Work Text:
Donghyuck and Mark have never been the type of couple to flaunt their relationship. It wasn’t really necessary, considering what happened between them usually stayed between them, and if they hung out together, no one else had to be invited.
Maybe they start getting too closed off from the world, however, because now Donghyuck’s co workers refuse to believe that he’s dating the youngest manager of their company.
-
1
“I don’t want to go in,” Donghyuck whines, his head falling onto Mark’s shoulder. The older man pulled out the car keys and the engine fell silent.
“That sucks,” Mark says, without compassion.
“Mark,” Donghyuck whines again, turning around to look at Mark with his best puppy eyes. Mark looks down at him, at his huge eyes and tries not to crack a smile.
“Babe, this is your job.” Mark reminds, even if his hands reach up to cup Donghyuck’s face anyway. The air conditioning in the car starts to fade and Donghyuck is reminded once again of the tie around his neck. It’s suffocating but he doesn’t want to leave.
“And? Fuck capitalism.” Donghyuck murmurs, nuzzling into Mark’s palm. Mark laughs, swiping his thumb at his cheek.
“Come on, you’re going to be late.” Mark reminds, tapping gently at Donghyuck’s cheek. Donghyuck groans and lifts his face from Mark’s very fancy dress suit.
“Whatever,” Donghyuck grumbles, sticking his tongue out childishly at Mark. He turns around, listening to the chimes of laughter behind him, and throws open the car door.
He steps out onto the hard ground and the sweltering heat engulfs him immediately. Thank god Mark owned a car.
“Bye, Hyuck.” Mark calls, waving at the younger as he takes off to the other side of the building, in search of his colleagues. Donghyuck hums in reply, lifting his hand in a wave.
He leans against the car, surveying the parking lot for a second before his eyes fall into Renjun, who stands there, jaw to the floor.
Donghyuck tilts his head curiously, turning his head behind to check out what Renjun was looking at. Nothing.
He frowns and walks up to his friend, who was holding a paper bag in his right arm.
“Renjun, you alright there?” Donghyuck asks as he falls into the space in front of him.
“Did you just leave from the same car as Mark Lee? Like, the youngest manager of our company who’s incredibly loaded and hot at the same time?” Renjun asks, scandalised as he points at the car accusingly. Donghyuck finds himself frowning even more.
“Yeah?” He answers, uncertainly. Renjun’s jaw falls once more and he looks incredulous.
“You didn’t tell me you guys were friends?” Renjun says incredulously. He looks at the bus stop down the road. “You get a ride to work every morning while I sit in a crowded bus? Simply unfair. Haven’t you heard of sharing?”
“I- what?” Donghyuck’s eyebrows pinch together, confusion running in his mind. “We’re dating?”
It doesn’t sound like a statement either, merely a choked out question. Renjun’s jaw clamps shut at the words and he raises his eyebrows.
“Yeah, right. If you guys were really dating you wouldn’t even need to work anymore.” Renjun whistles slowly. “Just say you don’t want to share the fancy man’s car. I get it, Hyuck, it’s fine.”
Renjun hums pleasantly and raises the paper bag. “I bought drinks.”
The change of subject does not do anything to sweep away the shock that is piling in front of him. He’s so stunned that he doesn’t even manage to lift his hand when Renjun passes him a cup of coffee.
“We’re really dating,” Donghyuck states, trying to make his voice as earnest as possible. Renjun looks at him, contemplating for just a moment before he scoffs. Fucking scoffs.
“Right, and I’m dating the president. Take the drink, we have work to do.” Renjun nudges the cup in his direction once more and Donghyuck has no choice but to pick it up from his hands.
His mind does not stop whirring on the way up, and his responses to Renjun’s attempts at conversations are met with stuttered sentences and shallow words.
Is it that unbelievable?
-
2
Donghyuck expects it to be a one time thing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go like that. He wonders if this is a practical joke from the universe, or maybe Mark really has been so out-of-his-league this whole time.
