Archive of Our Own

everyone had told them that when a couple moves in together that they’d instantly become too domestic, mark and donghyuck didn’t believe it. their relationship had always been filled with love and small gestures to make the other swoon, but they’d never acted as if they’d be around each other for the rest of time. it was a winter’s night when donghyuck had searched for possible apartments for them to live in as a joke, bookmarking the ones with balconies and the grandest dining rooms. mark had draped his arms over his shoulders from where he leant behind him, looking at the listing of the apartments on donghyuck’s computer. 

“baby, what are you doing?” he pressed a loving kiss to the boy’s temple. donghyuck hummed, leaning into the boy’s warmth. 

“looking for our future home.” he sighed, “there’s so many options, it’s too hard to choose just one.” 

“you’d live with me?” mark hovered over the boy, lifting his chin up. 

“of course i would, i mean, i am stuck with you forever.” donghyuck laughed and connected their lips in a chaste peck. “i love you.” he dragged out, looking back at the computer screen.  

“nope, you’re not giving me one kiss and leaving me hanging.” mark continued to place kisses over his cheek, his hair, his nose and the corners of his lips. 

“stop! you’re distracting me from being productive!” he whined as mark continued to shower him in affection. donghyuck had enough and simply grabbed his cheeks and slammed his lips on mark’s before pulling away quickly. “childish.” he mumbled as he started to scroll through the listings again. 

“i love you too.” mark whispered, hooking his chin over his shoulder. as donghyuck continued to scroll through the many options, mark saw one that caught his eye in the bottom right corner, “stop, there.” he pointed, “that’s perfect.” he kissed the boy’s cheek. 

“You haven’t even looked at what it’s got inside!” donghyuck whined, pointing at the screen.

“i don’t care what it’s got, just as long as it comes with you.” 

“fucken smooth, mark. come on! i’m feeling take-out tonight.” donghyuck placed the laptop aside and pushed himself up off the couch. mark sat there in awe admiring the god-like boy in front of him, how he was dressed in a loose t-shirt and sweatpants - both that belonged to mark. maybe their friends were right, maybe they’d be better as a domestic couple. 

finally finding the perfect place to live and spend the rest of their loving lives together, they moved in a mere week after they bought it. it wasn’t that hard to rack up enough money to buy the apartment. with mark’s part-time job he had since he was twelve and donghyuck’s parents more than willing to put forward to it, they were able to put down a pretty good offer. which led to mark and donghyuck standing hand in hand in front of multiple cardboard boxes, each with scribbles in permanent black marker. mark’s comic books, donghyuck’s candles and a shared box with their stuff that they’d left behind at each other’s houses. other than that, they had nothing. no kitchen utensils, no bed, no couch and no food - they were really starting from the beginning and the couple couldn’t have picked a better place to start. together, they tackled their respective boxes together, giving loving gazes to each when they’d catch each other’s eyes. it was a long process but in the end, everything was in their specific places. they had split the room into two sections with their shared things in the middle, donghyuck on the left and mark on the right. other than the boxes of clothes they had, they simply had nothing. 

“let’s do the shared box together. we could look at our memories, we have some pretty good ones you know!” donghyuck peeled the tape with a strong pull before the flaps flew open, revealing a full box of items. on top of the box was a small scrapbook, decorated with hearts and funny stickers of mark’s and his faces. “it’s the scrapbook i made for our one year anniversary!” donghyuck laughed, pulling the book within his arms and opening it to the first page. it’s a photo of him placing a kiss on mark’s cheek, the two boys obviously looking younger with mark’s braces and donghyuck’s jet black hair. “you were so shy back then!” he laughed, turning the page to show mark. 

“i see your cockiness hasn’t changed either.” mark smirked, digging into the box and pulling out a jumper. “holy shit, i thought i lost this!” donghyuck’s eyes lit up when he saw the front of the jumper, the heart embroidery making his heart feel warm.

“i can’t believe you still have that.” he laughed and mark immediately put it on.  

“you said it’d keep me safe because it was your lucky charm. of course i’d keep it! it means a lot to you, so it now has to mean a lot to me.” donghyuck flipped the page, his jaw dropped. 

“i forgot i put this in here!” he laughed his ass off, showing mark the picture. mark didn’t sign up for the second hand embarrassment that came with it. in photo, mark was sound asleep and lying on donghyuck’s parents' couch but the thing that got both of them was a donghyuck kissing at the boy’s neck. 

“that mark wouldn’t go away! it took me hours to cover up!” he laughed, trying to flick the page, “besides, it’s only the second page and you already went too deep!” 

“of course, i had to catch you off guard! who do you think i am?” he snickered and closed the scrapbook, they’d look at it another time. both boys continued to dive through the box pulling out everything that they had shared over the course of their four year relationship. stuffed animals they had won each other at the fair, old hoodies that they’d left behind on accident, love letters and drawings meant only for each other’s eyes. now to think they’d no longer had to be apart excited donghyuck, he finally got to see the love of his life every single day for as long as he wanted. no curfews, no hesitation and no rules to stop him from seeing mark and he loved that chance he had. 

he could kiss him whenever he wanted, he could cuddle into him while he made their dinner and he could most of all snuggle up to him when they’d fall asleep together on their bed. the world was finally letting donghyuck have what he wanted - a carefree life with mark lee and he loved that. 

that night as they cuddled up against each other on the floor where they believed the couch would be was one of the most loving moments mark had ever had. donghyuck’s brown hair leant up against his chest as their breaths filled the room, a quiet ambience of their new home. they didn’t need to say anything since mark already knew what the boy against his chest was thinking. He couldn’t put it into words about how he felt finally in their dream home, he was just so proud of them and he couldn’t think of any other way. he ran a comforting hand through the boy’s brown locks, threading them over and over again as he listened to the sound of the cars pass down the street. this was home now, this is where they’d probably spend the rest of their lives and it hadn’t really hit him yet.

mornings with the newly moved in couple soon became the thing that donghyuck looked forward to every morning. mark would be sleepily slumped over the stove, cooking god knows what and donghyuck would wrap his arms around the width of his waist, pressing a kiss into the boy’s neck. 

