<^>

"May I present to you," Jaemin starts, drawing out the syllables for dramatic effect. "Organized Crime and Chaos!" He gestured wildly at the board behind him, a google slide presentation projecting on it. The theme was orange and white, with the letters OCAC front and center in bold Roboto font. Jaemin was standing next to the board, a glass of some horrendous concoction hanging dangerously from his fingertips. Despite his fruitless protests that he was just tipsy, everyone knew he was horribly drunk.

But the others weren't far behind him. Jeno was on his fourth cup of beer, but he was known to hold his liquor and he looked pretty aware. Shotaro, who was the whole reason this gathering was happening, was drinking some sort of amateur martini Jaemin had made for him (though there was a good chance most of it was just straight tequila.) Donghyuck himself was holding a joint in between his fingers, the smell wafting around him like cologne. He had in his other hand a McDonald's sprite– which was probably just as toxic as whatever Jaemin was drinking, all things considered. Meanwhile Sungchan (a friend from the neighboring town who they rarely got to see) was probably more out of it than any of them, a vape laying empty at his thigh, and his fingers pinching at Donghyuck's face as a sign to pass him the blunt.

"Shotaro, I–" Jaemin placed a hand on his chest, trying his best to sound normal but his Satoori accent still peaked through, making it next to impossible to understand him. "–want to formally introduce you to this friend group. We *hiccup* have had this presentation for years now, and everyone has had to undergo this process." he clicks the spacebar on his computer and a new slide pops up, this one labeled 'Table of Contents'.

"It is tradition that we all get absolutely wasted during the initiation process so that whatever *hiccup* we may do is to be lost to the night." He cocks a finger at the first bullet point on the slide. "First we will show everyone in this friend group." Jaemin's small smile grows manic as he continues on blubbering about the information listed– most of it coming out a garbled mess as he takes another swig of his...drink.

There's another click and the slides change again to a picrew next to the name 'Na Jaemin'. Below is a choppy paragraph with horrible grammar which introduced who he was. It hadn't changed much from when Donghyuck and he had made it when they were 14, but there was an obvious edit of "and im dating jeno"– which Donghyuck recalled Jaemin was very excited to add in.

"I'm Jaemin, obviously. And though I'm sure you can read just fine, you are also drunk so *hiccup* I will read it to you." He smiled and bowed as if he just did a magic trick. "Hi, I'm Na Jaemin. I'm eighteen and I go to the local high school. My favorite movie is Howl's Moving Castle–" he drabbled on, meanwhile Jeno and Sungchan exchanged looks while Donghyuck took another drag of his joint. He let the taste fill his senses, his body deflating with every exhale he released.

"Next up is Donghyuck. Get up here you dipshit." Jaemin grasped onto Donghyuck's arm, pulling him up to a standing position and handing him the marker Jaemin was using as a fake mic. He passed his blunt to Sungchan, who took it gratefully, before flexing his shoulders and began to speak.

"Uh," he glanced at the slide and sighed. "I'm Donghyuck...I'm currently 18 years old and my birthday is June 7. I like Demon Slayer and my favorite book is The Giver. I like video games and..." he blinked, the weed hitting his brain and making the words foggy. It didn't matter though, he'd read this out enough times for his other friends that he had the words ingrained in his head, flashing behind his eyelids every time he blinked.

He ended his section with a small smile, and passed the marker back to Jaemin as Sungchan handed him the joint once more, patting his back in reassurance as if to say "Just a bit longer." Donghyuck sighed and nodded, glancing at Shotaro in concern that he was either bored or terrified. Jaemin received many reactions during these nights, but Donghyuck was still surprised to see the guy fully immersed in Jeno's introduction, smiling happily like a dog.

'Why not wag your tail while you're at it.' he thought to himself, laughing quietly at his own joke. He was quickly shushed by Jaemin however, and his mood deflated just a bit.

This night was going on for far too long.

<^>

He awoke with a groan, a ringing phone blaring somewhere in the room he was in. There was a weight on his thighs, and sounds of distress from another person who was right next to him. And even though his eyes were still closed, Donghyuck could feel the shit-eating grin Jaemin had as he stood above him, the ringing phone much louder now.

"Your boytoy is calling, Hyuckie."

A hand swatted out, smacking skin which Donghyuck hoped was Jaemin's cheek. "He's not my fucking boytoy. He's just a friend."

"Okay well you have 3 missed calls and a good number of unopened messages from the username 'Morkus' with a green heart so..."

'Of-fucking-course I do.' Donghyuck sighed and opened his eyes, glaring at the bright light that shone down on him. Jaemin was standing next to where he lay on Jeno's couch, hand stretched out as the call from the phone in his hand was put through to voicemail, a placidly evil smile resting on his face.

"Better answer it before he drives down here and sees how gross you look."

Donghyuck swiped his phone harshly, shooting daggers at his friend. "Shut the fuck up." he began to sit up but stopped, now remembering the fact that someone was laying in his lap. He looked down, a light brown mop of hair covering a gently sleeping face.

