Chapter Text
Mark and Donghyuck were childhood friends who grew up together. Though they were called friends, Mark was actually a year older than Donghyuck. Their mothers were close friends, so their families had always been closely connected since they were young.
From kindergarten to elementary school, middle school, and even high school, Donghyuck stuck to Mark like a shadow. Even when school ended early, he refused to go home, insisting on waiting until late just to see Mark finish basketball practice. Following Mark was one thing, but Donghyuck was downright mischievous, always coming up with new ways to tease Mark. Growing up, the only person who could truly drive Mark Lee crazy, he only one who ever truly tested his patience, was none other than Lee Donghyuck.
Mark sighed, "Donghyuck, I guess you'll only stop trailing after me once we’re in university, huh?"
But Mark Lee’s plans never quite matched reality. Donghyuck got into the same university as him. And so, in college, the two ended up renting a cheap apartment near campus to make commuting easier.
Despite being at the same university, Mark and Donghyuck weren’t even in the same department. Mark was in the Economics and Engineering department, while Donghyuck majored in Media Management, which meant their schedules barely aligned. When Mark was at school, Donghyuck would be home—and vice versa. On top of that, Donghyuck was active in the arts club, which kept him so busy that even weekends weren’t always free.
The only time they really saw each other was during dinner, when Donghyuck would be chatting away about funny stories from his classes or club activities. There were names Mark had never even put a face to, but he had heard Donghyuck bring them up countless times.
They were still as close as ever, but Donghyuck no longer stuck to Mark like glue. In a larger world, he made more friends, no longer clinging to Mark like before—no longer was he calling "Mark hyung" at every turn.
Mark told himself that maybe, just maybe, he was finally free.
.
Mark jolted awake on a Sunday morning. Out of habit, his hand automatically reached for his phone—7:12 AM.
Guess my luck finally ran out for me to be up this early, he thought.
He tried to close his eyes again, but sleep refused to return. With a sigh, he sat up and dragged himself to the bathroom.
Once he was done, he stepped out, heading to the kitchen for a quick bite.
A delicious aroma wafted through the air, instantly making his stomach growl.
Smells so good.
Mark made his way to the kitchen, seeing Donghyuck moving around, busy at the stove.
"Morning."
Donghyuck stayed focused on cooking, not turning around as he asked, "You’re up early today?"
"Yeah, I woke up and just couldn’t go back to sleep.” Mark scratched his head. “What’s cooking so early in the morning?"
“I was scrolling through TikTok last night and saw this recipe—looked interesting, so I thought I’d give it a try.” Donghyuck stirred the pan. “I’ve got club plans this afternoon, so just eat first and let me know how it tastes when I get back tonight.”
For someone like Mark, who couldn’t cook to save his life and would eat anything put in front of him—calling everything delicious—this dish was bound to be fine.
Besides, Donghyuck was an excellent cook. That was also why Mark’s mom was so relieved when she found out he’d be living with Donghyuck in college. At least she knew her son wouldn’t starve to death.
Mark took out two slices of bread, made a cup of coffee, and started eating. He sat there, eating and chatting with Donghyuck.
"You have club activities even on a Sunday?"
Donghyuck quickly packed the food into a container and replied, “The school year’s over, so everyone’s meeting up for a meal. And we’ll take the chance to introduce the new members too.”
“Ah, got it.”
“I left your food in the fridge. Heat it up at lunch, but only for three minutes—no more, okay?” Donghyuck reminded him like he was a kid, even though Mark was the older one.
“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna burn the kitchen down.” Mark knew exactly what Donghyuck was worried about and reassured him confidently.
Donghyuck checked the time and rushed to his room to change. He threw on a charcoal gray hoodie and ripped jeans, his curly brown hair still a mess.
“Gotta go now, bye!” And with that, he dashed out the door.
The house grew quiet again. Mark sighed, thinking he should still be curled up in bed, sleeping until noon—not up early, sitting here with nothing to do.
Oh, right. Yesterday, Johnny—an upperclassman—had sent him a file, saying to check it out whenever he got bored alone.
Well, what better time than now?
Mark rushed back to his room, turned on his computer, and opened the file.
.
Everyone had planned to meet at Playground 24/7, a complex that had just opened last month. With a café, a restaurant, and even an entertainment area, it was the perfect hangout spot. But Donghyuck had something to take care of at school first.
After checking the scholarship list and handing it over to the one-stop service department, he was about to leave when his phone rang. The screen displayed the name Park Jisung—a junior from the same club.
"Hello? Jisung?"
"Hyung, you're not here yet? Everyone's been looking forward to you coming!"
"I had something to take care of at school, so I'm just heading over now." Donghyuck was curious. "What's so exciting that you're all waiting for me?"
Jisung had been waiting for a chance to say this and immediately spilled everything. "It’s more than exciting—it’s a big deal! You know some of our new gen members are joining us for dinner today, right? Well, one of them is pretty good-looking, and the moment he heard your name, he got super excited. He kept asking everyone in the club about you. And guess what? Everyone got really curious too, so they decided not to show him your picture. They said he should just see for himself when you get here."
Donghyuck raised an eyebrow. "You're not just making this up, right?"
"I swear to heaven and earth!" Jisung raised his hand, even though Donghyuck couldn’t see him.
"Oh, by the way, you didn’t forget to bring me the Rise of the Guardians DVD, did you?"
Donghyuck flinched and checked his jacket pocket. Oh crap—he had rushed out so fast earlier that he forgot it at home. He had promised to lend it to Jisung last week but completely forgot.
"Y-Yeah, I have it. Alright, I'm about to get in the car now. See you in a bit."
He quickly hung up and bolted back home. Luckily, his apartment was near campus, so he could still make it.
On the way, he texted Mark, asking him to grab the DVD and bring it down for him. But for some reason, Mark wasn’t replying.
Don’t tell me he just passed out again after breakfast... Donghyuck guessed.
Assuming Mark was fast asleep, he carefully opened the door when he got back, tiptoed into his room, and grabbed the DVD from his desk. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a strange sound.
“Mm—”
What the...?! Donghyuck thought he must’ve misheard.
“Hahh—”
Oh, f— He didn’t mishear! Any grown-up would know exactly what that was. But… wasn’t Mark already asleep? No way, did he actually bring someone over while I was gone? That couldn’t be it. Mark wasn’t the type to live recklessly like that. No fucking way.
Curiosity killed the cat.
Donghyuck crept toward Mark’s bedroom and peeked through the slightly ajar door.
Mark Lee sat at the edge of his bed, pants pushed down to his knees. His eyes were screwed shut, head tilted back, exposing the sharp curve of his throat as heavy, ragged breaths spilled past his lips. Between the legs, his cock stood flushed and rigid, the swollen tip slick with arousal. His rough, calloused hand gripped it firmly, stroking in a slow rhythm. Wet, obscene sounds echoed through the room.
Donghyuck's blood ran cold, his body rooted to the spot, completely unable to move.
The person inside seemed oblivious to the unseen observer outside, his hand never faltering. His breathing grew ragged, his strokes quickening, turning frantic. His cock throbbed painfully, aching for release. Mark dragged his thumb over the sensitive tip, pressing down as he rubbed. A low, guttural groan tore from his throat as he finally lost control—his length jerking violently. Spurts of hot release spilled into his palm, streaking across the sheets in a messy, fevered climax.
Donghyuck jolted back to his senses, spun around, and rushed off— as if he had never been there at all.