Love you, bye.
Donghyuck couldn't help the way his ears would turn red when Mark would say this to him.
The first time it happened they were sitting at the dining table eating breakfast on a Saturday morning.
"Ew," Ten groaned. "Mark's practically drooling on his pancakes."
Donghyuck looked to the side to see Mark sleeping with his head next to his plate. Not quite drooling but his mouth was open a little.
"Mark only drools over Donghyuck," Jeno chimed in as he sat down at the end of the table.
Has Donghyuck ever mentioned how much he hates Jeno?
"He does not!" Donghyuck screeched as the rest of the table looked at him.
All of them have been teasing him and Mark since they finally got together.
The amount of sex jokes Jeno makes a day is uncountable.
"Knock it off," Taeyong said as he finally sat down at the table to eat. "Leave him alone."
"Well he isn't exactly wrong," Johnny snorted. "Mark's so tired because I heard him writing love songs til 3 am."
Donghyuck didn't responded as he looked at Mark's sleeping face. His chest swelling with warmth.
It didn't last long though.
"SHIT!" Mark jolted up causing everyone at the table to flinch.
"DUDE-" Jeno tried to say as he pressed a hand against his racing heart.
"I gotta go! Shit, I'm late!" Mark ran towards the hallway to throw his shoes on.
"Late for what?" Taeyong yelled from his seat with a confused look on his face.
Mark ran back to the dining table while trying to pull his jacket over his arms.
"Jeno wanted me to watch practice today!" Mark looked frantic as he finally pulled his jacket on.
"But-" Taeyong went to say.
"Bye!" Mark turned around about to run to the door. "Shit, wait!"
Donghyuck was watching this whole thing both in amusement and confusion.
That was until Mark rushed back towards him and squished his cheeks with one hand. His lips puckering out like a fish.
"Love you, bye," Mark pecked his lips before finally running out the door.
The room was quiet as everyone tried to take in what just happened.
"I'm literally right here," Jeno gestured to himself.
...
Jealousy.
Jealousy was not something that Donghyuck was prepared to deal with.
But he supposed it doesn't help that Mark is one of the most popular people in school.
"Who's the skank?" Renjun asked him one day as they were walking down the hallway.
Donghyuck felt something ugly curl up in the stomach as he saw a girl he didn't know laying her hand on Mark's shoulder.
He felt like throwing up when he watched her pearly white teeth blind him and give out a laugh that, in his opinion, only a hyena would make.
"-I mean I'm sure it's nothing," Renjun looked unimpressed at the scene. "He looks uncomfortable and it's not like you have anything to worry about. Hes like- and your gone."
Donghyuck was already walking over to his boyfriend and the slut infront of him.
"Hey," Donghyuck greeted as he cut between Mark and the girl.
"Hi sunshine-" Mark was barely able to smile before Donghyuck wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss.
"Mm," Mark was surprised but soon reciprocated by snaking his arms tight around his waist.
He tried to convey as much as he could to Mark through the kiss. He prayed that the girl behind him would get the message.
When he heard someone clear their throat. He decided to press the tip of his tongue into Mark's mouth.
Mark seemed pleased as he pulled him closer.
The coughing got louder and Donghyuck finally pulled away with an eye roll.
A gentle smile came on his face though as Mark tried to chase after his lips. His eyes half lidded with desire.
"Can I help you?" Donghyuck glanced at the girl who had the audacity to stay after their public indecency.
"I was talking to Mark," The girl crossed her arms as her eyes slowly judged Donghyuck up and down.
"And I was kissing my boyfriend," Donghyuck threw the best bitch face he could conjure up.
"Your boyfriend?" She said disgusted.
"Not everybody sluts around," Donghyuck snarked, unaware that Mark's grip on his waist was tightening.
"Well you know what-" The girl tried to defend.
"Excuse us," Mark waved at her dismissively, his still half lidded eyes still not straying from Donghyuck.
Before the girl could respond, Mark was dragging Donghyuck down the hallway to a secluded corner.
"Mark, what-" Donghyuck was cut off by Mark grabbing his cheeks and kissing him full on the mouth.
"You are so hot," Mark whispered when they pulled away for air only to instantly dive back in to Donghyuck's sweet taste.
Their makeout session only ending when Jaemin found them and screamed about how they were burning Jisung's eyes.
...
Nightmares.
The nightmares had slowed down to almost none but there were still nights when he woke up with tears rolling down his face and his lungs were gasping for air.
His fists gripping the sheets beneath him, his forehead drenched in sweat and his eyes squeezed shut in pain. There were shudders that ran through his body as he could feel the ghosting of those rough hands that violated him.
