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"Woah! I love your new tattoo, hyung!" Donghyuck stares in admiration at the intricate lines and artistically guided edges all over Ten's forearm. The pattern was beautiful and the black ink looked stunning against the older male's olive skin.
"Thanks, Hyuck." Ten chuckles fondly, "I'm glad you like it at least."
"Hey! I said I liked it too!" Johnny whines from the other end of the couch that they were all sitting on.
"I distinctly remember you complaining that Ten hyung was getting too many tattoos and you were worried he was going to go full-sleeved." Mark interjects truthfully.
Ten huffs and spares Johnny a glare when the older starts fumbling with an explanation.
"Wait no! Don't take it the wrong way, baby! I'll love you no matter what. Your tattoos are beautiful, just like the rest of you." Johnny assures his now blushing boyfriend.
"Gross." Mark mumbles, his face twitching in disgust.
"Cute~" Donghyuck coos when Johnny manages to pull Ten into his embrace, even though the slight younger looked as if he could claw Johnny's eyes in two seconds flat. Donghyuck turns around to face Mark with a huff, "Why aren't you like that with me?"
"What do you mean, Hyuck?" Mark smirks before wrapping his arms around Donghyuck's waist and using his fingers to tickle at the younger's sides, causing Donghyuck to burst out laughing, "I'm always like this with you, love~"
"W-wait! Ahh! Mark!!" Donghyuck squeals, trying to wriggle out of Mark's hold, feeling his breath fall scarce at the amount of heavy laughs he was emitting. "Mark~ s-stop! Ok, ok! I g-get it! Please!"
Mark chuckled, shaking his head before loosening his grip and pulling the latter until he was positioned on his lap.
"Tattoos are cool, though. I really want one." Donghyuck frowned, shifting himself until he was comfortable in Mark's hold.
"Why don't you get one then?" Ten raised a brow.
"I don't know which design to get..." Donghyuck shrugs, "besides, tattoos are special and they'll be on your skin forever... I want to get a memorable one."
"I mean, you could always get tattoos surgically removed?" Ten suggests, as if the process was a completely normal thing to do.
Donghyuck squirms uncomfortably, hating the idea with a seemingly intense passion. The sleeves of his sweater were bunched up in his fists as he buried himself further into Mark's body.
"What's the point in getting a tattoo in the first place then?" he murmurs.
"Well, you might decide later on in life that you don't want the tattoo anymore..." Ten explains, before getting up from the couch to move into the kitchen in his and Johnny's small but cozy apartment complex. "... so you can get it removed."
"That defeats the whole purpose, though!" Donghyuck huffs, "Also, getting it surgically removed must be painful..."
"You still want a tattoo then?" Mark nudges him, propping his head on the palm of his hand as he looked adoringly at his boyfriend.
"Of course I want one!" Donghyuck affirms, looking over at the older, "Maybe not a big one like Ten hyung's. Just a small one on my wrist or on my finger. Like those couples on Instagram do! They have really cute couple tattoos~"
"Oh yeah, I would get one with Ten, but he keeps saying that he wants to draw out our tattoos himself." Johnny adds in.
"They have to be meaningful to us, though. I don't want us to regret it." Ten yells from the kitchen.
"It doesn't matter to me." Johnny brushes it off easily and Mark and Donghyuck could tell they've talked about it plenty of times before.
"That's nice..." Donghyuck smiles dreamily. "Now I want one even more."
Mark looks over at his boyfriend in contemplation. He knows Donghyuck has been talking about getting a tattoo for a while now ever since he turned 20 this year, but the younger always ended up spurting excuses instead of actually going to get one. Always saying something along the lines of "I'll get one when the time comes."
Mark had no idea exactly when that time was, but he knew the latter had an orderly plan for everything he wanted in life. And something as supposedly ever-lasting as a tattoo was definitely an idea Donghyuck would take extra time and consideration to think about before actually fulfilling.
Even as adults, despite already feeling as if they were losing their years in university and slaving away with their courses and lessons, Mark couldn't help but think Donghyuck was still too innocent to want things like tattoos.