Chenle is leaning against the bathroom’s wall, typing away at his phone as he waits patiently for Donghyuck to finish up. Donghyuck leans over the sink, washing away the soap coating his fingers when the toilet door swings open.
“Afternoon,” Mark says to Chenle, who immediately pockets his phone and bows to the older politely, offering a small smile. Donghyuck meets Mark’s eyes and he shuts off the tap, drying his hands by flicking the water droplets into the sink.
“Hey,” Donghyuck grins and Mark smiles back at him, head tilted fondly. Donghyuck steps past the older, and he lands a light pat on his butt.
He misses the way Chenle’s eyes track the movement, eyes large in utter disbelief.
“Eat something nice for lunch,” Donghyuck reminds and Mark nods before the younger is gesturing for Chenle to leave the bathroom with him.
It’s only when the toilet door falls shut that Chenle grabs his arm, tight enough that blood must’ve stopped circulating to his hand. “The fuck was that?”
Donghyuck looks at Chenle, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What?”
“What was that? You know him?” Chenle asks, voice softening when he reaches the second question. “Dude, he’s a genius and you know him?”
“I mean, yeah…?” Donghyuck replies, again uncertain. He thinks to the incident with Renjun a few days back and he wonders if it was worth a try this time. “We’re dating.”
Chenle promptly chokes.
And then he laughs.
“What’s so funny?” Donghyuck asks in mild offence, looking at the younger boy who was cracking up with his hands on his knees.
Chenle inhales sharply and wipes a tear from his eye. “Oh god, good one, Hyuck.”
Donghyuck frowns.
“It wasn’t a joke.”
“Really? There’s no way, though, I heard he’s a workaholic who barely has time for three meals a day.” Chenle mentions and Donghyuck nods along in his head, because that’s technically not wrong. Mark is an insane workaholic. “You didn’t have to lie like that, it’s already cool that you’re both friends.”
Donghyuck opens his mouth before he shuts it again when Chenle begins to walk ahead of him. He presses his lips together.
You know what? This is probably not worth it.
“What’s for lunch?” Chenle asks and Donghyuck sighs.
“Pepper rice,” Donghyuck mumbles, eyes cast to the floor. He’s a little disgruntled that no one seemed to believe him. He knows it doesn’t really matter, but it still makes him feel a little queasy.
-
3
Donghyuck walks up confidently towards Mark’s office. Most of the normal workers (Donghyuck) tended to work in booths but people of higher positions like Mark were generally given their own office. It made sense, considering all the paperwork had to be kept on the shelves there.
Now, Donghyuck’s learnt that it’s easy to just bust into Mark’s office if he looks confident enough — apparently no one will stop to question him if he looks like he has a one-track mind.
Not today, though.
“Donghyuck?” Someone calls and Donghyuck startles. He whirls around and finds his heart calming after noticing that it’s Johnny who had caught him. He’s not supposed to be in this part of the office, it’s on a different level, but it’s not like it was illegal.
“Hey, Johnny.” Donghyuck greets, waving at the older. He held a manager position in the promotion department, and Donghyuck’s really only close to him because Johnny thought he was adorable. Why else would anyone be so close to their direct superior?
“What are you doing here?” Johnny asks as he hikes his bag further up his shoulders. He looked like he was about to leave, which made sense, considering it was about ten thirty already.
“Oh, Mark wasn’t answering my texts so I wanted to go check up on him.” Donghyuck pauses, pressing his lips together. “You know how he is.”
“Aw, that’s sweet, kid.” Johnny smiles at him. “You’re a nice friend.”
Friend.
Donghyuck decides to try his luck again. Third time’s the charm.
“Oh actually, we’re dating.” Donghyuck corrects him nervously, gesturing at the door. Johnny quirks up an eyebrow, looking a little amused.
For a moment, Donghyuck thinks that maybe Johnny has believed him.
“Hyuck, you don’t have to come up with an excuse, you can just enter the office, I don’t snitch.” Johnny says, raising both arms in surrender and Donghyuck deflates. “You’re a nice guy, make sure Mark gets out of there in one piece.”
