i won't even attempt to explain why i haven't been writing 😭 just take this and don't stone me to death CAUSE IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN A YEAR SO HA!
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Despite being emotionally spent from the dinner with his parents, Donghyuck wakes up the next morning feeling like he's on cloud nine.
He has Mark to thank for that.
He looks at him, cast in the glow of early morning sunlight cascading through the blinds of his window. Donghyuck lies pressed against Mark's side, almost on top of him, with their legs tangled beneath the covers. Mark holds him close even as he sleeps, his cheek pressed against the pillow and his lips exhaling soft snores that Donghyuck makes a note to tease him for later. The arm that doesn't rest curled around Donghyuck's middle is slung across the space on his other side.
Donghyuck wants to laugh at how much space Mark gave up just to sleep pressed against him, but truthfully, he appreciates the closeness. He never has to ask Mark to be near him because he always is. Anyone else would find his constant closeness unbearable and tedious, but Donghyuck revels in it.
He doesn't know what time it is, and the thought dawns on him that it's one of the rare occasions he's awake before Mark. He doesn't take those moments for granted and wants to gaze at him even before he can watch the smile spread across his face when Mark realizes he is watching him sleep. At first, he thought he was being a creep, but now he realizes he wanted to note everything about Mark, even if that meant tracing the planes of his face while he dozed.
He hears the soft thud of footsteps in the hall, assuming it's Jaemin going to start his daily brew or Renjun going to open the curtains downstairs. Donghyuck caught the tail-end of a conversation between him and Jaemin where Renjun complained about how dark and soulless the home felt when he was the first one up in the morning. Jaemin's response was to tell him he had the early-rising spirit of an elderly woman, to which Renjun threatened to scalp him.
Donghyuck is content with remaining in bed until Mark wakes up or until Jaemin bursts in and forces them downstairs for breakfast, but the thought is pushed aside when his phone buzzes.
He assumes it's a text from his parents, deciding to ignore the device to maintain his early morning bliss, but frowns when it buzzes two more times. He makes a mental note to silence his phone before bed, glancing at Mark to ensure the noise didn't wake him before peeling himself from Mark's radiating warmth as stealthily as possible. He successfully slips away without rousing him, smiling at how his nose scrunches even in his sleep before exiting the room to check his phone.
He's pleased and surprised that the notifications weren't from his parents but from Ryujin.
ryujin
heyyy
ryujin
it's ryujin!
ryujin
you got plans today?
There's nothing more confusing to Donghyuck than the chipper spirit of an early riser. He finds a smile warping his face as he responds, telling her he's got nothing planned. Not even minutes later, three more notifications appear in the chat with Ryujin planning to call him later, and Donghyuck agrees.
He doesn't think to ask why, assuming she wants to talk about the previous night's events, and he doesn't mind. As much as he dreads the feelings associated with anything his parents do, knowing there's someone else he can relate to spreads warmth throughout his entire body.
Deciding he's too energized to return to bed, he goes downstairs. He isn't surprised to find Jaemin sipping from a Winnie the Pooh mug while Renjun reprimands him for slurping the contents of his mug—to spite him, no doubt.
