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it was nearing eleven p.m. when mark walked through the door of his and donghyuck’s shared apartment. he sighed as he toed off his shoes by the door, glad to be home after a grueling day at work. his job consisted of spending twelve hours in a lab processing animal feces and biopsies and a plethora of other animal bodily fluids that ended in -es, and now all mark wanted to do was take a warm, relaxing shower and curl up in his boyfriend’s arms.
not bothering to turn any lights on, mark stumbles through the apartment blindly - only narrowly misses stubbing his big toe on the corner of their couch - and pauses right outside the bedroom. a soft, romantic song and warm yellow light bleeds through the slightly cracked door, joined by faint crackling sounds from donghyuck’s favorite wood-wick candle. mark walks in, and his smile is immediate as he finds his tan-skinned boyfriend sitting cross-legged in the center of their bed, the comforter cocooned around him like a thick, puffy hood. there’s a bowl placed on top of a pillow next to where donghyuck sits, filled halfway with cracked and empty sunflower seeds as the younger boy snacks, reading the book laid out on the bed in front of him. he's turned the fairy light dangling from the ceiling on, and they make donghyuck’s eyes extra sparkly as he looks up at mark.
it feels like slow motion as mark watches donghyuck’s face brighten when their eyes meet. for every millimeter that donghyuck’s smile widens, mark feels love flow from his veins and fill his heart like a river after heavy rain. liter by raging, rapid liter.
mark’s voice comes out soft, sweet. exhaled words of adoration.
“hey, pretty boy.”
a blush blooms on tan cheeks and mark can’t help himself as he makes his way over to the bed. he grabs the book and the bowl of sunflower seeds and sets both atop their bedside table, donghyuck gazing up at him with still-sparkling eyes and a shy look on his face. the blanket opens up as donghyuck extends his arms and previously crossed legs, revealing the younger boy's preferred pajama set of short-shorts and one of mark's oversized t-shirts. mark doesn’t hesitate to accept the invitation, eager to find comfort in donghyuck's warmth. the younger boy giggles as mark falls on top of him, and mark is careful not to rest his entire weight on the smaller boy. slowly, donghyuck cocoons them both in the covers as he wraps his limbs koala-style around mark’s frame.
mark sighs, a soft “missed you,” is mumbled into the skin of donghyuck’s neck and his eyes flutter close as donghyuck starts giggling, whining cutely about being ticklish.
they both settle, but donghyuck laughs again a second later, prompting mark to pull back and look down at him, brow raised.
“what’s funny, baby?”
donghyuck smiles up at him, wide and toothy, and his eyes crinkle.
“hehe. we’re a cannoli.”
mark chuckles and bumps their noses together, pressing a soft kiss to his lover’s lips before asking, “a cannoli, huh? wouldn’t you say we’re more of a burrito right now?”
donghyuck sniffs twice, hums in thought for a moment before his lips push into a pout and shakes his head no.
“nope. i’ve rethought it. we are filling. and we are in a roll. cannoli or burrito are valid options, but! but-
“butt-butt?”
“-we are also asian. therefore. we are sushi.”
mark tilts his head at the younger, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
“wouldn’t that make us gimbap, then? since we’re, y’know, korean?”
the older tries not to laugh, lips pressing together in a tight line to show his boyfriend he was taking this seriously as donghyuck scrunched his nose up at him.
“good point. i should have thought of that. let’s just say that was my idea, though okay?”
mark rolls his eyes, resting his weight on one arm to lift a hand and brush a strand of donghyuck's hair away from his face. mark liked looking at him with unobstructed view.
“whatever you say goes, pretty boy.”
donghyuck looks smug at his words, lets out a satisfied “heh” and goes to bite at the tip of mark’s nose. his limbs briefly tighten around mark’s body, as if mark would try to escape, and relax again once he successfully sinks his front teeth into soft cartilage. donghyuck isn’t a complete menace, though, and he presses a kiss to the spot right after.
“gimme skincare. i demand it. at least thirty-seven, please and thank you.” mark exhales a laugh through his nose as donghyuck relaxes his head back and closes his eyes. he reaches to press his lips against donghyuck’s forehead and pulls back to count.
“there’s one-” donghyuck’s eyes reopen to squint up at mark, face scrunching.
“no no no. i’ll count. you just kiss.” donghyuck bonks his forehead softly against mark’s before laying his head back down and relaxing with his eyes closed once more. mark wastes no time attacking donghyuck’s face with kisses, fingertips soft against his tanned jaw to turn his face this way and that, determined to get every angle, kiss every inch. mark delights in the way donghyuck’s giggles steadily turn to full blown laughter when he presses rapid kisses near sensitive ears.
he pauses the next moment to ask, “how many was that, baby?”
donghyuck doesn’t even bother opening his eyes. he speaks out of breath and slightly flushed, yet voice unwavering, “only seven.”
mark laughs loudly at that, shaking his head amusedly. the younger had a sly little look on his face, knowingly lying and yet unashamed.
“you’re a silly goose, you know that?”
“i’m your silly goose. you love me.” mark laughs again and nods, resting their foreheads together with an endeared smile.
“that’s right, baby, you’re my silly goose.” donghyuck beams at him, and mark feels his body fill with warmth.
if he could, mark would freeze this moment and make it his home. he presses another kiss to donghyuck’s lips. softer this time, slower.
“i love you.”