away. "mark is okay. it's not your fault."
"hyuckie hurt daddy!" he continued.
"shh..." jeno whispered, passing a hand through the boy's locks. "it's alright, okay?"
jeno then turned around, catching the attention of a teacher that was on the other side of the rink.
"we need a doctor here!" jeno exclaimed, waving his arms.
the teacher immediately understood and walked away to call a doctor.
jeno approached his best friend again, crouching by his side.
"are you okay?" he asked.
"yeah. it stings a bit, but it's okay." mark nodded.
"i called a doctor for you. and i'm going to bring donghyuck to jaemin. he'll know what to do." jeno whispered as him and mark turned their heads to look at donghyuck who was crying while mumbling 'hyuckie hurt daddy'.
"yeah, thanks."
"no problem." jeno gave him a smile before standing again and walking to donghyuck.
"come on, hyuckie." jeno said, placing his hands under donghyuck's thighs as he lifted him up easily.
"daddy..." donghyuck mumbled, wrapping his arms around jeno's neck and looking at mark over his shoulder.
he saw mark looking at him and waving, making him cry more.
"shh. hyuckie, calm down." jeno whispered as he crossed the corridors to go back to where their friends were supposed to be.
they reached their friends in less than five minutes.
by then, donghyuck had stopped crying loudly, he was only sniffling from time to time.
"jaemin?" jeno called the boy who was silently waiting for the teachers to ask him something.
the pink-haired lifted his head, gasping at the sight of jeno holding donghyuck in his arms.
he stood up immediately and rushed to see his best friend.
"what happened? is he hurt?" jaemin asked as donghyuck noticed his presence.
"nana..." donghyuck mumbled, making grabby hands towards the male.
both jeno and jaemin understood that the boy wanted to be carried by jaemin, so jeno handed him to the pinkette.
"mark and him fell out of the rink. his skate cut mark's leg open. and he was crying, so i brought him back to you." jeno explained.
"hyuckie hurt daddy..." donghyuck confirmed jeno's sayings, making jaemin widen his eyes and look at jeno worriedly.
"i don't know why he calls mark 'daddy'." jaemin said, trying to find a way to escape this mess.
"you don't?" jeno raised a brow confusedly.
"no." jaemin shook his head. "perhaps because he's very attached to him."
"perhaps." jeno shrugged. "i'll let you take care of him? i need to see if everything is alright with mark."
"yeah, sure." jaemin nodded, giving jeno a smile.
this whole situation was messy, and he really hoped that jeno hadn't seen too much of donghyuck being little.
otherwise, mark would know, and if mark knew, then it was the end.
✯
"i'm so sorry for everything."
"donghyuck, i already told you that it was okay." mark sighed. "it was my fault, not yours."
donghyuck was standing next to mark's bed, inside the hospital mark had been charged in.
the doctors had said when they had seen the way his leg had been cut open that he should go to the hospital to get stitches.
this was the only way for his leg to heal quickly and nicely.
so, here were mark's friends, visiting mark after his intervention.
the doctors wanted him to stay the night, so the teachers had allowed mark's friends to go and visit mark during vising hours.
jisung, chenle and jaemin had gone together, but they had allowed donghyuck to go alone, because all three of them knew the growing feelings that were developing inside both their hearts.
and jeno would go last since he claimed he had something personal to tell mark.
"i knew i shouldn't have accepted your help." donghyuck lowered his head. he was feeling awful to know that mark was in the hospital because of him. and all that because he didn't know how to skate.
"donghyuck, it's perfectly fine." mark reassured him, reaching for the tanned male's hand.
donghyuck stared at his own hand as mark intertwined their fingers.
butterflies erupted in his stomach as he felt the feeling of mark's skin against his.
there was no doubt now, he had developed a liking to mark.
the boy was so caring, and so much boyfriend material.
donghyuck really had to try stopping to make a fool of himself in front of him.
"i'm sorry." donghyuck mumbled again.
"hey, donghyuck. look at me."
donghyuck lifted his head, meeting mark's orbs.
"i'm touched that you're worried about me, but i don't want my problems to make you feel down. this cut on my leg is almost nothing. it could have been way worse. so, don't worry for me. i'm doing okay. and i'll continue doing okay if i see you smile. so, wipe that frown off and smile for me, okay?"
donghyuck blinked a few times, his eyes never leaving mark's caring ones as his heart accelerated in his ribcage.
could mark be even more perfect?
"i hope you'll do alright." donghyuck said, smiling softly.
"as long as i know you're smiling, i'll be doing alright." mark replied.
"rest well then." donghyuck told before leaving the room, the feeling of mark's hand inside of his still lingering there.
donghyuck exited the room and signalled to jeno that he could go in.
jeno nodded before entering his friend's hospital room.
he noticed that mark had a silly smile on.
"how are you doing?" jeno asked, taking a sit on the chair donghyuck had been previously sitting on.
"better now." mark replied.
"that's good." jeno nodded. "donghyuck was worried sick about you."
mark's eyes diverted to the ceiling as he smiled for a few seconds.
"jeno, i need to tell you something." he declared. "i know you're going to tease me."
"what is it?" jeno raised a brow.
"i think you're right. i'm becoming gay for donghyuck..."