Archive of Our Own

Mark honestly didn't think that this many students would have come out to the club's recruitment meeting. He thought that maybe a dozen students or so would have come. But there he was, sitting in the classroom filled to the brim with students, wanting to join his save the bees club. The turnout was so much more than what he had expected. There were so many students that some were even sitting on the floor or huddling by the door in order to fit. He was pretty sure that the number of people present in the room was way over the fire hazard capacity.

He started to pass around a stack of paper to everyone, saying, "Thanks for coming out to today's general body meeting for the save the bees club. Here's just some background information on the club and why it's important to save the bees."

As he passed by a group of girls near the windows, he ignored the way they all but swooned over him. Mark had an inkling that they were just here to see him and not so much for the bees. He recognized some of their faces as some of the ones who had been following him all week, trying to give him their love letters and baked treats. They were quite annoying, truly. But if they were willing to help save the bees, then he figured that he could brush aside their love confessions and love-struck stares for a little while.

Anything for the bees. 

Suppressing the groan that he really wanted to let out, Mark continued moving through the rows of students, and handing every one of them the club’s handout. When he passed by the table in the back, his steps faltered as he caught sight of the warm, honey eyes staring right back at him. His heart stuttered as the tips of his ears felt like they were burning. Eyes dropping back down to the stack of papers in his hand, he cleared his throat, hoping to cast away the butterflies that were fluttering in his stomach. He moved forward to hand the pretty boy a paper, a spark traveling through his body as their hands brushed against each other. 

By the time that he made it around to everyone and returned back to the front of the room, his heart was finally beating at normal pace. Thank Jesus, because he didn’t think he could handle it beating that fast any longer. 

Just as he was about to officially start the meeting, a series of high pitched shrieks reached his ears. Head snapping up in shock, he watched as the students sitting near the open window began to scurry away from the area, some even bolting from the room entirely.

He was so goddamn confused at why everyone was suddenly screaming and being so chaotic. It was only when one of the girls started to scream, "It's a bee! Kill it, oh my god," that he realized what was going on.

Mark watched in horror as one of the guys nearby started to swing their backpack at it. On his feet in an instant, he pushed and shoved through the mass of students stumbling in their haste to get out of the room. 

“Stop! What the hell are you doing?” He yelled at them, continuing to push his way through the students. “This is a bee saving club! You’re supposed to save the bees, not kill them, goddamnit!” 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of purple running across the room, towards him, but he paid no attention to it. Surging forward, he reached the tiny bumble bee before anyone could do any real damage, but Mark was surprised to find a warm hand covering his own. 

Heart hammering in his chest again, Mark took a deep breath before looking up. He found himself staring into the same warm colored eyes he had done so earlier. This time though, he was able to admire those pretty eyes up close. There were tiny specks of gold in them, gleaming so brightly, but the way they shone was nothing in comparison to the glow that his sun kissed skin had or the tiny smile he had on his lips. Everything about the boy screamed bright and beautiful.

Tearing his eyes away from the pretty boy, Mark carefully scooped up the bee and let it fly away freely through the open window. Satisfied that no bees were harmed, Mark was finally able to get back to what was left of the general body meeting. As he shut the window, to make sure that no more bees could enter in, he took another glance back at the pretty boy. He wasn’t all that surprised when he found him already staring back at him. 

“Thanks for trying to save the bee,” he mumbled, reaching down to pick up the littered flyers that he had handed out earlier. At the beat up condition of the papers, Mark sighed because he even spent extra money on color prints, only for them to be stomped on like this. 

Nearly everyone left the room, there were still a few students lingering around, but that was about it. So much for recruiting more club members this year, he thought. Making his way back to where he was sitting, Mark was quite stunned to see a couple of hands reaching out towards him with a stack of crumpled flyers in their hands too.

“Oh, you guys really didn’t need to stick around.” Mark laughed out loud. Shaking his head, he added, “This meeting is pretty much over.”

“What happened to recruiting new members?” One of them asked.

With a shrug of his shoulders, he laughed again. “I mean if you guys really want to join, there’s an official club meeting next week, same time, same location.” He eyed the remaining six boys in the room, smiling. “You’re all qualified to be club members if that’s what you’re wondering about. Anyone who didn’t try to kill or run away from a bee is good in my book.” 

.

When he walked into the lecture hall he had booked out for the official club meeting, Mark surely didn’t expect to see the six boys from the previous week to be there again. He was honestly planning on working on some homework during the time that he booked the room for and then call it a day. 

“You’re late, queen bee .” A high pitch giggled reached his ears. 

Rolling his eyes at the terrible nickname, he tossed his bag down on one of the empty seats. “Well, I wasn’t really expecting anyone to show up, so I kind of took my time getting here, you know. It would have been a waste of my effort if I was busting my ass over here for nothin’.” 

“You told us that there was going to be a meeting, so that’s why we’re here, obviously.” Another boy added with a huff, although Mark could tell that he wasn’t really that mad. 

The pretty boy that had been on his mind all week, removed his rose-colored sunglasses ever so slowly, drawling out, “I think what we’re looking for is an apology, you dumb-bee .” 

Mark stared at him for a second longer, taking in the way his rosy colored sunnies brought out the gorgeous glow from his tanned skin. The boy got even prettier than the last time he had seen him, if that was even possible. 

After he finally stopped checking the pretty boy out, Mark just about busted a lung laughing. He didn’t even know his name, but Mark knew that he was going to be his favorite. Anyone who made bee puns in his presence became an instant number one.

The rest of the boys looked at him like he had gone insane by sharing a look between themselves. The only person that didn’t look at him like he had lost his mind was his pretty boy, whose eyes were twinkling as a smile graced his features, seeming to feel proud of his accomplishment. 

“I’m sorry for making you guys wait.” 

“See,” the pretty boy exclaimed out loud, throwing his hand up in the air, “that wasn’t so hard was it?”

“Whatever. Anyways, it looks like the ‘save the bees’ club will have a solid number of members for once. It’ll be a nice change from running it solo for so long.” He started to say when he finally sunk into his own seat. Then clearing his throat, Mark said, “I guess it’s time for a proper introduction, right? Well, I’m Mark. Fourth year, Business major.” 

One by one, each of the boys introduced themselves. Surprisingly, there was a freshman in the group of boys too. He was a tall, lanky kid, named Jisung with an adorable baby smile. He seemed to cling onto the loud mouth sophomore named Chenle a lot. Then the remaining four boys were all juniors; Renjun, Jeno, Donghyuck, and Jaemin. All of them seemed fairly close to one another, but the group of juniors seemed even more so. 

