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Within the sweetest taste of hot chocolate on a blistering cold morning, Donghyuck finds ounces and ounces of happiness. His smile extends wide, wider than anything he can imagine, so wide that it hurts. His bones ache as he shifts in bed, heart already beginning to kick into place, ready to take on the day.
A sweater that doesn't even belong to him sits loose on his shoulders as it hugs his body, and his hands crave the taste of warmth by gripping tightly onto the mug.
He's only woken up about fifteen minutes ago to what feels like a year's supply of hot chocolate sitting next to his bed in the biggest mug ever. It was hot when he turned over to look at it, gentle steam coming right off the top. He had smiled to himself, hugging his pillow tight against his chest as he stretched his body, letting out one of the loudest groans, right into his pillow.
Donghyuck had mentioned it to Mark the night before, how fantastic it would be to wake up to a cup of hot chocolate on Christmas Eve, how perfect of a morning start it would be.
He didn't get a note next to his mug, but he did get a half assed version of a heart somewhere in the whip cream that Mark added on top.
The knock doesn't come too much later, and Donghyuck sets his mug down, wrapping himself further in his blankets as he slides deeper and deeper into his new bed.
"You're hiding from me?" Mark whispers, quietly turning the handle so he can shut the door without any aggressively loud sounds. "On Christmas Eve?"
Donghyuck pokes out his tongue as his eyes scan over Mark's chest, watching the way he unbuttons his long sleeve shirt, exposing his toned abdomen. Mark stands in front of the mirror by the door, doing his best to get past the fourth button down. A moment later, he turns his head and pouts, his shoulders slouching forward as he raises his eyebrows in desperation.
Donghyuck stretches his fists out and ushers Mark forward with grabby hands. Mark's pout wipes clean off his place as it is soon replaced with a grin, and even more of a grin in his eyes.
"You're not very good at this." Donghyuck pulls himself to his knees, crawling to the edge of the bed as Mark stands on the floor before him.
Mark scoffs and drops his hands, letting Donghyuck fiddle with the threads that must be in the way, tugging on the button and holding it back. Donghyuck doesn't even get the chance to unbutton the rest of the buttons, because Mark places his fingers on the bottom of Donghyuck's chin, lifting it slightly.
"Baby." He whispers, eyes moving back and forth to read through Donghyuck's expression.
"Hm?" Donghyuck has to swallow hard before he hums, all from the nervousness starting a wildfire in his chest.
"I love you."
Donghyuck melts just like the whipped cream that sits pleasantly on top of his hot chocolate. He melts as though he's right underneath the hot summer sun, blaring down onto his skin. He's on fire, but there's more of a gentle warmth that coats his heart, making him feel at home.
"Uh huh." Donghyuck replies, moving his hands back down to Mark's shirt, pushing his palms flat against his chest. "You're so warm, by the way."
Mark flushes, rosy cheeks taking over his entire face, spreading vivaciously.
"I've been up since like four." Mark reaches his hand toward the bottom of Donghyuck's lower back, pulling his body closer until his sweater touches Mark's bare front.
Donghyuck traces along Mark's jawline, pinching at his ear lobe, eyes slowly moving to observe each and every centimeter of Mark's face.
"Did you come to take a nap?"
Mark only hums in response, his eyes falling droopier by the minute.
"I just came to see you. We can get the day started, if that's what you want." Mark grins, pulling away from the boy until he can get his hands on the mug of hot chocolate. "It's good, yeah?"
He takes a sip for himself.
Donghyuck rolls his eyes and lays his back against the bed, cocking his head to the side.
"You're so sleepy, you dork. C'mon."
Mark hums in response, toeing off his shoes as he sets the mug down, climbing right into Donghyuck's arms. He hovers over the president's son, propped up on his elbow as he looks down into the eyes that he loves, the eyes that he adores, and the eyes that he would look at for an eternity if he could. Donghyuck closes them as soon as he recognizes that Mark is losing himself simply through a gaze.
"Kiss me." Donghyuck whispers with his eyes tightly closed.
Mark doesn't hesitate, he obeys.
He leans in carefully, pressing his lips to Donghyuck's with a bit of force. Donghyuck's entire body goes limp as Mark's fingers fiddle with the edge of his sweater, his fingertips grazing gently against Donghyuck's hip bone. Mark rolls his body down, just to get a kick out of the boy. But Donghyuck catches on quick to his change of movements and rolls his own body halfway up to meet Mark in the middle. Mark plops his body down on top of Donghyuck's with a sigh as he rips his mouth away, snuggling into the crevasse of the younger boy's neck.