Donghyuck nods solemnly as Johnny turns on his heel and leaves. He walks down the path, shoes making muted sounds against the carpet. Donghyuck sighs, again.
Why did he even try? Donghyuck grumbles silently to himself as he walks towards the office and pushes the door open, not even surprised to find Mark staring intently at his laptop.
The lights in the office were mostly switched off, apart from the desk lamp that really didn’t illuminate much of Mark’s face.
“Mark,” Donghyuck calls. As expected, the older does not respond immediately. Huffing exasperatedly, he moves with large steps until he’s right in front of Mark’s table. He slams his hands down on the surface, effectively causing Mark to jump out of his skin. The older looks at him with wide eyes.
“What? Donghyuck? Why are you here?” Mark asks before he visibly pales. Quickly, his eyes flick to the bottom right of his laptop. “Oh.”
“Oh,” Donghyuck mocks. Mark’s face scrunches up in guilt. “Are you done with work?”
“Almost, just need to finish this final spreadsheet.” Mark says and Donghyuck nods, placing his briefcase on the floor before he goes to sit on the couch nearby.
“Have you had dinner?” Donghyuck asks, and he isn’t surprised when he’s met with silence. He sighs, again.
“Sorry,” Mark mumbles.
“It’s okay, just finish up.” Donghyuck mumbles, head falling onto the couch as he stretches his arms out above him. “Don’t take too long, I’ll buy you a meal after this.”
“Does the meal include you?” Mark asks, not looking back at Donghyuck. The younger flushes, folding his arms to his chest.
“Fuck off. No, it doesn’t. I’m going to throw my slipper at you.” Donghyuck grumbles underneath his breath. His eyes slip shut as the sound of cackling that echoes around the office.
Like that, he manages to slip into slumber.
-
Donghyuck chews on his cereal as he sits next to Mark at the coffee table, night surrounding them. They’re in Mark’s very modern and peaceful apartment, a far cry from Donghyuck’s own. Their thighs are rubbing against one another and Donghyuck’s leaning slightly into Mark.
“You’re being quiet,” Mark comments and Donghyuck looks up at him. He frowns.
“It’s nothing,” Donghyuck says, even though he continues playing with his food. The milk splashes against the side of the plate and the cereal grows soggy.
“You can tell me,” Mark says, as he scoops up a spoonful of rice. He runs a cold palm up and down Donghyuck’s thigh. The younger hisses at the temperature. Mark laughs.
“It’s a little stupid,” Donghyuck admits.
“If it’s bothering you then it’s not,” Mark says. It’s a phrase that is repeated a lot between them, reassurance that they both need sometimes when it comes to their respective problems.
“Okay, well.” Donghyuck starts, shoving another spoon of cereal into his mouth. “I’ve told like three people I’m dating you.”
“Oh,” Mark says, sounding slightly surprised. He pauses. “Were they… not supportive?”
“Oh no, no. They’re lovely.” Donghyuck clears his throat, waving his hands in denial. He pushes the different coloured fruit loops around in the milk when he calms down. “It’s just that they didn’t believe me.”
Mark tilts his head. “They don’t believe you?”
“Yeah, Renjun, Chenle and Johnny.” Donghyuck huffs, betrayal evident in his voice. “They didn’t believe me. Are we that unbelievable?”
Mark hums as he ponders the question. Donghyuck traces words into his milk as he waits for Mark’s response. A knuckle grazes his cheek softly and Donghyuck looks at Mark.
“Does it bother you?” Mark asks and Donghyuck positively flushes.
“Kinda,” Donghyuck admits, looking down at his milk again.
“Maybe we’re a little unbelievable,” Mark says as he continues to caress Donghyuck’s face. “Can you blame it, though? We’re a pretty unlikely combination.”
Donghyuck snorts. He falls back against Mark and lets the older hold him against his chest. “For a second I wondered if it was because you’re just so obviously out of my league. Then I remembered that you’re really just a loser.”
Mark laughs, pulling Donghyuck closer to himself. The shirt he borrowed from Mark crumples underneath his fingers. Donghyuck feels a small smile stretching over his face.
