going to yukhei's 'secret hideout' every friday night became a normal thing for donghyuck. he'd sneak out of the house and jog to the gas station to meet jeno, jaemin, and yukhei. every time he met them, they always had their packs of cigarettes and their bottles of alcohol. and donghyuck always gave in to the peer pressure, letting himself become immersed in the bitter taste of the drinks and the smoke of the cigarettes.
"back again for more?" yukhei asked as he watched donghyuck approach him.
"you bet." donghyuck gave him a small smile as he walked over to jaemin.
jaemin did the usual process. he unzipped his backpack and took out a water bottle that was filled with a different liquid, tossing it to the boy.
donghyuck brought the bottle up to his lips and quickly downed a few sips of the alcohol. there was a slight stinging sensation in his throat, a sensation that he had learned to enjoy.
"here," jeno said as he handed donghyuck a small box.
donghyuck's hands fiddled with the cartridge that he knew so well even though he wasn't supposed to. his fingers pulled out one of the small sticks and he tossed the box back to jeno. his hand made its way to his pocket and pulled out a small red object. yukhei had given him a lighter as a present for being a good friend to him. he found it funny and he laughed lightly as he stuck his cigarette in his mouth, lighting it.
"it's weird to see you smoke." yukhei said, his words being directed at donghyuck as he sat down against the wall with the rest of the group. "you seem so pure at school, like, you're so happy. and then you come here and you seem so cool."
jeno snorted at the oldest boy's comment and he shook his head. yukhei was always so interested in everything donghyuck did.
donghyuck shrugged and took a drag of his cigarette, inclining his head to watch the smoke drift away in a swirling pattern. he supposed it was weird how much he changed whenever he was there at the gas station. maybe it was just the alcohol and cigarettes influencing him.
after a while, donghyuck found that his vision was slightly blurry and he was starting to develop a head ache. as he slumped against the wall, he smiled lazily at the feeling of being drunk. it was a unique, one of a kind feeling that he was constantly craving.
donghyuck was usually clingy, but when he was drunk, he was extra clingy, if it was even possible. the boy had his arms wrapped around yukhei's waist and he was mumbling incoherently.
"uh, could you guys get him off of me." yukhei gently nudged donghyuck's head that rested on his shoulder.
"nope. i'm gonna take a picture so hold still!" jaemin exclaimed as he got up, holding his phone in front of his face. before yukhei could even respond, there was a small clicking sound, signaling a photo being taken.
"once we get back to school, i'm kicking your ass." yukhei muttered as he watched jaemin happily upload the picture to his instagram account.
meanwhile, mark was sitting on the center of his bed, phone pressed up against his ear. he was calling one of his best friends, renjun. due to the late hours of the night, he had to whisper in order to not be caught.
"mark, look at what jaemin posted on instagram." renjun said in awe.
"what did he post?" mark asked, taking his phone away from his ear and opening up the app.
"just look at it,"
mark rolled his eyes as the app loaded. he scrolled down for a bit before he saw jaemin's username. as he stared at the picture of two dimly lit figures, he felt his heart drop. his eyes noticed donghyuck's arms around yukhei's waist, then the younger boy's head on the other's shoulder.
"you still there?" renjun broke the silence with a worried voice.
"i'm going to bed. goodnight, renjun." mark's voice wavered and he hung up.
