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"Woah, don't hold it so close to the test tube!" Mark hissed, pulling Donghyuck's wrist away swiftly to prevent him from starting a fire that nobody wanted.

Well, maybe it would've made for an interesting day......but neither were willing to take the blame.

"I know what I'm doing, Mark!" The younger scoffed, batting his hand away and giving him a bitter look with narrowed eyes.

"Why do you only use my name when you're mad at me?" The ravenette frowned, taking a step back as the experiment began to bubble.

"I'm always mad at you, Sissyboy. I don't know what you're talking about."

Well.....where was the lie? Yes, the brunette had something to fight Mark about every time they spoke, though when the younger used Mark's real name, it felt like he was actually getting scolded like a naughty child.

"Careful," Donghyuck murmured, eyes trained on the apparatus as he slowly added a chip of metal.

Mark watched with great intensity, actually noticing how pretty the male's fingers were on the other hand that didn't have a glove covering them. The unworked hands of a rich child, soft yet too innocent.

The older cleared his throat, looking away to halt the swarm of strange thoughts that had begun to flow through his mental dam. Images of countless things Mark shouldn't have known or seen about Donghyuck.

"Pay attention, Idiot," the other kicked his shin lightly, gaze still piercing into the experiment. Mark could feel his hands grow clammy, wanting to leave so desperately.

"I need to use the toilet," he lied, starting to take his gloves off.

"Oh don't pull that bullshit on me now," Donghyuck snarled, looking up and tilting his head. He still looked pretty, even in lab gear. "Don't ditch me to do this alone. What if I die?"

"I thought you were, and I quote, a 'master at this'," the ravenette wriggled his eyebrows, pulling the gloves back on all the same. "The unstoppable Lee Donghyuck is afraid he'll fuck up?"

"Don't get cocky," he snipped back with a huff. His brown locks caught the light shining in through the windows and they shone a golden colour. "All you ever do is watch me and write down the assignment."

"That's because you're a control freak!"

"No, you just don't try hard enough-"

"I've asked a hundred times to help, yet you always say 'no, you'll mess it up'," the older mimicked his high voice exactly.

"That's a load of shit, and you know it-"

"Ugh, they're at it again," one of their classmates, Jisung, sighed under his breath to his own partner Jeno.

"Will you two shut up?!" Their teacher slammed his hand against his own rickety desk to call upon order. Both fighting males silenced and looked around the room briefly before they returned their heated gazes to each other.

"When's the wedding?" Jeno whispered, and the rest of the class giggled before their ancient teacher yelled again.

★☆★

"God, he's actually a nightmare dressed in a dream's clothing!" Mark whined, cheek pressed against the dining table as Renjun, Jaemin and Chenle in front of him watched with slight pity, but more so understanding.

"That's a terrible analogy," Renjun spoke between mouthfuls of pasta. It was already seven in the evening, and Mark had no burning desire to eat, so he complained and watched his friends instead.

"Missing the point, Junnie, missing the point," the oldest sighed, lifting his head off the dark wood and pouting. Jaemin was secretly on his phone, which he was shielding from everyone, under the table.

As the ravenette sat up straight, his sights fixated on one of the grande windows exposing the pitch black night, always early during the winter, and the hefty snowflakes thrumming against the glass.

Another cold night, he thought dismally, envisioning the skimpy shorts he had to wear until the week long midterm holiday came around in two weeks time. Maybe I could ask to borrow a pair of trousers......

"Space cadet, do you copy?" Chenle was dramatically waving his hand in Mark's face, getting irritated with his ignorance and picking up his circular role to throw at his face.

The food item very unceremoniously bounced off his cheek and landed on the table in front of him, rolling slightly though stopping in the centre of the table.

"Is there a need for me to point out how seriously unnecessary that was?" The oldest grumbled, flicking a crumb off his beautiful cheekbone and glaring at his youngest Chinese friend.

"That was a meteor hitting your space shuttle, Commander," the younger arched a single eyebrow. "But anyway, what I was trying to say to you was that you're being a drama queen. We know he's annoying and picks on you, but it's not like you stand up for yourself very often either. Sitting here and complaining," he raised his hands to motion towards the situation they were in, "Isn't helping. Go call him out, fight him, draw a dick on his face while he's asleep for all I care. Just stop feeling so sorry for yourself."

Renjun chuckled at the last of those options, though nodded in agreement with what their friend had said. Jaemin looked up, sliding his phone into his pocket and producing an adorably wide smile.

"What?" Mark questioned him.

"We're going shopping this weekend," the blue haired teen made the victory sign with his fingers and picked up his fork for the first time that night to actually eat.

"I don't have anything I want...."

"Buy decent pyjamas, you dumbass," Renjun threw the roll at his face again to be annoying.

"But I have some at home. It'd be a waste of money," the Canadian rolled his eyes. "Besides, I can stick it out for another couple of week-"

"He's an idiot," Chenle shook his head, picking up his plate and standing up to his full, enviable height.

Why am I so abused? Mark cried internally, getting told nothing particularly sweet or touching on a daily basis. Am I really that much of an idiot?

"Anyway, what has you suddenly dragging us out to go shopping?" Renjun wondered aloud as he too started to place all the untouched food and dirty utensils onto his plate. Chenle picked them all up to walk away and give them to the kitchen staff.

"The weather says it'll be pleasantly sunny with light snow fall. You know that's my-" Jaemin began, though Renjun cut him off.

"Your favourite weather, I know."

Mark groaned, checking the massive and ancient grandfather clock in the corner of the largest hall in the school. It read half seven already, and that meant it was relaxation time.

"Kay, I'm tired," Jaemin ushered with a cute yawn, sliding out of his seat and stretching out his long arms. "See you annoying people tomorrow."

"Last I checked," the older Chinese flicked his forehead as he stood as well, "You're the king of irritating people."

And I'm the allocated 'idiot friend', Mark shook his head with a subtle eye roll before waving to them and Chenle who waved back.

"Night guys," he hummed, exiting the canteen and trailing out of the main building, jogging the short distance towards the old dorms in the freezing cold, and racing up the staircase towards his room.

It was eerily quiet as he made it to the large door, pulling out his key and jabbing it into the lock to twist it.

Oh, someone's already here, he tilted his head, pursing his lips and entering to find one of his seven roommates.

Sicheng walked out of their bathroom, towel around his neck and a loose tracksuit set wrapped around his slim figure. He looked cosy, and Mark wanted at least that much.

"Hey," the older hummed, taking his phone out of his bedside locker and throwing himself onto his rickety bed, second in from the end.

"Hey," Mark nodded, scampering over to the bathroom to lock himself in and get ready for a shower.

I wonder if Donghyuck will sleepwalk tonight.....

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