Osaki Shotaro. A new transfer into their grade with the personality of a golden retriever and the body of a gymnast. From what Donghyuck could recall when Shotaro was adding in his own slide, the guy liked to skateboard and hockey, and had a cousin who lived nearby. There was something about scamming a man out of business, but Donghyuck's memory was hazy and he wasn't sure what was actually true about the kid. He seemed nice enough though, and his grades showed that he definitely had some brain cells in him, but other than that– Donghyuck was too wasted to remember the rest of the information.

"Bro, wake up." he shook the teenager gently on the shoulder, but to no avail. Eventually he gave up and just shoved the kid off his legs, letting his face fall into the cushions of the couch. His phone began to ring again and Donghyuck really felt like punching someone.

"Hello?"

"Donghyuck! I have been calling you over and over again! Where the actual fuck are you?!"

Donghyuck looked around the basement he was in, now noticing Jeno was still asleep on the floor, Sunghcan passed out beside him. Jaemin had gone to sit in the beanbag near the stairs, nursing a glass of water, and a bottle of Advil at his feet. "Uh, a friend's house. What's up?"

"What's up is that you need to get your ass to the hill to get our sizes and styles. The season is changing and so are our uniforms." Mark seethed through the phone and had Donghyuck not felt like utter ass, he would be feeling guilty.

"Oh. Oops."

"Oops?! Taeyong is ready to beat my fucking ass because for some reason they all think I'm responsible for you. Jesus Christ..."

Donghyuck sighed and rolled his eyes. He did not want to be dealing with this right now. "Tell him I'm on my way. I'll be there soon. Chill out dude."

"I– oh you are unbelievable. I swear to god Lee Donghyuck if you are not here within 20 minutes, I am hunting you down and will bring your head back as a trophy."

"Is that a threat or a promise?"

"Oh my god." there was a click and the line went flat. Donghyuck himself sank back into the couch, groaning once more as he checked the time. 11:33. He had to be at the resort by 11:53.

Someone shoot him.

<^>

He stumbled into the resort, yawning loudly to alert the workers of his presence. He couldn't see any team members in the lobby, but if the shouting from one of the conference rooms was any indication, they were certainly still here.

"Knock knock~" he called into the room, opening the door slowly and poking his head inside. He was met with mixed reactions; while most of the team had a smile on their face at his entrance, Taeyong, Doyoung, and Mark all sent him harsh glares.

"Do I even want to know what you were doing last night?" Doyoung said, sniffing the air. Shit, maybe he hadn't cleaned up well enough.

"Hanging out with friends, like I said." Maybe if he pretended not to know that he smelled strongly of weed, the others wouldn't notice. But even Donghyuck knew that was wishful thinking, if Ten's smirk was anything to go by.

"Yeah guys, he's just been...lighting it up with his friends, y'know?" The older man swung his arm around Donghyuck's shoulder, tapping his arm lightly to alert him before whispering in his ear: "I have cologne, febreze, or just plain deodorant. Johnny always has a stash of edibles on him too, so if you need something during practice, come to us." He said it so quietly, Donghyuck could barely hear him.

"Febreze might be best to be honest," he whispered back, eyeing their team manager warily. "I won't get kicked off right? Like this won't be a big deal, will it?"

"Will you get kicked off? No. Will you get a lecture about drugs and substance abuse because you're still in highschool? Yes. But will Taeyong tell Coach? Not unless you come in here high as a damn kite. I'd say the odds are in your favor. Though..." Ten trailed off and looked at another team member. "I don't think it's Taeyong you should be worried about." He nodded his head at Mark, who was positively livid. Donghyuck half expected the man to be foaming at the mouth with the sheer amount of rage that painted his face.

He sighed. "Yeah, that checks out."

Ten flashed him a smile and squeezed his shoulder. "Well, if he begins to beat you up, just come get me." he took his arm away from Donghyuck's shoulders and walked back to where Taeyong was tapping his foot expectantly, a clipboard in one hand and a measuring tape in the other.

Donghyuck frowned. He was about to get an earful, wasn't he?

<^>

"–and god forbid there comes a day where you arrive at practice higher than the fucking moon!" Mark continued on, pacing back and forth in the Crash room like a teacher whose students just failed their test. "And even though Doyoung is your mentor-whatever, I'm the one who's apparently responsible for you now! This could completely ruin your reputation within the team, you realize that right?" He had been going on like this for about 15 minutes now, and Donghyuck had tuned him out ages ago, instead opting to pick at his nails and let the boy rant.

"But I didn't, and it won't 'ruin my reputation'. To be honest, I think I'm on the sober side of the team," Donghyuck said, glaring at a particularly ugly cuticle. "Alcohol is more addicting than weed anyways, and you've seen how much the guys drink."

"That is not the point right now!"

"It kinda seems like it is, though."

Mark groaned in frustration. "Why are you acting like this?!"

Donghyuck sighed, barely stopping himself from rolling his eyes to the back of his head. This conversation was horribly stupid and wouldn't change the fact that he'd been smoking weed for four years now– and Mark's feelings towards that wouldn't change anything. Donghyuck wasn't addicted, he never had withdrawal symptoms and he sometimes went months without a single hit. He'd promised himself to never pick up a bottle, but cannabis was different. It was a depressant, so it calmed his nerves and slowed his body– making it a perfect way to get through Jaemin's midnight shenanigans.

