mark and donghyuck have been friends for nearly five months now. they were inseparable to say the least. a teacher never saw mark without donghyuck or donghyuck without mark beside him. at recess, they played basketball together and whenever the older of the two fell, donghyuck would spend his time cheering him up by making jokes and giving him kisses. no one saw these actions.
"mark, the school year is almost over and summer is coming up." donghyuck started a conversation as the two laid under the trees in mark's backyard. neither of them cared about their neglected homework that was sitting on a table inside.
"yeah." mark replied lazily, his eyes looking at the leaves above him that concealed the sky. every now and then, they'd shift with the breeze and let the light filter in, making him squint.
"don't just say 'yeah,' we have to do something together!"
mark looked over at the boy next to him and swallowed nervously. his tan skin seemed to be glowing even in the shade, making him look ethereal. as the leaves moved in the breeze, the sun hit his face, making him glow even more. donghyuck's eyes narrowed and he turned his face towards mark's. their faces were close, too close, but neither of them made a move to increase the distance between them.
"mark?" donghyuck's voice snapped mark out of his little trance. "are you okay?"
"what? oh, yeah. i'm fine, just a little tired." the older boy stuttered while talking, making donghyuck laugh.
"if you're tired we can take a nap together." donghyuck suggested, sitting up on his elbows and looking down at mark. "we could sleep on the couch or in your bed. or we could even make a fort! that would be fun, right?"
mark felt a smile tugging at his lips as he listened to donghyuck ramble on about how great forts were. he was always the one listening and the other boy was always the one talking, that's how their relationship worked. there were those rare occasions where donghyuck would be the one to listen to mark talk on and on. donghyuck loved those moments the best because he got to see the usually shy boy come out of his shell and be his comfortable self.
"i think i'm kind of tired now, can we go to sleep?" donghyuck asked as he yawned.
"yeah, let's go inside."
mark helped donghyuck get up and they brushed the leaves and pieces of grass out of each others' hair. they walked inside to meet both of their moms talking about various topics. the two boys waved to them with toothy smiles before running upstairs to mark's room and shutting the door.
"donghyuck, be careful!" mark warned as he watched the said boy jump onto his bed. it annoyed him a little bit but since it was donghyuck, he didn't really mind.
after a while of the two of them jumping on the bed, they settled down. they both laid on the soft covers and stared up at the ceiling. their chests moved up and down slowly as they listened to each others' breaths. it was a peaceful lullaby for them.
"mark?"
mark's eyes shot open as the silence was broken. he turned on his side to look at the other boy, who was staring right back at him.
"do you think we're gonna be friends forever?"
the taller boy's blank expression turned into one of confusion as he took in those words. he didn't know why donghyuck would ask such a question when they both already knew the answer. he scooted closer, minimizing the gap between them. mark took the younger boy's hand and intertwined their fingers. he often did this as a coping method whenever he cried.
"of course, donghyuck. you're my best friend, you're my only friend. why would you ask that?"
donghyuck didn't respond and just kept quiet. his loud and chatty persona was replaced by a silent and noiseless one. the words he just heard meant a lot to him, especially since they came from his best friend. he could tell that mark truly meant what he said and he felt a wave of happiness wash over him.
"can i kiss you?" donghyuck said suddenly, sitting up right and staring down at mark.
mark was taken aback by the sudden change of personality but nonetheless, he nodded and sat up on his elbows. he smiled as he felt a soft, familar sensation on his cheek. like paint being spilled on a paper, color immediately blossomed in mark's cheeks.
donghyuck suddenly kissed mark's neck, taking him by surprise. he watched as mark laughed and rubbed his neck, telling him that it tickled.
"it tickles?" the shorter of the two asked, a slightly mischievous undertone in his voice.
"yeah, a lot." mark seemed to not notice the slight change in donghyuck's voice and he laughed a little more.
before mark could say anything else, he was pushed back on his bed, his head hitting his pillow. he felt his legs being sat on and tried pushing donghyuck off, but he wouldn't budge.
"donghyuck, stop!" mark said in between laughs as donghyuck attacked his neck with little kisses.
mark's laughter grew louder as donghyuck poked his fingers in his sides, making him thrash wildly. the younger boy soon felt himself laughing when he felt his own sides being tickled.
"no, mark! mark! stop!" donghyuck shouted, his laughter loud and high pitched. it hurt mark's ears when he got too loud, but he didn't mind since it was donghyuck.
mark didn't stop tickling him and soon enough, he was the one on top. he peppered kisses all over donghyuck's skin. his forehead, his cheeks, his nose, his jawline, his neck, not a single spot was missed. the sound of the pair's quiet giggling filled the room as they both stopped tickling each other.
"that's what you get." mark said as he sat back and folded his arms, his voice proud and confident.
"you missed a spot, mark."
mark stared with wide eyes as donghyuck pointed to his heart shaped lips. he has never kissed anyone on the mouth before and his mom said that he should save that for someone really special, someone you really love. mark supposed he did love donghyuck, if he even knew what love felt like anyway. besides, they were only kids so it couldn't hurt.
mark shrugged and leaned in.