“mhm, morning.” he’d mumble, snuggling his nose further into the taller’s back, “what ‘cha making?” mark laughed as he used the chopsticks to flip the fried egg over. 

“eggs…” and donghyuck whined, hitting his forehead against the boy’s neck. 

“noooooo, baby.” he dragged out, continuing to hit his head. “the last time you made eggs, we had to throw them out because we got food poisoning.”  mark laughed. a sizzle came from the frying pan and a light gas smell.

“trust me angel, i’ve got this under control. just stay where you are and i’ll wake you up when it’s ready.” 

“it better be good or else i’ll shower you in kisses.” 

“i thought you were gonna say fight me.” mark snickered to which donghyuck replied with, “that too.” mark continued to cook at the stove with an asleep donghyuck pressed against his back. he seemed like a little koala, sleepy but still clingy. He didn’t realise it but ever since the boy and him had moved in together, donghyuck became more and more clinger. he didn’t exactly know why but he had his reasons? it could’ve been the lack of attention he had gotten at home surrounded by so many family members or maybe mark was looking too deep into the boy’s love. he wouldn’t complain though, he adored having the boy near him all the time. it made those once lonely nights without him so much more worth it that he was next to him all the time. for the first time in forever, he was able to fall asleep next to him and wake up to his beautiful face every single day and not like the usual one off when they were younger. 

he seemed to find that in their relationship, he kept questioning the little things donghyuck would do. the way he’d wait for mark to fall asleep first before he did himself, the way he’d place their contrasting coloured toothbrushes next to each other and even their slippers had to be next to each other. nothing that donghyuck owned couldn’t be far apart from mark’s things. donghyuck just wanted to be as close to his boyfriend as humanly possible and maybe he’d find it annoying, but mark never found donghyuck annoying - it was impossible. yeah, his personality may seem like he’d annoy the living crap out of you but to mark, he was like cotton candy - filled with sweetness and would melt in an instance. 

“angel, it’s ready.” he whispered to the boy behind him, shrugging his shoulders a little to try and wake the boy up. donghyuck hummed into his back as his eyes started to flutter. “i didn’t burn it, i promise.” he laughed, prying the boy’s arms off his waist and turning around to embrace him, “let’s get you sat down.” 

donghyuck’s head drooped off to the side as mark pushed the chair in behind him.

“baby, you should really go back to bed after this.” mark laughed, taking his own seat beside the boy. donghyuck nodded sleepily, lazily picked his pair of chopsticks up and started to eat. “of course you’re not tired to eat food.” a small laugh came from the boy beside him and mark swore he could get used to this. this homey and warm feeling that came from seeing the boy’s messed up bed hair and tired face. 

the apartment complex they lived in came with facilities like a gym, an outdoor eating area and donghyuck’s personal favourite, a pool. he had been convincing his stubborn boyfriend for a whole two weeks at this point to just face his public embarrassment fear and go swimming with him. he’d corner him at every chance he got, holding on to his hands and trying to drag him towards the door, but he wouldn’t budge. donghyuck had always wanted to recreate those adorable underwater kisses, but mark had complained about the chlorine. 

“so? it’s cute!” donghyuck whined, pulling on the boy’s arm. 

“no, didn’t you think of all the potential things that could be in the pool?” mark mumbled as he turned away from the boy. 

“but, please! if you come i promise i’ll make lunch.” he battered his eyelids and mark jumped at the option straight away. standing in front of the pool’s shallow end, donghyuck looked at a nervous mark, he decided to just go and plant a kiss on his cheek, “babe, no one’s here. it’s just you and i.” he snaked his hand down to intertwine with the other’s as he led them to the steps. 

“just breathe, okay? i’m here.” mark stayed put on the first step as donghyuck was lingering on the second last step. “come here.” he pulled the boy’s lips onto his, trying his best to calm the scared boy down. as they parted, he helped mark move from step to step under the water was up to his shoulders. 

“we’re gonna go under, count to three and then close your eyes! okay?” he nodded, and with a quick breath, the boys were underneath. a cold sensation chilled their bodies as the water entrapped them in it’s calmness. the drop of their breaths lingered in their throat as donghyuck tapped mark’s shoulder, signalling the count. one, two, three. mark’s eyes tightly shut to avoid the chlorine from filling his eyes. as the water moved around him, his own boyfriend took the chance to carry out his dream. donghyuck swam forward and placed a messy kiss on the boy’s lips. the water not doing them both a favour, but mark had to agree - it was really something else. a hand was in his hair, another hand around his waist that had brought him even closer to the boy. his heart beating faster than humanly possible, maybe he should’ve listened to more of his boy’s wacky ideas because this one, really is something else. 

they pushed each other out of the water, their lips still on each other as they tried to get even closer to each other’s warmth. as he placed the palm of his hands on donghyuck’s cheek, they’d slip due to the water dropping off his face. his only attempt at deepening the kiss while in the middle of their apartment complex’s pool was by far the stupidest thing mark had ever attempted. 

when they’d had their first housewarming party, they weren’t prepared for the gifts their friends had gotten them. they had all pitched in to buy furniture for them and decorative miscellaneous things. the biggest gift they had been given by all of them was a framed collage of all of them throughout highschool with their special memories, pressed flowers and detention slips. 