To be honest, after Donghyuck had introduced himself, Mark really didn’t pay that much attention to anything else. 

Lee Donghyuck , a pretty name for a pretty boy. 

Mark liked it. 

He also liked him. 

Now, Mark loved dark colors and everything a little edgy. That was why he wore the color black twenty four seven, along with his beloved leather jacket. Not to mention, it made getting dressed every morning so much easier when he only had one color to choose from. It was a guarantee that whatever he picked out was going to match. He really couldn’t be bothered to waste that much time out of his day to pick out an outfit that no one was going to spare two glances at. 

But as he snuck some glances over at Donghyuck, with his colorful sweaters and equally bright converses, Mark can’t help but like the sudden splash of color in his life. He could use a little bit of color in his monotone life, to be honest. Donghyuck came barrelling into his life so  unexpectedly with his pretty face, tanned skin, and kissable lips. From the outside, the boy seemed sweet, smelling like flowers and his fingers covered by sweater paws. The moment he opened his mouth though, voice dripping like honey, Donghyuck was incredibly fierce and oh, so sassy. Sometimes, when he would raise his arms up too high, the sleeves of his sweater would ride up to expose arms decorated with colored tattoos. 

To say the least, Mark was very interested. 

That was probably why when he broke up everyone into groups to start on the first project of the semester for the club, he immediately went over to Donghyuck and asked him to be his partner, not a single ounce of shame in his voice when he did so. His smile only widened when Donghyuck agreed to it without any hesitation, flashing him a pearly white smile in return too. 

They were shoulder to shoulder and their knees would sometimes knock into one another. Mark had to try his very best to ignore the jump that his heart did whenever their knees would touch. Each time that it happened, Donghyuck would gnaw down on his bottom lip to keep himself from giggling. 

"So, why are we making these again?" Donghyuck asked him as he began to pour out the clear marbles into the bowl, not really paying that much attention to what he was doing at all.

With a sigh, Mark took a hold of the bag of marbles from Donghyuck's hand since he was letting all of it bounce outside of the bowl. "Were you even paying attention to anything I was saying when I was explaining the project?"

Blinding him with his smile yet again, Donghyuck shook his head. Satisfied that he didn't have any more work to do since Mark had pretty much taken over, he propped his chin up on the palm of his hand and stared back at Mark intently. "Nope. I stopped listening the moment that you opened your mouth. I got distracted by how cute you looked when you were talking about the bees."

"You're unbelievable, really."

"Hey, you can't blame me for staring when someone as bee-utiful as you was standing right in front of me." Donghyuck answered back, his warm eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Did you... just make a bee pun?" Mark raised a single eyebrow at him, adding in a questionable look as well. Pressing his lips together, he had to try to suppress the laugh that was threatening to slip out, because that bee pun was pretty clever.

"We're at a bee club event, right? It would only be appropriate to make bee puns here."

"Okay, yeah. I guess." Mark didn't even bother to stop the laugh that slipped out that time around. 

"If that's the case, let me take back what I said and change it to... You're unbee-lievable ."

"Damn, took you long enough, queen bee . You of all people should have been dropping bee puns left and right!”

"Never had any one to drop the puns to, so sorry if I'm a little inexperienced." He bit back, very amused. "But we're making something called a Bee Waterer."

"A Bee Waterer," Donghyuck mumbled, "because the name explains just so much ."

See, the sass, it was exactly what Mark was talking about. He was a tiny little thing — okay, maybe not that tiny since they were practically the same height — Mark was still taller though, but Donghyuck had so much attitude .

Breathing heavily through his nose, Mark explained, "Bees can't always drink water from any water source they can find because there's a high chance of them drowning when they're taking a drink. Filling a water bowl with marbles allows them to have a safe landing area to rest and drink the water from."

"Oh, that makes sense." Donghyuck nodded in understanding. Then suddenly throwing his head back, laughing out loud with practically his whole chest, he said, "But can you manage if you were this tiny little bumble bee being super thirsty as fuck and you see a pond of water, so you swoop down to take a drink, but you just fall in and die? Result of death, thirsting too hard."

Mark shoved him right out of the damn chair, sending Donghyuck into a fit of laughter on the ground.

.

Mark wasn't sure how he didn't take notice of this before, but Donghyuck was in his English lecture.

It was a couple of days after the club's first meeting that he realized that the boy was in the same class as he was. As he walked down the aisle, prepared to slide into his usual seat, he caught sight of Donghyuck's bright pink converses. Stopping in the middle of the stairs, he contemplated his options for a split second. He could totally just continue on and sit in his regular seat towards the back of the lecture hall, or he could choose to sit with his pretty boy, who he liked, a lot.

The choice was a no brainer, truly, as he gripped on to his backpack a little tighter before climbing down the staircase, walking right past his usual seat, and sliding into the unoccupied seat next to Donghyuck.

The boy looked up, startled by his presence, but a smile slowly made its way onto his lips not much later when he realized who it was. Yanking out his earbuds, Donghyuck said, "Oh, I didn't know that you were in my English class."

Shrugging his shoulders, Mark began to pull his notes out from his backpack, saying, "I didn't either. I usually sit in the back. Kind of surprised that I didn't notice it earlier."

"Well you do now, right?" Donghyuck teased.

"Yeah. I do."

Once he settled into his new seat, Mark looked over at Donghyuck and saw that he was sketching something on his iPad, his fingers moving across the screen in a rapid fashion as splashes of colors began to appear. Leaning a little closer to see, he asked, "You do tattoos?"

Donghyuck nodded, not looking up from his sketch once. As he switched color palettes, he explained, "Yeah. When I'm not working at my parent's flower shop, I do a little bit of tattooing at the tattoo shop uptown."

It seemed like he was learning something new and interesting about Donghyuck each time that he saw him. It was exciting, because the more he discovered about Donghyuck, the harder he fell for the boy. Not that he minded though, as he was whole-heartedly prepared to fall completely for the said boy, no questions needed.

Mark filed this newfound information about Donghyuck into the back of his mind, holding onto it tightly. He had been meaning to get a new tattoo recently. It had been a while since he last got tatted. Also this time around, he was thinking of switching it up a little and getting a colored tattoo instead of his usual dark inks.

He continued to watch Donghyuck sketch and color a tattoo design, bringing it to life with each stroke of his stylus. It was amazing. The longer he watched Donghyuck work, Mark decided that if he was going to get another tattoo, he wanted Donghyuck to design it.