Mark falls asleep only a few moments later, leaving it up to Donghyuck to shift his body so he's not crushing the poor kid. Donghyuck doesn't mind though, he keeps his fingers threading through Mark's hair, lulling the boy back to sleep any time he makes the smallest movement.
Christmas has always been a bit of a hassle for Donghyuck and his family. His father is hardly around for the holidays, so Donghyuck was always forced to spend time with his staff, baking cookies and opening presents. When he was younger, he even spent a lot of time making little crafted gifts to give to his secret service members, since he wasn't able to hand one off to his father on the most important day of the year, in Donghyuck's opinion. His spirit was always there, but Donghyuck stopped caring so much about the holiday - it always reminded him of how lonely he can be without both parents at his side.
This season was different.
Donghyuck, for one, had Mark Lee... sweetest honeysuckle Mark Lee. He also was able to invite his friends over for Christmas Eve, so he had quite a long few days trying to put together the perfect decorations and the perfect gifts for his friends to enjoy.
He had gotten upset with Mark a couple nights ago as they put up their Christmas tree because Mark wouldn't stop stepping on the lights, ruining that section of them, causing them not to turn on. Mark, of course, apologized with a simple pout and asked Donghyuck to forgive him. Donghyuck didn't care about the fact that Mark had broken the string of lights - he cared more about making sure his new house looked absolutely ideal for his friends.
They had set a scheduled time around six in the evening for when everyone should arrive. Donghyuck, for the hours leading up to six, had absolutely no plans but to spend as much time as he could with Mark.
"Hey." Mark lifts his chin and rests it on the edge of Donghyuck's shoulder, peering up at him with a pair of sleepy eyes.
Donghyuck tilts his head to look over at Mark for a split second before looking back at his phone, attached to the game he's been playing as Mark naps.
"You can sleep longer." Donghyuck suggests, eyebrows furrowing as the clock runs out.
Mark shakes his head, "I know. But, I can literally sense how eager you are to get up."
Donghyuck throws his phone on the other side of the bed and pulls Mark closer, scrunching up his nose.
"You're decent at reading me, watchdog." Donghyuck mumbles.
"Oh, baby, I'm brilliant at it." Mark raises his eyebrows, leaning forward to press a soft kiss against Donghyuck's chin. "Let's get you in the shower."
Donghyuck is the one who hides further in the sheets this time, whining at the way Mark yanks them off at the end of the bed. He complains about how cold he is, but Mark's already turned on the warm shower, so he encourages the boy to get the hell up so he can relax under the hot water.
He stands under the water, humming along to a song he's been listening to recently, a Christmas song that fills him with comfort and brightens his heart.
Mark waits patiently on Donghyuck's bed and accidentally falls asleep once more. When Donghyuck exits his bathroom, he decides not to bother Mark, and instead puts on a clean sweatshirt quietly, keeping his bathroom door closed as he gets ready. He's pretty sure Mark will wake up from the sound of the hair dryer, but Donghyuck does it anyway.
He's right, too, because soon Mark knocks on the door and pokes his head in, all with a head of messy hair and a lopsided grin. Donghyuck turns off the hair dryer and pulls him closer, urging him to lean back against the counter.
Mark keeps a few of his things on the left cabinet in the bathroom, so Donghyuck finds himself digging through it until he finds Mark's hairbrush - and soon Mark is nearly lulled back to sleep.
"Stop falling asleep!" Donghyuck giggles as he fixes the last piece of Mark's hair, giving a curt nod at the effort he put into the look.
Mark chuckles and pinches at Donghyuck's side, disappearing to put his own shirt on. His wardrobe is full of button ups and a couple black sweatshirts, so seeing Mark in an ugly Christmas sweater is something that makes Donghyuck burst into laughter.
Mark whines, pouts, and slouches his shoulders forward, but Donghyuck promises that he looks absolutely stunning standing there.
They find themselves in the kitchen soon, hands deep in flour, and half coated in sugar. It's a lot messier than they thought it would be, but there's a pretty decently clean surface in front of them, giving them plenty of room to work.
The snow right beyond the windows comes down lightly, covering the ground in a soft layer of frosting. It hits against the glass too, making both boys in the kitchen pause their baking for a moment to appreciate the beauty the snow brings.
"Are we gonna decorate them with everyone?" Mark asks.
