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It’s nearing 4am when Donghyuck opens the door to his apartment and trudges in, exhausted after a long day of work just to return home the next day at the early hours of morning where the sun is nowhere to be seen. The company had planned back-to-back schedules and it didn’t help that he had to promote in multiple groups because he and Mark had to take on twice the work. Which meant almost no time to see his boyfriend of almost a year. They had to make do with fleeting moments of alone time in the waiting room or a few hours at night, both of them too tired to stay awake.
This is why it surprised him to see Mark laying down on his couch, phone in hand and half-asleep, head nodding down to his neck every few seconds with half-open eyelids. Donghyuck stood in front of him with his hands on his hips, a sigh coming out his mouth.
“Mark Lee why are you not sleeping in bed?”
Mark shook his head, startled, as he came back to reality and looked up to meet Donghyuck’s eyes.
“I was waiting for you baby, we never get to spend time together- awake, I mean- and I noticed you were barely talking at dance practice today and didn’t seem like yourself so I came to cheer you up.”
He smiled up at Donghyuck innocently, immediately wiping away any anger the younger had to see his boyfriend still up. What will I do with this boy… he’s too sweet for this world … Donghyuck set down his bag and let himself fall into Mark’s embrace as he settled himself down on the couch, laying down with Mark hugging him from behind.
“You’re lucky that we don’t have schedules until 12pm, Markie.”
“I know Hyuck, I asked our manager to push it back so we can have more time to rest”, Mark replied softly, nuzzling his nose into the side of Donghyuck’s neck. His arms tightened around the younger as he murmured into his neck, “I missed you so much Hyuckie.”
Donghyuck understood exactly what he meant. Even though they are basically together every day due to their similar schedules, they rarely got moments like this, just the two of them, together, basking in the comfort of each other. Donghyuck turned his head slightly and kissed the side of the older’s head softly.
“Me too, I love you a lot you know? Sometimes I just want to run away from everything with you, seems better than being basically the walking undead everyday with these crazy schedules.”
Mark chuckled softly and reached up to start softly massaging the younger’s shoulders with gentle squeezes. “Oh, I totally get you. There are days when I’m absolutely exhausted, when I think I have no energy left in me. But you know what motivates me at times like that?”
Donghyuck hummed in question, melting further into Mark’s comforting touches.
“It’s by watching you, you bright smiles and playful energy as you spread your warmth to all the members. It’s when you gaze encouragingly at me, or when you sneak up to me when no one’s around to give me a hug or a soothing kiss.” Mark kissed Donghyuck’s cheek and hugged him tightly. “It’s when I realize I have someone with me through all of this, someone I care about more than anything in the universe.” Donghyuck absorbed his words for a moment, tears building up in his eyes and one falling down his cheek.
“I’m sorry… hyung… I was just so exhausted today that I couldn’t bring myself to act like my normal self. I think… I just need some time to recover and I want that for both of us. I can see that you’re tired too, no matter how hard you try to hide it”, Hyuck smiled sadly through his tears. Mark gazed at his boyfriend in concern, reaching up to thumb away the tears from the younger’s cheek.
“Baby, it’s ok not to struggle to keep up your energy if you feel that you can’t, I just want you to come to me when you feel tired, and I’ll always be here to welcome you with open arms. We can only rely on each other, you know?” Donghyuck nodded and turned around to meet Mark’s eyes. “I know that too well, I promise to come to you next time Markie.” Mark cradled the younger’s face in his hands. “And I’ll talk to the company tomorrow and see what they can do about adjusting our schedules to give us more time to rest together.”
Donghyuck smiled brightly, genuine love shining through his eyes. “What did I ever do to deserve an angel like you?” Mark kissed the top of Donghyuck’s forehead and stared lovingly into his eyes. “I should be saying the same thing.” Donghyuck laid his head down on Mark’s chest and wrapped his arms around the older. “Now tell me a bedtime story”, Donghyuck said with a mischievous smile. Mark hummed with amusement and asked, “What do you want to hear?”
“Tell me about the time we first met.”
Mark grinned and stroked Hyuck’s hair. “All right. So, it was back when we were scrawny little teenagers, immature kids who had so much to learn and grow.” Donghyuck smiled as he snuggled closer to Mark. “I was in the practice room when you showed up, a tiny little kid with a playful look in his eye and pretty tan skin. You came up to me straight away, and asked me with a skeptical look on your face, “...So you’re Mark Lee?” I knew from the start that you would be a menace, but who knew that you would become my favorite beautiful little menace…”
The younger had a soft smile on his face as he listened to the story he had heard hundreds of times but still enjoyed every time, slowly drifting off to sleep. He forgot all his worries and stress as he delved into the comfort of his boyfriend, silently promising himself to always stay by Mark’s side.