long live the king - nct, markhyuck

♕ 7 ♕

there was something about the friendship that had blossomed between the royal and the peasant that wasn't like what friendships usually were. aside from the fact neither of them had ever experienced such thing, they both had quickly become familiar with the bond that united them, but somehow, there was still some sort of distance between the two of them.

mark and donghyuck had met every single day for a week now, donghyuck sneaking in the royal palace through the back door after lunch, then preparing something for mark to eat – which became more and more aesthetically pleasing with each day passing – and finally wandering across the endless corridors of the palace, discovering new places, and for donghyuck, learning lots of new amazing things.

but compared to the way another friendship would blossom between two males of the same age, for them, despite those seven afternoons spent together, they still barely knew anything about each other.

it wasn't exactly that they didn't want to get to know each other – quite the contrary actually. both of them often ended up wondering things about the other when they would be lying on their bed and facing the ceiling right before falling asleep. but somehow, neither of them dared to ask anything personal.

on donghyuck's side, the reason was obvious. the peasant didn't want to come off as rude to the future ruler of the kingdom, and he always had so many questions to ask about his surroundings that he could always drown his urge to ask something personal by questioning the royal about anything else he might be curious about.

on mark's side, it was a bit different. ever since their first meeting a week ago, the future king could see how curious donghyuck was – and he couldn't help but think that his curiousness was a charming trait of his personality. hence, he thought that the younger male would have been curious about him and asked him questions, the same way he did ask about the palace. but no, after seven long afternoons spent together, the younger hadn't even asked anything personal. mark didn't necessarily want to tell donghyuck about him, but he'd rather have him ask stuff so that he could mutter a small 'and what about you?' after in order to collect information about him. because yes, mark was dying to know more about the tanned male, to understand how he lived, and why he was always so cheerful and positive. but well, he didn't want to make it seem like he was questioning the younger to gather information about the people he would be leading in the future. so, he was expectantly waiting for donghyuck to ask anything personal.

despite the two boys knowing barely anything about each other, their time together was anything but awkward. with donghyuck's endless questioning, the conversation always kept going, and whenever the younger didn't have a hundred questions to ask, they walked in a comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's presence.

neither of the two boys had ever admitted it out loud, but they truly cherished the friendship that was forming between the two of them. after a few days, mark didn't even need to ask for donghyuck to come to the palace the next day, the younger came on his own, bearing his usual bright smile and innocent curiosity.

as weird as it seemed, they found comfort in each other, both being the opposite of what they were used to.

mark liked being around someone who contented himself of simple things, and someone who wasn't used to the superficiality of the royal world.

as for donghyuck, he was fascinated by how mark fitted in this world of riches that he discovered more and more every day.

and one thing was sure for the two boys; they may still be somewhat foreign to each other, and completely different, but they wouldn't give up on this friendship anytime soon.