Mark pulled up to Donghyuck's apartment complex at a quarter till six and waited as the boy climbed into the car after putting his bag in the backseat.

Once Donghyuck was buckled, Mark put the car in reverse and left the parking lot as quickly as possible.

"Did you have a good party?"

Mark could practically feel Donghyuck's grin as he concentrated on the road ahead.

"Yeah, I did. It was really nice"

Mark nodded his head in response and turned his blinker on as he got into the turning lane. As they waited for the light, Mark spoke up, "Have you eaten? Would you like some dinner?"

Before Donghyuck could even answer him, the older heard a loud growl come from the passenger side.

Mark tried his hardest not to laugh at the boy, who he could see blushing out of the corner of his eye.

"Alright then. Food it is"

Mark had already planned on taking them to the restaurant, no matter what Donghyuck's answer was going to be.

He had made reservations and he was starving from the lack of food consumption today. He wanted to be hungry enough to enjoy dinner and a dessert with the birthday boy and nothing was going to stop him.

"So what all did you get today?" It was a simple question, but Mark figured Donghyuck was bursting to tell him.

"Hyojung bought me a pocket knife, it's really nice. And Jeno gave me a zippo lighter with my name on it! Here, look!"

Mark glanced over as Donghyuck held out the lighter, showing it off excitedly.

"That's pretty cool. Don't start smoking though"

Donghyuck made a noise of irritation and softly exclaimed, "But you smoke! I'm nineteen now and I can smoke if I want"

Mark shook his head in amusement and clicked his tongue.

"I only do it, because I picked up the nasty habit. It's gross and you shouldn't do it just because it's legal now"

Donghyuck let out a frustrated huff before continuing on about his presents.

"Anyway, Renjun got me this awesome book about the ocean and I can't wait to start looking at it. Serim got me an Macbook Pro! I can't believe she spent all of that money on me, on top of getting me a chocolate cake"

Mark rose an eyebrow at that last sentence, "What's so special about a chocolate cake?"

As soon as he asked the question, Mark immediately regretted it. He felt Donghyuck's body tense in the passenger seat and the air became thick with sadness.

Mark could already guess what Donghyuck was going to say, so he quickly retracted his question,

"Hey, I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that"

The tension ebbed off bit by bit, though the sadness was still palpable. It took a minute for Donghyuck to speak up and when he did, his voice was soft and sad.

"My mom used to make it for me every birthday. I hadn't had it since she died. Serim made it for me the first birthday after, but I couldn't even look at it without crying. It was great today. It was better than I remember it and I'm so glad she got it. Sorry for getting all sad, I swear I'm okay"

Mark bit down on his lower lip as Donghyuck spoke, the sadness in the boy's voice causing his own throat to tighten and burn as if he was the one holding back tears.

"I'm sorry, Donghyuck. I'm glad you were finally able to eat it though"

"It's fine. You didn't know and you were just curious. I'm glad too. I think my mom would've been upset if I never ate it again"

Donghyuck laughed quietly and Mark could only guess that he was imagining his mom and what she would have said to him for not eating his favorite cake for so long.

Mark was glad that Donghyuck was able to think about her without crying, it was proof that the boy was maturing every day.

Mark pulled into the restaurant's parking lot and brought the car around to the front for the valet. He looked over at Donghyuck, who was busy gaping at the restaurant.

"Come on. They have to take my car to park it. So get your cute ass out"

He let out a soft chuckle as he watched Donghyuck's face turn a bright red at the comment and scrambled out of the car.

Mark got out gracefully and gave the valet a bill before going around the car and putting his hand on the small of Donghyuck's back.

He guided the boy to the entrance and gave a small nod to the doorman who opened the door for them.

They were taken to their table almost immediately, much to Mark's satisfaction. Before Donghyuck could reach his seat, Mark hurriedly got to it and pulled it out for him.

The smile Mark received from the gesture was worth it. He wouldn't claim to be a diehard romantic and no one would ever guess it of him, but the simple fact that he wants to make this boy with those impossibly big hazel eyes happy makes up for any smartass comments he might receive if anyone found out.

After the waiter got their drink order and left them alone, Mark opened the menu and pretended to look it over as he watched Donghyuck take it all in.

The boy was dressed nicer than usual in a light blue button up shirt and black slacks along with a decent pair of dress shoes.

It was only natural for him to be dressed like this, seeing as Mark told him that he needed to dress nicely for tonight and no, jeans and sneakers were not acceptable.

Mark wore a simple suit, black slacks and jacket with a white dress shirt. It was all he really wore when it came to suits. He wasn't the type to go all out with different designs and colors.  