Everytime he wished for the same thing.
"Mark," He whined into the quiet room.
The pitch black lighting making him feel like Mark would never come to him.
"Mark," He would sob into his blankets as he would curl up into a tight ball.
He would hear the rolling from Jaemin's bed and there were always quick feet running out of the room.
"Mark," His mouth would scream Mark's name when the nightmare would finally re-register in his mind.
It wouldn't take long before Mark ran into the room and scooped Donghyuck into his arms and onto his lap.
"Shh, I'm here," Mark would press his lips into the wet hair at his hair line.
"Mark-" He would cling onto Mark's shirt and dig his nails into his arms, trying to grasp every single thing he could reach in order to make sure he was real.
"I'm here, sunshine," Mark would rock his body gently as he would cup Donghyuck's cheek and press his ear to his chest. "Do you hear my breathing? Do you hear my heartbeat? Just follow that, Duckie. Focus on me, Haechan-ah."
Eventually, Donghyuck would calm down enough to lay back down on the bed.
"I'm sorry," Donghyuck hiccuped before tangling his hand into Mark's shirt again.
"You never need to be sorry," Mark would tell him everytime. "I'll always be here for you. I love you."
Donghyuck's lips would wobble again and he would pull Mark impossibly closer.
"I love you too."
...
Touch.
It didn't take very long for Donghyuck to figure out that he loved physical touch.
He thinks it's because he's been deprived of such gentle touches for so long.
His heart would settle into contentment when Jaemin would link their pinkies during basketball games.
His lips would pull into a smile when Taeyong would caress his cheeks before he left for school.
Giggles would leave his throat when Johnny would throw him and Mark over his shoulders and dump them on the couch.
Tears would streak down his face in laughter as Ten would tell embarrassing stories while playing with his hair.
Touch made him feel connected to people in a way he's never felt before.
But it's no surprise that's Mark's touch was his favorite.
He felt like he belonged when Mark's fingers fit perfectly in the spaces between his own.
He felt protected when Mark would wind an arm to rest around his waist. Sometimes he didn't even realize how safe he really felt til he would feel Mark's hand subconsciously squeeze his hip.
Whenever they were separated, a bear hug would greet him as soon as they were together again. His heart felt wanted when it was pressed against Mark's own soft beating one.
Mark's kisses were either soft and fleeting or heavy and filled with passion. The press of Mark's lips made him crave the feeling forever.
...
Birthday.
Donghyuck's first birthday with Mark changed his life.
School was finally over and he had graduated and he was already accepted to a college in the fall. Luckily, it was were all of their friends would be attending minus Jisung and Chenle. They would all be commuting since it would be cheaper than living on campus. But it didn't bother him anyway. He wasn't ready to leave the home he just got.
The lawsuit had finally been settled and he was free from his parents custody and could be fostered by Taeyong and Jaehyun.
The news had Mark pressing rapid wet kisses to his cheek as his big smile turned into giggles.
"You're free, baby," Mark whispered in his ear before pressing his nose into the spot underneath it.
"I was free from the person I was the day I met you," Donghyuck whispered back before pressing his own soft kiss to Mark's cheek.
The night was filled with things he's never had before.
All of his friends had come over to the house. Yes, my friends. Each of them brought their own kind of craziness. Chenle had tried to jump off the railing of the stairs while Jisung panicked below. Renjun was chasing Jaemin around in circles after the younger had sent a gross message to Yangyang off the olders phone. Mark and Jeno were play wrestling on the floor before someone's foot hit the coffee table and smashed Taeyong's new vase.
There was a red velvet cake with the words Happy Birthday Donghyuckie! He was squealing away from Jeno's fingers that tried to wipe frosting on his face, only to turn right into Renjun's frosting fingers. The flash from Taeyong's camera had momentarily blinded him but he could feel the joy radiating off himself.
The presents had made him feel guilty at first.
"It's okay. You didn't have to get me anything-" He would try to say but Taeyong wasn't having any of it as he started shoving gifts infront of him.
Jisung had gotten him some dance shoes. Chenle had gotten him a basketball so they could play together. Jaemin shook with excitement as he gave Donghyuck a brand new camera. Renjun gifted him some posters to put up in his room.
Johnny and Yuta gave him more video games than he could ever want to play.
Taeyong and Jaehyun gave him a microphone and notebook so he could start singing again.