“Glad that you remembered,” Mark whispers, kissing Donghyuck’s forehead gently. “Don’t think like that even for a second.”
Donghyuck shudders and he presses himself closer to Mark. “I’ll try.”
Mark smiles against his hair. “But if you do ever have thoughts like that then just tell me. I’ll make them go away.”
“How?” Donghyuck asks, a mischievous grin already tugging at the corners of his lips. Mark’s hands fall onto his waist and he squeezes Donghyuck’s hips tightly.
“Want me to show you?” Mark asks and Donghyuck hums, as if thinking about it. Mark leans closer to Donghyuck and nibbles at his ear. Donghyuck whimpers before he struggles his way out of Mark’s hold.
“Finish your food first,” Donghyuck chastises, pointing at the bowl of rice that was probably cold at this point.
“But you are the whole meal,” Mark retorts cheekily. Donghyuck groans, shoving his face into his hands and turning away from Mark.
“I’m going to throw my slipper at you.” Donghyuck mumbles.
Mark giggles.
-
4
Donghyuck doesn’t expect a fourth time. Seriously, it’s starting to seem like this entire situation is a practical joke played on him, and everyone in the office is in on it.
“Hyuck,” A voice calls and Donghyuck glances up from his laptop, eyes widening when he notices that it’s Mark that’s standing over his office booth.
“Oh, hey.” Donghyuck replies, albeit stiffly. Mark doesn’t swing by here often, mostly because this isn’t exactly his department and he has absolutely no reason to be here.
“When we were in the car this morning, do you remember seeing a stack of papers held together by a yellow clip?” Mark asks and Donghyuck frowns.
“Not really,” Donghyuck mutters. “Hold on, let me check.”
He bends down and starts picking apart his bag, hands shuffling through the various stacks of sheets he has. Frankly, it’s stupid that he needs to carry around so many documents when computers exist.
He stops short when he spots something out of place. It’s held together by a yellow clip and Donghyuck pulls the stack of paper out of his bag, eyes glancing through the cover page. Nothing he recognises.
“This?” Donghyuck asks, raising it up and Mark’s eyes brighten.
“Yeah!! Thanks,” Mark smiles at him, eyes crinkling at the corners. He takes the document from Donghyuck’s hold. “See you.”
And with that final greeting, Mark is rushed back into the sea of work he has piled up in a queue. Donghyuck watches as he disappears past other booths and turns the corner.
“Dude,” Jeno calls and Donghyuck turns to look at him. He blinks.
“What?” Donghyuck asks, fiddling with his bag as he shoves it back into the side of his desk.
“You’re friends with Mark Lee?” Jeno asks. Jaemin slides his wheeling chair towards the both of them, successfully entering the conversation.
“Um, yeah?” Donghyuck replies mindlessly. “We’re dating, actually.”
He doesn’t need to look at them to know that there’s skepticism written all over their features, but he spares the time to look at their faces anyway. It’s a little amusing at this point.
“You’re not,” Jaemin denies and Donghyuck laughs, having already expected this answer. Apparently they must’ve taken the laughter as an admission to the ‘lie’ he’d told.
“If you’re going to lie about dating someone, at least pick a better victim.” Jeno snorts. “Mark’s like, the straightest person in this office.”
Donghyuck manages to hold back his laughter. “Really?”
“Yeah, looks like the kind of guy that would settle down and get married to a sweet girl by the age of 25 and live happily ever after with two children and their golden retriever, Oliver.” Jeno explains. Jaemin nods along, gazing longingly at the exit of their office.
“Shame, if he liked guys I’d definitely ask him out.” Jaemin sighs. Donghyuck lets out a laugh at this one. Jeno turns to glare at Jaemin.
“I’m literally right here?” Jeno says, clearly offended as he gestures to himself.
“And? Your presence will not stop me from admiring Mark Lee’s ass.” Jaemin shrugs before Jeno smacks his shoulder.