Donghyuck pokes his head out from the pantry with his bottom lip jutted out, eyebrows drawn in together.
"Are we out of peanut butter?" Donghyuck forms his question just barely above a whisper.
Mark chuckles at him, standing up on his tippy toes to reach above the refrigerator.
"No, we aren't. We pretty much bought a life supply last week, Hyuck." He tosses the boy a new jar, observing the way his expression turns completely and utterly soft.
Donghyuck shovels a spoon right into his mouth, openly smacking his lips together so Mark can see how much peanut butter is actually shoved in his mouth. Something about peanut butter is absolutely the last thing Mark wants to taste, but Donghyuck walks closer to him with such an extravagant smile, a spoonful of peanut butter just for him, and Mark cannot even resist.
"To answer your question, yes. Once Jisung and Jeno and your friends get here, we'll decorate them." Donghyuck walks to the other side of the kitchen, spoon hanging out of his mouth. "Where are the socks we got for everyone?"
Mark tells Donghyuck that the socks are near the front door, so he makes his way over there, only to be greeted with a few loud and aggressive knocks.
Donghyuck stares at the front door in confusion, dark wood staring back at him, the speed of his heart already beginning to increase. It was only 4 in the afternoon, and his friends weren't meant to arrive for another two hours, maybe even longer because of the snowy roads.
There's silence that sweeps through the foyer, but Mark is there in a split second, pushing Donghyuck behind him, ushering him to stand around the corner and not move until directed to.
There's plenty of windows around the house, but there are absolutely none on the door, and they must rely on the tiny windows covered by heavy curtains that stand right next to the large wooden door to see who is outside.
Donghyuck stands around the corner, whispering to Mark, telling him to be careful.
But when Mark open the door, he's met with a few boys. Donghyuck watches from the corner and stares at the way Mark backs up with caution, every muscle in his back tightening up, only to go lax a moment later.
"You scared the fuck out of me." Mark groans, opening the door even further to let Renjun and Jaemin in.
Donghyuck comes around the corner a moment later, skipping toward the two boys. They chuckle in excitement as they wish Donghyuck well, but Mark only locks the door and leans against it.
"I didn't tell you to come out yet. Could've been dangerous." He whines low, only for Donghyuck to poke his tongue out, stretching his hands out to give Mark's friends a kind greeting, telling them how lovely it is to meet in the way they are.
Renjun holds up his middle finger toward Mark, who also continues to whine about the fact that his friends are two hours early.
Donghyuck doesn't mind at all, in fact, he finds himself already diving deep into the stories that both boys have to tell about Mark. It's intriguing and quite hilarious to hear such silly stories about Mark when he was younger.
They lean against the kitchen island as Mark finds stays busy by cleaning up the mess they had caused from baking earlier, trying to avoid any and all the embarrassment that his friends have no problem with putting upon him.
Donghyuck gets fed up with Mark's constant moving around the kitchen and introduces Renjun and Jaemin to his living room. He stays behind for a moment to hold his hands around Mark's waist, to lean up to scrunch his nose right against Mark's, to kiss his boyfriend right on the lips.
"This is embarrassing." Mark lifts his chin and looks down at Donghyuck with a sad face.
Donghyuck flicks the bottom of Mark's chin before he kisses it, intertwining their fingers before dragging the both of them back to the living room.
The living room fills up with laughter soon, memories and future plans being skyrocketed all around, bouncing off the walls of the house. Donghyuck's friends arrive a bit earlier than six and join in on the embarrassing storytelling. Jisung brings a date, too, and hardly acts like himself. Donghyuck thinks it's funny and pretty damn cute.
Soon, Donghyuck forces everyone to put on a pair of fuzzy socks that he bought, his bright smile and excitement bringing such joy to everyone in the room. Everyone had already arrived at the house with Christmas sweaters, which is another thing Donghyuck was able to cross of his ultimate to-do list.
Everyone works together to make dinner, loud music bumping through the kitchen. It gets a little crammed, and Mark kicks everyone out soon enough since they all began to goof off. Jeno stays back, filling the empty space with another helping hand. Mark appreciates it, because Jeno happens to be a pretty good cook.
"I'm really nervous for this." Jeno starts, turning the heat off on one of the pans they have boiling on the stove. He looks forward, but soon sucks in a deep breath and turns to Mark, who watches his with curious eyes.
"For Christmas?" Mark asks.
Jeno widens his eyes, "No. Wait. Let me like... give me a second."
Mark surveys the way Jeno nervously shifts around.