They get ready to leave Johnny and Ten's apartment shortly afterwards, their initial plan of only having a short meet up to talk and catch up with their older hyungs, quickly turned into a five hour long Netflix marathon that ended up finishing somewhere late in the evening.
"You guys can always stay the night? You end up taking the spare room most of the time anyway." Ten had proposed.
"Thanks, but we've got classes in the morning and I don't feel like waking up earlier just to drive back." Mark takes the responsibility of dismissing the invitation, knowing Donghyuck would quickly jump into saying yes just for the excuse of staying over.
He caught Donghyuck groaning at the side, already annoyed at the missed opportunity. Mark reaches out and pinches Donghyuck's cheek, muttering a small "cute" before slipping on his own coat.
"Ok then, we'll see you later." Johnny sees them to the door, which wasn't even that far away from the couch they were all squished together on only a few moments ago; but no one seemed to notice.
The walk out of the apartment block and towards the underground car park was quiet, a comfortable silence consuming the air around them.
"So, are you planning on getting one?" Mark starts off once they buckle into his car.
"Get what?" Donghyuck questions.
"A tattoo, silly. We were just talking about this." Mark shakes his head with a smile, cooing at the younger's confused face.
"Mhm... maybe." Donghyuck brushes it off briefly again, "If I'm going to get one... I want to get one with you." Donghyuck mumbles the last part a little quieter, but Mark still catches it.
"With me?" Mark raises a brow as he slots his key into the ignition and starts up his car.
"W-well... uhh... like couple tattoos or something." Donghyuck was focusing his attention on something out of the window, blatantly trying to avoid looking at Mark.
"Hmm... couple tattoos?" Mark ponders over the thought, trying not to give in and completely combust because of how cute Donghyuck looks when he tries to avoid a topic.
"We don't need to or anything! I was just thinking..." Donghyuck quickly turns around when he thinks the older wasn't entirely sold with the idea, "I would never want you to get a tattoo if you don't want one just for me."
Mark could feel the corner of his lips pull up into a small smile. He leans over the middle section of the car and plants a short kiss at the corner of Donghyuck's mouth.
"It's a cute thought, but I'd have to think about it a little more." he admits, grinning even wider when Donghyuck sighs in relief.
"Don't worry, babe. I'm more than happy like this!" Donghyuck assures, "It's not like we need tattoos to prove we're a couple."
Although Mark agrees with the sentiment, he mentally bookmarks the idea in his mind for later reference. It wasn't that he didn't like the idea of getting tattoos, or getting couple ones with his boyfriend. Rather, he deemed the act important, like a big milestone in their relationship.
Their relationship, which is coming up to their second year as lovers and over six years as best friends. If he was going to do anything like getting a tattoo, he'd happily do it with Donghyuck any day.
"Drive, Mark! Hurry uuuppp~ you're so slow!" Donghyuck whines from beside him when Mark hadn't even moved an inch from the parking space.
"I get it, I get it!" Mark laughs fondly before twisting the gear stick a couple of times and setting off.
As pleasant as the drive back was, Mark's head was spinning with new ideas.
(He makes a mental note to message Ten later).
"Isn't yours and Hyuck's second year anniversary coming up soon?" Jeno asks him, as if he was acting as a reminder for the older.
The two were currently leaving the gym hall where their basketball practise had taken place, and heading for the cafeteria. There were students entering and exiting different places from all around them, and the conversation between the two seemed to fall on no one's ears but their own.
"Wait how do you know when our anniversary is?" Mark questioned, "You don't even know my birthday!"
"No one cares about when you were born, but everyone cares about one of the cutest couples on campus~" Jeno teased and Mark could only roll his eyes at the other.
They spot their other friends ganging around a table on the far side of the room.
Donghyuck looks up and catches Mark's eye instantly, sending the older a cute smile that has Mark stumbling in his step.
"You're so lame, hyung." Jeno deadpans and Mark only elbows him with a glare.
"Mark hyung!" Chenle calls out first when the two boys sit down. "What are you and Hyuck planning for your two year anniversary?"