“you didn’t have to.” mark smiled as he looked closely at the photos they had included. he was grateful, so grateful that his friends had put so much time and effort into make their memories able to be seen everyday. 

“we love you two.” jeno laughed, throwing his arms around their shoulders and squeezing into them. “congratulations!” the picture of their memories was placed on their living room accent wall above the television. it was the perfect place to reminisce since the couple would always sit together and discuss the old times, and that was a perfect conversation starter. 

them putting furniture together could be the best idea for a new sitcom reality show, like the office but building. mark had the instructions laid out beside him while donghyuck tried to fit the screwdriver head into the small gap. mark had to stop and correct him multiple times because he actually had the wrong screwdriver head and was merely just breaking the furniture. when the other had to help him, he’d just give a smile because he knew what he was doing, being lazy. in their relationship, that’s the only thing he really achieved peak laziness but mark was happy with that as long as he just cleaned up after himself. 

some nights, they would just sit next to each other with their pinkies intertwined and no comments between them at all. they didn’t need to always tell each other that they loved one another because it was already known by both. mark had told him how important it was for them to still be independent even though they lived together and how they needed to take time for themselves every once in a while. donghyuck agreed although because of his clingy ass made the exception they’d stay together but wouldn’t talk. they promised that when they first started their relationship to never lose themselves while trying to love the other. Both boys wouldn’t lie when they’d say it was hard to keep a grip on themselves as they fell more and more in love with one another. so, it took times like this to remember that they were still two people with their own lifes. due to living together, they found it became harder to try and focus on their own lives while trying to worry and look after each other, but they were dedicated to try and push through it for the other. 

one particular afternoon, donghyuck had decided it would’ve been a good idea to try and do a home workout routine in their living room, pushing all of their furniture to the sides of the room with a large space in the middle. he had found some video on youtube of this person’s  workout routine and donghyuck thought it had looked pretty easy. 

not! he found it so damn difficult, moving his body in ways he couldn’t imagine. the lady on the video was too flexible and donghyuck didn’t realise how much effort it would take to try and do just that. 

“mark!” he yelled as he flopped into an exhausted heat on the floor. heavy footsteps came from the hallway as mark laughed at the sight of his boyfriend sprawled out on the floor. “asshole, your boyfriend is literally in pain and you, laugh?” mark held onto the wall for support as he doubled over in laughter. 

“you did this to yourself.” he wheezed, trying to breath, “let me get my phone, the boys need to see this!” he disappered around the corner. 

“no!” donghyuck cried out, already knowing he lost the battle, “you’re so mean!” he rolled around the floor as the lady’s voice in the video continued to play. 

“say cheese!” mark’s phone snapped as he immediately was typing something, “oh, by the way, that isn’t a workout video.” mark smirked. 

“huh?” donghyuck pushed himself up, fishing for the remote that he left on the table. “what?” as he clicked the video, the caption came up and he flushed red. fifteen minute ballet warmup routine. “oh shit.” he lost it, joining mark in his laughter. “no wonder why it was so damn hard!” after that day, mark had decided to just make him a workout playlist, so nothing like that would ever happen again but he was mad since he’d always thought donghyuck would make an excellent ballerina even if he contested it. 

playlists were something special in their relationship, since donghyuck would jump at any opportunity to be unique, mark found his i miss you texts in the form of a spotify playlist. filled with fifty or more songs, each with their title spelling out what donghyuck really wanted to say. he couldn’t lie and say that seeing those links didn’t make his flutter, he was just lucky that his boyfriend had taken so much time and effort into making these special things just for him. mark thought it’d stop after they moved in together, but he was so wrong. when mark had gone to work, he would send him links that he’d be able to play on his computer while writing reports. it was a nice little reminder that the love of his life missed him and wished that he could be there with him. in his honest opinion, he didn’t know exactly what the boy did when mark went to work but he knew that if he was able to make five hundred or more playlists, than he had all the time in the world. 

donghyuck can’t cook. that’s something they’ve both known since forever. he’d even diss himself to say that he was the worst cook in the entire world and simply couldn’t make anything, maybe except instant ramen and cereal. other than that, mark was the one who always cooked but he was out with his work colleagues from someone’s birthday, leaving donghyuck alone at home with no food.  

lee donghyuck ♡

we have no food! ヾ(●⌒∇⌒●)ﾉ

mark lee ♡

go and get some take out. 

lee donghyuck ♡

i’m sick of take out, i want your food! 

mark lee ♡

baby, i asked you before i left if you needed food. 

you said no.

lee donghyuck ♡

i thought you were asking something else!

i’m sorry :( 

mark lee ♡

baby, i’m gonna be home soon okay?

hang tight. 

i love you. 

lee donghyuck ♡

okay, babe. 

i love you too. 

as the growling in his stomach grew louder, he smiled down at his phone. his boy was going to be home soon and he couldn’t have been happier. 

within a month of living in their apartment, the hype of living together died down. to them, it was now just normal to see his boyfriend every day and be able to kiss him whenever he wanted. they had definitely grown closer over the month to which they allowed themselves to actually let go and love each other like every other deserving couple out there. they still couldn’t believe that they’d wake up every morning snuggled together and be able to fall asleep tangled in each other’s arms. it really felt like a fever dream that would probably end at any moment but donghyuck always reassured him that they were there together and this was totally real. he knew that their home was a place they could always go because he was there. he protected him, he knew how to make him smile and he knew most of all, that he made him happy. his home was where mark was. 