"I know you're like... this really big and tough secret service dude. But I... I won't hesitate to... ruin your life if you even remotely hurt Donghyuck." He nods his head, mostly speaking to himself, proud of his own statement.
The sun has already begun to set and the light bleeding in through the windows casts a beautiful color against Donghyuck's cheeks that Mark can see from afar. He looks from Donghyuck back to Jeno, only to lift a smile onto his mouth.
"Donghyuck is stubborn as hell, but I am so inevitably in love with him. I won't ever give you a reason to ruin my life, Jeno. I only want good things for that boy."
Jeno's bottom lip trembles as his hands reach out toward Mark's. Soon, Mark finds himself in the comfort of a warm hug. He finds it sweet.
They eat well and move on to competing in who has the best cookie decorating skills. They have a vote, and Jisung spends a lot of time trying to convince everyone to vote for Chenle, whose cookie was decorated like the night sky, full of beautiful stars.
Chenle ended up winning and proceeded to thank Jisung by giving him the faintest kiss on his cheek. Jisung feels as though he has won as well.
The exchange of gifts in the circle was a bit chaotic and Mark could sense the way Donghyuck was on cloud nine listening to everyone argue, because for some reason, it felt like one big family, and it was the best thing Donghyuck could ever want.
Mark lays a hand on Donghyuck's knee, shifting his thumb back and forth as he gathers the younger's attention. He uses the opportunity to pull Donghyuck onto his lap as they both are sitting inches apart on the couch. Donghyuck tilts his face to the side to give Mark a sweet kiss.
He can tell Mark is enjoying the coldness of his lips, because he sighs right into Donghyuck's mouth, making the younger giggle.
"Can I give you your gift later?" Mark whispers to him while everyone in the room cackles over the gift Jaemin had bought for Renjun.
Donghyuck raises an eyebrow and nearly rolls his eyes to the back of his head from how lovely Mark's fingers feel grazing against the back of his neck. It's barely a touch, but it's so Mark, and Donghyuck absolutely loves to be touched by Mark.
"Really?" Donghyuck pouts slightly, but Mark promises everything will be fine, he just wants to be able to make their gift exchange a little more private.
Donghyuck agrees and turns back to the group, scooting a little further back on Mark's lap. He gets a soft kiss to his clothed shoulders, and one right on the nape of his neck. Mark pulls Donghyuck closer against his chest, hugging tight onto the most important piece of his life.
They play a few games, courtesy of Donghyuck's brilliant planning, they listened to music and talk for hours under the moonlight and under the strings of Christmas lights that Mark had managed to tape against the wall in the early morning. Granted, they didn't stay on too well because Mark decided to tape them over anything else, but everyone appreciates the effort.
They bid their friends goodbye, promising that none of them needed to stay behind to clean up. Donghyuck nearly cries when what feels like his entire family leaves out the door. He shouts out toward the cars, asking them to text when they arrive safe back home.
When Mark shuts the door, Donghyuck brings a wide smile to his lips, pushing Mark right up against it. Mark swallows hard and widens his eyes at the sudden position the both of them are in.
"I have been dying to make out with you all night." Donghyuck admits, tracing his hand from Mark's hair until his palm rests right on Mark's cheek.
"You could have told everyone we needed a minute to get our gifts together." Mark smirks, and Donghyuck playfully slaps his chest, letting Mark go.
He steps back and turns on his heel, heading back to the kitchen.
"No, cause what I want to do with you definitely needs to be longer than a minute."
Mark stands starstruck against the door, a blush crawling up his neck. He soon picks up the pace and catches up to Donghyuck, pinning him against the wall. Donghyuck finds his way out quickly as he moves to hop up right onto the kitchen island. Mark follows in a hurry and cocks his head to the side when he watches Donghyuck spread his knees apart, like he's asking for Mark to step between them.
Mark does, in a hurry, but he tries to act like his heart isn't beating a thousand times a minute as he craves to taste his love.
Donghyuck holds Mark's face in his hands as his watchdog pulls him closer until their cores meet. Donghyuck pulls his bottom lip between his teeth and bites down, blinking as though he's asking Mark to hurry up and make a move. Mark, of course, takes the opportunity and stands between them, attaching his mouth to Donghyuck's, already beginning to bite on his lip.
The kiss is sweeter than the hot chocolate Donghyuck has been attached to all night. Mark can taste the chocolate right off of Donghyuck's lips, and his tongue moves further into the boys mouth so he can find the sweetest spot. Mark melts right as Donghyuck hooks his legs around Mark's waist, pulling his body skin tight against his own.