“I have a nice ass too.” Jeno defends himself and Jaemin grins.
“Is Jeno getting jealous?” Jaemin coos and Donghyuck fake gags by the side. He pushes himself away from the two and slides back up into his counter, having had enough of their very weird mating rituals.
He plugs in his earphones again, this time not as upset that they didn’t believe him.
He’s used to it now.
-
5
It’s a company dinner in the restaurant just across the street. Sales have been good recently and the promotion department is holding a celebratory meal after a work day in the restaurant.
“To us!” Jaemin cheers with his shot glass held high above his head. Jeno follows with a glass of water and smiles bitterly at his predicament. Someone has to be sober enough to stop everyone else from making stupid decisions. Or happy little accidents as Donghyuck likes to call it.
Donghyuck grins, leaning against Renjun lightly. He’s nursing a can of beer, not exactly drunk yet, but a little tipsy. It’s a nice buzz in his head and he doesn’t even find it in himself to be mad when Renjun shrugs his shoulders, causing Donghyuck’s head to fall off.
“You’re mean,” Donghyuck grumbles, letting his eyes fall shut.
Renjun shrugs again, leaning back into his seat. He chugs down some beer. “Do you have anyone to pick you up later?”
Donghyuck frowns and Jeno looks at them, catching the gist of their conversation. He raises his glass of water to get their attention.
“I could drive you home,” Jeno suggests but Donghyuck merely shakes his head.
“Mark’s picking me up, I think.” Donghyuck says, glancing down at his phone. He doesn’t miss the frown that Jeno sends him.
“I thought you were joking when you said you guys were dating,” Jeno says, lightly but also with curiosity. Donghyuck huffs.
“I wasn’t joking,” Donghyuck mumbles in reply.
“So you’re really dating Mark Lee?” Renjun asks, even if he doesn’t sound convinced in the least.
Donghyuck opens his mouth before he lets it fall shut again. He gapes for a moment, like a fish, trying to come up with a response that would be able to convince them that he was really dating Mark Lee.
Time slips out of his grasp though, as someone across the table starts shouting at everyone to look over. Chenle is balancing multiple glasses above his head, two hands outstretched to catch the cups if they chose to fall.
“That’s dangerous!” Jeno shouts, but stops when Jaemin puts a hand on his shoulder.
“Let him learn the hard way,” Jaemin says solemnly. Renjun, on the other hand, storms up to the other end of the table and starts dismantling the tower Chenle had built on top of his head. He’s reprimanding him in chinese underneath his breath and Donghyuck snorts lightly.
Missed his chance again. Guess they’ll forever be in the dark.
Donghyuck doesn’t know what he has to do to prove their relationship to his friends. Show them a picture of them making out? His lock screen? Make out in front of them?
Even the fact that Mark was picking him up didn’t seem to convince them of anything either.
Sighing, his bottom lip slips out from underneath his upper one and it remains like that in a pout for the rest of the dinner.
-
“They didn’t believe me again,” Donghyuck laments, head lolling to the side from where he is sitting in the car. Mark spares him a glance and smiles. He runs his hand up Donghyuck’s thigh and then down again, until his palm reaches his knee. Donghyuck shudders.
“Should we make out in front of the entire office so that they eventually believe us?” Mark asks, humouring his drunk boyfriend. Donghyuck frowns, shaking his head.
“Too much trouble,” Donghyuck mumbles. Mark laughs, squeezing his thigh. They reach a red light.
“You’re trouble,” Mark says, hand running from Donghyuck’s thigh up his chest and then finally resting on his face. He grazes his cheek with his knuckles and grins.
“Too much,” Donghyuck repeats. Mark snorts and drops his hand. It goes back to rest on the wheel when the green lights flicker back up.
“Does it still bother you?” Mark asks, turning a corner. Donghyuck shakes his head.
“Just a little frustrating,” Donghyuck breathes. “Jaemin and Jeno claim that you’re too straight.”
This punches a laugh out of Mark, who’s face immediately morphs into one of pleasant surprise. “Really?”