"Why is-" Mark was going to question, but Donghyuck ends up speaking for him.
"It's none of your business, you little sh-"
"oKAY-" Renjun smacks Donghyuck at the back of his head, effectively cutting him off.
Donghyuck looks greatly offended and Mark visibly flinches when the latter looks his way.
"Renjun's being mean to me! Are you just going to sit there and let him bully me?" the younger puffed out, his eyebrows knitted together and his lips pursed in a tight pout. Mark tried to revert his gaze from the annoyingly adorable sight in front of him, already feeling his cheeks flush with warmth. If he looks at Donghyuck any longer, he'll literally grab the latter's soft cheeks and smack kisses all over his cute face.
"Wow... almost two years together and Mark chooses to hate me now." Donghyuck grumbled, crossing his arms and shuffling away from the other.
"Noooo, baby..." Mark practically coos as he reaches out and pulls the younger back into his embrace, promptly ignoring the gagging noises he could hear their friends make.
When Donghyuck struggles in his arms, Mark turns to Renjun, mentally utters a prayer and sends the slight younger a cold glare.
"Don't be mean to my boyfriend." he tries to make the words sound as harsh as possible, but his ears end up bruising red when Chenle starts squealing loudly and Renjun laughs in his face. Jisung's shaking his head and both Jeno and Jaemin are sending him sympathetic looks, all while trying to hold back their own laughter.
"You don't sound the slightest bit intimidating, babe." Donghyuck finally settles down half on the older's lap. He presses a kiss on Mark's cheek and wraps his arms around the other's neck, "But A plus for effort."
"You're so annoying sometimes." Mark buries his flushed face in the younger's neck, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"You love me for it." Donghyuck giggles, carding his fingers through the older's hair before shuffling back into his own seat. "Anyway... do you want to do something? For our anniversary? It's a bit old-school and kinda embarrassing... I'd be happy just staying in and cuddling."
"Of course you guys should do something! Two years is a long time and you're still going strong. Plus... you've had to deal with each other for years now... the tolerance Mark hyung has never failed to astound me." Jaemin perks up.
"Why is everyone attacking me today?!" Donghyuck frowns and slaps Mark's hand away when the older reaches out to pat his head. "Whatever. We'll probably just snack out and watch a few movies. That sounds perfect to me."
A few more teasing remarks were traded until everyone moved on from the topic swiftly and unknowingly. Mark is half-paying attention and half-focusing his gaze onto Donghyuck's side profile.
Somewhere in his mind, he knows he isn't settling for the bare minimum. Donghyuck deserves everything.
But for now, he's perfectly content holding his boyfriend's hand under the table and admiring the happy smiles painting the latter's lips.
It's in the most random of moments where Mark feels as if he's ready to give Donghyuck the world. This feeling is so strange.
"Morning," is the first thing Donghyuck is met with one Saturday morning as he blinks open his eyes and sees Mark smiling at him, a gentle hand running through the knots in his hair. "Happy anniversary, baby"
Donghyuck had to blink away the haziness in his eyes. The light from the window sheds through the curtains and practically illuminates Mark's pale skin, which is very much bare.
"Morning..." his voice is a little hoarse but Mark swears there isn't a sound more pretty than the ones Donghyuck makes in the mornings after they've spent the night together cuddling in the older's bed.
Donghyuck bunches up the blanket to his neck in an attempt to cover up his own bare chest as he sits up and moves closer to Mark. Gently, he presses a kiss against the older’s cheekbone before moving back with a blissed out smile.
"Happy anniversary, Mark." Donghyuck looks happy, genuinely very happy and Mark thinks the sight is absolutely stunning. He wants to say something more, but it seems that Donghyuck always managed to get the first cut in and leave him speechless.
"Before this gets sappy and weird, I just want to say that... that-" Donghyuck blushes instantly and visibly forces himself to maintain eye contact with Mark, "just... thank you, Mark. You don't know how much you mean to me and I'm so glad we're still together even after all this time."