Mark grips right onto Donghyuck's hips and slides him off the counter, holding him up in the air as Donghyuck stays wrapped around him. Their mouths continue to move together, and Mark does a pretty damn good job at walking through the dark house while kissing Donghyuck.
As soon as he gets into the bedroom, he lays Donghyuck on his back, crawling right over him. Donghyuck hits Mark's elbow and causes the boy to lose his balance. Donghyuck takes the opening to hover over Mark, giggling as he tucks his hair behind his ears.
Mark doesn't waste time in pulling him down so their mouths can move steadily once more, hungrily digging deep through each other to hang onto the feeling of closeness. Donghyuck can hardly breathe and he feels totally intoxicated by the taste of Mark, but there's nothing in the world he would trade it for.
They both are out of breath in only a few minutes, the cold practically holding them hostage. Mark lifts the blanket over the both of them, intertwining his legs with Donghyuck to bring a bit of warmth to their burning yet somehow freezing bodies.
Donghyuck feels so comfortable that his eyes start to close.
"I need to give you your gift." Mark mumbles as he leans forward to kiss Donghyuck's nose.
The younger boy flutters his eyes open, cuddling deeper into Mark's side.
"Don't get up. I'm freezing." He whines.
Mark chuckles and brushes the hair out of Donghyuck's face.
"We don't have to go anywhere." Mark pushes himself until he is propped up on his elbow, and there he reaches behind his neck, unclasping the necklace Donghyuck is so fond of.
Donghyuck lets his mouth fall open, and he immediately sits up and crosses his legs, his eyes glossing over.
"It's nothing much but I want you to have it. My mom gave it to me before I left home, and she promised it would keep me safe. It has, no doubt, but I want to give it to you. A piece of me." Mark holds the necklace in his hands, his eyes reading so much emotion, so much deep and painful emotion.
Donghyuck shakes his head.
"No, Mark. That's special. Keep it." Donghyuck says it lower than a whisper, his hands already beginning to shake. Mark shakes his head and pulls his lips into the tiniest smile. "Who will keep you safe, then?"
Mark pokes his tongue out to wet his lips before he pulls them into a tight line, fingertip pressing over Donghyuck's heart.
"You will. You keep me safe in ways that I can't keep you safe, and I'll forever be thankful for that." He looks down at the necklace and moves Donghyuck's hand until it presses right against Mark's chest. "Protect my heart, okay?"
Donghyuck wipes the tears pooling in his eyes, taking over his entire expression. He slowly nods his head as he looks down at the sheets on the bed. Mark simply touches his fingers to the bottom of Donghyuck's chin, lifting his face until their eyes meet.
Mark's lips are bruised, but Donghyuck still leans in to bruise them a tiny bit more as he kisses him hard. He kisses him with hardly any movement, but with all the feeling in the world.
Donghyuck turns himself around and lets Mark clasp the necklace around his neck. He admires it between his own fingers once it hangs carefully against his chest.
"I got you something as well, but it's kind of funny."
Mark nods his head and sucks on his own lip as Donghyuck makes his way to the closet, pulling out a small canvas. He holds it away from Mark until he bounces back on the bed, his teeth out as his grin shines brighter than the moon right outside the window.
He counts to three and turns the canvas, and Mark is met with a painting of a dog mid shake, with a collar that has the word "Watchdog" written on it. The dog seems to be wet, shaking its fur.
"You know... since sometimes I call you a wet dog. It's jumping in puddles..." He points to the dog's paw pressing in the water, "...see?"
Mark holds the canvas close to his body and hugs it, adoring the way Donghyuck continues to giggle from the other side of the bed. The laughter is medicine to his needy body, and Mark craves for the feeling to stay, forever.
"It's almost one in the morning, by the way." Mark twists his head around as his phone screen lights up. He then turns back to Donghyuck
"I really fucking love you, Mark." Mark leans forward and holds Donghyuck's hands in his own.
They're warm and Donghyuck wants them pressed against his cheeks, against his stomach, against every part of his body. Mark makes him feel warm, makes him feel at home, and makes him feel genuinely happy. His cheeks are stained with tears as he brings Mark into the tightest hug, holding on as though Mark will shatter right in front of him if he lets go.
Mark nods his head, tears already dripping down his own cheeks from the amount of pure bliss he feels when he looks at Lee Donghyuck.
"Merry Christmas, Loverboy."