“Yeah and I don’t know how to convince them otherwise because they’ve raised some very good points,” Donghyuck grumbles. Mark snickers. He lets a hand fall back onto Donghyuck’s thigh.
“Should I cuff my pants the next time I go into work?” Mark asks, mostly in jest. Donghyuck rolls his eyes, shoving him away.
“Fuck you,” Donghyuck hisses, turning his head to look out the window rather than Mark’s very dumb face.
His boyfriend only laughs.
-
+1
Jaemin takes a glance at Donghyuck, not the first in the past few hours ever since he had clocked into work. Donghyuck had his head to the table, forehead beaded with sweat as he attempted to complete whatever he had to finish that day.
“Donghyuck,” Jeno calls and Jaemin meets his eyes, nodding encouragingly. “If you’re sick you should go home.”
Their first attempt at getting Donghyuck to head home had been met with a very scathing glare. It’d been a few hours since then, and his condition had only worsened.
“I’m not sick,” Donghyuck says, voice muffled by the table.
“Dude, you’re not going to get any work done with whatever the fuck you have going on, so just go home.” Jaemin hisses. “Do you need a ride home? I don’t think you can take public transport like this.”
“It’s almost going to be lunch hour,” Jeno notes, glancing at the clock. “I could send you home.”
“I still have work, though.” Donghyuck mutters, turning his head in his arms to face the both of them. His eye bags were basically stretching down to meet his cheeks at this point. His hair was slicked to his forehead, mostly from all the sweat. Jaemin grimaces.
“You’re not getting anything done at this rate,” Jeno frowns. “Look, I don’t know how to convince you to get out, but-”
A shadow is cast over their booth at that very moment and Jaemin can see the way Donghyuck visibly tenses. Jaemin meets Mark Lee’s eyes from his position and he can feel his eyes widen.
His neck almost breaks from how fast it whips to meet Jeno’s eyes.
What the fuck? He mouths. Jeno shrugs.
“Donghyuck,” Mark calls and Jaemin cannot even get his body to sit back and enjoy the scene unfolding in front of him. He’s so stunned that he’s basically paralysed.
Donghyuck doesn’t answer the call, and his head shifts so that it’s buried nicely in his arms. Mark sighs, shifting so that he comes inside their booth. Then, he turns to look at Jaemin. “Has he been like this for the past few hours?”
Now, Jaemin is not sure what he should answer. Would he snitch on his friend about his very bad work habits to his superior? But it didn’t look like Mark was here to rat them out, so he shrugs.
“Yeah, it got worse, though.” Jaemin answers and Jeno nods in agreement beside him. Jaemin does not ignore the way Mark’s body rattles in his next breath, filled with worry.
It makes him frown in confusion.
“Donghyuck, can you look at me?” Mark asks, and his voice is hushed. Jaemin has to strain his ears to hear him. Half his mind is chastising him, telling him that this was obviously an intimate moment and that he should stop gawking. But he couldn’t look away, not when Mark fucking Lee was worrying over Donghyuck.
Donghyuck, to his credit, does turn to look at Mark this time. Mark immediately puts a hand on his forehead before pulling it back quickly like he had just gotten burnt. “I could fry a fucking egg on your forehead.”
Jaemin holds back a surprised snort that would’ve led to him choking on air.
“You’ve never successfully fried an egg in your life, what do you know?” Donghyuck mutters spitefully and Jaemin does not resist that sound that leaves his throat. It’s partly a cough and partly a laugh.
Mark glances at him and Jaemin gives him his best grin.
He looks away.
“We’re heading home,” Mark says, in a tone of finality. Jaemin looks at Jeno, again. Home? As in, home? Do they live together?
“You have work,” Donghyuck argues weakly. It’s a losing battle.
“I’ve finished everything I need to do in the office today, and I don’t have meetings later on. I can finish the rest on my laptop at home.” Mark hums, brushing Donghyuck’s hair away from his forehead.
“I’m not that sick,” Donghyuck mumbles and Mark raises a single eyebrow.
