─────── • ❥ • ───────

"Well," Renjun narrowed his eyes skeptically as the two separate friend groups congregated to eat breakfast together, "You two look.....happy."

Donghyuck was smiling like an idiot as he tried to calmly eat his toast. Mark, much the same, was 'subtly' kicking the younger's ankle beside him. They weren't stealthy at all, and everyone could see the shift in attitudes.

"I had a good night," Donghyuck hummed, pretending as though the ravenette beside him didn't take a huge part in that. Mark nodded along, crunching on cereal and coming off as too enthusiastic to be awake at half six in the morning.

"So, I'm assuming you slept last night?" Jaemin probed, yawning unceremoniously and all but half invested in the conversation.

"Something like that," the oldest murmured, and Jeno could only watch with an arched brow. The pair were so obvious, it would've been sad had it not been so long awaited and cute.

Donghyuck slid his hand under the table and laced it with the boy's beside him, both having promised each other not to make their relationship public just yet. Mark would've been fine with it, yet Donghyuck still wasn't entirely sure what this would all mean.

Even so, the insomniac was quite content with holding hands, hiding, pretending even. As long as he had Hyuck, everything else could wait to be solved.

"You know, I had this weird ass dream last night," Jeno sighed tiredly as he rubbed his eyes for emphasis.

"Care to share?" Jisung frowned.

"Well, I think Donghyuck and all his research and books has been getting to me. I swear I'm losing my mind..."

"Research?" Mark questioned, turning to his secret lover. "What research?"

"Absolutely nothing," Donghyuck chuckled dryly, urging Jeno to continue his actual story.

"Anyway, he's been going on about boys liking boys an awful lot, and somehow I dreamt of Renjun. Literally, I could almost feel him on top of me-"

"Bro, that was real!" Jisung spat out a harsh laugh, slamming his hands down on the table consecutively and causing the bowls and spoons to rattle. "He was sleep walking again."

"No!" Renjun gasped, covering his mouth, "I didn't pull a Donghyuck, did I?!"

"What does that even mean?!" Donghyuck hissed, turning to look at Mark. "Hang on, do they know?!"

"I swear, I'm not into Renjun," Jeno begged, "It was more of a nightmare, really-"

"Oh gee, thanks!" The Chinese boy snapped, "Glad to know I'm so unappealing!"

"Mark, did you tell them?!" The brunette whined, earning a long string of apologies from the oldest.

"Is that what the smell was, this morning?" Chenle gasped, looking rather disgusted as he slammed his notebook closed. "I knew I smelled 'man remnants'."

"What the fuck?" Jaemin cackled, "'Man remnants'?!"

"Dude, who jizzed then?"

I hate being a friends with these morons, sometimes....Mark thought with a slight eye roll. Then, Renjun reached across the table and started saying a lot of things too loudly; things that were better off private. Scratch that; all the time....

And so the ruckus continued throughout the morning, any other student resenting their energy at this time.

☆★☆

"No, this goes in first!"

"Donghyuck, learn how to read!" Mark groaned as he shoved the science investigation instructions in front of the teen. "It says to let it set for ten minutes, then to add hydrochloric acid."

"I'm not illiterate, Mark! And I think you need glasses, 'cause there's an arrow here that swings up and points to step three-"

"God, would you both just shut up?!" A random boy snapped at them, throwing a rubber which bounced, without grace, off the back of Mark's head. Donghyuck noticed this and seethed, grabbing a scalpel to do the same.

"Woah, there's a big difference in weapons here," the oldest grimaced, grabbing his boyfriend's hand and carefully prying the sharp edge from it.

"He just assaulted you!"

"With a rubber," the male reiterated, placing the scalpel down and ruffling Donghyuck's hair. "I think I'll live."

The younger sighed, looking at him with fond eyes and wishing he could've shared some of that tolerance. He knew that it used to be him, once upon a time, that would've thrown rubbers at him, or passed ugly comments, or even stole....but now all the teen wanted to do was defend the older from everything.

The dark rings surrounding Mark's eyes weren't unnoticeable. In fact, they were very much apparent against his pale complexion. All Donghyuck could do though, was pat his back and tell him he'd be fine. After all, his night habits were nothing to breeze over either.

He probably wants me to just tell everyone, doesn't he? About us....the brunette imagined, placing a hand on the other's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered, trying read his tired expression.

"Hm? What for?"

For always letting you down.....

☆★☆

As the weeks started to pass, it was becoming increasingly difficult to hide their relationship. Things were more serious, of course, and their friends had long since suspected the pair of a deeper bond.

For one thing, Donghyuck would get defensive and protective over the silliest things, when Mark was involved. If Renjun belittled him, it was a fight. If Jisung passed a stupid comment, a fight. If Jeno brought up the topic of homosexuality, a fight. Things that weren't intended with any harm and needn't have been taken seriously, were.

Secondly, Mark was overly nervous with whatever Donghyuck did. Carrying hot drinks, running around, picking arguments....Mark was always there to try and shield or protect him.

It was all too obvious at this point.

But the secret was still a secret, because nobody had any solid proof of a lovers' relationship.

So as Mark held the younger's waist, kissing him gently as they hid behind an old stone wall in some hall, they felt more at peace knowing that no one was around.

Donghyuck has his hands wrapped around the other's neck, drawing him as close as he could and metaphorically kissing all his worries away. They always did this, after arguments, after meals, after sharing lies with others.

They sought refuge and comfort in each other's arms.

"We need to tell them," Mark whispered gently against his ear, revelling in the sensation of his boyfriend's lips against his neck. "They should....know.....it's been five....weeks."

He's weak for me, Hyuck thought, smiling at his small winnings and pressing one last kiss to the older's jaw before pulling back and sighing. "Must we? They're so annoying about everything, and you know that."

"But they're our friends....."

Hyuck grumbled, tilting his head back against the wall and staring up at the ceiling for a brief moment of thought. Properly telling people would be like admitting to his crimes and becoming a hypocrite. What he used to use as an excuse to bully Mark was suddenly a part of him.....this would be hard to explain.

"It's not them I'm worried about...."

Mark giggled, pulling him in for a much needed hug before kissing the top of his head. "Then that's the battle half won. Because no one else matters."

─────── • ❥ • ───────

Last chapter coming up guys~
Thanks for reading,
-lily