Jeno's gift almost made him cry. He didn't know what to think when he younger Lee brother handed him a small flat white box. Inside was a small Polaroid picture of him and Mark. It was taken on one of the days their friendgroup went back to the beach. He was on Mark's shoulders after they had won a game of chicken. He was laughing and looking down to Mark while pinching his ears. Mark was smiling bright as he was looking back up at Donghyuck. The moment being captured made his heart melt. However, the note on the bottom of the picture made his eyes soften at Jeno.
Thank you for making him smile again. Thank you for bringing my brother back to me. Happy Birthday, Donghyuck :)
Donghyuck stood up and pulled Jeno into a tight hug.
"MY TURN!" Ten pushed some of them to the side so he could stand right infront Donghyuck.
Donghyuck smiled but soon frowned when he was Ten's hands shaking. He peered up to see tears glistening in his eyes.
"Hyung?" Donghyuck went to grab onto his arms but Ten just shook the gift infront of him.
Donghyuck kept shooting him concerned looks and noticed how silent the room had gotten. He looked around for Mark and couldn't find him.
He snorted when he saw papers laying in the box. "Is this the application for the dance team again because-"
His breath hitched in his throat.
His eyes pooling with tears as he caught sight of the word: Adoption.
"You-" Donghyuck began to shake. "You want-"
"We want to adopt you," Johnny had his own tears in his eyes as he threw his arm around a sobbing Ten.
Ten and Johnny had gotten married right after the new year and Donghyuck had read a speech for them at the reception. They were finally able to be happy together and it sparked something in his soul. It had given him faith that him and Mark would work out too.
"Y-you want me-" Donghyuck was trying not to sob as he bit his lip.
"Peaches," Ten grabbed his cheeks and tried to speak despite the hiccups in his voice. "We've always wanted you. We are always going to want you."
"What do you think, baby?" Taeyong asked gently with his own tears rolling down. His mind replaying the moment when he asked Mark and Jeno about adopting them. It was the best day of his life and he's sure it would be Ten's too.
"Yes!" Donghyuck yelled at the top of his lungs before throwing himself into Ten's arms. Johnny coming up behind them to pick them both up in a hug.
...
T
he word yes.
"Where's Mark?" Donghyuck said when he finally pulled away from Ten and Johnny. A smile beaming on his lips as he looked around. "How did he miss this? I have to tell Markie. Where is Mark?"
Donghyuck looked towards everybody else and yet nobody seemed to have a clue.
"I can go see if he's upstairs or in the bathroom-" Taeyong stopped with wide eyes as he peered behind Donghyuck.
Jaemin gasped before jutting his lower lip out at Jeno.
Chenle's eyes were wide but a smile took over his lips as he shook Jisung's arm roughly.
Donghyuck frowned at them.
"Donghyuck."
Donghyuck turned around with a smile when he finally heard Mark's voice. He was ready to tell his boyfriend that his dream life was coming true.
But when he turned around, all words died on his tongue.
Everything that was coursing through his veins seemed to be frozen. His heartbeat felt like it was being played on a loud speaker.
Mark was down on one knee with a small black box in his hands.
"I had a whole speech but I'm terrified right now," Mark confessed to the air and his hands were shaking. "I'll read it to you later if you want but I just need to ask this now."
Mark lifted up the lid and a beautiful ring sat inside. It was a silver band with small diamonds on each side of it. Simple yet beautiful. Just like Mark.
"Donghyuck, will you marry me?" Mark asked in the smallest voice Donghyuck's ever heard from him. Mark's eyes were signing with tears and he looked close to hyperventilating.
Donghyuck felt onto his knees and sobbed into his hands the second he saw a matching ring on Mark's left hand.
Mark wants forever.
He wants forever with me.
Mark is my forever.
"Shit I'm sorry," Mark's voice was filled with anxiety and pain.
Donghyuck shook his head.
Someone's breath hitched behind him.
Mark let out a small and quiet sound of hurt.
Donghyuck's head shot up when he realized that Mark thought his reaction meant he was saying no.
"Yes!" Donghyuck threw himself at Mark causing both of them to fall to the floor. "Yes! Yes, Mark Lee! Yes, yes, please yes-"
Mark wound his arms around Donghyucks frame and pulled him tight against his chest.
"Yes?" Mark stared up at the ceiling with disbelief.
Who did he appeal to in order to get this lucky?
What had he done to deserve Lee Donghyuck?
He didn't know but he was sure that he would do it over and over again just to keep the sun in his arms.
"Yes," Donghyuck sobbed into his chest.
Cheers bursted out around them and a hugging pile started on top of them but none of it mattered.
Donghyuck only ever wanted one thing and now here he was in the arms of it.
Home.