movie nights were mark’s favourite way of spending time with his boyfriend, but it wasn’t the movie that was the highlight. it was the way they’d get distracted in each other and end up lazily making out for the rest of the entire film. donghyuck laid on top of him with his hands connected behind his neck, content with the way the boy’s lips felt on his own. mark hated how donghyuck was such a lazy kisser, always making mark lead the entire time. for once he just wanted the boy to take control instead of moving at his own snail like pace. “this move is boring.” donghyuck whispered as he took a quick breath. his lips still teasing with every word he spoke. he placed another kiss before mark murmured, “it’s not your fault you wanted to kiss me.” donghyuck playfully hit a hand against the boy’s chest, connecting lips together again. no matter how many times they kissed each other, it’d always feel like it was the very first time. 

the couple, much younger than they were now didn’t exactly know what love was when they had accidently kissed each other for the first time. their high school had a themed dance for the end of year celebrations, it was sophomore year. mark had been looking at this particular girl the entire night, she wore the prettiest silver sparkly dress that draped along the floor - she reminded him of a glitzed up cinderella. he was going to make a move on her when they announced the slow dance, mustering up the courage to ask her to dance with him. the night rolled on smoothly, he was dancing with his friends until the announcer spoke into the microphone, it’s the time of the night! everyone clear the floor for the couple’s dance. mark straightened his bow-tie as he spotted her smiling in the corner, but he stopped as the world slowed down. another boy offered his hand to her and she took it willingly, mark sighed, turned around and walked the other way. he walked to a cluster of tables off in the corner where a young boy sat watching everyone. he was lonely, he looked upset and most of all, he looked pretty. mark didn’t say a word but pulled a chair and sat next to him. they watched as the couple danced awkwardly with each other while some were comfortable to lay their heads on their shoulders. 

“do you want to dance with me?” the boy whispered, his hand flipped open in front of him. mark looked between him and his palm before intertwining their hands. the boy’s hands were obviously smaller but he seemed to have this confidence that mark couldn’t describe. he thought that the boy would take him to the dance floor, but he instead led them outside to the balcony. the music could still be heard faintly but the sounds of the night overtook it. the boy made the first move placing his cheek to lay against mark’s shoulder as his hands wrapped around his small waist, moving them to the music. it was perfect and it was better than he originally thought it would’ve been. 

mark gently hooked a finger underneath the boy’s chin, pulling him up to his eyeline. he searched his sad eyes and connected their foreheads together. there was no need to say anything as the boy just nodded. mark had pressed his lips in a small kiss against the other’s lips. it wasn’t perfect nor was it precise since mark had missed but as he pulled away, the other smiled and that’s all he wanted to see and since then they’d been inseparable. 

things had to get bad, every relationship had to have a disagreement or an argument but with these two, they were over who got to sleep on which side of the bed, who was responsible for cleaning the dishes or who was the last one to turn off the light when they’d fall asleep. mark was thankful that they’d never had some huge fight because he wouldn’t have known how to cope with him being the reason donghyuck was crying or felt bad. their friends never believed it when they’d said they had been four years without an entire fight but, sometimes people that are in love have nothing better to do than love each other. 

donghyuck had a project for the art course he was currently enrolled in, it was something along the lines of lights and he really had to thank his boyfriend for the idea. the two sat on their balcony with a stool and fairy lights draped from each of the poles and railings. mark sat where the door to the outside met the inside with a tripod and camera. his boyfriend looked like a greek god as he dropped the exposure, highlighting the silver fairy lights behind him. 

“hyuck, why don’t you drape them around you?” mark suggested as the boy’s face lit up with a bright smile. with a swift move, he had the fairy lights hanging off him from around his neck, from his arms and from his face. he looked beautiful as the lights lit up the galaxies within his eyes, he looked happy and content and that made mark feel warm inside. “you’re such a beautiful angel.” he snapped a photo on the camera as he watched the red tint come through his cheeks. “angle your chin down a little and look towards me.” donghyuck did as he was told, looking innocently towards the mark. with that look alone, all he wanted to do was wrap the boy in the biggest blanket and curl up to him. 

let’s just say because of mark’s idea, the boy got the top marks in the class and his dream of cuddling with him. 

the thing about knowing someone for so long was that you’d start to pick up on their little quirks and habits that you’d somehow ending up doing. for example, donghyuck had this thing where he’d fold all the table clothes into small squares where mark just like to shove them into the drawer and hope they wouldn’t fall out. although after spending just the amount of time with his significant other, he was folding and organising every five seconds. he had reorganised the entire walk-in pantry and even labelled all their respective containers, donghyuck was just happy because his own boyfriend had already done the first thing on his do not be lazy list. mark also found that he’d also imitated donghyuck from the way he articulated his words to how he walked - the boy was really growing on him. he was becoming the love of his life and the love of his life was becoming him. 

“baby, your tie is supposed to hook under the collar not around your neck.” mark pulled his white collar over the top of the bow tie’s strap. he was getting his boy ready for a job interview for his first full-time job, his baby was growing up. he was really excited for him but it was bittersweet since he’d probably no longer receive the cute playlists due to his lack of free time. 

“i’m sorry. It’s my first time doing something like this.” donghyuck chuckled. he made grabby hands towards mark’s and he grabbed them tightly. 

“angel, i’m so proud of you.” he kissed his neck as donghyuck leant his head back, giving the boy access to his favourite spot. “i love you so much.” he watched as mark sucked marks on his neck in the mirror, letting a small whine out. 