Mark knows his boyfriend is talented in many things, but seeing just how easily he can say such things all with a pretty smile on his face... Mark knows the younger is just too amazing for words.
Carefully, he wraps his arms around the younger's waist, uncaring of the way the blanket between their bodies slips from Donghyuck's hands and their bare chests clash with an aching amount of tenderness. He rests his head on the latter's shoulders, rubbing his hand up and down the other's back.
"You mean a lot to me too, Hyuck. More than I'm usually able to show you." Mark confesses with a breathy sigh.
There's probably a million ways he wanted to show just how much he truly loves Donghyuck. He doesn't want things like school and assignments and busy schedules to stop him from showing Donghyuck how raw his feelings actually are.
But they both know it's something they can't help, no matter how much they want to.
"What do you mean? You show me everyday, dummy." Donghyuck giggles against his shoulder and Mark can feel the sensation of a small kiss being pressed against his skin. "Now, let's go get washed up."
"Oh yeah. We have to get ready soon." Mark followed after the younger as they went into his bathroom. Mark was lucky his roommate crashed with their friend for the night so he and Donghyuck had his dorm to themselves for the entire morning.
"Get ready? Why?" Donghyuck questioned, dotting toothpaste on both his and Mark's brushes.
"We can't go out like this, Hyuck." Mark deadpanned, gesturing to their half-naked bodies.
"Are we going somewhere?" Donghyuck raises a brow, sending Mark a curious look through the mirror.
"Just get ready, love." Mark spits the toothpaste out, quickly washes his face, pats Donghyuck's butt and leaves the bathroom to let the younger shower.
While he does so, Mark shuffles over to the makeshift kitchen to make breakfast. Well, whatever form of a "breakfast" he could scrap up.
He briefly runs over the plan he made for today in his head. It wasn't even much, but Mark wanted to make today at least a little more special than what they're used to.
Too lost in thought, Mark was slow to react to the smoky scent entering his nose. He snapped his head down and shrieked loudly at the very much burnt egg stuck to the pan.
"Shit." he mumbled a curse.
"Maybe we should eat out for breakfast." Donghyuck's melodious giggle interrupted Mark's mini-crisis.
The older looks up to see Donghyuck in nothing but an oversized shirt and a fluffy towel around his neck. The sight would be severely lethal to Mark's heart and he would be drooling right about now, but Donghyuck moves closer to him and takes the pan from his hand and throws away the burnt egg, shaking him out of his thoughts.
"Are you going to get ready as well, hyung?" Donghyuck asks, his eyes wide and his lips puffy, just like they always were after he finishes taking a shower.
"Yeah.... yeah let's go get ready." Mark pretends his little incident never happened as he and Donghyuck make their way back into his room to get dressed.
At this point, half of Donghyuck's own wardrobe was in his, just from the amount of times the latter had stayed over. He's certain that the younger's own room wasn't much different.
They get dressed quickly and Mark couldn't help but steal glances at his phone every so often, checking up on the time sub-consciously.
"Ok! I'm ready." Donghyuck tells him after slipping on his shoes and coat.
"Great. Let's go then." automatically, Mark reaches a hand out and Donghyuck immediately takes it.
The action is close to second nature for them, but the sparks never fail to ignite in their chests at even the smallest of contacts.
"You still haven't told me what we're doing today..." Donghyuck frowns as soon as they both get into the older's car.
"Well, first... we're getting breakfast. I'm starving." Mark grins when Donghyuck rolls his eyes at the response.
"That's because you can't cook to save your life."
"If you keep insulting me, I simply won't give you the surprise I had planned." Mark shrugs, pressing his foot on the gas pedal when the traffic light turns green.
"Wait, no, no!! I take it back!" Donghyuck practically cried, "You're the best! So amazing! Sexy man! Love of my life!"
Mark spares a glance at the younger and sees the latter with his hands tightly clasped together and a big pout on his lips. He couldn't help the loud, choppy laughs that escaped his lips at the cute sight and he was certain that, if he wasn't busy driving, he would've smacked a massive kiss on the younger's lips right there and then.