"What I want to know," Donghyuck replied, completely ignoring the question. "Is why you give a shit."

"Because I care about you?" Mark said, as if it was an obvious thing.

Donghyuck grimaced. "Well if you're just gonna get mad at me, maybe you shouldn't."

"What the fuck?"

Okay, maybe he shouldn't have said that. But his brain was tired, his body was heavy, and he really did not enjoy having his crush be mad at him– even if it was sort of Donghyuck's fault to begin with.

"What?" Hopefully playing it off would work, Mark usually backed down after a few jabs.

"No, what the fuck did you just say?" There was a twitch in his brow that wasn't there before. The way his eyes shone made him look more concerned than pissed. It left Donghyuck's tummy feeling funny.

"I said maybe you shouldn't care." He mumbled out the last part, now picking at the dry skin of his knuckles– doing anything to avoid eye contact.

"Why– why the hell would I not care?" Mark's voice was quieter now, the anger fully dissipated from his being as he sat next to Donghyuck on the couch.

Donghyuck shrugged. "I don't know. It was just something I said. Don't take it so seriously."

"No. No, I'm going to take it seriously because you haven't been acting yourself lately, and now I'm worried there's a solid reason why." Oh there's a reason alright Mark, just not the kind you're probably thinking of.

"I'm fine. If anyone's been acting off, it's you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You keep acting as if I'm gonna punch you or something. It's weird as fuck. You're like a mouse now."

Mark's mouth was hanging open as if he'd just gotten sucker-punched in the face. "I've been acting like a scared mouse? You barely talk to me anymore!"

"Yeah? Well you don't even make eye contact with me! It's as if talking to me is a nightmare itself!" Donghyuck threw back, looking at his friend with a crease in his brow.

"Oh please, it's not my fault you hate being around me now. It's like everytime I come into a room, you have to put someone between us! It hurts me!" Mark throws his hands up, his face leaning closer to Donghyuck's the more they yell.

"Well it hurts me when you stopped cheering me on during races! As if nothing I do is good enough anymore!"

There wasn't much space left between them now, Donghyuck leaning back against the arm of the couch as Mark just barely hovered over him. "What?! I still cheer you on! You're the fastest 'boarder I know!"

"Really? Because it feels like you don't give a shit about me anymore!" Donghyuck's arms caught him from fully falling off the side of the couch, his eyes glaring into Mark's own, their noses almost touching.

"Of course I give a shit about you! I fucking like you!" Mark instantly slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes going comically wide. Donghyuck was sure he looked no better, just now realizing the position they were in. He was laying back on the couch, one knee raised, the other stretched out. His arms were bent at the elbow, keeping just his upper back from the seat cushions. Mark was above him, strong arms pinned on either side of his head, hair falling over terrified eyes.

"What?"

"I– no. Ignore that. Please." Mark scanned Donghyuck's face, but all he could find was surprise. No disgust, no anger, nothing negative. Just innocent surprise. Okay, and maybe a bit of hope.

Donghyuck suddenly made the horrible(?) decision to flick down to Mark's lips before they jumped back up to stare at his eyes. "No. No I don't think I will." he no longer tried to sit up, instead just tilting his head like a crow examining a stick. Curiosity mixed with something akin to affection.

Mark's face flushed, ears burning as if they've just been dunked in boiling water. His mouth opened and closed like a guppy, trying to find useless words to down the swelling of the tension that shot between them. It wasn't working, however, because their faces continued to get closer and closer. He too looked at Donghyuck's lips before a crease in his brow appeared.

"We aren't done with this conversation, you know," he whispered against the boy's mouth, eyes hooded. A silent ask of permission.

Donghyuck nodded. "Yeah. I know."

Their lips connected and Mark swears to this day, he had never felt that kind of energy before. It coursed through his whole being, running tracks around his stomach and heart as Donghyuck pulled him farther down onto the couch until Mark had to bend his arms in a plank position just to get a good angle.

Weeks of silent pleas and desperate looks filtered through them, conversations going a mile a minute as they continued to stay liplocked.

"Breath dude, breath," Mark said, pulling away with half his mouth quirked up in a smile.

"You did not just call me dude after making out with me." Donghyuck mirrored his face, huffing in amusement.

Mark shrugged as best he could, leaning in again. "Sorry. Force of habit."

Donghyuck closed his eyes, smiling against Mark. "I'll forgive you this time," he said before pressing their lips together again.

<^>

<🐵: it took 28 chapters and finally FINALLY they kissed. Like sheeeeeeee– omg hi. Im here. With yalls favorite book. With a 2000+ word update. Arent you proud? Who am i kidding, of course you are! Anywho uh, i hope you liked this because a) im a comedic genius. And b) sm00ch sm00ch ooooh you wanted them to kiss sooooo baddddddd PIWPGHW uhm yeah ty for reading i love you playmates 💖>