“don’t go crazy, i’ve gotta go soon.” donghyuck warned, wrapping a hand to hold the boy’s head behind him. mark hummed, tickling his neck. “i don’t need any more marks, i already know how much you love me.” he mumbled, too caught up in the boy’s kisses on his neck. 

“baby, i’d give you all the marks in the world just to show everyone that you’re only mine.” possessive mark never came out too often, but when he did donghyuck loved it. his eyes would burn with desire and lust, he wouldn’t control himself from just showing the boy why indeed he was his and donghyuck always loved to see him like that. 

looking at himself in the bathroom, donghyuck pulled down his ironed collar to reveal the faint red spots that mark had so loving left a few minutes prior, he flushed red as he pulled his collar up higher, “god damn it mark lee.” he laughed at himself, shaking his head. 

they loved looking at their old couple photos that were stored away on mark’s laptop, it always made them laugh as they zoomed in on their old expressions and weird actions. they especially loved the photobooth app on his computer, they’d pull funny faces with the birds flying around their heads or do timed photoshoots of them recreating adorable tumblr couple photos. donghyuck would jump on mark’s back as they covered their faces aesthetically and now four years later, they’d laugh at how stupidly in love they were. they had photos of where mark was sleeping against donghyuck’s chest, photos of them licking each other’s ice creams and many more photos of the young love the couple used to share. donghyuck when he was bored would make them as the screensaver when the computer was idle, with their embarrassing memories for mark to return back to. and as much as those photos were embarrassing, he wouldn’t have loved anything better to remind the time where he fell in love with the boy of his dreams. 

when donghyuck was younger, he’d always dreamed of finding his prince charming. the one who’d save him from the teacher when he didn’t hand in his homework, the one who’d comfort him when things got too stressful and the one he could talk to every single day and never get bored. 

his mom had told him to never lose hope that someday his ‘prince’ would come, but young donghyuck just wanted to have them right now. his mother laughed at his passion and simply pressed a kiss against her son’s forehead, wishing him a goodnight. that night, he dreamed about his prince, how he’d have jet black hair with a slim face and a sharp jawline. he’d be tall but no too slim. he’d be humble and kind and he had have the prettiest smile the boy had ever seen. he could make you melt with just a look and a touch. 

donghyuck was waiting for him, he was waiting for his prince to come and one day, mark lee came and he’d belived ever since that the boy was the prince he waited all his life for. maybe his mother was right when she told him to keep his options open, because if he already gave up he wouldn’t have met the man of his dreams. 

you could basically relate their younger love as one of those old teenager couple posts from tumblr, those weird but loving and captivating stories of how someone ended up with their soulmate, but since tumblr was a thing of the past - mark had decided reddit was the place to go. he didn’t like discussing his and donghyuck’s relationship with his college friends, so he made an anonymous reddit page where he could talk about his feelings and how the boy made him feel. he didn’t know if donghyuck knew about the page but he couldn’t really care if he did considering he’d just call it cute and move on. he wanted people to know that you could meet your significant other at the most random moment and possibly end up with them forever. mark just wanted people to know that there was hope for the person of your dreams, and sometimes maybe they’re right in front of you. similar to his love, but he was just off in the distance from where he supposedly had his heartbroken but donghyuck like always, picked up the pieces. 

grocery shopping was literally hell. if it was between them forgetting their shopping list or forgetting the card, they didn’t know what was worse. they were running out of food fast when mark had forced donghyuck unwillingly to go to the nearest grocery store, he gave the boy a basket to which they needed to swap for a trolley since they needed so much. 

“pasta sauce, ravioli, beans, beetroot, stir-fry mi-” 

“are you even gonna use all of that?” donghyuck whined as he pushed the trolley down another aisle, the pet section, “why are we even here? we don’t even own a pet!” 

“you can never know what we need babe.” mark planted a quick kiss on his lips before pushing him forward down the aisle. 

“can we get some chocolate?” he asked, standing around bored, “please mark! i need some.” mark laughed, bringing the boy into his chest as the boy pushed the trolley.

“of course baby, you can have all the chocolate in the world.” and they walked through the rest of the aisles together. 

underneath their apartment complex, they had a small parking garage that fit around one car of each residence in a small cornered off area. neither did mark or donghyuck own a car but they both decided to redecorated that space into a gaming room. they had an old television from mark’s house and all donghyuck’s gaming consoles thus the idea was born. both boys didn’t go down there often but sometimes they’d go down there if they felt too competitive against each other. on the wall, they had a blackboard with their names and a tally underneath it. it was a winning system. whoever had the most wins at the end of the month got to do whatever they want to the loser. last month it was donghyuck who had just lost to mark’s sneaky attack on him in mario kart, mark didn’t give him a punishment except a night filled with cuddles and kisses. donghyuck though, was out for revenge. he definitely had been planning this night for ages and was finally ready to release his ultimate plan on his never losing boyfriend. 

“no! go away, don’t throw your stupid shell at me.” he yelled out, spamming the buttons on the controller. mark just smirked and pressed a button, knocking donghyuck’s character into the void. “you ass! i was winning!” he whined, waiting for the character to fish him out and place him back on the track. the character took it’s stupid time, blinking a few lights at him from the multiplayer setting. “hurry up.” he whined under his breath, pressing rapidly on the controls.  

“and now you’re not.” mark had already lapped him at this point with one lap left to the finish line, so, donghyuck paused the game as mark was speeding along. “what the hell?” he smirked, tossing the controller off to the side before straddling his lap, cheeks in the palms of his hand and a mischievous look painted across his face, “what do you want?” mark asked, scared, trying to look around the boy in order to unpause the screen. the boy on top of him simply smirked, raising his eyebrows. 