“Why are you staring so much, Lee?” Donghyuck asked all of a sudden. 

“When do you work at the tattoo shop? I think it’s time for me to get a new tattoo.” Mark told him in return, not being shy about showing him his true intentions. 

“I’m pretty booked, baby. I am a busy bee .” 

With a groan, Mark gave out an exasperated sigh. Giving him a pointed look, he asked, “Still going on with those bee puns, are you?” The nickname that Donghyuck had thrown at him went completely over his head in lieu of the awful bee pun that he used. 

Donghyuck laughed. “I think they’re gold. Plus, I only do them to you. You just feel honored to be in the presence of a comedian like me. So, don’t be such a buzzkill. ”

The professor just walked into the class but Mark had a really strong urge to shove the giggling boy out of his seat again. Hissing to him, “If you make one more bee pun, I will not hesitate to kick you down those flights of stairs.” 

“Oh, please don’t. I had a pretty big lunch. I might roll down those stairs and bruise my pretty face because I might be a little chub-bee.”

Donghyuck narrowly dodged Mark’s incoming fist, shoulders shaking with silent laughs as their English class officially started.

.

Ever since Mark had found out that Donghyuck was in his class, he made sure to sit by the boy every class period. They would sometimes even meet outside of class, like grabbing some coffee together beforehand or going out for a late lunch afterwards. 

It was nice. 

It was a pleasant change in his dull life, breaking him out of his boring daily routine. 

Donghyuck did most of the talking when they were together, which was a good thing, because Mark was hardly that much of a talker anyways. The stories that Donghyuck told him were so much more interesting than anything that he had to offer. He enjoyed Donghyuck’s stories about his so-called annoying siblings and the horror of working at his parents’ flower shop. Although, Mark could tell that Donghyuck loved his family to pieces. Donghyuck was just a tad bit overdramatic, that was all.  

If the stories about his family were interesting, then the stories that he had about his group of friends, the other bee club members, were on a whole other level of interesting. 

As they were packing up their stuff from a long night of studying together at the library, Donghyuck was telling him about a story of how he and Jamein wrapped everything in Jeno’s apartment in wrapping paper for his birthday. 

“With the cute and bubbly front that you two put up, I would have never thought that you two were capable of doing something like that.” Mark commended. “I would have thought that Jisung and Chenle would have pulled a move like that, but you and Nana are the true devils in the group.” 

“Never judge a book by its cover, baby,” Donghyuck told him, waving a finger in front of his face in a teasing manner. “You of all people should know better than that.” 

Rolling his eyes, Mark said, “Yes, I know. You’re literally the spawn of Satan, himself.” 

“But I’m cute, right?” Donghyuck continued to tease, tugging on his leather jacket. Leaning in so close that Mark could feel his warm breath caressing against his lips. His honey eyes sparkled with mischief as they peered into his soul, egging him on.  

The tips of his ears burned, but that didn’t stop him from agreeing with the pretty boy. “Yes, very cute and very pretty. There, you got your compliment, are you happy now?” Mark huffed out, making a move to push Donghyuck away, even though all that he wanted to do was to push him closer, until their bodies were flushed up against each other, so that he could finally kiss those damn lips—

“Yes. I am very happy.” Donghyuck giggled, a pretty pink dusting his cheeks where they were littered with freckles. 

Donghyuck’s charming laugh made a warmth blossom within his body, starting in the very pit of his stomach, growing until it spread to the very tips of his toes. It was a warmth that Mark had been feeling a lot lately, especially with the more time he spent around Donghyuck. 

There weren't that many students left on campus as everyone had already retired to their dorms or apartments for the night. This happened quite often when they would arrange study nights together. They were only supposed to study for a couple hours before heading home, but they always tend to lose track of time, not that either one of them were keeping track of it in the first place. Most of the time, they would part ways in the lobby of the library, but that night, Mark didn’t want to. 

Pausing in the middle of the lobby, where he would usually head to the parking garage and Donghyuck would head towards the apartments on the other side of campus, Mark dug his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket, asking, “It’s pretty late, do you want a ride home?”

Donghyuck looked down at the time on his phone, mouth parted ready to say something in return, but he didn’t at the last second. Instead, Donghyuck tilted his head to the side, staring hard at him. 

Scuffing his combat boots against the dirty tiles, Mark said, “I’m not busy after this, so I can give you a ride home if you would like. I know it’s a pretty long walk back to your apartment.” 

There was a beat of silence between the two of them before Donghyuck said, “Sure. I was getting tired of making that long walk back to my apartment complex anyways.”

“You could have told me, I would have given you a ride back anytime.” Mark told him. Then looking down pointedly at Donghyuck’s legs, he added, “Wouldn’t want the baby to hurt his little legs, would we?” 

At his snickers, Donghyuck promptly shoved him out of the way and stomped towards the doors of the parking garage, not bothering to hold the door open for him as he passed through them. 

Shaking his head, laughter still bubbling from his chest, Mark rushed after him, hollering out, “You don’t even know what level I parked on, pretty boy.” 

“I don’t care!” He heard Donghyuck mumble back. 

Bursting through the doors, Mark found that Donghyuck hadn’t made it very far, just two steps down the stairs, like he had figured so. Pulling on the sleeve of Donghyuck’s sweater, he nodded his head over in the direction of where he parked. “Come on, this way.” 

Even after they had reached the level of where he had parked, Donghyuck hadn’t let up one bit, a little pout still marring his pretty face. Seeing this, Mark barked out a laugh before tugging the sulking boy into his arms, giving his hair a tiny ruffle. “Aw, don’t be sad.”

“No.” 

“Cheer up. A frown doesn’t look as cute as you think it does on your face. A smile looks so much better, trust me.” 

“You trying to call me ugly right now, bee boy?” Donghyuck glared up at him. 

“No,” Mark smiled, “You’re still cute. Just not as cute as you could be.” Squishing Donghyuck’s cheeks in between his palms, he looked at him in the eyes, offering, “How about we grab some frozen yogurt on the way back? How does that sound?”

“Is that your peace offering?”

“Yes, frozen yogurt is my peace offering.” Mark nodded.

“But you hate frozen yogurt.” Donghyuck pointed out, brows furrowing together as he tried to make better sense of the situation.

“And? You’re the one that’s upset, not me.”

“Oh, you’re right. If that’s the case, then yes, I would very much like some frozen yogurt before going home.” 

“Exactly.” Mark pulled him even closer until their bodies were pressed right up against one another, basking in the warmth that radiated off of them. “Why did you even bother resisting in the first place?”