"I'm kidding, baby." Mark chuckled, a severely fond smile playing on his lips.
"You better be." Donghyuck huffed before referring his attention out the window. Slow RnB songs from a playlist the younger of the two made for casual car rides, played in the background as a mellow silence consumed them both.
Comfortable.
It's always comfortable when they're together.
They reach the café where they usually have breakfast whenever they’re too lazy to make something or if they wake up too late. Sometimes, this very café would be the place where they'd study for hours when exams drew near. Other times, they'd come here, cuddle up in a quiet corner and feed each other cakes. It ended up being one of their comfort places.
Mark pays for their order and Donghyuck sends him a questionable look. But the older just waves it off.
"Let me treat you, baby." he assures with a pleasant smile.
"Is this your apology for burning an egg this morning?" Donghyuck scoffs, trying to hide a smile.
"Can you let me be nice to you for once?" Mark deadpans.
"Hmm... sure." Donghyuck takes his hand and pulls him across the café, grateful that it wasn't too busy.
He was about to push Mark down on one of the plush one-seaters and situate himself on the older's lap (he craves public affection), but Mark stopped him.
"Can't get comfortable, Hyuckie. We have to go soon." Mark tells him.
"Go where? Mark, just tell me already!" Donghyuck whined, gripping his coffee cup extra tight.
"The sooner you finish eating, the sooner we can go." Mark states.
Donghyuck has never eaten so fast in his life.
Mark tries to bite back a smile when he sees Donghyuck's expression shift into a mixture of confusion and... well, more confusion.
Donghyuck looks at him, his hand still tightly clasped in the older's and his jaw close to dropping to the floor.
"Mark? Why are we here?" the latter asks him.
"Why else?" Mark grins before looking up at the darkly-coloured building in front of them. A large bay window which displayed multiple trinkets and ornaments of all types; a mix of dreamcatchers and pottery pieces decorated the front shelf for passersby to see.
"To get tattoos, of course." Mark finishes.
"To get WHAT?!" Donghyuck practically splutters out.
"You said you wanted to get couple tattoos, right?" Mark reminds him, "So I thought it would be nice for us to get them on our anniversary."
"Nice?" Donghyuck repeats, "Oh, baby... you're so- oh my god..."
"Hm? Do you not want to?" Mark tilts his head, wondering if the latter ended up changing his mind. He internally frowned at the thought, the thought of not being able to give Donghyuck a good anniversary gift suddenly looming in his mind. "We don't have to! We can-"
Mark's words are cut off when Donghyuck grabs his face and brings him in for a kiss. Mark barely has any time to respond, but when he does, he wraps his arms around Donghyuck's waist and moves their heads to deepen the kiss.
Realising they were still outside, literally in the middle of the street where strangers were walking by, Mark pulled away first, his cheeks flushing pink. In the corner of his eye, he could see a few people shooting them weird and moderately disgusted looks. Strangely enough, that only made Mark want to show Donghyuck off even more.
"I already told you that you don't have to get a tattoo for me, babe." Donghyuck pulls Mark out of his thoughts.
"But I want to." Mark reassures him, "I really do."
"Are you sure?" Donghyuck nibbles on his lower lip out of habit.
"Baby, it's just a tattoo." Mark sighs.
Donghyuck huffs, but relaxes when Mark tightens the hold on his waist.
"You promise you're ok with it?" the younger asks again.
"Yes. Now can we please go inside? We'll miss our appointment." Mark urges him through the door.
"I can't believe you already had this all planned out." Donghyuck rolls his eyes, "No wonder you were so secretive all morning."
"That would ruin the surprise." Mark defends himself.
"Well, I'm very surprised then. So good job." Donghyuck teases and Mark only laughs.
Donghyuck watches as Mark confirms the appointment he made with the lady behind the desk. As he waited, he looked around at the colourful decorations hanging from all corners of the waiting area. The smell of ink, leather and cigarettes as well as the faint sound of chatter from distant rooms in the spacious studio captivated Donghyuck instantly.