“nuh-uh, that’s mine.” he grabbed the controller of the boy and tossed it to the side like his own. “we all know i was winning and by the looks of the leaderboard, i won for the month.” he giggled. 

“fuck no.” mark mumbled, looking away from the boy but donghyuck’s finger underneath his chin brought him back, “you’re such an ass.” he pouted. 

“let’s hope you won’t be saying that after the next hour.” he smirked and mark had to agree, donghyuck was anything but an ass. 

donghyuck had always preferred the left side of the bed ever since he was a young kid. it was the side the window looking out across the town was, and the side where the sun rose and set. it was perfect like a cinematic montage, the whole day was just lit up by the natural light. the left was arguably the best side to sleep on, since there was some myth that mattress manufacturers always made the left side softer than the right side. he was excited when they moved in to finally claim the left side, but when he saw mark’s things on that side he froze up. mark had never slept on the left side when they’d stayed over together and he knew about donghyuck’s love for that side so why was his stuff there? 

“babe, do you want me to put your stuff on the right side?” he asked, sat at the dining table playing on the switch. mark laughed as he chopped some carrots for their dinner. 

“no, the left side is mine.” donghyuck’s mouth dropped as he looked behind him at the boy, “you have known for the past four years that the left side is mine.” 

“nope, baby. the left side is mine.” 

“the left is my side, angel.” donghyuck playfully whined back. it went back on forth for a solid thirty minutes, them playfully arguing about the sides. it wasn’t until they had dinner when donghyuck brought up the topic. “why do you want the left side?” he asked, shoving a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

mark hummed as he moved his food around in the bowl, “because of you.”

“what?” donghyuck asked, food still in his mouth. mark shot him a look and he covered his mouth, cleared his throat and spoke, “sorry. what?” 

“baby, you’ve always been on the left side and because i always cuddle you from behind, i’m always on the left side. so, instead of having sides, why can’t we just share?” he smiled. 

donghyuck placed his fork down on the table and gently placed his hand over mark’s, “you’re so adorable, please. of course we can share babe, i mean as long as you’d still cuddle me, i’m happy.” 

“good.” he laughed and took a bite of the carrot from earlier. 

four years worth of jokes, puns and pure hatred for one another could nearly prepare them for another comedy attack. mark saw the other lying on the couch, laptop propped in his lap watching something.

“hyuck, wanna hear a joke?” mark sat against the header of the couch, raising his eyebrows. donghyuck caught on and took the headphones out of his ears, giving the boy his full attention. 

“nope.” he turned back towards the laptop. mark tried to hold his laughter by biting his lip, but it wasn’t helping. donghyuck gave him a judgemental look before giving up, “fine, what’s the joke?” 

“your face.” donghyuck’s jaw dropped as mark held his stomach, his laugh was contagious as it even caused donghyuck to end up smiling.

“i’m so done.” he got up and walked down the hallway away from the boy, but he could still hear his boyfriend losing his shit over the lamest joke he'd probably ever heard. 

ever since donghyuck was younger he’d always dreamed of having little mini me’s running around their house, specifically two girls to which he’d spoil the living daylights out of them. his daughters would deserve the world and he wanted to give it all to them. it was early morning, the sun hadn’t even come up when he told mark of the idea. 

“one day i want to raise daughters with you.” he smiled, tangled around the boy’s body. mark gasped and pressed a kiss to the boy’s temple, “what was that for?” he sleepily asked. 

“how do we always think of the same things?” mark whispered, rubbing his nose into the boy’s neck. 

“because we're soulmates.” he sighed in content, “you were supposed to find me at that dance.”

“you believe in fate?” mark asked. donghyuck thought in the silence, he didn’t always believe in it, but regarding them - he believed it was meant to be. if mark never ran into donghyuck, he doubted that they would’ve been here cuddled against each other. he always thought about the what ifs. what if the other guy didn’t ask that girl to dance? what if donghyuck didn’t muster up the courage to ask the boy to dance? what if he didn’t lean his head on his shoulder? what if mark didn’t kiss him? he knew he wouldn’t have been the person he was without mark, so who the heck would he be? 

“baby?” mark ran a hand through his hair, breaking him from his thoughts. 

“oh, yeah.” he remembered, “it depends on the situation or the person.” 

“so, you believe that fate brought you and jeno together to be best friends?” mark playfully joked, donghyuck punched his arm. 

“don’t talk about jeno while i wanna kiss you and tell you how much i love you.” donghyuck turned his face towards mark’s, a soft smile painted across. 

“then do it.” mark whispered. 

mark adored the weeknd which kinda explains the bass booming music coming from the living room. he had recently dropped his new album and was head over heels in love with it, donghyuck actually believed he loved that album more than he did himself. as donghyuck peered from the hallway, he saw the boy dancing around his head banging to the song and humming along to the instrumental sections. donghyuck loved it, it was like his own entertainment all in the four walls of their apartment. as the chorus hit, he started to jump around, moving his body all over the place. 

lee donghyuck ♡  

nice moves baby, you should show me some time. 

mark lee ♡

donghyuck, what the fuck…

lee donghyuck ♡

i love you baby, keep dancing.

mark had soon caught him staring from the hallway and danced his way over to grab his hands and pull him back to the living room. 

“no!” donghyuck whined as mark started to move their arms to the music, twirling donghyuck around. he laughed as mark started to control where his arms went, standing on the tip of his toes and he spun them around the room. donghyuck was terrified. was this how his boyfriend acted on a night out on the town? 