“Shut up before I take back my truce.” 

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop. We’re here anyways.” Mark laughed again, his voice echoing off the concrete walls of the vacant parking garage. 

As he pulled the keys out from within his leather jacket, he heard Donghyuck let out a little squeak behind him. Looking back at him with an odd expression, Mark asked, “Yes?”

“Your ride is a motherfucking motorcycle?” Donghyuck shrieked, his mouth agape. 

“Uh, yes. My ride is a motherfucking motorcycle. What about it?” 

“When you offered to take me home, I was, I don’t know, thinking that I was going to be in the comfort and safety of an enclosed vehicle with doors?” He stated as he flapped his arms around wildly at the ride in front of him. 

“This is perfectly safe, trust me.” Mark promised as he slipped a spare helmet over Donghyuck’s head. Securing it into place, making sure that it wasn’t too tight or too loose, Mark knocked down the eye shield, smiling, “I haven’t had a single accident with this baby.” 

“I thought I was the baby…” Donghyuck’s words were muffled underneath the helmet but Mark heard them anyway. 

Throwing on his own helmet and leather gloves, Mark threw his leg over his motorcycle, laughing, “No, you’re still the official baby around here, don’t worry.” 

“I better be. I refuse to give my title to an inanimate object like that.” 

“Okay, get on, you baby. We better hurry if you still want some of that frozen yogurt.” Mark told him as he urged Donghyuck to climb on, which he does without any hesitation. Kicking the side stand up, Mark revved the motorcycle one, before shouting over all the noise, “Hold on tight! Wouldn’t want you to fall off during the ride.” 

“Ha, very funny.” Donghyuck replied back, tone dripping with sarcasm, but regardless, he slipped his arms around his waist and held on tight. 

Donghyuck was flush against his back, so close that he could feel the heat seeping through his leather jacket, warming him up against the cool night. He could also feel the way that Donghyuck’s heartbeat was thundering in his chest, which was okay, because his own heart wasn’t fairing all that much better either. Especially then when he could feel the way Donghyuck’s thighs were pressed up against his own, only the thin material of their jeans separating them. 

A blush creeped up the back of his neck, all the way to the tips of his ears, and Mark could only pray that his helmet hid it well. Without much of a warning, Mark took off, the tires screeching against the pavement. 

Clutching onto Mark like his life depended on it, which it kind of did, Donghyuck screamed out, “A warning would have been nice, you asshole!” 

Shoulders shaking with laughter, Mark shook his head as he felt Donghyuck press his face deeper into his back. Speeding up, he laughed even harder at the curses that Donghyuck began to scream at him, as the wind and scenery zipped past them. 

Mark took each and every turn a little sharper than normal. He would also release the throttle fully at times, only to hit the brakes not that much later. He did about every trick in the book to have Donghyuck hold onto him a little tighter, nimble fingers digging harshly into his torso. 

He loved it. 

As he slowed down at a stop light, Mark turned around to take a peek. Donghyuck had his face fully buried into his shoulder blades, like he had expected. With a little chuckle, he asked, “Having fun there, pretty boy?”

“Oh, shut the fuck up. You’re a monster.” Donghyuck hollered at him, slapping him in the stomach, hard. He could only grunt in response. “I can’t believe you did that! Are you trying to kill me or what?” 

“Don’t you worry. No one’s dying on my watch.” 

“My heart felt like it was going to burst out from my chest with all those ridiculous turns you took!” Donghyuck continued to exclaim. Slapping him once more, Donghyuck said, “My hands are literally shaking!” 

Donghyuck was right, his hands were shaking. They were a trembling mess against his stomach, where they were still holding on tight. When Mark took another peek back at the boy, he saw a shiver run through Donghyuck’s body. The night was a little bit cooler than usual. Feeling a tad bit guilty for not taking Donghyuck’s first time riding experience into consideration, Mark hastily took off one of his gloves and slipped over one of Donghyuck’s hands.

“What are you doing?” Donghyuck stuttered out. 

“Figured you might be cold.” 

Securing the velcro strap into place, Mark placed Donghyuck’s hand back down in his lap, before threading his fingers through the other hand. His fingers were tingling at the skin to skin contact, a satisfied smile spreading across his lips. 

He looked up just as the street light flashed green, revving the engine once more, Mark gave their clasped hands a quick squeeze, saying, “Alright, hold on tight, baby.” 

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Donghyuck screeched as he took off, zooming past all the other cars, the scenery turning into a blur once again. 

He felt the way Donghyuck gripped onto his hands, nearly turning them numb from how tightly he was holding onto them, but Mark didn’t mind. Even with the night breeze nipping at their exposed skin, he didn’t feel the cold one bit, not when Donghyuck was keeping him warm like this. 

.

Donghyuck’s hair was a tossle mess by the time they made it to the frozen yogurt joint. They made it right before the place closed down. His helmet hair was awful, but Mark was sure that his wasn’t all that much better anyways. 

They were leaning against his motorcycle, staring at the night sky in the middle of the empty parking lot of the frozen yogurt shop. He watched as Donghyuck scooped another spoonful of yogurt into his mouth, spilling a little as he tried to eat too much in one go. 

“You’re a hot mess, Donghyuck.” Mark told him with a shake of his head. Pulling some napkins that he had remembered to grab on the way out of the shop, Mark stepped forward to wipe away the smudge of yogurt Donghyuck had on the corner of his lips. But when that didn’t seem to do the job, he reached up and swiped it away with the pad of his thumb. 

Donghyuck looked at him like he had grown three heads, lips a little parted. 

Tapping it shut, Mark began to comb his fingers through Donghyuck’s disheveled locks, trying his best to tame it. He spent a couple minutes on it, brushing through it until he was satisfied. Like he had figured that it would be, Donghyuck’s hair was so soft and fluffy. He would run his fingers through his hair all day if he could. 

By the time he dropped his hands back down to his sides and leaned back against his motorcycle, Donghyuck still hadn’t taken another bite. Urging him to continue eating, Mark asked, “What? Do you need me to feed you too?” 

“No!” Donghyuck hastily answered, his cheeks blazing red. 

Laughing, Mark said, “Good, because I didn’t pay like twenty dollars for some frozen yogurt for it to melt and go to waste.” 

“It wasn’t twenty dollars! You’re totally exaggerating.” 

Throwing him a dry look, Mark crossed his arms. “How would you know? Did you pay for it?” Donghyuck shook his head sheepishly. “That’s what I thought. Now eat your frozen yogurt, pretty boy. It’s turning into soup if you don’t.” 

