Renjun and Mark had been childhood friends, spending their days playing together and creating beautiful memories. Renjun was always a naturally affectionate person, and he loved hugging and holding hands with his friends, especially Mark. But as they grew older, Renjun noticed that Mark seemed uncomfortable with physical affection, and he started shying away whenever Renjun tried to hug him.
Feeling hurt and rejected, Renjun slowly stopped being as touchy with Mark, assuming that he didn't like it.
Fastforward they just entered University.
Recently, Renjun noticed a change in Mark's behavior. He would often hug Renjun tightly, holding onto him for longer than necessary. He would stand close to Renjun, and Renjun could feel Mark's eyes on him whenever someone else hugged him.
One day, as they were sitting together during lunch, Renjun couldn't help but bring up the change in Mark's behavior.
"Mark, can I ask you something?" Renjun said, trying to sound casual.
Mark looked at him, his expression guarded. "Yeah, sure. What is it?"
"Well, lately, you've been hugging me a lot and getting jealous when others hug me," Renjun pointed out gently. "I just wanted to know if everything's okay. Is something bothering you?"
Mark looked taken aback for a moment before averting his gaze. "I... I don't know what you're talking about."
Renjun could sense that Mark was avoiding the question, and it only made him more determined to get to the bottom of it. One day, during lunch, Guanlin, one of their friends, was talking to Renjun, standing a little too close for Mark's liking. Before Renjun knew it, Mark had grabbed his arm and dragged him away from Guanlin.
"Mark, what's going on?" Renjun asked, trying to stay calm despite his heart racing from the suddenness of the situation.
Mark's grip on his arm tightened, and his jaw was clenched. "I don't like it when you're so close to other guys like that," he said, his voice low and possessive.
Renjun was taken aback by Mark's reaction. "Why does it bother you so much? We're just friends, and Guanlin was just talking to me."
Mark hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up. "I don't know, okay? I just... I don't like seeing you with other guys. You're mine, and I don't want to share you."
"Yours? Mark, what are you even saying, you've been acting weird recently" Renjun's really pissed off at Mark's behavior right now.
Mark seemed conflicted, and he looked away, still not meeting Renjun's eyes. "I know, I know. It's just... I don't know why I feel this way."
"Maybe you're feeling possessive because we used to be so close when we were kids," Renjun suggested gently. "And maybe you miss that closeness and are afraid of losing it."
Both of them know that isn't the reason for this but they decide to leave it at.
Things slowly started to go back to normal between them, but Renjun couldn't help but notice that Mark was still being overly possessive and sticking to him like glue. It was both endearing and frustrating at the same time. He didn't understand why Mark was acting this way, and part of him wanted to confront Mark about it, but another part of him didn't want to risk ruining their friendship.
Then, one day, Mark stopped coming to classes and didn't hang out with their friend group anymore. Renjun was worried and asked Jeno about it, who informed him that Mark had presented as an alpha and needed some time to adjust to the changes.