But the sight of tattoo drawings and designs hanging from the walls made Donghyuck realise something.
"Oh my god, Mark!!" Donghyuck grabs his boyfriend's arm (all dramatic and everything) and starts shaking him for his attention.
"What? What is it?" Mark asks as he moves away from the desk.
"We haven't picked out our designs!" Donghyuck cries out.
"Oh yeah... we still have time to choose, I guess." Mark shrugs, pointing to one of the books laid out on the counter for them to look through.
"How can you book an appointment without planning beforehand?! I swear, Mark Lee, you're unbelievable." Donghyuck clings onto Mark's arm even tighter before dragging the older with a book of designs in hand for them to look through.
They found a small corner in the parlour, a rusty and slightly torn couch looked seemingly comfortable enough to rest on while they browsed. The bustle of the studio around them was ongoing, but the couple seemed to be in their own world.
"I just want something small." Donghyuck leans his head on Mark's shoulder as they flick through image after image of intricate and simplistic designs which varied in sizes and complexity. "There's too many to choose from..."
Mark sneaks a glance at the younger. With a surprising amount of hesitation, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone, going straight to his camera roll and tapping on a certain picture he spent the past couple of nights perfecting.
"Here..." he mumbles, suddenly embarrassed as he shows Donghyuck his phone screen.
"What's this?" the latter asks.
"Just a design... I asked Ten hyung to help me draw tattoos for us. I thought of the design but, really... he did all the work." Mark tries to explain, flushing so deeply, he was afraid he would explode if Donghyuck doesn't say anything in the next few seconds. "I-it's just an idea! I didn't know what you'd like, so I thought I'd try to make one myself. It's not great, but I-"
"This one." Donghyuck interrupts him, pointing at the phone screen with a beaming smile. He looks up at Mark with nothing short of stars in his eyes, "I want to get these tattoos, Mark."
Mark takes a few moments to comprehend what Donghyuck had just told him. His eyes scan over the latter's features in awe at how precious the latter is. Donghyuck, his boyfriend... means the world to him.
"Yeah?" Mark finally breathes out.
"Mhm... it's perfect! I want these ones." Donghyuck zooms in on the small designs on the screen, his eyes shining with excitement, and the sight alone was enough to melt Mark's already stolen heart.
"Whatever you want." Mark lets their hands intertwine once more when the latter pushes the compact folder of designs aside.
"Here." Donghyuck pokes a finger to the side of Mark's hand. "Lets get them here."
"You want to get it here?" Mark raises their tangled hands up and scans his eyes over the very spot Donghyuck pointed to.
Donghyuck nods his head, and Mark couldn't hold himself back. He brought the latter's hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against the younger's palm, letting his lips linger when Donghyuck started blushing profusely.
Unknowing to the other, there's a lightness in both their chests but, at the same time, it feels like their hearts are burning from all the exhilarating feelings they always had to deal with when they were together.
Soon, they're called into a room by one of the studio's tattoo artists.
Getting a tattoo hurts surprisingly more than they expected it to, but nothing, not even the sting of the needle, could wipe off the satisfied smiles on their faces.
"You keep looking at it." Mark runs a hand through Donghyuck's hair once before moving around the table to sit opposite him.
"Can I not? It looks so pretty." Donghyuck reprimands, his eyes never detaching from the small tattoo on the side of his palm.
A lock. A small, black, heart-shaped lock inked onto his skin. If he looks across the table to where his boyfriend was sitting, he could see a complementary tattoo on the exact same spot on the other's hand.
A key. On Mark's pale, white skin was inked a black key.
Honestly, Donghyuck wanted to laugh at how fitting their tattoos were. It was just something Mark would think about. An idea Mark would suggest. It was just so Mark.
It warmed his heart to know Mark had planned everything and always thought about giving him the things he wanted. He even went as far as making tattoos for them, and such a gesture was so, so sweet. Mark is so, so sweet.
"Mark, babe..." he calls out to the older, international cooing when Mark looks up at him from his homework with wide eyes.
"Hm?"