“I am eating it.” Donghyuck scooped another spoonful into his mouth to prove his point. Unlike the first time, that time he made sure to not make a mess. Then pointing his spoon at Mark accusingly, he stated, “I honestly can not believe that you don’t like frozen yogurt.”

“It’s not that I don’t like frozen yogurt,” Mark rolled his eyes. “It’s my body that doesn’t like frozen yogurt. It’s not my fault that I’m lactose intolerant.” 

“You’re missing out on so much good food,” Donghyuck moaned. “Like cheese ramen, milk cap boba, mochi ice cream, and more! That’s such a sad life you’re living, Mark.”

“Now you’re being the dramatic one.” 

“I’m always dramatic. I thought that you would have figured that out by now.” Donghyuck replied back with a wink. “It’s part of my charms.” 

.

During the entire ride back, Donghyuck continued to hold onto him with a death grip. Mark had a feeling that his leather jacket was going to be a little worn out from the hold that Donghyuck had on it. That was alright though, he had been meaning to break into it for a while now. 

He pulled to a slow stop in front of Donghyuck's apartment complex and tapped on his thigh once, letting the boy know that they had arrived.

Mark felt Donghyuck pull his head off from his back, instantly missing the warmth that he had provided. With trembling fingers, Donghyuck slowly dropped his hands back down to his side and began to slip off. "Thanks..."

Giving Donghyuck a helping hand, he gently tugged the helmet off of his head. Mark had to bite his lips to stop himself from chuckling at Donghyuck's mayhem of hair again. Taking it upon himself to make Donghyuck's curly locks a little more presentable, he combed his fingers through it a couple more times like he had done so before.

With a smile, he said, "No problem."

"Thanks for the frozen yogurt too." Donghyuck added. "You really didn't have to since. you know, with you being lactose intolerant and all."

"If you liked it, then that's all the matters."

A pretty blush scattered across Donghyuck's cheeks and he loved it. It was so beautiful — no, Donghyuck was beautiful.

They had been standing in front of Donghyuck's place for a couple minutes now, but neither one of them made a move to leave, especially not Donghyuck. Donghyuck continued to linger, kicking imaginary rocks on the pavement, stalling.

"Um," Mark began, not really sure on what to say, because he wasn't ready to part ways yet either. Running a hand down the back of his neck, he stuttered out, "You should… probably go to sleep soon. We have English class early tomorrow morning..."

“Yeah, I should…,” Donghyuck mumbled back, but he made no move to leave. 

There was a beat of silence before Mark made up his mind, asking, “You know, we still don’t have each other’s numbers. Which is kind of sad, considering how much time we’ve spent together.” 

Donghyuck looked up at him, eyes wide. “What? There’s no way. We exchanged numbers when — oh.” 

Laughing, Mark nodded. “Yeah.” 

“Well, that’s kind of stupid. Give me your phone.” Donghyuck commanded, his open palm extended out, waiting for Mark to place his phone in his hand.

Mark did it without hesitation. 

.

It was a couple of weeks later when they were leaving their English class together that Mark asked Donghyuck, “Are you working at the tattoo shop this weekend?”

Glancing up from his phone with furrowed brows, he nodded once. “Yeah, I am. Why?”

“I’ve been thinking about getting a new tattoo.” Mark told him. Digging his hands into his leather jacket’s pockets, he said with a shrug, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible even though his heart was literally beating too fast. “I was wondering if you’re available to give me one.”

“Wait,” Donghyuck stopped walking, stunned. “ You want me to design you a tattoo?” 

“Yeah. You work as a tattoo artist. And I like getting tattoos. I don’t see what’s so surprising about it.” 

“I mean yeah, but that’s not the point!” Donghyuck argued, cheeks flushing. “My style of tattoos isn’t what you usually get… You like blackwork tattoos. I don’t do that.” 

“Yeah, I know.” Mark replied. “I figured it was about time I switched it up a little. Add some color to my life, you know.” 

“Color?” Donghyuck exclaimed, his voice going an octave higher than usual. Blowing a raspberry, he argued, “You, Mark Lee, who wears nothing but dark colored clothes and a leather jacket all the damn time, wants some color . I don’t believe you for one second.” 

“Oh, come on. People can change.” He sighed out loud. Tapping his foot impatiently against the ground, Mark said, “If you didn’t want to, you could have just said so, Donghyuck. I’ll just find someone else to do it.” 

“What? No! Of course I want to do it.” Donghyuck pouted at him. Giving his shoulder a tiny shove, he whined, “I was just playing around with you, baby. No, need to get so worked up.” 

“You’re literally so annoying .” 

He felt Donghyuck slip his arms around his waist, pulling him into a tight hug. Then resting his chin on his chest, Donghyuck looked up at him with a sweet smile, lips slightly parted. It was a sight to see, his heart started to race even faster. He watched as Donghyuck batted his eyelashes together, “But you love me. Don’t even try to deny it.” 

Mark said nothing in return. 

“Just like I thought. I am irresistible.” Donghyuck giggled, his charming voice sending a jolt of pleasure through his body. 

Withdrawing from the hug, Donghyuck took a step back and Mark nearly chased after him, wanting to feel the boy’s arms around him once more. But he held back for the sake of what was left of his dignity.   

Turning his attention back to his phone, Donghyuck smiled. “I’m free Saturday after lunch, come in. I’ll give you a tattoo.” 

Almost choking on his own spit, he looked at Donghyuck with an incredulous expression on his face. “Wait, what?”

“I said I’ll design you a tattoo, you dumb bee .” Before he could sputter out another word, Donghyuck was already walking away, humming a pretty melody under his breath. Then spinning around on his heels, he shouted out, “One o’clock, sharp! Or you’re not getting anything!”

.

Mark was excited, and that was the understatement of the century. 

He was vibrating out of his shoes as he made his way towards the tattoo shop where Donghyuck worked at. He had checked his phone for the address that Donghyuck had sent him earlier that day to make sure that he was heading to the right one. It would have been super embarrassing if he got the address of the tattoo shop incorrect and showed up at the wrong one instead. 

Seeing that the address plastered on the front of the white building matched the one that Donghyuck sent, he was able to breathe just a little easier. Placing a hand over his racing heart, he tried to keep his nerves in check. 

Sure, he was excited, but he was also so goddamn nervous.

Getting a tattoo was nothing new to him. He had gotten so many by then that Mark had honestly lost count. So, no, he wasn’t nervous about getting a tattoo. He was more so nervous about meeting Donghyuck, which was kind of crazy, because there was nothing for him to be nervous about. They’ve hung out before, alone, plenty of times before. 