Donghyuck's eyes were sparkling with excitement, "How did you get a reservation here? I heard that you have to get it months in advance"

Mark shrugged while he took a sip of his water and looked away to avoid the boy's gaze. He wasn't about to confirm that rumor, it would get to the boy's head if he knew that Mark had this planned for a couple of months.

When he looked back, Donghyuck had a shit-eating grin on his face and his eyes were lit up with amusement.

"What are you grinning for?"

The question made Donghyuck grin some more, how that was possible Mark had no clue, "Just happy"

Mark looked away again and swore that the heat in his cheeks wasn't due to some brat grinning like an idiot.

When the waiter came back, they ordered their food and made small talk. Donghyuck asked how Myong was and what Mark did earlier today.

Mark didn't mind the chitchat, because it meant he could hear Donghyuck talk, which was something he enjoyed.

The boy was always so enthusiastic no matter what he was talking about. The energy was infectious and sometimes even Mark caught himself becoming animated about certain topics.

Johnny and Jaehyun kept asking him questions, wondering why he seemed happier now and why he barely protested when they made their monthly visits.

It was like his whole demeanor changed and Mark didn't want to admit he was becoming soft. So far, they only suspected things but luckily Johnny hasn't put two and two together and if he has, he hasn't said anything to Mark directly.

Their food came out in a timely manner and he couldn't help but laugh at Donghyuck drooling at the sight of it.

Mark had ordered a steak and Donghyuck ordered parmesan chicken. The food looked delicious and pretty soon they began to dig in.

Mark savored the steak, he rarely ate out like this because he was always alone. He looked up to see Donghyuck eyeing his plate, "You want some?"

He watched Donghyuck's adam's apple bob as he swallowed and nodded his head, "Yes please?"

Mark bit down on his lip and decided to make a show out of the exchange, just to tease the brat. He slowly took his knife and cut through the steak all the while staring at Donghyuck.

Once he cut off a piece, he stabbed it with his fork and leaned forward over the table to bring the piece of meat to Donghyuck's lips.

Donghyuck swallowed again before opening his mouth and keeping his eyes locked with Mark's.

The way Donghyuck's eyes darkened with unbridled lust as he took the steak into his mouth, his hand catching hold of Mark's wrist made Mark's breathing hitch.

Mark broke eye contact to watch Donghyuck's lips slowly pull away from his fork, a tongue quickly sliding over said lips to catch any food particles left behind.

Mark was still caught in Donghyuck's hand, the boy's thumb trailing up and down the vein on the inside of Mark's wrist sending chills down his spine.

Once Donghyuck swallowed the piece of steak, he let Mark go with a small smile, "Delicious"

The older sat back down in his chair and let out a breathy "yeah" before going back to eating.

He wanted to hurry up and get this dinner over with. This brat was going to end up stopping his heart if the night kept going on like this.

Mark didn't understand how Donghyuck could be so awkward at times, but occasionally pull out this side of him that made Mark tremble.

They both finished their food fairly quickly and when the waiter brought the check, Mark snatched it up before Donghyuck could look at it.

Once he paid and tipped, he took Donghyuck's hand in his own and they walked out as the valet pulled up with his car.

He opened the door for Donghyuck to slip in and then jogged to the other side, tipping the valet again before slipping in and driving off.

The drive to his apartment was a silent one. He could feel Donghyuck's nerves bubbling out of him and Mark had to take his hand into his own so that the boy would stop tapping his fingers on the center console. It was almost driving Mark nuts.

He pulled up to his parking spot, got out and grabbed Donghyuck's bag before dragging the teen through the lobby and into the elevator.

Mark dropped the bag as soon as the doors closed on the elevator and grabbed a handful of Donghyuck's shirt, pulling him into a heated kiss.

His lips against Donghyuck's were frantic in the need to dominate and consume. Mark swiped his tongue across the boy's bottom lip producing a moan from him and took the opening as a chance to taste the inside of Donghyuck's mouth.

The elevator dinged, indicating that they had reached his floor and Mark pulled away panting. He picked up Donghyuck's bag again and they hurried to his apartment door.

No sooner had Mark closed the door then Donghyuck had him pushed up against it, hands roaming and a hot mouth pressed against his.

Before he got caught up in the moment, Mark grabbed Donghyuck's jaw gently but firmly and cut off the kiss with a quiet laugh,

"Hold on, let's slow down and relax. We have all night. First thing in order is a shower"

Donghyuck groaned and tried to press himself against Mark, but Mark slipped past him and smacked the boy on the ass.

"I said hold on, brat. Practice a little patience, will you?"

Donghyuck whined and crossed his arms, making Mark roll his eyes at the childlike behavior.

"But, Mark, I've been patient for a while. We can take a shower afterwards"

Mark shook his head with a smile and slid his jacket off as he walked to his room,

"Just a little more won't kill you, sunshine"