“hey! hey!” he sang along with the chorus, he soon had his hands on donghyuck’s waist controlling them as they danced around the living room. the smile on his face was intoxicating as donghyuck finally let his fears go as the song reached the break down, a small silence before both boys jumped around with their hands in the air, going crazy. 

this time they both sang, “hey! hey! hey!” to each other as they moved around the living room, instantly meeting up with each other to hold hands and jump around together. blinding lights really was the party song, huh. 

donghyuck’s mark list:

• move in <3 

• talk about future daughters.

• propose.

he always wanted to propose to the boy ever since that one night when they talked about their concerns and worries over dinner, but he never knew the perfect moment until now. looking at the calendar hung up on the fridge, mark had a day off on the tuesday and so did donghyuck. so, he planned that the tuesday night was when he was going to confess to the boy of his dreams. 

flashforward to now as he sat awkwardly in the basement of jaemin’s parents house with his friends staring into his soul. he’d told them his plans and they honestly thought he was joking.

“you’re kidding us!” jeno laughed, “that’s funny donghyuck.” but he just sat there and shrugged his shoulders. “holy shit, you’re not fucken kidding!” he ran over and embraced the boy, soon the others followed wrapping their arms around him. that night they planned that he’d ask him after making them dinner which was a risky move since we all know that he couldn’t cook, after he’d led them to their spare room down the hall where he’d have a cute little fort set up, remaking their first date. 

with the plan set, the tuesday came quicker than he could even decide on a band that fit mark and also one he was happy with. as he looked at the jewellery laid out in front of him, the one on the bottom right corner caught his eye. 

“that one, perfect.” he didn’t need a second guess to think about if this was the right one because it was exactly what he was looking for. nothing too extravagant but nothing too bland. the band was gold with a skinny strip of diamonds down the middle. it actually reminded him of mark, a body of gold and a heart of diamonds. 

to say that donghyuck didn’t struggle with cooking was an understatement, he had just finished a facetime call with jaemin who had helped stepped him through it with his mum as his assistant. in front of him sat two plates of freshly cooked salmon with a garden salad. he smiled, proud of himself before setting it on the table in their respective seats. 

“baby, you shouldn’t have.” mark gasped at the dining table’s decor with a collection of pumpkin spice candles in the middle. the boy took his hand and led him to his chair, pulling it out and gesturing him to sit. “donghyuck…” he pushed the chair in before taking his own seat. “i don’t know what to say.” he smiled, looking over the food. 

“don’t say anything, just eat.” donghyuck winked, and took a bite of the salmon as did mark. his eyes widened as he continued to chew, he grabbed donghyuck’s hand and rubbed his thumb over the top of his fingers. 

“donghyuck, did you cook this?” he asked in awe, the boy nodded. “jesus, you’re so talented and to think we both didn’t think you could cook.” he definitely was flustered with the compliments that mark was giving him, the boys really helped him outdo himself. they continued to eat as mark continued to compliment him after every single bite and soon it was time to actually confess his undying love to the boy. 

mark was also shocked to see that he had recreated their blanket fort from their first date, and he kissed him to say thank you but donghyuck didn’t want to wait anymore. he gently pushed mark away, taking a step back from him. “angel, is everything okay?” a look of worry was painted across his face. 

“mark lee. where do i start to tell you how much you mean to me? we met one day by accident and you have made me so happy ever since that day. four years, i’ve loved you. baby, those four years will always be the highlight of my life. i’m glad i got to share this chapter with you, but i think it’s time we start a new chapter. a chapter where it’s just us forever and ever. no more roadblocks, no more stress, but just you and me. so, mark lee, my soulmate, my best friend, the love of my life…” he bent down on one knee, pulling the ring out from his shirt pocket. mark’s mouth dropped open as it started to make sense in his head of what was going on, “would you do the honor of becoming my husband?” mark searched his eyes as a big smile appeared across his face. 

“yes, a million times yes.” he laughed, pulling the boy up and slamming a kiss onto his lips. donghyuck placed the ring on his left hand, and kissed it gently. 

goodbye baby and hello fiancé! donghyuck had to say that he missed being called baby, but his fiancé sounded way better in his opinion. the first time they’d woken up as fiancés was like reliving the honeymoon part of the relationship, the first week where they really just let go of themselves. it didn’t feel real that his boyfriend was now soon to be his husband and neither did mark. 

when asked about donghyuck at work, he’d respond with his boyfriend before correcting himself to fiancé. they were supportive and so happy for the young couple. within that first week, they had promised that they wouldn’t rush into getting married and just enjoy their time together before moving any further, also they actually needed money? they couldn’t just conjure up a wedding with the flick of a wrist - even if that would’ve been the coolest option. 

they told their friends the good news straight after, they all popped open wine bottles and celebrated with each other over facetime. his friends had taken a spontaneous trip to the mountains, leaving the couple to be alone with each other. donghyuck wouldn’t forget the fatherly smile jeno had on his face as mark kissed his cheek. his best friend was so proud that he had found the love of his life. 

telling their parents had to be the funniest part of it all, when they’d told donghyuck’s parents they were conveniently with mark’s parents having drinks over dinner. both their mums screamed as their dads shook each others hands, it was hilarious as they sat there watching their parents flip out over their sons. 

“we’re so proud of you two! congratulations!” 

“we love you both so much!”

“come around some time!” 

“don’t forget to eat!”