Maybe it was something about spending the following couple of hours with the most beautiful person to exist on this planet, up close and personal that drove his heart insane. Not to mention, being completely shirtless while Donghyuck ran his dainty fingers over his skin as he did his work? 

Mark was fully prepared to have a heart attack. 

Also, was it a date? He wasn’t sure, but Mark really hoped that it was a date. He wanted it to be a date. 

Trying his best to keep his emotions in check, he took another deep breath before he tugged on the handle of the tattoo shop and entered. 

Donghyuck was already there, sitting at the receptionist desk, laughing at something that his coworker was sprouting out. The bell above his head chimed as he allowed the door to shut behind him and Donghyuck’s eyes were on him in an instant. Donghyuck sent him one of his signature smiles, full and bright, making his heart flutter. 

“I’m all set up in the back for you. We can just head back. No need to check in or anything.” Donghyuck said as he got up from his seat, already making his way into the back rooms. 

When he left the counter, Mark didn’t miss the way his coworker whispered in his ears, making Donghyuck blush a pretty pink. He watched as Donghyuck whispered something back in return, not before shoving his crackling coworker right out of his chair. Mark had an inkling that it was something about him judging by the way that Donghyuck could barely meet his eyes. 

Biting the inside of his cheeks, Mark settled for a little wave at Donghyuck’s coworker before he followed Donghyuck down the hallway. 

Donghyuck’s room was the second to last one and when he entered it, Mark was hit with a splash of color. The walls were a vibrant yellow and the floors were tiled a baby blue. It was an odd color combination, but it was fitting for Donghyuck’s personality. There was also a neon sign flickering on one of the walls and surrounding it were a ton of polaroids and tattoo sketches. 

Mark watched as Donghyuck dropped down onto one of the chairs near the tattoo table and spun around on it once before stopping. Then grabbing his iPad, he motioned for Mark to come sit down. “Come on, get your bubble butt over here. We don’t got all day.” Letting out another giggle, Donghyuck teased, “Unless you’re scared about getting a tattoo. Don’t worry, you can hold my hand if you want, you little bay-bee. ”

Mark had long given up on his mission of making Donghyuck stop with all the bee puns. He didn’t know how, but Donghyuck had an impressive ability to come up with them on the fly, no matter where they were. So instead of fighting them off, Mark simply joined in on the fun. 

“Those bee puns really sting. Can’t you come up with anything better?”

Clapping his hand together, Donghyuck threw his head back and guffawed. “Oh, that was a good one. But don’t you worry, honey, I got a ton more.” 

“Like what?” Mark asked as he sat down on the edge of the tattoo table, allowing Donghyuck to slide into the space between his legs. Smiling down at him, Mark gave his chin a little tap. “Tell me another one then.” 

Eyes so warm and captivating, Donghyuck started, “Do you know what’s a bee favorite candy?”

“What?’ He breathed out, feeling himself drowning in those golden honey eyes. 

“ Bumble gum.” Donghyuck whispered, the corners of his lips curling upwards and his eyes sparkling with glee. 

Leaning back on his hands in order to put some space between them, Mark shook his head, shoulders shaking with laughter. “That was terrible, Hyuck.” 

“Hey, it made you laugh, so that’s the only thing that matters.” Donghyuck winked. Scrolling through the sketches on his iPad, he paused on one and showed it to him. Even though Mark had made an effort to distance himself, it was simply put in vain since Donghyuck surged forward to close the gap again. “This is your tattoo. I kind of just combined everything that you said you wanted…” 

Mark found himself in awe as he took a look at the design that Donghyuck had designed for him. 

There in the center was a crouching lion in a bed of bright, yellow sunflowers. The detailing was out of this world, it was so realistic. Every stroke was striking and stunning, not a single one looking out of place. Donghyuck took something fierce and combined it with something a little soft.

He loved it. 

When he gave Donghyuck practically free rein on what his tattoo was going to be like, from the design to the colors, Mark was half expecting Donghyuck to go completely wild, but Donghyuck didn’t go as crazy as he thought he would have. For a full color tattoo, the color palette that Donghyuck chose was fairly subtle; soft hues of browns and yellow, with a splash of dark green. 

The best part of the entire design would have to be the little bumble bee that Donghyuck managed to sneak in, floating right above one of the sunflowers.  

“It’s perfect.” Mark said, looking up from the iPad. Smiling wide, he repeated himself once more. “It’s so perfect.” 

At his words, Donghyuck slumped back in his seat with a relieved sigh. Clutching onto his chest, Donghyuck said, “Oh, thank Jesus. I was scared that the colors might have been too much considering you’ve been so used to blackwork.”

“No, this is literally perfect. Even better than what I imagined.” Mark reassured him, trying to hold his gaze as he told him this. “I feel very blessed to have you design a tattoo for me.” 

“Well, you’re absolutely welcome. Nothing but the best for my baby.” 

Yeah, Mark was totally going to have a heart attack by the end of that tattooing session, if he even made it to the actual tattooing part. 

As if Donghyuck had read his mind, he took his iPad back from Mark’s hand. Clapping his hands together, he ordered, “Alright, shirt off. Time to get down to business. We’re wasting time! It’s going to take me hours and a couple of breaks to tattoo this on you.” 

The tips of his ears burned so fiercely that Mark was sure that they had caught on fire. Donghyuck told him to take off his shirt like it was nothing. Even if his heart was threatening to burst out from his chest, Mark did what he was told, shrugging off his leather jacket first, then pulling his black shirt over his head, and casting them all to the side. 

He listened as Donghyuck continued to ramble on about their plan of action as he started to set up his supplies. “I was thinking I can outline everything first, take a break, then do the detailing and colors afterwards— oh. ” When he turned back around, black latex gloves on his hands, Donghyuck was staring at him with parted lips, eyes a little unfocus. 

Mark could feel Donghyuck’s eyes raking down his whole entire figure and for the first time in his life, he was so thankful that he accepted Johnny’s invitation to become his gym buddy. He had been to the gym religiously with Johnny for a couple months now, and he knew that his progress was pretty decent. He managed to bulk up a little and tone his body overall, all courtesy of Johnny’s ridiculously intense workouts. Mark wasn’t all that shy to show off his progress too. He liked wearing his tight tees and sleeveless shirts. 

He couldn’t help but smile at Donghyuck’s dazed expression. Clearing his throat once, Mark began to move back to the table. Laying flat down it, he let out a soft groan as the coldness of the table touched his stomach. 