"Why did you want to get a tattoo with me? Like, seriously... I know it was our anniversary, but why?" Donghyuck knew he didn't need to look into it anymore. They already got their tattoos together and they were both extremely happy with the results.
But still.
Donghyuck couldn't help but be a little curious.
"Uhh... you'll think it's corny..." Mark rubs the back of his neck, his left eye crinkling a little when the corner of his lips quirk upwards cutely.
"Tell me~" Donghyuck whines, deciding to make the most of the time they have together in between their busy class schedules.
"Fine." Mark rolls his eyes, "Remember when we first met back in high school and you said you believed in soulmates?"
Donghyuck had to cast his mind back a few years to remember when he said those words and exactly what he said. Honestly, he was more surprised Mark remembered something he must've said a long time ago.
"I did?" Donghyuck questions with a raised brow.
"Yeah, you did." Mark supplies, "You told me that everyone can find their soulmate if they look hard enough. But, for some reason, I didn't need to look that hard to realise you were my soulmate."
Donghyuck's pen slips out from between his fingers, his jaw falling slack at the embarrassed look on Mark's face and even more embarrassing words coming out of the older's mouth.
"I'll forever be grateful that you're my soulmate, Hyuck." Mark confessed, "So grateful that I'll tattoo a reminder onto my skin all for you."
"Ok wait, please stop! Oh my god!" Donghyuck quickly waves his hands in front of his face. His terribly flushed and painfully red face. "You're so sappy, Mark Lee! If you keep saying stuff like that I-I'll... fuck..."
"You'll what?" Mark teases, a smirk forming on his lips, knowing that he was the one who could make someone as strong-willed as Donghyuck embarrassed like this.
"Ugh!! You're the worst!" Donghyuck cried out before getting up from his chair and practically launching himself at Mark, almost knocking them both off the older's chair.
Mark catches him just in time, steadying a hand on the table just to balance them both.
"The worst? Am I really?" Mark continues when Donghyuck buries his warm face into Mark's even warmer neck.
Donghyuck doesn't answer, so Mark waits for a few moments. He doesn't have to wait long before Donghyuck shakes his head, his hair tickling at the underside of Mark's chin.
"I'm not the worst?"
Donghyuck only nods in response, holding onto Mark even tighter than before.
They stay like that for a short while, just consuming themselves in each others' personal space. The warmth circulates throughout both their bodies and the scarily high levels of comfort and bliss they feel when they're holding each other like this, once again, goes unspoken.
"Mark?" Donghyuck starts once more, quietly so not to disrupt the peace that overcame them. A peace that doesn't come round all that often.
"What is it, Hyuck?" Mark responds just as quietly, burying his cheek into the younger's hair.
Donghyuck moves his face up slightly to look at Mark, and the older knows for a fact his boyfriend is really forcing himself to do this.
Why his lovely boyfriend has to be so cute, yet so prideful at the same time... he will never know.
"You know soulmates stay together forever, right? Just like these tattoos... you can't get them removed." Donghyuck tells him.
"I mean, you can still get them surgicall-"
"MARK, I SWEAR TO GOD JUST LISTEN!" Donghyuck snaps at him, smacking his shoulder once with a glare.
"Ok, ok, sorry." Mark laughs, taking Donghyuck's hand into his and pressing a kiss against the side of his palm, specifically on his tattoo.
(That might be his new favourite place to kiss now).
"Well, just... yeah, you're my soulmate. And you're stuck with me forever, ok? So... don't leave me."
"I would never." Mark makes a promise. Actually, he reminds himself of the promise he made years ago when they first met. "How could I ever leave you, baby? I'm pretty sure I love you too much."
"G-good." Donghyuck stutters, covering his face with his hands, "I love you too..."
Mark chuckles and hugs him tightly, pressing a kiss to his neck before resting his head on the latter's shoulder.
"I know."
Because he does. He knows very well that Donghyuck loves him, even if they're both not used to showing it all that well.
And, silently, they both realise, really, they're meant for each other. The ink on their skin is just a small reminder.