“make sure donghyuck doesn’t cook!”

the boys looked at each other with smiles on their faces, everything was perfect and everything was going right. the past couple months had been crazy from where they first started, that one fateful day on donghyuck’s couch had been leading up to this amazing thing to happen. it was now that donghyuck knew that in his past life he must’ve counted his lucky stars for something this incredible to happen. fate was real and fate was working in his favour. you know how disney movies always believe that the princesses should be saved by their prince charming and that it’s so impossible to live without them? that’s how donghyuck felt, not the first part but the inability to live without his charming prince. his mind just always lingered to the thought about who he’d be without the love of his life, he could’ve been a criminal who never received love, he could’ve been a homebody who was too anxious to go and face the outside world or he could’ve been lonely for the rest of his life. mark had always told him to just let the thoughts go but honestly, it made him curious as to what he would be doing if the ethereal mark lee wasn’t a massive part in his life. he had never actually asked mark what he thought he would’ve been doing if he hadn’t met him but with donghyuck’s guess, he probably would’ve end up with that girl he wanted to dance with. mark definitely was attractive to both genders which always made donghyuck nervous every time he’d leave the house. he always had this thought in the back of his mind that one day he’d come home with someone else, replacing him but with this ring, he knew that mark was only to be called his. 

mark was home to him, he was the first person he’d see when he woke up and the last person he’d see when he fell asleep. his mind just constantly thought of mark, mark, mark like it was a drug donghyuck was addicted to. sometimes he wondered if he was too obsessed with the boy, but isn’t that just love? it had gotten to that stage where no matter how mark wore his hair or how he dressed, he’d still think he was the prettiest boy on the planet. he never thought of the boy for only his looks but for the respectful demeanor he had shown that one fateful night at the dance. 

my dearest donghyuck, 

hi fiancé!

you looked so adorable and peaceful sleeping, so i didn’t want to wake you. i was called into work for an early shift and i’m sorry i couldn’t be there when you woke up to make you breakfast. instead, i left you something on the counter! It isn’t much but it’s the least i could do. yes, don’t stress i left you chocolate in the fridge, i think the third drawer down next to the vegetables! also could you try and fold up the washing? thank you!! also, don't forget that you need to kinda clean up the mess i made in the pantry this morning! i was in a rush :]

love you baby, 

see you later <3 

without having donghyuck around was so boring, it was like someone had taken the sun from the sky. it felt empty and so lonely, he wondered how he’d live life before he even met the boy. donghyuck honestly was that shimmer of hope that kept you going when life got tough and he honestly loved him for that. he was kinda happy that the boy had proposed before he did because he was planning that same night to do the same, but jeno had told him to hold off for a little longer. he admired the ring on his left hand as it shone in the sunlight, bathing in the warmth. at least he was here in spirit, regardless nothing could break their everlasting bond. mark had a soft spot for those soulmate movies where they’d be paired together at bond with either writing on their arm or a mark, and he felt like that was him and donghyuck. no matter what happened between them, they were always going to be together no matter what. he wanted to grow old with him, he wanted to help him when he needed to and he wanted to be there when he took his final breath. even though they were far from their elderly days, mark had made that promise to the boy when he first started dating him. he trusted the boy so much that he even trusted him with his dying will, leaving practically everything in the boy’s name. all the money he had made ever since he started his job, the inheritance he would get from his parents and the place forever in his heart. he’d think about donghyuck until his final breath, the golden tanned boy on his mind running through the waves of heaven. if they ever did have to part he knew that this fate would bring them back together, no matter the time or space - they were supposed to be together. 

he was an absolute loss for that boy, he’d sacrifice everything he had in order to see him happy and smiling because he didn’t want to see the light of his life experience a stormy day. he couldn’t bare the burden of trying to console him as tears racked through his body and his breathless cries for help pulled at his heart strings. mark believed he was a strong person as he watched those breakdown from stress and deaths of loved ones, but mark couldn’t be strong for his own love. that was what he believed was his main weakness, that he wasn’t strong enough to look after donghyuck when he’d go into his slumps. donghyuck had always reassured him that it was okay and that him just being there was all that he needed, but he had always felt that he could've done way more to help aid him. 

their apartment was now the centre of their love and their lives. the steps and memories they had created within these four walls were the most special moments both boys had experienced. donghyuck was happy that he had joked about the apartments that day because in the end, it was something he really wanted and he didn’t expect mark to agree. sometimes in relationships you have to push the boundaries to make sure that it’s moving in the right direction. if you try, you never know what you’d get out of it. you just had to be open to the fact that the other person could potentially be thinking the same thing as you. no one should be afraid to speak their feelings because in the end, if you get judged then the person really isn’t worth your time. relationships are the most special thing people would go through in their entire life, it’s an experience where you judge and criticise every decision you make in hopes that it is ultimately the right one. there’s really no point fearing about making a big decision because regardless of what the other person says, you should be proud of yourself and that’s the main picture. 

mark and donghyuck’s relationship was special to them because of their communication and willingness to try. maybe it’s time for you to finally act on that instinct that you’ve been suppressing for ages. who knows, it could possibly work out and if it doesn’t, you should be proud of yourself for mustering up the courage in the first place. nothing will ever go how you want it to go unless you try. it’s a scary world out there, but in the end we’re all here for each other regardless of if you know it or not. 

at the end of the day, the two boys were in love and you know, maybe their friends were right - maybe they were too domestic but it wasn’t as if anyone was complaining. being domestic opened new doors for them in their relationship like having to share the same living space in such a close relationship or trying to get your significant other to confess as to why he ate the last piece of chocolate that was meant for the brownies. but you know what, at least they had fun and no matter what got in the way they were sure that nothing could stop their love - not even donghyuck’s organisation obsession. what’s that one bangle’s song, eternal flame ? to quote that, their love was burning more than an eternal flame.