At the sound that he made, Donghyuck finally snapped out of it, his mouth moving a couple times before any coherent words came out. “Uh, so yeah. You want it on your left shoulder blade right?” 

“Yeah, the left shoulder blade.” Mark hummed, eyes closing shut as he felt Donghyuck’s body inch closer to his.

“You ready?” He felt dainty fingers touch his back, his muscles tensing automatically at Donghyuck’s touch. He heard Donghyuck let out a breathy laugh, teasing, “What? Are you scared, baby?” 

Scoffing, Mark twisted his body around to glare at the golden boy. “No. I’ve gotten plenty of tattoos before.” 

“Relax.” Donghyuck laughed again. Pushing him back down against the leather table, he smiled, “I’m just teasing. Trust me, I can tell that you’re no newbie to the whole tattooing gang.” 

He really wasn’t a newbie. 

Mark was absolutely addicted to the inks. 

The first one that he ever got was a tiny one. It was plain, simple. It hadn’t taken more than ten minutes to do. He got the word ‘dream’ in Korean tattooed across his left wrist and that was the start of it. The next time that he got a tattoo, he got a full sleeve done, and then another, until both of his arms were completely inked.   

The pain stopped bothering him after a while too. Now, whenever he got a new tattoo, it kind of soothed, the touch of the needle poking into his skin, inking it black. New tattoo artists loved inking him because of this. They could work as they pleased without the fear of hurting him. 

He had all sorts of people ink him; guys, girls, experienced, young ones, all of them. But Mark didn’t think that anyone had ever made him feel the way he was currently feeling at that moment. 

Mark felt hot, his skin burning feverishly as Donghyuck’s fingers danced across his back, touching him as he started to clean it with alcohol, before using a stencil to transfer the design. His heart was racing so incredibly fast, he could barely breathe right and his head was starting to get a little dizzy. 

He let out a quiet sigh when Donghyuck removed the stencil from his back, his pretty fingers disappearing along with it. His heart only had a second to calm down though because soon, he felt Donghyuck’s warm hand splayed out on the middle of his back, right in the divet of his spine, unknowingly sending a shiver through his entire body.  

He was so tense, he knew that. Donghyuck knew that too, because not long after his touch, he began kneading his fingers a little harder into his back, attempting to loosen him up a little. Every spot that Donghyuck touched left a trail of blazing fire in its path and the fire continued to grow, all the way to the depths of his stomach.   

He clenched his thighs together, biting down on his lips, hard, as Donghyuck loosened a tight knot right below his neck. Mark was sweating by that point and he could only pray that Donghyuck wouldn’t realize how turned on he was at the moment, but judging by the way Donghyuck snickered lightly, his hands still working across his tensed back, Mark knew that Donghyuck knew. 

Burying his head into his arms, he tried taking a deep breath through his nose and relaxing as much as he could. When he finally did, Mark couldn’t help but notice how good Donghyuck smelled. Donghyuck was a mix of soft clean, cotton scent and florals, it was lovely. It was also very addicting.

Speaking of addicting, Mark found Donghyuck’s plump lips extra addicting too. As he thought about them, Mark’s eyes found themselves gravitating towards them. Like damn, Mark wanted to kiss those lips all day long if he could, to ingrain the taste of them permanently into his brain. He wanted to know if Donghyuck’s kisses would be as sweet and warm as how he seemed to be. 

God, Mark wanted to kiss Donghyuck so badly. 

.

By the time that Donghyuck managed to finish his tattoo, after a couple of breaks, of course, they were both a little breathless. The searing heat that he felt at the beginning of the tattoo session was still there, if anything, it increased tenfold. 

As Donghyuck stowed away his equipment, Mark sat back up, his heart still beating at a hundred miles per minute. He twisted around to look at his tattoo in the mirror that was conveniently placed right behind him. The splash of color against his pale skin and darker inks was mind-blowing. 

“This is unreal...” He said unconsciously, the words leaving his mouth before he could think twice about them. 

Donghyuck chuckled at his reaction, although a bit nervously. As Mark turned back around to meet his eyes, he asked hopefully, “In a good way, right? And not unreal as in a bad way…” 

Mark smiled, loving the way Donghyuck’s warm eyes sparkled as he said, “Oh, yeah. Unreal as in a very, very good way.”

“Okay, good. Because if it wasn’t, well that just sucks for you because it’s permanent.” 

“Nothing you ever do could be bad, Donghyuck.” Mark replied, eyes zeroing on the way his lips spread out into a beautiful smile. And the longer he stared, the only thing that he could think about was how amazing they would probably feel against his own. 

There was a magnetic pull that started to occur between them, causing Donghyuck to move into the open space between his legs, right until his own thighs touched his hips. Hands coming up to rest on those sinful hips, Mark looked up at Donghyuck, pleased to see a radiate smile on his pretty face. He tilted his face upwards as Donghyuck leant down, their faces barely a centimeter apart. 

Their breaths mingled together as one when Donghyuck reached up to tug at the chains that he was wearing around his neck. His words coming out in hot puffs against his lips, “You also have thing for chains don’t you?” 

“Yeah. And?” Mark whispered back.

Eyes growing a darker shade of gold, Donghyuck singled out a particular strand, saying, “This one is a little too pretty for you I think.” 

“You’re only saying that because you want it.” He knew that he was correct when Donghyuck leaned in even closer, their lips almost touching and he could count every star shining in his golden irises. Bringing his tongue out to wet his lips, nearly closing the distance between them, he said, “You can have it, if you want. I don’t mind.” 

Donghyuck swallowed once, before saying, “What are you trying to do — ”

“Yah! Lee Donghyuck, you have another client waiting for you! Wrap up this tattoo session will you?” 

They sprung apart, their chest rising up and down as the sound of Donghyuck’s co-worker’s voice cutting through the air. Donghyuck turned around, his focus back on his station while Mark threw his shirt back on, being extra mindful of his shoulder. As he grabbed his leather jacket though, Donghyuck dropped what he was doing and quickly rushed over to help him. 

Once the jacket was on his shoulders, Mark asked, “What time are you off tonight?” 

Smoothing down the front of his outfit, Donghyuck tilted his head to the side, a knowing smile on the lips. “Why?”

“I’ll pick you up.” 

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”  

“Will you give me a kiss then too?” Donghyuck asked him cheekily, eyes shining bright. 

Mark rolled his eyes. Then leaning in until he could count every single one of Donghyuck’s pretty eyelashes, he teased, “Maybe.” 

