"mark, you're crying again?"
donghyuck knelt down to his best friend and lifted up his chin, making him look up. the younger boy shook his head in disappointment as mark pointed to his knee.
"another scrape? this is your third one this week!"
the two boys just met nearly a week ago and donghyuck found that mark was very clumsy. every other day, donghyuck found himself trying to cheer up mark at recess. he often fell whenever they played basketball or tag.
"i'll be right back." donghyuck said as he ran towards the bathroom.
donghyuck came back a few minutes later with a wet paper towel in his hands. mark looked at it curiously, wondering what it was for.
"i'm going to clean it, okay?" the smaller boy looked at mark, waiting for a response. he didn't want to accidentally hurt him.
"okay," mark said quietly, his voice barely audible. "be careful."
"don't worry, i will. it might sting a little bit."
mark watched as donghyuck slowly put the damp paper towel on his knee. he started crying again as he felt small stinging sensation on his scrape. donghyuck immediately took the paper off, his eyes holding a concerned look as he watched the older boy cry.
"shh," mark felt his head being pet. "it's okay. i'm sorry."
he wiped the tears away to clear his vision and he sniffled quietly, not looking at his friend. donghyuck continued to gently stroke mark's hair, trying his best to comfort him. the two stayed like that for a few minutes, the only sound being mark's sniffling.
"it hurts." mark said after a while. he had stopped crying but there were still tear stains on his cheeks.
"i know, but it will feel a lot better once it's over. you trust me right?" donghyuck made his voice as soothing as possible.
"yeah," mark admired how patient donghyuck was with him. no one except his parents was like that with him. "i trust you."
"i'm going to try again, okay?"
donghyuck was given a small nod and like before, he gently placed the wet paper on his knee. he sighed when he heard mark crying quietly again.
"here,"
mark watched as donghyuck backed up slightly and then leaned forward again, kissing his cheek. there was a moment of silence as the two gazed at each other.
"better?" donghyuck asked, taking hold of mark's hand and squeezing it lightly. he felt satisfied when he saw the taller boy smiling and nodding at him.
"can i have another, please?" mark pointed at his other cheek with his free hand. donghyuck noticed that his cheeks were a pale rosy color.
donghyuck leaned in again and placed another kiss to his friend's other cheek. they both giggled, their eye smiles showing.
"can i," the older boy started, stuttering a bit. donghyuck gave him silent reassurance with a smile. "can i give you one?"
his eyes sparkled when he saw donghyuck nod. he reached up and brought his lips to donghyuck's forehead, planting a soft kiss on his smooth skin. he lingered there longer than he should have before pulling away.
"did you like it?" he asked, anxiously waiting for a response.
"yeah, i did!" donghyuck exclaimed as he touched his forehead.
"i liked your kisses, too." mark's voice was barely inaudible, but it was enough to make the other boy's heart flutter.