“That’s what you said this morning as well,” Mark presses his lips together. “Usually, you’re a good liar.”
Jaemin nods to that.
Donghyuck grumbles something incoherent. The corners of Mark’s lips pull upwards.
“Wanna head to my apartment?” Mark asks, and Jaemin files the information back into his brain. They do not live with each other. He sees the way Donghyuck slumps in defeat, giving Mark a weak nod. “Alright, pack up your things, we’ll leave in a few minutes. Wanna head down to the lobby first?”
Donghyuck lifts his head, as if to remind Mark about something. Mark manages to cut him off. “I’ll tell Johnny.”
Donghyuck huffs, falling back onto the table and into his arms.
“Don’t fall back asleep, babe.” Mark calls, ruffling Donghyuck’s hair once before he takes his leave, probably to go and pack his stuff.
The minute he leaves the booth, Jaemin wheels his chair closer to Donghyuck. “Babe?”
Donghyuck levels him with a weak glare.
“You’re actually dating?” Jeno asks, face morphed into disbelief. Jaemin understood that perfectly.
“I told you a few weeks ago,” Donghyuck murmurs. “You’re only believing me now when I’m almost dying?”
Donghyuck lifts his head completely, sluggishly shutting his laptop off and packing up his paperwork to stuff in his bag.
“Okay, dude, how were we supposed to know you guys were dating?” Jaemin says, gesticulating wildly. “I’m sorry he’s like, probably the straightest guy I’ve ever met. If not a little clumsier.”
“Are straight people not allowed to be clumsy?” Jeno asks, tilting his head towards Jeno.
“Okay, yeah, not what I meant.” Jaemin waves off. “So, are you going back to his?”
The flush on Donghyuck’s face grows deeper. He turns to glare at Jaemin.
“What’s it to you?” Donghyuck asks through gritted teeth.
Jaemin snorts. “Nothing.”
He leans back against his chair, leisurely watching as Mark returns, leaning outside Donghyuck’s booth as the latter throws his bag over his shoulders. He levels both Jeno and Jaemin with a final stare, before they both take their leave.
From Jaemin’s angle, he can see the way Donghyuck leans his head on Mark’s shoulder the minute the lift doors close and he thinks that no one is looking at them.
“Holy fuck,” Jaemin says, turning to Jeno. “What the fuck did we just witness?”
It’s not even a minute later that someone comes running to their booth, a panting Renjun greeting them by slamming his hands onto a table dramatically. “Did I just see-”
“Yeah, dude, they’re dating.” Jaemin says, not even having to listen to Renjun finish his sentence. Renjun pales, slapping a hand over his mouth.
“Well, fuck.” Renjun murmurs, eyes still wide.
“Fuck indeed dude, now we owe him some apologies.” Jaemin grimaces, already pulling out his phone to send Donghyuck a quick text. “A point for Donghyuck again. Seems like he always wins.”
“He does.” Renjun murmurs. “Mark Lee…”
-
+2
“Jaemin said he believes us now,” Donghyuck says in amusement. His throat is croaky and speaking hurts but he needs to revel in all his smugness. “And that he’s sorry.”
Mark rolls his eyes, carefully laying a cold cloth on Donghyuck’s forehead. “That’s nice. I think Johnny also figured it out the moment I told him I was bringing you home.”
Donghyuck grins. Mark cups Donghyuck’s cheeks and thumbs at the skin there.
“Get some sleep, okay?” Mark murmurs. “I’m going to do my work outside but if you need anything send me a text.”
“I need cuddles,” Donghyuck almost whines.
“You’re going to regret saying that when I lay beside you.” Mark warns, already standing up.
“Because you’d be too hot?” Donghyuck asks, rather innocently. Mark puffs his cheeks, pressing his lips together as warmth floods them.
“That,” Mark says, pointedly. “Literally.”
Donghyuck lets out a small giggle, all that he can really manage.
“Night,” Donghyuck mutters and Mark ruffles his sweaty hair a final time. It’s half past one in the afternoon.
“Goodnight,” Mark hums.
“Love you.”