Shoving him away, Donghyuck crossed his arms with a pout. “You’re so annoying, Mark Lee. Just kiss me already!”

“I said maybe.” 

“Fine!” Donghyuck huffed, spinning back around to clean up his equipment. “I close tonight. Do whatever you want with that information.” 

Laughing, Mark began to head out the room, enjoying the way he managed to get Donghyuck so riled up. Just before leaving though, he turned back around once, calling out, “Hey, Donghyuck.” 

“Yes?” Warm honey eyes looked up at him expectantly.

“I’ll see you later.” Mark blew him an air kiss. 

“I fucking hate you Mark!” Donghyuck hollered after him. 

.

The first thing that Jaemin said to him as he entered the flower shop was, “Let me guess, you’re here to get some flowers for Hyuck.” 

Walking up to the counter, his hands buried deep in his pockets, Mark nodded slowly. “Yeah. I am.” 

“Well, you’re at the right place then.” Jaemin said with a wink. Then clapping his hands together excitedly, he asked, “So do you know what you want or is flowers and their meanings too confusing for you?” 

“No, I know what I want.” 

Looking impressed, Jaemin clapped once more. “Wow, looks like the bad boy did some research before coming here. Not many guys know what they want when they come stumbling through here. Anyways, what can I get for you?” 

“A bouquet of sunflowers and blue irises, please.” Mark told him, eyeing the ones that were put on display in front of him. They were perfect. Perfect flowers for a perfect boy. 

Jaemin hummed, satisfied with his choice. “Sunflowers, a classic, especially for Donghyuck. Happiness, adoration, loyalty, longevity.” He began to wrap them up first before tugging on the blue flowers. He held them in between his fingers for a moment, looking at them with a raised eyebrow. “But blue Iris? Hope and faith. Surprising, but that’s a pretty good combination, in meaning and in color. I totally approve.”

.

When he came back to the tattoo shop, Mark entered through the door without hesitation. He was on a mission that time around and he was very much determined to complete it.

The bell by the door chimed as he passed through, causing a voice to call out, “We’re closed! Come back tomorrow if you want to get tatted! I have a pretty boy to kiss!” 

A laugh bubbled from his chest slowly until it grew into a full blown laughter, bouncing right off of the walls and floors, echoing loudly. At the sound of his laugh, Donghyuck peeked out from one of the rooms, a frown on his face. “Not funny.” 

“But, it totally is,” Mark replied, walking towards him, a warm feeling blossoming in his chest as he held onto the bouquet of flowers behind his back. 

“I do not appreciate being laughed at.” Donghyuck pouted and his pout only deepened when Mark slipped one of his arms around his waist, pulling him close. “At all.” 

“Then I do apologize.” 

“Apology not accepted.” 

“Hmm, will you at least accept these then?” Mark pulled the flowers from behind his back, presenting them to the boy in his arms. 

Donghyuck glanced between him and the flowers, surprise evident on his features. His lips were parted in awe as he took in the beautiful arrangement. Stunned, he asked, “Wait. You got these for me?” 

Mark nodded, sniffling back another laugh. “Yeah. Who else would I get them for, you dumb-bee. ”  

“Oh my goodness.” Donghyuck exclaimed, slapping him hard against his chest. “This is not the time for bee puns!” Throwing his head against his shoulder, he whined out, “You totally ruined the moment! I hate you…” 

“No, you don’t. You love me.” 

“What if I do?” Donghyuck countered back, eyes blazing, leveled with his. 

Mark stared back at him for a moment, taking in all of the beauty that was Lee Donghyuck. 

His honey brown eyes were so full of life, shining brighter than any star in the night sky, even brighter than the North Star. His beauty marks, scattered so stunningly across his rosy cheeks, creating a constellation of its own, one of a kind. His full, plump lips glistened with a tint of color from his watermelon lip balm, and the only reason it was watermelon flavored was because Mark had mentioned once that watermelons were his favorite. 

With his free hand reaching up to cup the side of Donghyuck’s face, thumb running over his cheek, Mark whispered softly, “Good, because I love you too.” 

When their lips finally met, Mark couldn’t help but smile. His heart was drumming in his chest, but he didn’t mind because he could feel Donghyuck’s heart beating just as hard. The kiss they shared was far from sweet— no, they’ve been past that point. It was hot and breathless, exactly how he had thought it would be. Donghyuck was the sun, glowing so fiercely, so it was expected for his kisses to burn like that.

White fire ran through his veins as their lips moved against one another, both of them battling for dominance. Donghyuck pulled and tugged at his jacket, pulling him as close as possible, wanting nothing between them, not even air. His bouquet of flowers was long forgotten, laying on the floor at their feet. Donghyuck's hands traveled all the way up to his hair, tangling themselves deep into it. He kissed harder — deeper. Donghyuck kissed him until he was bruised and battered, biting and pulling on his lips. 

But Mark wasn’t one to back down from a fight, not when it was against Donghyuck. 

His hands gripped at Donghyuck’s hips, holding him in place as he kissed back with just as much vigor. He daringly slipped a hand under the purple hoodie that Donghyuck was wearing, drawing slow, lazy circles right on his hip, driving Donghyuck insane. Donghyuck’s breath was caught in his throat, his stomach tightening in anticipation as a soft sound came out of his mouth. Mark swiped his tongue across Donghyuck’s bottom lip, sighing blissfully at the taste of what was left of the watermelon lip balm. 

Donghyuck was the first to pull away, completely out of breath and his pupils blown. Resting their foreheads against one another, he said breathily, “Mark…” 

“No,” Mark cutted in, equally out of breath, his chest heaving as he forced out, “Me first…” 

“Fine…”

He took a baited breath, trying to slow down his heart rate, but when Mark came to the conclusion that it wasn’t going to slow down any time soon, he simply smiled. Wetting his lips, Mark glanced down at Donghyuck’s glistening red lips once, before saying, “Won’t you bee mine?” 

Donghyuck blinked once, then twice. Then the biggest smile that Mark had ever seen spread across his lips as he laughed, loud and clear. His melodic laugh was so contagious that Mark laughed right along with him. They stood like that, in each other’s arms, laughing.  

As Donghyuck wiped away some of the tears that sprang from his eyes from laughing so hard, he answered, “Why yes, of course. We bee-long together, don’t we?” 

Mark cupped his Donghyuck’s face in his hands, whispering hotly against his lips, “Yes, we do. That we do.”

Then he went in to kiss Donghyuck completely senseless once more.